Alone again, Mr Cyrus began formulating his next steps strategically. Clearly someone was attempting to impede his progress by destroying vital evidence. This supported his growing suspicion that Maurine’s killer remained inside these very walls, desperately covering their tracks. Just as he had ordered, the Royale children met with their father in the living room. Mr Cyrus began a speech, updating them on the happenings of the situation. "I would like for you all to know that the report for Maurine's autopsy is out," he began. "A lethal poison found in the food was the cause of her death.”“Who would have wanted to poison the poor girl? It had to be one of her co workers. We need to find out if she had any quarrels with any of the other staff members before now.” Marcus said.“The poison wasn’t meant for her. That plate of food she ate from wasn’t a new plate. It was Ellis’ unfinished meal. The leftovers are supposed to be packaged and sent to the guard house so the dogs can be fed.
“Father, do you really think that the poison was meant for me?” Elli asked as they both walked into Mr Cyrus’ study.“I don’t think so, Ellis. I’m almost completely sure of it. There is no other explanation. Why else would someone take a risk to use poison in my household? You must have been the main target for this failed plan. It makes more sense. Maurine is just a maid, but you are my heir. Taking you out would have a devastating effect on my empire.”“But if I was truly the target, how am I still alive? I ate almost everything on that plate. Maurine just took a bite according to the story we were told by the other staff member, and that was what killed her.” Ellis said with a perplexed expression.“This is the confusing part of the whole situation, but I think I know what happened. You’ve been meditating everyday, right?” He asked.“Yes, father. Every day at dawn, I meditate for at least thirty minutes. Some days, I can go on for as long as an hour, especially the weekends. I can’
“Can you remember what happened to you, son?” Mr Cyrus asked with a worried expression as he gave Ellis a bottle of water to drink. Ellis drank the whole bottle, and half of a new bottle before he felt better and was able to respond. “My mind is still fuzzy. I can remember speaking to someone, but I can’t remember the words that were said to me.” “Can you at least remember the aura of whoever took you away? The spell I did is a simple trance spell. It was supposed to be easy to wake you once I was done checking your aura. Instead, you were taken somewhere beyond my reach. I spent almost thirty minutes trying to pull you back.” “What would have happened if you hadn’t succeeded?” Ellis asked. “Your soul would have been lost forever. Your body may remain alive, but it would wither away. It would just be an empty shell without your subconscious in it. That was why I was so terrified.” “Well, not to worry. I don’t feel like I was in any form of danger. Whoever it was that tried to get
About an hour later, James arrived at the mansion with his tech equipment. “You can set your things up in here.” Mr Cyrus said as James was directed to an empty room with a comfortable desk and chair.There was enough space here for him to arrange all the computers and other things he came to work with. He would also have privacy to work without being disturbed.“Before I set up everything, I’ll need to see your security system.”“Sure. Come with me to my office. I have master access.” Mr Cyrus replied and they both walked together while two house staff carried all James’ bags inside his assigned room.In the office, James sat at Mr Cyrus’ desk. Mr Cyrus logged into the security system with his master code and left the rest to James, he just watched from the sidelines.“Does anyone else have master access to the security system?” James asked as he clicked buttons rapidly while writing up a code to scan the system.“No. I’m the only one with master access for now. But some others can
Mr Cyrus was a bit shocked at this news. How could Maurine’s parents just decide to start throwing accusations without proof? He had involved the police in the investigation in order to show the family that he had nothing to hide. Now they had the audacity to come out and try to blame their daughter’s recklessness on him and his family? That was unacceptable.“Don’t do anything yet. If it has already gone viral, then there’s not much that can be done. I will check out the article right now, and then the video. Then I will get back to you, and we’ll decide what the best form of action to take should be. All we can do at this point is damage control.” He replied.“Okay Sir. I will be waiting for your call.”As the call was disconnected, he addressed James.“Will you be okay to work on your own? There’s a small issue that requires my attention right now.”“I have all my equipment, and you’ve already allowed me to access the system. I’ll finish what I’m supposed to do, and wait for you.”J
Ellis wasn’t thrilled when he was told to attend yet another event. But he went on his father’s behalf because he knew how important it was that they divert attention from the gossip flying around. As the heir, it was his job to make sure his family stayed away from negative publicity. So he showed up to the business conference in a hundred thousand dollar, custom made suit, and a million dollar smile. The organisers of the conference had already been severely warned to thoroughly vet all the reporters that would be present that day. Any reporter who would ask about the poisoning scandal going on would be fired immediately and never find employment any where else for the rest of their lives.Reporters had been trying to get anyone from the Royale family to give a statement, but the whole family had already been ordered by Mr Cyrus to not say a word to anyone. The official statement had already been released, with details on what truly happened that led to maurine’s death, and the fac
The video was taken at the balcony where Emily had come to meet him. Now he understood the reason she had been behaving weirdly. She must have put someone there to record everything, while she was acting like she was being hurt. The video had obviously been edited to cut out the parts where he was trying to ask her what she was doing. Their discussion was also removed, the video just showed her walking up to him, then when he grabbed her wrist, then when she was crying on the floor pretending like he pushed her. Ellis was summoned to his father’s office.“I just got a call from my P R team. They sent me a link and I watched a video of you allegedly assaulting that Emily girl. I know you wouldn’t do something like that.” Mr Crus said as Ellis stepped into his office with a robe on. Ellis sighed. He was so tired, yet he had to deal with this because of Emily.“I didn’t hurt her. She came to speak to me, and I told her to leave. She was insisting on talking to me, trying to get in my p
“What did he say?” Her father asked as soon as she finished speaking with Ellis. “He said I will have to go on air and tell the truth. I will have to beg him in front of everyone as well.” Emily replied. “You have to do it now, so he can stop coming against my company.” Her father said with a panicked expression. “Why are you always bringing shame to our family, Emily? How could you bring this upon us? You were supposed to get Ellis back, not make him hate us.” Her mother yelled. “Why are you blaming me? Weren’t you the ones who made me break up with Ellis in the first place just to get engaged to Jordan. I tried everything I could but Ellis refused to forgive me. What else was I supposed to do? It was your suggestion for me to blackmail him for something. You even said I should accuse him of rape, but I decided to just accuse him of assault.” “Don’t talk back to me! Just fix this mess.” Her mother huffed in indignation.”I don’t know why you’re such a useless child.” Emily ran t
The bell above the door jingled merrily as Ellis pushed it open, cradling his newborn son Derek in his arms. Zoey watched them both, her face glowing with joy and fatigue after the difficult labor. After the tumultuous path that had led him here - the battles with rivals, the crushing workload, the periods of self-doubt - he had truly found peace at last. His company was thriving, his beautiful wife was by his side, and now they had brought new life into the world. As he gazed down at Derek's tiny, scrunched-up face, Ellis felt a surge of fierce, protective love unlike anything he had experienced before. "Welcome, little man," Ellis murmured, leaning down to kiss his son's head. The click of stiletto heels on hardwood announced the arrival of Amelia, Ellis's indispensable executive assistant. Her usual brisk demeanor melted into a warm smile as she caught sight of the family. "Congratulations, you two," she said, placing a gentle hand on Derek's back. "He's absolutely precious." Zo
Emily nodded, finally finding her voice after reining in her tears. "Thank you, truly. I don't even know what to say beyond how grateful I am that you're both willing to start taking steps toward forgiveness," She paused, swallowing hard against the lump in her throat."I hurt you both in such an unfair, selfish way and I'll regret that forever. You didn't deserve that at all," Emily went on, her eyes glistening with sincerity. "But I hope I can show you both through my sustained actions and personal growth that I'm not that toxic, jealous person anymore who let obsession cloud my judgment so severely."Zoey gave her a sad smile, her eyes still holding remnants of past hurt. "It's going to take time, Emily. A lot of time. You have to understand how profoundly your lies and manipulation destabilized my relationship with Ellis.""I know," Emily replied solemnly. "And I don't expect your forgiveness or renewed trust to come easily at all. I'll need to prove myself over and over again. I'
As she drove away, Emily couldn't help but let the tears flow freely. She cried for the hurt she had caused and the potential permanent damage she may have done to their relationship. She cried at the thought of Ellis's disappointed look when he realized she had tried to take advantage of him and his vulnerability during his close breakup with Zoey. And she cried over the self-loathing and remorse she felt for letting herself become such an ugly, selfish person for a period of time due to her unhealthy jealousy.Deep down, Emily realized she may have permanently burned the bridge of friendship with Ellis and her based on her actions. While she desperately hoped she could prove herself changing through therapy and personal growth, the possibility that their close bond of trust could never be salvaged was very real. And she would have to live with that heavy burden knowing she had brought it all upon herself. Over the next several weeks, the silence and distance from Ellis and Zoey was
Emily paced back and forth nervously in her living room. Tomorrow was Ellis and Zoey's first anniversary and she had finally decided it was time to come clean and apologize for the lies and manipulation she had put them through around the time of their dating some time ago. She knew that they may not listen to her, but she had found love with someone, and she was trying to turn a new leaf for him. She wanted him to see that she was serious about changing her spiteful character, and hoped to show her love for him that way. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. This was the right thing to do, regardless of how awkward or uncomfortable it might be. Ellis and Zoey deserved the truth and a sincere apology from her after everything that had happened.Emily thought back to how it had all started over a year earlier. She had been harboring feelings for Ellis, long before he had started dating Zoey. But thinkingback, she knew that she never truly loved Ellis. She had just been aft
Meanwhile, in Ellis’ mind, he was in a chamber he didn’t recognise, standing alone. He looked around but he couldn’t find a way out of the place. There were no walls, no windows, no lower basement entrance. He tried touching the walls to see if there was a secret passage, but nothing happened. He called out several times, but got no response. He didn’t know what to do, and though he vaguely knew that it was a dream, he still felt a little weird, like it was actually happening. After several failed attempts to escape the weird chamber, he sat on the floor and began to meditate.He tried to reach for his aura deep within him, to see if it could somehow lead him out of there. He could feel the Qi, but it was not obeying his command. It was like it was locked down somehow. But he didn’t give up, he remained in a meditative pose, and calmed himself down till his heart rate slowed considerably. While in that state, he heard a voice. “Congratulations, you passed the test. I made the right c
For their honeymoon, Zoey was ecstatic when Ellis took her to the Maldives. She had always wanted to visit there. And not just that, Ellis had also purchased a private island in Zoey’s name, so she could always come there at any time. He planned to have a beach villa built there later so they could use it as a vacation spot, but for the time being, just a log cabin had been erected. The log cabin had modern amenities, like a hot tub, kitchen with up to date appliances, running water, a standby generator, etc. But it also had rustic features like a real fireplace with a chimney, an outdoor grill pit, a cleared out campsite, and a small lake instead of a swimming pool.The place was beautiful. They spent their first night there in bed all day, then they slept till afternoon. After waking, their meal had already been prepared by the local chef Ellis had hired. He didn’t want Zoey stressed out during the honeymoon, she would only cook if she chose to. Hehad so many activities planned for
As the months ticked by, everything slowly started falling into place. Zoey's dress was altered to perfection. The venue was booked and the menu tasting was complete — they selected a seasonal tasting menu with locally-sourced ingredients. The cake was a delicious vanilla sponge with tart lemon curd filling and a Swiss meringue buttercream frosting. One of Zoey's favorite touches was Gemma's idea to have a "coffee bar" at the reception with gourmet coffee drinks, flavored syrups and delicious accompaniments like biscotti and cannoli. She knew their guests would appreciate a delicious caffeinated pick-me-up after dancing the night away.In the last few weeks leading up to the wedding, Zoey was a bundle of nervous excitement. She tried her best to get enough rest and stay hydrated, knowing she needed to be in top form for the biggest day of her life. Ellis, on the other hand, seemed to take everything in stride. His calm, steady presence was invaluable for keeping Zoey grounded when she
Ellis took a deep breath as he looked across the candlelit table at Zoey. Her eyes sparkled in the flickering light and her dark hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders. After so much time together, he knew this was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He reached across the table and took her hand in his. "Zoey, we've been through so much together these past several months. You've supported me every step of the way as I took on the challenging role of CEO at Royale Company. You're my partner, my best friend, my everything. I know some people may find it too soon, or some may say that you’re after my money. But I know in my heart that what we have is real. " He paused, his heart pounding in his chest as he got on one knee, and brought out a custom made diamond ring that cost a hundred million dollars. Zoey gasped. "I don't want to imagine my life without you by my side. Zoey, will you marry me?"Zoey's eyes went wide and she brought her hands up to cover her mou
George, for his part, saw his gilded life come crashing down in what felt like an incomprehensible nightmare. Gone were the bravado, the vainglorious sense of entitlement, the belief that he could indulge in whatever impulse struck him without consequence. His charmed existence had been brutally ripped away, replaced by the sullen, emasculating confines of a jail cell and the prospect of an incarceration looming ahead. Just like his brother, Marcus. Stripped of his identity, his wealth, and the support system that enabled his wanton ways, all George was left with was to reckon with his shattered sense of self. None of his party friends even visited, or tried to help him. He thought they would have his back, but now his eyes had cleared.His thoughts often drifted to Lisa, the wife whose unconditional love he had so wantonly discarded in pursuit of shallow gratification. Was it truly worth sacrificing everything — his marriage, his family, his father's pride and the staggering family f