Rebecca had gone to Jane’s apartment to talk with her friend and to show her the obscene video. She didn’t want to share it online like Benjamin had because it was a sensitive matter. However, the little stunt Donovan pulled left her baffled. She ended up leaving the place without saying a word to him.But she had no idea that her best friend had seen her and her boyfriend interacting and totally misunderstood the situation, broke down into tears and dissolved into distress she had never experienced before.Jane didn’t even go to her apartment but went somewhere on foot, still crying in public, not caring what others thought. She sat on a random bench as sadness soaked her cheeks. The traffic sounds didn’t even matter. Time passed, but her heart didn’t stop beating ferociously. The sweet reminders Donovan left on her body were still there, and they stung a lot more now. The rippling waves of rage burned her from the top of her skin to the depths of her heart. If it was someone else, s
Lisa and Roshan came home in the afternoon and told Elizabeth about the school getting closed indefinitely.Elizabeth, however, showed them the items she bought at the Salvation auction. A forest painting, a golden necklace, a medieval golden crown, and a 21 million dollar house. When she took Lisa and Roshan to the house she bought at the auction, they were quite surprised. They hugged and kissed her multiple times and thanked her after she told them they could bring their friends to this new house if they wanted. There was an outdoor infinity pool, a home theater, a tennis court and a beautiful 5 acre lawn. This was like a breath of fresh air for Lisa and Roshan. They called their friends, only those who hadn’t teased them after their grandmother’s videos were leaked, and happily partied with them in the evening.Nolan and Dorothy joined the young ones while George was swimming in the infinity pool, asking her sister to join. Elizabeth told him she would swim with her husband later.
Elizabeth and her family returned to the villa, only to see the income tax officers searching the whole place, not leaving a single object untouched. Even her newly bought painting was being carefully examined.When Elizabeth and her family entered the villa, their mobiles and their purses were taken away. They were made to sit on a couch just like Selena, Shawn, Veronica, and Rebecca, but the children were allowed to go outside.The adults, however, were only allowed to talk when the officers asked them questions. The officers treated the Sterling family members coldly, but some of them secretly flirted with the maids. Some even went as far asking them to lift their skirts. Selena secretly signaled Kathy to please them, and she did.“These recent purchases…” one officer started questioning Elizabeth about the things she bought at the auction. They cost over 70 million dollars overall, and that revelation shocked Selena and Shawn. Later, Shawn had to give an account as to where that w
“You think I’d let your attractiveness make me treat you differently?”“I don’t care about your words, only your actions. And your recent designs are absolute trash. Talk about falling down the ladder due to overconfidence.”“It’s good to have boldness, but there should be a limit, or it’ll become barbaric.”“I’m sorry, but I can’t help you.”No matter whom Rebecca approached, be it her superiors or her fellow workers in the field, they didn’t care about her words at all. Nobody was willing to spend even five minutes and listen to her story, except for those who wanted to have a taste of her body before they could offer any help.“I heard you’re married, but it’s still fine. I can still talk to you, if you know what I mean.”“It doesn’t matter if you’re married or divorced, as it’s secretly common for women to rotate men. As long as I’m in that rotation, I can help you.”“A devil must have come over you for her to have made those designs, but it’s fine if she can show me the succubus
The income tax officers stayed in the villa all night, with three witnesses from the neighborhood. One of them was Mina disguised as a resident.Jacob didn’t even come home. The only mobile he could reach was Rebecca, so he kept calling her and asked for progress. He told her the spots where he kept some illegal documents. She couldn’t cover him for him, so she gave her mobile to Shawn, and he took care of whatever Jacob told him.Selena, on the other hand, kept asking the officers why their family was being suddenly targeted with no prior notice or anything. Even though they didn’t reply at first, she didn’t stop asking. At some point the Chief Commissioner grew tired and told her he received orders from the higher ups to do a raid and he had to do it even though there were no records of the Sterling family evading taxes.The officers found some illegal investments of Shawn in real estate, and some unexplained cash credits in Elizabeth’s accounts. To make things worse, Dorothy also h
Rebecca came home after meeting with Sheila the lawyer. Veronica was taking the children to the movie, so she thought of Benjamin for a second. She wanted to watch with him, but she wasn’t in the mood right now.“I wonder what he’s doing. Should I call and tell him to go and watch the movie alone?” she pondered.In Elizabeth’s room, Shawn slapped his wife repeatedly even after she began crying. “70 freaking million! You think money is water? Who told you to buy a house and a private jet?”“I-I… I’m sorry,” she apologized in a crying tone. “I won’t buy anything without asking you again.” Her whole face turned red.Seeing her like that, Shawn gritted his teeth. “Come here.”She was shaking as he hesitantly approached him, thinking he was going to hit her again. However, he hugged her tightly and kissed her on the head.“Don’t make me hit you again,” Shawn’s eyes slightly teared up, though no tears leaked out from the corners of his eyes. “I’m afraid we’ll have to sell all those things y
“Get your hands off me!” Rebecca pushed Donovan away, which didn’t surprise him.“I think I’ve seen enough,” Catherine glared at Rebecca. “Don’t ever show your face around here again.” She shut the door in Rebecca’s face.“Wait!” Rebecca shouted. “You’ve misunderstood me, Aunt Catherine.” She knocked on the door five times, but there was no response.Donovan again put his hand on her shoulder. She turned to slap him, but he caught her hand.“Let go of me,” she yanked her hand, but his grip was so hard she couldn’t free herself.“I’m not possessive like your husband,” Donovan grinned, “but I’m sure I can definitely please you better than he ever can.”She went for a slap with the other hand. Again, he caught her and amusedly smiled. He was taller and stronger, but that didn’t intimidate her. However, what bothered her was that there were people watching, and they made no attempt to intervene.“I’m the kind of guy who doesn't take shit,” Donovan’s voice grew rough and sharp like a cutti
While the advertisements played on the screen, Rebecca noticed that Benjamin was looking at her instead of looking at the screen.She acted like she didn’t notice it, but then a minute passed, and he was still at it. She couldn’t act anymore. Turning her head, she looked at him. “Is something wrong?”Benjamin lifted his hand and gently stroked her cheek with his tentative fingertip.Her eyes closed, and she could feel his touch all the more. It felt like he was probing for something. As his finger moved along her jaw, her lips pursed. When the fingertip reached the chin, her lips and chin together trembled.He curled his finger in.She slowly opened her eyes, looking flushed and slightly happy. Her expression made her look even more beautiful. Would there be a more perfect time to kiss? He felt really tempted to kiss her. Rebecca was also licking her lips, trying to cope with the situation.Alfred got out of his seat and walked away. (Dammit. I really wanted to watch the movie. I gues