Donald's POV “I think we should go on the offensive,” Jake informed me, staring avidly at the papers. “Which lawyer did she get again?” I asked, biting down on my lower lip.Ever since Jake had told me that Rose got a new lawyer to represent her during the court proceedings, I had not been able to think about anything else.Part of the reason why I was so confident that I would smash the case is because of her lack of money and the inability to get herself a good lawyer but now that she has one… I'm dreading just thinking about the opportunities.“Mr Greene, I don't think this is what we should be focusing on right now.” He cleared his throat, chuckling nervously. “If we channeled more of our energy into why the divorce should not take place instead of why it should-” “Please just tell me who it is!” I raised my voice a decibel, unable to take the thought of him talking for another second, plus, it's hard to think about anything else when you're fixated on one thing.“It's John And
Rose's POV Urgh, this can't be happening…. I groaned on the inside, Biting down on my pinky finger, I stared at the news in front of me. It was a text from Dad.Dad: Come over to the house, we need to talk to you.Groaning, I buried my head in my hands, well aware of what they wanted to say.For the past week, my and Donald's faces have been trending all over the media.I had thoughts during the cause of this divorce that the news would get out there sometime but I never expected it to be this quick, less than 2 weeks in. On a trip to the courthouse where we had to go talk over the terms, someone took a picture of us leaving in different cars and that was all the media needed to know.They ran wild with the stories.Since then, it has taken a brainer to realize that my parents might have seen the picture and what I was up to.I wasn't sure I wanted to have this but then I had to.The new therapist David was making me visit said it's good to approach and talk about uncomfortable sit
Donald’s POVAs I was resolved to fight Rose publicly in court, deep down I knew that this wasn't the best course of action to take. I couldn't deny the fact that I loved her and the child that she was carrying could be mine.A couple of years ago, I made a promise to myself that I would try as much as possible so that if I had a child, they wouldn't end up in a broken home.I was a result of a broken home and till now, it's still taking me time to leave behind some habits and move on with certain things and I never want my child to go through that.Having that at the back of my mind, I resolved to reach out to Rose the next day and try to talk to her.The least that I could do… I owe my kids, I was to try one last time and I decided to go all out.My strategy was to make it a late lunch so it would evolve into dinner and after a couple turns of wine, I hoped she would be receptive to what I had to say.Running down the stairs, I stopped by the kitchen to talk to Esmeralda with a l
David’s POVThings seem to be turning up for my good, especially after my account was recovered. I got the good news a couple of days ago and I was over the moon to hear that.Satisfied that my plans were slowly coming together, I moved on to the next phase of my plan which was to prep my leaving.First things first, I mailed my resignation letter to HR.Thankfully I had a contact in the department so I had to bribe her not to make it public until a couple of hours later when I was due to leave the country.I didn't want to give Donald a hint of my plants and have him try to thwart me before I started.Over the past couple of days, I had been avoiding meeting with anyone including Rose, trying to plot my next strategy.My leaving must be spectacular but in a way that it would not prompt further investigation.Now the moment I left the shores of this country, each company that I had siphoned and extorted money from would be aware of what I had done and each of them would be out for blo
Donald’s POVThings were just going from bad to worse.After the dinner that I had with Rose, I had hoped that we would come to an understanding even though I later turned down her offer but that wasn't the case.The thing is, I knew that if I had allowed her back into my space, it wouldn't be because I had truly forgiven her but I was too scared of allowing this divorce issue to ride on for too long, dragging both our names in the mud.It would take a really strong and loving person to come back after what Rose did and if I had been honest with myself, I wasn't quite there yet.As I spoke, I saw the disappointment in her eyes, her emotions shutting off immediately I turned her down but I went on irrespective of her feelings.The dinner ended shortly after that, and since then I hadn't heard from Rose.I kept calling and leaving tons of messages each day but somehow she kept on ignoring me. The only time I heard from her was through her lawyer, passing along a court message.I feared
Rose's POV After the news I heard from my parents and my entire family, cutting me off from their lives because of a decision I made, I was stuck in a zone for a couple of days.It wasn't just the fact that they chose not to support me, it was how fast they moved me aside as if I wasn't worth anything since it all boiled down to what I was bringing in.The second I wasn't useful, I immediately became considered trash.Being out of a job, and having no friends or family to talk to give me a lot of alone time to think about what I truly wanted and how to go about it.First things first, I had to do away with people's intentions for me… ultimately in the end everyone chose themselves and it was high time that I started choosing myself for a change.Secondly, I had made a decision and now it was time for me to stand by it and face the consequences.I was in my bathtub when I got the ingenious idea to pull a fast one on Donald.A couple of days earlier, Anderson had sat me down and told me
Donald’s POVI had about a couple of weeks before we would officially take the matter to court and begin the process in front of a judge and all of that but before that took place, I had one more trick up my sleeve.I wanted to avoid this going public for several reasons but the one that topped my list would be that I wouldn't want to put Rose and her family through that type of scandal.This was my one last appeal.If nothing came out of this, I would understand that the gloves were off.Canceling all my plans today in the office since yesterday, I was free to do what I wanted.Namely, visit Rose's parents.I made sure nothing from them before coming so they wouldn't bring up some ideas to cancel.Sure showing up at the house was a bit risky, but it's not like I had any other choice.When I pulled up to the gate, the security guard asked me to wind down and I did.His face reflected his surprise when he saw me, most especially because I stormed out angrily the last time. “S-sir…welco
Rose’s POVI didn't know when the news dropped but it got some attention.Whether it was real or not the only way I got to know about the story was because a lot of people were linking me to it.It turns out that David has been lying about a lot more than his nightcaps, and his pesky inheritance.While everyone was busy sleeping a blogger was leaking the truth about David saying that he had come into some raw cash and assets a couple of months ago…. Which if it were to be liquidated would be worth over a billion dollars.At first, when I saw the news flying around the media, I scoffed at it and tossed it out of my thoughts but I started to think about it and slowly, the pieces started to add up.The whole change I experienced with Donald started a couple of months ago and come to think of it, the new house that he just bought and well aware of how much the company pays him for being a diligent CFO but I'm quite sure that it wasn't worth that much.Plus the expensive hotel that I visit
Donald's POV The ‘beep beep’ of the monitors woke me up from my deep slumber.I open my eyes slowly to meet the white, sterile ceiling of a hospital. I knew it was a hospital because it had that familiar disinfectant smell to it…also because it makes sense, given the fact that I was shot at three times a couple of hours before and yeah, I remember every bit of that story.It was like a clip of a very bad movie except this happened to me, the distant yet eerily familiar feeling of being shot invaded my senses and I had to inch my hand up to see if I could check out the wound. “I wouldn't advise you to do that.” A pretty blond nurse wearing scrubs walked in, a clipboard in her hand.“Hel…Hello..” I croaked out, realizing that my throat was as dry as a desert.She must have come to the same realization because she walked over to my bedside, reaching for a cup of water and she handed it over to me.I greedily slurped it down like a greedy man dying of thirst, only stopping when I emptie
David's POV Just like I expected, the media circus around Donald's death blew out of proportion.As I'm packing my bags, the entire area in which Donald was shot had been taped off by the police.Apparently they were opening a case into the incident, searching for who shot him.I would like to feel relaxed on that point but it's just my luck that the homeless guy I usye turned out to be something else.For the rest of the day, I kept on trying his number but he never picked up soon enough, the number became unavailable which I took to mean that he had either discarded of it or he doesn't want anything to do with me anymore. When Boone asked me about the progress report, I lied to him stating that I had taken care of the homeless guy but I knew it was just a matter of time before the police found him and he blurted out the truth…which was why I was booking the next available flight and getting the hell out of this cursed city.The moment I left the borders of the city and I was on my
RoseTo think that it was Donald's death that brought me and my family together, it was mind boggling to say the least.I received the call from my sister early the next morning and to say I was surprised, is an understatement.“Hello, Tanya. Wh-hat's going on?”She was breathing heavily which made me worried. “Have you seen the news, Rose?” She asked.My brows furrowed in confusion. “The news?” I repeated. “No. What news? I'm just waking up!” I say, flipping the covers away from my body so I reach for my laptop.Suddenly the speaker went mute as I could only hear muffled words float through. it seems like she was talking to someone else.I ignored her, checking up on the latest news.I quickly scanned through a number of them, realizing that no one stood out to me. “Tanya, I don't know what I'm supposed to be looking at here but nothing is making sense to me. Can you talk to me and tell me what happened? Is it Mom or Dad? Are they okay?”Immediately, my mind jumped into the worst sce
RoseI knew the exact moment I fell for David all over again was when I heard the words, ‘you’re free to go’.That faithful Tuesday morning, I was laying face up on my cot, thinking of new ways to distract myself from a boring and predictable day when the buzzer sounded.Unlike the last time when I ignored the guard, I turned around to look at him but this time he wasn't holding a tray of food in his hands.He had the bunch of keys in his hands and he was walking slowly towards my room, an unpleasant in his eyes.“Hey, you. Get up!” He boomed loudly, startling me.“I was already up…” I grumbled, flipping my legs around the tiny cot. “Where's my food?”He didn't respond, only grunted and shoved me not too gently toward the bars, handcuffing me. “Move!” He ordered and I obeyed, shuffling my feet.We did the same walk routine, similar to when I visited Donald but this time…it seemed different.“Where are we going?” I twisted my head around to ask him but he just shoved my head forward.W
David's POV Contrary to what Donald thought, I was right there behind him the whole time.He was so easy and gullible. Just one mention of Rose and he came running exactly like I thought.All I needed to do was play the pity card and he sucked it up like a starving man drinking water.It was quite hilarious if I was being honest.I wanted the first location, simply because it would be easier to dispose of him when the homeless guy was done with the job but Donald being a hard ass…he insisted we change it, probably suspicious of my actions. Well, at least he was smart… just not too smart to avoid dying though.My phone buzzed with a text.Donald: Where are you?Me: I'm right behind you. I'll be there soon.When I sent the text, I burst into laughter, muffling the sound.I kept checking my watch, waiting for the homeless guy to show up. This was not the agreement. He was supposed to be here a couple of minutes ago, do the job the moment Donald showed up and get out of here.I gritted
Donald's POV I was woken up by my phone buzzing needlessly.Groaning, I twisted around in bed to reach for the phone only to see a name I never thought I'd see flash across my screen.Immediately my eyes flew open, sleep deserting my mind and I nearly jumped out of bed.Wait, why the hell was David calling me?To make matters worse, shortly after the call ended he dropped the text followed by another.David: Hi, I know I'm the last person you want to talk to right now but I need your help. David: Please respond, it's urgent.I debated, responding, wanting to shrug it off but I sat up on the bed so I could think logically.From the little I've known and observed about David, I know that he's a snake and he's very cunning, always thinking three steps ahead of everyone else which is why it bothers me so much that he's texting me.What the hell does he want from me?While I was contemplating on whether to pick up or respond to his text messages, he sent another.David: Please.Because I
David's POV “Hey guys, do you have any news yet?” I asked barging into the basement. All through the night, I could barely sleep a wink as I tossed and turned, my brain producing new ways on how to help Rose.After I went to visit her, I became spurred on to double down on my efforts and for the past two days, my team and I have been up through out the night, working tirelessly on breaking into David firewalls.At this points, I didn't care about whether it was illegal or not, all you wanted to do is to get Rose out of that filthy place.“We don't have any leads yet.” Shawn spoke up. “We still haven't gotten those parts that we needed and decrypting the messages by hand is taking us way longer than it should. At this point, we'll probably get done by the end of the year.”Groaning, I slapped my hands over my face. “That's not going to work. You're sure there's no other way to get this going faster?”If I could get my hands on some incriminating messages that David exchanged with his
David's POV Popping a chewing gum, I sucked it back in, tapping my feet impatiently on the brakes.I decided to make use of Boone's advice, doing the extra work to cement the plan that I have already started and that begins with…A loud honk from a passing car jolted me out of my thoughts and I popped my head out, raising my middle finger as a response.“Fucking asshole!” I muttered under my breath, stealing a glance at my watch. It's been over an hour and this guy is nowhere to be found.He's got to know that he's playing with his life.I am a gentle and mannered man until I was pushed to the wall forced, to do certain things…one of which is to make good on the threats I told him.A couple of days before I decided to meet with the homeless man who placed the tip in the police station for the cops to find, I spent some hours out of my day to watch him and like clockwork he always appeared at the same time every day.It was tad boring and predictable but it saved me time to look for h
RoseThe minutes turned into hours and the hours into days, each day more horrible than the last.My nightmare of being trapped in here was slowly coming to pass and I was too helpless to do anything to stop it.Reaching out to my family wasn't an option and none of the guards agreed to let me use their phone to make one more call to Donald, leaving me stranded.The food was probably the good thing about the place.I don't know who the chef is but he's doing a really good job of keeping me happy…temporarily though.I sighed for probably the hundredth time, staring vacantly at the ceiling.You know, when you first have your freedom taken away from you, you think that the first few hours or days at the worst but it's not. It's actually quite easy because there is a list of ways you can distract yourself but as the day grows longer, that's when reality sets in and the sadness begins.The possibility that this could become your new normal starts to haunt you and in as much as your mind w