MasukZane agreed before leaving my room.As we drove out of the mansion, I spotted the obsidian SUV Ray and Aldwin had driven in earlier. My heart skipped a hundred beats as it approached us. Why was he back already? Did he suspect that something was off?"Mother," Zane called."Stay calm. Don't give them anything to dwell on," I said while maintaining a fixed expression myself.The obsidian SUV came to a halt in the tracks just as it got closer. The driver's window rolled down, and Ray exchanged a glance between me and Zane. I flashed him a smile while Zane didn't look up from his phone."Pleasant morning, Ray," I said in a casual tone."Good morning, Mrs Ellison," Ray returned the greeting.I was looking forward to the back window rolling down too, but nothing. Out of curiosity, I asked."Why are you back this early?""Mr Aldwin asked me to pick up a file he left behind," Ray explained."Oh," I said, only realising that Aldwin was not in the car. I sighed in relief."Alright then," I sai
"No, no, Ralph," I said in a slightly raised voice and began to cough. My throat still felt sore from Aldwin's grip. Ralph's words took me by surprise. I never expected he would agree without thinking."You can't come here, and certainly not now. It's late, and you might need to make some arrangements for us to leave.""No. I don't need to make any last-minute arrangements. I have a plane on standby, and we can leave immediately," Ralph said, excited at the thought of leaving with me and Zane."Oh," I let out a small sound of surprise. I didn't expect that. Ralph was everything he said he was. I just hadn't imagined it was this big when he boasted to me about his wealth. A sudden surge of pride swelled within me."Can we wait until morning then? When Aldwin must have left for work, Zane and I will come to you. If we try to make any move now, we would be risking our chances of getting Aldwin's attention. Sneaking out by this time? He would definitely place us under house arrest, or wor
I was baffled to hear Aldwin mention Ralph again. What did Ralph have to do with Zane's attitude? My eyes widened in wonder. Did Zane mention Ralph to Aldwin?"Did he say something?" I asked again, sitting up quickly, hoping that wasn't the case. Aldwin was not supposed to find out about Ralph meeting Zane."Did Ralph reach out to you?" Aldwin asked suspiciously."No. Ralph is unreachable, and you know that," I lied, hoping my expression didn't give me away.Aldwin scoffed. "You must be joking if you think I believe anything you say now. For eighteen years, you made me raise a child that wasn't mine. Is there anything you can't do?" Aldwin asked between clenched teeth as he came closer."Tell me, where is Ralph? I know you know one or two pieces of information about him. Why else is Zane so nonchalant about the inheritance? Anyone would fight for it. Where. Is. Ralph?" Aldwin counted the words, making them sound more fierce. And this time, his fist circled around my neck, pressing har
Aldwin no longer felt remorse toward Zane after seeing his attitude toward the situation. He had expected to see a broken Zane. Instead, he saw a defiant young man who seemed not to care whether he received a share of the inheritance or not. That should have made Aldwin feel more relaxed, with less to worry about regarding what should be given and what shouldn't. Instead, he found himself becoming irritated by Zane's lack of interest."Like I'm an Ellison?" Zane asked disappointedly, even though he knew he would only hurt himself more if he expected any better.Aldwin was quiet, staring at Zane. He no longer felt anything for him. All he saw now was a picture of Ralph in Zane."I'm not surprised," Zane said. "And I don't see why you need my permission to do what you've already concluded on." He smirked. "Go ahead. I don't expect anything from the Ellisons." Zane stressed that last part. It infuriated Aldwin even more."None of it belonged to me in the first place. Will it all to Zion
"No," Zane shrugged. "I just kind of anticipated it. Somehow, I knew it was going to happen, since you no longer see me as your son – just another man's child. Probably an enemy of yours." Zane said without any care."And what do you mean by that?" Aldwin sat up, turning to face Zane fully now."You still haven't finished what you were going to say," Zane said, ignoring his question.His meeting with Ralph was still a secret, and he was not going to give any hint about Ralph. Aldwin had no idea Zane had come face to face with the man meant to be his real father – and that he was somewhere in the city while Aldwin still had his search team out there looking to catch a trace of him. Zane found that amusing. Ralph was something else – a real threat, as he called himself."Don't ignore my question, Zane. What do you mean by what you just said? What do you mean when you said the unknown father was my enemy?""Unknown?" Zane asked, feeling disgusted. "I know nothing," he said flatly.Aldwin
Aldwin left the Ellison family mansion more convinced than he had been when he arrived. He was going to talk to Zane about the new plan. It was better Zane heard it from him than found out by surprise."Hey, kiddo," Aldwin said casually as he approached Zane in the sitting room.He sat beside him and wrapped his arm around Zane's shoulder, pulling him closer.Zane was amazed to see Aldwin like this. He had been avoiding him for months since he found out Zane was another man's child, and no matter how Zane tried to get close to him or what he said, Aldwin always seemed uninterested. But here he was, calling him fondly, pulling him close.Zane loved this. He had craved Aldwin's attention for months, but it hadn't worked, as Aldwin was determined to keep him at a distance."Hi, Father," Zane said with a wide grin. "You seem to be in a good mood. Did something good happen at work today?""No…" Aldwin drew out the word, still thinking of how to tell Zane the plan. "I'm just happy, that's a
**MATTHEW** “Is she with you?” Aldwin's deep voice came through the line. “No, Sir. She asked me to leave. She's spending the night at her mom's,” Matthew explained. “Are you stupid?” Aldwin asked in a terrifying tone. “She asks you to leave, and you leave? Do not come back here without my wife,
“I hear you, baby, I hear you. And if at any point you feel like you can't hold on anymore, I want to be the first you call. I'll have you out of that sham of a marriage in a heartbeat. It's barely been a week since you said ‘I do’ and already this?” She squeezed me tighter, stroking my hair. “Yo
(Barely two months ago…) ALDWIN “Are you in on this, too?” Aldwin asked Tommy, who was lying on the leather cushion in his office. The two of them were glued to the fifty-inch screen on the wall, watching a stock news report with Murphy, another of Aldwin's friends. “Murphy went all in on this o
I could smell the alcohol on his breath. “Say it,” he urged. “Just say the word, and I'll grant your filthy desires.” He stroked a finger across my lips. I was mad at him, but strangely, I still wanted a taste of him. All day, the scene of him and Benny played in my head, but it wasn't Benny th







