POV: Victoria "I'm so sorry for what my mother did to you and your family. I can't change what happened, but I want to make it up to you. This weekend, there's a family gathering at my grandfather's estate. I want you to come with me and meet the rest of my family. I want them to see how amazing you are, and how much you mean to me."That is the kind of apology I expected, that is the kind of apology that any sane man would give to his woman after such an encounter with his mother. But Ralph only mentioned it and put it behind us as if it was nothing. Or maybe he was not informed that my mom and sister were present when it happened. Each time I want to get upset and bring it up again, I recall the shopping bags in the back seat of his car and I keep mute immediately. He may not have said the words, but this is one hell of an apology, it’s way better than words, trust me. He made me wear one of the outfits he got me from the mall. As I stood in front of the mirror, dressed in the re
POV: Victoria “W… W… What are you doing here, Nathan?What do you want?” I asked nervously. I had to clear my throat a few times to make my voice sound normal. He had this bright smile on his face that made me sick in my Tommy. He was sitting next to Mom on the same seat that Claire and I used to sit in to take care of Mom and feed her. He held Mom's hand as if he knew her before now, even Claire stood next to him, smiling like a fool. “Don’t be rude, Victoria. He’s such a nice fella. He’s been telling us beautiful stories about you and his brother and how he set you up to be with his brother. You are so lucky to be involved with such an amazing family.” Mom told me happily. I forced out a smile, I didn’t want to ruin the moment and put Mom and Claire in danger. “I see he took you shopping,” she scoffed.“Now, isn’t he a keeper?” he teased, causing Mom and Claire to laugh out excitedly. Then Claire frowned and looked at me in shock, “Oh my God, Vee, did he just drop you off?Why d
POV: Raphael “No…No…It wasn’t me, I have nothing to do with the Hawkins business, I didn’t even know that you had a contract with them. Tell him, Mr Hawkins, tell him it wasn’t me.” I called out to Nathan, but he shook his head and excused himself from the room, “This is obviously a family matter and I don’t think my brother would appreciate it if I get involved in this matter. I’m sure you’ll find a way to resolve it, you sure know how to get out of sticky situations,” he mumbled as he walked out of the room, smiling to himself.“Hurt her dad, she did it to destroy us, she is vindictive and wicked. Let’s beat her up and lock her up,” Cindy yelled in my direction, urging her dad to hurt me. Nathan turned to offer a warm smile when he heard her voice, I guess he loves her attitude. Birds of the same feathers always find their way to each other. His gaze was more like an invitation to Cindy, she stopped yelling and turned to her mom for guidance. Her mom nodded in approval and she
POV: Raphael “Boss, Your brother arrived a few minutes ago and he is in there with her family,” Felix told me when I rounded the corner and parked in front of the hospital. After Mom’s unexpected visit to the hospital, I had to think about Victoria’s safety and the safety of her family. I placed a guard on her without her knowledge. Call me paranoid, but I wanted to keep a close eye on her and know if and when she would try to betray me. I placed the guard in front of the hospital and asked him to report back to me or Carl in case something bad happened. When I say in case something bad happens, I meant in case my mom shows up again to threaten Victoria. I’ve told her to stop harassing her, but Mom never listens to me. The guard was supposed to keep watch on her and tell me if Mom showed up again, I had no idea that she still had to deal with my brother. I didn’t know they were so close that he even pays her mom a visit. I thought I saw a flicker of affection in her eyes tonight. F
POV: Raphael The moment I saw the timing, I realized it was done after I canceled his contract. He knows they have me now, he knows that with me on their side, they will fight for the company. That’s why he wants to destroy the company before they can get out of the hospital.“What do you need me to do?” Carl asked me as he got into my car and sat in the passenger seat.“Call the cops and go in there. Get that bastard arrested for hurting Victoria. Get her mom moved to a new room and place a guard outside her room. Let me know when it’s done.” I instructed Carl. nodded in understanding and stepped out of the car. I saw him making a call while he walked into the building. “Where do you want me?” Felix asked me after Carl left. He has been standing beside my car all this while, waiting for my instruction. “Get to the control room before anyone else does. I need the footage deleted. Make sure this incident is not published in the papers tomorrow.” I instructed him. He left as well an
POV: Victoria “There is no need to get into the car, I just came to thank you for…”“I said get into fucking car before Victoria!” he yelled at me, barking his order furiously. I don’t know how long he has been here, I don’t know if he had seen his cousin, Nathan coming out of the hospital, I don’t know what he has seen, what he had heard. I’m too ashamed to look at his face, I can’t believe I’d messed things up just a few hours after he gave me the best day of my life. I got into the car and sat down next to him, my eyes fixed on my thighs. I could feel his eyes on me and I dread looking his way, I just can’t look into his eyes without feeling so guilty.“Look, Ralph, I’m sorry I dragged you into my mess with my family. My father has been a bit ruthless with us, but he has never gone this far before. He only reacted this way because you attacked his business. By the way, why would you attack my family’s business without my knowledge. You are the reason he is so pissed you know. Go
POV: Victoria “He was here to remind me that he knows where to find my family if I dare to defy him. He gave me this phone, I’m guessing he wants to be able to call me anytime.” I responded. Now that I’ve told him the truth, it’s not so difficult to respond to his questions anymore. “Where is it?” He inquired, his voice still form and hoarse. I handed him the phone and he connected a USB cable to it and plugged it into his laptop. He tapped on his keyboard endlessly, cursing too loudly when he encountered anything that he wasn’t expecting to see on it. He handed me the phone when he was done with it, “Call him now. Call him and tell him you are not interested in his deal anymore. I want to hear you end your business deal with him. Do it now!” he ordered me. “What about the video of us that he has?He said he had my nude pictures and videos of us in the hotel room. What am I going to do if he leaks out those pictures and videos? What are you going to do?” I asked him.“I don’t giv
POV: Victoria The gravel crunched under the tires of Raphael's car as we pulled up the winding driveway to his grandfather's stately home. I could feel her heart pounding in my chest as I glanced over at Raphael, the man I was supposed to pretend to be in love with for the weekend.He was so rigid and stern as he sat next to me, oblivious of my feelings. He has something in his mind but I dare not ask so I don’t provoke his anger any further. He has done more than enough for me and my family, I should be grateful instead of nagging about his attitude towards me. I’m dressed in a red dress that is showing a lot of cleavage, and yet he hasn’t spared me a second glance since he picked me up from the house this morning. I could as well be considered a piece of furniture in this car, I mean, how can any man sit next to a lady as beautiful as I am and not give a damn. How on earth are supposed to pretend to be in love when he can’t even look at me for five minutes?"Are you ready for this