"Hello sis." Cindy smiled but it didn't quite reach her dark eyes as she gave Rella a once-over, her eyes taking her in from top to bottom slowly and then back to her face. "You look good." She sounded impressed but there was something about her tone that was cutting. Rella was speechless. She stood there opening and shutting her mouth like a fish out of water. What? How? Why?She was shaking her head in disbelief. "You came back. Where have you been?" She said at last. "Looks like you're not very happy to see me Rella." Rella bristled. " Of course I am." " Liar." Cindy said. And Rella realised that a wretched part of her wished her twin would stay away for good and never come back Cindy knew that, she'd always been unable to hide anything from Cindy. Cindy pinned her with a stare that made Rella recoil. "How could you do this to me? How could you betray me like this?"And that's when Rella snapped. "You betrayed me first." She bit back. "You betrayed
"He doesn't love you."If Cindy had been hoping to hurt her for abandoning her then she was doing a pretty damn good job of it. "You don't know that. I'm the one with him, I'm the one he married." " Are you sure about that? " Cindy looked like she was enjoying tormenting her. " You don't even love him. " She bit out. " You don't know anything about my feelings Rella! Do you know what mom said to me, she said to forget about whatever feelings I might've had for Stefan, she told me to never show my face to you because you were happy. But what about me? Don't I deserve to be happy too?" Rella was sobbing quietly. "In the end she chose you, everything has to be about you." She said bitterly. "Afterall, I'm just the pain-in-ass party animal Cindy and you're the prim and proper Rella who could do no wrong." Rella had no idea Cindy thought about her like that. Cindy went on. "For years I've always wanted mom and dad's approval but I never got it. When th
The doctor said her blood pressure was high. She needed plenty of bedrest and to avoid anything that could cause her to be stressed or anxious. Van almost lost the baby today.Their baby.Jake thought as he tried to swallow the lump which had lodged in his throat, he never would've been able to forgive himself if anything had happened to her or the baby. And God he and Ash had behaved like animals throwing punches like barbarians and not listening when she'd yelled at them to stop. She was still at risk but she was stable now, a load had been lifted off his shoulders. The doctor said she was sedated and stable so she was greenlighted to be transferred back to the house with a promise that a doctor would be on hand should any emergency occurred. "I'll tell her you dropped by." Ash said and Jake wanted to punch him again but restrained himself. Like hell he would. "I'll wait for her to wake up and let her decide whether she wants me here or not." Ash pursed his lips, he lo
Rella waited the entire night and then cried herself to sleep when she realised Stefan wasn't coming back. She woke up the next morning with sunlight streaming through the parted curtains. Her head was pounding and her throat was raw and aching from all that crying. Reaching for the glass of water on the night stand she took tentative sips to soothe her aching throat next she checked her phone to see if he tried calling but he didn't, it was Christian instead who left several missed calls for her and that could only mean one thing… Rella called him back too frantic she almost dropped the phone. He picked on the first ring. "Thank God you scared me to death." "How is he?" She asked quietly. "Passed out but he'll be fine."Rella loosed a shaky breath of relief at least she knows where he is and that he's fine and not in an alley somewhere outside a bar. " How are you doing?" Christian asked a second later. "What do you think?" "If he said
The first time he met Rella Cortes she did not hide her dislike towards him and Stefan had felt the same. The feelings were mutual. The second time they met was at the engagement party if he was not mistaken and that was when the deception began and he didn't notice any of it. He didn't notice that the woman who lost her balance and almost fell on her face was Rella Cortes the twin who had nothing but contempt for him. Memories that were once locked or forgotten came tumbling out.He remembered asking her where Rella had gone that night because he'd thought she was Cindy but she looked him in the eyes and lied straight to his face. And like a fool he allowed himself to be manipulated into falling in love with what he thought was a new version of Cindy Cortes. Stefan remembered thinking that she'd changed so drastically from the woman who's always on the tabloids for one scandal or the other but he'd been wrong, she didn't change at all because she was a totally different p
"I didn't mean to hurt Van believe me. I didn't mean for things to end up the way they did." Jake waited with bated breath at the chastisement he knew was coming, with a slap or punch to get his head straight but none of that happened. Felix Montenegro just sat there behind his desk after Jake artfully laid out his sins—sins he knew did not deserve anyone's forgiveness much less Van's— a sombre expression on his weathered face. Jake told him everything starting from the time he met Van, his mother's death and his promise to her. Jake's head was bowed in shame but what the old man said next was the last thing Jake had expected. "I should haul you up by the neck and feed you to the dogs but I suspect that that would hurt my granddaughter even more. Our relationship may be rocky but I love her a lot which is why I am going to give you a chance to make things right." "Thank you sir I will not disappoint you." "Don't thank me yet, Vanessa still has to decide whether
Chapter ninety three When she realised sleep wasn't coming anytime soon, Van swung the covers and got out of bed. She padded out of the room and made a beeline for the kitchen suddenly craving something hot and sweet. "Ohf!" Van cried in surprise when she bumped into someone coming out of the kitchen and strong hands caught her upper arms to steady her. "Damn! Van did I hurt you?" panic and concern laced Ash's voice as he stared wide eyed at her. "I'm fine." She muttered. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that." Ash chastised. "I wasn't sneaking." She snapped impatiently.Ash gave her a curious look. "What are you doing here anyway?" "I couldn't sleep so I came down to get a cup of hot chocolate." "Well it's a good thing you found me here. Come on i'll make us some hot chocolate." "Am not an invalid you know I can make my own cup of hot chocolate just fine." "When did I say you couldn't?" he
Van looked away from the door from which he'd disappeared and back at her drink which had gone warm. She wished they'd remain friends but that would be selfish. She gulped down her drink and rinsed her cup.After she left the kitchen and went back up stairs Van decided to do a little light reading so she made her way to the study. The room was dark and Van could hardly make out anything in it so she reached out and found the switch. Light flooded the study in an instant.She was a little surprised to see grandfather in his chair. He also looked so surprised to see her that he lept out of his chair surreptitiously wiping at his eyes but not before Van saw the tears. "Grandfather? Are you okay?" "Yes." he turned away. "What are you doing here?" "Um, I couldn't sleep so I came to find a book to read." Whatever anger she felt towards him before seemed to evaporate that instant and she couldn't stand to see him so...dejected? Grandfather always seemed