“W-who a-are you?” Ember felt a chill of terror run up her spine. Despite her anxiety, she mustered the courage to look him straight in the eye. “Where is Xiana? What have you done to my best friend?”The man's menacing grin penetrated her very being and sent shivers up her spine. He gave off a strong negative vibe that revealed more about his personality than she cared to know, and it made it abundantly clear that he wouldn't hesitate to kill her.“Oh, the lovely brunette, huh?” He grunted under his breath, smiling wryly. “Look, there she is.”As her eyes shifted in the direction he pointed, she saw Xiana sprawled in the shadows and ominously unmoving as though she was dead. There was a concerning amount of blood pooling on her head.She let out a terrified scream. “Xiana!” She called several times but she remained unresponsive. Panicking, she turned to the man. “What have you done to her!”As she struggled to free her hands, the rope cut into her wrists. At first, she cried out in ag

Mr. Lockhart didn't speak to Ember again during the trip; perhaps he felt bad opening the topic about her ex which he wasn't aware she'd broken up with. She was glad that he didn't and she was able to relax during the trip.Opening the book to where she left off, Ember continued reading.~~~“What have they done to your lovely hair, Eve?”Ana Adams looked at her friend with a horrified look in her eyes. Her best friend's ebony black silky hair had been dyed into blonde. Even her shapely eyebrows had been dyed to match the color of her hair.Her expressive midnight black eyes had been covered with ocean blue contact lenses and her naturally peach lips had been stained with a semi-permanent lipstick in the shade of crimson.Eve completely looked unrecognizable.The men who abducted them had separated them for a few days and she hasn't seen her best friend since then and she was getting worried that they'd done something to Eve.But on the third day they finally allowed them to see each

Elizabeth had only said the words to get on her nerves, Ember thought to herself as she pulled herself together and dried the drop of tear that had fallen on her cheek.Her mother didn't treat her well just as she treated Sofia and Kate but it doesn't mean she wasn't her child. She only said those hurtful words at the spur of the moment. They mean nothing but to scathe her feelings.After gathering her courage and forcing a fake smile on her lips to fool everyone, she returned to the garden where a number of wide, curious eyes followed her movement. Low murmuring sound filled the air but Ember ignored them as she made her way to the nearest empty seat available which was near the pool.For a brief moment, she considered looking for another seat which was located far from any bodies of water but then the other empty seat she could see was in front of the altar and Ember didn't want to create another reason for people to gossip by sitting near the groom and bride during the ceremony.As

ANDERSON INVESTIGATION TOWERAce Alexander Lockhart strode past the door of a plush office and made a beeline straight to the chic wooden table while holding a neatly folded torn newspaper page in his hand. Kathryne Anderson, owner of the thriving investigation company was seated on her swivel chair, eyebrows furrowed in intense concentration while reading a file in her hand.Perhaps she was so occupied that she didn't notice him until he placed the newspaper on top of her table to capture her attention and spoke in his authoritative voice. “I want you to know everything about this girl.” Kathryne abruptly raised her head in annoyance. Her smooth forehead scrunching into an inelegant frown, making her arched eyebrows to almost meet halfway. “Don't you know how to knock, Mr. Lockhart?” She snapped. By how her nose flared, he could tell how annoyed she was at him. “Could you go back to where you came from? It seemed, you forgot to pick your manners there.”Unaffected, he nonchalantly

“I know you would return, Amira.” The words reverberated on Ember's mind, sending unexplainable shivers down her spine. She wasn't Amira, but still, her heart lurched forward as if her name had just been called. As though her arms have minds of their own, she hugged Sister Anne back with equal warmth, feeling that for the first time in her life, she felt like she found her way back home.Ember was certain she and Sister Anne had never had the chance to meet before. Yet, she was caught off guard by the strong and undeniable connection she had with the old woman as though she'd once played a big role in her life.Upon letting her go, Sister Ann framed her cheeks with her thin and wrinkly fingers. “I waited for you for twenty-years… I couldn't believe you're finally here….” She murmured under her breath with tears in her eyes. “I know I'm not wrong for making that decision two decades ago.”“Do you know who I am?” Ember looked at Sister Anne with hope in her eyes. Could this be perhaps th