CELESTINE’s POV‘‘What happened to you, Celestine?’’ As soon as I walked inside the ward, I could clearly make out my mother's concerned voice. My entire body was trembling, and I was sweating tremendously as a result of my nervousness. I was glad he didn’t follow me.I made an effort to put on a fake smile in the hopes that it would dissuade her from becoming worried about me. ‘‘Nothing, mom…’’ I responded while anting heavily. ‘‘I had the impression that it was appropriate to use the stairs. I had no idea I could get that worn out in such a short amount of time.’’‘‘There are many elevators to use, Celestine. Why did you decide to use the stairs?’’ mom asked, the worried expression that was plastered on her face changed into confusion.‘‘To… exercise. Yes! I just want to exercise my legs and warm up my body. It’s too cold outside…’’ I hope she’ll buy my reasoning.And because she appeared to be convinced, she didn’t pursue the matter any further. I let out a breath of relief as I tu
CELESTINE’s POV‘‘Leina!’’ By holding her arm, my mother prevented her from slapping me again, but when she did, Leina jerked her hand away and aggressively pointed her finger at my mother.‘‘Don't put your hands on me, you senile old hag!’’ she pushed mom’s petite and weak body, and I was able to react quickly enough to catch her before she hit the ground. ‘‘You made a commitment to dad that you would move out of the city, right? What are you still doing here?!’’ she ignored mom and was now directing her finger at me.‘‘Shut up, Leina!’’ My mother restrained me just as I was about to hit her back. ‘‘Mom…’’ I protested, but she shook her head.‘‘Don’t hurt your sister, Celestine…’’ she said as tears began to fill her eyes and all I could do was stared at her in disbelief. Why was she protecting this little shit! Leina hurt her! She insulted her! And I can’t take what she was doing to mom anymore. It’s breaking my heart into pieces.Leina fixed her gaze icily on our mother while crossi
ARNOLD'S POVAt exactly nine o'clock in the morning, while I was sitting behind my mahogany desk reviewing the monthly cost accounting report of Maxwell Corporation, I observed that there were some differences between the reports of the costs of the materials and the costs of the output.‘‘What the fucking hell is this!?’’ I yelled, and my rage immediately grew to the point that I had to dial the number of the head of the financial department, Mr. Hunt to know what happened.In my entire life, I have been a man who has been competitive but impatient. I wanted everything, especially my businesses and the people working for me, to be well-organized and excellent.‘‘Good morning, Mr. Maxwell...’’ the middle-aged man answered the phone cheerfully and I grimaced since I was not in the mood to greet him back. ‘‘Is there any—’’‘‘Mr. Hunt!’’ I interrupted him off quickly. ‘‘I need you to immediately send the members of the internal audit team to the materials department. When I compared thei
‘‘Of course!’’ Ada retorted with a smug grin permanently affixed to her lips as she thought about her response. ‘‘Since I anticipated that Celestine would defy your father’s instructions, I had this prepared in advance. I offered her a way out that would have made her life simpler, but she insisted on venturing into this dungeon instead. I would enjoy myself more if I were to rough her up...’’ Her crooked smile contrasted sharply with her angry eyes. Everything was up to her at that point.‘‘Thank you, Mommy! You are without a doubt the very best!’’ Leina rushed over to her stepmother and gave her a bear hug, acting pampered while in her arms. In her mind, she harbored a deep-seated animosity toward Celestine. The fact that they share an identical appearance bothered her a great deal. She hates it that she has her face.Even more impressive was the fact that she did not give off the impression of being a country bumpkin despite the time she had spent on the island. Instead, she mainta
CELESTINE’s POVI got up early in the morning, and the first thing I did was to start making breakfast for my mother. I was in the cafeteria when one of the hospital staff members called me.‘‘Miss Wheeler…’’Startled, my head shot up and I squinted for her for a few seconds in confusion while I tried to figure out why she was calling me. ‘‘Yes…?’’‘‘There’s someone wants to talk to you in the VIP room…’’ That was the only thing she said before leaving me completely bewildered.As I made my way to the elevator, I could only think of one person who wants to talk to me at this very moment. Dr. Andrew. I couldn’t help but feel anxious as I walked down the corridor and stopped in front of the door of the VIP room. What if he’d tell me that mom is dying? I'm not sure how I'd react if I heard that information.I took a long breath before gingerly grasping the doorknob and opening the door slowly, only to be taken aback when I saw my father sitting on the couch with a cigarette in his lips.
CELESTINE’s POVThe world seemed to freeze as I entered the room, the people around me took a deep breath, looking at me, shocked. Their eyes widened as they gaze jumped from me to Leina, and from Leina to me.Everyone was stunned as they stared at my calm and relaxed expression but suddenly, my eyes were beginning to hurt from the sudden stinging sensation caused by the flashes of camera that were going off all around me. I lifted my hand to try to cover my face when I heard one of the reporters asked me a question.‘‘Are you sure that it's actually you? The woman in the video?’’‘‘Yes…’’ I didn’t blink my eyes as I stared at the reporter and answered him directly and to the point. ‘‘That woman in the photos and in the video is me...’’That was the only words I was allowed to say.I just stood there motionless with a blank look written all over my face as the crowd jeered at me and barraged me with a never-ending stream of questions and sarcastic comments.After finishing what I had
CELESTINE’s POV‘‘A-Arnold…?’’ I was surprised to see him arrived here. And he was casting terrible glares at the girls who were getting ready to flee out of terror. I wasn’t expecting him to save me. I don't want him to save me from anyone.But he did...‘‘Get lost!’’ he shouted to the girls and they were so scared that they immediately ran away.He took a deep sigh before he turned his attention to me which caused me to stop dead in my tracks. As I lay there on the frigid ground, my body was trembling, and my lips were quivering as well because of the cold rain.I ran the back of my hand over my face, brushing away the rain water. I made a conscious effort not to concentrate about what my face looked like at this very moment because I don’t really care with how he finds me right now.‘‘Are you okay?’’ he asked, but there was no indication of concern in his voice.I scowled and sat slowly up, dragging my skirt down over my thighs to cover them. I bit my lip as I stared at him, shakin
CELESTINE’s POVEvery step that I made as I walked along the corridor of the hospital felt heavy. My entire body was trembling with misery, remorse, and rage as I realized what happened.I had just left Maxwell’s hospital and was on my way to the mortuary, where my mother's body was being held. The words of Dr. Andrew continued to reverberate in my ear. ‘‘She killed herself. Her wrist was injured when the nurse discovered her in the washroom of the medical facility. She suffered a significant amount of blood loss, and unfortunately, she did not survive…’’What could possibly have prompted mom to act in such a manner? Why on earth didn't she consider me before she did that? Doesn't she love me? She remarked that we are each other's only hope, yet I don't understand why she abandoned me. Why?I came to a stop in front of the mortuary and peered through the glass on the door. And there I saw a nurse standing beside the hospital bed, covering a lifeless body with a white cloth.‘‘Mom…’’ M
JULIAN’s P O VAunt Olivia insisted that Cynthia must first complete her education, and give birth to our child before she allowed us to get married. And I felt worried about Cynthia because I was aware that she was waiting for this moment. Even though she wasn’t voicing it out, I could sense that she was expecting me to propose to her, for us to build our own family, but Auntie asked me not to let Cynthia know about our agreement.After seven months, Cynthia gave birth to a healthy baby boy who she gave the name Mark Julian. And while I was occupied with the expansion of the business that Arnold had requested me to handle, Cynthia continued her studies.Finally, Cynthia graduated and I’ve never been so proud of her. I believed that as a result of all of the things she went through, she got more matured. She never complained about the fact that I did not offer her marriage.When it was time for Cynthia to get her graduation present from me---it’s not exactly a graduation present, but
CYNTHIA's P O VAt this moment, tears were beginning to run down my face. I couldn’t keep them at bay. Now that it was almost certain that I’m losing this baby.I may not know a lot about pregnancy, but I knew that bleeding was a bad sign.As soon as we entered the emergency room, an array of questions and answers ensued, and I answered them to the best of my ability, while my parents and Julian were listening attentively. Julian refused to let go of my hand even when I was wheeled back toward a room and directed to strip for an ultrasound.The nurse stopped Julian when he was about to enter the changing room, insisting that he wanted to help me change into a hospital gown. ‘‘I can help her, Sir. Just stay with her parents outside…’’Julian did not immediately follow the nurse after initially hesitating, but he did so eventually. Soon after, he began to loosen his grip on my hand before leaving completely.My parents sat in a chair along the far right wall, and Julian stood a few feet
CYNTHIA's P O VTWO MONTHS LATERI groaned as I sat up in bed and stretched my arms. A quick look at the clock that was sitting on my nightstand revealed to me that nightfall would arrive sooner. How long have I been dozing off?These past few days, my normal pattern of sleeping has been thrown off. Simply put, I was mentally and emotionally exhausted to the point where I lost track of time because of it. Even though my parents, Arnold, and Celestine regularly checked on me every once in a while, one of the harmful things I'd been doing was spending most of my time alone in my room. This was another habit I'd gotten into.They have been monitoring the media, calling people and giving them orders, as well as discussing the situation with the authorities. They would act wary every time I descended the stairs, as if they didn't want me to hear about those fucked up news again.I never heard from Julian again after that day. I was aware that his wedding took place last month, but none of
CYNTHIA's P O VNothing could have prepared me for the crushing agony I experienced when my mom told me that Julian had departed without even alerting me, or even bidding farewell to me before he flew back to France. Nor could anything have prepared me for the profound sense of loss that caused my heart to tighten, leading me to believe that it was going to cease beating altogether.Even though I was aware, on some level, that he was meant to return and marry her, the fact that he did still hurt. How could he? How, after making love to me? After I had already given him everything? After stroking my hair until I fell asleep? After spending so much time gazing at me with that breathtaking smile? How could he love her and marry her still?There was a painful lump that was lodged in my throat, and it was making it difficult for me to even breathe. In addition to this, I had to fight against my tear ducts in order to keep from crying in front of my family because of him. In total honesty,
CYNTHIA's P O VThe moment the door to the Maxwell villa opened, I was met with a resounding slap across the face from my irate mother.‘‘Aunt Olivia…’’ When she raised her hand to slap me again, Julian attempted to stop her, but she instead hit Julian which caused my eyes to widen in shock.‘‘Don't address me like that, you have no connection to any of us anymore!’’ she said through gritted teeth, a threatening tone was used as she glared at him.It appeared as though everything around me had come to a stop. I blinked back the tears that was on the verge of falling down my cheek. ‘‘Mom…’’Did Arnold tell her about us?‘‘What are your intentions with regard to my daughter?’’ She asked Julian while completely ignoring me. ‘‘Do you intend to take him as your mistress?’’‘‘No, I…’’‘‘There is no future for the two of you, and even if you leave the woman who will soon become your wife, I won't let you have my daughter!’’ And she smacked his face once more, which prompted me to push her aw
CYNTHIA’s P O VJulian grabbed the shower head, turning on the water. He pointed it at me and he made sure to let it pour all over my body, until every inch of me was soaked. ‘‘I’ll take it that it will make you behave…’’‘‘Uhmmm…’’ I agreed mindlessly, not really listening to a single word he uttered, for I was too busy gawking at his dripping wet physique. I could feel my lids becoming heavy, my veins burning under my skin as pure sexual desire course through them.Unwittingly, without even noticing it, I kneeled in front of him, coming face to face with his semi-hard shaft, but before I could even touch it, he grabbed my shoulders firmly. ‘‘Get up before I fuck you again…’’‘‘But I want you to fuck me again…’’ I protested with a pout, still resting on my knees.He chuckled amusedly, lightly shaking his head. ‘‘Come on, Cynthia, we’ve got to go…’’But I didn’t listen, I remained still.Julian decided to bring his arm under my armpits and pick me up against my will, laying small kiss
CYNTHIA’s P O V‘‘Do you think that somebody was listening to us?’’ I inquired anxiously as fear began to course through my veins.Julian gave a dismissive shake of his head before rising to his feet and reaching for the bathrobe that was still hanging on the door of the bathroom. ‘‘No, the rooms are soundproofed. You stay here...’’ he covered himself and left the room.But I couldn’t mind my business in a situation like this. I rolled out of bed and took a fluffy bath towel, wrapping it around my body before following him towards the living area.From the other side of the slightly open door, I could hear a feminine voice. ‘‘Uhmm, Hi… I mean, good morning. I was wondering if you saw Cynthia---’’I rudely pushed Julian out of the way and came face to face with Stef, who let out a sigh of relief upon seeing me.‘‘Oh, Cynthia… I was worried about you!’’I smiled at her and placed a kiss on her cheek. ‘‘Well, as you can see, I’m good…’’ I then stepped closer to her so that she would be a
CYNTHIA’s P O VI completely let myself go, carelessly giving up on trying to hold myself up and completely leaning against his tall, manly frame. ‘‘Oh, fuck…’’ I moaned as I gripped his hair and pulled on it, moving his head and craning my neck so that our lips would touch. I immediately opened my mouth, allowing his tongue to slip inside.Julian added a second finger into my tight canal, starting to thrust harder. ‘‘You’re such a sexy little thing, aren’t you...?’’ he pulled his hand away and brought his fingers which were coated in my juices, to his mouth, sucking them clean before he picked me up and walked back to the bedroom, letting me fall onto the bed, and then followed me immediately.I pushed him down onto the sheets and got on top of him, hovering over his rock hard member. ‘‘Do you want me…?’’ I inquired in a hushed tone as I took both of his hands in mine and placed them on my waist.He nodded with his mouth agape, looking up at me with full of desire and appreciation.‘
JULIAN’s P O VThere was something unbelievably intimate about waking up next to someone, especially when that someone was the one you love.Strips of golden sunlight shone into the room and Cynthia managed to wrap herself around most of my thin sheets.I woke up with my arm lay across her stomach and her head was tucked into my bare chest. We hadn’t bothered dressing ourselves after last night’s events, as we had already seen every inch of each other.Also we were exhausted, that we had drifted to sleep after another heated kiss.Cynthia stirred slightly, which brought me back from recalling what brought us here, and buried her head further into my chest while placing a hand onto my torso.But all of this felt so wrong, since everyone around see us as cousins, and in addition to that, I am already getting married.But then, why did last night feel so right? And why did her touch alone light my body on fire?I knew that my old self would think otherwise, but Cynthia and I couldn’t hap