The Rich and the Loved

I walked into our apartment on Lexington Street and froze. This place was supposed to be my home. I was supposed to raise children and grow old here, but now it turned into something unfamiliar and suffocating.I willed my feet forward, passing the large dining room and entering the master bedroom. My breaths became shallow, and I could no longer restrain the tears gathering in my eyes. Hot drops streamed down my cheeks as I mindlessly threw my clothes into the old suitcase. Perhaps it was fortunate that I had so little. The sooner I could leave this apartment, the better.My vision became blurry, and the ugly crying sounds ripped through my throat again and again, but I kept moving, hectically grabbing my documents from the study room and tossing them into my bag. I stopped by the desk and started emptying the bottom drawers where I kept my papers. Then I moved to the upper ones, throwing the pile of letters—Shit. It wasn't my drawer but Kenneth's… I wiped my tears off my eyes and r

I moved slightly and felt the softness of the mattress under me. My head rested on a comfortable pillow, and I was covered by a warm blanket. I took a deep breath, inhaling a masculine, slightly citrusy scent. Somehow it made me peaceful, but the quickly returning awareness shattered my moment of bliss.I opened my eyes and realized that I was in an unfamiliar bedroom. I jerked up to a sitting position and noticed an auburn-haired woman sitting by my bed. She was wearing a navy blue suit and a black button-up shirt. “No need to be afraid,” she said, offering me a soft smile as her green eyes drifted up and down my body, studying me. “I'm Jackie. I'm a doctor. Darren called me over after he brought you here.”My brows knitted. “Darren?”A nervous chuckle escaped her. “Right… Um… Awkward.” She scratched her head. “Darren is the guy who saved you from being hit by a truck. When you fell unconscious, he—idiotically—decided to take you to his apartment instead of behaving like a normal hum

Two Years LaterI took a deep breath and formed my lips into a bright smile. Back straightened, I slowly climbed the stairs in my four-inch Jimmy Choo stilettos. The silk layers of my blue gown danced around my feet with every step I took. Two years ago, I would have hidden myself from the bright flashes accompanying me as I walked to the main entrance. Now I faced them with confidence.The choice I had made back then changed everything. That night, I said goodbye to Lilly Sanders and embraced my new identity. I had learned that my father hadn't abandoned me, but he admitted that he had made a grave mistake by letting me stay with the woman who had grown to hate him—my mother. He didn't know that Mother had left me when I was fourteen, and I wasn't aware that he had been sending money for me every month until I had reached eighteen years old. Guess my mommy dearest fooled both of us...Becoming my father's daughter had been more than a little challenging. Certainly, William Hayes woul

Restlessness held me in tight clutches. Could my father truly be responsible for Darren's father's death? Instead of trying to get some sleep, I turned on my laptop and started searching for anything related to Darren Knight and his father.It didn't take long to find out that Ellard Knight, the former CEO of Eques Gold Corporation, died five years ago. Darren's father was on his way home from a medical conference in Paris. He was on board his private jet when it exploded. The investigators found traces of explosives and confirmed that it was a bomb that caused the explosion, yet the police had never found the one who planted it.Of course, the lack of hard evidence didn't stop the rumors from spreading, and those said that Ellard Knight and my father had a huge argument the night before. According to some, my father had threatened Ellard's life, saying that he would make him regret it. Others also claimed that they had seen my father bribing one of the technicians at the Paris privat

For the past two years, I had been dreaming of the possibility of sending that bastard Nicolas Rogers to prison. Certainly, Kenneth was equally guilty, but he wouldn't have killed my baby if it hadn't been for Doctor Rogers giving him the pill.I talked about it many times with my uncle—Norton Hayes—who aside from being the General Director of Hayes Laboratories, was also an excellent lawyer. Unfortunately, we both knew that with the prescriptions written in my name, all I had was my word against his. But that was before I realized Doctor Rogers tricked his female patients more than once…Two days later, Raven informed me that I could visit the woman she had operated on. Her name was Mary Lewis. I showed up in her room with Uncle Norton. She turned out to be a petite blonde with large blue eyes. Her face was pale and nearly lifeless, and those large blue eyes stayed completely still as we walked toward her bed.“Doctor Bryce said that you wanted to talk to me.” Her voice was barely lo