SERENA’S POV“Ms. Moore… What brought you here?” I asked, turning to see her. Aerah’s arms were crossed against her chest as she rolled her eyes at me.“You dare to ask me that? Of course, my family owns this company! What kind of question is that Ms. Ambers?” she replied, emphasizing my surname to mock. I knew where this was going. Aerah used to bully me before, but because I respected Gray and his family a lot, I never talked back nor did something that would make them hate me more.For sure, she would do the same thing that she did years ago. She was just unfortunate because I came back here prepared for that.“You work here now? As what? As…”My eyes marveled all over her torso, only stopping when my eyes marked the ID she wore. A grin erupted from my list.“An intern? I thought you owned this company. How come you belonged to the employees who had the lowest pay? Does the company even pay you?” I could remember Aerah not being interested in business before, that was why Gray wa
GRAY’S POVI spent most of my time in the office just like I always did since then. It was already dark when I left the Moore Estates’ building and headed to the address Marco sent me. “It’s been a long time, dude! How the fuck can you spend your days caging yourself in your office?” Marco greeted me, handing me a glass of alcohol. The bastard did not even offer me a seat first. Three of us were inside the private room of Marco’s newly opened club. Marco and Kole, my friends, came from a well-known family, too. Both of them had established their name in the business industry, so it was rare for us to meet during weekdays due to hectic schedules. Marco had set this meeting randomly for an unknown reason. “You really got connections, huh? I saw a lot of people on my way here. I remember most of their faces but not their names,” Kole commented, the corner of his lips turning up as he looked at our friend, Marco. I sat on the couch and put the alcohol glass on the table. I was not in
KELLY’S POVHolding a newly released magazine from my favorite fashion brand, I pretended to not see Aerah walking toward our table. Aerah seemed to have finished her work at the Moore Estates just now, as she was thirty minutes late on our so-called girls’ night.“Girls! I have missed you guys!” she screamed, making the girls on the table look at her—except me. We were currently in a bar where we were supposed to have our fun tonight. Tsh. Fun, my ass. I would not even be here if it weren’t for Jane’s request. She told me that I should come to gather information even though I already said no to Aerah.“Oh, Aerah! We have missed you, too! You seemed to be so busy with work? You did not even bother to come with us when we had our Paris trip!” Jessica said, kissing Gray’s sister on the cheek. Jessica and Alma, Aerah’s friends in college had been with me for almost an hour now. We were not close, so I did not bother talking to them when Aerah still hadn’t arrived.Aerah sat beside me a
SERENA’S POV“Oh my gosh, Kaihly. What have you done?” Kelly asked with wide eyes, her body relaxed in satisfaction. I was holding the remote as we watched the news that contained Aerah’s face. I only planned about embarrassing that woman two days ago, and now everyone was hating her due to her issues. “I did what you guys wanted to happen,” Kaihly answered, making me grin in silence. I wondered what was currently happening in that family. Did Aerah already know what her own medicine tasted like? I guessed so. I was expecting only Aerah’s governor issue to come out, not all of these. But I guessed these were better than what I was planning. She dared to call me a whore when she was the one who like different men everyday.“Aerah kept calling me since last night. She was asking for a goddamn help to get her out of this. I have been telling her fake reassurances.” “Wouldn’t that woman suspect you for only giving her useless words, Kel? A real friend should be a help.”While I listen
SERENA’S POV Hazel Brown guided me inside the conference room silently. I was behind her, watching her take her every step. My chest felt like clenching every time I would see this woman. I understood that she was the woman that Gray had an affair with years ago, but what more did she have to do with my life aside from that? Her presence always wanted me to throw up.The conference room was close to being empty when we entered it. Gray wasn’t there, and only two of the board members were present, both of them talking to each other. When they saw me, they immediately stood up and nodded their heads. I did the same to show respect.“Mr. Moore would be here anytime soon,” Hazel announced, checking the time on her wristwatch. Miranda sat beside me while we waited for the CEO to arrive. “Where are the others?” I whispered to my secretary. I thought this was a meeting. I was expecting everyone to be here given that the agenda contained important things to talk about. “This meeting is sud
SERENA’S POV “Look, Gray is on the TV!” I put down the newspaper I held and turned to face the television. The mention of that man’s name would never fail to make me turn around to see what was happening. I did not care about him, but I was interested in what he had been up to these past few days. “That’s an unexpected interview. Mr. Moore did not seem to expect the reporters to flock around him,” Miranda commented as she sat beside me, her attention was stolen by my ex-husband, too.She was right. Gray Moore was being interviewed by tens of people outside the Moore Estates building. And by the sharp stares he was sending toward the reporters, it was obvious that those reporters were not anticipated. Hazel was beside him, too, doing her best to make the reporters go away.Gray’s bodyguards were having a hard time handling the situation, as the reporters would not leave Gray’s way if the man would not answer their questions. A smirk emerged from my lips. Gray Moore looked so helples
GRAY’S POV“Hello…”Jane Seri. My head fell downwards as I heard Serena’s husky voice greet me. It was already pitch-black outside, and most of my employees had gone to their homes now—including the vice president of the company. I could not fathom if I was just tired or if Serena’s voice sounded exactly like Jane’s. It was my first time calling her through the phone.“Who’s this?” she inquired, and I frowned as a response. Was she sleeping when I called? Or she did not just save my number?“Gray Moore, Ms. Ambers.”There was a few moments of silence on the other line after I stated my name. Her breaths even sounded like Jane’s.I waited in the middle of the hallway until she could speak again.“What made you call me, Mr. Moore? It is late at night.”I was supposed to ask her whether she was the one who told Hazel that I was texting her, but I thought that was irrelevant. Whether Serena Ambers was the one who told her that or not, Hazel was out of that. “I have been reviewing the c
SERENA’S POVGray and I had been in a meeting for almost three hours now. He had so many questions regarding the file I sent him, and I was fortunate enough to deliver all my explanations well. It seemed like he would not approve my proposal if I said something that would not satisfy his question.“As I told you hours ago, I have sent this file to each board member. They have reviewed everything and the questions I asked you were the same ones that they sent me. I am quite impressed, Ms. Ambers,” Gray complimented, nodding his head as he scanned the last page of my report. “I would not propose something just because I want to, Mr. Moore. I would not invest in your company if I didn’t know how this kind of business works,” I answered confidently, my chin up. Gray looked up and raised both of his brows, his lips pressed together.I bit my lip. I did not have any idea whether he found me capable or just cocky. Well, I could not care less. I would not be this cocky if I wouldn’t be able
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
SERENA’S POVIt was like a long dream. A dream that I wish I did not remember at all for the sake of saving my heart from all the pain that I already felt for the past years when I could not remember anything.It was just the same. Remembering everything or not, I would still end up hurting.I remembered all the things that happened now. From my childhood up to the night that I got into an accident—or perhaps, an intentional one that made me forget half of my existence.How could Gray do that? That night, Hazel told me that it was Gray who asked her to kill me. Right after sleeping with her in our house, that was what he did to get rid of me.But there was something wrong. There was something that wasn’t connecting to what she was saying in my memory.If Gray really tried to get rid of me, why didn’t he sign the divorce papers? Why did he act like he was so in love with me? Things like that were not adding up at all. Was Hazel trying to trick me that time? Was that a real thing and sh
SERENA’S POVIt was so stupid of me to even try standing up and turning my back on him. The ache in my chest was pushing all my stupidity to keep going and leave this man. I didn’t know where to go and how would I come back, but I kept on walking away even though I was screaming inside because of pain.I did not want to be with him right now.I had the advantage when I was walking away as Gray seemed to be not in his right thinking right now. He had only called my name, but the words I said seemed to strike him so much that he couldn’t even move to follow me.I started running away even though the sharp wood that was attached to my leg was stabbing me in every step I took. I couldn’t find the way out of this mess, but I was lucky enough that I didn’t hear his footsteps near me.“Damn it,” I whispered as I held on to my knee to support my body. I was gasping for air as I stopped and looked behind me, relieved that I was all alone on my way back.“How stupid can you be to let yourself b
SERENA’S POV How did he get here? I believed he was also busy looking for the treasure that we had to find. Why did he even come here? I meant, it wasn’t like I did not want someone to find me, but I was expecting Landon or the other employees to find me!“Fuck, what happened?” He ran toward me in haste the moment his eyes landed on my bloody legs. It already felt numb, so I did not notice that he was referring to it immediately. I did not speak, instead, I just watched him worry about me while my mind started roaming around what had happened today. I never spotted Gray talking to Hazel, not even just for once ever since this day started, but seeing that woman follow him around like a dog just fucking made my chest abnormally in pain. I was slowly regaining my memories day by day, and I felt like I was close to the part where both of them would betray me. And no matter how much I wanted to learn the truth, every memory that I would remember just made my heart ache even harder. I re
GRAY’S POVI could not take my eyes off my wife when I saw her walking toward the seashore wearing only nothing but a two-piece. The last time I saw her wearing one was years ago, and we weren’t really close at that time.“Stop being a creep, man. You’re staring at her too much.”I blinked twice to pull myself together. Perhaps I might be looking like a creep right now as I continued admiring my wife even if I was meters away from her. How could I not? She was so gorgeous and I was sure I wasn’t the only one appreciating her beauty.They had been walking around the beach together with her secretary and her other friends, taking pictures together like there was no tomorrow. I didn’t follow her, of course. I wanted her to enjoy this vacation with little to no interruption of her activities.“Too bad you won’t be seeing her be a sporty woman today, man. Why did you even ask them to move the schedule for the beach volleyball? It would be lit,” Marco inquired with curiosity, watching my wi
AERAH’S POV “Did you see that, Mom? What the hell is going on between them? I thought Gray was avoiding that woman already? What is happening, and why has your son been clinging to that woman since this morning? He didn’t even stay in our cottage when we ate breakfast…” I eyed the two of them as they walked away from the crowd. Couldn’t my brother think properly? He knew that we hated that woman, yet he was still doing this shit and kept neglecting what we were telling him. The person that I paid to spy on him told me that my brother was rarely with Serena, and seeing how he was acting right now just made me think that the bastard was lying to me. “Are they in a relationship now, Mrs. Moore? Gray is so unbothered with our presence. He hasn’t talked to me since we came here. What do I do, Mrs. Moore? Huh?” Hazel inquired, her voice slightly shaking for an I did not know reason. Is she threatened that Serena Ambers, who shared the same face as Gray’s ex-wife, was probably going out w
SERENA’S POVSince we could not waste time, we only did a few hours of resting before proceeding to the activities that were prepared for today. I guessed this was what Landon was telling me a while ago.All of us changed into the shirts that were provided for each team. Our team wore pink shirts, while Gray and his team wore white. I couldn’t imagine how dirty it would be after all the games that we were about to play.“Catch the duck for the first game? You wouldn’t force me to play that, Miranda. Over my dead body,” I whispered as I listened to the host announce the first activity. I would rather stay in our room the whole day than have myself roll on the sand trying to catch a duck while blindfolded. “It is for men only. We are not allowed to join yet, so it would be Landon, Caden, and the other men in our team as well. We’re just gonna sit here to support them…”I felt relief in my chest as I heard the words. The hosts started reading the mechanics. If I understood it right, eac