MasukJoan's POV I turned around and headed back to the bedroom.My head was buzzing, just like the phone in my pocket.I couldn't process the shock of what I had just uncovered. It was something I had suspected for a while, but I never wanted to jump to conclusions. I didn't want to act too quickly and expose my thoughts.Thank God I had never trusted Maria.Thank God I hadn't brought her closer than I had planned. Thank God I hadn't taken her on holiday with me.I would have thought I had finally found someone loyal. I might even have revealed some of my plans and secrets to her without knowing I was handing them straight to Zero.I walked into my bedroom and slammed the door behind me.The shocking discovery that Maria was Zero's blood sister was something I couldn't get out of my head.How had this happened?How had Zero managed to plant his own sister in this house long before he was released from prison?Who had employed her as a member of staff?And how many of Zero's loyalists were
Joan's POV"Eli!"Brent's voice echoed through the air from the distant dining room."Someone get the car ready! Now!"His voice thundered again."Eli! My little prince, talk to me! It's me, your uncle. It's Uncle Brent. Can you hear me?"Cassandra's voice joined his. It rang through the house like a trumpet, but suddenly grew weak.Heavy footsteps followed. People were running around, desperately calling for help.Then I heard more hurried footsteps heading towards the garage.My breath caught in my throat.I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I couldn't even bring myself to close it.My hand flew to my mouth as I struggled to hold back a scream.Then my legs gave way.I crashed to the floor, my back pressed against the door. My phone slipped from my hand and landed beside me."Oh, God! What the fuck have I done?" I whispered.My eyes widened. It felt as though a ghost had just entered the room, ready to suck the life out of me.The tea was meant for Cassandra!Not Eli!How did
Joan's POVI watched Catherine disappear into the kitchen.The moment she was out of sight, I reached for the small paper bag tucked into the back pocket of my jeans.I pulled it out and glanced nervously towards the three entrances leading into the dining room. I needed to be certain nobody was watching.Thank heaven nobody was. I quickly returned my attention to the package.My fingers trembled as I opened it.I pulled out the syringe and the small tube of poisonous liquid."Damn the instructions," I muttered under my breath.Zero had given me a specific dosage, but I couldn't afford to waste another second trying to remember every detail.I hurriedly drew some of the liquid into the syringe.I had no idea whether the quantity was enough to take Catherine out, but I couldn't risk wasting more time.My eyes darted towards the kitchen entrance. Nothing.I quickly positioned the syringe over Catherine's half-filled cup and squeezed.I emptied everything into the teacup. I picked up t
Joan's POVI walked out of the bedroom and headed towards the staircase when my phone suddenly buzzed again."Good morning, Miss Joan," a maid greeted me as she mopped the floor.I stopped walking abruptly, almost as if an invisible force had ordered me to freeze. Something told me that ignoring the message on my phone could have consequences.I reached into the back pocket of my jeans and pulled out my phone. I couldn't even bring myself to respond to the maid.She didn't bother greeting me again. Perhaps she had assumed I was in one of my usual morning moods.I watched her crouch down and continue mopping.Then, a familiar name flashed across my screen.ZERO.The name had become more than an ordinary name. It was a nightmare I couldn't escape, no matter how hard I tried.I swiped across the screen and opened his message.Don't get smart with me, Kenan. I have eyes watching you. Don't bother looking for CCTV cameras or anything else. I've already taken care of that.The last part of
Joan's POVI walked back into the bedroom. Brent was still asleep.The day had not broken yet. A faint darkness still covered the room, and the only sound was the steady hum of the air conditioner.I slipped beneath the covers and lay on my back, staring at the ceiling.My head was throbbing. But it wasn't the lack of sleep keeping me awake. It was the decision I had to make.Would Maria be the right person for this job?What if she exposed my plan? What if she refused to cooperate? More importantly, how could I convince her to carry out such a plot when I know it would even endanger her staying here? Even if she agreed to help me and completed the task, she couldn't remain in this house afterward.She would have to resign.I would pay her enough money to start a new life somewhere far away. Somewhere nobody could trace her back to this house.But would Maria accept my offer?I shut my eyes briefly.There was another problem.What if I refused to carry out Zero's plan? Wouldn't that b
Joan's POV3:46 AM.That was the time displayed on the wall clock. Its glowing digits seemed to scream into my face like a disease that refused to go away.The small paper package I had hidden in one of my pyjama pockets was still ringing in my head.I turned several times in bed, desperately begging sleep to take over, but it never came.Instead, my eyes remained wide open, staring blankly into the darkness. I felt like a patient on her deathbed, waiting for fate to decide when to take her final breath.I had no idea what had come over Brent.He had wrapped his arms around me from behind and slipped himself between my legs while I slept.I hadn't even worn any underwear before falling asleep. I couldn't explain why. But I was certainly surprised when I woke up to find him pressed against my back, having sex with me as though nothing had happened between us.He didn't seem bothered by the recent issues we had been facing. He simply continued, acting as though everything was perfectly
Orlena's POV My phone suddenly rang the moment I stepped into the parking lot, my fingers tightening slightly around my bag as I slowed down. Brent and Joan were already heading toward my car, their steps unhurried like they had all the time in the world.I paused, glancing down at the screen.It
Orlena's POV He would snap at any moment now, I could feel it coming, and my hand tightened at my side as I stood there, watching him.“Why is this here?”He finally looked up at me, his brows pulled together as he held the paper in his hand.“How is this here? You realize how important this is?”
Orlena's POV I couldn’t stand the situation anymore and I just turned to continue what I was doing, even though my hands didn’t feel steady and my chest still felt tight. There was a bigger issue in my life now, something I could not ignore no matter how much I wanted to, and I needed to find a s
Orlena’s POVI had just six months left until the end of my six year contract marriage with Brent Caldwell, the billionaire I agreed to marry under the condition that there would be no love or pregnancy.“Congratulations Mrs Caldwell,” the doctor’s gentle voice echoed in her warm office.“You’re 7







