Cynthia walked in, moving effortlessly like she was gliding on air. Her presence was magnetic, and her eyes were focused solely on Noah; "Can I speak to you for a moment?" Her voice was perfectly confident, like she was talking to someone really familiar. But for his part, Noah looked at her with equal calmness as he asked;“What is it? What does Miss Flores suddenly want to discuss with a stranger?"Cynthia felt a twinge of embarrassment and ran her eyes over everyone seated there. “Come on, Noah. Don't be like this," She insisted, her tone becoming more and more urgent.Everyone else was stunned into silence, most of all Eliana, who was sitting right beside Noah and could see the face of the woman despite the ambient lighting. Wasn't this Cynthia Flores? The influencer and model? What was she doing here, and more importantly, why was she talking to her husband, asking him to step away for some time?Bailey, on the other hand, was looking curiously at the two of them, trying to
Once Noah, Bailey and Noelle had left, Eliana was sitting by herself, swirling her glass of water, lost in her thoughts. And her mind was continuously indicating things were definitely off today, even though she didn't know why. From finding out about her secret admirer this morning, to Cynthia practically dragging her husband away from the dinner, the day had been filled with so many weird moments.In fact, in the last three years that she had known Noah, she could hardly remember Noah even mentioning any friends at all, so what was all this about? Why and how had his friends suddenly started to appear in their life, out of nowhere? As she was thinking about all of this, completely lost in herself, a hand suddenly clasped her own, making her jump in shock.With a jerk, she looked up to find that it was Jaxon Kent clutching her wrist, his eyes dazed like he was clearly drunk. His gaze was stuck to her chest, like it was drawn by a magnet, making her quite uncomfortable. Eliana ini
“Crazy bastard, did you really think that I'll just accept everything as Jaxon's fault!?”Noelle was screaming hysterically, and Noah was getting more and more frustrated by her behavior. Was she really so desperate to cling to this middle aged creep, just because he was rich? With a disgusting look towards her, he said;“No! What I am trying to say is, after such a disgusting statement, you're just as guilty as your boyfriend! Without even trying to hear what had happened, it's always women like you who don't believe the victims and instead, try to blame them–”Noelle scoffed at Noah's words, interrupting him. “Do you think we both care about what allegations you are pasting on my boyfriend? And trust you as a victim and believe in your words? Clearly not! People like you– with empty pockets and zero morals– can't be trusted anyway; there is nothing you won't do to get even a few cents!”Noah was losing his patience, but he still tried to speak calmly, giving her some margin. Afte
Eliana sat in the passenger seat, her head turned completely away from Noah in the driver's seat. She was looking out of the window, watching the lights of the city pass by in a blur, her eyes filled with unshed tears.Whether they were tears of sadness, betrayal or anger, she wasn't so sure. And the low mechanical whirring of the engine was only causing her gut to twist even further, in tune with the rollercoaster of emotions inside her. She was torn; there was no way she would allow anyone to mess with her boundaries the way Jaxon wanted to, and it was completely non negotiable in her mind. But another part of her was questioning, was it really necessary for Noah to behave like this? She was still partially in shock, unable to believe what had happened earlier. She had always known Noah as a non-violent person, and in the last three years, he had been calm in every situation, almost to a fault… but tonight? Tonight, he had snapped in a way she had never seen before. When she was
Noah's POV:Earlier that morning… It wasn't shaping up to be a particularly good morning so far, first, Eliana had almost seen me in uncle Stuart's car, and only God knows how I managed to deflect the situation with a supposed heart attack, even when I know that the old man is as healthy as a horse!But after that annoying encounter with Gloria, it seemed like my share of annoyances wasn't over yet. I wanted to surprise Eliana with the money, wanting to catch the glimpse of happiness on her face… but it was her best friend, Bailey, who opened the door to my wife's office.Still, I was pretty confident that Eliana would find out soon enough, that every word I had promised her last night was true.I wasn't going to let anyone else torture her anymore… not till I am alive, and definitely not after my death. I snapped out of my thoughts when I saw the sleek black sedan pull up outside the building. I knew I had to shelve my personal grudges for now, and focus on my meeting with William
Bailey sensed the desperation in Eliana's voice, and the soft sound of sniffles was a tell- tale sign that she was crying. In a minute, her panic peaked;“Ellie? Are you okay? Just tell me. I'll do anything… Do you want me to pick you up? I can ask the cab to turn around."Eliana quickly replied, shaking her head absentmindedly like she had forgotten that Bailey couldn't see her. "No, no, Bailey, I'm okay. I just need a favor. Can you please go to my office—""Office? At this time?" It would be an understatement to say that Bailey was puzzled."Yes. I need you to check something on my behalf. Just go to my office as soon as you can."Bailey understood that whatever it was, it was serious enough that Eliana was asking her to go there so late at night without waiting for the next morning, when she herself could check it. With a sigh, she asked the cab driver to stop at Red Swan Entertainment briefly. When she finally stepped out of the cab, the security guard snapped to attention li
Eliana woke up to the incessant ringing of her phone, buzzing somewhere around herself. She tried to pat the bed with her arms, trying to look for it, but exhaustion soon took over and she was pulled back into the throes of sleep. After the third ring managed to break her sleep, she finally cracked one eye open and groggily grabbed her phone from the bedside table, pressing it to her ear.“Hello?”“Eliana, where are you? We had an early morning meeting today, did you forget?”Oh shit… shit shit! Eliana sat up quickly, the sudden movement making her head spin. “Yes, yes I remember. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”She responded in a measured voice and then ended the call abruptly, tossing her phone against her pillow. She sat there for a moment, her head in her hands, feeling the weight of exhaustion; her head felt too heavy and her eyes were swollen because of the excessive crying… She couldn't even remember when she had fallen asleep while crying. Dragging herself out of bed, sh
Eliana was startled by the crashing sound of the tumbler hitting the floor, and Olivia's shoulders also jumped slightly, but Noah didn't even flinch. He calmly turned around, surveyed the damage, and said, "If you wanted fresh juice, you could have just said that. Anyway, I'll bring you some right now."Olivia huffed, her face twisting in disdain. "Huh! Don't act like you're so obedient that you'll obey every single word I say! Or you would have freed my daughter from this torture and run away to your fucking village long ago! Now, what are you staring at me for? It's not like I said something wrong, so are you accusing me right now?”Noah's expression didn't change, and without a word, he swiftly went into the kitchen. Eliana watched him, her heart aching. She knew how hard it must be for him to keep his composure. But just a few moments later, he returned, carrying a plate with three oranges sliced in half, another empty plate, a glass tumbler, and a hand juicer. He placed ever
Noah was sitting in the garden, trying desperately to calm himself as he had been feeling a little uneasy because of the way things had unfolded.He had spent most of his life away from home, this is why, he knew the value of family. He had also met several people who were dark to the very core, but for some reason, he thought that Liam was different…Noah had a feeling that everything he had been doing so far, was just because something that he thought would always remain his, had been snatched from him in the middle of all the succession drama… and especially because of Noah himself.So it was a logical thing that he hated him from the core of his heart… but he had also seen his affection towards their grandpa. He was lost in his thoughts, staring off into the distance… when he noticed some disturbance near the ivy vines, lurking by the southernmost boundary of the garden.He rose from his seat and started walking towards the boundary; and Ben snapped to attention.He had been stan
“Killed him? Dad!! You are saying you killed him… wasn't his death an accident? Then how is it possible that you are the reason behind–”Liam didn't even realize that he had started to interrogate his father under the effect of his anxiety on hearing the last words spoken by him.Till now, he had been thinking that they were standing on the right side of the situation as well as the history that was yet to be written. He really believed that they were the oppressed ones who had always been discriminated against, trying to fight for their rights which had unjustly been snatched from them.But after hearing his father's nonchalant response, he wasn't able to think straight anymore. He was ready to go to any extent to get what really belonged to him, but killing someone was something he could never imagine doing… nor was he able to digest the fact that his father was a murderer.But before he could have completed his statement, Otis interrupted his rambling. “Yes! It was an accident, a
Sabreena hesitated in the doorway, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment as she clutched a large bouquet of white lilies. She took a deep breath before stepping into the living room, her eyes darting around nervously and scanning the faces: her brother was looking at her with confusion, while Olivia’s gaze was sharp, Eliana’s gently curious, and Noah was stoic and calm; although his calm demeanor wasn't exactly helpful in taming her anxiety.Finally, with a forced smile, she spoke up. “Oh, come on, Olivia…” She started awkwardly, the bouquet trembling slightly in her hands. “How long are you going to hold on to some… some small incident from ages ago? Why would I insult him? I… actually, I have come to thank No- I mean, Mr. Kingsley.”Eliana shot her mother an amused glance, while Noah remained silent, his face unreadable as Sabreena took a few steps forward, extending the bouquet of lilies towards him. Olivia crossed her arms and cut in sharply, “Well, I can’t exactly let it go
Liam threw down the glass vase which was placed on the side table in his room, sending it crashing to the floor, as soon as he noticed his parents trying to enter his room once again.It had been four days since his return- or to be honest, the rather rude way in which he had been thrown out, not just from the party but from the city itself. The security had unceremoniously dumped them on the first flight back to Edinburgh, without caring which class tickets were available. And apart from declaring in front of his parents that he had failed miserably, he hadn't given any specific details to his parents. Instead, he had locked himself in his room, boycotting everything: from eating properly to speaking to his parents.In fact, since last night, he had not even touched the food, even for once… and this was making both Otis and Viola more and more tense with every passing second.Even though they were aware that the deal had slipped out of Liam's hands, they were still trying to keep th
“What? Richard Jensen was there too?!” Eliana’s voice burst out in surprise from Noah's phone speaker, her lovely face filling the screen of their video call as she heard the entire story from his mouth. She leaned closer, her eyes wide with disbelief, while Noah glanced into the screen as he replied while preparing to go to bed. “Oh yeah! And he had plenty to say against me at first, calling me a scammer and whatnot. But as soon as Grandpa Omar and Norm showed up, he went quiet and practically disappeared into the crowd, fearing for his own safety.”Eliana burst into laughter, covering her mouth. “After what happened last time, I can’t believe he had the nerve to show up and then also splash mud on you! I mean, did he get the guts?”Noah chuckled. “Apparently, he bribed the event organizers for an invitation. And I guess he was really feeling frustrated after our last meeting, and thinking that he had nothing more to lose now, just vented out all his anger. His little scam was
“I understand, Grandpa Omar, that you’re not much of a drinker.”Noah continued with a steady voice, meeting some raised eyebrows from the people gathered around there. He continued, knowing that his words were surely having some effect, since Norm and Omar were looking at him with curiosity now, instead of suspicion. “I am also aware that you, Grandfather Norm and my grandfather have planned to visit Edencrest Estate together after the signing of the deal, and finally share the bottle of wine purchased so long ago. That is why I have ensured that the other bottle has safely been delivered at your residence, as the homage to that promise.”He glanced at the broken necklace on the floor, and everyone else's eyes followed; to the place where Sienna had thrown it after snapping the string and causing the pearls to scatter in all directions. “And I apologize for the condition of the necklace. It was a vintage heirloom, and though it was meant to be my gift to Eleanor, I shall make sure
Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, Noah blinked before responding. “Of course,” he said smoothly. “I am happy to answer any questions you might have to help you see that I’m speaking the truth.”Blaine folded his arms, looking Noah up and down, an expression of irritation on his face. Clearly, he thought it was nothing more than a waste of his time to entertain him, but he had no other choice. “Fine! Then show me what you have brought as a gift for my niece. If you are truly the heir of the Kingsleys, you would know better than to show up empty handed, wouldn’t you?”Noah inclined his head, unbothered by Blaine’s mocking tone. “Certainly, uncle. I’ll show you the gifts I have brought.” Turning slightly, he motioned to one of his guards, who stepped forward, handing him a wine bottle wrapped in elegant packaging. Noah held it, his fingers lightly wrapping around the bottle— the vintage wine he had personally unearthed that morning.He extended the bottle toward Blaine. “This
Sienna’s eyes narrowed with suspicion as she looked at the scene in front of her. Just this morning, this idiot Noah had been roaming around the city, trying to get access into a high- end bank.And now, he was supposedly surrounded by an army of guards? Something was really fishy…Just then, her eyes landed on the man at the front of the group, and recognition flashed in her eyes. She clenched her fists, it was him! The same gullible bodyguard from the bank earlier that morning; the one whom she had already fed lots of half- truths and mostly lies about Noah, painting him as a dangerous criminal.She had tried to make sure that he wouldn't slip away by any means, but he had. And now she knows how! Feeling a pang of betrayal and anger, she couldn't hold herself back from commenting;“Oh! I see, he has managed to fool you all too! And now you’re siding with him?” Her laugh was bitter, remembering the way this guard had promised her that he would call the police on Noah and that the
At the time when Noah had entered the venue, hardly anyone had noticed him in the middle of VIP guests, each more prestigious than the last.As long as he had an invite and the security had allowed him in, only a fool would waste their time questioning a nobody instead of making the most of this opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the most important people in the world. However, as Liam and Sienna started to mock and humiliate Noah out loud in the open, a crowd slowly started to form around them.The guests started to point him out specifically, murmuring about the possibility of him being a con man and still dodging the security arrangements at this venue.Meanwhile, Noah was standing at his place, completely unfazed by their speculations and instead maintained his calm with a smile that didn't even budge for a single moment.“And do you mind telling me, when will she become your wife? Because as far as I know, my sister in law was already married to someone else. So I'm assum