LOGINIvanna’s POVThe verification result was faster than I anticipated. Alex sent it through an encrypted file transfer. citing the university’s official records. Aria Ashford had enrolled in September, six years ago. She had completed her first year with reasonable grades and begun her second year. But she withdrew in March of the following year.Meaning, no degree conferred, no qualification issued. Exactly as my first investigation has stated.The second document was the Beaumont Group’s internal HR policy, extracted from a part of the company’s handbook. It states: All accounts department positions at associate level and above require a minimum qualification of a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, or equivalent professional certification recognized by the national accounting standards body.Unfortunately for Aria Ashford and fortunately for me, this result came back exactly as my first investigation stated. Meaning, no error, I can proceed.This was going to make more news than
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO Ivanna’s POVXavier thinks he can ridicule me in front of the whole world with his dirty secrets, I’ll show him what I’m capable of, together with his poverty stricken baby mama and their little devil.I need to activate Plan B, with or without my father’s support this time around.Aria would think she’s now the most talked about billionaire CEO wife, especially when the CEO was publicly defending them with legal threats attached.Jokes on her.She may had thought she had overcame the DNA scandal, now that the public opinion has being splitted into two after Xavier’s announcement, with more people weighing to her side every second. But this is going to hit her harder.I’ve made my research, and I’ve finally gotten my hands on that one thing Aria Ashford could not afford to lose. Her job.Aria Ashford dropped out of university six years ago, two ears into a business administration degree. She never returned to school and she never graduated. She had no degree, no pr
Arthur’s POVI dropped a message in the Beaumont’s family WhatsApp group calling for an urgent meeting immediately after I ended the call with Xavier. The best movement to make as the patriarch of the family in order to regain the public confidence is to officially accept Bryan into the family and I’ll do just that.No one would be able to separate Bryan from his root then. My phone beeped at an incoming notification. It was Kyle, my nephew.[“Where’s the meeting happening and when?]I typed back. [This week Saturday, by two in the afternoon.]I dropped my phone on the counter and called one of the house staff for water.My mind was clouded with his the meeting will survive, I know quite well that it won’t be easy. Since the DNA breakout, I had not received any call or message from any of my extended family. Even though I was the family patriarch and has the largest share percentage of Beaumont Group, almost all my nieces and nephews are shareholders in the company.So, seeing them
Xavier’s POVMy executive assistant knocked once and opened the door.“Sir, there’s something you need to see.” She said as she walked briskly to my table, placed a printed document on my desk and stepped back.I casted her a questionable glance before I picked it up and read it.*Beaumont Group Board of Directors: Formal Notice of Immediate Suspension of Ms. Aria Ashford.*I sighed and dropped the document.I knew the board will make a move but I hadn’t thought they would have such effrontery to suspended Aria, even after my official statement release. Without seeking my opinion first.No, this is precarious.“When did this go out?” I asked.“About ten minutes ago, sir,” she responded.“Who called the meeting?”“The notice lists Mr. Robert Fedson as the convening member,” she replied. “Seconded by Mr. David Kingsley.”“Robert Fedson.” I repeated. I had known that for a dismissal board meeting as such to take place, Robert would definitely be at the top of the table. I only asked to
Aria’s POVI barely slept that night.Bryan on the other hand slept like someone had switched him off, the way he always did after an eventful day. Xavier slept in one of the other bedrooms.All that was on my mind was how my Monday will go. I kept running around it in circles.Sunday’s scandal. Monday’s office. I was going to walk into that building tomorrow and every person who saw me would have an opinion. Most people in whispers on the professional floors. And the looks. The conversations I envisaged would stop immediately I passed. The ones that would whisper ‘that’s her’ in a tone that had nothing to do with admiration.No, I had worked too hard for that.Five years of rebuilding from nothing. Every single endurance I had to go through without asking anyone for help, and now people were going to look at me and see the woman who got a job because she had the CEO’s child.That was not who I was.***I dropped Bryan at Joel’s the next morning, Monday.Joel’s mum, Sandra, a jovial
Ivanna’s POVMy phone lit up against the bar table to see Julia’s contact flashing across it. Julia was my distant cousin and one of my best buddy. She has been my best friend since we were little kids.She knows a lot about me and my relationship with Xavier but only what I wanted him to know.“Girl, have you checked the internet lately,” she announced, “it’s literally blowing up.”I rolled my eyes and lifted the glass of whiskey seated before me to my lips. “I know.”“Really!” She exclaimed. “So you mean you’ve seen Xavier’s official statement.”My eyes widened, the grogginess behind my eyes disappeared in a flash. “What statement?”“Huh! I thought you said you’re aware,” she sneered.“Don’t joke with me at this time please,” I snapped. “Just answer my question.”My phone pinged with notification.“Check your WhatsApp inbox, girl.”My phone almost dropped as I fumbled to check the app. What stared back at me was false.Yes, it’s false. It can’t be true.“Babe, take it easy,” Julia
Aria’s POVI told Denise I needed until the end of the day, thanked her and walked out of the office.It wasn’t a real solution, just a delay dressed up as one, a way to buy myself a few hours to figure out which obligation I could push back furthest without consequences catching up to me first. S
Aria’s POVI was halfway through reconciling a column of receipts when my phone buzzed against the desk. I almost let it go to voicemail. Mr. Murphy had already mentioned twice this month, that personal calls during work hours weren’t part of the job description he hired me for and I needed this jo
Aria’s POVI sat with the acceptance letter and the pregnancy test side by side on my desk for three days before I made the decision. It was a painful decision to make all by myself but there was no one to call.That was the part nobody warned you about, it’s not about the fear, not the morning si
ARIA’s POVThe first thing I noticed was the dead silence. The second was the pounding headache threatening to split my skull into two.I squeezed my eyes shut and buried my face deeper into the pillow. Bad idea.The unfamiliar scent hit me immediately. Cedar, warm and masculine.My eyes snapped op







