Rachel's Pov
My whole world came crashing right before my very eyes. Before I could come back to what was happening, Mother grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the room, going downstairs where everyone was waiting.
She pushed me forward with so much strength that I lost my stance and hit the chair. Before I could recover from the pain, Kim walked to me and turned me to face her, connecting her palm to my face afterward.
"How dare you do this to me!" She yelled out and slapped me on the other cheek.
Well, I deserve it anyway.
"The sister who I love so much and care for. The sister who I take as my only friend, dares betray me this way. What did I ever do to you to deserve this?" Kim cried with so much hurt in her voice and her eyes.
I couldn't look at her. I was so embarrassed to do so. I am an embarrassment. How could I do this to my sister? She has every right to hate me.
"I .....I was...I didn't...." I couldn't form a sentence cause all I thought about was the scene replaying itself in my head.
My stepmom, Liana, walked forward and connected her palm with my cheek. "What do you have to say for yourself? Don't you dare try to deny it now that the evidence is wide open for you?" She added as I placed my hand on my cheeks.
"I...I don't know......I didn't." My voice was suddenly lost and tears began to fall on my cheeks.
"You were drunk and you used that opportunity to go to my man!" Kim half yelled and fell to the floor on her knees. "This betrayer is too much to handle Mom. How could she do this to me?" she cried.
Liana walked to her and knelt beside her, patting her back gently. "Cry it all out baby."
"No.....no....I was drugged. I wasn't in my right senses. I didn't know what I was doing and I promise, I was going to tell you, Kelvin." I cried but it was all useless at that point.
My life was over and I knew it.
"How dare you disgrace the Houston family this way, Rachel?!" Father's voice echoed in the walls of the large living room.
I shook my head and faced my father with my view covered with tears. "I am so sorry father. I swear, I didn't want what was happening. I only had a little drink and drank soft drinks for the rest of the night. I don't know what I was doing here."
"Then who would have drugged you, you liar?" Liana questioned with her voice laced with spite.
"I have no idea, Mother. Please believe me."
"Don't you dare call me mother!" He roared as her jaw tightened. "I can never be a mother to a whore like you!"
"Rachel!" A loud call came from the door and in no time, the one who had called my name, walked in. "What is going on?" He questioned, standing before me.
I sniffed and lowered my head. I can't help but think I have made a big mistake for my family. I just destroyed their reputation.
"What is all this going on?!" Kelvin yelled out, causing me to flinch.
"I am sorry!" I cried, not daring to look at him.
I have lost him. My foolishness made me lose Kelvin. If only I haven't gone to that party with Kim. If only I didn't drink that juice..... But I could swear, it wasn't strong enough to make me drunk and lose my senses unless a mistake was made.
I rushed to where Kelvin was and shook my head. "I swear, I didn't know what was happening to me." I cried, "My mind was blank and my head clouded. I couldn't explain what was going on around me."
He moved back, trying to get away from me. He should cause I feel so dirty.
"Please believe me. I swear I was going to tell you."
"I can't believe you will do this to me, Rachel." His voice was low and the hurt in it was so strong that it was almost felt. My heart broke into a thousand pieces.
I hated to see him in that state.
"This relationship is off." He faced my family. "Whatever relationship I had with Rachel is broken now." With that said, he walked out of the house followed by his family.
Father faced me with so much disappointment written on his face, "You have destroyed this family reputation and because of this, you will never take part in any of the inheritance of this family. You are a useless girl who should have died along with your mother!" Father's hurtful words got deep into me, cutting through my already broken heart.
He stomped out, leaving my stepmother and sister. Liana helped her daughter up and led her upstairs.
"Please believe me. I don't know what is going on." I cried, but who would believe me? Who will believe me? I betrayed everyone. I deserve what I will get. It was all my fault anyway.
I spent a long time on my knees allowing my sin to weigh down on me. This is my punishment and I do deserve it. A sinner like me shouldn't exist in this world.
I don't know how long I had stayed kneeling, but when I got back to my room and picked up my phone, I had so many missed calls from one person.
I sniffed and called back the number. "Hello.."
He cut in, "Rachel Houston, we need to talk." He said into the phone. It was Noah.
I shut my eyes and nodded, "Yes we should."
I picked up my coat and rushed out of the house. Noah and I need to come up with a solution for what happened. I can't do this alone and I am so grateful he called.
I took a cab to the sent address and met him waiting for me at the far end of the restaurant. I rushed over to him.
"Mr Grande, thank goodness you are here. We have to find a way out of....."
He cut in, "You have to find a way out of this trouble you have caused me."
I arched my brow, "What are you talking about?"
He smirked and drew forward, "Don't play dumb here. You seduced me when I was drunk and made this happen even though you knew I was your sister's fiance," he accused, causing my eyes to widen.
"What?"
Noah's POVOne week later...I stood beside Racheal, who was propped up on the hospital bed, still struggling to fully recover. The sterile scent of antiseptic hung in the air, but it was the sight of her fragile form that gripped my heart. Kelvin and Bella had flown back to New Coastal two days ago, insisting on leaving after Racheal woke up. Their departure felt like a hollow echo of the chaos that had consumed us.Juliet was locked away, and sentenced to life imprisonment. I made sure of that. She deserved every bit of it. A maniac like her wasn’t meant to walk among the living.As I watched Racheal adjust herself, attempting to sit upright, I instinctively reached out to help her. But she slapped my hand away with a surprising force. The sting of her rejection hit me like a cold wave. She had done the same thing when she first woke up, and it scared the hell out of me. I rushed to the doctor, fearing she was suffering from amnesia, but my worries eased when he assured me she had b
Kelvin's POV"You left us, remember? You gave us hope, Ana! You let us all believe you would come back! We waited for you, Ana. I waited. Mom waited... You broke your promise! You broke your fucking promise because of your selfish interest, your lust for revenge!"I pulled Bella into an embrace, which she calmly accepted. Juliet, whom I now realized was Anabella, had recently been caught at the same tournament Bella had described. She had a lot on her mind and plenty of tools at hand. If not for Bella, we would still be in the dark; no one would have thought that this old tournament, long neglected, would be used to commit such a devious act.Just two days ago, Bella had been crying in my arms. So much was uncovered—so much I hadn’t expected at all.After coming to terms with the fact that Bella was Juliet's younger sister, it occurred to me that Juliet wasn't who we thought she was. Her initial aim in entering R.A. was to cause harm to the Houston family. As she had said moments ago,
Kelvin's POVI was on the brink of tears the moment I set my eyes on Kim. The fact that she was breathing with the aid of oxygen wasn't enough; she was hooked up to a life-support machine. I felt a flicker of irritation that Noah had signed the forced labor consent form, but perhaps I was wrong—maybe that was the best decision.Bella had a tough time going back to sleep after mentioning a random name that only gave me a hint amidst the shattered debris of my thoughts. I tried not to force any conversation on her, at least keeping my promise to Noah until she opened up. Until then, I remained silent.We couldn't go into the ward, so we decided to stay back, looking through the transparent glass that separated us from the lobby lawn. Bella couldn't control her tears anymore; I had been hearing her trying to stifle the sobs since we arrived. Her soft gasps said it all. It made me reflect on my decision to stay outside; I didn’t think I could keep my emotions in check once we entered.Lin
Kelvin's POVI couldn't believe I had given in to my lust once more. The last time something like this happened, I apologized and vowed it would never repeat itself. Now, as I sifted through the files Noah sent me, I still struggled to admit that Juliet and Bella might be sisters. Our alliance was built on a shared goal, and the last time we had met like this was to reveal the truth behind RA. Now, we were here because of Racheal, but my purpose was to uncover Juliet's identity.*I didn’t start this relationship on a clean slate just to end it because of a culprit sharing her blood.*“You seem early!” Noah remarked, his voice laced with sarcasm.“And you seem late,” I shot back, eyeing him. He looked lean and disheveled, a total mess compared to the Noah I knew.“Is she with you?” he asked.“Why would I bring her with me?” I replied, my irritation rising.“You have no reason to call me here, then—”“What makes you think they’re related? Even if they are, I doubt she knows about her ex
Bella's POVEvery part of my body ached from the journey, and I could barely feel my legs. But it was worth it. It had been a long time coming—discussing the idea of flying down here to visit Kelvin's parents. He had been overly protective, worrying I wasn’t ready for this. Yet, here we were, on our way to meet both my idol and his parents. The former excited me; the latter filled me with dread.Kelvin noticed my uneasiness and pulled me into an embrace, planting a soft kiss on my forehead—a gesture I had grown so accustomed to. We had just landed, and as we headed to the lobby, I spotted Kelvin shaking hands with someone I didn’t recognize. Others bowed slightly to him, showing their respect.*What should I expect?* I thought. *He is one of the youngest renowned businessmen, linking a channel between New York and the USA is no small feat.* I mustered a smile for those who acknowledged me.We would head home before leaving early to visit Racheal in the hospital. My gaze was caught in
Kelvin's POVI had barely settled back into my office when the news hit me like a freight train. Rachael had been in an accident? My heart sank as I slumped into my chair, the weight of the world crashing down around me. I had just returned, hoping to find some semblance of normalcy, when everything spiraled out of control again.“Kelvin, are you okay?” Bella asked, moving toward my chair, her eyes scanning my face for any sign of reassurance.“No, not really,” I replied, rubbing my temples to ease the pounding in my head. She could see how close I was to Racheal, and I knew she understood my worries. “Rachael is in critical condition. I need to get down to New York,” I added, my voice strained.“Do you want me to come with you?” she offered, concern lacing her tone. I hesitated for a moment, the urgency of the situation clashing with my instincts to protect her. “No, I’ll travel alone,” I said, pushing myself to my feet. I grabbed my phone and shot a quick message to my secretary,