Elena woke up one morning with dizziness and fever. "No, no, no," she said when she discovered this. "This is totally wrong timing. I need to stay strong and coach Liam back to his memories."But when she tried to take a few steps from her bedside towards the bathroom, she swayed. She had to hold on to a wall to keep steady.A bitter smile broke out on her face. What was this evil that threatened to come upon her? she thought. She stood gawking at a sitting photograph of her. And Liam. Their wedding picture. She picked it up and stared at it, running a finger on it. Liam had this superior, relaxed smile on his face. While she... Well, she smiled as though something was about to go terribly wrong, and only her smile would hold the evil off.She scoffed amusedly and a glaze entered her eyes. Nothing had really changed about Liam's face, or hers. Even though Rosa was beginning to make a fuss of late. "You are beginning to look like Liam!" she had cried, throwing her fingers to her fore
"Don't fight it."Ethan had to repeat it to further break Elena's defense. She was a tough loyalist, who was so large on being faithful to her husband. Not once had he tried to get through her wall, but she was adamant. Here was his chance. It was now or never. He inched closer to her face. But she was moving away. "I just said Liam isn't home," he said. "He left a minute after you two had that fight in the pool.""You were there?"He nodded. "And the guards, too. We watched it. But we were poised to help you if it got out of hand."Her face dampened. "You were waiting for things to get out of hand? Before you would interfere?"He swallowed. Here comes the Elena outwitting Prowess, he thought with despair. He was losing this moment. By God, this woman was slipping from him!"You're taking it too far," he pushed. "We knew Liam wouldn't do anything stupid. You survived it, see?" He almost added "Let's not ruin this moment, Elena."He stared at her, waiting for her verdict. Her face wa
Guilt painted black everything Elena tried to do. Her thoughts were always dotted with the knowledge that she had just laid with her husband's step brother.Even though she was drunk that night, she could remember every detail of what happened. She could have stopped it from happening, could have pushed him away, just as she had been going. But she didn't. She gave up when the finishing tape was in sight. Her grief and agony about how terribly Liam treated her had gotten the best of her, and she crumbled woefully. Now, she not only worried about Liam finding out, but she also had Ethan to deal with. There was a tenacious tension that existed between them. At the office when she tried to speak to him, she couldn't hold his eyes. But he held hers perfectly well, and even put in some cocky smiles.Elena had officially joined Plum."Ma'am," the phlegmatic maid said one day, "I realised you look a bit sick. Have you thought about seeing the doctor?"To this, Elena smiled and shook her he
Liam stared at the man standing before him, anger and frustration in Liam's face. Something was seeping into his brain. He was trying hard to remember who the man was. And he was so close to it!"Here are pictures of us," Charlie said, showing him a screen full of pictures. Liam recognized himself in the pictures. But the man next to him... Good heavens.They were standing under the shade of a random tree in the streets. Liam had no idea how Charlie had found him there. Liam was about concluding his arrangements for the soldiers to go arrest Ethan. "I'm trying," Liam finally admitted. "I do recognize myself, but it is like looking into a photoshopped picture. I can't explain how this is happening."Charlie's face was kind. "I understand. The doctor gave us a forewarning, so I really understand. You're already doing great. I just want to be by your side.""Why?" Liam asked."Because the men who had tried to killer you are back again."Liam's eyebrows crinkled. "What sre you talking ab
Liam sat there, gasping, and moving his head back and forth. A lot was going on in his brain, in his mind and heart. He could feel each throb, bringing back with it a cascade of memories."Where's Elena?" he asked himself, remembering he had a wife, who he had been treating like trash. She was right, after all! Liam's hands began to shake against the wheel. The world seemed to slow down around him."Where are Charlie, Olive and James?"The name Charlie stuck to his mind. Charlie. The last image he remembered of him was when he was down on the alley, being pumped by bullets, shaking.He had done that to save him.Liam swallowed and glanced away. The tears that streamed from his eyes had become heavy. Flowing from the depth of his soul. His nose ran freely.Charlie had given himself for him.Liam's thoughts were violently interrupted by a blast on his windshield. He turned to see his chasers lined up shoulder to shoulder, their guns raised to their eyes. They began to fire bullets on L
"You see what's inside?" Ethan asked."Ethan, what is the meaning of this?" Liam asked through the phone."I asked, what is inside!""An agreement for transfer of ownership, Liam whispered."That's right. I want you to sign the paper and place it back into the case. I'll get the notification here if that has been done."There was a prolonged silence from Liam's side. Ethan idly shook his feet which were propped on a table. Then he looked to his right to see Elena, tied to a chair. She had long stopped crying now, and all that left her throat was a hollow moan.Ethan motioned to Luke and the four other men who were with him in that underground. "Take the gag off her mouth," he ordered.Liam heard this, and reacted immediately. "You gagged my wife?!" he shouted. "Ethan, you had the temerity to put a gag on Elena's mouth?"Ethan chuckled. "Oh. Look who's hurt and shaky. But that's not even all." He glanced over to see Elena immediately double up to throw up. Ethan smiled and turned back
Elena saw the flash from behind Luke. It happened so fast. First, a clean hole on the roof appeared, accentuated by a flash of light. Something metallic hit a pan, bounced off and went through Luke's stomach. Elena heard the bullet — or whatever it was — wheeze past her ear. Her hairs stood on edge.Before her, Luke still stood with his penis in his hand, but a new hole on his chest. He didn't fall immediately, but when there were movements from the roof, he did fall.Elena saw them descend like black angels from the rooftop, or anywhere they might have come from. They were clothed in black, regaled in darkness. Their eyes were flashes of stealth, precision and ruthlessness. In their hands were stout guns, poised to end in a instant the life of anyone who tried to play smart. The red dots of their targets were everywhere on Ethan and his men's clothes. Ethan had more dots."Freeze," a voice said again. "We shall not hesitate to kill whoever moves a muscle."Ethan yelped and tried to
"Liam, you cannot do this to your brother!" Ethan's mother shouted the moment Liam stepped out of the car. "You cannot claim to love him and do this wicked thing to him.""Is he even listening to you?" Mr Paul asked. "He doesn't even remember who you are, talk more of Ethan."Liam allowed his eyes skim through the men and women gathered in front of his mansion. It was just as Chris told. They weren't even sitting. Only his father, whose health was seriously on the decline, was on a chair just behind them, smoking a pipe.Mr Paul spoke again about Liam. "See how he mopes listlessly? I tell you, what he should work on firstly is recovering —""Every dime you all have looted from my company while I was away," Liam cut in, blending in so well that the effect of his statement was an astounded silence.They didn't respond for a while. Maybe they thought not responding would help prove how much of a clueless man Liam was. But Liam had this all prepared. "Hey, El," Liam said to his wife besi