"Mirabel," John exclaimed, his voice tinged with disbelief as he recognised Stephanie's secretary standing before him, her features momentarily frozen in surprise before hastily composing herself."John," Mirabel echoed, her own shock palpable in the widening of her eyes before she swiftly masked it with a forced smile."You're here too," she remarked, her voice betraying a hint of unease as she attempted to regain her composure. Despite her efforts to appear calm, John could sense the underlying tension in her demeanour, a silent acknowledgment of the clandestine game they found themselves entangled in."Yes, I am. I came to get some things," John replied, his voice laced with tension as he tried to maintain a facade of normalcy in the face of their unexpected encounter. Despite their attempts to feign indifference, an undercurrent of unease simmered beneath the surface, casting palpable tension between them."Okay, I do visit here regularly as well to get things," Mirabel interjected

MARIAIt was the next day, just a day more to the impending doom. It was afternoon and I was really peckish. I crutched on the bed with my legs braced upwards and my right hand rested on my kneecap. My stomach growled with hunger. Since I returned, I found it very hard to vacate my room. I didn’t want to see anyone. I’d call it a life of desolation and chagrin. But at that juncture, I trusted that my intestines would have snipped if I didn’t get food. I stood up from the bed abruptly in my white tee and brown palazzo pants. My hair was scattered but I bothered less about it. I hastily left the room feeling extremely dizzy as though my head was about to fall down. I waltzed down the stairs and hoped that I wasn’t going to see Papà. He was the least person I wanted to see. I felt guilty around him while in the real sense, I was culpable of nothing. I finally entered the kitchen. My eyes met the wolf eyes of two men close to the entrance, one holding a bottle of water while the other f

As John sat in silence beside Stephanie in the luxurious Rolls Royce, a whirlwind of questions churned in his mind, each one vying for attention. Yet, despite the cacophony of thoughts swirling within him, he couldn't bring himself to voice a single query to Steoahine. Instead, he remained a silent observer, his emotions a tumultuous storm raging beneath a calm exterior.As the car glided through the streets, memories of happier times flooded John's mind, memories of moments shared with Steoahine in this very car. He remembered the warmth of her touch and the sweetness of her kisses as they embarked on a romantic rendezvous at their favourite restaurants. Those moments had been special to him, filled with love and passion, but now they seemed like distant echoes of a bygone era. Life had a way of changing things, of extinguishing the flames of love and replacing them with the cold ashes of indifference.With each passing moment, John's heart grew heavier, his resentment towards Stephan

John pressed his ears against the door, his heart racing with anticipation of what would be said next. He could hear Jeffrey's voice, filled with apology, and wondered who could make him speak with such humility. It had to be someone stronger than Jeffrey, perhaps GB? John pondered various questions.“How dare you?” Another voice thundered, followed by a thud against the wall, heightening the tension. John glanced around, but there was no way to see what was happening inside.“I’m sorry, but being here is not safe. That’s why I tried to tell you not to come. It's too risky,” Jeffrey explained.John furrowed his brow in perplexity, pressing his ears harder against the door, trying to catch every word. “Risky? What could be risky?” he asked himself, feeling a sense of unease creeping in.“I don't care about risks. I am a risk taker, and you know that I take any kind of risk,” the unknown man declared, his tone exuding confidence and dominance.“I understand, but Gabriel, you have to und

“Yes, it has helped me,” John smiled coldly and bitterly while looking at Stephanie. He really wished he could have smashed her face with his hand just as he had imagined in his head, but then there was no way he could do that to her, at least not yet.He gritted his teeth while he watched her grin manically at him, a sense of triumph emanating from her smile. John’s eyes were blazing with anger. As much as he wanted to exert his revenge, he couldn’t at the moment; he needed more time. But each time he spent listening to and undergoing Stephanie’s tantrums, insults, and humiliations was killing.“You see, all this is a process to greatness,” Stephanie added as she turned to the audience and spread her hand wide with a smile plastered on her face.John felt a surge of frustration and helplessness as he listened to Stephanie’s words. He struggled to contain his emotions, feeling a mix of rage and resentment boiling inside him. Every fiber of his being longed to retaliate, to show her t