Zade facepalmed inwardly. His agenda for the evening was winning back Darlene Investments not entertaining his overzealous ex.Darlene cast a questioning look at Zade. "I'm sorry. I'll just take care of this quickly," Zade gave a tight smile, getting off his seat. If he had known she would suddenly show up at the event, he would have come with his bodyguards. How the hell did she even get in? Wasn't the party strictly on invitation? Roselia wore a breathtaking smile as Zade approached her. She had managed to convince Christian Myers to get an invitation on the sole promo that she would get Zade to release Ryan.It was a lie of course. She couldn't even get the man to give her back her job. He was too stubborn to let go of the past. So here she was, with her plan B. A waiter stopped by her with a tray. She picked out two glasses, throwing a flirtatious smile at her ex-husband."What are you doing here, Rose?" Zade asked dryly. "Care for a drink?" Roselia asked instead. "I picked
Two Weeks Later"You keep pacing around, Mom. Can't you just say what's bothering you?" Her dry response attracted her mother's gaze in nanoseconds. "How are you so relaxed about everything?" Mrs Harper sharply asked. Roselia raised a brow."What has been happening?" "You ask me that? Your brother is in jail, our business is crumbling, clients are pulling out without any value reasons, we're going bankrupt and you're still sitting pretty, unemployed and unbothered," she raged in one breath.Roselia stared, her face void of any expression to betray her emotions. She did feel sorry about their present state, but it wasn't in the way her mother wanted her to be. When her mother's harsh breathing calmed, Roselia calmly got off the bed and retrieved an envelope from a drawer."What is this?" Mrs Harper asked, hesitant to take the envelope from her. "Why don't you open it and see for yourself?" Roselia urged with an ear-splitting grin. Mrs Harper didn't share in her enthusiasm. Minutes
“What?!” Roselia gasped, halting a few metres from the car. “As much as I would love to play dumb with you, I haven’t got all day. Get into the fucking car. The sooner we get this over with, the better for all of us,” Zade retorted without sparing her a glance.Roselia watched with horror as he got into the car. The color had drained out of her face completely. Zade had always been a lover of children. Throughout their years in marriage, he always talked about having kids. She never took him seriously because her career was her top priority. Now, she didn’t understand what changed. She didn’t expect him to accept her immediately, but she didn’t also expect that he would outrightly demand an abortion.Did he hate her that much?The car horn startled her to life, but she couldn’t bring herself to move. The will wasn’t even there, just a series of unanswered questions. Zade got out of the car with annoyance, “What exactly do you want from me?! Why is it so difficult to stay out of my
Halfway to the club, Zade reconsidered his decision. His fists clenched harder to his side as he stared at the club. He couldn’t go back there and cause a fight. It would make the news within a few hours and that would do more damage to Pixon than whatever mess they were in at the moment. He took a step backward, shaking his head to remind himself why he desperately needed to retreat. He entered his car, speeding into the night before he changed his mind.When he got home, Elizabeth’s car was already parked outside. Relief washed through him. He thought he would spend his night drinking his misery away. Now he had someone who would listen to him without judging him.He hurried to the house, but before he could open the door, Elizabeth beat him to it.“Welcome home, I made your…” Her words were cut short as a weight fell into her arms, “Someone seems happy to see me,” she chuckled,“I missed you,” he mumbled.“I can tell, you reek of alcohol.,” Elizabeth teased. Zade was about to tal
Roselia stepped out of the car, gaping at the mansion. “You live here?” She asked. “It’s so beautiful.”“Don’t get used to it,” Came a dry response from Zade. Elizabeth was waiting at the door for them to arrive. “Teddy,” She grinned, as he wrapped her in a hug. Roselia looked away with an inaudible scoff. “I was only gone for a few hours. Why are you so excited to see me?” Zade chuckled.Roselia felt a tinge of jealousy. Zade had been cold to everyone in the last few weeks, but he was all smiley with Elizabeth like she was the most beautiful thing in his life.The thought pushed her to give an awkward cough, in an attempt to break the hug. Elizabeth pulled away, giving her a once-over. Zade followed her gaze.“Let’s just go in,” Zade said, clearly unwilling to introduce them so Roselia took it upon herself to do the introduction. “Since Zade wouldn’t do a proper introduction, permit me to introduce myself. I am Roselia, Zade’s wife and the mother of his unborn child,” Roselia pro
Roselia sat across Lance on the table. The waiter took the order earlier so they were left in a somewhat awful silence. While she wondered what he wanted from her, Lance was trying to place where he'd seen the beauty. "Uhm…" Roselia cleared her throat in an attempt to break the silence. "I've seen you on TV a couple of times. If I'm not wrong, Lance Harrison." A cocky smile crossed his face."Is that so? I don't remember seeing you anywhere," he responded. Her smile fell a bit, but she quickly pushed it back in place."I don't expect you to," she shrugged, pretending it didn't bother her. Since Lance said he didn't know who she was, did that mean that he had no idea she was Zade's ex-wife?The waiter arrived with their order and Roselia graciously thanked him for buying her dinner. Lance watched her eat with a smile on his face. Halfway through their meal, Lance asked her some personal questions. Roselia answered his questions, carefully leaving out any detail that connected her
Zade was burning with rage at the time he arrived at the company. The crowd quickly spotted his car, but he didn't expect them to suddenly hurl things at him.He had to step back into the car to avoid getting hit by the angry mob. He didn't know why they suddenly went off on him. Before he left the house, it had been a peaceful protest. Something hit him and he quickly took out his phone.Dread formed a knot in his stomach as he prayed he was wrong.Everything around him stilled the minute he got the answer. He had been fucking right!Between his shower and driving down to the company, more videos had been released from the anonymous account. A nerve ticked in his jaw. There was no way of getting out of this. Unless he could prove that this was a sabotage from a rival company, Pixton was fucked.The local government would close it down and it would go in his record that he crashed a once flourishing business in the space of one month. His grandfather would be delighted to hear th
Zade was sipping his coffee when Roselia joined him in the dining.“Hey,” she greeted.“Hey,” he responded evenly. A small smile graced her lips. To others, it might have seemed like a normal thing, but to Roselia, it was progress. Zade had gone from ignoring her to responding to her greetings. He even ate her food!“Is there something you want?” he asked when he noticed her continuous gaze on him. Roselia cleared her throat, “Actually, I planned to visit the doctor today,” she informed him.“Why? Are you unwell? Is it stress? I told you the maids could handle everything. You don’t need to touch a thing,” Zade’s worried expression made her giddy. It was a confirmation that he still cared about her despite their fallout.“Nothing really, just prenatal,” she answered, unable to keep the smile off her face.“I would love to come with you, but I have something urgent to attend to. I will leave some money for you, though. Is that okay?” he asked.“Sure, it’s more than okay,” she answered
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