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When they got on the ferry, Armando felt like something was off. He scanned the place and saw a man in one corner who seemed like a tourist going to an island. Another man who was dressed in casual clothing with a cap on his head was seated in front and chatting with a friend. The rest seemed to be minding their own business, taking pictures of the blue waters or the sky or reading a book as the ferry moved across the sea. To normal people, there would be nothing strange about this scene. However, as a hardcore criminal who had been in the cartel for most of his life, Armando could sniff a cop from a distance. No one on this ferry was a civilian. They were cops in disguise who were there to arrest them. It seemed Diana had been followed after all and she was none the wiser.Armando gulped, glancing at Diana. His stomach twisted as worry for her crept into him. She loved a soft life… she wouldn’t survive in jail. How could he let her get captured only for her to go and live a life sh
Earlier in Oliver’s ward. Henry Ford asked to talk to Oliver about something important. Since he was recovering and now feeling better, Henry thought it was time to tell him about his biological father before Julian got impatient and introduced himself to Oliver without permission. Oliver was seated in his hospital bed with his back leaning against the headboard. He was in a VIP room and the beds in the VIP section were comfortable and luxurious just like the ones you would find in a home. When Henry was still silent after five minutes, Oliver sighed and asked, “Dad, you said you had something important to tell me?”“Uh… yes, son,” Henry replied, shifting in his seat. “I did say that, didn’t I? Well, I don’t know how important it is… I might be more important…”Oliver arched an eyebrow, already having an inkling about what his father wanted to talk to him about. He figured it wasn’t an easy topic for Henry so he waited patiently. However, ten more minutes passed and the man still s
An hour later… At the police station, in a small dimly lit room, a woman in her early fifties sat at a chair with her cuffed hands resting on the grey table in front of her. She was facing an empty chair that was reserved for the person who would be interrogating her. This woman was none other than Diana Crawford, Wesley Crawford's mother and Julian Crawford's wife. Her usual confident demeanour had been replaced by a resigned look on her face. She looked like she had been through hell and back with dishevelled hair, blood on her clothes and hands and her cheeks were stained with her tears. When she arrived, she looked around the room, wondering what awaited her in that room. Was she going to be tortured? The room only had one table and two chairs, its walls had a dull grey colour that was meant to prevent distractions during an interrogation. It was made this way to give off a sense of intimidation to the one being interrogated. Diana felt like she had been waiting for hours an
Oliver's heart sank at Diana's response but his face did nothing to betray his emotions. He maintained a poker face as he asked, "You're not her accomplice?"“Why would I be Jessica Hart’s accomplice? Her marriage to you would make you stronger than you already were. Why would I work with her?” Diana asked, a look of confusion marring her face. "If anything I wanted to get rid of her, but unlike Claire, she had a wealthy background, so, I couldn't mess with her. It worked in my favour when you rejected her advances."Oliver ran a hand through his hair, a habit he had picked up when he felt frustrated. He glanced at Diana and stated, “So this means Wesley was not her accomplice too, right?”“No, he was not. Of course, they knew each other since Adam used to have a business alliance with your father. But I didn’t like her since she wanted to be your bride,” Diana revealed, making more questions pop up in Oliver’s head. If the one sending threats about Claire wasn’t Jessica, Wesley or Di
“My father?” Oliver couldn’t believe his ears. There was no way Henry Ford would do such a thing. This was a man who taught him the value of family and the true meaning of love. Henry was a man who called a spade a spade. He never went through the corners and always spoke his mind. If he wanted Oliver to marry Jessica, he would have said so from the word go. Oliver shook his head in denial. He hissed, “Tell me something else… My father would never do such a horrendous thing!”“I’m not talking about Henry Ford. I’m talking about your real father, Julian Crawford. I worked together with him so that I could marry you and then, he would give you the company… you being a Ford meant Julian’s company would grow bigger under your leadership,” Jessica explained. Oliver’s stomach churned. He felt sick. What kind of man was Julian Crawford? He even had the nerve to approach the Fords to ask to meet him when he knew what he had been up to in the background.“So, he’s just a greedy man, huh? Go
“What are you doing here?” It was Henry who practically roared at the man who entered the ward. The man hesitated at the door. He glanced over at Oliver and said, “I was waiting at the hotel and you didn’t show up-”“For a good reason. We know what you did with that fake woman, Jessica Hart,” Roxanne snapped. “How dare you ask to meet Oliver when you’re responsible for what happened between him and Claire?”The man at the door was none other than, Julian Crawford. He was in a crisp powder blue dress shirt, flat-front khaki chinos with a brown belt and brown shoes. He appeared to have aged a lot since the last time he met Henry and Roxanne. His face had more wrinkles and he had dark circles around his eyes. After discovering Diana was a fraud who had married many men and stolen from them, Julian was filled with regrets. He could only blame himself for cheating on his former wife with her. “Well, as you can see, Oliver is unwell, you were supposed to wait until we called you!” Roxanne
Jake Norton found himself being drawn to Quinn the way a moth gets drawn to a flame. To give her space, he observed and watched over her from afar, not forgetting to use her company to help her out in the last days of proofreading her book. Although Quinn had no idea there was someone who was quietly aiding her, Jake was happy he was able to help her out in his own way. When Quinn finally released her new book, Jake was the first to purchase a million copies that he donated to nursing homes for those who took residence there to pass the time reading Quinn’s book. Jake usually read books about business or different wines and food- normally things that were in line with his company. However, ever since he met this author woman, he had read all sorts of steamy novels and realised that he actually liked them. Was it the woman or the books she wrote that he liked? Jake wasn’t sure… all he knew was that everything about Quinn was interesting to him. He was curious about her… how she th
“I hope you’re not taking me to some fancy restaurant. As you can see, I’m not dressed for the occasion,” Quinn remarked as Jake walked her to his G-Wagon that was parked a few blocks away from the bookstore. “And I came driving… what happens to my car?” She added.“I’ve already asked my assistant to meet us at the mall. He will get your car keys and come and drive your car to your house. No need to worry, I've got everything covered,” Jake answered. He glanced at Quinn and said, “As for your outfit, it’s not bad. You look great and comfortable. We just need to get you something warm. I'm the one who needs an outfit change.” Quinn arched an eyebrow, wondering why they needed to wear something warm. What kind of date did Jake plan? She asked him, “Where are we going? Are we hiking? You rich people do weird things. You must know, I’m lazy and I can’t climb a mountain. Besides, it’s dark. There could be wild animals in there!” Jake laughed. His eyes squinted and his lips stretched wi
Years came and went... After a warm shower, Oliver stood behind his wife to help her wear the necklace that was engraved with their children's names. "So, you know what today is?" He asked as he placed the necklace around her neck. "How could I forget?" Claire arched an eyebrow. "You've been talking about it for months.""Yes... because I've been preparing a vacation for us for when this day comes. I can't believe it's been eight years already," Oliver remarked. When he was done putting the necklace around Claire's neck, he placed a soft kiss in the crook of her neck before saying, "You've made me the happiest man on earth, Angel."Claire sighed before leaning back into Oliver. She remarked, "Time flies."Everything was going well for everyone. Oliver Ford had taken over as chairman of the Ford Corporation after his father, Henry Ford, retired. With Oliver's leadership, the company was taken to greater heights and it expanded to more foreign countries. As for his marriage with Cl
"Uncle Jake. Remember how you owe me?" Thalia said with her arms crossed over her chest. "I'm here to collect."Oliver, Jake and Liam were left to babysit the kids while their women went out to relax. The men chose to let the kids play in the playroom while they caught up on a few soccer games that they had missed during the week. However, Thalia saw this as an opportunity to collect her debt from one Jake Norton. He was seated in the living area, invested in a soccer game when she confronted him. Jake's eyes widened. He didn't expect the little one to interrupt him when the game was just getting good. His favorite team were leading and he wanted to see how it would end. He chuckled and replied, "You want to collect now? Let's wait until the game is over, ok?""Are you trying to run away from paying your debt, Uncle Jake? A real man sticks to his words," Thalia remarked in her adorable voice. Jake sighed. He said, "Ok, you win, sweetheart. So, tell me. What do you want me to do f
A few weeks later..."I can't believe you guys are having a double wedding! I'm so freaking jealous! I want to get married again so that we have a triple wedding!" Claire exclaimed after Quinn and Aria were done with their makeup."Oh my... you two look so gorgeous. I love the designer wedding dresses," Claire remarked with a smile plastered on her face. "It was more convenient since we were both getting married this year. Besides, Jake and Liam are ecstatic about getting married on the same day," Quinn replied, smiling. They had come to that decision during Thalia's birthday party. Oliver suggested it and the rest thought it was a good idea. "I'm more surprised that Aria is getting married. She's just a year older than me. We promised to get married at thirty," Evelyn remarked. She sighed and looked at her friend in awe. "You make such a beautiful bride, Ari. Congratulations."Aria smiled, looking at herself in the mirror. She couldn't recognise herself. With her hair pulled up int
Liam entered Aria’s apartment for the first time. He noted how cosy and homely it felt. There were blue couches in the living room and grey curtains on the windows. Liam’s eyes fell on the portrait of a little boy hanging on the wall. His heart raced as he looked at the boy who had dark brown curly hair with fair skin and hazel eyes. ‘Is that my son?’ He thought in his mind. The boy took after Aria but he had his eyes. Liam's heart felt warm. He glanced at Aria and eagerly asked, "Where's Jayce? Where's my son?""He should be in the kitchen with his nanny. Let me get him," Aria responded, her stomach a bundle of nerves. She still couldn't believe what was happening. It all felt surreal. Just the previous day, she didn't know who Jayce's father was, but now, not only did she find out who it was, but he also proposed to her. Who knew she would end up with the stranger she had a one-night stand with?Her heart was filled with warmth and sweetness. Aria looked for her son and sure e
Sophia Hill was over the moon at the thought of her long-time dream finally coming true. When she left the special forces and joined Liam’s company as part of his security team, she developed a crush on him.She did all she could to get noticed by him and when Liam noticed how good she was, he promoted her to be his personal bodyguard. However, that was just it. Liam never made a move on her or spared her a glance. Sophia thought since he was a player, it wouldn’t be hard for him to fall for her. However, nothing of that sort happened. Liam kept her as a bodyguard and never saw her as anything more. A chance came for Sophia to make Liam hers. He accidentally got drugged at a party and Sophia was ecstatic about such a great opportunity. To her shock, she found him making love to another woman in the room she had booked for him. Fierce jealousy rushed through Sophia and she wanted nothing but to separate the two but it was too late. All she could do was wait until Liam was done. She
Liam’s heart was beating like a drum within the walls of his chest. He took in a deep breath as he held the envelope. His friends stood beside him, waiting to read the results with him. Oliver patted his shoulder and said, “Don’t worry… even if you don’t turn out to be the father, you still love Aria and you will be with her.”“That’s right. Look at me and Lucian. We may not be related by blood but he’s my son and I love him. I’m sure Aria’s son will love you regardless.” Liam let out a breath. He glanced at his friends and they nodded at him in encouragement. Ignoring his pounding heart, he opened the envelope and took out the document with trembling hands. “The results are usually at the bottom of the page,” Jake remarked. “Don’t waste your time reading the statistics.”Liam’s eyes went to the bottom of the page and he read the results in his heart. A smile crossed his lips before it turned into a grin. “The child is mine! Aria’s son is mine! Haha! I have a son!” Liam exclaimed,
“What?” Jake’s eyes were almost popping out of their sockets. “Is it the same Aria we all know? Wait, she’s back?”Liam almost laughed at his friends' reaction. He knew they would be shocked. He and Aria had a huge age gap but surprisingly, they got along well. No one would know they were nine years apart in age if they saw them together. This was why Liam was convinced she was the one. He wanted someone he could relate well with as a wife. Forever is a long time to be with someone you can't stand. He nodded and replied, “Yes, it’s her. She’s working at my company-”“Liam… she’s like a sister to me. Are you really in love with her or you’re taking advantage of her?” Oliver questioned, his eyes narrowed down at his friend. “I wouldn’t propose to her if I didn’t love her-”“You what? Are you crazy? Do you think Uncle Adrian will agree? He knows you’re a player,” Oliver said. “You could have started by winning him over first.” “Well, I’ll do that but first, there’s something I need he
Liam's hand trembled when he held the familiar bracelet in his hands. What did this mean? Why was this bracelet with Aria?He took in a sharp breath, his heart clenching at the memory that flashed through his mind as he examined the bracelet. It was definitely this bracelet. He may not remember anything from that night but he remembered how brutal he was. The drug had taken full effect and he lost control. It was like a beast within him was unleashed and he devoured the woman who had walked into his room without mercy.This was why he felt guilty when he found out it was Sophia. He was so rough and probably hurt her during the session. This was why he kept her around to compensate her. However, the bracelet in his hand brought back part of his long-lost memory. The woman beneath him was struggling when he became so rough he had to grab her neck to pound into her like a crazed beast. He recalled how she held his wrist and the bracelet in his hand was on her wrist. The bracelet was m
"Why can't you take me seriously, cupcake? I really want to marry you," Liam said after Aria tried to brush off his words as bluff. Who didn't know that Liam never wanted to get married? He had been announcing it for years since she knew him. She chuckled and uttered, "You don't need to lie, Liam. I know you." Liam furrowed his eyebrows. He remarked, "There you go again using my reputation to judge me. I want to marry you, Aria. You're the right one for me... I can feel it in my bones."“B-But you haven’t even met my son yet,” Aria mumbled when she realised he wasn't joking. “I’ll meet him before we have our wedding,” Liam replied. Aria’s eyes widened into saucers. She asked, “We will have a wedding?”“Of course! Isn’t that how people get married?” Liam arched an eyebrow. “I thought you wanted a contract marriage. Like you need a wife and I’m available-”“It’s not a contract. I want to marry you for life,” Liam proclaimed. “Till death do us part.”Aria bit her lower lip as she th