Andrew’s mind was a furnace of confusion. He had heard enough. His mother’s words rang loud and clear in his ears, but it wasn’t comfort that followed them. Instead, panic, worry, doubt, and all of it had the face and voice of Rose, her words came echoing loud enough this time.He has not yet started driving himself around the city, but he didn’t want to use his mum’s driver either. He went outside the mansion, took a few strolls to the main road, and flagged down a taxi, “St. Thomas.” By the time he reached her apartment door, his breath was slightly uneven. He knocked, and she opened the door in one of her signature silk robes, wine-colored and short enough to reveal her fresh thighs and curvy hips.Rose tilted her head when she saw the seriousness in his eyes. "You look like someone just told you Santa Claus isn’t real. Come in, my love."He stepped inside, the faint scent of vanilla and lavender fragrance from the humidifier wrapping around him. Her place was cozy, filled with cre
Tim’s body moved before his mind could catch up. His instinct kicked in hard. He quickly slipped into the narrow space between a wall and a dumpster and stayed low. His breath was calculated, heart racing, but he needed to act smart.The footsteps kept coming. Whoever it was, they hadn’t noticed he was gone, the figure walked right past him.That was all the opening Tim needed.He picked up a loose metal rod lying nearby, rusty but solid. Stepping out behind the man, he grabbed him around the neck from behind, pressing the cold metal against the back of his head.“If you shout, I’ll blow your head off, and nobody will come for you,” he said.“Now talk, why are you stalking me?”The man froze; he didn’t expect the sudden change of events. He wasn’t tall, wasn’t built. He trembled immediately.“Please don’t hurt me,” the man cried out. “I was paid… to follow you.”“By who?”“Your girlfriend. Ju…Julia.”Tim felt something snap inside him, that was the last name he expected to hear, not li
The hospital waiting room smelled like antiseptic and stale coffee. Angelie sat on the cold plastic chair, her fingers clenched around the fraying strap of her handbag. Her eyes hadn’t left the doctor’s office door since he’d gone in with Tim’s latest test results. Her twin brother was down the hall, unconscious again. Pale. Fading.“Angelie?”She stood so fast the strap snapped off her bag. She didn’t even look at it.Dr. Harrow’s expression told her everything before he said a word.“It’s progressed faster than we hoped,” he said gently. “Tim’s kidneys are failing. Completely this time. We need a transplant. Soon.”She blinked. “How soon is ‘soon’?”He hesitated. “Two weeks. Maybe less.”Angelie felt the ground slip out from under her. “We don’t have that kind of money.”“I know. But there’s a donor. A private one. The procedure would happen at St. Nicholas. They can do it quickly if the financial part is handled.”“How much?”“Three hundred and fifty thousand.”She felt like he’d p
Jeffery’s name still hung in the air like a gunshot.Angelie’s fingers stiffened around the hem of her coat. She looked at Lucas, searching his face for a hint of bluff. A twitch. A lie. But he looked entirely too pleased with himself.“You said he wouldn’t be a problem,” she said slowly.Lucas shrugged, shutting the door behind her. “Plans change.”“How soon is he back?”Lucas turned toward the grand staircase, loosening his tie like her presence was an afterthought. “A few days. Three, maybe. Long enough for us to file the license and start making the press rounds.”Her stomach flipped.“You’re pushing this,” she said, suddenly aware of how fast everything was moving. “You want him to see it, don’t you?”Lucas stopped halfway up the stairs and looked down at her. “I want him to know he lost.”“That’s not what this is about for me,” she said, jaw tight. “This is about saving Tim.”He tilted his head. “Then we’re both getting what we want. Isn’t that the foundation of a good marriage?
The words echoed in her chest like a bullet."Jeffery lands on Tuesday."Angelie stood frozen in the hallway, her fingers clutched around the banister, heart racing. Lucas had said it with a smile, like it was good news. Like it was a game.But to Angelie, it felt like the moment everything would fall apart.Tuesday.Three days.Three days before the man she couldn’t forget came back to see her married to his brother.She went to bed that night still wearing the ivory press dress. The zipper caught, but she didn’t care. She sat on the edge of the massive bed in the guest room Lucas had called “temporary,” staring into nothing.Every breath felt borrowed.Every second with Lucas felt like a countdown.Would Jeffrey believe the headlines?Would he see through them?Would he even want to?********Morning came like punishment. Angelie didn’t sleep.She was already awake when Lucas knocked and strolled in without waiting.“Good. You’re up,” he said, sipping coffee. “Big day.”She didn’t a
Angelie hadn’t slept.She’d lain in that enormous bed all night, staring at the ceiling, not blinking, not crying. Just… existing. Her body buzzed like it was on the edge of shutting down, but her mind wouldn’t quit. It just kept playing one line on repeat:Jeffery’s coming.Today.To this house.And he’d see her.In this dress. With that man.A new dress had been laid out for her, ivory again. Almost white. Pretty, expensive. Lucas had chosen it. Probably with a smirk. Because nothing he did was ever neutral.She wore it anyway.What was the point in fighting something you couldn’t escape?**********Downstairs, the house was buzzing with quiet chaos. Maids moved fast, fixing flowers, adjusting silverware. The long table was already dressed like royalty was expected.Angelie walked in, shoulders tight, face blank. Then she saw it:Jeffery Lu Printed in neat, expensive script on a place card.Directly across from her.Her throat closed.She turned, ready to leave, no explanation, jus
Angelie woke to the sound of birds.Not her alarm. Not Lucas’s voice.Birds.For a moment, she forgot where she was. Forgot everything.Then the ache set in. A slow, pulsing discomfort across her thighs and back. Like she'd run a marathon or something worse.Her eyes fluttered open.She was in her room.In the Lu estate.Alone.Still wearing her robe, half-slipped off one shoulder, the sheets tangled around her legs.She sat up too fast. Her head spun. Her mouth was dry.What time was it?The wine. Last night.She remembered the knock. Julia. The tray. The two glasses. The way Julia hadn’t met her eyes.She remembered one sip. Maybe two.Then, nothing.Her breath caught.She touched her lips, then her chest, then her thighs.A slow chill crept into her bones.She didn’t remember coming to bed.Didn’t remember undressing.Didn’t remember anything after that first sip of wine.Her heart raced.Was it just sleep? Or something else?Something she didn’t want to name.She got out of bed s
Jeffery didn’t like hesitation. He wasn’t built for it. Things were either handled or not. You said something, or you didn’t. You left, or you stayed.But this morning, the envelope just sat there on his desk.He was already dressed, sharp blue suit, sleeves rolled just enough to breathe. The city outside was waking up, buzzing. He didn’t care. He was standing by the window, arms crossed, just... staring at the blank air.“You going to mail it?” Fred asked from across the room, sipping his coffee like this wasn’t weird.“I said I would.”“Been sitting there since seven.”Jeffery didn’t look at him. “She’ll get it today.”Fred waited a beat. “Still not putting your name on it?”“Nope.”“And you're not going to tell her what it means?”Jeffery finally turned, his face unreadable. “It doesn’t mean anything.”Fred snorted. “Right.” more like he didn’t believe him.Jeffery walked over, picked up the envelope, tapped it once against his palm, then slid it into the outbox tray like he was do
Tim’s body moved before his mind could catch up. His instinct kicked in hard. He quickly slipped into the narrow space between a wall and a dumpster and stayed low. His breath was calculated, heart racing, but he needed to act smart.The footsteps kept coming. Whoever it was, they hadn’t noticed he was gone, the figure walked right past him.That was all the opening Tim needed.He picked up a loose metal rod lying nearby, rusty but solid. Stepping out behind the man, he grabbed him around the neck from behind, pressing the cold metal against the back of his head.“If you shout, I’ll blow your head off, and nobody will come for you,” he said.“Now talk, why are you stalking me?”The man froze; he didn’t expect the sudden change of events. He wasn’t tall, wasn’t built. He trembled immediately.“Please don’t hurt me,” the man cried out. “I was paid… to follow you.”“By who?”“Your girlfriend. Ju…Julia.”Tim felt something snap inside him, that was the last name he expected to hear, not li
Andrew’s mind was a furnace of confusion. He had heard enough. His mother’s words rang loud and clear in his ears, but it wasn’t comfort that followed them. Instead, panic, worry, doubt, and all of it had the face and voice of Rose, her words came echoing loud enough this time.He has not yet started driving himself around the city, but he didn’t want to use his mum’s driver either. He went outside the mansion, took a few strolls to the main road, and flagged down a taxi, “St. Thomas.” By the time he reached her apartment door, his breath was slightly uneven. He knocked, and she opened the door in one of her signature silk robes, wine-colored and short enough to reveal her fresh thighs and curvy hips.Rose tilted her head when she saw the seriousness in his eyes. "You look like someone just told you Santa Claus isn’t real. Come in, my love."He stepped inside, the faint scent of vanilla and lavender fragrance from the humidifier wrapping around him. Her place was cozy, filled with cre
Jeffrey quickly closed his iPad and looked up at his grandfather, who stood in the center of the office like a man whose world was slowly spinning out of control. Grandpa Lu had aged over the past few weeks, though he would never admit it. The tension, the stress, the sudden shifts in the company, it was all catching up to him.Grandpa placed a thick folder on the desk in front of Jeff and crossed his arms. “This madness has to stop,” he said, voice low but heavy. “We need a face behind this. Now.”Jeffrey scanned the documents inside and closed the file slowly, almost too calmly.“You know about this?” Grandpa snapped.Jeffrey nodded. “Grandpa, I’m the CEO of Lu’s Corporation. Wouldn’t it be ridiculous if I didn’t?”“And you didn’t deem it fit to tell me?”Jeffrey sighed and leaned back in his chair. “And what? Spike your blood pressure? Put you in a hospital bed? We’re already on it, Grandpa. But whoever this is, they’re good. Too good. They know our weakest points, our key contract
"Son, what are you doing here?"Ms. Patricia stood still, her voice softer than usual, touched with rare emotion. She spread her arms, and Andrew walked into them. They hugged for a few seconds, tight and warm, before pulling apart."I wanted to surprise you," Andrew said, his voice tinged with a thick Spanish accent that revealed years of living in Mexico."Sit, son," she said, gesturing to the sofa.They sat together in the plush living room that radiated elegance. The walls were soft cream, the lighting low and golden, and every piece of furniture sat perfectly in place. Andrew looked around like he was searching for something."Your taste has always been good, Mum. I love the aesthetic," he said.Patricia smiled faintly. She had once dreamed of becoming an interior decorator. Fate had written another script for her, but the passion never left."Thank you, Andrew. How was your trip? You didn’t give me a heads-up that you were coming. I would have picked you up from the airport.""I
“You better start talking!” Julia's voice was slightly above high, she didn’t have her normal jovial look..Tim stood there with unbothered face, halfway through buttoning his shirt, unsure if it was too early for this kind of confrontation or if it was already too late. But one thing was certain, he wasn’t cut out for another shit of drama, is just too early for that.“I was here right after your closing time,” she continued, arms folded across her chest, her brows tightly knotted. “I waited for three good hours. Three! You didn’t show up, you didn’t call. Nothing. I had to go back home to my mum in the middle of the night because she needed my attention.”There was no calm in her tone, no patience either.Tim let out a breath, not of relief but of frustration. Lately, every conversation with Julia had become an argument, a stretch of war between logic and emotion. His relationship had begun to feel like another weight on his already heavy shoulders.“I went to a carnival,” he replie
Jeffrey burst through the door of the mansion, gripping Angelie’s hand as they ran inside. Their hearts were still pounding from the deep scream they heard inside, unsure of what awaited them. As they turned the corner to the staircase, his eyes locked onto Amaya, sprawled at the foot of the stairs, clutching her ankle in visible pain."Amaya!" Jeffrey rushed to her, dropping to his knees beside her. "Are you okay?"Amaya winced, her voice weak. "My leg... I think I twisted it. I can’t walk. I was trying to go to the kitchen and refill my jug with water... I slipped."Within seconds, the commotion had drawn the rest of the household. Morris, Lucas, Grandpa Lu, and Anita all hurried out, their footsteps echoing across the large space.Lucas was the first to get to her side. "Mum, what happened?"Morris scanned her ankle, now swollen. "Did you hit it hard? Are you sure it’s not fractured?""She probably twisted it coming down the stairs," Jeffrey said. He carefully lifted her in his arms
"Julia."Tim’s heart leaped into his throat as he stared at the woman across the crowd, her back turned, her hair styled the same way Julia always packed it, her frame strikingly familiar. He had no idea what he’d say if it were her. Maybe he’d stammer an apology or freeze altogether. But when she turned, everything inside him relaxed. It wasn’t Julia. Just someone who looked like her.He let out a deep breath he didn’t know he held, his chest finally loosening.Isabella appeared beside him, laughing lightly. "You okay there? You looked like you saw a ghost."Tim forced a smile. "Just... thought I recognized someone.""Well," she grinned, tugging on his sleeve, "come on. Let’s eat that!" She pointed excitedly at a street vendor handing out dried meat with spicy sauce.*******************The heavy door of a private jet opened. A woman stepped out in a sleek black dress that fell below her knees, her form-fitting jacket cinching at her body, long, thick hair flowed past her shoulders,
"We need to know," Grandpa Lu said again, this time with a firmness that echoed in the silence.Angelie looked around, panic crawling under her skin. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. How do you explain the unexplainable? That fear of sounding foolish froze her in place.Before she could speak, Amaya stepped forward."She’s a victim of circumstance," Amaya said gently. "It might be hard to believe, but she was wrongly administered a semen sample. She went in for a simple test, and they mistook her for a surrogate. Before she could understand what was happening, the procedure had already been done."Amaya turned to Angelie with a soft look. "I’m sorry. I know this was your story to tell."The room fell into stunned silence.Jeffrey stood stiff. He didn’t know what to feel, relieved that the child wasn't Lucas’s, or angry that Angelie had to go through something so traumatic. His jaw clenched, but he remained silent.Anita, on the other hand, wasn’t having it."Bullshit! Come on,
Anita's laughter filled the space as she tapped Lucas lightly on his left hand, her voice dipped in sarcasm. "I love your sense of humor. But it's okay."Lucas, completely unfazed, shrugged. "I wasn't joking when I said I don’t know anything about the pregnancy."Now, everyone was taken aback. Tim, who had been quiet all morning, seated patiently, turned with wide eyes.Anita, frowning, stepped closer to Lucas. "You have to be joking, right?""I don’t joke about this kind of thing. I'm here because I promised my mum I'd show up. That’s all. Don’t tie me to what I have no business with."Jeffrey watched Lucas carefully. There was a sharpness in his gaze, not because he was angry, but because Lucas, for the first time in a long while, didn’t sound like he was bluffing.Was there someone else Angelie was involved with?Was she hiding something?Too many questions flooded his mind.Anita folded her arms, frustration plastered on her face. "You all are sick!" she snapped and stormed out of