“What are you talking about?” Ella asked. A startled Victoria turned around to face Ella.“I’ll call you back,” Victoria said.“What is going on?” Ella asked again. “Please sit down,” Victoria said as she walked to the sofa. Ella joined her impatiently and wondered why it was taking her so long to speak. “My contacts tell me that the Raymond house had been unoccupied for the last three months. Initially, the senior Raymonds left the country a week after your arrest. But they came back two weeks later and Blake and his children moved to another of their residences. However, the house moving was a front to mask the fact that they were flying out of the country. They left for Europe on a chartered flight and their exact location is unknown. Jason’s school confirmed that he has not been in school for almost four months now,” Victoria said. Ella sat as though she was frozen to the seat and she didn’t say a word. Victoria’s words sounded like a death sentence to Ella.“Are you sure?” Ella
The next morning Ella woke up to the chirping of birds. The room was bright and airy and the sun was streaming through the window. It took her more than a minute to get her bearings as she remembered that she wasn’t in the crowded and filthy jail. She was in a warm comfortable room surrounded by pleasant aromas. But her pleasant reflection ended as soon as she remembered Victoria's words. Her child was gone. She sat up and looked around the room feeling a deep sense of loss. It was so painful to have hope and then have it grabbed away from your desperate arms. Ella got out of bed and took a shower. She cried in the shower as she realised that she would never see her child again. She would never see Jason again either and she would never look Blake in the eye and ask him why he had done this to her. As she showered, she remembered her business and wondered what had happened to it. Blakes’s lawyer Tracy had been handling it and she was sure that she would have this information. Maybe a
“You know each other?” Victoria asked in surprise.“Yes. She is my sister in law,” Jessica said. Ella had now walked to Jessica and hugged her for what seemed like an eternity. When the hug was over, Ella stepped back. She had tears in her eyes. “I never knew I would ever meet anyone I know again,” Ella said.“Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you everywhere. It was like you dropped off the face of the earth. Did you get admitted to the hospital again?” Jessica said as she ran her hand through Ella’s hair.“It’s a very long story but to cut it short, I’ve been in jail,” Ella said.“Why? How is that even possible? Why didn’t Blake get you a good lawyer?” Jessica asked. Ella had sat down at the kitchen island now and Jessica followed suit. Victoria and Lola watched on in silence. “They put me in there. His mother claimed that Kevin told them that I killed Blake’s former wife,” Ella said.“Kevin again? I’m so sorry sis,” Jessica said with a look of pure anger in her eyes. She
“You are so quiet. Is anything the matter?” Jessica asked Richard on the flight back to their city. He had been quiet on the ride to the airport as well. Jessica had talked about Ella non stop so Richard’s silence bothered her. “I’m just thinking about your ex husband. He is a real piece of work,” Richard said with disgust. “He is. I sometimes wish he didn't father my children. I don’t know what I ever saw in him,” Jessica said.“Why does he hate his sister so much?” “He claims that his father stopped loving them when he married Ella’s mother. I always thought it was just childish jealousy but I guess it was bigger than anyone thought. This surprises me because their other brother doesn’t care either way,” Jessica explained.“Why didn’t you tell me that he was the man that was assaulting you when we first spoke?” Richard asked. “I was shocked to see him and we didn’t know each other too well then. Plus, it’s embarrassing to be associated with such a nuisance. I hate him for what
“What the hell do you mean that she got released? I thought she wasn’t even in the law enforcement system,” Kevin shouted as he slammed his glass of alcohol on the table. A generous amount of the liquid poured on Rose but she merely brushed it away. She couldn’t believe Ella’s luck. “She’s not. Apparently, she got noticed by some government officials who exposed her situation and now there is an investigation going on,” Rose said.“You said she would never get out,” Kevin said as he threw a glass at Rose. rose ducked and the glass made a loud noise as it crashed against the wall.“Are you out of your mind?” Rose asked in rage. She marched towards Kevin ready to slap him but he was one step ahead of her. He slapped her so hard that she felt her ears ringing. “You made me sign a confession and now that bitch is out of jail. I’m not going to jail and if the police get within one metre of me, I’ll sing like a canary. I swear you will go down with me,” he said.“Could you please calm dow
The days seemed to be flying for Ella after she began working with her therapist. She had experienced a roller coaster of emotions as she walked with her therapist Susie who she now felt was a good friend. Susie had helped her go through the painful journey of transition from a victim to a warrior. It had not been easy to work with a therapist because the sessions brought out raw emotions that overwhelmed Ella. Sometimes, she wanted to give up and stop but when she looked back, she was always determined to move on. Each day, she managed to regain her sanity and she developed better mechanisms to cope and move forward. She was leaving one of her sessions one day when she bumped into someone she was not expecting to see.“Ella,” someone shouted from the parking lot. Ella turned and came face to face with Tracy. She had just stepped out of her car and she was holding a pack of food that looked like take away. “Tracy,” Ella said reluctantly. She suddenly felt a wave of fear as she looked
Ella sat back on the seat as though the breath had been knocked out of her lungs. Tracy’s words sounded like they were proof that she was the biggest fool in the world.“So the rent has been paying off the loan all along?” Ella asked.“Yes. The agent has been very active in marketing so occupancy rate has been at 95% all along. Most times it has been at 100,” Tracy continued.“That means that the rent has been more than enough for the instalments. I probably finished paying it off right on schedule with some change left over,” Ella said in shock. This meant that Ella had not needed Blake’s help to regain her property. The only thing that Kevin had sold was her personal residence. So Ella would have had enough money to rent a place and sustain herself while fighting for her house against Kevin’s fraudulent activity. “You told me that the rent had already been directed to the new owner’s account,” Ella said with fury.“We used your documentation to open a new account and channel all yo
Ella was driven home by Victoria and the driver as she went through the file presented by Tracy. Victoria noticed her disturbed expression and waited until Ella was ready to talk. But when they got to the house, Victoria stayed in the car. Ella knew she had to tell her everything now because she felt like she would explode if she kept things to herself.“See you later,” Victoria said to a troubled looking Ella. “You have to go to work?” Ella asked.“Yes. Is anything the matter?” Victoria asked.“We can talk later,” Ella said as she glanced at the driver. “Don’t worry about that. Get in. He will bring you back when I get to work,” Victoria said. Ella told her all that Tracy had confessed and Victoria reacted with a mixture of shock and anger.“Don’t trust that woman for a single second Ella. why did she suddenly decide to come clean now?” Victoria asked. “She said she was doing this to make things right,” Ella said.“Let her give you this address and then we will send someone th
“Dad, if you were in my shoes what would you do to your parents?” Blake asked when they were left alone.“Son, it’s been a long day. Let me go and get checked by a real professional. We can discuss other things later,” Aurelia said.“Your daughter in law just saved your life yet you cannot give her the slightest bit of respect?” Mr Raymond asked.“I don’t have a daughter in law. Besides, I didn’t ask her to touch me with her filthy hands,” Aurelia said. Blake’s eyes turned ice cold.“Your stinking attitude just made things much easier for me mum. As of two hours ago, your passport has been recalled and you no longer have diplomatic immunity. There are some people outside who will escort you out
“What is the meaning of this?” Aurelia asked.‘Have a seat mum,” Blake said as he sat down and pulled Ella on the seat next to him. His parents sat down reluctantly while Blake dismissed the security personnel.“Mum, please meet the governor Richard and his girlfriend Jessica. I’m sure you have met Kevin before,” Blake said.“I have never seen that man in my life,” Aurelia said haughtily.“Well, let me play a little video that will help you jog your memory,” Blake said. The tv switched on to show Rose, Kevin and Aurelia in a luxury hotel having dinner in a private room. Their conversation revolved around building a solid case that would ensure that Ella was put behind bars. Ella was so shocked that s
The VIP lounge at the airport had suddenly turned to a buzz as a certain celebrity came into the country. Mrs Aurelia Raymond took advantage of the chaos to slip out of the lounge and into the company of Rose. Aurelia had spotted one of Blake’s men waiting for her but she wanted to bypass him so she could communicate with Rose without any interception.“Why did you take so long?” Rose asked irritably.“I think you have forgotten who I am, young lady. I don’t owe you any explanations,” Aurelia said. She took out her compact kit and began dusting her face.“I’m sorry madam. I’m just a little anxious,” Rose said as she rolled her eyes. If it wasn’t for the fact that she had been unable to infiltrate the Raymonds finances then she wouldn
“What do you want to do today?” Richard asked Jessica. They had returned to the hotel room after the buffet breakfast and Jessica was reading a book.“I thought I would buy some gifts for the children,” Jessica said.“Ok. I’ll come with you,” Richard said.“Are you not going to visit Eddie?” Jessica asked.“We can go in the afternoon,” Richard said.“I wanted to talk to you about something,” Jesssica said.“I’m listening.”“I was just wondering what you did with Kevin,” Jessica said. Richard’s face darkened and
It was the weekend and Tokodi and Tracy woke up mid morning. They showered together and changed, then packed all of Tracy’s things and headed home. Tracy was eager to open her gifts and she began to do so. Each gift was thoughtful and impressive and Tracy ended up showering Tokodi with many kisses. By the time she opened all the gifts, Tokodi was feeling like the king of the universe. He helped Tracy to unpack and arrange her jewellery, clothes and appliances that he had bought her. Tracy looked as happy as a child eating ice cream, and she even shed a few tears when Tokodi said that he had bought all those gifts to celebrate their engagement. Later that afternoon, Tokodi went out to buy some groceries and toiletries while Tracy cleaned up the house. He had been itching to leave the house so that he could attend a meeting with Blake.Tokodi had woken up that morning and taken Blake’s numb
Back at the Raymond residence, there was confusion and excitement amongst the staff. Only one driver was aware of when Ella had returned, and he explained how he had simply picked her up from an apartment complex. He had been with the Raymond family for years and he knew how to be discreet while releasing just enough information to generate some counter intelligence. The man could clearly recall the animated conversation which he had subsequently narrated to Blake.“Are you sure you picked her up from an apartment? I was there when the police dragged her out of the house. Blake must have picked her up from a police station,” Dora said. She had come downstairs with rage and explained to the other staff members how Blake’s criminal ex-wife had sneaked back into the house.“We picked her up at a middle class estate. I don&
“You are a really good dancer,” Tokodi said to Tracy when she returned from the dance floor. She took a large gulp of her drink and sat down.“You should join me for the next one,” Tracy said as she tapped her foot in rhythm to the music.“I have two left feet,” Tokodi said as he watched the flushed look on Tracy’s face. They had decided to enter this night club when Tracy heard the invigorating music from outside. He was accompanying her as she went to pick up her things from the serviced apartment she had been staying at.“How do you get sleep with this noise?” Tokodi asked. The serviced apartment was adjacent to the club and the walls were literally vibrating because of the beat.&ldqu
“Is everything okay?” Jessica asked Richard. He was staring at his phone during breakfast and had barely touched his food.“I’ve been trying to call Eddie since last night. The phone keeps ringing and he doesn’t respond,” Richard said.“That is odd. Do you think maybe he left the phone in his car? It’s still early in the morning and he may not have noticed,” Jessica said. Richard shook his head in disagreement.“He doesn’t usually leave his phone unattended. His work calls come in at all times of the day,” Richard said.“Maybe I should call Ella. She may know where it is since they work together and they are dating,” Jessica said. Richard nodded in approval and Jessica removed her phone f
Ella woke up feeling confused in her new home with Blake. She stirred out of sleep and looked around the elegant bedroom tastefully furnished with brown and white hues. She sat up wondering how she had ended up in bed while all she could remember was drinking milk and eating cookies at the sofa.Ella took a cold shower and dressed as she wondered If Eddie and Bryer were ok. She looked around and could not see any of the bloody clothes from the day before. Ella used the brand new toiletries that had been laid out and she finished getting ready.She was feeling a little hungry and wondered what time it was. There was no clock in the bedroom and she still had no idea where her phone was. Her phone had been in her handbag which had remained in Eddie’s car. Tracy felt tears fill her eyes when she remembered how Eddie had been shot. She had never known that Blake could be so violent and cruel. The mem