Depression and paranoia were a cocktail of emotions I had never thought I would feel. All the way home from Jesse’s place, I had anxiously checked each driver next to me at the stop lights, wondering if they had been sent after me. I had my purse open right in my lap just in case I needed quick access. Right after I got home, I slumped into bed, completely drained from everything. Yet again, I’d been attacked. At least this time, my guardian angels were there. Even though I knew I was safe in my parent’s home, I would jump at the shadows dancing around my room at night. Sleep was becoming a fading interest because all it brought me was nightmares. If I wasn’t being chased by a biker gang, I was getting battered by Debbie and her metal bat. I hadn’t realized how much I was repressing but someone trying to kill you is a huge deal. It’s not something you just walk away from. But what choice did I have? I had too much going on with the board and Oscar and life. Life was kicking m
“What the hell were you thinking?” Deandra barked, eyes boring through my head, her face was a mask of disappointment and frustration.Videos of Renard Dynasty’s CEO pulling a gun on an innocent man quickly made the rounds on all media. It got so bad that I had to deactivate all my social media accounts because of all the death threats I was getting. “Anything could have happened. A cop could have been around the corner and shot you just because. You could have accidentally pulled the trigger. Even now I’m holding the DA back with all my might. Do you know why?” She crouched to my eye level. “He wants to slap you with reckless endangerment and false imprisonment charges.”“I’m sorry,” I said softly, my eyes on the brink of spilling over.I knew I’d gone over the top. I’d completely lost my cool. In the moment, it felt so right letting lose like that. Seeing the man cower and tremble under the threat of a bullet to the head was thrilling. Only after I snapped out of my rage-induced ha
“This is a private meeting. What the hell are you doing here?” Mike seethed through his teeth.“What do you mean, O’Hearn? I am a board member. You didn’t know?” dad said with a chuckle. “Besides, it’s best I be present when big decisions are made in my own company, is it not?”Mike was beside himself with rage, glancing all around like a headless chicken.“It’s hers,” he yelled, pointing at me. “Are you going to let your father push you out of your own company?”Such an impotent attempt.I shrugged nonchalantly. “He’s a board member. What do you want me to say?”“Well, there are no chairs so you might as well leave,” Mike said with a triumphant smile on his face.What an idiot. Why did he think the lack of a chair would shoo my father away? At this point, he was grasping at straws.“No matter,” dad said, striding over to the head of the table.“You see,” Mike said to me with a crazed grin on his face. “He wants to kick you out and take back control. Call security now while you still
I blinked back tears while staring at the worthless piece of paper. Memories of a life I left long ago flooded my mind.‘Congratulations. You are ready to run a company!’The words, etched in gold, seemed to mock me. There I was, with a duster in my hand, cleaning my husband's house.I couldn't allow myself to think like that. I loved him, with all my heart.Pushing those thoughts out of my mind, I straightened my back, focusing on the task at hand.Five years ago, I chose my husband over wealth and power and I haven't regretted it. If only I was sure he felt the same way…“Remi,” my mother-in-law, Celia yelled. “You better get your ass in the kitchen right now.”The smell of burning food invaded my nostrils. Oh no.I flew down the stairs into the smoke-filled kitchen just in time to see Celia walking out and giving me a dirty look. I could have sworn I set the cooker to low heat.“Here I am expecting grandchildren and you can't accomplish a task as simple as cooking without burning
Morning came like a sledgehammer to the face. I didn't feel good. Why didn't I feel good? The empty spot next to me felt radioactive. Like a black hole that pushed me away instead of drawing me in.I felt something in my hand and squeezed; cool, plastic. What was it? – pregnancy test. Last night's events played out in my head like a movie on fast forward.I was out of line, so blinded by my goal, I didn't stop to think how it would affect him.A crashing sound made my head snap towards my dresser at the foot of my bed. Celia stood staring at me like a deer in headlights.“I was just borrowing your makeup,” she said, squaring her shoulders with a determined look on her face. “It's not good anyway so I didn't bother using it.” My purse was on its side. I always set my purse upright. A niggling feeling took shape in my mind but was quickly swallowed up by the more pressing issue at hand.My feet hit the ground before the thought formed fully in my mind. I needed to make him a hearty br
“I'm sorry, miss. We tried all we could but we couldn't save your baby.”“What?” I must have misheard him. There's no way he just told me I lost my baby.“I'm very sorry,” he said as he inched towards the door.“How?” I managed to say through my trembling voice.“There were some complications. You must have ingested something you shouldn't have this early into your conception and it reacted negatively with your body.”I could hear the sound of my heart shattering. What was my life? Why couldn't one thing go right for me?What wrong did I do in my past life to deserve such a fate? I felt so small, so useless. A wife who couldn't carry a baby to term. What a failure. What a joke.Nothing mattered anymore. What was the point? My husband now had a reason to hate me. The one thing that would make my mother-in-law tolerate me, I couldn't provide. What was the point?Oscar came back and said we should head home. I mindlessly got off the bed and put on my clothes. I couldn't hear, didn't spe
I took off running. My heart was pounding and my lungs felt like they were about to explode but I pushed on, forcing my feet to keep moving. “Wait,” he yelled. The hell I would. But he was close. Not bothering to stop, I glanced back to see how much space was between us but didn't have enough time to stop or change direction when I looked forward. I slammed hard into a tree, knocking the wind right out of me and crumpling to the floor in an unceremonious heap. Stars danced around the edges of my vision and out of the corner of my eyes, I saw the man approach. It was sad that my life would end this way. I guess that's what I got for not being an obedient child. As my consciousness eroded, he hefted me off the ground and started to carry me off somewhere. At least I wouldn't be awake for what came next. I only hoped he would have the decency to not let me wake up. **** I woke up in a cold sweat after a long, fretful sleep. My side ached but that didn't matter once I realised
"You should have taken the Rover."I brought my Prius to a halt in the parking lot of Renard Dynasty. I rolled my eyes at my father who had insisted on being there for my first day at work for whatever reason."Dad, what kind of intern would show up to work in a Range Rover? I'm doing this so I don't get any attention on me."He sighed. I knew it was because I finally left that bastard Oscar and followed the path he set out for me. Even though he'd never given me the impression, sometimes I feel he would have preferred if I was a boy. Oh well, he has me and he's stuck with me."Dad, you know I'm a grown woman right?" I asked. Even though I didn't mind his presence, it felt a bit odd. Like a little girl being dropped off for her first day of school. "How can I miss my baby girl go in on first day at work?" He asked, ruffling my hair."You'll ruin my hair," I cried but didn't move away from his hand.He laughed at the miffed look on my face. It seemed like only yesterday but it had be