Without giving it a second thought, Shantala hailed a cab and headed to the hospital. She no longer cared if she would bump into her ex-lover but what mattered to her the most at that moment was to see her brother. When the cab stopped at the entrance of the hospital, she immediately ran out after paying. But before she could even step inside, she stopped in her tracks and was standing face to face with Stacey. She had no idea if she could recognize her with the mask and hoodie hiding her face but as she stared at her, she could not help but shed another tear."She had grown up into a mature woman." That was the very first thought that crossed her mind."Took you years to finally show up, Shantala," Stacey stated when she realized that it was her sister who was standing right in front of her. "I'll take you to where Lance is."She could only nod in response as she followed her lead. As they rode the elevator with only the two of them, the deafeni
Shantala scoffed at his remark because it was simply preposterous and absurd. Plus, if she gets seriously tied with him, it would take another painstaking experience just to legally separate from him. "Don't be ridiculous. All I promised you was to stay by your side. Nothing more, nothing less," she stated but it seemed like Klauss was not listening to her at all."Whether you like it or not, you are signing that marriage contract. Do not even think of having Hyperion save you because we already had an agreement and I won. So, he will stay the shit out of this," he responded.She chose not to make another comment as she tried to come up with a plan so she could deal with him without having Lance dragged into the situation. As they drove around the city, she could not help but regret leaving the compound without even informing Gavin. It may be shameless of her to think but he would probably be worried about her sudden disappearance. Heaving a sig
Before she could do anything, Hyperion grabbed her other hand and handcuffed her to make sure that she wouldn't be wielding another weapon to kill more of his men. Knowing how dangerous she could get, he knew that he had to be careful around her. He clutched at her arm before dragging her into his car and revved away even before the ambulance came into the scene to save Klauss if he ever made it alive."Please, go back there. I have to make sure that Klauss is alive," Shantala begged. "Please, Hyperion."He scoffed at her. "Are you feeling sympathetic towards that man now? What did those five years do to you that you looked so tamed right now?""If he dies, my brother might also die without even getting proper treatment. Hyperion, for fuck's sake, turn this shit around!" she yelled while her tears raced against each other down her cheeks. But instead of listening to her, Hyperion just sped up. Even though he knew she was not l
Shantala felt her heart sink that very moment upon seeing the pained expression of her sister. She got out of the tub but before she could get any closer to her, Stacey turned on her heels and ran out of the room. She was about to go after her but she stopped in her tracks upon realizing that she was only wearing a bra on top. So, she grabbed her wet hoodie from the floor and put it back on without giving any attention to Hyperion who was still in the tub seemingly dazed. Rushing out, she saw Stacey entering another room at the end of the hallway. "Stacey, wait!" she called out but her sister paid her no attention at all. Hyperion's words echoed in her mind as she rummaged through her things. Five years ago, everything was set for their wedding. They faced no problem at all in their application for their marriage license and getting their marriage certificate so there was no reason for her to doubt anything. Everything wa
Without looking back, she got inside and immediately drove away, succeeding in fooling the guards that she was Stacey. Since she had been gone for the whole night, she decided to call Gavin only to realize that her phone was not with her. She clicked her tongue out of annoyance since she most likely lost it when they were being chased down by Hyperion's men. Speeding up, she headed back to the private compound, and before she could run back to her room, she met Gavin in the hallway. He was holding his phone as if he was calling someone and what made her raise an eyebrow was the fact that he looked like he just got up from bed without changing his clothes the other day. When their gazes locked, he froze in place but at the same time, a shower of relief ran over him seeing that Shantala was back and she seemed fine. Gathering himself, she heaved a sigh and ran in her direction. Without another word uttered, he pulled her into a h
Gavin looked back at Shantala, wondering if he was the only one who heard Trevor's voice but with the look of mixed surprise and confusion plastered on her face, he knew she also heard it as well. He got off of her and helped her get up before fixing the zipper of her top behind her. With that sudden knock, he felt relieved that he managed to stop himself from pushing the deed further.In return, Shantala also fixed his tie and buttoned his dress shirt before they walked towards the door where another knock was heard. She wished that she was simply having a hallucination because if Trevor was indeed on the other side of that door, she might lose her mind.Opening the door, she saw her son rushing in her direction so she immediately got down on her knees to give him a hug even though she was surprised by his presence. But what surprised her, even more, was the fact that Trevor just ran past her and with his arms spread wide just so Gavin could carry him."P
Wiping off his mouth, Helios nodded in response. "As far as it goes, that no longer concerns you."Stacey clenched her fist because this was not the Helios she had known before. It made her feel like the person sitting across from her was a totally different person possessing the body of the man she once loved and who loved her back. "So..." she said as she finally gazed back at him. "You are going to ignore the fact that my sister was once a stripper and the person who killed Tricia? Is that it?"She received a chuckle from him as a response."You can say that but, of course, I have to take everything from her first." Helios set aside his glass of wine and with a smile, he asked her, "Don't you want to have a child ever since then?"Stacey was quiet for a while since she did not expect him to ask that after five years again. She actually told him years ago that she wanted a child but ever since they came to know that she was i
Shantala was the very first one to look away which made Helios scoff at her. Since he wanted to confirm his suspicion, he faced Mr. Devon."Kierra is your daughter-in-law, sir? Or am I just missing something?" he asked, only to have Stacey hold his hand to stop him from prying into someone else's private life.Besides, if Mr. Devon would be turned off by that question, they might lose the chance of having a deal with him. Stacey predicted that Trevor was probably born out of wedlock between Gavin and a mere bodyguard so if that truth comes out, it might stain the name of the Devons. Knowing how rich men gave importance to their reputation, she just wished that Mr. Devon wouldn't be ticked off.But before the old man could even reply, his daughter replied in his stead."Soon to be," Amelia interjected as they watched Gavin and Trevor leave the premises. "As you can see, my brother is already preparing himself to be the father of Kierra's son."
Hyperion and Stacey were currently in his office while tension lurked around them. Even the mafia boss' secretary could feel the ominous aura trapped inside the office so he never dared go in. The couple had just finished arguing about what happened with the meeting with Mr. Devon."Are you really being serious about this? Have you not even considered my feelings? I already let the fact that you fucked my sister slide but taking her son to take care of him... no!" Stacey asked for the nth time. She just could not sit still and wait for her sister to take away what she already had. She would never let her take her husband away. NEVER. Even if Shantala had already given birth to the son of her husband, it was still not enough for Stacey to let go of her love. Hyperion, who was already tired of this argument, chose to remain quiet. He just knew that if he said another word, they would be shouting at each other again.Just then, a knock was heard on the
"Hi! I am Tricia Miller, the substitute nurse sent by Sir Helios," the guest greeted. Linda was unsure of what to do so before letting her in, she went back inside to consult the nurse and Shantala. "What's the matter?" Lily asked. "A young woman came and said that she is the temporary substitute nurse," Linda replied. Lily stood from her seat since she had been expecting the nurse Helios mentioned before. She went to the door and escorted Tricia inside, however, when the guest and her patient saw each other, she noticed the change in Shantala's expression. "Replica A1?" she muttered, wondering why she would suddenly appear again after some time. Tricia smiled and replied, "That used to be my name but my real name is Tricia. And I will be your nurse for the upcoming days." Shantala actually doubted her since they were not on good terms during
It was almost midnight and Hyperion had just gotten back from the company after dealing with the trouble that one of his employees brewed. Though, it was not fully resolved so he had to return anytime soon. It exhausted him but still, it did not stop him from heading to the Devon's residence to check on Shantala.It's already been almost a week since he last visited and he wanted to see how she was doing. Upon arriving at the house, he stopped in his tracks when he saw the kitchen lights on. Curious about whoever was in there, he took careful steps in order not to alert the person inside. Though, he was quite sure that it was no burglar or anything of that sort since he had the entire house under surveillance.When he stood by the entrance, he immediately recognized Shantala even though her back was facing him. She was wearing a white dress shirt which was obviously not hers but Gavin's since it was oversized, falling right to the middle of her thighs, covering her
"How dare you show up in this place!" Mr. Devon roared. "Up until now, can't that fucking tiny brain of yours realize that the cause of my son's death is you? Or do you just have no shame at all that you still chose to stay even though you ruined his life?!"The stinging pain on her cheek did not really matter to Shantala because it was not any more hurtful than losing her husband. The accusation that her father-in-law made against her did not affect her as well because she knew who was really at fault.Despite having the chance of getting another slap from him, Shantala still looked back at him with no sign of fear. She could see how enraged he was but, for sure, it was not because he lost Gavin but because he lost the chance of marrying him off to Phoebe Romalia.She scoffed. "Instead of pointing your finger at me, why don't you reflect on the actions you did? Didn't you threaten him to divorce me that was why he returned here? Didn't you want him to mar
Back in Vidale City, Mr. Devon was currently playing golf with his business partners. It was his usual hobby whenever things were going quite well. In the middle of their conversation, he received a call from one of the bodyguards staying in his son's residence."Sir, I just spoke with the attorney. Both Sir Gavin and Miss Kierra signed the divorce papers," he reported."That's great, that's great," Mr. Devon responded with a smile before ending the call. "We should celebrate.""For what occasion?" one of his business partners asked.They knew that Mr. Devon rarely held any sort of party so it made them curious as to why he would initiate a celebration."For a new beginning."Thus, in no time, the mansion of Mr. Devon was filled with people from different elite families. He was a bit disappointed, though, since Mr. Romalia was not there to celebrate the beginning of their soon-to-be prosperous business. "Hey, Dad," Amelia c
Mr. Romalia was quite puzzled. The successful separation of the couple should be something that his daughter should be happy about. However, she looked rather exhausted and no hint of happiness was on her. Plus, he noticed a bruise on her cheek."What happened? Shouldn't we celebrate such great news?""Gavin is rushed to the hospital. It... It seemed like his condition worsened because of my negligence. I just realized that Kierra is the only fitting woman to be his wife. I'm giving up."Upon hearing her reply, Hyperion immediately stood."Mr. Romalia, I apologize but let us discuss this matter further some other time. I will contact you as soon as possible." Even before Mr. Romalia could respond, Hyperion immediately ran out of the mansion and got into his car. At full speed, he rushed to the hospital. He very well knows that he promised himself that he should stay away from Shantala until her relationship with Gavin was legally severed
Gavin could only look away while Shantala left the living room. Staring up at the ceiling, he tried his hardest not to let a single tear escape from his eyes.A little while later, Phoebe came in together with his attorney. The first thing that the Romalia heiress looked at was the divorce documents. Upon seeing the signature of Shantala, she was over the moon that she immediately pounced on Gavin."We are getting married!" she exclaimed.The attorney cleared his throat to notify the young heiress that he was still there. He gathered the papers and put them back in his case before returning his gaze to Gavin."I will take care of the rest and make sure that Ms. Kierra will get her alimony as soon as possible." After saying that, the attorney left rolling his eyes to the side upon meeting the gaze of Phoebe.The young heiress was about to charge toward him but she calmed herself with the thought of acting as the perfect wife and partner fr
This was where Shantala got confused. She was sure that the dead person in that room was her mother but how come her death was not reported? And how come the police confirmed that she was that person instead?"How did you do that?" she asked. "You know, the thing wherein the police saw that the body was you?""Chiavelli actually paid the officers who investigated the scene. Thus, they ended up confirming that I was indeed that person. But as for the body..." Valerie looked away as she pursed her lips.She waited for her, not wanting to rush her or anything.After a minute, Valerie added, "It was someone else's body with the same face as mine. It may sound absurd but a few hours before the engagement party, she suddenly came out of nowhere and told me to help her. She was beaten up and clearly, she was so scared. What was even weirder about that incident was that she introduced herself as Replica A0."Shantala's eyes widened as she remembe
Since Shantala got into an agreement with the attorney, she let him go to the house first. She will, later on, be going back home to make it look like she has gone somewhere else. She simply feared that if she and the attorney went together, Gavin would become suspicious. Wanting to take her time, she was about to go to the grocery store only to bump into Valerie and Chiavelli.And now that she saw the person who claimed herself to be the original Tricia Vexmore, the questions she had on the day her trial turned into chaos came rushing back to her. Only weeks had passed ever since that day but Shantala felt like it was already years ago due to the consecutive stressful events she had gone through. And instead of greeting her, she just stood there staring at her with wide eyes.Thus, Valerie took the initiative to start their conversation. Besides, this might be the last time they will see each other. Chiavelli also left for them to have some privacy."It's