As Alison handed Drake a glass of wine, she couldn't help but notice the peculiar glances exchanged between him and Karen. The atmosphere had suddenly grown thick with an unspoken understanding, and Alison's curiosity was piqued. "Hey, what's going on here?" Alison asked, raising an eyebrow as she sat down beside them. “Is there something that I'm unaware of?” She asked again sensing the chemistry. Drake and Karen shared another knowing glance, and then, in perfect synchrony, they chorused, "You!" The room erupted into laughter from Karen and Drake, leaving Alison staring at them lost in thoughts. “It's been how many years?” Drake asked, his expression growing serious. “I knew the aura was way too familiar for merely a coincidence.” "I knew it!" Karen exclaimed, playfully hitting Drake on the arm. "I knew you were the one I met at that music festival five years ago!" Drake chuckled, his eyes sparkling with mirth. "I knew it too! But I never thought I'd see you again, Karen. Wha
Alison sat alone in her house, reeling from the confrontation with Sarah, Bruno's wife. She couldn't understand why the woman had suddenly changed her tune. One moment, she was seeking Alison's help with her divorce, and the next, she was accusing Alison of trying to steal her husband and threatening her with her son. Just as Alison was starting to feel overwhelmed, she heard a knock at the door. She got up to answer it, expecting it to be a delivery or perhaps a neighbor. But to her surprise, it was Karen, her colleague from work, and a very good friend. "Hey, Karen! Come on in," Alison said, trying to sound cheerful despite her earlier encounter with Sarah. “Ally” Karen beamed, walking in, looking concerned. "Alison, I was worried about you all day!. You said you were ill, but you look...fine," Karen said, eyeing Alison's healthy complexion. “I got better over time you know.” Alison winked, grinning from ear to ear. “I know you better Alison, what have you been up to?” She ask
Travis walked out of the supermarket, his guards carrying bags of groceries behind him while he walked side by side with Oscar. As he made his way to his car, he couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that had been growing inside him since his conversation with Raquel. She had warned him about potential threats, and he had taken her words seriously, he was definitely going to call for additional security measures to be put in place. He spent some years with Raquel and those years thought him never to take her words for granted. As he drove away from the supermarket, Travis's mind wandered to Alison. He had been thinking about her nonstop since their last encounter. He couldn't believe how much he still cared for her, how much he wanted to be with her. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his phone ringing. He answered, listening intently as his security team updated him on the latest developments. After a lengthy conversation, he ended the call, his mind racing with pos
As Alison handed Drake a glass of wine, she couldn't help but notice the peculiar glances exchanged between him and Karen. The atmosphere had suddenly grown thick with an unspoken understanding, and Alison's curiosity was piqued. "Hey, what's going on here?" Alison asked, raising an eyebrow as she sat down beside them. “Is there something that I'm unaware of?” She asked again sensing the chemistry. Drake and Karen shared another knowing glance, and then, in perfect synchrony, they chorused, "You!" The room erupted into laughter from Karen and Drake, leaving Alison staring at them lost in thoughts. “It's been how many years?” Drake asked, his expression growing serious. “I knew the aura was way too familiar for merely a coincidence.” "I knew it!" Karen exclaimed, playfully hitting Drake on the arm. "I knew you were the one I met at that music festival five years ago!" Drake chuckled, his eyes sparkling with mirth. "I knew it too! But I never thought I'd see you again, Karen. Wha
As soon as Layla left the room, Bruno turned to Enzo and Marco, his expression uneasy. "I don't know if I'm comfortable with this," he said, his voice low. “I mean…her reaction and stuff are all weird and it's crazy kind of.” Enzo raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong, Bruno? I don't think it should be so much of a big deal…observing the matter critically, it's quite obvious that this is a two way thingy.” “What are you fears exactly?” Enzo asked too, by now, the two men had their gazes fixed solely on Bruno.” Bruno hesitated, unsure how to articulate his concerns. "I just don't trust her," he said finally. “There's something else up her sleeves.” “I think there's something you're missing here.” Enzo said with a chuckle. "You don't have to trust her, Bruno. You just have to use her." Bruno's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?" Enzo leaned forward, his eyes glinting with amusement. "She's the one who got our bar and club released, remember? She's got connections, Bruno. And she's willin
Alison stepped into the office, her eyes scanning the familiar space. After skipping work yesterday, she knew she couldn't keep avoiding Travis every single time by skipping work. The fluorescent lights overhead seemed to hum in sync with her pounding heart. She took a deep breath, trying to shake off the lingering anxiety from the events of the last weeks. As she settled into her office, her phone buzzed with an incoming call from her Aunt Megan. Alison settled into her chair, cradling the phone between her ear and shoulder. "Hey, Aunt Megan," she said, trying to sound cheerful. "Hey, sweetie," Megan replied, her voice warm and comforting. "How's everything going? How was your day?" Alison hesitated, "It's been... interesting. I mean it only just began.” Megan's tone turned sympathetic. "Oh, baby, what's going on? You can tell me." Alison sighed, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders. "It's just...Travis and I...we're trying to figure things out. His mom is being really diffi
“Get the whole documents across to Blain group and ensure you meet the CEO directly,” Bruno said and glanced at his watch, surprised to see that it was already noon. “I'm done with the mails too, let Wayne know about that so that the necessary things can be put in place.” His secretary bowed and walked out of the office with an expression less expression. “Okay, that was a whole lot,” Bruno murmured. He had been working non-stop since morning, and his stomach was already growling with hunger. Just as he was about to take a break, his assistant buzzed him, announcing the arrival of his wife, Rachel. Bruno's eyes narrowed, his instincts telling him to be cautious, considering that it's been ages she last showed up here. Rachel's behavior had been erratic lately, and he wasn't sure what to expect from her. He watched as she walked in, a bright smile plastered on her face, a container of food in her hands. "Hey Knjght, I brought you lunch," she said, her voice cheerful. “Your favour
The sound of laughter and music filled the air as Alison and Travis made their way through the crowded gala. They were done with work for the day, and after settling their disagreement, a memo for a dinner that had been planned for a long time suddenly got Travis's attention so he asked Alison to be his date. They walked through the crowd as a stunning couple, Alison's red dress perfectly complementing Travis's tailored tuxedo. As they mingled with the other guests, Alison couldn't help but feel so free and normal. “It's been a long time since I've been to this kind of gathering.” Travis smiled, then turned to her "You look stunning tonight, I didn't think the dress was going to suit you this well." he said, his eyes burning with intensity. “Lady Anne did a good job.” He had taken her shopping after work, and told Lady Anne to do what she knows best, and this moment one thing he could boast of, is being proud of her. Alison's cheeks flushed as she smiled back at him. "Thanks, yo
The energy in the room was a radiation of coldness in its most toxic form. And although they were quite a number of people in the room, the silence was such that if a pin dropped to the floor, the sound would be loud and clear enough for everyone to hear.“Lord Castro… what do we do next?” A man finally asked, breaking the silence. “Raquel was supposed to take over this great clan once you're gone.”A much older man, dressed in all black, and holding a cigarette in his right hand shook his head, and the room tensed up in anticipation as they waited for him to speak. “And who says I'm leaving anytime soon?”“My lord, Marco is right, now that your only heiress is gone, what becomes of the Clan, and the ones responsible for her death?” Another man, dressed in all black as well, asked. “The lawyer, and her husband… you spent years avenging the deaths of your cartel members, and Raquel in question was your daughter and…”“That's enough!” Lord Castro yelled, hitting his palm against the ta
**FIVE YEARS LATER***Time flies, huh??Quite a popular yet true phrase…It has been five years since everything, yes… everything!Raquel was later confirmed dead, and buried almost immediately. Alison took a couple of months to heal completely, life moved on, and went back to normal.Travis Rodrigo got cleared off all the charges of his involvement with illegal drug trafficking, leveled against him.Alan Rodrigo successfully got a divorce from Delaney, giving her the opportunity to go back to the streets where she truly belonged…Or maybe not..And Karen, well… let's just say she opened her heart to Oscar, despite all the teasing and mock bullying, and that was probably the best decision she's ever made.Bruno Francisco already completed his jail term and was finally free to live his life, but where was he even going to start from? He lost Alison, his conglomerate, his son and his mum was still in jail, all because of one dumb decision.Despite the fact that everything seemed to have
Travis' hopeful gaze lingered on Alison as he waited for her to say something.What did she mean by she was ahead of him on this one? And the look she had in her eyes was one he took a lot of time to understand.Whenever she knew a secret or had a surprise planned out, that was the exact same expression.“It depends on you… what do you want to hear?” she shrugged and sat upright, so did he.“I want to hear everything Alison, the whole plan.” He insisted and she nodded.“We are going to be needing Uncle Carlos' help on this one.” She started. “I have been keeping tabs on Raquel, and I'm glad she is still here in Chicago. Apparently not yet aware that we know about all of her stupid deeds.”As She spoke, his gaze drifted off, picturing her words clearly. “And since she doesn't know that we are aware of her atrocities, I'm pretty sure she's out there living her normal life.”“Exactly, she doesn't even have any reason to suspect that anyone knows about her sins, since she was smart enough
Alison smiled widely settling onto a long couch, with Travis by her side, and her gaze darting around the room, to the happy faces of her guests - unexpected guests actually.Forgiveness felt exciting, it made her feel lighter, like a heavy weight just got lifted off her shoulder.“This has to be the most underrated pill.” She whispered, snuggling closer to Travis.“What's that?” He asked, staring in her eyes, with his arms wrapped around her.“Forgiveness.” She responded, and broke off their eye contact, allowing her gaze wander off. “You know, when I got Bruno arrested alongside his mother, and gained custody over my son… it did not feel this satisfying.”Oscar and Karen stopped their conversation and had their entire attention fixed on the couple, who were just starting to reinkindle their love.“I felt thirsty, like there was so much more I was missing out on.” She continued. “You know that feeling when you have already gotten everything you always wanted, and yet it was not as sa
The moment he sighted Alison walk out of the room looking like a ghost, better still, a frame of her former self, Travis' eyes widened in shock, so did his mouth. There was not any way he would have believe that his Alison would lose so much weight and life in just a matter of twenty one days. Her collar bones were glaring, deep enough to hold water in them. Her eyes were red, and so was her face… a testament to the tears she had to shed and the pain she'd gone through.Alison on the other hand, kept staring at him, although at first she didn't want to admit it, he was looking so haggard and unkept, his hair was messy and his moustache was starting to grow wild.Only twenty-one days apart did this to the couple, who would have thought so.Still standing apart, the couple kept staring at each other, with so many words running through their minds, yet no one was uttering any words.Who would?Travis who was articulating his thoughts and thinking of the perfect way to get Alison's for
After so much hesitation, Travis finally planted a soft knock, on the door of Megan's apartment.“Who is it? How can I help you?” He heard Megan's soft voice ring from inside, and moved back slightly.As sounds of footsteps approached and grew louder, so did Travis’ heartbeats. What if she sends him away rudely?Alison must have told her about everything that happened, so how was he going to face her now?“Who is it, yo …” Megan's voice stopped halfway as she sighted Travis standing by the door, looking pale.“Y..you're here,” she said, obviously shocked. “I never thought you'd stop by.”“I'm sorry, I swear, I'm really sorry.” He said and Megan folded her arms under her chest.“What do you want? Why are you here?” “Aunt Megan, please… I need your help, don't say no, I beg of you.” He pleaded. “A lot happened, and I really need to speak with Alison.”“Well… sorry to disappoint you, but Alison is not here.” Megan shrugged and turned to go in, but Travis held onto her hand, with guilt
Travis tried to trail Raquel, but she was nowhere to be found, apparently she had already gone too far.“Fuck!!” He groaned in annoyance, punching his steering and screaming his lungs out. “I've lost everything!”Before he could stop himself, tears began slipping down his eyes. He got to the side of the road and parked.“Why did I let it get to this point?” He asked himself, ruffling his hair in frustration and crying out. “Now she has gotten what she wanted and is nowhere to be found.”He tried to calm himself down but it just was not working out.‘why not just head home, hopefully you would meet her and explain everything.’ His subconscious mind suggested and Travis shook his head.“I fucked up already, what explanation is going to make sense to her?” He muttered, his eyes already red from crying and his fists bruised.Eventually, he decided to drive home, not knowing exactly what to expect, but hoping for the best nevertheless.The drive was rough, with Travis growing more emotiona
“What the hell is going on here?” Alison yelled in shock, and Raquel got off Travis thighs, deciding to play the victim.“Sweetheart, what is she still doing here? I thought you said you were no longer with her?” Raquel asked Travis, pointing at Alison and crying. “I should never have trusted you again in the first place.”“Alison, I swear I can explain.” Travis whispered getting off the couch and swiftly going over to hold Alison.“Don't touch me!” She snapped, slapping his hands off her. “I should have known that this is what you were up to when you suddenly woke up and created the idea that you were going to work from home.”“Cupcake, it's not what you think.” He said going on his knees. “I promise you, I was actually working from home.”“It can even be what I think, but what I saw Travis… this bitch was straddling you and you didn't even push her off, what is she even doing here? And what does she mean by you said we'd broken up?” Alison asked, feeling her feet grow cold then she
The notion that ‘time flies’ had never made more sense to Alison. Just like yesterday, she was fighting to get her son back, then she lost him, and now three months had passed already. She had finally embraced the fact that her Theo was gone and she was never going to see him again. Deep down, she was grateful to Travis, who had always been her knight in shining armor, walking her through every single stage of grief. She finally opened her heart to Karen, Megan and Carlos, letting them comfort her. Although Alison never believed the saying that ‘time heals’ she'd a testament to that. “You're awake?” Travis muttered with a small smile as Alison tried to sit upright. “How was your night?” “It was good, I mean… I slept well,” she replied and smiled back at him. Her gaze caught the time on her clock and she gasped. “It's 8am, already? I have to get to the office.” She said and swiftly got out of bed. “Wait, you're resuming, already? You sure you are ready?” Travis asked, with