Chapter 4
A drop of tears slid down the corner of her cheek as she strolled down the road minutes later, but she quickly wiped it off. She was torn between running away from this toxic marriage and saving her family's business. She couldn't have neglected her mom and not done anything knowing Knox will indeed make their life miserable if she decided to really walk out of the marriage, right?
"What do I do?" She stopped and ran her fingers through her hair, trying hard not to burst into tears. She was frustrated and tired of everything, and as much as she wanted to give up, she knew she had to keep going for the sake of her unborn baby. She wanted to keep the baby away from Knox, she wanted to raise him alone and maybe lie to him in the future that he was fatherless, but her plans had already shattered, and there was nothing she could do at this point.
As she wallowed in thoughts and walked absentmindedly on the road, she almost jumped out of her skin when a black shiny call pulled over beside her, and if she had not taken a step back, maybe the car would've crushed her leg. It didn't look like the person did it intentionally, but she was just lost that she couldn't look where she was going.
She gulped down the lump that formed in her throat, she felt her legs shaking from the shock she was just starting to recover from, and just when she wanted to continue to walk aimlessly again, the car finally opened and a middle-aged man stepped out of the car. He was graced in a black suit, his thick black hair was curled on his head with some strands laying on his forehead, and his skin looked smooth even though the man looked like he was in his sixties. As he walked toward her, many thoughts ran through her mind. 'Was he probably someone close to Knoxville whom he has sent to get her back since he gave her forty-eight hours to make her decision earlier? Or was he just a random person that was going to ask her for directions?' she couldn't help but ask herself as she felt a pang of fear in her heart.
The man finally stopped in front of her, and this time, her fear was subdued when she saw the soft expression on the man's face which didn't depicts violence or gave her any reason to be scared of him.
"Excuse me, Miss. Can I see you for a moment?" His voice was slightly deep as he spoke to her.
"Is there any problem, Sir?" She asked, a bit skeptical about this, hoping it wasn't an attempt of abduction, but merely looking at the man, it already looked to her that he wasn't someone that'd abduct her, but then, those bad guys never really wrote it on their forehead that they were abductors.
"Not really... My name is Arnoldo Stewart. I have something to discuss with you," He replied to her, and she slowly nodded her head.
"What is it?" She further asked as she stared at him keenly, wondering what this man that looked extremely wealthy would want to discuss with a lowlife like herself that didn't have anything to survive on.
"Here is my card. I will send my driver to pick you up by 6pm to dine and smile restaurant. Let's talk later," He uttered as he handed her his business card, and now that she was looking at the card, she realized that the man standing in front of her was the famous CEO of Orange entertainment industry, a company that dealt in the production of movies, music, and they even own a radio and TV station too. She couldn't believe her eyes as she raised her gaze to look at the man again, her mouth hanging open in shock. She never thought she'd ever seen the CEO of such a successful company with her eyes, but here he was, standing in front of her and even demanding to see her.
"Alright..."
"Sorry, where do you live around here?" He cuts her off after he looked around the area.
"I will call you when it's time to pick me up," She replied to him instead, because there was no way she would tell her address to a stranger she barely knew about, even though he was the famous CEO of a successful company. What if he had an ulterior motive?
"Alright. Just call me when you are ready. I'll be looking forward to seeing you," He uttered before he finally turned and walked back to his car, but stopped and glanced at him one more time before he finally hopped in the back seat of the car, while she watched the car drive off.
How time flies, it was almost 6pm, and she got dressed before she called the number, and told him where he would pick her up. It was really crazy to go out with a man she barely knew, but since they were going to a public place, then her safety was guaranteed.
She finally left her room once it was 5:50pm, and the car came to pick her up just a few blocks from the hotel she lodged.
The drive to the five-star restaurant took more time than she expected, but they finally arrived after what seemed like forever, and once she stepped into the restaurant she has never been to before, she tried not to get lost in admiration for the beautiful and fancy big restaurant.
As she sat in front of him a few minutes later, she waited for the man to say why he had called her here, but he was just staring at her and rubbing his hands together, with a look on his face that depicts nervousness.
"How have you been, Aliya?" He finally broke the awkward silence, and she raised her eyebrows as she stared at him blankly. She didn't remember telling this man his name, so it was crazy how he just called her name like that.
"How did you know my name?" She asked curiously as she stared at him, her eyes demanding an answer.
"You are Aliya, nineteen years old girl and turning twenty in three months. Daughter of Felicia, and wife to Knoxville Daniel," Her heart dropped as she watched the man utter details about her, and fear gripped her. Her hands suddenly became sweaty, her heart hammered hard against his chest as different thoughts came conflicting in her mind. Who was he? How come he knew so much about her? How much more did he know about her? She asked herself as she stared back at the man, blaming herself for coming here in the first place.
"Ho...how did you know...that?" She tried not to show her nervousness to this mysterious man, but she couldn't as she ended up stuttering.
"Who are you?" She further asked, and the man sighed as he lean forward while having his hand on the table.
"How am I supposed not to know everything about my daughter, Aliya?" He uttered, and she stared at him blankly, trying to process what he just said.
"Wh...what did you say?" She asked confusingly.
"I am Arnaldo Stewart, your biological dad, Aliya," He uttered those words again, and this time, she froze in her seat as she stared at him, his words replaying in her head like she was dreaming...
Chapter 5 The world seemed to be frozen for seconds as she sat in front of him, trying to process what the man said to her. Was he saying the truth? "What...what are you saying? Did you bring me here to tell me that and think that I will believe you?" She scoffed, convincing herself that this was a lie. She had her father, and the man was staying at home with her mom. What the hell was this man saying to her and expecting her to believe him? "I'm sorry for not coming for you all this while. I had no idea you were my daughter until the last six months, and I have been trying to find you since then, up until..." "And you think that I will believe you because you said that?" She scoffed. "I and your mother had a thing together back in college, during our last two months before graduation. We fell in love and dated for three years, but we broke up two weeks after our graduation, because I had to go out of the country to pursue my dream..." He paused and bit his li
Chapter 6 Everything happened so fast, but one thing Aliya was still finding difficult to comprehend, was how it happened. From being in a toxic marriage with her worst nightmare to become a multi-billionaire's only daughter and the Heiress of orange entertainment overnight. As she sat on the edge of her bed, her phone suddenly started ringing, and as she saw the number displayed on the screen to her mom's, she felt her heart wrenched, not in pain, but in anger. She felt sparks of anger, knowing that this woman betrayed her and kept a secret from her all this while. "Hey, mom," She tried to sound like she always does every other way. There was no point telling her that she found her dad already, so she was just going to do everything secretly until she was ready for drama. She still had a lot to learn, which included fitting into the life of an heiress, and all that. "Aliya... Knoxville only gave us forty-eight hours. What should we do?" As she heard the woman's he
Chapter 7 "Oh, you're here?" Knox uttered as he stood up to his feet and adjusted his trouser up to his feet, which he already had below his butt. It didn't seem to him that this was a big deal, he was rather excited she found him like this. "Were you expecting me?" The corner of her lips twitched into a smirk as she sat on the couch, before glaring hard at Nina, who was just sitting there like the whore she was. She felt a pang in her heart, but there was no way she was going to show how angry she was in front of them, never! "Yes, let's say that I was expecting you. Have you thought about it? I guess you didn't have any choice but to come back to me," He chuckled softly with an aura of confidence surrounding him as he sat on the couch, swinging his leg over the other. "I told you, Aliya. You shouldn't have made that decision. We both know you couldn't have ever do without me. You know what I'm capable of, and I was going to show you the other side of Knoxville,"
Chapter 8 The next day at the partyAs Aliya sat in a corner, she fed her eyes with the prestigious men and women that kept trooping into the hall, and she felt nervous. It was her first time being in such a place, and she couldn't help but feel nervous. She knew she should meet the people and introduce herself, but she felt inferior to them. What if they looked at her and thought she was not worth it or up to the standard? She thought to herself, forgetting who she was for some seconds. "Did you manage to see a man that changed your life overnight?" She heard the voice she could've never failed to recognize even though she was in a deep sleep. It was Nina. She felt a sting in her heart, and slowly, she clenched her fingers tightly around the purse she was holding. Memories of the past came haunting her. How this girl hurled insults at her over the phone, how she was oppressed by her, and just the thought of it made her heart hurt, and she felt like bursting into tears
Chapter 9 "She said you should let go of her. Aren't you going to?" She heard a strange masculine voice behind her, causing silence in the atmosphere. She slowly turned her head in the direction of the voice, and there was her savior. A young tall man graced in a black suit. Thick black hair, piercing blue eyes with a pinch of pale pinkish, pointed nose, glowing skin, chiseled face, and small heart-shaped lips. "And who the hell are you to tell me that?" Knox scoffed as he shoved Aliya behind him. He didn't even care about the people that were busy taking videos and pictures of him. He was too angry to think about that. He has never felt this humiliated all his life, and it's crazy how his wife suddenly denied knowing him. Was she trying to make him look like a fool in the presence of everyone or what? "You wouldn't want to know, Knoxville Daniel," The man, whose face was hard as he glared at Knox, uttered with confidence. Just looking at him, he looked like someone fr
Chapter 10 As they arrived at the terrace of the hotel a few minutes later, Aliya felt relieved as she inhaled the cool breeze that welcomed her. As she lean over the rail, she stared up at the sky, many thoughts came flooding her mind. The thought of Knoxville, her new identity, and how she was going to cope with living like this for the rest of her life, especially when she realized that she would eventually have to tell her new dad what happened in her past, and how she ended up with Knoxville. Won't he feel disappointed when she told her dad later that she was pregnant at this age? She was just nineteen years, and turning twenty soon, but on second thought, she wasn't going to let anything negative cross her mind. "What are you thinking about?" She tilted her head in the direction of the voice, to find Tate standing beside her, and she sighed briefly. He was just a stranger that she couldn't have brought herself to tell her secret, right? That was the last thing on her
Chapter 11 "Ugh!" Knoxville groaned tiredly as he tossed on the bed. He tried to force his eyes open, but the excruciating pain in his head forced them close, and he sighed briefly. Seconds ticked into a few minutes before he was finally able to open his eyes, and the blurry ceiling welcomed him. "Where am I?" He groaned for the second time as he finally managed to sit up on the bed, and just then, his vision finally became clear, and realization dawned on him that he was sitting on his bed, in his spacious room, but how he ended up here was what he couldn't still wrap his head around. 'Excuse me? Do I know you?' those words rang in his head, and now, he could remember everything that happened last night. How his supposed ex-wife denied knowing him in front of everyone and humiliated him. Wow! That was the craziest thing that has ever happened to him in his years of existence. After the incident yesterday, he left the party and drove to the nearest club, where he had a
Chapter 12 Aliyah and Tate finally arrived at the mansion after about an hour's journey, since they were stuck in a traffic jam for some minutes before they got here. Her mouth dropped open in shock when she stepped out of the car and stared around the magnificent compound she was in. The compound was big, with cars parked in the garage, and there was a swimming pool somewhere around the other end, which also had a waterfall. Was she really going to live here as the owner of the house? Wow! This was what she never dreamt of. "Let's go in," Tate's voice pulled her out of her trance, and she turned to see that he already had her suitcases with him. "Oh, alright," And just like that, they headed toward the entrance door of the building. She watched as Tate inputted the password of the house before he pushed the door open. "How much does he know about the house?" She asked herself before she trailed behind him into the house, and she was more amazed at the inte
Chapter 148 Two weeks later Aliyah tossed on the bed for the umpteenth time, lazy to get off the bed. Her eyes felt heavy and her head wasn't exempted from the feeling. "What's this?" She mumbled as she finally managed to sit up on the bed, rubbing her fingers gently on her forehead while groaning in pain. Knox has traveled on a business trip since three days and she was left here by herself all alone. Her Mom only comes by once in a while, and now that Tate's fiancee is pregnant and also they were planning to get married, he didn't have enough time to come by. Mason has been busy with work and his girlfriend too, while Janice and Lee traveled on a honeymoon trip to Italy, so she was left here all alone by herself. "I should've just gone with Knox," she regretted her hesitance to go with Knox when he asked her to. "It's just five days you are going to spend there, so it's fine," She had said to him when he asked her to come with him, but now it felt like he has been gone for thre
Chapter 147A lot has happened in the last few weeks. James and Janice have sorted things out, and even after all the hatred, James realized his mistake and asked Janice for forgiveness, and to make up for everything that has happened in the past, he said he was going to take the blame for all the things Janice has done in the past. Janice was going to turn herself in, but he refused. To him, it was all his fault and he should take the blame for everything and let Janice live her life like nothing happened. Besides, she still had a whole lot ahead of her and he didn't want to be in jail.James was put on trial after series of investigation which all proved that he was the culprit, and found guilty of murder, taking the blame for his daughter and going to jail in her place so she could have a good life ahead. Lisa was also given life imprisonment for the murder of Rebecca's husband and an attempt to kill her husband and stepdaughter, Aliyah. Everything has gone back to the way it used
Chapter 146Aliyah stared at her reflection in the mirror, and as she thought about what happened in these past few months, then she could only be grateful that everything although would remain in her heart forever, was always going to be memories to her.Knowing that everything was over now, she was finally at peace. No reason to worry when her husband leaves the house, no need to worry that some assassin might break into the house and harm her. There was nothing to worry about, but most importantly, having her parents alive and healthy was what she was most grateful for, but it hurts knowing that her stepdad died protecting her Mom. He never deserved to die.The sound of the shower in the bathroom finally stopped after a while, and the door opened, revealing Knox. His body was dripping wet and his hair was damp. He had a white towel wrapped around his waist and a little bulge down there."Hey..." He smiled brightly as he walked over to the closet and picked out his robe, dropping it
Chapter 145"I'm scared, Tate. Are you sure about this?" Shirley asked after they alighted from the car."Come on, I told you that there's no cause to be scared. I'm here for you... We are in this together," Tate cupped her cheek in his palms and assured her, looking into her eyes. As planned, Shirley was going to move in to live with Mrs. Andrews. This was the only thing she could do, she was determined to do it earlier, but now that she was here, her fear was already taking over her. What if her plans fail later? What if she ends up getting thrown out of the house? What if she insists that she can't marry her son? What will become of her."I told you there's nothing to worry about. Why do you look so scared like my Mom is a masquerade," He pinched her cheeks playfully, but deep inside he knew that there was really need for her to be worried knowing the kind of tough person his Mom was."Come on, smile for me," He uttered, and she forced a smile."Wait while I go get your things from
Chapter 144A few days later Knox pulled over at the parking lot of the restaurant and stepped out of the car. He then proceeded toward the entrance door, and found Janice waiting for him as soon as he walked inside. She had texted him yesterday and asked them to meet at the restaurant this morning so they could talk about something important, and that had made him curious since last night as many negative thoughts won't stop coming to his mind. Did she change her mind about turning herself in? That was one of the questions he kept asking himself, but he would soon find out about it, anyway."Hi! Did I keep you waiting?" He asked when he got to where she was seated, pulling out the chair across from her and settling in it."Not really. Good morning," She forced a smile at him, tucking her hair behind her ear. She was cladded in a short black armless gown and a pair of black heels like someone going to a funeral."Why is she dressed in all black? Is she planning to do something evil?"
Chapter 143It was a beautiful morning and a special day for Lee and Janice as it was their first day going out as official couples. Janice stared at her reflection in the mirror, trying everything she could to hold back her tears. It was a great day for her, a day she should push all the negative energies away and focus on her man so they could have fun to the fullest, but knowing that this moment won't last long for them was something she couldn't hold herself back for."It's ok, Janice. You already said you were going to enjoy the remaining days to the fullest. You said that you won't let anything tamper with your joy," She assured herself, fighting back the tears that already brimmed in her eyes."Yeah... There you go," She whispered as she leaned forward and cleaned her tears, adding some makeup to cover up her eyebags."Yes! That is perfect," She forced a smile at her reflection, then took a deep breath."Enjoy your day, baby girl," She said to her reflection and finally left t
Chapter 142A few weeks laterArnaldo has long woken up from coma and has been recovering over the last few weeks, but Rebecca was yet to recover although she has woken up too. Knox has been doing well too.It was a beautiful Saturday morning, and the day set for Arnaldo to go see Lisa in the prison along with Aliyah and Knox.Sitting in front of the mirror and staring at her reflection, Aliyah sighed as the thought of everything that has happened in the last few months played in her head. How they were able to survive until now was still like a miracle she couldn't comprehend, and she could only be grateful to her maker for being there for her all along. If anyone ever told her that the one behind the shit that has happened to her was her stepmom, she would've been the last person to believe it. The woman has always been good to her, and although she was never comfortable being around her, she never gave her any reason to doubt her pure heart toward her. She didn't imagine that she c
Chapter 141Aliyah paced restlessly along the hallway, her eyes filled with tears. Her hair was disheveled as a result of constantly scattering it. She looked horrible, but that was the least of the things she cared about at the moment. Her husband and Mom were in the ER fighting for their lives and she was hoping they'd survive it."Just this once, please... Please spare them for me. Please don't take them away from me," She fell to her knees and prayed silently, hoping he'd prayers would be answered. At least just this once.The sound of her ringing phone pulled her attention, and if not that the call was from her dad's maid, then she wouldn't have answered it. "Ma... ma'am Aliyah... There is a problem. Mr. Arnaldo... Blood... He...he was shot," The feminine voice quivered at the other end, and her heart sank into her stomach. Her jaw dropped."Wh... what did you say?" She stuttered, her lips trembling as she stared into space. No! This is not happening, please. Not now."I came ba
Chapter 140 Mr. Arnaldo paced restlessly along the hospital hallway, worried about Rebecca who was in the ER, fighting for her life. Why was this happening? Who was behind everything that has been happening? He asked himself, running his fingers through his hair, but couldn't come up with any answer, so he sighed deeply. Knox was also present in the hospital, and Aliyah too was worried. She was sitting on the bench and burying her face between her palms, crying her eyes out. She has just lost her foster Dad, and it hurts. "Babe, you need to be strong, ok?" Knox tried to comfort her, sitting beside her and wrapping his arm around her shoulder, but more tears came streaming down her cheeks. "What should I do, Knox? Why is everything falling apart?" She cried, and he wished he could provide an answer to her question. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly, slowly patting her hair assuring her yet again that everything was going to be fine even though it was obvious that t