MasukMARCUSWhen Henry called me and told me that Mr Bennett had gone to the Wind Corporation, I could have laughed or gotten angry. I didn’t even know which one came first.I didn’t know why he was there but I knew he knew I wasn’t there. So at first, I just thought… he had something to say to Monique. Something about Ryan. That’s what I assumed.Ryan was dead, yes. And as much as I hated admitting it… my father loved his son Ryan. He loved him a lot. So I thought maybe he had gone there to make her feel bad. To blame her. To push her until she broke.That was my first thought And I wanted to rush there. I really did, but Nadia stopped me. If it hadn’t been for her, stopping me from going to the company, reminding me there were professionals there, security there, Henry at the front door....I probably would’ve gone.Nadia reminded me that Henry wouldn’t let anything happen. That he would notice. That he would react. And then she said something that stayed with me..... That Monique would w
MONIQUEI picked it up. “Hey, baby.”“Hello, precious,” he answered, his voice warm, familiar. “How is your day going?”“It’s going great.”“Yeah?”“Yes,” I said. “I highly doubt it, because Jason told me Mr Bennett was there. What did he want?”I nearly rolled my eyes. I can’t believe Jason went to tell.“It’s nothing of importance,” I said. “I’ll tell you everything when I come home later.”“Are you sure you’re not upset?” he asked. “You sound… different.”“I’m okay,” I said softly. “It’s just...you know how Mr Bennett can be.”There was a small pause.“I know,” he said exhaling.“I’m coming home early today.” A small smile touched my lips as I said it “I love hearing that,” he said. “And I hope you’re resting,” I added.“I am.”“Did you take your meds?”“Yes.”“Everything okay?”Another small pause.“Yes,” he said. “I just miss you.”Something in my chest softened.“Thank you,” I said quietly.“For what?”“For trusting me.”I could almost hear him smile.“If I can’t trust my wi
MONIQUEHis voice turned almost mocking.“Meanwhile, the other woman had two healthy children. Made Ryan a father and me a grandfather.”A pause. “And guess what happens to Marcus's empire when the two of you are gone?”His eyes locked onto mine.“Ryan’s children....the Bennetts....inherit everything.”Silence. And then, I couldn’t help it. A laugh slipped out of me. The sound surprised even me. A soft laugh at first… then a little louder.Mr Bennett frowned, clearly not expecting that reaction. B“You think that’s funny?” he asked, his tone sharpening.I shook my head, still smiling, though there was nothing amused in my eyes.“No,” I said. “I think it’s pathetic.”His expression darkened.“All of this,” I gestured between us, “this entire speech, this whole… performance. You came in here thinking you had something..... Something that would shake me, something that would make me fall apart.”I took a step closer “And that’s what you chose?” I asked quietly. “My womb?”His jaw tighten
MONIQUEI didn’t respond. I didn’t need to.The air between us grew heavy, thick with tension. I could feel something like danger coming off Mr Bennett. He looked pretty damn serious and confident about whatever this was.Mr Bennett kept watching me before he suddenly burst out laughing. But I didn’t even blink. I just kept watching him, a blank expression settling on my face.“You’re going to be the destruction of the Bennetts, aren’t you?” he said. “Your anger isn’t just about Ryan. It’s about all the Bennetts. And you’re determined to make us fall.”He stepped closer.“You’re here to bring back your father’s empire. I can see it in your face.”I said nothing.“You don’t love Marcus,” he went on. “You never did. You have always loved Ryan. I watched you, running after him, the way you would look at him as if the sun rose and fell from his ass.”His voice hardened.“And you can’t tell me that a love like that would just die in a single night just because you found out something fooli
I frowned.“What do you mean?” I asked, feeling like I was about to lose it entirely.“I have been more than patient with you, Mr Bennett, and you have wasted enough of my time. I am not going to play riddles with you. If you are done… please leave.”Mr Bennett merely smiled, looking mighty comfortable as his gaze went all over the office.“This is exactly why Marcus shouldn’t have trusted you with his empire.”I narrowed my eyes at him, and his smile grew brighter before he straightened and got more serious.“To run such a huge company requires patience and wisdom. You can’t be prone to anger every few minutes when someone tells you the truth…”I interrupted him. “What do you want, Mr Bennett? Say what you need before I call security on you.”He stood up, and I could see the mean streak that Ryan always had on his face when he got angry. For a second, I was scared.He straightened and started walking around the office as if he owned it.“I am Marcus’s father. His blood flows in my ve
MONIQUEI wasn’t her anymore.“You have changed,” Mr Bennett finally said.A light, almost humourless smile slipped onto my lips. “That tends to happen after betrayal… from the people you trusted the most in the world.”His jaw tightened slightly but He didn’t deny it. Instead, he said, “Ryan died, you know.”“Yeah,” I said, my voice calm, my face giving nothing away. “I know. The police told us when they came to take our statements”“I expected you at the funeral,” he continued. “We all did. More people thought you would come. After all, you had been married to Ryan for ten years. That had to mean something.”I let out a quiet breath.“Yeah, well,” I said, “I’m sorry that he tried to kill the man I loved, the man I was taking care of, the man I was praying to God to bring back. The funeral of the man meant to kill him was the last thing on my mind.”I leaned forward slightly, my eyes locking onto his.“So I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings by not coming to his funeral… because he almo
The Bennetts Ryan sighed, his shoulders sinking as he moved toward the liquor cabinet."I just feel it," he said quietly. "I just feel there's something bigger here. I don't like it.... I don't like this..."He grabbed a bottle of whiskey, walked it back to his desk, and poured himself another gen
The Bennett's Ariana looks at Ryan, and she can’t believe these words are coming from his mouth.She holds his gaze, searching his eyes, trying to find a trace of the man who had once whispered promises to her in the same room. But all she sees is resolve. Determination. And a flicker of anger jus
I brushed a hand across his neck and into the thick hair at his nape. He let out a quiet, tense breath. A heady warmth poured off his chest, and I absorbed it like an addict. My fingers laced through the soft strands, gripping a handful like I’d done every day.Feather-light, his hands skimmed up t
MONIQUEAs we went upstairs with my Auntie, Maria followed closely behind. The bags had already been placed in the hallway. I guessed Maria hadn’t yet decided where to take them. I took the closest room to the master bedroom and instructed her to bring in my aunt’s bags.We hadn’t had a real conver







