After pulling up at the driveway, the car was opened for Travis by one of his guards, while another held his briefcase as he walked into his company's magnificent building.“Good morning, chairman,” The receptionist greeted respectfully the moment he stepped in, and he nodded curtly in response.“Uhm sir..” she trailed off. “I hope you enjoyed your weekend.”Travis's gaze lingered on her for a moment and he nodded. “Of course I did…do you want something?”The lady hesitated for a moment before shaking her head.“Do have a nice day, then.” He mumbled and made his way for the VIP elevator, with the guard holding his briefcase and two other guards behind him.As Travis got into his office, his mind still reeled from the events of the weekend. He had waited all weekend, looking forward to seeing Alison and talking to her about what had happened between herself and his mother, and now, it was finally Monday, hopefully he would get to see Alison and talk things out with her.After settling
The warm sunlight streaming through the dining room window cast a comforting glow over the breakfast table.Bruno, still reeling from the whole incidents that's been going on around him lately, and trying to understand why it suddenly seemed like he was growing soft, found solace in the quiet morning moments with his son, Theo. The young boy chattered excitedly about his upcoming school play, his bright eyes sparkling with enthusiasm, and a child-like excitement Bruno suddenly found himself drawn to."I'm going to be a pirate, Daddy!" Theo exclaimed, waving his spoon in the air. “I'm the only person that got casted for the role.”"That's amazing, buddy! I will make sure to come watch you," Bruno replied, smiling. “I'm sure you would make me proud.”"I'm going to sing a song, too," Theo said, his voice filled with excitement. "You want to hear it? Or would you rather wait until D-Day?”"No no…, kiddo, let's hear it now," Bruno grinned, leaning in.Theo cleared his throat and began to
Travis walked into his office, his gaze fixed on his iPad and Oscar following closely behind, and reading to him his schedule for the day.“Okay…so cancel all my appointments from 4pm downward, just reschedule or do something about them.” Travis said after clearing his throat. “And…send a mail to White Castle group, let them know that I've gone through their proposal, and we won't be objecting to it, so they can have the contract.” “I'll do just that sir.” Oscar replied and Travis sighed, dropping his iPad on his desk, and collapsing into his chair. “Any other thing?’ Oscar asked and Travis shook his head.“None for now.” He mumbled, then suddenly recalled something. “one more thing Oscar… have you seen Alison today?" Travis asked, his brow furrowed in concern.Oscar shook his head. "No, sir. She didn't come to work. I tried calling her, but she's not answering."Travis's expression turned thoughtful. "I'll try to stop by her apartment again on my way home. See if she's okay."Osca
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
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