As the cold winter breeze hit his face, Zade Harper gritted his teeth, cursing lightly in exhaustion.He was supposed to take the day off today, but his boss was a persistent pain in his butt.She wouldn't let him leave no matter how much he pleaded and explained today was his marriage anniversary.It didn't matter now, anyway. He was done with the delivery and ready to make the most out of what was left of the night. A shimmer of pride sparked in his soft honey-brown eyes when he glanced at the huge bouquet of roses in his hand.Roselia would love them. Roses were her favorite. He planned to prepare her favorite shrimp sauce and rice for dinner. If he got lucky, he could borrow a bottle of wine from the bar then they could spend the rest of the night tangling in the sheets.A surge of excitement coursed through his veins, dissolving the cold at the thought of his wife's warmth.He stopped in front of a black gate that quickly granted him entrance after swiping his card. The huge gr
Zade couldn’t believe his eyes as he stared at the paper. Several thoughts ran through his mind as his brain struggled to grasp the information. It seemed like a fragment of a very bad dream. It had to be because Roselia would never do this to him. He might be poor and wretched, everything his in-laws accused him of, but he always tried his best to be a good husband to her. He couldn’t get her expensive items like her peers flaunted, but he gave her all of him. He made her happy in every way he could. He thought she felt the same, especially after the magical moment they shared days ago.He could still remember the sweet nothings and promises she made as he rode her to ecstasy. She professed her love to him in breathless whispers and he believed her. Now he didn’t know what to think. A part of him desperately wanted to rebuff their claims, but he recognized that handwriting. It was none other than Roselia’s. He reached for his phone tucked away in his pocket then remembered she
Silence."Teddy?" A brief pause followed, "There's only one Teddy I know.""It's me, Uncle Gray" Zade responded."Oh my goodness, Zade!" The once sleepy voice was replaced with an excited shriek. A small smile danced on Zade's lips."Where have you been, son? It's been three years!" Gray exclaimed.A tinge of guilt hit him."The last time I saw you, you were fawning over a girl you met in college," his uncle continued, in a light tone that held no malice."We are divorced now," Zade sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with slight irritation. He didn't want to transfer his aggression to his innocent uncle. Especially since the man was nice enough to forgive him for ghosting everyone."You got married?" "It's a long story, uncle. We will discuss that when I come home. For now, I need a favor," Zade answered."What could that be?" Gray asked, curiously."I need you to buy a company. Pixton Corp. It'll roughly cost you a couple of millions," Zade told him. "Is that all?""Yes, unc
Chapter 4By the time they got home, the Harpers were already waiting in the living room. Mrs Harper quickly got on her feet the minute they stepped in."Roselia? What happened, dear? Why are you back so early? I thought you were working overnight to catch up?" Mrs Harper asked, even though she clearly knew what Roselia had been doing at the office."Uhm… I… we…" Roselia stuttered, unable to confess that Zade caught her in a compromising position with her boss.Although she suspected her mother must have gotten a hint, she choose not play into her trap. Zade had endured enough for the day. Her mother would only make things worse."Why are you stuttering? Tell me what I need to hear," Mrs Harper questioned impatiently. "Did he do something?"Roselia stole a glance at Zade, who remained silent like he wasn't in the room. "He signed the papers," she quickly outed, hoping to evade her mother's prying questions. "He did? This is wonderful news! We should celebrate this, don't you think,
The next day, Zade glanced impatiently at his watch as he walked outside the court. The divorce had taken longer than he anticipated even when there was no share in property. He wanted nothing to do with the Harpers, not even their money. They twisted the story, just as he'd expected to gain favour in the public eye.They claimed he was a gold-digger who was ripping off their daughter of her hard earned money. Zade didn't argue their claims. They could do and say whatever they wanted as long as he was free from the humiliating union.Roselia on the hand, felt guilty to no end.A part of her curious as to why he didn't defend himself, the other selfish part was grateful he didn't expose her infidelity to the public.When their union was officially severed, Roselia felt a deep sense of loss.Zade walked out of the court after their session ended without sparing her as much as a glance."Zade?" He stopped when he heard Roselia's voice. He kept his face neutral as he faced her."Uhmm…
By the time Zade arrived at his workplace to take the new set of orders, he was shocked to see a police vehicle.He couldn't help but wonder why there were officers at the Company.As soon as he got in, his boss signaled the Officers and they grabbed Zade suddenly."Why are you cuffing me? What did I do?" He asked, disbelief laced through his voice.The officers were more interested in cuffing him than answering his questions.He was going to call them out for cuffing him without telling him his offence when his boss, Philips, walked over to him, eyes coated with accusation. "The nerve of you to ask that. My strongbox is missing and all evidence points to you. You came to my company begging for a job with no qualifications and I offered you one out of the goodness of my heart. What did you do in return? You had the audacity to steal from me!" Phillips accused. "Strongbox? I have nothing to do with the disappearance of your strongbox. I'm only a dispatch rider. I have no business wit
Zade was taken into a private room for questioning.He sat on the chair they pulled for him, resting his cuffed hands on the table.The room was barely illuminated so he could barely make out their faces. All he could tell was that there were three officers in the room. "Zade Harper," He heard his name. "We've heard a lot about you."Zade's senses became alert at that moment. What more could they know about him other than the fact he 'allegedly' stole his boss's strongbox? 'Care to share?' The question was at the tip of his tongue, begging to be released but waved it off. It wasn't worth the stress. His priority was to prove his innocence and get those uncomfortable cuffs off his wrist. "Do you know the items in that box are worth five hundred thousand dollars?" Zade was tempted to roll his eyes at the ridiculously small amount.He couldn't imagine his grandfather's reaction if he ever found out he was arrested for an amount he gave to children for treats. "And you just a mere
In the torture room, Zade was covered with bruises and bound to a chair to prevent him from defending himself. His nose was broken, and a heavy blood clot on his busted lips and swollen cheeks."You seem to be enjoying this better than we do," The statement was accompanied by a punch in his gut.Zade let a low growl, gritting his teeth together at the intense pain. "You must have high pain tolerance."Another punch.Zade's head fell over as he took shallow breaths. He felt an exhilarating pain as they grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked his face up."You don't have to go through this. Your stubbornness will do you no good at this point. Just admit you stole the box and we can work things out amicably," The officer offered. "Fuck you!" Zade spat in his face, earning another punch in the face. "Is that the best you've got?" He grunted amidst the pain. The officers were shocked by his arrogance. For a poor man who owned nothing other than his life, his ego was over the moon. "