There was a refreshing and thrilling feeling when you found that someone. The person who understood you and really listened to you and cared about you.That was how Pamela felt about Winston.That was why she always visited the gardens just to talk to him. She soon found many excuses to go there, such as trying to plant flowers herself and doing some gardening. She also used the daily stress of raising her children as an excuse to go out into the garden and get some fresh air.Sometimes she would bring a camera to take pictures of the flowers.But in reality, she was taking pictures of Winston and marveling at how handsome he was. She secretly saved these photos of him in her secret folder and even snuck into some shots so they would have pictures of the two of them together.Soon, the two of them fell in love, like two lonely souls who needed an anchor in life and found it in each other. It was the definition of a whirlwind romance where they couldn’t get enough of each other and fou
Gregory Callahan was a shrewd individual by nature.He was also selective in how he conducted himself, both in public and in private. Whenever he was with others, he exuded the aura of a calm, mature man with a flair for business. He was sensible and firm, knowing when to punish and when to reward.He understood that he couldn’t buy loyalty and that he had to earn it through his own tactics. He also found at an early age that he had a talent for persuasion and for becoming intimidating enough to get what he wanted.It was all a matter of skill and confidence. Without those, he didn’t think he would have gotten so far in life.Because of his work ethic, his employees didn’t know whether to hate or admire him. Sometimes he would dangle a carrot in front of them. Sometimes he was kind and generous when they were in need, but sometimes he was cold and ruthless, not hesitating to fire someone if he thought they were incompetent.Needless to say, he got the job done, which is why his name w
For Gregory, Pamela was his wife. His trophy and his possession.Yet her presence haunted him in ways he didn’t dare admit, even to himself.Every time he saw her, she seemed to become more beautiful in his eyes. She grew into an ethereal beauty that took his breath away. In fact, he was captivated and consumed by the need to possess her completely.There were many times when he would sit alone in the privacy of his study and indulge in his fantasies about Pamela. He imagined scenarios in which she belonged to him completely. He imagined her at his side, her every thought and action dictated by his desires.The mere thought of it brought him such pleasure that he could hardly wait for the day when he could possess her completely.And to keep her as far away from everything else in the world as possible except for him.‘One day,’ he swore to himself as he signed one document after another, a small smile of anticipation curving his lips. ‘Once I take over the company as its head, all my
Hunting them down was easy.Gregory Callahan was one of those who had enough power and intelligence to find anyone he wanted to find. He had been in the industry for many years now, so he knew exactly what to do.He remembered hunting down those who had betrayed him before. People who had tried to take advantage of him, and even those who had tried to frame him for something that he didn’t do.He found those people shortly after they had committed their transgressions. Nobody could escape him. Wherever they were hiding, he could sniff them out without much effort on his part.So, using his hidden connections and various influences, he found Pamela in no time.In just one week, to be exact.It turned out that they lived in the countryside near a large forest, a semi-isolated area from the big city. It was an obscure part of the country that almost no one entered because it was a purely rural area where only farmers and nondescript individuals had lived for generations.They were a tigh
“You already know about the case of Mason Parker and Luther van Gowen, so I won’t go into great detail about what happened,” Gregory began. “I was one of their major investors, but I was not quite satisfied with the way that they did things. A stubborn fool he was, that Parker boy. He was the charitable type who never thought of doing things for pure profit in the long run. A waste of his intelligence, I’d say.”“Just another fool who thinks that everything will be fine and dandy as long as he gives back to others,” Christian sneered.“Exactly. Hence the reason why I went to Luther van Gowen and took advantage of his envy towards Mason Parker. He was an ambitious man, and he still is. He went so far as to betray his own friend. Another fool, but a rich fool in the end.”Christian shook his head. “And then they got into that argument and went to the streets.”Gregory nodded. “When Mason Parker got into a car accident, Luther van Gowen was the witness. Nobody was around to help them.” S
“That woman planned on divorcing me and going off to marry Samuel McGregor instead,” Gregory revealed. “At that time, you and Patricia weren’t even born yet, so she was determined in her decision. She even intended on telling her parents about her plans. So then I thought, if the Rutherfords found out that she wanted to marry Samuel McGregor, they would eventually agree, simply because back then, the McGregors had accomplished a lot of things, and Haynes-McGregor Industries was rising up to be one of the top five companies in the entire country.”He smiled.“I had been in the middle of my plans when the perfect opportunity just presented itself. An uncanny coincidence, don’t you think?”Christian scoffed. “What a messed up situation.”“Ah, well, messed up things can happen in a family like ours.”“Considering the fact that my own mother cheated on you twice, I believe it. Goes to show just how loyal women are.”Gregory looked at his son for a moment. He opened his mouth to ask somethin
Gregory turned in his chair and looked out the window, as if lost in his memories.“Luther van Gowen wanted justice for his friend. The police needed to find the culprit, especially since Mason Parker was a beloved figure in their town,” he replied. “When Luther asked for my help, I had my men find someone suitable, someone worthless who wouldn’t be missed in this world, to become the scapegoat. I had no idea who it was, for I did not care in the least. But when I looked at the records, it was someone named Theodore Berkley, and he turned out to be Winston’s father. I assume that that is the reason for the boy’s grudge.”Christian was not interested in further details about the gardener. He just wanted to get straight to the point.“What of my mother’s death, then? The reason why Harold Huckington said those words to me that day,” he said.Gregory’s expression changed slightly.“Pamela died a miserable death. She locked herself in her room for days after Winston’s apparent suicide,” h
Christian took a moment to register the warmth seeping through his skin as he continued to embrace Camille from behind.Despite their contractual relationship, gestures of affection were rare between them. Camille usually shied away from such things and stayed as far away from him as possible.He, on the other hand, only touched and teased her out of amusement and a desire to see her various reactions. He simply found satisfaction in watching the way her features twisted in irritation and fear.He knew that there were more layers to her that were yet to be discovered, motivating him to unravel them all until she became an open book for him alone to read.Right now, Christian couldn’t pinpoint what exactly compelled this rare display of affection from him. The only times he embraced women were to satisfy his desires and nothing more. To be frank, they were mere affairs that he couldn’t care less about.But with Camille, he could only recall two previous instances of gestures that were
The girl was still staring at her, her back pressed against the wall and her hands clenched in tight fists.Camille took a few cautious steps towards her, and the girl flinched involuntarily.“S… Sorry,” the girl finally croaked, swallowing hard. Her wide eyes darted from Camille to the men on the ground. “I’m… you’re… I mean… thank you.”It was clear that she was struggling to remain calm, but failing.Camille’s features softened.It was then that Michael finally rushed up to her, slightly out of breath. His attention was entirely on Camille, not noticing the way the girl took a step back at his sudden presence.“My god,” Michael breathed out, looking a little ragged. “Camille, you—” Then, as though deciding against what he was about to say, he showed her his phone instead, probably deciding to say it later. “I called the cops. They’ll be here soon.”Camille nodded and turned back to the girl. “Let’s get you out of here, okay?” she said softly.The girl seemed to hesitate. “I… I don’
A young woman was pinned against the wall, her eyes wide and terrified as she trembled before the three men surrounding her.She looked so young, probably still in her teens. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, and she was wearing a black hooded jacket, blue jeans, and white sneakers. Basically just casual clothes, with nothing about her standing out.One of the men had a hand over her mouth to muffle her whimpering. Another leaned in close and spoke to her in a sickly sweet tone, apparently taunting her about something.The third man stood a short distance away, probably acting as a lookout, but he seemed to be so involved in what was happening that he failed to see Camille lurking in the shadows.“Come on, sweetheart,” the man closest to the girl crooned. “You made things real hard for my buddy, you know? You think you can just walk away from us like that?”The girl squirmed, trying her best to push the man’s hand away from her mouth.But she didn’t have the strengt
“Hear what?” Michael asked, puzzled.When she didn’t reply and started wandering towards a certain direction, he paused and strained to listen.He really didn’t hear anything, but that was probably because he had been too distracted by Camille.Meanwhile, Camille moved towards the source of the noise, hearing it more clearly now. Maybe it was because of her self-defense lessons and her natural attentiveness to her surroundings, but she could usually pick up on small details that no other person would notice unless they were paying close attention.This time there was another sound, and it was like a low, threatening voice, followed by another scream that sounded even more desperate. They gradually faded, though, as if they were slowly receding.Camille couldn’t let them do that.She walked briskly until she spotted something. An alley. Of course. Alleys, especially dark, narrow ones like this, tended to drive people away out of caution and fear. Crime didn’t disappear in a big city li
Fortunately, when they arrived at the burger joint, no one recognized them or anything. Maybe they did a good job of looking and acting normal.They quickly found a booth in the corner, conveniently away from prying eyes.As they sat down, the familiar smell of grilled burgers and fries filled the air, bringing back a flood of memories.“This place has changed a bit, hasn’t it?” Camille said, marveling at the renovation of the building. Back then, it had been smaller and had dull colors for wallpaper.But now, the surroundings were vibrant, and it certainly looked bigger.Michael grinned. “It has. It’s been ages since we were last here.”They eagerly ordered their usual: cheeseburgers with fries and milkshakes. They didn’t usually eat like this, especially on weekdays, so it was like a nice treat after working so hard.Camille was especially excited. She had been upset earlier, especially after what had happened with Christian, but now all that was fading away in the back of her mind.
That last part was out of jest, Camille was sure. It made the corners of her lips threaten to tug upwards.She looked down at her clothes. She was still dressed in her business attire — a fitted blouse and a pencil skirt — and she was also wearing a long coat to stave off the cold. Summer was over now, so the nights were usually chilly.She felt around her pockets and touched the hat that she had hidden in one of them. It was a black beanie that she liked to wear whenever she wanted to hang around outside, but rarely had the occasion to do so because she was always so busy.Her thoughts soon wandered into an uncertain territory.Was it a good idea to have dinner with Michael so late?What if someone saw them?What if…While she was still pondering over what choice to make, another message from Michael came in.‘I thought we could go to that burger place that we used to go to back in high school. We could also get some snacks at the nearby food stalls if you want.’Camille blinked, her
When Camille ended the call, she leaned back against the bench, feeling the energy drain out of her.Now, all pretenses were gone. She closed her eyes and allowed herself a moment of peace, feeling the sensation of the evening breeze against her exposed skin.It was a cold night, but she didn’t really mind. The day’s events had taken a lot out of her, and she preferred to cool off rather than simmer in the heat of anger any longer.She could act strong, independent, and reliable in front of her brothers like the big sister that she was supposed to be, but once she was alone with nobody to display that mask to, she was a wreck. A mess of emotions. Someone who had developed a limit that grew shorter and shorter through time.Now, she was a woman who could barely control her anger and frustration, completely unlike the calm teenager she used to be. With these negative emotions making her mood fluctuate often, it made her feel like a shadow of who she once was.‘Since when have I become t
After shutting down the computer, Camille cast a glance at the closed door of Christian’s office and felt a grimace contort her features.He had gone home earlier before her, but that was only because he needed to get ready to entertain guests at his father’s mansion tonight. Maybe his relatives were coming to pay a visit, or maybe they were very important clients. Camille didn’t really care.At least she didn’t need to face him again later on. The thought of that kiss that he had forced upon her made her feel like gooseflesh were crawling up her skin. Not a pleasant sensation at all.Camille shook her head vehemently, as if that would help force the memory away.She refused to think about that dreadful incident anymore. If she continued to dwell on it, she would only end up tearing her hair out from anger and frustration.She had more important things to do than let herself sink into rage over Christian’s thoughtless actions.So, she packed her things and headed home.Since she worke
Camille didn’t know how she did it, but she managed to return to her desk without collapsing to the ground or stumbling in her steps.When she reached her chair, she immediately sank into it, feeling the hot vestiges of anger running all over her skin. It was as though lava was overflowing through several parts of her body, not yet evaporating into thin air.‘I need to calm down,’ she thought.When she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror on her desk, she was almost startled at what she saw.Her face was flushed, and her eyes were bloodshot. Her hair was also a little tousled in some angles.In short, she was a mess.She quickly turned away, unable to stomach the sight of herself.She felt so exhausted that she was already longing for the comfort of her bed back at home. To be away from all this confusing, chaotic mess. To slowly untangle all the knots in her mind and try to figure out what to do next.So much had happened in such a short time, and she wasn’t physically an
At first, Christian hadn’t planned to kiss her.He wasn’t an impulsive man, but in this particular situation, he found that the urge to do something reckless was quite strong.Not exactly a reckless move, per se, but one that came along with his irritation.It was just that, as he watched Camille’s expression and heard the subtle change in tone in her voice when it came to Michael, Christian felt a growing urgency inside of him that he couldn’t bear to ignore.He could feel it, that her heart was drifting towards another man, that her feelings were growing until they became a big part of her.He felt that time was running out and that if he didn’t act now, she might belong to him physically, but not emotionally.And he would never be able to make her heart waver in the slightest.And oddly enough, despite his pride in the fact that he was not the kind of man who would be carried away by his emotions, the thought of Camille never being able to be completely his unsettled him greatly.S