The sound of the waves crashing against the shore lulled Cara as she lay on the sand, gazing up at the twinkling stars in the night sky. “Daddy, why do you leave me? I miss you so much!” Little Cara asked her dad as he came to spend some time with her taking a break from his work. “But Daddy comes to see you every month and spends ten days with you!” He answered. Little Cara pouted and glanced up at him. “Why not spend twenty more days with me?” She asked, and her father chuckled. “Because Daddy has to work and earn money! He is very busy the other twenty days.” He pressed his lips in a straight line. “Why do you have to work? Aren’t we rich?” She asked innocently, and he smiled. “Daddy wants to earn more money for his munchkin so that she can buy more dolls, ice-creams…” He said. “Disneyland!” she exclaimed, her hazel eyes sparkling with amusement. “Yes, Disneyland!” He chuckled. “But why do I have to live far away from you?” She asked. “Because you’re my precious possession
Janet’s hands were tied behind her back with rope and the duct tape sealed her mouth. With a gun pressed against her temple, Sebastian’s men forcefully pushed her forward, causing her to glare at Sebastian before begrudgingly moving ahead. Upon her arrival, she directed her gaze toward the chief, who was in the middle of a conversation with Sebastian. Sebastian’s eyes darted quickly to her before returning to the police chief in front of him. “Where is my mother?” “Somewhere safe!” The chief smirked. Sebastian’s face was flushed with anger. “Now that Janet is in front of you, I want my mother back!” Janet turned her gaze towards him. “If you drop her at Genovese Mall, you can take Janet along with you.” “What if I disagree?” The chief lifted an eyebrow and Janet glared in his direction. Sebastian clenched his jaws but remained calm. “Then this city will witness something worth remembering for ages! And you would get some work to do.” He smirked. “Don’t push my buttons. Call your o
{MATURE SCENE AHEAD] After taking a long shower, Cara walked into the room in her bathrobe and began humming a tune. She rummaged through her closet and found the perfect red dress for the evening. She changed into it and opened the first drawer of the dresser to take out the golden dangles. Once she was done with her makeup, she sprayed perfume on herself when Milo started to bark at her. “Yes, I remember!” She sprayed perfume on him and he did a happy dance. “Okay, how am I looking?” She turned to Milo, but the latter walked out of the room wagging his tail. She sighed and followed him out. She turned the lights dim in the hall and lit the scented candles turning the ambiance romantic and walked into the kitchen to take out lasagna from the microwave and placed the dinner nicely on the table near the big window from where they could see the bustling rush of the New York City. Cara looked around and everything was spot on, just like she wanted. “This is perfect! Keith is gonna lo
As Cara slowly opened her eyes, she felt the warmth of Keith’s smile greeting her. Reality hit her like a ton of bricks, and she sat on the bed with a sudden jolt. “Easy, babe!” As Keith touched her face, she felt a shiver run down her spine. “You’re all red and sweating! Are you alright?” “Yeah….” She gently took his hand off her face, turning away to gather herself. Keith stared intently at her. “I read Lydia’s text on your phone.” Cara looked back at him. “She asked if I liked the surprise!” His lips flatten into a straight line. “And you figured out that the scented candles, dinner, and everything were for you?” Cara asked. “I’m sorry!” Cara snorted. “I’m tired. Let’s shift this discussion to later!” With a swift motion, she kicked off the duvet and stepped down from the bed. “I have a meeting so….” His words were drowned out by the loud thud of the bathroom door shutting. Cara watched the water flow from the tap into the washbasin, creating ripples on the surface. She glan
“Every time I try to be happy, they find a way to crush it. I’m convinced that I’ll never find joy. Maybe I’m born to lose everything.” Cara was absorbed in her thoughts as she made her way to the café. “Dad, the suffering doesn’t scare me! But how long is my punishment? Is my fate solely composed of suffering?” “Babe!” The sound of Keith’s voice caused her head to sharply pivot towards him. “I was waiting for you! Why aren’t you picking up my calls?” “I went out to get some fresh air.” Defeated, she answered. “Are you alright?” Cara nodded slowly in response to his question. “Okay. I’ve brought you something. Hurry up and change. We don’t want to be late for dinner!” He handed her a shopping bag. “Keith, I’m not in a mood!” “Please! I’ve planned everything. Don’t turn down my request!” Cara finally gave in to his pleading gaze and walked inside to change. Unaware of Keith, a man approached his car with caution, peeked through the window, and then ran off. “The file is in his c
A week later, Looking at herself in the mirror, Cara combed her hair with slow, deliberate strokes. The bandage was taken off, and she appeared to be in much better condition. “I’m running late, babe! See you in the evening.” Keith gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and left in a rush. “Take care!” She said as the bedroom door closed. Just five minutes later, her phone rang and Cara struggled to stand up, limping slightly as she made her way to the bed and answered an unknown number. “Hello, sweetheart!” Jason spoke. “How’re you now?” “What do you want?” “Do you like playing dumb or what?” He asked. “I want one million dollars!” “Give me some time!” She said, “I got into an accident last week!” “Oh, yes! I forgot to ask you something. For a woman who is swinging in the arms of one billionaire to another, why is it so difficult for you to arrange one million?” Jason asked. “Keith isn’t a billionaire!” Cara sighed. “And who is this other billionaire you’re talking about?” “Why
Gradually, Cara’s forehead became dotted with beads of sweat after she drank the orange juice. Her heart rate picked up pace, and she dragged herself to the restroom, only to be hit with a sudden jolt of pain in the back of her head. “Mom, please don’t go!” Keith tried to stop his mother, his eyes frantically searching for Cara, but she was nowhere to be seen. “Son, I doubt she’s interested in meeting.” She withdrew her hand from his grasp. “You always disregard our wishes and expect us to comply with your decision. We had hoped you would steer the Ascent Group, but you decided to join the police force. You didn’t heed our warning about Natalie’s true nature and had to learn the hard way. Once again, you’ve found a girl who doesn’t meet our standards, and I fear you’ll end up embarrassed again.” Keith attempted to contradict her, but she shut him down. “Learn from Aries. He values his family’s reputation the most. He wasn’t really into Isla, but he proposed to her anyway because her
“I’m not sure this is a good idea,” Lydia warned. Cara pursed her lips. All she could think about was the one million dollars to get rid of Jason, and it was the quickest way to get money in Keith’s absence. “Are you listening to me?” Lydia gave her a gentle nudge, and Cara looked up to meet her gaze. “Serving at private parties could be risky. Drugs, drunk men, orgy!” “I urgently need the money.” Cara lowered her head. “Is someone blackmailing you?” Suddenly, Jasper materialized out of nowhere. “What’s the reason for needing a lot of money? Why isn’t Keith helping you?” He fired one question after another at her. Cara’s heart raced as panic set in. “No one is blackmailing me! I need to pay off an old debt.” She answered, but Jasper’s skeptical expression made it clear he wasn’t buying it. “I don’t want to burden Keith with my issues!” Jasper struggled to interpret her behavior. “Does he even know about it?” “No.” Cara cut him off. “If you don’t want to help me. It’s alright!” H