Fenella’s POV“Whooop! Whooop!”Matthew shouted with joy, raising a fist into the air as if he were pulling a train horn. We laughed at Matthew’s unexpected reaction. Of course, we understood Matthew’s behavior because we were also thrilled with the results we had achieved. The data from Amy’s, Peter’s, and Alan’s phones had been successfully duplicated. Now we were gathered at my house to celebrate and wait for the FBI programmer to extract the data from their storage phones. We sat in a circle on the sofa in front of the fireplace, each with a glass of wine in hand. “That was incredible!” Jessy exclaimed before taking a sip of his wine. “Yeah, I know!” I also took a sip of my wine. “Oh, I could only imagine what you were going through from the sounds. It was like I was listening to an audiobook!” Matthew laughed before sipping his wine. “I said that was a mission accomplished.” Laird chuckled before taking a sip of his wine. I sighed with relief after the crazy events of the a
Fenella’s POVThe conversation from three days ago still echoed in my mind. It seemed that Jessy and I still had a chance to save our company colleagues from losing their jobs. With the remaining money in my account that I had set aside to pay back Gene, we could potentially start a new talent agency. The problem was, did I have the courage to do it? Not to mention the various business risks we needed to consider and the task of pulling in connections from the fashion world to trust our agency. And who would be the director to manage the daily operations of the company? Laird was already overwhelmed with his own game developer business. Jessy lacked confidence to be a director. Meanwhile, I was just a silly girl who could only rely on physical beauty, according to the comments on my social media lately. Of course, I didn’t want to be what they labeled me. Besides, my mother said I could be smart if I put in the effort like I did when I started high school. Laird also said I should
Laird’s POVI looked at the esteemed Mr. Golden sitting on the sofa across from me, his hands continuously shoving cookies into his mouth. Was he not afraid of diabetes? The man looked like someone who hadn’t eaten anything for a week.“How about I cook spaghetti for you, sir?” Sharon blushed as she looked at Prosecutor Golden with a special offer.“I want some too!” Matthew raised his hand eagerly.“You’ve already eaten. Stop raiding the food in this house.” I gave Matthew’s arm a light smack.“Uh, I don’t mean to be rude, but I love all of Mrs. Sharon’s cooking. I wonder why I haven’t visited her more often.” Jessy giggled.“Don’t tell me you all have been living here like parasites for a week,” Prosecutor Golden scoffed.“Watch your mouth, sir! We’re not living here for free!” Matthew exclaimed, pointing at Golden’s face.“Yeah. We help washing dishes, cleaning the house, and going grocery shopping,” Jessy said, frowning and offering his defense in a low voice. It seemed he had jus
Laird’s POV“Listen, the shell companies belonged to Peter. He had borrowed the names of Alan, Mallory, and other people as the owners of the companies. In exchange for borrowing their names and providing a seemingly legal place to store money, they received some fees.” Mr. Golden started to explain the matter.“The results from tracing the transactions showed that the shell companies, disguised as investment firms, bought shares to inflate the stock value in the companies. For example, Alan's company had received a large amount of capital from one of the shell companies.”“Then Alan's company would record sales as if they were skyrocketing. After a few months of being held in Alan's company’s account, the shell company was dissolved and liquidated. With this dissolution, Alan's company had to return a certain amount of investment plus the promised dividends.”“Next, they would open a new shell company and carry out the same operational business with another company, for instance, Mal
Fenella’s POVI didn't know what made me so bold. In my mind at the moment, I just wanted to make sure that people got the justice they deserved. Oh, I knew I sounded foolish thinking about justice, but I felt I had to do it now.“I’ll do it.”“Wait a minute, Fenella. We should discuss this further.”Laird looked at me with wide eyes. He seemed caught off guard and couldn’t believe I had said that.“Ah, finally, someone has some guts,” Mr. Golden exclaimed happily.“You shut your damn mouth,” Laird warned Mr. Golden, while the man chose to sit back on the sofa.“Fenella, please don’t do it. Alan is dangerous enough for us. Bringing down Peter is a more dangerous task than we could possibly imagine. That man only wants to hide behind us and make us roll out as sacrifices,” Laird said, pointing at Mr. Golden.“But, Laird, you were t
Fenella’s POV“Legit business empire?” I asked, pulling my face back slightly from Laird.“Yes. Me with Rackers Bite and you with New Gene. I was sure we would both succeed in our own ways.”“Yeah. That sounded like a really nice dream,” I said before kissing his lips.“We would make it a reality,” Laird whispered between our kisses.“Uh huh.”“You wouldn’t need to beg for jobs from your agency anymore. You would choose all your own projects and have your own brand.”“Wow, okay. It sounded too good to be true.” I chuckled softly.“It would be true. I promise.” Laird kissed my lips firmly.Now I felt more confident that my decision was right. I was sure I could accomplish our mission, and after that, we could dance together in the ideal world we had always dreamed of. I would continue with my career as a model, while Laird pursued his career as the CEO of a game developer company.One kiss led to another. A new spark ignited within us. I felt energized to achieve all our new goals. Of
Fenella’s POV“You're good?” Laird asked me.“Uh huh,” I replied with a quick nod. I adjusted the receiver in my ear once again. The receiver was silver with crystals on the outside. Designed to deceive others, it resembled a full earring that was fitted around the entire edge of the ear. The earring was paired with a matching pendulum choker necklace because they were a set of receivers and voice recorders. Laird was also wearing the same receiver, but his model was rigid and plain black.“Test.” A woman's voice sounded faintly in my ear.“Yes, I heard,” I answered. “Can you hear me?” I asked in reply.“Yes, I heard.” The woman at the other end of the receiver replied.“Can you hear it clearly?” Laird asked again to confirm.“Yes. I’m ready.” I answered with a long sigh.“Do you remember the safe word?” Laird asked.“Whitehill Academy.”“Ok.” Laird then sighed in relief again. His face was tense, with his lips slightly parted without a smile. I knew he was nervous, but I was determ
Fenella’s POVPerhaps because I was wearing black pump shoes that were pointy high, everyone looked small in my eyes. They watched me with their heads slightly upturned. But somehow I knew it was all just my imagination brought on by my soaring confidence.I felt great!Some people we knew, like Jemima Hors, Oscar de Ragetti, and other celebrities, immediately surrounded Alan and me. They immediately praised us, especially my appearance, which was considered elegant and luxurious for a gala dinner.“Oh, Fenella, I'm so happy to see you again, darling.” Oscar gave me a quick peck on both cheeks.“Yeah, I was afraid I'd never see you again after that commercial,” Jemima said with a chuckle.“Why? Do you think I'm going to kill myself like the people on my social media asked me to?” I chuckled, though my tone of voice was quite sharp as a sarcasm to those who left me alone when I was down.“Oh, of course not, dear. I'm glad you ignored those horrible haters. Besides, scandals pass like t
Fenella’s POVThree months later…“State of New York vs. Alan Schmidt! All rise, and please be quiet!”The bailiff announced the case name in a loud voice. I sat in the audience with my heart pounding and my feet restless. The reporters waiting in the back of the room fell silent, capturing every moment as the judge entered.I squeezed Laird's hand to quell my nerves. He smiled at me and whispered that everything would be okay. I nodded and offered a small, reassuring smile in return.This was the final appeal at the Supreme Court. After this, Alan wouldn’t be able to appeal again until his sentence was served. After two long years of a drawn-out case with various appeals from Alan’s side, we had finally reached the finish line.The judge began reading various considerations and court notes. They took turns reading the decision documents. Time seemed to crawl, and I began to feel drowsy.I occasionally glanced at Alan, who sat in his prison jumpsuit. His once curly, neat hair had grown
Fenella’s POVTwo years later…I held Laird's hand, squeezing the palm that felt damp with sweat. A smile appeared on my lips as I tried to calm the nervousness he had felt since we left the house. This was the first award ceremony for him, Dave, and Rowan. They couldn’t sit still in their seats either.I couldn’t deny that I felt the same. My heart raced, even as the host made jokes that had the audience laughing. Still, I tried to remain calm because I didn’t want to make him more anxious than he already was.“The winner of the Best Mobile Game of the Year is...” The music stopped, the announcer paused, tension built, “My Supermodel!”“Oh! Thank God!” I exclaimed behind my hands that covered my open mouth.“Congratulations, honey!”I immediately stood up and hugged Laird tightly beside me. I cupped his face in my hands and kissed his lips strong and quick. He smiled broadly and whispered for a moment, “I love you, baby. Thank you.”“Congratulations!” I shook hands with Dave and Rowa
Fenella’s POVI stood at the edge of the balcony. My hands are firmly gripping the iron rail of the balcony as my eyes gaze at the nighttime scenery in the distance. Puerto Vallarta, a cliff with a stunning coastal view that showcases the beautiful side of Mexico.Perhaps there is truth in the saying—including Lloyd's yesterday—that bad memories must be replaced with good ones.Since arriving in Mexico until now, all the bad memories have been erased and replaced with the beauty of a honeymoon vacation with the love of my life. It's not bad, really.Despite the heavy trial we went through yesterday, we finally had some peace of mind. The night breeze blows through my hair. There's a strange sensation, but I don't want to go into the room yet. Until Laird came from the balcony door and immediately hugged me, enveloping me in soothing warmth.“Hey,”“Hi, baby. Are you done showering?” I asked, raising my head to look at Laird's face for a moment.“Yup.”“You smell nice,” I said as I inh
Fenella’s POV“Oh, sweet Mother, that was divine!” Jessy took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Then he opened his eyes wide while his mouth continued chewing my mother’s crab cakes. The murmurs and cheers were still heard until he finally finished his last bite.“I was glad you liked them,” my mother smiled broadly.“I didn’t just like them. I loved, loved, loved them!”Everyone around us laughed at Jessy’s confession. We felt the same way because my mother had succeeded in making a super delicious wedding reception dish. Truly, our Baxter family home was filled with guests. Even though we had invited only a small number of people, our home had never been this lively.The decorations of pink, white, and red flowers and balloons filled the entire room. The furniture had been rearranged to create enough space for the guests to dance or chat. Soft music played through the speakers set up in the corner of the room.Occasionally, guests would step up to change the music, hold the microph
Fenella’s POV“Honey, you looked absolutely stunning,” my mother said. “Thank you, Mom.” I smiled wide upon hearing my mother's compliment. She handed me a bouquet of wedding flowers that was a mix of pink, red, and white colors. I then grabbed the small bouquet and held it tightly. “I couldn’t believe we pulled this off all in just a week.” My mother shook her head, her eyes wide. “We even thought to get married the day after he proposed, but I remembered your words about wanting to prepare every detail of my wedding. You only have one chance because I'm your only daughter, so here we are.”“I just hoped those fruit tarts and crab cakes would be enough for all the guests.” “It’s okay, Mom. If the food wasn’t enough, we could stuff them with the wedding cake. That’s the job of the five-tier cake you ordered.”“You're right. I'm grateful that Mrs. Maddox's bakery shop is willing to take on the order." She sighed and stared at my face."Oh, I wish your father could see you, even th
Fenella’s POV“Fenella.”“Yes, Laird.”Laird called me right after I arrived at the apartment.“Where are you right now?”“I'm at the apartment,” I replied quickly as I grabbed a glass of mineral water from the dispenser.“Oh, thank goodness. I'm on my way home,” he said.The apartment door opened, and I immediately saw Laird's figure enter. My mouth was slightly agape, with my eyes widening. My forehead wrinkled as I watched him walk in. I glanced at the clock on the table and realized it was 2 p.m.“Fenella,” he called in his distinctively low voice.He stepped inside and met me in the kitchen. I hurriedly set my water glass down on the dining table. For some reason, Laird's face looked different. There was a hint of a happy smile on his face, though the look in his eyes was dark, and I couldn't describe the meaning behind it.“You're home? One second you're calling me, the next you're standing in front of me,” I chuckled.Suddenly, he let down his backpack on the floor. Then he hug
Laird’s POVI took several deep breaths and let them out. I couldn't help but feel uneasy and anxious, and various bad thoughts were raging in my mind. My hands repeatedly smoothed my tie or combed my hair. Hell, I couldn't calm myself down!This wasn't the first time my father had gone this far. Using bodyguards to pick up other people by force, who does he think he is?I hate his methods. He's called the shark of the legal world for a reason. This is how he acts. Stalking, coercing, and making people bend to his will until they're crushed by Hugo Evans' ambition.Now he was after Fenella. He flew from Boston to New York for her. I just knew it.I almost know what my father wants from my girlfriend. Maybe he wants to tell her to stay away like some of the girls I dated at university. It could also be that he wanted to ask about the case involving me and Malgolm Golden together.Whatever it was, I was waiting for a call or mes
Fenella’s POVMy eyes blinked after hearing Mr. Evans' words. My brow furrowed as I tried to understand his reasoning and failed miserably. I remained silent, but eventually, my heart was stirred to dig deeper.“Excuse me? Why is that?” I asked slowly, being careful not to make a misstep.“Because he helped my enemy,” Mr. Evans replied firmly.Again, I could only blink. An enemy? Yes, Laird had told me how Mr. Golden had an affair with his mother. But wasn’t that ten years ago? In fact, Mr. Evans had been busy with his young girlfriend.Still, Laird had helped to do the right thing. I didn’t want to argue with him, but I began to feel that Mr. Evans' disappointment in Laird was beyond reason.“But he helped capture criminals. He has contributed to the community.” I voiced my opinion again and swallowed to ease my nervousness.“You don’t know anything, kid. He helped my arch-enemy without considering my feelings.” Mr. Evans scoffed in frustration. “How dare he? Sometimes Laird can be u
Fenella’s POVI willingly got into the black van, leaving Jessy alone on the sidewalk. I was sure he would immediately contact Laird. Maybe he would explain the situation to him, and Laird would call me right away.Sure enough, my phone rang just minutes after the van had driven away from Laird’s office building. I answered the call immediately.“Hello, Laird.”“Hey, Fenella. What is this about Jessy seeing you being abducted by a black van? He said you willingly got into the vehicle and mentioned it was my father’s men.”Laird asked with tension in his voice. His breath sounded hurried on the phone, but I didn’t want to make him more anxious.Well, yes, I was panicking too because suddenly I had been approached by men in black suits who resembled mafia. However, they mentioned Hugo Evans, Laird’s father. I didn’t want to give his father a bad impression, or I would lose th