Masuk(Rayner)My eyes scan through the bar until they land on her.Amara.For a moment, relief washes over me as I take a slow, deep breath.“She’s in Switzerland. Are you still not going to see her?”Lorenzo’s words from the call earlier flash through my mind.I don’t think twice.I make my way towards her.“How about I join you instead?”She lifts her gaze hazily, her eyes locking with mine.For a moment, she just stares at me.Her brows pull together slightly, like she’s trying to make sense of what she’s seeing. Her lips part, but no words come out.I can almost see the realization slowly settling in.“How did you find me here?” she finally asks.“Actually, I…”I scratch the back of my head, but she doesn’t let me finish before she stands, grabs her bag from the seat and walks out.“Amara.”I chase after her.She keeps walking, her pace quickening as though she’s determined not to hear me.“Amara, just a moment. We need to talk.”She stops.Turns.“Talk about what?”Her voice is sharp,
(Rayner)“I’m sure you already know why I’m here, Mr. Hawthorne.”I say it to Stella’s dad.He scrunches his nose and clears his throat slightly.Of course he knows.Only a deal with me can ensure the safe return of his daughter. And if he doesn’t want to go through with it, then that only means he has chosen to abandon her.And that isn’t possible when she’s the only daughter of the Hawthorne family.“So what do you want?” he finally asks. “You came to Switzerland without my daughter. I’m sure you’re already set on not letting her return if I don’t give in to what you want, so just name it. Anything, and it will be yours.”“I’m sure you already know why I’m here, Mr. Hawthorne.”I say it to Stella’s dad.He scrunches his nose and clears his throat slightly.Of course he knows.Only a deal with me can ensure the safe return of his daughter. And if he doesn’t want to go through with it, then that only means he has chosen to abandon her.And that isn’t possible when she’s the only daugh
(Rayner)“Get up, Rayner. You need to get up.”I turn, slowly opening my eyes.Mom.“Mom, please.” I pull the duvet back over me. “Just let me be.”“How can I let you be when you’ve refused to help yourself?”“I just want to be left alone. Don’t you get it?”My voice rises, filled with bitterness.The news of Stefan’s death has taken a toll on me. Ever since, I’ve been unable to be myself or even bring myself to do anything.“Why?”Her voice breaks.“Is this how you want to continue living your life? How then will you be able to face Stefan? I’m sure he wouldn’t want you living your life like this.”My fists curl.“He didn’t think twice about taking that bullet for you because he wanted you to be safe and happy, and this is how you repay him? By being useless with the life he gave you?”A tear slides down the bridge of my nose.“If you ever considered his sacrifice worth it, then you would get up and do what’s right. The shareholders’ meeting to bring you down from your seat will be h
(Lillian)I pace my room.Back and forth. Back and forth.My mind spins.Damn it!My fists curl.Because of that damn Maya, Amara’s wedding couldn’t hold. Now she’s still here, making it difficult for me to go through her room.I need to find those documents and that recorder at all costs.I’m sure that old man Charles gave everything to her. I just don’t know why it’s been so difficult retrieving them from her.I pause, biting my nails as my eyes widen.Could she have learned about what’s in them?Could she have known I…A sharp breath leaves me.That I had something to do with his death?No.She wouldn’t have been quiet about it if she did.But…I pause.What if she already knows and has been waiting for the perfect time to turn it against me?What if she has plans to reveal the truth to the whole family?No.Fear grips me.I can’t let that happen.I can’t let the family learn about my truth.At least, not yet.And now, Grace isn’t in the house anymore.She’s the one I’ve been secre
(Amara)It’s been five days since everything happened.Five days since Stefan’s burial, and we still don’t know what really happened with the fire accident involving the ambulance. Everyone is devastated. Sad. Hurting. But at the same time, we can’t change what has happened.Stefan’s body, along with the others, was retrieved from the van and buried.I must say, it’s so hard knowing that the person you just saw a while ago can suddenly be seen no more.And Maya?The operation was successful, but she has been in a coma ever since. The doctors can’t tell when she is likely to come around. With her body covered in bruises and suffering from several broken fractures, they fear she might not be able to walk again even if she eventually recovers.Everywhere around the house just feels cold too.We’re yet to figure out the poisoning of our newly launched products, and even Dad has been fighting to keep Velty Holdings together while juggling his divorce with Mom. Mom’s mind is made up. She no
(Rayner)I watch as Stefan is rolled towards the ambulance on the gurney, following closely beside him.“Stefan.”My hand remains locked around his.“Don’t worry. You’ll be fine. Look at me.”He gives me a weak smile and slowly raises his other hand towards me.“We’ll take it from here. You don’t have to worry.”One of the paramedics gently pulls his hand away from mine as they wheel him into the ambulance.The doors close.The ambulance pulls away.“Amara.”I turn to see her being escorted by Lorenzo.“She seems to still be in shock from what happened,” Lorenzo says.I reach for her.“Amara. Amara.”She snaps out of it, lifting her gaze to mine.“Rayner.”She cries as I pull her into my arms.“Don’t worry. Everything will be fine. We have to get to the hospital.”I signal Lorenzo, and he nods, taking the key to drive.Minutes later, we arrive at the hospital.I let Lorenzo take Amara away before heading towards the counter.“Stefan…”I say, making the arrangements for his treatment.
(Felix)“What were you doing at The Sinclair Group?”My voice cuts through the living room, sharp and controlled. Selina doesn’t even glance at me. She throws her legs over the table, as if I’m background noise.“Come on, Felix,” she says lightly. “It’s not my fault you went ahead and announced you
(Amara)I’m lying on my bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling, but I’m not really seeing it. My mind keeps replaying Rayner’s question.“You’ve never been to Switzerland?”The way he looked at me when he said it. Not casual. Not random. Assessing. Like he was waiting for something. Like he already knew so
(Amara)“Good day, Sir Rayner,” I say the moment he walks in.But another voice follows him.Soft. Feminine. Familiar.My eyes lift and there she is. The same lady from yesterday. The one who left the office with her arms locked in his.I freeze.She walks in behind him, talking rapidly, her words
(Amara)I startle.The moment I realize I am still half on top of him, I quickly push away from him and scramble to my feet. My movements are hurried, clumsy. I don’t even think before I shove him slightly to the side in my attempt to stand.A soft groan escapes him.My heart drops instantly.My ey







