Vincent picked up the call.Marilyn’s voice was weak, brittle, almost unrecognizable. “Vincent, I feel terrible.”He guessed right away — it was probably her period again, and she was in agony.“Go lie down and rest. I’m working late, I’ll be home later,” he replied, his tone clipped, distracted.Marilyn was drenched in sweat, her vision swimming, her stomach turning in nauseous waves that wouldn’t let her vomit. For weeks she had pushed herself too hard, desperate to pay down the debt crushing her. She hadn’t rested in what felt like forever.Just then, May approached Vincent with an expectant look, so he hurriedly wrapped up the call.“Marilyn, take a painkiller. My boss is coming. If he sees me on the phone, he’ll be pissed,” he added before hanging up, giving her no chance to say another word.Marilyn bit her lip, tears of exhaustion and humiliation welling. Usually strong-willed, she now found herself gripping the steering wheel with trembling hands. She could hardly see through
Alexander was so furious his hands trembled, aching to unleash the same brutality on her that he’d shown those men in the elevator the night before. But he knew he couldn’t — not with her.Did he really never like Ava before? That was hard to believe, even for him.Half an hour later, Ava’s calm voice broke through his swirling thoughts.“Mr. Vanderbilt, I made smoothie bowl with muesli, banana, and some berries. Come have some.”To Alexander, her words felt like a poisoned apple offered by an evil queen.He was still wearing last night’s white dress shirt, rumpled and stained with exhaustion, the suit jacket and polished shoes from before long since gone.Ava set down a steaming bowl on the table and smiled faintly when he walked in. “Eat while it’s warm.”He probably hadn’t eaten at all since whatever business had dragged him to that hotel, she guessed. Knowing he had chronic stomach problems, some smoothie bowl was the only thing in the house she could prepare.Alexander sat down,
Ava had already made multiple backups of her script, registering the copyright to protect her work. Still, she discovered that all three scripts had been quietly sold to Anita, who in turn had paid Hendra fifteen million dollars for them.She consulted Ray, and with funds and a production crew now in place, they could begin filming immediately. Meanwhile, Anita’s team was still only in the early stages of pre-production.A faint, knowing smile tugged at Ava’s lips. Ruiz Star Entertainment loved to build hype, and no doubt they’d start buying trending hashtags the second they began casting. Ava didn’t even need to guess which script they’d push first — the public buzz would reveal “The Eye of the Storm” as their flagship.She picked up the phone and called Ray.“We’ll shoot ‘The Eye of the Storm’ first,” she instructed. “Let’s do simultaneous filming and broadcasting — crush Ruiz Star Entertainment before they can even breathe.”All of Ruiz’s marketing hype would end up promoting her s
Dear Gentle Readers, This author would like to apologize for last chapter. It has around 8000 words and should have been free / no-paying chapter because usually paid chapter is around 3000 words. Nevertheless, to make your money worth and as an apology, this chapter will make up for ut with 12000. Grazie e scusami,Yours, E.C. P.S. This author would like to disclose that there are mentions of abuse and suicide in this chapter therefore if this is something that might trigger you or cause you any discomfort, please do skip this, step away, and take the time for yourself. This author wishes you well and will see you in the next one... This author would also like to say that there is a message in this chapter that he wants to convey. Because eventhough this is fiction but in real life, there are such parents who will believe a teacher more than their own kids, perhaps because they never thought the person they respect and trust would do the unthinkable. If you are a parent, please l
The next morning, the hospital called with the DNA results.Alfonso and Victoria shared a biological connection. He was her father.Serena sat frozen on the edge of the couch, the phone slipping slowly from her hand onto the cushion beside her. The silence in the room rang louder than any scream.Her eyes remained fixed on nothing, her expression blank as the truth settled into her bones like a creeping frost. The breakfast on the table—carefully prepared, now untouched—had long gone cold. Even with the gentle hum of the floor heating beneath her feet, a chill worked its way up her spine.She couldn’t move. Could barely breathe.The person Serena had loved most in the world had always been Elena.Elena had showered her with kindness, warmth, and protection—building a world so safe, so full of love, that Serena had never truly resented her troubled childhood. She used to believe, with unwavering conviction, that she must have done something good in a past life to be blessed with a mothe
Dear Gentle Readers, Please enjoy this treat until the very end ...*******Overwhelmed and restless, Alexander pulled out his phone and dialed Ava.On the other end, Ava barely had the strength to answer. Her fingers trembled as she swiped across the screen, pain surging through her abdomen like a relentless tide.“Mr. Vanderbilt,” she breathed, her voice thin and strained.“Which brand?” Alexander asked bluntly.There were too many choices in front of him—rows and rows of unfamiliar packaging. His eyes scanned them, annoyed.“Any will do,” Ava murmured.“Long or short?” he pressed. “What size?”The cramping was unbearable. It felt like her insides were being twisted and wrung out.“Any,” she said again, weaker this time. “Mr. Vanderbilt… just buy anything.”Alexander frowned, growing irritated with his own cluelessness. He grabbed the nearest pack and was about to leave when a sales assistant spotted him, her eyes lighting up at the rare sight of a tall, sharply dressed man standing