Fifty-NineChloeMy knees knocked together nervously as we waited in the reception room. I was a nervous wreck, but fuck if I could control my knees. I glanced at David, wondering what I would do if all he said turned out to be true after all. He claimed I wasn't Chloe Tristan. That mom and Dad had stolen me off when I was a kid. Fucking hilarious. It was absurd and unbelievable and yet here I was in a fucking hospital."Relax Chloe," David muttered soothingly."Since I met you, you've said that to me like a gazillion times," I told him, rubbing my hand on my thighs so I could calm my shaky legs. "Because you're always so wound up. It's easy to see how Tristan and his wife have treated you," he muttered and I looked away. "Stop talking about my parents like that," I said timidly. I had no idea why I was defending them. They had treated me badly... Sometimes. But we had good memories too... I think. Crap what was this? Some memory lane trip? I shook my head and faced David. "Why
SixtyNathan."The media is going crazy!" A director yelled. "They're calling you a ruthless person and a cruel son!" I was at another board of directors meeting. Unlike other meetings which weren't about me, this one was. It had been five days since my parents died and no one had seen me mourn in public. I had them buried away from prying media eyes and so all they had was the information that they were buried. Nobody knew how or where. And they were dying to know. With the press in the dark, everyone else was in the dark, and my directors? Well, they couldn't take it anymore. They were dying with suspense and had called a board meeting over something that wasn't of their concern.Fucking Nitwits. I stared blankly at the director who must have started the whole thing. "They disowned me. I don't see why I have to mourn them for a long time," I could see the horror on his face as he blubbered. "B...but we do not want such bad publicity for the company! If you look bad, we all look
Sixty OneChloeI was back. South Carolina stared back at me, with its pretty blue skies and natural landscape. The air was the same. Fresh especially in the mornings like this. My stomach turned queasy as second thoughts plague my mind. Could I really follow through with the plan? "Hello, Carolina! Your bitches are back!" Addison screamed as she alighted from the plane ruining my moment. "Yayyyyyy!!!!" Adele cheered in David's arms as he climbed down the stairs as well, a wide grin on his face.I had to be the only one who wasn't excited to be back. "So," David said, looking at me, "Think you're ready for this? I told you two months ago that you don't have to do it if you are not ready." I gave him a small smile. Right, he had. "I'm ready, I wouldn't be here if I wasn't." "Alright! Now that you've all done your sour sappy moment, Let's get going!" Addison cheered, urging us forward. "I don't even get why you're excited," I mumbled as she pushed us toward the airport. "Bitc-
Sixty TwoNathan The water cascaded down my hair to the rest of my body. I sighed at the soothing feel, feeling all my muscles groan and creak with soreness. Pouring a bit of shampoo I massaged it into my hair, washing off the grime and dirt that came from training at the gym. The shower was the only place where my head wasn't noisy. It was weird because usually, it should be the opposite. I felt at peace there, concentrating on every droplet as it ran its course down my body. It was healing. Exactly what I needed. When I felt clean enough, I stepped out of the shower and into my room. I had moved out of my apartment the night after Noah died. All I saw in my fucking dreams was him saying Chloe's name before he died. It had been two months since then and I didn't have a clue. Not one. Even if I wanted to find Chloe, where would I go? I had searched the whole of South Carolina years ago, but she had been nowhere to be found. He had to have left the state or even the fucking countr
Sixty ThreeChloe"Ready?" Addison asked as we alighted from the Camaro. I, her, and David. "I wish everyone would quit asking me that," I mumbled looking up at the building before us. "I'm already a nervous wreck, I don't need a constant reminder that I'm new at this." "Just checking in," she muttered and we both chuckled. My parents' company stood right before my eyes. The sign at the top of the four-story building read Tristan and co Winery. I pursed my lips in indignation. "Two years ago, it used to read Montgomery Wines." David said, "The bastard didn't hesitate to rope all the directors to his side once your parents were dead and carved his dirty name on their legacy." How could he be so greedy? Was the money he lynched off the Benjamins not enough? How could he even face my parents after stealing their child? It was a plain old-hearted felony. "Let's go in, shall we? It's time Tristan saw a ghost," I said, pressing my lips into a fine line. I was Arabella Montgomery. And
Sixty FourNathan "... At ten, you have a one-hour meeting with the telecommunication company. At twelve, you have a meeting with the Admin of education at South Carolina Uni. At six, you have to show up at charity-" I held a hand up interrupting Marcus. "I have to?" He nodded. "Yes sir. You told me yesterday that I had to tell 'you have to' sir." I hummed trying to take in what he had just told me. "What is the charity function for?" "For orphaned kids in North America," Marcus supplied. "And there's a high chance Eduardo will be there." "Ah," I nodded. "Now I get why I have to. Good Marcus. You may take the evening off," "I won't be accompanying you to the event sir?" I shook my head, clasping my hands together as I ruminated on what I had to do that day. If things went quite well, I should be able to go home and freshen up before heading out to the charity. That should work. "Have you received the details of the propose telecommunication gadget from the design team?" I ask
Sixty FiveChloe"Am I smiling too hard?" I asked Addison through my teeth as I smiled at the flashing cameras. I stood on the red carpet. I felt like a freaking princess. I was dressed like one! My dress was a bold red dress that flared out on my waist and was lined with ruffles that swished everywhere I turned.When David announced that I would be attending my first ball that evening, I panicked. There simply hadn't been enough time to master everyone's name on the guest list. So we decided I'd learn a few of the much more prominent ones. I had been worried though. Standing in the eyes of the press, especially the ones that would be at the South Carolina Charity Ball, Nathan could be alerted of my presence. And then what? He probably would not care. Of course, he wouldn't. The magazines were filled with his and Lily's engagement. She was pregnant- again. I wonder where the first child was? I hadn't seen any pictures of the child both online and in the papers. "You're doing just
Sixty SixNathan "Benjamin!" Silver space director, Mr. Hinawa yelled, clapping a hand on my back. It was funny how people still called me 'Benjamin', especially after the whole fiasco with my Family. What else was there to call me? To them, the whole Benjamin family kicked me out and perished immediately. I was the only one remaining to keep the name going anyway. I nodded at Hinawa, a smirk on my face. That was as far as he was going to get. Smiling in public, for me, was wrong and prohibited. I shouldn't be allowed to do so. I shouldn't be allowed to smile after my parents and brother were murdered in cold blood because of the bastard sitting a few tables away. Eduardo. The short bastard was dressed in some silly sequined suit, laughing at something the mayor said. Of course, he would try to win the mayor over now. Anything to get the mafia in and out of South Carolina with ease. "Stop glaring at Eduardo and listen to the poor old man standing before you," Cameron's grumpy vo