LaylaBeads of sweat were gathering on Georgina's forehead, despite the chill brought by the AC. I had never seen her so tense before. I was tense, too. Sofia was missing. She had been missing since lunch at school. No one had seen signs of her since then. I could see Charlene's grave face from the driver's mirror. She must be feeling guilty.“Are you sure we are going in the right direction?” I asked her.“Yes, she's probably there.” Her voice shook as I sped on. It was late, and we all hoped to find Sofia soon. I hoped she was fine and not hurt in any way. Hannah kept on calling to find out if we had found her. She wanted to involve the police, but I reminded her of the law that was stated as regards a missing person. Literally, everyone was trying not to show their anxiety and fears.“It's going to be fine,” I assured Georgina. She gave a slight nod. Even if an assurance, I couldn't bear the thought of something bad happening to Sofia.Georgina's silence, I knew, meant more than it
Hannah was standing aloof next to the car when we all went outside.“What happened back there?” I wanted to know as I got closer to her.“Can we go now?” She grimaced, evading my question.“I'm sorry, Mrs. Carter.” Sofia apologized. She ignored the girl and took her seat at the back.“Come on, let's go. She must be tired.” Georgina urged the girls. I entered the car and we finally drove away.The ride was awfully quiet, it made me rather uncomfortable. It was obvious that Sofia was still angry with Charlene. Though the latter had attempted to make peace, she wasn't just ready, I guessed. Georgina kept on yawning until she alighted at the closest terminal to her house. Sofia was and had always been in good hands, she believed. I noticed that Charlene got home before I drove back to Hannah's.“Believe me, you are still going to be punished for your irrational action.” She threatened Sofia as she ambled inside the house, quite wearily.“But I'm sorry!” Sofia cried.“It's fine.” I consol
Leo“Will you be in attendance, sir?” Celine asked.“It’s sudden but I should be there, it’s the first conference meeting since my Investment.” I responded.“Alright, sir, I’ll email them.” She said, walking out.“Please get me a cup of coffee.” I requested before she could close the door.“Alright, sir.” She said and closed the door behind her. Tony came in immediately afterward, with two cups of coffee.“I thought you could use some.” He smiled, pulling back his seat.“Yeah, thanks. Laynat is having a conference meeting,” I informed him.“That was out of the blue. Who called for it?” He inquired.“I don’t know to be precise, but it’s one of her executives. I believe I should attend.”He nodded.“Yeah…”“And I also believe that you can now keep Ariadne from leashing at me all the way to NY,”A light smile appeared on his face.“Did you ask her out?” I queried.He nodded.“Did she agree?”“What do you think?” He chuckled.“Just tell me.” I sipped from my cup.“Yeah…her next shoot is n
What was she doing up there? Why did Nathan call her ‘mummy’? I watched as the expression on her face slowly grew dim to a look of indifference. She went up the stage.“That’s my mummy!” Nathan repeated as he pointed towards her.“What the hell is going on here?” I heard Ethan Brooks curse out beside me.This was the least expected place to bump into my ex-girlfriend. And mummy? She was a mother.“Good morning, everyone,” her sonorous voice pierced through the microphone. Layla Carter. What was she doing up there? Could she perhaps be an employee of Laynat?“Let’s hear what she has to say.” Ethan Brooks took his seat. Cameras were flashing here and there. The lights that came from them even worsened the state of my mind.“My name is Layla Carter.” She introduced me to everyone. “And as much as most people are concerned, I might be an existence unheard of before that moment.”Ethan Brooks chuckled.“She has grown quite bold.” He commented, more to himself.“Do you know her? I mean…”
“What did you just say?” He howled. I wasn’t afraid of him, instead, I spoke even more.“Do you think your wife is innocent? I mean, she let you sleep with her even while I was supposedly her best friend. You guys don’t consider yourselves innocent, do you? Or am I mistaken?” I sneered at him and forcefully snatched my hand away from him.“And don’t you dare grab my wrist that way, ever? You have no fucking rights!” I pointed my index finger at him with a deadpanned look plastered on my face.“You have grown bold…” He said just as the elevator opened. I walked out.“She’s carrying a bastard,” I said as a matter of fact before the door shut closed.Henry appeared immediately after.“Are you okay?” He asked.“Yeah…”He nodded. I felt he wanted to say something, I knew he wanted to react with more than just a nod. I felt accountable to him about earlier, we were a couple of on probation.“Is there anything you want to say to me?” I arched a brow at him as his eyes were lingering on me.
Layla Nathan, out of the blue, grew dull and fell ill. He wouldn’t even take a bite of his favorite peanut butter sandwich, and he became averse to ice cream. On Saturday, the day Henry and I were supposed to attend the wedding at the Chapel, his health worsened, and I was forced to take him to the hospital. The doctor put him on the drip as he lay on the hospital bed, his glum face staring into nothingness. He was awfully quiet and it made me uneasy. “Hey…” Henry came in, stroking my back as I clutched Nathan’s hands. “Are you okay?” He was worried. I nodded. I was grateful I always had him to lean on. He kissed my forehead, brushing back my hair affectionately. “It’s going to be fine,” he assured me. “Nathan’s a strong boy. Aren’t you Nathan?” He smiled at Nathan. But Nathan wouldn’t budge or say a word. I feared he must have become irrevocably reticent about the way he had been behaving since he fell ill.
LaylaNathan was discharged earlier than the doctor had predicted, and the man was so sure that it was thanks to Leo that his son was healthy and cheerful once again. I wasn’t surprised when Leo brought him gifts on the day he was to be discharged from the hospital, despite the fact that I had told him his presence wasn’t required. He seemed as obstinate as Nathan himself. Henry wasn’t here yet, he had told me he was going to be late. And while I thought about the situation, about how I was going to separate Nathan from Leo, my phone beeped. It was a strange number. I didn’t use True Caller, so I didn’t know who it was. It was when I stepped outside to answer that I knew who was talking. William Gould. I had thought we would have nothing to do together ever again, but here he was calling me and saying we had to meet. As the call ended, I felt sour within me. I felt incapable of carrying out my revenge plan, I began to feel it wasn’t something I was cut out for. But whenever I
Tuesday morning set a phase in my life. A phase that seemed like it was revisiting me from my past. My past. Coincidentally, Henry went out of the country even while I struggled to tell him about Leo.He came. Indeed, he came, not like the thief at night. He knocked on my door and yes, a part of me had been expecting him.“Hi.” He was holding a large bouquet and a food basket. A cool smile which I found awkward was on his face.“Do you think I will let you in?” I asked, a shocked look on my face with the gifts he brought with him.He was a joker. A silly joker, in fact.“I do not think, I know, so.” He confidently replied.I bit my lip, he was trying his best to annoy me, I won't give grounds for it.“I'm going to call the cops on you.” I threatened.“You can go ahead…” His sharp gaze bored into mine, and I knew where his confidence was coming from. His affluence. Which cop would be cold for Leo Cooper? I wasn't taking this in the right direction. The look on his face was giving th