“Wait a minute... jealous? Of me!?”Eliana was staring at Bailey like she had mentioned the earth being flat, or something.Meanwhile, Bailey looked back at her in disbelief, like Eliana had just confessed to not knowing that the sky was supposed to be blue.She leaned forward, as if trying to knock some sense into her best friend.“Girl! I know you are naive, having grown up in a privileged class and a protective family and everything, but I didn’t know you were this clueless! It is obvious to everyone, even the birds flying above, that your aunt is jealous of you! And to a very unhealthy degree. I can’t possibly be the first one to say this to you, right? Right!?”Bailey urged, but Eliana had stopped listening a while ago. Her mind was taking her on a flash- back ride to all the times Noah had hinted at the same thing. Although he had said it in a more subtle way, saying that Sienna and her mom didn't have her best intentions at heart. But all those times, Eliana had brushed it off
Eliana’s tears continued to flow as she recounted the events. “I turned my mom down, and we walked out of the house, and I was ready to go wherever Noah wanted to take me. But then… I almost couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw it—a maroon luxury Rolls Royce parked in front of my house.The limited model that I'm hundred percent sure, is more expensive than any car my family owns. And on top of everything, it wasn’t just any car; it was customized, so it would have cost a fortune! I mean, in my mind, that car could belong to anyone but Noah! But, surprisingly enough, it was his. He didn’t say much either, he just quickly put all my stuff in the trunk, and we were ready to go.”Eliana sighed deeply, and Bailey, trying to keep up, asked eagerly;“So that’s it? That’s all the drama that happened, and as for your husband’s car—”Eliana cut her off, slamming her hand on the table in frustration as she remembered what happened next. “No! That’s hardly it. Because before I could even get in
Warner looked at Noah with pleading eyes, knowing that nothing was wrong from Noah's perspective, neither his anger, nor his reluctance to come near his grandpa or even the questions he must be having.He has grown to be the perfect heir, perfect person to lead the empire, the perfect son of the family whom he could trust after Rick… even after being away from the family for so long, and not getting any professional education that a member of the Kingsley family should get.He was really proud of his grandson, and he needed to let him know about this as well. But right now, there were more important things that Noah should know, rather than knowing that his grandpa was proud of him.With this thought, he stepped towards Noah, and gestured towards Stuart, who turned towards the table. He proceeded to pick up a file from the bundle of files which were kept there, which Noah hadn't noticed till now.Warner began with his resolve;“Noah, my child, I know you have plenty of questions, tons
“Protection! But why? And from what? I am not a helpless child who would die if no one had mercy on him and took him to their house! I am older now, and I know how to survive on my own–”Warner pulled him into his embrace again, cutting off the rant that Noah was about to set off on. Every word that Noah was saying was hurting the old man like a bullet to his chest; and the pain from these wounds was becoming more and more unbearable for him.After all, Noah was right… just because of a fear hidden in his heart and a doubt which he still didn't have any clues about, he had let his grandson down. He had never shown the courage to bring Noah back, not until he was completely assured that Otis and his wife wouldn't be doing anything to harm Noah.But before he could complete the list of the probable enemies that he had compiled for Noah's protection, Noah spoke again, freeing himself from his grip. “Don't try to use these emotional weapons on me! I demand an answer for the question I wa
“Murder? My murder?!”Noah finally managed to process the words he had just heard, murmuring them softly to himself.He knew that nobody in his family liked him, which was also why they had planned to throw him out of the house, but that doesn't mean that they were going to kill him.He didn't believe for a second that they would even think about it… this was something he had never imagined anyone from his family to be capable of.But suddenly, his grandfather’s words during their last call had started to make sense…“Have you eaten dinner yet? Is anything irritating your throat or do you feel uneasy?”At that time, he had been thinking that it was just a trick from his grandfather to show him the fake concern for him… but now, after this statement, he realized that it was not just concern, rather, it was his grandfather's fear.And he was also able to understand the second clause to hide for three days, until he himself arrived there and took him with himself.But before he could hav
Bailey stammered out, “What did you say? A mansion? Maybe I’m too drunk, and I have reached the stage where I'm hallucinating now…”She lifted her hands close to her cheeks, ready to slap herself to knock some sense back into her mind. But Eliana caught her wrists in time as she shook her head, her expression serious. “No! Bailey! You are not hallucinating. I did say that he took me to a mansion. It is on the outskirts of the city, and from what little of it I saw last night and this morning, it seems quite grand and spacious… something really beyond my expectations.”Bailey gulped, her hand shaking slightly as she set her drink down. “But how! How is it possible that someone who couldn’t even afford to rent out a one bedroom apartment of his own, in the most cheapest part of the city, has taken his wife straight to a mansion, in the middle of the night? That too, on such short notice of an hour at most? Ellie, are you sure you are safe there? How sure are you…”Eliana raised an ey
“But Grandpa, if you want to eat something, I can cook it for you right here, in almost no time at all. Because… this restaurant is almost at the other end of the city. It is quite pricey with no class at all… I mean, I know you never care for the price, but I have never liked the management there. The staff is quite rude, and everyone present there only treats you well if you have good money and are going to spend lavishly on the tip.”Noah spoke up, without wasting any time, remembering the bitter memories related to that restaurant. During the first year of their marriage, while he was still working for David Frost, he had saved up some money over a long period of time. He had been planning to take Eliana on a date there, knowing that it was Eliana and Bailey's go- to place.But the treatment from the staff and the disappointment felt by Eliana had made him so embarrassed, that he never dared to plan anything like that ever again. Not only that, but Eliana had also started hesita
It took almost an hour for both Noah and Stuart to reach the restaurant Warner wanted them to visit; Noah had correctly estimated the time it would take to get to the other side of the city during peak afternoon traffic. But in his hurry, Noah had once again forgotten to change the clothes that he was wearing that morning, while making breakfast for Eliana and then dropping her off at Red Swan Entertainment. It wasn't just because he was thinking that he would change at his leisure after his return, but also because he didn't have many options. Even though he had shifted to the new house and gotten the new car, along with the assurance of getting back everything that belonged to him, he hadn't bought anything that could show the reflection of the money he had in his bank account, or the properties and empire he was going to acquire.It was partly because of a lack of time; since the day he had met Stuart and decided to accept the proposal of his uncle and aunty, till today, he hadn
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