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The Call
Last Updated:
2024-01-27 21:36:18
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The Rich and the Loved Relief
I had woken up from a nightmare. It was the third night it happened and the third night since I had made my decision. These nightmares were new. In those dreams, I saw myself handing a syringe to the doctor. He injected it into Josie's arm, and then she started dying, turning into dust… Every time I woke up screaming.It was obvious what triggered those dreams. I kept telling myself that Josie would die if we didn't treat her. That argument seemed to be acknowledged and accepted by every part of me. Then there was a matter of choosing the right gene combination. Perhaps the version that had given worse results in our trials would have turned out to be more suitable for Josie's young body. Perhaps there were other aspects I should have thought about before making the final call.All the what-ifs were killing me. Surely, I hadn't made this decision alone. Josie's doctors had accepted the treatment and agreed with my choice. I kept hearing that this was the only reasonable way, but that
Last Updated : 2024-01-28The Rich and the Loved Beginning of the War
I could feel my wildly pounding heart long hours after our call ended. Darren's words were like a warm blanket tightly wrapped around my body. A dumb smile curled my lips and stayed there for—I wasn't sure how long. This wasn't a confession, but it was the beginning—the beginning of us. It was a sign that he wanted this… thing between us to progress. And I was beyond happy he had chosen this way.Certainly, my blissful state lasted only until I arrived in front of the clinic the next day and saw Callan's car. Muttering a curse, I entered the building and strode straight to Josie's room. I found Callan outside, talking to Kathrine and her father.“Lilly, so lovely to see you,” Callan called out, his smile satiated in pure mockery.“I wish I could say the same.” I smiled back at him before glancing at Kathrine. She seemed confused, perhaps even intimidated. My hands fisted. “What do you want, Callan?” I snarled.His cold smile widened. “I'm only here to congratulate you on your success.
Last Updated : 2024-01-29The Rich and the Loved Another Piece of the Truth
Our celebration after winning the first battle didn't last long, or, more accurately, it was over as soon as we returned to our lab, filled with research documents spread like litter all over the floor.“We need to get all the data and the special equipment we bought for this project out of here,” I said. “This lab is no longer safe.”Suraj frowned. “Why? Isn't it like you said? This place belongs to you, doesn't it?”I pulled out one of the chairs and sat down, looking at my team. “My father didn't really have a place for me in this company, but I wanted to work, and he agreed to my terms. When I studied, my father kept sending me monthly allowances, which were almost impossible to spend. I invested that money instead. Then, after graduation, he agreed to give me a part of Hayes Labs, which used to be a warehouse, and I used the money I invested to buy the equipment I needed. The problem was that hardly anyone knew about it, and, back then, I didn't think I'd need any legal documents
Last Updated : 2024-01-29The Rich and the Loved The Opening
Mr. Dawson ran me through our strategy for the final time. I was supposed to focus solely on the night Kenneth attacked me. Certainly, I was ready to tell the judge and the jury about everything that had happened during my five-year marriage, but Mr. Dawson insisted I didn't say a word about it.“If you mentioned anything about your life together, his lawyer is going to say that it's irrelevant to the case. That is why we will wait for the other side to make an opening for us,” Dawson explained. “I'm convinced that they're going to try to prove that you provoked the attack yourself. Their lawyer will say that you were vengeful, vicious, and hell-bent on destroying the Welch family.”Anger buzzed in my veins. “That would be a low move,” I said.“Of course,” Dawson agreed, “but they will hold on to whatever is able to sway the jury's emotions.”I ground my teeth. “I will not let that happen.”Dawson patted me on the shoulder. “Let's hope that everything goes smoothly.”Twenty minutes la
Last Updated : 2024-01-30The Rich and the Loved Nothing But the Truth
DARRENA smirk tugged at my lips as I took in the courtroom scene. The asshole of an attorney, who seemed to be determined to torment Lilly, turned speechless. He must have realized that he had just fucked up the entire case. Jeffrey Dawson, Kenneth's prosecutor, had played his cards well. Once Terrell mentioned Lilly's alleged infertility, he cracked open Pandora's box. Now it was my turn to push this lid a little further and let the hell loose.The judge announced a break in the court session, and Lilly stepped down from the witness's seat. She looked at me, and I could see the faint blush heating her cheeks, but it was Mr. Dawson who walked to her first.“You did great,” he told her, patting her on the shoulder.“Thank you,” she muttered.I could see that she was exhausted, and I doubted that it was only because of the testimony. She seemed thinner and paler, which instantly triggered some irrational annoyance within me. I could literally see the weight of responsibilities someone
Last Updated : 2024-01-31The Rich and the Loved Our New Place
LILLY“And then the hell broke loose.” I let out a long sigh before sipping from my wine glass.Raven grinned, restlessly shifting on the sofa. “Details!” she demanded.“Mr. Dawson said that not only will Kenneth be found guilty, but my and Darren's testimony allows him to charge him along with Alistair Pearson and Grant Denson. Dawson is going to demand twenty years for his attempted first-degree murder. Including him in Nicolas Rogers's case will be the cheery on top.”Raven gave me a look. “That's great… but I want to know about you and Darren.”“We could barely leave the court building once the session was over,” I said, feeling a blush on my cheeks. “The reporters were everywhere. They began to insinuate strange things like that there was a love triangle between Kenneth, Darren, and me…” I drew a deep breath, and a bright smile spread across my face. “Darren handled everything. He stood by my side, and we told the reporters the truth… mostly.” I drank from my glass and cleared my
Last Updated : 2024-02-01The Rich and the Loved Big Mistake
My team arrived with the rest of the documents and equipment about an hour later. Then it took us the rest of the day to make ourselves comfortable in the new place. Unsurprisingly, they all loved the new laboratory. It certainly gave them more freedom to work on several different ideas at the same time. It couldn't compare to the space we had in Hayes Laboratories. Unlike the old labs, the rooms Darren offered us were never meant to be warehouses. They were designed and built as a place for experiments, and all my team needed to do was sit there for five minutes for the ambiance to boost their creativity beyond natural limits.I was happy for them. It could have been a new beginning for them… for me. Unfortunately, our situation had too many loose ends for me to idly sit and explore the possibilities of our new space. I let them enjoy themselves and organize their workplaces while I returned home to prepare for the meeting with a lawyer.The next morning, I was sitting on a large sof
Last Updated : 2024-02-01The Rich and the Loved Planning a Crime
The next morning, my team showed up at my apartment for an urgent meeting. Bringing them all together into the place I lived was a bit of a gamble, but I would rather have them break something in my apartment than risk someone overhearing our conversation, even in our well-secured new lab. It wasn't that I didn't trust Darren. I simply had limited trust for his guards and other Eques Technologies employees for now.We were sitting in my living room. Sakura, Suraj, and Ren sat on the sofa. Tim took one of the armchairs, and Fen chose to sit on the floor by the coffee table, clearly enjoying my fluffy carpet… Well, I decided not to comment. With a tight smile stretching my lips, I served them all a solid portion of caffeine in sizable mugs, and we were finally ready to discuss committing a crime.“Do you think this could even work?” Sakura looked at the rest of us with a nervous half-smile on her face.Tim scratched his chin. “There is a chance, but there are many variables.”Ren gave m
Last Updated : 2024-02-02
Latest chapter
The Rich and the Loved The Wealth of Love
LILLY Four Months Later “One more signature at the bottom, Ms. Hayes.” The smiling lawyer pointed at the empty dotted line on the last page. “Of course.” I drew a deep breath and signed my name where he wanted me to. Then I rose to my feet, and so did the man sitting in front of me—Doctor John Pearson. “Congratulations,” he said, not without a hint of sadness in his voice, before extending his hand toward me. “The clinic is officially yours.” “Thank you, Doctor Pearson. I promise I will take good care of this facility,” I told him. A soft smile appeared on his lips. “I do not doubt that you will.” I still couldn't believe it happened. John Pearson Clinic—soon Lillian Hayes Clinic—finally belonged to me. Of course, it was going to take a while before I would implement my plan and make the necessary changes, but I was already madly excited… and so was Raven. “I've never been friends with my boss before.” She chuckled, catching me as soon as I walked out of the meeting room where
The Rich and the Loved For Her
DARRENI didn't want to believe what that son of a bitch had told me. I had to trust that Lilly was alive. Nonetheless, after Almarri's confession, I told Chris to leave the room. I gave Almarri a moment to recollect himself until I beat the shit out of him, breaking at least five of six of his bones in the process. He was still breathing until I left the room. Chris had friends in the CIA, and we promised to try delivering Almarri to them in exchange for covering whatever was going to happen at his casino. It took most of my willpower to stop myself before I delivered the final blow. It had nothing to do with being merciful; Chris assured me that the CIA had no intention of granting him anything but torment.Once I wiped Almarri's blood off my knuckles, I stormed through the long corridors. I swore that I would find Lilly, and only seeing her lifeless body would have stopped me from burning everything in my way to get to her.Chris caught me at the end of one of the corridors. “We ch
The Rich and the Loved Run
LILLYI couldn't move. My body's exhaustion turned opening my eyes into an almost unbearable struggle. It took me a while before I lifted my eyelids and instantly winced at the light filling the room. I blinked several times before I established what I was looking at… Ceiling. A bright, well-lit ceiling.I needed an additional minute or two to acknowledge that this wasn't a dream. I was lying on a bed with an IV drip connected to my arm. The bed had multiple pillows and fluffy sheets, as if someone cruelly decided to give me a moment of questionable luxury before turning me into a slave.Another white cotton dress replaced the old, stained one. My body had been cleaned from all the sweat and dirt. I didn't have the strength to wonder who bathed me and dressed me. I felt violated enough without acknowledging how many hands touched my body.I could have died. Perhaps it would have been a blessing if that had happened. Now I was lying numbly on a bed, waiting for more torment to come. Sl
The Rich and the Loved Rage
DARREN I paced around the hotel room in Doha, waiting for Naila to arrive and deliver what she promised. The adrenaline kept pumping in my veins, increasing the restlessness that kept me awake the entire night. Unlike me, Lucien was napping on the sofa whenever he found a moment of silence. I couldn't even close my eyes without seeing Lilly locked up somewhere, tormented, scared… “God…” I dragged my hands down my face before glancing at the time. It was seven in the morning, which meant that we had fourteen hours before the auction started. I kept telling myself that they needed her alive and unharmed to sell her, but what if I was wrong? Those what-ifs were driving me insane, and I couldn't shake off the feeling that, even at that moment, she was greatly suffering. The soft knocking on the door snapped my head toward it. Lucien's opened his eyes and instantly leaped to his feet. He nodded my way and cautiously opened the door. Naila silently sneaked inside, and he closed it behind
The Rich and the Loved Agony
I lost count of how many times I had been stabbed with a needle, and I wasn't sure my veins could withstand another injection. I quickly realized how pathetic my relief was after Callan told me I wouldn't be beaten, cut, or burned. The torture he had designed for me went far beyond the physical pain…Every inch of my body burned from within. My blood turned into a living flame, scorching my veins. My skin covered with an itching rash I couldn't scratch. It lasted for hours. I didn't want to give Callan satisfaction, so I remained silent, biting my lips until they bled. But the third or fourth dose of the drug broke the final restraint… A scream tore through my throat, and I kept screaming until my vocal cords gave up. I quietly begged Callan to stop. I thought he would if I told him I was ready to give him what he wanted. I thought that if I pretended I wanted to cooperate, he would give my tormented body a break… He didn't. He just walked closer and served me another drug dose.I los
The Rich and the Loved On His Mercy
LILLY“Wake up, sleepyhead.” The voice I heard filled me with nausea, and the soft laughter that followed sent chills down my spine.Slowly, I opened my eyes, blinking until the sight adjusted to the dim light. Every inch of my body felt sore, and I quickly realized why. I was sitting on a chair with my legs tied with a rope to its wooden ones and my hands restrained at the back. Another rope was tied around my waist, keeping me in a still position most likely through the long hours I had been unconscious.I was cold. The freezing concrete hurt my bare feet with the slightest touch and the simple cotton dress resembling a cheap nightgown formed no barrier against the low temperature and humidity of the room I was in. I didn't even want to think who dressed me and if I was naked underneath…Drawing a shaky breath, I looked to the sides. This place must have been some kind of a basement. The room seemed to be nearly empty, or at least I couldn't see any furniture from my limited perspec
The Rich and the Loved Running Out of Time
DARRENMy lungs filled with a greedy push of air. My eyes opened wide and roamed around, hectically trying to process my situation. The car, I was inside the car… My car was upside down, and I…Everything hurt, including my weak attempts to breathe, but I knew I had to ignore the pain. I had to live. I had to get out of there.My consciousness gathered the pieces of memory together. Someone had rammed me, pushing me off the road while I had been driving to the residence. The fuckers had chosen a part of a perfectly secluded road to do it. Perhaps it was fortunate that they hadn't been as thorough as to check whether I had been dead or not.My limbs weren't broken, although at least one of my ribs was. I clenched my teeth and crawled out through the broken side window. My car lay in a ditch on the side of the road, with not a single building around.How long had I been out cold? The returning memories painted an ominous picture that slowly filled me with dread. Lilly had been waiting f
The Rich and the Loved Trapped
LILLYIt had been three days since Uncle Norton's funeral and the fight with my father. My heart still ached whenever I thought about it, but I finally felt that my chest had loosened, allowing me to breathe.Darren's presence had become my remedy. His touch and warmth soothed me, healed me, and filled the hollowness that appeared after Uncle Norton's death. I didn't even want to think about what I would have become without having him close.Since the danger had become more palpable than ever, each member of my team was assigned their own security team. Of course, Darren organized two new bodyguards for me as well. I hadn't protested, even if I hated buying groceries accompanied by two men in black suits.My mood significantly improved after Kenneth's and Doctor Rogers's trials finally ended. Kenneth had been sentenced to fifteen years in prison for assault and attempting murder, and another five years for terminating the pregnancy against my will. For all his deeds, Rogers received t
The Rich and the Loved Her Anchor
DARRENI found Lilly sitting in the precinct's corridor, staring down at her hands that limply rested on her lap. Dried blood covered the sides of her palms and fingertips. My chest tightened as I saw her in her numb state. I rushed forward, pushing through the policemen standing in the way, until I pulled her up from her seat and wrapped her in my arms. Only then did she start crying, and her tears kept falling long after I brought her back to the penthouse.Rage filled every inch of me. I wanted to kill everyone responsible for Lilly's state. If only I could get to New York sooner. If only I could somehow prevent this, protect her better, spare her from the pain and anguish...I left Lucien in Qatar to deal with our end of the bargain with Naila. He wasn't happy about it, but I gathered enough people and resources for him to plan a flawless rescue mission. Getting Naila's brother out of Almarri's residence wasn't going to be easy, but I knew that Lucien would figure out how to do it
