In his life, Ray had been insulted a couple a couple of times but this had to be the height of it. Asking him to leave the table and eat with the servants in the kitchen so he wouldn't make their guests uncomfortable. The Larrys had quickly accepted Ariane's fiancee because a win was a win. The man was still getting married into their family. Elsa was allowed to sit as Ariane's sister.The more he stared at Edgar, the more he questioned everything. He had been hardworking and diligent. Edgar himself confirmed it. So why was the man suddenly firing him?Elsa walked to her husband's side. She was not going to eat amid people who scorned her husband. “Honey, let's leave,” she whispered to him. He nodded and walked out of the house with her, pretending not to hear the mocking laughter that escorted them to the door. “I knew that man was up to no good. His sudden kindness to us was questionable,” Elsa seethed on their way to the barn.Ray felt so ashamed of himself. Instead of betteri
Life was hard and it wasn't even a joke. Ray and Elsa had to move from the barn and the Larry's property all together. Although Mr Larry said they were free to use any other building, Elsa kicked against it. She knew her family. Eventually, they would claim they wanted to rear new animals or stock more feed or start sone business. Any excuse to get them to leave. She preferred to sleep on the streets than swallow the insult and humiliation. They were currently moving into the store he got for her. Luckily he paid for it instead of renting so they had nothing to worry about.It was their property. It lacked a lot of essentials like space, bathroom, kitchen and even a free corner to drop their belongings and lay their heads but they couldn't complain. It was better than nothing. Ray didn't relent. He began job hunting once again. He knew that nothing was guaranteed in business. There were going to be days where they barely made sales and he would need to provide for them. Aside tha
It was just exactly as they thought. No one wanted to buy anything from them the next day but Elsa wasn't bothered. They managed to auction off everything last night, only a few were left for their personal consumption. She was grateful they bought the property as well. If they hadn't, there was a possiblity the owner would come demanding back his property. With everything gone, there was enough room for them to move around the house. The room was spacious now, enough for them to fit in more properties if they wanted. In the process of fixing thevplace up, she realized that Ray and her were yet to consummate their wedding. Her cheeks heated up at the thought. What would he say to that? Would he want to get intimate with her? It startled her that she wasn't repulsed by the thought. In fact, she was looking forward to it if it was eventually going to happen. ‘But he has never talked about it,’ she pondered. ‘Could it be that he doesn't find me attractive?’It hit her harder than s
Elsa had to resort to the one person her father taught her to look down on. The traditional healer. All her life, she had been made to believe he was some sort of diabolical man. Many said he summoned demons to heal those who came to him for help in exchange for their destinies.None of that mattered to her at that point. If he wanted her destiny, she would give him. She didn't care if he had to summon a legion of demons to achieve that but she needed Ray alive. If her father could turn his back on her, it didn't matter what a spiritualist would do to her. Toyi was the town outcast. The only man with a trailer home. Anyone outside would have considered it decent but the town folks were different.His strange collection of objects and leaves made things worse. When he introduced himself as a traditional healer, they immediately assumed he was some spiritualist with mystic powers.Especially when he healed a boy who had no hope of seeing again. One day, a cancer patient was brought
“I don't believe this. My brother cannot be dead. There had to be some kind of explanation. He can't just die like that,” Elizabeth told her father. Over the week, she had been hiring a lot of private investigators to dig deeper into Zade's disappearance.Even though the body they buried days ago was unarguably Zade's, she didn't want to accept it. Her relatives termed it grief and decided she would eventually snap out of it and accept the truth but Elizabeth refused to give up. “Liz, I understand you. Zade was more of a brother to you than any of your brothers and the bond between you too was so strong. I understand, trust me. He was my favorite nephew…”“Your only nephew,” Elizabeth chipped in and the man chuckled. “Fine, my only nephew but he was also like a son to me. Since his parents passed away, I took it upon myself to raise him to be the son they wanted. It hurts me deeply that he had to die at such a young age but denying the fact won't change anything,” he continued.“Yo
“You mean there is a chance that my problem might still be I've and not dead like everybody thinks he is?” Elizabeth could barely contain her joy now.“Don't forget the possibility that he could also be a doppelganger and nothing like your brother.” She didn't say that to ruin Elizabeth's mood. It was so she wouldn't get her hopes too high to have them dashed in a second. He could be Zade but there was a higher chance he might not. “But what if he is? I have a good feeling about this, Helen. My brother could really be alive,” Elizabeth chattered on without paying attention to Helen. Helen wondered if she made a mistake. Perhaps she would have found some other way to get the DNA test done before informing Elizabeth. The girl was way too happy to bear any form of disappointment.“I only beg you listen to me first. You can believe whatever you want to but Toyi said we have to get some of your grandfather's hair for tests.” “That's easy. I just need to give him one of those teddy bea
All attempts from Toyi to calm Elsa down were futile. She was pacing frantically and sobbing, claiming that Ray was leaving her for another woman.Nothing Toyi said penetrated her ears. All she knew was that Ray was leaving her. The confusion on his face when she called him her love. The denial came shortly after that. Her heart continued breaking over and over. The tears continued leaking from her eyes with nothing to stop it. “Elsa, you need to calm down. This is not something you should panic about. The accident was fatal. He's suffering from amnesia. He will be fine,” Toyi tried once again.He knew the truth already. For Ray to mention Adera, only meant that he was indeed the Delamonte heir. He was going to send words to Helen but Elsa’s emotional state made him hesitate. He could see that the woman loved him dearly and didn't want anything to make her more unhappy than she already was. “Stop trying to make me feel better, Toyi. My father found him in the sea and he had no me
His memories were back. Every single thing.From Adera to Elsa to accident. His fiance was dead and life denied him the opportunity to mourn her properly. Instead, it pushed him into the arms of another woman. One he couldn't deny his feelings for. At some point, it looked like fate. Or maybe Adera led him to her replacement because she didn't want him to live in pain. Whatever it was, he was determined to mourn. To pay his last respects to the woman that stole his heart at first sight. As for Elsa, she was his wife now. He was in love with her. Letting her go was never going to cross his mind. He just had to assure her that the feelings were real. Zade was well aware of the guilt. It was evident in her eyes. Even though she had nothing to do with the condition, she felt like she led him astray from the life he was supposed to have. He hated the tears in her eyes and he told himself he was going to wipe them off. Everyone who caused her pain would be duly punished. “Now that yo
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