KellyAdrian and I had been too busy to have those conversations about Kate, I had so much on my plate and that includes going to Harper’s school event today. I had been to her school countless events over the years, but none had ever left me feeling as uneasy as this one. The bright lights and cheerful decorations in the gymnasium did little to settle my nerves. Harper walked beside me, clutching the ribbon she had earned earlier that day, her excitement radiating in every step. I should have been happy, proud even, but my mind was elsewhere. I had known Aiden attended this school. I had just found out a week ago after going to pick Harper and seeing Evelyn pick up Aiden. Seeing him here, in Harper’s world, was something I hadn’t prepared for. I had changed Harper’s school more than once, hoping to avoid complications like this, yet somehow fate always found a way to close the gap between them. The moment came faster than I expected. “Mom! Over there!” Harper said, tugging at
Adrian The envelope sat on my desk, taunting me as I stared back at it for the 100th time. A few days ago, I had been desperate for this moment, eager for answers. Now, I wasn’t so sure. I leaned back in my chair, staring at the small logo of the testing lab. It was absurd, really—this small package held the power to change everything. My hand hovered over it, hesitant. The truth had a funny way of unraveling the world as you knew it, and once it was out, there would be no taking it back. A knock on my office door snapped me out of my thoughts. “Adrian? You in there?” Kelly’s voice was soft but carried a tone of concern. I hurriedly slid the envelope into a drawer and cleared my throat. “Come in.” The door creaked open, and Kelly stepped inside. She was holding a folder, her brow furrowed in that way that always made her look more serious than she was. “Amelia said you missed the budget meeting,” she said, her tone casual, though her eyes searched mine for something more
KellyAiden’s words lingered in my mind, heavy and unresolved, coupled with Adrian’s strange behavior lately. Aiden’s confrontation at the school had shaken me in ways I hadn’t expected. There was something in his tone, his choice of words that made me think he was holding back more than just anger. And then there were the anonymous messages that had started coming through. But as much as Aiden’s confrontation weighed on me, my unease shifted when my thoughts landed on Mr. Davis. Something about him had never sat right with me, even before his recent entanglement in Adrian’s affairs. His charm had always seemed too smooth, his presence too calculated. The way he sticked around Adrian, the call Adrian had received—it all pointed to secrets I could no longer ignore. Sitting in my office late this night, I decided it was time to uncover the truth. My fingers hovered over the keyboard, hesitating for only a second before typing: Mr. Davis life before wealth. The search results loade
Anderson My mind were closing in. The anger, the confusion, the betrayal, it was all too much to handle. Each word Davis had spoken echoed in my head, louder than anything else, until it was all I could hear. My mother, my own mother had known about the past Kate had with Mr. Davis. And worse yet, she hadn’t told me yet. It was as if the ground beneath my feet had cracked open, revealing her face of deceit, lies, and half-truths. I had always trusted my mom, believed in her wisdom, in her ability to guide me, to help me make the right decisions. But now, everything felt like a lie. Why didn’t she tell me?The question kept repeating in my mind, echoeing like a broken record. She had always been so careful, so calculated with what she chose to reveal. But this….this was beyond anything I could have imagined. I was pacing the office, my thoughts spinning with confusion. How long had she known? How much had she hidden from me?I had spent years building this empire, trying to sec
KellyI had just finished picking up Harper from school, and we were driving home. Harper as usual, was full of questions. Today though, she kept circling back to Aiden. She hadn’t forgotten what happened at the school event when Aiden confronted me. “Mom,” she said, looking at me from the backseat, “Aiden…..he called you mom, why?” I glanced at her quickly, my hands trembling slightly. I had hoped she wouldn’t bring it up again. But then again, I knew this day would come. Harper was never one to let things slide, especially when it came to unanswered questions. “Harper, sweetheart,” I replied, keeping my voice neutral. “We will talk about this later, okay?” Harper nodded, but I could see the confusion on her face. I couldn’t lie to her anymore, especially when she was looking at me so trustingly. Once home, I excused myself to the office. The research on Davis and Kate’s past was becoming more of an obsession than I cared to admit. I needed answers. As I sat down and flipp
AdrianThe tension was unbearable. I sat in the living room, staring at the half-empty glass of whiskey in my hand. Kelly was upstairs, undoubtedly still reeling from whatever seeds Olivia had planted earlier. I could see it in her eyes—some questions she didn’t ask yet.Olivia. Her name alone was enough to trigger memories I had no desire to revisit. She’d always been the wildcard of the family, unpredictable and sharp-tongued. Growing up, we’d been close, closer than most siblings but that closeness had been built on shared secrets and silent promises. Promises I had broken long time ago. The last time I saw her before she left for LA, we’d had an argument that left a permanent scar on our relationship. She accused me of choosing silence over loyalty, of letting Davis dictate our lives. And in a way, she wasn’t wrong. I’d made choices back then to protect her, to protect us all, but Olivia never saw it that way. The sound of heels clicking against the hardwood floor pulled me fr
AndersonThe streetlights blurred as I sped through the quiet roads, gripping the steering wheel tighter with each passing mile. Mom’s words replayed in my mind, every word digging deeper into the pit of my anger. ‘She had a past, Anderson’ Betrayal. It was a bitter pill to swallow, and now it was coursing through my veins, poisoning every thought. My own mother, complicit in a web of secrets that I was only now unraveling. Kate, the woman I had loved, had kept her connection to Davis hidden from me. How could they both do this to me? I pulled into the parking lot of ‘Cucina Italiana’, Kate’s newest restaurant venture. The soft glow of the sign above the entrance seemed mocking, it brought back memories of our stay in Italy.The moment I stepped inside, the rich aroma of Italian herbs and freshly baked bread greeted me. The restaurant was quieter than usual, a few diners scattered across the tables. Kate was by the open kitchen, speaking with her staff. Her eyes met mine, and I
OliviaThe weight of everything pressed heavily on my chest as I walked into the police station. Every step felt like a declaration of defiance. I had promised myself I would get answers, no matter the cost, and now I was here, ready to put my cards on the table. The station was bustling with phones ringing, voices raised, officers moving purposefully from desk to desk. My resolve nearly faltered, but then I saw him. He stood near the far end of the room, his uniform tailored to perfection, radiating a calm demeanor. His presence demanded attention, though he wasn’t speaking. I caught myself staring. It was as though everything else faded, leaving only him in focus. Hid name wasn’t spoken until one of his colleagues called out, “Lucian, got a second?” The sound jolted me from my thoughts, but not enough to ignore the way my heart fluttered. “Excuse me,” I said, approaching cautiously. His sharp blue eyes moved to me, and I felt as if he could see right through me. “Yes?” he
KellyThe air inside the police station was strained. I watched as Evelyn sat across from me, her wrists cuffed, her usually neat hair disheveled. The smug arrogance she once carried was gone, replaced by a hollow, defeated expression. She had no more tricks to play, no more lives to manipulate. Adrian sat beside me, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. Susan, on the other hand, stood rigid near the door, her fingers clenched into fists. Who would Evelyn call for help? Anderson? Lucian?Detective Harris, the lead investigator, leaned forward, voice steady. “Evelyn Grant, you’re facing charges of child abduction, falsification of medical records, and fraud. You can make this easier on yourself by cooperating.” Evelyn scoffed, tilting her head. “Cooperate? Do you have any idea what I did for this girls?” Her eyes snapped to me, then to Susan. “I gave you a life. I saved you.” Susan let out a harsh laugh. “Saved me?” She stepped forward, voice shaking with anger. “You stole my
KellyAdrian exhaled deeply, his voice low and dangerous. “Evelyn Grant.” “We need to find her,” Adrian continued, his voice like steel. “This… all of this… everything she did, it ends now.” Mrs. Kim swallowed hard. “I don’t know where she is now. But back then… she worked at that hospital for years.” I clenched my fists. “Don’t worry, Mrs. Kim. We’ll find her.” If only Mrs. Kim knew the truth. If only she knew, that i already knew exactly who Evelyn Grant was.Mrs. Kim hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Let me know when you do.” Adrian pushed off the couch abruptly, his movements sharp and filled with restrained anger. “We will,” he said, his voice tight. I exchanged a look with Susan, who still seemed frozen, her expression a storm of emotions. She blinked, then met my gaze. “And what about Kate?” Adrian’s eyes darkened. “Kate’s house. That’s where we start.” I frowned. “Why Kate’s house?” Adrian slipped his phone into his pocket. “Think about it. If Evelyn
KellyMrs. Kim sat stiffly in her chair, she hadn’t talked for the past few minutes. Then she continued.“It was the night your mother, Jadeline, gave birth,” she began, her voice heavy with something between hesitation and sorrow. “She had complications, and your father was away on a business trip. I was just a housekeeper then, but your aunt, Madeline insisted I go with your mother to the hospital because she was sick and couldn’t go with her.” My fingers curled into fists. I could see it so clearly. My mother, weak and exhausted, barely able to keep her eyes open. No husband at her side. No family except a housekeeper and the nurses attending to her. “She was in so much pain,” Mrs. Kim continued. “The doctors were worried about preeclampsia, and her blood pressure had dropped dangerously low. She was drifting in and out of consciousness when they took her to the delivery room.” A lump formed in my throat. Had she been scared? Had she thought she might not make it?Mrs. Kim ex
Kelly Aiden’s birthday was just days away, and the house was busy with preparations. Balloons, cake flavors, decorations, Harper was insistent on picking everything herself. I mean it was her big brother’s birthday.“Blue and silver,” she had said with absolute certainty, hands on her tiny hips. “Because Aiden is cool, and those colors are cool.” It was crazy how two of my kids were born in the same month, just days apart. I should have been focused on all of that, should have been enjoying the moment. But instead, a different unresolved problem sat in my chest, the weight of a truth I wasn’t sure I was ready for.Three days. That’s how long it took before Mrs. Kim finally called. Her voice on the other end of the line was strained, like she had been thinking, debating.“Come over,” she said simply. And then she hung up. I didn’t waste time, neither did Susan. But when we got there, we weren’t the only ones. Adrian was already in the room. I wasn’t surprised though. He was by t
KellyWeeks had passed since Susan and I saw Mrs. Kim with Kate. The sight of them together had left a strange feeling in my chest, an unsettling weight that wouldn’t go away. I had always trusted Mrs. Kim, always thought of her as someone important in my life. But after everything I had discovered recently, I wasn’t sure I could ignore the possibility that she knew more than she let on. And then, just as I worked up the courage to ask her, she left. “I’m traveling to the countryside for a while,” she had told me casually over the phone. “I need some time away.” It felt like an excuse, like she was running from something. Maybe even running from me. But now she was back. Susan and I stood outside her door, the air filled with tension between us. I didn’t know what I was expecting, but I knew I couldn’t keep pretending like nothing had happened. I knocked. After a moment, the door creaked open, and there she was, Mrs. Kim, looking as if she had aged more overnight.She blink
Lucian’s POV The rain had started hours ago, turning the streets slick with reflections of city lights. It wasn’t a violent storm, just a medium, persistent downpour, the kind that made people hurry indoors, seeking shelter in cafés and rushing in Mart to get umbrellas. I hadn’t expected to see her tonight. In fact, I had convinced myself I wouldn’t. For weeks, Olivia had avoided me. No calls, no accidental run-ins, she didn’t pick my call either. And yet, here she was. Standing under the awning of a small café, arms crossed over her chest, watching the rain with an expression I couldn’t quite read. She didn’t see me at first. I could have turned back. I could have kept walking and pretended I hadn’t noticed her. But I didn’t. Because avoiding each other had done nothing to change what was between us. And I was tired of pretending otherwise. She noticed me as I approached, her shoulders stiffening just slightly. Then, her gaze met mine. She didn’t move, nor acknowledge me. She
Olivia’s POV The night was supposed to be uneventful. I had attended dozens of these high-class architectural gala’s before, polished affairs where people with too much money came to flaunt their wealth under the guise of charity. Normally, I could navigate them without a second thought. But then I saw him. Lucian. I hadn’t known he would be here, but the moment I spotted him across the grand ballroom, I felt my pulse shift into something irritatingly unstable. He stood near the entrance, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, scanning the crowd with the trained ease of someone who could see everything without looking like he was paying attention to anything. Because, of course, he was working security tonight. It made sense, an event like this required the best. And Lucian, with his quiet authority and sharp focus, fit that description effortlessly. I should have been fine. I should have been able to ignore him. Except, that I couldn’t. And it got worse when I saw her.
Lucian’s POVI was halfway through a late-night report when my phone buzzed. I almost ignored it, expecting it to be one of my officers checking in on an old case. But when I saw the name on the screen, I straightened immediately. Olivia?She had never called me before. I answered without hesitation. “Olivia?” There was a pause, just long enough for me to hear the light sound of wind in the background. Then her voice came through, tight and controlled, but there was something off about it. “Lucian… I need a favor.” I was already grabbing my keys. …….The street was empty when I pulled up, just bushes, and the dim glow of a single flickering streetlight. Olivia stood beside her car, arms crossed, looking unimpressed. I parked behind her, stepping out into the cool night air. “This is a first,” I said, approaching with a smirk. “I didn’t think you believed in asking for help.” Olivia shot me a glare. “I don’t. But my car apparently does.” I glanced at the vehicle. “
Olivia’s POV I shouldn’t be here. That thought had been running through my mind from the moment I stepped into the police station, the cool night air still clinging to my skin. But here I was, standing outside Lucian’s office at nearly eleven at night, hesitating. The building was almost empty, except a few officers finishing up paperwork. The hum of the vending machine down the hall was the only sound breaking the silence. I knew I should have gone home hours ago, but after what happened earlier tonight, home didn’t feel safe. Someone had been following me. At first, I thought I was imagining things. The paranoia of a long day, the residual nerves from the Davis case. But by the time I left work, I knew it wasn’t just in my head. Whoever it was, they were patient. Very careful. Keeping their distance just enough to make me doubt myself, but never so far that I couldn’t feel them lurking. I wasn’t the kind of person to panic easily. But tonight? I wasn’t taking chances. I t