Chapter 10Aretha's pov I checked in for two nights at the hotel into the most exquisite room at the hotel."Here's your room card ma'am," she said and flashed a customer service smile at me.I recognized those forced smiles that had to be on one's face.Happy or not, it had to be there."Is there anything that you'd like while you're in your room, your meals will be made according to your preferences and our private chefs will be in standby," she explained, and I could hear the slight cracking of her voice underneath the facade safe was putting on."It's okay to be sad sometimes, I hope you know that," I said, offering the words that I wished to hear my self.She looked up at me, transfixed for a short moment."I'm sorry if my services have not been up to your expectations, she said again, her voice laced with an unshed tears."I'm telling you, Brittney that whatever it is you're going through, it will all be fine," I said and she nodded, wiping the tears that were eventually drippi
Chapter 11Aretha's POV"Hey, whore," I heard Mary, my aunt's daughter, call from the top of the stairs. Her voice grated on my nerves, pulling me out of my thoughts."I saw you perform your theatrics down there with Mom. What... who do you think you are?" she sneered, stepping down the stairs with an air of superiority that made me wish, just for a second, she’d trip and fall. Maybe a hard knock on the head would give her the brain cells she desperately needed."Why are you looking at me like that? Don't you know better than to keep your gaze on the floor? You dare to look at me like that!" she spat, nudging me backward with her finger. I could smell the faint scent of her cheap perfume mixed with the bitterness of her words.I slapped her hand away, disgust curling in my stomach. I didn’t want to deal with her now—or ever, really."You don’t get to leave when I’m talking to you, Aretha," she hissed, but her voice was nothing more than an annoying buzz in my ears. I sighed, feeling t
Chapter 12ArethaI stood up to head into the bathroom after making the calls with the estate agent, a small smile brimming on my face at the prospect of what would become of them in a month or two.The shower drizzled down on my body, and I ran my hand through the length, taking the shampoo on the stand to wash it."Exquisite..." I muttered with a smile on my face, the full-body mirror reflecting my shape.It turns out the unnamed hate I had for myself and the insecurities were because I never saw a full view of myself.Curvy in all the right places... in a word, I was beautiful. The annoying sound of my phone ringing broke my reverie, and I draped a robe over my body before leaving the bathroom to take the call."I've gotten the house, ma'am, and I would need you to come to sign the documents; it's already been done by them," the agent said, and I flashed another grin to myself."Text me where you are, I'll be there in half an hour," I replied before hanging up.I rummaged through
chapter 13Aretha's POV I took a cab to go back to the hotel, and the thought of what to do next flashed through my mind. The city that once held so many promises now felt suffocating, burdened by memories that weighed on me with every passing block. I wasn’t going to live in that house, at least not now. The thought ran like wildfire through my mind as the car honk shot me out of my reverie. I heaved a deep sigh, shaking off the heavy reverie for the moment before I stepped out of the car, walking towards the hotel's entrance. The door to the entrance was opened and I stepped into the hotel and took the elevator to my room.A new resolve surged through me."This is it," I thought.I was done with New York. Done with the weight of the past pressing down on me. I wasn’t just leaving the City, I was leaving all the pain, the betrayal, the suffocating expectations, the one from the people I thought were my family.I would close this chapter for good.Stepping into my room, I dropped
Chapter 14Zander's POV"Mr. Zander," my right-hand man, Victor, called as he stepped into my office. His usually composed demeanor was replaced by a stiffness that immediately caught my attention. I didn't need to hear the words to know trouble had arrived, but I allowed him to speak."We've got a situation... Mr. Zander," he began, his tone hesitant."And don't you think I know about it?" I snapped, the words escaping like a whip crack. My voice echoed through the room, reverberating off the cold, marble walls.Victor held his ground, though his hands twitched at his sides. "We've done everything we can to curb the reach of the news. All the social media outlets under our control are working tirelessly to take it down. But...""And what does that change?" I roared, slamming my hands on the desk with enough force to send the pen holder skittering to the edge. My veins throbbed with rage as I leaned forward, my glare boring into him. "The fact that I'm not impotent-it doesn't fucking
Chapter 15Zander's POVI stared down at the ruin my office had turned into. Papers were scattered everywhere, chairs overturned, and shards of broken glasses glinted on the floor. The once-spotless symbol of my dominance...power now mirrored the storm raging inside me."Fuck!" I roared, slamming my fist into the desk with all the force I could muster. The wood splintered beneath my hand, a jagged crack running through the center. Pain shot through my knuckles as blood seeped from the fresh wound, staining the ruined surface. I didn't care. The pain felt like a perfect escape from the burning emotion inside me.The sharp, intrusive buzz of my phone cut through the chaos, vibrating on the floor where it had landed in my earlier fury. I bent down, picking it up with bloodied fingers, and glared at the screen. The number was blocked.I frowned my instincts immediately on high alert. Few people dared to call me directly, and fewer still would do so anonymously. But now wasn't the time to
Chapter 16Aretha's POV "I wrapped my hands around my body, the biting winter seeping through my coat made my body shudder, a nauseous wave hit me as I stepped down from the car and approached the hospital's entrance."Miss Aretha," a familiar voice called out, pulling my attention.Doctor Liam, my attending doctor called from a distance as I stepped into the hospital, a smile washing on his face as he strode towards me."Doctor Liam," I greeted, accompanied by a slight bow of my head."You shouldn't do that, you're in your first trimester and unnecessary strain could lead to complications," He cautioned, moving to take my bag from me."I know you have other important things to do, you should leave to do that and not waste your time with me," I said, haggling the bag from him."Every patient is important," he said with a small smile."But you, Miss Aretha, are most important to me," he said, managing to tear a laugh from my lips.My eyes didn't evade the countless numbers of girls, p
Chapter 17Aretha’s POVThe house felt unusually quiet as I sat on the bathroom floor, throwing up everything that was in my stomach. My eyes were getting blurry and I could feel myself losing strength. The thought of falling unconscious in the bathroom irked me together with the disgusting sight of the puke splattered across the sink.I switched the flush, watching the puke go down the drain, and moved to leave the bathroom, holding the door knob when I felt my knees buckle to nothing. It turned to jelly as I fell back to the floor, clutching my stomach protectively.I winched in pain, batting my eyelids to hold back the tears that brimmed in my eyes as I gripped the door again, moving to get up. My fingers grazed the wooden frame of the door, but I fell back again, hitting my back against the tiled walls.I could see the splinters from my fingers on the door and the throbbing ache of my fingers a painful sensation shooting through my body.I shifted slightly, hoping the discomfort w
Chapter 20Zander's POV "Thank you for your contribution, we'll make sure to get back to you once we've found the best teams we can find," I said, gesturing for the man to leave. He nodded curtly and turned towards the door when my phone rang.He paused, glancing back at me."Lead him out Xavier, and you come back," I ordered, my eyes narrowing at the unnamed number flashing on the screen."Is it still the same person?" Xavier asked and I nodded, swiping the green button."It took you a while to pick up the call, Mr. Zander, how long were you going to stew about the billions you've lost these past few days," The voice mocked, laughing scornfully over the phone."And how did you know about that?" I demanded, gripping the phone tighter."I know many things that you think I do Zander," the voice said again, chuckling darkly."You must realize that whoever told you about what's happening in my company will go down with you," I said, my tone sharp and filled with menace at nonchalant laug
Chapter 19Zander's POV "Mr Zander," Xavier called, stepping into the office. "What's the news?" I asked, turning to look at him."We've managed to pull down all the news and information that spread the news about you," He said and I turned with a bitter scoff."You think that's going to change anything?" I asked. "I believe that it will, various content come up on the Internet and it'll be soon forgotten," Xavier said, looking up at me."I'm pretty sure you know very well how the company stocks have been dropping in the past few days, I'm losing billions because of this fucking news Xavier," I said, barely holding back my anger."Have you gotten any leads on the call and who leaked the news?" I asked, but he shook his head."We've been reaching a dead end every time we were close to finding out the person who posted it," he said, making me clench my fist."We think it might have been made from a burner account,""And the call?" I asked again."There has been no lead about it, decry
Chapter 18 Aretha's POVI woke up to the soft beeping of a monitor and the faint murmur of voices outside the door. My body felt heavy, but the stabbing pain in my abdomen had dulled to a manageable ache. The sterile scent of the hospital filled my senses as I blinked, adjusting to the dim light of the room."She's awake," a female voice said softly. My eyes darted to the figure sitting by my bedside—Doctor Liam. He had already changed into his scrubs, and his eyes were shadowed with fatigue."How are you feeling?" he asked, his voice gentle as he leaned closer.I swallowed, my throat dry. "Better... I think." My hand instinctively went to my stomach. "The babies...?""They’re fine," he assured me, a small smile breaking through his exhaustion. "You gave us all a scare, but they’re strong. Just like their mother."I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, tears pooling in my eyes again. Relief, exhaustion, and gratitude all mingled together, leaving me speechless."You need
Chapter 17Aretha’s POVThe house felt unusually quiet as I sat on the bathroom floor, throwing up everything that was in my stomach. My eyes were getting blurry and I could feel myself losing strength. The thought of falling unconscious in the bathroom irked me together with the disgusting sight of the puke splattered across the sink.I switched the flush, watching the puke go down the drain, and moved to leave the bathroom, holding the door knob when I felt my knees buckle to nothing. It turned to jelly as I fell back to the floor, clutching my stomach protectively.I winched in pain, batting my eyelids to hold back the tears that brimmed in my eyes as I gripped the door again, moving to get up. My fingers grazed the wooden frame of the door, but I fell back again, hitting my back against the tiled walls.I could see the splinters from my fingers on the door and the throbbing ache of my fingers a painful sensation shooting through my body.I shifted slightly, hoping the discomfort w
Chapter 16Aretha's POV "I wrapped my hands around my body, the biting winter seeping through my coat made my body shudder, a nauseous wave hit me as I stepped down from the car and approached the hospital's entrance."Miss Aretha," a familiar voice called out, pulling my attention.Doctor Liam, my attending doctor called from a distance as I stepped into the hospital, a smile washing on his face as he strode towards me."Doctor Liam," I greeted, accompanied by a slight bow of my head."You shouldn't do that, you're in your first trimester and unnecessary strain could lead to complications," He cautioned, moving to take my bag from me."I know you have other important things to do, you should leave to do that and not waste your time with me," I said, haggling the bag from him."Every patient is important," he said with a small smile."But you, Miss Aretha, are most important to me," he said, managing to tear a laugh from my lips.My eyes didn't evade the countless numbers of girls, p
Chapter 15Zander's POVI stared down at the ruin my office had turned into. Papers were scattered everywhere, chairs overturned, and shards of broken glasses glinted on the floor. The once-spotless symbol of my dominance...power now mirrored the storm raging inside me."Fuck!" I roared, slamming my fist into the desk with all the force I could muster. The wood splintered beneath my hand, a jagged crack running through the center. Pain shot through my knuckles as blood seeped from the fresh wound, staining the ruined surface. I didn't care. The pain felt like a perfect escape from the burning emotion inside me.The sharp, intrusive buzz of my phone cut through the chaos, vibrating on the floor where it had landed in my earlier fury. I bent down, picking it up with bloodied fingers, and glared at the screen. The number was blocked.I frowned my instincts immediately on high alert. Few people dared to call me directly, and fewer still would do so anonymously. But now wasn't the time to
Chapter 14Zander's POV"Mr. Zander," my right-hand man, Victor, called as he stepped into my office. His usually composed demeanor was replaced by a stiffness that immediately caught my attention. I didn't need to hear the words to know trouble had arrived, but I allowed him to speak."We've got a situation... Mr. Zander," he began, his tone hesitant."And don't you think I know about it?" I snapped, the words escaping like a whip crack. My voice echoed through the room, reverberating off the cold, marble walls.Victor held his ground, though his hands twitched at his sides. "We've done everything we can to curb the reach of the news. All the social media outlets under our control are working tirelessly to take it down. But...""And what does that change?" I roared, slamming my hands on the desk with enough force to send the pen holder skittering to the edge. My veins throbbed with rage as I leaned forward, my glare boring into him. "The fact that I'm not impotent-it doesn't fucking
chapter 13Aretha's POV I took a cab to go back to the hotel, and the thought of what to do next flashed through my mind. The city that once held so many promises now felt suffocating, burdened by memories that weighed on me with every passing block. I wasn’t going to live in that house, at least not now. The thought ran like wildfire through my mind as the car honk shot me out of my reverie. I heaved a deep sigh, shaking off the heavy reverie for the moment before I stepped out of the car, walking towards the hotel's entrance. The door to the entrance was opened and I stepped into the hotel and took the elevator to my room.A new resolve surged through me."This is it," I thought.I was done with New York. Done with the weight of the past pressing down on me. I wasn’t just leaving the City, I was leaving all the pain, the betrayal, the suffocating expectations, the one from the people I thought were my family.I would close this chapter for good.Stepping into my room, I dropped
Chapter 12ArethaI stood up to head into the bathroom after making the calls with the estate agent, a small smile brimming on my face at the prospect of what would become of them in a month or two.The shower drizzled down on my body, and I ran my hand through the length, taking the shampoo on the stand to wash it."Exquisite..." I muttered with a smile on my face, the full-body mirror reflecting my shape.It turns out the unnamed hate I had for myself and the insecurities were because I never saw a full view of myself.Curvy in all the right places... in a word, I was beautiful. The annoying sound of my phone ringing broke my reverie, and I draped a robe over my body before leaving the bathroom to take the call."I've gotten the house, ma'am, and I would need you to come to sign the documents; it's already been done by them," the agent said, and I flashed another grin to myself."Text me where you are, I'll be there in half an hour," I replied before hanging up.I rummaged through