ARIANA'S POVI stormed out of Sylvia's office, my mind consumed with rage. How dare she? Sylvia obviously thought this was all fun and games, more concerned with outmaneuvering Odette than anything else. She seemed to think I could just flip my memory on and off like a switch, with the way she was demanding recollections as if they were her right. My vision blurred with anger as I slammed the door behind me.And why hadn't Rob come after me? Did the company matter more to him than I did? That thought pierced my heart, adding fuel to the inferno inside me. I pushed through the building's doors and burst onto the street, my breath coming in short, ragged gasps.I walked quickly, not caring where I was going, just needing to put distance between myself and the endless talk of Odette, Vanderbilt Holdings, and all the twisted memories of my family. The city around me blurred into a haze of faces and cars, the noise of traffic blending into a single, overwhelming roar. My thoughts were a wh
ROBERT'S POVAs I dropped the call, Sylvia’s eyes bore into me. “What did Maria say?”“She told me that Odette and Thompson have been secretly meeting with shareholders, convincing them to sell their shares,” I replied, my voice taut with anger and rage.I could almost hear my father's voice in my head again, “you have failed Robbie”.I shook it off and looked up at Sylvia but Sylvia's face was contorted in shock. I guess she hadn't seen that coming either.“They’re buying out the shareholders?” She asked, disbelief evident in her tone.Josh, who had been pacing the room, stopped abruptly. “How is this possible? I thought the Vanderbilts owned the major shares.”I took a deep breath, trying to keep my frustration in check. “Richard had cousins and brothers who had children of their own. They all hold shares in the company. Richard had the largest share, followed closely by me because of my marriage to Ariana.”Josh’s face paled. “If Odette and Thompson have bought the stocks of five s
ARIANA'S POV I stood there, trying to steady my trembling body as I looked at the man before me. Reginald Thornton-Frost. I knew that name, but from where? My mind raced, struggling to dredge up the memory. Before I could speak, one of the men shoved me roughly. Pain shot through my entire body as his tight grip dug into my arms, forcing a scream from my lips.“Ariana,” the man barked, “answer!”The sharp pain in my head returned, a searing bolt that brought flashes of memory. A restaurant. My mother talking to a man. I saw myself walking over to confront them. I remembered feeling angry that my mother was cheating on my father. It was the day I learnt that we needed “saving”. The day everything started to fall apart.“Ariana, this is Reginald Thornton-Frost of Thornton-Frost Industries.”Snapping back to the present, I gasped. “You’re my mother’s friend,” I stammered, the recognition dawning painfully.Reginald chuckled, a mirthless sound that echoed through the small, oppressive ro
ROBERT'S POV The world felt like it was crashing down around me. How could I have been so stupid? How could I have let Ariana slip away a second time? The realization hit me like a freight train, the weight of my own incompetence crushing my chest. Anger bubbled up, not just at myself, but at Josh for encouraging me not to run after Ariana. He had said she needed space, that chasing her would only make things worse. And like a fool, I listened. I let my fear of making things worse paralyze me, and now she was gone. The image of her walking away, hurt and angry, replayed in my mind over and over. I was angry at Sylvia too. If not for her thoughtless remark, Ariana never would have gotten angry. Oh! Crap! How could I have let this happen again? I swore to protect her, to never let anything harm her again, and yet here I was, failing her once more. My heart pounded with a mix of fear and rage. Every second that passed without knowing where she was, or if she was safe, felt like a kni
ARIANA'S POV Gasping for breath, I barely registered Detective James's hands pulling me out of the water. I choked, coughing violently, each spasm a fresh agony that tore through my chest. Water streamed down my face, mingling with tears I couldn’t control. My body shook uncontrollably as I struggled to breathe, every intake of air a desperate, ragged gasp. Flora. Flora. I could see flashes of her face. Flora laughing. Flora running. Flora crying. Flora teasing me. Flora shooting herself in the head. And there was I, standing in my wedding gown. Looking down at her lying in a pool of her own blood. Detective James threw a towel at me, the coarse fabric hitting my face and falling into my lap. I grabbed it, trying to wipe the water from my eyes, but my hands trembled too much to be of any use. Sobs wracked my body as I broke down, tears mixing with the water dripping from my hair. I was so tired. So fucking tired. I felt like I could not go on again. Yet I was so angry at Detective
ARIANA'S POVThe room was dark and the air stale. I could tell that the sun was up but the last thing I needed was the sun shining its rays on my loneliness so I kept the curtains drawn. I was seated on a white leather couch in the sitting room cradling my baby bump and sighing for the umpteenth time. Something weighed heavily on my mind. But I did not want to believe it was regret. I did not want to cast my mind back to the events that led to the now: me, pregnant, sitting in a dark room all alone, my husband gone.“I'm gonna be fine”, I whispered to myself. “You hear that baby?” I said, directed at the baby bump. “We're gonna be fine”. Even as I whispered those words, I knew that what I truly wanted was the company of my husband. I wanted him to be sitting right there with me, the curtains open, letting in the sun and the two of us holding hands while whispering sweet nothings and looking forward to the birth of our son.Just so my husband could look at me with approval. With l
ROBERT'S POVI have been an unhappy man since the day I lost her. I lost her in the wedding with Ariana, her sister. It was for business reasons but I’ve never thought about it could make my life become this way. I mumbled a goodnight to my secretary and other staff as I exited the office building. The last thing I wanted was to go home to Ariana, the one who’s my wife, but also the one who always reminds me of her death.Ariana was the workaholic heiress who controlled an entire department of her parents’ conglomerate. She was pretty, tough, and passionate about everything. She’s good. But she’s not Flora.The lady whose smile lit up my world. “How perfect should I do to get your attention? To drag you back from her so that you can face reality? To face me and our baby?” She once shouted to me with tearful eyes.“You are so wrong, Ariana. Flora’s not perfect. She’s just kind, naive, and caring. Compared to you, she’s just a normal person with a normal personality you can see ever
ARIANA'S POV I knew I was panicking and that if I did not calm down, I would not be able to do anything. I did not want to believe Judith, Rob could not still be pining after Flora after all these years! Flora was dead. That much was certain, why should her ghost still haunt our relationship?If Flora’s back, what more could I do to make him love me? If Flora’s back…No, it can’t be true. I saw her dead, with my own eyes. I began to dial my best friend's number. I haven’t called her for a long time from my side. We had a deal. A deal not to contact each other after Flora’s demise, and now, she might just be alive.I shouldn't call her. It could jeopardize the whole thing.But she's the only one who understands…I held my breath as I clicked on Barbara’s number.It rang, and on the second ring, she picked.“Hi Barbara,” I said softly“Ari,” she whispered “I’ve missed you so much,”“Me too. I don't know what to do anymore. There’s a problem, Barbara. ”“What's the matter, Ari? What'