Luke was dumbfounded.The entire hall fell silent as everyone stared fixedly at the screen. The camera zoomed in on Luke and Nina, showcasing in very clear details, their soft but intense lip locking.Luke’s fingers curled into fists on his lap and he turned to Fiona with a cold, dark stare.“I can’t believe you would ever stoop this low.” He growled through gritted teeth. “I understand that we have our tiffs, but bringing it here? To a business conference? You’re the most disgusting human being I know.”Fiona’s eyes widened as she made a show of appearing innocent. “Luke, I didn’t do this. I promise.”The entire hall watched their low-toned exchange. Luke knew it would generate even more gossip but he didn’t seem to care at that moment.“If you didn’t somehow get that video on the projector, who did?” Luke asked, his voice already dripping with rage.“Who else would do this, Fiona?”Just then, Luke noticed slight movements to his left and lifted his head involuntarily to see who i
Luke shot to his feet immediately and ran after her, hoping to catch up before she arrived at the hall. He could see her red hair flying in the air as he ran faster. Dread settled deep in his guts when she arrived at the door leading to the hall and reached for the knob.Luke pumped his legs faster and grabbed one end of her long, black dress. Just then, she pulled the door open and they both crashed into the hall in a flurry of tumbling bodies, flying fists and shocked gasps.Whoever was talking on stage stopped talking and the entire hall fell into stunned silence.“Get off me, you monster!” The woman started screaming. “Get off me! Somebody help me, please!”Luke shot to his feet immediately, his heart thumping wildly when he looked up and realised that everyone’s attention was zeroed in on him.Stunned, hushed whispers rippled through the crowd. Some of the stares he got were openly condemning while most of the guests were just plain shocked.As the tense seconds ticked by, Luke
“You are a very disgusting man, Luke Bradford and a disgrace to all the good men out there.” Emily spat, her face twisted with rage. “How could you lay your hands on her? How dare you?!”Luke tried to defend himself but some of the other guests rose to their feet and before he could do anything, they surrounded him, all talking at once and pointing fingers.“You’re a very big disgrace. How could you do this?”“What more do you expect from a man who cheated on his wife on their wedding day. He’s as useless as they come.”“I’m so disappointed in you, Luke George. You do not deserve mercy at all.” “Somebody call the police and get this bastard arrested.”“You’re a rapist! A shameless one at that. Just take a look at you!”Luke's heart raced with a mixture of nervousness and fear and he raised his hands in surrender, trying to explain his own part of the story. “I didn’t do anything. Please, believe me. I didn’t touch her. This is a set up.”“Oh, shut it, you brainless human being!” Em
Luke’s heart soared with happiness as the officers grabbed Rose and tried to drag her out of the room. She screamed and fought in their hold but no one came to her aid. “Is this how you treat a victim?!” She sneered. “I will make sure to sue every single one of you for assaulting me! You’re infringing on my rights, you fools. Let me gooo!”When she tried to attack one of the female officers with her long nails, the lady paused and gave her a dark, cold look.“Be rest assured that if I get even a single scratch from this drama you’re trying to put up, we’ll change our minds and conduct the test right here… in front of all these people.”Gasps of shock reverberated through the entire room. Rose, on the other hand, was appalled. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers and her lips trembled with the need to snap back.“Rose is right! This is no way to treat a victim” Luke lifted his head at the sound of the familiar voice. He was not surprised when he saw Mr. Humsworth stepping forward
“…they forced me…”Luke stared at Rose for a second, his eyes widening with disbelief. All around, the guests shot him sympathetic looks as they talked softly amongst themselves.Nina and Detective McGregor had smug smiles on their faces while Rose continued to cry her eyes out.The detective approached her, lifting the test results in the air.“Before I reveal the contents of this result, I’d like to give you the chance to confess on your own.Did Luke rape you or were you lying about that as well?”Tension gripped the entire hall as everyone awaited her response. Rose slowly lifted her head and for the first time since Luke saw her in the restroom, she looked remorseful.She pressed her lips together and shook her head, indicating that she’d been lying afterall. Whispers of shock and amazement rippled through the crowd as she stepped forward until she was face-to-face with Luke.“Luke did not rape me in the restroom.” She said boldly. “I did what I did because I had no choice. My
THE COUNCIL OF ELDERSIn a luxurious mansion somewhere deep in the city of Rome, a gathering of wealthy, expensively dressed men sat at a round table, each deep in thought.“I wonder if Meyers has successfully delivered our message to the young man.” One of them mused.“Yes. Yes, I did.”They all turned towards the door, mildly surprised as the man in question walked into the room.“I thought you were in London ten minutes ago.”Meyers shrugged as he took his seat.“Our planes travel at the speed of light and can breach dimensions.” He said simply, leaving it at that.Ryker, the oldest elder in the council, cleared his throat. “It is important to start preparing him for what is ahead. Our chosen one has a lot of enemies. Too many enemies. If he’s supposed to continue the legacy of his father, he has to be prepared. Without that, he might be killed before he even gets the chance to bloom.”“You’re right, your lordship.” Michaelson, another council member concurred. “Luke’s preparatio
Luke was searching everywhere for Nina. All the guests had dispersed and the hall was empty, but she was still nowhere to be seen. He really wanted to show his appreciation for what she’d done for him today. If not for her and McGregor, he would’ve been on his way to prison.When he looked all around the grounds and still couldn’t find her, he decided to ask one of the security guards.“Hello, how do you do?”The guard bowed slightly before him.“Hello, your lordship. How do you do, too.”“Great. I’m looking for Miss Nina Washington. Have you perhaps seen her lately?”The guard nodded and Luke heaved a sigh of relief.“Yes, I’ve seen her. She’s on the rooftop.”Surprised, Luke blinked at him.“Excuse me?”“She’s on the rooftop, sir. She asked me to tell you to find her there if you came looking for her.”Luke didn’t allow him to land. He turned around and propelled towards the entrance that would lead him to Nina.“Thank you!” He yelled over his shoulder as he hurried away.Seconds l
NOTE: Raw and unedited chapter.***“Luke, what have you done? What have you done?!” His grandfather’s loud yell snapped Luke out of his daze and he took in the horrifying sight before him, blinking rapidly with hopes that Fiona was absolutely fine and everything was just a nightmare.Sadly, it wasn’t. No matter how hard he blinked or how fast he prayed, his wife was still unconscious and bleeding in his arms and mistake or not, he was responsible.The reality of his situation finally dawned on him and he released her involuntarily, causing her lifeless body to fall ti the fright with an almighty crash.“Luke! What has come over you, son? We need to get her to the hospital. Call the ambulance!”Luke was in shock. His fingers trembled and his heart pounded furiously. At that very moment, he realised that the entire situation was not going to end in his favour… at all.He finally snapped out his daze and fell on his knees, pressing his fingers to get neck to see if she has a pulse.“He