Novels by Ashimed

Chapter 155JanetIt was nearly 4pm when I finally closed my laptop and leaned back in my chair. I massaged my neck gently to ease the tension.It had been a very busy day. I had spent it running from one meeting to another and answering phone call after phone call.Everything had fallen on me as the only Benson in the company right now. The newly wedded couples were away on their honeymoon and weren’t expected back till the end of next week. Which meant I had a lot more stressful days ahead. But I didn’t mind. The thought of Dad enjoying his honeymoon because he knew I was here to handle any problem was all the motivation I needed.I yawned and stretched, then decided to call them and see how they were doing. I called Anna first but she didn’t pick up. But from the pictures she had posted on social media this afternoon I knew she and Justin were having a great time in Florida. I called my Dad."Hey Dad!"“Hey honey, how are you doing over there?” Dad asked."Great and yo

Chapter 154 Janet The room was filled with people. My family, friends, coworkers, and company staff were all there. A banner with, Welcome Home Janet, was hanging on the wall. “Welcome home sweetheart.” Fran, who was standing besides me, said hugging me. “You knew about this?” I asked Kevin who stood behind her. He smiled mischievously and shrugged. I was really surprised and pleased. The last thing I had expected was a welcome home party with so many people turning up. I walked towards the crowd of people and received a lot of hugs and kisses. “We were so worried about you Miss Benson. I am happy you are alright.” My secretary Dani said. “Thanks Dani. I am happy to be back.” Someone handed me a glass of champagne and I sat on the couch with Kevin, watching the people who had come to celebrate my homecoming. “Okay Jan,” Gina said sitting on the arm on my chair. “ I want the whole story. Everything. How did you fall into the hands of those psycho?” “

Chapter 153 Janet I was brushing my hair when Kevin walked in. “Hey beautiful! Wow you are ready so soon?” He asked. “Yeah. I can’t wait to get out of here.” He laughed. “ Why the rush?” “Are you even asking? I have been here for a week. It is a miracle I am still sane. You know I hate hospitals.” I said. “Sorry but the doctor wants to keep you here a week more.” He said. The look on my face made him explode with laughter. “Joking babe, I am here to take you home.” He walked over to me and kissed me. “I still can’t believe that nightmare was just a week ago.” He said gently. I couldn’t believe it, but it was. A week ago I had escaped from Lois and had been airlifted to a hospital in Dallas. I had awaken from hours of unconsciousness, to find Dad, Fran, Anna and Justin around me. “She is awake!” “Honey are you okay?” “Jan thank God.” “We were so worried-“ Their had all been talking at once and struggling to hug me. I watched then tongue tied, not sure

Chapter 152 Janet “Hungry?” Lois asked me, waving a chicken wing in my face. I glared at her. There were hundreds of choice names I would have liked to call her but the gag in my mouth stopped me. We were in a motel, even more dirty and rundown than the previous one. I was sitting on the bed tied up and gagged. Lois sat on the only chair eating chicken and drinking soda. The greedy bitch hadn’t given me any food or water since we had arrived the evening before, and it was now well past midday. After she had knocked Jason out, she had dragged me from the bed and put a jacket around my shoulders. “Make any wrong move,” she said pointing the gun at me. “ And you are history.” We walked out of the room side by side, the gun sticking on my ribs. The motel was almost deserted. She unlocked the car and pushed me into the back seat then got behind the wheel. She made a call to the cops telling them to hurry to the motel because, Janet Benson and her kidnappers were in room 1

Chapter 151 Kevin I was awaken from a restless sleep by my ringing phone. It was a week since Jan had gone missing and it had been a week of hell for her loved ones. Her kidnappers hadn’t called again and we weren’t sure why. It would have been easier if they just made a ransom demand. We would have happily paid it. As usual I had been with the Benson’s all afternoon hoping for news, but there was non, not even from Breed. I had stayed up till after midnight thinking what to do, before falling asleep on my couch. I groaned and fumbled for my phone on the coffee table. “Hello?” I mumbled. “Kev? It’s me. I have got news. They’ve found Jason.” I jumped up immediately. “Where?” “The cops got an anonymous tip that led them to a motel outside of town. They found him unconscious in a room. Someone had knocked him out.” “And Jan?” “No sign of her or Lois. The desk clerk said a woman paid for the room a couple of days ago, which was the same day the cops raided the house w

Chapter 150 Janet “Couldn’t you just make the ransom demand already” Jason asked. “ What are we waiting for anyway?” Lois, who sat by the small desk eating a hamburger, glared at him. “The longer we wait, the riskier it becomes. Make the demand, get the money and let us fly to Canada like agreed.” He continued. “Will you shut the fuck up!” She said angrily. “ I don’t need your advice! You have done enough, so shut the fuck up!” “It’s not my fault everything isn’t going according to plan.” He said. “Really?” Lois said controlling her anger. “ So whose fault is it?” Jason looked uncomfortable. “Tell me Jason, whose fault is it? Who stupidly used their phone to make a call that was traced and nearly led to our capture, hmm? Whose idiocy caused our plans to be derailed? You! You had three jobs, shut up, listen, and obey my instructions. But no, you had to be a dumbass and now look.” “All I did was call Watson to annoy him a little. You called Benson didn’t you?” Jason

Adele’s Pov “I am letting her go that’s what. What you are doing is crazy Tina! And I won’t support you.” Dad said. “You idiot! I am trying to help you solve a problem!” Tina yelled. “Just like I did with her useless mother.” “What?” I asked wide-eyed. “What do you mean? Did you have something to do with Claire’s death?” He asked. “Yes I did dumbass! What else was I suppose to do. You said you couldn’t be with me because you didn’t want to divorce her so I had to kill her. You mentioned she was going to Palo Alto to see her stupid friend so I waited on a quiet part of the road pretending I had engine trouble, when the fool stopped to help, I hit her on the back of the head and drove her car off a cliff. So your problems were solved.” “How could you be so evil Tina?” Dad asked shocked. “Shut up! I did it to help you. You should be thanking me! Now lock them up and stop being an idiot.” “Never! You have done enough. It ends now. I was an idiot to have had anything to do with you

Tina met Jason the same place she had met Adele. “What took you so long?” She asked suspiciously. “I went by a longer route. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t being followed.” He explained. “Okay, so you have everything?” “Yeah,” he said pointing to his case. “I heard you kidnapped Adele too?” “Yes to increase the ransom.” They began walking to the beach house. “She was the target, I used her son to get her. Tell me about Adele being Chris’ daughter, Claire cheated on you? I am not surprised. She was as useless as her daughter.” “There isn’t much to tell. Chris just told me she wasn’t my daughter, it explained a lot of things.” They got to the house and met Karen having lunch. “Dad! I was so happy when Mom said you were joining us. I hope you aren’t mad I didn’t tell you I was leaving?” “No. I wish you had though. Where is Adele and Jay?” “There.” Tina pointed to a door. “Let me see them.” Tina picked up a bunch of keys on the table and opened the door. Adele and Jay were s

“How could we be so stupid?” Dan groaned. He was pacing the living room very upset. “I was the idiot.” Chris said. “I should have known what Tina was up to when she didn’t want Adele around. In fact I should have had bodyguards here the minute this happened.” “It won’t have helped. From what the housekeeper said Tina didn’t rush in and kidnap her she lured her away.” Rachel said. “Jay and now Adele have been taken. What kind of an idiot am I not to have seen this?“ Chris asked helplessly. “Beating yourself up won’t help. We have to find a way to get them back.” Rachel said. “I am going to talk to Jason, he is going to tell me where his crazy wife is hiding.” Chris fumed. “I will come with you.” Dan said. “No. You two stay here and let me handle it.” Rachel said and left. Jason was staring at his dinner when Rachel walked in. “It is time to come clean Jason, where is Tina? Chris is right, you know where she is and you are hiding it from us.” She said. “I am not in t

The phone call had shaken Adele and Dan, but Rachel told them not to get upset. “Tina is trying to get to you guys, don’t let her win. You have to be strong.” She said. “I'm trying but it isn’t easy,” Adele cried. “Tina is crazy, what if she hurts him?” “She won't, she needs him to carry out whatever evil plan she has. Don’t worry, she will call again.” Two days later, Tina called Chris during lunch time. “Hey Chris, how are you? I'm calling you because you have what I need.” She said. “ You evil bitch! Where is Jay?” “The brat is fine don’t worry.” “If you harm him-“ “Why should I? I need him. I have no intention of hurting him. I just want to make a deal and I will let him go. Having him here is annoying.” “What do you want?” “Money.” “How much?” “I will tell you, but first call Dan and Rachel to your office by 4 pm. I want them to be there when I call. Do not call Adele.” “Why only Dan and Rachel? And why 4 pm? What are you up to?” He asked suspiciously.

Tina called Jason as he drove home. “Tina, what is going on? Is Karen with you?” He asked. “Calm down she is. I know you didn’t want her to know about our plan, but I couldn’t help contacting her. I hope you are not mad?” “Not really, although I wish you had told me first. Did she take Adele’s son?” “Yes, the brat is here.” “Tina that is kidnapping! She could be in big trouble! Why did you get her mixed up in this?” “Relax, no one is getting into trouble. We are going make money from this. I needed her help to pull it off.” “Money? How?” “From the ransom of course.” “Tina this is a bad idea.” “No it isn’t. Just calm down and leave it to me okay?” “Sure, take care of Karen, and please keep in touch.” When Jason got home he sank into a chair feeling tired and upset. He had guessed something was wrong when he tried to call Karen and couldn’t get through, then when he'd come home Marie had told him Karen had packed her bags to go on a camping trip. He had guessed s

Adele’s pov I couldn’t stop crying. Dan sat beside me trying to console me. Brenda was crying quietly in the armchair and Chris was on the phone, calling everyone he could think of to help find Jay. “This is all my fault,” Brenda said “No it is,” Dan said. “You didn’t get there on time because an accident delayed you, and I am very sure the accident was caused by Tina.” “It is my fault.” I cried. “I caused this. I brought Karen into our lives. You warned me Dan but I was stupid enough to trust her!” “Stop blaming yourself. It’s not your fault she turned out to be a witch, you couldn’t have known.” “Dan is right,” Chris said, None of you are to blame. We will find Jay, and arrest Karen and Tina, I promise.” The housekeeper led Dad into the room. “I got your message,” he said, “what’s going on? You said Karen kidnapped Jay? That’s impossible why would she do that?” “Because she is a psycho just like her mom and she needs to be stopped!” Chris fumed. ‘It is time to come

Lucy’s pov It was the guy from earlier. He held my waist to stop me from falling over. I couldn’t answer. I broke free and rushed outside. I ran to the carpark and tried to open my car, but I was so distressed I couldn’t. I leaned against it, then burst into tears. I was hurt and angry. How could Cole talk to me like that? He knew I was older than him right from the beginning and always said he didn’t care. Now I saw he never loved me, he’d just used me to finance himself while he worked on his stupid app. I thought of all the love, time, and money I’d spent on him while all along he had been cheating on me, and I cried harder. Vicki had tried to warn me but I was too blind to see. I cried for some time, unable to control myself, then I heard someone say. “Are you okay?” I looked up. It was the same guy! What the fuck! Was he following me? I didn’t care. I was angry and looking for someone to vent it on. “Is everything okay? Are you hurt?” He asked again. “None of your busine

Lucy’s pov We both turned round to see the man who had spoken, and our eyes widened. The bouncer’s with fear, mine with surprise. The man was tall, with dark brown hair, sea green eyes, and a handsome face that took my breath away. “Take your hands off her now! Didn’t your father teach you how not to treat a woman.” He said firmly, glaring at the bouncer who immediately let me go. “I am sorry sir…I ….I..she…” The bouncer stammered. “Are you alright?” He asked me, looking at my arms where I’d been grabbed. “Yes. Thank you.” I said, trying to keep myself from blushing. He turned to the bouncer. “Last I checked molesting guests isn’t part of your job. I will speak to Cole about this.” “No sir please. I wasn’t molesting her, she was trying to get in without a partner. That is against the rules.” The bouncer stammered an explanation. I knew immediately that was a lie. While I’d been arguing with him I’d seen some and women go in without any partner. “So her being alone is

Lucy's pov It took me some seconds before I could pull myself together and walk back to my car. It took even longer before I could drive it away. What had come over Cole? Why the hell was he acting like this? Was he cheating on me? He couldn’t do that, not after all the love we shared, and everything I had done for him. When I got home Vicki was waiting in my living room. She was my best friend and had a key to my place so she could come over anytime she liked. “Lucy, I wasn’t expecting you, I thought you would be at Cole’s place.” She smiled, then it vanished when she saw the look on my face. “What’s wrong? You look crushed? What happened?” “Nothing." "Don't lie to me. What is wrong? What did he do?" "Nothing. I went to see him and he told me he is going through some stuff, so we agreed to take a little break from each other.” I lied. "What stuff?" "He didn't say." “And you both agreed? Really?” She asked, skeptically. “Yes.” “Are you sure there isn’t mo

Lucy's pov “This is a bad idea.” My friend Vicki said again. I had lost count the number of times she had said that in the one hour she had been in my house. Those words were beginning to irritate me, mostly because I knew deep down she was right. But I’d rather die than admit it. “You are making a big mistake.” She said frowning at me. She was sitting on my bed watching me apply my makeup. “No I am not.” I said stubbornly. “Where is your pride if you go running after a man?” “I am not running after a man.” I snapped. “I am just going to see my boyfriend so we can talk about our future.” “Boyfriend? Wait are we talking about Cole? Because if I remember correctly he dumped you!” “He didn’t dump me! He just asked me to give him space. And I have. It’s been two weeks. I want to talk to him and see how he is doing.” “Why not call or text him? Wait let me guess, he isn’t taking your calls of replying your messages right?” I felt my face turn red with embarrassm

Mandy's Pov His kiss was fierce and passionate, and I sighed softly and opened my mouth, then his tongue found its way into it. I had dreamed of kissing him right from the day we met, and now my wish was finally coming true. Then he pulled away, leaving me disappointed. “I am sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.” He said, nervously picking up his drink. I forced a nervous laugh, my whole body aching for more than just a kiss, but I didn’t want to make a fool of myself. “Are you hungry? The cook has closed for the day but I can order something.” He suggested. “No, I am okay.” We talked about a few awkward, unimportant things, then I made to stand up. “I better get going, I have missed my flight, so I guess I will check into a hotel.” I said, eager to leave this embarrassing situation. “Stay, please. I have a guest room. I want to talk to you about something, but not tonight. In the morning.” “Really? What?” I asked curiously. “In the morning. I promise.” I swallowed ne

Mandy's pov I almost choked on my soup. “What?” I asked, not sure I heard him. “You heard me. I said I would pay back all the money you owe your jerk husband, that way you can leave him.” “The money is a lot.” “Is it up to a billion dollars?” “No of course not.” “Then I will send it to him.” He said simply. “I appreciate this but no thank you. Accepting charity got me into this mess in the first place.” I said. “And it will get you out. I promise I just want to help. I don’t want anything in return, except one thing.” “What?” I asked suspiciously. “I want to send Helena the divorce papers, I want you to send Sam his as well. I want their shock to be double when they both receive them at the same time.” “Sure. I can do that,” I said carefully. “So do you agree?” I hesitated I didn’t want any more trouble, but if Jason would help get Sam out of my life, why not? Besides Jason couldn’t do any worse. “Okay, it is a deal,” I said. He raised h