Chapter one

 Julia happily ran into her family villa 'mum! dad!' Am home! She called excitingly but was greeted with an eeire silence. The house keeper Maria, ran up to her with a panicked expression 'young miss! The master collapsed today and he was rushed to the hospital!' Julia felt the ground crumbled under her feet and fell to the ground.

 Recently, her father has been complaining about a certain company that wanted to partner with them but he refused because their deals weren't good enough. Julia knew his collapsing must be connected to it, and her father was struggling to live with high blood pressure. he is hypertensive! "But why will anybody want to harm him? He is a gentle and kindhearted man!" Julia thought to herself but what she doesn't know is that in the business world, strength rules not meekness. 

She dried her tears, asked Maria about the address of the hospital and hurried there. When she got there, she began to ask around for Mr Bernard because her father is quite popular. She was led to an emergency ward, when she saw her dad, she felt strength leaving her. Her cheerful and vibrant father laid on the bed with tubes connected all over his body. Julia's legs were heavy as she walked towards him and collapsed on him. "Daddy........! Tell me you're okay! Tell me we are gonna go home together! Mom we're right?" She shouted looking at her mom whose eyes were bloodshot from crying, her mom tried to speak but tears choked her. 

Soon her father's phone began to ring, Julia picked "Mr Bernard! Aren't ready to give up yet? Still strong hearted? You know.......I love people of your type it enables me deal with them!" A cold voice snickered and hung up. Julia hissed and kept the phone thinking it was just a fraudster who wants some money. Not until few minutes later, her father's secretary called sounding flustered. "Sir! There is chaos in the company, the investors wants to withdraw their investments and the shareholders are demanding explanations" Paul the secretary panicked.

 Julia felt her heart skip, there must be something more to that lady's call before. Paul after receiving no reply from the other end for quite sometime he hung up. Then the phone rang again "gotten my surprise for you? Hahahaha..........Bernard Rodriguez, stop playing with fire" the devilish voice came again. "Who are you bitch?" Julia shouted in fury and there was a laughter on the other end. "I see Bernard is unavailable, I will call later" then she hung up. Julia was furious that she could even breath fire! She tried calling the line again but it was switched off.Julia and her mom drove back home, she told her about all the phone call she received at the hospital. Seeing her mom's panicked expression she quickly shut up. 

When they got home Maria has already prepared dinner, as they settled down to eat, the doorbell rang and Maria went to answer it. Bernard parents stormed into the house, Bernard's father Augustine walked straight up to Roseline and asked. 'Where is my son? Roseline was stunned, she stood up to reply, but the word hung in her throat and she collapsed heavily back on her chair and began to sob, but the other people showed no sign of sympathy or pity at all, their eyes were cold and devoid of warmth.

"We heard what happened to him! Before he got married to you,we warned him that you aren't going to offer anything good to him, but he insisted. I know you are the one that prevented him from collaboration with the Harness group that is leading to this tragedy and the falling of our Kington group!" Bernard's mother shouted at Roseline. This words made Julia mad but she couldn't yell at them because they were her elders. After some hours of them insulting and belittling Roseline, they all left. Roseline quietly turned and began to head upstairs.

 'Mom' Julia called out. Roseline waved her hand and muttered in a weak and cracked voice. 'Am okay baby, I want to go have some rest now, have your lunch and rest too okay?' Julia gently nodded. 'Goodnight mom' she muttered. After eating, she walked around the large and beautiful villa, her family pictures adored the walls and everything looked nice and warm. Why do they want to put apart this beautiful family? Julia thought to herself as tears ran down her face. She cried for a long time before finally falling asleep in the couch. The next morning, a heart piercing wail jolted her out of her sleep. She quickly stood up and realized it was coming from upstairs. She ran there and the scene there almost made her pass out. Her mother has been murdered in cold blood! On her body was a note that read........ DIE BITCH!!!!! 

Julia picked up the note and put it in her pocket. Then everything began to go blurry then she passed out. When she woke up, she was in the hospital and Maria was by her side. After sometime, she collected her senses and remembered her mom was no more and her dad was barely hanging unto life. She screamed and began to roll on the floor pulling at her hair. Maria tried consoling and restraining her from pulling at her hair. But driven by agony, Julia was far powerful than her. 

She ran out of the ward and began to ask people the way to the morgue, when she got there, the doctors were embalming a corpse and another was nearby. Julia with heavy legs, walked towards the corpses. What she saw made her spirit leave her body for a moment. It was her father they were embalming! NOOOO........ She screamed pulling the doctor away from the corpse. 'My father is not dead! He only had a heart attack! She shouted tearing at the doctor. 

But she was quickly restrained by another doctor. "Am sorry miss Julia, your father passed on yesterday night we tried contacting your mom but it was not going not knowing she too is gone." The doctor holding her said sympathetically. Julia screamed and passed out again. When she woke up, it was already night and Maria was gone. She tried sitting up when she heard footsteps and voices approaching.