PEARL’S POV~I felt like the ground would open up and swallow me, one minute she was holding my hand and the next, she was lost in the crowd.How do I explain this to Nico?Frantically I plunged myself into the heavy crowd, screaming her name, I asked everyone I could but no one saw her.I realised I didn't have a phone and couldn't reach anyone for help. I ran to the swing hoping she’d gone ahead of me.I saw a girl, the same height as her, the same dress too. “Sophie!” I called out happily as I ran towards the little girl but when I turned her she wasn't the one, she screamed alerting her mother who quickly grabbed me and shoved me aside.“what are you doing!” she yelled.I raised my hands to her. “I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I'm looking for my…. A little girl, I came in with her, I lost her in the crowd” I explained, it took a lot more convincing as people were already starting to gather around us.“No! You tried to grab my daughter! You wanted to kidnap her!” she kept yelling and no
PEARL’S POV~ “Get out of the car ma'am” came the guard’s voice, Sophie clung to me, scared out of her mind, what child wouldn't, but I know one thing for sure: I'm not leaving this vehicle until I get my answer. “This isn't the beach house, who are you? Where is this place?” I asked, leaning forward till holding on firmly to Sophie’s hand. “There’s someone inside who wants to see you, both of you” he replied, before reaching for his holster. “So get out,” he added. I couldn't help but feel, this had something to do with Nico and what he was talking about earlier, I started to panic, what do I do? How can I keep Sophie out of harm’s way? So I did the next thing that came to my head, I lunged at the driver, whose strength was overpowering but I held on, “Sophie grab his gun!” Sophie reached for his gun and soon gave it to me, “Get out of the car!” I yelled, pointing the gun at him. “You don't know what you are doing, put the gun down it's dangerous” he stated, angry he hadn't se
PEARL’S POV~I had seen a Minka before, only in movies, a traditional Japanese home,It was beautiful. It's so sad I was going into one with my hands bound and my mouth gagged.“Wait here” the guard instructed, holding me in place, where else could I possibly go?, soon a door was parted in front of me and he ushered me in.“Sit” he instructed again and I obliged, I'd received enough beating to know my limits.I looked around scared, the walls were thin and you could hear through the walls, people laughing and speaking the local dialect, I heard women too, and to my left, I could hear moans as well.Is this a brothel of some sort or have I been plunged into some strange Japanese orgy?The door opened and soon a tall Japanese man came in, he looked expressionless and it didnt take me long to figure out that he was the boss.He sat opposite me and placed his large arm on the table between us, a look of intimidation soon followed.“Where is the girl?” he asked in a thick Japanese accent,
Pearl’s pov~ An older woman came in not long after the kaichou left, he was called out urgently and seemed angry. “Get up child” she started in a low tone, she grabbed my arm and pulled my shaking body up. “You speak English?” I asked in an equally shaky tone. She nodded as she pulled me out of the room to the back of the property. It led to a smaller compound, women were everywhere, and some played with their hair. Some were bathing naked out in the open, but I never saw any men. There were guards stationed out front, at the gates. She slid the door to the side and ushered me in, “you stay here” she said. She closed the door and I turned to look inside the huge room, there was a vanity table, and a traditional geisha kimono hung in cupboards. In the corner there was a bed, someone laid on it, her head bandaged, and slowly she sat up. It was the geisha from earlier, the one who hit her head. I hurriedly went over to her to help her get up, “are you okay I asked, and She sho
Nico’s pov~ “Pearl!” I yelled as loud as my lungs could, “Where are you?” I yelled again.I shoved the weed aside as I ventured through the trees.“Sophia” I called over and over and then I heard a whimper, and then a scream followed.“Sophia!” I ran towards the scream and I froze, I saw a fox growling at my girl, and fear seized her.“Darling! Daddy’s here” I said, approaching her cautiously as I glared at the wolf.“Daddy” she whimpered as the fox’s growls deepened and he prepared himself for an attack.Slowly I stepped in front of her and the fox charged at me, I pushed her out of the way and she landed in a hedge with a small thud.The fox pounced on me and I was so wrestling with it on the ground.“Daddy!” she screamed but I told her not to move.The fox snarled at me, his jaw salivating as it tried to sink its teeth into me.I clamped its jaw with my elbow and pushed it away with my foot.It bit my leg, I saw a log of wood beside me, I raised it and hit it over the head.It how
NICO’S POV~ “What’s the plan, sir,” Lorenzo asked, “the plan…” Like a clink, my odd obsession came in.My mind entwined into a thousand thoughts all at once, what do I know, how? Where what who?“I need information, you”, pointing to Tony Morello, “tell me what we know about Kenji,”He stepped further and Lorenzo stopped him, “ he rose to power a few months ago, but he was his predecessor's right-hand man, and get this, his lawyer” he continued.“How did the last kaichou die,” I asked, “he laced his mistress’s pussy with an allergy trigger, and he died under her, the doctors said it was natural causes” he continued.“But it was Kenji; he always has a way with women”, he finished, I walked towards Liam, “how did Logan find him?” I asked again, “ he came to us” he retorted, I turned, “he did?” my eyebrows arched high. “ yeah, he said he has a way of getting us out of our debt with you,” he continued. “so he offered your half-with brother 20% off, and he signed it” I laughed, “That’s
PEARL’S POV~“Liam?” I whispered the kaichou laughed, “Davis Malone, I didn't think you’d honour this invitation.” He started. “2 million dollars Kenji, and I buy her outright from you” he continued, I was stunned, buy me? The thought of belonging to Logan's brother sent pure irritation down my spine. But it was an irritation I had to endure.“3 million dollars” I heard another voice announce before raising his arm. Kaichou looked into the crowd, “what do we have here?” he laughed.“Tony is that you? I thought I'd recognised you earlier when you came in shortly after Mr Davis Malone” he continued.He got up and pulled me along, “she’s not for sale, she’s just available for the night, I'm going to keep her, she belonged to Don D’angelo and now she belongs to me” he stated.I was scared, a room full of men ready to devour me and here is Liam trying to buy me like a piece of property, how did he know I was here?Did Logan get him to save me? So many thoughts ran through my head and my
NICO’S POV~From above I watched the crowd disperse, men of equal power all scattered in different directions.I'm Nico for a reason, even though I am also a danger to myself.The smoke bomb ignited as soon as the entire room was filled with laughing gas and they all laughed.I saw Kenji cover his nose before he dived into the crowd and out of the room.With the rope I swung down, running after him, when I got outside cars were hurrying to leave, but I recognised some useful faces I would use to exact my revenge.“Kenji, I'm not letting you get away with this” I yelled, stopping him in his tracks. He snickered and turned to me, “I don't remember extending you an invite to my show, this is trespassing Don”I removed my mask, a look of daunting surprise on his face.“It doesn't have to be this way Nico we can still work this out” he snickered.“You almost made me sign my daughter to you you fucking pervert!” I cursed.He was shocked to see I learned his trick and he played it off.“Loo
Pearl’s pov~The day of the pageant finally came. August was by my side as usual; he never left my side, not for one day.“Are you ready?” he asked, kissing my lips gently.I shivered under his touch. “Yeah, I am,” I smiled.“You don't have to do it if you don't want to,” he smiled back.“How are you okay with all of this, August? I'm a married woman with a baby on the way. It feels too good to be true,” I said, touching his long hair.All he did was look at me intensely and smile.“I'm not worried about anything; as long as we are together, I'm fine,” he said.“Oh August, I honestly don't deserve you,” I continued before touching his face.But all I wanted to hear at that moment was Pearlita…He took my hand and helped me up. He looked at me and he was awestruck. “You look so stunning, Pearl, so beautiful. Are you ready for your first debut? You are, after all, the face of DM Holdings,” he bragged.“No, that’s a lie Devina, all of a sudden I'm the evil mistress who won't let the ex g
Devina’s pov~I read the headline again, Rival partner Logan Davis Malone offers his 5million dollar yatch to ceo Pearl D’Angelo for peagent, amidst separation rumours from his pregnant fiancée, Miss Devina Daniels.“He did what?” I crumpled the newspaper in my hands and threw it to the ground. My sister came from around the corner, her eyes bright from her early morning jog.“What’s got you so worked up?” she asked, I fumed and pointed to the crumpled up paper on the floor beside her feet.She leaned down to pick it up, she read it and she laughed.“What’s so funny?” I asked trying to get up with my 37 weeks old belly.“Well I did tell you shitvwas going to hit the fan sooner or later, why on earth did you leave?” my sister Desiree asked, “It was getting to dangerous, I was involved in some diabolical shit I had to skip town” I replied.“Then maybe stop worrying about it and focus on your baby” she replied putting her ear pods away.“This is serious Desiree, there’s a bitch on my as
PEARL’S POV~CHAPTER: Ultrasound & Unraveling“You ratted me out to Kenji!” came a thunderous roar, Sophie was startled.I turned around and there she was Akira Watanabe, a ghost from my past. She looked furious, bloodthirsty anger surged through her, and Sophia looked scared.“Can we talk in the hallway you are scaring her” I always felt uneasy in hospitals because there was too much quietness for such painful places. With my palm lying over my bloated stomach, I strolled alone across the clean hallway. Kira was in a downward spiral about something, something I had no hand in.“What the hell are you talking about Akira?” I asked.She scoffed “back to formalities now are we?” she asked, “you are scaring my child,” I retorted.“Which of them because from the look of things you and Nico have been busy” she spat.“Why are you here Kira? You wanted nothing to do with me, remember? So why are you here?”“Did you rat me out to Kenji?” she asked. I was shocked by her statement, “how the h
NICO’S POV~I waited for Adam at the usual spot for over 3 hours, and the bastard didn't show up. This was his usual shenanigans, and I wasn't up for it.I turned to leave when I noticed a black sedan heading in my direction. I stopped and waited, hoping it was my sleek consigliere driving towards me.The car stopped in front of me, and he got out. He wore a black suit with a pink tie. I sighed. Something about him will always tick me off.“Hi, boss,” he greeted before extending an arm to me. “Adam, you said it was urgent? What the hell is so urgent that you couldnt tell me over the phone” Someone like Adam shouldn't have been noticed in the alley behind La Rue d'Or. His smell was too refined, his outfit too immaculate. However, he remained unflinching when the shadows shifted and I appeared like a menacing specter dressed in pricey wool."You're late to your own fucking meeting, Adam!" I stated in a foreboding tone.Adam looked at his timepiece. "No, I'm not. You simply lack patienc
PEARL’S POV~I wasnt going to rest, no not when a vulture perched and waited for my carcass at my doorstep, with Camille gone, the D’angelo mansion was eerily still.Which made me wonder, what if camille never really left, this house used to belong to Langdon moseley, and cammile and her dead sister grew up here.So what if somehow she was still here, I reached for my phone and called August.“Hey, Pearl, sleep okay?” he asked. I sighed, “Yesterday was wild even for me but I had to do it, im watching TV right now and all I can see is my epic failure as a CEO, some people are saying I resigned to be a supermodel” I managed a small laugh.“In your condition, I don't think it's safe enough for you to keep engaging in risky situations,” he said.“I know that August, trust me but I'll never get the peace I deserve with Camille still out there, where is she now?” I asked “Give me a second let me check, she hadnt moved from the funeral place before i slept off” he yawned.“Were you up all n
Pearl's POV~They say Grief only knows how to wear black. I said, Fuck it, and I decided to go with red.It was audacious, and people whispered before I had uttered a word, their eyes pressed on the slippery silk that hugged every curve. A pageant launch wasn't usually held at a funeral, but I wasn't your average widow. Camille was aware that Nico wasn't dead. But she was willing to take that chance to see him one last time if, truly, she was obsessed with him.Throwing my husband a funeral despite knowing he was alive would make her curious enough to know if Nico is truly dead.The headlines were already half written: *CEO Widow Honors Late Husband Nicolas D’Angelo. It was part trap and part theater. "Pearl," Adam called from beside me, adjusting the gold-trimmed suit I had asked him to wear. "This feels insane," he criticized with a shake of his head."That's the idea," I replied with a gentle smile, pinning a crimson carnation to his lapel. "We need Camille to feel comfortabl
Pearl’s pov~I saw him finally reach for the phone, and the video ended.It was like I was in a trance of some sort after that; soon after, Angelo came in, distracting my thoughts.I was both a priest and a sinner, and I gazed at the screen as though it were a confession booth.Nico's raw, gruff, and remorseful voice blasted through the speakers. Not the smirking, smooth-talking businessman that unnerved everyone. This man was losing his mind.“Pearl, are you ready? They are really calling for your head in there. You have to do or say something to dissuade them. I don't think I can hold them off for too long,” he mentioned before coming closer. “Are you okay? Is it Nico again?” he asked. I saw his hands leaning close to the laptop, and I shut it down.“No, it's nothing, just stunned,” I replied with a nod. “Just a little shaken from the row I'm about to face. With Logan there, who knows how it will turn out? He has been surprisingly calm,” I replied, distracting him from the video.He
Nico’s pov~When I met Camille, I was a 27-year-old guy with aspirations to own empires of my own.I was a good kid, well raised and brought up by Nana Rosa under the guidance of God.But the moment I saw Camille I knew God had left the conversation because Only the Devil could send a smile to meI was a young, naive he started faintly.She was an orphan, and I volunteered as a handyman.She was an odd one; at first she followed me everywhere, and I thought she was harmless, but then I saw the true Camile when Jacinta, one of the girls at the orphanage, died.She was last seen with me; well, you know how that story goes.She was going to be 18 soon, and the orphanage was going to let her go be an adult when a strange-looking man came to adopt her.That was when my woes began.She knew I wanted to become rich and powerful; she knew I wanted power above anything, so she curated a plan just for this.At first, I thought it was crazy, but she convinced me otherwise, and I went along with
NICO’S POV~A shard of glass tore through my skin and before I knew it blood had pooled on the floor where I stood.It felt like my insides were torn to pieces.Dust and smoke from the blast filled the air, I put an arm over my nose and found my way out of the blown-up station.I thought of Pearl, hoping she had run out to safety, Camile had played her game.Her dark twisted fantasy to seek her out.She always does this to get my attention, deliberately put me in trouble and I am sick of this.On my way out of there, I saw the van, and I could hear Adam and Lorenzo.Finally, safely out, I was still breathing.I took a step towards the van and realised that if I go back to my life I'll never figure out where Langdon Mosely is.I had to find him, something was off, I know I fucked his daughter but I didnt kill her somehow it seemed it was a strong enough reason to hunt me like a crazed dog.So I turned and left, I hijacked a car from its owner and I left.I headed to Queens, I knew some