ARLAN'S POV."Arlan!" Saraya tried to approach us but the look on my face stopped her."You stay right there and wait for your turn while I deal with this mess of a human. There is no need to rush when we are just getting started." Alex screamed at her while throwing a deadly look her way. "So the woman, Evan was talking about was you, after all."I stood up. “Alex, listen to me. I didn’t plan for this to happen. It just… it happened.""Matilda is carrying your child, how dare you play around with my daughter? Do you know the dent this will cause my business if this comes out?" Arlan asked."I regret this but Saraya's party wasn't the first time we met. We had earlier met at an acquaintance's party." I tried explaining.“Regret?” Alex spat. "Then you should have ended it when it came to light she is my daughter." He said angrily. "But finding out didn't deter you. But you regret it now that you’ve been caught? You think that makes it better?”“Dad, please,” Saraya said, her voice trem
ALEX'S POV.“Alex, why haven’t you been picking up my calls?” Mary raised her voice at me the moment I stepped into the house. She was waiting for me in the living room, her arms crossed. “And why are you alone? Where is Saraya?” She added, looking at me suspiciously.I didn’t answer her questions, instead I gave her a deadly look. “Come with me this instant!” I screamed at her.Her brows furrowed, but she obeyed, trailing behind me as I made my way upstairs to our bedroom. I shut the door firmly behind us, leaning against it for a moment before facing her.“Why didn’t you tell me about Saraya and Arlan’s affair?” I asked, my voice was cold.Mary froze. “How did you...”“Don’t answer my question with another question, Mary.” I snapped, cutting her off. “How could you keep such thing away from me? Tell me, how long have you known?”She stuttered, her composure crumbling. “I-I only found out in Brisbane. Saraya swore to me she would end it. I thought...”“You thought what?” I stepped
DOMINIC'S POV.I dialed Saraya’s number using the burner phone and masking my voice to a feminine tone.“Hello?” Her voice was shaky. “Who’s this?”I let out a low chuckle. “Your friendly blackmailer.”There was a pause before she spoke again, her voice trembling. “How did you get my number, you piece of shit?”I ignored her question. “The real question here is, have you and your partner gotten the money ready?”“Why did you go to my dad?” she snapped, her fear giving way to anger. “I was in the process of giving in to your demands. Was that necessary?”“Ah, Saraya,” I said, shaking my head like she could see me. “You weren’t taking me seriously. I wanted to make sure you stayed on your toes. Now, are we done with the questions? Because if I have to call back without that money in my wallet, I’ll be reaching out to your dad again or some media stations. Let’s see which one is willing to buy this exclusive little piece of information from me first.”“You’re evil!” She spat.I laughed a
SARAYA'S POV."And what do you think you're doing?" I asked Arlan. "Are you trying to ruin things?"Arlan ran a hand through his hair, his jaw clenched. "Saraya, I’m trying to make him slip. If he knows we’re onto him, he might panic and make a mistake."I folded my arms, glaring at him. "You don't even have any evidence to pinpoint this on him. You keep guessing. Do you even realize you just revealed we are tailing the person. You keep trying to ruin everything.""Ruin everything?" He met my gaze, unflinching. "Do you have a better plan? Because I’m all ears."I sighed, pacing the room. My mind was racing, trying to find a way out of this mess. “We need to keep him calm, Arlan. Keep him thinking he’s in control. If he feels cornered, he’ll lash out, and we can’t afford that.”Arlan scoffed. “Calm? The man just threatened to sell the story to the media if we don’t pay up. How do you expect me to stay calm?”“I don’t know!” I shouted. “But we can’t afford to lose our heads right now. D
DOMINIC'S POV. I sank into the swirling chair, staring at the fifteen million dollars in my wallet. I ran a hand through my hair and muttered to myself, “What’s the point of all this? It doesn’t mean a damn thing without her.” All I could think about was Saraya. The money did not in any way fix the way I feel, rather I felt despicable from what I have done. The door burst open. My father stormed in, his face red and I could tell he was all for trouble from his body language. “What the hell is this?” he yelled. “Is this what you’ve been doing? Wasting your time and testing my patience?” He asked eyeing the empty glass on the table. I didn’t respond. "What is the point, anyways?" I muttered to myself. “Dominic!” he bellowed, stepping closer. “Look at you. You’re a mess. The company’s falling apart, and this is how you choose to handle it? By hiding in your room and getting drunk? Are you out of your mind?” “Get off my back,” I said, my voice low, not even bothering to meet
IAN'S POV."I mean..." I paused looking fluttered. "I don't understand why you're holding back grandma." I bit my lower lip to contain my anger. "This is our chance to usurp Saraya from the seat she is occupying."My grandmother sighed. "Ian, your uncle and Arlan jointly hold the bigger amount of shares as we speak, if they throw their weight round their shares, we stand no chance of winning.""After all is said and done, you will agree with me that things won't be the same with them again." I explained. "It's time to strike while the iron is still hot.""The problem is your uncle, you can tell from what you've seen tonight that he has no intention of punishing Saraya through her position, no matter what has happened, Saraya still have his support.""That is because he is only trying to make up for the lost time in Saraya's life, he handed her that position to feel less guilty but if he continue to tolerate Saraya's insolent, it would be the end of the Newman's empire." I pointed out.
MARY'S POV.It was dawn when I opened my eyes and saw Alex staring at blank space. I crawled out of our king-sized bed and walked up to him."Don't tell me you stood here all night?" I asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.He turned his head slightly, his eyes clouded. “I’m fine,” he murmured, but his voice sounded far from convincing.“Fine?” I studied his face. His complexion was pale, and there were dark circles under his eyes. “Alex, you don’t look fine. Your face is so pale. You need to rest.”He sighed, rubbing his temple. “I’m okay, Mary. Really.”“No, you’re not,” I said firmly, reaching for his arm. “Come on. Let’s get you back to bed.”I had barely turned to lead him when his knees buckled, and he collapsed into my arms.“Alex!” I screamed, lowering him to the floor as carefully as I could. “Alex, wake up! Please!”His eyes remained closed, his body limp. My heart pounded in my chest as panic surged through me."Someone, help me." I screamed out at the top of my voice.The
MATILDA'S POV.I walked into the living room with a cup of honeyed tea and stopped when I saw Arlan sprawled on the couch, fast asleep. For the first time in hours, his chest rose and fell steadily. I let out a small sigh of relief.“Finally closed those eyes of yours,” I muttered to myself. “Took you long enough after pacing and sighing all night.”As I moved closer, I spotted the bruise on his cheek. “Great, Matilda,” I whispered under my breath. “Guess I slapped him harder than I meant to.”Careful not to wake him, I set the cup of tea on the table and hurried to grab a bag of ice.When I returned, Arlan was sitting up, his eyes half-lidded but alert. He blinked at me, then at the tea."Hi," I said, walking up to him.He quickly sat upright like I would jump on him, well, he is right. I could."Hi." He replied, his voice husky. "Uh… thanks for letting me crash here." He said.“Don’t thank me. Thank the couch,” I replied. “Now drink that. I added plenty of honey, it’ll help with yo
MARY'S POV.I dialed Dominic’s number again, drumming my fingers against the desk. This time, he picked up."Oh, see who finally decides to put on his phone." I said sarcastically."What is it this time?" He asked me impatiently. "Can we get this done with as soon as possible? I'm so exhausted."“How was your meeting with Ian?” I asked, keeping my tone light.He sighed. “You need to stop prying into my business, Mary.”My lips curled into a smile. “Oh, really? So you’re finally growing a spine?” I laughed softly, savoring the tension. “You think I don’t know what you're trying to do? You have no idea how deep you’re in. You really want to betray me, knowing I’ve got you cornered?”“I’m just trying to survive, alright?” he shot back. “And I’m done being your puppet.”I could hear the anger in his voice, and it only made me more curious. "I figured that out already. But hey, You should think about your parents.""Take their names off your filthy mouth."Ignoring his rants, "I’m willing
IAN’S POVI stormed into my office, slamming the door shut behind me. My head was pounding, my heart racing. The meeting had been a disaster. The way they all looked at me—doubtful, disappointed, like I was already a sinking ship.Her voice echoed in my mind. "If you're unable to provide a satisfactory answer, be ready to resign."I let out a bitter laugh, running a hand through my hair. Resign? After everything I've done? She wanted me gone, wanted to strip me of everything, and the worst part? The board was actually considering it."I swear, I will kill you, Mary." I vowed. "I'll make you wish you didn't challenge me in the first place."I grabbed my smashed phone from the desk, my hands trembling with rage. I had to get control back. I had to move fast. I ripped the SIM card out, shoved it into another phone, and scrolled through my contacts until I found the name I needed... Dominic.He picked up on the third ring. "Where are you?""Ian?" His voice was cautious. "We are not meetin
MARY'S POV.The meeting had gone on for what felt like an eternity. Every passing second just added to the growing frustration and tension in the room but I was enjoying each moment.I could feel the eyes of the board members on Ian as they exchanged disapproving glances. Ian was in trouble and he knew it. He was losing their support and has no major shareholder backing him up. He looked like a small fish in an ocean, looking lost and confused."Ian, this is unacceptable," one of the directors finally spoke up. "Underperforming across the board, and now the product leak? This is a disaster."Ian shifted uncomfortably in his seat, a nervous twitch in his jaw. "I... I understand," he stammered, "and I promise I’ll handle it. I’ll give everyone an explanation, just give me time. I've got the legal team on this already."He met my gaze then, instead, I rolled my eyes, just enough for him to catch it.I wasn’t about to let him squirm his way out of this one. "If I may," I said, cutting thr
IAN'S POVI stared at my phone, tapping my fingers against the table. No response from Arlan. Not even a single word or message. It was past noon, and I was expecting to have heard some news or reactions by now."Maybe I shouldn’t have sent them to him, Maybe it was bad idea after all." I said looking worried. "That weakling." I cussed. "I thought he was all crazy about Saraya."Then again, there is Dominic who had reached out to me earlier. "I guess that is enough to bring down Mary seeing how he made effort to reach out. He must have something to offer but then I can't trust that cunning son of a bitch." I said to myself.Peter rushed in, looking troubled. From his facial expression, I could tell all is not well."Don't tell me you bought another bad news to fuel my bad mood?" I asked.Peter shivered. "I'm sorry but I think you should know that the wellington just released some products similar to what we intend launching next week." He revealed.I laughed hysterically. "Are you out
ARLAN'S POV."You haven't had anything since morning, have something to drink sir." Bridget stretched a bottle of water towards me.I took it from her and wrapped my hands tightly around the bottle. "Thank you." I muttered."She will be fine." She said.There was something optimistic about Bridget words that torn my heart, maybe it from knowing Matilda wouldn't be fine not after my decision or my conscience pricking me.I felt uncomfortable. "You should go back," I suggested. "I don't know how long I will be staying here for, I shouldn't keep you here.""I know you want to be left alone but I'm sorry I can't do as you've asked right now. I think you need someone beside you. There is nothing much to do at home, so I would just sit over there." She said pointing to a seat at a corner. "You can just pretend I'm not here.""Thank you." I muttered as another round of tears rolled down my cheeks.Bridget walked away and took her seat but not without turning her back against me. She must hav
ALEX'S POV."Are the documents ready?" I asked Arlan the moment he stepped in."Yes, here they are." He replied before pulling them out from his briefcase.I carefully went through them one after the other, satisfied. I nodded. "Great job, Arlan.""Don't mention."I sighed. "All that is left is to sign the transfer paperwork to another hospital and serve her a copy then I can tell Saraya everything about Mary and Dominic.""You're still recovering and the transfer is going to take some days, are you sure you will be able to sulk it in with Mary visiting you everyday?" Arlan asked."I have no choice though I won't deny how much I'm holding back not to wriggle her neck from her body. Especially when he touches me, I feel like exploding." I confessed.Arlan sighed, taking a seat across from me. “I must admit, we are playing a dangerous game, Alex. One misstep and this could blow off to our faces.”I scoffed. “I’m done playing games.” My fingers tapped impatiently against the documents. “
DOMINIC'S POVI settled into my seat, buckling the belt as the plane began boarding. People shuffled past, stowing their bags, murmuring to each other, but I wasn’t really paying attention.All I could think about was Saraya.More specifically, the way she looked when she told me what I’d done.'You tried to kiss me.' Her words echoed in my head.I rubbed a hand down my face. "Damn it."I didn’t even remember doing it, but the second she said it, I could feel it. Like my body had stored the memory my brain refused to hold onto.I could picture it too easily. Her lips inches from mine. That brief moment of hesitation. The way her breath might’ve hitched and the disgust on her face enough to have avoided my kiss.I shook my head. "Stop." I cautioned myself.I exhaled, staring at the seat in front of me. It didn’t happen. It didn’t matter how it would’ve felt. It didn’t matter what might have happened if I hadn’t been drunk out of my mind.I leaned my head back, closing my eyes for a seco
SARAYA'S POV.I pulled up to the hotel just as Dominic stepped out of the lobby, rolling his suitcase behind him. He looked awfully pale, tired, and was moving slower than usual.He barely glanced at me before turning to the receptionist. “Yeah, that’s the card. Just email me the receipt.”The woman behind the desk nodded. “Safe travels, Mr. Leo.”Dominic muttered a thanks, grabbed his receipt and walked over to my car. He tossed his bag into the backseat and shut it with more force than necessary.“Morning,” I said, watching him closely.“Morning,” he replied, rubbing his temples.I raised an eyebrow. “You okay?”“Fine. Just—” He let out a heavy breath. “Probably had one too many drinks last night.”That explained the way he looked like he wanted to curl up and throw up. I didn’t say anything, just got in the car and pulled out of the parking lot.A few minutes later, I turned into a pharmacy lot.Dominic frowned. “What are we doing here?”I didn’t answer, I hopped out, went inside,
DOMINIC'S POVI was standing outside, adjusting the cuff of my vintage shirt when Saraya pulled up and parked. She stepped out of the car, looking effortlessly beautiful in her black short gown and I couldn’t help but smile.“I should be the one picking you up,” I said as she approached me.She grinned. “Remember, it’s my treat.”I shook my head. “Still, that doesn’t mean you have to drive.”“Well, I did.” She shrugged.We both laughed, and I pulled her into a hug. She smelled nice but I didn’t let myself linger too long so she doesn't get uncomfortable. When we pulled apart, I took a step back and gave her an approving look.I chuckled and held out my hand. “Keys.”She raised a brow. “Excuse me?”“You’ve been at work all day. Let me drive.”She hesitated for a second before dropping the keys into my palm. “Fine. But only because I’m too tired to argue.”I took the keys from Saraya and got into the driver’s seat while she settled beside me.“I’ll take what I can get,” I said, opening t