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The Billionaire's Torment Chapter 31. Threatened
Nora's POV There was a stunned silence after Max left. We all stared at the door as if he might reappear. My father in law coughed into his hand, we turned our attention to him. “Marylin, forcing Max into marriage was your first mistake, your second was marrying him to a person from a different background. We all know Nora didn't marry him for love, these are the results. Let him be.” This man really hated me, on previous occasions, he showed his dislike but never voiced his opinion of me. Today he bared his emotions for all to see.“Shut up if you have nothing of importance to say. I think you are behind those photos.” Marylin tore into her husband, he looked at her askance.“Me? You give me too much credit. Nora and Selborne fell in love on their own. It has nothing to do with me. If l were you, l would demand a DNA test before l defend the undefendable.” Marylin angrily shooed him away, “ fuck off, who called you here anyway? You are a bad father but what do l expect from some
The Billionaire's Torment Chapter 32. Betrayal
Selborne 's POVMaxwell Ratliff 's attack took me by surprise. The smile on my face when l saw him turned into a grimace as his fist connected with my jaw. As l landed on my back, the uppermost question in my mind was why.I met Max through Dr Ralph. Our friendship was cordial, we respected each other and never once had a disagreement. I thanked the stars there were people around us, otherwise i would be a goner. Max and I were almost the same size and weight. The difference between us was he worked out while my visits to the gym were sporadic. His bodyguards whisked me away to the hospital. I lied about the source of my injuries during the physical examination. It was embarrassing to tell my colleagues a friend beat me and i had no idea why. “Dr, you have strained your back, you have to stay overnight. From tomorrow you are on one week leave.” The attending physician gave me the devastating news. My job was the only exciting thing in my life. My relationship with Cathy was new, l
The Billionaire's Torment Chapter 33. "Do the DNA test"
Nora's POV I sat in my car, my heartbeat beating at an alarming rate. Maxwell Ratliff just threatened my life. I breathed through my mouth until i calmed down. I had to talk to someone before l lost it. Max's stance had not changed a bit and it looked like it would remain that way forever. My mind baulked at the possibility that my marriage was over.I started the car and drove in circles until i passed my childhood church. The last time l attended church was ten years ago.I reversed and drove into the church premises. It was time to seek counselling from my Maker. Inside the church l searched for the priest. The church was silent as a tomb. I caressed the pew chairs as i walked to the altar. The chairs were still the same, the only new feature was the altar. The old one was made of wood, the new one of glass.In my mind’s eye l saw my young self sitting beside granny. She would pinch me from time to time because i dozed off. The old priest lulled me to sleep with his soft voice.
The Billionaire's Torment Chapter 34. I'm sorry
Nora's POV My heart threatened to stop. I eyed the water dispenser and wished somebody could fetch me a glass of water. I got to my feet, my weak knees carried me to the water dispenser. I gulped glass after glass of water, l stopped when my stomach revolted. The water revived my strength. This was it, the end of my marriage. Marylin was my last hope, if she was like this then the whole Ratliff family hated me. I could feel my heart bursting into flames and turning to ashes. My contractual marriage to Max turned into something beautiful. He initially hated the marriage but came around. He showered me with so much love l had no choice but to love him back. As I stood swaying in my mother in law's office, the urge to fight for my marriage resurfaced. The how part would come later. I decided to visit my husband again, if he killed me, so be it.I shuffled to the door, my joints heavy. I opened the door and peeked out, Marylin stood with her back to me, talking to a waiter. I quickene
The Billionaire's Torment Chapter 35. Divorce her
Max's POV Saturday evening at eight o'clock, a week after my last interaction with Nora the boys invited me for drinks at The Falcon. I did not feel like going, l enjoyed my solitary drinking.I agreed to the invite because they dangled a mysterious solution to my problem. I wondered what it was. The Falcon’s entrance seemed to stretch backwards as I approached.I measured my steps, careful not to topple over. The Falcon's and street lights shimmered and ebbed, their brightness made me see strange images. I squinted my eyes, drunk as the African elephants on Marula fruit. The boys waited at the entrance, “ wow, where are you off to my sons?.”“Who are your sons? You are drunk, we got the call to wait for you at the door otherwise you would get lost.” Shad answered, his hand on my shoulder, he steered me towards the elevator.“Frank is a snitch, from now onwards include him in your payroll.” “Nonsense, Frank wanted to know if he should turn back and send you home or not. He realised y
The Billionaire's Torment Chapter 36. Miscarriage?
Nora's POV I was transfixed to the spot until Max’s fleet of cars vanished from my sight. I leaned on the car door for a long time, the dizziness passed. I trudged to my office on lead feet. Upon reaching the office, l laid down on the couch, the ceiling pattern fascinated me.I counted each flower painted on it, l got tired after the twentieth flower. My eyes closed, images of my first encounter with Max danced behind my eyes. The violence of our first meeting morphed into a beautiful marriage until the devil decided to visit. Behind my closed eyes, tears trickled down on both sides of my temples. I wiped them away as they raced towards my ears. Somebody knocked and entered without permission. “You have heard? Here l was thinking l'm the bearer of good news, apparently someone beat me to it.”I sniffed and propped myself on my elbow, “ what are you blabbering about Ross?.” “Your baby daddy of course, you are bawling because of that twit?.”I gave him the evil eye, “Ross, if you h
The Billionaire's Torment Chapter 37. Misdirection
Nora's POV A smile radiated from my face as the door closed behind Max. The fat cat of Bluewaters had been duped. I should get an award for excellent performance. He fell for it. I had Ross and Dr Brown to be thankful to. They protected my baby from its foolish father. I recalled my earlier interaction with Dr Brown. Her intense stare shook me to my core when she took her time to tell me if my baby was alive or not.I started to panic, “ give it to me Dr Brown, is my pregnancy still viable?.” She nodded, phew! My heart nearly stopped with grief, the good news made me burst into tears, Dr Brown clicked her tongue, “ l thought you would be happy Dr. What now?.”I smiled at her behind a sheet of tears, “ Dr Brown, l'm happy, relieved and grateful all at once. Thank you so much.”“I'm happy for you. Nora, you and Ross owe me big time. You made me do an unethical thing.” My eyes rounded in horror, l gaped at her, “ me? What did l do? If Ross did something, he did it on his own.” My th
The Billionaire's Torment Chapter 38. Resigned
Max's POV I played with the stapler, my body in my office but my mind on the other side of town.Nora's potent stare stayed with me for days after it happened. Her reaction did not surprise me. On my way to the hospital, l rewinded our night of intimacy and subsequent days. Nora laid bare her innermost emotions. My body felt her love for me by the way her round, dove, hooded eyes stared into mine, the way she sniffed me as if imprinting my scent in her memory bank, her soft touch as her hands glided over the contours of my body. The hatred l perceived on her pale face contrasted with the love that deep down l knew was reserved for me, nobody else. Navigating through life minus my wife chipped away at my resolve to divorce her. Her scent lingered in our bedroom, her ornaments scattered throughout our bedroom maimed me emotionally. I deserted our bedroom and migrated to the guest room.In the initial stages of my talks with the guys l resisted the idea of divorce, did a turnabout a
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Chapter 78. Tormented
NoraAll my life and as a medical doctor and surgeon, l never witnessed anything like it. The days following Max’s accident were hell for me and him. He had horrendous nightmares. On the third week l was woken by beeping noises. I glanced fearfully at Max’s bed.He was sat on the bed, his arms reaching for an invisible enemy or whatever was in his mind. His eyes were clenched shut. I could not see his expression because of the bandages, but the way his shoulder muscles spasmed, l could tell.I quickly got out of bed, spoke to him in a low tone,” relax darling. It's a bad dream, relax.” I pushed his broad shoulders down. The next minute, a huge hand closed on my throat and started squeezing. Hard. Oh my God, not again. Images of the burly man at the farmhouse resurfaced. This time it was my husband who was straggling the daylights out of me. I beat at his hand frantically. The pressure increased. Air whooshed out of my lungs. Black spots danced in my eyes. A door opened somewhere, foo
Chapter 77. Is Maxwell Ratliff dead?
NoraThe weeks after the kidnapping incident crippled my soul. I functioned on a base level. Breathing, bathing, eating, nothing more nothing less. A particular scene gnawed at my mind. The near molestation. In the car to our destination, the men were so sure of themselves they did not blindfold me. They talked amongst themselves. Ignored us. My neck hurt from graning, l memorised the landmarks for later. The car stopped in front of a dilapidated farmhouse. The men shepherded us inside. I took note of my surroundings. This must have been a storage room. It was one big room, with numerous windows. I observed a new mattress on the floor, a covered plate beside it, plus bottles of water. My kidnapper pointed to the mattress,”make yourself comfortable Mrs Ratliff. No bullshit from you. You behave, you and I will get along fine. Misbehave, l will not be happy. When i'm angry l do nasty stuff. Are we on the same page?.” He pushed me, l fell on my knees. The mattress cushioned the impact
Chapter 76. The explosion
MaxI reached the chopper in record time, my dad right at my heels. We started the machines and flew at top speed to the farm house. I put down the chopper in the middle of the road leading to the house. The tall weeds on both sides of the road swayed and bowed under the chopper’s draft. My men trotted over as soon as they spotted the chopper, with Nora and Kidlan in their arms.My dad landed a further distance from me. I watched the men carefully like a hawk,”careful!. Don't bump them into anything.” l barked at them.“Always sir.”l happened to glance out of the window and saw my men bringing the two bastards to my other chopper. They seemed more dead than alive, good.I lost it,”stop right there! What do you think you are doing? Don't disrespect me. There will be consequences. These scumbags harmed my family and you want me to take them along? In my property? Put them back where you found them.”My dad's face surfaced in front of me,”son, calm down. They have to live before they ar
Chapter 75. Black thoughts
MaxI zoomed in on aisle three because l saw someone who resembled Nora. Yes, there she was. The camera showed my son playing around in the trolley. He held a bag of cookies in his small chubby hands. A slender man, seemingly in his thirties, walked in a leisurely manner towards the trolley. He side eyed my wife, whose concentration was on the fridge. The man’s hand shot out, a black cloth visible in his hand. He snaked his arm around my kid’s shoulder and covered his face for a moment.Blood rushed to my face, which heated at once.I patted my cheeks with shaky hands to bring the temperature down. Black thoughts swilled in my head. The urge to hurt Selborne fatally surfaced in my heart. My heart rate accelerated. My chest tightened, it felt like it was about to explode. My gaze roamed around the room. Everyone in the room was going through it. The manager's face was pale, she crammed her fist in her mouth, l think to prevent her from screaming. The security guard had a hand on the
Chapter 74. Camera room
Max On our way back from the mountains, l had to remind myself from time to time l was flying the chopper. I lost concentration so many times. My gut told me Selborne was up to something. His insolent demeanor forewarned me to gear up and be prepared. The how, when and where remained a mystery but a problem was coming my wife's way. I could feel it. As the chopper crested the mountain range my anger and fear intensified. My anger stemmed from Selborne's assumption that he could hurt my wife and go scott free. He was about to see the other side of me if he dared to try. When it concerned my loved ones humanity left me. I turn into an unrecognisable beast. The fear stemmed from the unknown time frame, will he do it tomorrow, next week or next month? The feeling left an unpleasant taste in my mouth. We arrived in Bluewaters at five o'clock in the afternoon. Shad hurried home, Robert to The Falcon. He planned to leave the following day, we had a meeting later today. I heard noises in
Chapter 73. Snatched
NoraCaesar recovered quickly for an old man. Three weeks after his accident he was discharged from the hospital. I visited him before then. He brightened when he spotted me at the door. “Come in my child”. He beckoned. ‘my child?’ lt sounded weird but fulfilling at the same time. All my life l was surrounded by women. My mum was a deadbeat mum, but l knew she was out there somewhere. No wonder children with two parents seemed superior to us who come from single homes. The feeling of your father acknowledging your existence is unparalleled. I quickened my steps. Upon reaching the bed l got confused. Do l hug him or just say hello? Deep down l needed the hug more than him. To experience the love of a father.He solved my dilemma, his arms extended towards me. I fell into them and hung on tight. His ‘ouch’ reminded me he was still recovering. I eased out of his arms and smiled down at him,”sorry. I got carried away. I'm just happy you're ok.” He grinned back. Oh my god. His smile mir
Chapter 72. Chicago
Selborne The cold wind made me hurry to my house. Out of the corner of my eye, l saw one of Shad Rolan's hotel cars. I never went to the hotel, Shad was Max’s friend. I valued my money, l refused to give even one cent to Shad. I ignored the car and proceeded to my house. It was a beautiful house with furniture but i hated it. Or rather l hated the place.I opened the kitchen door, fired the microwave and warmed last night's food, spaghetti and meatballs. I headed to the living room, switched the heater on. Summers here did not make much difference. They were slightly warmer than winters. You still had to wear your jacket in summer. Maxwell Ratliff did me dirty. I tried so many times to seek transfer, it fell on deaf ears. It hurt. Everytime l felt down, my mind gravitated towards Max. I wanted to gut him, bring him to his knees. His affluence made it impossible to take him on financially. I had to find other ways. The heater turned red, l extended my hands to warm them. Someone knoc
Chapter 71. In the mountains
MaxThe following weekend on a Saturday, l woke up early. Nora performed an emergency surgery last night. She laid on the bed dead to the world. Good, l did not have to explain my movements to her. I stressed all week, wondering how l would explain my absence on a weekend. I knew how her brain worked.She had the same mentality with Shad. I would be forbidden to confront Selborne. That's why l chose to sneak out of the house. I rolled out of bed, careful not to wake her up.I tiptoed to the bathroom, took a quick shower and donned a complete black outfit. Black jeans, t-shirt, black hoodie and black sneakers. In the bedroom l peered at my wife, still asleep, perfect. I opted not to kiss her, she might wake up.I ran out of the house, went to the back of the house to the hanger. Shad and Robert waited by the hanger’s big doors. “ Morning boys. You're true scout boys, you respect time.” Their burning eyes tracked me to the door,” you dog. You're not the only one who is married, you know
Chapter 70. Rattle his cage
Max“I'm fetching Martha from Robert's place. Are you coming with me?.” I questioned as l applied aftershave to my cheeks. I studied my wife’s face in the mirror while l waited for the answer. I could almost tell what her response would be.She shook her head,”no. I have things to do.”She and my sister did not see eye to eye. I smiled indulgently at her,” things like what? It's your day off.” She settled more comfortably in bed, gave me an irritated look,” woman stuff. You don't want to know about it, do you?.” I finished what l was doing and faced her,”no thanks. It sounds dangerous. I will try to get back tonight, if not l will let you know.” Nora’s brows furrowed,” don't you dare sleep over there. Everybody knows Robert is a casanova. I don't want him matching you up with some woman.”I reached the bed in three strides, flung the bedclothes aside and hauled her off the bed. I bear hugged her, put my chin on her fragrant hair,” fortunately for you, your husband isn't a casanova.