Aidan returned to his office and, in a fit of frustration, swept some files off his desk with his hands. Papers scattered everywhere as he clenched his fists, feeling like he had lost a rare opportunity again."Dammit," he muttered under his breath, his voice filled with regret. "If only I had listened to my instinct and made Amira leave some minutes earlier before Karina came, she wouldn't have forcefully kissed me."He cursed himself for losing control of the situation earlier. The thought of Karina's hurt expression haunted him. "I was so close," he whispered, his voice cracking with emotion. "So close to making things right."He paced back and forth, his mind racing. "Why did I let her get to me? Why did I let this happen?"Slumping into his chair, he buried his face in his hands, feeling the weight of his mistakes. "I have to fix this," he resolved, his voice barely audible. "I can't lose her. Not like this."The office was silent except for the sound of his ragged breathing. The
The next minute, Karina put on a careless expression, her face turning cold and indifferent. She sat down and asked, "How are things going at the mansion?" She cleared her throat, trying to change the topic as she glanced at Gina.Gina sighed. "Everything is... not really good with you and Sophie's absence. By the way, Uncle Elijah left the mansion with his family."Karina's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Why?"Gina shrugged. "Aunt Zora asked them to leave."Karina shook her head. "That's not good."Gina waved it off. "Uncle Elijah wanted that. He wanted them to stay away so Aunt Martha might not cause any other trouble."Karina nodded in understanding. "Alright then. Anyway, I plan on returning today with Sophie."Gina's face lit up. "You know, Aunt Zora guessed right. I guess I'll make sure the celebration of your return with Sophie is carried out properly tonight."Karina smiled. "Thank you. I'm sure we can celebrate my upcoming marriage too. Do you think I should invite Lucas over
Alicia's mind raced. She knew she had to stay strong, to find a way out of this nightmare. "You won't get away with this," she vowed, her voice steady despite the fear gnawing at her insides.Lucas pulled away from Amira just enough to look at Alicia, his expression a mixture of amusement and menace. "Oh, but I already have, Alicia. You're completely at my mercy."Amira's laughter mingled with Lucas's, creating an eerie symphony of malevolence. "And there's nothing you can do about it."As the display continued, Alicia's resolve hardened. She knew she had to find a way to escape, to stop Lucas and expose his true nature. But for now, all she could do was endure, her mind plotting her next move, even as her body remained trapped.Meanwhile, Karina arrived at her house, the sun beginning to dip below the horizon. As she opened the front door, Sophie stood in the hallway, arms crossed and a slight pout on her face."You were supposed to be home two hours ago so we could do the packing,"
Alicia chuckled bitterly. "I'm talking about Lucas. He's a lot of things you can't fathom. A deceiver, a liar, and a user." Amira cackled. "Oh, woman, you're just saying this to poison my mind about him because he left you." Alicia shook her head. "I stopped loving a jerk like him a long time ago. I know him well. He holds something special to me." Amira's brows creased. "What is that? Your heart?" she teased. Alicia shook her head vehemently. "No. My true joy. My son. He's hurting him." Amira was utterly confused. "What?" Alicia sniffed, her voice trembling. "You know the worst part of it?" Curious, Amira asked, "What?" Alicia started laughing bitterly. "My son is also h—" Just then, a sharp sound was heard, and Alicia’s head reclined, unconscious. Amira noticed a small pin now embedded in Alicia's collarbone. She turned around to see Lucas approaching, a cold look in his eyes. "What did you do?" she demanded. Lucas snorted. "Something to keep her quiet for about six hour
Detective Kai nodded, taking notes. "And you didn't see anyone suspicious or notice any unusual activity around the car?"Karina shook her head. "No, it was just a quick stop. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary."*** *** ***Meanwhile, Amira, deep in thought about Aidan and Karina since she left the place where Lucas had Alicia captive, arrived at Algernon Group Company and headed straight to Aidan's office. Determined to seek answers, she barged in, catching Aidan as he was preparing to leave. He gave her a displeased look. "What do you want, Amira?"She walked straight up to him, her eyes blazing. "Tell me about the night before I found you at the house. What happened?"Aidan eyed her coolly. "I have no idea what you're talking about."Amira moved closer, quickly unbuttoning his shirt and pulling it back, exposing his neck and the love bite marks on his back and nape. Her eyes widened with a mix of anger and hurt. "You can't lie to me, Aidan. How did you get these marks? I
In the less sophisticated living room of the Algernon family’s old house, Amira sat on the couch, her face buried in her hands as she sobbed. Cruzita, Aidan’s mother, sat beside her, gently patting her back, while Wally, Cruzita’s sister, stood by the window, her arms crossed.“Cruzita,” Amira cried, lifting her tear-streaked face, “Karina is always seducing Aidan. She wants to snatch him away from me.”Cruzita frowned, her eyes narrowing. “What do you mean, dear?”Wally chimed in, her voice dripping with disdain. “Karina must have grown feelings for Aidan again. That’s why the bitch came back to our house, pretending to be all benevolent.”Cruzita hugged Amira tighter, her face hardening. “Karina will never get back with Aidan. He probably hates her more now after everything she’s done to us.”Amira bit her lip, withholding the truth about Aidan’s feelings and his revelation of his I with Karina. “Aidan wants to dump me,” she continued, her voice trembling. “He told me he can’t be w
Lucas sniffed, and turned to his mother, looking deadly. “I will believe you this time, but if I find out she’s involved in Sophie’s kidnapping, she will have me to contend with. I will also make sure that she rots in jail. I swear!”With that, he stormed out of the house, the sound of his car driving off fading into the night. Juliana rushed to Anita, who was still holding her neck, trying to soothe her.“You’ve really gotten Lucas extremely angry,” Juliana said anxiously, her eyes filled with worry.Anita stopped her, her voice dripping with contempt. “Lucas doesn’t scare me though he’s a bloody psycho.”Juliana’s voice trembled. “What if he finds out that you did it?”Anita cut in tersely. “He won’t know if you just keep your mouth shut, mother.” She shot her mother a warning look.Juliana sighed, her shoulders slumping. “Alright, but we have to be careful.”Anita’s expression softened slightly. “Don’t panic. Just let me handle this. You keep covering my back.” With that, she turn
On a beautiful yet unbalanced spring morning, Karina hurried into the vestibule of the alluring manor, tears cascading down her cheeks. She had gone to pay a visit to her spouse, Aidan, and share the elating news of her pregnancy. However, upon arrival, she witnessed him in a vehement intimacy with a fair-haired woman. Consumed by heartache and unable to even catch a glimpse of the woman, she fled, her emotions in disarray. How could he have betrayed her so heedlessly? Strolling over to a settee, absentmindedly, she closed her eyes and reminisced on the look on his countenance when they first met. It was a mixture of vexation, irritation, and surprise. She could have never fathomed that he would be unfaithful to her after all these years of wholeheartedly committing herself to him. After a moment of suppressing her tears, she composed herself as she heard the sound of a vehicle. Aidan had arrived and she was hoping for a plausible explanation for his actions. She turned around as s