In less than three days, the investors invited Zade over for a meeting. With all seven men sitting round the table, Zade comfortably took a sit between them. His expression remained blank as he waited for them to tell him why they invited him.“I believe you already know why we invited you over,” Benjamin started. The tension in the air became thicker with each passing second.“No, I don’t. Enlighten me,” Zade answered in a monotone. The men exchanged glances. They knew everything that happened in the last few days was related to him. Like the pictures of Moore and Barry leaked online by some anonymous account. If it were just that, they would have quickly taken down the pictures and everyone would move on, but they received some videos from an anonymous sender that had the potential of ruining more than just their businesses.Worse, neither of them could tell if the videos were real or not. Hell, no one would care if they were fake. Society was too judgemental to be bothered about c
Roselia entered the house with a smile on her face. It slowly disappeared when she spotted Zade on the sofa."Hey?" Her uncertainty slipped through her voice, morphing her greeting into a question. "You were out there for too long. I was worried," Zade stood to meet her. Roselia's smile returned with a hint of relief."I'm sorry I had you worried. I had to stop by the police station to see William."At the mention of William, Zade's expression changed. Roselia grabbed his arm with pleading eyes."He has been in there for a month. I think he has learned his lesson already. Can you not ask them to release him?" She pleaded."I wasn't the one who put him there. Only Elizabeth can set him free," Zade answered coldly, moving away from her touch. Roselia crossed her arms, glaring at the back of his head as jealousy burned within her. "Elizabeth? What do you have with her anyway? Do you like her that much?" She blurted.Amusement replaced the previous rage. Roselia's jealousy over Elizabe
Several minutes passed, each minute testing his patience. He wanted to storm into the hotel and find their room, but he doubted the receptionist would be willing to disclose such private information.He forced himself to relax and rested on his seat. His knuckles had turned white from clenching. Zade let go, pinching the bridge of his nose with annoyance. If Roselia was seeing another man under his nose, then it was obvious she was with him for something other than pregnancy.Maybe the money.Thinking about it now, it made more sense. Her sudden desperation to get back with him after his rise to power, the irregularities in the reports, everything. He couldn't even be sure the pregnancy was his, if there was any pregnancy, that is. Another wave of fury started within him. There was nothing he hated more than deception. Two chances and she'd manage to fool him twice. His jaw tightened. Two hours and seven inner rage-filled hurricanes later, Roselia stepped out of the hotel, arm-in
"Didn't you say she was coming in two days?" Roselia whispered to Zade as Elizabeth relaxed on the couch."I thought so too. I honestly don't know why she's here early," he whispered back. "Zade?" They straightened when she called for him. Roselia nudged Zade to proceed."Liz," he chuckled, "you're here early."Her eyes met him in a cold glare, "I had to."Zade glanced at Roselia who mirrored his confusion. "Why?" He asked. "Am I supposed to pretend I haven't heard the news? What were you thinking? How could you let some stupid inferior company crush your company in a space of one month?" Her pitch rose with each sentence. Zade glanced helplessly at Roselia. "Maybe you should calm down a bit. You see, this matter wouldn't have escalated if he just borrowed the money he needed from you, but he was too…""Money?" Elizabeth interrupted Roselia. Her eyes pinned on Zade. "You needed money and you didn't tell me about it?""You've already done so much for me. I didn't want to bother yo
Lance grinned as Roselia jumped into her brother's arms happily. Since the moment he set eyes on her, he knew she was the kind of woman he wanted. He didn't hesitate to run a background check on her. Nothing thrilled him more than the fact that she was Zade's ex-wife. He discovered that Zade had thrown her brother in jail along with her then-fiance with the help of some powerful woman. He barely paid attention to the details. He was more focused on the things that would draw her closer to him. Even though they had been hanging out, Roselia was still reluctant to get intimate with him. He suspected that she was still trying to hold on to Zade, hence his strive to prove he was a better catch. Again, he knew it would be a huge slap to Zade's face. Lance didn't want the hotel incident to repeat itself. They only shared a few kisses before she suddenly broke off and took a journey to self-condemnation. Now, he was sure he would get everything he learned and more. "I'm so happy t
Roselia stared at the two pairs of eyes with mortification. "Why do you look so horrified? We are only stating the obvious. You should leave that fool already. You said his company is long gone. All that is left is for the government to officially shut it down," William huffed.Roselia shook her head in disagreement, but Mrs Harper was quick to stop her. "Why are you making this difficult? You already left the man once, why can't you do it again?" Her mother groaned.Roselia remained thoughtful for some minutes. "Roselia!""He has Elizabeth Carter who is ten times more powerful than Lance. She already promised to disburse some money for him to revive the company," she responded. "How much is this money? Is it enough to last us a lifetime?" William asked. Roselia gave a look. "I see a few weeks in prison dampened your brain cells.""Watch your fucking mouth!" William barked, rising in anger. Mrs Harper quickly held him down."Calm down, Will. I understand the point she's making.
Elizabeth paced outside the ward, muttering incoherent things and silent prayers. It was almost three hours since Zade was rushed to the emergency ward, she had been unable to even breathe properly. No one said a word to her yet concerning Zade. They were just moving in and out of the ward, no one gave her even a little piece of information.She was tempted to call her father, but that would attract too much attention to them. It would ruin everything Zade planned.Roselia ran in like a mad woman, panting and gasping. Once she heard the news, she bombarded his phone with calls until Elizabeth answered and told her where they were."How is he? Is he okay?" Roselia asked between heavy breaths."I'd like to think so. No one has said anything. They just keep going in and out of that room. When I ask them about him, they keep saying I should exercise patience," Elizabeth answered."Oh my goodness! Why would anyone want to kill Zade? He's the calmest person I know. He avoids trouble and ea
Zade was taken home in a wheelchair a few days later. The first thing he noticed was that Elizabeth was avoiding him. Roselia claimed she had something urgent to attend to and couldn't return anytime soon. On the other hand, Roselia began to go out more often, leaving him to struggle to get things done himself. The whole situation was annoying and frustrating. "Where are you going this time?" Zade asked. Roselia ignored his question and focused on powdering her face. "Rose…""Can we not have this discussion, Zade? I have something urgent to attend to and answering your silly questions would delay me," she snapped."When are you coming home then?" He asked instead. She dropped her makeup brush in frustration and glared at him."I'll be back whenever I can, okay? Just let me be, please," she groaned.Zade said nothing more until she left. After ensuring she was gone, he called Elizabeth."Teddy.""Liz," his voice lacked the excitement in hers. "I'm tired.""Tired of what? You're th
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