I held onto him like he instructed, and he drove me for all the minutes that took us home. Because of his speed and his manoeuvring on the road, we arrived in sixteen minutes. The gates of my house opened to us, and we drove in. I hugged him, told him the second thank you, and then invited him inside, which I had never done since we had been friends in secondary school. We always parted ways at the gates, and he had never entered before, so it was the first. Jordan stayed silent, obviously weighing his options and having the same thoughts as me. Finally, he nodded. If I had seen ahead, I would have prevented the embarrassment that waited for me on the inside by not inviting Jordan in somehow. I didn’t expect it, so I couldn’t prevent it. “There is my favourite grandbaby.” I heard the voice of Augusta Biggs, my grandmother, squealing from the dining area as I stepped into the living room with Jordan. I halted, surprised at their presence, then remembered that Lyon had spoken about h
My phone beeped with the message on the screen, and my eyes snapped open, pulled from the realm of blissful sleep. I reached for the nightstand and pulled the phone closer to see the screen. It was from Jordan. I smiled and tapped on it to read what he wrote.(Good morning, Elle; I hope I didn’t wake you up.)Received at 7:01 a.m.He did, but I would pretend like he didn’t.(Good morning, Jordan; no, not really.)Sent 7:02 a.m.My phone rang the next second, and the caller ID read Jordan. I picked it up and placed it against my ear.He did not hesitate, blessing my ears with his deep and alluring voice.Wait, what?! “Hello.” “Good morning, princess.” Jordan’s compliments had always found a way to make me tingle on the inside. I could never tell if he meant it or not, but my response didn’t care.“Good morning, Prince Jordan.” I played along, the smile lingering.“Prince Jordan, it has a ring to it,” he admitted after a moment of silent thought. He chuckled. “Oh great. I’ll keep call
Jordan, unlike me, knew a few details about the reunion, like its location and how long it was supposed to last.Reunion, like its name suggests, is the time to get back to friends and people you left in the past. For me, there was nothing to get back to. But I wanted them to know they didn’t break my soul. Jace made sure that they didn’t have the last laugh.The females will show off their fiance or husband and their jobs, while the men will show off their wealth, jobs, and women. It had been over three years since we all graduated from the school, and so much had happened since then for me and also for others.After a 45-minute drive, we arrived at the El Paz hall where the reunion was taking place. I could already tell by the number of cars parked outside and the noise coming from inside that the reunion tonight would be the talk of the town for a while.We stepped out together, and Jordan took my hand in his possessively, and together we made our way inside.The turnout of the form
“I’m coming with you,” I told him in a certain voice.He didn’t challenge my words; he seems to have realised something because his eyes dropped sadly. “I was going to leave you here all alone with them.” He ran his palm over his face. “I am sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”Trust Jordan to make it seem as if forgetting everything else in a moment like this was the greatest sin ever.I shook my head. “It’s fine, it’s fine. The most important thing right now is being with your mother, and we shouldn’t waste any more time.”“Let’s get out of here.”He nodded and led the way out. We approached the exit door when I heard the familiar voice of Akin from behind.“Leaving already?” My skin crawled.We both paused, but we didn’t turn to give him the satisfaction of a glance.“I thought the university would at least change you for the better, but it turned out your two are still the losers you’ve always been,” he said, and I heard a feminine voice giggling from beside him.I guess sometimes a response
I haven’t seen or spoken to Jace since he called me a few days ago at the house. You could say our relationship took a rocky turn after that day, and though he apologised, we were yet to get back to how we used to be.He owed me for what he said, and for as long as I could, I was going to collect from him for that. I could tell he knew that, too. He owed me and was ready to do whatever it took to repair burned bridges. This was his chance to do that.Just like he said, fifteen minutes later, I saw Jace’s red Prado jeep pull up not so far from where I sat at the entrance of the hospital. The car door opened, and Jace stepped out in a white polo shirt and blue jeans. I rarely see Jace in casual clothing. Most of the times I’ve seen him, he’s always been in suits and long-sleeved t-shirts. However, seeing him in casual clothing was also a sight to behold.He looked around, not seeing me for the first few seconds he stepped out of the car, but when he finally did, he stepped towards me.I
“Ms Biggs! Ms Biggs!!” Dr Duke snapped at me, and I yanked out of my thought and back into reality to find her reprimanding eyes and the confused gaze of my colleagues all over me.“I am sorry, Dr Duke,” I said, my cheeks warming up with embarrassment.“I think you should sit this one out, Dr Biggs,” she instructed, and I nodded without trying to object to her words. There was no point; it was an order, and refuting it shouldn’t be done in public.I handed the tablet in my hand over to Nnaji, and I made myself out of the ward. I felt the gazes of those in the ward, including the patient’s, but I didn’t look back, not until I was out of the ward.I drew a deep breath, my eyes fluttering as I tried to control myself. Our number one rule was to always have our heads in the work because someone’s life could be on the line at any time. We couldn’t afford distraction or coming in and we were to be in anything but the best mood. It wasn’t a simple task, but that was what the job required, and
Yes, I had never missed Jace’s birthday party, and I missed the last two because I was at the university. Lyon always showed up to support his friend, and I always tagged along because, well, he was Jace. This was the first one I’d miss missed, but I knew they would barely notice my absence. Jace would have his hands filled with beautiful and sophisticated women, and that would keep him too occupied to notice the absence of the girl that was more like a pain in his ass.He avoids me at all costs now. He would deny it, but I knew the truth. I couldn’t believe there was a time when we were inseparable. Growing up, I was his wing baby and then turned into his wing girl.Now I couldn’t stomach the thought of him with other women.Perhaps this was his way of helping me get over how I felt about him. It didn’t help.I would stay home tomorrow because I would never get what I want from him, so why even bother?He was right about one thing last week. I was young and the daughter of Lyon Biggs.
The day flew by faster than I expected. One minute I was having breakfast, and the next it was already evening. Maybe that wasn’t the case, but the event of the night was the only thing that stayed on my mind.I stepped out of my room after spending over forty minutes in front of the dressing mirror. Lyon had gone ahead of me because he wanted to be beside Jace when the party started. He charged Yao to bring me over whenever I was ready. The party time was meant to start by nine p.m., but I didn’t see myself following that time, so I stayed in bed unmoved until nine thirty before dragging myself into the bathroom to get a shower.When I stepped out, I took twenty minutes to pick the perfect dress for the party, and while doing that, I called Jordan to check up on him. He told me his mother, whom the doctors had stabilised a week ago, was now responding to treatments. It was good news, and I was happy for him.When he asked how my weekend was going, I told him I had a birthday party to
“Wake up already!” Darcy tugged on Elle’s shoulder, but she only turned to the other side and continued as if she felt nothing. “Come on already. If you don’t wake up, you’ll be late for your graduation!”Estelle’s eyes snapped open at the last word, and she pulled herself up to sit down, a yawn leaving her mouth. She rubbed at her still sleepy eyes as they settled into awakening.Darcy had been staying with her the last couple of days, heading towards her graduation. She wanted to be present for the celebration and took leave from work to be beside her and support her.The graduation, as planned, would have been held a month ago, but Lyon and Jace stepped in to request a shift. Their positions and impact on the university made the heads consider their request.The vice chancellor, Mr Phillips, intends that Estelle is important to them as well since she has been heavily involved in the institution’s affairs since joining, and they wouldn’t mind going out of their way for her. It was pe
Jace was barely out of the shower when his phone rang. He walked over to the bed stand where he kept his phone with only the white towel around his waist and glanced at it. The caller ID read Lyon, and he wasted no time in answering the call.“Hello, Lyon.”“Elle is awake,” was all he said before ending the call.Jace arrived at the hospital thirty minutes later. He had made plans to meet with the board of directors this morning and discuss prospects for the company amidst his battles with the authorities. However, he changed those plans after getting a call from Lyon about Elle’s awakening. He called his PA, Becky, and asked to have the meeting shifted from nine a.m. to eleven a.m.It was a sudden change but a necessary one, and he took advantage of that and headed for the hospital, where the woman he loved waited for him. His heart raced in excitement with every minute that went by, and he wanted to see her. He needed to and couldn’t wait to be in the same room with her.He came to t
Elle could hear faint voices from not so far away as her consciousness returned. Her heavy lashes pulled apart, and her eyes fixed on the ceiling, trying to wrap her head around her environment and also how she got here. She heard the heart monitor beeping on her left side. Beside it was an IV pole stand holding a drip bag hung on top of it, which was connected to her left hand through its little tube.She stared around, trying to figure out her environment. She figured she was in the hospital, which meant something bad had happened. She wondered how bad it was and how long it had been since she had been in the hospital. Her head hurts a little, and they made her eyes dim.She stared around, despite her pain, and found someone beside her with his head lowered and his hand holding onto her right hand. She knew it was Lyon—his hair, his touch, and the smell of him.Her head hurt a little when she tried to recall the past event that brought her here. Could it have been that bad? She wonde
The next dayJace couldn’t remember the last time he was here, but his mother had spoken about doing this when things got out of hand. After silently waiting a few hours in the waiting room, he left for the hospital chapel a few wards away to his right. Things had gotten out of hand, first with Elle and then his name, which would affect his company eventually. The investigation was still ongoing, and he was still the prime suspect, as the only thing he had against Orlando was his words.Two days ago, following Julian’s advice, he hired a private detective on the case to look into things and find the blind spot of the entire event. His back was against the wall with every passing day since the accident, and he had to get one step ahead.There was still no positive news from the doctor on Elle’s case, and as long as she was here, he knew he could not function properly. She had to wake up, if not for anything. At least she had to wake up to make his life hell a little longer.He stepped i
Jace found his seat, being too weak to stand around for long after the doctor took his leave. Lyon, however, stood at the door, staring at him like he was some sort of monster. Lyon blamed him for his daughter’s state, and Jace couldn’t fault him. He blamed himself as well, and he would never stop blaming himself.It was barely a minute after the doctor left the room when two men walked into the waiting room. Jace moved his attention to them, wondering what they were doing and what it was they wanted.It turned out they had begun the investigation into the accident at the scene and had now come to the hospital to ask questions.“Mr Henshaw,” the first man called out, stepping forward and digging his hand into his pocket to pull out his badge. “I am Detective Rivers, and this is my partner, Detective Moore. We need to ask you a few questions.”Jace and Lyon told them everything that had happened to the best of their knowledge. When they asked what happened to Jace’s face, he told them i
“What happened?” he asked as they pulled away from the hug.Darcy shook her head, wiping her face. “I don’t know. She called four hours ago but never spoke, and all I heard was a bang followed by a crashing sound when I called her name. She didn’t speak, and when I called back, she didn’t pick up.” She explained. “I tracked her location with Dylan’s help and gave it to the emergency line, which I called immediately after. It’s been two hours since we came here.”Jace nodded his head at Dylan, who stood behind Darcy, and he nodded back. “How is she?” he asked, despite dreading the answer.“She’s been in the ICU since she came in.” She answered, “The doctor’s first call was to stabilise her. Since she did her last clinical here, they took her as one of their own.”“Where is she?” Lyon’s voice boomed through the hallway as he stormed out of the elevator and towards where they stood. “Where is my daughter?” He asked again, this time turning to the nurse at the counter to ask.“What’s her n
Jace had woken up with a wide smile on his face this morning, knowing what today meant. It was Ellen’s evaluation, and knowing her too well, he had confidence she would crush it. He could not wait to see her. Yes, he had a party to plan, but she was important.Lyon’s appearance yesterday had changed things, but Jace remained optimistic. He didn’t think they would make it through one month of staying away from each other, but they did, and now he was certain they would make it through.He had also kept his eyes out for news and gossip outlets to see what about him was on the news each day. Although he trended a few times in the past month, it was because he gained major deals and broke a record in the UK with the Henshaw Trust.Nothing about his personal life was known.A few sites hinted that he hadn’t been seen with any woman since he came to Oxford, and they wrote about him turning a new leaf. He almost agreed with the site when they speculated he had had a fill with the female gende
After ending the call with the attendant, Estelle came downstairs only to find Lyon there, as if he’d heard the call as well. He looked calm for a man who almost incapacitated another and had the rage of flipping the entire house upside-down last night. However, his knuckles didn’t look good. They were sore and needed medical attention, which he hadn’t given them yet. She worried for him, but her worry for Jace overshadowed her and fixed her mind on what was important. He asked if she was going somewhere, and she told him she was going to Jace, but before he could object, she told him she wasn’t returning to her room. She planned on going to him, and that was what she was going to do. He asked her if Jace was worth her defiance of his instructions, and she told him she loved him. He stepped out of the way without another utterance of words, and she ran out of the house to her car. She drove off, speeding just to get to her destination. Estelle arrived at the lounge lot and got out o
Lyon and Elle drove home in silence, neither of them willing to speak to the other. They were both mad at each other’s actions. Elle was mad at Lyon because he had given into his fury and turned into a man she didn’t know. Lyon was mad at Elle because she had left him in the dark, and she and Jace both made him out as a fool in their doing.They could barely bring themselves to even look at each other. As soon as the car stopped before the penthouse, Elle got down and walked over to it, and Lyon followed behind her. She entered the house but didn’t lock the door. This was his house, and she couldn’t lock him out of it even though she wanted to. Darcy wanted to come over after the celebration ended, but after the fiasco at the party, she knew her friend would not come back today. She would stay at her fiancé’s place until the smoke cleared.“How long has it been going on?” Lyon asked with a furious voice as she made her way towards her bedroom.She halted but didn’t turn to look at him.