SERENA’S POVI went back to my office with a knotted forehead. I had to be professional and not let my personal emotions take over me. I sat down on my swivel chair aggressively, only to stop myself from complaining about what happened in Gray’s office when I saw a gold envelope on my table. I took it without hesitation, opened it, and read what was inside.“Who put this here?” I asked, my eyes focused on what was written on the material.An invitation to attend Geraldine Moore’s 50th birthday?Oh, I did not know that the wench would like to see me on her birthday. Damn, we made the right choice of not adding me as my mother’s plus-one. Is she really the one who invited me or not? I could not bring myself to believe that she wanted my presence on her special day.“Oh, Mr. Moore’s secretary passed by here to give us that. He said that all of the board members were invited to attend the party. A plus one is even allowed, according to him.”Oh…That was what I thought. The old woman did
SERENA’S POVFuck you, Gray. How could you fucking do this to me? Showing up with Hazel Browns, really? Damn him! Damn him and his family!“Don’t let your emotions eat you now, Serena. People are watching. You might as well save it for later.”I could feel Caden tapping me on my arm secretly, but my eyes were unable to look away from the two persons who had just gone inside the hall. I could hear a few murmurs from my surroundings, making me think that I wasn’t the only one surprised by the woman’s sudden appearance.Who the fuck wouldn’t be surprised when he showed up with the woman he cheated on me with before? He even banned Hazel because the woman beat me up so badly!I cleared my throat and turned my gaze to Caden, displaying a smile to hide my irritation. There was something inside me that made me want to ruin this celebration. I didn’t know what to feel, to be honest. But I was afraid that I would do something I might regret later. Fuck.“What’s with that look?” Caden asked me,
SERENA’S POVThis was a fucking wrong move. It would be okay if I was alone here and no one was watching—especially my family. I could make a way out of this and make myself the victim all the time.But Aerah was uninformed that she wouldn’t be able to realize that this was the stupidest shit that she had ever done. This wasn’t just an anniversary or random event; this was her mother’s celebration for fuck’s sake. How could she not realize that her mother’s special day would be ruined because of what she did?Oh, how can I forget that her mother might approve of this? She came from her, anyway. She might be supportive as fuck just so they could humiliate someone. “I didn’t do anything, Aerah. I was just passing by and you happened to pour your drink on me—”“Ah, so you’re pointing the blame on me now, huh? Look at my dress! I know you can pay for this but don’t you know how sentimental this dress is to me? You don’t! What am I gonna do now, huh? You ruined my night!” she interrupted
SERENA’S POV “I have been watching what you’re doing to my daughter, young lady. I witnessed everything that happened, Ms. Moore. Are you really one of the Moores? Is this how you represent your mighty family?” My mother’s sophisticated voice echoed throughout the hall, silencing everyone who dared to speak against her. I was still holding my breath, praying that she would not mention anything about the past. I knew she wasn’t dumb to do that, but my anxiety was increasing as she continued informing everyone that I was her daughter. “S-Serena Ambers is y-your daughter, Madame Victoria?!” Geraldine exclaimed, her jaw almost dropping to the floor. I held Caden’s arm and pressed it as if it would do something to calm my mind. “Yes, she is my daughter. And just like you, Geraldine Moore, I can’t also stand seeing my daughter be treated like that by someone who doesn’t seem to think right before taking her actions. You humiliated her in front of these people, Geraldine. I can’t believe
GRAY’S POV“Oh my goodness, Gray! Even you? Are you gonna blame me for that? That bitch ruined your mother’s party! You’re still gonna side her after that?”“What are you expecting me to do, huh?! Why are you blaming the woman for something that she never did? You ruined Mom’s party! You should be taking accountability!”I did not understand how deep her anger was toward Serena, and I did not think I would be able to do that. She made a scene and ruined our mother’s special day for the sake of shaming Serena. Now, even her own mother did not want to see her. She did not just shame herself; she also shamed her whole family.“Do you even know what happened, huh?! Were you there? Of course, you’re gonna say all of that because you didn’t see what the hell that woman did to me! You’re just assuming that I am the one who’s the bad guy here because you never side with me!”My sister stood up and faced me, looking up to meet my gaze. Her eyes were bloodshot, and the way her teeth were greete
SERENA’S POV“You shouldn’t have done that, Mom. You know I can handle myself. You shouldn’t worry about me too much. I am okay…”I thought I would have to wait for another day before my mom’s face and I would be on the news and all social media platforms. I was wrong.Hours after we had arrived at our house, Kaihly showed us the latest published article about the things that happened at Geraldine Moore’s party—specifically the scene that Aerah Celine made.“Oh, you really expect me to stay chill and act so unbothered while they’re embarrassing you in front of those people? I had never seen such a person act like that in my entire existence! How could they be so shameless and drag you to their mess?! I saw what happened and that young woman was the one who spilled the juice on you!”I massaged my temple and drank the last sip of wine from her wine glass. All of us in the house weren’t sleeping yet because of what happened. This was the first time that we opened the topic because my m
LUCIA’S POVI knew that they were bad, but I could not believe that they would come to this point of evilness. Just thinking of what Jane went through made my stomach ugly. How could I live with those demons for so many years?Jane told me that they still didn’t know who was behind all of these, but thinking that one of them once lived with me for years was just absurd. I couldn’t accept that I served my service to the devils.Jane was currently in the board meeting right now, and I was still here, unable to stop myself from sobbing. My heart was breaking for her. She was too kind to experience such things. She was too kind to even meet those bastards.Now I understood why was she hiding herself. Now I understand why she was being careful all the time. My poor Jane. She couldn’t even remember anything. She didn’t even have any idea who was the devil who tried to kill her.The Moores disgusted me so much. It was just right that I never liked them. It was just right that I loathed them
GRAY’S POV“I told you that Serena Ambers is a big-time person, man! First, she bought one of the major shares from your company. Second, she is always favored by the board members. Third, she is the only daughter of Victoria. You know how influential Victoria is due to her connections, right?”“Well, I did not anticipate that. I was busy enjoying the party last night and it fucking shocked me when Aerah made a fucking scene. Is this the kind of drama that you’re dealing with in the Moore Estates almost every day, Gray?”Marco and Kole’s sentences weren’t even interesting anymore. I asked them to come to my penthouse to have a drink with me, as I didn’t want to have this confusion just for myself.Seeing Serena pass out like how she did the last time added to my curiosity about her. She had been working in the Moore Estates for some time now, and it felt like there were still a lot of things that I did not know about her.Just like what my friends told me a while ago. They were the on
SERENA’S POVGray Moore looked at me straightly as I bid my goodbye to his friends. He had been waiting for his turn, but even I felt like I was not ready to go yet. I felt like I still needed to say something to him before finally leaving the state.My family was already inside the jet, waiting for me to get inside so we could all leave this place. I thought Gray’s friends understood me when they started waving their hands as they walked away from the both of us.We needed privacy, and I was thankful they weren’t slow to understand what I wanted to happen.“I am leaving now. You may or may not see me anymore once this plane leaves to send us somewhere you’ll probably know soon only if you’re desperate enough to find where I live…” I stated, chuckling. Knowing Gray, he could pay millions just to get what he wanted. “I’ll know where you are. I’d go crazy if I didn’t get an update—”“I would not text you or anything, Gray. I would cut connections to all of you. It is also a challenge f
SERENA’S POVThe sound of my heels colliding with the floor surrounded the empty hallway of this floor. Weeks later and I finally had the time to visit this wench face-to-face.Hazel Brown was sent to jail immediately the day I got rescued, as she didn’t have any major injuries like Geraldine Moore. I did not know how had she been since she was arrested, but I hoped she was suffering here. I hoped she would rot here.I went inside a room when a policeman opened the door for me. This room was just for private visitations, so this was far from Hazel’s cell. This one was decent and might be comfortable for her. I did not want her to feel this good while she was in jail.“Why did you visit me here? Is sending me to jail not enough for you?” she asked the moment I sat down in front of her. Her hands were handcuffed and there were two policemen behind her, while my bodyguards were on my side. “Any form of punishment and torture would never be enough for me, Hazel Brown. You’re lucky I stil
AERAH’S POV My heart was throbbing in anxiety as the maid of the mansion escorted me inside. This wasn’t my first time coming here, but this was the only time that I dared to enter the huge structure and face the people whom I had been having anxiety about talking with. I heard my brother was here again. I needed to talk to him… at least just this once. “I did not expect to see you here, Ms. Moore. You’re looking for your brother?” I was startled when I heard a voice that was similar to the voice of the person that I was most scared to face. Looking to the side, I saw Kaihly Ambers sitting on one of the couches, a plate filled with fruits resting on her lap. She was alone there, and I was so thankful for that. She looked exactly like Kelsey, the only difference was that she had soft features and lacked the boldness on her face. “Y-Yes. Have you seen him? I heard he’s here… according to his secretary. I just need to talk to him,” I answered, my confidence leaving me as the minutes
GRAY’S POV Ever since Jane got rescued and woke up from her deep slumber, I started having a new routine. It felt like I was already living in their house because I refused to leave her side even though I had a ton of paperwork to do. One part of her room looked like my office. It had a table and a swivel chair where I did what I was supposed to do in my office. Her family offered me a room, but as I said, I refused to leave her side. I would only do so if it were nighttime. But everything must come to an end. When Jane finally healed, I took the initiative to leave her alone and only met with her whenever she went to work. I would visit her from time to time, though—but only if she allowed it. “What the hell is this, Gray? What’s the meaning of this?” Jane inquired curiously as she put familiar papers on my table. “Have you read it?” I asked her back. The last time I saw those papers was already years ago, when I thought she had died, and all I could ever think was to give her e
GRAY’S POVI was not expecting Jane’s family to let me enter their home after all the things that happened. I wouldn’t question it if they banned me here, but that was not the thing they did. They simply let me wander around their house as if I did not do anything wrong, as we all waited for my wife to wake up.Jane was peacefully sleeping in her room, a bedside monitor standing beside her. It had been two days since she got rescued, and she still hadn’t woken up since then. Fortunately, they didn’t hurt her when we hadn’t arrived where they hid her, so there was nothing serious that happened to her body aside from the wound that she got before they took her. She already got the treatment that she needed, but her doctor said she was still under trauma, which was why she wasn’t waking up.My phone had been vibrating for a while now. It wasn’t a call from anyone but text messages from my sister. She had been asking me if I was going to visit our mother in the hospital, and if I was eve
SERENA’S POV“Oh, stop overreacting, Aerah Celine. It’s just a shot on your leg. Why bother to cry?”I could not believe this old hag. It felt so strange listening to her confident voice when I had been watching her fake her illness a thousand years ago. How could she do all of that stuff? How could she shoot her daughter?“Mommy, stop this now, please—”“Oh, shut the hell up, Aerah Celine! The moment you chose to side with the woman, I no longer considered you as my daughter! How could you betray your mother, huh?! You are just like your brother—”“And how can you call yourself our mother while doing all of these, huh? I can’t believe you, Mom. After all these years… after all of the things that I have done for our family…”I still could feel the metallic material that was pointed at my temple, but after hours of waiting and I finally got to hear Gray’s voice, waves of relief washed over my chest. We were still here yet I already felt like my problems were now resolved. There was no
SERENA’S POVI felt lightheaded as Charles continued carrying me. The only hope that I had with me right now was the fact that Gray would be with us anytime soon. How dumb it was to feel like this when I was the one who ran away from him before I got kidnapped.I was the one who put us all into this.“Jane, I have to stop carrying you for now. Aerah Celine will guide you while I protect the three of us from any person who might come to us. This will be quick. Gray and the backups will be here anytime soon…” Charles whispered to me, making me open my eyes amidst the gunshot that I was hearing around the building.I was comfortable being carried by him, as my injured leg could not take it anymore. But hearing that this would be over soon, it was as if the motivation to get through all of these that I thought had left my body made me agree to what he said.My silent nod was his cue to put me down carefully. The moment that my feet felt the solid ground immediately had me gasp in pain. Ae
SERENA’S POV My lips seemed to be experiencing draught due to dryness, my bruised leg was numb, and I was damn well sure that I had lost a lot of blood during my whole stay in this building. It had been so many hours since Hazel told me those things. She said that she would finish me and I would not be able to leave this place alive. During my hours of stay here, I had a lot of time to think of what she told me. I even came across thinking of the things that I wanted to tell not just to my family but also to Gray before Hazel decided to kill me. It was so heavy in my chest to even think that I would not have the chance to talk to Gray after learning all of those things, but somehow, while I stayed all alone here for I did not know how many hours, there was a time that I accepted that this would be my end. That I would die without achieving the justice and happiness that I deserved. I did not know what Hazel was waiting for. Is this her way of killing me? To let me have an infection
GRAY’S POVIt had been a day since Jane went missing. Because of this happening, we paused everything that we were about to do during the whole team building. To be fair to the other employees who had been so excited about this out-of-town activity, I gave them all a budget to stay on a nearby island where they could enjoy things without interruptions.There were only a few of us left here, and when I said few, only Jane’s relatives and mine were present. Including the police officers that we contacted, of course.“Look for my daughter in all the corners of this island and the nearby ones. It is so impossible for her to be missing in this small place. I need you to find her.”The woman whom they called Victoria, the mother of the love of my life sat at the end of the table with a wine glass in front of her. Just like what they described her, she had a strong facade because of her sharp features which no one dared to talk about while she was speaking.I did not know if I was the only o