ELINNAIt was the weekend, which meant no work.I woke up late that morning because we'd come back late last night. The car rolled into the compound at 1am. The traffic was that bad.The fact that Stephanie was still up surprised me because I thought she would have been gone or she would be asleep.“Gosh, thank you so much for everything. The traffic was terrible.”She waved it off.“Oh, it's okay, Mrs E. I like being here. Chase slept a few hours ago because he said he wanted to see you but he couldn't make it.”Oh, my baby boy.“Thank you so much, Stephanie. This is your payment and you remember your room right? I can't let you go home at this time. I don't know what's out there.”When she left, I turned to see Lizzy sleeping on the couch still in her heels.“Lizzy!” She jolted away and I laughed “Get up, let's go upstairs.”I finally managed to pull her up from the chair, kiss Chase goodbye and then go to my room.I was left to sleep in that weekend and I was so happy no one bother
ELINNAThe hospital was in the far end of town.It was a hospital that was very popular and was often visited but with money, you can make things go your way.They kept her in a very private room, away from every other patient and only special doctors and nurses were assigned to her. They were made to sign a contract that if they ever spoke a word about who was in the ward or anything of that sort, they could be liable to prison time.I knew it was a lot but I had to keep my mother away from those evil people. Lizzy had already called the security guard outside beforehand that I would be coming over so when I came, they just asked for my ID and let me enter.Once inside, reality hit me.My mother was a few feet away from me on a bed just as she had been the last time I saw her. She was sleeping, I could hear her squeaky snore.She looked better than the last time I'd been here. She has been so thin and sickly that it made me wonder if my mother was going to be alive by the time I got
ELINNAI left the hospital about two hours after that. I didn't want to.leave my mother but when I told her that I had promised my son that I'm would be back early, she agreed to let me go. “You have to promise to bring him with you next time.”“Oh, I do. It's just because of the whole situation right now that I haven't let him outside since we got back.”But at least, now that she knew about him, it was more of an encouragement to let me bring him out. “Mum, I'll see you later okay? I love you. If you need anything, you have my number. Just call right away, okay?” She nodded as I closed the door. It was refreshing to see my mother again and I couldn't help the smile that was plastered on my face as I made my way to the car. It was a little past nine pm. Chase should still be awake. He knew that on the weekends, he could extend his curfew till however long he wanted to stay up. I didn't force him to sleep early during the weekends. I decided to stop by a fast food joint, probably
ELINNA“Make the announcement, Lizzy.”We were sitting at the table that morning and she had been on a work call since six am. I wasn't sure she heard me because she was knee deep in the work she was doing on her laptop but when she raised her head and looked at me with a frown, talking off her glasses and almost dropping them into her bowl of cereal. “What did you say?” “Tell them I'm back.” She looked at Chase first.“Really? Why the sudden change? What's going on? Did something happen?” I didn't think so. I just felt that the whole point of me coming back was to take over. Id been back for over a month and it think it's time for me to do what I came to do. I didn't care if my family or Carlisle heard about it. “Nothing happened. I just want to get to work. There's a lot to be done.”She looked at me for a while before picking up her phone and typing away from it. They couldn't get me or do anything to me anymore. If they tried it, I would be able to fight for myself. I wa
ELINNAI should have known that today was going to be the most eventful day of my life.As soon as we got down from the car, the first thing that hit me was the bright light from the cameras.There were so many news crews and the way they were pushing each other with the microphones and cameras was so crazy.“Mrs Evergreen, look here!”“Elinna, how did you make your money before this?”“What school did you attend?!”“Are you single?”We finally managed to push past the crowd and go in. I was presented with a bouquet when I walked in.“Mrs Evergreen, my name is Raj Gupta and I'm the Head of HR. It's a pleasure to finally have you visit us.”All I could do was smile as they all introduced themselves.“I can not thank you all enough for working in their company since its inception. You have all believed in the dream that we had and today, we can happily say that we have built something beautiful. During my time abroad, I heard of how hard you worked and I'm grateful. Now that I'm back, y
ELINNAI looked at the crowd, hoping to find the person who had asked the question.“What did you say?”The man stood to his feet.“Are you related to Carlisle Evergreen, Textile business Mogul?”Was that a trick question or what?I stared at the man, hoping to figure out whether I had seen him before or if he was one of Carlisle's men. It had been so long. Even if I had seen him before, I would have forgotten anyone I met back then.I took a deep breath and leaned into the microphone.“No, no relation.”“So how do you explain your title and your surname?”Why was he so particular about my name?“I would not be commenting about my personal life at this time. If you have any other questions, please refrain from certain personal topics.”Thankfully, till the end of the whole thing, no one asked me any questions that threw me off guard.“Thank you all so much, it's been a wonderful time.”As we left the room, I wondered what else they wanted to ask me because there was still so much pand
ELINNA“You know, you surprise me. My mother got sick and you abandoned her at the hospital to die. You marry some other good digger who treated me like trash. Before your very eyes, I was turned to a slave and you let them do what they wanted to me. As if that was not enough, you gave me out to a man I didn't know. A man who turned me into a sex doll. Are you not my father? Were you not supposed to look out for me?”He was crying and I was trying to stop myself from doing so too because these people didn't deserve a tear.Lizzy had come back into the room and she was standing in the corner listening to everything.“I’m sorry. I don't know what happened. I take responsibility for everything. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the way I treated you. I should have done better. I failed you as a father, I failed your mother. I'm so sorry.”His tears and appeals weren't doing anything. I thought that I would be happy when I saw them begging but right now, it just seems numb.But I guess some things
ELINNA“Guess what just happened!”I looked up from my phone and looked at Lizzy. She was standing at the door with a big smile on her face and I couldn't imagine what would make her smile like that.“I don't know. I didn't see you at the house this morning so I don't know what could possibly be making you this happy. Why did you leave so early?”She closed the door and cane in to sit.“Its linked to my surprise. Just guess! Ugh, you're so boring.”I feigned hurt.“That is so not true. I am a fun person!”“Tell me the last time you did something fun. Something that made you feel alive!”I thought about it for a good minute.“The time I took those shot people to the hospital.”She had a look of disgust.“Something tells me that you are dead inside.”She was right. That was pretty dark. I needed to go out and do something fun. Maybe this weekend. Chase had been in the house too much as well, he needed some fresh air too.“So will you finally tell me what it's about?”“Okay! I managed to
ELINNAI'd told Carlisle to trust me, that I knew what we were doing but as we approached the gate of his old house, I began to wonder what I would do if this whole situation had gone out of control. Kesian had already made it clear that he wasn't a fan of me and that he wanted to kill.me so if he actually did attack me, what would I do? I'd asked Ice to be dormant, meaning that she couldn't just jump out of thin air. Why had I come here in the first place? There was something I wanted to try. As we got down from the car, I felt the urge to tell Carlisle the truth. I was setting him up for a trap and I might as well let him in on it so he wouldn't just be out in the open..“Carlisle, there is something I want to tell you.”He stopped walking and turned to me..I could see his eyes even in the darkness. Safe to say Kesian hadn't caught unto us yet. He closed the distance between us. “What is the matter? Do you sense him?” I shook my head. In a way, I feel bad for lying to him.
ELINNAThe urge to see my father had been lingering in my mind for a week and that day, I decided to give into it. Helen had told me that he was here but I didn't have the time to go there or even see him. I'd been so swamped with work. I rounded up my work for that day and walked out of the company. When I arrived at the hospital, I rushed to the ICU unit where my father was being kept. I saw him lying in the bed, hooked up to machines and tubes. He was in a coma, and I could see the way the doctors and nurses surrounded him, talking in hushed voices. Who would I blame this on? Myself? I didn't owe him anything but at the end of the day, I was his only daughter. No one else will take care of him. The doctor came over to me and introduced himself."I'm Dr. Smith, your father's doctor," he said. "I'm afraid the news isn't good."My heart dropped to my stomach. "What is it? You can tell me anything doctor.”"Your father has lung cancer. It's advanced, and we're not sure how much
I walked into the house, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. It had been a long day, but I was finally home, and I couldn't wait to share the good news with my mum. I found her sitting in the living room, watching TV, and I smiled as I approached her."Mum, I'm so happy to see you're feeling better," I said, giving her a warm hug.My mum smiled back at me, her eyes shining with love. "I'm feeling much better, sweetie," she said. "Thanks for taking care of the best care."I sat down next to her, feeling a sense of happiness wash over me. "I'm so glad to hear that, Mum," I said. "I've been worried sick about you."My mum smiled and took my hand. "I know, sweetie, and I appreciate all that you've done for me. But I'm feeling much better now, and that's all that matters."I nodded, feeling a sense of relief. "I'm just happy to see you smiling again, Mum," I said. "You deserve all the happiness in the world."My mum squeezed my hand. "You're a good daughter, Elinna," she said. "I'm so
CarlisleI sat at my desk, staring blankly at the papers in front of me. The fluorescent lights above, humming softly, cast an artificial glow over the office. My mind was elsewhere, consumed by thoughts of the mysterious person behind the email and the reporter's terrified expression.Just as I was starting to get lost in my thoughts, my phone rang, shrill and insistent. I picked it up, expecting it to be one of my associates. But instead, it was Elinna."Hey, Carlisle," she said, her voice warm and friendly. "I was thinking we should meet up and talk."I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What's on your mind?" I asked, trying to sound casual."I just wanted to discuss some things with you," she said. "Maybe we could grab coffee or something?"I nodded, even though she couldn't see me. "Sure, that sounds good," I said. "When were you thinking?""How about now?" she asked. "I'm free if you are."I glanced at my watch, calculating the time. "I'm good," I said. "Where do you want to meet?"
ELINNAI walked into the house, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. It had been a long day, but I was finally home, and I couldn't wait to share the good news with my mum. I found her sitting in the living room, watching TV, and I smiled as I approached her."Mum, I'm so happy to see you're feeling better," I said, giving her a warm hug.My mum smiled back at me, her eyes shining with love. "I'm feeling much better, sweetie," she said. "Thanks for taking care of the best care."I sat down next to her, feeling a sense of happiness wash over me. "I'm so glad to hear that, Mum," I said. "I've been worried sick about you."My mum smiled and took my hand. "I know, sweetie, and I appreciate all that you've done for me. But I'm feeling much better now, and that's all that matters."I nodded, feeling a sense of relief. "I'm just happy to see you smiling again, Mum," I said. "You deserve all the happiness in the world."My mum squeezed my hand. "You're a good daughter, Elinna," she said. "
CARLISLEI sat at my desk, staring blankly at the papers in front of me. The fluorescent lights above hummed softly, casting an artificial glow over the office. My mind was elsewhere, consumed by thoughts of the mysterious person behind the email and the reporter's terrified expression.Just as I was starting to get lost in my thoughts, my phone rang, shrill and insistent. I picked it up, expecting it to be one of my associates. But instead, it was the president's assistant."Carlisle, the president needs to see you in his office," she said, her voice crisp and professional.I groaned inwardly, feeling a sense of trepidation. I didn't want to go to the office, not now when I was in the middle of something important. But I knew I couldn't avoid it. The president's summons was not a request, it was a command."Okay, I'll be right there," I said, reluctantly.As I walked to the office, I couldn't help but wonder what the president wanted to see me about. Was it about the plot that was un
ELINNAI was sitting at home, watching TV and enjoying a quiet evening, when my phone rang. I answered it, expecting it to be a friend or family member calling to catch up. But instead, it was a call from the hospital."Hello?" I said, my voice calm."Elinna, this is the hospital. We've had your father brought in and we'd like you to come down to see him," the nurse said.My heart sank as I heard the words. "What's wrong?" I asked, feeling a sense of panic rising up inside me."He's in critical condition," the nurse replied. "We need you to come down to the hospital as soon as possible to see him."I quickly got up and grabbed my keys. "I'm on my way," I said, already heading out the door.As I drove to the hospital, my mind was racing with thoughts of my father. What had happened to him? Was he okay?When I arrived at the hospital, I rushed to the ICU unit where my father was being kept. I saw him lying in the bed, hooked up to machines and tubes. He was in a coma, and I could see th
CARLISLEI stared at the reporter, my eyes cold and calculating. "So, you're the one who's been spreading rumors about my company," I said, my voice firm.The reporter nodded, looking nervous. "I-I didn't know who sent me the information, sir," he stammered.I raised an eyebrow. "You didn't know?" I repeated, my voice incredulous. "How convenient."I nodded to my men, who stepped forward and started beating the reporter. He cried out in pain as they punched and kicked him. I watched, my expression unyielding.After a few minutes, I signaled for my men to stop. The reporter was gasping for breath, his face bruised and battered."Now, let's try this again," I said, my voice cold. "Who sent you the information?"The reporter shook his head, looking like he was about to pass out. "I-I don't know, sir," he whispered.I sighed, nodding to my men again. They continued the beating, stopping and starting several times. Each time, I would ask the reporter if he was ready to talk, and each time,
CARLISLEI stepped out of the shower, feeling relieved after a long work out. As I reached for the towel, I heard my phone ringing. I wrapped the towel around my waist and walked over to the phone. "Hello?" I answered, expecting it to be Elinna since I was still waiting for her text concerning my next date with Chase."Hey, boss," my tech guy, Alex, said on the other end. "I've got some bad news."I frowned. "What is it?" I asked, drying myself off with a towel."I couldn't trace the email," Alex said "No matter what I tried, I couldn't find any leads."Why were things going this way? It was just a damn email. Why was it so hard to find? "What do you mean you couldn't trace it? Everything can be traced. It's just a matter of how hard you try.""I know, boss," Alex said, sounding defensive. "But this email is different. It's like it came out of thin air. I've tried everything, but I couldn't find any digital footprint."I clenched my fist, feeling a wave of frustration wash over m