"Mr Delamonte?" Adera called when he hesitated for too long. Zade didn't respond to her question, instead, he got the document from her and fixed it in his briefcase."Is the meeting over?" She asked further."You said we should have lunch. We can't have lunch without putting away the documents." He answered."So you agree to go on a date with me?" Adera asked in a tone devoid of emotions."No. I'm agreeing to eat with you so we can go straight to business. I believe we both have work piled up on our desks. We can't afford to waste any more time," he casually responded.His answer stung Adera, but she forced a smile. She'd never seen any man so uninterested in her. She was usually the one in the spotlight. The one who could walk into the room and pull everyone's attention. Zade was the first man to look at her like she was human. First human even. While the men gazed lustfully at her, the women stared jealously at her, projecting their envy to the way they interacted with her. Zade
Zade cursed himself inwardly. He couldn't understand why he chose to say that and ruin the moment. "I'm sorry. I guess I have not fully put business aside. It still feels weird having an informal lunch with a client. Don't be offended, please," he pleaded. Adera didn't say a word. She continued with her food like nothing happened but Zade could see her change in demeanor. The friendly air was gone, now it seemed like a tense awkward family dinner. She seemed like she just wanted to get it over with and leave. He had to fix it somehow, but he didn't know what to say or how to appease her. Usually, when Roselia was mad at him, he would cook her favorite, but Adera was a totally different woman and he didn't know what she liked."Ummm… Dera?" He called softly, then waited for her to stiffly correct him or even snap, but she simply looked up.He reached for her hands slowly, giving her enough time to flinch or slap them off. Again, she did none of that. While holding her warm hands,
"How was the meeting with Parallax?" Zachary inquired later that evening. "It was quite eventful," Zade responded almost absent-mindedly. "I met with Adera Blake."Zachary watched him carefully, aware that more than business had happened between the two. He knew his grandson was not one to lose focus easily so he tried not to jump to conclusions yet."Anything involving Adera Blake should be eventful. May I know how it went?" Zachary asked. "We didn't discuss business," Zade confessed. "Thank you for your honesty," Zachary's dry reply almost made him laugh. "Since you didn't discuss business, what then caught your interest?"Zade ignored the suggestiveness in his father's tone and went ahead to explain the earlier events. Zachary was surprised she gave him a hard time when he brought up the business proposal, but at the same time, he was impressed that she was bold enough to go for what she wanted. "... she asked us to reschedule the business meeting. We're expected to meet later
The heavy banging on the door startled her, but she didn't dare move. Even though she locked the door, a part of her was afraid he would get in somehow. Blake Anderson wasn't a man to be messed with. Her first instinct was to call her mother, but as the phone shook in her trembling hands, she remembered the man was not just a monster to her but his wife as well.If she got her mother involved, he would beat the woman to near death like he did on a regular. The last Adera wanted was to get her mother thrice in one week especially when it was her fault."Adera!! I'm going to break down this door if you don't get out!" He barked. Adera scrambled off the floor and hurried to her study desk. After much struggle, she pushed it against the wall. She scanned the room desperately for something she could use to block the entrance in case he actually tried to break down the door.The bookshelf seemed perfect but it was very large and she wasn't sure she could move, but desperation pushed her
On the second meeting, Zade was looking forward to meeting Adera again, but it was unexpectedly Blake Anderson. As much as he appreciated the formality, he missed the little distraction of Adera Blake.It became even more depressing when he realized they didn't exchange contacts. All he could do was wait and hope they meet again. Turned out Blake Anderson was not as difficult to convince as they expected. Compared to Adera, the man was a lot calmer, more quieter. He barely argued or interrupted him and only asked a few questions where necessary. After that, he signed the proposal and requested they inform him once they were ready to start the project. Ade expected the man to leave immediately, but he remained in his seat, studying him intensely. At first, Zade assumed he was having second thoughts about their proposal. He was about to convince him a little more when the next words caught him unawares. "Yesterday, my daughter threw herself shamelessly at you."Zade didn't know how
In the next couple of weeks, Zade heard nothing from Adera. There was no attempt to call. him or meet up with him even though she had the means. Zade, on the other hand, didn't want to evade her personal space. She was the one who confessed her love to him and if it was a one-time thing, he didn't want to push her.His only satisfaction was that she seemed okay. Her social media pages were still updated daily with lovely pictures of her so he had nothing to worry about.As for her father, the PI was having a hard time finding anything tangible. The man seemed pretty good at covering his tracks.As much as Zade wanted to let go of it and forget everything the man said, his instincts wouldn't let him. He still had this feeling that something was off.As if on cue, Adera called him later that weekend. "Mr Delamonte, hello," she greeted."Look who finally thought about me," he teased. "At least you sound excited to hear from me. Were you waiting for my call?" Adera asked. "Maybe.""Th
The drugs were a lot more effective than Blake anticipated. It knocked her out for almost ten hours, giving him enough time to drive into her like an animal.By the time he was done, he got off her and reached for his phone. A grin touched his face as he replayed the video. He walked straight into the bathroom and put on the shower. He dropped the phone in a corner and showered properly. After his bath, he left the room without bothering to check her condition. He was tempted to taunt Zade with his time with Adera, but it was way too risky. If that video got into his reach, they would likely make sure he spent the rest of his days in prison. Furthermore, the society didn't understand the bond he shared with Adera. They would only judge from their biased point of view and paint him as the bad guy.He wasn't ready for the backlash, which was why he was trying his best to keep her away from Zade. He could taunt and even blackmail her with the video. The Adera he knew would not be b
"Adera?" Zade gasped, but she remained unconscious on the bed. "Adera!!" He yelled, running to the bed. There was no movement when he grabbed her from the bed. He slapped her cheek gently, hoping that she would open her eyes but all his efforts yielded no results.With one look at her discarded clothing and the rumpled sheets, he got an idea of what might have happened to her."Boss?""Quickly search the rooms for the device. I need to get her to the hospital," Zade instructed."Yes, boss."He lifted Adera from the bed and hurried downstairs. Just as he placed her gently in the car, he remembered that Blake was still in the boot. Annoyance spiked within him, but he didn't have the time to dwell on it. Releasing Blake while his guard was still in the house would be a big risk. The man was too dangerous. It was better to leave him where he couldn't escape even if he likely died of suffocation. With the level of crime he had committed, death, for him, would be an easy way out.Zade g
The hospital was in chaos. Just a few hours ago, they were busy trying to deliver a woman of her baby and now, there was a blood bath. Doctors, nurses, and patients scampering for their lives. Edgar arrived at the hospital just a few minutes after the Delamontes did. With the guards positioned around, he knew there was no way to carry out the initial plan. He wanted Elsa. As revenge on Zade for ruining his life, he wanted to kidnap Elsa and the baby. Unfortunately, the security was too tight.Even if he succeeded in getting into the hospital, there was no possibility of getting out unscathed and alive. So he decided to face them squarely and it resulted in a bloody gunfight. The Delamontes were with Elsa in the private ward, with the Doctors and nurses attending to her.No one cared about the blood bath outside. Their priority was for Elsa to deliver safely.Edgar was able to take down the guards at the entrance but just when he thought he'd succeeded, more came out the through th
“You sure this plan is going to work?” Elizabeth asked for the umpteenth time.“Why do I feel like it's not the plan you're worried about but the person you might find,” Elsa crossed her arms. Elizabeth let out a sigh. “It's just that, I really like him, you know. I desperately want him to be the good guy. It will break me if he is actually the mole here.”“It's okay to be terrified. It's normal when you love someone, you want them to be an angel. A misunderstood villain and all of that but we need to face reality here. If Zion is not who he pretends to be, then we need to purge him out of your company before he ruins you,” Elsa said frankly.“But why would he?” Elizabeth threw her hands in her hair, confused and frustrated. “I offered him a job as my PA with a heavy paycheck and mouthwatering allowances to enable him to better the lives of his grandmother and son. I got him a fucking luxury apartment. Why would he repay me by sabotaging my company?”“You've said all the good things
“Who do you work for?” The question was accompanied by a punch to the man's guts. He let out a groan but that seemed to be all he was going to do. Groan and groan until they got tired of hitting him.“I asked a question! Who is your boss?” He barely acknowledged the question, focusing on the wounds on his body. He had been stalking Elizabeth as usual when three cars entrapped him and he ended up here. The men had been torturing him for three days straight but all attempts to get him to speak were futile. The highest he did was scream and curse at them.“Tie him on the electric chair,” came an order. The man wasn't even panicked by it. They weren't going to oil him because they needed answers so nothing they did scared him.After tying him to the chair. They bathe him with water. His heart heart accelerated a little. He knew what electricity and water could do and frankly, he didn't want to experience it. “Are you ready to talk?” He was given a last chance.“Never!” “Perfect.” T
“Mommy!” Helen heard from a distance.“Mommy, wake up!” She heard again. There was a slight pounding in her head. She was surrounded by darkness.“Mommy, wake up!!” It sounded so much like Elaine. She could feel the girl shaking her but she couldn't see her. “Mommy!”Helen tried to speak but her mouth was not cooperating. It felt like it had been sewn shut.There was another voice in the background. It didn't sound like Elaine’s but there was a familiar feel to it. Her hazy mind couldn't comprehend anything at that moment. Even her mind was struggling to process her situation. Why couldn't she open her eyes? It was obvious now that she wasn't in the dark, she was still unconscious. “Mommy!!” The little girl was weeping now. Helen struggled to get her eyes open. To tell the girl that she was fine. That everything would be fine.“Is Mommy dead?” She heard that familiar voice.“No, she's not. Look here, she's breathing.”Helen was a little relieved. At least her little girl was sensib
Elizabeth arrived at the office looking tacky which was so unlike her. Zion followed her into her office curiously. She'd never been an hour to work before and definitely not looking the way she did now. The eye bags were evident and her lips were chapped coupled with the rough ponytail she had on. She looked sick.“Good morning, ma'am," Zion greeted but she gave a mere nod in response. “Uhm… is everytime alright? You don't look fine. Yesterday, you left the office suddenly and today you look like a mess,” he observed. Elizabeth glanced at him before scampering through the files on her desk. “Ma'am, I know you might not feel the need to talk to me after my behavior yesterday and I apologize. I just had a lot going on so I might have taken out some of the frustration on you," he said lowly.“What makes you think this is about you? Look, Zion, you are just an intern here and I advice you focus on what you're here for. Don't bother yourself about me, I'll be fine," she said coldly.
Zachary and Zade were at the prison in less than an hour to retrieve the body. The body was still warm suggesting that he just died recently.Elizabeth wasn't with them. She had gone in search of Helen as soon as she got off the phone with Zade. Zachary made sure she was heavily guarded. He didn't want anything to happen to her too.“So, may I know why my son who was entrusted in your care is lying lifeless on the floor,” he asked the chief officer.The man exchanged frightful glances with his colleagues. Words could not express how much trouble he'd gotten himself into. He was in the comfort of his home, ready to have dinner with his kids when the officers informed him of the situation.“We… we are working on it, sir. We don't know what killed him but I assure you I will get to the bottom of this,” the man shakily responded.“Not the response I want to hear. I'll ask you again. Why is the man who was entrusted in your care lying lifelessly on the floor?” Zachary asked again, his to
Her heart picked up as she noticed this strange car taking every turn she took. Once she arrived home, the car sped past but Elizabeth knew it wasn't completely gone. Hurrying to her father's room since her room was bugged, she took a look out the window. Just as she thought, it was packed at the other side of the road, directly facing her house. Elizabeth tried to make out the figure in the car but she couldn't tell who the driver if the driver was male or female because the glasses were tinted. With this person monitoring her, it was unsafe for her to stay home. Who knew how many cameras they planted in there. Shooting her father a quick text, she exited the house with two bodyguards. Her next destination was her grandfather's house. If she went to one of her penthouses or another mansion or even called someone to check the bugs in her room, it was very possible they could use it as an opening to plant more. Releasing the nudes was no problem. Anyone could tell from the footag
Elizabeth was signing documents with Zion on the other side of the room answering emails. “Zion,” she called. “I'm not doing anything after work. If it's okay by you, I'd like to see Noah afterward.”There was no response from him. She looked up and found him buried in work. Of course, he wouldn't hear her. It was childish but she folded a paper plane and threw it at him. He looked up with a mortified expression that almost sent her wheezing in laughter.“I suppose that would be funny to you,” he said dryly.“Come on, you don't have to be so uptight. I only threw the plane at you because you were too engrossed in work to hear me,” she said lightly. His brows knotted together in displeasure. He was not enjoying the conversation.“I couldn't hear you because I am deaf,” he gritted. “Why are you being so cranky today? First, you get upset over a little joke and now, you're making it seem like I'm making fun of your disability and I don't like that. I was only asking if I could come o
“I am not dead yet, there is no need for y'all to pamper me,” Zachary complained.“We know you're fine, father, we just don't care. You just woke up and it is only right we take care of you until you are strong enough and well rested,” Elizabeth said. Zachary didn't like the sound of that. He did not like to be babied.“I don't plan to spend another day here. All you need to do is sign my discharge papers and I will be on my way…”“On your way to where?” Zade questioned. “Neither of us will sign those papers until we confirm you are fit to move.”“Fit to move? Was I diagnosed with paralysis? I can flex my legs as much as I want to. You kids are the ones making this a big deal,” He stated. “We don't care what you think. We will sign the papers only when we feel like,” Elizabeth crossed her arms stubbornly. Zachary glared at them, “If you don't sign those papers, I will…”“You’re smart, Grandpa. I expected you would understand that threatening us would not change anything,” Zade int