Novels by Joy Jackson

Brielle's POVI had been sitting in the living room, unable to sleep, when I heard Albert's car pulling into the driveway. It was almost midnight.I looked out the window and saw him stumbling as he tried to get out of the car. He was drunk. Very drunk.My phone had been ringing for the past hour. When I finally answered it, a man said he was a bartender and that my husband was at his bar, too drunk to drive home.I was scared and worried. Albert never drank like this. Something terrible must have happened.I drove to the bar and found Albert sitting at a table with his head in his hands. He looked so sad and broken. The bartender told me Albert had been drinking for hours and kept saying my name.I helped Albert get to my car and drove him home. He was so drunk he could barely walk. I had to help him up the stairs to our bedroom."Albert, what happened? Why did you drink so much?" I asked him.But he just told me to leave him alone and closed his eyes.I put some water and aspirin on

Albert PovMaria looked up at me with a strange expression. "I don't know, sir. She was gone when I came to work this morning.""Gone? What do you mean gone?""Her car is not in the garage, sir. And when I went to clean her room, some of her clothes were missing."My heart started beating fast. "What about Sophia?""Sophia is not here too, sir. Her room is empty."I ran upstairs to check Sophia's room. Maria was right. The room was empty. Sophia's clothes were gone. Her toys were gone. Her medicine was gone.I ran to our bedroom and opened Brielle's closet. Half of her clothes were missing. Her suitcase was gone too.She had left. Brielle had taken Sophia and left without telling me anything.I sat on the bed, feeling angry and confused. Why did she leave? Where did she go? And why didn't she tell me?Then I remembered the DNA test results. Maybe she knew about it somehow. Maybe she found out that I knew the baby wasn't mine.But that still didn't explain why she left without talking

Albert's POVThe phone rang while I was in my study room. I looked at the caller ID and saw it was from the hospital."Mr. Albert speaking," I said."Hello, Mr. Albert. This is Dr. Johnson from City Hospital. Your DNA test results are ready. You can come and collect them anytime today."My heart started beating fast. The DNA test. I had done it secretly last week because I needed to know the truth. I needed to know if the baby Brielle was carrying was really mine."I'll be there in thirty minutes," I said and hung up the phone.I told Brielle I was going out for some business. She was sitting in the living room reading a book to Sophia. She looked up and smiled at me."Don't be too long," she said. "Dinner will be ready soon."I nodded. But inside, I was scared. What if the baby wasn't mine? What if Brielle had been lying to me all this time?The drive to the hospital felt like the longest drive of my life. My hands were shaking on the steering wheel. I kept thinking about how Brielle

Brielle's POVMy heart was beating so fast I thought it would jump out of my chest. I watched Lucy and her brother walking to our front door like they owned the place. I had to do something. I had to stop Albert from knowing who they really were.I quickly wiped my tears and ran downstairs before they could ring the doorbell. My hands were shaking as I opened the door."Lucy," I said, trying to sound normal. But my voice came out like a whisper.Lucy smiled at me, but her eyes were cold. "Hello, Brielle. We came to visit you."Her brother stood behind her. He was tall and had the same evil look in his eyes that I remembered from that terrible night. The night that changed my life forever. The night Sophia was made.I felt sick just looking at him."Who is it?" Albert's voice came from behind me.I turned around quickly. Albert was walking down the stairs, looking curious but not worried.Think, Brielle. Think fast."It's... it's my school friend," I said, my voice still shaking. "Luc

Brielle’s POVI was trying to focus on the documents in front of me when my phone started ringing. I didn’t need to check to know it was Lucy. She had been calling nonstop for days now. With a deep breath, I answered.“Brielle,” she said sharply, “you better come and meet me somewhere today. If you don’t, I’ll show up at your husband’s place. I swear I’ll cause a scene.”I clenched my teeth. “Lucy, leave me alone. Don’t call me again,” I said quickly and ended the call.As I turned around, my heart jumped.Albert was standing behind me, staring. I froze. Did he hear everything? I felt my throat tighten.I opened my mouth to explain, but before I could say a word, my phone buzzed again with a message.It was Lucy.“My brother is coming soon to take his child from you. You must give that child to him, or you’ll pay back all the money my family spent on my leg for years. And if you tell anyone, especially the police, how you got pregnant and if you dare say he raped you, I will destroy y

Diana’s POV“Wow,” I said to myself, pacing my room. “So Albert is really doubting if the baby Brielle is carrying is his?”I laughed quietly.“Thank goodness I was there at the hospital on time. Everything is falling into place.”My eyes lit up with excitement.“By the time Jason switches the sample… the DNA result will say exactly what Albert already suspects. He’ll believe the child isn’t his, and that’ll be the end of Brielle.”I smiled wider, placing my hand on my stomach.“Albert will never know that the baby Brielle is carrying is really his. And once he throws her out… I’ll use Jason to crush her. She’ll be destroyed completely. And I’ll finally get what I’ve been fighting for.”But as I sat on the edge of my bed, my smile slowly faded.There was one problem left.Nicholas.He was becoming too risky.I picked up my phone to call him, just to warn him not to show up again without telling me. Before I went to the hospital earlier, I saw him at the estate gate About to enter. If

Massimo’s POV. "There are certain things you wouldn't understand, Ana," I said, my voice gentle. I stared at her and continued. "And if I don't go out tonight, we'll both be in trouble."Ana's eyes narrowed, her expression skeptical. "Who are you going to meet with, Massimo. I just saw my brother's name?" she asked, her voice firm. I hesitated, unsure of how much to reveal. "Just a close associate," I replied. "You shouldn't bother yourself with the details. You’ve said that before and you know I don’t trust your words,” But Ana wasn't having it. She looked like a storm about to break, her emotions simmering just below the surface. "I spoke with Nikolai a few minutes ago," she said, her voice low. "And he said he wasn't having anything to do with you, I see no reason why my own either would be lying to me concerning something which I’ve already caught him red handed."I raised an eyebrow, taken aback by the coincidence. "Maybe he called me by mistake," I suggested, trying to dow

Ana’s POV. I sat in my room, packing my bags to leave the Cosa Nostra. The weight of my decision settled heavily on my shoulders as I thought about the uncertainty that lay ahead. How would I escape New York? What dangers would I face outside these walls? The questions swirled in my mind, but I knew I had to act. I couldn't stay here any longer, not after what I had discovered about Massimo and my brother, Nikolai.As I folded my clothes and placed them in my suitcase, my thoughts drifted to Nikolai. I needed to talk to him, to understand what was going on. I picked up my phone and dialed his number, my heart racing with anticipation.When he answered, I didn't waste any time. "You're a disappointment, Nikolai," I said, my voice firm. There was a pause on the other end of the line, and I could almost hear the surprise in his silence."Ana, what's going on?" he asked, his voice cautious. I tried to make sense of his tone, to understand what he was thinking. But before I could respond,

Massimo’s POV. I stood, feeling a sense of desperation wash over me. "Ana, please don't say that," I begged, my eyes pleading with her. "Don't threaten to leave me. I'll do anything to make this work." Ana's expression was unyielding, her eyes flashing with determination."I mean it, Massimo," she said, her voice firm. "I'll do more than just leave you. I'll make sure you regret underestimating me." I felt surprised as I realized the depth of her anger.Just then, my phone rang, shrill in the tense silence. I glanced at the screen, seeing Nikolai's name flash up. I didn't answer, letting it go to voicemail. Ana raised an eyebrow. "Why aren't you picking up?" she asked, her curiosity piqued."It's just a close associate," I said, trying to brush it off. But Ana's eyes narrowed. "Who is it?" she pressed, her voice insistent. I shook my head. "There's no point in telling you. It's not important."But Ana wasn't having it. She reached out, trying to grab the phone from my hands. "Let m

Massimo’s POVI stood on the balcony, looking out at the night sky. Marco joined me, and I turned to him with a serious expression. "Tonight, we're going on a private mission, Marco," I said, my voice low.Marco's eyes widened in surprise. "Tonight? What's the mission about, Massimo?" he asked, his voice laced with curiosity. I raised an eyebrow, my expression firm. "Never question my authority again, Marco. You'll know what you need to know when you need to know it."Marco nodded, understanding the tone. "Yes, Massimo. I'll get ready." I nodded, my gaze drifting away from Marco to the figure of Martha walking across the courtyard. She was carrying a string of beads, her movements graceful.As I admired Martha, my phone rang, breaking the silence. I answered, and Nikolai Volkova's voice came through the line. “Boss, are you ready to move?" he asked, his voice crisp.I glanced at my watch, calculating the time. "I'll be with you in less than an hour, Nik," I replied, my voice confid

Ana’s POV. My phone hung up after a call. Martha looked at me with concern. "What's wrong, Ana? You look tense." I sighed, rubbing my temples. "I was just trying to reach Marco. He's supposed to run an errand for me today and deliver a file from you to Massimo's office."Her expression turned thoughtful. "Ah, yes. Marco's been helpful, hasn't he?" I nodded, still feeling a bit frustrated. Isabel, who was sitting with us, chimed in. "I don't know how you trust Marco that much, Ana. He's always causing drama." I smiled wryly. "I know, Isa. But he's been loyal so far."I was surprised to see Rosalia Hazelwood enter the building. It was a shock to me as our eyes collided. We sat down, discussing the recent events and how Rosalia's actions had affected us. "She’s been taking Massimo's attention away from us, ," Isabel said, her voice laced with annoyance. "And making him the topic of the day." Rosalia listened calmly, a hint of amusement in her eyes. "I've just been trying to get what

Massimo’s POV. I sat in the vehicle, sipping on a glass of whisky and smoking a cigarette. Rome drove, his eyes fixed on the road. We were headed to meet one of my close associates, someone who could help us uncover more about the bomb in our secret drug barn.As we drove, I turned to Rome "Do you think this bomb was a warning?" I asked, my voice low. Rome's expression was thoughtful. "It's possible," he said. "But we need to be careful. We don't know who's behind this."Just then, my phone buzzed. I glanced at the screen and saw a text from Isabel. "The bomb might be linked to the Governor. Rosalia has some connection to him." My expression changed, and Rome noticed."What's wrong?" he asked, his eyes narrowing. I took a deep breath before responding. "It's Isabel," I said, showing him the text. Rome's eyes scanned the message, his face grim."I always knew Rosalia had something going on that we don't know about," Rome said, his voice low. I nodded, feeling a sense of unease. Rosa