Nathan's POVNathan chuckled and shook his head. He still didn't understand why David had taken that decision, but he was willing to accept it. He had enough help at home to handle Nate. Jane was at home to look after Nate too if he wasn't feeling well or predisposed, and if possible, he could hire a caretaker for the youngster. He was willing to go to great measures to ensure Nate's future was good.He finished signing the forms and handed them over to her. Vivian received it and read it before agreeing, "I'll hand over the documents to the lawyers. They'd take it from there," she told him.He exhaled. This was merely the beginning, but he was ready for what came next. "I will establish a trust fund for Nate. The cash that should have been paid to David upon the acquisition of Solace Enterprise would be moved to the trust fund account. I hope Nate has something to rely on when he grows up," he told Vivian.…Just in case he was no longer here and the real Nathaniel Hayes was back. He
Nathan’s POV‘We need to talk.’Nathan read the text message for the hundredth time on his way to Myla’s home. The message had popped in that morning when he was preparing Nate for school.He had tried to drag a response but then, Nathan knew that there was no point in dragging it.He also needed to speak with Myla about Nathaniel Hayes’ memories, which he had witnessed, but for some reason, he dreaded meeting Myla.Perhaps it was because he would have to pretend to be Nathaniel Hayes and deceive the man to believe that it was his own memories. The lies were weighing down on his heart that he was scared of breaking under a little pressure.He felt a looming threat even as the car came up to the gate of the Delton family’s beautiful villa. He had been there previously, so the driver drove directly to Myla’s house, which was an extension of the main mansion.The villa was built in such a way that everyone had their own private houses and the main house was where Myla’s father; who he wa
Nathan's POVNathan hadn’t expected that reaction. His friend was acting like the information he was looking for was something else. Nathan didn’t know what Myla wanted, so he continued.He nervously stroked his neck. “Of course they’re mine; who else would it be?” he remarked in a quivering voice.Myla gave him a stern look before nodding. Why did Myla believe that the memories were of someone else? Myla had no means of knowing whether Nathan was not the actual Nathaniel Hayes; even Scott had not discovered this yet.Myla shrugged again. “Okay? I’m guessing you remembered something important,” he murmured.Nathan arched his brow. “Is it important?” He murmured.Myla shrugged. “I wouldn’t know until you told me,” he added.Nathan breathed a sigh of relief. “The day at the storage room where you gave me the flash drives and the list… I’m sure they are important because I have that list, and funny enough, I have shown them to you,” he blurted out.Nathan was still impressed by Myla’s po
Nathan’s POVMyla arched a brow, “ you don’t know? You saw other items, so where is the rest?” he asked.“ I only saw the list and one flash drive hidden under the table in Nathaniel’s room. I don’t know where he kept the other one… and I’ve searched the entire house.” He said.“Then remember!” Myla spat.Nathan sighed. He realized how aggravating this must be, but he couldn’t merely call Nathaniel Hayes’ memories to appear in his mind. Myla appeared restless and agitated. He wondered why.“What is going on, Myla…?” Nathan asked.For Myla to be requesting for that flash drive after ten years, then it meant that he seriously was in need of it’s contents. Why now? Why was he interested in the flash drive now? He thought.Nathaniel Hayes should have given the items that Myla had given him to his father, Oleander Hayes, but he got into an accident. The fact that he was able to see where Nathaniel had his the flash drive and list meant that Nathaniel had probably prepared for the worse.Wh
Nathan's POVNathan sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. The worst thing a father could do was endanger his family. Especially when one is under threat while the other is comatose in a hospital. From the little he knew about Oleander, the man loved his son Nathaniel and it would’ve broken his heart to watch his son in the hospital fighting for his life. “ …And Scott didn’t know about the list…” he muttered, already knowing that fact.Myla nodded, “ Nathaniel would never let his brother be involved in something this dangerous. Even when I suggested that he told Scott, he made sure to warn me that I was not to show that to Scott…” he said.Nathan sighed. Scott was already aware, not that very much aware of the secret organization within Hayes Holdings, but he had seen the videos.“ I get that he’s protective of Scott but what if he had given the other flash to Scott?” He asked.“ Not possible” Myla said. “ Like I said, Nathaniel would never involve Scott..”Nathan pursed his l
Nathan’s POVNathan checked his wrist watch again, and the woman of the hour had yet to come. He considered it an insult that he was sitting here, waiting for Susan Spike to arrive.It was either she didn’t know business ethics or she was used to being late at meetings. He would tolerate now. And to think he had cleared his one hours schedule for this meeting.He turned to Amber, “ next time I have a meeting with Susan, remind me to send a representative…” he mumbled.Amber scoffed, already fed up with the woman. Nathan had been watching Amber since that morning to know if Amber would approach him but the guy had maintained the distance. He had thought that Myla would probably tell his brother about what they had discussed.But it looks like Nathaniel and Myla shared something in common. They made sure that their little brothers were not involved in whatever shit was going on.He checked his watch again and snorted. Susan Spike had pestered Amber and Helen for several weeks to plan a
Nathan's POVSusan was troubled as she turned to Piper, imploring with her eyes. Piper screamed in surprise and whirled around, her heels clanging as she left the room.It must have been embarrassing for her to take the walk of shame, but at the end, Susan had a business to carry out and she was standing in the way.Nathan turned to Susan and said, “Next time you come here, please keep that lady far away from me. Shall we begin…?” He muttered.Susan’s lawyer was alarmed, but the man recovered sufficiently to open his suitcase and hand the documentation over to Nathan’s lawyer. “The stipulations you requested have been added to the contract, as well as the changes,” the attorney said with a smile, trying to please him obviously.Nathan returned the smile with a forced smile of his and waited for his lawyer to confirm it. His lawyer nodded, and he smiled. “ It’s well written. We can put the percentage share since it wasn’t stated there…” he saidNathan frowned. It wouldn’t hurt to go ov
Scott’s POVScott opted to take Nate to school that morning because he hadn’t done so in a long time. Nathan had rushed off to work very early that morning, which worked to his advantage. He had observed that Nathan was overburdened with work and had even offered to shoulder some of the weight, but Nathan was not exhibiting weakness and it worried him. It was as if his brother had been reborn again, sprinting with a renewed vision and desire. If Nathan was working as one man before, now he was working as a one man army. Project 100 was going remarkably well, and Scott was impressed that Stephen was working day and night to ensure that the project was completed in the shortest amount of time possible.What had looked impossible now looked possible with the rate the work was going.It also surprised him because they were poaching clients who were exclusive dealers for Ross Construction and it was baffling how Elton Ross was being thrown one surprise every single say. It was as if Ste
Lucas's POVLucas heard familiar voices all around him, but his brain couldn't figure out who was speaking. They had tried to be as quiet as they possibly could, but was failing miserably.He tried to open his eyes, but they seemed to have a mind of their own and were taking their sweet time to do so.His interest piqued as he overheard someone speak. "He's awake! His eyes are shaking. Shouldn't we call the doctor…"Who's awake? Lucas thought. It had to be him that they were referring to. He was lying down on a warm bed too.He attempted to move his body, and while it was impossible at first since his body felt heavy like a log of wood, he was able to finally shift his hand.The folks in the room were conversing quicker and moving around, judging by their heavy footfall. He was now curious about what was going on around him.Lucas tried again to open his eyes, and this time he was successful, but he had to close them again, almost immediately, when blinding light entered his eyes."C'
Nathan's POVNathan shifted his sitting position so that he was half lying down on the plush couch as he watched Elton Ross being carried out of the court and down the stairs.The reporters waiting for an interview outside the court rushed towards him and tried to get near the man despite the officers holding Elton on both sides attempting to stop them."What can you say about the final verdict?!" Someone shouted, prompting more questions from other reporters." Did you plead guilty or not guilty! Are you responsible for the death of your son in-law?!"" What do you have to say about your daughter's murder!"Nathan sighed. Shaking his head. Elton Ross had this coming for him for a very long time. He watched the man lower his head in shame. He rolled his eyes and switched to another channel, but they were still reporting the same story about billionaire CEO, Elton Ross ordering the murder of his son-in-law, Lucas, and how he had pleaded guilty to the other four counts laid against him
Elton's POVTo others, Piper was just another person who succumbed to the cruel grasp of death. The notion of being responsible for his daughter's death occurred to Elton, but he took a deep breath and buried it.'Now was not the time to deal with trivial matters, Elton'. He reminded himself mentally."Thank you, doctor. How is she?" He asked, alluding to Margaret.The doctor exhaled and shook his head. "She's not well. Her body is frail, and she is deficient in some nutrients, which we are currently injecting into her. I assume she took your daughter's death the hard way," he stated.Elton sighed. "You might say that." He mumbled. He admitted that he should have taken her to the hospital sooner, but assumed she could handle the loss and grief on her own.Margaret has experienced loss before. She lost her parents at a young age. So this shouldn't have taken a toll on her especially when she wasn't close to Piper, but perhaps, the bond between mother and daughter was too hard to ignore
Elton's POVElton Ross stood still, staring at the lifeless body in the ironically beautiful casket. He couldn't believe it had been almost two weeks since he received the news that shocked him to his core. His only daughter had been shot dead by none other than a henchman he had hired.The plan had been simple: shoot once to scare Nathaniel Hayes. But the plan, which had been simple, had grown so complex the moment the henchman had decided that killing Nathaniel Hayes instead would scare the man, and that had brought Elton the most regret.He could still see Piper's smile in his sleep, her smirk, and deep calculative frown, when things didn't go her way, which she had inherited from him. Her seductive stare as she was about to ensnare a man in her fingers.He always woke up dreaming about her and the dreams always ended with that disappointing stare from his daughter. He had killed her.How could he forget her nagging? She had gone to him a few days before her death to protest abou
Nathan's POVHayden laughed and said, "It's funny how you guys could do things that even the police force wouldn't think of." He said, nodding to August.August rolled his eyes but stayed silent. He had the sensation that the man moved mostly in the dark and kept hidden unless it was essential to reveal himself, which explained his location behind the door.Leslie scoffed. "If you want to survive in a large family like ours, you have to learn to do things on your own. After nearly three hours, they left in different directions. I have a feeling they might not even know the members," he remarked."They fucking wore masks inside the house and blindfolds inside the car while leaving. I was only able to catch a glimpse because the compound was surrounded by a huge wall…" August revealed from where he was half hidden."Give me a coordinate, and I'll get satellite footage of the building and its surroundings. Except, they are hidden underground." Chris murmured.While Chris was talking, Myl
Nathan's POVEveryone huddled together in the living room. Nathan was sitting on the couch, while Scott sat on the armrest, half leaning against him."How are you?" Hayden questioned him.Nathan frowned. He last saw the man months ago. If Hayden needed to notify them of something, he would always call, or Scott would go down to the station. This was the first time he had seen the detective in a long time, and the way that Hayden was acting gave him the impression that he had conclusive evidence and was only waiting for their agreement to proceed with his plans."I'm fine." He responded. "You were shot at, and Scott said you've been asleep for two days; don't you think it's best you get checked out at the hospital to be sure you're in great shape?" the police officer inquired.Nathan arched his brow; he hadn't considered it before, and now that detective Hayden had mentioned it, he wondered why he hadn't woke up in the hospital instead, especially given Scott's overprotective and cau
Nathan's POV“So, is this a visit or what?” he inquired, smiling. He didn’t want them to notice how tense he was. Too many Hayes in one house was enough for one person to notice something unusual about him and begin connecting the dots.It wouldn’t be long before they discovered that he wasn’t the real Nathaniel Hayes.Noah narrowed his eyes at him, then shifted his focus to his brother, Nolan. Nolan was the one who spoke first.“You were shot, Nathaniel. I didn’t expect you to forget that.” Nathan blinked. He remembered the experience vividly. He remembered nearly avoiding the gunshot because he had shifted slightly, but he didn’t see how this solved the question of why they were all there.August sighed and approached him, laying an arm over his shoulders. “Someone made the mistake of attempting to kill you, Nathaniel. You didn’t expect us to fold our hands and keep them out of it, right? And no,” he replied, shaking his head. “It became our business the moment someone pointed a
Nathan's POV“So what do we do if they are everywhere, dad?” the child said. The man stated, “We fight for what we have.”If the child was Nathaniel, and he had called the man dad, then it was clear that the man had to be Oleander Hayes, Nathaniel’s father. This was his first time hearing the man’s voice. Why did it have to be now? He wondered. Now that he felt Nathaniel’s consciousness gradually leaving him. He wasn’t sure if he was going to wake up as Nathaniel Hayes again or if he was going to return back to his body as Lucas.Nathan stepped up to the lamp, hoping it would give him an indication as to what was going on in the room. But when he looked closer, it had no switch. The lamp was turned on without a switch.Weird, he thought. How could a lamp be on without a control switch.“ Fight?” the child; Nathaniel asked. “ can’t we do something else, like run?” The question attracted Nathan’s attention. His first instinct when there was trouble had been to run, but Oleander had
Nathan’s POV The drive home was calm in the car, but the country was not silent that night. He was calm but his mind was running in circles, wondering what had just happened.One minute, he had been talking to Piper, the next, the gunshots went off and he was collapsing on the floor with Piper’s blood around him.He gazed down at his now blood stained sleeves and gasped in shock. He quickly pulled off his jacket and started unbuttoning his shirt when a hand stopped him.He tried to bat the had off, but the person held on strong. “ Let me help you Nathaniel!” Amber muttered.He sighed, calming down when he recognized Amber’s voice and allowed Amber to help him. Amber unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged it out of his body, dropping it together with the jacket on the front seat. They remained quiet after that.Nathan with his eyes closed, leaning on the seat and Amber making and answering calls. He didn’t feel his phone vibrate, so he assumed that Amber was the one with his phone and wa