Elena's fingers trembled as she typed frantically, so that she missed some letters. Cold sweat broke out on her forehead, under her arms and breasts. The AC in the room didn't help matters. She moved from her makeup chair to the bed, and from there to the bare rug, and to the doorway. Lola had suddenly become slow in replying to the texts. "What the hell was she doing?" Elena wondered. When Lola had first chatted her up, Elena didn't give much of a thought to what she was saying. She considered she was one of those clout chasers who wanted to have a conversation with the billionaire's wife. But Lola's approach had been damn so straightforward! And then followed by the pictures. A screenshot of a video. Liam's video.  The first emotion that boiled through Elena was a larva of jealousy and anger. Then came shame, then embarrassment, then the raw pain searing through her heart. She waited as Lola t

Liam didn't usually look into his phone when he woke up, but today he did. The first news that popped on his Instagram timeline was the news of Lola's death. He stopped on his way to the bathroom to skim through the story.Lola was found that same day by her neighbor. Her window was shattered, and the blood was splattered at the opposite side, so it was a shot from outside the window. The only structure opposite the apartment was a calm restaurant, where old folks went to have their quiet tea. No one had a clue yet, Liam learned. Or was the police keeping information from the bloggers?Liam knew he had the very answer these people sought. Just place a call, and Charlie would be arrested a second time. Because that guy had a killing instinct. Just like a hyena. And if hyenas did not see a prey outside, they'd turn to their own pack. If Charlie was able to easily gun down a girl who had once been his friend's lover, whom he had even met personally, then he was capable of killing the fr

That night, Elena received a surprise call from Jennifer. Her stepsister wasn't one for calls. If she did, it would be important."I might be wrong," she said the second Elena answered, "but I think I'm seeing a shady news online which mentions Liam's name."Elena didn't know what to say to this. Should she agree outrightly and risk the bombardment of questions that'd follow? Or she could feign oblivious, and pass on."It is what it is," Elena said, at a loss for suitable words. "Is it true?" Jennifer's voice was hushed. "Did your husband do it?""No," Elena said. "Liam is not and cannot be a killer, no matter how hot tempered he is, and no matter what's at stake," she added."Then he should make a public statement in reaction to this. He should clear the air, and his name. The versions to this story are maddening. Bloggers are going crazy with the twists and turns."Elena pulled at a string on her night gown. "Liam is not afraid," she said. "Not at all."After a long pause, Jennifer

"Is anything the matter?" Mr Packwood, a seemingly keen man, had noticed the stare-down between Liam and the guard. The guard was trying to give off the oval box and head out already, but Mr Packwood didn't extend his hand for it. Instead he leaned back to watch the unfolding tense moment. "What are you doing here?" Liam snarled at the guard. The latter did not answer.  "You two have met before?" the old man asked, but his face wasn't interested enough, because he didn't know what was really at stake. Liam turned to Packwood. "Do you know who this man is?" Packwood shrugged with his brows. "My guard, of course. What's the meaning of that question?" Liam chuckled with the side of his mouth. Elena watched as the guard tried to hide his face. The air was thick with tension. Even Liam's guards from their distance seemed to have recognize

"I donated two million to Lola's grandfather for the funeral and stuff," Liam said. He was sitting on Elena's bed, watching her perform a manicure on his toes; she didn't allow the maidservants to do it. "That's a lot of money, if you ask me," she said. "He took it without question?"  "He of course said I didn't have to do all of that, but he did take it." "And the other issues?" "He was willing to bury all of it in the rocks. But the police would be the hardest to fend off. Charlie isn't free at all." A reflective pause. "Neither am I." Then he shrugged. "They'll sort their stuff out themselves; that shit got me almost killed." After a while: "It must have been hard on you," Elena said, her tone resonating with compassion. "You would've preferred she didn't die." Liam's shrug and affirmation weren't strong enough. Elena knew why. A man's reputation was