Travis pov It was early in the morning, I walked out of my room to get a black coffee, when I heard a whispering voice in the kitchen.โWho is there?โ I approached the kitchen and asked. โThe servers could not be at work by this time,โ I thought.I walked into the kitchen and saw Samantha. She was engrossed in a call. She probably didn't hear me call out or realize that I had entered.โWhat are you doing there?โ I curt her. She shivered and turned suspiciously to me. โUhmmโฆ nothing.โ She said, then held down her phone. โAre you monitoring me, now?โโWhat do you mean by that? Who are you talking to, that has to be this discreet?โShe walked over to me and said, โIt's none of your business.โ Then she walked away.I was disappointed by that but I knew Samantha was weird so I didn't put so much thought into who it must have been. I made myself coffee and went into my study room to get some major work done.***Later in the evening, a black Benz arrived at the other side of my gate. I wa
Chapter One Hundred and EightTravis_I became so curious about what Davis had to say, knowing how versatile he is, I hoped it was something that would interest me. โI'm all ears.โโGood. Sir Benjamin wants to sell one of his tech companies. I asked him why, and he said, he was too old and he couldn't find any successor amongst his sons. I told him, I knew someone that would do a good job for his company but the person couldn't buy it. He then said, if the person is good, he can give it to the person and have 25% ownership of it. What do you think?โ I was so grateful in my heart that Davis, even after not seeing me for a long time, still had me in mind to the extent of going out of his way to make requests on my behalf. โThis is lovely. But you've been good to me and I don't even know how to pay you back.โโI do.โ He laughed. โI trust your ability to build the company to a better standard. Presently, the company is a million-dollar company. Very close to being a billion dollars. You
Chapter One Hundred and Nine Travis pov I prepared myself to leave for the hospital where Johnson was admitted. All the messages I left for Annabelle, she had not responded to them.I tried her number a few times before I packed up my bag to leave but it went into voicemail.I walked down the stairs into the living room and placed my bag on the chair.โDad, we are waiting for you.โ Norah and Samantha were seated at the dining table. But Samantha picked up her spoon the moment she saw me. โI'm not eating today, dear.โ I walked over to her and kissed her.โGood morning,โ I said to Samantha before turning away to leave.โAnd where are you off to?โ Samantha dropped her spoon. โDid you know that I made this food very early for all of us today?โI turned back to her and I couldn't even look at her face well, I kept remembering she had had sex yesterday. โWhat's with the pretense?โ I asked inwardly. โI won't be eating.โ I said firmly and exited the house. I knew she was displeased because
Chapter One Hundred and TenTravis pov Annabelle sat on her soft sofa. The ambience of her home was by far better than mine. I sat on the chair and I knew it was a quality chair. Everything in her house was just perfectly put together.โWhy do you want to see my son? You want to kill him again?โ Annabelle gazed at me from the side. โWhy are you talking like this? You know I had and can never have a hand in hurting Johnson. Iโm sorry, I know you have lost your trust in me.โ She stood up and took some steps away from me, โFollow me.โI stood up and packed some of the toys and the snacks I got for Johnson and followed after her. We walked up the stairs and approached a beautifully decorated room. โWow, you've done a great job so far.โ I commended her.She opened his room door and Johnson was sleeping peacefully on his bed. He looked way better than the last time I saw him.We sauntered into the room to avoid waking him up. โHe looks way better,โ I said, nodded my head and walked clo
Chapter One Hundred and Eleven Annabelle pov โWhat did you say? Come again,โ Travis said to Henry. They both seemed like they had prepared to fight themselves before they arrived at my home.I wasn't having it. My head had been banging for some days and was still aching due to the stress of staying so long in the hospital. โDo not fight here,โ I said softly. Using one of my hands to touch my head. They didn't seem to have heard me because they kept moving closer to each other and yelling.โYou will wake my boy!โ I yelled. โBoth of you should behave maturely for once. Is it every time you guys will be fighting? Can't I have peace when the both of you are around?โ Travis calmed down and looked at me. โI'm sorry.โHenry was still furious. He didn't flinch because of what I said, he just kept his angry gaze at Travis as he went back to sit with Johnson.โHenry walked over to Johnson's bedside pretending to be checking on him too. โDad is here.โTravis laughed. โI'm not sure someone h
Chapter One Hundred and Twelve Annabelle _I couldn't believe I had slept for so long. โWhat if you had not come today to visit Johnson, would I have slept off like this too? Knowing fully well that Nana wasn't going to be around. This isn't good at all.โ Many thoughts ran through my mind as I sat up.โYou were tired, you've been doing a lot lately. Don't beat yourself about anything. I just came to check on you and tell you I'm going home. I've sorted everything out. The nurse came to watch over him also. She commended your efforts and said that he was improving well.โ Travis tried to make me feel better.I took a deep breath and sat still. โMy head. It has been aching me badly these past few days. The stress has been too much for me to handle. I'm tired.โ I just couldn't help myself at that point.โWould you like me to make tea for you? Do you have a drug box at home?โ Travis bent over to me and held my hands as he spoke.โI don't know If I feel like drinking tea. I'm just tired. B
Chapter One Hundred and Thirteen Travis pov I woke up to twelve missed calls on my phone the next morning. I had put my phone on silent in the afternoon because I knew that I would be distracted if I heard my phone ringing. โSamantha? Why did she leave me so many missed calls? I'm so tired of her being in my face every time.โ I dropped my phone and stretched my body before getting up from the bed. I looked at the bed and realized that Annabelle wasn't on the bed. โShe should be in Johnson's room.โ I thought and walked to the toilet. I wanted to ease myself. My eyes felt heavy and I did not fix my gaze well on where I was going into. I pushed open the toilet door. It was a large door. โNo!โ Annabelle startled me with the way she yelled. I ran out quickly, โI'm sorry, I'm sorry.โ I hit my head with my hand. โShit!โ But I was pressed so I stayed in front of the toilet and thought of what to do. โAre you almost done? I want to ease myself.โ I shouted in the hope that she would
Chapter One Hundred and Fourteen Annabelle pov I resumed work and got an email on my office computer from Travis. It was a business request for a large sum of investment from one of my organizations for a project he was working on. Because the relationship between Travis and myself had gotten better, I thought to proceed with the assistance. I was certain Henry wouldn't agree to me doing that for Travis so I didn't ask for his opinion. I just went ahead and acknowledged the message. โSee me in my office now,โ I said to my secretary on the telephone landline. โI'm on my way.โ She walked into my office and I gestured to her to sit on the chair in front of my table. โI have an investment I want to make and I'm doing this discreetly. I do not want anyone to be aware of it because they might not buy into the vision, and I'm sure it would benefit us largely.โ My new secretary, Catherine, was a very hardworking and lovely person. She joined the company about two years ago and bec
Epilogue Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Six Annabelle_ Months after the nightmare I had with Henry. I woke up in my new home with the perfect peace of mind I had always wanted. My life was in a better shape and even though It wasn't perfect, I was living the future I had always dreamed and hoped for. I stood in front of the large windows in the parlor, looked out of it and took a very deep breath. โCome back here! If I catch you, I will eat all your candy.โ โYou won't catch me then!โ Johnson was running after Norah. It was not going to be my first time experiencing such as they have both been best of friends since we all moved in together. โI've told you two. No running around.โ I said and shook my head. Travis was the one handling the major companies owned by my dad. He and my dad had become very close following the incident with Henry. Travis held his suitcase, walked down the stairs of our new home and said, โAnna, do you know where my car keys are? I couldn't find them
Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Five Annabelle_ The tunnel led to one of the trees in the compound. I walked out of it and snuck to the back of the several police vans that were parked in the compound. I was on the lookout for Alex because I wasn't sure of who to trust. I saw Henry and hid behind the car. I couldn't afford him to see me and then come up with another lie that he wasn't the one behind my kidnap. Someone touched me from behind and I lost my breath for a while. I turned back slowly towards the person and found that it was Alex. I took a deep breath of relief and hugged him. โWhat happened?โ He asked, concerned. I was still trying to get my breath, when he yelled, โMedics, medics.โ And the whole attention drifted towards us. Immediately, I could see them putting handcuffs on his hands and leading him into the car like the criminal that he was. โTravis, Travis is badly injured. He has lost a lot of blood.โ Those were the first words I said to Henry so they could go a
Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Four Annabelle _Henry went out of the basement he kept us in. He went out through a different door this time. I saw him but I was not fully conscious.I didn't know what to do to get us out of his place but I knew that if we did not try to get help from the cops or whoever was around, things would get worse for us all and Travis could die.โTravis,โ I called out to Travis who lay in his blood on the floor with his eyes swollen. I wasn't even sure if he was still alive. โTravis, can you hear me? Travis!โ I yelled. I couldn't afford his death.โYes, I can hear you.โ He said in a very low voice. I knew he was losing a lot of blood and he was in severe pain.โCan you loosen me? I know it's hard for you to get up but if you can try, it would help us out. We can't stay here. Now is our time to get out of this house because I can hear people walking back and forth in his house. I'm sure they are looking for us.โ I said to him to encourage him to get up. Travi
Chapter One Hundred and Sixty-ThreeAnnabelle_All I saw was the blood of Travis spilling on the floor like someone had made an incision on a bottle.I picked a cloth that I saw in the room and used it to tie around his arm. I was very displeased with Henry as he stood and watched me take care of Travis' hands unremorsefully.โWhat has gotten into you? Why are you doing all this?โ I asked with so much pain in my heart. I couldn't understand how Henry became the way he was all of a sudden.โGet back to your seat and tie yourself at this moment, Annabelle.โ He yelled at me. โYou should not have pushed me to the wall all these years. You are the reason why I'm like this. Yes, it's all your fault.โTravis tried to help himself up from the chair I sat him on so that I could help him with his hand and reduce his bleeding. The cloth I had used to tie his hand was filled in no time and I could see that Travis was losing a lot of blood at that time.โLet's take him to the hospital. You know he
Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Two Travis_I broke into the house through Henry's kitchen window after I was sure he had gone out of the kitchen.I walked to the slap where knives were kept and I picked one very sharp one.โThis should do a good job,โ I said and hid the knife behind my back.โWhat you don't understand is, I'd catch a grenade for ya!โ I could hear Travis as he sang in his voice to the song he played out. I used that opportunity to search around the room for any sign of Annabelle and Johnson.โAnnabelle! Annabelle!โ I whispered as I entered every part of the room downstairs.Then while walking on the corridor, I walked on a part of the floor that felt like something was beneath it.I went back to look at the stairs to be sure I could still hear Travis playing his song, which he was before I went down to check what it was.โThis very strange man. Heaven knows where he kept Annabelle.โ I tried to open the thing but I couldn't get how it was being handled. It had a complex
Chapter One Hundred and Sixty OneTravis_I received a call from an unknown number. It was very late at night. I had thought it was probably Annabelle because I had been expecting her to call me but I did not receive any calls from her.When I saw that it was unknown, I did not take the call because I was still hurting from the fact that Henry was playing the hero when he did not help to find Johnson at all from the onset. โHe's my son. She's supposed to allow me to come along irrespective of what Henry was going to say or do. Don't I deserve to see him too?โ I said to myself inwardly.Norah had slept off on my leg. We sat together in the parlor watching a movie.My phone kept ringing and ringing so I became forced to pick up the call. I did not say anything after picking up the call.โCan you hear me?โ The person whispered and it made me curious. I placed Norah's head properly on the chair and stood up to receive the call in a place where she would not be disturbed.โWho is this?โ I
Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Annabelle_ I was scared that Henry might hurt me so I began to yell at him before he got closer to me, โHenry, what is wrong with you? Do not try anything funny. I'm warning you. You know how this will end. It will surely end badly for both of us. Just let me leave peacefully.โ โYou are not leaving through that door. Not today and not until you sign the wedding document.โ He said and got closer to me. He pulled me with force to himself and began to kiss my body against my will. โGet off me! Get off!โ He disgusted me but he held me so strong. It was very hard for me to move my body away from him. It was as though he wasn't the same Henry I had known. โStop it, now!โ I continued to shout at him but he would not let me go. I stretched my hand to reach the vase that was used to decorate his parlor. I was able to reach it and I slammed it on his head with all the force I had. I didn't know what to do next and he did not give me any option. All that was
Chapter One Hundred and Fifty NineAnnabelle_Brooklyn and I got to Henry's place very late at night. We had to drive for a long time for us to get to Henry's place. โWhy does it look as if Henry is not around?โ We were able to get into the house because the gate was not locked. โIt's very strange that Henry's gate is open. He never opens his gate.โ I said to Brooklyn who was driving the car.โJust be patient. It's late already and he was expecting you. So why wouldn't he leave his gate open?โ I knew Brooklyn was tired of hearing all my complaints.โI don't feel good about this honestly. Something is wrong somewhere.โ I said to Brooklyn, โDon't drive to the front of the building itself. Park around here.โ Henry's compound had some gardens and big trees that one would go through before one would get to his house. I just wasn't comfortable with the way I felt.She sighed but did as I said.โI'd go in by myself alone. You should stay in the car in case anything bad happens.โBrooklyn ga
Chapter One Hundred and Fifty EightAnnabelle_Travis drove us into a very nice apartment that he said belonged to Samantha. It was a more beautiful apartment than the one that he lived in. โThis apartment is nice. You guys could have lived here instead of where you're presently living though.โ Brooklyn said. I was surprised she said that out loud so I turned to look at her.Travis smiled and said, โWell, Samantha loves her things to be perfectly the way she likes them. She fixed it several times, that's why it looks as good as this.โ We got out of the vehicle and we could tell that Johnson was not in that building because everything there was so calm but we walked into it irrespective of how the environment felt, leaving Brooklyn and Norah alone in the car.Travis unlocked the door and led me into the room. โI don't think anyone is here at the moment but we can search the apartment to see if there might be any lead in the house,โ Travis said to me as he walked into the living room