Chapter Five
Damien paced up and down the hallway, outside the hospital room. He could not understand why he was so agitated but there was something about seeing your wife, unconscious, in a dead faint and also in another man's arms. It rattled him. Her white face and limp body had scared him as he watched the man carry her in his arms, bridal style. He stopped pacing and looked ahead, his brows coming together in a huge frown and a sour taste came into his mouth, as he stared at the man who had saved his wife. Zaire Ludovic. C.E.O of SERENE, A MultiBillion-dollar Fashion and Entertainment Company and one of the top rated fashion company in Emerald City. He was Damien's biggest Rival. The Romero family owned MAGIC, another top rated fashion and Entertainment company in the City. It had been in the family for years and was the source of all their wealth. The MAGIC group had other subsidiaries in other industries - Retail, Education, Manufacturing, Sports etc but MAGIC Touch, which embodied their Fashion and Entertainment Industry was the epitome of the MAGIC Group. The business summit at the Reign Gardens was open to all business icons and reputable people of the business world Zaire was one of them. Zaire was standing erect, neither looking sideways but facing the door of Lana's hospital room. Damien watched him with narrowed eyes. What the hell was he doing here?, he thought. True, he had brought Lana to the hospital but his job was done. He should leave, already. Damien did not like the way Zaire was standing guard over his wife's hospital room. Lana was his wife, not his, Dammit! He started walking towards him, to tell him to get the hell away from his wife's hospital room door and out of their lives, when suddenly, the door to Lana's room opened up and he stopped in midstride as Lana walked out and walked towards them. "Lana, are you okay?" He went towards her hurriedly, placing himself between her and Zaire. Lana gave him a withering look. "What's it to you? My wellbeing is none of your concern, last I remembered!" Her tone was scathing and her eyes cold as she stared up at him. Damien was taken aback by her coldness and was even more shocked at his reaction to her coldness. He felt nervous, as though something precious was about to slip from his fingers or had already slipped from his fingers. "Let's go home" he started to say but Lana ignored him. He saw the direction of her gaze and his eyes flashed with anger when he saw that she was watching Zaire. The way her expression softened as she stared at Zaire, made his blood boil. Without thinking, he grabbed her arm, and pulled her to himself "I said, Let's go home!" He hissed in her ears and Lana struggled in his grip. "Let go of me, you jerk!" She struggled and suddenly, she was free. Zaire reached out and pulled her to his side, breaking Damien's grip. "She said, let go, Romero. Why are you manhandling a lady?" Zaire's voice boomed out and Lana who was by his side could feel the vibrations from his voice. Seeing that she was not struggling in his grasp, almost made Damien go mad. He saw red and almost exploded. "That's my wife, Ludovic! Take your hands off her!" "I don't care if she's your wife. She's a lady and she does not want to be with you at the moment!" Zaire smirked at him before turning to Lana and saying softly "Let me take you." Damien could not believe his eyes, when Lana glared at him before nodding slightly. Zaire smiled and led her out of the hospital. Damien swore as his fists clenched and his face reddened as he watched Zaire lead his wife, away from him. "Damn you, Lana!" *** As soon as Lana stepped into the house, Vera stood up from the sofa where she and Rina had been sitting, and walked towards her "I thought you were going to be hospitalized for a long time but now I know you only pulled that stunt to embarrass my son!." She wagged a finger in front of Lana as she spoke. Lana merely glanced at her and started making her way up the stairs to her bedroom. "I'm talking to you!" Vera roughly pulled Lana back and glared at her "You lowlife! I allowed you to marry my son because of that old wretch and now you dare to disrespect me?!" "Don't you dare call Laura that" Lana fired back and Vera was taken aback at her sudden fierceness "Although, she did that for a good cause, I was a fool for going along with it." This was a new side to Lana that she had never seen before, and it shocked Vera. Normally, Lana stood like a coward when Vera berated her and had never raised her voice to her. Vera wondered if Lana had gone mad. "Stop acting as though you didn't manipulated her into it" Vera threw back at her, her arms crossed "I know your type , you gold digging lowlife." Lana smiled bitterly. "Well then, I'm sure it will gladden your heart to know I'm correcting the mistake Laura made" she calmly said, her eyes glittering like ice "I'm getting a divorce!" This revelation shocked both women and Rina actually stood up and walked towards Lana cautiously, a sly smile on her face. 'This was perfect' she thought 'Everything is going according to my plan.' However, Vera had her eyes narrowed at her. She scoffed and eyed Lana with disdain. "A divorce? really? So you can get half of my son's inheritance, right?!" "I don't care about his inheritance!" Lana asserted "And I don't care if you believe me or not, I'm getting that divorce!" "You're going nowhere!" A voice thundered from the entrance and they watched as Damien strode towards them. His face was red and his grey eyes were flashing with anger as he remembered how Lana had left with Zaire at the hospital "How dare you bring up divorce?! After you manipulated my grandmother into withholding my inheritance?!" Damien leaned down and spoke fiercely to Lana. Lana stared him down, unwilling to back down. "I have no idea what you're saying, and I don't care!" She yelled back at him, and he was shocked at the fire in her eyes "I won't stay under this roof with your little whore!" "Well, you got yourself into it, you conniving bitch, so deal with it!" Vera fired as she went to stand beside her son. They all stood before Lana, glaring at her. Lana was undaunted, however. She was leaving this house even if it meant she was smuggled out. She thought of Laura and her heart clenched with sorrow but she could not take this anymore. She would explain to Laura later. "Excuse me, sir" A voice interrupted the tense moment and they watched as Damien's assistant, Liam, walked up to him. "What is it?" Damien snarled, his angry eyes never leaving Lana's face but the next words that came out of his assistant's mouth, had them all staring at him in shock. "Your grandmother, sir. She's dead!"Chapter Six "We gather here in loving memory of our beloved sister, Laura Penelope Romero..." Lana sat very straightbacked, the pew hard beneath her as the priest went on. The entire church was so silent that if a pin dropped, the sound would bounce off the walls. Laura was dead. Laura, the one person who had been in support of her marriage to Damien. Laura, who had been like a mother to her this past three years. Laura, the only reason she was still holding on. Lana took a deep breath, as she fought back tears, which stung her eyes, and threatened to fall at any moment. She was seated among the other callers, while Rina sat with her husband and his family, in the pew reserved for families. Lana didn't mind. She had deliberately separated herself from them, and even though she was occasionally receiving dark stares from Damien, she would not budge. Finally, everyone filed out of the church, and the coffin was placed in the freshly dug hole in the ground. There were sniffle
Chapter Seven "Lana, is that you?" Samuel Fernandez's deep voice came through the phone. It was filled with awe. He could not believe he was talking to his daughter, after three good years. He stood up, as though in slow motion and held up his hand. In an instant, the entire boardroom in which seventy shareholders were sitting became silent. They watched him in shock, as he walked towards a window, his face filled with glee at the call which he received. They had all been in the midst of a serious meeting when he had that call but now, he was not in the mood to listen to them anymore. However, at the sound of his voice, after so many years, something came over Lana, and she crumbled immediately. The tears fell in torrents down her face, and she made no effort to wipe them away as she walked down the Lane leading to the gates guarding Reign Estates. Bodyguards stared at her as she passed, shocked to see her crying but she did not care. She had missed her father so much. Why had
Chapter Eight "Please, call me Zaire." Zaire placed his right hand in the small of Lana's back she tried to lead her away to his car, and away from the rain. The car was sitting in the rain, a gleaming Bentley, and the driver stood outside, taking shade under a black umbrella while waiting for them to approach, so he can open the door for them. Lana stopped and stared into Zaire's eyes. His green eyes held a light that bespoke kindness, and there was a gentleness behind his touch. He had told her to call him,"Zaire" thereby putting them on a first name basis. Lana stared at him, unsure if she wanted to venture into this new path. Suddenly, something occurred to her, and she looked closely at him, her eyes narrowed with curiosity, "What are you doing here?" She asked, indicating the huge gates behind her which signified the Romero's Reign Estates. "Did you come to call on the family?." Zaire smiled, showing perfect white teeth, "That would be unheard of" he answered, a lazy s
Chapter NineThe party boarded the helicopter, and it took off.Diego was numb with shock. He kept glancing at Lana, but somehow he could not say anything to her.He was especially scared of the dignified man who sat with the pilot in front, and he held his peace.Paul was her father, Samuel Fernandez's chief assistant, which was why he was entrusted the task of bringing the young Miss home.He looked stern, and had a face that screamed no-nonsense but was infacet a very softspoken person.He had not said anything when Lana boarded with Diego. She only said he was her person, and was with her and that reassured Paul.Finally, the helicopter finally landed at an airport, and the party came down.Diego could still not close his mouth, and his eyes widened all the more when he saw the private jet, sitting regally and looking spectacular.The party walked briskly towards it, the bodyguards flanking Lana on both sides, and soon they were ensconced in the private jet which took off into the
Chapter Ten"Miss, the chairman asked if you would honor dinner with your prescence." The maid stood just outside the door to the balcony, and said in a respectful voice."He has a special guest he wishes to introduce to you."Lana stood outside on the balcony of her bedroom, looking down on the vast land of the Fernandez's Estate.It stretched for miles, and there were several other buildings in the Estate, both residential and non residential. At the sound of the maids voice, she turned away from the view to call out her reply."Alright, tell him I'll be down in a short while." She flashed a brilliant smile at the maid, who bowed respectfully at her then exited the room.As the maid left, Lana turned back to the view which she had been enjoying. She lifted her face up into the sky, and inhaled deeply.The morning sun warmed her face and the gentle morning breeze, ruffled her hair, bringing with it the scents of the beautiful flowers, which were planted everywhere across the estate.
Chapter Eleven"I'm going back to Fashion Designing!"Lana looked at her father, her face lit with pleasure ,as she thought about what she had just said.It was time to rediscover herself and, get the old Lana back.She would go back to fashion designing, and make a name for herself just like her mother had done."But Lana, you only just got back! Don't you think you need to rest a while?" Samuel said, worried that she would stress herself.Lana shook her head as she stood up, carrying the box carefully, and placed it back in the walk-in closet."I've made up my mind, Father" she replied, as she walked back to his "its time to go back to my former self, to how I was before I..."She hesitated, reluctant to say anything but the next words her father said startled her."Before you met the Romeros." Her father completed for her grimly, and Lana's eyes went wide with surprise.In the next instant, however, she sighed wearily as she walked to sit back to the vanity table."How did you know
Chapter TwelveFive Years LaterThe sky was blue and the wind soft, as it carried the smell of the clean grass and flowers through the garden.Damien walked through the garden holding Lana, a satisfied and relaxed smile on his face. Lana held a baby in the crook her arms. It was their child. They were together forever. She looked up at him and smiled contentedly, and he had never felt as happy as he did in that moment.But suddenly, the garden was no longer a garden, the blue sky turned dark with gray clouds and lightning raced across the gray storminess, and Lana was no longer by his side.He squinted, looking into the distance, trying to make out her figure standing far away from him, phantom and ethereal."Lana!" He called out, yelled as he desperately tried to move his feet so he can return to her side.But the grasses suddenly grew taller with amazing speed, and around him, blocking his sight and seeming to choke him.The last thing he saw as the grasses closed to round him, wa
Chapter ThirteenDamien walked out of his room with long strides, and directed his steps into his study.Walking towards the desk, he pressed a button and his assistant's voice came loud, and clear over the speakers."Yes sir. Good morning, sir ""Call for Doctor Robert at once." He said in a voice that did not sound so urgent "Miss Carter is in need of medical assistance.""Yes sir" The assistant replied instantly, and the line went dead. Damien sat down in his chair behind the desk, his elbows propped up on the table as he held his head in his hands, relieved to be away from Rina and her demanding self.He was tired of Rina and her sneaky ways.The only reason he was still keeping her close was because he felt responsible for her.For how she had turned out.Rina was the sister of his best friend Lucas, who had sadly passed away ten years earlier.He had been madly in love with her when they had met and Lucas had been glad they were together.But when his grandmother insisted on h
Chapter One Hundred And Eighty SevenThe men arrived at the room, breathing hard. Pushing the bed aside from the wall, Damien ran his hands all over the wall the way he had seen Lana do in the footage.He let out an erratic breath as the wall opened up in front of him and Paul. It even seemed more ominous than it had in the footage.Takong out his cellphone, he activated his flashlight, illuminating the whole of the passageway."Mother of pearls." Paul muttered in astonishment as they stared into the long dark space.It was a freaking passageway.Why had Lana walked into the wall? No matter how much Paul thought about it, he thought it was extremely brave of the young miss, especially since she did not know what was on the other side of this passageway.Without further ado, Damien bounded into the wall."Romero!" Paul called out after him but Damien did not stop. He kept running down the passageway, till he turned a corner and went out of sight.This was becoming more crazy, Paul th
Chapter One Hundred And Eighty-SixDamien stood in the middle of the white little room and looked around in quiet disgust.The fact that Lana had been in this place all along had filled him with so much fury that he felt like tearing the walls down with his fists.That thought was fueled by the fact that she was nowhere to be found. They had arrived Monero a little over six hours ago. Monero was only accessible through a port and when the men had arrived there, it was already quiet late.Rina had finally revealed the locations of Zaire's villa in Moreno and even though it irked Damien to grant her anything in return, he had to fulfill her request for Lana's sake."Your little informant had better be correct, Romero." Paul had said earlier on the boat, "The Young Miss had better be in Monero when we get there or you will face Fernandez's wrath."Damien had been silent, even though impatience hummed in his blood.He knew she was in Moreno.She had to be in Monero.He wondered what he w
Chapter One Hundred And Eighty-five "Let's go in, first." Anila said urgently as she walked into the corridor and pressed the button on the wall, watching with bated breath until the shelf slid back into place.She turned to Adrian then, "What about the young Miss?" She asked as she walked past him, "Is she okay?""Screw the young miss." Adrian spat out loudly in anger as they both entered the small room, "What the hell is going on? Who the hell were those men?!"Adrian was clearly frustrated. He did not mean to yell and rarely lost his cool, but he was pissed with what just happened a few moments ago in his own house.Anila sighed, "if you will only let me explain, then I will. Stop yelling at me." She reprimanded him as she walked over to Lana.Lana was huddled on the bed, cowering under the bed covers in fear. She and Adrian had stayed back in the room when Anila had gone out.She had been trembling and whimpering in fear as they heard the men ransacked the room, while Adrian pace
Chapter One Hundred And Eighty-FourThe banging on the door continued and silence fell in the room.It took a while for Lana to realize that the banging was not actually on the door to the room.It sounded farther, but that did nothing to ease the trembling of her body or the loud thumps of her heart beat."I said, open up!" Another yell came and this time it was accompanied by a solid thump, like a vicious kick to the door."What the hell? Who knocks like that?" Adrian said, frowning in annoyance. He was about to walk towards the door when Anila stopped him."No Adrian! Don't go." She called out to him, holding out a hand to stop him.Adrian looked from the door to his mother, "What?" He asked, his confusion becoming more apparent. Lana exchanged a frightened glance with Anila, who was calmer actually.She patted Lana's hand then stood up and walked towards the door."I will go out and meet them" She said calmly to Adrian."Excuse me?" Adrian asked, arching an eyebrow at that state
Chapter One Hundred And Eighty-ThreeThe words were hardly out of his mouth when the door to the room was pushed open and a middle-aged woman appeared.Lana turned to the door sharply, fear written all over her face as the woman walked into the room silently, and her eyes met that of Lana's. The next instant, they widened with joy and relief."You're awake! Oh thank heavens!" She said as she rushed towards Lana and took both of her hands in hers, "I knew you'd come around! Bless the heavens!"She turned to look at the red haired man, who went about his watering as calmly as before."Look Adrian, I told you she'll be fine." She said as she beamed up at Lana, because she was clearly four inches shorter than her."I know mother," The red haired guy, Adrian replied drily, "I treated her."Lana stared at him, "Treated?" She asked, eyeing the guy in surprise.He was a doctor?The middle aged woman nodded, "Adrian had found you in the forest when he went for his morning walk." She explained
Chapter One Hundred And Eighty-TwoShe was in the forest, running with her hands stretched out in front of her as she stumbled over fallen tree logs. Her dress was torn and her knees were scraped. She was limping due to the cuts under the sole of her feet, which the cool damp earth of the forest did nothing to soothe.Yet, Lana ran.She was blinded by a film of tears and terrified gasps came out of her mouth as she stumbled through the dark forest."LANA!"He was close!He would get her and throw her back into that suffocating place. Taking control of her whole life."No, never..." Lana muttered breathlessly as she ran. The moon was hidden behind the huge rain clouds filling the sky now. Now, and then, lightening cracked through the sky, sending a flash of white through the forest.The rumbling of thunder will follow soon after and it made Lana shriek and shudder in terror as she ran.No! No! Stay away, please!Suddenly, a hand shot out from before her and grabbed her throat tightly,
Chapter One Hundred And Eighty-One.Lana turned sharply and looked into the darkness behind her. It seemed as though she'd heard something scream. Or was it her imagination?Imagination or not, it was definitely the cue she needed to open the fucking trapdoor. Luckily, the trapdoor wasn't locked and opened up easily before her to reveal another darkness below.Lana swallowed hard as a sudden rush of cold air hit her face. She shivered uncontrollably and willed her beating heart to calm down.This was just the same as walking into the passageway, she reminded herself, Everything will be fine. There are no snakes waiting down there.The way the wind whistled from below made her wonder how far the drop was.She laid down the trapdoor, and peered down into the hole with her torchlight. The beam flashed on a slab of wood below her, then another and another all connected with a rope.A ladder!She allowed the light of the torch to travel down until she finally saw the ground.It was not ve
Chapter One Hundred And Eighty Zaire was still in his study with Aryan, who was making numerous calls.It really seemed like Romero was on his way to Moreno, due to the tip off that Rina had given them.Zaire regretted ever revealing this place to Rina. He had brought her here as well and a bitter taste filled his mouth, as he realized how her presence must have tainted his precious sanctuary."I really should have killed her a long time ago." He thought to himself as he downed the contents of his second glass of whiskey.Well, there was still time.He could still kill her and also give the same treatment to his beloved half-brother. A slight smile curved his lips as he relished the thought of Damien coming to challenge him on his own turf.He'd be able to come in easily but to go out will not be so easy.He also regretted the fact that he'd brought Lana to Moreno. He could have easily taken her to Italy or Cuba, but he figured they were too far away and he needed to still be able to
Chapter One Hundred And Seventy-NineGripping the metal torchlight to her chest, Lana hurried back into the room and climbed unto the bed once more.She glanced back at the door, her ears picking up every little sound. She expected it to open up at any moment and Zaire would walk in.She'd get caught before she even started anything and faced with more torment than she could imagine."There's no time to waste." She reminded herself as she edged closer to the wall, "Let's get out of here, Lana."Slowly, she reached out her hand to the wall and pushed it. The wall did not budge.Lana swallowed hard as her heart started beating faster once again.What the hell? Why isn't the wall opening up now?She pushed the wall again with all her might and still nothing."Okay Lana." She took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, "Remain calm and think. We have to open this wall."She closed her eyes and tried to remember how she'd had managed to open the wall earlier that day.Her memory was fuzzy w