Chapter One Hundred And SeventyLana jumped when the door to her room was opened suddenly, and Aryan stepped inside. She was sitting on her bed, with her knees drawn to her chest.She stared at the big man who walked over to her bed and stared down at her, hard.Lana swallowed a lump in her throat and shivered under his steely gaze. Aryan exuded a cold, killer like aura that sent a chill running down her back.She could not mistake the unbridled hate and contempt in his eyes, as he stared down at her."Zaire..." Lana croaked, averting her gaze from his. She cleared her throat and asked nervously once more, "Where's Zaire?"She never thought she would be asking for the very man who abducted her, and kept her locked up.But Aryan gave her the creeps and Zaire was literally the only one around here who could protect her from this dangerous looking man.Zaire had always been around for the past four days, checking up on her regularly. He brought her meals for her, there in the room, and m
Chapter One Hundred And Seventy OneLana slowly walked around the garden all the way around the house, with Aryan following closely behind.The whole compound was well kept, but flowers and trees were spread out across the place.At the far end were barbed wire fences that went around the house. It was so high that it was enough to keep out giants, but surely, she could manage to make a hole and squeeze herself through right?Lana's hand came to her mouth, and she bit her nails nervously. Her eyes scanned the fence, and came to land on the metal sign fixed to the fence that stated, "Danger! Keep off!"She wondered who the sign was for. It was definitely to keep her in because there was no way anyone would come from the outside through that thick forest which she could see."Is it worth it to get electrocuted?" Lana thought in despair. If she even managed to get through the fence, the possibility of getting eaten by wild animals is so high, that she shuddered from that own thought.Wh
Chapter One Hundred And Seventy-Two"Ow!"Lana yelled in pain as Aryan pushed her against the wall fiercely. Pain exploded in her shoulder blade which had connected with the wall, and she held on to it."I fucking told you to stay back!" He thundered at her, his face twisted with rage. Anger and terror sliced through Lana.She pushed away from the wall and slammed into him, trying to run past him.Aryan did not even flinch. He reached out and grabbed her hair when she ran past him and pulled her back with it."Ahh!" Lana cried out, as she was thrown against the wall once more. Pain radiated from her skull from where he was twisting her hair, and made her eyes water with tears.Aryan chuckled and walked closer to her, staring down at her, "What? Were you trying to escape?" He sneered, "You think you can leave?"Lana did not say a word. She glared at him with those red rimmed eye, then spat out hatefully, "You freaking bastard!"Aryan's left eye twitched violently with that statement,
Chapter One Hundred And Seventy-Three The door to the prison's visiting room made loud clanging sounds, as the metal bots and locks were unlocked.Rina was led into the room by a guard.She had huge cuffs on her hands and was dressed in the prison's orange overalls.It's been three weeks since her arrest and she was awaiting trial. She looked worse for wear with her huge black circles under her eyes, and sunken cheeks.Her black hair was pulled back from her face in a loose ponytail, and her face was guant.Damien was sitting on a metal chair in the middle of the room in a designated spot. Sitting beside him was a bespectacled middle aged man, who looked respectable in a sharp custom made suit.He was the head of Romero's legal team, and he had accompanied Damien on this trip to see Rina. Behind them, Liam stood rigid, with his hands clasped behind him like a soldier at alert.Rina's lips curved into a dry, little smile as her eyes fell on the men the room."To what do I owe this unp
Chapter One Hundred And Seventy-FourRina inhaled deeply and then let out a ragged breath of despair. All her previous bravado had seemed to disappear as soon as Damien had mentioned how unsafe she was behind the prison walls.She seemed to shrink half in size into the chair, with fear boldly written on every of her features."Alright." She said in a small voice, "I'll tell you what I know about Zaire's location."Damien leaned back in his chair and straightened his jacket, pretending he was not relieved with Rina's decision. He suppressed the desire not to punch the air in victory, and instead schooled his expression into one of blankness as he nodded calmly at her, "Spill it.""But still..." Rina croaked uncertainly, "You have to tell me how you're going to help me with my sentence first before I say anything."She glanced up at him then and saw the flash of anger in his eyes. The muscle in his jaw twitched violently as he pushed back his chair and stood up.Seeing his action, the
Chapter One Hundred And Seventy Five Lana scrambled off her bed, her eyes wide open in shock as she stared at the gaping hole in the wall.Her chest was heaving with the way she was breathing hard, and her eyes were almost bulging out of their sockets. Her hand was still covering her mouth in shock.What the hell had just happened? Is this a dream? Walls don't just open up in front of people.Why did the wall in the room suddenly open up and most importantly, what was on the other side?Lana peered tentatively inside the wall, her eyes wild with fear.The cold air emanating from inside the gaping hole, filled the room and she shivered uncontrollably.Was this some kind of passage way? A secret passageway? On the second floor?!As the idea of a secret passageway flashed through her mind, Lana's heart started beating loudly once more.She bit her lips in uncertainty and fisted her white dress in fear as she walked closer to check out the wall.Tentatively, she climbed onto the bed an
Chapter One Hundred And Seventy-SixLana's held her breath in fear and trepidation, as the footsteps walked closer to the bed."She's asleep." Aryan.He sounded pissed, and so he was as he looked down on Lana with contempt on the bed, "It's only four in the evening." He hissed, "I must wake her up.""Leave her alone." Oh, Zaire was back?Lana kept her eyes closed and pretended to look like someone in a sound sleep.The thought of sleeping, while two dangerous men looked down in her filled her with fear. It sent shivers down her spine, and Lana tried very hard not to shudder.Aryan stepped back from the bed, with his fists clenched. His faxe was hard as he was trying to not show how pissed he was."Its still daytime." He said, his voice a low growl. "We should wake her the fuck up and get her to sign the documents so we can leave here!"Documents?What documents?Lana's ears were fully on alert taking in every detail of their conversation. What the hell did they want her to sign on?
Chapter One Hundred And Seventy-SevenLana laid perfectly still in Zaire's arms, hoping, praying silently that he falls asleep.It was still freaking daylight and if she was to get out of the house and still manage to find her way around this place, then she needed to do it during the daytime.The thought of making her way around the walls of the house at night filled her with fear, but it did not kill her determination.Besides, it would even be easier to do so when Zaire and Aryan are asleep. Zaire does not usually come to check up on her at nights, but the bastard was changing.He was getting bolder, climbing into bed with her. It was only a matter of time before he convinced her they were lovers, and there was nothing wrong with them being intimate.She had only managed to put him off for so long using the fact that she did not know him so well.Zaire had been decent all along, patiently waiting but she guessed his patience ran out with this little act of his now.The words he'd s
Chapter Two Hundred And NineteenMaya made her way to the elevator that connected the company with the parking lot, her head held high in triumph.Before she could press the button however, Gary hurriedly stood up and shouted, "I was only trying to save you from embarassing yourself, Maya!"Maya stopped, her shoulders stiff with contained fury as she turned to him, "What?" She scoffed, taking slow threatening steps back towards him, "you never learn, do you?""You know he doesn't want you." Gary gritted out, "You're better off with me, Maya. You're smart and we connect well. Why don't you make the wise decision and come to me?"Maya laughed cynically, "Is this fool on drugs?" She asked, fury blazing in her eyes, "Why would I even consider being with you? You ugly looking wimp. Can you take care of me? Do you know how much I'm worth?!""You're not worth that much more than me, you know." Gary chuckled bitterly, his eyes wide in a terrifying way, "We both work in the same company and ea
Chapter Two Hundred And EighteenWithout warning, Gary marched forward and grabbed Maya's hand, pulling her flush against him.Maya gasped in outrage as she stumbled roughly unto him, "What do you think you're doing?" She screeched, "Let go of me, you pig!""I should be asking you that question!" Gary was trembling with rage, "What are you doing, selling yourself like a whore for this gigolo?!"There was a sharp intake of breath from the employees who were pretending to be working but also watching the drama.Some were enjoying the show so much that they spoke low behind their palms, laughing and snickering at Maya.It serves her right for strutting about like she owned the place. Maya had been a pain the neck around the office, ever since Noah started working there.It was refreshing to hear her being referred to as the slut that she truly was.She was clearly throwing herself at the man who did not want her, and bared her teeth at any girl in the office who looked at him. Not like
Chapter Two Hundred And SeventeenNoah stiffened as Gary said those words. What the actual hell?!He turned sharply and glared at Gary, who had a maliciously gleeful look in his eyes.How had he known about that? Noah narrowed his eyes at the odious man, who was enjoying the look of confusion on Noah's face.Slowly, he started chuckling and soon, the annoying man straightened up and laughed outloud while Noah simmered, and the rest of the colleagues watched in puzzlement."You never thought about that, did you?" Gary continued, after he'd had a good laugh, "Well, you should have, before you thought of running your mouth." He lifted the stack of files and slammed them back down on Noah's desk, roughly, "You better start working on them," he smirked, then leaned in to say in Noah's ears once more, "Or you're not the only one who is going to lose your job."Noah's mouth tightened into a grim line, as he realized what Gary was trying to say.He had indeed started working at the company
Chapter Two Hundred And SixteenThere were shocked gasps around the office at that statement. Everyone was staring at Noah, wondering where he got his boldness from.Even if he was right, no one had ever thought of talking back to their superior. They had always collected whatever harsh treatment had been meted out to them, without second thoughts.Who did this new guy think he was? What was that he said, Manager Gary's job was what was on the line.Really, it was his own life that was on the line. They looked at Manager Gary to see how he'd receive this news.Gary had gone pale, then slowly he turned beet red. He bared his teeth at Noah menacingly, "What did you say?"Noah stood his ground, staring at the man, "This preparations were supposed to have been sent in a month ago." He went on, "The orders for the shipment were made before I even started working here. I'm sure the regional manager have this job to you directly but you did not carry it out, due to your negligence."Gary was
Chapter Two Hundred And FifteenWham!A huge stack of files was dropped on Noah's desk like a boulder, and the small desk rattled from the force of it."Listen up newbie, I want these files to be screened and the reports on my desk in the next one hour, do you understand me?"Noah slowly looked from the huge stack of files sitting in his desk, to the shaggy haired man in front of him.It was Gary Shane, the junior sales executive and Noah's direct boss in the establishment.From the very day, Noah started working at Romero Solutions And Logistics, Gary seemed to have it out for him and took extreme pleasure in giving him demanding tasks.Arching a well carved eyebrow in question, Noah spoke calmly, "All of these? In an hour's time?""What?" Gary smirked. He was chewing gum and the smacking sounds it made grated on Noah's nerves. Gary shoved his hands into his pockets and took a relaxed stance in front of Noah's desk, his eyes roving over Noah in mocking fashion."What?" He asked agai
Chapter Two Hundred And FourteenLana looked up again as she felt Adrian's hands stop their soothing motion on her neck and shoulders."You've located...he's really alive?" He asked, his brows coming together in disbelief.In reply, Lana laughed happily, covering her mouth daintily. Her eyes shimmered with happy tears and she went on speaking cheerfully, "Yes! Can you believe it? Well of course you believe it, because I always said so!"Adrian was silent even as Lana kept in talking. He'd stopped massaging her shoulders and her cheerful voice was just going on and on in his head.She looked really happy, hopeful, something he'd never seen in her in a long time.And that was because Damien Romero had been found.Wait, he was really alive?He'd always heard Lana say it and he'd seen her waiting for him, encouraged her to keep on hoping because only then Arielle could be saved but now, it seemed like Damien Romero was really going to be back in her life.Their lives.Somehow, and for rea
Chapter Two Hundred And Thirteen"What do you mean he knows something?"Lana asked, later that night in Adrian's office.When Adrian had called her at the company earlier, she'd immediately headed to the hospital to see him.Oakcrest City's hospital was one of the best healthcare facilities not only in the city but in neighboring cities as well. It was a combination of both specialists and general hospital.It provided the best health care services and even the creme de la creme of society had their check ups there. The hospital's VIP section was built solely for the benefit and comfort of wealthy people. This sentiment has gone on to be abused by the rich, who use the hospital as a getaway to evade tax hunt, scandals and malingering.The facilities in the VIP area were more like the equipments that belonged in a spa or resort than an hospital. There were lounges, perfect little cafes and the patients wore robes as their hospital wear instead.However, only the best and most professi
Chapter Two Hundred And Twelve"You were right," Director Evans said as he walked over to the single table in the centre of the small office.Apart from the single table and two chairs facing it, the office was bare, with its grey decor.There were two chairs sitting side by side near the table, which had a packet of cigarettes sitting on it as well.Director Evans drew a cigarette out of the slim pack and lit it with a lighter lying close by, "Romero is really not in the hospital. Lana did really play us all."Zaire smirked as he listened to this, while Director Evans took his seat with a satisfied sigh, "Now, there's just one little problem to sort out before we make this public," he drawled, taking long puffs on his cigarette, "Where is Romero, really? Do you think he's going to come back?""Damien Romero will never come back to his Empire," Zaire spoke with a calm smile, as he turned to back to watching the city below.Director Evans was watching him with narrowed eyes, "How do yo
Chapter Two Hundred And ElevenDirector Evans walked briskly out of the hospital and towards his parked car, smiling from ear to ear. His driver swiftly opened the car door for him and he quickly got in, making himself comfortable.The driver quickly went round and took his spot as well, "Should I go to the location, sir?""He must be waiting by now, don't you think?" Director Evans replied, "We'd better get moving then."The driver nodded and immediately placed the car on the road, and was soon speeding down the highway.The Director sat in the back seat looking very pleased with himself. He was still smiling and soon, he burst out into full blown laughter.The driver glanced at him curiously from the rear view mirror and quickly looked away focusing on his driving.He did not know what was making his boss laugh and he was not very curious by the way.Besides, he and his boss were not in a relationship where they could discuss his source of joy.But he could not help, but wonder wha