After Natasha had finished berating Malvika for her involvement in Diane and Nicholas’ break up, Malvika left for her own room, her heart heavy with guilt.
As she opened the door and slowly dragged her feet to her bed, the image of Diane’s hurt and broken face kept appearing in her head. Her conscience kept pricking her and she felt like a heavy weight had been placed on her shoulder.
In as much as she tried convincing herself that whatever she did was for Diane’s good, she couldn’t help but feel like she had a hand in breaking Diane’s heart. ‘It’s for her own good,' she whispered to herself. ‘Nicholas would never treat her right.’ Despite trying to assure herself that what she did was right, she couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe Natasha was right; maybe she should never have been involved in this.
Malvika slowly relaxed into her bed and sighed. This was all over right? Diane will divorce Nicholas a
Diane walked into the company, smartly dressed in a long black skirt that had a slit at the side, a black shirt tucked into the skirt and a black suit to top it off. She held her bag and walked towards the elevator, her heels making a click-clack sound on the floor.Although she was uncomfortable, she ignored the stares that her workers were giving her. While some mumbled greetings to her, some basically just stared rudely at her till she got into the elevator.She waited for a while as the elevator jerked and moved slowly. Then, it stopped and slid open. Diane stepped out.“Good morning ma,” Her personal assistant greeted, rising up from her desk. Diane grunted in reply, walking towards her office. Her personal assistant shot towards her, obstructing her path. “Ma, I don’t….I…I…don’t think you should go in yet.”Diane stared at her like she had grown two heads. “What? Why shouldn’t I go
“Are you ready?” Jayden asked as he drove towards The Langston’s house. It was evening and Diane had called him that she was ready to go and pick up her stuff. He had left his place of work to pick her in her office.He found a proper place to park and turned to look at Diane who was staring outside through the window with her hands folded on her thighs. She had this far away look in her eyes that suggested she was in deep thoughts. “Diane?” Jayden interrupted her thoughts.Diane jerked her head towards him. “Uhn?” She replied absent-mindedly. Clearing her throat, she adjusted herself on the seat. “Yes, Jayden?”“What are you thinking about?” Jayden asked.She shook her head slowly. “Nothing, really,” she whispered.Jayden gave her a doubtful look but shrugged. “We are here,” he announced. “Are you sure you can do this alone?” he asked.&ldq
“Hey, Malvika,” Diane said as she and Jayden walked towards her. “Are you okay? You look a little pale,” she observed as she took in Malvika’s appearance. Malvika shook her head. “I'm fine, Diane. What are you doing here?” She asked, ignoring Jayden who had gone to open the door. Before Diane could answer, Jayden interrupted them asking them to come in. Diane nodded her head in Malvika’s direction, gesturing to her to go in first. Together, they stepped into the house and Jayden closed the door behind them. As they walked into the living room, Malvika said to Diane, “You haven’t answered my question yet. Diane, what are you doing here?” “Jayden is a friend and he has agreed to let me stay here for the meantime,” Diane replied smoothly, moving towards the couch. “I just got back from Nicholas’ house and Natasha said you were not around. I had no idea you will be here.” “Yeah,” Malvika replied, lowering herself unto one of the wooden chairs in the livin
Jenny climbed up the stairs slowly but instead of walking to her room, she headed to Nicholas’ room instead. She wanted to see Ashley and was sure she was going to be there. However, when she opened the door, she was met with the sight of Ashley throwing her belongings into a large bag, muttering furious words to herself. “Hey Ashley, what are you doing?” Jenny asked with a puzzled frown. “What does it look like?” Ashely snapped in an unusual snarky manner, while continuing to throw clothes into the bag. Jenny was taken aback by the time of her voice. “It looks like you are packing up your stuff but I’m surprised which I why I asked. Why are you packing up?” Ashley whirled around suddenly. Her eyes looked bloodshot, her mascara was smeared with tears and cause black lines to run over her cheeks. She pointed a sharp finger at Jenny. “You ask your brother! Ask your stupid brother!” “Nicholas? What did he do this time?” “He broke up with me,” Ash
Diane closed down the files she was working on and proceeded to shut down her laptop. Running her hands through her messy hair, she closed her laptop and placed it on the bed. She stood up and walked towards the dressing mirror. Peering at her reflection, she took in her appearance – the messy hair, her shirt pajamas that was sliding off her arm, her swollen eyes and the bags under her eyes that screamed sleeplessness. She had woken up since three o'clock in the morning and had been unable to sleep bag. She had tossed around on the bed, trying to get herself to sleep but she couldn’t. Instead, images of her special moments with Nicholas kept flashing in her head and it annoyed and saddened her at the same time. Desperately wanting to put her mind off Nicholas and her marriage, she had sat up, picked her laptop and started working on some certain files she needed in the company. It had helped but she couldn’t sleep again. Now, it was six o'clock in the morning
“Hey,” Jayden gave Malvika a tight-lipped smile which she returned with a bright one of her own. It took all his will-power not to scowl at her. He was still very upset about his discussion with Diane earlier today. “Get in,” he instructed Malvika who opened the door to the car and climbed inside.“Hi, Jay,” she greeted, smiling brightly. “Diane told me you wanted to take me somewhere.”Jayden tightened his hands on the wheels. “She did, didn’t she?” He muttered, frowning. “Your seat belt,” he said, nodding in the direction of the seat belt. He waited for her to clip it in before starting the car.“So where are we going?” Malvika asked, her bright smile still on her face. She looked extremely happy; too happy to notice Jayden’s gloomy mood.“For a picnic,” he replied gloomily, his eyebrows still furrowed into a frown.“I’m so happ
Diane sat on the couch in Jayden’s living room, a couple of files and papers spread across the center table in front of her. She crossed her legs and tucked it underneath her, then, spread few more papers and files on her legs. She had a pen in her right hand while her left hand adjusted her glasses.As she flipped through the files, her mind and thoughts wandered aimlessly, distracting her from her work. She shook her head, trying to refocus her thoughts but that was hard as she found it hard to concentrate. She found her self staring at a particular page in a file for more than ten minutes without actually reading anything. Then, when she caught herself, she would have to start over again. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t concentrate. Her mind kept wandering back to the events in her office.Derek Hale. The name popped into her head and she unconsciously gritted her teeth as she thought of him. That bastard of a man. He had resorted to threateni
Diane stared at Jayden, shocked to the bones by his confession. She dropped her hands carelessly to her side and her phone dropped to the ground with a loud clatter. She stared blankly at him, noting the desperation in his eyes. She was unable to talk. Each time she opened her mouth to form words, her mouth would go dry and she would shut it close.“I know this comes as a shock,” Jayden said, panting, “but I just think I should let you know that I love you. I really really love you.”By the time Diane could finally compose herself, the only word she could get out was, “Wow.” Then, she closed her mouth and continued staring at him.“Diane? Please say something,” he begged, desperation laced his tone.Unable to form coherent words or bear the tension, Diane turned on her heels and all but ran out of the living room into her room.
Diane stood in front of the bathroom mirror, her heart thumping wildly, her hands shaking as she unwrapped the pregnancy test packet. She lowered herself into the toilet seat, raising up her dress and pulling down her panties. Closing her eyes, she placed the pregnancy test instrument beneath and let the urine flow on it and into the toilet. Then, she placed it back on the counter and waited. Just a year ago, and some months after Diane’s kidnap, Malvika delivered her baby boy in an hospital and just as she had promised, she gave that baby to Diane and Nicholas. The baby was named Cameron Alan Langston. Some months after birthing her child, Malvika left as she had said she would and took off for Florida to continue her life despite pleas from her sisters – Natasha and Diane. Diane had been raising Cam for a year and she was enjoying every moment of it. But recently she had begun to feel feverish – vomiting all over the house. No food could stay in her belly. At first she thought it wa
A slight sound of movement outside made Diane open her eyes. The entire room was still dark as there was no space for illumination. Her hands and feet were still bound together. Her neck hurt from having bending them in one position for a very long time. The mosquitoes in the room kept biting her and the notes were painful. She had been unable to sleep for a while even with her eyes closed, so when she heard movement in front of the door, her eyes flew open. She fixed her gaze on the door, sensing movements behind it. Her heartbeat increased in fear as she was unable to tear her gaze away from the door. Her fear heightened when someone started to bang something on the door. She began to struggle with her chains, unable to move. “Help!” she yelled. “Somebody, help me!” But the banging increased, until the door was pushed open. She opened her mouth and let out a loud scream when she saw the uniformed men armed to the bones barging in, “Ahhhhhhh…….” “Ma'am, please you can calm down,” On
"Ashley?!" Nicholas exclaimed. Ashley glanced up, her eyes grief and fear stricken. She pushed at the hair that were sticking to her face because of the tears. "Nicholas," she gasped behind her cuffed hands. "Oh my God, Nicholas you are here. I missed you!" She cried. "What are you doing here, Ashley?" Nicholas asked, still shocked and confused. "How....how did you get here?" "I....I was arrested," she mumbled. "For what? How? What did you do?" He threw a series of questions at her, all of which she did not answer. He stared at her, a small frown on his face as something finally clicked. "The cops said they arrested a couple of people who turned out to be a gang. They got an address from these guys and when they got there they found.....you?" He was shocked.....and although he was able to piece it together, he was still very much confused. "I'm sorry," Ashley whispered. "For?" "What happened," she cried. "I....I didn't know at first. She didn't tell me we were going to kill her
Diane slowly opened her eyes. She let out a soft groan of pain as she tried to adjust herself on the ground. Her hands kept pulling against the cuffs. She glances around, shuffling her legs. The entire room was dark, except for the ray of light coming in beneath the door. She had spent almost two days in this hell hole that Jenny and Derek had locked her up in. Just yesterday, one of Jenny's goons had placed a call to her family, demanding a ransom. Diane let out a pant. She was feeling hungry and thirsty. Not only that, her entire body was in serious pains. Her body ached to the marrow and she had this massive headache that forced her to wince from time to time. She could not wait to get out of here, yet she had no idea how she would get out. The doors and windows were locked, her hands and feet were handcuffed and there was absolutely no way that she could free herself. Her best and only option was to wait for Nicholas to pay the ransom so she could be released. Just then, the door
“Hey,” Malvika said as she walked down the stairs tiredly. Natasha was sprawled on the couch, tired from her constant crying. Her eyes were red and her cheeks looked swollen. Malvika walked towards her and sat beside her. “Hey, are you still crying?” She asked, looking around the living room. She saw Nicholas standing by the door, talking lowly to someone on the phone. “I’m too tired to cry,” Natasha answered weakly. Her weeping had seeped out every of her energy. She pulled herself to sit up. “What do you think happened to her? She said she was going out and all of a sudden, we couldn’t find her. How did that happen?” “Okay, I need you to calm down,” Malvika said. “The cops are doing everything they can and Nicholas and I are trying our hardest best to find her. We are going to find her, okay?” Malvika tried to reassure her younger sister. She sounded sure of herself, but deep down, her insides crawled with doubt and fear. What if they were never able to find her? Was she so sure th
“Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to be possible,” Jenny says into her phone, pulling the cigarette away from her lips and blowing out a puff of smoke. She was seated on the chair, her legs crossed out in front of her as she listened to her brother ask her to come to the house. “Nick, I really appreciate the invite, but I’m sorry, I’m not going to be able to make it. And by the way, I’m really sorry about Diane.” After a while, she hung up and threw the phone on the table, letting out a sigh. “Nicholas?” Ashley asked as she flipped through a magazine. She glanced up at Jenny, raising her brow. “Yeah.” Jenny let out an exaggerated sigh. “He wants me to come over today,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I’m not going though. I’m in the middle of something,” she said, blowing out a ring of smoke while Ashley chuckled. “Why can’t we go, though?” “We?” Jenny raised a brow? “Who’s we?” she asked. “You and I of course.” “Okay cute, but he didn’t invite both of us. He invited me, his sister.
Malvika sat in front of the car with Nicholas, her nose pressed on to the window as she was deep in thoughts. Beside her, Nicholas drove as carefully as he could, the both of them thinking about Diane. He was driving her to the restaurant where Diane’s cat was found. She had an inkling of what the restaurant was or who might be behind the kidnap but she needed to confirm it first.“What are you thinking about?” Nicholas asked, breaking the silence.She pursed her lips, turning to look at him. Then, she answers, “I might know who could be Diane’s disappearance,” she answered, slowly and carefully, watching his face for any reaction.He darted a surprised glance in her direction. “Really? Who?”“You are not going to be happy about this,” Malvika answerez. She paused, before finally saying, “Jenny.”“What?!” Nicholas sharply pulled the brake of the car in shock, halting it. A loud honk resonated behind them as a car drove angrily past them. “Sorry!” Nicholas called out, before turning ba
“Any news?” Natasha asked as she descended the stairs with Alyssa behind her. Her eyes were red from tears and she rubbed her cheeks to clean them off. Malvika and Grace were seated on the couch in the living room. Olivia was spread across Grace’s leg, sleeping peacefully. They had all stayed in the living room, waiting to here from Diane but heard nothing.Malvika shook her head. “No. Mark and Nick went to the station this morning,” she said.Natasha sighed, slumping on the chair. Alyssa sat down quietly beside her. “But where did she go?”“No one knows.”“She told me she wanted to receive a phone call,” Grace informed them, rubbing her hands slowly round her daughter, Olivia’s back. “That was all. I didn’t see her again.”“Her car isn’t in the garage,” Malvika said. “So, she went with her car.”“But someone must have seen her leave.”Malvika sighed. “We didn’t and we don’t even know who to ask. Hopefully, Mark and Nicholas will come back with good news.”The four of them sat in the
A groan slipped out of Diane’s mouth. Her left leg moved a bit as she struggled to straighten her shoulders. She subconsciously tugged her hands, sensing that they were in some sort of bondage. She let out another groan, this time fluttering her eyes open slowly. Her hazy sight was, however, met with darkness. She blinked twice, glancing around but her gaze met nothing but darkness.What happened? She wondered, squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to remember what happened the night before. With her eyes still shut, an image of her standing in the living room reading Ashley’s text message. She remembered leaving the house and going to a restaurant that looked deserted and out of business. She remembered thinking she would find Ashley there. And she remembered someone hitting her head. The last thing she remembered was blacking out.Oh God.Was she kidnapped? She was kidnapped! They freaking kidnapped her!Did that happen to Ashley too? Maybe that was why she was texting her. Did the s