Anna and Jessica continued to have a conversation about the pregnancy; this time in the presence of a nicely brewed warm coffee that Jessica had offered to make for them.Anna sipped the coffee. She shut her eyes close, as she allowed the taste to envelop her taste buds. She really needed the boost the coffee would give her. She was almost feeling depressed. Taking a stimulant wouldn't be all that bad. Jessica listened intently as Anna poured out her heart, sharing her fears and concerns about Joel's cruelty and the pregnancy is taking a toll on her. "Mimi needs me. She isn't strong yet since the surgery. I can feel myself slipping away.""You need to be strong. If anything happens to you, I doubt Joel will have the time to look after her like you do." The warm sunlight streaming through the windows highlighted the worry lines on Anna's face."I just feel so lost, Jessica," Anna's voice trembled. "I don't know what to do. I need Joel's attention, not just for the pregnancy, but
The rain lashed against the grimy windows of the interrogation room, each droplet a stark contrast to the deafening silence that hung heavy in the air. Joel sat with his arms crossed, his knuckles white from gripping the worn wooden table. His eyes were fixed on the blank wall as he ignored the officers. A week had passed since Xavier's murder, and the weight of the accusation was beginning to crush him. All that was happening was contrary to what he believed would happen. He had expected the news about being suspected for murder to die down but it only got uglier. He was innocent. How many statements did he have to give? He thought to himself. It was like the world was against him. He wished he had never gone to meet Xavier at his company that day. He only did that because he was so angry that one of his factories was destroyed and he suspected the Billionaires Club was responsible for burning down the cloth factory. Somehow he knew it with a certainty that it had to be them.
"Excuse me." Joel's eyes flashed with anger. "You can't walk in here and talk to me anyhow." The shorter one began, his voice low and smooth, "it's time we talked, Joel.""I thought I made myself clear that I'm not going to have anything to do with the Brotherhood cult.""Being stubborn is no way to handle the current issues you're facing." Joel didn't reply. He simply stared at them, his mind racing. He knew what they wanted. They wanted him to join them, to become one of them. "I'm not stubborn." Joel challenged him. "I don't like it when other people poke into my business.""Your grandfather was the pioneer of this cult. Why do you detest being part of us so much? If you join us, we promise to protect you and make you more powerful.""Why is joining you so important?" "You are the only Winston Heir. If your grandfather had more grandsons, you would have had a choice. But right now, it's mandatory that Winston Heir be part of the cult." Joel already knew they wanted to use the
It looked unreal. Joel had been looking far away for a culprit, meanwhile the person he was supposed to suspect for a crime is someone working in the estate. Joel's hands trembled as the letter fell, his eyes scanning Melinda's corpse with a mix of shock, anger, and disbelief. Melinda, his deceased staff member, had left a confession letter which her colleague found, revealing a dark secret. Joel looked at Melinda's corpse thinking to himself. He knew if she hadn't taken her life, there was nothing stopping him from killing her. But then he remembered the other half content of the letter and shook his head. Melinda killed herself because she felt guilty of what she did. Just then, Albert, his secretary, walked into the room, confused by the sight before him. He was shocked to see Melinda, one of the oldest staff on the floor, dead. The wailing noise created by Melinda's colleagues had already attracted others in the Estate to run towards them in order to find out what was happeni
The banging sound on one of the doors caused Anna's eyes to flutter open, her heart racing as she was jolted awake by this strange sound. She looked around her darkened room, scared and confused. She realized it was 9:00 pm. She had fallen asleep early just next to her daughter. She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "I need to check out what made that sound," she said to herself aloud. When she left her room, she noticed something was off. Her maid and guards were nowhere to be found. A chill ran down her spine as she increased her pace and screamed their names individually. But she was only met with the echoes of her own voice. "Where is everyone?" she wondered, her voice barely above a whisper. She quickly made her way through the house, the silence screaming in her head. Her bare feet reacted to the coldness of the tiled floor and later became numb. But as she turned a corner, she saw it. Trails of blood on the floor. Her heart skipped a beat as fe
Joel's driver pulled into the compound. Joel was breathing heavily, his heart pounding in his chest because he had so much to say to Anna. He hoped Anna would listen to him and forgive him for treating her awfully. "I'm such a terrible husband," he whispered to himself. He was shocked to see the police car and an ambulance there. He hadn't been paying attention when he drove in which is why he hadn't noticed that the gates were wide open and the guard was nowhere to be found. He hurried into the house and just then some medics walked out with three corpses in a body guard. He noticed something was off. The police were everywhere, and they seemed to be in a state of chaos. Joel's mind was racing as he tried to make sense of what was happening."Excuse me," he said to one of the officers. "What's going on here?"The officer turned to him and said, "Are you the homeowner, Joel Brown Winston?"Joel nodded, and the officer continued, "We've had a bit of an incident here. Three bodies
The detective and officers tried to restrain Joel but he didn't make it easy for them. He stormed out of the room, his heart racing with fear and anxiety. How could his only child be gone? He thought to himself. He pushed through the doors wanting to see his daughter with his own eyes because he still couldn't believe what he just heard.Joel stopped as the doors gave way for him. He looked around and then he saw her, his little girl, lying on a cold sterile table. His heart stopped as he took in the sight of her small, lifeless body. All he could do was growl out in pain. He held her little hand in his. "Mimi, I failed you and your mother. I'm sorry I have been a terrible father. It's all my fault." He growled again as he clutched onto his daughter's cold body, his scream echoed through the room. He felt his heart tearing apart. Deep down he knew this was the last straw. He wasn't sure he was going to be able to survive this. The Detective and the officers had to allow Joel somet
Albert tried to console Joel, but he pushed him away. He didn't want his comfort and didn't want his pity. He just wanted his wife found. The search had been on for three days and there was no news about his wife, Anna. Days passed and Joel became a shadow of himself. He stopped eating and sleeping. Everything was crashing down, even the business his grandfather had passed down to him. Joel realized he couldn't function without his family. Joel, refusing to give up, sent his men out again and told them to find her at all cost. They returned with the same sad news. She was nowhere to be found. Joel finally broke down and he shut himself away from the world. No amount of pleas from Albert could move Joel to get back to his normal life. For a week, Joel stayed indoors mourning the loss of his family. He couldn't believe he was all alone in the world. He couldn't believe he would never see them again. Albert couldn't take it anymore. If he let Joel have his way, he could die under