《The Art Of Revenge (Thalia Nash and Brandon)》 1 1 Thalia¡¯s Pov As the judge gave out the final divorce judgment, I kept squirming and pulling on my sweater. My mind wentpletely nk. I already knew the oue at the back of my mind. While I was idle, foolish, and stup*d in love, he nned it all out, calcted it, waited, and struck. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . I turned my head and nced at the man who was expecting the same oue, noticing his mouth curve into a smile. He turned to face the back of the room forcing me to shift my eyes to match his. She was in the rear seat, dressed in a yellow dress, a white bo, and wearing her customary fine jewelry. She returned my attention with a sarcastic smile. I could see that her ostentatious appearance was a product of my wealth, my birthright. He spent it all on her: her hair, her jewelry, her nails, her pedicure, manicure, and even her shoes, everything down to her pant. ¡°Hey, Miss Nash?¡± Mywyer called my name, ¡°Miss Nash,¡± but I ignored him. The judge had scarcely read out the verdict for two seconds when the m*ron began addressing me by my maiden name. I couldn¡¯t take my eyes away from the other woman, who couldn¡¯t even wait for him in the parking lot or at their vi. The vi which they both shared and was purchased with my money, my birthright money. Everything they possessed was mine, and the court just ruled on thepany and handed it to them because I was so foolish as to sign on every piece of paper he ced in front of me. In front of him, I used to behave like a naive sixteen-year-old who got proposed to for the first time. I had no idea he was methodically robbing me of everything that I owned. When I looked around, I observed that everyone was up on their feet. I followed suit and rose from my drenched seat as a result of my incessant sweating. He moved up to her without shame and they kissed passionately for the entire world to watch. They were giving out indications that they didn¡¯t have anything to hide, that they hadn¡¯t done anything wrong. Most importantly, it was a calcted attempt to offend me and make me shed more tears. Mywyer spoke up again, but I ignored him and went to stare at my now-ex-husband. Yes, you¡¯ve heard the scenario before: the husband. dumps his boring wife for a more attractive woman. Well sorry to blow your bubble, mine was different. It started four years ago when Biotechpany, apany owned by Josh Nelson, that¡¯s the man who just divorced me and left me with nothing. Hispany was on the verge of bankruptcy when his father, myte Father¡¯s best friend, came up with a proposal. And together with my father, they decided to merge theirpanies. My father¡¯spany was INc biotech and it had just invented a new gadget that was making billions and saving lives. My father, being a good guy, approved of the union, which was cemented with the marriage of their children, which was me and Josh. I was ecstatic about the wedding because I¡¯d always had a thing for Josh. It was as if a fantasy hade true. And, as the only child of my father, the business was already in my name. To cut a long tale short, we married, and everything was OK until my father died two years ago. That¡¯s when I met Josh Nelson, the animal. I stared at the lovely cheating couple as they left the courtroom. ¡°Miss Nash!¡± When thewyer called again, I eventually turned around and stared at him through tears. Because he felt terrible for me, his eyes. could not even establish eye could not even establish eye contact. All of thewyers had turned down my case because my signature was all over the ce, but Derrick only epted it because he was the husband of one of my high school. ssmates. He had already told me that the chances were stacked against me, but that he would do everything he could to get me something or establish that Josh had duped me into signing Everything.. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Thalia, but we can still appeal this judgment,¡± he said quietly. I wiped away my tears and thanked him profusely. He nodded and attempted to speak, but I hurriedly grabbed my handbag. turned, and began walking out of the courtroom. I ran into Melissa, Derrick¡¯s wife, at the exit door and she hugged me. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry,¡± she said, ¡°if you need anything or a ce to stay, please don¡¯t hesitate to ask me,¡± but I just nodded and walked away. I didn¡¯t want to trouble her anymore because she had already done so much for me. I entered the who was tossed into the trash. When a woman entered, I went down and pretended to wash my face, which allowed me to cry even more as I continued to pour water on my face. My sweater waspletely saturated by the time I came to a halt. I sneered at my idiocy and insignificance. My father had given me the sweater I was wearing as a birthday present when I was about sixteen years old, but with all the money he left me, I couldn¡¯t even buy myself a new sweater because Josh hadplete control over all of my finances, and it never urred to me that he had never bought me anything until then. To be honest, I never asked him to take me shopping, nor did I ever want to go shopping. I was the ideal housewife, focused on making sure he ate home-cooked meals and getting pregnant for him, etc. Yes, you read that correctly: I was the owner of a multibillion-dor corporation in which I had no knowledge and had no interest. Josh Nelson was the center of my universe, and he was the only thing that mattered to me, yet he betrayed me. 2 2 Thalia¡¯s Pov I finally got myself together and exited the restroom. Because of the wet pink sweater I was wearing, which was virtually pouring, I could sense eyes hovering over me. ¡®Why wasn¡¯t it f**king ck in color?¡¯ I cursed myself. When I turned the corner, Josh and his sk*nk were chatting to theirwyer. They came to a halt and peered at me as soon as they saw me. ¡°Oh, my G*d! Did she just pour water on herself?¡± Jessica the ska nk yelled, causing everyone around to look at me. Josh kept his palm on his mouth as if he was about tough, but restrained himself. A voice in my head told me to get away, but as I tried to move, my feet went numb,pelling me to stare at the floor. Josh said out loud, ¡°Sweetheart, we don¡¯t have time for this; remember, we have a wedding to n.¡± My heart sk*pped out of nowhere, and I was on the verge of passing out. For the sake of bnce, I moved near the wall. I had no idea why he despised me so much, or why he relished the opportunity to see me cry. He betrayed me even though I was a perfect. wife who gave him everything: my heart, my soul, and my fortune. Heavy hands pressed against my back, forcing me to turn behind me, and I found mywyer, who said, ¡°Thalia, you should go home.¡±/ As a tear streamed down my cheek, I ignored him and turned my attention towards Josh, who was smirking. To spite me, he strolled over to his s*ank and grabbed her face, kissing her passionately. Derick roared at him, ¡°Have a soul,¡± and dragged me away. ¡°What happened, Thalia, and why are you wet?¡± He inquired. I stammered, ¡°It¡­ it¡­.was an ident.¡± He suggested, ¡°Oooh Thalia,e with us; you are wee to stay at our house till you get up on your feet.¡± Before I could reply Melissa cradled me and eximed, ¡°Ooooh my G*d, Thalia.¡± She handed me her coat and said, ¡°Here, take that.¡± I took it and thanked her without hesitation. They were nothing but kind to me. And I¡¯d had enough of them; it wasn¡¯t right for me to continue receiving charity from them. I wasn¡¯t even in contact with Melissa after graduating from high school, I hadn¡¯t seen her in years. However, when the Angel ran into me at the courts, I was in tears, as I always was. I didn¡¯t have awyer or any money, but she assured me that her husband would take my case on a pro gratis basis. ¡°Are you with us, Thalia Thalia?¡± Melissa initiated the conversation. ¡°Thank you guys for everything you¡¯ve done for me, but I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to go with you,¡± I remarked quietly. ¡°No, no, where are you going?¡± Melissa said, ¡°You¡¯reing with us.¡± ¡°Please, you people have already done so much for me,¡± I said as tears. streamed down my face. ¡°I have a penthouse up north, and I¡¯m going to stay there for a while!¡± I lied. Derick gave me a strange look, he was mywyer and knew everything about the properties Josh and I owned, or should I say Josh owned. I had signed everything over to him, like the m*ron that I was. ¡°It is my friends, she wants someone to look after the penthouse while she is out of the country,¡± I lied once more, having transformed into a habitual liar in just days.. ¡°That¡¯s fantastic news,¡± Melissa said, turning to her husband and suggesting, ¡°Derick, we can drop her off,¡± but I denied their offer. With their sympathy, the two were starting to irritate me. I knew they meant well but their generosity was beginning to suffocate me. I finally got them off my back after lying to their faces for what seemed like an eternity and boarded a taxi. The taxi driver said, ¡°Where to ma¡¯am?¡± ¡°Just keep driving east,¡± I said as tears streamed down my face. He drove. for an hour before stopping and saying, ¡°Ma¡¯am, you need to give me at least an address, I¡¯ve been going in circles.¡± ¡°12 Street Avenue, Pineville,¡± I said, my voice mournful. After a few minutes, he came to a halt on the street and inquired about the fare. I looked through my bag and couldn¡¯t find a single cent. I anxiously scanned my bag over and over again but there was nothing there, not even a coin. I wanted to get away from Melissa and Derrick so badly that I forgot that I had no coin to my name. The driver nodded as he looked in the rearview mirror. ¡°It¡¯s all right, ma¡¯am; the ride is on me,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, I thought I had some money on me,¡± I apologized as I went on with my embarrassing search. ¡®My life is so sad, I reflected. He snarled at me, ¡°I said I¡¯d cover it, just get out of my cab.¡± His yelling brought up memories of Josh¡¯s verbal abuse, and tears began. to fall down my face, flowing down my cheeks. ¡°Heydy! I said the ride is free,¡± he stated in a low tone. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, I¡¯m sorry, thank you,¡± I cried out and got out of the cab as he stared at me weirdly. I practically ran to my house, Ooh sorry, I meant the house that belonged to my ex-husband. I was sure he was not going to be using the house with his sk*nk. I noticed a stic bag by the door as I walked up to it, but I ignored it and tried to open the door, which was locked. I twisted the k*ob repeatedly, but it remained stuck. I took my keys from my bag and attempted to open it, but the keys did. not match. Then it urred to me that he had changed all the doorknobs and locks. He couldn¡¯t possibly be so stup*d!! when he was aware that I was stranded? At least he could have been human enough. and given me some days or hours to pack out. I turned hopelessly and held my head, I nced inside the stic bag and to my shock, it contained my belongings. Like some animal, everything was packed in a disposable stic bag. My stomach flipped as I realized the level he had reduced me to, a homeless idiot, without a home, money, or car. What did I ever do to him for him to hate me so much?. He was most likely arranging their wedding as she was in his arms but I needed to talk to him even if it meant begging like a fool. I took out my phone and attempted to call him, hoping that if I pleaded hard enough, he would agree to let me stay for several days until I found a job, but I was unable to do so, he cklisted me. I knelt again, but this time there were no tears; perhaps my tear duct had dried up or something. I could hear my neighbors talking amongst themselves, but I ignored them since I assumed they wereughing at me. I¡¯m not sure how much time passed, but I just sat there, despondent and alone, with no money, family, or friends. I stood up, picked up the stic, and started walking, I had no destination. but I just told myself to keep walking. I was fatigued, nk but I kept walking for hours and had no idea where I was going. Some cars came to a halt and inquired if I needed a ride, but I declined and continued walking. My feet were hurting, but I persisted in walking until the sun was over me. My existence had no significance for me; I had nothing, and no one, to live for. No one would notice if I died, and no one would mourn my death. That was the pitiful state of my existence. The word pathetic kept repeating itself in my thoughts as I kept insulting myself. I came to a halt and looked around, realizing that I was on a highway surrounded by pine trees. I simply wanted animals to appear out of nowhere and eat the sh*t out of me without a trace. Or a car to m into me and put an end to my miserable existence. But to my disappointment, there was no car in sight. I crossed over and heard water, implying that a river was nearby. I followed the sound till I came across a bridge, which I dashed to. It was a bit of a climb, but I made it. Yes, I had finally made up my mind of where I wanted to terminate my worthless life. What was there to live for in the first ce? I proceeded carefully along the bridge, my hands on the top rails. It appeared to be old, and I could feel it swaying and rusty, but I needed to get to the middle of the bridge because rivers were normally deep in the center, at least that was what I thought. I didn¡¯t want anyone to evere upon my stup*d body. I wanted the river to carry it as far as it ran and if I was lucky alligators would make a meal out of it. I was so focused on the river below that when my fingertips brushed against what felt like human skin, I This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . shrieked and nearly fell over, but strong arms caught me. The bridge rocked for a few minutes as I clutched my arms in terror. It came to a halt, and I raised my eyes to see lovely grey eyes on a very handsome pale face with extremely dry lips staring back at me. He coughed and spat all over my face. 3 3 Brandon¡¯s POV I felt the bridge sway but ignored it because I was focused on the water, assessing how far it was from the bridge to the river below. However, the swaying continued, and I realized I wasn¡¯t alone. I shifted my gaze to my left and that¡¯s when I noticed something unsightly; her gaze was fixated on the river below too. She was dressed in a strange-looking sweater, simr to those worn by grandmothers. A hideous outfit and strange brown shoes hidden beneath it. My heart began racing because she was clutching a rubbish bag. I could only assume she was from having an abortion and was seeking a spot to bury the baby¡¯s remains. I was speechless as 1 clutched the railings and peered at her. She kept creeping closer to me, much to my amazement, but she had no idea that she wasn¡¯t alone on the bridge The bridge shook with each movement she made, and I was confident it couldn¡¯t support both of our weights, but I just stared at her. She finally got to where I was and brushed her frigid palm on my fingers, causing her to scream in terror. She was a scary catty for someone who had just climbed an old bridge. She was so afraid that she nearly fell over, but I caught her and she grasped my arms and the bridge began to swing back and forth. I was certain it was my end but the shaking stopped and there was calm for what seemed like an eternity. I felt my veins pop as she clutched me so firmly, not like I was exaggerating, but I felt them snap, and then there came the terrible scent from her hair. The woman not only had a bad sense of style but she had a terrible choice of hair shampoo or she just never washed her hair at all. She finally let go and looked up at me, she wasn¡¯t ugly, and she had a good pair of brown eyes, but they were swollen like she had been crying for days or even weeks. Her awful hair made me sneeze, and all my spit ended up on her face. I do not mean the usual spit but the one that contained dark slimy blood, with some greens and grains of my lunch. For someone who was going tomit suicide, I should have gone easy on my lunch. It was embarrassing but she shut her eyes for a moment before opening them again. To be honest she really had a beautiful set of eyes. I kept my mouth shut and waited for her to react, but all she did was stare at me with sad eyes. I knew I was supposed to apologize, but she didn¡¯t say anything, and she didn¡¯t say bless you, so we just stared at each other awkwardly. She snapped out of the stare, moved a little, and motioned for me to pass behind her, but I remained stationary. ¡°You can pass behind me, there is enough space,¡± she said without looking at me. ¡°Who said I was going anywhere?¡± I responded in a cold tone and drew my cowl over my face as she peered up at me, forcing me to look away. I wasn¡¯t the type to enjoy folks staring at me and feeling sorry for me. There was a time when I loved it when people, especially chicks stared at my handsome face. I loved the attention and drooling but all that changed. My face was nothing but a pile of grey pale sadness. ¡°You pass behind and go your way.¡± I requested her. ¡°Who said I was passing?¡± She retorted, forcing me to stare at her p*ssed, even though I had no idea who she was but she began irritating me.. ¡°Excuse me ma¡¯am, but you found me here, therefore I rmend you find another bridge to toss whatever is in your stic,¡± I said firmly. She gazed down at the stic in her palms before raising her eyes to mine. Suddenly, tears streamed down her cheeks like a waterfall as if I¡¯d said something insulting, I told myself, ¡°This is fantastic.¡± ¡°Fine, chuck it, but next time go to an abortion hospital instead of risking your life.¡± I remarked out loud, This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . prompting her to give me a confused expression that quickly transformed to rage and she began smacking me in the face with the stic bag ¡°You fool, these are my clothes!¡± She yelled out, As I coughed severely, I shouted back at her, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you toss them in a bin instead ofing here?¡± My chest felt heavy and painful this time, so I coughed loudly, covered my mouth, and dark clots came out. Fear crept into me as I coughed, causing the bridge to sway back and forth. She drew nearer to me and took. hers. I was certain the bridge would copse, but after a few minutes, it came to a halt. my hand in I yelled at her. ¡°Get off of me!¡± ¡°Dooh, I¡¯m so sorry, she replied, her gaze falling on my hand. I¡¯m so sorry I hit you; you¡¯re sick, aren¡¯t you?¡± She inquired as to if she hadn¡¯t noticed before I wiped my mouth, turned away, and said. ¡°Would you please get off my bridge?¡± ¡°You get off!¡± sheughed, it was amusing to see a crying faceughing. ¡°You are supposed to be in the hospital, Ain¡¯t you? What are you doing here?¡± she inquired. ¡°No. I¡¯m supposed to be in the toilet which is none of your business, why are you here?¡± I inquired of her. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡± she said We just stood there in silence again until it clicked, and we both looked at each other and realized what was happening. ¡°Seriously, you couldn¡¯t pick a different day?¡± I became enraged and screamed at her. ¡°Im sorry, maybe you should have sent me an email when you nned tomit suicide!¡± She screamed in my ear, I could. see she was annoyed as well. ¡°Find another bridge, this one belongs to me!¡± She gave me an order. The woman was definitely a jerk. I warned her. ¡°You found me here first, so you find another bridge.¡± In this country, a man can¡¯t even die in peace,¡± I reasoned She groaned and peered down below as if determining how far down it was. ¡°Hey!¡± I screamed at her and sn*tched her by the sweater. She was not going to out-jump me. ¡°You¡¯re not jumping first.¡± I said, coughing. ¡°Your stup*d body will probably get stuck on a rock, blocking my body, and when they find us, they¡¯ll probably think we were lovers whomitted suicide together.¡± She raised her eyes to me and gave me a strange expression. She said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t date you¡± hurting my ego in some way. I was always used to girls falling for me. ¡°Why? Is it because Im ill?¡± I inquired. ¡°No. because I don¡¯t know you,¡± she said, her eyes welling up with tears. ¡°All right, you jump first, and I¡¯ll follow close behind. She replied. ¡°Im sure your lovely figure will slide over the rocks, trying to change the subject. ¡°What exactly did you mean when you said you wouldn¡¯t date me?¡± I inquired, my voice solemn. ¡°Why should it matter when you¡¯re about to kill yourself?¡± She defended herself, saying. ¡°You don¡¯t know me and wouldn¡¯t probably date me.¡± you I said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t invite you out since you have a poor sense of dressing. Now tell me, why wouldn¡¯t you want to date me?¡± ¡°I wouldnt date you because you look¡­¡­ sick,¡± she replied, looking away from top to bottom and staring back at me furiously I was speechless and just chuckled but pretended to say, ¡°Thank you for being honest; at the very least, you are the first honest person I have ever encountered in this miserable existence,¡± as I gazed down at the water, which was much higher than I expected She apologized, saying. Thank you for being honest about my clothes; I did not mean what I said ¡± ¡°Learn to stand up to your own words,¡± I advised. ¡°I believe you can jump first, and I will follow you.¡± I added. ¡°Wait a minute, because I said I wasn¡¯t interested in dating you, you now want me to jump first?¡± she inquired. ¡°No. I want to see how deep down it is!¡± I yelled at her. Thalia¡¯s Pov 4 4 I was stunned and had no idea why. But I was so confident when responding to the man in front of me. I never stood up for myself before, maybe it was because I was going to end my life. He, on the other hand, was acting as if he owned the silly bridge. His c**kiness was starting to grate on my nerves. ¡°Two minutes ago you stated that my body would get in your way, so you jump first,¡± I yelled at him. Or maybe it was because he was sick and weak, and I had always been the weak one in my life and it was very easy for people to pick on me. Suddenly, he started coughing violently, causing the bridge to move forward and backward. He closed his mouth, and the dark clots sttered all over him and my face once more. He appeared to be ill with an infectious illness. Or perhaps a lethal infection which he got by from a biological weapon. But who cared if he infected me; I was ready to die anyway, but I was intrigued. ¡°What disease do you have?¡± I asked without giving it much thought. ¡°None of your f**king business!¡± he spat, causing more clots tond all over my face. He simply nced aside without apologizing. I was curious as to who had reared him, as hecked both manners and shame. He was without a doubt the rudest person I¡¯ve ever met. The spitting was followed by utter quiet as a group of birds soared on top of us. The sound of birds mingled with the sound of the water below us. It was lovely and refreshing. and it would have been ideal if the haughty jerk next to me hadn¡¯t been there. We were both cowards deep down. We both nned tomit suicide, but no one was willing to take the initial step. I sighed as I knelt and took a seat; the sun was setting and it was joining to be nightfall. When I looked up at him, I noticed he was still staring down at the water. ¡°Perhaps we could wait until dusk so the height wouldn¡¯t be so intimidating,¡± I proposed but received no reaction. The cold wind began to breeze through as I ignored him and gripped my knees. What a stup*d coincidence, the sh*thead decided to end his life on the same day I did, and he couldn¡¯t even use another bridge. Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. He knelt and sat next to me, much to my astonishment, but remained silent. We sat and watched the sunset, was strange because none of us dared to jump. which To my amazement, he responded. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful. Finally, rather than rudeness or mucus, he said something kind. I c**ked my head to look at him, but he swiftly shifted his gaze away. He did that a lot, avoiding eye contact. He was probably the shy rude type, I thought to myself. ¡°My name is Thalia,¡± I blunderingly introduced myself. He said coldly, ¡°Knowing your name is not necessary.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said, and he cringed with contempt. We were back to square one, or perhaps he had a personality condition. There was silence once more, followed by a loud rumble from my idiot stomach. He returned my stare, and despite the fact that his face waspletely hidden, I could tell he was mocking me. I hadn¡¯t eaten in two days and had to cover my face since the noise was so loud and embarrassing. He stated. ¡°Here.¡± When I looked up I noticed he was clutching a chocte bar. ¡°Were you nning to kill yourself with a chocte bar in your pocket?¡± I inquired, chuckling- He responded, ¡°I assumed you¡¯d be concerned about the hygiene in my hand?¡± I winced and grabbed it; at the very least, it was wrapped. He questioned, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you use poison?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± I responded. ¡°When women decide tomit suicide, they frequently employ poison. ¡°97% of women would use poison or pesticide,¡± he said. I was silent for a moment as I chewed on the chocte bar. To be honest, I didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I was walking by and heard the sound of water, so I came up here,¡± I said as I ate the chocte. I couldn¡¯t remember when I had choctest He chuckled and was on the verge ofughing,ut he held himself back His face evident with shock, he asked. ¡°You walked all the way here Lanswees. ¡°Yes¡± I could see he wanted to say something but couldn¡¯t on he was debating it in his head He murmured something and coughed ¡°pardon?¡± Lasked But he remained silent, and I gradually came to understand lum, he wasn¡¯t a bbermouth. But, because I was in the mood to converse, I said something even though I knew he wouldn¡¯t respond ¡°I wanted front of Oving ¡¤ hist, but there wer the highway mugi the odds?¡± I said, but all he did was raise his eyes. His hoodie obscured the majority of his face, making it impossible to make it out. He then spoke after a little pause in ¡°I was driving, and I parked down there I was about to hit a treeit then I realized that if I survived. I¡¯d probably be paralyzed or bram damaged, and I¡¯d just end up in a f**king hospital again,¡± he raged ¡°I despise the stench of that ce,¡± he added. 1 giggled as if he¡¯d said something amusing, which made him look at me. I retorted. ¡°You should have just sna*ched the pill tray and overdosed yourself¡± He said, ¡°The other guy who did it recently ended up in aa.¡± ¡°So you¡¯ve been considering killing yourself for days?¡± I inquired. ¡°About a year,¡± he replied ¡°But on the day I finally had the halls, some chick with a terrible sense of fashion and stinky hair decided to utilize the same bridge.¡± I was so taken aback by his response that my jaw just hung open. I sna*ched a strand of my hair and smelled it, yeah. he was right, it smelled awful, and I couldn¡¯t recall thest time I washed it. But then I remembered that he said ¡°year¡± I couldn¡¯tprehend what sort of hell he was experiencing to be contemting suicide for nearly a year. ¡°If I had your life, I wouldn¡¯t be up here,¡± he said casually, He was starting to get on my nerves, so I chuckled. ¡°Well, if I had your stup*d life, I wouldn¡¯t be up here.¡± ¡°Be careful what you wish for, he warned me. ¡°Do you know anything about me? How do you know that?¡± I sobbed and moved a few millimeters away from him. ¡°Alright let¡¯s make a deal, the one with the s*ddest story gets to jump second,¡± he suggested. I turned and nced at him in surprise, he did not look away like he was doing before. Instead, he returned my stare To be honest, he was good looking I could have been staring at Henry Cavill¡¯s younger brother if he hadn¡¯t been afflicted with the illness that had turned his skin grey He was even more surprised when he asked, ¡°Is it a deal, Thalia?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say knowing my name was not necessary?¡± Lasked, my brow furrowed. ¡°And I¡¯m not going to tell you anything about myself because I don¡¯t know your name!¡± I went on to say He chuckled and averted his gaze when he realized I was staring at him ¡°My name is Brandon,¡± he replied and asked if it was a deal. ¡°Why would the person with the s*ddest story jumpst?¡± I enquired. ¡°Well they will get the guts to jump if the idiot with a less sad story jumped first, why shouldn¡¯t they,¡± he replied Without making any sense. ¡°So Thalia, what¡¯s your horror story? Ladies first,¡± he added. 5 5 Thalia¡¯s Pov I swallowed and cleared my throat, unsure where to begin. Deep down, I didn¡¯t want to reveal or expose myself to the stranger next to me. But then I realized I was going to die, and he was going to die as well. Only those in court heard my story, and I saw their cheeks light up as theyughed at me for my folly. It wasn¡¯t going to make any difference if one more personughed. It would, at the very least, serve as a diversion. Plus the divorce was going to be on every front page in the morning for the whole world tough. My useless existence was so twisted up that it was difficult to know where to begin. I swallowed my saliva and said. ¡°Alright, my name is Th Nash, and I am the world¡¯s most foolish and uselessdy.¡± I said, to which he stared and smiled. I could tell he was hitting since he was already aware of it. I swallowed my pride and proceeded. At the age of 21, I graduated from Harvard University with honors in biomedical engineering and research. I was a genius, and education took precedence in my life. My father was an engineer as well, and the proprietor of a medical invention firm that created devices and equipment that made life easier for hospitals all over the world. He was preparing me for the takeover, and I was a proud daughter ready to make my father pleased. I didn¡¯t have any friends, therefore books were my closestpanions. You could argue I lost out on some of that human socializing. fun, and getting to know people. Josh Nelson and I met when I was ten years old. His father and my father were great friends for a long time. His father also ran arge Biotech equipmentpany, and the two families would gather together for holidays. I always had a crush on Josh since I was a child. Despite the fact that he never expressed interest in me. I was certain he was aware of my feelings for him. He was the type of guy who was into the popr expensive girls, so I knew he¡¯d never be mine because I was the bashful, naive, neophyte that I was. But as we grew older, I always looked forward to the family holidays and dinners that the two families would enjoy since they allowed me to spend time with him. Then something miraculous happened, or rather, what 1 fought was miraculous. Josh¡¯s father¡¯s business went bankrupt, and in order to rescue it, my father agreed to merge hispany with theirs. They changed paperwork and merged them, and Josh¡¯s father proposed marriage to seal the deal. A contract like that would allow us to pass thepany along to our children. My father¡¯spany already had a use in ce that stated that no one could acquire it and that it would be passed down through the generations. I never forgot the happy tears that welled up in my eyes as my father entered my room and informed me of the proposal. My mind came to a halt, and I consented without hesitation. The date had been nned, and everything seemed to be going ording to n; fate had provided me with the man I had been lusting after for years. I only wanted to make him the happiest man on the. I made the decision to be a stay-at-home mom. Yes, I packed all of my degrees and doctorates; nevertheless, love was more essential to me; it was something that had been missing in my life for a long time. My father and I were often inbs or studying, despite the fact that we grew up in a rich family. But when I was with Josh. I feltplete, and all the science and papers seemed pointless. The initial years were rosy, or so I was led to believe. But when my father¡¯s health began to deteriorate, he agreed to delegate his responsibilities to me, but before I could sign, Josh rmended that we invest thepany¡¯s power in our future children The prospect of him and I having a child together piqued my interest, so I agreed and he forced me to sign a slew of paperwork that I didn¡¯t bother to read. In my head. I was picturing a son for Josh Not thepany, although that was my top priority. I trusted and loved Josh, but I had no idea that I had given half of my shares to him and the other half to a kid we would never have because he had made sure of it After a year without a child, he came home one day with some tablets and told me they were fertility pills when they were actually birth control pills. He would go to a clinic once a month to receive a refill and swap bottles. And, like an idiot, I¡¯d drink without a second thought. hapter 5 I got depressed and thought I was unworthy of being his wife. He was there for me at all times, soothing me and standing by my side. 1 I grew so preupied with the prospect of being pregnant that Ipletely forgot about mypany. And he gradually took over, beginning with recing all of my father¡¯s faithful board members with his own. And I signed everything over without question or fired everyone he told me to. All I wanted to do was make him. happy. 1 agreed to whatever he proposed. It was Josh Josh Josh Josh Josh Josh Josh Josh Alter my father died, I met the real Josh, the monster, the animal who had been hidden for years. My father left everything to me because I was an only child. Josh forced me to sell all of my other properties and houses. He came home one day and told me he had a friend in the pharmaceutical industry and that their firm had a new miracle fertility drug that could help us conceive but it was expensive. He asked me to sell all I had inherited, but I had no idea he was the buyer. He brought me some fake pills, which I started taking without realizing I was taking vitamins. He became emotionally and ment*lly abusive to me after he realized he had grabbed everything from me. He made it clear that I was his property. He used to bring prostitutes into our home, directly into our matrimonial bedroom and in front of my eyes. When I was sleeping, I would asionally hear movement on the bed. When I awoke, he¡¯dugh and invite me to join them. I med myself, believing he was treating me badly because I couldn¡¯t give him children. Every morning. I¡¯d tell myself that I was a failure. He¡¯d made sure I didn¡¯t have any family or friends. He never let me leave the house, and he never took me to any social engagements. He was always by himself. He always went alone. I wouldn¡¯t me him because I never questioned everything he did or said. I always agreed with everything. Then he met Jessica and became an evenrger monster; the abuse escted, and when he was tired of it, he filed for divorce. I had nothing, no money, and no legal representation. One day, an old schoolmate ran into me at the courthouse, heard my story, and asked her husband to represent me pro gratis. Mywyer had already hinted that I would lose thewsuit, especially that I had even signed a prenup unknowingly. Josh had meticulously arranged everything. Mywyer tried to use the abuse and maniption against him, but I signed everything before the abuse, and most of the papers when my father was still alive. The folks in the courtroom looked at me as though they¡¯d never seen such a foolish woman before. For that matter, a Harvard graduate. Mywyer attempted to utilize the bogus medicines that Josh had been giving me, but when I was called to testify, hiswyer made me doubt everything to the point that I started crying. When mywyer¡¯s wife discovered the pills in my luggage and swallowed one, I realized they were fakes. When I yelled at her to spit the pill, you should¡¯ve seen her expression. She inquired as to why, to which I replied, but she chewed it over and informed me that it was a vitamin. We went to a drugstore and she asked me what other pills Joshi had ever given me. And we took them to a pharmacy and that¡¯s when I got the shock of my life. It was all lies lies lies lies. I had been used and dumped like tissue paper. How an old woman like me could not distinguish between vitamins and birth pills was a disgrace. During hiswyer¡¯s interrogation, he made it appear as though I was aware that I was on birth control. I was unable to respond to any of his questions. He made it look as if I was lying and fabricating stuff. I didn¡¯t know the name of the clinic or the pharmaceuticalpany that had provided Josh the magical fertility medication. I couldn¡¯t help but cry in front of everyone; I couldn¡¯t even defend myself; I was helpless, defeated, and embarrassed. Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. How can a full-growndy with a degree from the country¡¯s top university be duped and yed? Finally, the decision was read, and Josh was handed everything. I couldn¡¯t bear looking in the mirror. My only possession was a small bag containing the clothes that I bought before my father died, two years ago. The shame, the worthlessness, the ignorance is what was eating me up all the way to this bridge. ¡°So Brando would you continue living if you were as stup*d as me?¡± I asked and looked up at his shocked face. 6 6 Josh¡¯s Pov Finally, I could hold the woman I adored and loved without her having to worry about my marital status or prying eyes that were quick to judge without knowing our story. Not that we ever cared but I knew the fact that another woman was carrying my name deeply affected her I tilted my head slowly and inhaled her fragrance 1 knew she was always mine, to begin with She snelled lovely, but it was the deepest delight in the world when the court handed out the final divorce judgment and I witnessed Thalia¡¯s tears. It was a ten fold satisfaction over a greasy minute of org*sm on a chilly morning. I was finally free of that old rug, it had taken five years of my life, five years that I would never get back, but was well worth it. I went in with a copsingpany and emerged with a multibillion dor empire. Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. I smiled at my remarkable achievement, which not even my astute father could have pulled off beautifully. That was why, tomorrow, he was holding a well deserved dinner in my honor. The idea of being on top of the world made me smile. When the woman on my chest turned to face me, my smile grew even bigger. Her hands slid down my boxer as she rose to sit on top of me. She inquired. ¡°Are you up for another round?¡± I was already knocked down and just groaned, implying that I couldn¡¯t go another round. My smile widened as I traced kisses all over her left hand while her right hand was busy in my boxer. With all of the court appearances, the Last several days were extremely frantic. Thalia was meant to get half of what I possessed, or rather, half of what I stole from her, in a typical divorce. But because of my connections and her obnoxious signature, which was found all over the ce, including on a prenup that I forced her to sign without her reading it or knowing what it was. I was able to get everything. I¡¯ve never encountered a woman who was as foolish as she was. It took years, but it felt like getting candy from a child. Everything I did would have been uwful if I hadn¡¯t had the patience to wait. ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± Jessica asked while she stroked me. ¡°Are you thinking about her?¡± I was well aware of who she was referring to, but I preferred to remain uninformed. While ying with her chin. I questioned, ¡°Who?¡± ¡°The idiotic Harvard graduate,¡± she said, sending both of us intoughter. ¡°What do you think she is doing?¡± she asked. I answered, ¡°Probably weeping herself to death, that useless woman can cry a river.¡± To be honest I didn¡¯t want to talk about her. That was a chapter of my life that I flushed down the toilet. It was only human to never look back at one¡¯s flushed damp. ¡°Will thewyer continue to feed her, she is a woman, and he can¡¯t feed and keep her forever?¡± she rified. ¡°Can we just forget about her and not bring it up?¡± I retorted. ¡°Are you feeling bad. I mean, it¡¯s just natural that you don¡¯t want to talk about her,¡± she asked. I nearly broke outughing; if I had any remorse, I would have left her the garage or something. But in the end, all I left her with was a stic bag of clothing that was older than our fake marriage. She deserved everything she got, and all I could wish for was that her foolish father was still alive. I would have given millions to gaze into his wrinkled eyes as he wallowed in misery. It was all his fault, and his brain-dead daughter was merely coteral damage. Her crime was that she was a Nash and fell in love with me. A Nash had to pay for the horrors they had intheted on my family, especially my mother. ¡°I don¡¯t mind talking about her, it¡¯s just that she¡¯s not worth talking about. Don¡¯t we have something more important to discuss?¡± I inquired. She just stared at me without saying anything Ilifted myself and kissed her on the lips agam as she smiled. I knew I was the luckiest man on the I could feel her stiffen across my body as she abruptly stopped stroking and moved off of me. Jessica was a woman with refined taste and always wanted everything extravagant. I could see I had just ruined our night by my premature proposal. But I needed a topic away from useless Thalia. ¡°Future Mrs Nelson has no intention ofbining my beautiful night with your father¡¯s useless party!¡± she spat out. ¡°Every part of our engagement will be grand,¡± she answered as she looked away I got closer to her and started stroking her breasts. She pushed me in an irritated manner iming to be fatigued She was up for a smoother round only a moment before, but she became exhausted due to my proposal ¡°Sweetheart. I was just offering a suggestion,¡± 1 exmed but received no response. ¡°Sweetheart I called again ¡°Just don¡¯t make such a request to me in the future,¡± she said. My phone biped and I crossed to the other side to check it. Thalia had picked up the stic bag of her clothes and left on foot, ording to one of my neighbors. I thanked her and threw my phone aside. To be honest, I wasn¡¯t shocked that she didn¡¯t try to break into the house or pursue me. She was a loser who gave up without putting up a fight. I¡¯d always been curious as to how she got into Harvard and graduated at the top of her ss at just age twenty one Because the woman I married for four years behaved like a high school dropout. Worse, the majority of dropouts were intelligent. I shifted my gaze to the woman I had just p*sed. I hated it when I made her upset and had to beg forgiveness. I inquired. ¡°How many guests do you want at your engagement party?¡± ¡°Quality, not quantity, is the issue,¡± she said as she turned around. ¡°I want the mayor and his wife, as well as all the city¡¯s top celebrities and millionaires. Bring them all here to witness your queen,¡± she said sternly. Jessica was always a show-off. I was as well, but not to the extent that she was. ¡°Fine If inviting the president gets me the extra round you mentioned before, I¡¯ll do it,¡± I said as I tried to get between her legs She attempted to y hard to get, but she knew she was already wet from the rubbing she had given me earlier She enjoyed such games, ying hard to get while constantly being aware of her ws. Her breasts weren¡¯t as big or firm as Thalia¡¯s, not that I wasparing, but deep, aggressive sucking was always the key to her opening wide for me. I assaulted her breast one by one with thest ounce of energy I had left, till she began to mourn and eventually opened up for me. That was what I called living the life, making love to the love of my life, and being Ceo of a major multi billion Biotechpany. 7 7 Brandon¡¯s Pov I looked at her in astonishment, expecting her to rectify whatever joke she was narrating. But all she did was nce down, embarrassed, and began fiddling with her hands, avoiding eye contact. But I halted for a moment, recalling the beginning of her story. I believe I overheard her im to be a Harvard graduate if I am not mistaken. Were they pre-loaded with idiocy, or was she cut from a different cloth altogether? I moved closer to her without thinking, and she turned to look at me. I could tell she was expecting a hug as she leaned in, but I burst outughing, much to her surprise. Iughed so loudly that if anyone was passing by on the highway, they could have heard myughter. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I coughed violently; my chest ached, but that did not bother me. I couldn¡¯t recall thest time Iughed that hard; it had been long. The woman next to me was the dumbest person on the. I couldn¡¯t even put it down to love or say she was head over heels in love. If it were the case, many more women would have jumped off bridges. She tried to move away from me, but I clung to her fiercely. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . ¡°You said we should share our stories, notugh at each other,¡± she murmured, her arms folded and her gaze averted. However, I couldn¡¯t stop myself fromughing and apologizing. ¡°Wait a minute, how could you have been taking birth control pills and not realized it?¡± I inquired, but she merely averted her gaze. I thought she was going to cry, but she held it together. ¡°Come on, Thalia, even your body could have signaled you. And fourteen-year-olds have seen what a pill or vitamin looks like?¡± Between giggles, I inquired. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m stup*d and dumb, is that what you want me to say?¡± She screamed at me as she pushed me, causing the bridge to move. It was already dark, and the tremors froze us both as I stopped The truth was that we were cowards. The bridge came to a halt, and I was the first to speak. ¡°Thalia, dumb or stup*d people have several cells still operating in their brains, while you on the other side have zero cells,¡± Without saying anything, she scoffed and gazed at me.. ¡°Just curious as to why your father failed to diagnose your stup*dity? He would have never left his business in your name, would he?¡± I posed. ¡°Are you going to tell me your story?¡± she demanded, taking a deep breath in. ¡°Brainless girl, we¡¯re in for a long night already. After I tell you about my terrible life, you canugh and grill me,¡± I replied. She groaned and responded, ¡°Well, to be honest, I have all my cells intact; take me to any biotech To be honest, I was starting to love herpany; no one had ever piqued my interest and piqued my curiosity as she had. Her folly was mind-boggling. I asked her out of the blue, ¡°Do you still love him?¡± I could tell she wasn¡¯t expecting me to be serious in an instant. ¡°I¡¯d say I despise him, yet everything is my fault. That¡¯s why I¡¯m killing myself rather than killing him,¡± she responded. We sat in silence, I had a lot of questions but refrained from asking. I swallowed my saliva and began my story ¡°My name is Brandon, Brandon Frazer,¡± I said but she remained silent and did not react to my name. ¡°I mean, Brandon Frazer, thee Fraser¡± I stated again. She shifted her gaze to me, perplexed. She was not only brain dead, but she appeared to be from the stone age where the Inte and social media were not in existence. ¡°Do you even have any slightest idea who I am?¡± I asked furiously, I took off my hoodie. It was dark, but at least my beautiful hair would give her a hint. But, to my dismay, she refused with a nod of her head. I clenched my teeth and continued with my sad and pathetic life. Brandon Fraser was my name, and I was the world¡¯s richest man under thirty. Of course, I inherited it all, but unlike the idiot next to me, I tripled it. My parents perished in a car ident when I was eighteen, and I was an only child. My father raised me in such a way that I was always ready to take over. In university, I had to step up and work hard. Many people feared I wasn¡¯t ready to take over the world¡¯srgest transportation Mandel Logistics was thergest regtor of distribution and transportationpanies in the country, and we controlled the entire transportationwork. There were four modes of transportation:nd, air, rail, and road. Every transportationpany was registered under us, and we devoured the ones that tried to be independent through back doors. On top of it, we had our fleets of ships, nes, and trucks doubling our profits. I also branched out from transportation into supplying raw garment materials. If you wanted something, you had to go to the neck, as my father used to say. We sold to every fashion house, designer I built a billion-dor empire from the million dor firm my father left me. Everything and everyone was under my control. Politicians, criminals, and women were just a few examples. With just one word, I could bring our country¡¯s economy to a halt. Many people attempted to take away my power or set me up, but they were unsessful However, like with any corporation, transportation of imports and exports required a regtory body, which I and my associates provided. I was on top of the world, living high on Booze, clubbing, and drugs while lurking in in sight. I had a woman for each day of the week, and I named them after the days I spent with them. I didn¡¯t like sleeping with the same girl twice a month. They all queued up to have a taste of me; my bed abilities were well known, and every female who had the opportunity lived to tell the tale. I never went without a new woman on any given day. They were all eager to partake in the sex party lifestyle. It was all about the or*asmus, extended periods of drug-induced body pleasure. I would buy and experiment with whatever sex drug my cars heard of, and we would have sex parties from Friday to Sunday at daybreak. We would rece any girl who couldn¡¯t take it with a single phone call. We had girls on standby in case of any setbacks. Nothing mattered because the only thing that we cared about was getting high and having fun at the same time. It became the order of the day and we saw nothing wrong with it; after all, we didn¡¯t force anything or do anything illegal. It was my money, and I could brew it wherever I pleased. But, aside from my party life existence, I was a responsible citizen who always paid his taxes on time, practicedmunity social responsibility, and donated to every charitable organization my ears heard of. Every acquaintance or visitor who came to my door with a sad story received a handout without hesitation. My name was on everyone¡¯s lips, and I was adored, at least that was what I was made to believe. However, as I approached my twenty-sixth birthday, I began to organize my life and cut back on my parting. I needed a wife or anything that would provide me with an heir. What was the point of possessing the world if there wasn¡¯t an heir to hand it over to? However, a week before my twenty-sixth birthday, disaster struck. I awoke exhausted, assuming it was from my weekend party, but when I headed to my sink,rge clots of blood poured out my mouth. I ignored it and went to work, and that was thest encounter of my previous life. My secretary imed that I passed out at the door of my office and awoke two weekster. I couldn¡¯t recognize myself. In the mirror, my handsome face that attracted women was a pile of grey and paleness. Worse, the physicians didn¡¯t know what was happening to me; they were just as clueless as I was. They made so many mistakes in diagnosing me that one treatment sent me into a two-weeka. They had previously diagnosed me with Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia, a type of umon white- cell malignancy. Where the bone marrow generates too many aberrant white blood cells, which crowd out healthy blood cells, resulting in cancer. The aberrant white blood cells create a protein that builds up in the blood, obstructing cirction and resulting in illness. But they were mistaken; the chemo they started giving me started altering my red blood cells by triggering the production of a protein that coated red blood cells, leading to the earlier mutant white cells assaulting the red cells. They changed their stance and diagnosed me with Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AHA) where a person generated molecules that cause their own body to destroy red blood cells (RBCs), resulting in anemia (low hemoglobin), although my hemoglobin was normal. While my bone marrow was busy making a lot of white cells, I was also making a lot of red blood cells to rece the ones that had been killed. How that was possible, they had no idea. I hired all of the world¡¯s greatest scientists and offered them all of the money in the world if they could solve the enigma. However, whatever they did backfire and worsened the problem. They first removed the spleen in the hopes that a new one would take over the task of removing the damaged RBCs, but it was unable to keep up the mutation. They next transnted theplete bone marrow, which was the source of all blood cells, but that just elerated the mutation. It was as though the cells were being given a fresh environment to mutate and attack each other in. They had no idea where the mutated white cells or the proteins coating the RBCs were originating from.. We were back to square one, with no idea why various cells were attacking one another or why certain cells were surviving the attack. Lastly, they tried transnting the heart, but the cells moved and began multiplying in the heart, just as they had in the bone marrow. That¡¯s when hell started because the heart pumped blood to all of the body¡¯s or*ans. The lungs were severely damaged, which is why I got clots every time I coughed. All of the transnts I had over the course of a year simply served to spread the infection to every or*an in my body. Every option I¡¯d tried ended in tragedy. I had fired so many brilliant doctors and scientists that I lost track of. Sadly, all of my ¡°friends¡± stopped visiting me. They must have grown impatient waiting for my recovery, but then again. I wasn¡¯t giving them thevish lifestyle that I used to. I became a pile of boring grey mess. They couldn¡¯t milk me any longer since I was devoting all of my funds to discovering a cure. I realized I¡¯d never had friends, and I¡¯d never woken up with fresh flowers alongside my bed like normal sick people. My secretary¡¯sst flowers had begun to dry but I instructed the nurse not to remove them. They reminded me that my life was a lie and that every smile I had ever received was a ruse to get my money. All my life I had surrounded myself with fake people, vultures that only used me for the status I provided. Even the women that lined up to pleasure me disappeared. Rumors were that I had something contagious that scientists could not figure out. They did not want to catch it even if it meant losing contact with me. Or me dying alone. I guess my money could not keep them. The money that could not save me ironically. All of the or*an transnts came at the expense of people who needed it more than I did. People who would have. lived for decades if I hadn¡¯t cut the line because of my financial status. I guess I was being punished for my sins by the big man upstairs. No Rich man can buy life. That was my lesson. I was diagnosed with an incurable, unknown disease that was abination of cancer and anemia but without symptoms. The scientists were forced to name it after me, Brendan Fraser Autoimmune Macroglobulinemia BFAM. I became resentful, and hospitals became my home, but I had to return home because I could not stand the scent. I desired a peaceful death. The pointless condition was taking its toll on me, and the doctors could only conclude that the new cells could no longer keep up with the mutation. After hearing that the experts had failed and that I was dying, there were numerous requests for me to hand over or sell mypany. Visitors began to flood my home, there were slews ofwyers approaching me, requesting that I sign a will or liquidate my business. Charity organizations, politicians, and business rivals all rushed to offer fake prayers, but I chased them all away. There I was all alone in a house that used to host hundreds of people dying, a cylinder of oxygen and a blood transfusion pack attached, watching myself deteriorate. I called my doctors, It had already been two years with no hope. They finally gave me a number, I had only a month to live. I fired them all since they were useless to me, and I started counting down the days until my death. I had unlimited funds but no time to search for a cure or treatment. Time had abandoned me, leaving me tonguish in my illness. alone. But in the previous year, I had often considered killing myself; I was determined not to let fate prevail, but I never had the courage until I heard about the one-month deadline. That was my motivation for scaling the bridge: to beat the clock and determine my fate. ¡°So, Thalia, would you rather wait until you were a pile of bones and die painfully slowly or would you jump and die quickly, beating the clock?¡± I inquired of her. 8 8 Thaly alia¡¯s Pov Unlike him, who had busted outughing after my narration, I just starred at him, speechless. Despite the fact that he was a stranger, his narrative had a profound effect on me. I reached out and took his hand; he was a man who was betrayed by time, and neither money nor power could save him. Ished a tear for him, and I strangely forgot about my sh*tty existence. I had all the time in the world, but as he stated, Icked the brain in cells to make the most of it. He shoved my hand away and began yelling obscenities at me, demanding to know what was wrong with me. He was a jerk and a very wealthy jerk at that. ¡°This is not a group therapy session for you to feel sorry for me; I do not want your sympathy,¡± he said before rising and causing the bridge to sway slightly. He began staring down the bridge saying. ¡°Your silly sympathy will not fix or modify my predicament; keep it for hell; remember, we have suicides to conduct.¡± he coldly stated. 1 figured he didn¡¯t want to talk about his condition. He didn¡¯t want mypassion; yes, we were course. Yes Brandon lived a life of immorality but he never hurt one, it was another case of good people getting their lives sh*tted on. ¡°So you have cancer?¡± I cleared my throat. ¡°It could be cancer, autoimmune disease, anemia, or abination of the above. At one point the doctors thought it was AIDS. In a nutshell, I have all the diseases in the world, it¡¯s a miracle I¡¯m standing next to you,¡± he joked. I stared at him speechless. He turned to face me and remarked, ¡°You see how I could do anything to switch with you?¡± I maintained my silence. ¡°Yes, you are a m*ron, but I would relocate to a small town and apply for a restaurant job, allowing time to heal my insanity,¡± he continued. ¡°It¡¯s not that simple,¡± I said, which elicited a chuckle from him as he turned away. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re correct, so let¡¯s vote who gets to jump first,¡± he suggested. I quickly walked to where he was standing and joined him, ¡°but wait a minute, I haven¡¯t asked you any questions?¡± He responded. ¡°Because you were too busy feeling sorry for me and getting all emotional.¡± ¡°Okay, where is your money, and did you hand over yourpany?¡± I asked. ¡°Are you interested in it? Would you reconsidermitting suicide if I gave you my wealth?¡± he inquired, a genuine smile on his face. As I stammered, I stepped back a little, nearly chewing off my tongue. ¡°I¡­you¡­just didn¡¯t say what you did¡­ with yourpany, I¡¯m only curious¡± I responded. ¡°And why didn¡¯t the board outsit you or something?¡± Heughed and told me to rx. ¡°uses, Thalia, uses,¡± he said as he pulled out his phone he said. ¡°I¡¯m taking mypanies to my grave, or should I say down the bridge.¡± I drew closer to him, startled. ¡°My money will be locked away in various countries overseas, where no one will be able to get their filthy paws on it,¡± he added. ¡°Why?¡± I inquired. ¡°Because it¡¯s my f**king money? he said. I stared at him, my mouth wide open, ¡°What about charitable organizations that help a lot of kids, or donating to a research facility in your honor to find a cure or treatment for whatever it is you have?¡± I proposed while clinging to his arm. ¡°You have the potential to save a lot of lives in the future,¡± I cried out Irritated, he shoved me away. ¡°my money, my choice. The world is a bleak ce, and the next victim of this scourge should seek financial assistance elsewhere,¡± He responded, ¡°It is not my obligation to save anyone when one saved me or cared about me,¡± he added, his voice sad. I couldn¡¯t help but feel sad for him. I attempted to persuade him, but he was adamant. He had made up his mind; he had been nning his suicide and copsing of hispany for almost a year, and there was no way he could change this mind. But I tried a different approach, ¡°What happens to the thousands of people on your payroll, you are a heartless monster!¡± I yelled but he only smiled. ¡°You deserve the disease,¡± I said out without thinking and held my hands over my mouth. ¡°Why don¡¯t you donate your sh*ty money instead of talking about my money?¡± he screamed at me. I despised yelling because it reminded me of Josh and his constant verbal abuse. I bronzed my fingers and proceeded to y with them. I said, ¡°I don¡¯t have any money to donate.¡± He scoffed and averted his gaze. ¡°Ooh, I forgot your stup*d husband stole it from you,¡± he said. ¡°Perhaps you should go fight for it, take it, give it away, thene back here and kill yourself,¡± he continued coldly. I knew he was mean the moment I bumped into him, but his tone changed and worsened the moment he narrated his story. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said. I had no idea why I was apologizing, but it seemed appropriate. I hastily closed my eyes as he slowly turned, expecting a reprimand that never arrived. I could hear his footsteps approaching me, and as he drew closer, he grabbed my shoulders and held me. He addressed me ¡°Thalia,¡± and I replied. ¡°I¡¯m leaving all my wealth to you because you¡¯re so interested in my money or where it should go and what happens to my workers so I¡¯m dialing a line,¡± he continued. I sn*tched his phone from him and swiftly switched it off. ¡°Who are you calling?¡± ¡°Mywyer. I¡¯m changing the ns of sinking mypany to handing it over to you,¡± he replied. ¡°Are you a m*ron, and why would you do something like that?¡± ¡°Because I want to give it to you, you¡¯re right about me being heardless and taking everything with me,¡± he continued solemnly. ¡°I don¡¯t want it, so please donate it.¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t that why you¡¯re up here?¡± he inquired. I returned to my previous position without responding. ¡°Would you be up here if the judge gave you half of what your ex got?¡± he inquired. I just averted my gaze in embarrassment; I¡¯d be in my house, perhaps crying, but not here. Was I doubting and questioning myself. But I had discovered Josh¡¯s betrayal long before the divorce trial, and I had no intention of murdering myself. Even when all of thewyers declined to take my case or when mywyer stated that there was a good chance I wouldn¡¯t obtain anything. I clutched my head in shame and yelled at the top of my lungs sending Brandon intoughter. ¡°Shut up!¡± I screamed at him. ¡°You have nothing to lose if you take my money. Aside from that, another man wille along and grab it from you, and you¡¯ll end up back here,¡± he made a joke. His jokes were often harsh, but they had some truth, even if they stung. ¡°No, Brandon Fraser, I will not ept your money, and you will not persuade me otherwise,¡± I responded. He mockinglyughed, as if he was telling me that I was going to get the money whether I liked it or not. He rummaged through his pockets once more, pulling out a lunch bar and nibbled on it. It appeared he had a lot of sweets in his pockets. ¡°Do you mind if I have one?¡± I inquired. ¡°Yes I mind,¡± he replied. I took a seat next to him and attempted to grab it, thinking he was joking. ¡°Thalia, No, and what kind of a name is Thalia?¡± He inquired. I sighed and turned away, my arms folded in frustration. ¡°Just grab my money,¡± he said emphatically. ¡°Is that why you¡¯re not sharing the bar with me?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± he replied. ¡°Why do you want to give me your money when you were adamant about taking it to your grave just a minute ago?¡± I inquired He requested me to gaze into his eyes as he turned to face me. I hesitated before turning. He said, ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to jump today 1 los ked my gaze on him, he was expecting me to affirm that I, too, had backed out, but I remained silent. He had made me reconsider my decision already, of the two of us, he had every right to jump, and even if he didn¡¯t, he would die anyhow On the other hand, I had time. I was healthy, and I could put myself together and rehabilitate, but he had nothing. Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. He jolted me out of my reverie by suggesting. ¡°Let¡¯s postpone the suicide.¡± ¡°How to when How many days do you have?¡± With a smirk, he said. ¡°When the sun rises, I¡¯ll have exactly 29 days.¡± ¡°Oooh okay, what do you want us to do. I¡¯m not sleeping with you if it¡¯s your sex parties,¡± I muttered, hiding my chest. 1 had earlier noted his focus on my chest area on a few asions sit ce I stepped on the bridge but I had ignored it. 9 9 Brandon¡¯s Pov I stared at her as she covered her chest in irritation. I found it adorable and burst outughing. I moved away, my chest felt heavy, and I coughed loudly,rger clots pouring out, but I simply wiped my mouth. The brainless girl was going to kill me withughter. She managed to make meugh more than anyone has in years. in less than an hour. I was always a serious person, even before I got sick, never had light moments or entertained jokes As tears streamed down my face. I took a deep breath and calmed down. ¡°Thalia. let me make it clear to you, you are too foolish to be my type. I stated straight faced as I stepped closer to her and grabbed her shoulder With a roll of her eyes, she shoved my hand away ¡°Then what were you proposing?¡± she inquired quietly, a hint of disappointment in her voice if I was correct or was I overthinking it But her notion of onest sex party as a sort of farewell wasn¡¯t half awful. But then I¡¯d have to confront all those traitors I used to consider friends. Just thinking about it made me grind my teeth ¡°Brandon¡¯ Brandon''¡± She jolted me out of my trance ¡°Oooh, unlike you, who¡¯s considering having sex. I. on the other hand, I¡¯d like to make a suggestion. With a clear throat. I responded. ¡°I want to have fun, onest time.¡± ¡°How she asked. ¡°You said you wouldn¡¯t take my money, but what if I gave you your own?¡± I inquired, my eyes wide with anticipation. She looked at me, puzzled, and attempted to speak, but I covered her lips with my hand. I always got irritated when someone cut me off while I was speaking. ¡°An Idea came to me when you were ordering me to donate my money.¡± I remarked ¡°Let¡¯s be honest, you¡¯re up here because you have nothing. What if I assisted you in reiming everything?¡± I inquired as she remained motionless. That was something I knew she wasn¡¯t expecting me to say. ¡°I¡¯m ten times wealthier and more powerful than your jerk of a husband, and I can easily take him down in less than a month,¡± I continued. Because my arm was around her. I could feel her trembling as she turned to face me, so I helped her take a seat cautiously before she toppled over the bridge. Thest thing we wanted was her tumbling over. ¡°Why would you do such a thing? You¡¯re joking, right? She stumbled over her words. ¡°Because you made meugh,¡± I said, smiling. Her eyes welled up as she gazed at me. ¡°But why would you waste yourst days on a brainless girl?¡± ¡°Stop asking silly questions, remember, you¡¯re the reason I¡¯m not jumping. You disturbed my suicide. I¡¯m looking for a new activity. ¡°No, no, no, no, and no, no, no, no, no,¡± she cried out. ¡°Are you jumping. Thalia?¡± I enquired. She remained silent and began to y with her nails. ¡°Thalia It¡¯s single 1 assist you in destroying your useless hubby. You get your money, which you can donate if you wish, and if you wish, you cane back here and jump. What have you got to lose?¡± ¡°And what are you going to get out of it?¡± ¡°Laughter? I haven¡¯t had fun in years. I want to dieughing.¡± I said. She continued, perplexed ¡°Wasn¡¯t it supposed to be about beating the clock?¡± she asked. ¡°Time is irrelevant, this is fate Th, you didn¡¯te up here to jump, but to meet me, and neither did 1,¡± I said. trying to reason with her Anyone in her position would be jumping up and down and kissing me all over, but she seemed perplexed by my gesture. I lifted my hand and smacked the back of her head hard. ¡°Ouch!¡± She screamed, her head bowed. ¡°What was the point of that?¡± ¡°Because of your folly. I¡¯m providing you the opportunity to avenge yourself. Consider your father: he¡¯d be turning in his grave if he saw you turn down the chance to reim what is rightfully yours!¡± Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°Quiet! You are aplete stranger who has no right to mention my father.¡± ¡°He¡¯s probably rolling in his grave, humiliated by you!¡± I spat it out. She abruptly turned and pped me across the face. It was a cold night, which made the p even more painful. My heart began to race and blood began to flow from my nostrils. In shock, she held her mouth. ¡°Oh my G*d, I¡¯m so sorry, are you okay? She began wiping my nose, she inquired. ¡°Brandon, can you please say something?¡± I went on to stare at her, she shouted out. She started screaming and panicking, perhaps fearing I was going to die and fall. That would not be a bad option, but the woman in front of me waspletely ineffective. I had no idea why I was proposing that I take what her ex-husband had taken from her. What was the benefit to me? I didn¡¯t care about her, but I feltpelled to save her in the back of my mind. ¡°Brandon please say something, Brandon?¡± She sobbed. ¡°Look at me, Thalia, I swiftly seized her hands in mine. I gave her a firmmand in a loud voice. ¡°Yes,¡± she replied. ¡°We take down Josh Nelson, finish him, and then donate everything to charity. Then we can return here if we still feel empty and want to jump.¡± She began by addressing me but I cut her off. ¡°We have nothing to lose, I murmured as I tried to stand up, but my energy had been sapped by her p. ¡°Don¡¯t just sit there and help me up,¡± I said. She helped me to my feet and inquired whether I was okay. ¡°Deal or no deal, Thalia, remember that I only have 29 days left and no time to waste,¡± I said as I started walking away, hoping she was going to follow me but there was silence, no signs nor footprints 10 10 Thalia¡¯s Pov As he began walking away, I felt a shiver run down my spine; he was serious about taking Josh down. But why was that? He had certainly never met him before. Why would he waste his time on someone he didn¡¯t know? Then I remembered that he didn¡¯t have time, he wanted something to upy his mind or pass the little time. I hurriedly sn*tched up my stic bag and trailed behind him. He posed after noticing that I was following him. He turned slowly and reached into his pockets, pulling out a lunch bar and hurling it at me. As I sn*tched it, I scowled; he was clearly a high-ss jerk. He took out his phone, turned on the shlight, and led the way. ¡°Watch your step, this area of the bridge is dangerous,¡± he said. ¡°What is the n?¡± I inquired. ¡°I¡¯m parked down there as I mentioned earlier,¡± he exined. His tone had changed; he was calmer, if not enthusiastic, but not in a lively way. I gently made my way across the bridge until it was time to descend. From the cliff to the main road, there was quite a drop. I had to toss my stic down and began climbing down with my back facing the ground. The jerk couldn¡¯t even assist me even though I was wearing a skirt; he just stood there staring and pointing the meaningless flush at me. ¡°Stop pointing the flush at me, you m*ron!¡± I yelled at him. He remained silent, though, and continued to disy the foolish flush. I was down swiftly and irritably took up my stic. I swear I wanted to punch him in the face and break his skull, but I restrained myself. I wasn¡¯t going to grant him his request so easily, he was already a walking corpse. He smirked, turned, and walked to the car, I took a deep breath. He wasn¡¯t worth it. I told myself. His car was parked only a few meters away, and when I saw it, I halted as a wave of anxiety swept over me. Doubts began to creep into my mind: what if his story was fabricated? What if Josh paid him to embarrass me? Everything seemed to be too nice to be true. He grabbed a stone and mmed the front window, sending shivers up my spine. He shouted, ¡°Ooh sorry, I previously chucked the keys down the river!¡± as he continued to break in. In minutes, he was discreetly seated in the passenger seat; he didn¡¯t bother summoning me, he knew I was pondering whether or not to join him. He sat there waiting for me to make a decision. A small voice at the back of my mind assured me that it was not a fake. Maybe I was giving Josh too much credit; there was no way he could have paid a sick man to deceive me. Brandon. appeared genuinely ill, and no amount of acting or makeup could have made him look that way. I noticed a tree branch to my left and hastily pulled on it, splitting a section. I would surely plunge it in his heart if he was a phony and working with Josh. Then go after Josh and his sk*nk. Brandon was absolutely correct about one thing. I gave up far too easily. I hurriedly walked to the car with the stick in my hand, he peered up at me then at the stick I was carrying. ¡°Were you going to hit me with that?¡± he chuckled. ¡°Very soon, very soon,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s freezing, get in, you¡¯re driving?¡± he said, feigning a smile. I looked at him, puzzled. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve never driven a car before!¡± He inquired, his brows furrowed, I rolled my eyes and got inside the car, making sure toy my caution stick close to me. I bent down, cut the wires, and the car started with a smidgeon of spark. He pped, clearly impressed. He gave me a destination and for the first mile, we drove quietly. I turned around and to my surprise, he was sleeping: I stared at him, dubious. I slowed down and stopped in the middle of nowhere taking my phone out. I needed to be sure, so I quickly typed Brandon Fraser into my search engine. Hundreds, if not thousands, of images and stories about him, abound.. Ifroze when I saw his shirtless images; he wasn¡¯t horrible, okay he was definitely hot like super hot, at least he was back then. I told myself to concentrate while Ibed through his articles. The jerk was filthy rich, like ten times what Josh got from me, but I noticed that the majority of the articles were over two years old. Probably about the time he became ill and droped out of the public eye. After that, all articles were rumors and spections regarding his whereabouts, with ims that he was dead before his illness was revealed, even though the articles imed to be guessing. It was as if he had paid or sued several individuals to keep things quiet. I was about to start reading an article when he turned and opened his eyes. I hastily tossed my phone into the glovepartment and resumed driving. ¡°What made youe to a halt?¡± he inquired. ¡°I was scratching my head,¡± I replied, unsure what to say. ¡°I hope you enjoyed what you were reading, he scoffed. He turned and added, ¡°I was pretty gorgeous back then. I had no idea how he knew I was looking up information on him. I assumed he was sleeping. I remained silent without responding. I stepped on the throttle and rushed away it was alreadyte, our destination was three hours away At the very least, his story seemed to match several publications, albeit not in a clear image, but it had some truth. I chose to focus on the road ahead, but I kept an eye on him in case he stopped breathing or did something stup*d. I could only imagine the articles if he died in the car with me; I¡¯d be dered guilty on the spot. There were red gs all over the ce, a woman loses everything in her divorce and murders a dying billionaire. Just thinking about that made me snort. After three hours, I was soon at the beach house; I wasn¡¯t sure if it was the right one, but it was stunning and huge, my father had one simr but we had neighbors. This one was built all alone and secluded from civilization. It was 4 a.m. as I looked at my watch. I called out his name but got no response. I shook his hand twice but received no response. I leaped to my feet and ced my fingers on his neck. He suddenly leaped up, as if he was experiencing a nightmare. I could only assume my hands were chilly.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What the hell is going on here?¡± he asked. ¡°I assumed you were dead,¡± I said. He looked at me and then around and said ¡°Oh, we¡¯re here, why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡± He pushed me away and got out of the car without looking back. I suppose he expected me to follow him. I took my stic bag and stick and exited the car, exhausted. ¡°Do you prefer to be alone? And who permitted you to install an electric fence on the beach?¡± I enquired. He remarked, ¡°This is my dumb beach, it¡¯s private property.¡± He ced his face on some mirror thing, to my shock the gate had facial recognition to detect his face. He had set his house up so that nobody was supposed to get into it. He then entered a code which was followed by a shrieking sound. ¡°What was that?¡± I asked, scared. He responded with a smile that he had just disarmed a bomb and ordered me to drive the car inside. ¡°Are you saying that if anyone had tresp*ssed, the bomb would have been detonated?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± he confirmed. I froze as I watched him enter the house; I knew I was dealing with a psychopath, but it was toote to turn back. Before apanying him into the home, I strolled to the car and drove it in. He asked to follow him and stated, ¡°We¡¯ll talk about everything when we get some rest.¡± I noticed that the interior waspletely white and had a hospital-like odor. I could only assume the house was his mini private hospital. He entered a stunning luxury bedroom through a door he opened and threw himself on the bed, saying. ¡°I¡¯ll take the left side, you take the right.¡± I moved back a bit, p*ssed. ¡°We are not sharing a bed! We¡¯re not a couple!¡± I screamed at him, speechless by the insult. ¡°Okay, then, take the sofa,¡± he replied. ¡°This is a massive property, what about the rest of the house?¡± ¡°The other rooms are on the other side, I¡¯m sick,¡± he stated as he pulled himself into a seated position. ¡°What if I start choking on my clots and choke to death?¡± I just stared at him, waiting for him to finish his theory. You¡¯ll have a hard time excusing yourself if I die, so go to sleep but keep an eye on me.¡± he ordered. What happened to your nurses and doctors?¡± He moved to lie on the bed and said. ¡°I fired them, now quit asking dumb questions, I need my sleep. As I nced at the massive sofa in the corner, I was taken aback. I walked up to it and sat down, cursing myself for following a psychopathic stranger who could die at any second.. 11 11 Josh¡¯s Pov I got up early and headed to my father¡¯s house. I didn¡¯t want to leave my beautiful lovely wife to be in bed, but I had no choice. Dad needed to speak with me. I assumed it had something to do with my mother. Years of preparation and maniption paid off, and the results were even better than we had nned. We pulled off the greatest theft ever. If only she was in the right mind to witness it. We went in looking for lemons but ended up with oranges. When I arrived at my father¡¯spound, he was waiting at the gate, like a father awaiting the return of a son who had gone to fight for his country and whom he hadn¡¯t seen in years. He was unable to attend Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. the final divorce court hearing, but I informed him as soon as the judge read out the lovely luby. He dashed for me and embraced me in joy as soon as I opened the car door. He murmured, his eyes. yearly, ¡°I knew you could do it, son.¡± He said. ¡°I never, ever doubted you.¡± Nothing in the world made a man happier than a proud father, so I kept his smile and hugged him tightly. To be honest, I was against the notion when he proposed taking down thete Charles Nashi and his daughter. I told him to ept his losses and move on. Grudges passed down through generations inevitably ended in tragedy. I had no intention of joining his vendetta, but when my mother¡¯s health and life were jeopardized, I felt I had no choice but to ede to his ns and return what was taken from us. My mother, like my father, always enjoyed a life of luxury; my father, Victor Nelson, was a major inventor in medical devices, but his idiotic best friend, Thalia¡¯s father, chose topete with him. outshining our gadgets and bankrupting us. We were on the verge of bing homeless, and Mom was the hardest hit; she couldn¡¯t handle the shame and turned to alcohol and drugs to cope, sealing her mind. I saw her deteriorate from a sessful entrepreneur to an alcoholic old rug. Despite all of our efforts, she rpsed, and every time I saw her, my blood boiled causing me to be even more determined to eliminate the enemies who had put her into mncholy. ¡°How is she?¡± I posed the question. He took me inside, saying, ¡°She was asking for you.¡± He continued, ¡°Did Jessica agree tobine the two parties? ¡°We¡¯re talking about Jessica,¡± I joked, ¡°and she¡¯s still upset at me for even mentioning it,¡± I answered, making himugh. ¡°She is a woman of high test,¡± he replied. We got to the door, instead of opening it, he paused and put his hand on my shoulder, hist countenance solemn, He was about to say something I didn¡¯t like, that much I could tell. ¡°This is your final visit to her in this house,¡± he said, ¡°I¡¯m going to put her in a decent home tomorrow.¡± My face froze, he was hallucinating, we had unlimited funds to hire the greatest specialist to look after her, and we had already discussed it. I pushed his hand away from my shoulder and entered the room, leaving him at the door. Mom jumped up with excitement as soon as I went in. ¡°Josh, are you back from school?¡± she asked, hugging me tightly. With questioning eyebrows, I looked at my father. who was standing at the door. He began, ¡°She keeps rewinding her memory to eleven or twelve years ago back and forth. Josh, we need to ce her in a facility that specializes in caring for people like her.¡± ¡°We need to recruit more specialists, professionals who can work from home, we have all the money in the world,¡± I exined. ¡°What happened to Thalia, Josh? When is she going to deliver those chocte cookies?¡± mum inquired, interrupting us. It seemed her memory had moved up some years. Dad and I froze, even though she adored the chocte cookies, she despised Thalia and never addressed her by her given name. ¡°Mom, please take a seat,¡± I stated ¡°No. I¡¯d like Thalia to bring the cookies to me,¡± she insisted. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll ask her toe with them tomorrow,¡± I responded as she swiftly moved over to the window, ¡°She¡¯ll stand in front of that window until her legs give out; it¡¯s time tomit her to a facility. She¡¯ll never be the same,¡± Dad stated. go ¡°I¡¯m not going to put my mother in an institution! If you want to have sex with your idiot secretary. ahead and marry her, but I¡¯m not giving up on Mom!¡± I screamed, my rage audible in my voice. He clearly desired to be free of her and take the next t that became avable. Even before mom went downhill, he couldn¡¯t keep his zip closed. I used to think it was his infidelity, not our financial difficulties, that was to me for mom¡¯s condition. To be honest I inherited that promiscuous life. though I tamed it when my eyes set on Jessica. I nned to keep it that way. ¡°Remember, son, you¡¯re marrying Jessica; it¡¯s a new chapter in your life; embrace it.¡± ¡°So you want me to abandon my mother? Remember, we took INC biotech so that everything can go back to normal,¡± I cautioned. He sighed and walked away as if pondering something; he was so selfish; he was supposed to be throwing a party to celebrate the takeover, but instead, he was ruining my morning. ¡°You better get ready, the celebration starts in a few hours. But keep in mind that if you want to live with Jessica, you¡¯ll need to have your mother institutionalized,¡± he said and walked out of the room. I took a deep breath and walked up to the window where Mom was standing. I had no intention of putting her in an institution; I had given up my life to reim everything we had lost so that we might never be parted. I put my hands on her shoulders, but she pushed me away and asked who I was. Alcohol-induced dementia, that was the bed she hadid herself for. She took a seat in a corner and began ying with her nails. Dad was correct in one respect; we had indeed lost her, but I was not yet ready to abandon her even though she was a reflection of what she used to be. 12 12 Brandon¡¯s Pov I awoke with tremors in my hands, which I believe was caused by my body being stressed the day before. I managed to force myself into a seated position with the little energy I had left, causing me excruciating pain. Every bone in my body felt like it was being dragged across the concrete. I winced in pain, cursing the g*d who had given me such fate. When I peered across the room, I noticed the fragile creature that had thwarted my carefully nned suicide. She was dozing and her legs were strewn on my pricey leather sofa. I went to die but returned with new baggage. ¡°That¡¯s fantastic,¡± I told myself. I tried calling her name but couldn¡¯t remember it; I bit my lower lip. attempting to recall her strange name but came up empty-handed. To be honest, I¡¯d always had a thing for not recalling the girls I brought over to my other houses. The rule was to sleep with them and toss them over for the next one but this was the first girl I brought over without sleeping with her. In fact she was the first girl I brought to this particr house. My secret hideout, my heaven. I nced about for something to hurl at her, but all I saw were pillows that were too soft for me to toss and hit the other end of the room. She was a terrible sleeper, she slept like a toddler and it was no surprise that her dumb husband abandoned her. I only had one choice left: I turned around and looked for my house system control, hoping it was nearby. I noticed it on my left drawer and pressed a button that turned the entire room into a disco with loud music. She leaped out of bed as if she had been drenched and inserted her fingers into her ears, peering at me in disbelief. I switched it off after exactly one minute of waiting. ¡°What is your name?¡± I inquired, my tone harsh. Her hair was messy, her eyes tired from the sleep that I had just interrupted, but she had a look of surprise on her face as she slowly removed her fingers from her ears. ¡°Thalia,¡± she said. ¡°Oooh, Thalia, a Greek name, get me a wheelchair. I have to go to the bathroom,¡± I said, startling her even more. I directed my finger to the wheelchair that was near the door. She turned to face me after staring at the wheelchair. ¡°If I sh*t on this bed, you¡¯ll clean me up and wipe my butt.¡± I joked. As if her life depended on it, she dashed to the entrance and grabbed the wheelchair. She moved a little and ced it near the bed. I locked my gaze on her and raised my arms, suggesting that I wanted assistance getting into the wheelchair. ¡°But¡­¡± she tried to protest but couldn¡¯t. She stepped closer to the bed and attempted to move me, but she was unsessful the first time. Her hand was as small as a toddler¡¯s and she was meatless.. I¡¯m sure her husband used to starve her to death or something. Her boobs were the only huge thing on her body, which I continued ncing at while she tried to move me again. I was curious as to howrge they were if she took off her ugly sweatshirt. She came to a halt and locked eyes with me for a little moment. I thought she had caught me staring for a second, but I needed to move quickly. ¡°How long has it been since youst had a bath?¡± I inquired, solemnly. She quickly let go of me, embarrassed, and moved away, attempting to catch her foul odor. I sighed bund motioned for her to move closer, afte, which I climbed into the wheelchair using her body as a Astair. As I pointed to my left and pressed a button, I said, ¡°Take me to the restroom.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this not an electric chair?¡± she inquired. I mmed the wheelchair down and became enraged. ¡°What happens if it gets stuck, throws me off, or electrocutes me?¡± She looked at me puzzled, and unlikest night, she was quieter. I had noticed when I woke her up, she had looked around the room, and I could only guess she wanted to get out of the house. ¡°I¡¯d like you to help me sit on the toilet seat,¡± I said in a calm voice. ¡°Why can¡¯t you rehire your old staff? And you were walking perfectly fine yesterday,¡± she replied. ¡°Thalia My illness has mood swings, one minute I will be fine and the next minute I will be bedridden and I¡¯ve just gotten tired,¡± I replied. ¡°And I won¡¯t be able to hire my former workers back, but I¡¯ll look for new ones.¡± She paused for a moment before wheeling me to the restroom. I was nning on making her take Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. down my pants, but I felt I was pushing her too much. I instructed her to stand by the door in case something happened. She looked at me once more, her face full of doubts. ¡°You won¡¯t hear or smell anything because the toilet is soundproof and has an automated air freshener system,¡± I remarked as I shut the door. I knew she wasn¡¯t concerned about that; her expression was that of someone who wanted out of our agreement butcked thenguage to express it to me. To be honest, I wasn¡¯t sure if I was sane when I promised her that I would bring down her ex-husband. We were two people who nned tomit suicide but changed our mindsst minute, and I made a foolish pledge to her. The sleep allowed us to contemte; suicide thoughts lingered in the back of our minds, and we had no idea when the guts would return. After I finished, I sat on the toilet seat, pondering my next move. I was certain that when I opened the door, I would not find her, which I didn¡¯t mind at first, but then I remembered that I would be left alone. That was my fear when I first became ill, and it was always my fear. When I woke up and saw her in my room, I guess I grinned; that¡¯s why I brought her to the house, not to help her, but to keep mepany for the rest of my days. Her idiocy made meugh after so many years. Yes, I was going to do everything I could to get her anything from her husband aspensation, possibly everything, but I needed her. I quickly rose from my seat and opened the door, confirming my concerns that she was not there. My heart sk*pped a beat as I dashed inside my room to discover it was empty; both her stic bag and stick had vanished. I hurriedly grabbed my tablet; all of the rooms in the house were equipped with cameras, and there was no way she could have gotten out of the house, particrly if she had used the left door. I started scrolling through the rooms one by one and behold, I located her in the West wing, lost as far as I could tell. Only I knew which doors led to the outside of the house, the house was a cube of doors. To be honest, I was relieved that she was alive and well in the house. I could tell she was worried and desperately calling out my name, but I was a jerk. I tossed the iPad on the bedside table and sat down in preparation for a lengthy bath. My dying body needed a bath in my pricey bath tablets. My new best friend was not going anywhere. Perhaps she required more time to reconsiderher decision to reject my offer, or perhaps she needed more motivation. Yes, I was being selfish by keeping her here, but I was also assisting her in her retention. I pulled out my phone and dialed a number, giving the man, who was startled to hear my voice, explicit instructions, and an address. I swiftly wired thousands of dors into his ount once he took the job. With a smile, I walked to the bathroom full of life. Thalia¡¯s Pov 13 13 I knew he was going to take long in the restroom, so I took advantage of the opportunity and fled. I knew it was wrong but staying in the house with him was a bad idea, to begin with. I dashed back into the room, grabbed my stic bag, stick, and bolted out. ¡°Taking Josh down?¡± I snorted. Brandon had a good probability of dropping dead at any given second but then what? Was I going to continue alone with the revenge? Those were the questions running in my head. Yes I was a coward, a stup*d coward. His first idea of moving to a small town and starting all over was not a bad idea. When I epted his offer, I waspletely out of my mind. I kept running after opening the door to my left. I couldn¡¯t recall how we got in earlier, but I knew I was on the right track. I just recalled passing through one room before entering his master bedroom. I went through another door and was only met with arge empty white room without windows. A room that I did not recall us passing, I was definitely lost. I chose to go back the way I came. I retraced my steps, but when I opened the door, I entered another room, it was smaller in sizepared to the first one. It was surrounded by four doors. It was like my mind was ying games on me, I definitely was lost because I could not recall anything, nor was I in such a rush to notice. I was lost and I didn¡¯t know which door to go through, so I guessed; I was running out of time. Brandon was going to find me soon. I went right and ended up in a long corridor. It appeared to be going somece, so I dashed through it, which led to two doors. Something wasn¡¯t quite right in the stup*d house, so I paused to gather my breath. I chose the left door, which took me into another white room with four doors but no windows. It appeared like I was back at square one, but to be sure, I went through the same door as before, but instead of ending up in a corridor, I found myself in arger white room with no windows. I went back and chose the middle door, which led to a long flight of stairs. I dashed back and opened another door, which led to a ss-enclosed room. I began panicking. ¡°Brandon?¡± I screamed out in the hopes that he would hear me, but everything was silent. As my anxiety held me, negative ideas began filling my mind. I had no idea whether to move forward or backward. I took a deep breath in and reminded myself to rx; there was no reason to be rmed. I chose the door with the stairwell because the stairs always went to a lower level and then to an exit. I virtually sprinted down the white stairwell. The stairs dashed along the entire length of a street. At first, I was counting but stopped when I became tired. It was then that I realized I made the wrong decision choosing the stairs. But I¡¯d gone too far to turn back; I needed to finish the stairs; I was sweating, exhausted, and disoriented; tears were streaming down my cheeks like a little girl. After what felt like an eternity, I arrived at the top of thest step, but to my surprise, it was another white room with four doors and no windows. I began panicking as my heart began racing. I dropped my stic bag and stick. ¡°Brandon, Brandon, Brandon, Brandon, Brandon, Brandon, Brandon, Brandon, Brandon!¡± I screamed, but all I heard was the echo of my voice. I started pounding on the walls and screaming his name. Why wasn¡¯t heing for me? He should have realized I was missing? Maybe he died in the toilet, I reasoned, it was the only exnation why wasn¡¯t looking for me. If that was the case, I¡¯d be lost in F the silly house for the rest of my life. The thought made me even more panicked, and I proceeded to m my fists against the walls and cry his name, but to no avail. I was the most pitiful human being on the face of the earth, worthless and a fool. As I sank to the floor, defeated, and continued crying, I thought to myself, ¡°What wrong did Imit in my past life?¡± My hands were swollen and bruised from banging on the walls and I was fatigued. I just sat there crying and pulled into the fetal position. I knew I would perish from starvation; a human can only survive for eight to twenty-one days without food, but only three to seven days without water. I had no choice except to conserve my energy and hope Brandon was looking for me and not dead. I¡¯m not sure how or how long I slept off, but I did and was only jolted awake by a flushing noise. I slowly opened my eyes and raised my head, from the corner of my eyes the walls appeared to be shifting. I hurriedly rose to my feet, only to be surprised when the walls turned into a cinema screen. As the screen continued to flush, I looked around perplexed, to hear beautiful music and chatter. A video began ying on all four walls. I didn¡¯t understand what was going on, but I watched the video. It appeared like there was a party going on until I heard a familiar voice: Josh, dressed up in a tuxedo and clutching Jessica as if his life depended on it. He was greeting the attendees of what appeared to be avish celebration. There were notable faces. present, ones I had grown up with and could name by name. Victor Nelson, his father, grabbed a microphone and started apuding his son for all of his aplishments, or should I say thefts. The crowd erupted in apuse as a new logo appeared on the room¡¯s walls; thepany, my look around, all I saw was Josh¡¯s smile. What exactly was going on? Why was I watching the video? Then it dawned on me: it was Brandon, stup*d Brandon. He had been watching me all along. That m*ronic sociopath on the verge of death. I screamed at the top of my lungs and flung one of my shoes at the screen. Then Josh¡¯s voice drew my attention once more as he introduced thepany¡¯s new name. It seemed like I was reliving the court case. ¡°Gentex group ofpanies,¡± he dered, freezing my entire body. The crowd apuded as he turned to kiss Jessica passionately. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. Was Brandon torturing me or was he friends with Josh? ¡°Please G*d no,¡± I screamed. I dashed to the nearest door, which was locked. I dashed to the second, third, and fourth floors, but all of them were locked. ¡°Brandon Please open the doors, Brandon!¡± I cried out as gigantic images of Josh and Jessica kissing. paused in front of me. ¡°Please stop, you imed you were my friend, why are you doing this?¡± I sobbed. But there was no response; I was covered in mucus and tears, and I was unable to take in the sights in front of me that appeared to be circling me. I¡¯m not sure whether I was hallucinating, but Jessica and Josh both turned around and startedughing at me. ¡°No, no, no,¡± I closed my eyes and covered my ears, and knelt into a fetal position. My heart started racing, and I felt as if my entire body was clinging to it. I started to feel like I was suffocating, my chest was closing up on me making it difficult for me to breathe. I attempted to move but was too weak. Thest thing I remember seeing was absolute LliMIIXI 1o darkness before Ipletely shut down. 14 14 Josh¡¯s Pov Despite my father¡¯s best efforts to ruin my night, everything was going ording to n. The party he threw for me was going without a hitch, and Jessica was by my side all night. All of the crucial people that needed to be there were there. I¡¯d made certain to rece all of Thalia¡¯s father¡¯s royal snitches with mine. There was nothing to be concerned about, and I had no sabotage to worry about. I utilized the party to rename thepany, as we were about to embark on a new chapter in a new biotech. The public despised the one-man show, but more than half of the shares belonged to me and my future children, and they were protected by uses that only I could amend. At the very least, myte father- inw taught me one thing. The idea made meugh. I felt a hand on my back and turned to see a gorgeous face dressed in a Luis Vuitton gown, her hair wrapped behind her back. Every male at the party was lusting after her. I was the guy on top of the world; I let them watch but not touch; she was mine, and at the end of at long night. I nned to bathe in between her legs while they all returned home to their freezing beds, imagining what it was like. ¡°Are things going as nned at the party?¡± Her voice was soothing to my ears as she inquired. ¡°More than I hoped.¡± I said while I ced a kiss on her cheeks. ¡°To be honest, I was expecting a public protest, but it appears that everyone is on board.¡± They all knew the Harvard nutcase was going to wreck thepany. You are the right man for the job, they all knew it was going to be you.¡± I burst outughing at her response. ¡°You gave them hope,¡± she added and kissed me passionately. I liked how she always continuously emphasized the importance of branding Thalia with Harvard; I suppose it was a subtle jab, but it worked. Harvard was a haven for brilliant minds, and the fact that Thalia had graduated from there was a p in the face. ¡°Anyway,¡± she replied solemnly, ¡°we need to talk.¡± ¡°About what?¡± I inquired, confused. She said, ¡°Sharon, your mother.¡± I turned around to see my father staring at us from the opposite side of the room, my face clenched up. I immediately realized he had spoken to Jessica behind my back. As I loosened my ball tie, anger welled up within me, and the room grew hot all of a sudden. Jessica had always made it in that she disliked my mother, which was why my father turned to her, hoping for her to change my mind. I had a good idea of what she was going to say next. ¡°You should put her in a facility,¡± without a care in the world, she dered simply. She was a no- nonsense individual who didn¡¯t like to mince words, she was always direct. I gritted my teeth and said, ¡°Can we talk about thister, now isn¡¯t the best time.¡± ¡°However, you opted to make your decision without informing me,¡± she replied, as she folded her arms in annoyance. ¡°I haven¡¯t made any decisions because mom is already staying with my father.¡± I responded in a stern voice. I was giving her all the signs that I didn¡¯t want to talk about the topic but she seemed like she was ready to wage war. We¡¯re getting married this weekend, Josh, and your father will most likely take one of his girlfriends to a resort or country, leaving your mother alone. Please don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re bringing her in to live. with us.¡± She inquired further. I gazed at her, irritated, as thoughts of Thalia asking me to bring my mother in with us after we married shed through my mind. Before I beganparing the two women, I hastily shoved the thoughts aside. I couldn¡¯t figure out why Thalia always appeared whenever I had a disagreement with Jessica. Maybe it was because she never disagreed with me, never fought me, talked back, or made me angry. She was a cardboard box that I couldmand to stop breathing if liked to, I guess I missed that. I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn¡¯t notice Jessica shouting my name. She finally caught. my attention by snapping her fingers over my face. ¡°Please don¡¯t ruin a perfect night, Jessica.¡± I said as I walked away. ¡°Josh, Josh, Josh!¡± she called out, but I ignored her. People started staring at her; she was simply garnering unwanted attention and giving the guests something to talk about. I guess I would be sleeping in a frigid bed tonight, just like most men, instead of the warm thighs I had envisioned. I noticed one of my board members standing in a corner, so I went over to him and we started talking about growth, anything to keep my mind from wandering. My father and Jessica had the intention of sabotaging my beautiful evening but I was not going to allow them. I was certain she was going to run crying to him; their obnoxious friendship was grating, to say the least. They always found a way to group up on me on anything I opposed. Before I could finish my contribution, I observed my father and a furious Jessica approaching me. ¡°Great,¡± I thought to myself as I excused myself from the party; they couldn¡¯t even wait for the party to end. They both trailed behind me as I marched directly to Dad¡¯s office, enraged. ¡°What the heck are you two up to?¡± I yelled at them. My veins were about to rupture out of my head. as my face turned red ¡°You couldn¡¯t wait for this lovely celebration to end!¡± ¡°Calm down, son,¡± Dad said. Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°No, you have no right to say that; it¡¯s entirely your fault. ¡°Before you and Jessica tie the knot, we need to make a decision,¡± he said andmanded me to take a seat with a high voice. I was enraged as I strode around the room, chucking my ball tie from my neck and tossing it to the floor. ¡°Believe me when I say that all I want for you is the best. I don¡¯t want you and Jessica fighting in the first week of your marriage,¡± he exined. ¡°Then keep m¨²m in your house; after all, you¡¯re not the one who does everything. The nurses are in charge of everything,¡± I responded. He signed and put his hands in his pockets, saying,¡± She has been in that condition for five years. I¡¯ve been with her through those five years. I stood by her and held on, but it¡¯s time to call it quits and get my own life.¡± he replied shamelessly. I turned to face Jessica after staring at him, puzzled. She shifted her gaze away from me. My father was the most shameless man I¡¯d ever met; the entire five years he had cheated on my mother over and over that I lost count of how many times I caught and confronted him. ¡°You may leave her if you want,¡± I replied, not wanting to debate. ¡°I¡¯m not abandoning her, Josh; I¡¯ll pay for the institution and visit her every day even if she does not recognize me.¡± ¡°Yes, Josh, we¡¯ll be going to see her every day,¡± Jessica finally responded. ¡°Would you want me to abandon you after only five years if this was our situation?¡± I asked her. ¡°Josh, that isn¡¯t the point; you¡¯ll be too preupied with setting up thepany as a result of this takeover. It won¡¯t matter if she lives in a home or lives with us. You will not have time to look after her.¡± she said as she walked over to me. ¡°All I want is a conducive home for my children to grow up.¡± she added. I was taken aback as I looked in my father¡¯s direction. ¡°I thought you said we should wait a year before starting a family.¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯ve changed my mind; we can start making one right now; you¡¯re right; we should have one sooner rather thanter.¡± I had no idea if she was bluffing or not, giving me confused feelings. As she drew closer to me in a seductive manner. I watched my father walk out of the room. ¡°This isn¡¯t a joke, Josh,¡± she said. ¡°We can try right now.¡± ¡°But you just signed a modeling contract?¡± I stammered. She unzipped me and pushed me onto the chair, saying, ¡°F**k it, Gentex needs heirs and not photos.¡± ¡°Jessica, the visitors?¡± As she knelt and roughly began stroking me, she whispered, ¡°We¡¯ll be very quiet.¡± I thought I was sleeping in a cold bed but that was not to be. What she stated was jumbling in my mind. I had always wished for children, I loved children but she had previously advised me to wait because her career was just beginning to take off. I¡¯m not sure if the prospect of moving in with my mother swayed her opinion, but I didn¡¯t care. Maybe she and my father were right, putting mom in an institution was not a bad idea. I¡¯d be paying. her visits and sending her flowers every day. As a wave of indescribable pleasure washed over me, I thought to myself. 15 15 Brandon¡¯s Pov I sat on my bed next to her watching her sleep like a baby, tired from the agony I had inflicted on her. I thought she was tough; all I wanted to do was remind her that she needed to fight for her birthright, and I figured that forcing her to watch her dumb husband happy and enjoying what was not his would give her the determination and will that she needed, but I was mistaken. I deserved to be a ss A jerk, so I moved aside a little, turned on my tablet, and went on to watch her foolish ex-husband being ckmailed with sex in order to put his mother in a m*ntal facility. Maybe the idiot wasn¡¯t as clever as I had supposed, and taking him out would be a piece of cake. I had instructed my man to install high-tech cameras in his and his father¡¯s homes. Josh frequented those two locations, ording to the information he gathered. The third ce was his office which proved to be the most challenging. Every morning, the idiot swept the ce for bugs, and the building was extremely secure, making it difficult for me to send in my man. I needed an inside man, or perhaps buying the contracted security firm was the only andst option. I needed eyes into their lives, I needed to know what they had for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. When they went to the toilet, when they f*rted. Who they trusted, who they hated, who they were cheating with, everything on my fingertips. From my observation in the little hours I had been watching them, Victor Nelson, his father, was, in my opinion, the man in charge and never did the difficult lifting. He delegated the heavy lifting to his son, who appeared to be nothing more than a bag boy for his father and fiancee. I had no idea how he managed to con Thalia, but all of his maneuvers were most likely pre-nned. by his father. Or maybe he had the brains, but Jessica Mel was definitely his weakness. observations during the 1 Jessica Mel on the other hand was a show-off, based on my her full hair to nail polish would be valued at ten thousand dors. She had a high taste, that was evident and was solely in the rtionship for financial gain. I knew her type because I had been in bed with them numerous times. She appeared to be in charge. of him and had Josh in the palms of her hands. She was all over the ce during the party unting her t chest and sma backside for all to see. To be honest, she wasn¡¯t my type; I preferred ady with a full chest and a little flesh behind just like the best friend lying next to me. ¡°Ooh hold up.¡± I told myself. I was certainly not referring to Thalia as my type, she was too dumb. I meant between the twodies Jessica was ugly. I turned to counter-check on her but found her staring at me with her wide brown eyes. She had a serious expression on her face as if she was preparing to kill me. I waved with a phony smile, but she only stared at me, prompting me to say something. ¡°Oool, you awake?¡± I inquired but got no response. Then I realized her gaze was not fixed on me but the iPad I was watching, which had Josh and Jessica f**king live. I swiftly flipped it over. She yelled, ¡°Turn it back on!¡± but I tossed the iPad on the other side. She pulled herself slowly in a seating position and realized she wasn¡¯t dressed in her previous clothes. She turned to face me after a stunning look at herself. I quickly pulled out my phone and scrolled to a photo, which I then presented to her. She was perplexed as she nced at the snapshot. ¡°That¡¯s Maggie,¡± I said, raising my hands in the air as if I were being pulled over by the cops, ¡°I paid her to bathe you and change you, I swear I didn¡¯t see anything¡± She locked her gaze on a photograph of herself in bed with Magie standing beside her. ¡°So you paid a stranger to bathe me?¡± she screamed on top of her voice. ¡°I would have bathed you but I didn¡¯t have the energy,¡± I said, causing her to be enraged and throw a pillow at me. ¡°I wasn¡¯t implying that I wanted you to bathe me,¡± she replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I fired Magie once she bathed you,¡± I said as I took a seat and asked her to calm down. before she copsed again. ¡°You needed my eyes to open the main gate, I stated, pointing to the right door. ¡°That door would. have led you straight outside.¡± I stated. ¡°Is Josh your friend?¡± she posed, startling me. ¡°No, he is not; neither Jessica nor Victor, I have never met them in my life, I swear.¡± ¡°Then why did you make me watch their new wonderful life?¡± she enquired, tears streaming down her cheek. ¡°I looked down in embarrassment¡­ beating myself for putting her in such a situation. Before I could respond she inquired, ¡°Am I a prisoner?¡± Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°No.¡± I replied. ¡°Would you open the main gate for me if I walked up to that door?¡± she asked. ¡°Of course, I¡¯d do it, Thalia you are free toe and go at any time but¡­¡± She raised her hand and climbed off from the bed before I could finish, seeking for her stic bag containing her possessions. I indicated to her left, and she hurriedly grabbed it, her eyes streaming. ¡°Brandon, thank you for everything, but I¡¯m sorry¡­ but I¡¯m not up to it.¡± I tried to object, but she extended her hand. ¡°Your offer is lovely, but I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to decline it. If you¡¯re not friends with Josh, please let me out of here,¡± she exined. I felt a flood of sadness wash over me, not because she had declined the offer, but because she was leaving. How could she trust anyone? She didn¡¯t trust me; not after what her ex-husband had done to her. I turned around and walked over to my drawer, which I opened and took a set of car keys out. ¡°You¡¯ll need a car which you can park at any gas station or keep if you wish. And there is some money in the glove for you to get anywhere and start afresh,¡± I mentioned. I cut her off as she attempted to argue. I had no intention of allowing her to wander without money or on her own. Without making eye contact, I approached her and handed her the keys. I couldn¡¯t figure out why I was upset, I wanted to believe it was not because she was leaving: I was lonely and afraid of dying alone, but I could pay someone to apany me to the end. I instantly. backed aside and walked right to the correct door and opened it. ¡°I would have apanied you outside, but my legs are weak,¡± I remarked as I moved to my bed. She stared at me bewildered. I climbed into bed, grabbed my tablet, and resumed watching what I had been watching. ¡°Oooh, I¡¯ve overridden the gate, it¡¯s open, I announced before going about my business. She paused for a moment, unsure of what to do. ¡°Thank you, Brandon,¡± she continued, but I declined. to respond. Why would I, when she was abandoning me like every other idiot? Yes, Yaya, she was just a stranger that I identally bumped into but I believed we had bonded over the bridge. Suddenly, a lump formed in my throat, my chest became heavy as I coughed hard, sending clots all over my tablet and white sheets. ¡°Brandon.¡± She called out, ¡°Are you okay?¡± she asked and attempted to assist me, but I yelled at her to stop as I threw the stup*d tablet away in frustration. ¡°Get out of here!¡± I became enraged and screamed at her. ¡°But Brandon?¡± ¡°Get out! You said you wanted to go, so just do it!¡± I yelled at her, ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± As I looked up at her, she froze, I kept breathing heavily and clutching my chest. ¡°I simply wanted to make a doctor¡¯s appointment for you,¡± she replied. ¡°I said I¡¯m fine,¡± I murmured, turning to face her and locking my gaze with her. I raised my hand to the door and pointed at it, signaling to her that it was time that she left. She gave me a mournful look before taking a step and disappearing through the door. I felt something leave me, I had no idea what it was except for the emptiness that overwhelmed me, the emptiness that I felt the day I decided tomit suicide. I just sat there, my chest throbbing, breathing deeply and disoriented. She was just a stranger, I kept telling myself as I rolled beneath the blood-stained sheets 16 16 Thalia¡¯s Pov As I walked out of the room, his sorrowful face kept shing in my mind. His eyes were the sad dest I have ever seen, obviously sadder than mine. But my attention was drawn to what was waiting for me on the other side of the door. I opened the door and was delighted to find myself in a familiar room, one that we had entered when we first arrived at the house. I ran to the main door, opened it, and stepped outside, where it was already nightfall and a st of chilly air greeted me. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. He wasn¡¯t lying, but I secretly wished he was. I was so used to betrayal that I wanted him to be a liar as well. I wanted him to be friends with Josh. I was expecting cameras to pop up and yell that I had been pranked, but nothing happened after waiting close to a minute. As the chilly breeze continued to strike me, I dashed to the garage, pressed the key, and the car lit up. I walked in fast and without looking back. The first thing I did when I got inside was check the glovepartment, and behold, there was cash. I closed it and started the car, a voice in the back of my head said the gate would not open. but when I got within inches of it, it opened. I was about to burst outughing when I stomped on the gas and drove away. I stepped on the gas hard and drove away like a l*natic,ughing and checking behind me for any signs that I was being followed. The fact that I was driving on the beach didn¡¯t bother me, all I wanted to do was flee. But then a sense of bewilderment washed over me like a bee sting. I mmed on the brakes hard, nearly losing control of the car. After a brief pause, I broke outughing, Iughed so that tears began running down my cheeks. I turned around to face the back. I was free to depart because, he wasn¡¯ting after me. Because of Josh¡¯s treachery, I was seeing the worst in everyone and began to distrust everything. I looked in front and saw tarmac; continuing meant no turning back. Brandon¡¯s sorrowful pale face flushed again. I recalled when I opened my eyes and found him watching Josh and the sk*nk, I had noticed his rare beautiful smile. I wondered if it was the first time the smile appeared on his face after he got sick. However, when I decided to back out of the revenge I hadpletely wiped it away. I was perplexed; he genuinely wanted to assist me, but I was an idiot for failing to notice what was there in front of me. ¡°Think Thalia, think,¡± I kept hitting my head on the wheel. Scr*w you, Josh,¡± I said as I turned the car around. I was not sure if he was going to let me back inside the house or continue with the revenge but I was never going to know if I never turned around. At least I proved I was not locked up against my will and I made him pay for making me watch that sh*t. In minutes I was back at the house, I was surprised to see the gate open; something wasn¡¯t right; he was always particr about security, that much I noted. ¡°No, he didn¡¯t?¡± sprang to mind. I murmured to myself as I dashed into the house, paying close attention to the doors. When I entered his room, he was lying on the bed, looking lifeless. I called his- name, but there was no response. He was facing the opposite side of the room. As I crossed to the other side of the bed o check on him, my heart began to race for no apparent reason. The first item that struck my attention on the floor were drugs, pills, and more pills were strewn about. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I swallowed and held my mouth open in disbelief. He took his life because of me, and I let it settle in before leaping onto the bed and attempting to wake him up. ¡°Brandon! Brandon! Brandon! Please wake up. I¡¯m back, and we can exact our vengeance,¡± I yelled, but received no reaction. ¡°Brandon Brandon! Brandon! Please wake up, please wake up, I pleaded as I drew his head into my chest. But there was no reaction. I cuddled him like a baby while I cried out for a stranger that I barely knew. But I needed to contact someone or call an ambnce, but my phone was in the stic bag I had left in the car outside. I looked for his tablet on the other side of the bed and attempted to move swiftly but heard something, so I halted for a second and peered at him as he moved his head to ce it on my breast, I stopped breathing for a second. ¡°Do not move,¡± he instructed. ¡°Brandon?¡± I called out. ¡°Yes,¡± he replied. ¡°I thought you¡¯d passed away.¡± ¡°Did you check my pulse, brainless girl?¡± he inquired. A wave of embarrassment hit me, I was dumb, I swallowed hard and said ¡°No, I believed you overdosed since I noticed the pills all over the floor.¡± I tried to move him but he protested, ¡°Please do not move, I dropped the bottle, and the pills went over the floor. I was just too tired to pick them up,¡± he exined. My mouth hung open as I wiped my tears in shame. I was convinced he hadmitted suicide. He inhaled deeply as if taking my scent in, the guilty I earlier had allowed him to get away with it otherwise my shoes would have been on his face. We just sat there with me cuddling him like he was a baby, It was odd, he was too close to my breasts, his dumb head rested there as if he owned them. Or maybe I was overthinking and he had no idea where his head was resting? ¡°Brandon Brandon?¡± I called out but I received no response; all I got was snoring. He was asleep. snoring with his hands locked around my waist in a split second. I contemted whether or not to push him over, but ultimately chose to wait until he was sound asleep. To be honest, I had never been so close to a man before apart from my ex-husband. But he smelled really good for someone who was sick, or perhaps it was the high-end shower gels and perfume. He also had a full head of hair, which was unusual for someone with cancer because most cancer patients lost their hair at some time. Was it possible that he didn¡¯t have cancer? I leaned up close and smelled his hair; it was creepy, but I didn¡¯t know what else to do in my situation. I tried to think of anything to upy my mind as I began counting the crystals on the Chandler. I chuckled remembering how I meant the ps*cho lying in my arms. Was it fate that I bumped into him? Was I meant to lose everything and meet him? But he had less than a month to live? What was the point of meeting him because taking down Josh required years of nning just like the way he nned screwing me over? 17 17 Brandon¡¯s Pov Iy there, soaking up her natural scent as Iy on her smooth, firm breasts. I was well aware that she was ufortable but it was her fault that she was letting me melt on her bosom, and I couldn¡¯t care less as it was her punishment for attempting to walk out on me. I had assumed she had left me alone to die. I almost shed a tear, to be honest, I shedded a tear. As I rxed, I clutched my hands tightly and feigned to snore. It was strange, but whenever she was near me, the emptiness vanished and was reced by a strange sensation that I couldn¡¯t put my finger on. As I closed my eyes I prayed for more days, it was the first time I prayed and a small smile emerged from the corners of my mouth as I dozed off. When I awoke, I gently lifted my head and peered at her like a weirdo, she was asleep. I studied every element of her natural face, including her heavy brows, thick dark hair (which I had Maggie wash), lovely nose, and an odd set of ears. There was no indication of a pimple or ck patch on her wless, pristineplexion. She had perfect skin for someone who didn¡¯t bathe very often. I next went on to her lips, which were heart- shaped with an indent on the top side and a pointy tip on the lower. They were quite filling for a Caucasian, but a little dry in a pleasant way. Before moving on to her feminine tiny Jaw that led to a silk-like neck, I wondered if she was bad at kissing. I followed the neck slowly, knowing exactly where it was leading me as my excitement grew. The sound of my name stopped me in my tracks ¡°What are you doing, Brandon?¡± she inquired, her breathing becamebored. I needed to Ey wits quickly. ¡°I coughed and some clots fell on you; I¡¯m for the clots,¡± I lied. ¡°Since when did you ever care where your bl**dy clotsnded?¡± She asked and hurriedly pushed me away, her arms folded across her chest, but all she did was lift her boobs, creating a magnificent cleavage. I was unconcerned as I nce at them. ¡°I¡¯m going to put my shoe on your face if you don¡¯t stop staring at me like a creep?¡± I raised my eyes to her and inquired as to what she was doing in the house, catching her off guard. ¡°I¡­ I¡­ want to carry on with the vengeance,¡± she stuttered. ¡°Didn¡¯t you use me of being buddies with Josh?¡± I was direct in my question. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure, so can we just proceed with the . Was direct in 1 ¡°You can¡¯t just stroll back in after discarding me!¡±, ¡°Brandon, what do you want? An apology¡± what is the n,¡± she replied. yelled at her. ¡°Yes, an apology and a delicious meal, or and a kiss on the cheek.¡± ¡°What kind of an apology? Have you forgotten the horror you put me through in those rooms!¡± she yelled as she jumped out of bed. ¡°I thought you had me trapped and were working with Josh!¡± ¡°I would have given you a tour of the house if you hadn¡¯t run away leaving a sick man on the toilet!¡± I screamed at her. ¡°How could you abandon me twice, twice, Thalia, when I thought we were suicide. buddies?¡± I asked, sending her intoughter, much to my astonishment. ¡°What¡¯s amusing?¡± I asked. ¡°Suicide buddies,¡± she replied. Isn¡¯t that what we¡¯re about?¡± I inquired, but she justughed and apologized. Don¡¯t try to force it. Thalia, and just so ou know, I ended the takedown operation. I called my man and told him to take down all the cameras,¡± I said, wiping her smile away. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, please tell me you are lying, ¡°she cried out. I put on a serious look while she wailed. ¡°Brandon please put the cameras back in ce,¡± she implored. ¡°Why?¡± I posed the question. ¡°I want him on my feet, and I want him to jump off that bridge when we¡¯re done with him!¡± she gasped. I locked my gaze on her for a few moments, trying to figure out if she was serious about going down that path. I saw determination and willpower in her, both of which shecked when I first brought her to the house. I¡¯m not sure what changed her mind outdoors, but we needed the mini break-up. ¡°Let¡¯s start with the apologies, perk, and breakfast and then we¡¯ll go on,¡± I offered ¡°What is the perk for?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯d like to feel how your lips dent my cheeks since they¡¯re oddly shaped.¡± ¡°P*rvert!¡± she yelled. ¡°Thank you for yourpliment; I¡¯ll take it as such.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not getting a perk from me; next, you¡¯ll ask to touch my breasts; don¡¯t think I don¡¯t notice you staring at them,¡± she said, catching me off guard. I attempted to retaliate, but my tongue was worn out. She inquired, ¡°Where is the kitchen?¡± I pointed to the middle door with my palm up. She walked away without apologizing or offering me a perk. But, because I was Brandon Fraser, I was going to receive all three, regardless of how she felt. I sn*tched up my tablet and awaited my full breakfast; I couldn¡¯t recall thest time I had one or how it tasted. To be honest, most food that wasn¡¯t wrapped in a wrapper ended up back my However, I had the urge to eat breakfast today. my throat. She returned with a tray in a matter of minutes, and I could smell the pancakes as soon as she opened the door. Deep down, excitement crept up, and memories from my childhood surfaced; myte mother used to make me pancakes with syrup every morning. I grinned as I remembered that it was always my favorite time of the day. ¡°Does that look like a smile?¡± As she ced the tray on the bed, she inquired. With a straight face, I gazed up at her, then down at the pancakes, and my appetite vanished. ¡°I don¡¯t want pancakes,¡± I replied as her smile faded. ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll eat by myself, ¡°she remarked as she sat down on the bed. She couldn¡¯t even beg me to eat, I scoffed. She crossed her legs in front of me and dug in. I grabbed my tablet and began Googling things while ignoring her. I could see her grabbing an entire pancake, sprinkling it with syrup, and gently stuffing it into her mouth out of the corner of my eyes. ¡°Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, mmm mmm wow,¡± she murmured. I shrugged her off and went about my business. Please, shut up,¡± I ordered her Wow She cried, Jes*s Christ!¡± These are the most delicious pancakes I¡¯ve ever eaten.¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. Could you please stop talking?¡± I said. ¡°Brandon, you have to give it a shot,¡± she murmured, her mouth agape. Without a doubt, shecked dignity and decency. As the aroma of pancakes began to hit me hard. I thought to myself. To make matters worse, she kept eating and making a strange sound that I mistook for moaning. The syrup was all over her mouth, and she kept slurping it down with one finger before cing it in her mouth, while pancake crumbsnded on her breast area. My halted head was in my pants, and I knew she was merely attempting to make me eat. I could feel the room getting hotter and hotter, and if I didn¡¯t stop her, the room was going to be unbearably hot. I swiftly grabbed one pancake and pushed it into my mouth, causing her to jump up and down with delight. The good news was that she came to a halt and began staring at me as I chewed on the pancakes, which, to my surprise, were quite tasty. I went silent and instructed her to be quiet as she swiftly handed me a ss of juice to assist me get it down. My stomach always rejected anything I chunked up after the beverages, but a minute passed and everything stayed in. ¡°What are we waiting for?¡± she enquired ¡°vomit¡± I responded. ¡°Oooh okay.¡± We waited and waited, but nothing came up to my surprise. I gently ate another. pancake as if it were myst meal, drank my juice, and nothing came up, driving Thalia into a frenzy. ¡°This is because I made them,¡± she exined, rolling her eyes. I was relieved she had ceased making sex noises otherwise, we would have made our firstborn son. But then it hit me: my guy down there was on the verge of getting up. I¡¯d tried several times to get him up by watching porn videos, but nothing had worked. I once even hired h**kers but it had slept like a dry onion leaf. My doctors spected that the dumb sickness had decreased my libido in some way. I grinned as I gazed at her, knowing that the knuckleheads. were mistaken. ¡°Is that a thank-you smile for the pancakes?¡± she inquired. ¡°In your dreams,¡± I answered, hastily straightening my expression. She didn¡¯t realize how hard she had almost made me. ¡°Brandon, do you know what?¡± she asked. I just sat there staring at her, waiting for her to continue her thought. ¡°You¡¯re rude, grampy, and self-absorbed,¡± she said. ¡°Thank you for noticing; that just goes to prove that you have one brain cell on that dead head of yours,¡± I said. ¡°Anyway, what¡¯s up with the house? What were those rooms, doors, and tv screams?¡± she rolled her eyes and ignored me, and inquired. ¡°This mansion was created two years ago as a sex dungeon for my excursions but never got a chance. to open it, I said, causing her to spit all the liquid from her mouth on my face and all over my clothes. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. She apologized profusely and dashed to the toilet, where she grabbed a towel and began wiping my face. ¡°Simply put, I can do it myself,¡± I said as I sn*tched her towel and proceeded to exin the house¡¯s umpter 17 ayout. This room, the bathroom, the kitchen, and the first room in the house are the only typical rooms. The other twenty rooms are white cubes of pleasure. I nned to establish a sex empire and revolutionize the world of p*rnograph, I stated. She looked at me with astonishment. Do you have any trillionaire.¡± idea how much money the porn industry makes? I was on my way to bing a She only stared at me with her mouth open in shock. ¡°Have you ever watched porn before, other than the usual?¡± I asked. she nodded her head in refusal. She was definitely a holy Mary Magdalene. ¡°Anyway, at my porn house, random people were meant to be offered money to f**k anything they discovered on the other side of the door, or they would go home with the money if there was no one if lucky, and if there was they would f**k as many people as the doors they opened.¡± ¡°Stop, stop, stop it. I¡¯ve got it,¡± she said rapidly. ¡°But I¡¯m not done exining?¡± I replied. ¡°Brandon, you were a sick man in your head, and I¡¯m sorry to say this, but you thought with your stup*d penis!¡± She spat. ¡°Well, my penis is bigger than Josh¡¯s.¡± ¡°What the hell?¡± she yelled out. ¡°I mean, I saw them f**king in his father¡¯s office, and I¡¯m a lot bigger than him,¡± I said in a serious. tone. hands. I hastily covered She sn*tched the tray and attempted to strike me. With my fortunate that you¡¯re unwell, but we need to establish some ground rules. my face. ¡°You¡¯re The first rule is to avoid talking about penises, the second is to avoid looking at my breasts, and the third is to avoid talking about porn! Do I make myself clear?¡± she inquired. ¡°I don¡¯t mind one or three, but your boobs are so attractive to stare at that I can¡¯t help myself ¡°I responded. I thought she was going to attack me, but she clenched her teeth, grabbed everything, and walked out the kitchen door. She turned around and walked out the door in the blink of an eye. She walked back and went straight outside, aiming her stic and dumb stick at me in a matter of seconds. ¡°I¡¯ll smack you hard with this if you do anything funny. Now it¡¯s time to get down to business: how do we bring Josh Nelson down?¡± she inquired. I swallowed my saliva and tried not to gaze at her breast. She pulled another awful sweater from her. stic bag, putit on, and threw me off. Shecked the most basic sense of style. ¡°Brandon, what are your ns?¡± ¡°Given our limited time and the fact that you spoiled our entire day yesterday, we only have one choice.¡± ¡°Which is that!¡± she asked ¡°Buying Gentex through back doors, but first, we need to keep mypany operating, which is where youe in?¡± I answered. ¡°What exactly do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Get those and study them,¡± I said, pointing to the files behind her. ¡°You¡¯re going to Mandel Logistics tomorrow to represent me, so get those and study them.¡± I added, stunning her. 18 18 Thalia¡¯s Pov I stared at him, perplexed; our agreement never required me to work; if my memory served me correctly, he was supposed to reim mypany and money while I sat around doing nothing. Or was I asking too much from the stranger in front of me? Thalia, suicide thoughts began lingering when you walked out of that door. Believe me when I say. that if you just sit here doing nothing, those thoughts will return. You must keep yourself busy int order to avoid such thoughts.¡± As if he could read my mind, he stated. It was always perplexing to me how he went from p*rvert to a serious life coach or whatever in seconds. ¡°But¡­ It¡¯s been long since I¡¯ve worked in an office, and your industry isn¡¯t the same as what I studied at University.¡± I protested. In a serious tone, he said. ¡°Take the files and sit down.¡± To be honest, I missed the Brandon who was always constantly staring at my breast orparing penises. With shaky legs. I picked up the paperwork and sat down. Brandon¡¯spany was an empire, very Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. huge inparison to my father¡¯s business. ¡°Thalia. I¡¯ll be with you the whole time with an earpiece; all I need is for your trust,¡± he said. As I flipped through the pages, I was perplexed. ¡°But why do I have to go to work? Why can¡¯t I be here. with you? I won¡¯t consider suicide if you¡¯re here with me,¡± I exined. He smiled, much to my annoyance. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be right in front of your eyes so you won¡¯t miss me,¡± he said as I rolled my eyes. ¡°On a more serious topic, my board of directors will attempt to overthrow me tomorrow,¡± in a serious tone, he stated. ¡°They¡¯ll vote; I have 51% of the vote, but if I¡¯m not present, they can use the remaining 49% to get a court order dering that I¡¯m unfit. I would be summoned to defend my fitness and I¡¯ll lose mypany,¡± he rified the situation. I bit my lower lip in surprise, ¡°but I thought yourpany had uses giving you full ownership?¡± I asked. ¡°After I pulled off my attempt to sink thepany at thest minute them a legal case and a vote, he replied. For a brief period, I was deafeningly silent. discovered it which grants ¡°Yes, Thalia, I have the money to take down Josh, but I need mypany,¡± he exined. ¡°There are things I can do with thepany that I can¡¯t do with my money.¡± As my anxieties began to rise, I pretended to be ncing at the files. I wasn¡¯t timid or terrified of public speaking, but the divorce trial robbed me of my voice and confidence, as well as any desire to speak. I hadn¡¯t started speaking till after I met him, and I didn¡¯t want to embarrass him. He was putting too much on me when I was just a messy balloon waiting to explode. As though he was thinking, he closed his eyes. He twisted his neck painfully back and forth before opening his eyes and staring at me. ¡°What?¡± I inquired in a sorrowful voice. ¡°Do you trust me?¡± He asked. ¡°I¡¯ve only known you for two days,¡± I replied. ¡°Well, I trust you; I left the gate open yesterday because I knew there was a 2% chance you wouldn¡¯t forsake me,¡± he said, his voice solemn. ¡°Yes, we only met two days ago, but based on your narrative. even if it was embarrassing, I believe I can trust you with my final days, he continued, throwing me 144 19-310 to gulp as I just stared at him, speechless. It was like our little takedown pact had given him a will to live. He no longer had the sad eyes that I first bumped into. ¡°Yes, it will take you ten years to trust anyone again, but prove Josh wrong. Yes, you misjudged him, but we all do, and it¡¯s all part of life lessons¡± he added. Everything he was saying was right, and he was making sense, so I merely gazed at the floor in humiliation as I attempted to fight back the tears. ¡°So what if he made a fool out of you!¡± He said this while pulling out a remote control and activating the button, which turned the entire rear wall into a screen. ¡°I thought you said this was a normal room?¡± I quickly turned around. I posed the question: ¡°That¡¯s just my television,¡± he exined as he demonstrated hispany¡¯s cooperative structure and urged me to pay close attention to every aspect. He wasn¡¯t going to let me make a choice; in fact, it appeared as if he had already made one for me. He went over the agenda for tomorrow¡¯s meeting after the video was finished; I had no idea how he acquired it, but I thought it had something to do with his cameras. He began teaching me all of the fundamental basics of hispany after the videos were over. I was cautious at first, but when he started staring at my breasts, I had no choice but to distract him with my answers. When it came to his empire, he was dead serious, and I could see how he built it. When it came to business, he was on top of his game, with no smiles and no eyes p*rving around my chest area because he was so intent on molding me. Thanks to my smart brain, which had been asleep for the past four years, I answered all of the questions properly and correctly. When he hit the button on his remote, the opposing wall transformed into a closet. Female clothing was on the right, and it appeared to be highly expensive, whilst masculine attire was on the left. I stared at him, unsure if he had a girlfriend or wife whom he hadn¡¯t told me about. ¡°While you passed out yesterday, I purchased you some clothes,¡± he stated. I was taken aback when; lie seemed to have nned out everything or at least had a thoroughly. thought out n. He instructed me to put on a suit and pitch for him. I was befuddled as I nced at him. He said, ¡°Thalia, you need to practice.¡± I hesitated a bit but walked to the closet, curious as to how he knew my sizes, but I knew that asking him would just bring out a p*rvert Brandon. I was having a good time with Business Brandon. I took a cautious walk to the closet; I came from a wealthy family, but I had never known a life of luxury, even when my father was still alive and always forcing me to wear those pricey gowns. I used to take off my gowns as soon as the events were done, but when I married Josh, my wedding gown, however, was the most expensive dress. As I approached the wardrobe, I sneered at the fact and began looking for professional attire. I grabbed a white V-neck top and white office pants from the rack. All of the tops featured a showing chest area, which I noted. When I turned to look at him, I noticed he was beaming. I¡¯m sure he understood exactly what I was thinking. I ignored him and proceeded to the restroom, but came to a halt at the door calling out his name. ¡°Yes, brainless Thalia,¡± he replied. ¡°Seriously!¡± you wish, you can give me a nickname too,¡± he replied. I ignored him and asked, ¡°are there any ameras in the toilet or bathroom?¡± He said, ¡°No, I¡¯m not a fan of seeing myself mast**bate or sh*ve,¡± he replied. I closed my eyes and began beating myself for asking the dumb question. ¡°Except for the bathroom and toilets, all of the rooms are equipped with cameras.¡± He went on to say, Those two ces require a man¡¯s solitude.¡± I hastily exited the room, not wanting to hear anything that would permanently scar me. I went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Josh¡¯s take-down mission had begun, and there was no turning back. I quickly changed my clothes and stared at the unidentified person who stared back at me. My boobs were all over the ce, but not in a sl*ty way, and the clothes fit me in a s*xy way. Yes, I inherited both my father¡¯s brilliance and my mother¡¯srge chest and looks but yet I was so dumb. I knew the pe**ert bought the open-chested garments so he could stare at me whenever he wanted. I hissed and dashed to the closet from the restroom. ¡°What are you doing?¡± he asked. I responded, ¡°I¡¯m looking for a jacket. ¡°For what? you look lovely.¡± ¡°No.¡± I answered as I put on a in ck jacket that covered everything. With a smile on my face, I turned around to find him angry, ¡°What is next?¡± I inquired, ignoring him, I felt so confident. I could not remember thest time I felt so good about myself. The pe**ert was shaping me into something I was beginning to like. He turned on the screen and shrugged. ¡°Learn how to walk confidently,¡± he said. ¡°You walk like a duck.¡± His remark was demeaning, but it was clearly intended as a retaliation for my cleavage concealment. He motioned for me to put on some high heels, and I did so as I began to follow the directions on the screen. My feet hurt, and I couldn¡¯t recall thest time I wore high heels. The one good thing was that I was a quick student, and I needed to get it done quickly because his attention had shifted to my butt from my breast. He was enjoying watching me moving my butt from one corner of the room to the other. I eventually got it; I was exhausted, but instead of allowing me to rx, he began bombarding me. with questions, posing as a board member. ¡°So, Ms. Nash, how long have you been working with mr, Fraser? I attempted to respond, but he interrupted me. ¡°When did you first meet, Fraser?¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t there any records of you working for him?¡± ¡°Do you even have a basic understanding of distribution?¡± ¡°What year did this business start?¡± ¡°Do you have any idea of any names of the board members?¡± As my tongue became tired, he continued to ask as my head was bombarded with a barrage of questions. The first question had slipped my mind. I started speaking in a halting manner. He raised his hand and I stopped. ¡°I would not have had the courage to ask you those questions if your gorgeous cleavage had been exposed,¡± he said.. ¡°What?¡± I asked, p*ssed. Stapler to ¡°Men use their penises to think, imagine how dumb they would be if a beauty like you walked in shing her assets?¡± ¡°So you want me to stoop to my lowest level?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a strategy, it¡¯s a mindset, Thalia.¡± I stared at him then a question popped up. ¡°But what if a member of the board of directors is g*y?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ll be whispering in your ear. When you get a lot of questions, keep a grin on your face and let my voice lead you,¡± he said. ¡°You got this, you¡¯re smart,¡± he continued. He was quite weird; one minute he wasughing at me, the next praising me. He looked at his watch and eximed, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nap time! You can go outside and enjoy the beach or anything you like.¡± ¡°Please wait a moment. I¡¯m not prepared yet,¡± I cried out ¡°You¡¯re all set, Thalia.¡± ¡°But what if all of this is made public and Josh sees me on the news or television?¡± ¡°The overthrow is a secret meeting, which we refer to as an underground meeting. Thest thing my minion share orders want is for word of me sinking thepany to get out. Thepany¡¯s stock would plummet, so they¡¯d have to rece me and then announce my illness and impending death,¡± he stated. I gazed at him, unsure; there were still a lot of loops; if Josh found out I was working for Brandon, he¡¯d consider me a threat and try to track me down. ¡°Only the board members will be aware of your existence, trust me,¡± he added, ¡°They managed to maintain my sickness as mere rumor,¡± he said and made it apparent that, despite his board¡¯s desire for him to be overthrown, they could be trusted because they loved money. As I proceeded to the bathroom, I said, ¡°If you say so.¡± I needed a good soak in the tub. Maybe I needed to rx because I was so fatigued. I ran a bubble bath, stripped off my clothing, and slid into the tub thinking and pondering where my life was heading. Suddenly the door opened and Brandon wheeled himself in on a wheelchair. ¡°Get out!¡± I yelled as I slid lower in the bathtub lowering myself from his prying devilish grey eyes. Chapter 19 Chapter 19 The Art Of Revenge Brandon¡¯s Pov I pretended not to hear her yelling, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Learn to respect women!¡± She kept yelling, she was so ufortable and on the verge of panicking. ¡°I merely came to make sure you didn¡¯t use my towel,¡± I exined as I took the towel from the corner and began rolling it out. Her expression of disbelief was priceless. To be honest, I kind of enjoyed bullying her, she was like a little sister that I never had. I wheeled myself out of the bathroom but before I could disappear, she called; ¡°Brandon Brandon!,¡± I rolled in with a smirk on my face ¡°How am I supposed to dry myself?¡± she asked. ¡°Oooh, I¡¯ll fetch you your towel,¡± I murmured, a grin on my face as I wheeled myself out. I was disappointed, somehow I expected her to be in the shower and not the tub but it was fine. I grabbed her a new towel. The second time I knocked, and she told me to throw it in, which I did as I rolled back to the bedroom, convinced she was breathing fire while bathing. She was out with a scrubbing brush in minutes, yelling at me, ¡°What did I say about the rules!¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to see the sunset,¡± I said, oblivious to her question. ¡°Brandon, no. Respect me as ady in this house; I require my privacy,¡± she cried out. ¡°I forgot you were bathing; my illness causes me to lose track of time,¡± I lied. I asked in a serious tone as I wheeled myself out, ¡°Can you dress up, I want to watch the sunset. I¡¯ll be waiting for you outside, so you can enjoy your solitude.¡± Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. I went out of the room after adding. I could tell she was pondering whether or not to believe me. I began counting down on my watch, and she was out, enraged, in ten minutes. And without saying anything, she led the way to the beach. ¡°Thalia, I didn¡¯t notice your vaginal area,¡± I stated as I followed her. She finally said, ¡°I thought you wanted to nap.¡± ¡°As soon as Iy down on the bed, my back started paining,¡± I exined. She locked her gaze on me and drew closer as if she was going to p me in the face. I swayed but she ced her hand on the side of my cheek. Her hands were so gentle as if she had never carried a hefty object before. ¡°Brandon, your temperature is high, how are you feeling? Where is your medication?¡± she asked. I considered telling her she was my new medication, but I decided against it. I had already spoo ked her enough with my prying eyes. I had noticed how when she was around I forgot I was doomed to die. I cleared my throat and said, ¡°I don¡¯t take any medications since, as we all know, the medicine causes another ailment.¡± ¡°But what exactly were those tablets I discovered on the floor?¡± ¡°Pain reliever,¡± I replied. ¡°Brandon, oh my Go d! I¡¯m so sorry,¡± she said. From being mad at me just a second before, she was all caring and concerned, ¡°what should I do, what do you do when the temperature rises?¡± she inquired. ¡°Take me to the water,¡± I ordered and told her to rx; it was all normal for my temperature to shoot up all of a sudden; I had grown ustomed to my mncholy disease. We were at the beach, and I got up and walked to the water with her help. ¡°What are you up to, Brandon?¡± she inquired. ¡°Simply dipping my toes in the icy water allows me to unwind,¡± I said, but instead of standing on the water, I sat down, enjoying the small waves crashing against me. As I gritted my teeth and waited for the episode to end, the cold wind also provided a shield. ¡°Brandon?¡± She spoke in hushed tones and attempted to touch me, but I stopped her. I was quiet, my muscles felt as though they were being stretched with a pressing iron. ¡°No,¡± I answered, oblivious to the fact that she was standing next to me. She could see that I was in pain, she sat down on the water and did not mind that she was going to be soaked. I slid my head over her thighs without permission and told her to pour water on my back. ¡°Oh, now I get it,¡± she said as she realized why I had entered the bathroom. ¡°I would have let you in the tab if you had exined yourself,¡± she remarked. I grinned, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t, you were naked,¡± I replied. ¡°What¡¯s so difficult about you simply asking politely? I would have put something on,¡± she stated. ¡°You¡¯re causing a ruckus, Thalia.¡± I closed my eyes and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to take a nap.¡± I couldn¡¯t tell if it was the cold water or the soft thighs lowering my temperature. I called out her name. ¡°Yes,¡± she replied. ¡°We have exactly twenty-seven days until our meeting tomorrow, so please promise you won¡¯t be nervous,¡± I said. She said, ¡°I¡­will do my best.¡± But her voice was not convincing. As she continued to m me with the cold water, I shrugged and drifted off. It was already dark when I awoke, and we were being battered byrge waves, and she was sound asleep as she rested her head on my back. ¡°Thalia Thalia?¡± I called as I pushed my head from her lovely thighs. She jerked awake, her eyes darting around as if she¡¯d seen a ghost. ¡°It¡¯s time to get up, it¡¯s getting dark.¡± As I stood up, I told her to carry my wheelchair for me. I felt OK, so I relied on my legs. She pushed the wheelchair behind me and didn¡¯tin. Inside, she offered to cook me a delicious meal, but I declined and went directly to bed with my tablet. I needed to be aware of Josh¡¯s and his father¡¯s every move. She returned in half an hour withsagna thatnded squarely on my nose. She set the dish in front of me, crossed her knees, and dove in, just like breakfast. ¡°Please refrain from making any amusing noises,¡± I warned her. ¡°If you do not join me, I will,¡± she said. I didn¡¯t want to cross the line, so I said nothing, knowing that if things became heated, I¡¯d send her running. I took a small mouthful and waited for something to happen, but nothing did. The woman in front of me was either a witch or an angel sent from hell to fatten me up for the hereafter. I took another scope, then another, and by the time I looked at the te, everything had vanished. ¡°When am I going to get a thank you?¡± she began pping excitedly. ¡°In your dreams,¡± I replied. ¡°Jerk!¡± she replied. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said as she walked out the kitchen door with the dishes. I put the finishing touches on tomorrow¡¯s project and called it a night. Even though I had napped for a few hours, I was exhausted. I had already reimed the bed by the time she returned, she was going to sleep on the couch until she feltfortable with me. As I awoke, I found the couch deserted, my heart began beating for no apparent reason. However, the door opened, and she entered wearing a tighttex pencil skirt that exposed every curve of her body. She wore it with a white cross crix blouse that revealed her exquisite breasts pressing against each other forming the most stunning cleavage I¡¯ve ever seen. Her hair was pulled back, disying her lovely face, which she had always hidden behind a veil of misery. I was so taken aback by her beauty that I merely nced at her when she opened her lips and murmured something. I could only look at her with my dry cracked lips open. She smashed her hands together forcefully, jolting me out of an R-rated vision that had begun to shape in my mind. ¡°I got up early and finished my final touches,¡± she remarked, before going over what I taught her the day before. To be honest, I wasn¡¯t paying attention at all, and I had to pinch myself to get my bearings. Crossing the line was thest thing any of us wanted to do. I had no trouble admiring her physical features because I was always a first-mover, eat-and-run type of person who wasn¡¯t emotionally invested. But it seemed to me that I had begun to look past her outward looks. I reminded myself of the elderly- looking Thalia I met on the bridge with her hideous sweater. It was probably for the best because I was dying, and putting my heart into ast-minute love affair was a form for disaster. It was not fair to both of us, even if she linked me, I would only shatter her heart with my death taking her back to her suicide. ¡°You look dreadful,¡± I said and stepped back. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, smiling. I hurriedly grabbed my phone and dialed my pilot. The main office was located in the big city and traveling by helicopter was the only option. She remained silent and began staring at me with her big brown eyes. I suppose she was sad that I didn¡¯t pass on my per vert remarks. But now was the moment to take things seriously. I pulled a listening device from my suitcase and requested her to approach closer to me while I carefully ced the wire under her shirt and connected it to a transparent cable that ran to her ears. She kept her gaze fixed on me the entire time, while I avoided making direct eye contact. ¡°Everything is in ce,¡± I said something in my little microphone, and she mped her eyes shut, indicating that I was too loud. ¡°All you have to do is follow my instructions and you¡¯ll be OK,¡± I said, to which she epted with a simple nod. ¡°Where is my breakfast, by the way?¡± I inquired. She grinned and walked into the kitchen, bringing a dish of pancakes, syrup, and juice with her. She said, ¡°You may have this,¡± and ced it on the table. I double-checked that her earpiece was in working order; she needed to be the first person in the meeting, which would give her more confidence than being thest. I informed my pilot she was ready, and he arrived to pick her up. She waved goodbye, but I simply nodded. I observed a tinge of disappointment on her face, but I ignored it and went to the table to eat my breakfast while waiting for her to arrive at the office. I took one bite of the pancake and everything appeared to be fine for a minute, nothing wasing up but when I tried again, my entire intestines tightened up, as if two people were pushing from different ends. After a few minutes, I felt waves all the way up to my throat. I tried to sprint to the bathroom, but my legs gave up on me, and all the pancakes andsagna from the night beforended on the floor. My chest squeezed and clots began toe out of my mouth and nostrils after my digestive system had given up. Unlike most days when I simply threw up, they kepting out with every cough and By the time the episode ended and I got my breath, I was very weary and had lost all of my strength. My head began spinning and I felt like the room was moving in circles. I tried to get up but I was pulled down by an unknown force. My body felt heavy as if I had swallowed a stone, slowly Inded on my vomit, ¡°Thalia,¡± I said as l lost consciousness. Chapter 20 Chapter 20 The Art Of Revenge Thalia¡¯s Pov I was scared, I could feel my legs shaking as I boarded the chopper, the Jerk couldn¡¯t even wish me good luck. He became irritable out of nowhere, and he couldn¡¯t evenpliment me on how nice I looked. To be honest, he sn*tched away half of the self-confidence I had when I awoke. I needed a pat in the back. I inhaled deeply and looked about; we were already in the air; all I could do was pray for the best. Wended on the top of Mandel Logistics in under an hour; it was only half-past six o¡¯clock, and no personnel was yet in the building. When the pilot opened the door, I was surprised to see that he was a fairly young man, maybe around my age. I wasn¡¯t paying attention when he picked me up because I was furious that Brandon didn¡¯t wish me good luck. He helped me out of the aircraft like a gentleman. ¡°I will also be your bodyguard for the morning,¡± he said. I was surprised that he was dressed in a suit. ¡°My name is Nestor. I tried to introduce myself before, but your attention was elsewhere,¡± he exined. ¡°Please ept my sincere apologies. My name is Thalia Nash,¡± I replied embarrassed. ¡°Nice to meet you, Miss Nash, and don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll do wonderful in there,¡± he said, smiling, and asked me to check my mic. I smiled and said something, but there was no response. Brandon was unusually silent, I realized. I tried again, but there was no response. As I gazed up at Nestor, my hands began to sweat, and I knew something wasn¡¯t right. He grinned as I heard him speak something into his microphone. ¡°Mr. Fraser ordered us to go in,¡± he said and led the way. Why, though, was Brandon silent in my earpiece? I stood there, apprehensive, for a while. He came to a halt when he realized I wasn¡¯t following him, and he returned to me. ¡°Ms. Nash, we need to take seats before the meeting begins,¡± he stated. ¡°First and foremost, I¡¯d like to speak with Brandon to ensure that everything is in order,¡± I exined to him that I had forgotten my phone at home and asked for his phone. ¡°Miss Nash, the boss gave me explicit instructions to make sure you pitch in front of the board members.¡± ¡°But, why isn¡¯t he speaking to me?¡± I asked, confusion evident on my face. ¡°Because you concealed the¡­ cleavage from him,¡± he said without making eye contact, ¡°It¡¯s vengeance.¡± Brandon was an idiot, there I was worried about him but it seemed as if he was ying silly games. His out my earpiece, tossed it on the ground, and was about to stamp on it when Nestor intervened. And without my permission, he rapidly grabbed it up and inserted it into my ear. ¡°My boss is a self-absorbed jerk, keep your energy for his face,¡± he said as he led the way into an Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. elevator; I noted he pressed the Basement button; the ride was long and quiet till I spoke up. ¡°Have you known Brandon for a while?¡± I enquired. ¡°Since we were infants?¡± With a smile, he replied and turned. ¡°So, you¡¯re agemates?¡± ¡°Yes, myte father was histe father¡¯s driver and we went through junior high and high school together. My father was killed in the car ident that killed his parents,¡± he stated in a sad tone. ¡°Ooh, my condolences,¡± I remarked. ¡°Thank you; this is life,¡± he replied ¡°So you¡¯re friends with Brandon?¡± ¡°No,¡± he said, turning away; there was silence for a moment before he spoke. ¡°We have a professional rtionship between us. Are you his girlfriend?¡± he inquired, causing me to choke on my saliva. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Im fine, he¡¯s just a friend who is assisting me with something, and I¡¯m assisting him with his business,¡± I exined. From his buttoned-up position, he gave me a judgmental re. He wanted to say something, but he decided against it. ¡°If that was your query, I have not slept with him,¡± I said with folded arms. I did not need to exin the type of rtionship that Brandon and I had with the stranger next to me but I did not like his judgy eyes. On the positive side, the elevator halted and he led the way into another, smaller elevator that required a code. Finally, we found ourselves in arge, fully furnished conference room. While we waited in silence for the board members, he motioned for me to take a seat in the huge chair and handed me a ss of water. ¡°Brandon is like a brother to me, and when I got a text from himst night, I was so relieved to know that he was still alive,¡± he said, breaking the stillness. ¡°However, I¡¯m perplexed about you; who are you?¡± he inquired. His question somehow sounded insulting to me. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business,¡± I snarled, ¡°do your job and I¡¯ll do mine, or maybe you want to be fired.¡± My inner voice was taken aback by my self-confidence. ¡°Brandon had already fired me,¡± he smirked.¡±I¡¯m on a twenty-six-month contract.¡± As he nced at me, I said, ¡°Good for you.¡± The door opened, and three middle-aged men strolled in, astonished by our presence. One of them inquired, ¡°Who are you?¡± I hurriedly sprang up, but Nestor grabbed an envelope from his jacket and delivered it to them before I could say anything. While he was reading it, another five people entered, followed by five more. I knew every single one of them by name thanks to my research. They were all taken aback when they discovered us in the room. In a low voice, I cleared my throat and invited them all to take a seat. Nestor shifted his gaze on me and motioned for me to take a deep breath. My palms were sweaty, all of the board members appeared frightening to me and Brandon was nowhere to be heard. ¡°Where is Brandon, this is a joke?¡± One of them eximed, ¡°How dare he bring one of his sl*ts to this meeting after trying to ruin thepany!¡± He added. My heart sank in as I realized that everyone in the room thought I was one of Brandon¡¯s regr sl*ts; it was insulting. It also exined why Nestor was asking me st*pid questions. Anger surged, as I clutched my fists like I was about to punch everyone. ¡°We can still vote and ignore her,¡± another member said, and everyone agreed. ¡°Please take your st*pid seats,¡± I yelled at the top of my lungs, breathing heavily. ¡°Whoever you are, youngdy¡­¡± ¡°Shut up, first of all, I¡¯m not Brandon¡¯s sl ut; he¡¯s sick and probably won¡¯t get his penis up¡± As they stared at me, I yelled, stunning them to life. I spun around and gave Nestor a warning look as he giggled. I was just furious that everyone assumed I was having an affair with Brandon. I cut off what we rehea rsed yesterday, as well as all the lies that Brandon had created for the pitch. I was bad at lying and without Brandon, I needed to use my brain and tell the truth or part of the truth. I cleared my throat and began. ¡°Yes, the Jerk desired to bring down the corporation because he believed the world was unjust to him. Everyone in here is a vulture solely here for the sake of his money, and no one cares about him. You¡¯re plotting to steal hispany before he¡¯s even gone underground!¡± I indicated. ¡°Hold on, youngdy, we¡¯ve been loyal to Mr. Fraser, but he¡¯s pushed us into this,¡± one of them stated. ¡°Before we waste time proving who did what, let me assure you that Brandon will not be thepany¡¯s downfall,¡± I began by asking who they intended to rece Brandon with but they were all inplete silence. ¡°Brandon¡¯s idea is to allow him twenty-six days to run thepany. During this time, he will choose his sessor and he will make you all shareholders of a firm he is attempting to buy aspensation for trying to sink thispany,¡± I dered as they all stared up at me in surprise. I noticed that some of them began to take seats, clearly intrigued, while a few refused to ept my proposal. ¡°Which business is this?¡± they asked. ¡°Gentex group ofpanies,¡± I replied. I knew Brandon was going to be pi*ed but if we got the vultures and on top of it, they were very loyal. ¡°Are you referring to the former Inc biotech firm?¡± one of them enquired. ¡°Yes, my name is Thalia Nash, and I made the mistake of signing that corporation over to my husband, who betrayed me. Brandon wants to buy thepany, and if he does, I¡¯ll be looking for new board members and shareholders,¡± I stated. They all took their seats in shock. The majority of them appeared to be aware of Gentex. And, if my memory served me correctly, Mandel was founded on the backs of smaller businesses, and if it absorbed Gentex and turned into a manufacturing hub for medical devices, we¡¯d be talking about quadruple billions in the room. ¡°Before we get too excited, let¡¯s rify why Brandon is assisting you and how long you¡¯ve known him.¡± ¡°Does Brandon ever need a reason to want something?¡± I inquired. ¡°Is it necessary for us to purchase the shares once the takeover is sessful?¡± ¡°No, you be automatic shareholders unlike being board members. The shares will be automatically assigned to you; it¡¯s a reward for attempting to bring this corporation down,¡± I exined. ¡°We¡¯re wasting time now, so if you¡¯re not interested, you may all leave.¡± ¡°Where is Brandon? We want to hear everything he has to say.¡± ¡°I indicated that you can go if you are not interested.¡± The room became quiet, they were all debating, and I observed that most of them had their phones out, undoubtedly looking for information about me and Gentex¡¯s value. ¡°Is it possible to give us a few days to consider it?¡± Someone inquired. Nestor nodded when I looked in his direction. ¡°Okay,¡± I said as I took my files out of my bag. ¡°While you think about Gentex,¡± I said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about Mandel,¡± and handed them the month¡¯s action ns. Just like that, the takeover was ced on hold in an instant. The discussion concluded withments and revisions, and the room was cleared. I stood up and took off my jacket, amazed at what I¡¯d aplished. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine such a Thalia existed. When I turned to look at Nestor, I noticed he was staring at his watch intently. He stated, ¡°I need to take you back; something is wrong with Brandon.¡± As I nced at him, my heart stopped for an inexplicable reason as my smile got wiped out of my face. ¡°Thalia!¡± He yelled at me and told me I needed to hurry up. ¡°What do you mean by something is wrong with him? Didn¡¯t you just talk to him when we got here?¡± I inquired, my heart pounding. ¡°He gave me explicit instructions yesterday to make sure you met with the board members,¡± he exined. I approached him and pped him across the face. In a fit of rage, I turned and stormed out of the room; I had no idea how to go to the elevator, so I paused and waited for him. He led the way with a solemn expression, and we were at the beach in an hour. I quickly removed my shoes and dashed to the house, but the gate was locked. ¡°Brandon! Brandon!¡± I called out as tears streamed down my face. I was filled with regret; we could have turned around if I hadn¡¯t been upset when he didn¡¯t respond. ¡°Please Brandon, open up,¡± I shouted out, even though I knew he wouldn¡¯t hear me, and then I remembered his door required his facial recognition. As Nestor approached, I fell to the ground. ¡°Are you able to unlock the gate without facial recognition? Do you know how to log in?¡± I inquired, but he shrugged. I wanted to smack him across the face, but I needed his help. ¡°If he had override it, all we¡¯ll need is a password; if he didn¡¯t, there¡¯ll be no way in,¡± he said, his face down. ¡°All right, let¡¯s try passwords and pretend he overrode it,¡± I said as I started guessing, ¡°what is his birthday?¡± He responded, ¡°That¡¯s just too obvious.¡± ¡°Can you tell me what it is?¡± I was furious with him that I screamed at him. He said it to me, but it wasn¡¯t the password. We tested his parents¡¯ names, girls he slept with more than twice, but that wasn¡¯t it. Thepany, favorite foods, sports, trips, automobiles, and television shows, but nothing. Nestor seemed to know everything about Brandon, which was strange given Brandon¡¯s im that everyone around him was only interested in his money. He either knew too much or was a stalker or creep. However, I choose to disregard it. We tried everything, but it didn¡¯t work. I really wanted Brandon to be ying a joke, but something didn¡¯t feel right, and I knew something bad had happened to him. Nestor had already given up, so I advised him to phone the fire department or the police. He took out his phone and then came to aplete stop. ¡°Try your name,¡± he said. Brandon had only known me for a few days and the house was built two years ago, so I was enraged as I nced up at him. ¡°I¡¯m going to smack you once more, I advise you to be cautious.¡± ¡°When we left the house, I noticed how he was looking at you,¡± he muttered, pushing me away and entering my name, but the gate stayed shut. Even though he tried both of my names, the door remained locked. I screamed at him, ¡°You¡¯re wasting your time, call the st*pid cops!¡± He scratched his head and asked, ¡°What is your Nickname, he must have given you a nickname?¡± I just gazed at him. ¡°I¡¯m going to call the cops if it doesn¡¯t work,¡± he said. ¡± Brainless Thalia,¡± I said. He raised his eyebrows at me before punching it in. To my surprise, the gate clicked open and he smiled. I didn¡¯t have time to be astonished; I needed to get to Brandon as soon as possible. I dashed inside, leaving him with his dumb grin. Chapter 21 Chapter 21 The Art Of Revenge Thalia¡¯s Pov I dashed into the house, rushing straight to his bedroom room. My heart was racing as I gazed on the bed, but it was empty; then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed him lying on the floor, covered in vomit, blood, and clots. My mind froze as I merely stared at him, the breakfast I had prepared for him undisturbed on the table. I was certain he was dead because he appeared to be quite grey from where I was standing. Nestor rushed in, bending down and rolling him over in an attempt to resuscitate him. I could hear him shouting out my name, but I was as still as a stone. He flipped him over and began pping his palm on his back like an infant. He then dashed to the bed, pressed a button, and the bed converted into a medical bed with a variety of medical equipment strewn over its edge. He dashed back to Brandon and dragged him to the bed, where he was fitted with an oxygen mask and a fluid bag. ¡°Thalia!¡± He yelled at me. I suddenly awoke from my stupor. He dered, ¡°He is alive, he is breathing.¡± I moved carefully over to the bed and held Brandon¡¯s hand, he was so cold, unlike yesterday when he was heated up. I raised my eyes to Nestor and inquired. ¡°Is this some type of cursed disease?¡± ¡°I have no idea, not even the most brilliant minds have been able to solve it,¡± he said as he adjusted the room¡¯s temperature. My mind was at a stalemate, and I couldn¡¯t think of anything. I was so excited about informing him about the meeting¡¯s sess, but it seemed like I¡¯d have to wait. I just sat there, ying with his hand, as Nestor, much to my astonishment, began cleaning the room. I also noticed that he was familiar with theyout of the house and which doors linked to which rooms. ¡°I believe we should put him in some hot water like doctors used to do,¡± he suggested when he was done. ¡°Did you use to live here?¡± I asked, raising my eyes to him. ¡°No, but I used toe up here when he was unconscious to see how he was doing. The doctor would secretly allow me in,¡± he exined. As he began removing Brandon¡¯s clothes, I looked at him, puzzled. ¡°Perhaps we should contact one of his physicians,¡± I suggested. ¡°There¡¯s nothing a doctor can do for him, Thalia; he¡¯s just a vessel awaiting his fate. He went on to say, ¡°All we can do is make himfortable.¡± I held down my wrath to scream at him. Brandon, unlike other people who betrayed me or pitied andughed behind my back, was the one person who was honest with me and told me what I needed to hear. He was sincere in his counsel and evenughed in my face. He was a sincere friend; he may or may not have had ulterior motivations in bringing me to his home, but he was a kind man. He didn¡¯t deserve to die like an animal. When he started removing his pants, I simply turned and looked away. I heard Nestor giggle, but I didn¡¯t pay attention. I only heard a will chair disappearing through the bathroom door. I was enraged at the world and Go d as I sat on my bed. Before I burst out, I decided to upy my mind. I went into the kitchen and started cooking. Nestor had already stated Brandon¡¯s favorite cuisine was mashed potatoes and shrimp. He¡¯d have to find a portion of food if he woke up. Nestor had showered, dressed, and tucked Brandon into bed by the time I finished. I noted the fluids hanging but his temperature and breathing were normal, despite the fact that he was still unconscious. ¡°Do you suppose he was unconscious for a long time?¡± As I sat down, I inquired Nestor could only gaze down in embarrassment. ¡°You should have brought us back here as soon as you didn¡¯t get a response, ¡± I stated in hushed tones. ¡°You have no clue who Brandon Fraser is,¡± he replied, raising his eyes to me. ¡°When he gives you orders, you follow them.¡± ¡°Is it worth it if he loses his life? I inquired, but he remained silent. ¡°What is your rtionship with him, and how do you know so much about him?¡± I finally asked the question which was eating me up. ¡°I¡¯m expected to know who my boss is,¡± he replied. ¡°Cut the nonsense!¡± ¡°Brandon has made it clear that there is no rtionship; he is insecure, and I¡¯m amazed he even let you stay here,¡± he indicated, perplexing me. ¡°I assumed you were one of the girls he sleeps with when I came to pick you up, but yourpany speech? Is he assisting you in regaining control of yourpany?¡± he asked. I gave him a long look before nodding. ¡°That¡¯s Brandon,¡± he said, startling me. ¡°He did the same for my mother, Maggie, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve met her.¡± ¡± Maggie is your mother?¡± I was taken aback. ¡°Yes, after Dad died, we were left with nothing, but Brandon hired my mother as the caretaker of his family¡¯s home, paying her a great sry,¡± he said with a smile that suddenly became mncholy. ¡°But then she had a heart condition and required a heart; she didn¡¯t want to disturb Brandon, but I tracked him down and begged him. My mum was put in front of the donation list and on a surgery table the next morning,¡± he exined as he sat down. ¡°When she recovered, he paid all the costs and reinstated her employment. Her employment helped me be the pilot I am today, and when I heard he was hiring pilots, I applied and was recruited. Then we discovered he was ill. My mother offered to look after him, but he declined because he didn¡¯t want help or sympathy. He dismissed us because he believes we are loyal simply because he gave my mother a heart. Yes, he is abrasive and difficult to work with, but he has arge heart underneath,¡± he noted. I was taken aback and looked at him in astonishment. ¡°I know everything there is to know about him because I was the one who used to take him around the world. And when he got sick, I was the one who flew in all kinds of doctors, medicine, food, and everything else in and out of here, but when they gave him the one-month deadline, he fired me, and my mother gave usrge retirement payouts,¡± he added, staring at me. ¡°Brandon is a strange man, as you¡¯ve probably noticed. He treats anyone whoes close to him badly while entertaining the wrong people who are after his money. So are you only here because of his money?¡± he inquired. I just stared at him, trying to process what he had just said. ¡°Wait a minute, you earlier said you were in high school together?¡± ¡°Sponsorship to expensive schools was one of the benefits my father received when he worked for his father¡¯s father. Brandon was aplete jerk to me during that time, and I despised him until I met the real Brandon, who was hidden behind the veil of hatred.¡± He stated this while looking at his watch. He stood up and walked away, despite the fact that I had not responded to his question. ¡°Wait a minute, how am I supposed to look after him?¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. As he offered me his card, he said, ¡°Here is my card, call me if he gets worse.¡± He stated and assured me he would return first thing in the morning. As I nced at Brandon, I was left alone and unsure of what to do. Time passed, yet nothing changed. For leisure, I decided to take a shower. I got a text from Nestor asking whether there had been any progress, and I replied while looking at my watch. I walked to my couch after 8 p.m. and set an rm for every hour to check on him. Nestor awoke me in the morning. I promptly examined Brandon¡¯s bed, but there was no progress. He remarked, ¡°Good morning, you appear sleepy.¡± ¡°We need to consult a physician,¡± I suggested. He walked into the kitchen with a bag full of groceries and said, ¡°No, give him time.¡± A woman stood at the door, waving at me. ¡°Mom This is Thalia, Thalia, this mom.¡± I waved as I remembered her from the photo; she smiled, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel ashamed, remembering how she had bathed my filthy body and hair. She approached Brandon¡¯s bedside and kissed him, assuring him that he would be fine. I couldn¡¯t understand why Brandon imed that everyone had abandoned him when the two people in front of me cared about him. Or were they obligated to love him because he had saved Magie¡¯s life? They lingered for a few hours before departing, leaving me to wonder. Another day, then another, and so on passed, I was starting to lose hope. Every day, Nestor would especially Magie. They certainly were nice people but I never told them how I met Brandon because Brandon never considered them family for some reason, so I opted to keep some things to myself. The board members, on the other hand, wanted to meet, they had made a decision, but I couldn¡¯t meet them because Brandon was still unconscious. I just sat there, helpless, watching his tablet for updates, which, to my surprise, had my nickname as the password. It appeared brainless Thalia was the password for everything. To be honest, I was expecting a lot of porn or graphic content, but it waspletely free of both. I even had a front-row seat to Josh and Jessica¡¯s wedding, which was the city¡¯srgest and most prestigious event. Jessica had ensured that such was the case. All the rich and famous that had time to waste attended and I didn¡¯t take my eyes away as I watched from beginning to conclusion of the ceremony. I suppose it was because Josh was joyful; Ipared his happiness to my wedding, and I would have noticed the red gs if I hadn¡¯t been so in love with him. Only when Nestor appeared did Ie back to reality. I needed to act as though I was on Facebook. I wasn¡¯t sure if I could trust him at that point. A total of five days passed, I had given up, Brandon had twenty days left on his Clock. Nestor sat next to him, fresh after giving him his bath. ¡°Thalia, you should meet the board; there are some amazing people on there who can help you reim your firm,¡± he said. ¡°No, you heard them, they wanted to hear Brandon¡¯s voice; they¡¯re going to throw everything at my face and call me a bluff,¡± I said as I moved around the room. Brandon was never going to wake up; his body was going to shut down and die on thest day. Nestor urged me to rx and sit down, but I refused. ¡°Thalia They will proceed with the takeover if you do not meet them, goodbye Mandel, goodbye Gentex,¡± he insisted. I screamed at him to stop but was brought to fault by a familiar voice, a voice that I had missed. ¡°Stop making her do st*pid things,¡± said a tired cracked voice. Brandon waspletely awake and unplugging all the tubes when we both looked behind us. ¡°Oh my Go d, Brandon,¡± I screamed in excitement, hugging him so tightly that I felt like I was going to pass out. He said, ¡°You¡¯re choking me,¡± as I swiftly pulled away from him. He was pale and feeble, and I could tell he¡¯d lost weight. I was standing in front of Nestor, so he told me to move. He inquired, ¡°What exactly are you doing here?¡± ¡°I had Nestor¡¯s assistance¡­¡± Before I could finish my sentence, he cut me off before; ¡°how long had I been out, and who had been bathing me?¡± he asked, surprised. Of all the questions he would have asked he wanted to know who was bathing him. ¡°Nestor,¡± I replied. ¡°Nestor, you¡¯re fired,¡± he said and told him to leave his residence. Nestor obeyed. I was astounded. I couldn¡¯t believe my ears. Nestor grinned as he excused himself and exited the house. ¡°Are you deranged? Didn¡¯t you hear me? Nestor was here for you!¡± ¡°It was supposed to be you bathing me, not him. I¡¯d have woken up the same day because of an erection,¡± he bluntly stated without a care in the world. My Jaw hung in shock. My phone beeped, and it was Nestor telling me not to worry because he was getting fired for the hundredth time. I exhaled a sigh of relief and sat down. Per vert Brandon had returned, and he appeared to be in a foul mood. He quickly requested his tablet and began browsing as if he had just gotten out of a minia. He said, ¡°Five days off my little time.¡± ¡°Are you starving?¡± I inquired. ¡°Your dumb pancakes, not food, ced me in this (sh it),¡± he expressed his displeasure by saying, ¡°I¡¯m upset.¡± I could see why he was upset; he had so little time and then squandered five days of it in a ¡°I missed you,¡± Without thinking, I stated He locked his gaze on me for a moment before asking, ¡°Have they taken over Mandel?¡± ¡°No, I offered them Gentex shares, and they went to think about it while the takeover was halted.¡± I was certain he would be angry with me, so I closed my eyes and waited for his insults. ¡°It¡¯s great that you now have two functioning brain cells,¡± he apuded. ¡°They do, however, desire a meeting with Brandon,¡± I replied, ignoring his statement. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of everything, but what about Josh and that nasty Jessica?¡± ¡°They just got married yesterday,¡± I said in a low voice. ¡°You couldn¡¯t even sabotage their wedding,¡± he yelled at me. I stared at him confused, we never talked about stopping their wedding. It was never in the n. Chapter 22 Chapter 22 The Art Of Revenge Brandon¡¯s Pov She stared at me puzzled; certainly, I was perplexing her and doing everything I could to hide my delight. I felt my life was over the instant I mmed into my own vomit. I feared I¡¯d never see her beautiful face or hear her sweet voice again. To be honest, I¡¯d been awake since Nestor had stepped in and had been listening in on their conversation. It was a bummer that I¡¯d wasted five days, five days that I¡¯d never get back. The man on the other end was adamant about my case. He wanted my torment to start on earth before I even reached hell. I clenched my teeth and told her to get ready for the meeting the next day. ¡°So, we¡¯re back to plotting? Just like that and we are not going to talk about what happened to you? ¡± she inquired. ¡°What exactly do you want us to do? Reunion sex?¡± I inquired, further enraging her. We didn¡¯t have enough time, we¡¯d missed too many days, and there was nothing on the ground for revenge. I focused my attention on my tablet, as I checked all my missed emails. My private investigator had delivered all of Gentex¡¯s secret documents that I needed. I sighed when I found what I was looking for. Even though he had stated that thepany was clean, I needed to go through them myself to be sure. I looked up as Thalia moved up to the bed and ced her hands over my tablet. ¡°Brandon, you were so close to dying, I believed you were dead, I thought I was never going to see you,¡± she said, avoiding eye contact. ¡°We lost time, Thalia, and I¡¯m dying regardless; nothing has changed,¡± I responded, but she demanded that I consult a doctor. She stood up and reached for her phone, requesting one of my doctor¡¯s lines. ¡°Thalia, I lose consciousness frequently; it wasn¡¯t the first time, and it won¡¯t be thest,¡± I stated in a solemn tone. ¡° But Brandon¡­¡± ¡°Go and make something to eat,¡± I requested. Whatever it took to get her off my back. I needed to go through all of the paperwork and look for ws. She locked her gaze on me for a brief moment before disappearing into the kitchen. I promptly forwarded the files to all of my directors; the fact that they took over five days to respond indicated that they were interested in Gentex; I couldn¡¯t do the work by myself because my head was a little foggy. They began responding in seconds, asking for the percentage shares. Unlike other boards of directors, mine was made up of co-operating crooks whose primary mission was to discover tiny businesses and corporations that dealt with transportation and force them to be devoured by Mandel. We bought them off, legally or illegally, if they refused. We anonymized the shares and went on to the next target. Gentex was the new target, apany that was highly distinct and tough to corner, we saw it as a new challenge. We liked difficulties and were willing to take them on. I offered them 40%, but they declined, they wanted thepany¡¯s majority shares. Which irritated me forcing me to put a bounty on Thalia¡¯spany since she requiredplete control. They¡¯d collect their sixty percent if they could find a solution faster than I could. It was a risk, but I didn¡¯t have time to debate. I scanned thepany files for thirty minutes, looking for any abnormalities in how he stole the loopholes or holes that the judge might have missed, but I couldn¡¯t find any. The corporation was legitimately acquired. n B was activated in ce. I started looking for any shady or illegal dealings Josh Nelson may have had or been involved in. But, ording to my private investigator, he was spotless. He only ever I noted that none of my directors had contacted me, implying that they, too, were stuck. My head was whirling with the word failure as I hurled the iPad and roared in rage. Thalia was holding a te of food when I brushed my hand in my hair and looked up. She slid it onto the table, moved across to the bed, and grabbed up the tablet, which she put aside. She climbed into bed and asked for me to lie on her thighs, much to my astonishment. To be honest, lying on her chest seemed more appealing to me. While messing with my hair, she said, ¡°Take it easy, Brandon.¡± ¡°I¡¯m running out of time, Thalia.¡± She murmured, ¡°Come here,¡± and snuggled me into her chest, as if she had read my mind. I¡¯m not sure if she was attempting to motivate me or not, but it was enjoyable. Maybe I should have been slumping into aa often. ¡°Brandon,¡± she eximed. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Why haven¡¯t you lost your hair like most cancer patients?¡± ¡°All my tests never showed any recognized cancers, but for my pubic hair¡­¡± ¡°Hey, I was merely inquiring about your head hair!¡± She quickly blocked me. Iughed out loud. ¡°On a more serious note, if Magie and Nestor genuinely care about you, why did you lie and im that no one cares about you?¡± she inquired. I shifted my head away from her chest and onto her thighs, suggesting that she had just spoiled my mood. ¡°Aren¡¯t we all suicide buddies, Brandon? We are expected to be truthful to one another,¡± she stated. I turned to face her, telling her that I was truthful and that Nestor and his mother were simply my employees. ¡°Brandon please, they are more than that.¡± ¡°So he told you how generously I helped his mother pay for her heart surgery?¡± She offered a slight smile when I asked her. ¡°I was drunk and wasted on some drug on the day he came pleading, and if he hade to ask for mypany, I would have signed it over.,¡± I stated, ¡°He was just lucky,¡± I added and then begged her to shift the topic. ¡°Brandon, but they looked like they genuinely loved you because I saw it in their eyes.¡± ¡°Would he have been here if I hadn¡¯t helped his mother?¡± I inquired, but she remained deafeningly silent. ¡°Thalia, whatever love you witnessed, was conditional. Everyone you¡¯ll meet or have met feels they owe me something. I once performed something good for which they believe I should bepensated, even though I never requested any retainer,¡± I coldly stated. ¡°Is that how you perceive me?¡± she questioned as she jumped out of bed. ¡°Thalia, no. You stand out from the crowd.¡± Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. ¡°How am I different?¡± she inquired. ¡°Let¡¯s not go overboard, what have you prepared?¡± Even though I had no appetite and had no intention of eating, I inquired. ¡°Brandon have you fallen in love with me?¡± she inquired, causing me to burst outughing. My heart raced, but I ignored it, she was so forthright that I didn¡¯t anticipate her to catch me off guard. My desire to find out. I finished myughter and requested water. I was staring at her as I sipped it, while she was waiting for my response awkwardly. I removed the ss from my mouth, cleared my throat, and said, ¡°What kind of question is that, exactly? Have you fallen in love with me?¡± I diverted the question. ¡°No, I see you as the protective brother I never had, the brother who would have pped me in the face with reality,¡± she replied in a way that disappointed me. The way she said it without hesitation was the part that hurt the most. I quickly recovered and said ¡°Well, then, little sister, have a seat and let¡¯s eat, the food is getting hot,¡± I remarked. She took a seat after a brief stare at me. It was awkward, as opposed to prior times. where she was smiling, her legs crossed and making strange noises to persuade me to eat. She sat in the corner of the bed, sipping her juice, with a lot on her mind but fearful of finding out the answers. When my tablet beeped, I urged her to hand it over; a message appeared from all of my directors, stating that they had failed to locate any loops on Gentex and that they needed resources and time that Icked. However, instead of mypany, they had something to upy their time and heads with which was good on my part. I gave them all the time in the world, I knew it was also a bonus to them, while they waited for my death andpany, Gentex was the icing on their cake. I set down the tablet and focused on Thalia, asking, ¡°How far would you go to take Josh down?¡± ¡°Do you mean killing him?¡± she asked, her face lit up. ¡°Do I look like a killer to you, Thalia?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯d kill him if you agreed to hide the body,¡± she said, shocking me to death. I waited for her to retract what she had just said, but she was dead serious. She wasn¡¯t like the old Thalia I had half polished or left five days ago. Something happened as a result of my absence, but I had no idea what it was. She cleared her throat and said, ¡°During their vows, he only asked Jessica for a functioning brain in their marriage, Brandon, he was mocking me,¡± she continued, tears streaming down her face. I became silent and focused solely on her face. ¡°I apologize for ruining your dinner, and I apologize for the dumb question I asked before,¡± she remarked as she wiped her tears away. ¡°It¡¯s just that he was so happy at their wedding that he talked about having ten children with her, children that he denied me having,¡± she sobbed. I locked my gaze on her; the confident Thalia had vanished, and in her ce stood the low-esteem stinky hair I met on the bridge earlier. She¡¯d given up hope, knowing full well that I¡¯d never been able to take back herpany. I was going to die, and she was either going to drink herself to death or kill herself. I simply sat there and watched her cry, saying nothing to console her. She stood up and walked to the restroom, most likely to continue sobbing. I was left alone in the room, soaking in the humiliation of my defeat. I had made amitment that I was unable to fulfill. After my diagnosis, I was finding it easy to give up without a fight which was not my usual lifestyle. Never once did I give up hope. I took up the tablet and went over Josh¡¯s papers, use by use, full stop by full stop. Something had clearly escaped my notice. In all of my years of dismantling businesses, I¡¯d learned one thing: there was always one use that was overlooked. I had no idea how many hours had passed when it dawned on me, ¡°a child.¡± Josh had gone to great lengths during his marriage to Thalia to ensure that she never became pregnant for him. I returned to the shares and saw that more than half of them were inheritance shares, which he had set aside for his firstborn kid with his first spouse. I was stunned and had to read it again and again. Inheritance shares were a new way or trend in bigpanies to make sure thatpanies were passed down to children. Somepanies set aside as much as 60% or just 10% for shares that were not to be sold but inherited. The shares were kept in thepany umting profits. Different uses applied to differentpanies, it was up to the owners of thepany. It was a smart move and preventedpanies like mine from taking over otherpanies or buying off shareholders. ording to Thalia¡¯s story, those were her shares that her father set aside. Josh never changed them, not even a full stop; he only became the rightful owner of them and could pass them to his first child with his first spouse. In theory, if he and Thalia had a child, that child would own half of thepany. Whether he was divorced or not, Thalia was his first spouse while Jessica was his second spouse. Her father must have ced a strong emphasis on the first spouse because he didn¡¯t want whoever married her to pregnant another woman and flee with his business. It looked like Josh had forgotten to remove or overlooked the phrase, FIRST SPOUSE. I continued reading and discovered that if the initial spouse who inherited the shares failed to have a child they were free to sign off on the shares. When I understood how meticulously Josh arranged everything, I clenched my teeth. He made sure not to impregnate her and duped her into signing off the shares. I was impressed. I got up, scarcely able to stand because the room was bing heated. With more than half of the shares in the child¡¯s control that could put Thalia back into thepany as its mother and I would be able to quickly buy off orpel a sale of the remaining shares. My directors wouldplete the take over even if I died. But would Thalia agree to have a child with the guy who had her sanity stripped in front of the entire world? Then I remembered she was ready to kill him only a few moments ago. Having a child with him, on the other hand, was another matter Then there was me: was I going to allow her to have a child with someone else? But, to be fair, I was dying, and she would live, get married, and have arge family happily. On second thought, a baby was just what she needed toplete her and forget about suicide. She packed all of her degrees to bear children for an idiot who took advantage of her. But how was Josh¡¯s worthless sperm going to get into her? I was perplexed because sex was not an option. No way was that jerk putting his filthy hands on her. I was certain she wouldn¡¯t agree to the s*x part. Chapter 23 Chapter 23 The Art Of Revenge Josh¡¯s Pov Finally, we were free to go on our honeymoon; unlike other couples, we did not go on the same day as our wedding. I had a lot of loose ends to tie up in my firm and a lot of stuff to straighten out. Jessica was very pi**ed at me but I was going to make it up to her. Mom was moved into a lovely private home for dementia patients. I hired the best team of nurses and doctors in the world to care for her. I gave them precise instructions to keep me informed if anything changed or if there were any issues. My father and his girlfriends vanished on the day of the wedding. He couldn¡¯t even wait for the wedding to end before congratting us and leaving. But I¡¯d be ustomed to his irresponsibility and was the one who was usually cleaning up after him. In celebration of Gentex¡¯s takeover, he imed he needed to party his life away. He was somehow taking full credit for it, even though it was his n and I was only carrying it out. But thanks to him, my future generation was set up for a good life. Maybe I didn¡¯t have a right to be upset with him. He¡¯d spent years plotting and grooming me in order to nail it. Perhaps he needed a break and some quality time with some sl**ts. He was getting old and tired, soon he was going to go back to caring for his wife at the end of the day. I sighed as I finished packing, Jessica strolled in, beaming. ¡°Please, babe, hurry up,¡± she urged as she kissed my cheeks. She was ecstatic to be going to Canada; she had always loved the snow and wanted us to spend our time there at an upscale ski resort. Skiing or snow was not my thing; I enjoyed the water and would have preferred Hawaii, but I had to ¡°Are you done packing Mrs. Nelson?¡± I asked as I drew her closer to me. ¡°Yes, Mr. Nelson, you are the one packing like a little girl,¡± she said in my ear. I grabbed one of my t- shirts and started paddling her bottom as she raced around. ¡°You¡¯re the little girl, around here¡± I continued to yell. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Nelson,¡± she began, the wordsing out of my mouth being soforting. As she let out a high-pitched screech that pierced my ears, I seized her and pinned her to the bed. I traced kisses all over her neck. ¡°Stop, stop, we¡¯re running out of time, Josh,¡± she said. ¡°Just one round, Mrs. Nelson,¡± I implored. ¡°Josh, we can do that on the jet,¡± she replied with a grin on her face. ¡°Have you ever tried it at a high altitude?¡± she inquired, her voice sultry. I came to a halt and gazed down at her; she was dead serious. I¡¯d never had an org**sm at such a high altitude before. I leaped to my feet and resumed my packing, causing her to burst outughing. I was done in minutes and immediately sweating from the possibility of having sex in the air. I was so excited, we really needed the break too. I summoned the maid, who carried our baggage to the car while we held hands. We couldn¡¯t take our hands off of each other or have enough of ourselves. We were passionately kissing each other as soon as we got inside the car. After getting impatient of waiting for a green light, the driver had no choice but to begin driving. It wasn¡¯t as if he had no idea where we were headed. We kissed and caressed each other all the way to the airport, where my private jet was waiting and all fueled up. To get us off of each other, the driver had to tap the window four times. We couldn¡¯t stop staring at each other or keeping our hands to ourselves. It was clear that we were meant to be together. Her wildness always met my arrogance on the halfway mark. A match made in heaven. The driver had already put our baggage on board as we headed to the jet. My boy was already hard, Jessica had to ce herself in front of me to cover my b*ner. It was a long humiliating mini-walk to the jet, the short distance between the car and the Jet felt like a hundred-meter sprint. The two pilots gave us strange looks, but we ignored them as I chased behind Jessica, who had decided to embarrass me by sprinting inside the ne and disying my hardened junk. She was going to put in a lot of effort. I was thinking to myself as I chased her down like a duck. I was very much aware that she was aching and drenched, which exined why she was fleeing; she couldn¡¯t hold on any longer, and I was going to punish her. I quickly boarded and followed her to the back of the ne, where no one could hear us. She was thinking the same thoughts that I was. Even though it had only been minutes since Ist touched her, I was already yearning for her. I caught up with her and threw her on the couch, but she pushed me away; she enjoyed ying hard to get. I felt like I couldn¡¯t get near her fast enough, then I grabbed her and she strained against my body. As I drove her up against the back of the jet, my shirt was already drenched from my sweat. She shoved her petite body against myrge chest, the muscles solid beneath my shirt as I pressed hard against her. The warmth of her fingertips on my exposed skin sent another burst of energy directly to my already hardened boy, making me ache with a tiny moan. As I began stripping her bare, I had to feel her warm skin beneath my fingertips, stride by stride. We stumbled when the jet moved, but that didn¡¯t bother us or cause us to stop because the movement only added to the thrill. We both lived for the danger and excitement. For a long time, I¡¯d yearned for such an experience. I drew her t-shirt up just enough for my hands to get underneath it, tugging her breasts. I encircled her waist with my hands, her skin soft and silky to the touch, as I searched for the curvature of her waist and the firmness of her breast which were hard from my touch. As her mouth slid behind my ear, she took a harmless bite and I let out a groan, she slowly began sucking my ear lobe, I tightened my grip and drew her closer. It was a tasty form of torture. As her touch warmed my flesh, I groaned. She couldn¡¯t wait any longer, so she yanked down my jeans and filled herself around my hardened length. The Jet slowed to match our pace as we were about c*m. The soaring jet pushed us back, nearly mming me, but I didn¡¯t feel it because a surge of pleasure was still coursing through my veins. I clutched her in my arms, shielding her from any ms. We burst outughing when the captain ordered us to belt up in our seats over the inte. It was as if we were rich, spoiled teens who had just fallen in love and stolen our parents¡¯ aircraft, fleeing to an ind to begin a life of defiance. ¡°Do you want to give it a shot in the seat or are you exhausted?¡± She came up with the question. For a brief moment, I believed I had knocked her unconscious, but she appeared to be up and well. I followed her up to one of the seats, where she belted me in. We had the entire Jet to ourselves and didn¡¯t mind if the pilots were watching or hearing us. She jumped on top of me and began taunting and toying with me after she had tied me up. As she continued to ride me over and over, I was already gasping for air. She moved slowly and rhythmically as if torturing me. I wanted it to be harsh and tough, but she seemed to be taking her time. But after a few minutes, a flood of overwhelming ecstasy washed over me. We just sat there, attempting to recover, as she copsed on top of me. Her long breaths sounded like music to my ears, and the prospect of hearing such a tune for the rest of my life piqued my interest. She rolled to the side and retrieved a bottle of wine, pouring herself a drink after regaining her breath. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not going to untangle me?¡± I posed the question. ¡°Have you had enough?¡± in a sarcastic tone, she inquired. I chuckled, realizing that thedy I married was unquestionably a machine. ¡°At the very least, pour me a ss of wine,¡± I asked. ¡°No, you¡¯re my sl*ve, and I¡¯ll only give you a drink once I¡¯m done with you,¡± she said. She was always in charge. I knew she wasn¡¯t joking when she said I was her sl*ve. She always wanted to be in control when it came to ying games with me during our intimate sessions. I enjoyed all the spices she brought into the bedroom, sometimes they were over the top but lived up to expectations resulting in high-paced org*sms. She stood up, exposing her entire naked body for my eyes to imprint. She was so beautifully fit to be put in a museum for all men to drool over. ¡°What is your level of thirst? What would you do to get a drink?¡± she asked as she sat on my knees with a ss of wife in her right hand. It appeared we were ying a brand-new game. I always wondered where she got all the new games for our bedroom affairs, and I always enjoyed it. With a chuckle, I told her to start asking questions. ¡°Did Thalia make you bored in bed?¡± she asked in a serious tone. I almost choked on my saliva. I lost all of my enthusiasm and eagerness. I was perplexed as to why she kept bringing up Thalia. We were supposed to forget about Thalia. That was a chapter of my life I had closed and wanted to be buried. She could tell I was irritated by the expression on my face. ¡°Listen to me, honey, before you get mad,¡± she pleaded. I responded, ¡°I¡¯m already pi**ed.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s only a game,¡± she assured me, e on, it¡¯ll be fun.¡± But I was uninterested. Bringing up an ex during an intimate session was a total turn-off. I never mentioned her ex-boyfriends or ever brought them up but she was always bringing up Thalia at every opportunity she got. But ording to her, I was her sl*ve and had no choice so she disregarded me and demanded that we y the game. She offered that after she was done with me, we would switch roles and she would be my sl*ve but I was no longer interested in her games. I could see her bing enraged since she had never received a no before. ¡°Can you f**k me as you used to f**k Thalia?¡± She gave the order. As she began unbuckling me, I locked my gaze on her. ¡°Come on, Josh, you¡¯re wasting your time,¡± she remarked. I was restraining myself from staring at her. ¡°Okay, if you don¡¯t, you¡¯ll never be able to touch me,¡± she dered. I knew she was serious and was not bluffing. ¡°Jessica, you¡¯re a sick woman,¡± I spat out, irritated. ¡°You married a sickle,¡± she replied. Out of frustration I grabbed her, pinned her on her back, and smacked her hard since that¡¯s how I¡¯d always f**ked Thalia. I always avoided looking into her eyes as much as possible. Maybe it was because our marriage was a setup and I was guilty at the back of my head. Although there was never any intimacy she was hot and very natural. That was one thing I liked about her. I remembered her breast size which added to the pleasure I was experiencing as I continued to hit Jessica. It wasn¡¯t long until I wasparing the two women, a battle I¡¯d been battling for over a month. As I came andnded on her back, a vision of Thalia began to form in my mind. In a sarcastic tone, she inquired how it felt to imagine the woman I had betrayed. I was astonished as she stood up, grabbed a towel, and walked away, bursting with energy, while I sat there catching my This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. breath. I put on my boxer and joined her after I had recovered. She sat in her seat, a fashion magazine open in front of her. ¡°What did you say?¡± I inquired. She responded, ¡°I yed a game in which you miserably failed.¡± Iughed and got myself a ss of wine, knowing who she was and how easily I had fallen for her blunder. To be honest, I wasn¡¯t guilty, but I did teach her a lesson about letting sleeping dogs lie. ¡°Is there anything else you want to know about Thalia? You appear to be quite interested in her,¡± I enquired, but she remained silent. ¡°Permit me to be clear: Thalia was uninteresting in bed, she was naive, I married her a virgin, and I made sure she cried on our first night. I¡¯ve never liked having sex with her at all,¡± I remarked as I stood up and walked away. By the time we arrived in Canada, it was evening, we walked into the hotel not as excited as we were when we got out of our house. But Jessica apologized and promised not to bring up Thalia which I very much doubted. To be honest she was the one that made sure Thalia suffered during herst months with me. She missed giving me ideas on how to torment Thalia. Chapter 24 Chapter 24 The Art Of Revenge Thalia¡¯s Pov I sat in the tub, tears streaming down the drain. Brandon was correct about the feelings of inadequacy resurfacing. There was no way ofing back after being so cross and so sure of taking one¡¯s own life. Among the two people that stood on that bridge, he was the lucky one. He was going to die while I was going to live with that shadow of suicide hovering over my back, waiting for an opportunity to enter. An idle mind was indeed the devil¡¯s workshop. I looked over, I couldn¡¯tprehend how my eyes could shed so many tears. I could hear a wheelchair as the door opened, but I remained in my folded position, unwilling to speak to anyone. I ignored him as he cleared his throat and called my name. He added, ¡°Thalia, sobbing won¡¯t fix anything, and you shouldn¡¯t have watched the foolish wedding!¡± He stated but I ignored him. ¡°Okay, fine, we¡¯re running out of time.¡± He gritted his teeth and said ¡°I looked for a quick approach to take control of Gentex but came up empty-handed. Josh was precise in his take over; he paid attention to the smallest details,¡± he said, bringing more tears to my eyes. I was very much aware a month would be insufficient to bring Josh down, but I had faith in Brandon because he was wealthy, and the wealthy always seemed to get what they wanted. To make matters better, it was part of his job description to bring businesses down. But there he was, reminding me of how well Josh had f**ked me up. I raised my head to face him, my eyes red and swollen from crying, and asked if he had anything new that I didn¡¯t know. He looked away, avoiding eye contact. I sensed he was on to something, but I was hesitant to say anything. It was past time for him to stop treating me like an egg. ¡°Brandon, just say it,¡± I said in a low voice. ¡°I discovered a use in the paperwork that allows you to control half of thepany which would pave for ess to the other shares,¡± he said. My eyes widened, but his tone was off; he was meant to be making sarcastic remarks, but he was dead serious. ¡°What? Please tell me, ¡°You¡¯re making me uneasy.¡± ¡°Thalia What I¡¯m about to propose to you will alter your life forever, and it will necessitate sacrifice¡­¡± ¡°I told you I¡¯d kill him earlier, just say it!¡± I screamed at the top of my lungs. I was furious and didn¡¯t want him to be mincing words. I wanted Josh¡¯s head on a te, dead or alive. After seeing Brandon lying on the bed half dead, it hit me. Josh did not deserve a single day of happiness, not when I was still alive. I was going to take him to hell with me. He took a deep breath and stated, ¡°There is a condition that distributes at least 60% shares to the first child. I know your father was very particr on that use and he was very explicit in underlining the shareowner¡¯s first child and his or her first spouse.¡± I rolled my eyes, the shares were not mine, I had handed them to Josh on a silver tter, so I looked at him perplexed. ¡°Thalia, you are Josh¡¯s first wife, whether divorced or not. And if you and Josh have a kid, the shares will be immediately given to the child,¡± he said as I began to freeze. A memory quickly flushed, my father had emphasized on that use. It was on the eve of my wedding when he walked into my room and said something like if Josh ever cheated on me or had another woman pregnant. I recalled being irritated when he brought up the subject; the night was meant to be about celebrating myst night as a single person, but he had to ruin it with uses I didn¡¯t want to hear about. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. Then it dawned on me that he was merely looking out for my best interests, I kept my lips shut. He may not have totally trusted Josh, but he was willing to risk the marriage for his friend¡¯s sake as long as I epted. I felt a wave of shame when I realized he had me covered all the time, but I was too st*pid to notice, so I ended up signing off on his lifetime of hard work, all his sweat drained and flushed down the toilet. ¡°Thalia?¡± Brandon yelled out my name, ¡°Thalia!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to agree; a child is set of a new game. Mandel is still on the table as a present for you when I die,¡± he said but I was not interested in hispany, I wanted what my fatherbored for. ¡°What if Jessica and Josh had a child?¡± I asked, ignoring hisst statement. ¡°Thalia, Consider something objectively rather than emotionally,¡± he replied. ¡°Please respond to the question.¡± ¡°Josh would subsequently learn of the use, there is always a revision in uses when a changing moment happens. He is the shareowner, he can remove the word FIRST.¡± ¡°So, before he changes it, I need to get pregnant?¡± I asked. ¡°Certainly,¡± he replied. ¡°It would be difficult for him to change the use if a child with his first spouse is born. However, we can ensure that he never conceives.¡± I got out of the tub and stared at him; he seemed to have thought everything through and was putting me to the test. I¡¯d only known Brandon for a few days, but I knew he wouldn¡¯t have brought it up unless it was absolutely necessary. ¡°How?¡± I asked. ¡°Josh punished you with fake fertility pills, put you on birth control, and made you worthless. What if we did the same to him?¡± he said, raising his eyes to me. My heart began racing fast and a smile nearly escaped my lips before I forced it in. Total vengeance, reiming what he robbed me of, motherhood and while at it, taking away thepany hebored to steal. The jerk in front of me was a total genius, no wonder he was untouchable even when he was dying. ¡°Exin?¡± I ordered. ¡°Once we obtain the sperm we need and I¡¯m pregnant you, we do an Orchiectomy (removal of both of his testicles),¡± he replied without blinking. A shiver ran down my spine. I suppose the ruthless Brandon Fraser, Nestor was talking about was seated in front of me, not the one I met earlier who had lost hope in life, but the one who delighted in wrecking people¡¯s businesses and lives, leaving them dry, and bouncing from one to the next without regard. ¡°Thalia If you do not want to, my directors will find another method to get yourpany, but I will not be alive to witness it,¡± he proposed. ¡°Will I have to sleep with him? What if I¡¯m unable to conceive on my first attempt? and will he discover he doesn¡¯t have testicles?¡± I inquired further. ¡°No, I¡¯ll put him in a situation that will put him on an operating table in a theater, and the sperms will be retrieved under that disguise, a quarter for your insemination and the other for storage. Then we cut off his junk.¡± ¡°But will he know?¡± I swallowed hard. ¡°Perhaps, but he¡¯d be too preupied to remember the use, and we won¡¯t allow him to harvest the sperms,¡± he added. For a little moment, I was silent, trying to digest everything. ¡°You have all night to consider it, particrly if you want to have a child with the devil?¡± He said and was about to wheel out of the room when I stopped him. ¡°What about the child¡¯s custody?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all yours, and you can exploit his history of abuse to ensure he doesn¡¯t even get visiting hours.¡± ¡°Stealing his sperms, on the other hand, isn¡¯t a crime? Right?¡± I asked. ¡°We can create a false one-night stand with photos that he will never have to remember,¡± he said and walked out of the room. I was at cross ends, a child for vengeance? That was crossing a line where there was no return. What would the child think of me if he or she grew up to learn that I had given birth to them solely to exact vengeance? Was it right to lead a helpless soul into a life of hatred? I started pacing the room, wondering if I could love that child. Or would they ever forgive me if they discovered my obsession for revenge? I roared in frustration, knowing that I only had one shot; waiting for the directors would take years, and the fool would be happily married with four children, and the use would have been changed. There were so many factors at y, so many things to give up, and so many people, including myself to hurt, all for my selfish gain. Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Brandon¡¯s pov She lingered in the bathroom for an extended period of time, implying that she was considering it. I was kicking myself foring up with the proposal in the first ce. I didn¡¯t want her to get pregnant for that jerk. In the future, my directors would devise a scheme to snare Gentex for her. Josh and his father had to practice their takedown for years before they got it right. Rushing was a form for disaster because there were so many factors in the n that I had overlooked. Anything could go wrong and backfire, and I wouldn¡¯t be alive to pick her up. A flood of regret washed over me, and I knew I had to back out of my proposition. I got out of the wheelchair and headed to the bathroom when the door opened and she walked out. My attempt to open my mouth was thwarted by her. ¡°I need some fresh air, don¡¯t you want to go for a walk down the beach?¡± she suggested. I said, ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Do you require the use of a wheelchair? ¡°No, just my tablet,¡± I said as I walked over to the bed to get it. ¡°Is it okay if I wear your ck hoodie?¡± She inquired. I shifted my gaze to her, taken aback by her plea. I was wearing the hoodie when I first ran into her. I smiled and nodded. She took it from the closet and put it on. As she led the way, she said, ¡°When you die, I¡¯m keeping this hoodie.¡± I was left speechless. I shook my head and walked up behind her. It was already dark outside, another day lost but we had identified a loop in Josh¡¯spany, albeit I was not knee-deep in carrying it out. We walked silently down the beach¡¯s edges, Thalia in front with me behind, evaluating the chances of the n seeding. I wanted her to bring up the topic or provide an answer, despite the fact that I had given her time to think about it. She came to aplete halt and turned to face me. If only I could get into her head and see what she was thinking. ¡°What exactly are they doing? She inquired. ¡°Who?¡± I asked confused. ¡°Jessica and Josh, the new married couple?¡± ¡°Thalia, I assumed you wanted to go for a stroll to clear your head?¡± I asked, concerned. ¡°I¡¯m thinking about them and curious as to what they¡¯re up to,¡± she replied, her voice direct. I sighed, disappointed, and said, ¡°They are at a ski resort in Canada.¡± She chuckled, ¡°Josh hurts snow,¡± she said and asked if I had followed them and set up cameras where they were staying. ¡°Watching them won¡¯t help you make the right decision,¡± I stated. She walked over to me and took the tablet from my hands. She seemed to have figured out how to use my iPad and went straight to the live feed of Jessica and Josh, who were sleeping and embracing in bed. She took a seat down and nced at them. I followed her lead and took a seat next to her. ¡°They most likely believe they have a promising future. I¡¯m sure they¡¯re fantasizing about that future,¡± she said, her gaze falling on me. ¡°Thalia ept mypany, and you¡¯ll be able to take down Josh with the resources it provides,¡± I suggested. ¡°No, I want his nightmare to start tomorrow, but what if Jessica is already expecting?¡± she inquired. I slowly locked my gaze with her, it appeared she had already made up her mind; I was saddened deep down. She was willing to go to any length in order to destroy Josh¡¯s life. With a small smile, she took her hand and ced it in mine. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of myself while you¡¯re gone. I am well aware that having a child is a major responsibility.¡± ¡°Will it be worth bringing an innocent soul into this fight?¡± I asked, pulling out my hand and holding her cheek. ¡°By the time she or he grows up, Josh wouldmit suicide and his sk**k would be selling her body for change,¡± she said. I just stared at her with no words to say. ¡°Imagine his surprise when he learns that his brainless wife, with whom he never wanted to have a child, will be the only woman to ever carry his child?¡± she said, smiling. ¡°You see, Brandon, your n is excellent; it will wipe away all the sorrows I shed when he had made sure I never conceived.¡± She continued, ¡°I¡¯m going to get the finalugh.¡± I sighed and continued to massage her flesh; she had made up her mind and there was no use in discussing it; after all, it was my idea, to begin with. She said, ¡°I would have liked it if you had raised the child with me.¡± As I gazed up at her, my hand froze, I knew her words were innocent. It was natural for two friends to raise a child together, yet her words cut to the core of my being, and I could feel my heart throbbing. Before I blushed, I had to act quickly. ¡°Imagine how attractive your second child would be if I left my sperm as well.¡± I made light of the situation. She shoved me and yelled, ¡°Shut up! What is the matter with you? And don¡¯t think about swapping his sperm for yours. I will follow you to hell,¡± she whispered as she pressed her fingers across my skin. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I consider that?¡± I said, feigning augh. ¡°Brandon I will skin you alive?¡± I replied, ¡°Just kidding,¡± with a serious expression on my face. ¡°Simply vow that you will not grow the child to be as st*pid as you.¡± ¡°I swear and cross my heart,¡±she saidughing. ¡°How long has it been since you had your period?¡± I inquired, noticing a smidgeon of redness on her face. ¡°Thalia, this information is for insemination purposes only, not for my p*rv**rted ears,¡± I informed her. ¡°Oooh, I guess my period is a week or two weeks away,¡± she added as she began counting. I said, ¡°Great, that means you¡¯re very fertile, just sitting on me could get you pregnant,¡± I said, which made her When I was with her, I hid behind a wall of sarcasm. Every time I felt a strange joyful feeling, it was terrifying. I had some inkling of what it was, but I was too afraid to confront it. She came to a halt and asked, ¡°How long until you make Josh impotent, I want to watch,¡± causing me to swallow my saliva hard. ¡°Unfortunately, we must be cautious and leave no records, so no cameras are permitted. ¡°No, Brandon,¡± she screamed in frustration. ¡±Sorry, brainless, but we can watch the ident,¡± I said. ¡°What kind of ident?¡± ¡°Skiing ident, he should have gone to Jamaica instead of Canada,¡± I replied and grabbed the tablet from her hands going straight to the emails. I needed to send them to all of the people who were needed in the operation, but before I hit send, I asked her if she was sure she wanted to go ahead with it. Thest thing we wanted was for her to wake up as Jesus¡¯ mother and regret her decision. She took the tablet and sent the emails herself, much to my amazement; there was no going back. But then she stopped and asked; ¡°What happens if the fictitious ident goes wrong and he dies? Who gets the shares?¡± ¡°The jerk is still drafting his will and consultingwyers, so now is the greatest moment to strike,¡± I responded. ¡°Then it¡¯s time for the horror to begin ¡°she stated as her phone rang, she instantly took it up and smiled as she read the message. ¡°Who is it?¡± I inquired. ¡°It¡¯s none of your concern,¡± she said,pelling me to take the phone from her like a jealous boyfriend. It was Nestor and he was asking about me and wishing her goodnight, much to my chagrin. ¡°Give me my phone back!¡± She screamed at me. ¡°He is very foolish,¡± I stated and gave him two middle fingers before blocking and deleting his line. ¡°There you go,¡± I responded, returning the phone to her. ¡°Why would you do such a thing,¡± she wondered? ¡°What if something happens to you? Who should I contact?¡± ¡°If I drop dead just pick up my body and bury it on this beach, after all, this is my property,¡± I muttered as I stood up. It was gettingte, and I was getting cold. ¡°Brandon, you jerk, you¡¯re just jealous because I¡¯ve made a new friend,¡± she said. As I led the way back inside the house, I chuckled and asked, ¡°Friend? Next, you will im him as your new boyfriend,¡± I stated sending her toughter. ¡°I knew there was a small heart inside of you that was jealous,¡± she said. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. ¡°So you¡¯re thinking about dating him?¡± I questioned, turning around. My face solemn. I could only hope she selected her words carefully, for I was willing to leave her outside in the cold to see whether useless Nestor woulde to her aid. She said, ¡°He¡¯s not my type,¡± and then said, ¡°Breath.¡± I stared at her, realizing I hadn¡¯t been inhaling for a while. As a flood of embarrassment washed over me, she came outughing, but I had to recover quickly and untangle myself from the web. ¡°Do you know what?¡± ¡°What?¡± she asked. ¡°It¡¯s been rumored that he¡¯s ga y,¡± I told her, surprising the life out of her. ¡°There is something about the way he looks at me that screams ga y?¡± I added. ¡°Brandon, keep quiet; I¡¯ll go over to his house and inform him.¡± ¡°If you want to confront him, do so, and how dare you allow him to bathe me?¡± She held her hands on her mouth and said, ¡°Oh, my G*d, he probably raped you every time he bathed you.¡± Her mouth agape, she inquired, ¡°How¡¯s your butt?¡± I tried to grab her, but she was swift and bolted away. I dashed after her, having no idea where the energy hade from, but after two years, my feet had found the drive to run. As she screamed like a sixteen-year-old, I chased her all the way to the bedroom. She grabbed whatever soft thing she could find and hurled it at me. ¡°Brandon, I was simply joking,¡± she remarked as we stood inches apart; I couldn¡¯t recall thest time I had so much fun; such memories were erased from my memory bank. She raced to the kitchen, and I chased after her as she defended herself with a pan. ¡°Seriously, you¡¯re going to hit a man who¡¯s dying?¡± As I tried to grab her, I inquired. ¡°I was only joking,¡± she pleaded, but I was not going to fall for her ruse. I pushed her to the cupboard with my left hand, then grabbed her free left hand and trapped her against the cupboard with my right hand. As she dropped the pan, my body rubbed up against hers. ¡°Brandon Please believe me when I say I was joking,¡± she continued, smiling, but I was already lost in my own world, inhaling her scent while feigning a struggle with her. She smelled great, natural rather than perfumed or synthetic. Her hair smelledpletely different than it did when I first saw her. Maggie did an excellent job with the scent. It took all my might not to trace kisses on her neckline as I came closer. It was all I could think about. I was puzzled as to why I hadn¡¯t met her when I was healthy and vibrant. What was it about life that was so cruel? I said a prayer for the first time. Big man, if you¡¯re up there, please grant me another month. I stated I¡¯d only ask for one more month with her. ¡°What¡¯re you up to, Brandon?¡± She inquired, but I was preupied. Brandon ¡°Are you okay?¡± She inquired one more. I shook out of my creepy stupor and said. ¡°Don¡¯t move, I think I yanked something,¡± I lied. ¡°Brandon, please tell me you¡¯re alright! ¡°It¡¯s all my fault,¡± she inquired, her voice trembling. ¡°Just don¡¯t move,¡± I murmured as I slowly slid my head over her shoulder and wrapped my arms around her petite waist. I was convinced she was going to burst me, but the naive girl was so worried that I would copse and die on her that she didn¡¯t notice my sick game. We stayed there till I felt she was tired. As I let go of her, I told her, ¡°I think I need to rest on the bed.¡± She swiftly shifted her weight and offered her back. She was a true angel, but I was the jack**ss. ¡°No, I think I can walk,¡± I replied, but she had already brought in a wheelchair before I could finish my sentence. As she rolled me into the bedroom. She helped me get into the bed, I could see she was tired all thanks to me. ¡°Let¡¯s watch a movie?¡± I suggested. She held her head, I could see that she was not interested and only wanted to rest but I wanted her to sleep on my bed. I quickly grabbed the remote, flipped the wall into my Tv, and pulled her down. ¡°Fine, just one movie,¡± she said and got on the bed sliding under my covers. Before we knew it she was on my chest snoring and making cute noises. 26 26 The Art Of Revenge by MK20 Gab Chapter 26 Josh¡¯s Pov I could not sleep and awoke in the middle of the night. I was having trouble sleeping for unknown reasons, and I had a strong suspicion that something wasn¡¯t quite right or that something horrible was about to ur. I looked over and saw Jessica fast asleep, looking very peaceful. I didn¡¯t want to wake her up, so I slowly got up, being careful not to wake her up. I went to the restroom, washed my face, and looked in the mirror. It was probably tension, I told myself, and everything was to be alright. nning a wedding and taking over arge corporation In the same month could be very exhausting. Anyone in my shoes could have copsed by now. To rx my body, I decided to take a shower. When I emerged from the shower I found Jessica deeply asleep, so I moved to the other side of the bed, avoiding disturbing or waking her up. I grabbed a seat on the bed and sat down with myptop. It was better that I got some work done if I wasn¡¯t going to get any sleep. I knew I had promised Jessica that I would not work, but I was bored out of my mind and terrified of the unknown. Before I began surfing my social media tforms, I conducted somest-minute touch-ups on the I hadn¡¯t checked any of my social ounts in a long time, but I remembered Jessica mentioning she had tagged me in all of the wedding images. I first logged on and a slew of notifications shed up. I was taken aback by the fact that the ounts were still functioning. I went right to all of the photos Jessica had tagged me in, and a beautiful smile appeared on my face. I was a married man, yes Jessica was too much and irritating sometimes but she was my kind of madness. We looked wonderful, in fact, we radiated loyalty. We were featured on almost every front page and site to do with beauty and marriage. Jessica had made a stunning wife in her pricey gown, which I didn¡¯t want to know the cost of. I only knew it was worth tens of thousands of dors. I responded to each post with a heart emoji and ament because I was certain she was going to kill me if I continued to make excuses. To be honest, I was never a big fan of social media and thought it was a waste of time. Every minute spent on social media was a dor that could have been spent on Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. something more beneficial. That¡¯s how I was raised: don¡¯t waste a minute on something that won¡¯t put food on the table or guarantee your future. After I hadmented, I went over all of mypany¡¯s tforms. I had a staff in charge of all After I finished, I scrolled around, but certain alerts caught my eye; they were from Thalia, a year ago, and they took me back to the time we were married. Even though I never responded, the worthless woman used to tag me in every pointless thing she could think of. She could tag and mention me. One thing that drew my attention was the fact that she had tagged me in a post on a promo vacation to Hawaii. Instead of Canada, it was a ce that I preferredpared to Canada. To be honest, she knew what I liked. It was our honeymoon spot when we got married and though I married her for the purpose of revenge, I had enjoyed the honeymoon. But I didn¡¯t want to think about her. Instead, I wanted to know where she was. After the court session, nobody had seen her. Her obnoxiouswyer even came up to my office the other day and demanded to know what I¡¯d done to her. I was so enraged that I had to call security to have him removed from the premises. If Thalia was missing, he was supposed to be at the police station, not at my ce of business. I didn¡¯t tell my wife about the incident since I didn¡¯t want her to be rmed. It was clearly none of our business what had happened to Thalia. But yet there I was searching through her ount. I went to her profile and clicked on her photo, there was nothing there; she hadn¡¯t updated in months. When I felt movement on the bed, I hurriedly turned off theptop. I didn¡¯t want Jessica to find me looking into Thalia¡¯s ount. I slipped under the nkets and wrapped myself around her, calling it a night. It was going to be a busy day the next day. Jessica had nned a variety of activities for us, none of which were my cup of tea, but I was prepared to give it a shot. When I awoke, I had overslept, but she was already awake. She stood in front of the window, a cup of coffee in her hand. When I looked at the clock and saw that it was already past nine o¡¯clock, I hurriedly got up, knowing that some of Jessica¡¯s activities were set for 8 a.m. I was already cursing myself, I had slept veryte and that was the result. ¡°Good morning, sweetie, why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡± I inquired as she continued to sip her coffee, oblivious to my presence. ¡°Jessica? Jessica?¡± I called her, but she remained silent. I could tell she was irritated about something. The silence was always her way to get at me whenever I did something wrong. I leaped to my feet and joined her at the window, kissing her on the head. ¡°Didn¡¯t we discuss this? Communication? What¡¯s the matter? Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡± I inquired. She shifted her weight away from me and sipped her coffee. Her silent treatment was starting to irritate me. ¡°Isn¡¯t the scenery lovely?¡± she asked atst. When I looked up, all I saw was snow. The scenery was lovely, but theyers of snow only added to the ugliness. I kept my ideas to myself and remained quiet. ¡°Isn¡¯t it time we went to the fine dining restaurant across the street for breakfast?¡± I came up with the question. She said, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to bother you,¡± and stepped away from the window. I was left standing there, I was perplexed; I was well aware that herment had a deeper significance, so I remained silent. ¡°Going through your ex¡¯s Facebook ount in the middle of the night must have been exhausting,¡± she added, turning her mug to face me. When I realized I hadn¡¯t logged off my ount, I closed my eyes, but she was being petty. I just couldn¡¯t understand why she would allow small petty issues that only required asking to get to her. ¡°Did you miss Thalia¡¯s lovely face that quickly?¡± she continued. ¡°Maybe we should put one of her paintings in a frame and hang it on the wall.¡± ¡°Jessica take a breather¡­¡± I tried calming her down but she cut me off. ¡° You couldn¡¯t f**king hold on for one day? Is it because I asked you to f**k me in the same way you f**ked her? Were you mast**bating with her photos!¡± She screamed at the top of her lungs, which irritated me. ¡°Her dunderheadwyer showed up at my workce the other day and demanded to know where she was!¡± I retorted angrily. ¡°He used me of doing something to her,¡± I exined. Her demeanor changed from irritated to perplexed ¡°Thalia is missing?¡± she inquired, ¡°ording to him she had not been seen for days and his line has been blocked¡± I replied. ¡°Do you suppose she¡­mitted suicide or something? she seemed so broken in the court?¡± she wondered. For a little while, we were both silent. There was a good chance Thalia killed herself. Jessica was correct, and she wasst seen heading away from the house on foot, ording to my neighbors. I had previously assumed she was living with thewyer and his wife, but that was not the case. She had no friends or rtives, and there was no one I could think of to whom she would turn for help; I had made certain of that because I didn¡¯t want her to notice what I was doing to her. Jessica broke outughing like a l*natic, much to my surprise. ¡°Well, herwyer should go report her missing and leave you alone,¡± she replied while sheughed uncontrobly. ¡°Or maybe she is convinced you did something wrong to her. Did you?¡± she asked in a serious tone. ¡°Seriously?¡± I replied. ¡°I was only joking, but what if she killed herself, would you regret what you did to her?¡± she asked. ¡°Her father was never remorseful for the damage he caused to my mother as a result of his sess,¡± I said, ¡°Can we just stop talking about her and enjoy this honeymoon?¡± I added as I walked to the shower. I had no intention of absolving myself with guilt. She could tell I didn¡¯t want to talk about Thalia, so she respected my decision. She canceled our nned itinerary because we had missed our breakfast reservation and scheduled skiing instead. I couldn¡¯t recall thest time I went skiing; it was probably when I was a teenager, and I never enjoyed it, but it was my honeymoon, so I was going to be optimistic and enjoy it. I finished up and joined Jessica, she was ecstatic, and we were whisked away to the main ski resort by a helicopter. We found the ce fully booked. Recreational skiers made up the majority of those who skid each year. Furthermore, rentals and demos had increased throughout time, making it easier to try out high-quality equipment at the resort and make a more informed decision about which ski was best on a nice set of recreational boards, It was what Jessica defined as an ideal trip for folks who enjoy getting out, riding the lifts, and turning a few spins. She had been skiing since she was able to walk and was well-versed in the sport. She was all over the ce as soon as wended, looking for boards and face shields to make the experience more enjoyable so that we could enjoy our few days on the slope. I hadn¡¯t skied in a long time, so she promised to give me some practice before we went to the top of the slope, where the fun was at. Jessica was gentle and an excellent instructor, and I was a quick learner. I started to enjoy my trip after a while. I was soon skiing bumps, trees, and even powder. We worked out for about an hour before heading to the slopes. Everything seemed to be going swimmingly. I finished my first run, stood up, and decided to take a break while Jessica had fun. She was an expert skier and could see why she was so set on seeing Canada. She enjoyed skiing because it brought her closer to her family. Every year they went up north for such. She finished her run and invited me to join her. I was hesitant at first, but eventually got up and joined her. I strapped on my skis and took a stand on the slope, exactly as we had practiced. I stood tall, with my feet about shoulder-width apart. I flexed your ankles and leaned forward on my shins. I kept my shoulders slightly in front of my hips, and my weight was evenly distributed over both feet. My arms were somewhat out in front of me and out to the side. My poles were held behind my feet, with the tips pointing back. Jessica could be seen peering back at me,ughing at how cautious I was. But I ignored her and concentrated on where I was going rather than on my skis or her. I rolled my skis down the slope, enjoying the cold breeze. Everything seemed fine but then I heard a loud click, which scared the cr*p out of me and caused me to lose focus. I could hear screams, but it was toote; thest thing I remember seeing was my skiboard flying in front of me as I was catapulted into the air and it went all dark and cold. 27 27 The Art Of Revenge by MK20 Gab Chapter 27 Thalia¡¯s Pov I stretched my hands and let out an innocent yawn, my eyes were very drowsy but I needed to watch Josh and his sk*nk. I did not want to miss it for anything in the world. Brandon woke me up early, he promised he would. And if he had not I would have skinned him alive if he had not done so. I widened my eyes and sat in bed watching them. Josh had spent the entire night going through my Facebook ount, ording to Brandon, who couldn¡¯t sleep. Derrick, my attorney, followed him to his workce and demanded to know my whereabouts. Suddenly I became awake and I clenched my teeth when I remembered Melissa and Derrick. The two were nothing but angels to me. But the minute I had made up my mind to jump off the bridge I had blocked their lines. Somehow I felt guilty, I felt like I was a jerk. Brandon gave me an immediate order to unblock them and send them a message. We didn¡¯t want them reporting me missing to the police, which would result in a nationwide search and media attention. On second thinking, my assumption that no one would care enough to look for me after I vanished was incorrect. Derrick and Melissa were one-of-a-kind. I promised myself that I would visit them once everything waspleted. We sat there watching as Josh awoke and the two started bickering because Jessica was not pleased with him snooping around my ount and on top of it she had earlier ordered him to f**k her the same way he used to f**k me. Brandon nced at me with a grin on his face, and I almost choked on my saliva. I grew uneasy and averted my gaze. He continued to watch withoutmenting. I knew the p*rvert had a lot of questions, but to my astonishment, he didn¡¯t ask them. Instead, he remarked and said; ¡°His betrayal was haunting Josh,¡± I turned to inquire what he meant, but he remained silent. I could only presume he had watched something while I was asleep and didn¡¯t want to tell me about it because it would hurt my feelings. After Josh had rified he walked away and took a shower, and when he turned to dress up I looked away, causing Brandon tough. ¡°It¡¯s not like you never saw him naked, or were you two making love in the dark?¡± Brandon asked. ¡°Brandon I don¡¯t want to talk about it; it¡¯s off-limits,¡± I said solemnly. I was furious with Jessica because she was aplete m*ron. Why would she beg Josh to f**k her the same way he used to f***k me? Were their useless lives that boring or was she taunting me? ¡°Howe you sometimes act like a virgin?¡± Brandon broke the silence. I had to whack his skull to pump some sense into him. ¡°What was that, exactly?¡± he asked while holding his head. ¡°This isn¡¯t about sex,¡± I replied. ¡°Whatever the case may be, I enjoyed watching Jessica dress up, even though her boobs were a little sagging,¡± he exined. I shifted my gaze to the TV. I kept quiet since I knew he had a thing for my breasts and would start talking about them. When the two traitors finally left the room, my heart started racing for no apparent reason. I sn**ched Brandon¡¯s hand, which was warm despite the coldness, and turned to face him. It was almost time, and I had no idea if he was going to blow up their helicopter because he had refused to reveal the entire n. We were watching a horror movie, he imed, and there were no spoilers. Everything seemed regr at first, a couple enjoying a good time on a skiing holiday. Josh was overjoyed, and I could tell he was having a good time with his sk*nk. Each time he smiled, moved in to kiss her or grabbed her hand, my blood began to boil. How can they be so cheerful when only a few minutes before they were debating whether or not I hadmitted suicide? How could they be so harsh, Jessica even dared tough at my predicament. ¡°Thalia, you are hurting me, Thalia?¡± Brandon let out a scream. I quickly looked over and noticed that my hand was tightly squeezing his hand, which had be scarlet. I swiftly let go of him and expressed my regret. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, are you okay?¡± ¡°Just keep your hands to yourself, and what did Josh mean when he said your father¡¯s sess destroyed his mother¡¯s life?¡± I took my hands away in embarrassment because I knew his mother was an alcoholic. Wait, there¡¯s more. Sharon, his mother turned to alcohol and drugs after their firm went bankrupt¡­¡± I said, my mouth agape. Brandon smiled, and I could only assume he¡¯d made the connection. Please don¡¯t tell me those jerks who me my father for his mother¡¯s life choices?¡± I inquired, enraged. ¡°People will constantly point the finger at others for their poor decisions or failures,¡± he answered. ¡°Now you know why he married you and betrayed you: it was all for Mummy,¡± he said. My hands were on my mouth as I stared at him. Yes, I knew my father¡¯s achievement had a hand in their downfall but he had made it up to them with the merge and marriage. But he had no hand in his mother¡¯s decision to trash her own life? If anything, they should have all turned themselves in as addicts. ¡°When are you taking him out? It¡¯s taking a long time, when are you taking him out?¡± I inquired, N?velDrama.Org owns all content. enraged. ¡°Patience, Thalia,¡± he advised. But When I looked up from my annoyed state, I saw Josh flying in the air and bouncing back and forth on the snow. I could see a trail of blood behind him due to the force of the crash. I was in shock and certain he was dead, so I held my mouth in shock. When I turned to look at Brandon, I noticed that he was smiling. I stated that he was deceased. ¡°Calm down,¡± he replied, ¡°he¡¯s supposed to be near death for the operation to seed.¡± When I returned my gaze to the television, the camera was fixed on Jessica, who had hurriedly skied down to Josh, removed her helmet, and rushed down to him. But the ski patrols kept her at bay. Everything was happening so quickly, paramedics raced in and began assessing him while a chopper hovered above the terrible scene. My heart was racing as Josh was strapped to a stretcher and transported in seconds, leaving Jessica behind. She was yelling and became physical with one of the ski patrols. She was helpless as the chopper took off in a matter of minutes. 28 28 The Art Of Revenge by MK20 Gab Chapter 28 Jessica¡¯s Pov My skiing boardy partially drenched in Josh¡¯s blood on the frozen surface as I stood on the cold bl**dy snow, lost and confused. Josh, my husband of only days, was whisked away in a stup*d helicopter and I was helpless and powerless to just watch them take him away. They could not even allow me to apany him. They wouldn¡¯t let his bl****dy wife into the stup*d chopper. He was hurt and needed a wife by his side, he needed a familiar voice to let him know that everything was going to be okay. But they wouldn¡¯t let his wife travel with him. Useless bunch of meatheads and I nned to sue them all once Josh recovered. People were still standing around, horrified and in disbelief at what had just happened, just as I was. Everything happened so fast and in split seconds. A minute before, I was giggling behind me at how meticulous he was with his skiing. I wasughing, but when I turned around to look behind me, I heard amotion and saw him flying through the air with his skiboard dislodged. I tried rxing by closing my eyes and breathing deeply. I couldn¡¯t panic; Josh needed me to be strong, I needed to make calls and track the chopper, but I had no idea which hospital they had taken him to. The paramedics were so intent on chasing me out that they didn¡¯t bother informing me where they were taking him, and I didn¡¯t ask. I forgot to ask because I was in total confusion and everything was happening so fast. I dashed over to the guards and inquired about the helicopter¡¯s whereabouts, but they had no idea. They were attempting to contact the pilot but were unsure who he was. The chopper was private property and belonged to a wealthy skier who was only passing through at the time of the ident and offered to take Josh. Josh was lucky, they said, he would have died by the time the resort helicopter arrived at the scene. At least there was some good part about what transpired, and I could only be thankful that the stranger was kind enough. But they were irritating me by the fact that they had no idea which hospital Josh was taken to. I screamed at them to stop talking because what they were saying was illogical. I had no way of knowing which hospital he had been admitted to. My head was pounding as tears streamed down my cheeks like rain on a stormy day. My head felt like it was being whacked with a metal rod. They tried every hospital in the area, but none of them had a skiing ident victim. I felt like grabbing and punching someone because my head hurt. There was no way a helicopter carrying a patient and passengers could just vanish into thin air, leaving Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. no trace. The worst day of my life just became a nightmare. I kept inquiring, but no one was able to contact the helicopter. My hair was a mess, my eyes were swollen, and I was shaking. The only thing that made sense was a crash. The only exnation for why no hospital within a reasonable distance had any information about them was that the helicopter had crashed. I knelt, perplexed, and me began to devour me. It was all my fault because I insisted on spending our honeymoon in Canada, which turned out to be the worst nightmare. Despite the fact that I was well aware that he disliked the cold, I insisted since I was always selfish and wanted my way. Everything would not be urring or would have been avoided if I had been a little morepromising as he had always been. The resort¡¯s administrator approached me and took me to one of the resort facilities. It was a small well kept brown room. The color only made me shrug, it was so unpleasant to look at. He offered me a seat, but I was not in the mood. Instead of looking for my husband, they were all busy making ridiculous apologies, wasting time that they could have spent looking for him. The town¡¯s sheriff also came into the room and collected my statement; they were equally taken aback by my recount of events but vowed to locate my husband. I simply stepped away without saying anything, trying to reach for my phone as I walked away; I needed to call Victor. My hands were trembling as I remembered how bad I had been with Josh in recent days, constantly shoving him against the wall and bringing up silly Thalia. I guess it was my insecurity, and I was putting him to the test. I always suspected there was a part of him that liked her, but he pushed it back because he was on a mission to destroy her. Or maybe I was being punished for all the wrongs I had done. But then it hit me: I¡¯d wrecked all those hours and days when we were supposed to be building our new life. My tears nearly drowned the phone as I stared at it motionless. I wiped it down rapidly, looking for Victor¡¯s line. My hands were so shaky, I was on the verge of letting go of the phone when I quickly held on. On second thought, I took the chair that had been provided to me previously and unzipped my suit; the room was getting too hot. After minutes of searching, I found Victor¡¯s line with difficulty, but it went on ringing without response, I attempted calling him for the eleventh time without sess. The m*ron was most likely at a party, banging girls who were young enough to be his daughters. I cursed him and left him numerous messages. His son was probably drying and needed him but he was nowhere to be found. He was the only person who could find out what had happened to the helicopter swiftly. I began panicking again, every minute that was passing by could not be recovered. And when they provided a ss of water, I hurled the entire ss cup in the cop¡¯s face. They were supposed to be looking for my husband instead of babysitting me. I inquired as to whether there was any new information, but he merely looked down in shame. ¡°Get out of my face!¡± I screamed at him and averted my gaze. Canada¡¯s police force was sluggish and inept. When my phone rang, it was Victor, and I took the call, my heart slowed and calmed down a little. To my annoyance, he began asking for details, which irritated me even more. ¡°Just get your f**king self here!¡± I became enraged and yelled at him. ¡°If I have to send my people on the ground, I need details,¡± he said, but he became upset, so I offered a summary of what I remembered. ¡°But why didn¡¯t you insist on apanying him,¡± he asked, further enraging me even more. ¡°Just bring your obnoxious a**hole here! Do you seriously believe I just sat there while they took my husband?¡± I yelled at the top of my lungs and switched the phone off drawing everyone¡¯s attention in the room and outside. I took a deep breath and turned around to see that everyone was staring at me. Some looked at me as if I were insane, while others felt sorry for me. I¡¯d never felt so vulnerable and lost in my entire life. I had barely been married for a week but everything seemed to being apart in front of my eyes. ¡°What are you all looking at!¡± I yelled at them. ¡°Stop looking at me with your ugly faces!¡± ¡°Mrs. Nelson, please calm down?¡± the sheriff ordered. ¡°If you do not find my husband in the next thirty minutes I will sue this dumb resort and the entire police department!¡± I yelled at him. 29 29 The Art Of Revenge by MK20 Gab Chapter 29 Thalia¡¯s Pov My anxiety was over the ceiling, I couldn¡¯t even sit down, but there was a surge of exhration as I watched Jessica, hopeless and panicking. She was shrieking, shaking, and shouting at everyone like a madwoman. People always maintained that revenge never brought back what one had lost, all it did was fill the hole that was left. That was a total lie, there I was with a huge smile on my face. To be honest, I had no idea if Josh was still alive. I shoved that notion aside and focused on his sk*nk. It was fulfilling watching her hopeless, and I wished I was present tough at her physically. She was very terrified and sweating profusely revealing the beast that dwelt inside her. The beast that was always hidden under the veil of cement of makeup, led open to an old wrinkled face. We all noticed the ugliness that married her attitude. As I nced at Brandon, who was preupied with his tablet, a surge of exhration washed over me. He was most likely seeking to learn more about Josh¡¯s whereabouts. ¡°Brandon?¡± I called ecstatically. ¡°Yes,¡± he replied. ¡°Do you have any wine or anything strong?¡± He took out his remote, which I recognized was some sort of house control. When he clicked a button, one of the walls transformed into an alcohol cer. Alcohol with a variety of vors and types. From the look of it looked pricey. There were bottles of wine, vodka, spirits, tequ, and brandy. Except for the strange sex rooms, the man had built a fantasy house, and I was starting to get impressed. I dashed down to the cers and grabbed anything that caught my eye. We would have partied all night if Brandon was in the condition to drink. I walked back to the bed with a ss in my hand and noticed Brandon staring intently at the bottle I was holding, but he was not getting a single drop. He inquired, ¡°Where is my ss?¡± ¡°How long has it been since youst took a drink?¡± I inquired. He remained silent for a minute as if he were pondering, then he replied, ¡°two years and three months.¡± ¡°That¡¯s one more reason why you¡¯re not drinking,¡± I retorted. He locked his gaze on me for a minute, his face flushed with rage. I began regretting the idea of getting a drink. I got out of bed and proceeded to the kitchen, where I poured some pineapple juice into a ss and returned to the bedroom. The look he gave me would have killed a full-grown elephant. I walked over to his side and set it on the table before returning to my seat and getting my ss of wine and went on with watching the sk*nk. ¡°By the way, where is the helicopter?¡± I inquired but got no response. When I turned around, I found him staring at my ss. ¡°Brandon No, keep in mind your condition?¡± ¡°A sip won¡¯t do any harm,¡± he replied. ¡°No, we don¡¯t want to risk the operation. What if you fall I¡¯ll? Remember I have no idea what the n is?¡± I spoke in a solemn tone. He was silent for a moment, as if he were contemting, then he clenched his teeth and turned, his gaze fixed on his iPad. I took a big gulp of the fresh wine. I never drank, but the worry and excitement were too much for me to bear. I turned to face him again, but he was far too solemn and quiet. I reached out and gently stroked his cheek, taking his temperature. He hesitated for a split second, and I knew he was about to say something stup*d. Whenever my touch braced his skin, that was his usual response. It was strange, but I didn¡¯t want to think too much of it because there was a good chance he liked me. I asked him whether he liked me the other day because I was getting the impression that he did. Because I felt I had cornered him, I had to apologize for the inquiry. He was a haughty jerk who would never admit to falling for a ditz like me. That was a possibility but it was obvious he had not been with a woman for a long time and my touch was bringing back what he Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. was missing. It wasn¡¯t love, he was definitely lonely and would do anything in a skirt. ¡°You are strangely staring at me?¡± He jolted me awake from my reverie. My fingers remained on his cheek, and I had no intention of letting go. He was a little warm, but not overly so. ¡°If you don¡¯t take your hand off, you¡¯ll find yourself nude beneath me and screaming my name,¡± he said. I smiled, he responded with the usual snarky remark as if trying to hide the effect my touch was having on him. I was correct in my assumptions, but I wanted to put him to the test. ¡°I prefer being on top, I enjoy it that way,¡± I stated. ¡°Liar, Josh always did you from behind, ¡°he replied. ¡°How¡­did¡­You know?¡± I froze as my heart began to racing. He replied, ¡°Jessica asked him to f**k her the way¡­¡± but I interrupted him off and carefully took my hand away. He was far too astute to fall for my ruse, and I was far too foolish to even try. I just averted my gaze in shame, because I didn¡¯t want to think about my sex life with Josh. He used to make love to me like I was some kind of cheap wh*re that he picked from the corner of a street. In the early days of our marriage, I thought it was normal, I thought it was his preferred style but by the time I opened my eyes, it was toote. ¡°We¡¯re going to have a false crash on the chopper so we can hide a surgery on Josh,¡± he continued, breaking the stillness. I remained silent and fixed my focus on the ss in my hand. ¡°Josh was an idiot,¡± he remarked, ¡°the next man you meet will probably be making love to you the way you deserve,¡± he said, but I remained silent. He ced his tablet aside and began climbing on top of me, much to my surprise. ¡°What are you doing, Brandon?¡± I attempted to push him away while holding the cup in my hand. ¡°You appear to be depressed. Maybe if we do it, you¡¯lle back to life.¡± ¡°Get your body off of me,¡± I shouted, my heart racing and my palms sweating. He grabbed my ss from my hands and set it on the table, his finger resting on my lips. With a smile, he added, ¡°Calm down, remember I¡¯m your brother?¡± I put down my fiddling and fixed my gaze on him. ¡°The surgeons are likely removing Josh¡¯s testicles as we speak and recing them with rubbers,¡± he spected. I took a deep breath in, he was so near me that we were practically breathing the same air while he peered into my eyes. He smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, after the procedure, he won¡¯t be able to f**k anyone while you will be riding the life¡­¡± ¡°Brandon, please,¡± I begged him. ¡°What makes you hesitant to discuss sex with me?¡± he inquired. I remained silent; he was urate, but to be honest, Josh was the only man that I ever slept with, and I had never had sex with anyone else. ¡°It¡¯s not you, and there¡¯s no point in telling anyone about it. It¡¯s a total embarrassment,¡± I replied. ¡°I see,¡± he acknowledged. He got off me and stated, ¡°If I live longer than a month, I¡¯ll give you the appropriate experience.¡± He casually said, shocking the life out of me. ¡°No, I¡¯m not sleeping with you; after all, didn¡¯t you say we¡¯re brothers and sisters?¡± ¡°Friends f**k without benefits and move on,¡± he remarked as he scrolled through his useless tablet. I took the ss and drank the entire contents. ¡°Pay attention to the screen, your ex-father-inw just arrived on the scene¡± he added, pointing to the television. I raised my eyes to see what appeared to be a quarrel between Victor and the skunk. The show was meant to be enjoyable for me, but the guy next to me ruined it with his sex suggestion. ¡°Thalia, It¡¯s only a suggestion, but the good news is that I¡¯m dying, so it¡¯s a win-win situation for you.¡± ¡°Do you want me to pray for your death if not then just shut up?¡± I yelled at him. ¡°Thalia,¡± he said, ¡°, It was simply an offer, you could just refuse the offer; it is not a forced affair. That brings us to the end of the subject,¡± he continued. I averted my gaze and poured myself another ss of wine. ¡°I was only joking,¡± he said,ughing. I looked at him, irritated because the joke was not amusing. I poured myself another ss and decided to concentrate my attention on the couple on the screen. 30 30 The Art Of Revenge by MK20 Gab Chapter 30 Jessica¡¯s PoV I sat on a flimsy chair, terrified and despairing, an hour had gone with no word from the chopper that had taken Josh. No hospital was yet to im that they received my husband. It was as if the useless chopper had vanished into thin air. I was still in my old skiing suit, all sweaty and smelly. Victor strolled in through the open door, I quickly stood up, and he hugged me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll find him,¡± he added. I shoved him away from me. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what you¡¯ve been saying!¡± I became enraged and screamed at him. Everyone in my immediate vicinity was ineffective. ¡°Where are your dunderheads? Please tell me they¡¯re looking for my Josh!¡± I yelled at him, but all he said was to rx. ¡°Rx! How am I expected to calm down?¡± Everyone in the room had their eyes fixed on us but I didn¡¯t mind. Victor sn*tched my arm and dragged me out of the room. ¡°Let go of my hand!¡± I became enraged and screamed at him. But he was so angry and was in no mood to tolerate me that when we got outside, he opened his car door and tossed me inside before mming the door shut. I waited for him to get into the car before I continued yelling at him. ¡°Shut up!¡± he screamed at me ¡°Shut your f**king mouth and let me breathe! Do you honestly believe I¡¯m not scared?¡± I remained silent as I inhaled deeply, my gaze locked on his. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the hotel, and you should take a bath because you look awful. My men are already out there, and they¡¯ll be updating me every five minutes!¡± As we drove away, he yelled at the top of his lungs. I slumped into my chair, clutching my whirling head. I just sat there lost during the entire trip to the hotel. When we arrived, he assisted me out of the car, escorting me to my hotel room. I remembered how delighted I was to leave the room, and how ready I was to teach Josh to ski. After skiing, I had scheduled a number of things for us but it looked like we were only headed for disaster. I took a seat, wobbly on my feet, and inquired if there was any news. Victor gave me a nod and stared at me. It was past 5 p.m. when I checked my watch. It was about to get dark, but there was still no word on the foolish helicopter. Victor moved to the bathroom and prepared a bath while I sat in the chair with my hands in my hair. I was uninterested when he yelled my name. Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Jessica, at the very least, take a bath.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want a bath; I want to see my husband; could you please grant my wish?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll locate him, I promise you,¡± he replied as he pulled me up and led me to the washroom. He assisted me in removing my clothes and cing me in the bathtub. He grabbed a scrub and began scrubbing my back, irritating the life out of me. ¡°Get out of here!¡± I yelled at him. ¡°I was merely assisting,¡± he exined. ¡°Do I appear to be in need of assistance, or do my hands appear to be inactive?¡± I screamed at him while pointing to the door. I hurled the scrub at him as he walked out the door. What an idiot, I grumbled to myself. I sat back and attempted to recall the events of the day, but I couldn¡¯t recall the face of the pilot or the paramedics. If the tables had been turned, Josh would have found me already. The door opened again, and I was about to say something when Victor announced that they had located the helicopter. In my enthusiasm, I jumped to my feet, but I quickly observed that he had a sad face. My heart stopped as he stated, ¡°The chopper crashed.¡± I could see him speaking, but my mind was switched off from his audible voice ¡°Jessica, Jessica, Jessica!¡± He shouted, jolting me back to reality. ¡°Get ready; my men just handed me the hospital where the survivors were evacuated.¡± ¡°Survivor? Survivors? Is Josh among the survivors?¡± ¡°I have no clue, my men are still gathering information; hurry up, I¡¯ll be waiting in the car,¡± he replied, worried as he exited the bathroom. I quickly sprayed myself with water, changed into something respectable, and dashed to the car, where the victor awaited me. My heart was racing so loudly that it was audible through my ears. ¡°I just spoke with one of my men, and he confirmed that no casualties had urred,¡± he stated. For a single second, I inhaled deeply the much-needed oxygen that my body required. I had been depriving myself of oxygen because I had lost hope; I was always the pessimist and had little sympathy for optimism. ¡°How¡¯s Josh? Did they say anything about Josh?¡± I asked. ¡°He¡¯s still gathering information; he ims that all of the victims are at Hilltop Hospital, so that¡¯s where we¡¯ll be going,¡± he said I was quiet, I had a lot of questions but kept them to myself while chewing on my nails. It had been a habit of mine since I was a child. When I felt apprehensive, I was never one to receive good news. Deep down I had a feeling something wasn¡¯t right. That¡¯s why I remained silent because all of my thoughts were negative. My mind shed back to when I was a teenager and learned that our house had burned down, trapping my parents inside. I was picked up from school by a cop, and when we got to the house, it had been reduced to ashes. They said a curling iron sparked the fire, which I had left plugged in since my father refused to purchase me the pink dress I wanted for Christmas. I was in such a bad mood that I forgot to unplug it. To be honest, I never cried during the funeral or on that asion. I received a sizable cheque from the insurancepany when I turned eighteen and traveled to Europe Their deaths liberated and molded me into the person I am today. I had no idea what I¡¯d find in the hospital or how it would shape me, but I was used to my life turning from oranges to lemons and it was always up to me to make lemonade out of them. We arrived at the hospital following a long drive. Victor parked the car and opened the door but I was deep in thoughts. For me to snap out of it, he had to beat on the door. We virtually rushed into the hospital as I hurriedly exited. I didn¡¯t have time to check my watch because it was already nightfall. We dashed to the registration area, but the station nurse offered no assistance. She was the sort that made people furious and upset before providing them with the answers they needed. Before Victor got in between us andmanded me to cool down, I was going to grab her and give her a smack she¡¯d never forget. He tried talking to her, as I walked aside and took a breather. However, a man sitting on the bay heard my screams and recognized me, which was fortunate for us. I recognized him as he drew closer to where I was standing. He was aboard the helicopter that whisked Josh away. He identified himself as the helicopter¡¯s owner, wearing a bandage around his head and covered in scratches. ¡°I¡¯m David Cameron, and I¡¯m grateful you¡¯re here because we¡¯ve been trying to contact the rtives of the individual we brought here for a long time,¡± he said. ¡°You fools left me at the ski resort and now you¡¯re searching for me!¡± I screamed at his helpless expression. ¡°Please ept my apologies, ma¡¯am, but the helicopter was unable to transport more passengers, which is why we crashed.¡± ¡°Wait, how did you get into this crash?¡± Victor was the one who initiated the conversation. He stared at me as he added, ¡°We were overwhelmed, so we didn¡¯t allow her to board.¡± I was tempted to p him across the face, but I refrained. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said quietly. ¡°My daughter and I were on our way uphill for some anniversary photos when we saw the ident and only wanted to help.¡± ¡°Where is my husband? Your story is none of our business!¡± I yelled. ¡°He¡¯s in surgery, and the surgeon was looking for the patient¡¯s family members. He stated, ¡°They said something about him needing a life-saving surgery,¡± he added. I froze, staring just at Victor, who began stammering. ¡°So, what exactly are you talking about? ¡°What was the extent of the crash¡± ¡°When I lost control of the ne, I was very sure we were going to hit one of the hills but I managed to avoid it and only the tail was cut off and we all survived with minor injuries but your son was pinned around his pelvic area,¡± he stated and went on to narrate how they radioed for help and were rescued and brought to the hospital. Suddenly I felt the room be hot and began spinning. I do not know who¡¯s hands but I felt heavy hands hold me from behind as the room went all dark. By the time I woke up I was so dizzy. I tried focusing my eyes but the stup*d room I was in was so white. Victor noticed I was awake and quickly rushed to me. ¡°Are you okay?¡± he asked I simply needed my head to recall Josh, oh my G*d Josh? ¡°What happened to Josh?¡± ¡°They¡¯re going to call us after they move him from the theater to the recovery room?¡± he said quietly. ¡°Theatre?¡± I inquired, puzzled. ¡°Jessica, they operated on him,¡± he said as he sat down. I could see him fighting back tears. Victor was usually a tough guy, so seeing him in a like that meant something was seriously wrong. ¡°What is the nature of the operation?¡± I enquired, but he remained silent. ¡°Victor, tell me about the operation.¡± I inquired. I was already losing my mind, and the tension was getting the best of me. ¡°My son will never have children?¡± He began as tears streamed down his cheeks. ¡°They couldn¡¯t even wait for us to agree to this ridiculous procedure!¡± He screamed, stood up, and kicked the room¡¯s bin, spilling its contents all over the floor. I just sat there on the bed, perplexed, because nothing he said made sense. ¡°Victor Please tell me what you¡¯re talking about?¡± ¡°They im that a metal crashed his pelvic area and wrecked his testicles, leaving them with no choice but to perform an orchiectomy. They took both of his testicles out,¡± he stated. I¡¯m not sure if I had too much bad news for a single day but I was unresponsive. I couldn¡¯t say anything since I was speechless as he shed more tears, I could only stare at him, speechless. He screamed and mmed the door, ¡°They made my boy impotent!¡± The only words that came out of my mouth were, ¡°But¡­ but¡­,¡± and ¡°But¡­ but¡­,¡± respectively. I rose from my bed and inquired as to which room he was in. I walked out of the room looking for the specified room. After a few minutes, I was directed to the room, which I entered trembling. I was well aware of the significance of having children for him. I approached the bed and nced at him; his face was battered, and his nose was cut. He appeared to be taking a nap because he was so rxed. He had no notion that when he awoke, he wasn¡¯t the same man he had been nor was he ever going to be the same. 31 31 The Art Of Revenge by MK20 Gab Chapter 31 Brandon¡¯s Pov N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Every time Jessica showed up on the screen in tears, she stared at her andughed out loud. I could tell she¡¯d never drunk that much booze before because she was so inebriated. She giggled sweetly as I nced at her. Was it the unpleasant sex offer I made to her or should I have not allowed her to drink? I thought to myself, trying to decipher what was going on in her head. My stomach made a rumbling noise, snapping me out of my thoughts. Sheughed out loudly. ¡°Are you hungry,¡± she inquired. ¡°Let me prepare you a meal.¡± But I declined. We both didn¡¯t want her to set fire to the house. She implored, ¡°But Brandon, you¡¯re starving.¡± ¡± You are not in the condition to cook, I can contact Nestor and have him deliver us pizza,¡± I said, causing her to jump up in excitement, she was in the mood for pizza. ¡°Which vor is your favorite?¡± I inquired. There were a lot of little things about her that I had no idea of. She said, ¡°Pepperoni.¡± I shrugged; I despised pepperoni, even though it was everyone¡¯s favorite, it was not my type. ¡°Do you prefer romantic or crime novels?¡± I inquired, trying to find out if we had anything inmon. ¡°Crime,¡± she replied. ¡°Great,¡± I thought to myself, at least we shared one thing inmon. ¡°Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings?¡± ¡° Lord of the Rings,¡± she replied. Another thing inmon I added to the score. ¡°On a thirsty day, a ss of milk or a ss of water?¡± She said, ¡°Milk.¡± I was practically giddy with delight. We had a lot of small things inmon, not big things, but small things that people normally argued about or debated about. ¡°What¡¯s with all the silly questions?¡± she asked. ¡°Have you spoken to Nestor? I miss him,¡± she remarked, putting a damper on my good mood. I scowled and stared at her for a long time, almost canceling the order, but I was starving. I¡¯d never felt so hungry before. She got up and was ready to go and get another bottle of wine when I swiftly grabbed the remote and shut the cer door. ¡°Brandon, no!¡± she screamed. ¡°Thalia, you¡¯ve had enough,¡± I told her. ¡°You should be watching your enemies crumble, not drinking yourself to death.¡± As she proceeded to the other side of the bed, she came to a halt and averted her sight. ¡°Let¡¯s simply wait for the pizza,¡± I said, ¡°it¡¯s been years since I¡¯ve had one.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just trying to wrap my head around the reality that I am going through with destroying Josh¡¯s life,¡± she exined. ¡°Thalia, we¡¯re not nearly halfway through, but we can stop here since Josh will never be the same man again, believe me. We¡¯ve already set him up for failure,¡± I added, but she remained silent, her gaze fixed on Jessica in Josh¡¯s hospital room, who was crying. She cleared her throat and said: ¡°Imagine Jessica¡¯s sorrow when she learns I¡¯m carrying Josh¡¯s baby, imagine when she learns I¡¯ll be the only one capable of bearing a Gentex¡¯s heir?¡± I stared at her, her eyes steely, as she turned to face me. They looked nothing like they did when I first met her, and I didn¡¯t like what I was seeing. I was bleeding ady full of resentment and anger, a woman I wasn¡¯t sure would finish what she¡¯d started. And the sad reality was that it was all my idea, and there was no way for me to persuade her otherwise. I figured the least I could do was prepare her in case something went wrong while I was no more. ¡°When will I be inseminated, and how will the cover story fit in if Josh has already had the surgery?¡± she wondered, snapping me out of my thoughts. I rubbed my head, remembering the cover narrative. My head was quite fuzzy, and I was not sure how I forgot or sk*pped that important aspect. ¡°I believe you cane in and y the smart game; Josh will be too preupied with obtaining custody or in shock to care about how his sperm ended up in you,¡± I responded. ¡°You screwed up the n?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t, but we can still im he cheated on Jessica on their wedding night,¡± I responded, but she shrugged, causing me to be enraged. ¡°Listen to me, you brainless brat, I¡¯m doing this out of kindness, and I¡¯m actually straining my brain to put things together for your stup*d revenge!¡± I lost my cool and yelled at her. She averted her gaze without saying anything, then turned around and apologized. I put my tablet down and said, ¡°Thalia, can we watch the show together? If this is truly what you want, let¡¯s have a good timeughing at your enemies.¡± ¡°I was having a good time until you shut the cer door,¡± she responded. ¡°No, you were trying to hide behind the booze, and this isn¡¯t the case.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she apologized. The sound of the rm made me clench my teeth and interrupted me from scolding her. Nestor was already outside with the pizza, which was irritating. I never understood why, whenever I called fetch, he would stop whatever he was doing and came running over to me. I tried to get up but my entire weight left me and lingered under my abdomen. I cursed the idiotic sickness. ¡°Do you need any assistance?¡± She offered but I lied and assured her I was okay. I intended to do it myself, but when I attempted to stand up again, my veins felt like they were being ripped out, and I cried out. It was the first time I had ever experienced such agony. ¡°Brandon, are you okay?¡± Thalia stood up and ran to the side of my bed, holding me. I tried to answer, but I was hit again, and the m*ron outside kept ringing the doorbell, adding to the difort. As blows continued to hit me, I clung to Thalia¡¯s arms. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what I¡¯m supposed to do, Brandon, please tell me what to do?¡± Thalia, who was visibly distressed, inquired while shaking. ¡°Just hold me,¡± I said. She climbed into bed and rested my head on her beautiful chest. I almost Was it possible that the brainless girl suspected her chest always did the magic for me or was she merely just holding me innocently? Someone cleared their throat, and I felt Thalia raise her head. ¡°Oh my G*d, thank G*d you¡¯re here, Nestor; Brandon is in pain, and I¡¯m at a loss for what to do.¡± She cried out. He replied, ¡°Move, we need to put him face down, like the physicians used to do.¡± Thalia tried to move, but I held on to her tightly and said, ¡° if you move, Lord help me, I¡¯ll beat the life out of you!¡± I became enraged and yelled at her. She swiftly sat back and clutched my hand. ¡°But sir, during such episodes, though, the doctors used to turn you upside down,¡± he interrupted me. ¡°How did you even get in here?¡± I yelled at him. He said, ¡°I know the passcode.¡± ¡°Is there anything about me that you don¡¯t know?¡± I yelled while wrapping my arms around Thalia¡¯s waist. He remained silent without responding. ¡°ce the pizza on the table and leave,¡± I ordered him. ¡°But, Brandon, what if we require his services?¡± Thalia suggested. ¡°We don¡¯t need him!¡± I eximed, holding my waist and lifting my head to face Nestor. He strolled over to the table, ced the pizza on the table, and sat down next to me, to my annoyance. The boy was really irritating. I wanted to fire him but then I remembered I had already fired him. ¡°Get out, you m*ron!¡± I screamed as I took another hard blow, which was so excruciating that it made my eyes watery. I was making every effort not to cry. I wasn¡¯t going to let Thalia see my tears or the m*ron who wouldn¡¯t leave. Thalia instantly pressed me against her chest, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t mind him, just believe we¡¯re just the two of us.¡± I tried to object, but she silenced me. ¡°Sh sh, Brandon,¡± she whispered softly as she stroked my hair. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± she said, it¡¯ll pass. It¡¯ll be over soon.¡± I closed my eyes and focused on her voice, which was lovely, pure and so innocent. The ache subsided, but the contraction had sapped most of my strength. I slid down herps and exhaled deeply, like if I¡¯d justpleted a marathon. She continued to stroke my hair and saying something to me, but I had no idea what she was saying until the m*ron spoke up. ¡°Is that your ex-husband? Josh, lying on the hospital bed?¡± He inquired of Thalia. I was in so much pain that I forgot to change the channels from the live feed when he walked in earlier. I wasn¡¯t sure how he knew Josh, but it didn¡¯t surprise me. He was always too curious and snooping around my business which sometimes came in handy but sometimes was very irritating. ¡°What have you two been doing in this house, did you put Josh in the hospital?¡± he inquired, concerned. ¡°Can¡¯t you see your boss is sick? And learn to mind your own business!¡± Thalia responded. ¡°Thalia, no. What are you doing? Brandon¡­ or Mr. Frazer is a very dangerous man; please don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s got you tangled into sh*t?¡± he inquired. ¡°I told you to shut up! Get out of here,¡± Thalia yelled at him. ¡°You don¡¯t know him as well as I do. He¡¯ll force you to do things you¡¯ll regret for the rest of your life.¡± ¡°Idiot!¡± Finally, I gave my response. I wished I was on two legs so I could kick him out of my house as well. He ignored me ¡°Thalia, get up now, get up!¡± he eximed as he walked over to her, my head resting on herp. His voice grated on my ears and irritated me. He reached for her arm and attempted to pull her up, but she pushed him away. ¡°Nestor,e to your senses! Brandon isn¡¯t forcing me to do anything I don¡¯t want to do, and I¡¯m not abandoning him. I¡¯ll never abandon him; he¡¯s the reason I¡¯m alive today, the reason I have the will to wake up every day, the desire that I once lost, so get out,¡± she said loudly. Hearing her say such kind things wiped away all of the pain that had been bothering me only a few moments before. As I rxed into herp, a lovely smile came on my face. 32 32 Thalia¡¯s Pov My chest pounded with frustration as I took a deep breath. I couldn¡¯t believe his audacity. Brandon was previously correct in his assessment of him. He was incredibly obnoxious, pushing his nose into everything that was not his business. But I couldn¡¯t believe what I¡¯d just said. Was it because Brandon was the only person who had time to listen to my story, or was it because he was helping me? He described his rtionship with Nestor as ¡°condition love.¡± However, I believed that love could be transformed from a conditional to an unconditional state. I fixed my gaze on Nestor and pointed to the door. Instead of walking out he sighed and sat down in a chair. I wondered if he had a life outside of Brandon as I nced at him. Brandon may have been correct in his assumption that he was g*y and interested in him. ¡°It is almost midnight, don¡¯t you have a girlfriend to get to?¡± I asked in a serious tone. ¡°No, I¡¯m exactly where I¡¯m supposed to be,¡± he said. ¡°Who do you think will clean whatever sh*t he¡¯s gotten you into if he dies at any moment?¡± he wondered. I locked my sight on him for a few moments before shifting it to Brandon. Brandon said softly, ¡°I warned you he was irritating.¡± ¡°Let me remind you that I am a big girl who can take care of herself,¡± I responded, irritatedly looking up at Nestor. He was so bl*****dy irritating. To my annoyance, he burst outughing and began pping. ¡°As you did with your father¡¯s fortune?¡± he inquired solemnly. ¡°Or as you did in court when you were asked to give your side of the story!¡± he continued. As my temperature rose, I tightened my hand but remained glued to my seat. He had both nerves and audacity? Who did he think he was, he was just a mere bumbling pilot. Brandon was the only one who was allowed to taunt andugh at me. That¡¯s where I drew the line, and no one else was permitted to make fun of me after that. Brandon proposed, ¡°I have a rifle beneath the bed, you can shoot him and we can bury him outside.¡± I felt like skinning him alive and Brandon¡¯s suggestion was not bad. We would definitely get away with killing him. ¡°Mr. Fraser, tell me what¡¯s going on here, what¡¯s the n? Assassinate Josh and take over the ¡°It¡¯s my d*mn business!¡± It¡¯s my bl***dypany, not Josh¡¯s, and I¡¯m going to get it back anyway I can!¡± I became enraged and screamed at him. ¡°Thalia, you¡¯re drunk,¡± he responded. Brandon surprised me by saying, ¡°We¡¯re not killing anyone; we just stole his sperm and sliced off his testicles.¡± The jacka*s revealed without consulting me. Nestor must have worked for him and been loyal to him, but I didn¡¯t trust him, and I did not recall talking about bringing on a third wheel or Nestor on how ns. ¡°What are you doing, Brandon?¡± I inquired, trying so hard to control my temper. As I gazed at a stunned Nestor. ¡°Nestor, go warm the pizza,¡± Brandon ordered, ¡°I need to speak with Thalia alone.¡± Nestor stood up swiftly and quietly exited through the kitchen door. I deduced that he required some fresh air to process what his boss had just said. ¡°Why on earth would you inform him about our secret n?¡± I asked. ¡°He¡¯s right; after I die, he will be the only m*ron who will be able to aid you without asking any questions as long as I give him orders.¡± ¡°But, Bradon, I was under the impression that you didn¡¯t trust him?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡± he said, ¡°but I have a 30% faith in him.¡± Nestor walked back in without the Pizza before I could say anything further. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re nning to have Josh¡¯s child? The man who betrayed you, humiliated you, and stole everything from you?¡± he inquired I said, ¡°My body, my business.¡± ¡°But, why, Thalia?¡± he asked in a disappointing tone. ¡°Brandon, I thought you liked her, so why would you let her have a baby with that monster?¡± Brandon and I both choked as he asked. Brandon rose from myp and locked his gaze on me for a brief while before immediately turning aware. It was strange, did he like me and told Nestor about it? Or was I overthinking again but I noted he was too defensive. ¡°Who told you I liked her?¡± he spat out. ¡°I can tell by the way you look at her and the fact that you haven¡¯t f**ked her yet,¡± he replied. Brandon breathed in heavily, if he hadn¡¯t been fatigued, he would have lunged at Nestor and ripped his head apart. ¡°Nestor, you¡¯ve been fired and will not be included in the n?¡± Brandon screamed. ¡°I¡¯m the only one you have and the only one who can put sense of what¡¯s going on in your thoughts. Brandon, why are you doing this? You can get thepany in a variety of ways?¡± ¡°This is the only quick method to stall whatever future locks he will put on thepany¡± Brandon answered, ¡°she bes pregnant and we file ownership cease.¡± He said, ¡°I promised to get her the ¡°How long do alternative approaches take?¡± Nestor asked. ¡°At least seven months,¡± he said. ¡°Just give me themands, and I¡¯ll make sure the board gets her thepany,¡± Nestor offered. Brandon turned to face me, my mind was still processing Brandon¡¯s reply to Nestor¡¯s question regarding his feelings for me. ¡°Brandon, we¡¯ve previously discussed this,¡± I said after clearing my throat. ¡°This isn¡¯t just about taking over thepany,¡± I exined as I stood up from my bed, pointing at Josh as I walked up to the Tv screen. ¡°This man deceived me into believing I was barren for four years. Because he didn¡¯t want to have a child with me, he paid off all the doctors who told me I couldn¡¯t conceive!¡± I spat out and spun around, fuming, to confront the two of them. ¡°So, Nestor, please don¡¯t try to persuade me otherwise; once I¡¯m done with Josh, I¡¯m going to Greend to live a happy life with my daughter,¡± I added. I noticed Brandon¡¯s smile after I stated the Nestor shifted his gaze to Brandon, Brandon exined, ¡°I¡¯m leaving my sperm in case she wishes to have my child in my memory. If you like, you can also offer yours,¡± he stated. ¡°This is a serious matter, Brandon,¡± He retorted, ¡°Who said I was joking?¡± I shook my head and wiped my blow; I was not in the mood for him, I was exhausted and in desperate need of a shower. ¡°But, what if Josh files awsuit against you?¡± Nestor asked. ¡°We¡¯re leaving him in poverty, just like he left me and he will have no power to buywyers or judges, or even hire one,¡± I replied. ¡°But will all this be fair to the child?¡± ¡°Was what he did fair to my father? Was it fair that a man only worked hard and in the process, they targeted his daughter and destroyed her? What was my crime, tell me what crime I did apart from loving him?¡± I asked, tears rolling down my cheeks. To my surprise Brandon got up and walked to me, giving me a huge hug. He patted my back and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, we¡¯ll get those sperm in you.¡± Nestor attempted to object, but he was stopped. ¡°Nestor is taking you to a private hospital where you will be inseminated tomorrow,¡± he said. I wiped my tears and asked him to take a seat. It was too early for him to be using his legs after an episode. ¡°I¡¯m OK; I¡¯m simply hungry,¡± he replied ¡°Where¡¯s the pizza, Nestor?¡± As I escorted Brandon to his bed, I inquired. I could feel his warm breath on my brows. His temperature was rising. ¡° Do you feel like taking a chilly bath?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m okay,¡± he said. Nestor returned with the Pizza and ced it on the table. I sn*tched a piece of pepperoni from the counter and attempted to shove it into Brandon¡¯s mouth. ¡°Hey, mushroom is my favorite; I despise N?velDrama.Org owns all content. pepperoni,¡± he said ¡°What? Who on earth despises pepperoni? Are you serious, who raised you?¡± I inquired, astonished, as I selected the mushroom vor. I shrugged and nced at it, but he moved again. ¡°Brandon, trust me, you¡¯ll be OK,¡± I said. He looked at me as if he was pondering something, then he slowly opened his mouth for me, and I inserted a small piece. I observed he paused before swallowing, contemting again, as he closed his eyes and chewed slowly. I grabbed a bottle of water and delivered it to him fast. As I signaled for another piece of pizza, I was certain he was waiting for the pizza to go down his throat. ¡°Wait,¡± he whispered as he took my hand in his. He let me insert another piece after a few minutes. ¡°Are you a witch?¡± he inquired after he realized he was not going to vomit. The new system ¡°Yes, East End Witch,¡± I replied and began teasing him about his unusual pizza selection. It was so in and uninteresting. We had forgotten about Nestor for a moment as we continued to argue about which Pizza was the best and jumped from one topic to another. We wereughing and joking when a minute ago I was angry, yelling and crying. To get us out of our bubble, Nestor had to clear his throat. ¡°You are bothering us; please leave and remember to pick up Thalia in the morning,¡± Brandon spoke first. ¡°Why would youe up with such a n when it is obvious that¡­¡± ¡°Please, Nestor, be quiet!¡± Brandon became enraged and yelled at him. I could tell he was distressed because he refused a piece of pizza. Nestor was clearly overstepping his bounds; he recognized it and instantly apologized. He asked, ¡°Thalia, can I have a minute with you?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious that she¡¯s feeding me?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll only take a minute,¡± he responded. ¡°Brandon, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be right back,¡± I said and stood up, escorting Nestor out. I was well aware of his legitimate concerns, but I was not going to change my decision. I had been a fool and had lost everything; now I was going to be a fool again and regain it all. When he turned to face me outside, I was the one who spoke up first. ¡°I know you mean well, Nestor, and certainly, Brandon tried to change my mind but he failed to persuade me to change my mind.¡± ¡°But, thalia, what if that child grows up to despise you?¡± I said, ¡°It¡¯s a risk I¡¯m ready to take,¡± I replied and gave him a tight hug, saying my good night. There was no debating, my mind was already made up. He stared at me disappointed even though we had just known each other for some days, he genuinely cared about me. ¡°I wille and pick you up at 7 am,¡± he said and walked away. I watched him as he got onto his helicopter and flew away. I wrapped my arms around myself thinking about tomorrow and the life changing procedure that I was willing to take in order to destroy my enemy. 33 33 Jessica¡¯s Pov I¡¯m not sure how many hours passed, but a gentle pat on the back jolted me awake. I turned around, my eyelids tired, to discover Victor holding two mugs of coffee. I cleared my throat and asked, ¡°Can you tell me what time it is?¡± I turned to face Josh, who was still unconscious on the bed, sleeping. He looked like he was just taking a nap. ¡°It¡¯s 1 a.m, we have to go back to the hotel. I cane back and look after him,¡± he offered. I responded, ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere without Josh,¡± and turned away. I wasn¡¯t in the mood for a debate. Deep inside, there were a lot of what-ifs: what if we traveled to Hawaii, what if I didn¡¯t insist on skiing, what if we just slept the whole morning away. What if¡­what if¡­what if¡­what if¡­what if¡­what if, kept ringing. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. He said.¡±Here¡¯s your coffee?¡± ¡°I did not ask for any coffee?¡± I replied, turning to face him. I responded with a shrug and a sidelong nce. I knew he was just trying to be nice, and that he was more affected than I was by Josh¡¯s situation. It was his son who was resting on the bed, a son he expected to give him grandchildren one day. Then it dawned on me: The heirs of thepany? Josh was so set on wanting children that we discussed it even before we married. Heirs to take over hispany? he needed heirs. He put his life on hold, even went to the extent of marrying his enemy¡¯s daughter for the purpose of taking over thepany but it turned out that he was not going to have anybody to pass thepany to. It was all in vein, his sacrifices were all in vein. I was about to burst outughing, but I immediately swallowed my words and bolted from the room, surprising Victor. I continued to run through the hospital corridors like a madwoman. Victor pursued me, yelling at me to halt, but I continued running all the way to the elevator. I punched the button, but the elevator was a long way up. Out of frustration, I began punching the elevator till I felt strong hands gripping my shoulders. As I dropped into his arms and wept out, he roared at me, ¡°Stop it, Jessica! You¡¯re only hurting yourself!¡± I was punishing myself inwardly, knowing that if I had agreed to start trying for a kid sooner, all of my birth control would have been flushed out and I would be pregnant. But, because I was a selfish sl*t, I insisted on having children at my leisure. I didn¡¯t think we needed to rush because we had time, and I thought he was imposing his agenda andpany¡¯s focus on me. He had gotten hispany, and it was time to rx and enjoy the wealth without having to worry about the little brats keeping us awake at night. That was my interpretation; we had all the time in the world, so why were we expected to hurry? I also had my way with putting his mother in a care home, I even told him during the celebratory party that I was ready to have a child with him which was a lie. I knew my body was and still was full of contraceptives, but it was the only way to get his mother out of my new house before she even entered. All of the deception, selfishness, had been for nothing. I knelt as I sobbed, I could hear other people walking by, most likely staring andughing at us, but we ignored them and stayed still. Wallowing in our sorrows. Victor stated, ¡°We have to be strong, we have to be strong for Josh. The most important thing is that he is still alive,¡± he stated. ¡°But how are we going to tell him that he will never be able to father a child?¡± I asked, tears streaming down my face. ¡°How? Do you know how important it was for him to have children?¡± Victor answered, ¡°I know how much it meant to him, and I know how devastated he will be. To tell you the truth, I¡¯m not sure what I¡¯ll say to him when he wakes up.¡± He said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to be the one to tell him the worst news of his life¡± Victor was as lost as I was, we were domed, and no amount of money or plotting would be enough to bring us out of the unexpected ck hole that we found ourselves in. Money was always the solution. We always dealt with every problem with our money and influence but it was a different kind of problem that we were facing. Victor assisted me in getting up and escorted me back to Josh¡¯s room. We walked to the room in silence and sat in silence and just stared at Josh, who seemed peacefully, unaware of the hell that awaited him on the other side. We were both napping before we realized it, and the only thing that jolted us awake was the door opening as the doctor brought in a detective. We both stood up and greeted the two. We sat down, hoping for some good news. Hoping, we were hoping for good news. Hope was the only word that I could rte to. The detective cleared his throat and apologized for everything that we were going through like he had caused it or something. ¡°Save your apologies; they will not improve my husband¡¯s situation!¡± With so much venom in my mouth, I spat it out. Victor interrupted, saying, ¡°Jessica, please cut the man some ck, he means well.¡± I cried, ¡°Are his apologies going to give us answers that we want? because I demand d*mn answers of what urred!¡± I screamed. The room fell silent and somehow it felt like there was a big fire in the center of the room. I turned to the investigator and asked if he knew something I didn¡¯t know of or if there was a breakthrough in the case. ¡°Mrs. Nelson, we¡¯re still looking into what caused the skiing ident; so far, all we have is supposition,¡± he replied as my face wrinkled and I felt like killing him. I took a deep breath in and clutched my chest, urging myself to rx as I closed my eyes. ¡°From the witnesses, we discovered that your husband was a first-time skier?¡± he said. ¡°Could you please confirm?¡± he inquired. ¡°Pay attention to whates out of your mouth next! I¡¯ll say it again: Watch what you say next because I¡¯m going to sue your department!¡± I became enraged and yelled at him. ¡°Threats will not help us solve this case, Mrs. Nelson. We¡¯re trying to rule out the possibility that your husband was inexperienced,¡± the detective rified, forcing me to roll my eyes. ¡°My son used to ski when he was younger, but he wasn¡¯t very good at it,¡± Victor remarked. ¡°When was thest time he skied before the ident?:¡± ¡°What is the significance of that?¡± I screamed at him. ¡°Please, Jessica, let the man do his job,¡± Victor said, ¡°I believe it was a few years ago, more than five years ago.¡± The ineffective investigator took out his writing pad and scribbled something down. All of the meaningless information he was taking down had already been taken down by the inept sheriff the day before. That is to say, the fools did nothing all day yesterday. My heart hurt and I wanted to skin him alive. I could tell he had a lot of silly questions in mind when he looked up at me and we locked eyes, but the look I gave him made him reconsider some of them. I wasn¡¯t sure if he was asking a question or making a statement when he posed for a minute before saying, ¡°Some witnesses reported they saw you teaching your husband before you both began skiing on the main strip?¡± he stated. I responded, turning away. ¡°You aren¡¯t assisting us, Mrs. Nelson. Remember every little detail is very important ¡± he said. ¡°Yes, we were practicing; before we go uphill, everyone at the resort does a little warm-up at the dummy track! What exactly does this have to do with my husband¡¯s ski ident?¡± I asked confused. The man in front of me was asking all the stup*d questions in the world. ¡°He was nervous, therefore we assume he wasn¡¯t ready to ski¡­¡± ¡°Shut up, my hubby is a natural when ites with skiing; he skied four rounds before that foolish ident. He neverined or appeared to be in any kind of trouble or distress¡± I replied. Josh would have signaled me to stop if he was having any trouble skiing. I remembered him being extra careful not to make any mistakes and not struggling. If anything I was the careless one. ¡°Mrs. Nelson, please rx, I¡¯m only trying to run that angle.¡± ¡°You¡¯re approaching the problem from the wrong direction!¡± I replied in a serious tone. I was always intimidating, and difficult to work with that was the persona that I crawled in whoever I was in such situations I started strolling around the room, it felt crowded. ¡°You¡¯re running the wrong angle!¡± I added again. ¡°Are there any other aspects you¡¯re considering?¡± Victor inquired. I came to a halt and stared at the investigator, waiting for a proper answer which I doubted he was capable of producing. ¡°Well, we don¡¯t want to rm you, but in the event of an ident, we search for tempering or the resort¡¯s safety. Was it safe to go skiing on the ice or where the equipment you were using safe to use?¡± he dered. ¡°So it¡¯s possible that someone messed with his skii board?¡± I enquired. But to my shock, he asked ¡°Is Mr. Josh covered by a life insurance policy? We¡¯d like to look at the will.¡± For a split second, my heart stopped, and I didn¡¯t need an interpreter or awyer to tell me what the fool meant. Iughed and sat down,bing my hands through my hair. My nightmare grew into hell, and then into a freak disy of dread. But, if you think about it, the story would be; billionaire marries a hot girl, she takes him to a ski resort, and she sets him up to die and grab his fortune. The dumb scandal would make a nice headline in most tabloids. Victor stood up and added, ¡°Jessica do not say a word,¡± he said and turned to face the detective ¡°You¡¯ll have to talk to ourwyer about that perspective if you want to discuss it or explore it any further,¡± he added. ¡°We have to cover all angles, Mr. Nelson,¡± the investigator insisted. ¡°Are all of Canada¡¯sw enforcement this stup*d or you were all born stup*d!¡± I spat out. The investigator stood up, he knew I would go whole day and night insulting him. He said his goodbyes and walked out of the room, but we all ignored him. I could not believe the audacity, the fool had the nerve to put me on his suspect list. The door opened and the doctor entered the room but to my shock, Victornded a blow on his face almost knocking him to the ground before he could sit down, he stated. ¡°That¡¯s what you get for rendering my son sterile without my consent,¡± he said. The doctor¡¯s face was covered in anguish as he grasped his head in amazement. I was stunned as well, thinking I was the one who was losing it, but Victor had been suppressing his rage for hours while I was unleashing it through yelling. 34 34 Thalia¡¯s pov I watched Jessica copse in front of the elevator with tired eyes. I¡¯d dozed off, but Brandon was kind enough to record the moment she lost it and raced all the way to the elevator. It was fulfilling to watch as I recalled how she mocked and attended each of my divorce hearings just to despise me. I guess Karma was biting her hard. She copsed in Victor¡¯s arms, their rtionship was odd, as Brandon had pointed out earlier when victor stripped her of her clothes and attempted to bathe her. He imed the two had a history, which I could see from what I¡¯d seen thus far. We needed evidence, or we could simply photograph the restroom scene and email it to Josh. Brandon¡¯s men were already Victor was a serious man who rarely showed his teeth, but I noted that he was quite tolerant with Jessica. She was free to do or say anything she wanted, including insulting him. It was strange because, while Jessicacked morality and respect, Victor seemed to tolerate the contempt. Why, exactly, was the big question. Why would Jessica let Victor get so close to her that he could offer her a bath? Or whyfortably cry in his arms in front of the entire hospital? We expected a major scandal to emerge at the conclusion of the trial. However, we set all other considerations aside and awaited the arrival of the private investigations. I turned to Brandon, who appeared to be in a good mood and was rummaging through his closet seeking for something to wear. ¡°Are you on your way somewhere?¡± I inquired. ¡°Yes, I will apany you to the hospital,¡± he responded. ¡°We¡¯re a couple who can¡¯t conceive, therefore I¡¯m taking you to inseminate our first child,¡± he said before returning to his clothing hunt. I took a deep breath and swallowed hard; he casually used the term OUR, the word alone meant a lot but I ignored it because he was in a good mood. I¡¯ve never seen him in such a good temper in the morning. When I looked at his calendar, I discovered that he had stopped canceling off days; two canceled days were missing, indicating that he had stopped canceling days off yesterday. I grinned and got out of bed; it was past time he enjoyed his final days and forgot about the clock. I approached him from behind and hugged him tightly, but he froze and remained silent. A reaction that I was expecting. I smiled and he asked ¡°Ain¡¯t you supposed to be sha ving down there? In a few minutes, Nestor will be here,¡± he continued. Another response that I was anticipating. I raised my fist and mmed my hand against the back of his head. ¡°Ouch,¡± he cried out. I hugged him even tighter and told him that he earned it. ¡°Are we heading to Canada, and if so, how did you manage to install cameras throughout a hospital?¡± I asked. He said, ¡± No, the sperm is already in transit here and the hospital belongs to a friend, only the floor that Josh is on has cameras,¡± he replied and asked me to take my hands off his waist. ¡°Why?¡± I asked. ¡°You arepressing my chest,¡± he replied. I quickly moved away even though there was a possibility he was lying. I walked to my side of my wardrobe and looked for what to wear. We were indeed a couple, shared a wardrobe, even a bed. I had gotten used to sleeping with him on the same bed without care. At first, it bothered me but ever since he fell into that minia I shifted from the sofa to the bed and it had not been a bother. He was actually a gentleman when asleep, he never attempted anything. He was only a per vert with his eyes. He began, ¡°You¡¯ll look lovely in the pink dress,¡± and I turned to see him with a serious expression on his face. While looking at it, I said, ¡°That¡¯s too informal.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to see you in that,¡± he said. I turned again, and he averted his gaze. It was the second time the same uneasiness permeated the air whenever he locked his eyes with mine, it was as if he was attempting to hide something from me that he didn¡¯t want me to see through his eye. His eyes were like a mirror to all the questions that were bothering me. I averted my gaze, grabbed the garment and the items I required, and proceeded to the restroom ignoring his weird act. I entered the bathroom and took a deep breath, telling myself not to think about the awkwardness and focusing on my bath and the medical operation that I was heading to. A procedure that was going to transform my life forever. I was certain. I wanted the baby, in simple terms I was reiming everything Josh had deprived me of. Yes, any other woman in my position would be patient, n for years, then strike and take everything from Josh, but that was not the case for me. I wanted to deprive him of a single minute of happiness; his wedding day was going to be thest time he was going to remember smiling. When I thought about it, I believed my wedding day was also thest time I had a genuine smile. All of the subsequent smiles were a fabrication of what I thought was genuine. I stripped off my clothes and nearly screamed, not because I didn¡¯t realize mydy parts were swan with a bush, but because Brandon¡¯s word sunk in. How did he know I needed to sha ve? My mind went straight to the cameras. What if he had concealed cameras in the room and I wasn¡¯t alone? I started looking around but couldn¡¯t find anything. I had no notion what a hidden camera looked like, even if I was looking. I grabbed a scrubbing brush, wrapped my towel around my waist, and marched out of the bathroom. I found him seated on the bed, on his tablet, doing whatever it was he was doing. ¡°You have cameras in the bathroom, don¡¯t you?¡± I asked as I moved up to where he was seated and pointed the scrub on him. I could see his eyes all over my body, he was definitely undressing me without shame as he nced up at me puzzled, and he grinned as if he was enjoying what he was seeing. I ignored him and yelled, ¡°Answer my question or I¡¯ll hit you and throw you out.¡± ¡°Thalia, if I wanted to see you naked, I would have asked you,¡± he boasted. He was so confident in himself that he convinced himself that any girl would strip naked for him, but the point he was missing was that I was not just any girl. ¡°Are there any cameras in the bathroom?¡± I screamed. I was losing it. ¡°No, I already told you there are no cameras; you¡¯ve been using the bathroom for over a week and haven¡¯t given it a second thought; what has changed?¡± he inquired. I was extremely quiet for a second. ¡°Thalia, you¡¯re wasting your time.¡±. ¡°How did youe to that conclusion? ¡°What conclusion?¡± he inquired, lost. My tongue was tied, and I couldn¡¯t say anything, I felt embarrassed to say it out but my gaze shifted to my pelvic area, and he immediately knew what I was talking about, he smiled. My face flushed with embarrassment, I began to regret exiting the restroom. Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Thalia, You had a nasty divorce two weeks ago, it¡¯s normal to have a bush, there was no way you could have time to sh*ve¡± he exined. ¡°I only assumed, but now you¡¯ve made me start imagining things.¡± I was so embarrassed that I simply turned around and walked back to the bathroom, closing the door behind me in shame without looking behind. I wished the bathtub would swallow me whole. He yelled at me to hurry. He busted outughing when I screamed in rage. I nned to get him. I was going to get him back for the humiliation because I knew his ws. I threw down the towel and started having a bath. I¡¯m not sure how long I was in the restroom, but a knock on the door shook me out of my reverie. Nestor, the obedient prince, was his new nickname and it suited him. I coughed and asked for a moment. Brandon had requested me to wear a pink dress that fit my frame well, but the cleavage was too much for me, and I had neglected to take a jacket with me. I shrugged and walked out of the bathroom annoyed. My primary worry was getting a jacket to cover off my useless cleavage, so I didn¡¯t notice the hanging jaws drooling over me. I went to the back of the closet and looked for jackets or throwovers, but there were none. Brandon and Nestor were both staring at me with their jaws hanging open when I turned around. ¡°For the love of G*d, where are my jackets?¡± I tried to ignore them, but they only stared at me. I walked over to the table and pped my fist down. ¡°Brandon the Jacket!¡± He ignored my question and asked, ¡°Which jackets?¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± I replied, annoyed. Heughed and got up, I noticed he was dressed in ck and a beret in his hands. ¡°The only thing you brought were those terrible jumpers¡± he chuckled. ¡°Like, where were you getting those sweaters from?¡± He asked, irritating the life out of me. ¡°How are you today, Thalia?¡± Nestor cut in, saving his useless boss. ¡°Ooh morning Nestor,¡± I replied embarrassed, I hadpletely ignored him. ¡°You look beautiful,¡± he stated ¡°Thanks,¡± I replied with a smile. I could see Brandon rolling his eyes as he put on his beret and dark sses. He lookedpletely unrecognizable. ¡°Let¡¯s go, the doctor is waiting for us,¡± he replied and held out his hand for me. I hesitated a bit before grabbing it. ¡°Are you sure?¡± he asked like he needed confirmation if I was pulling out at thest minute. ¡°I¡¯m very sure,¡± I replied and noted Nestor look down in disappointment and led the way. I stopped and asked, ¡°Are you sure you will be fine, I thought you would never get out?¡± ¡°No one will recognize me out there,¡± he stated as we walked out. ¡°Guess who the police are putting as their main suspect in the skiing ident?¡± he asked. ¡°Who?¡± I inquired. ¡°Jessica, I threw them a bone and they began chewing it immediately,¡± he said with a smile. My face lit up with excitement, Brandon was bl**dy evil and I liked it, the b*tch was going to wish she was dead by the time he was done with her. He handed me his tablet when we entered the helicopter and I watched as Jessica was yelling at the detective. She had be a screaming psy cho and the game had not yet even begun. 35 35 Jessica¡¯s Pov Victor moved away from the doctor, gripping his excruciatingly red fist, while I stood in a corner with my hands on my mouth. I was sure the doctor was going to punch Victor back when he stood up, but he turned away and walked away to his side of the desk. Perhaps he was aware of the level of heartbreak and stress we were experiencing. ¡°I¡¯m going to sue this stup*d hospital for the procedure you performed on my son without my permission!¡± Victor screamed, still clutching his fist. The doctor sat down and removed his hand from his cheek, his swollen face visible. I remained in the corner, uncertain whether he was going to retaliate. ¡°Can we all sit down and discuss in a civil manner now that you¡¯ve vented your rage?¡± the doctor suggested. ¡°Bullsh*t!¡± Victor screamed ¡°Mr. Nelson, you¡¯d be at a morgue identifying your son¡¯s dead body if I hadn¡¯t removed his testicle,¡± the doctor replied. I observed a shift in his tone; he was dead serious, unlike thest time we spoke with him when he was full of regret. I assumed it was the heavy punch to the face that he got. ¡°Is your son¡¯s life less important than testicles?¡± he inquired. ¡°How dare you? How do you expect him to start a family?¡± Victor replied. ¡°The most important thing is that he is alive, as the helicopter tail nearly crashed his entire pelvic area. Plus he can always adopt or find a sperm donor, his life is not yet over,¡± the doctor replied. I nearly burst outughing, having a child of my own was a burden to me and my career. I couldn¡¯t see myself raising someone else¡¯s brat. Adoption was definitely out of the picture. I cleared my throat and asked; ¡°Will he be able to function down there¡­ Can he have sex?¡± ¡°We performed reconstructive stic surgery, ensuring that his private parts were restored. You can¡¯t tell he doesn¡¯t have testicles unless you tell him, and if you don¡¯t tell him, there is no way of him knowing¡± the doctor exined. Victor¡¯s face softened and his chestpressed slightly as he turned to face me. I could only hope he wasn¡¯t considering keeping his son in the dark. Even if we didn¡¯t want to, it was impossible since testicles were responsible for the synthesis of testosterone, which was a crucialponent of every male¡¯s sexual function, the most essential of which was the production of sperms. But my husband had been castrated of his testicles and he was nothing more than a shell of a man, our sex life was never going to be the same for him. What I despised the most was the fact that hest f**ked me the way he used to f**k Thalia, despite the fact that I had desired it. The irony is that I¡¯m sure if Thalia found out, she¡¯dugh our a*ses off. I burst outughing like a l*natic out of nowhere, I was losing it, and karma was definitely catching up with us. ¡°Are you okay, Mrs. Nelson?¡± The doctor stood up and inquired, concerned. I¡¯ll invite one of our counselors to spend some time with you. I understand that this is a major change for a young couple.¡± ¡°A man ejactes sperm during sexual intercourse,¡± Victor said swiftly, ¡°but how would he not realize he has no testicles if there is no sperming out?¡± he asked. The doctor took a breath before returning his eyes to Victor, he hesitated for a moment and peered in my direction ¡°Don¡¯t you think alerting your son about this major life shift would help him heal faster and receive the counseling he requires?¡± ¡°Please respond to the stup id question!¡± Victor screamed at him and mmed his hands on the table. The doctor sat down and said ¡°two more org ans, the prostate nd, and seminal vesicle nds generate seminal fluid, which nurtures and carries sperm. Both are still intact, and if he ejactes, he¡¯ll be able to generate a whitish fluidcking sperm. Keep in mind that the testicles create sperm, not seminal fluid.¡± Victor shifted his gaze back to me, knowing full well that whatever he was thinking was evil and ominous. ¡°Mr. Nelson, also keep in mind that the testicles create most of the testosterone, while the adrenal nds make only a minor amount. Testosterone therapy is required for your son,¡± the doctor continued. ¡°Is that going to help with sperm production?¡± Victor inquired. ¡°No, it will improve sex function, hormone bnce, and self-esteem,¡± said the doctor. Victor locked his gaze on the doctor for a long time, and the room fell silent. I was deep in contemtion, trying to figure out what he was thinking and where his inquiries were leading. ¡°Doctor, your job is done,¡± he said, clearing his throat. ¡°When my son regains consciousness, we as the family will decide what to tell him and what not to tell him¡± Victor made a statement. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± I asked as I stood up and wiped my tears away but he dismissed my question and continued to speak with the doctor. ¡°How many doctors are aware of my son¡¯s procedure?¡± ¡°Me, the stic surgeon, and two theater nurses,¡± the doctor said, perplexed. ¡°Keep it that way; mywyer will send paperwork to all of you; if word of my son¡¯s medical procedure bes public, you will all be arrested,¡± he said. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Victor?¡± I asked but he ignored me again. The doctor gave out a fake smile which was evident, I could see his hands shaking as he tried to hide them by cing them on hisps. ¡°However, you should not be concerned about patient privacy, sir,¡± he stated. ¡°Only four of you should be aware of the Orchiectomy, that is what I¡¯m asking for,¡± Victor responded with a frosty retort. ¡°If a fifth person finds out, you¡¯ll all be imprisoned.¡± The doctor began shaking, ¡°I¡­think¡­the detective is aware of the Orchiectomy,¡± he stammered. ¡°Close your eyes and make sure you remember each person and hand me a list,¡± Victor said, irritated. He stood up and exited the room. The doctor and I continued to look at each other, stunned. I turned around and chased after Victor. He was up to something bad that I wouldn¡¯t agree with. He was a crooked man who would do anything to get what he wanted, regardless of who was hurt or killed in the process. He was a father who sacrificed and groomed his son in order to take over a sessful corporation that outperformed him. His son¡¯s life was squandered for the sake of his vengeance. In four years, his son would have met and married ady he adored and be a father of two children. Of course, that woman wouldn¡¯t be me, but it was a fact if Josh had not epted to take revenge on behalf of his father¡­ Thinking about it more seriously, perhaps it wasn¡¯t me who was being punished for the sins, but him N?velDrama.Org owns all content. and Josh, for all the pain they inflicted on Thalia, karma was paying them a visit, and I was just a passenger because of my desire for money. Victor continued to elude me as he entered the elevator, disregarding my calls. He was engrossed in his phone, sending emails to hiswyers, safe to assume. He couldn¡¯t even wait for his son to heal before inventing another n, one I knew was certain to end in disaster. I stepped into the elevator as well, and I realized he had pressed on thest button, he gestured to me to stay quiet as if he didn¡¯t want anyone to hear us. I turned around and saw that the elevator was empty except for the two of us. Despite my impatience and need for answers, I remained silent. We reached the top floor and ascended some stairs to the roof. ¡°Victor, what¡¯s going on? Why are we here?¡± ¡°Have you heard of the saying ¡°walls have ears?¡± he inquired? I just stared at him, knowing exactly what the statement meant yet desperate for an exnation. ¡°What did you mean when you threatened the doctors in the doctor¡¯s office?¡± ¡°Did you and Josh ever discuss starting a family? Do you know why he was so eager to start a family?¡± he inquired. ¡°Something¡­ about.. heirs?¡± I stammered. As I froze and stared at him, he responded, ¡°More than half of the Gentex belongs to that heir.¡± Josh never mentioned to me that the shares were piled up and earmarked for a human person who had not yet been born, even though I knew thepany was family. We never talked about the ¡°Are you joking?¡± With tears streaming down my cheeks, I inquired, but he merely nced down. ¡°But why give sperm so many shares? I assumed it was the only way to transfer ownership or that we were waiting till the child was eighteen or something!¡± I screamed at the top of my lungs. He responded, ¡°No Jessica we set aside shares for the child but the biological parent is still in control. Of course, we do tests and make sure we are capable of fathering a child. Jessica, inherited shares are the safest approach to prevent a takeover or preventing a fall of shares. I locked my gaze on him since he appeared to be calm and unconcerned. ¡°What happens? Can one make changes to the documents?¡± ¡°Yes, Josh can,¡± he responded. I took a deep breath in, nearly panicking. ¡°So that makes us safe, we need to inform Josh of the Orchiectomy so that he can swiftly update the documents? Is that correct?¡± I inquired, but he turned away. ¡°What?¡± I was confused. ¡°Josh¡¯s desire to have children was one of the reasons he agreed to take over Gentex. For his future children and his mother. Back then, when mypany was sinking, I had no future to pass on to him or his future offspring,¡± he said, ostensibly making sense but not. ¡°In short, what I¡¯m saying is that we need to give him time; first, I¡¯ll meet with mywyers, create all of the papers, and identify the appropriate judges to cement the change or we might not need a Judge, and then we¡¯ll tell Josh,¡± he suggested. ¡°But Victor, you heard the doctor, the sooner we tell Josh, the better,¡± I said. ¡°Jessica, do you think he¡¯ll change the documents if we tell him right now? He will give up thepany without care and go into depression. Everything he worked for and sacrificed will be in vain?¡± he stated. ¡°What will happen if the documents aren¡¯t changed by him?¡± I asked. ¡°That was my motivation for threatening the doctor. We need to consider all possibilities. If the board discovers that we have arge number of shares that will never be inherited, they may tip our adversaries. Gentex would be forced to dere all shares forcing us to buy the shares and if we can¡¯t afford them, other people will buy because the documents would be null and void in the absence of an heir? And without the inheritance shares, other share orders can sell their shares freely he stated. ¡°In today¡¯s harsh business world, we can be used of stock fraud and lose everything.¡± My knees gave out on me, and I watched my life of luxury being swept away in front of my eyes. I¡¯d be nothing without money. We had to do everything we could to keep the Orchiectomy a secret. We needed to get Josh ready. I had worked my tail off to be Mrs. Nelson of Gentex corporation, and there was no way I was going back to a life of selling my vagina for food and upkeep. I swallowed hard and wiped my tears, asking ¡°so, what is the n? If Josh found out we had lied to him, he would never forgive us.¡± ¡°No, he¡¯ll be aware that he¡¯s suffered damage to his private parts but will act as if no damage was done. You¡¯ll go to the doctor after months of trying not to get pregnant. By then, I¡¯ll have persuaded him to change the corporate records, and the doctor will have informed him that trauma caused him to be infertile,¡± he exined. I locked my gaze on him; his strategy and n were sound; all we were doing was buying time for Josh to gain control of the shares rather than some unborn kid. He¡¯d find out about his impotence in the end. I quickly epted since I needed the life of money to keep up my social image; I had ascended a very highdder and couldn¡¯t afford to let anything pull me down. Victor borated on his strategy, saying that he would handle all of the hard work while I would y the supporting wife and lie until it was time to pay a hired doctor to deliver the bad news. The benefit of it all was that after Josh updated the documents, I didn¡¯t have to go through the agony of having a useless baby for him. Just the two of us would grow old in our wealth. Victor stepped away to begin the process, while I returned to Josh¡¯s room. Our happily ever after was still in y, so we were going to screw karma. 36 36 Brandon¡¯s Pov As we flew to the hospital, we watched Victor and Jessica step out of sight to discuss something. I had no idea what it was, it was as though the fool was aware that he was being watched; he was far too astute. Anyway, I med myself; I should have recognized his unwittingly counter-attacking my strategies and returning me to square one. The man had mastered the art of firm takeover nning. It was my profession, but I¡¯d never met somebody quite like him. He was a man willing to wait years for a takeover while on the side I had no time. That was the main difference between him and me. Thalia kept questioning what was going on, but I told her to focus on artificial insemination and not to worry about Victor. I was going to find out what they discussed sooner orter. Soon an email popped up, my private investigator, who had tapped all of Josh and Victor¡¯swyers and associates¡¯munication systems, sent me an email alerting me to the revisions of shares that Victor ordered. My heart stopped, but I didn¡¯t show it. I didn¡¯t want to worry Thalia. I had their associates tapped instead of the two because it was the best way to throw off suspicion. Victor¡¯s change in share ownership meant there would be no takeover, which meant Thalia¡¯s pregnancy would be futile. And eventually, she could give up on hope. I had no intention of abandoning her to her fate. I closed my eyes and thought to myself. I needed to distract Victor, I needed to keep him busy. I sent an email to one of my men instructing him to sabotage one of Gentex¡¯s medical gadgets in one of the country¡¯srgest private hospitals, a sabotage that would nearly cost a life. We needed a big enoughwsuit for him to devote all of his attention to together with hiswyers. That way we would buy time and by the time he would remember or recover the damage would be too big. I knew it would be difficult for Gentex, but I had enough money to rebrand it once it was in Thalia¡¯s Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. hands. ¡°Is everything okay with you, Brandon?¡± Thalia inquired. ¡°Everything is fine,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°I think we should focus on your insemination for now. Have you thought about the child¡¯s name?¡± She chuckled, ¡°Brandon, I haven¡¯t even been inseminated yet,¡± she said. ¡°What happens if I don¡¯t wake up tomorrow? I¡¯m curious,¡± I stated. She bent down and took my hand in hers. ¡°Please don¡¯t say something like that, can we just forget about your situation for today and have fun?¡± she requested. I said, ¡°Thalia, whether we talk about it or not, the fact that I have Brandon Frazer Autoimmune Macroglobulinemia will never change,¡± and inquired about the name once more. ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe if it¡¯s a boy, I¡¯ll name him after you. Please take note of this not because you are assisting me in exacting vengeance on my enemies, but because you offered me hope and made me reconsider my life choices,¡± she stated. A surge of emotions washed over me out of nowhere, and my eyes began to water. ¡°I have something in my eye, I suppose an insect got in,¡± I muttered quickly as I looked away. She burst outughing and hugged me, her stunning cleavage rubbing against my back. She teased, ¡°How big is that bug?¡± ¡°Thalia,¡± as I wiped away my tears, I added, ¡°This is serious.¡± When I turned around, I saw that we had I whispered a brief prayer since things were getting a little weird. I was never the emotional kind, and the fact that it was over a name made it much more embarrassing. ¡°Sir, are you okay?¡± Nestor questioned when he opened the door for us. ¡°He¡¯s simply emotional because I told him I was naming the kid after him,¡± Thalia exined, irritating me even more. When I looked up at Nestor, I noticed that he had raised eyebrows. I yelled at him, ¡°Get out of my way!¡± He moved fast without saying anything. ¡°Come on, Brandon, it¡¯s natural to be emotional,¡± Thalia murmured as she exited the chopper, but I disregarded her and continued walking away before my eyes further embarrassed me. But I came to a halt as the roof grew noticeably quiet, and I turned to see Nestor standing in front of Thalia as if he were blocking her path. He moved away after she said something to him. I could tell she was irritated by whatever he said by her facial expression. She grabbed my hand as I hurriedly approached him. ¡°No, Brandon, I took care of it,¡± she stated I gave Nestor a stern look, but he just red back, ced his hands in his pockets, and started walking towards us. ¡°What are you doing? Where do you suppose you¡¯re going?¡± I requested him to wait in the chopper. ¡°Who is going to pick you up when you be unconscious?¡± he asked, mockingly, as he walked away. My blood began to boil. I didn¡¯t want to waste any of my remaining energy on him. I was exhausted from the pointless flight andcked the energy I had when I woke up. ¡°Please disregard him, Brandon; you know he¡¯s trying to help,¡± Thalia said. Let¡¯s get this over with before we hit a setback,¡± she added. She was correct; the one thing wecked was time, and wasting it on worthless Nestor was not ideal. So I put on my scarf and heavy eyesses as Thalia wrapped her arms around me. We were certainly a couple with reproductive difficulties heading for insemination. We entered Doctor Moyes¡¯s office through a secret passageway, avoiding patients and employees. I noticed the man appeared to be exhausted because of ack of sleep. I had deliberately dispatched him to Canada to harvest the sperm and deliver them back himself. He appeared so fatigued. I didn¡¯t want any mistakes or bad sperm to end up in Thalia. We exchanged pleasantries and began the process, the doctor began by exining the procedure. There were two types of insemination; Intrauterine insemination (IUI) and intracervical insemination were the two most used methods of artificial insemination (ICI). He was going to conduct intrauterine insemination which involved inserting the sperm all the way into the uterus unlike the other one which involved inserting on the cervix and was less effective He made it clear the insemination was not on the books and Thalia did not have to go through any drugs, monitoring, or procedures. We were going to cross our fingers and hope for the best. Doctor Moyes told us, however, that he had plenty of sperm in case the initial insemination failed. The standard procedure required six attempts, but we were hoping to conceive on the first try. We didn¡¯t have time for the other tries because Victor was already setting us back. But something didn¡¯t add up, concerning how fast Victor was moving. He was frantically calling his To make any changes, Josh¡¯s signature was required, not his. Something was up and technically, killing Josh while Thalia was pregnant with his child would deliver thepany to Thalia, but I wasn¡¯t going to give her that option since I knew she¡¯d take it because she¡¯d already dered she wouldn¡¯t mind killing him. ¡°Brandon?¡± she called, jolting me out of my reverie. ¡°Is everything fine?¡± she inquired. ¡°Are you having doubts?¡± ¡°Everything is fine; are you prepared?¡± I enquired. ¡°I think so?¡± she responded. ¡°Thalia, there¡¯s no going back once you are pregnant?¡± ¡°Abortion is an option,¡± she responded. The doctor and I exchanged nces. We¡¯d gone to tremendous measures to get her the sperm she needed. People¡¯s lives were on the line, and a lot of people¡¯s jobs were on the line, yet she was talking about abortion. ¡°Thalia is not a game,¡± I informed her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Brandon, I was just thinking out loud, but I¡¯m ready,¡± she added as she stood up and inquired about her hospital gown. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Miss Nash, if you¡¯re having second thoughts. A baby is a huge burden, and many people in this office are always changing their minds at thest minute,¡± the doctor said. ¡°I¡¯ve wanted to have Josh¡¯s baby since I was sixteen,¡± Thalia chuckled. ¡°I set aside my ambitions and packed my Ph.D. in order to raise our wonderful children. He took away that opportunity and wasted four years of my life. I¡¯m here to retrieve that,¡± she remarked, as she inquired about the insemination room. The doctor locked his gaze on me; he had a lot to say, and I was thinking the same thing, but I had assessed Thalia and she was perfectly fit to give a baby. ¡°Mr. Fraser, may I speak with you privately?¡± he inquired. ¡°Simply perform your duty and ensure she conceives,¡± as I stood up, I stated. I kissed Thalia on the cheek and walked away, allowing her some much-needed privacy. I stepped out of the room, exhausted, and went to the private waiting room, where Nestor was seated. ¡°I still believe this is not right,¡± he dered. I shifted my weight to face him. He was never a talker and only spoke when prompted. But he¡¯d had a big mouth ever since he met Thalia. ¡°Guess where I first met Thalia?¡± While toying with my scarf, I questioned him. ¡°At first, I assumed nightclub, but she didn¡¯t look like a nightclub girl the second day I met her, and you stopped going to such ces years ago, so I assumed she walked into your beach house,¡± he responded. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have let her in if she had knocked,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°So, how did you two meet?¡± ¡°On an old rusty bridge, I woke up that day with ns to kill myself and screw time,¡± I murmured, raising my eyes to him. He froze but said nothing as if he knew I had nned to end my life. ¡°Guess who woke up that same day tomit suicide?¡± I asked, turning away. As his mouth remained open in disbelief. ¡°We fought for that bridge and who should jump first until we both gave up cowardly,¡± I exined. ¡°She told me her story, and Iughed so hard, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve everughed like that. So you want to know why I¡¯m enabling her to inject that idiot¡¯s sperm into her? Simply put, I want her to have a reason to live once I¡¯m gone. That child will not erase her past, but it will shape her future.¡± ¡°But why can¡¯t it just be random sperm, given how many men donate sperm?¡± Eventually, he inquired. ¡°That¡¯s uninteresting, but Josh¡¯s baby will be like a prized possession for her; she¡¯s even naming him after me. In short, I convinced her I would help her get revenge on her ex within a month,¡± I stated. He tried to protest but I stopped him, ¡°The promise also involved us going back to the bridge and jumping if we still felt worthless. What do you think she will do the minute I¡¯m pronounced dead?¡± I posed a question. ¡°Some people need something to fight for, and that baby is what she needs and not thepany. I already offered her mine and she refused. So getting herpany back won¡¯t solve anything, she was never interested in herpany, to begin with, but was always wanted a useless baby with that useless man,¡± I added and searched my pocket, retrieving a sh and handing it to him. ¡°When I die, promise to finish what I have started?¡± I said in a low tone and not an order. He stared at the sh knowing fully well it contained details of the n. ¡°Am not saying you should fall in love with her and marry her, I wille back and haunt you,¡± I added in a serious tone. He nearly choked to death and got up. I always noticed how he looked at her and what type of girls he was into. Thalia was exactly his type but because I was alive, he couldn¡¯t cross the line. ¡°Sir I wouldn¡¯t cross the line and I don¡¯t think I can pull the scheming and maniption,¡± he stated. ¡°Yes you can, just study the file and you will be alright, and do not tell Thalia that you know how we meant,¡± I ordered him. He looked at the face and nodded. I knew he was not fully convinced but he needed to know how delicate Thalia was. 37 37 Thalia¡¯s Pov The doctor led me to a little white room with a white bed in the center and a lot of medical equipment lying on the tables. My heart began beating fast, Not because I was terrified, but because the day had finally arrived. It was time to stop talking and start doing. I took a seat on the bed and slowlyy down. The door swung open, and the doctor entered, fully equipped. I was inseminated in a matter of seconds. I felt as if I weremitting a federal crime with no remorse. I wasn¡¯t a coward, after all; I¡¯d always had boldness inside me, but I was waiting for someone to kindle that fire thaty dormant in water, with little possibility of ever igniting. Brandon was the person who ignited that soggy wood and lifted me out of that hellish trap in a matter of days. I discovered that no amount of kindness or money could ever be sufficient. Survival of the fittest was the rule, and the powerful always tr*mpled on the weak in order to acquire what they wanted. I was always the weak one, and my father was weak as a result of his generosity, and we both suffered the price. It was time to break the terrible chain and be the strong one. Yes, I still considered my life tragic; perhaps one day it will turn into a wonderful story, but I didn¡¯t care; a wrecked life for a ruined life was all that mattered to me. That was my new life motto; my baby was going toe along andprehend the decisions I was making; perhaps one day, he or she would be proud of me and appreciate the choices I just made. In a nutshell, the doctor exined everything to me, including what to expect and what not to expect. And what was expected of me throughout the whole procedure? He wished me luck and expressed his hope that I was doing the right thing, as my situation was the first he had ever seen. I smiled and thanked him for everything; he looked exhausted and in desperate need of rest; the man had put his ethics and job on the line for me and my pointless vengeance. I had no idea why he was on Brandon¡¯s payroll, but I assumed he had been cheated by life as well. It was the only thing that could make a guy go to any length and risk losing his dignity. As I sat on the bed, processing what I had just done, he walked out of the room with his head down. I wanted some alone time; it had been almost a week since I had been alone in a room. It was strange because I¡¯d grown ustomed to Brandon lying on myp or my chest or next to me which I knew he loved. My very first best friend. We called each other suicide mates. Fate brought us together, and I could only dream we¡¯d be together for more than a month. There was a reason, bigger than my request for revenge that we were brought together. I knew it deep down, but I didn¡¯t want to give myself false hope; instead, I needed to prepare myself for the possibility that he was simply an angel sent to me before he died. I grumbled and got out of the bed, knowing that the Jerk on the other side of the door was undoubtedly waiting for me. I didn¡¯t want him toe in while I was still dressed in a hospital gown. I quickly changed into my pink beautiful dress and exited the room, heading for the waiting area. Nestor and Brandon were sat on opposite ends of the bench, like some rivals. They both stood up and walked up to me as soon as they noticed me. ¡°Are you all right? Did everything go ording to n?¡± Brandon was the first to inquire. ¡°Yes, all we can do now is wait and hope,¡± I said. They both remained silent, and when I turned to look at Nestor, he averted his gaze awkwardly. It wasn¡¯t like when I went into the doctor¡¯s office and he looked at me with judge-like eyes. I averted my gaze and pretended not to notice him; he was acting as if he had known me for years and that I owed him an exnation for every decision I was making in my life. ¡°Are you able to walk around? Did the procedure make you feel ufortable?¡± Brandon initiated the conversation. On the other side, he was acting like a good spouse. I thought to myself, ¡°Two odd opposite men.¡± I said, ¡°Of course, I can roam about aimlessly; I didn¡¯t go in there to give birth,¡± I joked. He looked doubtful at me, as if he expected me to leave the doctor¡¯s office devastated and second- guessing myself, but that was not the case. I was a changed person, I was on fire and I was ready for the second phase of the revenge. Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. I took his hand in mine and extended my other hand out to Nestor. My two new best pals, both of whom were really attractive, and better than idiot Josh. If only I had met them earlier. ¡°Let¡¯s go have some fun, shall we?¡±I proposed. ¡°Are you not supposed to be lying down in order for the sperm to travel?¡± he inquired. Nestor and I exchanged surprised looks before giggling hysterically. We were bothughing so hard, I believe we needed it in order to lessen up and release the weight. ¡°Yeah, Yeah, yeah,¡± Brandon scratched his head as he responded. ¡°I believe you¡¯ve lost a few neurons in your head as well,¡± I made a snide remark at his expense. ¡°He¡¯s thetest with no brains ¡± Nestor added and received a serious look from Brandon. I stepped in front of them and signaled for them to move. I was in the mood for a party. ¡°Do you have a secluded location where we can host our celebration?¡± I inquired. ¡°If you mean the two of us, yes,¡± he said, ¡°but for three, I don¡¯t have.¡± He was a jerk, but before I couldin on Nestor¡¯s behalf, Nestor excused himself and just offered to fly us to our destination. Something wasn¡¯t quite right about him; he kept avoiding eye contact with me. I could only assume Brandon might have said something to him. We trailed behind him as he led the way. I was quite interested in what they discussed, but I decided to postpone it until tomorrow. In an hour, Nestor took us to an apartmentplex with a fancy mini bar, a swimming pool, a braai area, and a lovely fountain on top. But it was deserted with no sign of any people. In a frenzy, I looked up at Brandon and asked if it was his property. He nodded and extended his arm, which I eagerly epted. I looked around to see Nestor had already left without saying goodbye. He was always hanging around to bother Brandon, but he seemed different tonight ¡°Is there¡¯s a problem?¡± Brandon enquired. ¡°No¡­ not at all, so what¡¯s the best n for the evening?¡± I enquired. He said, grinning, ¡°my Suicide bestie, we have this building to ourselves, we can do whatever we want.¡± My mind wandered to sex, and I began stammering. I¡¯m not sure why, but it might have something to do with the fact that I had just fertilized my eggs. Brandon smiled as if he had read my mind. ¡°Stop being a naughty child,¡± he stated as he drew me closer to him by my waist. ¡°When was thest time you danced, and how long has it been? ¡°he inquired. When I couldn¡¯t remember, my expression grew sour, but then I remembered that it was on my wedding day, with my father. On the day of our wedding, Josh just danced with me for a few seconds. It never troubled me, nor did I see anything wrong with it, because he was a busy guy that night, making sure all of our guests were happy not knowing it was my first clue and he was avoiding me. But my fatherpensated for his absence by dancing with me all night. As a result, I never regarded my wedding to be a dreadful day. Brandon noticed my shift in mood and spoke up; ¡°I hadn¡¯t danced in two years,¡± he imed. ¡°Thalia would honor me by giving me myst dance and putting on a soft 90s tune. ¡°Of course,¡± I said with a smile, ¡°but be certain that this is not your final dance,¡± I added as I ced my head on his chest with our hands sped. We danced like there was no tomorrow to the beat of the music. I had difficulties with my steps at first and stepped on him a couple of times, but after the jam was repeated, I found my groove. Brandon was a great teacher with a lot of patience. It was surprising that he could dance so well even though it had been more than two years since he had danced. Iid my head on his chest as if there was no tomorrow,pletely forgetting about the agony that was my life or the sperm that I had just used to impregnate myself. I waspletely engrossed in his chest and wished for him to live another month. I prayed to G*d that he would extend the great Jerk¡¯s life by two or nine months so that he might see little Brandon. It was amusing because I did not recall ever praying while Josh mistreated me or during our divorce processes. I¡¯ve always believed that if there was a Go*, he abandoned me the day he just stood there and watched me fall into Josh¡¯s trap ¡°Your hair smells so good, unlike the f*rst time I met you,¡± Josh said first, jolting me out of my reverie, and eliciting a chuckle from me. ¡°And your arrogance has greatly diminished since the day I meant you, ¡°I responded. Heughed and answered, ¡°I was not arrogant, you offended me with your ugly sweater and you invaded my space,¡± 38 38 Brandon¡¯s Pov ¡°Your space?¡± she eximed loudly. ¡°Please don¡¯t say you own the bridge,¡± she inquired. ¡°I now own it, having purchased it just yesterday,¡± I replied. In disbelief, she came to a halt and paused for a moment. ¡°Is there anything that you do not own?¡± ¡°Thalia, that¡¯s our secret memorial,¡± I exined, ¡°and no one should tres pass it.¡± As we continued to dance, she responded, ¡°Rich jerk.¡± Yes, I was a rich jerk who always purchased anything I wanted, whenever I felt like it, I chuckled. I wasn¡¯t sure about Thalia, but the bridge was important to me, and I didn¡¯t want any idiot tres passing or destroying it. Purchasing an ancient abandoned bridge was neither a rush nor something difficult. The city council mistook me for some wealthy individual wanting to develop the region, but instead, I was busy erecting a fence around the property and issuing threatening notice to anyone who dared to tres pass. I suddenly felt my chest heavy and came to a halt; I¡¯d had enough fun for the day and was free of difort. I needed a nudge to get me back on track. In my condemned life, spending a whole day of fun was never on the agenda whether I wanted it or not. ¡°Are you all OK, Brandon?¡± She inquired. ¡°I¡¯m OK,¡± I answered, gripping my chest, but with Thalia¡¯s support, I walked to a nearby counter. She was running about getting a ss of water and passing it to me. ¡°Can you please take a seat?¡± I requested her, holding her hand. She, on the other hand, was terrified and overthinking everything. I came to a halt and beganughing as I nced at her. She came to a halt and nced at me, perplexed. ¡° ¡°Brandon?¡± ¡°Can we just sit by the pool and rx?¡± I asked as I walked to the pool, removed my shoes, sat by the pool and ced my feet in the water. She remained still facing the floor. I coughed when she sat down next to me. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Are you certain you¡¯re fine?¡± she inquired. ¡°Thalia, I¡¯m perfectly fine!¡± I screamed at the top of my lungs. With her continual probing and pestering, she was beginning to anger me. I knew she just cared about me and was only making sure I was okay. I was not supposed to be angry at her but the horrible disease that was spoiling our ideal night, a night I had hoped to spend with her. She strolled up to where I was seated, removed her shoes, and sat down. ¡°I think we should call Nestor?¡± she requested. ¡°No, no, no, I¡¯m fine, can we just speak, I¡¯ll call Nester when it starts hurting,¡± I suggested, and asked her to make something tasty that I would eat. Anything that would keep her upied and away from me. In a sh, she was up and out. I was meant to be rejoicing when I struck the water in frustration. I was so upset at the world, but the stup*d disease always managed to bring me back to reality. It just couldn¡¯t let me have a little fun, mming me back to reality every time I found anything I enjoyed. I merely sat there, My body began to heat up, I was waiting for death, which would note. I carelessly removed my shirt, pants, and boxer shorts without thinking. All of my garments felt as though they were boiling hot on my skin. Thalia was about toe in, but everything felt like it was scorching my flesh. Slowly, I slid into the pool; the water was chilly to the touch and felt cool against my skin. Closing my eyes made me feel calm and peaceful. I had no idea how much time had passed, but the mention of my name startled me awake. Thalia was holding a te of food and her eyes were closed when I looked up. For someone who has just imnted sperm into her vaginal canal, she was pretty shy. ¡°What are you up to, Brandon?¡± She was afraid as she inquired. I grinned, realizing that her conduct was endearing, and I nned to take advantage of it. ¡°It became heated in here,¡± I exined. Brandon, She gasped, ¡°You¡­.are naked, you¡­.are absolutely naked¡­¡± She was drenched in sweat and trembling. I chuckled and chose to ignore her while I rxed in the refreshing water. She was stuck to the floor, either because the woman was strange or because she had feelings for me. ¡°Are you not going to feed a sick man?¡± I inquired, but she remained silent. I motioned to the remote on the counter and told her to hit the green button to make the room dark and hide anything she didn¡¯t want to see. She practically ran to the counter and clicked the button, even though the scenario was quite unpleasant for her. She returned and sat down, arranging the food on the table¡¯s edges. I got closer to her and immediately went to the meal, asking what she had cooked. ¡°Your favorite, shrimp,¡± she remarked softly. She was attempting to stay away from me at all costs. The woman was dealing with a lot of troubles; my body was pale and unattractive, yet she was agitated over a pile of dead meat. I proposed, ¡°Feed me.¡± ¡°Brandon¡­¡± she eximed, her face flushed. ¡°Now you want me to feed you while you¡¯re¡­naked?¡± She inquired further. ¡°Thalia, I¡¯m unwell; why do I have to remind you of it every day?¡± I added, ¡°You¡¯re such a m*ron.¡± She averted her gaze as if she was contemting something, then grabbed the dish and began flinging it around. She was quiet at first, and all I did was stare at her. I wasughing hysterically and tried to figure out what she was thinking. Her day consisted of everything from insemination to feeding a sick, naked man in a pool. 39 39 Thalia¡¯s Pov I could see his obnoxious grin; yes, he was obnoxious and demanding. And yes, he was ill, but I had the impression that he was doing everything to attract my attention. I was willing to let him get away with it not because he was unwell, but because he was cute and pleasant to me. One thing I noticed about him was that he was quite cruel to everyone except me. I began to feed him discreetly, small bites at a time, while he grinned. He wasn¡¯t throwing up, which was a plus. That was the most important thing, but the fact that he was naked was an annoyance. Yes, he was lowering his body temperature, but everything was awkward, and I was very ufortable. To aggravate me, he continued moving closer to me whenever I turned away. Before I knew it, he was rubbing his chest on the sides of my thighs. ¡°Brandon, move a bit please, you are way too close to me,¡± I cried out. ¡°Thalia,¡± he responded with his hands on my thighs, ¡°My neck hurts from bending in.¡± As I stared at him, his grey eyes staring back into mine, I froze, my heart racing and a tingle of electricity running through my entire body. He had a way of peering into my soul when he looked at me. Previously, he always shifted his gaze away from me, never allowing me to process what his eyes were saying. He didn¡¯t look away this time, though It seemed as if he wanted me to stare into his eyes and see something, but I instantly averted my gaze, not wanting to learn what was hidden behind the cold, gorgeous grey eyes. I turned around to see him smiling, but before I could say anything, he moved, opened my legs, and stood between them. ¡°This is better,¡± he replied as he opened his mouth to ept my food. I sat there trying to think of a way to get away from him because it was inappropriate. Not even Josh had never been so close to me. He murmured in my ears, ¡°Thalia, calm down I¡¯m the one who should be afraid of you since I¡¯m nude,¡± he said. I looked at him, angry, I screamed at him, ¡°Are you stup*d?¡± ¡°No, but I¡¯m hungry; feed me or I¡¯ll copse and die,¡± he replied but I only stared at him. With begging eyes, he said. ¡°Plz, Brainless, plz, plz, plz, plz, plz, plz,¡± with a lovely pout on his lips, he said, ¡°My suicide friend.¡± I was perplexed and terrified, unsure of what to do. His body did not seem as pale as it always. It appeared normal, like attractive normal. I had no idea if I was losing my mind seeing his body took me off. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he was in the water. ¡°Thalia take a deep breath,¡± he whispered softly into my ears sending all sorts of lovely echoes in all the right ces. I knew I was overreacting, but it was the way my body was reacting to his. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in, then opened them to find him staring back at me. It was almost as if he was punishing me. Nestor¡¯s voice came from behind us, and I exhaled a sigh of relief. When I was preparing the food, I had texted him, informing him to be on standby or close by in case of an emergency. I could see the water moving and when I turned around, I saw Brandon enraged, his cheerful mood gone in a sh, and he began coughing violently, spewing blood into the water. I began panicking, ¡°Are you all right, Brandon?¡± I inquired but he was quiet and went on coughing roughly. Nestor moved forward and suggested we move Brandon out of the water but received a hip water sshed over him. He got up and cursed, moving away. I looked back at Brandon, still panicking, I needed to think fast. I didn¡¯t give a d*mn if he was naked or not so out of the blue I plunged into the water and held him without thinking. I didn¡¯tprehend him at first, but as time went on, I became more aware of his condition. When he was in good health, he was always healthy, one couldn¡¯t even tell that he had a dreaded disease. But when he was in a terrible mood, he would cough and spit blood all over the ce and was always pale. His illness was somehow linked to his mood in some way. But I wanted confirmation, I could sense everything about him, and by everything, I meant everything personal item on his body. I ignored it since I was interested in putting my theory to the test. When he was in a minia, he imed that if I was the one bathing him he would have woken up the same day. I was very much aware that Nester was watching us, but if he had a brain, he was supposed to walk away. I felt Brandon press his mouth against my ear. ¡°Thalia, don¡¯t start something you can¡¯t finish?¡± he urged as he moved closer. His sentence had a lot of meaning, but I didn¡¯t want to explore all the possible meanings. ¡°Shut up Brandon,¡± I said, listening to his heartbeat return to normal. Earlier his heartbeat was beating fast but my hug somehow began calming him down, his coughing seized, and his breathing normalized. It all became quiet in a sh, and he put his head on my shoulder, confirming that his mood was linked to his illness. I was certain the doctors and scientists had overlooked that detail. But the big question was one I didn¡¯t want to answer or even ask. Was I the only one that gave him the effect, and if saw then why? That was the question I did not want to be answered. He swallowed his saliva and motioned Nestor to leave. He was still there in the room, watching us, much to my amazement. He said, ¡°I said leave us.¡± Nestor walked away, and I could hear footsteps behind him. I tried to move, but he clung to me even tighter. ¡°Please two more minutes,¡± he begged as we hugged each other. After all, it was only going to improve his mood and health if I gave him two more minutes. There was no danger, but yet I was mistaken. Somethingrge began pressing against me; at first, I mistook it for his leg, but the position was incorrect. I tried to move, but he clung to me even tighter, insisting that his two minutes were not over yet. I tried to object, but he told me that he would never cross the line and that he was always aware of his boundaries. I attempted to figure out what he meant, but he was already hard against my body. I remained motionless, waiting for the beautiful nightmare to end. I was under no obligation to let him do so, but I had a sneaking suspicion that the moment I let go, his health would deteriorate. Yes, I was a fool and falling into every trap he set for me. Or maybe I enjoyed every trap he set for me and the terrible part was that he seemed to enjoy himself and moaned, which somehow sp*ked my body temperature. My body began to twitch for inexplicable reasons. He had crossed the line, but I was enjoying it. I needed to stop him before I started reacting and slipped deep Into the trap. I needed to stop the chaos. My mind began to swirl with the phrase ¡°Pity Sex!¡± I didn¡¯t have the entire faith in him, and I suspected he was waiting for me to lead the way so he could me me for crossing the line and not him. I could picture him turning the case on me and saying, he was a sick man whose brain was crowded while I was healthy and my brain intact. Yes, it felt fantastic; his body against my skin was unlike anything I¡¯d ever experienced. Josh never made me feel like that before. I was desperate for it, so I leaned closer to him and clutched him tightly. Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. One part of my brain was telling me I was getting trapped in pity sex, while the other was telling me to just give it to him and not worry about it. Sex was casual, friends always engaged in it and forgot about it the following day. But then it hit me: I just had insemination and there was a good chance I wouldn¡¯t get pregnant with the first sperms. And Brandon didn¡¯t have any condoms, which would lead to getting pregnant with his sperm. That was a fact I was certain of. I instantly let go of him, knowing that bing pregnant with Brandon¡¯s child would be disastrous and And that would mean saying goodbye to both mypany and my revenge¡­ But when I let go, I felt him release, I looked at him in disbelief, as if I hadn¡¯t been leading him on. I hurriedly exited the pool, angry. ¡°Brandon, you¡¯re aplete m*ron!¡± I screamed, and I heard himugh. He was clearly irresponsible and unconcerned about the n; he was eager to have sex and jeopardize our entire n for stup*d s*x, a n for which we had worked hard and nearly killed a man. I hurried outside, furious with myself; I wasn¡¯t the same person, I almost messed up my n because I was h*rny too. As I walked past Nestor, who was standing at the door with a sarcastic expression on his face, as if he wanted tough at me, I yelled at him at the top of my lungs. ¡°Say one word and I¡¯ll p you!¡± He raised his arms as if surrendering, yet his brows were elevated. I stared at him and then realized he was staring behind me. ¡°Whatever you do, Thalia, don¡¯t nce behind you,¡± he said solemnly. But I was intrigued; I had a sneaking suspicion that something horrible had happened to Brandon. I gradually came to a decision that I wouldtere to regret. Brandon was marching towards us, absolutely naked, as if he had no care in the world. Nestor put his hands on my face fast, as if I were a teen who had never seen a naked man before. Yes, I felt his penis against me but I did not see it with my eyes since I was in shock. ¡°Brandon, what¡¯s the matter with you! Put on a stup*d towel!¡± Nestor screamed at him. As he got closer to us, I could hear a chuckle. ¡°I told you I was bigger than Josh!¡± he eximed, irritating the living daylights out of me even more. He smiled as I took Nestor¡¯s hands from my face. I extended my hand and pped him across the face without thinking. I couldn¡¯t care less if his mood shifted or if he spat his entire blood supply. ¡°Why are you so self-centered? What if we had sex and I became pregnant with your child?¡± I inquired of him, but all he did was stare at me. ¡°Let me tell you something, all of our ns would have been ruined!¡± I added. To my surprise, he backed up and began walking naked toward the chopper. Nestor just raised his shoulders and walked back into theplex while I stared at him. I was left p*ssed in the doorway. Nestor returned with a towel and walked past me. I was fuming, I screamed on top of my voice in frustration, everything was being ruined in front of my eyes because of my stup*dity. I held my hands in my hair trying to process how I allowed everything to get that far. I gritted my teeth but there was no need to cry over spilled milk. I walked to the helicopter where Nestor was waiting for me, Brandon was already in the helicopter and facing the other way. He was still naked but had a towel ced on his thighs probably ced by Nestor. I decided to board but not in the passenger seat but in the front. Nestor stayed glued outside like he was waiting for instructions. After a long wait, he boarded the helicopter and we started off in silence, no one wanting to talk to the other. 40 40 Jessica¡¯s Pov Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. Seated in the hospital chair, my mind wandered from one topic to another. Trying to figure out where my life was heading and which moves I was supposed to make. Josh was still unconscious but his vitals had improved tremendously. All we were waiting for was for him to fight and open his eyes. Victor had left to consult with hiswyers, and I hadn¡¯t spoken to him since. I had tried phoning him numerous times to see how far he had progressed with thewyers, but he had not returned my calls. I was doing everything I could to remain calm, but I had a strong suspicion that something dreadful had happened or was about to happen. The doctor walked in and did his morning routine as I stepped outside to get fresh air. A beautiful life that I had nned looked set for another downfall. I took out my phone and tried calling Victor again but it went unanswered before he switched off. I yelled out in frustration and began sending him long paragraphs of insults. Whether he liked it or not he was going switch on his phone and read the stup*d messages. My head was spinning, I was hungry and couldn¡¯t remember thest time that I put food on my mouth or had a decent bath. I had no friends, never believed or trusted in my fellow gender. I never had a great history with friends and once upon a time, I gave up trying. Most friends were just backstabbing snakes who showed you a different shade of teeth to that which they showed your enemies. So I gave up or never tried to form such bonds. But there I was regretting that decision, I needed to talk to someone but I had no one. No friends, no family. Josh and Victor, we¡¯re the only friends and family that I had. I was very much aware that I was alone, to make matters worse we had chosen not to inform Josh¡¯s friends. ording to everyone, I and Josh were still having our honeymoon. Enjoying our time alone as newlyweds. I sighed and took a seat, going through my phone to check if there was any line or anyone that I could talk to because the thoughts in my head were killing me. I was going to burst open if I did not find anyone to talk to. I walked all the way to the cafeteria, not that I wanted to eat but because I was searching for someone that was going through what I was going through. I noticed an olddy seated in the corner of the room, her food untouched and putting on a sorrowful face. I decided to join her. Old women always had motivating stories to tell. Most were boring for my liking but I had no choice, anything was going to do for me. Immediately I took a seat she smiled as if she knew me, I could only guess that she neededpany as well. She offered me the nuts she was eating and to my shock, I epted without second thoughts. I was always a hygienic person and never took food frommoners or the poor. But maybe because I was hungry or maybe because I was trying to be kind for the first time. People always said sh*t brought kindness out of anyone no matter how awful they were. I sat with her and talked from one topic to the other, she was also nursing her husband. They were married for forty years and she narrated her life history and how she meant her husband. It was a beautiful story like some kind of fairytale. I was inspired and wondered if my life with Josh was ever going to have such an ending. We had just married and had a long way to go. Maybe the ident was some kind of eye-opening I thought to myself, it was not toote for us. The olddy¡¯s marriage was not all rosy but it was very motivating and gave me hope. The first week of my marriage to Josh I was a stup*d irritating wife. That was thest memory that he had for me. I nned to change once he woke up, I was not going to be a perfect wife but I was going to be a loving wife. I was going to be so good to him that I would never have to worry about thest impression I gave him. I was going to be the wife that he deserved, I was very sure he was the husband that I deserved. Before I could thank the woman my phone rang, it was useless Victor. He knew when to spoil my mood, I finally found someone that calmed me down but he chose to spoil it. On any other given day, I would have cklisted his old a*s but I needed to find out what was going on the other side or if he was sessful in sealing ourpany from our enemies. I answered the call, he was in the hospital, and from my assessment of his voice, I could tell everything was wrong. I began panicking, I immediately said my goodbye to the old woman and ran upstairs to meet him. I found him in the corridor, he was shaking and sweaty, he was yelling on top of his voice at someone on the phone. I noticed he was still wearing the same clothes he came with in this country, they were all wrinkled up and dirty. My heart sank, I knew whatever he was going to say after he cut the call was worse than what we were experiencing. He cut the phone and turned not knowing where to begin, I had never seen him in such a condition. Victor was always a gant man who cared about his looks and what he presented to the world. He looked all scruffy and dirty and he smelled terrible as he hugged me. ¡°Jessica things are bad,¡± he said without beating around the bush. ¡°What¡­.do you mean¡­. ?¡± I stammered. Deep down I did not want to hear any bad news but I had no choice. ¡°Gentex is getting¡­¡± He replied and looked away. He couldn¡¯t find the words to say whatever he wanted. ¡°Victor what¡¯s going on, please just say what¡¯s going on!¡± I begged him. He took me away to a corner and said, ¡°The department of health is suing us?¡± he said. I stared at him confused, he was not making sense,st time I talked to him it was about changing uses. ¡°Are you saying the department of health does not want us to change uses, is that not our private matter?¡± I asked confused. ¡°No no, all our dialysis machines that we supplied to all hospitals malfunctioned yesterday,¡± he stated. My eyes widened in shock, as I clutched onto his hands, waiting for him to retract what he had said. But he was dead serious and looked as shocked as I was. ¡°But¡­ but¡­ how,¡± I cried out. ¡°I have no idea, I have sent our people to investigate, all dialysis machines made by Gentex in every state began malfunctioning one by one. We are getting sued from all corners,¡± he rified. ¡°Did anyone die? Was there¡­.any loss¡­ of life?¡± I asked. ¡°No, just critical conditions, we wouldn¡¯t be operating if that was the case,¡± he replied. I leaned against the wall, not sure if I was supposed to cry or yell in frustration. The hell we were in was not over but just began. ¡°I didn¡¯t even have time to even draft uses with thewyers, as soon as we sat down, we received the call,¡± he added. ¡°How bad is this?¡± I asked. ¡°We can get closed down or lose millions, forcing us into bankruptcy,¡± he added. I stared at him, everything was falling apart one by one in front of our eyes. Josh was not going to survive the fact he was never going to father a child and hispany going to dust. Apany that he worked so hard to obtain and rebrand. He was going to lose it. I held on to Victor¡¯s hands and pleaded, ¡°Please do something, thatpany is Josh¡¯s life, please you have to save it,¡± I cried out. ¡°Am doing everything, this is just sabotage,¡± he said. ¡°Are you saying someone is doing this?¡± I asked. ¡°Hundred percent but I will find out and deal with them!¡± he yelled. ¡°Gentex products have always been the best in this country, we never experienced such. And all equipment faulting at the same time is total sabotage,¡± he added. I looked at him in dismay, trying to process what he was saying. But I could note up with anyone that would such to ourpany. Thinking about it critically, I wasn¡¯t surprised that anyone would try to sabotage us. Gentex was a stolen Or some of Victor¡¯s enemies. My head was spinning trying toe up with names but came up empty- handed. A nurse approached us with a smile on her face that I wanted to wipe out but the words that she said made me understand. Josh was awake, she said. I immediately took off and ran to the room to find Josh in a seated position. I quickly ran to the bed in tears and hugged him in excitement. I needed some good news for once. He winced in pain because of the pressure I was exerting on him. I quickly apologized and moved away, ¡°Love are you alright, do you remember anything,¡± I asked. Victor walked in with a fake smile and stood to the opposite side of the bed while Josh pointed to the ss of water on the table. I quickly ran to the table and picked the ss up, I slowly gave him the water and waited for him to recover. ¡°Son, can you hear us?¡± Victor asked. He slowly nodded, with pain evident, and looked in his father¡¯s direction, exchanging a smile. ¡°You scared us, son,¡± Josh added and looked in my direction giving me a warning look. I almost rolled my eyes but controlled myself, I wasn¡¯t stup*d I was not going to tell Josh about any sh*t that was happening. The door opened and his doctor walked in, I could see Victor tensing up and folding his arms. He greeted us before greeting Josh and began assessing him. We stayed glued to our feet, I could see the doctor being careful and not wanting to upset Victor. He asked Josh random questions and went on back with his assessment. I could see Josh being very eager to know if he was okay but the doctor kept beating around the bush. Victor cleared his throat and the doctor went straight to the point. Just like he was instructed he removed the part of Josh getting his testicles removed. All he needed to know was that he sustained trauma below his belt that was not fatal. Josh cleared his throat and asked whether the trauma would affect his ability to have children. We were not surprised by his odd question, we all knew how important children were to him. The doctor began shivering, forcing Victor to intervene. ¡°Son you are okay, they did several tests,¡± he stated. ¡°Dad, when did you be a doctor?¡± Josh asked. ¡°Son, I was¡­¡± ¡°Let the doctor finish talking,¡± Josh stated. The room became quiet, as we all focused our eyes and attention on the poor doctor who was sweating profusely. He was probably a bad liar and had never been put in a situation where he had to lie to his patients. ¡°Doctor are you okay?¡± Josh asked. ¡°Yes. Yes¡­ I¡¯m fine,¡± he stammered. ¡°You look worse than me,¡± Josh joked, sending us into fakeughs. The doctor wiped his brow and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m just having a bad day,¡± the doctor replied. ¡°Well my day is worse, I got in a freaking ident during my honeymoon,¡± he said as he lifted his eyes to me. He was ming himself, that much I could tell. ¡°Josh no it was not your fault, it was an ident ¡± I cried out and held his hand but he ignored me and faced the doctor. He was still waiting for answers from the poor doctor. The doctor cleared his throat loudly, ¡°Mr. Nelson you are fine and can father ten girls,¡± he replied. ¡°That¡¯s great, thank you, doctor,¡± he said and held my hand. ¡°When am I going to receive my kiss or do I have bad breath?¡± he said to me. ¡°Ooh,¡± I said embarrassed, and gave him a deep kiss, a kiss of betrayal. I could only hope Victor was going to solve everything before disaster struck or Josh found out about everything. The doctor excused himself, practically running out of the room and not wanting to be with us. I couldn¡¯t me him, I wanted to run too, I couldn¡¯t face Josh, I was everything except a liar. 41 41 Brandon¡¯s pov I sat at the back of the helicopter nursing the hard p I received. It hurt but in a nice way. Thalia kept asking Nestor to check on me at the back but I refused to respond to any of his questions. If she wanted to find out about how I received her p she needed to ask me herself. The woman was weird, half of her was p*ssed at me while the other was still caring and worried about me. The entire ride was quiet and deep down I was grinning. After two years I finally had an or*asm, not even Thalia¡¯s p was ever going to take the grin away. Yes, I had crossed the line but not the full line, just half of that line. Even if she came on me I would have not had sex with her. At the back of my brain, I was very much aware of our ns and couldn¡¯t risk it for two minutes of or*asm. We arrived at the beach house and Thalia was the first to walk out. Nestor kept staring at me with a disappointed face like he was my father. I gritted my teeth in annoyance and told him to f****k off. I was not his family or elder brother or younger brother. I got off of the helicopter butt naked without the care in the world. It was my beach and I owned thend. ¡°Brandon please put on the towel,¡± Nestor ran behind me and began wrapping the towel around my waist. He was very annoying, to say the least, maybe if I pped him hard he would back off my cases. He even grew the balls to call me by my first name. I was about to yell at him when Thalia walked back fuming, she quickly grabbed the towel off Nestor¡¯s hands who was busy trying to wrap it around me. ¡°Let him be! He is trying so hard to seduce me and ruin everything!¡± she yelled on top of her voice. ¡°Are you proud now, yes you are bigger than Josh, will that stop you from trying to have sex with me!¡± she screamed at my face. I only stared at her, I had never seen such a side of her. I was used to the weak shy Thalia. In the back of my head, I was a bit scared of her. She pushed me, nearly sending me to the ground but Nestor held me and quickly ced himself in between me and her. Thalia had lost it, thest time I checked she was the one that hugged me and forced my items to begin misbehaving. ¡°Thalia calm down, you are hurting him, thest thing you want to do is hurt him,¡± Nestor came to my defense. ¡°I do not care, Nestor, this is none of your business, get out of my way!¡± she yelled at him. Before he could protest I moved myself in between them. ¡°First of all, I could never force myself on you, and even if you wanted to, I could put some sense into you?¡± I said. She tried to p me but I quickly grabbed her hand. ¡°I was in the pool minding my own business when you hugged me even though you were aware that I was a man and naked,¡± I yelled at her. ¡°I think you are overreacting because you have feelings for me and wanted it so bad!¡± I added. She tried to hit me with her other hand but I grabbed it and told her to grow up and handle her feelings before she ruined the n and our rtionship. To my annoyance, she burst outughing like I had said something funny. ¡°You are the stup*d one who has fallen love with me!¡± she yelled back at me. I chuckled, the girl was very delusional. ¡°Thalia im a man, I can f**k you without emotions attached but I was not going to f***k you!¡± I assured her. ¡°You asked for two bl***dy minutes!¡± she replied. ¡°So that I can c**m in peace, I have not or*asmed for more than two years. I thought I was dead down there. Is it a crime for a dying man to have onest or**asm?¡± I asked as I let go of her hands. We stood there staring at each other and breathing heavily. I felt my throat clogging up and my body hitting up. She just ruined my perfect night. With difficulty I cleared my throat and said ¡°I wouldn¡¯t even make a mistake in putting my sperm in you, leaving you with a sick Brandon Fraser Autoimmune diseased baby,¡± I said and walked into the house. I needed to rest. I was tired, my beautiful or**asm took half of my energy. I left the two of them alone and did not care if they left. On second thought I needed Thalia¡¯s chest if only she overlooked or ignored the stup*d feelings that were obvious she had begun developing for me. The feelings were obviously mutual but I had found a way to push mine back. It was only human that we began developing feelings because we were spending so much time together. I was gorgeous and she was beautiful but we all knew that one of us had a short life span. A rtionship between us was not possible, the sooner I realized that the better. I walked to the drawer, searched for my boxer shots, put them on, and went to bed. I searched for the remote and turned my screen on. Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. I had not had time all day to get updates about stup*d Josh, immediately the screen was turned on Josh¡¯s stup*d face sent me gagging. The idiot was awake, at least he was going to watch how I was going to dismantle and destroy Gentex in front of his face. He was going to wish he had gone for anotherpany or started another country. Thalia walked in, just in time and looked at the screen, she locked her gaze on the screen and I noticed her face change red as she clutched her hands into a fist. ¡°He is awake? Have they told him anything?¡± she asked. I rewinded some minutes but to our shock, it appeared Victor and Jessica connived with the doctor and lied to Josh. We looked at each other in shock, nothing was adding up, even if they hid such vital information he was eventually going to find out. ¡°No no, you have to tell him, you have to tell the idiot that he has no testicles!¡± She yelled and walked to where I was seated. I ignored her, there was no way we were ignoring what happened outside or the pool and moving on. Nestor walked in and joined us, the idiot even took a seat without asking me, he certainly had a boring and depressing life. ¡°You are obstructing my view,¡± I informed her. She stared at me but did not move. ¡°Thalia move!¡± I yelled at her. ¡°Would you two stop behaving like kids and settle your sh*t before your revengees biting you?¡± Nestor cut in. I stared at him furiously and pointed at the door. He was overstepping his boundaries and I was not going to tolerate that. ¡°I¡¯m only here to help the two of you?¡± he stated. ¡°We do not need your help!¡± we both yelled at him. We turned, looked at each other but quickly looked away. We were behaving like teenagers who just had their first fight. ¡°No, but you can make me,¡± he replied and ordered Thalia to take a seat. She slowly moved away and sat in the corner of the bed, folding her arms. Nestor cleared his throat twice, ¡°Whether you two like it or not you like each other,¡± he stated forcing both Thalia and me to chuckle but we did not look at each other because we both knew our eyes would betray us. ¡°But the good thing is Brandon is a jerk, so Thalia you have nothing to worry about. He always has a way of ignoring everything that he loves,¡± he added, sending Thalia intoughter. I stared at him in shock, I had a lot of things to shout about but everything went numb. Thalia got up and hugged Nestor, her terrible moodpletely changed to happiness and she sat on the bed smiling. She turned and faced me saying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I hugged you, I think it was my fault I put us in that situation,¡± she stated and kept quiet, waiting for me to apologize but I was not going to apologize for sh*t. I only looked away, I was just a man and my body only reacted just as any man would have reacted. ¡°Brandon, Nestor is right if we do not put our differences aside our ns will go into the bin?¡± ¡°What differences? I have no differences with you even though you pped me and called me selfish after all the little hours that I am left with but chose to waste them on your revenge,¡± I replied without looking at her. ¡°But Brandon, am sorry¡± ¡°No Thalia, I¡¯m cool with you, it¡¯s you who couldn¡¯t let your best friend c*m in peace,¡± ¡°Brandon, that was inappropriate, we should never do that again, we crossed the line.¡± ¡°You wanted it,¡± I replied. ¡°Yes I wanted it, do you know thest time I had sex!¡± she yelled at me. Nestor and I looked at each other and turned away. We were both eager for the answer but she kept quiet, forcing me to ask. ¡°How long?¡± I asked. ¡°Brandon that¡¯s not the point and it¡¯s very much none of your business!¡± ¡°Fine, why did you hug me?¡± I asked confused. She looked away, her face almost blushing but I kept quiet. I needed answers if I was going to drop everything. ¡°Thalia, I need answers, were you that h*rny?¡± I asked. She turned and looked at me furiously, she lifted her hand trying to strike me but stopped midway realizing that I had taken more blows than I can handle. ¡°Yes I was h*rny,¡± she replied. I stared at her, she was definitely lying, I could see it in her eyes, she had be a bl***dy liar. She got up and excused herself like I was going to beat the answers out of her. She took a towel and disappeared through the bathroom door even though we had not finished exining anything. I turned and found Nestor staring back at me, ¡°Ain¡¯t you h*rny? Don¡¯t you have a girlfriend to attend to?¡± ¡°No,¡± he replied. I frowned and concentrated my attention on the screen. ¡°You have fallen in love with her, you are definitely trading in dangerous waters,¡± he stated but I only looked away. He was right, but no matter how much I tried to hide it or pretend about it. I liked Thalia and maybe even loved her. But the sad truth was that it was going to be unfair to her. ¡°Nestor, I do not want to talk about Thalia,¡± I announced and ordered him to get a briefcase in the closet. Josh was awake, he and his father were going to do everything to counter my progress. The two of them were chief strategists and I was not going to underestimate them. He got the briefcase and took out two phones, one was for the judge who was going to preside against Gentex. A Judge that I was specifically choosing and was in my pockets. And I was going to make sure I buy hiswyers too. And the other phone was for personal reasons. Reasons I did not want anyone to know. I had no idea if I was making the right decision but trying never hurt. Nestor looked at me, I knew he was interested in my second phone but I quickly tucked it away and changed the topic. ¡°How far are you going to sink Gentex?¡± he asked. I looked up at the screen, seeing Josh¡¯s smile made me gag again. Yes, I had taken the revenge personally. But I was curious as to why Victor would lie to his son about the surgery? Telling him would advantage them while keeping it a secret would be their downfall. I suspected the answers were from the day they both went to discuss on the roof. But I was Brandon Fraser and I was going to find out. I checked on all my emails and progress, the good sign was that Victor did not change any uses to the shares. Thewsuit I had for them was going to keep him busy. I looked up at Nestor and said; ¡°as low as I can sink it, I have the money to rebrand it and restart the Nestor stared at me with raised eyebrows, i knew exactly what he was thinking. I was leaving a very huge task for him and it wasn¡¯t fair but he had all the time in the world. 42 42 Thalia¡¯s Pov I sat in the bathtub hitting myself for the mess that I created. It was all my fault but I took it out on him. Thank G*d Nestor pumped some sense into me outside. I was the one that dived into the pool and caused him to c**m on my thighs. I looked at my thighs and gagged, realizing that his penis was on my thighs. I began staring at my thighs and imagining what I was not supposed to imagine. I quickly got up and pped myself hard, I needed to get back to my senses. Maybe a cold shower was going to do. I quickly stripped and got in the shower. I needed to get to my senses fast before I ruined everything for myself. Brandon was a dying man and would do anything to have sex. It was my fault, all I wanted was to prove my theory. I had an effect on him, my touch had the ability to calm him down and stop his episodes. It was very weird, I had no exnation and could not think of the reasons why. I needed to do my own research. But one thing struck me, even though there was no concrete proof that the disease was somehow connected to mood. I did not tell him about it because he was going to reject our connection and stop cooperating just to prove a point. Nestor had already hinted to me on how stubborn Brandon was and how far he could go just to prove a point or to be right. I soaked my body under the water as I thought of my next move. How our rtionship was going to forge was going to depend on me. I quickly finished drying my hair and put on my lotion but then remembered that I did not take a pair of fresh clothes to wear. I began cursing, passing with only a towel in front of Brandon was a recipe for disaster. I slowly opened the door p*ssed but to my surprise, I found my pajama by the door. Somewhere the jerk had a heart that he rarely used but only used it to up his clotted blood all over his body. Or maybe it was Nestor trying to prevent something that we all did not want. I quickly dressed up in pajamas and tidied my hair behind before walking out. I joined them in the room but found Nestor had already left. The man was very weird, I could not even say goodbye. My phone rang which was weird. Brandon looked up, he was very curious and wanted to find out who it was. The line was new and I hadn¡¯t had anyone call me or neither did I give the line to anyone. I looked at the phone and it was just a number. I picked it up and heard a familiar voice, it was Melissa. I smiled and walked out of the room. I could hear Brandon trying to call me but I ignored him. Yes, he was impatient and curious to know who I was talking to. He needed to wait. I had sent a message to Melissa informing and assuring her I was okay. We needed them to stop searching for me or filling a missing person¡¯s report. That was thest thing we needed, the police bursting out of a secret hideout or them thinking Brandon was holding me hostage. I could hear from her voice that she was very excited to hear my voice. The woman was one in a million, if only I had opened my eyes when I was still in my marriage and I had a friend like her I wouldn¡¯t be in the stup*d mess that I am in. We talked for over thirty minutes before she decided to video call me. She was not convinced that I was okay and probably thought I was lying. It was refreshing to see a familiar face. Derrick, my old I could also see he was not convinced that I was house-sitting for my rich friend, he wanted full details of the house I was sitting in, the owner, the location, and if they could visit me. He was behaving like Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. that annoying elder brother and it was irritating the life out of me. Yes, I was brainless Thalia that was easily manipted but I left that girl on the bridge. A new improved, self-aware, and no-take-sh*t girl was growing inside me and I could feel it. To make their hearts settle, I promised them I was going to visit them soon. I was careful not to give them a date because that would backfire. Only after I was done with Josh or halfway through the n, was I going to face them. I was very sure if I visited them they were going to find out about my ns and guilt me into stopping the vengeance. But I did not want anyone talking me out of my ns. Josh was going to kneel in front of me and beg for forgiveness. I was about to say my goodbye when Josh popped from behind me and sank his face in my neck kissing me deeply. ¡°What¡¯s taking you so long babe,¡± he said and disappeared out of sight. I froze, both Derrick and Mellisa Froze. There was total silence as we stared at each other awkwardly, I had no idea what to say. Derrick cleared his throat and smiled, congratting me like it was my wedding or something. My face flushed with embarrassment. Melissa on the other side felt it was too soon to jump onto another man. She had a lot of questions and wanted to know everything about him. His name, age, upation? She wanted all his social media ounts so that she could stalk him but Derrick came to my defense. To my shock, he said the growl on my face was enough for the two of them to trust the decision I made. I had not even confirmed that the man was my boyfriend but Derrick had already assessed from the video call that I had a different growl. There was something different about me they both said. I had no idea I was even happy, Brandon was always irritating the sh*t out of me in the house and at the back of my head, I thought I was putting on a believable show that would get them off my back. Maybe I was just a natural. I began stuttering and blushing, sending them both intoughter. They decided to cut the call, wishing me all the best, and made me promise to call them should my mystery lover dumb me. I breathed in hard and held my chest, I looked behind me searching for the annoying jerk. That idiot was definitely going to kill me one day. I grabbed a bottle of water on the table and galloped it all. If there was any alcohol I would have taken it or if I knew which button to press for his hidden cer. I went to the bedroom where he was lying covered from neck to toe. The room was hot, he had adjusted the temperature or something. I climbed the bed and began pinching him. I was aware he was having an episode but my hug was going to fix him. ¡°Why would you do that, Melisa and Derrick think we are lovers,¡± I kept pinching him. ¡°Thalia please stop,¡± he cried out. He was in so much pain. His stup*d sickness was very irritating. One minute he was naughty, the other minute he was in pain and almost crying. I stopped and stared at him, he was shivering, I needed to pinch him and that was only going to happen after the episode was done. I got on the bed and hugged him tightly. ¡°Thalia this is what we were talking about,¡± he protested but I held on to him tightly. He was only in boxer shots and there was a high possibility that he was going to get an erection but I needed to get used to that. He was right, he was a man and his body was only reacting to mine and I overreacted. ¡°Shut up and enjoy, if you want you can c*m on my pajamas,¡± I said. There was silence then I heard him giggle. He rxed and breathed in hard and held me back. We were a very weird set, but that was the madness that worked for us. I could feel his temperature beginning to return to normal. And waited until he fell asleep, slowly I began dozing and slept off. I had no idea how many hours had passed but by the time I opened my eyes he was very grey. I moved and checked on him, he was not moving. I poked him but got no response. ¡°Brandon! Brandon!,¡± there was silence. He looked so pale and I began panicking. ¡°Brandon Brandon!¡± he quickly opened his eyes like he was having a nightmare. I sighed in relief and held him. ¡°What?¡± he asked, confused. ¡°I thought I had lost you,¡± I replied. He lifted his head and stared back at me p*ssed. ¡°what the f**k is wrong with you? Did you check my pulse?¡± he asked. I only looked down in shame. It was the second time that I was panicking and waking him up without checking whether he was breathing or not. I couldn¡¯t me myself, he always looked so pale and dead every time he had one of his episodes. He pushed me and ced his head on my chest asking, ¡°Do you know the type of dream that you just disrupted me from?¡± he asked. I did not need to guess, I knew exactly what type of dream he would be p*ssed at but decided to go the other way. ¡°You were in hell burning for your sins?¡± ¡°No, I was having sex with some brainless idiot,¡± he replied. I froze, nearly biting off my tongue. He really had no shame or any ounce of decency. I decided to keep quiet, sex was never the topic that I wasfortable with him reasons known to myself. He poked me, he was waiting for me to say something but I was reluctant. ¡°Please Brandon let¡¯s not talk about this,¡± ¡°What if you got pregnant and became h*rny, would you ask Nestor or me for sex?¡± he asked. I moved, Brandon definitely not normal? I began questioning. I swallowed hard and maintained my Heughed so hard that tears began flowing down his cheeks. It was refreshing seeing him happy and he always looked cute when he smiled and the shade of grey always disappeared. ¡°No vibrator in my house, just make arrangements with me,¡± he said as he moved in a seating position. ¡°For the beautiful dream that you disturbed me you will have to pay one day,¡± he stated. I stared at him, if I was not wrong he was saying he was going to sleep with me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry I will be dead and long gone before you even find out that you are pregnant,¡± he said in a low tone. I looked at him but he looked away. The room became quiet, I watched as he began scratching his arms. ¡°Since you are obsessed with f**king me, I will do you after giving birth,¡± I said. He chuckled and looked away ¡°Live and your wish will be granted,¡± I stated. I knew it was insulting for me to make such a promise to him when he was dying in less than two weeks. He looked back and said deal My throat dried, the idiot really wanted to do me. He got up with a smile evident, he was enjoying the facial expression I was giving him. 43 43 Josh¡¯s Pov I had no idea how, but my wife seemed different, maybe it was because my ident had given her a scare. She was all caring and making sure I wasfortable and well ced. In short, she was too nice, Jessica was never nice. Maybe we needed the ident, it¡¯s not like anyone died. I still could feel pain around my pelvic but that was only when painkillers were worn out. Everything was working and in good condition, I was urinating and doing number two okay. What was worrying me was sex, the doctor assured me that everything was okay but I was not taking his words. I needed practice or a test ride but the doctor warned us to wait for two weeks. It was irritating the sh*t out of me. I missed my wife¡¯s touch, her naked body riding against me and giving me all the amounts of pleasure that a man desired. I couldn¡¯t wait, especially that Jessica suggested we continue our honeymoon in Hawaii. She vowed never to ski again or see snow again. All she wanted was water. I couldn¡¯t help but believe that she was somehow ming herself for the ident. To be honest, I was ming myself, I was too scared down that slope and concentrated on my safety most of the time instead of skiing. The following day the police concluded their investigation and found no sign of foul y. I was just some random unlucky guy that may have stepped on something and lost control of my boards or skis. And for the ne crash, the ne was too small to carry five people. In short, I was very unfortunate but lucky to be alive. That was one thing I was grateful for. I sat on the bed thinking about my next move, going on a second honeymoon was not on my options. Agreeing to the first honeymoon made me leave a lot of undone work. Jessica was going to understand maybe after some months we were going to be free to have another honeymoon. The door opened, Jessica walked in together with my father who looked like sh*t. I could smell the sh*t all the way to my bed. The man had not changed clothes in two days. There was something wrong and I could tell from Jessica¡¯s face. The two looked like they were arguing about something big. I stared at them without saying a single word, it was evident they wanted me to ask what was wrong but I wanted them to say the sh*t upfront. Jessica signaled my father who in return cleared his throat. And asked if I was okay. I only gave him a straight face. He knew I could take anything, therefore, he was wasting both our time. ¡°Son, we have been hit with awsuit,¡± he stated and went directly to the point. I felt my heart flip for a moment, I knew he was going to deliver bad news but I did not expect it to be about mypany. I moved in a sitting position with the help of my wife. I was freaking out deep inside, but I did not want to show it. I waited for more information but they both kept quiet, further irritating the sh*t out of me. ¡°Can you open your mouth!¡± I yelled on top of my voice. ¡°Who the f**k is suing us and why?¡± ¡°All the dialysis machines that we supplied in both private, public, and overseas hospitals malfunctioned,¡± he replied. I kept my eyes glued on him, shock evident on my swollen face. ¡°I will be honest with you son, things do not look good,¡± he stated. I turned and looked in my wife¡¯s direction and found tears rolling down her face. Jessica was one of the strongest women that I have evere across. Seeing her crying only meant that things were rotten worse. I cleared my throat and asked, ¡°and who is suing, was there any causality?¡± ¡°No causality, the Department of Health is suing. They want all our gadgets and instruments to be put on halt until the investigations are over,¡± he replied. My mouth became dry, while the walls of my throat began wrestling against each other. Mypany, my baby that I sacrificed a lot of years, began sinking. I had not even finalized everything. All I wanted was to take a break and give my wife the honeymoon that she deserved. ¡°The¡­wyers? How¡­could¡­all the equipment malfunction on the same day?¡± I stammered. ¡°Son, calm down,¡± my father tried calming me down but I pushed him away. ¡°Just answer the dumb question!¡± I yelled at him. ¡°We are still waiting for the date to present our case, our people are still investigating a possible sabotage,¡± he stated. ¡°A Sabotage?¡± I asked confused, a lot was running through my mind. I was trying toe up with names of people that would want to destroy me. One thing was right, it was a total setup. Someone set mypany up but who? I was so stup*d and naive thinking that no one was going to I forgot about other scavengers outside my circle who would want to see me on the floor. ¡°Call the doctor?¡± I requested. ¡°For what? Please babe you are not well,¡± Jessica replied. ¡°I would rather get transferred to my own bl**dy country! I need to smell the same air that my enemies are smelling!¡± I yelled on top of my voice. The monitors began shing red, forcing the nurses toe to my aid. I was so p*ssed, my blood was boiling, I was going to fire all my stup*d advisors for not doing their stup*d jobs. I needed a new set of advisors and a set ofwyers. While the nurses were busy trying to calm me down, I was busy giving my father instructions to fire every idiot that did not do their job and to arrange my transfer back to my country. I was not going to sleep in Canada, so I quickly instructed Jessica to begin packing all my things while I waited for the doctor to sign all my papers. Immediately the doctor walked in and I gave him the instructions, to my surprise, he did not even protest. As soon as my vitals were stabilized he began signing and facilitating my transfer back to the states. In two hours we were in the air, I couldn¡¯t help but think that the doctor seemed relieved that I asked for a transfer. He was so quick to have me transferred. It was the first time that I saw him smile, maybe my wife had given him a hard time while I was unconscious. My wife was always difficult to deal with, I was the only one that was able to tolerate her. Many found her uptight, self-absorbing, and irritating. In hours we were at St Louis Hospital in the states under the care of my family doctor. My father was nice enough to stop them from performing any stup*d tests. Everything was done in Canada, all I needed was rest and wait for the pain to subside. I got my painkillers and began working, my hospital room was turned into my office. There was no time to rest, it was not like I had heart surgery or any or*an transnt. I called all my directors, consultants, new advisors, and newwyers. My father was against changing thewyers but I convinced him otherwise. Days had passed but they had not made any progress, we needed wolves that were eager to make money and not idle idiots that were already on our payroll and could still get paid even if we lost millions. We were going with the sabotage defense but after an inquiry on the machines that were still in stock, they were found with the same problem. The fault was also found within ourpany, that was too much for sabotage. Unless the sabotage was internal. That was another ball game, we were left with options of going through all our surveince. Hours, days, weeks, and years of surveince. We had no idea when such a sabotage would have taken ce. Our consultants suggested it was near the time of my take over but some modes were as old as the time I got married to Thalia. My head was spinning, like hell, the meeting was hectic. Because of my health, my father had to clear and reschedule the meeting because my BP was rising. The person that was calm during the entire process was Jessica, it was weird. The old Jessica would have been running up and down and insulting everyone in her way but she was only standing beside me and wiping my sweaty face. She was too quiet, and I was too p*ssed to ask what was going on in her head. The following day I was discharged, I went straight to the office. Thepany that I left peacefully was in chaos. We had auditors, assessors, engineers, andwyers from different government departments and NGOs in the building assessing and Auditing every machine, gadget, and file that thepany has ever produced even before I was born. It was like someone had sent them to look for a needle in a haystack but they did not care. Someone was paying them big money or had thrown a bone with a price tag over mypany. We were not given a chance to present our case or were we allowed to stand before a judge. My blood was boiling, we couldn¡¯t even find a judge that was willing to give us a stop order to stop the nonsense. They were all saying it was out of their jurisdiction, ording to them it was a direct government probe and it was Gentex vs the government vs the people even though no life was lost. In short, it was a witch hunt. The scandal was all over the news, papers, tabloids, and the inte. From a new rising and branded were using our machines at the time of malfunction were organizing awsuit. The worst was that they did not even want to settle. They wanted to drag mypany into the mud which was only confirming that we were being sabotaged but we had no proof of the higher hand that was sabotaging us. It began sounding like we were old women looking for a ghost to me for our misfortunes. Deep down I began regretting taking over the stup*dpany that was giving me sleepless nights. It was like someone set me up, dug a hole, waited for me to take over, and then began burying me. But I still had no idea who? Maybe Charles Nash, Thalia¡¯s father had set everything in motion ahead should I have screwed over his daughter. The man was very intelligent. Thinking about it, it was weird how Thalia gave up easily and disappeared. I quickly got up, if indeed it was Charles¡¯s allies sabotaging me Thalia would have known and she would tell me if I manipted her. I knew how her brain worked. I quickly got up with difficulty, my pelvic area was still giving me a nightmare. I walked to the window, took out the phone from my pocket, and dialed a line, giving instructions to the man at the end to find Thalia. Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. That was if she had not run in front of a moving vehicle and my theory was correct. The door opened and both Jessica and dad walked in. From their faces, I could tell they were as defeated as I was. ¡°Son, have you found anything?¡± he asked. ¡°Thalia,¡± I replied, my attention fixed on the window. Jessica quickly walked to me, ¡°Thalia can not do this, the girl can¡¯t even think using her head,¡± she replied. I turned and asked, ¡°What if her father set up something in case someone took over herpany?¡± I asked as I turned to face my father. I could see his eyebrows raising, my theory was not that far-fetched. The man was once his best friend and could go that far. ¡°But why would they wait after a total takeover?¡± Jessica asked. ¡°To sink us, if his daughter can¡¯t havepany then no one,¡± my father replied. We all looked at each other, there was total silence before my father spoke. ¡°Where is that useless little girl?¡± he asked. ¡°I have my men looking for her, we will start with thewyer. He once came looking for her but never retained, maybe he found her,¡± I replied. ¡°Come on guys, no one would n such for the future. I think you are giving Thalia¡¯s father too much credit,¡± Jessica cut in. ¡°We are not giving him any credit! We have run out of f**king theories and ideas!¡± I yelled at her. She quickly looked away and walked out of the room. I knew I was only frustrated and taking everything on her but I did not want negative people. All theories and ideas needed to be followed up until we hit a dead-end 44 44 Thalia¡¯s pov I sat on the bed watching Josh lose his mind. I had no idea how Brandon was managing to ce cameras everywhere they went but I was d I was able to follow all the updates. It was satisfying to watch the stup*d man panicking and losing it and the icing on the cake was the fact that he had no idea that we were watching him. Both Jessica and Victor looked like a mess, all their expensive clothes and jewelry that they bought with my money seemed to itch against their flesh, they stopped putting them on and only wore in Gentex was receivingwsuits from all corners of the world. Somehow Brandon had managed to malfunction even the products that were sold overseas. I could only imagine how much money that cost. I doubt the Nelsons were even sleeping, the other day Josh went into his office with the same suit. He looked all scruffy and his beards were a mess and all over the ce. I bet his hair was as smelly as mine was, I wanted him to pass through all the phases of hell that I went through. I wanted him to know that hell was real, just like I felt and found out. I bet they had nned a perfect life after they were married but all that came crumbling down all thanks to Brandon. He promised to give him the test of a very worse hell. The couple was supposed to be enjoying their honeymoon but they were dirty, probably smelling like sh*t and trying to hold on to the rags of Gentex that Brandon was going to leave them with. I trusted Brandonpletely, he assured me he had a strategy to revive mypany and rebrand it for me. He was somewhat beginning to scare the living life out of me, the man was dying but he was still if not the most powerful and untouchable man in the world. No one even dared to help Josh, Brandon had made sure of that. While Josh was busy guessing who was sabotaging hispany, the culprit was busy exercising for our sex deal though I had noted a drastic change in his mood. He was in one of the rooms busy working out. The Jerk was eager to have sex with me after I delivered my baby which I was yet to get confirmation if the first procedure worked. I had no idea whether tough or feel sorry for him. I only made a deal with him to see if he really wanted to have sex with me. It was some kind of joke, to be honest. But to my shock he began working up early every morning, doing his morning run and simple exercises. At first, I gave him a day, thinking he was going to give up due to tiredness or fatigue, three days psed and he went on exercising. I noticed that during those three days he never lost consciousness or had an episode. Maybe exercising was the trick, we were going to hold on and watch. But one thing I noted was that he distanced himself from me, unlike other days where he was all over me and trying to eat my cleavage or sleep with me. Somehow I missed the attention, I couldn¡¯t hide that fact. I had no idea why he chose to distance himself, maybe it was because time was catching up with him and he did not want me to be attached to him. Somehow I had gotten used to the unpredictable Brandon. I looked up the screen and Josh talking about Melisa and Derrick got my attention. Somehow his tired useless brain thought my father¡¯s old allies were behind the sabotage. I almost burst outughing, my father¡¯s ghost was haunting him, no matter how hard he had earlier tried to portray himself as a free man. I quickly got up and ran to Brandon¡¯s Gym room. In the weeks I had been staying in the house I had gotten to know the ins and outs of all the rooms. I walked in and found him seated on the treadmill, he looked so tired and defeated. His eyes looked like he was from crying, they were swollen red, or maybe he had been scratching them or something. On any given day I would have burst outughing, teasing him but he looked miserable. I felt sorry for him, I felt really sad. He was really trying to beat the disease but it was knocking him back, t a*s. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. I walked to the mill and took a seat. ¡°I think you should call it a day,¡± I said to him but he only maintained his gaze on the floor. ¡°Brandon?¡± I called again. ¡°I have exactly less than a week,¡± he said, his face still fixed on the floor. ¡°I have a week to test for the pregnancy,¡± I said, ignoring his statement. He looked up at me and gave me a fake smile. ¡°I have given my detailed outlines of the n to Nestor should I kick the bucket,¡± he stated. I rolled my eyes. He was talking like he had given up already. I was not going to believe that he was dying. I held his hand and said, ¡°You are not going anywhere, you are going to be there till the end of the n,¡± I stated. He quickly let go of my hand and looked away. Yes, I was giving him force hope and I knew it was not fair on his part. ¡°What do you want?¡± he asked? ¡°I Beg your pardon?¡± I replied, confused. ¡°Why were you looking for me?¡± he asked. I only stared at him, I forgot the reason why I had walked all the way to the gym. He gave out the fake smile again, it was irritating that he could not even give out a genuine smile. ¡°Did you miss me that much?¡± he asked. I quickly hit the back of his head knowing full well why I was looking for him. Josh was going after Melissa and Derick. We needed to find a way for the two of them to lie on my behalf. I was very sure they were not under his parole and I was very much sure that they couldn¡¯t ept to be put on his payroll. He chuckled and asked for my phone where he wrote a text to them and asked me to wait. I was very nervous and had no idea what he sent but her massage quickly popped up. She vowed to inform Josh that they had not seen me ormunicated with me. She wanted to give him the impression that I was dead. Brandon on the other end was going to delete all traces and evidence of me ever talking to the couple. I smiled, the man in front of me had solutions to every problem. I was very impressed. He ordered me to help him get up as we both walked to the bedroom I was curious so asked. ¡°how did you manage to put cameras in Josh¡¯spany? Last time we talked, you said the security was tight?¡± ¡°You should have met the old Brandon Fraser, nothing was impossible. I bought their security firm,¡± he replied and grabbed some files handing them to me. ¡°Time to go back to work,¡± he said. I smiled on the part of the security firm, somehow I became curious as to how much he had already spent at the expense of my revenge. But I frowned on the part of going to work, if there was something that I hated, it was working in Mandel. I could not help but feel that he was setting me up for hispany while destroying mine. I had stopped arguing with him some days ago because that was not thest picture that I wanted him to have of me. He was only remaining with a few days on earth, we all knew that and he knew it. The sadness that I first saw hovering over his head was back. I had tried cheering him on but like I earlier stated he had begun distancing himself away from me. And he had begun marking the stup*d calendar again. I grabbed the files and began going through them. Just likest time Nestor came and picked me up. I was reluctant to leave Brandon alone at first, knowing full well what happened thest time we had left him alone. But there was no choice. I needed to talk with the board before they began hatching ns again. To be on the safe side, I arranged with Nestor to only drop me off at the offices while he returned to babysit. I took my bath and wore the most revealing purple dress in the closet, which showed off all my assets, especially the cleavage that Brandon loved about me. But he only took one glimpse and looked away. Deep down it hurt, I missed the old p*rvert Brandon, he was more cheerful and would have passed a lot of sillyments. It was not like I was trying to seduce him, I just wanted to leave a smiling Brandon. But it was like I was not going to see his smile ever again. The stup*d days were catching up on him no matter how hard he tried to run. He was tired of running, it looked like he just sat there waiting for death to grab him. We were supposed to be toasting every second of Josh¡¯s downfall but he rarely even looked up on the screen. Yes, he was busy on his tablet with his men tearing every part of Gentex into shreds but the zeal that he earlier had of mocking Josh was gone. I said my goodbye but he only waved and looked away his eyes fixed on his useless tablet. I stood there waiting for him to look up but he did not. Not even when he was very much away that I was in the room. He did not even bother reminding me of the time. It was very irritating, especially that there was nothing that I could do to cheer him up. The door opened and Nestor who I could only assume had gotten tired of waiting outside walked in. He first stared at me from bottom to down, giving me the look that I was expecting from Brandon. He was struck numb and frozen at the door. Brandon looked behind at him and noticed but him staring but he only looked away. The old Brandon would have rendered all mother of insults at him and fired him but he only looked away and went on with whatever he was doing on his tablet. Nestor noted Brandon¡¯s reaction and cleared his throat. ¡°Thalia, we are runningte,¡± he said. I turned almost bumping into him before I exited the room, irritated. I could hear him following me from behind in silence, I got in p*ssed almost smashing the door hard. Instead of opening the pilot doorway, he opened mine. ¡°Thalia if you lose it, he will lose it too,¡± he stated. I shrugged, the man in front of me definitely had no life. I turned and faced him, ¡°Why do you behave like my stup*d elder brother when it is obvious you would pay your entire savings to f**k me?¡± I asked in a serious tone. He chuckled and was about to walk to his seat but I yelled at him to answer the dumb questions. He stopped and turned, ¡°I miss the old Thalia, you are slowly turning into toxic Brandon!¡± he replied. My heart ached as I got off the helicopter and hit him. He grabbed me and pinned me against the ne. His heart beating fast and his breath heavy. ¡°You want him dead, don¡¯t you!¡± I yelled at him. ¡°You want him dead so that you can have me for yourself!¡± I added. I was very much aware of the way he looked at me from day one. The problem with him and Brandon was that they thought I was brainless. ¡°You are full of sh*t, ain¡¯t you? Let me pump some sense into you,¡± he finally replied. ¡°If I was given a gun to shoot between you and Brandon, I would shoot you without blinking. My loyalty will always remain with Brandon. Get into the f**king helicopter and do some work for once! ¡± he yelled at me. I froze for some seconds only staring at him. ¡°Your useless revenge is all he worries about and keeps him and most of us awake. You are the only one that sleeps without giving a sh*t, yes you have some good t*ts that are refreshing for him and everyone to look at but is that all you will ever offer him up to hisst breath?¡± he retorted. My tongue became tired as I continued staring at him, his words cut deep, and a flood of tears hung in my eyelids waiting to flood my face. He was hundred percent correct, I was just a set of t*ts to Brandon and had nothing to offer him while he spent nights on his tablet avenging my enemies. A voice cleared from behind us and Nestor quickly let go of me. It was Brandon and he had a serious face on. We had no idea how long he was standing there or if he had heard anything. He walked to where I was standingpletely ignoring Nestor who had a face full of regret. He stood next to me, reached his hand into his pocket, and removed an earpiece. He slowly connected it for me saying; ¡°I forgot to give you this, in case you forget anything and this time I will not go dark on you,¡± he said. I only stared at him, trying so hard to push the tears within me. He moved closer and kissed me on my cheek, saying how beautiful I looked before trailing his eyes all over my Cleavage, he smiled. A genuine smile that I had not seen for days but it came at the wrong minute. He turned and walked away edging us to go before we lost time standing outside like statues. 45 45 Brandon¡¯s pov I walked in, heading straight to my room, on any given day, I would have yelled at Nestor but chose to ignore him. He had crossed the line with all the sh*t he said to Thalia but I knew he only did it to keep a distance between him and her should I kick the bucket. He liked her but she was a forbidden fruit that he was never going to touch. He was allowed to admire but not touch. But he was being hard on her, he needed to cut her some ck, as it was, I was already giving her a hard time in the house by putting space between her and myself. It was not like I was doing it intentionally but I needed her to be on her feet when I was gone. Maybe she needed Nestor¡¯s lecture. Her giving up once I was gone was an insult to all the effort I was putting into her revenge. I had earlier agreed to her proposal of having sex with her as a lie. I did not want sex, that was not the reason why I was exercising. I was exercising because I wanted to see her face every day. I put on the earpiece and began talking into her ears. She was quiet. I could hear her breathing heavily, I was very sure that she was about to burst open crying. She needed cheering on. Even though she was not replying I knew she was listening. On any other day, I would have been naughty but I kept updating her on the hell that her stup*d ex-husband was going through. Or whatever I was doing, I decided to cook some food for myself in the kitchen. I needed to get her talking. To my luck, she began talking, asking why I did not ask her to cook for me. ¡°Thalia, I want to eat my food, I have never eaten my own cooked food,¡± I replied. I looked around, eggs were always the easiest to cook. I got four out and stared at them while I waited for the recipe. They arrived at the offices and the meeting began. I walked back to the bedroom and switched to the live feed. Thalia looked very serious and eager to get on with business. I was impressed, she did not even need my help. The sh*t Nestor said to her somehow rewired her brain and gave her a few brain cells. She was so dumb serious, attractive serious, and intimidating. And the dress she wore only made the men present in the room lose their senses. To be honest I would have lost my senses and signed deals worth millions of dors. After an hour of deliberations, they were done and Thalia was the first to leave. Immediately she got in the helicopter she began running me through the process of frying scrambled eggs. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. By the time I was finished my appetite was gone. Maybe it was because I just wanted Thalia to forget about what Nestor said. I walked to my bed andy my body on the bed, trying to figure out how I was going to die. Whether it was going to be painful or I was just going to copse. I was never one that was curious about how the disease would take me out. That¡¯s why I wanted to go out of my way. I closed my eyes, remembering the day I convinced myself to take a brainless girl to my house and took the cowardly way out. One thing I was sure about was the fact that I did not regret stepping off that bridge. I had a wonderful three weeks with brainless Thalia. Weeks that I could trade for all the years that I wasted. I closed my eyes and breathed in hard, soon Thalia was going to walk in. Before I dozed off, I made a call to one of my father¡¯s friends in the FBI. It was obvious Josh was going to use the police to flush out Thalia which I was going to use to tint his image and make him the main suspect of her disappearance. With hispany copsing we needed to destroy his image with murder allegations and bring out his betrayal to the public eyes. During his divorce from Thalia, everything was pushed under the rag. Josh and his father made sure they controlled what the press wrote about divorce, Josh or Thalia. It was time for the whole world to know what exactly went down or the animal that was Josh Nelson. I sent a few emails to several tabloid and press outlets. Scandals between the rich sold millions of copies and brought in money. I merely threw a slice of meat in a wolf¡¯s den and waited for the wolves to make the first move. I ced the tablet aside and rolled over, hoping to peacefully doze off. By the time I opened my eyes I found beautiful brown eyes staring back at me. I stared back surprised at the fact that she did not vigorously wake up, mistaking me for the dead. ¡°Hey,¡± she said. ¡°You look peaceful when you are asleep.¡± ¡°You look ugly,¡± I replied. Sheughed and took it as apliment. She stood up and walked to the kitchen, in seconds she was back with the stup*d te of scrambled eggs that I had earlier made ¡°We are not wasting food,¡± she stated. I got up in a seating position, ¡°where is Nestor?¡± I asked. ¡°Since when did you care about that nose picker?¡± she replied, trying to ce a fork of scrambled eggs in my mouth. I was hesitant and wanted to look away but decided to give it a try. I waited some seconds before chewing andter on swallowing. ¡°You should have pped him,¡± I replied ¡°You heard everything?¡± she asked, to which I nodded. There was total silence in the room, I pointed at the te on her thighs. She apologized and continued feeding me. The eggs were not bad, I was not a bad cook. In my other life, I was going to take up cooking lessons. ¡°He was right in what he said, he hit straight on the truth, that¡¯s why I did not p him,¡± she replied. I kept quiet, not knowing what to say, ¡°I¡¯m a very ungrateful selfish brainless brat,¡± she remarked, her eyes sad. ¡°Thalia, let me make it clear to you, I love doing what I¡¯m doing for you. In other words, I¡¯m doing it for me and keeping my mind upied,¡± I assured her and asked her to forget what Nestor said. Even though I was not going to talk to Nestor I assured her I was going to set boundaries for him. ¡°Please do not speak to him about me,¡± she requested. I only nodded, their rtionship was already awkward and thest thing I wanted was to strain it. At least I was going to rest in peace, knowing fully well that the two were never going to f**k. The room became quiet again. I decided to change the topic and began updating her on the new hell Josh was setting himself up for with my help. ¡°But won¡¯t that require handing myself in to the police if they file a missing person report?¡± she asked. ¡°I have already handled that,¡± I replied. ¡°You will not need to show your face anywhere.¡± ¡°Do you have the police on your parole?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes, and the FBI?¡± I replied with a fake smile. ¡°Is there a department that is not on your parole and how much have you spent so far, won¡¯t you bankrupt yourpany?¡± she asked. I chuckled and asked for a ss of water. ¡°The money I¡¯m using was my inheritance, I inherited a sh*t load of money plus the money I made and yes it is very important to have a lot of departments under your palms that¡¯s why I¡¯m hundred percent ahead of Josh,¡± I boasted. She was quiet, her facial expressions were that of a person who had a lot of questions but did not want to ask, reasons known to herself. ¡°How old are you?¡± she asked, surprising me. ¡°Twenty-nine years old,¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯m twenty-five, you are four years older than me,¡± she said. ¡°Why are you asking about my age? Do you want to date me or something?¡± I asked with a straight face. Out of nowhere, she began coughing and choking, her face blushed red as I stared at her with a smile. She got off the bed and ran to the kitchen, she was so embarrassed like a sixteen-year-old that got a reply from her crush for the first time. She stayed in the kitchen for a lot of minutes before she came back with a straight face. I decided to remain quiet, she was expecting me to break the silence but I was quite She cleared her throat ¡°Some eggs got on my throat,¡± she lied while sipping on a ss of water. I chuckled and got up, ¡°let¡¯s go on a boat ride,¡± I suggested. ¡°What? You have a boat?¡± she asked, shocked. ¡°Yes, a mini yacht, dress up. I want to go fishing onest time,¡± I stated and began checking in my closet. Talking about her feelings for me was never going to lead us anywhere. I took out my shots and began changing. ¡°Brandon!¡± she yelled but I only looked at her without a care in the world and went on undressing. She was behaving as if she had never seen me naked before. She quickly grabbed something and disappeared through the doorway. I finished changing and walked to my garage where my expensive yacht was gathering dust. Thest time I used it was two years ago and we had a st party. Remembering how I used to spend my days with fake people made me gag. It¡¯s been years since I showed my face publicly but none of those friends ever tried reaching out to me or holding a memorial if they believed the rumors that I was dead. Even Thalia¡¯s ex-husband was making an effort to look for her though it was for selfish reasons. On the other hand, I had no one looking for me. I gritted my teeth and snapped out of the sad reality. The yacht was on the trailer making it easy for me to drive it to the beach. I parked my vehicle making sure I was near the dock before getting out. I needed the exercise. Thalia was probably making herself pretty for me. Poor girl, I thought to myself. I removed the safety chain from the bow eye and released the trailer winch so that the strap cked. Then I unclipped it from the bow eye. I then waited for thalia, who came about wearing a big t-shirt with some shorts to my disappointment. I almost sent her back but decided to ignore her. When she was in my leach I handed her the bowline before I began pushing the boat a little. The yacht floated and slid off the trailer. I quickly grabbed the line from Thalia and walked down the dock until the boat was clear of the trailer. I walked the yacht as far down the dock as possible as I could. I quickly got on board and Lowered the outdrive, starting the engine before releasing the bow eye. The good part was that the boat was in good working condition even though I had not serviced it for years. I helped Thalia get on board and we started off. To my shock, it was the first time that she was on an expensive Yacht. She was so excited, at least she was able to release some tension that she had built within herself. She pooped herself a bottle of wine and allowed me to have a sip. I deserved the sip for all the efforts I was making in bringing down the Nelsons she said when she handed me the sip. It was refreshing, I couldn¡¯t recall the day I tasted the wine on my pallet. We decided to call the day an off day from the plotting and revenge. Even Josh needed some hours to breathe before we finished him off. We sailed as far as we could before I took my fishing gear and began fishing. Thalia was an expert at fishing, that was the only thing that her father taught her which she never forgot. I began teasing her about it though she did not find it funny. After weeks of watching Josh and spending time with me, she seemed embarrassed with her life choices. She dropped her fishing tools and without warning took off her big shirt and ugly shorts revealing a pink monokini that showed off her beautiful breasts and butt. The woman had curves in all the right ces and her heavy chest and hips contributed to her hourss figure. My jaw hugged wide open like a thirsty hyena. She turned, climbed on the sides, and dived on the water below. I was left there standing numb, the girl really knew how to bring life to my dying body. I had no idea whether to jump in or stand there like a thirsty jerk. After some minutes I recovered and leaned over to find her enjoying the water. I debated whether or not to join her, deep down I knew my body could not sustain the jump. I took off my shirt and decided to join her but instead of jumping I used thedder and slowly jumped in. ¡°Finally,¡± she said and began sshing water at me. I swam to her and held her by the hair, sending her intoughter. She sshed water back at me and we began ying like kids. While she was busy sshing water at me I was busy holding her in all the right ces that I had always wanted and desired to hold her. The good thing was that she was having too much fun for her to notice what I was doing. After we were tired of ying we decided to go back on deck, I was so tired and only copsed when we were on deck. Shey next to me breathing heavily, she grabbed my hand and held on tightly. ¡°I missed you,¡± she said. I looked to my left and found her staring back at me, ¡°I never went anywhere?¡± I replied. ¡°You were ignoring me and my boobs?¡± she replied. I chuckled, ¡°Is that why you are wearing a monokini?¡± I asked and looked below. ¡°It worked, you are smiling,¡± she replied. ¡°My trap worked, I got you!¡± she stated and hit me. ¡°You are very useless!¡± I pinched her. Sheughed out, got up, putting on a towel. I was left clutching my fist, I was going to make her pay, she was lucky I had left my per verted ways some week back. 46 46 Josh¡¯s Pov I sat on my bed wondering how and when my life ended up in sh*t. My head was hurting, no amount of painkillers was working. My blood pressure was on the roof, even if I wanted to rest I couldn¡¯t. Every time I closed my eyes my thoughts wandered back to the sh*t mypany was going through. I couldn¡¯t remember thest time I slept but it was definitely in Canada. Ist slept in my hospital in Canada, my own house seemed like a casket while mypany was my graveyard. I had no time to visit my mother and neither did my father. I couldn¡¯t even go if I wanted to, I was so Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. dirty and I couldn¡¯t remember thest time I sha ved. She was already having trouble recognizing me, how could she? In the state, I was in. I was not even able to recognize the man I had be in the mirror even though it was only a few days. The worst was yet toe but we were exhausted and squeezed already. I was tired of moving from one office to the other. Offices of people that were reluctant to meet us. Some big fish was behind the chaos that mypany was going through but no one knew which fish it was. Some suggested it was the government itself but mypany had good records. Jessica walked in time and I stood up, I needed to talk to her about my mother, I was not trusting what the nurses were saying. Those fools were paid to pretend and lie they were taking care of the patients. I needed someone to physically go there and see her for herself. ¡°I ordered Chinese, are you hungry?¡± she asked. ¡°No?¡± I replied. ¡°Josh you have not eaten for days, remember you just got discharged from hospital,¡± she replied. ¡°Jessica I¡¯m not in the mood!¡± I yelled at her. ¡°How do you even expect me to eat junk food, teach yourself to cook healthy food if you want me to eat healthy food!¡± I added. She breathed in hand, I could see her face tensing up as she dropped the parcel she was holding to the floor. ¡°I have had enough! I have been trying so hard to be there for you but I will not tolerate bullsh*t¡± she yelled on top of her voice. ¡°Bullsh*t! What Bullsh*t! You are giving me stup*d food!¡± I yelled. I was not p*ssed at her but I just needed someone to yell at. Out of nowhere, she raised her hand in an attempt to hit me but I grabbed her hand and dared her. I quickly pushed her against the wall. ¡°Now listen to me,¡± I said. ¡°I want you to go and check on my mother,¡± I ordered her. Out of nowhere she spat at me, I felt my heart pounding, I held my hand into a fist but a voice inside of me told me not to. I already had so many problems and adding one more problem was not good for my record. I pushed her over, almost sending her to the ground. She lifted herself and said; ¡°Last time I checked Sharon was not my mother, my mother is in the grave,¡± she spat out and walked out of the room. I grabbed anything that was near me and mmed it to the door in a fit of rage. The room felt too hot for me, I yanked my tie and threw it to the ground almost slipping on the stup*d Chinese food on the floor. My phone biped, it was my personal investigator. I quickly walked out of the room to join him in his car outside, hoping for good news. I ordered him to drive, after we drove for some minutes he stopped to face me. ¡°Did you find her?¡± I eagerly asked. ¡°Im sorry sir, Thalia wasst seen walking on foot from your house the day of yourst divorce hearing,¡± he stated I clenched my Jaw p*ssed, Thalia was myst lead, or maybe I was giving Thalia¡¯ste father too much credit and he had nothing to do with anything. ¡°What of thewyer and wife?¡± ¡°She informed them that she was going to live in one of her friend¡¯s v¡¯s,¡± he stated. I became quiet, Thalia never had any friends, I had made sure of that. ¡°Did they state the names of this friend?¡± I asked. ¡°No, she just said friend,¡± he replied. ¡°Did your wife have any credit cards or anything electronic that she would have used? That can help in easy tracking.¡± ¡°No,¡± I replied. He stared at me weirdly. Yes, it was weird that in the twenty-first century, a grown-up woman had no bank ount. But it was possible with maniption, grooming, and molding. That was what I did to Thalia, I made her world revolve around me. I made her breathe the air that I breathed out and step on the floor that I had stepped on. She had no life outside me, in short, she was worshiping me. ¡°What of a missing person¡¯s report, did thewyer not report her missing or something?¡± I asked but the PI noted in refusal. That was odd, I perfectly remembered thewyer making threats and allegations that I had done something to Thalia. Maybe his wife had talked him out of filling a missing person¡¯s report or they knew where Thalia was but was lying about it. ¡°No phone records or messages were linking them after the court case,¡± he added. ¡°But why did he not file a missing person¡¯s report?¡± I asked. ¡°Maybe he forgot or he is hiding her?¡± He replied. ¡°We have to flush her out by reporting her missing, if she is alive she will present herself to the police but if she is dead then we will find out,¡± he suggested. His n was not that bad but I had no time, I needed my answers, or was I barking at the wrong tree. ¡°Just do it,¡± I said I did not want to ignore any lead. Deep inside I felt Thalia¡¯s father was involved. ¡°Alright sir I will do that,¡± he stated. The car became quiet, he was expecting me to walk out of the car but I told him to drive me to the nearest pub. I did not want to go back in the house, not after the drama that just transpired. He drove me to the pub and I walked in, some strippers were dancing on one of the tables which I decided to join. I needed something to cool me off. As soon as Thalia was reported missing the private investigator sent me a text. I wondered if she had cancel her out of the list. A cold drink was brought to me and a blond stripper joined me and sat on myp. I needed something to cool me off. She began dancing and giving me ap dance as I enjoyed and released some stress. The past couple of days were hell for me. She danced and danced but I was so tired that nothing was getting aroused. Back in the days, I would be in the toilet f**king one stripper after the other from an arousal of onep dance. I was so stressed out that my mind was still focused on the sh*t that was happening with mypany that no beautiful a*s was able to get me up. I decided to chase them off, alcohol was the only thing that looked to be working, I kept ordering and ordering until I had my fill. 47 47 Jessica¡¯s Pov I ran downstairs trying to push back the tears. I was never the type that showed her tears or wounds to the outside world but the sh*t that Josh was subjecting me to was very unfair. I felt like I was cursed. Every time I found something that made me happy, sh*t always came pping me across the face. Josh was being very unfair to me, I had been nothing but a supportive wife to him ever since the ordeal began. How dare he bring back sh*t about my cooking. He never had any problem with the fact that I couldn¡¯t cook but just because hispany was plunging, he changed in a few days and became so cruel to me. He never slept in our matrimonial bedroom. It was always at his office ever since he got discharged from the hospital. I understood him, someone was trying to destroy him and anyone in his shoes would not find time to sleep until they found the enemy. But he was treating me unfairly and taking his frustrations on me. He was finding faults in everything that I was doing. Every Time he saw my face I noticed his change in mood. Deep down I felt like he was ming me, if I had not insisted on going for the honeymoon he would have seen the attacking. That was my initial thought. He was just a coward and couldn¡¯t say it to my face. Victor advised me to give him space and understand him but I was doing all that. But as soon as I bumped into him or asked if he needed anything hell broke. Maybe I needed to move out of the house until he grew a pack of balls. Speaking about balls, we still couldn¡¯t manage to change the use and neither were we nning to tell him soon. Everything was aplete mess, we had no idea where to begin from or how to even gather the energy to tell him the truth. The hell I was going through was not the life that I signed for. I heard the main door open and I looked through the window. It was Josh heading into a car that I had not seen before. I quickly ran out of the bathroom to the kitchen and picked my keys. Josh had stopped updating me on anything, Victor made me promise to keep an eye on him because his son did not seem like a person that would make sound decisions. I quickly got into the car and followed at a safe distance so as not to be detected. The man looked familiar but I could not remember where I saw him. The two talked in the car for some time before they drove off. I followed them at a safe distance, being careful not to be spotted. The car came to a halt at a local pub. Josh exited the car and entered the pub while the other man left. I debated whether to follow him but convinced myself to keep an eye on Josh. I parked at the back of the and waited for some time before putting a hoodie on and entering the pub. To my shock, the ce was filled with wh*ress, like it was some kind of mini nightclub. I decided to sit in a corner that provided me with a better view of the entire pub. Soon I spotted my dear new husband getting ap dance. He was smiling and seemed to be having the time of his life. It seemed like the wh*res were his new favorite thing to pass time or have augh. I haven¡¯t seen him happy since we arrived from Canada. My heart began beating fast. We were barely a month old in our cursed marriage but yet there he was searching for the next vagina to hit or was trying to get a score. I felt like going there and beating the sh*t out of his pathetic life then I remembered he had no balls. I decided to see if he was going to go far with the strippers. It was like some sort of test to check if his manhood was working. Yes, it was a sick game but I was right there in case things escted. I needed to know if he was working down there, that was my biggest worry. Yesterday I had tried touching him but it ended in a refusal and a broken heart. He said he had no time to waste having sex when the enemy was covering ground. Yet there he was trying to get down with a stripper and bring home all mothers of diseases. I called on two stripers and secretly talked to them, giving them money to dance with my own husband. Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. They agreed and walked up to him where they gave him thep dances of his life. The idiot was enjoying himself but then it began to seem obvious that he was forcing things. He was so absent- minded. I was once a stripper and we always knew where exactly to sit to get a man hard but it looked like the stripper¡¯s efforts were in vain. The man¡¯s mind was not with him and my biggest worry was starting to manifest in front of me and all I could see was watch in horror. After some minutes he chased the girls in disappointment and began drinking himself to death. I could only wonder if he suspected or maybe he attributed it to stress or something. But one thing was on point and that was the man was never going to be the same in bed. I stood up and silently walked out of the pub without being detected. I walked to the back of the building where my car was packed. I could no longer watch the disappointment that was drinking itself to death. He was definitely not the man that I worked my a*s off to marry. I got into the car, frustrated with tears rolling down my cheeks, and yelled out on top of my voice. I yelled so loud and did not care if anyone heard me or not. I really wanted to get the sh*t out of my system. It was not fair, I felt like I was being robbed, there were a lot of evil people out there but karma never caught up with them. Then why was my case so different, it was like I was taken out of a group to be used as an example. 48 48 Thalia¡¯s Pov The yacht cruise was exactly what we both needed to unwind and let go of some of the tension that had built up from being indoors and plotting our vengeance. Josh and Jessica were on the verge of a major meltdown. A normal couple would have survived and thrived if their rtionship was built on love, trust, and honesty. They were both, however, self-absorbed, egotistical, money-hungry jerks. Money, money, and more money were the focus of their existence. Brandon was well aware of that, and it was this knowledge that he was using against them andying the groundwork for their demise¡­ ording to one of his men, Josh went to a strip club, and his wife followed him in, to our shock there was no altercation. Jessica had paid for the stripers, despite her best efforts to remain undetected. We were perplexed as to why a wife would pay for strippers. Perhaps she was attempting to entice him to sleep with them. But there was one thing that bothered me: Josh¡¯s continued ignorance about hisck of testicles. I wanted to see the look on his face when he realized he would never be able to have a child with his own willpower. Brandon, on the other hand, was enthusiastic about keeping that knowledge, believing it to be beneficial to both our and their sides. I trusted Brandon and proceeded with his suggestion; all I wished for was that nothing would backfire. It was almost past midnight when we returned to the beach home. We simplynded the Yacht on the docks and went inside because Brandon was so weary. He had not caught any fish, but I had managed to catch two. I pledged to smear it all over his face for the rest of his days. I had finally discovered an area in which I excelled better than him. He jumped into the bed as soon as we walked in,pletely oblivious to the fact that he was drenched. I noticed he usually slept in damp clothes, I suspected it had something to do with his changing temperature, but I felt bad for Maggie, who was always left with the job of washing the damp sheets. Before going to shower I walked to the kitchen and put the fish in the freezer. I walked back to the bedroom and said; ¡°Brandon, put something dry on.¡± He responded, ¡°Come help me remove them.¡± My cheeks flushed hotly as I suddenly began contemting dirty things. I turned away and saw him smiling and staring back at me as I turned around. He resisted the need to speak and instead closed his eyes. I just sat there looking like a fool, as if I were the world¡¯s biggest idiot. I wanted to p myself in the face and bring myself back to reality. I didn¡¯t need thoughts of Brandon naked in my head. I had previously seen him naked but had paid little attention to him. However, I had stored images of his naked body in the back of my mind, and they had just emerged when he asked me to remove his garments. I got up fast and headed to the shower, a decision I wouldtere to regret. I found myself caressing myself in the shower as my thoughts of him naked intensified. Something I¡¯d never done before: I was never a naughty girl, one could easily mistake me for a church girl. I discovered why Nestorbeled Brandon toxic. I began by stroking my breasts, as they were the part of me that he admired and desired the most. There was no harm, I reasoned, but it felt so good that I lost control and slid down my honey pot. I was already wet and aching, and all I needed was for him to walk in and thrust his big c**k into me. I swore if he walked in I would have not stopped him. Yes, it was hical, but I had a strong desire for him. Having filthy thoughts for a friend was not a crime. I was simply returning the favor when he stated it and or***smed on my leg. Images of him began to rey in my thoughts as I kept touching myself. My legs began to wiggle and as soon as I sank into the tub, bolts of electric sweet feeling hit me; as I let out a moan. My legs wentpletely numb; I¡¯d never felt such an exquisite sensation between my legs before. No one had ever made me feel that way before, not even Josh. I was unfamiliar with such explosive intense feelings. All I had to do was picture Brandon, I wondered how it would feel like in fresh. I took a deep breath in, exhausted all of my energy, andid down in the tub. A voice, a voice I didn¡¯t want near the door, was the only thing that pulled me back to reality. ¡°I¡¯m hungry, Thalia,¡± he said. I had left the Jerk napping, he was still sleeping when I walked in the shower, but somehow he was up and standing outside the bathroom door. I began to wonder how long he had been standing outside the door. I froze in embarrassment, wanting for the bathtub to open and swallow me whole. ¡°Thalia? Thalia? Are you in there?¡± he inquired, but I kept silent until I realized that if I did not respond, he was going to enter. ¡°I wille¡­ over and¡­ cook for¡­ you?¡± I stumbled over my words. There was silence but I heard footsteps moving away from the door. As I yelled, I sank my teeth into my palm. There was a high possibility that he had overheard me mast**bating. I felt as if I was going to die, and in fact, I wanted to die. How could I mast**bate in someone¡¯s house, I was so stup*d? I had no brain cells, I just sat in the tub, hoping he¡¯d fall asleep and forget about it. I stayed in the restroom for an extended period, and I had no idea how long I was there until another knock brought me back to reality. ¡°It is eptable to mas***rbate, Thalia, is it all-natural?¡± He said. I unfroze and cried out. He offered me to taste his scrambled eggs and said, ¡°I also mast**bate.¡± He had apparently grown tired of waiting for me and had prepared the eggs himself. However, the truth was that he had overheard me mast**bating. I wasn¡¯t going to leave the bathroom until I died of hunger. The shame was too much for me, so I began crying, the tears fell like a river. ¡°Thalia, it¡¯s normal, after all the fun we had,¡± he exined. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll keep it a secret between us.¡± In his tone, I detected a trace of mockery. He wasughing at me. The jacka*s was making fun of me. I wrapped my arms around my knees and sobbed, cursing myself for being an idiot. I¡¯m not sure how I fell asleep, but it was already past midnight when I awoke. I was exhausted and hungry, and I needed to get out, regardless of how much I disliked it. Why was I embarrassed when he or*asmed on my leg? As I stood over the shower, I began to console myself. I stood over the door and peered when I was finished. On the other side, there was no one. I stepped out cautiously and spotted him asleep, his wet clothing outside the bathroom door. He had changed into his pajamas and most likely walked to the bathroom to change out of his wet clothing when he heard me mast***bating. I nced to my left and noticed that he had left me a te; how lovely, I thought, but instantly put on a serious expression. Before grabbing my pajamas and heading back to his room, I tiptoed over to his side and double- checked that he was sleeping. I ate the eggs and went to bed; I needed a lot of rest because the next day was going to be terrible for me. He was not going to let it go, and I was in a lot of trouble. As I slid into bed and covered myself, I continued to beat myself. I considered sleeping on the couch, but that would just add to my guilt. It didn¡¯t take long for me to be startled awake by a loud noise. I looked to my left and found him beaming at me. The jerk had the nerve to get up early in the morning. He remarked, ¡°Josh almost smacked Jessica.¡± As he pointed up the screen, I looked at him, puzzled. I raised my eyes to see Josh and Jessica arguing. I turned to face him and saw him smiling; he was waiting for my response, but my head was still clouded by the nonsense I had done in the bathroom the night before. I¡¯d spent the entire night nning how I was going to turn the situation around so he¡¯d never talk about it again. ¡°He should have hit her,¡± I said, clearing my throat. ¡°Domestic violence would ruin investor rtions.¡± He remained deafeningly silent, his meaningless grin fixed on him. ¡°How far are you willing to go in ming him for my disappearance?¡± I inquired, but he simply stared at me. ¡°Brandon!¡± I eximed, frustrated. He said, ¡°Was it your first or*asm?¡± I said, ¡°Yes,¡± with a solemn tone. ¡°Poor thing,¡± he said as he stood up, ¡°I¡¯m going to make Josh pay for it; that m*ron will suffer in hell,¡± he said and asked me to show him how to cook fish, which surprised me. The Brandon, I knew would have rubbed everything in my face for the rest of his life, l was left stunned. He abruptly dropped the subject, possibly due to my forthright response. Before he changed his mind and went into the kitchen, I shook my head and stood up. I found him dressed in an apron, and not once did he ever mention the subject. I had the impression that he was torturing me and that he was well aware of it. ¡°How did you manage to fault all the dialysis equipment in this country and outside?¡± I questioned, needing to get the ordeal off my mind. He stated, ¡°Hired a tech man to design a maic gadget that, if pressed in the same room as a dialysis machine, will destroy it.¡± I locked my gaze on him, the jerk had arge number of brain cells. He proceeded to flick the fish while ignoring me. He was too focused on the fish and unconcerned about the ordeal from the day before. We finished cooking and returned to the bedroom, where we ate quietly. Something behind him drew my attention: his foolish calendar, which had exactly four days remaining N?velDrama.Org owns all content. on it, indicating that he had gotten up early to mark his calendar rather than my insane mast***bation. I felt a rush of humiliation wash over me, so I took his hand in mine and smiled carefully. He asked, ¡°When are you going to test for the pregnancy?¡± I said, ¡°On Monday, are you going with me?¡± I went on to say. He grimaced and hastily withdrew his hand away. He got up and said, ¡°I lost my appetite.¡± ¡°Please, Brandon,¡± I pleaded as I stood up, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just hope you¡¯ll be there,¡± I said. He sat down on the bed and replied, ¡°I abandoned hope many years ago; I just don¡¯t want to be disappointed.¡± I took a seat next to him on the bed. It was not going to help to talk about the days so I decided to talk about our plotting. I inquired, ¡°What¡¯s the next move?¡± ¡°Josh will be apprehended and interrogated in an hour?¡± with a phony smile, he said I grinned and checked my texts on my phone before he went on to exin everything. The following day, he appeared more gloomy, and on the third day, he just stayed in bed. I didn¡¯t want to push him, so I decided to stay back in bed and watch as Josh¡¯s life was turned upside down by my disappearance. The FBI was after him, and neither he nor his father were spared by the media. As I saw, all the atrocities they had done to me and my fathere to light. Finally, the rest of the world learned about my story. The side of the story that Josh had made sure no one knew about. There were rumors that he had me killed, and he even spent two days in jail while the government dismantled hispany. We hadn¡¯t even started theplete plot to take him down but it seemed like he was already crawling on the floor. He maintained his innocence, but he appeared to be guilty, especially because he had married his lover right after I wasst seen. He had the bestwyers, who were able to get his release on bail. Brandon, on the other hand, seemed unconcerned about that; all he wanted was to distract Josh and his father so that I could have the baby. The two cases he¡¯d made wererge enough tost a year or more. That was plenty of time for me to give birth and reim mypany. Brandon had already begun addressing the other minor shareholders with the intention of buying their shares. The scandals were too much for them, and they were considering abandoning ship. If only my father was still alive to witness the crumble of the enemies that had betrayed his generosity. However, the reality was that the person who had made everything possible was not going to be present. That was the sobering fact that I was always confronted with. I prayed as I clutched his hand. 49 49 The Art Of Revenge by MK20 Gab Chapter 49 Brandon¡¯s Pov My fingers twitched as I slept on the bed. The days flew past like wildfire on a windy summer day. A month had passed. Was I dead? or did I make a calction error? Or maybe I was in the afterlife. I gently opened my eyes to see a familiar ceiling; I was in my house, or was that my new hell? I closed and opened my eyes again, attempting to figure out if I was still in my room. Maggie¡¯s vacuum cleaner could be heard. I stood up immediately, and she waved at me with a smile. I waved back, and she dashed through the kitchen door, returning with a cup of coffee and handing it to me. ¡°Am I in hell?¡± I joked. ¡°Do I appear to you as a demon?¡± she joked as she began gathering her belongings. I noticed Thalia wasn¡¯t in bed when I looked to my left. ¡°Where is Thalia? Is she in the bathroom?¡± I inquired. Maggie immediately put on a phony smile after I noticed her face stiffen up. ¡°She¡¯s gone for a walk on the beach,¡± she exined. I nodded, Thalia was never an early riser, she was alwaysst with her snoring and her legs all over the ce, practically suffocating me to death. Something wasn¡¯t right. I stood up hurriedly and ced the mug on the table. While I was putting on my robe and preparing to join her outside. Magie said her goodbyes and walked out of the house. I would have walked out with her but I needed to put on my robe. As soon as I tried to open the door, I felt my back copse and I froze while holding on to the door. My back felt like it was being pulled apart with a j*gsaw. The pain was so terrible that I copsed to the floor. Maggie was most likely already on her way to the helicopter. Iy there, either waiting for the episode to end or breathing my final breath. I started to feel panicked; there was no way I was going to die without saying goodbye to my stup*d Thalia. I attempted to do so the previous night, but she was optimistic that I would wake up because I had morning. Other women would have stayed up all night waiting for me to draw my final breath, but she had opted to go for a silly beach walk. Was she unconcerned about my feelings? As I clung to my foolish waist, I wondered if I was reading too much into her generosity, which was conditional since I was assisting her. When I requested her to remove my clothes the other day, the stup*d girl mast**bated over my images in the bathroom. The only reason we hadn¡¯t had sex was because I was dying, and it would have been unjust and selfish of me to force her to be attached to me or fall head over heels for me. The most important rule in the house was to focus on vengeance and shove feelings down the drainage. Iid down on my back, facing the ceiling, and gave up the struggle. I¡¯d grown ustomed to the excruciating pain over the years, and there was no point in fighting it. My month was up and the muscle stretching always ended. I closed my eyes and absorbed the anguish; it eventually stopped, but blood poured out of both my lips and nose. I wiped my hands over it and nced at it; it wasn¡¯t as dark as ordinary blood, and it was more pink than ck. I felt as if a huge burden was lifted off my shoulders, and I sat there waiting for something that never arrived. Brainless Thalia had vanished without a trace. I got up without any aches and pains and walked outside; it was a week since I had gotten my sick a*s out of the house. As I closed my eyes, the sun¡¯s rays appeared strange. My skin felt as if it was getting burnt. I put my palm over my brow and looked for Thalia, but she was nowhere to be seen. I noticed the helicopter, which still had Magie inside. My jaw clenched as I realized Thalia was with dumb Nestor. I was dying inside the house while she was outside with my foolish pilot, enjoying the morning light. I strolled slowly along the shore, hoping to see them. Magie began heading towards me as soon as she saw me, but she continued gazing to her left. When I looked to her left, I realized she was attempting to keep me from seeing her son clutching my brainless Thalia. He was tightly clutching her to his chest as if she was going to fly away. His one arm was wrapped around her and the other was patting her hair. Maggie approached me and tried to distract me, but I pushed her away. I locked my gaze on the two p*ssed, they had no idea I was watching them. The two m*rons were cuddling and snuggling while I was dying inside the house. A rush of hatred and misery washed over me, and piercing pain in my chest began to emerge. I was torn between wanting to go back inside and confronting them. My mind went back to all the times she had excused herself to apany Nestor out the door. I used to think they despised each other, but they were secretly hoping I¡¯d die so they could be together. I was simply a thorn in their way of being together. They didn¡¯t even check to see if I was still alive or wait for my body to be taken to the morgue. ¡°It¡¯s not what you think, Brandon?¡± From behind me, Maggie said. ¡°Maggie, shut up!¡± I screamed at her and began marching towards the two cretins. They believed they could keep their secret until I died but I was given an extra day so that I could catch them in the act. ¡°You also knew about this, didn¡¯t you?¡± I paused and nced at Maggie. ¡°Brandon, it¡¯s not what you want to think; please calm down!¡± She begged. When I coughed, blood and clots sttered all over the ce. I didn¡¯t have time to confront her, and she and her son had already betrayed me. I¡¯d always known they weren¡¯t true people, but parasites clinging to me for their gain. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see either your face or your stup*d son¡¯s face!¡± I said, clearing my throat. I screamed at her and proceeded on my way to the fools. Maggie¡¯s scream drew their attention to me, and they let go of each other like two robbers caught red-handed. Thalia¡¯s eyes were swollen and red as if she had been crying. Was she feigning grief over my death which she had not confirmed? Was she innocent, or was she guilty? The questions were not important, I thought to myself. The fact that she had betrayed me was all that mattered. She dashed over to me, feigning a grin, but I told her to halt. ¡°Brandon, you are awake?¡± After a lengthy stare, she asked, breaking the stillness. ¡°Did you want me to die in my sleep?¡± I inquired, my voice solemn. ¡°No,¡± she responded with a small chuckle. I ignored her and focused my attention on Nestor, who, like most of the time, had a nk expression on his face. He made it difficult for me to understand what he was thinking at all times. He didn¡¯t look guilty, and Thalia didn¡¯t either. ¡°Brandon, let¡¯s go inside,¡± Thalia suggested but I stopped her with a raised palm. ¡°Wait a minute! You two are deserving of each other, and you can go live happily ever after. You should have honestly asked for my blessings and I wouldn¡¯t have denied you rather than going behind my back!¡± I spat out. ¡°What exactly are you on about, Brandon?¡± she inquired, perplexed. I could give her credit or an award for being an excellent actress but I was not going to fall for it. ¡°Brandon, you¡¯re overreacting,¡± Nestor said, but I ignored him and walked away. I had no intention of N?velDrama.Org holds this content. squandering my little time on them. I walked back home swiftly, almost sprinting. I could hear my name being shouted, but I disregarded it and dashed into the fence, locking it and triggering the facial recognition system as swiftly as possible, and changing the password. I was going to die alone and rot alone in my stup*d house, just as I had nned, but instead of jumping off a bridge, I was going to bury myself in my house. I thought to myself, ¡°Useless human beings,¡± and entered the room. I was inhaling mes and feeling my body heat up, but it didn¡¯t bother me. I was ready to die since the single person I had let into my heart had deceived me. I coughed loudly and started kicking everything in my way, then went to the kitchen and got a rolling pin and started beating anything in my way, starting with the dumb sma screen. I continued to pound it until it was shattered and strewn across the floor. I gathered all of the digital and paper revenge ns and soaked them in the sink to ensure that they were fully destroyed. My head was flooded with guilt for all the wasted hours and days preparing and carrying out vengeance for someone who was already slipping behind my back with my pilot. We were meant to be celebrating since I had lived out the time allotted to me, but she opted to get up early and spend her morning in the arms of useless Nestor. I was fighting back tears but failing miserably. I¡¯d never sobbed for anyone before, not even when my parents died or when I was diagnosed with my dreaded disease. After everything I had done for her, how could she do such a thing to me? I stormed over to the closet and dragged out all of the idiotic clothing I¡¯d purchased her. Yes, I was acting like a crazed ex-boyfriend but I didn¡¯t care, though; the stup*d woman despised me. I carried the clothing into the bathroom, doused them in spirit, and set them aze. Yes, I went too far, but she wasn¡¯t going to utilize them and neither was I going to allow her inside the house. It was obvious the two idiots nned to wheel themselves over to Nestor¡¯s house and live happily ever after. I pledged, though, that I would haunt them for the remainder of their miserable lives. I was supposed to set the silly chopper on fire so they could walk or swim. But it was toote; going outside would simply allow them to gain ess to my house. I hurriedly doused the stup*dly burning clothing with water and returned to the bedroom, searching for anything that reminded me of the stup*d woman. I couldn¡¯t force myself to say her obnoxious name. When I turned around, I noticed the filthy couch. It reminded me of her, and even the foolish bed reminded me of her, but I¡¯d spent all of my energy and there was no way I could burn them. I took my tablet and went to a room opposite the kitchen. If I was going to live another day, it was going to be my new home. Maybe the death process needed a catalyst, so I took out my remote and went straight to my wine cer. I picked out the most expensive bottle of wine and proceeded to drink it. I turned on my tablet to see whether the idiots had departed, but they were still outside, much to my surprise. Thalia was pounding on the door and crying uncontrobly, while Nestor tried in vain to quiet her down. She continued to use the old password, but no veil. I guessed that she was crying because I had caught her red-handed. To be honest, I didn¡¯t give a d*mn; I continued to drink myself to death while coughing violently, anxious for death to arrive and take me away. I kept beating myself up for not jumping that night. Everything was my fault; I should have followed my foolish gut instincts; what was I thinking? I always knew how humans were programmed but I dropped my guard. I should¡¯ve leaped off that bridge. 50 50 Thalia¡¯s Pov I thought he was joking when he said Nestor and I were a couple, but to our surprise, he was dead serious and locked us outside. He wouldn¡¯t even allow me to exin why I was out so early, why I was sobbing, or why Nestor was Nestor suggested we give him a few minutes because he was a total jerk and an idiot, but he had changed the password to his gate and we could not climb up the gate because it was electric. His actions astounded us. I kept knocking and entering the old password, but the system kept asking for my face recognition if I had forgotten the new password. I began to worry because he had psed the month and anything could happen to him that he needed help with. He wasn¡¯t meant to be home alone. When I yelled out his name, Maggie asked me to hold my breath and rewind. ¡°What if he copses inside there?¡± I eximed. ¡°Who is going to help change his temperature or give him fluids?¡± ¡°Panicking won¡¯t help, Brandon is a jerk,¡± Nester responded. ¡°Why is he so thick-headed, like an illiterate?¡± ¡°You two were a little too close,¡± Maggie said. ¡°You should have informed us he wasing out of the house!¡± we both screamed angrily. ¡°So now it¡¯s my fault?¡± she inquired, her arms sped. ¡°You both know how jealous he is, but you decided to warm each other up!¡± ¡°Mom, are you serious?¡± Nestor responded. ¡°Let¡¯s just give him some time; he¡¯ll open up once he¡¯s tired of punishing us,¡± he continued. ¡°Yes, he¡¯s only torturing us, he¡¯ll tire out,¡± I said. ¡°He¡¯s not going to open; I saw it in his eyes, and he made it apparent that he didn¡¯t want to see my face or that of my foolish son,¡± Maggie said. We all kept quiet. Brandon being disrespectful to Nestor or cursing him was not a problem but with Maggie that was a different story. ¡°When he awoke, the first person he asked for was you, Thalia; he adores and loves you but now he believes you are having an affair with my son.¡± she dered. Iughed out loud, Brandon¡¯s main desire was always to get between my legs. Even when he was well, he had made it in that his existence revolved around sex. His own home was a sex dungeon, for G*d¡¯s sake. He¡¯d spent so much time with me that I was just avable meat for him to munch on. It was only fair that he liked me just like I began liking him. Or was it love? Nestor shook his head and cursed, ¡°Please tell me you do not agree?¡± I asked him. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Thalia, are you that blind? When he rests on your chest, the man¡¯s temperature returns to normal, he practically stops coughing!¡± he yelled. I froze, I was very much aware of that and tested the theory. Love was the only exnation for his change of mood every time he was near me but I had decided to look for other reasons why he responded to my touch in such a way. I was brainless indeed, I was always falling for his excuses or p*rvertedments that he hid behind to shield his love for me. ¡°When you¡¯re around him, he always seems to get better,¡± he added. ¡°Shut up, I have gotten your point!¡± I yelled at him. I had no idea why he was rubbing it in my face. Maggie walked to me and took my hand in hers, ¡°Brandon fell in love with you the day he brought you to his house,¡± I tried to protest, but she silenced me. ¡°When I arrived that day, you were dirty and he asked me to bathe you,¡± she went on to say, ¡°I asked him who you were, and he imed you were his destiny,¡± she added with a smile. I began stuttering, to be honest, nothing was surprising about what she was saying but my heart began racing. I¡¯d always believed he had affection for me, and I challenged him once despite his obnoxious response. I ruffled my hair, perplexed, as I tried toprehend the reality that he loved me. He wouldn¡¯t act on those feelings for one reason only: he was dying, which is why I was always hesitant to express my affections for him too. We made a blunder and strayed from the revenge n. I cursed out because I already had enough on my te and couldn¡¯t deal with him acting jealousy like a fourteen-year-old. He needed to act like a man; shutting himself away was simply exacerbating the problem. He was never going to open the gate if he was so in love with me and misinterpreted my rtionship with Nestor, so I had to think fast. He was most likely adding me to a list of those who had betrayed him and exploited him for their own gain. Even if he had more days, he was going to have suicidal thoughts again. I began hammering on the gate, Nestor grabbed me from behind and yanked me off the fence. ¡°You are only hurting yourself?¡± I screamed, ¡°He¡¯s going tomit suicide.¡± He said, ¡°I know,¡± He replied to which I gave him a perplexed expression. ¡°He told me how you two met, so I know,¡± he exined. He let go of me, freeing me, and I turned away in humiliation. Brandon¡¯s decision to tell him about that part of our lives perplexed me. I was mortified, but he swiftly dialed a phone number. ¡°Who are you calling?¡± I asked. He responded, ¡°The guy who built his security system and blew up all the dialysis equipment.¡± ¡°Is he in the country?¡± I asked, my heart racing. ¡°Yes, but I have to drop off my mother before picking him up,¡± he stated. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving,¡± Maggie replied. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine, Mom.¡± ¡°No, son, Thalia and I will be waiting for you here; we can¡¯t leave her alone,¡± she remarked as she took my hand in hers. He gritted his teeth, realizing that he was only wasting his time. He quickly ran to the helicopter and flew off. I simply wished he would hurry up. Brandon was short on time, and it was entirely my fault. I should have known better; I was supposed to wait until he awoke. ¡°Stop berating yourself, if only Brandon had asked why you were crying outside instead of behaving like a child, we wouldn¡¯t be in this mess,¡± she tried to console me, but deep down I knew it was my fault; I was supposed to wait for him and tell him the bad news, but I foolishly tried to share it with Nestor in hopes of him giving me an idea on how to tell Brandon, but I was so ovee with emotion that I broke down. Brandon was devoting all of his resources, effort, and brainpower towards my revenge, and I only had one task, which I shamefully failed. Maggie offered to take a walk down the coastlines, but I declined. I needed to be near the gate in case Brandon changed his mind and decided to open up. But that was not to be; instead, we stood till our legs gave up and we decided to take seats. The good news was that Nestor had texted, he managed to track down the tech guy who he was bringing back. I looked at my watch and noticed it was more than five hours since Brandon had shut himself inside. In my mind, I began to imagine the horrors of what he could have done to himself. Maggie tried to start a conversation about anything else, but my mind was elsewhere. The only thing that jolted me awake was the sound of a helicopter. We could see Nestor and a nerdy-looking guy bickering as they walked out of the helicopter. The man was dressed entirely in ck, wore arge hat, and had a mask over his face. I could see why he was hiding his face. He was the individual that brought Gentex¡¯s dialysis equipment down. If the investigators found out and we saw his face, he¡¯d be in big trouble. When he got to where we were standing, he walked right by us, took out his strange-lookingptop, and knelt. He tapped the Conner of the gate, which gave him a socket-like item, into which he connected his He pressed a few keys on his keyboard and the gate opened. I nearly collided with him and dashed into Brandon¡¯s house, screaming his name. When I opened the bedroom door, everything was shattered to bits. CDs, papers, and sh tied to my revenge scheme against the Nelsons were all drenched and in pieces. I bit my lip in surprise. He sabotaged all of our ns; the bustard ruined everything without giving me a chance to exin myself. Nestor and his mother joined me, as surprised as I was. We took a few steps back and looked around the room. Nestor began looking for Brandon right away. He was nowhere to be seen. He checked the kitchen, toilet, and bathroom but couldn¡¯t find him, implying that he was in one of the twenty-one insane rooms. My heartfelt twitch when I realized that the foolish doors were a maze of unending doors and that finding him was practically impossible. I could tell from Maggie¡¯s and Nestor¡¯s expressions that they knew that too. ¡°Brandon once said¡­.he said¡­all the rooms had surveince,¡± I quickly stated. Nestor quickly began looking for the tablet, the dumb thing practically controlled everything together with the remote but both were nowhere to be found, and the surveince television was in pieces on the ground, we were stranded again. Nestor dashed outside and summoned the hacker, instructing him to break into the residence. To my surprise, he declined, exining that he couldn¡¯t hack his boss because ¡°hacking a gate is one thing, but hacking aplete house is another.¡± ¡°I will tear off your bl**dy head if you do not hack this stup*d house,¡± I cried as I grabbed him by the neck and held him. I could see his mouth curve into a silly sneer as he stared at me in silence. ¡°Calm down destiny,¡± he cried as I lifted my fist and tried to hit him. ¡°At least you¡¯re not ugly; I¡¯d be upset if I was facing life in prison for something ugly,¡± he continued. ¡°What did you just call me?¡± I asked, staring him down. ¡°Destiny? Ain¡¯t you the reason our boss came back to life?¡± He said as he took out hisptop. Maggie grinned as I stared at her, but I averted my gaze. Nestor swiftly changed the subject when he saw how ufortable I was. He said, ¡°Are you the one who designed the system?¡± ¡°No, the p**dle made it, and I built the gate. Rule number one is to engage separate techs to work on different systems in your project in case he is kidnapped or dies,¡± he exined. ¡°Shut up and get to work. I screamed at him. He said, ¡°Wow, feisty,¡± and added, ¡°I like you.¡± I was about to kick him when Maggie pushed me away from him and urged me to exhale. ¡°P**dle will be furious that I hacked him,¡± the idiot stated while tapping his keyboard. It seemed like he was taking forever. I began biting my nails and became very sweaty. I couldn¡¯t find a ce to sit, I felt as though I was squandering my time. Finally, a screen emerged on hisptop and the white rooms appeared. ¡°Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia,¡± he yelled at the top of his lungs. As we started checking the rooms, It didn¡¯t take long to spot Brandon in the room next to the kitchen with bottles of wine strewn about, he appeared to beatose. I quickly took off and headed to the room, ¡°Brandon Brandon!¡± I yelled as I opened the door. He looked so lifeless but I quickly checked his pulse rather than panicking. He was breathing and his temperature felt quite alright. Nestor knelt down and felt the pulse too. ¡°He is fine, he is just dead drunk,¡± he replied. But I was not convinced, I wanted him to plug him into all the stup*d machines. ¡°Thalia the only bed that has monitors is the one in that trashed room,¡± he said. ¡°Then bring it in here!¡± I yelled at him. He stared at me for a minute before getting up and ordering the tech guy to give him a hand. They switched the beds and connected Brandon to all the o*gan monitors, temperature, and blood pressure machines. Everything seemed normal, maybe Nestor was right, he was just drunk. They all stayed for some minutes before Nestor decided to take his mother and the tech guy home. It was gettingte but he promised toe back and check on us. I was left there all alone, staring at the jerk that almost caused my heart to burst because of his selfishness. I was hungry but yet I had no appetite, I decided just toy there on his chest waiting for him to wake up. I slowly began dozing and before I knew it I fell asleep. 51 51 Josh¡¯s Pov I sat in the courtroom, my palms sweating, and I remembered the room; it was the same one where I humiliated Thalia and stole everything from her. She was seated exactly where I was seated, restless, crying, and sweating profusely. Every time I had looked in her direction I had let out augh. It was my turn, but karma had bitten me far too soon. We all had to pay for our sins at some point in our life, but it was usually typically in ourter years or after we had gotten our fill. But my case was a little different; I was being punished even before I enjoyed what I had stolen. Week after week, there were court cases andwsuits. If I wasn¡¯t attending hearings involving mypany, I would be in court for my ex-wife¡¯s disappearance. And every time the courtroom was packed to capacity, a lot of people were very interested in my case. If only I had left her with something more manageable, like an apartment, I would not have gotten myself into such a ridiculous situation. My need for vengeance, on the other hand, looked like it was my downfall. I kept ncing behind me, hoping the court doors would open and she could walk in and save my ass. I never imagined I¡¯d ever want her presence. The woman had vanished totally off the face of the earth. No one was able to locate her; search parties were dispatched to several locations in the hopes of finding her, but all tips and leads went cold. Thest time anyone saw someone who suited her description was on the highway. She was barefoot and carrying a stic bag as she walked along the street. They had offered her a ride, but she had declined, she appeared disoriented and lost. Not that I would have cared at the time, but I was looking for excuses. I was curious how someone could just walk by without calling the cops or anything. I was looking for someone to me, and the fools that drove by her were far worse than I was. Her case was pulling sympathizers from all corners of the country. While mypany was losing millions and millions every day. I was at the focus of their investigations. My father had run out of falsehoods and sweet talk, and the investors were fleeing away. We were trapped on a sinking ship but we couldn¡¯t get off. My father was optimistic that the storm would pass sooner and that it was all the fault of our adversary. It irritated me every time he mentioned someone was sabotaging us, but when I questioned who, he always said he was investigating. All of his ineffective investigators came up empty-handed. My notion that Thalia¡¯s father¡¯s allies were to me came up empty-handed too. It just resulted in more charges being smacked at me. Thalia¡¯s disappearance had suddenly made me the major suspect. It was past time for us to concentrate on pulling ourselves out of this mess instead of seeking for someone to me. When mywyer said my name, I hurriedly turned to my left. Miss Kim was her name, and she was my fourthwyer in less than two weeks. She cost a lot of money, a lot of money. I sacked the majority of thewyers, and some quit because they couldn¡¯t stand my arrogance and rage. Screw them, Kim was my kind ofwyer, and she was making progress on all the false charges. I smiled when I looked up at her, but my wife on the opposite side gave me an angry look. Jessica was preupied with portraying the nice wife who was always by her husband¡¯s side throughout the trial, despite the fact that she was obliged to do so, and I nearly pped her the other day when she refused to apany me. My father was the one who had to calm her down in private. She was with me to the courts every day, but we slept in separate beds at night. It was all staged for the cameras; we had only been married for two months but were acting as if we had been married for thirty years. I shifted my gaze away from her and focused on Kim. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ve got you covered,¡± she said as she began packing her files. ¡°As long as they can¡¯t put you on the same highway she wasst seen on or find her body, they have nothing on you?¡± she assured and said ¡°See you in the kitchen, I brought the hard stuff,¡± and went away before I could object. I was on the verge ofughing, but I immediately regained my control. Jessica was staring at me from my left, her gaze frigid, like if she was reading my mind or something. I approached her and offered her a perk, which I could tell sickened her. ¡°Don¡¯t wait for me; I¡¯ll be busy going through everything with my father,¡± I added, waiting for her response. She simply averted her gaze, stood up and walked out of the courtroom. I recognized that she waspletely innocent in everything and that I was the fool, but I needed to do everything in my power to reim my empire. I exited the courtroom and entered one of the chambers, closing the door behind me. Kim emerged from the corner, clutching some pills. She put them in my hands and told me to drink them. ¡°You will get it up with these,¡± she stated as she handed them to me. I was cautious at first, but I immediately seized them, before we knew it the room was hot and Kim was riding the hell out of me in minutes. It had been weeks since I had gotten it up; I had tried with Jessica, but everything had ended in frustration. The stress had gotten to the point where it was affecting my sex life. It happened the same when I tried Kim, except she promised to bring me something cold, and she did not lie. Yes, I waspletely naked in the foreign office and fucking mywyer, but I was willing to murder to reim my old life back. Fucking Kim was a cost-cutting strategy; the useless woman had always wanted my cock in her for years, and all I was doing was fulfilling her want while she represented me. My father was well aware of the arrangement, and I¡¯m sure Jessica suspected or even knew about it, but mypany always came first before marriage and she knew it. While she moaned and liked every minute of it, I kept swinging and thrusting deep as if I was digging out all the crap that had been thrown at my life over the previous month. She liked it rough and tough, and I wasn¡¯t going to let her down. By the time we came, We were both exhausted and sweaty and we just dropped on the floor, patting each other and gasping for air. I was so scared that the ne disaster was to me for my inability to get it up, but it turned out that it was simply tension and that all I needed was a trigger. I hurriedly got up, dressed, said my goodbyes, and left after regaining my breath. It was back to normal, and I¡¯d just finished paying for my court appearance. When I made a turn, I bumped into Thalia¡¯s oldwyer, he was all boisterous and criticizing my case. I could hear him state that I deserved to be in that situation. He spoke as if he knew where Thalia was; not once did he express sympathy for the fact that I might have killed Thalia; instead, he was more concerned with my misery than with Thalia¡¯s whereabouts. To me, that was a warning sign. Even though the moron was testifying against me, he seemed more concerned about my demise. I dashed towards him and attempted to grab him, but he was quick to flee. I tried to grab him again, but I was stopped by powerful hands. ¡°Josh, keep your cool!¡± Said a familiar voice.¡± I turned around and nced behind me, where I discovered my father. ¡°What the fuck are you doing,¡± he asked. ¡°He knows where Thalia is, and he¡¯s keeping her hidden!¡± I screamed at the top of my lungs. The ¡°If you try to throw your arms around me, you¡¯ll end up in court for anotherwsuit,¡± he said. I fought against the hands that were holding me with all my might. When I turned around, I saw arge crowd of people watching the drama develop. ¡°Let me remind you that if I find out where you¡¯re concealing Thalia, you¡¯ll both end up in prison,¡± I vomited. ¡°Let me also warn you that if you don¡¯t hide her body well enough, you will rot in hell!¡± he replied. I was even more enraged by his response. My father grabbed me and yelled at me to get hold of myself. I came to a halt because the idiotwyer was attempting to get me to assault him, and I needed to cool down before further sinking us. I exited the room and entered the restroom. From behind, my father trailed me. ¡°What the fuck are you doing?¡± he enquired ¡°That moron is aware of Thalia¡¯s whereabouts.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ve wiretapped all of hismunications and have my personnel on the lookout for him 24 hours a day. For the past month, I¡¯ve kept track of all of his phone calls. He¡¯s under my microscope, and we¡¯ll catch him,¡± he added as he pressed his hands into my shoulders. He advised me to take a deep breath in and exhale slowly. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in. ¡°That¡¯s better; don¡¯t let the knuckleheads bother you ¡°he stated N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°It¡¯s just annoying that the key perpetrators are out there and no one seems to care,¡± I cried out. ¡°Rx, this case will be dismissed soon,¡± he exined. ¡°What about thepany?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll wrap up their investigations shortly, but we¡¯ll lose a lot of money and investors,¡± he said. I could tell he was sugar coating everything by the tone of his speech, but I chose to remain silent and reflect. ¡°Did you pay a visit to your mother?¡± he inquired, changing the subject. I moved away, my face flushed with embarrassment. Since my arrival in the country, I had not made time to see my mother. It was a disgrace, and there were no excuses. ¡°Son, you must pay her a visit before she forgets your name,¡± he advised. ¡°Maybe she¡¯ll even help you rx.¡± I nodded and tucked my tie into ce. We exited the courthouse together but he went home while I drove straight to Mom¡¯s care facility. I was nervous and I didn¡¯t know if she would remember me or not. I¡¯d gone to the florist and purchased her favorite flowers and chocte. I walked in, but as soon as I did, the facility¡¯s director drew me aside. We had only just begun the new month but the fool was talking about payments. I was not in the mood for such silliness, and making any unnecessary drama was not on my agenda, so I simply requested my mother¡¯s room and went out. I was directed to her room, where I found her staring out the window. I called out her name, and she swiftly turned around before frowning. ¡°Mom,¡± I eximed. ¡°My son is long gone; he brought me here and then forgot about me; I believe he is dead; they are simply concealing the reality from me,¡± she continued, tucking her shirt in. My heart wrenched, I realized I should have visited her. She probably couldn¡¯t remember me after a month, how could she possibly remember me? I got down on one knee and took her hands in mine. ¡°It¡¯s me, Josh, your only son.¡± She said, ¡°Get away from me! You aren¡¯t my son!¡± ¡°No mother, it¡¯s me,¡± I said, but she responded by screaming for a nurse, much to my amazement. Two male nurses entered immediately and respectfully begged to be excused. ¡°Are you deafeningly blind? She is the mother?¡± I yelled at them. ¡°We know, Mr. Nelson,¡± one of them responded, `¡±but you¡¯re irritating her.¡± When I turned to face my mother, I found her staring at me, horrified. It was the first time I¡¯d ever seen her that way. My own mother was scared of me and she could not recognize me. It was all my fucking fault that I had gone too long. 52 52 Brandon¡¯s POV My head felt like it was being mmed against an empty can. My eyes were heavy, and my lips felt cemented together, despite being dry and cracked. My entire body was screaming at me; I should have taken it easy on the alcohol, but I was convinced I was going to die, but it turned out it was not the case. The big man up there was probably biding his time, maybe he did not have enough coal to burn me and was waiting for coal delivery. With much struggle, I carefully lifted my heavy eyelids till they opened and I was greeted by a stunning pair of brown eyes. I was just as captivated as I had been the first time I saw them. They stared at me, and I stared back; they were swollen, but not as swollen as they had been before. I noticed a sense of relief in them; they were presumably relieved that I had awoken, but also irritated by me. Then it urred to me that she was meant to be outside the house, I locked her outside with her obnoxious new lover. How did she get in? I instantly tried to lift my aching body, but she grabbed duck tape and ced it over my mouth, much to my surprise. My foolish head stung as I stared at her, aggravating the problem. What in the world was she up to? Clearing her throat repeatedly, she said ¡°I was outdoors with Nestor because I got my period yesterday,¡± She caught my attention, I froze and stopped fidgeting. ¡°While you were here wasting yourst hours so that I could get my stupid revenge, I was busy getting Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. my idiotic period,¡± she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. I felt like aplete jerk; I was so embarrassed that I couldn¡¯t keep my gaze on her; I was a jackass. Realizing that I was not going to say anything she said, ¡°Brandon, the insemination failed, I failed you, and Nestor was simply trying to make me feel better. Yes, we were awfully in an intimate proximity, but he was simply being a friend,¡± she exined as she averted her gaze. I slid on the bed, humiliated. I wasn¡¯t sad because she did not receive her period; instead, I was disappointed because I acted like a jealous adolescent when she needed me. Because of my folly, I would have died without understanding the truth. She got on top of me, and I looked at her, puzzled, as she removed the duck tape from my mouth. I had nothing to say, I was very much ashamed. ¡°Do you want to eat something?¡± She inquired further. I stared at her incessantly. She continued, ¡°You didn¡¯t eat yesterday.¡± She kept her gaze on the floor, she couldn¡¯t look at me anymore. She was more dissatisfied with my actions than with her period, I could tell. Worse yet, I was still unable tomunicate with her. She tried to get up but I stopped her by holding her hand. ¡°Please ept my sincere apologies,¡± I stated. But I couldn¡¯t tell if the apology was for my actions or her menstruation. She merely nodded and attempted to stand up. ¡°It is still possible for us to inseminate you?¡± I began without hesitation. She yanked her hands away from my palm and stood up swiftly. ¡°Thalia?¡± I begged her. ¡°The pointless revenge hase to an end! I¡¯m not expecting a child! You blew up all the ns! Brandon, it¡¯s over! It¡¯s over!¡± She screamed at the top of her lungs, tears streaming down her cheeks. I tried to stand up, but the ridiculous cords attached to my body prevented me from doing so. I hissed and yanked them off, following her to the kitchen where she was preparing breakfast. ¡°Thalia, just slow down a little,¡± I said. She took a step back and offered me a mug. ¡°It is for a hangover?¡± she said. Despite the fact that she was enraged, she was still concerned with my well- being. ¡°I was thinking about it all night. Brandon, Josh is already prepared to self-destruct; we don¡¯t need to continue with the revenge.¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re upset with me, but there¡¯s a good chance Josh will survive the storm and live happily ever after,¡± I said. She responded, ¡°Not without testicles.¡± ¡°He can still adopt,¡± I said. She came to aplete halt and frantically red at me, trying to figure out what I was saying, but she came to aplete stop when the door opened and Nestor strolled in. ¡°Destiny is the new password,¡± he said. Thalia nced at me as if she knew what Destiny meant to me, but I knew she didn¡¯t or did she?¡± ¡°The jerk is finally awake,¡± Nestor announced and began pping; the moron had lost all respect for me. I tried to speak, but he interrupted me. ¡°You¡¯re much worse than Josh.¡± Thalia instantly moved in between us as I gripped my hands into a fist. ¡°Don¡¯t even consider it,¡± she said. ¡°Please ask the Buffon to leave my house!¡± I yelled. ¡°So you can send Thalia back to hell?¡± he inquired ¡°I made a mistake,¡± I said, forcing Thalia to burst outughing. Sheughed so loudly that I couldn¡¯t help but nce down in embarrassment. Tears were streaming down her cheeks by the time she was finished. ¡°I swear I¡¯ll never mistrust you,¡± I said. ¡°Am I your girlfriend? Maybe I misunderstood the invitation to your house?¡± She asked. She caught me off guard with her question. Nestor had a smirk on his face, and they were both waiting for my response, but I just chuckled and turned away. ¡°Next time, get your feelings in order,¡± she said solemnly before continuing to prepare breakfast. ¡°What feelings?¡± I inquired. They looked at one other and shrugged as if they knew something I didn¡¯t know. ¡°Let¡¯s not trade in those seas,¡± she said emphatically. The kitchen fell silent; I was aplete loser who had messed up everything, but I was not about to quit on her, I made a promise to her and I was going to fulfill it until my dying breath. I was familiar with the seas she was referring to, so I nned to return to them when she was off guard. I needed to re-establish Thalia¡¯s smile, but first I had to deal with a problem. ¡°Nestor, put your ugly ass to work, go and wait for me in the helicopter,¡± I said, ¡°I need to see someone.¡± ¡°Brandon I told you, there is no more vengeance, and remember you destroyed everything,¡± she added. Nestor cut in, ¡°I still have the backup.¡± Thalia looked in his direction pissed while on the other hand I felt I had forgotten that I had given him my extra copies. ¡°See, I always have a backup,¡± I imed as I started walking away, but suddenly came to a halt and turned around. ¡°How did the two of you get into the house?¡± Nestor responded, ¡°Your hacker.¡± I took a deep breath and walked away, not wanting to ask for more information. Poodle needed to set up a new system. I was certain it was the ineffective Feathers who agreed to hack me. I couldn¡¯t figure out why the jerk insisted on residing in the country where he was wanted for criminal prosecution. I moved over to my closet, then realized I¡¯d switched rooms, and memories of what I¡¯d done to Thalia¡¯s clothes knocked me down, so I sat down. Nestor came in and inquired about our ns. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you chase me down faster or figure out the iprehensible passcode?¡± I screamed at him. He looked at me with his eyes wide open. Thalia walked in with the breakfast and mmed the tray down on myp,¡± she asked. ¡°Could you perhaps lend me some money?¡± she asked. ¡°Oh, the clothing!¡± I inquired ¡°No, I¡¯m relocating,¡± she said. I smiled, knowing that she would only leave me over my dying corpse. Nestor had his ridiculous nk face on when I looked at him. ¡°You should be the mature one in this arrangement, act like one,¡± I replied as I set the tray aside. She began to object, but I immediately walked to the bathroom, showered, and dressed. Thalia was not going anywhere, I was going to deal with herter. She was probably acting out because I had hurt her. Josh was still on the chopping block with or without her orders. It was his useless sperm that failed to fertilize her beautiful eggs and brought the mess. Once I finished I called for Nestor, who was still in the other room, undoubtedly chattering about me. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to eat first,?¡± He inquired, but I ignored him and instructed him to carry the hangover remedy Thalia had prepared for me outside. As we walked to the ne he asked ¡°Sir, I believe we should have taken Thalia with us wherever we are going?¡± ¡°She¡¯s not leaving; she wouldn¡¯t dare to abandon me,¡± I said with such assurance. ¡°She¡¯ll eventually tire of your nonsense and run away,¡± he added. ¡°I¡¯ll track her down,¡± I dered before providing him an address, which he had no information about, andmanded him to start the ne. The trip was calm, and we arrived at the old building in hours. When wended, he refused to stay in the helicopter when I told him he had to. I became enraged and yelled at him. I didn¡¯t like it when he behaved like my spoiled little brother. Yes, he was very resource full most of the time and came in handy but ours was supposed to be a business partnership. In order to keep him busy, I ordered him to go and buy a pregnancy test and I quickly walked away before he could protest. I walked into the building and pressed the twelfth-floor button, which sent me to my ex-lead scientist, Dr. Wilson. I entered the office without knocking, which made him leap up as if he had seen a ghost. I can¡¯t say I med him; thest time he saw me, I was a lump of grey pale stuff, draining my body of bloody clots, but thanks to sleeping in Thalia¡¯s cleavage and eating her food, I¡¯d kept some color and freshness. ¡°Mr¡­.. Fraser? You are¡­.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m alive, you lying son of a bitch, I beat the time you gave me,¡± I screamed at him. He quickly scrolled to where I was standing, trying to confirm I was fresh¡­ ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be buried, sir,¡± He ced his stupid stethoscope on my chest, still surprised. ¡°You should be dead, you should be dead, you should be dead, you should be dead,¡± he continued to repeat. ¡°Would you please shut up!¡± He was starting to frustrate the life out of me, so I yelled at him. Because he was intrigued as to why I was still breathing, he swiftly ordered me to sleep in his disease-ridden bed and began performing further tests without mymand. ¡°Did you manage to find some help?¡± He inquired, ¡°Did you hire other doctors to find you a cure?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t hire anyone, and I¡¯m not undergoing any treatment,¡± I said. ¡°But why are you breathing?¡± he inquired, as he inserted a needle into my body. I screamed, ¡°Ouch! Your estimates were erroneous!¡± ¡°No, you only had a few weeks to live; those altered red blood cells were too much; they were either going to clog your arteries or starve you of oxygen,¡± he stated solemnly, ¡°We merely said a month so you couldn¡¯t threaten to end our careers.¡± I stared at him, speechless, thinking to myself, ¡°What a bloody bastard.¡± ¡°I¡¯m taking these to theb and doing my analysis. Something is wrong,¡± he kept saying. He acted as if he actually wanted me to die. He asked me to wait in his office when I stood up but that was not to happen. He had already misdiagnosed me, so it was not a risk I was willing to take. I followed him all the way to theb, where he told hisb rats to stop doing whatever they were doing and handed my samples to them. While he worked on my blood samples, he offered me a bottle to pee in. I was hoping and praying that the results would all be negative and after what seemed like an eternity. That was the only way I could exin why I was still alive. But the expression on his face said it all. I knew it was bad news when he asked me to take a seat and I remembered the day I was initially forced to take a seat and given the bloodied news. He pondered, ¡°Should I start with the good news or the bad knees?¡± With a straight expression, I said, ¡°Bad news.¡± ¡°Your cells are still mutating,¡± he replied after clearing his throat. I locked my gaze on him. ¡°The good news is that the replicated cells do not appear to have increased; are you sure you didn¡¯t take anything by mistake?¡± he inquired. I said, ¡°No, I only take painkillers,¡± but he was unsatisfied. ording to him, something had changed; I should have run out of white blood and be vulnerable to all diseases. ¡°What have you done differently? Diet? Exercise?¡± ¡°No, I just stay in bed the whole day and y with my tablet,¡± I exined. I remained silent, and he simply stared at me, perplexed. ¡°So you¡¯re iming that I¡¯m not going to die?¡± I asked. ¡°No, you are dying, and I can still give you weeks to live, but something has postponed your death; I¡¯m not sure how to describe it, but it¡¯s as if time stopped and a month hasn¡¯t passed. Something froze, and I¡¯m curious as to what it was.¡± Without thinking I said ¡°Thalia,¡± ¡°I beg your pardon? What is a Thalia?¡± ¡°A Who,¡± I said, ¡°Thalia is the name of a girl I met.¡± ¡°You met a woman?¡± he inquired, raising his eyebrows. ¡°Something like that, but she¡¯s just a friend, and I¡¯m assisting her with some things.¡± He grinned, much to my annoyance; I could see he had a lot to say but he kept it to himself. He sat down and inquired. ¡°Tell me about this Thalia; do you two live together?¡± ¡°When did you decide to pursue a career as a therapist?¡± I screamed at him, he was so irritating. ¡°I¡¯m simply trying to figure out what¡¯s going on,¡± he replied. ¡°Your work is scientific, therefore assemble a team and begin looking for a cure or treatment once more; I assume you did not discard all of the data?¡± ¡°No, everything is fine, but the fact that you are alive means we made a mistake and are back to square one.¡± ¡°Your information is right, and yes, Thalia might be the reason why I¡¯m here; she gave me hope. As a result, put that hope into medicine.¡± ¡°Ooh, I see but that¡¯s difficult; if it¡¯s love at work here, I rmend spending as much time as possible with that person,¡± he exined. One thing I admired about him was that he was honest and always went for the kill without faking it. With a defeated chuckle, I let out a sigh. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s put it this way: if you¡¯re willing to contribute funding to my research regardless of whether I find a cure while you¡¯re living or dead, I¡¯ll take your offer,¡± he exined. I grew quiet and stared at him; the fool wanted notoriety for my condition, and if he discovered a cure after I was long gone, he¡¯d make a fortune. But I had nothing to lose. I wanted to be alive for my Thalia. I stood up and told him it was a done deal, handing him the key to his newb¡¯s hidden location. ¡°What happened to your vacation home on the beach?¡± ¡°Thalia lives there,¡± I stated. He smiled and said, ¡°Congrattions!¡± We¡¯ll need a lot of time if our little bloom can keep those cells silent. But I¡¯m curious, is it because of the sex or something else?¡± he inquired. I would have fired him on any other day, but I merely put on a strained expression. I said, ¡°No, it¡¯s her smile,¡± and walked out of the office. I found Nestor waiting for me. ¡°Have you purchased the pregnancy test kit?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, sir, but this will simply exacerbate the situation.¡± ¡°I did my research and discovered that some women can menstruate for aplete year and yet deliver a baby,¡± I replied. ¡°Sir, pregnancy is a period of nine months?¡± he stated. ¡°Whatever,¡± I replied. 53 53 Thalia¡¯s Pov I kept walking around the room, unsure of what to do. I couldn¡¯t force myself to flee; I didn¡¯t have any money or a ce to go, and most importantly, I couldn¡¯t leave the jerk to die alone. He had done so much for me. In frustration, I threw myself on the bed and screamed. If he was my boyfriend, I¡¯m sure he¡¯d bepletely crazy. I was certain he¡¯d lock me up and refuse to let me speak to any man. I would never date him; it would be like moving from a hot pan to a wildfire, he was clearly worse than Josh. I began thinking about all the nasty things I would have had to endure if Brandon was my husband instead of Josh. I¡¯d be decaying in the ocean without even having the chance to attempt suicide, the man was way powerful. He was clearly capable of murder based on what he did to my clothes. Nestor, on the other hand, indicated that I should forget about the incident. Brandon had a life-long learning experience, ording to him. I needed to be patient with him because he was unwell and paranoid. My head, on the other hand, was arguing with me. I stood up and began pacing the room again, needing to clear my head. I needed to clear my thoughts, so I went for a walk along the beach, anything to keep my mind off the impending war within. But it only added to my doubts, so I walked back into the house and went straight to the kitchen. Baking was a good way to keep one¡¯s thoughts upied but there was no flour, the moron couldn¡¯t even purchase me enough flour, so I texted Nestor to pass through the grocery shop. If I was going to stay, baking was going to be my new hobby. I flopped down on the bed and started ying a game. In seconds I heard people, so I jumped up quickly and put on a serious face. Brandon stepped in first, followed by Nestor. ¡°I told you she¡¯d be here,¡± Brandon said as he handed me a pack. I rolled my eyes and asked, ¡°So, what exactly is this?¡± ¡°Pregnancy test, go ahead and pee on it; we need to know if you¡¯re expecting.¡± I felt my stomach clench as I realized the moron in front of me needed a good flogging, so I swiftly removed my slipper and began threatening him. ¡°Calm down, Thalia,¡± Nestor advised. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me to rx; why is he so stupid? What part of my period did he miss?¡± ¡°Thalia, a pregnant woman can get her period for a variety of reasons, one of which being imntation,¡± he exined. ¡°You can Google this if you want,¡± he said. I furiously gazed at him, wanting to punch him, but the jerk was correct. I hadn¡¯t confirmed the pregnancy with any testing. I was frightened of failure again, and I didn¡¯t want to give myself false optimism. Throughout my marriage, I had conducted numerous home tests, all of which yielded disappointing negative results. Yes, things were different back then, thanks to the monster I had lived with that made sure of it. ¡°You have nothing to lose, it¡¯s only a test,¡± Brandon stated while he carefully removed the slipper off his face. I turned to face Nestor, who nodded his head. ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll take the stupid test,¡± I dered as I hurried to the bathroom, my heart racing. I didn¡¯t want to see the depressing one line; a period was enough, but I needed to get the jerk off my back. I peed on it slowly and closed my eyes, convincing myself that I¡¯d be fine with the negative. To be honest, with the way things were going I was leaning towards a negative. I was apprehensive about what a positive meant. I opened my eyes after counting to ten and saw two lines staring back at me. At first, I thought I was hallucinating. I had done that before when I was desperate. I hurriedly shut my eyes and opened them again, but the twoprehensible lines stared back at me. I couldn¡¯t speak, I was frozen in amazement; I¡¯d been praying for the two lilies for four years but they never appeared, somehow I was terrified. It was one thing to steal your ex-husband¡¯s sperm and cut off his testicles, and an all-new game bing pregnant. It was dumb terrifying. I let out a huge scream. Nestor and Brandon both came dashing and tried opening the door without knocking. ¡°Thalia, are you okay? Will you pleasee out?¡± Brandon ordered from the opposite side of the door. But my attention was drawn to the twoprehensible lines; I was about to be a mother, a terrifying mother. Was it joining to be a boy or a girl? I couldn¡¯t help but wonder. ¡°Please, Thalia, say something, you are starting to scare us,¡± Nestor said. I awoke immediately from my stupor and stood up like a ghost. I brew my lips and gave myself small ps to make sure I was in the right mind. I washed my hands before picking up the test and staring at it again. With a straight expression, I opened the door. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Brandon inquired with trepidation. ¡°Did you take the test?¡± I handed him the test kit, and I could see his face curling into a smile as he nced at it with his eyes wide open. He pulled me out of nowhere and began spinning me. I had no clue where he obtained all of the energy, but he did. He put me down and kissed my cheeks. The jerk was acting as if he was the baby¡¯s father, I was very excited, it was the first time that I was seeing him that excited. ¡°I told you,¡± he muttered, pinching my cheek, and all I could do was stare at him. He quickly realized I wasn¡¯t as enthusiastic as he was and quickly stopped. ¡°Thalia?¡± he asked as he ushered me to a seat, his voice loud with breathing and sweat on his brow. ¡°Listen, Thalia, don¡¯t let my folly overwhelm this good news,¡± he said. ¡°I want a formal test, and I want a doctor¡¯s confirmation,¡± I stated. I needed to be sure, the home tests were never hundred percent true. He said, ¡°Of course, of course,¡± and told Nestor to get the helicopter ready. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Sir, you do not appear to be in good health; you appear very exhausted,¡± Nestor said, ¡°I¡¯ll take Thalia while you rest.¡± Brandon¡¯s face became paler as he stared at him. With difficulty, he fought to stand up and walked to his painkillers. He had done too much in less than twenty hours and there was a limit to what his body could take. He said, ¡°I will be there for every scan and appointment until she gives birth, then you may bury my bones.¡± The jerk was in pain, but he wanted to make amends for what he¡¯d done to me the day before. I swiftly stood up and snatched the medicines from him. He inquired, ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°We can go for a scan tomorrow if you like, but you need to rest,¡± I exined. ¡°No!¡± he screamed. ¡°Brandon, you are acting like an adolescent once more?¡± I issued a warning, maybe that was the only way to get into his thick head. ¡°What if I don¡¯t get up? What if I die in my sleep and never get to see the scan?¡± ¡°What if you die in the inept hospital?¡± I screamed at him ¡°Guys, guys, guys?¡± Nestor cut in. ¡°Nestor! Shut the fuck up!¡± We yelled at him. ¡°Stop fighting! I¡¯ll go get a scanning machine and a doctor so they can do the scan here!¡± he yelled back. We looked at him, humiliated, his suggestion was better than us arguing. ¡°That¡¯s a lot better,¡± I responded, encouraging him to get on with it. We were left standing there with varying words as he exited the room. I took Brandon to the bed, I told him he needed to rest. I was meant to be angry with him because of yesterday but his sickness always found a way to get him out of trouble. There I was helping him get into his warm clothes and under the covers. For the first time, he was terrified of falling asleep, he was weird. It had to do with where he went in the morning but when I asked he only gave me a bunch of excuses. He didn¡¯t think he¡¯d wake up if he closed his eyes. I knew; his month was up, and he was living on borrowed time but he needed to chill. While we waited for Nestor, I took his tablet and suggested we watch a movie but he wasn¡¯t interested in the movie. He seemed quite enthusiastic about the baby and appeared to have done a lot of research. He knew everything there was to know about motherhood, including the vitamins, the types of appointments, and the foods I was meant to avoid. ¡°I thought I was going to die before you found out you were pregnant,¡± he dered I stared at him, unsure of what to say or how to respond. ¡°You¡¯re going to be a fantastic mother,¡± he added. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, and I¡¯m having second thoughts about it,¡± I responded. ¡°No, Thalia, you will do great and Nestor will be hereafter I¡¯m gone.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re cool with Nestor now,¡± I chuckled. ¡°I¡¯d be haunting him every day, for sure,¡± he responded. I burst outughing; he was correct; he would not rest in peace. He was definitely going to haunt us for eternity. I pinched him because I needed augh. I said, ¡°You¡¯re going to wake up,¡± and he asked if I was still furious at him. He was a shrewd operator who always knew when to strike. He would have gone into shock if I had said yes but I knew I was going nowhere and with the pregnancy news, everything was probably going to go back to where we left it. ¡°No, I¡¯m not furious at you,¡± I exined, ¡°I guess the pregnancy test reset my settings.¡± Heughed out ¡°But you frightened me; how could you do something like that to my clothes? Was it because you had purchased them? And why would you drink?¡± I inquired, but he averted his sight. We needed to talk if we were to move on from the incident. ¡°Brandon?¡± I called out. ¡°I¡¯m not a violent person, and you can like Nestor or any other guy you choose,¡± he responded, ¡°I was just upset at my miserable existence and envious of foolish Nestor.¡± ¡°Are you a jealous person?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never been, I¡¯ve always gotten everything I wanted, but now I have something I really want but can¡¯t get. I simply didn¡¯t know what to do,¡± he replied. The room fell silent as we just stared at each other silently; he wanted me, and it was evident from the first days I spent at his house. He asked if he could lie on my chest. ¡°Of course,¡± I replied, ¡°he needed to rest, and it was the simplest way for him to do so.¡± He was snoring in a matter of seconds. It was a pity, but there was nothing I, or anybody else, could do about his condition. After a few hours, Nestor arrived with some equipment and began installing it. Brandon was not to be awakened until everything was in ce, so I chose not to wake him up. The same man who inseminated me waited at the door, perhaps irritated that his lovely evening had been disrupted. I waved, and he returned the gesture with a phony smile. I awoke Brandon after they were both finished; he was exhausted, but he was going to murder me if he missed the first scan. Soon the gel was on my belly and Brandon was holding my hand like the father of the baby while Nestor was taking a video. It was very difficult for the Doctor, especially that the pregnancy was not yet five weeks and I was bleeding but Brandon threatened him to look for anything that seemed familiar to a baby. It took him almost half an hour to confirm that there was a sack and indeed I was pregnant. The look on Brandon¡¯s face said it all and brought a smile to my face, all the doubts that I had were taken away. It was refreshing to see him full of life rather than his usual five seconds change of moods. 54 54 Brandon¡¯s Pov The news of her pregnancy seemed to have buried the hatchet; she had forgotten about my jealousy outburst and was preupied with the pregnancy. She even forgot the part where she wanted to run away. She was ecstatic, despite her best efforts to suppress it. She also allowed me to apany her to buy new clothes, though she refused to take my money because I burned her previous clothes. She applied for a job at mypany, online of course. Because Josh¡¯s case was still going on, she still needed to be in hiding and not showing her face everywhere. We went out shopping in blond wigs using the money she earned. Except for my persistent coughing, which forced us to rest and take seats, it was a lot of fun. Useless Nestor even had the audacity to tag along; perhaps he needed to be elevated to bodyguard or something, but I wasn¡¯t willing to take that chance. We¡¯d all seen the movies where the hotwife, yes I was referring to Thalia as my hot wife. Anyway, stories were the hot wife got sick of her dying husband and sought out the hot bodyguards for a steamy top headline marital affair. I had no intention of helping them construct their love nest in my house or my beach. Yes, we discussed my jealousy, and she answered all of my questions. I trusted her, but she was only human, and humans were prone to errors. So it was better she made those errors when I was six feet beneath the surface. We ate lunch at one of my favorite ces after the terrible shopping experience. I termed it a heartbreaking experience because the woman had a bad fashion test. Even Nestor agreed that the woman had a bad taste in fashion, so Ibeled it heartbreaking. She was a total Grandma hiding in a young person. She was choosing everything and leaving everything that showed off her hot body. Yes, she needed maternity clothing but it was too early for that, she needed to embrace her body before it bubbled up. The sad part was that I was not allowed to say anything about what she was choosing, I was the culprit that burned the previous outfits and neither was I permitted to choose anything for her. Thalia was going to hold that little mistake over my head for the rest of my life. Anyway, I let her choose because it was only fair and I noticed a little change in her taste, it was better than the old sweaters I found her with. She definitely learnt something from me, even if it wasn¡¯t about my cleavage sort of clothing. We had our lunch quietly in the back, and to my annoyance, Nestor Invited himself for the food as well. I had a lot of questions for him, and he probably thought we were his friends at the back of his head. Thalia, perhaps, but not me. He had caught me staring at him furiously more than twice, he was spoiling my special days with my Thalia, he should have known that I wanted to spend time alone with her and he was doing it on purpose. I decided to talk to him when we went back to the beach house while Thalia entered the house. But before I could say anything, he cornered me. ¡°The building I took you to a week ago? It belongs to Dr. Wilson? Doesn¡¯t it?¡± he inquired. I said, ¡°It¡¯s none of your concern.¡± ¡°You should inform Thalia,¡± he began with a smile, ¡°she¡¯d be d to know you¡¯ve started seeking N?velDrama.Org holds this content. treatment.¡± I stared at him, unsure if he was amused or pleased with me, so I yed it down. ¡°You¡¯re upset, I get to live and keep Thalia.¡± He chuckled and patted my back, saying, ¡°To me, you are like the older brother I never had; every day I pray for you; Thalia deserves you; and if you die, please know that I will treat her like a sister.¡± As he walked away, I just stood there, staring. I clenched my teeth and walked inside the house. He was so annoying, he needed to get a life, or maybe if I hired a girl for him he would be too busy to poke in my business. As I walked into the house Thalia asked, ¡°What were you two discussing?¡± ¡°Men stuff,¡± I replied. She gave me a sidelong nce before deciding to ignore me, she was too preupied with her ice cream. I hadn¡¯t told her yet about doctor Wilson. I didn¡¯t want to give her a false sense of optimism. Perhaps if the doctor was sessful or granted only limited sess, I would reconsider. I followed her and took a spoonful, but the ice cream seemed like water on my pte. I stared at the ice cream while rolling my tongue around.. I took another scoop, but it didn¡¯t feel any different. I took another and another but the ice cream tasted like sand. It was weird, especially since I was just from enjoying my steak at the restaurant. I didn¡¯t want to rm Thalia, I didn¡¯t want my illness to worry her, she was pregnant. I excused myself and went straight to the sugar bowl in the kitchen. I scoured as much as I could, but it was also unappealing like sand. I ced the bowl of sugar back and went to get some fresh chili, which I chewed on like it was nothing. My sense of taste waspletely gone. I hurriedly reassembled everything before Thalia found me and I texted Dr. Willson. The moron had no idea what was going on, and he wanted me to go and see him in person so he could perform a series of tests. I shrugged and scheduled an early appointment for the next day. ¡°What are you doing, Brandon? You¡¯ll find I have finished the ice cream?¡± From the other room, Thalia yelled. I replied ¡°I¡¯ming!¡± and returned to my thoughts. Something wasn¡¯t right; I had hoped to be turning normal and healthier, but it appeared that things were bing worse. I clenched my hand, irritated since I was weary of the stupid condition wrecking my life. But I needed to reveal my face since Thalia was bing concerned. I strolled back into the room and acted as nothing had happened. I wasn¡¯t very good at hiding, so I turned on the television. I had ruined the previous one, so I brought in a recement. Josh and Jessica were a fantastic shield behind which I could hide. ¡°Come on, Brandon?¡± Thalia let out a scream. ¡°What?¡± I asked confused. ¡°Can¡¯t we get through this night without those two idiots?¡± she wondered. I nced at her, realizing that she had never questioned about the couple or how far I was with ruining Josh¡¯s life ever since she got the news that she was pregnant. ¡°Josh and hiswyer are having an affair,¡± with a phony grin on my face, I dered. ¡°Oh, my,¡± she replied. I was expecting her to burst outughing or demand that I expose him to Jessica, but she was busy with the stupid ice cream. I cleared my throat and added, ¡°ording to the investigator, Josh is paying his legal fees with sex. I have them on tape, and I¡¯m going to expose them in court tomorrow,¡± I added. ¡°No, don¡¯t expose them; let the idiot cheat as long as it puts the skank in a hellish marriage,¡± she ordered. I averted my gaze as she spoke. I cocked my head, I was expecting her to remain silent. ¡°What I¡¯m saying is that they¡¯re on their way to self-destruction, so let¡¯s just pose a little and enjoy the arrival of this baby,¡± she added, tapping the bed for me. I approached her and sat down next to her. ¡°What about the stock options?¡± ¡°After the baby is born, we can discuss it more,¡± she replied. ¡°No, I¡¯m talking about the public shares, the 40 or so. My men have Gentex shareholders willing to sell privately,¡± I said. ¡°Oooh, those shares? Buy them,¡± She replied and handed me an ice cream scoop. ¡°Open up please?¡± She added as I opened up my mouth and swallowed the watery vor. ¡°All right,¡± I said and sent an email. It was clear that she merely said that to get me to change the subject. She walked up to the television, took the remote, and switched the channel to Tom and Jerry. ¡°Seriously?¡± I cried out. She exined, ¡°The baby needs to be hearing pleasant things.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve lost my appetite,¡± I admitted as I walked to the bathroom with my towel. I could hear herughing, but I didn¡¯t pay attention. I had my own problems to worry about. I awoke early the next day, and yes, I was still alive. I went to see Dr. Willson in the newb under the guise of meeting with the shareholders. I had no choice but to take Nestor with me; hiring another pilot for the visits would be too risky. I hadn¡¯t told Thalia about my early visit, I felt confident in entrusting Nestor with the new location. Of course, I made him sign some papers stating that he would never reveal theb or my ns to continue the therapy search. He was irritated, but he signed it nheless; certainly, he had held many secrets for me in the past, but now there was ady between us, and he waspelled to suppress his feelings because of me. I noticed the way he looked at her or the way he held Thalia the day I shut them both out, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. So I decided not to put all of my eggs in one basket. When I got to the facility, I strolled straight to the Doctor¡¯s office without knocking. I hoped he had everything. By the time I went in, I hoped he¡¯d figured everything out. But the imbecile, however, had no answers, much to my chagrin. He began extracting more and more samples from my body. That was the part of my illness that bothered and angered me. The physicians always took a lot of blood, urine, CFS, and even a biopsy, but they never had any answers. It was always your white cells this? The red cells that. It was so aggravating that I had to put everything on hold in the end. But there I was, redoing the ridiculous process for the second time, only this time it was different. There was a special somebody and I was determined to meet the little human growing inside of her. As I awaited the findings, I kept telling myself that it was worth it. I had instructed Nestor to stay in the chopper and he was outside. The door swung open, and the doctor walked back in, more perplexed than before. I didn¡¯t have to ask, but I could tell he was stumped. I jumped out of bed immediately. ¡°Hold on, Mr. Fraser,¡± he stated. ¡°What do you think happened to make me lose my sense of taste?¡± I enquired. He sighed but handed me a pineapple to eat. ¡°What exactly is this?¡± ¡°Give it a shot,¡± he replied. ¡°I¡¯ve already gone through everything with you.¡± But he kept insisting. I snatched it and shoved it into my mouth, but to my surprise, I tasted the sweet acidic pineapple vor. ¡°Is there anything more you have to eat?¡± I asked. He handed me a sandwich as he proceeded to his drawer. I took arge chunk, and oh my goodness, it was fantastic. My obnoxious taste bugs were back, and I was relishing every bite. ¡°What exactly does this imply?¡± I asked. ¡°Loss of appetite can be caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), heartburn, or radiotherapy, but all tests came back negative,¡± he tasted. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why you lost your ability to taste food, Mr. Fraser,¡± he replied. I simply turned around and walked out, regretting the hours I had wasted at the inept facility. I would have dismissed him and set fire to the facility if it hadn¡¯t been for Thalia. The one saving grace was that my taste bug had returned. Nestor greeted me as I approached the aircraft, opening the door for me and asking, ¡°Hope you received some answers?¡± I just rolled my eyes and turned away, my face pressed against the window, wallowing in my sadness. 55 55 Thalia¡¯s Pov Another week went by, and then another up until my pregnancy was three months old and visible. Brandon was there with me thanks to God¡¯s mercy; he was vibrant, even though I could see that his body was giving up on him, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. But I didn¡¯t let that detract from his joy. He made sure I had my vitamins, reminded me of my doctor¡¯s appointments, and made sure I ate a healthy bnced diet. He even enrolled himself in an online teaching ss over the two months and day in day out he would make me delicious meals high-ss meals. He was every pregnant woman¡¯s dream. But deep inside I was expected to ept the fact that he would not wake up one day. He was simply clinging on to the cords of life for the sake of survival. When he became frustrated, he would say, ¡°he was holding on for the baby,¡± he really wanted to see the baby. There were days when he was entirely reliant on a wheelchair, and other days when he was N?velDrama.Org owns all content. able to get around without the use of a stick or wheelchair. Those were happier times, and he made it a point to be taking me out for ice cream or pizza regrly. Even though we had a version of an Italian restaurant that served Italian pizza, he once made Nestor fly us to Italy on one of his private jets. Given his on-again, off-again bouts, it was a perilous journey, but he was stubborn. He was so obstinate that no one could stop him once he set his mind to something. He wanted me to try true Italian pizza rather than the imitations he imed were exhibited in the cities. I was afraid, but I knew it would just irritate him, so we left. We had the time of our lives much to our surprise; I did my prenatal shopping there, as well as some baby items that Brandon insisted we get. Anyone who happened to see us would have assumed he was the father. He was all over the baby stores, and all I had to do was stop him because we didn¡¯t know what the baby¡¯s gender was. We just purchased items such as lotions, buckets, and baby tubs. I gave himplete control over everything because he earned it. I had the baby for the rest of my life to shop for while he was without time. I could always imagine how rigid and obnoxious he would be to our daughter if he lived for a long time. I desired a daughter, while he desired a son. He thought a girl would be as stupid as I was. It was a little offensive, but given my history of ipetence, no one would want their daughter to be around me. However, I had changed and grown into a confident strong woman in the months that I was with him. I would not raise my daughter to be like myself, she was going to be a strong woman. We nned to conduct a sex testter, so at the very least he¡¯d know the gender. We ended up staying in Italy for two more days before returning to the United States. The USA, a country of depressed people. The country was dreary, and I was a little disappointed that the tour ended. I was thest to be persuaded, but I didn¡¯t want the trip to end. Going back meant returning to the reality of avenging Josh and his skank. To be honest, I had lost interest in what was left of them. Yes, I wasn¡¯t being unfair to Brandon, who was busy plotting his vengeance, but I needed to keep negative energy away from my baby and pregnancy. All I knew was that Josh¡¯s criminal case where he was charged with my disappearance was dismissed. My body was never recovered, and none of thewyers could establish that he had made contact with me or that he was ever on the same highway I wasst spotted. The good news was that it wasn¡¯t a setback; all we wanted was to get his name in the mud and keep his father from modifying any uses about theirpany. It worked, due to pressure and anger of wanting to be on top, the fool had previously fired all the old was so busy cleaning up to remember the mess. The investigations werepleted while his civil proceedings were still pending, and they were handed a massive fine of millions of dors for negligence. I couldn¡¯t see how they could ever get back on their feet. Josh, ording to sources, was merely a mirror of the man he used to be. He was frequently seen in cheap clubs with whores, while Jessica remained cooped up in the family house. They were unable to maintain their private residences due to financial constraints. He was forced to sell most of his property, which was formerly mine, but Brandon, the genius, was the one who repurchased them all in my name. The man had money to spend. It was difficult for me not to fallpletely in love with the jerk. Every time I tried to hide my emotions, he did something that forced those feelings to regenerate. But the painful fact that he wouldn¡¯t be there indefinitely jolted me back to reality. With all the good things he was doing for me, I feltpelled to do something for the man. It was only fair, he was reinstalling my life and it was my turn to reinstall his. I had no idea why I never thought of it earlier. Maybe it was because I was not in the right mind or because I thought he wouldn¡¯t be alive after a month. I needed to help the great man that was delivering heaven to me. He needed to meet my baby. I began by brainstorming the methods or ways to assist him; certainly, the top brain scientist had failed, but that didn¡¯t discourage me. My father used to say that just because some individuals failed, it didn¡¯t mean that they were all doomed to fail. All the scientists said he only had a month to live but he was already on his third month. They definitely got most of the things wrong. Something had escaped their notice. I spoke with Nestor, who granted me ess to all of Brandon¡¯s medical information. Of course, I made him sign documents promising not to tell anyone, including Brandon, that I was investigating his case. I didn¡¯t want to give Brandon false hope, so if I was going to fail, I wanted to do so quietly. He was hesitant at first since it was the first time he was keeping a secret from Brandon, and it didn¡¯t sit well with him, but I persuaded him to see things from my perspective, and he consented. Brandon was surreptitiously buying houses and shares from Josh, so I had money in my ounts. I was intending to use that money to fund my Brandon project In his honor. I pulled out all of my Harvard PhDs that I had stupidly packed because of love. It was the moment to put those papers to good use. I didn¡¯t have a medical degree or a PhD in medicine but I had degrees in medical device invention and biomedical engineering. That was my strategy, they were unable to find a cure or treatment but I nned to create a device or a machine, maybe something like a dialysis machine but not for the kidneys but the cells. All I had to do was research his condition. 56 56 Josh¡¯s Pov I stepped into the house, my head aching from a night spent in a brothel. At the same moment, my entire body smelled like trash. Yes, I was tumbling down the rabbit hole, but there was nowhere to hide my humiliating shame. Three months ago I was on top of the world but three monthster the wolves had decimated a boomingpany with the potential to employ thousands and generate arge amount of revenue for the country down the pittrine. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. My father was still clinging to thepany¡¯s shards, while I was on the edge of giving up. It was not worth it, I had lost the majority of my property, or should I say all property, even the property that I had before I took over Gentex. Thepany was definitely cursed and anyone who tried to go against it or stole it and was doomed to lose everything. Because of the tainted Nelson name, no one was interested in doing business or buying my property. People didn¡¯t want to be affiliated with our name, even though the Thalia allegations and case were dropped because there was no sufficient evidence. I would have liked to sell at full price but I was fortunate to find ast-minute buyer. However, I was forced to sell at a cheap price because I was in a tough spot. It was painful to watch everything I had worked for and sacrificed so hard for falling before my eyes. If Thalia was still alive, I¡¯m sure she would beughing at me wherever she was. I staggered to the stairwell, where I found Jessica seated at the top of the final step. She had one of those icy stares that would make any man tremble and fall to his knees. She was hurt but there was nothing I could do. I was hurting too and she was not the only victim in everything like I had earlier assumed. We were all victims, her for marrying me while I was a victim for agreeing to get tangled in my father¡¯s quest for revenge. But something was strange, I always imagined walking into the house one day and finding her packed and gone, yet she was still at my side for mysterious reasons. I had a feeling my father had a long conversation with her because for unknown reasons she always followed whatever my father told her. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± The stillness was broken when she spoke. ¡°I have prepared breakfast In the kitchen,¡± she added. I locked my gaze on her; she never made breakfast, was a bad cook, and despised being in the kitchen. Something was wrong, but I didn¡¯t want to find out what it was, I had already had enough drama for three months. ¡°Thank you,¡± I answered, ¡°but I¡¯m not hungry.¡± I could see her eyes bing colder and her face shrinking up, she did not like my reply. ¡°Gentex will rise again after we pay thestwsuit, but I don¡¯t see that happening with your stupid behavior!¡± She screamed and hurled a ss of wine inches away from me. I clenched my cheek and took a deep breath. She took graceful steps down the stairwell to where I was standing. She shrieked inches from my ears, ¡°There has to be something for me at the end of this nonsense!¡± I chuckled and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what lies my father nted in your head, but let me formally inform you that thepany is already in the dirt but if your standards have dropped you are free to hang around,¡± I said as I turned to face her. It was typical of Jessica, she was only hanging around for the money though I had expected her to jump off the burning ship earlier. Whatever my father promised her was probably huge. She raised her hand and smacked me across the face with it. ¡°Is that what I get?¡± She screamed. ¡°I¡¯ve been with you through all of this nonsense while you cheated on me with hookers and your idiotic I hid my face behind my hand, embarrassed. The p was exactly what I needed; it jolted me back to reality in some strange way. My aching head suddenly stopped. ¡°Is this the package I¡¯ll be receiving, Josh? Would you mind responding?¡± she inquired. I answered, ¡°You deserve better,¡± and I proceeded up the stairwell. It was the first time she had confronted me and cried. I could hear her crying as I closed the door to the bedroom. She always avoided my presence by hiding in her room. My father had said something to her and I was curious to find out what. Why was he even out of the country without my knowledge? He¡¯d said nothing about looking for investors outside of the country. I called his number again, and he said he was in Russia and didn¡¯t feel the need to tell me about his new miracle n. I was supposed to sit my horny ass at the pubs I frequented while he sorted out the mess, ording to him I was the one that got mypany into trouble, and to be honest, he was to me for everything. Looking back through history, everypany he was associated with eventually went bankrupt. He didn¡¯t even need a friend to outsmart him this time. He was well aware of the irony. Maybe that¡¯s why he wasn¡¯t harsh with me; he was ming himself deep down, but I was preupied with my own problems. I stood in front of the mirror, observing my weight gain. The pressure was getting to me, and I was carrying more physical weight than I had ever carried before. My stomach was starting to flip-flop. Jessica was behind me when I heard a chuckle. While blowing out some smoke, she said, ¡°You¡¯ve gotten obese.¡± I had no idea she smoked; it was the first time I was seeing her do so, and it could have been the tense few months that got her smoking. I shifted my gaze to the mirror in front of me. I didn¡¯t like what I was seeing, and I was beginning to acquire man boobs as a result. To say the least, the scene was revolting. I needed to start watching what I ate and going to the gym, but could I pay my previous, high-priced bill with my restricted budget? I had no intention of downgrading or any intention of mingling with the underprivileged. I nned to get some gear and train at home. I put on my towel and went to the bathroom to shower. I had to expel the noxious odor from my system and rethink my strategy. The good part was that my fifty-plus one shares were intact. I needed to make sure of that by changing my behavior. Jessica was right and if she was staying we needed to work on our marriage so that we can have an heir. My father was going to sell his soul to the Russians even for cheap change so that thepany could breathe and all I needed was to get my wife pregnant. 57 57 Brandon¡¯s Pov Another fruitless week and theb had no progress, the habit of waiting without hope was starting to wear me down. The terrible aspect was that I couldn¡¯t break the news to Thalia, who had established a study habit for unclear reasons. Unlike most stories about pregnant women bing lethargic and nagging, Thalia¡¯s brain cells were rebuilding. It was the side of her I could only imagine she was as a teenager. The girl who made it to Havard, the girl who was destined for a bright future till her father handed her keys to making her dreams with her crush a reality which eventually led to her dumbness. Every morning, I awoke to the sight of her studying those ugliness-inducing books. I noticed she always closed them when I was nearer as if she didn¡¯t want me to know what she was studying. At one time when she was in the shower, I had to force my dying body to read through the books, and all I saw were dumb equations. I¡¯d never felt so bored in my life, and I swore I¡¯d never look at another foolish book again. When it came to numbers and strangeputations, she was clearly smarter than I was. I let her be with her books and usually concentrated on my cooking. Thanks to the online lessons and YouTube tutorials, I spent most of my days in a wheelchair in the kitchen creating high-quality meals. My Thalia would never go hungry, but I noticed that her newfound enthusiasm had made her lethargic in the kitchen, so I had to step up because our baby required all the nutrients she could get. I didn¡¯t care if I died cooking; at the very least, I¡¯d be doing something I enjoyed. Away from Thalia, useless Victor was interfering with my preparations. Yes, Thalia advised me to let them self-destruct, but I always ran out of things to do in the middle of the night. The only thing I did was that I stopped informing her about Josh and Jessica, and to my surprise, she never inquired about them. I calcted she would start asking after three months but she never bothered. She was so preupied with the baby or her books, in fact, I had the impression that she had lost interest in me. She was no longer thirsting all over me like she used to, sometimes I felt like she was avoiding me. Maybe it was her hormones or I had be too ugly and pale for her liking and my constant spitting of blood made her gag or something. I didn¡¯t want to start something out of nothing like I didst time so I kept my observations to myself. But there was a snag: Victor was in Russia, ording to my men, and I had no idea what he was doing there or who he was intending to meet with. My men lost him in Moscow and they had no idea where he was. For the first time I was blind, so I had no idea where he was or with whom he was meeting. It was quite aggravating; the individual was extremely cunning and understood how to hide his tracks. It was like he knew I was following him. Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. I was so annoyed and pissed with my men. The door opened and Thalia who had abandoned me for the entire day joined me, ¡°Hey, why do you look so bad?¡± She asked, pretending as if she cared. ¡°Nothing at all,¡± I responded. I didn¡¯t want to get her involved in stuff she didn¡¯t care about. ¡°You are lying,¡± she replied as she sat down and threw her arm around my shoulder. ¡°Victor is in Russia, and I have no idea what he¡¯s up to or who he¡¯s meeting with,¡± I responded, expecting her to be annoyed and leave me alone. ¡°He is Most likely there seeking a way out of the mess you trapped him in,¡± she responded. ¡°I know that, but I want to ruin everything for him and his unfaithful useless son,¡± I stated. She stood up and snatched the iPad from my grasp. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I asked, confused. ¡°You appear to be in good shape today,¡± she advised, ¡°so let¡¯s go for a walk along the beach,¡± she suggested. I stared at her for a second time, I was trying to read her mind. She appeared to be bored with her calction books or something. ¡°No, I¡¯m not feeling good at the moment,¡± I replied and moved over to my bed. I was putting her to the test; I wasn¡¯t that desperate that I would jump to fetch whenever she said it. She was giving herself too much credit, like if I adored her or something. I was nning on ying with her. I wrapped myself in the nkets and waited for her to start pleading, but to my surprise, the door shut behind her as she walked out of the room. I was stunned beyond belief when she departed without pleading for me. I sat in a seated position, attempting to make sense of what had just urred. She didn¡¯t even try to cry for me and to my annoyance, she confiscated my tablet. As I recognized what she had just done, I said, ¡°Clever.¡± I got up and followed her; she was waiting for me at the gate. She was a witch, and she seemed to be able to read my thoughts. She handed me the tablet and pointed me in the direction. ¡°Do not be concerned about Victor finding investors; they will be ours. Just think of it this way. He has started cleaning thepany for us,¡± she said, smiling. ¡°I thought you had given up on thepany?¡± I enquired. She sneered and continued walking, her butt had grown in size, and it was rather a lovely sight. ¡°Stop looking at my butt,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m simply going about my business, but it¡¯s getting in the way,¡± I responded. ¡°What happens if he modifies the use?¡± she questioned as she came to a halt. It appeared that I was mistaken. She was still contemting the fate of herpany but owing to my brilliant mind, I had her back. ¡°All of Nelson¡¯s new business and personalwyers are on my payroll. They¡¯ll stall as long as they can for you,¡± I responded. ¡°But, oh, I see¡­ Anyway, it¡¯s not important,¡± she replied, surprising me. ¡°You know, Thalia, you can say anything to me,¡± I told her. ¡°Brandon, What if Josh tries to harm the baby I¡¯m afraid for my baby¡¯s safety.¡± ¡°Thalia, as soon as you give birth, Nestor will take you to a safe ce,¡± I said, interrupting her. ¡°Josh isn¡¯t going to see the baby at all,¡± I assured her. I thought we¡¯d discussed Josh and the baby problem, she was quiet and didn¡¯t say anything. I could see why she didn¡¯t want to be a part of the case update. ¡°Okay, maybe we should charge Victor, Jessica, and Josh with crimes and put them in jail,¡± I suggested while waiting for her response. Thalia from the past would be leaping in the air, spouting fresh ideas but the pregnant Thalia only stared at me. She questioned, ignoring my advice if Mandel had a branch in Italy. ¡°Yes,¡± I responded, confused. ¡°Let¡¯s go to Italy, I adore Italy, we cane back in three months, and I can work there,¡± she proposed abruptly, catching me off guard. ¡°We¡¯ll call it a vacation,¡± she said, clutching my hands. ¡°You want to do physical work for me now?¡± ¡°Yes, instead of thinking about the baby¡¯s future, I need to keep my mind upied,¡± she said as if enticing me, ¡°You can still take your tablet and finish off Josh in Italy.¡± Her beautiful pleading eyes stared at me, I think she knew I had a weakness for them too. I quickly looked away, I was not going to fall for them. I couldn¡¯t go to Italy¡­ Dr. Wilson needed my blood and samples on a regr basis, and I needed to keep up the pressure on him. There was no way I was going to be able to manage regr trips from Italy to the United States, not even in a Jet. There were days when I couldn¡¯t even get out of bed. As soon as she turned and began walking away, I became panicked and texted Nestor. In a few seconds, the dependable pain in the ass responded, confirming that the man had no life. He proposed that I travel to Italy and send the samples through Jet. For the threats I would be face-timing the doctor, it was a good idea. Thalia was really excited and gave me kisses all over my face when I caught up with her and agreed to the trip. Maybe she wasn¡¯t disgusted by me as I earlier thought. I only smiled as realization hit me. We were heading to Italy, and there was a probability I was going to die there, most likely. I never saw myself dying in Italy, yet it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to be buried there, I reasoned. 58 58 Thalia¡¯s Pov He undoubtedly agreed to apany me to Italy just because I asked him to; the man could do anything for me, which was why I was working my tail off to figure out how to fix his illness. He could turn or stop the world in order for me to receive the sleep I needed if he wanted to. He was every woman¡¯s dream, yet I couldn¡¯t understand why he had such a hard time finding love. He would have made someone happy without a doubt. The day to travel came and he¡¯d awoke weak, so I was left to finish the packing. I wanted to cancel the trip, but there was a professor I wanted to meet in Italy the next day. He was not going to be there for a week because he was attending a summit on another continent. I wanted him to check my math for my project. Italy provided me with many of the facilities and minds that I needed for consultation. I lied to Brandon, and I wasn¡¯t pleased with myself. He assumed I was going to rewind and work for hispany, but I was actually using it as a cover for my project to save him. Working for Brandon allowed me to relocate and purchase project-rted items without Brandon¡¯s awareness. And it also allowed me to turn one of his rooms in the beach house into my secret mini Lab. Nestor was all I needed; he knew how Brandon worked and how to keep what I was doing hidden from him. Brandon was still obsessed with bringing Josh down to notice what I was doing. I was nning to do a walk-through soon and tell him the good news. All he had to do was hold on for me. When I looked at him, I noticed that he was staring at the wall like a mental patient and that he had lost weight. Surprisingly, I approached him and sat on hisp. ¡°Howdy, handsome,¡± I said. He inquired, ¡°Do you recall the promise you made to me if I survived to see the baby?¡± I gave the impression that I was pondering and put my palm over my mouth. ¡°Mmmmm, please remind me, I seem to have forgotten,¡± I said. He chuckled, his gaze falling on my breast, which I feigned I hadn¡¯t noticed. I was hoping to persuade him to light up about the vacation. ¡°We¡¯re going to have sex,¡± he said solemnly, and my heart skipped a beat as I just stared at him. He was dead serious, and that terrified me. ¡°I¡¯m going to make it, Thalia,¡± he said, ¡°and I hope you can keep your promise.¡± The door opened and Nestor walked in, I exhaled deeply, but I could hear Brandon clenching his teeth in irritation. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, hope I did not disturb anything?¡± He inquired. ¡°Yes you did, now get out!¡± Brandon became enraged and yelled at him. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± I said as I tried to stand up, but Brandon grabbed my arm and asked where I was going. He wasn¡¯t done with me yet, and he was waiting for my response. ¡°Is that all you¡¯re looking forward to?¡± I questioned, clearing my throat, while my gaze locked on him. He smiled and released me as the room fell silent. ¡°You¡¯re the cherry on top,¡± he said. ¡°Then you just have one job: make sure you survive,¡± I stood up and stated. Nestor gave me a sidelong nce as I proceeded to the kitchen, where he followed me. ¡°Could you just quit promising him phony sex,¡± he issued a warning. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s none of your business, but have you done all the necessary preparations?¡± I inquired, shifting the conversation¡¯s focus. ¡°Everything is in ce, but Brandon does not appear to be in good shape. Is it possible that we can change the date of our trip?¡± He suggested, but I ignored him; he was absolutely urate, but I was not going to let this opportunity pass me by. ¡°You can assist in the packing process,¡± I replied. *Thalia If you put too much pressure on him, he will die before you can create your device.¡± ¡°I have taken notice of your viewpoint,¡± I replied and requested him to hurry up. ¡°Thalia?¡± He called me out. ¡°What?¡± I yelled angrily. ¡°Congrattions,¡± he replied while handing me a small box ¡°What is this for?¡± ¡°I never got to congratte you on your pregnancy, and I¡¯m sorry for that,¡± he said. I couldn¡¯t tell if I was supposed tough or be puzzled. Looking back, I couldn¡¯t recall him ever congratting me, in retrospect; pitiful was the correct term to use to describe him. I received the present and thanked him because he had been so helpful. ¡°What is that?¡± Brandon inquired upon entering. I turned around; we had clearly taken longer in the kitchen, and he had begun to be concerned about what we were discussing. ¡°After three months, Nestor has finally given me my pregnancy present,¡± I said as I left the kitchen. Brandon yelled some type of jealousy slur at him. But I couldn¡¯t help but wonder, was Nestor so enraged at my pregnancy that he refused to even congratte me back then? What was the point of him congratting me now? I grumbled and focused my attention on my phone while putting the present in my suitcase. I needed to confirm that the professor would be avable. Following confirmation, I continued packing and stopped when I felt I couldn¡¯t go anymore. Nestor finished packing, I just sat there. Brandon couldn¡¯t even cook for me since he was too exhausted. He was having a very horrible day. When I was supposed to be apologizing, he kept apologizing. I was the one who was at fault, I was telling him that everything was fine. I¡¯d gotten quite good at lying, but where were my lies getting me to if he wasn¡¯t going to live long enough to find out what I was doing for him? Was it worthwhile for me to tell lies? Would I be able to live with myself if I knew I had been aloof from him in his dying days? I was preupied with finding a solution for him rather than spending time with him? I sat there, pondering and calcting what could possibly go wrong. I raised my eyes when Nestor walked in front of me. ¡°Everything is packed,¡± he said, ¡°but Brandon still insists on cooking for you before we leave.¡± ¡°Where is he?¡± Looking around, I inquired. He said, ¡°In the kitchen.¡± I stood up and walked to the kitchen, Brandon was ready to start cooking when I stepped into the kitchen. I ignored his request and stuffed everything back into the drawers. ¡°Thalia, the baby, requires nourishment,¡± he cried out. ¡°Nestor is stopping by in the city to buy us food for that reason,¡± I exined. He was enraged as he gazed at me, adamant that he would not relinquish control of his kitchen. I needed to divert his attention, so I leaned down close and gave him a small peck on his dry chapped lips. It had been a long timeing, but at least he¡¯d have something to look forward to. When I opened my eyes, though, I found him staring back at me. I waited for him to respond, but he remained silent, which was not the response I expected. I stood up and rolled him outside to the Jet, but he remained silent. I couldn¡¯t tell if he was surprised or enjoyed it. As he flew us to the city and bought us food, Nestor just raised an eyebrow. After Eight long hours of travel, we arrived in Italy and took up residence in one of his massive vis. We shared the master bedroom despite the fact that the house had a lot of rooms. We¡¯d gotten into the habit of sleeping in the same bed and I had grown so ustomed to him over the previous few months that I was sometimes only wearing my underwear. I noticed him staring a couple of times, but it didn¡¯t bother me as long as he didn¡¯t touch. I unpacked everything and called it a night, Brandon was already fast asleep, tired from the useless journey. The next day came and Brandon stayed in bed, too exhausted to get up. Nestor remained in the country, preparing for my arrival at Mendel. In my case, I went up to the professor to present my study under the pretense that I was going out shopping. I met up with the professor in one of the restaurants. He was impressed, but he dismissed my calctions by iming that my device was impractical. Coming from a scientist, it was a letdown. Nothing in science was unrealistic until it had been tried and failed. Creating a machine that can filter out modifying cells while maintaining the integrity of the production of new cells was far-fetched but I was not going to give up. ording to him, the gadget was capable of killing any living being. It was difficult to remove a person¡¯s blood cells long enough for the same body to manufacture new ones. His other argument was that the replicating cells would overrun the body but a machine simr to mine was already on the market, an (ECMO) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. The ECMO machine was simr to the heart-lung by-pass machine used in open-heart surgery. It pumps and oxygenates a patient¡¯s blood outside the body, allowing the heart and lungs to rest. But with mine, it would involve drawing out all the blood fast enough for the new blood to enter the body. There would be no cancer deaths if it were possible, he said. It took everything I had not to make a snide remark about his intelligence. All of the medical machines that were developed over the years had some scientists im that they were impossible, but it took inventors to ignore those scientists, and that is exactly what I was going to do, but I still needed him to adjust my calctions because nothing seemed to add up. Even if he didn¡¯t believe in the machine, the very least he could do was calcte anything close to possible, and then I would have somewhere to start with. He consented after an hour of coaxing and vowed to work on them only after his summit. I thought I could deal with that, so I handed him everything and ran back to Brandon. I did not leave him in such a good state; instead, I brought him his favorite, Shrimp. When I walked into the mansion I was surprised to find the home smelling good. I walked into the kitchen to see him dressed in an apron cookingsagna, he always looked hot in his apron. ¡°Hello lovely, you¡¯ve arrived right on time,¡± he remarked. I approached him and took his temperature; he appeared to have a normal temperature. He ced a scoop of food on my mouth saying; ¡°Could you please stop nursing me, I¡¯m feeling much better now,¡± he dered. I chewed with my mouth open and asked for another spoon since thesagna was so delicious. He¡¯d honed his skills, and my meals paled inparison. I promptly gathered a folk and dug in. ¡°What happened to the clothes you went shopping for?¡± He asked, catching me off guard. Thesagna turned dull in my mouth all of a sudden. I forgot to buy the clothes because my meeting with the professor was so terrible. ¡°Nothing seemed to fit me,¡± I gave my response. ¡°You¡¯ve been out for three hours,¡± he dered. I raised my eyes and saw him staring at me. My phone beeped and looked at it, it was Nestor alerting me to the fact that I was with him. Apparently, Brandon had called him to find out where I went and who I met with. I was annoyed and clutched my other hand, which was below the table. Brandon was far too intelligent for me, and I was convinced he had begun to suspect me. ¡°I caught up with Nestor and he helped me with the work stuff when I couldn¡¯t find anything that fit me,¡± I said without looking at him. He was silent as if he was waiting for me to nce up and reveal the falsehoods in my eyes. I ignored him and swallowed another spoonful. ¡°Are you all set to go to work tomorrow?¡± he enquired ¡°Yes, I¡¯m all set,¡± I responded and raised my eyes to him. ¡°How was your snooping turnout? Did you find Victor?¡± I inquired in an attempt to destruct him. ¡°The fool has vanished, but I¡¯ve focused my attention on Josh; guess where he went yesterday?¡± With a small smile on his face, he asked. ¡°Thewyer with whom he¡¯s having an affair?¡± I made a guess. ¡°No the medical doctor,¡± he said. ¡°Why? Is he sick, oh my God, has he discovered about his testicles?¡± my eyes widened. Worried as I inquired. ¡°Rx, the doctor is under my payroll. Everyone is on my payroll,¡± he said emphatically. I couldn¡¯t help but think he was warning me because he was suspicious. He was simply reminding me that he could hire anyone. ¡°So, what did this doctor of yours say to him?¡± I inquired, smiling. ¡°He told him, he was fine but stressed out, and he advised him to take it easy on the sex pills.¡± I smiled because he was using the same poison that Josh used on me. Bogus physicians assuring him that everything was fine when nothing was. I approached him and hugged him. ¡°I was hoping for a kiss from you,¡± he protested. I walked away, saying, ¡°Not when you expect it.¡± I could hear him giggling. Josh was taken care of, but I needed to figure out how to move around without Brandon being suspicious. I was going toy low for a week until I received the professor¡¯s calctions back. Adding stress to Brandon¡¯s life was not going to help him. I took out my phone in an attempt to delete all my conversations with the professor but it was wiped. All of the professor¡¯s phone calls and messages vanished. I shrugged and threw myself on the bed, concluding that it had to be Nestor covering my back. Nestor would be in charge of everything from here on out. Brandon had never had any suspicions about him. It bothered me that he could be trusted and I couldn¡¯t. The next day, I went to work and I was presented to everyone as Brandon¡¯s part-time recement. It felt good to focus on anything other than Brandon for a change, but I never stayed long and often simply worked from home, keeping Brandonpany. But when I went into work it was to meet with scientists and big heads in gadgets. Brandon knew about the meetings but he assumed I was securing the future of Gentex. I established myb at his beach property in the United States. Because Brandon was suspicious of everything, it had to be in his backyard. For the past three months, I would asionally arrange a meeting in the United States and return there for two days to work on my prototype. Theb was up in his garage, I noted that was the only spot where there were no cameras, and he only went there once when heunched the boat. It was ideal; even if we had to return, he would never know until I was sessful. It was difficult to leave him, but Nestor was there to take care of him. However, the three-month period came to an end, and we returned to the state. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. I turned six months pregnant and fat, though not that fat. Brandon was hanging on but he was not as jovial as he used to be. He was always in his head. But the good news was that I had made progress with my equipment and I was done with phase one. We had to return in the middle of the night because Mandel was having a fundraiser sh cocktail party the next morning and I needed to attend. It was the first time I was making a public appearance at the main branch in the United States. Most of the workers heard a lot of rumors about me and spection that I was carrying Mandel¡¯s heir were all over. 59 59 Josh¡¯s Pov It was six months since the hurricane passed through mypany but it was still a shell of what it once was. My father was able to resurrect some departments with the help of his Russian connections, but we needed a lot of money to resurrect the entirepany. All the moneyed top guns I knew distanced themselves from mypany as far as they could. The scandals still loomedrge over me, but I was confident that a solution was on its way. All I needed was to look deep, soon I was going to rise and all those who wereughing and distancing themselves were going to kneel before me. Another worry that kept me awake all night was Jessica¡¯s inability to conceive. I had tried numerous times to persuade her to join me to see a reproductive specialist, but she always came up with excuses. It appeared that I was the only one putting forward the effort to have a child with her. She knew how important a child meant to us and thepany but yet she did not want to make an effort. I stopped visiting whores for the sake of having a kid with her, and I ended everything with mywyer; the case was dismissed, so she was of no help to me. It ended nasty but thanks to my father who had to threaten to end her career if she did not leave me alone. For the conceiving part, I began to believe that Jessica was the one with the problem and was keeping the truth from me. We had discussed our marriage and agreed to focus on it, but the inability to conceive was taking its toll on us. Every day in the house was torture, with quarrels following quarrels. Our house was never calm, I wouldn¡¯t refuse if someone told me that Thalia¡¯s ghost haunted us. It was like I was paying for all the things that I did to her. However, my father promised to speak with Jessica. He always seemed to get some sense into her head better than I used to. Then there was my mother, who still had trouble identifying me. That part of me always hurt. Sometimes I felt like she was doing it deliberately to hurt me. Maybe it was some sort of punishment for having locked her up in an institution. We had moved her to a less expensive home care facility due to the inability to keep up with the payments. We intended to take her back to the expensive facility after thepany was fully operational. There was nothing I could do, I couldn¡¯t bring her to live with us, not with the way I treated Jessica during the past months. She hated my mother and was never shy about that. So bringing my mother home would be like chasing my wife away. I sat in my office thinking about my next move when my father walked in. I promptly rose and asked, ¡°Did you talk to her?¡± He replied, ¡°Yes, she is waiting for you in the car; you may escort her to the gynecologist.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how you do it,¡± I responded, smiling and hugging him. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± he said, ¡°just perform the check-ups and I¡¯ll take care of everything in this office.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± I inquired. ¡°Yes, I am certain,¡± he stated. I hugged him once more and dashed outside, where Jessica was waiting for me with bated breath. I was taken aback because I had assumed she was uninterested with the idea of going for a check-up. I walked into the car and inquired as to what all the fuss was about. She swiftly handed me an invitation letter that appeared to be for an expensive party. I took a nce at it and realized it was some sort of cocktail party; I grimaced because I didn¡¯t have time to party, and Gentex didn¡¯t have that luxury for me to take a break and party. I knew that was the life she previously enjoyed and probably missed, but that life was a past of strings and if we found the right connections we could only attach and get back to it. ¡°Listen to me first,¡± she began exining. ¡°One of my friends who knows someone in high ces invited us to the Mandel annual fundraiser. We have been invited as Gentex,¡± she screamed in excitement and asked me to guess who was going to be at the party. I only stared at her. ¡°Brandon Fraser will be there, the richpany undertaker will be there,¡± she added. Brandon Fraser was the top dog in the investing world. My throat went numb at the mention of his name. In a single day, he could destroy or develop apany¡­ Gentex was in desperate need of him. ¡°Is my father aware of this?¡± I asked as I picked up the card and read it again. ¡°No, I wanted you to be on top of things so that when the timees, you can step up and salvage the I smiled, knowing she still had my back. But first, we had to see the gynecologist, and then we would go outfit shopping. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. As I drove to the clinic, I could see things beginning to improve for us. Whatever had transpired in the previous six months had to be set aside, as my father always emphasized. We drove to the clinic in excitement. At least the good news took off some of the tension between us. I waited in the doctor¡¯s office while she performed all of the tests on Jessica. She called us both after she was finished and assured us that Jessica was in excellent condition to have a baby. I let out a sigh of relief, given her history, I assumed she didn¡¯t have a womb or something, but it was already six months, so why hadn¡¯t we gotten pregnant if we were both fine? ¡°It can take years for some couples to conceive, especially if they are not following the cycle,¡± the doctor said and went on to interview Jessica about her period and what to look out for. I assumed that all women were aware of their menstrual cycle, so it was strange that she never paid attention to hers. I kept quiet for the sake of peace and took her hand in mine to show that I was there with her and we were going to go through everything together. ¡°Mr. Nelson, have you checked to see if your boys can swim?¡± She inquired. Jessica¡¯s hand grasped me tighter for some unknown reason. ¡°Are you all right?¡± I inquired. She gave me a friendly grin and assured me that she was well. ¡°I¡¯ve already been checked and informed that my guys are fine,¡± I remarked, clearing my throat. I looked in Jessica¡¯s direction and found her gaze fixed on the doctor and not me. Maybe my words came out as if I was ming her or something. I decided to keep my mouth shut, not trying to aggregate her. The doctor gave us a date to return within three months if nothing was happening for further tests and she scheduled us for a fertility doctor. We thanked her and headed out of the office. Jessica was awfully too quiet, I pulled her in my arms and assured her everything was going to be okay but she nodded her head without eye contact and wiped away a tear. I kissed her on the lips and guided her to the car. ¡°Where are you going to shop for tonight¡¯s party?¡± I inquired. ¡°No idea,¡± she replied in a low voice. She merely requested I take her any way I wanted, she did not mind, which was unusual of her. Jessica was a shopping freak, spending money that she did not work for was one of her hobbies. But I could only guess that my shit had rubbed that off of her. Iplied with her request and took her to her favorite shopping mall. I tried everything I could to cheer her up. I even bought her the most costly dress in the store, even though I could not afford it but it didn¡¯t seem to help. She only began talking and giggling after we went to do her hair. I also did my hair before we went out to eat. I couldn¡¯t recall thest time we ate lunch together as a couple or went out for dinner. My early guess was at our wedding and that fact was embarrassing. Yes, I had cheated and put her through hell, but I was d that she was smiling at me. Whether she stayed because my father told her to or because she needed money, I did not care. I sensed that we were returning to our old routine, and I knew that I would have to work hard to regain her trust. We went home after finishing and began preparing for our new future. Brandon Fraser was known as the Big Wolf, and we would be lucky enough to get him to invest or maybe even restart thepany from scratch. That was the pitch I was going to go for. I knew how to deal with men like him and any wrong step would lead to hell for mypany. He was cunning, ruthless, and angry to sinkpanies beneath him. But mypany was not the sort he targeted unless all of the shares were publicly traded, which was not the situation in my instance. Even if he tried, the majority of the shares were mine. And even if he declined to invest, I was protected from backstabbing. But it had been years since anyone heard anything about him. He used to be all over social media for all the wrong reasons and right reasons. He was often in the news for his partying lifestyle a few years ago, but he seemed to have varnished. I retrieved my phone and googled him while waiting for Jessica to get ready, she always took forever with her makeup. But I couldn¡¯t find anything younger than two years. I only saw rumors and theories about his death, but nothing was ever confirmed, it was weird or maybe he chose to live Under the radar or something. The bathroom door opened and Jessica walked in gracefully in the gown I had purchased for her. She looked so stunning, and she still radiated a radiance that lit up the room. The exquisite pink gown was a fantastic fit for her, and with her blonde hair pulled back she looked so gorgeous. I stared at her and wondered how I had forgotten that such a beauty resided in my house. ¡°You look so beautiful,¡± I said. ¡°Thank you,¡± she replied with a small smile. I rose from my seat and moved over to her, kissing her on the lips. ¡°If everything goes well tonight, we¡¯ll get our lives back and you will get to live the luxury you deserve,¡± I remarked. She answered, ¡°I think you should let me talk to Brandon because rumor has it that he has a weakness for skirts.¡± I fixed my gaze on her, trying to process what she meant. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t sleep with him,¡± she assured me, ¡°but I can get us the money we need.¡± ¡°Of course, I have faith in you; this was your idea, and I believe you should take the lead,¡± I exined. She smiled and motioned for me to follow her out to the car. We drove to the venue and we were at the G in minutes; it was jam-packed with old business friends and foes. But the good news was that even if we didn¡¯t meet with Brandon, we could persuade other investors. After Gentex¡¯s scandals, we were never invited to such events. We entered shing our invitation cards and quickly had sses of wine in our hands as we waited for the main wolf, but before that, we began scouting for other possible targets. 60 60 Thalia¡¯s Pov We slept inte, I was so exhausted from the trip. I believe I was overdoing it and stressing out the baby. Brandon was correct, but the good news was that my prototype was progressing; the next step was to test my guinea pigs. All I could do was hope for the best. I was so exhausted and restarting was out of the options. But first, there was the pointless fundraiser, which Brandon was insisting I attended. I didn¡¯t want to go, but he demanded that I do so. I never told him I wanted to take over; in fact, I turned down his offer on the first day we met, but he mistook my lying for wanting to take over. I couldn¡¯t me him because I had agreed to attend all of the covert indoor meetups when, in reality, I was using them as a shield to keep track of everything I needed in myb or who to consult. That was what happened when one was a bumbling liar. There was no way out of thebyrinth of lies I had created for myself. But I was going to go along with it. I still needed a barrier to hide behind until my guinea pigs were satisfactorily tested. But I agreed to attend and I had previously chosen a dress for myself, and Nestor was scheduled to pick me up at 7:00 p.m. My mission was simple: show up, be introduced, mingle for a few minutes, and then leave on the guise of being exhausted. To be honest, I was exhausted, but there was one thing that terrified me. The press or whatever lies were going to print the next morning, but Brandon assured me that there was no press invitation, it was a press-free fundraising event. I had no idea such a thing existed but dealing with Brandon Fraiser anything was possible. I turned and found he was awake, he had his new usual face on. I recently noticed it, it was like he was trying to figure me out. ¡°How are you this morning?¡± I spoke first. ¡°Good morning, you were snoring,¡± he replied. I got up, embarrassed, and covered my mouth. ¡°No way, you¡¯re lying,¡± I said. ¡°Yes, you were; I¡¯m sure I can hear you in other rooms. And you can snore for all Americans,¡± he added. While holding my pregnant tummy I moved to him and gave him a pinch. ¡°What was that for?¡± He asked. ¡°For your colossal grin,¡± I replied and I patted his hair and said, ¡°I think I shouldn¡¯t go to this party; we haven¡¯t had a movie night in a long time.¡± He swiftly stood up without allowing me to object, saying, ¡°No, you must attend, we can do movie night tomorrow.¡± He stated it In a way that suggested that he was ordering me around. He seemed to bemanding me. He walked into the bathroom and I could hear him vomiting. It was the new normal every morning, he would vomit everything he ate, followed by blood. It was awful to watch him go through it day after day. I got up and went into the restroom to assist him, but it was locked. I was perplexed and scratched my head. He always puked with the door open all the time. Perhaps he wanted to be alone. I went to the kitchen and decided to begin making breakfast eggs, it was his favorite but was stopped when the door opened. ¡°You can go rest, I¡¯ll do the cooking,¡± he remarked when the door opened and he strolled in. Without looking at him, I said, ¡°You need to rest.¡± ¡°I always do the cooking,¡± he replied. ¡°Brandon, please quitmanding me. I¡¯m not sick, but I¡¯m pregnant, and you need more rest than I do,¡± I screamed. I turned to see him staring at me, surprised; he had ck circles under his eyes and his skin appeared to be peeling away. He turned and walked away in silence. I hurriedly shut off the stove and followed him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Brandon; I didn¡¯t mean to offend you; it¡¯s just that I¡¯m under a lot of stress.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I want you to unwind and let me prepare meals for you,¡± he remarked, feigning a smile. I was very familiar with his fake smile, I had spent much too much time and picked on some of his traits. I approached him and hugged him. ¡°Are you alright? You do not look good¡± I enquired. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he said, but before I could respond, the baby kicked inside of me. Brandon felt it, and as I raised his eyes to look at him, he questioned, ¡°Is that little Brandon?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s Thalia, and I believe we should conduct a gender test,¡± I responded. I just didn¡¯t get why he changed his stand in knowing the sex of the baby. ¡°No, no, that¡¯s what motivates me to get up in the morning,¡± he swiftly responded and changed the subject. But I let go; if that¡¯s what got him out of bed, I was going to let go. ¡°You must prepare yourself; I texted Nestor to pick you up early, and you can use my other residence in the city,¡± he muttered and stood up. I was left with my mouth open but I reminded myself that it was just a single night. I struggled to get out of bed and proceeded to take a bath. After that, I ate my breakfast, which he, of course, prepared. Brandon was too busy with his tablet so I slept for the entire day, the pregnancy was taking its toll on me, and all I wanted to do was oversleep and miss the party. However, as soon as Nestor arrived, Brandon awoke me. I was furious, I found he had packed me a small bag ¡°You have to look good,¡± he stated but I ignored him and walked out of the house with Nestor trailing behind. ¡°Is the machine making any progress? He enquired ¡°I¡¯ll do the first test tomorrow,¡± I responded. ¡°You must seed; all of these lies should be worth it,¡± he replied. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. I merely gave him a passing nce before continuing on my route. We were at the salon in a matter of minutes, and I was so bored that I didn¡¯t even notice what he did to my hair. I wanted to finish it as quickly as possible. I showered and changed into my dress. I checked my watch; it was only a few hours until eight o¡¯clock. I was reallyte, so I dashed out the door and was greeted by Nestor, who was dressed in a tuxedo. He exined, ¡°I¡¯ll be your plus two.¡± I merely stared at him, the man needed to get a life or say no. Heplimented me on your appearance, but I ignored him and handed him an orange to peel as I headed to my car. He chuckled, but he peeled it and handed it to me in the car. We left for the party and when we arrived, the ce waspletely full. I checked in with Brandon before following Nestor who led me to a rear door, and he led me to the stairwell, which provided a panoramic view of the entire G. I stood on the stairwell, peering down at the parting crowd. The Rich, both young and old wore costly suits and beautiful dresses that ifbined cost millions. I bet all the smiles were fake, It was all tedious and not my cup of tea. Nestor began introducing me to a group of men on my right and began the formal introductions. Everything was going great, and I soon rxed and met some of thepany¡¯s top executives. Some of the faces were recognizable since I had met them at meetings, but others were unfamiliar, and it was those who were staring at my tummy. I could hear them making snide remarks and asking inane questions, but I chose to ignore them. I told Nestor to hurry up and finish what he was working on. Soon after, the organizer took up her mic and began weing everyone to the G; she quickly gained everyone¡¯s attention, and to my surprise, she introduced me as Brandon¡¯s fiancee. The room became small as nearly everyone looked up at me. I nearly lost bnced, but Nestor was there for me lean-to, ¡°put yourself together, you are needed for a speech,¡± Nestor whispered to me ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear her introduce me as Brandon¡¯s fiancee?¡± I asked, turning around. ¡°Don¡¯t you two share a bed?¡± He muttered something. ¡°Pay attention now, for they have been awaiting your arrival,¡± he expressed. I looked around and I noticed that the room was unusually quiet and that everyone was staring at me, undoubtedly perplexed. Instead of meeting Brandon, they were introduced to a heavily pregnant fiancee. I walked down the stairs after clearing my throat. All eyes were on me, waiting for me to say something. I could hear the phone clicks and the voices. Brandon has lied about the press. I took the microphone and thanked the organizer. ¡°With all the juice in here, everyone must have had their fill,¡± I announced, and the audience burst out ¡°On a serious note, I¡¯ll go right to the point, Mr. Fraser¡­ I mean Brandon is unable to join us due to illness, but I will be filling in for him while we wait for him to recuperate,¡± I announced confidently, causing the crowd to murmur. Brandon had put me up to take over hispany, I was boiling on the inside. I got more than I asked for, but it was all based on my own ideas. On second thinking, it wasn¡¯t intended to be that way; he was supposed to ask me and not make a fool of me. I wondered whether Nestor was aware of the n because I knew Brandon trusted him, and just because he was keeping lies it did not imply he would continue to deceive him. ¡°Hope I¡¯ll have the same wee as Brandon had, and I¡¯m hoping to be working with you all,¡± I said after hastily handing the mic to the organizer. I needed to get home as soon as possible and deal with that liar. I was going to p him in the face, but a familiar voice stopped me in my tracks ¡°Thalia?¡± The voice asked again. But I stayed put, unable to recall thest time I heard that voice. ¡°Is that you, Thalia?¡± he asked again. I took a deep breath and spun around to see Josh and his skank breathing faster than I was. Their brows were damp, and their eyes were poised to burst out like they had seen a ghost. I took a deep breath and swallowed hard; I hadn¡¯t expected to see them; the g was private, it was by invitation. Unless Brandon specifically invited them. I made fists in my palms as I remembered how much he wanted me to attend the ridiculous G. I looked up and saw the cameras, he was probably watching the entire thing in his silly apron. Jessica stumbled over her words and asked ¡°We¡­ believed you were¡­dead,¡± Thalia. I chucked and walked up to where they were standing; it was clear that they couldn¡¯t move and that their legs were trembling in the horror of seeing me. West met six months ago at the court, where the two were kissing to spite me. ¡°Did you kill me?¡± I queried, clearing my voice. ¡°Didn¡¯t Josh appear in court on your disappearance charges?¡± Jessica asked. ¡°Ooh that,¡± She began,ughing. ¡°An FBI agent contacted me about it, and I believe yourwyer was informed that I had been located.¡± Jessica¡¯s face flushed with rage, and I could see her veins almost popping out. She approached me and attempted to hit me, but I extended my hand and caught hers. I could hear people gasping in fear and the music stopped. We had everyone¡¯s attention, but the good news was that I was the one who was winning. Jessica was the bad guy trying to smack a pregnant mother. Security arrived soon at my side, but I was able to halt them. ¡°You just sat there and watched my husband rot in front of the judge!¡± She confronted me with a scream. Josh¡¯s eyes were fixated on my pregnancy, his foolish face was redder than Jessica¡¯s, and he looked like he was about to cry, there was absolute perplexity on his face and I enjoyed every bit of it as I turned and fixed my sight on him. I was very much tempted to p him. 61 61 Josh¡¯s Pov When her name was called, I was in the middle of pitching an investor on Gentex¡¯s potential. Even though I had my back to her, the moment I heard her voice, I knew it was her. I thought I was hearing things at first, but then she spoke, and time froze as I remembered how the organizer introduced her: ¡°Brandon Fraser¡¯s fiancee.¡± I jerked my jaw forward to see Jessica staring back at me. She was as surprised as I was, realization hit me, my mind wasn¡¯t fooling me. Although a part of me didn¡¯t want to turn, I was curious. Thalia was still alive and well. I shifted my gaze to her as she delivered a bold speech. The visage was that of Thalia but the voice I was hearing was not that of Thalia. Jessica approached me, shocked, and shouted, ¡°Thalia, that¡¯s thalia,¡± but I was too focused on the woman giving the speech to give her a reaction. I began walking through the crowd, Jessica behind, attempting to get as close to the front as possible, I had to be certain. Jessica screamed out her name as soon as she concluded her speech. It took her a minute to turn around, and we were able to confirm that it was definitely her. She started strolling towards us beautifully and elegantly, her eyes fixated on me as she held her tummy, her full pregnant tummy, as if she wanted me to see it. She had a mocking expression on her face like she knew every sh*t that had happened a few months before and wasughing at me. For a brief while, my ears were deafened while my mind fought toprehend what was going on in front of me. The woman in front of me was presumed dead or missing. Jessica screamed something to her but my ears were too crowded for me to understand. All I saw was her attempting to smack Thalia, but Thalia instantly grabbed her hand and held it. Security walked towards them, but Thalia stopped them with her hand. I was on the verge of bursting open as everything was happening. She was Brandon Fraser¡¯s fiance and she was pregnant for him. The very man that I needed to jumpstart mypany. She let go of my wife and moved closer to me, ¡°Josh, you look fat,¡± she mocked. ¡°Shut up! You are supposed to be dead,¡± Jessica yelled at her like a madwoman. Sheughed out, and asked, ¡°I ask again, did you send people to kill me because you both look like you¡¯ve seen a ghost,¡± she joked, sending the crowd intoughter. ¡°I¡¯m going to have you arrested, someone call the police!¡± a very enraged Jessica pleaded. ¡°This woman right here made my husband go through her murder trial when she was alive and hiding!¡± The crowd murmured and began taking pictures and videos. ¡°Josh please calm your wife before she evaporates,¡± Thalia stated. She was so close to me that we were only inches away from bumping tummies ¡°How¡­ How..,¡± I tried to say some words but I sounded like a dying engine. ¡°Speak up, Josh, don¡¯t be timid,¡± she said, turning to face Jessica. ¡°Oh, and yourwyer was notified of my whereabouts, but if she kept that information to herself, you should arrest her.¡± My mind wandered to Kim; ourst encounter had not gone well, resulting in me blocking her. The folly of sleeping with awyer, yet the b*tch was meant to remain objective about the issue and avoid involving sentiments. Because my eyes were so wet from looking at her pregnant belly, I turned my head towards the lovely marble floor because my eyes were watering and I was afraid I¡¯d pass out if I kept gazing at her belly. I made sure the woman in front of me never got pregnant, I made sure she believed she couldn¡¯t conceive a child, but there she was pregnant, while my wife couldn¡¯t even afford a miscarriage. A tuxedo-d gentleman approached her and whispered something in her ear. ¡°No, just a minute,¡± she responded as she turned to face me. ¡°My ex-husband hasn¡¯t spoken a single word.¡± I raised my eyes to meet hers, and I could see the venom and resentment in her eyes. Jessica instantly moved in between us, recognizing that I was tongue-tied, speechless, and in the middle of processing everything. How did Thalia and Brandon meet? When did they meet? Was it something that happened before or after the divorce? Brandon was not the kind to pursue Thalia or the other way around. What exactly was going on? My head began to spin, and the room became heated. ¡°Wow, the great Josh Nelson has been turned into a deaf person,¡± Thaliaughed. ¡°Shut up!¡± Jessica screamed angrily at her. ¡°What are you two doing at my fundraiser, by the way?¡± Thalia inquired. We both kept our mouths shut because there was no way we could tell her we were there looking for her husband-to-be¡¯s support. Not after the hell, I put her through or how I tortured her. The shame was too much to bear. ¡°Is there something going on here, or has someone captured both of your tongues?¡± She asked. ¡°It is none of your business what we are doing here,¡± Jessica replied. Thalia chuckled, she had so much confidence, she was not the Thalia that I used to abuse or the Thalia that couldn¡¯t even maintain eye contact or defend herself. It was a new Thalia before us. ¡°It Is my business, however, this is my party, or did you two wander in like lost puppies?¡± Jessica¡¯s breath was vibrating, she was aching to hit the woman in front of her but security guards moved in again. ¡°Josh, let¡¯s get going; we don¡¯t have time for the new prostitute in town,¡± Jessica responded with a phony grin. ¡°Wow, Brandon Fraiser, the man wh*re, you¡¯ve truly degraded, he¡¯s slept with every woman in town.¡± ¡°Has he ever slept with you?¡± Thalia enquired. ¡°Please excuse me? Do not insult me in any way.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a no, or Brandon has superior taste,¡± Thalia remarked. ¡°You¡¯re a wh*re!¡± Jessica yelled out in frustration. ¡°Yet you were the one who was sleeping with a married man, whereas I waited for the divorce and then f**ked Brandon, and now he¡¯s ready to give me his trillion empires and I¡¯m pregnant for him,¡± she sneered. ¡°What did you get for f**king Josh?¡± She asked. Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. Jessica was quiet, I could hear the rattling of her bones as she made a fist. She received nothing except regret for the past six months. I just stood there and watched her get her a*s handed to her, unable to defend my own wife. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± she eximed, tears streaming down her face and marched ahead of me. ¡°Please don¡¯t,¡± Thalia said, ¡°where are my manners? Please ept my heartfelt apologies for forgetting,¡± she murmured as she clutched her chest. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of Gentex, and I¡¯m sure that¡¯s why you¡¯re here, isn¡¯t it?¡± She inquired but received no response. ¡°Do not be shy; if you require Mandel¡¯s assistance, I can speak with Brandon.¡± ¡°Just shut up and stop with the nonsense!¡± Jessica screamed angrily. ¡°We don¡¯t require you or Mand¡¯s assistance. Take it and m it up against your snout!¡± The entire audience was stunned, and her choice of words was rather unappealing. Thalia began pping ¡°Wow! Investors, that ment ality will not help you. Josh, control your wife!¡± Thalia¡¯s voice grew louder. But all I could do was gaze down in shame. ¡°In any case, if your ns change, you can contact my secretary to schedule an appointment,¡± she stated and gracefully walked away. The crowd stared at us shocked as my wife kept yelling at me to move my embarrassing a*s. 62 62 Thalia¡¯s Pov I walked out of the room with my fists clenched, angry for blood. Brandon was going to get it, and I was going to ignore his illness and punish him. He had no right to throw me into shark-infested waters. What if Jessica and Josh were too much for me? I never dreamed or wished to be in the same room with those two, no matter how low they plummeted off the Radar, even though I handed it to them. That dream vanished the day I confirmed that I was pregnant, my priorities changed that day. The only two things that mattered were my baby and the Jerk. Josh was never supposed to see the child, Brandon assured me of that, which meant he wasn¡¯t supposed to see me pregnant. What if he started an investigation? What if he got suspicious and found out about the sperms? Brandon was aplete m*ron, did he ever get to stop and think of the consequences? I ignored Nestor¡¯s appeals and proceeded straight to the back door. He was just as much of a liar as his obnoxious employer, the jerks deserved each other. I would have driven away and left his lying a*s at the ridiculous party if I could fly a helicopter but I needed his a*s to get to the other jerk. Everything was beginning to make sense; Brandon wanted me to go to the ridiculous G in the hopes of me running into Josh and the sk***k. But why was that? Why would he do such a thing to me? My tears were pouring down my cheeks as Nestor caught up with me and blocked me. ¡°Why are you so upset, Thalia? You did well in there.¡± He remarked as if he hadn¡¯t seen the filth that had just happened. The sh*t was probably going to be all over the news and inte before tomorrow. I was going to be the center of attention in the country. People were going to start asking questions and eventually the truth was going toe to light. And the fool that started all the sh*t would be long dead and I would be left alone in a cluster of humiliation. I wanted to punch him across the face, but he handed me his phone and said, ¡°It¡¯s Brandon.¡± In a fit of rage, I sna***hed the phone and threw it away. ¡°If you know what¡¯s best for you, stay out of my way,¡± I yelled at him. ¡°Thalia, calm down; you¡¯re simply stressing the baby,¡± he replied. ¡°That should have been obvious to you and your obnoxious boss,¡± I said and began heading toward the car. I was so enraged, if only I had inadvertently bumped into them, I would have been ecstatic, but that was not the case. I¡¯d been set up by the man I loved, and I needed to know what was going on. When Nestor got in, I told him not to look behind and to focus on driving. He urged that we travel to the city house so that I could shower, chill down, and recover before dealing with Brandon, which was not on my n. I did not need rest, I wanted to yell and insult Brandon. Sleeping was not on my list of priorities. I yelled at him to hurry up and drive me to where he was packing the stup*d chopper. He drove quietly and we were in the air in minutes. Brandon had attempted to contact me using my phone but I ignored all of the calls. He wasn¡¯t going to simply talk his way out of the mess he¡¯d gotten himself into, and I wasn¡¯t going to buy it if he pretended to be ill. He always managed to get out of sh*t by hiding behind his illness. It was always tempting not to scold him, how could anyone with a heart do that. I marched directly into the house with my shoes in my hand, ready to smash them with his pale face whether or not he had a fever or not. When I entered the room, he was sitting on the bed, his face solemn. I matched up to him and attempted to strike him, but he did not flinch or attempt to shield his face with his hands; he wanted me to strike him for unknown reasons. ¡°Get away from him!¡± Nestor screamed as he surged in and pulled the shoe from my grip. ¡°Let go of me!¡± I became enraged and screamed at him. ¡°Calm down, you¡¯re just going to put him in aa,¡± he shouted back. ¡°Get out, Nestor!¡± Brandon took the initiative and spoke up. We both turned to face him, his dejected expression and eyes locked on his useless iPad. If only I could hit his face with that useless thing he always stared at. ¡°Brandon, she¡¯s serious and hormonal, and she¡¯ll hurt you,¡± Nestor warned him. ¡°Then let her kill me; at the very least, she¡¯ll get me out of this horrible life,¡± he remarked. Brendan Fraser was ying the pity card, I knew it, he wasn¡¯t even ashamed of it. I busted out ¡°Thalia This isn¡¯t humorous; you¡¯re going to do something you¡¯ll regret for the rest of your life,¡± Nestor cut me short. ¡°She¡¯s already kicking herself for not jumping that fateful night, so don¡¯t worry ¡± Brandon responded, raising his gaze to me. ¡°Please excuse me! Are you stup*d, or has your stup*d disease taken hold of you?¡± I posed the question. ¡°Thalia! Enough of this!¡± Nestor tried to drag me out of the room by my hand. I attempted to push him away, but he clung to my hand. ¡°Give me a break! Let go of my hand, you are hurting me!¡± I cried out. He suddenly let go of me after noticing he was holding me tightly. ¡°You¡¯re a dunderhead, you¡¯re absolutely g*y, your dunderhead boss was correct!¡± I yelled at him, but all he did wasugh and put his hands in his pockets. Brandon cleared his throat and said, ¡°I set you up to see if you could defend yourself in the event of my death!¡± I turned around, irritated, trying to grasp the sh*t that just came out of his mouth. ¡°What if I died? And both Josh and Jessica came for you? Would you stand up for yourself or whimper like the old brainless Thalia?¡± he inquired but I only stared at him. ¡°Well, you passed the test, anyway I knew you would pass because you have changed a lot in thest three months,¡± he said, clearing his throat. ¡°You are self-sufficient; you even dare to lie in my face about Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. a lot of sh*t,¡± he dered. My heart stopped beating, and in the back of my mind, I remembered the first conversation I had with Nestor when he told him about the true, merciless, ruthless Brandon, not the Brandon with whom I shared a bed. That Brandon was the one staring back at me, his eyes so icy and without a hint of a smile. He was scary, very scary but I was not going to let him intimidate me. ¡°There was something fishy about the Italian holiday, and the m*ron I warned to keep an eye on you also lied to me. Congrattions you managed to turn him to your side. Is this how I will spend myst days? Surrounded by traitors?¡± he screamed He wasn¡¯t going to flip his betrayal around on me, so I folded my arms and turned away. Not this time and not in the future. ¡°How did I betray you?¡± I asked. ¡°Lies,¡± he replied. ¡°Then we¡¯re on equal footing, you set me up with my enemy when you promised me that Josh was never going to see the baby. And whatever you think I did to you, you can shove it up to your a*s. You could have just asked me to meet Josh and his sk**k!¡± He smiled and asked, ¡°And what would be your punishment if I did that?¡± He enquired. I shrugged; he was aplete m**on. He dared to act as if I was his property that knelt to his will. He was so used to knowing everything and buying people off that he was so p**ssed that I managed to slip off his detection. It was insulting if anyone looked at it closely, the brainless girl managed to outdo him. It gave me the determination to finish off the project so that I coulde and throw it in his face and the good part was that he had a new mystery to solve, there was no way he was going to give up on life without finding out what I was hiding from him. It was game on. ¡°And about the nonsense, I¡¯m supposed to stuff down my a*s? I¡¯ll figure it out, I always do,¡± he warned. I shifted my gaze to Nestor, who was wearing a solemn expression on his face. We¡¯d prepared ourselves for the day when Brandon would suspect us and confront us with his suspicions. He had no idea I was inventing the gadget for him; he was attempting to force us to confess due to our guilt but we were not going to make it easy for him. ¡°Then good luck finding out about the sh*t,¡± I answered with a grin He sneered and turned his attention to Nestor, ¡°You have two minutes to spill the stuff,¡± he ordered him. Nestor was very loyal to Brandon, and he once remarked that if I took longer with my project and Brandon asked, he would tell him everything. ording to him, hiding the project was only going to put more stress on his boss who was obsessed with knowing everything and being on top. Nestor looked away then turned to face us, I could see that he was p*ssed too ¡°Instead of spending everyst moment in each other¡¯s arms, you¡¯re fighting here! I believe I should find myself a girl, take leave and have a lot of sex with her,¡± he dered. ¡°Call me when you both grow up,¡± and he walked out of the room, leaving Brandon and I stunned. 63 63 Josh¡¯s Pov I struggled to get my tie off my dumb neck which seemed like it was smothering me, as I left the room full of shocked people, following my wife from behind. I clutched it fiercely, attempting to free it, but it felt cemented to my neck. I began suffocating because all I did was tighten it around my neck, depriving myself of oxygen. Jessica, who was furiously walking in front of me, came to a halt and turned, yelling, ¡°You¡¯re killing yourself!¡± as she took my hands off my neck and rapidly undid the tie. I dashed to the corner of the parking lot and puked my guts out. My guts felt like they were on fire and about toe out of my mouth. As I held on, my eyes were about to pop out of their sockets. My wife who was just seconds away from me was nowhere near. I only heard her inquire whether I was all right from a distance. I raised my hand and wiped any vomit that had umted on my dry cracked lips. I was exhausted, my heart was beating fast, and the silly weight I had gained was only exacerbating the situation. I needed to sit down because I was dizzy from all the vomiting and, more significantly, from the sh*t that was just pped in my face. ¡°What are you up to?¡± Jessica screamed at me? ¡°Get up right now! Get up!¡± she yelled repeatedly. Her tone was so unpleasant, and she was simply adding to my misery. ¡°Shut your f**king mouth!¡± I yelled at her and clutched my splitting skull which felt to be mming into my skull. ¡°What are you thinking, people are going to start watching us, this is so pitiful,¡± she eximed. Because I had puked, the miss-perfect couldn¡¯t even stand centimeters away from me. I chose to ignore her because I already had enough on my te, and having people watching me sit in my vomit was thest thing on my mind. Thalia was rich, far more than I was or ever will be even if I lived two lives. While Inguished in near poverty, the girl I had sacrificed many years to destroy was bathing in wealth. And, to make matters worse, she was expecting a child while I was without an heir. My blood boiled thinking about that injustice. Why was fate so cruel to me? I understand the need for her toe out of the sh*t victorious but why was it at my expense? I sobbed uncontrobly andughed so loudly that I drew the attention of numerous others. Someone up there clearly despised me, which was amusing in a way, or was I paying for my ancestor¡¯s crimes. ¡°If you don¡¯t get up right now, I¡¯ll leave you in this filthy car park!¡± Jessica cautioned me, but I didn¡¯t mind; she was free to leave at any time. She was, after all, the one who couldn¡¯t conceive. A car stopped over and the door opened, to my surprise it was my father who stepped out angrily. ¡°Get your stup*d a*s into the car!¡± He screamed loudly. ¡°Thank G*d you¡¯ve arrived, Victor,¡± Jessica tried to downy the situation. ¡°Get your a*s into the stup*d car and shut up!¡± He screamed at her, instead. I was on the verge of He waspletely enraged. I had no idea how he discovered we were attending the event. Oh, I forgot, my non-pregnant wife might have informed him, something about the two of them being best friends or something. I could hear Jessica objecting to her usage of his car, but Dad didn¡¯t want to hear any of her nonsense and yelled at her to get in. She walked in enraged and her arms folded, banging the car door hard like a spoiled seven-year-old. Dad entered via the front door and started the car. The ride to the house was awkward and quiet the entire way. Jessica was looking out the other window, while I was looking out my side of the window. We had our a*ses given to us by a girl who l took every from, none of us wanted tomunicate, the humiliation was too much. When we arrived at the residence, I was the first one out of the car. I went straight to the liquor cab and started drinking myself to death. Jessica and my father entered the room. He stepped right up to me and sn*tched the bottle from my grip. I tried to resist, but I was pped across the face with a strong smack that felt like I was being electrocuted. Jessica clenched her jaw in surprise, while I clutched my itching cheek. ¡°Why would you agree to a trap invitation? Why would anyone invite a copsingpany to such a posh event?¡± He became enraged and yelled at us. I quickly turned to face Jessica. ¡°A¡­ a friend of mine invited us,¡± she softly replied. ¡°A friend! Are you two retarded?¡± he screamed at me ¡°Why didn¡¯t you consult me, why didn¡¯t you notify me?¡± On top of his voice, he screamed. Jessica and I could only stare at the floor. ¡°Someone had to tag me on social media because your embarrassing encounter with Thalia was broadcasted live all over the inte. The housewife of Josh Nelson resurfaces with another billionaire¡¯s child!¡± He screamed. ¡°We can sue her!¡± Jessica said. ¡°Thaliamitted a crime when she sat back and watched Josh face charges for her disappearance.¡± My father clenched his jaw and ordered her to shut up ¡± I spoke with Kim, she informed me that the FBI had phoned her and informed her about Thalia, but she had chosen to keep the information to herself because someone in this room chose to block her¡± Dad said as a wave of hope vanished from me. I screwed mywyer and she ended up screwing me too. ¡°The stup*dity of sleeping with your ugly a*swyer!¡± Jessica yelled at my face. I only kept my gaze on the floor. She turned to face my father and asked, ¡° when was that? When did Thaliamunicate with thewyer? Why wasn¡¯t it in the news?¡± she asked. My father said, ¡°Brandon Fraser made sure it wasn¡¯t in the news.¡± ¡°So in short she watched my husband get dragged in sh*t and was aware of the situation?¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Probably spearheaded it, her fiance owns everyone and that exins why we got swamped with those allegations, just my guess,¡± he added. My heart began beating fast, Thalia being responsible for my misfortune was not far-fetched. We always suspected that someone was behind the sh*t that was being thrown at me. ¡°So you mean all thewsuits were orchestrated by her?¡± Jessica asked. ¡°Maybe but I am sure that she ising to finish us off, whether she was behind everything or not. She deliberately sent that invitation to humiliate you two and you stup*dly fell for it.¡± He turned to me and said, ¡°Son our hell just began, she ising for Gentex whether it is in rumbles or not.¡± 64 64 Brandon¡¯s Pov I kept dialing Nestor¡¯s number, but it went unanswered; the idiot had genuinely abandoned me to the obnoxious hormonal Thalia. She was all grown up and ready to take on anyone, or so she believed, or was it the hormones at work. But the world outside was a dangerous ce, and she was only secure because I was shielding her, which was why I needed to know everything so I could protect her, but she was too stup*d to know that. She moved over to her closet and began changing in front of my eyes. The old Thalia wouldn¡¯t have done that, she was too shy, and I missed her, it was always cute when she behaved like a virgin. I was tired of warning the one in front of me that her sudden baldness was going to smack her in the face but my warning fell on deaf ears. I tried calling Nestor again but received no response, another m*ron, I grumbled. She strolled to the kitchen after she was done with her dressing. I wasn¡¯t sure if she was ying quietly with me or not, but we were both acting as if we were an elderly married couple tired of our ineffective marriage. I knew she had a legitimate reason for keeping whatever she was hiding from me hidden, and I knew it wasn¡¯t meant to harm me, but not knowing was killing me. I was Brandon Fraser, and I was meant to be aware of everything that was going on in the lives of those around me. All of my attempts to find out were unsessful; she was so excellent at concealing it that I¡¯m guessing she picked up on my tactics and used them against me. But I was intrigued by how she managed to persuade Nestor to join in. I always came first to Nestor, never did he ever put a girl before me. To be honest, they made an excellent team, which is why it was so tough for me to figure out what they were up to. Nestor was well-versed in my working methods, and she was well-versed in my demeanor. Being left at the front door was a little depressing. Was it unreasonable of me to expect them to include me in their secret group? Or maybe everything would have been avoided if I asked politely, I reasoned. As the door opened, she inquired, ¡°You didn¡¯t cook anything?¡± I chuckled and looked away. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I will cook,¡± ¡°Thalia?¡± I called out. She came to a halt and turned. ¡°Could you tell me what you¡¯re up to behind my back?¡± I tried another approach, maybe asking kindly was going to work. She chuckled, ¡°I¡¯m not doing anything that would make you hate me but all I¡¯m asking you is to trust me and have patience,¡± she replied and disappeared through the kitchen door. I was left sitting on the bed nk, maybe It was time to ept my fate; in fact, it was probably a waste of time to find out what the hell she was up to. I looked down at my tablet and noticed the Nelsons in their kitchen having a meeting. I would have turned up the volume on any given day, but I felt like it was none of my business. Yes, they were probably putting the pieces together and intending to pursue Thalia, but that was none of my concern; she was a grown-up girl now, I reasoned as I tossed the phone away andid down to take a nap. On second thought, unlike her, I was concerned and nned to watch a recorded version after my nap. After some minutes, she entered with a te of food and took a seat on the edge of my bed. I gave the impression of being uninterested and covered myself. She said, ¡°I made your favorite.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hungry,¡± I replied. ¡°Brandon, you¡¯re acting like a teen again; open your mouth or I¡¯ll bind you and feed you falsely,¡± she exined. I just averted my gaze and picked up my tablet, focusing on the Nelsons¡¯ plotting. Josh looked nonchnt as if he was resenting the years he spent demeaning Thalia only for her to rise up again. ¡°Brandon!¡± Thalia screamed. ¡°Victor Nelson is scheduled to give you a visit at the office tomorrow,¡± I spoke rapidly. She froze for a brief moment before quickly presenting herself. ¡°I can deal with Victor Nelson,¡± she responded and attempted to ce food in my mouth, but I resisted. ¡°Victor is the mastermind, and he has no feelings for you; he will eliminate you,¡± I cautioned her. She continued, ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t care,¡± as she went closer, attempting to force the meal into my mouth. I pushed her without thinking, and she nearly fell to the floor, but I immediately grabbed onto her shirt. She quickly held onto the bed for bnce while the food on the tter tumbled to the ground. She swiftly positioned herself and clenched her fists around her chest. She would havended head down if it hadn¡¯t been for my grip. I inhaled deeply, my heart racing. I could see the terror in her eyes when she lifted her eyes to meet mine. She slid off the bed and began walking away gently without saying a word. ¡°Thalia,¡± I sobbed. ¡°I need to get some fresh air,¡± she replied and stepped out of the house. I felt like a fool, and because of my stubbornness, I almost hurt her and her unborn child. There was no way she could forgive me, in fact, no pregnant woman could forgive me because I was a danger to her and the baby. I tried to get off the bed but I couldn¡¯t feel my legs or my body from the waist to the toes. I hurriedly removed the covers, and it was then I noticed where the weird stench wasing from and knew I had defecated and urinated on myself. I froze, unsure if it was my sphincter muscles or the nerves to my brain that were malfunctioning, but the knowledge that I needed to defecate or urinate did not reach my brain. The humiliation and the shame. My body had started giving up on me without warning, so I just held my head in shame. It was humiliating, and I couldn¡¯t move. I was fine all morning, but I was well aware that my condition had moods. One minute I was fine and down the next. It was pointless to sit there and feel sorry for myself. I wasn¡¯t going to let Thalia see me like that. It was the most embarrassing experience of my life. It was one thing to puke and another to urinate but not to defecate. I tried to move again, but everything became numb, including my chest. I was forced toy on the bed. Was I about to go into aa? ¡°No no,¡± I screamed to myself as I tried to pick up my tablet. I needed Nestor toe and save me from my humiliation, but I remembered the idiot was not answering my calls. Maggie, I thought to myself. I was going to contact Maggie, but the useless tablet felt like a twenty-five-kilogram b of ice. It was not going to work; I was simply making my hands numb, so I came to a halt and attempted to begin cleaning myself, but I was so exhausted I could barely manage to remove my shirt, and any remaining energy vanished. I just slept in my feces and urine, wallowing in my misery. Perhaps it was finally time for me to meet my maker. I was finally going to die, and while I would have preferred to do it on the terms I had set, I was going to embrace it. I read a lot about dying, and I noticed that people frequently sh*t themselves before they died, suppose that was the case; it was natural, and I was going through a regr procedure; nheless, it was disappointing that I didn¡¯t get to say goodbye to Thalia. The worst aspect was that thest recollection she had of me was of a failed assassination attempt. I justy there waiting for whatever was supposed to happen; I was never religious, so I didn¡¯t know if the angel of death would arrive from the corner of the room or if a white light would appear for me to follow, but I was ready for anything. I waited and waited, but nothing happened; my hands had also gone numb, and the only thing that moved was my head. I could only guess that an hour, if not more, had passed. My neck hurt from sleeping in the same posture, and the stink of my own filth was continuously knocking me down. I couldn¡¯t even wish it on my worst enemy because it was such a horrible sight. The door burst open, and all I could think was that it was the angel of death, since the m*ron waste, I was going to file aint with the devil. ¡°Brandon Oh, my G*d,¡± said a familiar tone. ¡°What the hell,¡± I muttered to myself. Thalia walked in, I had figured she would call Nestor her new best friend and leave my cranky ar*e to fester, but that was not the case; she had gone outside to get some fresh air, just as she earlier stated. ¡°Brandon, are you okay?¡± I could see her getting up on the bed and holding my head. I could see her looking all over my pathetic body, terrified, as she processed the reality that I had popped on myself. That was a scene no man wanted his favorite girl to see. In embarrassment, tears began to flow down my cheeks. ¡°Brandon, no, no please do not cry,¡± she murmured as she wiped my tears away. ¡°Hold on please, don¡¯t give up on me, it¡¯ll be alright,¡± she said. I gazed at her when I opened my eyes. The woman was insane; there was cr*p all over the body, yet she was telling me not to die. At the very least, she should have called Nestor to get the filthy off of me because If I was to die I would have died an hour ago. ¡°Thalia?¡± with difficulty I called her. ¡°Yes, oh my G*d, you can talk.¡± Without ncing at her, I said, ¡°Call Nestor.¡± ¡°Nestor, oh my goodness, oh my goodness, no, no, I can do this,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re just going through a phase, It will soon pass.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t feel my f**king body, all the way down to my toes,¡± I yelled at her, enraged. ¡°Nestor was not a doctor thest time I checked, so if you need a doctor, give me their number,¡± she replied. Why was she suddenly a hothead? I took a deep breath in. My naive Thalia was very much missed. She stood up and remarked, ¡°Ooh, you need a bath; sure, your body has a fever.¡± ¡°Thalia,¡± I yelled at her, ¡°Thalia, call Nestor, you won¡¯t manage, you¡¯re pregnant!¡± When I was clean, she always refused to bathe me, and there was no way I was going to let her bathe me while I was in the sh*t. I screamed, ¡°Thalia, don¡¯t touch me! Please don¡¯t touch me, I¡¯m too heavy for you.¡± But she disregarded me and continued stripping me naked. ¡°I don¡¯t need to take you to the bathroom to bathe you,¡± she remarked as she continued to undress me. More tears streamed down my cheeks, I merely closed my eyes in shame. ¡°It¡¯s going to be fine, Brandon,¡± she assured him. ¡°Shut up, nothing is going to be fine, and this is humiliating!¡± I cried out ¡°Not to me; if I were in your shoes, I¡¯m sure you¡¯d clean me up, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯d hire Maggie or a random person off the street,¡± I tried to discourage her with my response, but all she did wasugh. It irritated me that she wasn¡¯t puking despite her pregnant condition because I Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. felt like puking myself. With a smile, she responded, ¡°Yes, Brandon would hire Maggie.¡± ¡°Thalia, you¡¯re humiliating me; I don¡¯t want to live like this, I¡¯m tired Thalia, I just want it all to stop¡± I eximed. She came to a halt and ced her palm over my mouth. ¡°Please, please, please, don¡¯t say that.¡± ¡°Please ept my apologies; I didn¡¯t mean to push you,¡± I added. She answered, ¡°I know, it was an ident, it was my fault, I was out of line attempting to put phony food in your mouth.¡± ¡°Stoping up with ridiculous justifications for me!¡± I yelled at her, but she remained silent. However, she did not answer. Instead, she kept wiping my filthy a*s until I was clean, and continued making as many trips to the restroom as she could. While I was naked in the bedroom, she removed all of the sheets and dumped them in the bin. She then took a portable bed, put it up, and ced it beside my bed. She climbed into bed with me and began slowly bathing me without establishing eye contact or responding to my cries. She changed me into a diaper once she was finished, ignoring all my protest. I assumed Nestor had thrown them away when I told him to, but that was not the case. After she was done, She pushed me onto the makeshift bed and covered me with some clean sheets. She was so exhausted, and I could tell by her breathing. She climbed into bed with me after putting the old bed away. ¡°You talk too much,¡± she said quietly in my ear as Iy shamefully in an adult diaper. 65 65 Thalia¡¯s Pov He cried the entire night, and the sad reality was that there were no words I could say to him in order to alleviate his humiliation. I understood why he was crying; he was frustrated with life, and he was nearing the end of his condition, which he had dreaded. I couldn¡¯t help but think it was my fault; I was the one who was putting him under pressure with my secrets. Brandon¡¯s condition was always linked to his emotions, so I thought to myself as I started crying, ¡°I paralyzed him.¡± Maybe if I informed him about the machine, he¡¯d be excited, but the machine wasn¡¯t yet tested on animals or humans. With his stubbornness, he would have put pressure on me to use it on him before it was ready and I would have killed him. I was in a pickle, but instead of sobbing, I was supposed to be elerating my progress so that if it worked I would break the good news to him. The machine had to be put to the test. But I was too exhausted to even lift a cup and I had to put the baby into consideration; I needed to take a break, even if it was for an hour. I leaped to my feet and checked on him before heading to my wardrobe and taking out my secret phone, which was the main reason he failed to monitor what I was hiding from him. Nestor had purchased the phone in secret and instructed me on how to conceal it. I was very sure Brandon had my original phone wiretapped. I quickly sent Nestor a message and hid it back. If he was going to reply, he was going to reply on that line. I updated him on Brandon¡¯s condition and instructed him to hurry. Then I went back to my old phone and set my rm at four o¡¯clock, making sure that my headphones were connected. I didn¡¯t want to wake Brandon up with my rm. I was in desperate need of sleep. It didn¡¯t take long for the four and a half hours to pass before the rm went off. I was exhausted, but I needed to start the second phase of my project. I wiped my drowsy eyes and checked on Brandon immediately to make sure he wasn¡¯t awake. I quickly showered before heading to the garage to begin testing with my mice. Monkeys would have been a better choice but I had no time. Everything seemed fine at first until I started attaching the machine to the small bodies. I began with a low voltage that was capable of turning on the machine andpatible with a framework of mice. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and I began recording the progress. It was time to turn on the blood cirction between the machine and mice bodies so that the cells would be filtered out. I began raising the voltage, but the mice began to die even at voltages that were not human- output and the cells input were supposed to be in bnce but wasn¡¯t resulting in death due to ack of blood in the body. The mice went into anemia, shock, and finally death. I tried with over ten mice but each time I began the cirction, no matter how low the voltage, they all died. I cried angrily, ¡°I need it to work!¡± Brandon needed the machine, and I needed it to operate. I knew there was something wrong with what I was doing, but I didn¡¯t know what it was. I needed to go through my notes again, but there was no time; Brandon had time, and going back meant three more months. I sat defeated on the floor, certain that I had done everything correctly, but it was not to be. I failed, and maybe that¡¯s why I was so adamant about not informing Brandon, since I knew I was going to fail. How could I, since no one had ever invented anything like what I was trying to do and the professor was right, it was definitely humanly impossible. I was hit with a brick wall with nowhere to turn, I sat there thinking and only the singing of birds brought me to reality. Brandon was probably awake and thinking I had left him when I looked up and discovered the sun was up. I instantly pulled myself together and brushed away my tears, knowing that crying would never fix anything. I dashed back inside the house and found Brandon peacefully sleeping. I climbed onto the bed and encircled him. I decided not to go to work, I couldn¡¯t leave him like that. When he first opened his eyes, he needed to see me. Nestor was correct; I was too preupied with trying to find a solution for him to remember to spend time with him. Suddenly he shifted his hand to the side and slowly turned to the other side. ¡°Brandon,¡± I said as I felt him shift but I got no response. ¡°Brandon, you¡¯re moving, oh my G*d,¡± I screamed with delight and hugged him even tighter. I could feel the baby kick, she seemed to be enjoying herself. I tried to sp his hand with my tummy in order for him to feel the baby, but he swiftly withdrew his palm away from my grasp. I pulsed for a minute and then cooled down for a minute before saying, ¡°Sorry,¡± but received no response. I looked over to check and found his eyes wide open, but he refused to look at me. I tried to put my arms around him, but he stopped me as if he didn¡¯t want to be touched. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said again. The room fell silent; perhaps telling him about the gadget would cheer him up, but on second thought, it would just worsen his attitude. What good would it do for me to share my concept after I failed? If he was still interested in finding out what I was hiding from him then I would tell him about my failed project. ¡°Do you want something to eat?¡± I asked after clearing my throat and asking how he was doing but I got no response. It was followed byplete stillness. I had no idea what to do, but certainly, if he had cleaned me, I would be crying as well but he was a man and needed to man up. Maybe I was being too friendly, so I slid off the bed, holding my belly, and into a chair, taking a seat next to him. ¡°Brandon?¡± He finally stated, ¡°I want to eat scallops.¡± ¡°But, Brandon, we¡¯re out of scallops.¡± ¡°Purchase them,¡± he ordered. ¡°I can¡¯t and Nestor isn¡¯t returning my calls; how will I get around?¡± I inquired. ¡°The keys to the car are in the kitchen drawer,¡± he said. When I realized what he was attempting to aplish, I grinned; he was trying to get me out of the house, which was not going to happen. I had no intention of leaving him alone. ¡°Brandon, I¡¯m not going anywhere,¡± I replied. He said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll starve to death.¡± I couldn¡¯t believe what wasing out of his mouth, so I grabbed my phone and dialed Nestor¡¯s number, but got no reply. Then it hit me, Maggie. I quickly dialed her number and she answered on the first ring. I instructed her to bring her stup*d son over and some scallops. I grinned as I hung up the phone. ¡°I want scallops that you will buy, and I won¡¯t eat anything that isn¡¯t handpicked by you,¡± he ordered. Iughed and rose from my seat. I didn¡¯t want to get into a heated discussion with him. My phone beeped in seconds, and it was Maggie, telling me that Nestor was in Spain and would not make it. I eximed in frustration, The earliest was tomorrow evening. I gritted my teeth, Nestor was definitely useless, off all the days that I needed him he chose to get a life. I thought he was joking when he walked out on us. But I wasn¡¯t going down without a fight; he wanted scallops, and I was going to get them for him but I wasn¡¯t leaving the house. I made my way to the kitchen and started searching for stores. As long as you threw money to them, anyone in this country was capable of doing anything. I dialed my secretary¡¯s number, who was familiar with the area, and she had everything I needed in minutes. I grabbed my ice cream from the fridge and returned to my seat. He was still avoiding eye contact with me by facing the sheets, but that was fine, soon orter he was going to face me. ¡°I¡¯ll get you scallops,¡± I said. ¡°Why did you provide my address to aplete stranger?¡± he yelled. ¡°Yes, I gave a stranger your address, I will not abandon you Brandon, and you are mistaken if you believe thatmitting suicide will cure your problems. Kill yourself, and I¡¯ll kill myself and be assured that I¡¯m not joking, we made a promise to each other, remember that!¡± I yelled at him. ¡°I do not require you to leave the room,¡± he said, chuckling. I stood up and smacked him across the face with a strong p. I was so outraged and enraged that I resisted the urge to p him again. He wasn¡¯t expecting me to punch him, so he looked at me surprised. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them. ¡°I believe it is time for you to change your diaper and have your morning bath,¡± I remarked as I walked to the bathroom and returned with a dish of warm water and soap. I could see the red spots on his cheek from where I struck him, but he deserved it, how dare him. He tried to speak but I cut him off. I wasn¡¯t in the mood to listen to him and went on to remove his diaper and began cleaning him without making eye contact. ¡°You don¡¯t get tomit suicide after trapping me, no Brandon,¡± I said between tears. ¡°Didn¡¯t you trick me into consenting to have this child so that I wouldn¡¯t attempt suicide, or so that I would not go back to that bridge and jump if you died?¡± I inquired, but he was deafeningly silent. Between sobbing, I chuckled; I had worked out what he had done months ago, and I had only epted because I wanted Josh at my feet at the time and was too foolish toprehend what I was consenting to. ¡°I¡¯ve always questioned why a guy who liked me would sit back and watch the girl he liked being inseminated with her enemy¡¯s sperm. You expected I¡¯d be bored with the vengeance while you were gone, but not with the one thing my enemy deprived me of,¡± I expressed my displeasure, but he simply averted my gaze. ¡°Well, Brandon Fraser, you owe me,¡± I sobbed as I carried everything to the bathroom. I cleaned everything and decided to take a shower. I sobbed even more in the shower. ¡°Too much for the dumb revenge,¡± I thought to myself as I stood on the water. After I was done I began drying my hair and walked back to the bedroom. I found he had shifted N?velDrama.Org holds this content. positions, and he was now facing in the opposite direction. I changed quickly and beganbing my hair. The delivery man arrived shortly after and I dashed outside. I was brought boxes of scallops just as I had requested; I instructed the men to ce the boxes in the yard, and I handpicked enough scallops because he wanted me to hand-pick them. I thanked them and walked back into the house after paying them double. ¡°Here are your scallops, I hand-picked them from the boxes the workers delivered; if you want proof, you can view the surveince,¡± I said, but he didn¡¯t respond. ¡°I¡¯ll get them ready,¡± I said and walked out of the room. 66 66 Jessica¡¯s pov Everything seemed to be crumbling in front of my eyes, and I began to question if it was time to flee. I was squandering both my time and my attractiveness. Josh was not just overweight, but he had also lost his silly brain and was no longer interested in fighting either for thepany or our marriage. He hadn¡¯t slept since heid his eyes on Thalia, for the past two days he was up all night drinking himself to death and ming me for our childless marriage. I almost snapped and told him the truth the other day when Victor walked in and whisked me away. The insults were beginning to be too much for me and for all the wealth and power Thalia acquired his only focus was the fact that she was pregnant while I was not. I couldn¡¯t understand why Victor insisted on not telling his obnoxious son everything. We wouldn¡¯t have gotten to the point where everything was too messy to tell him if we hadn¡¯t chosen to lie to him in the first ce. I needed to start nning my next step, but I had no idea what to do; no agency wanted to sign me, despite the fact that I had never worked for Gentex, my crime was that I was married to Josh. Thalia and her useless finance made sure that nopany hired me. I did not require proof. Victor was correct; she was the source of our misery. I had intended to offer her my piece of mind yesterday, but she wasn¡¯t in her office, not even Victor was sessful enough to find her at the office. It was as if she materialized out of nowhere to notify us that we were being screwed and then vanished. Her foolish employees didn¡¯t know her address, and she didn¡¯t have a page or a social media ount. Her line was off, she vanishedpletely off the face of the world. What was even weirder was the fact that it had been two years since anyone saw her Fiance. Everything seemed to be out of whack and nothing was making sense. The door opened and Victor walked in ¡°Get your coat, we need to talk,¡± he ordered. ¡°Did you manage to locate the sc*mbag?¡± I enquired. ¡°Forget about her for a moment,¡± he murmured, motioning me to join him. I could tell he was furious, so I grabbed my coat and followed him to his car. He drove for a few minutes before stopping and telling me to exit the vehicle. I took a look around and realized we were parked in the center of the street. ¡°Can you tell me what¡¯s going on?¡± I inquired. ¡°Just get out of the car,¡± he answered. I got off, and he did the same. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I enquired. ¡°Brandon Fraser has ears everywhere, and our house could be bugged,¡± he exined. I stared at him confused, ¡°so that¡¯s why I brought you here? Are you saying he and ugly Thalia have been watching us?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how Brandon works; right now, my people are sweeping the house and office for anything,¡± he responded. My stomach dropped as I realized Thalia would have had a front-row ticket to all the sh*t that went on in my useless life. I knelt in shame, feeling like crying, but instead ended up yelling at the top of my lungs. I wanted Thalia, I wanted her head on the silver tter. The b*tch had seen all the hell her ex-husband had put me through. ¡°Calm down,¡± Victor stated, ¡°I¡¯m not even on the terrible news yet.¡± What was worse than Thalia knowing everything, I thought to myself as I nced up at him? ¡°Do they know Josh is impotent?¡± I asked, if they were watching us it was only inevitable. ¡°No, we¡¯ve never talked about it in the house, and if they knew, Thalia would have already informed Josh to spite him.¡± ¡°You are correct,¡± I replied. ¡°Anyway, almost all of our shareholders have sold their shares to a private buyer,¡± he remarked. ¡°After consulting withwyers, we discovered our people are secretly selling off and jumping off the sinking ship.¡± ¡°Does Josh know?¡± I stood up and asked. ¡°He¡¯s too deranged to care,¡± he replied. ¡± Brandon Fraser,?¡± I posed the question. ¡°That¡¯s how he works; he¡¯s gradually taking over thepany while we were dealing with thewsuits.¡± He grabbed my hands and said, ¡°We found the individual who has been sabotaging us all this while.¡± I felt like I was going to suffocate as he told me to breathe in, I had always assumed our misfortune was due to karma. Even when the news of Thalia¡¯s disappearance broke, I felt horrible for her when in actual fact she was the one responsible for the hell I was going through ¡°Calm down, Jessica; I need you to be strong for what I¡¯m about to say,¡± ¡°I want Thalia to die, and I want her to die forever!¡± I screamed at the top of my lungs. ¡°But first, we have to make sure they don¡¯t find out regarding your incapacity to conceive,¡± he exined. I came to a halt and stared at him; his son was the one who was dead in his pants, and there was no way out. He let go of my hands and turned around to face the opposite direction. ¡°Simply instruct Josh to alter the use,¡± I reminded him. It was long overdue. ¡°He holds me responsible for everything. Last night, I attempted and he told me to shove thepany in my a*s. He¡¯ll simply give thepany over to Brandon, and if he switches it to him, I do not trust him, he might gamble thepany away. He has started gambling.¡± ¡°So, what are you proposing? Please tell me you have a strategy in mind.¡± I was in tears. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything, and Brandon cr*p has ensured that no firm will hire me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll return to prostitution,¡± he stated as if he was putting salt on my wounds. ¡°Shut up! I¡¯m not returning to that life! Never! Before I return, Thalia will be dead!¡± I yelled at the top of my lungs. ¡°Then became pregnant,¡± he suggested. ¡°And how do you expect I be pregnantst time I checked your son had no sperm,¡± I joked, not knowing whether he was getting too old or if he, like his wife, was suffering from dementia.¡± ¡± You will get pregnant by my sperm¡± he replied without shame. My hand went up in an attempt to p the fool, but he grabbed it. ¡°You¡¯re better than me when ites to makingpromises in life,¡± he stated. I spat on him with pleasure, it was an insult that he even had the audacity to request me to do such nonsense. I had no problem cheating on Josh, in fact, I would only be returning the favor but cheating on him with his father and on top of it getting pregnant was so low and inhumane. Who did he think I was? ¡°Take me back to my residence,¡± I yelled at him. He swiftly released my grip and wiped the drool from his brow. ¡°If you get pregnant, you be a stakeholder through the child,¡± he exined. Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. ¡°Are you an animal? How dare you rmend that your son¡¯s wife be impregnated by you! Josh was correct in his assessment of you; you are egotistical and will drag anyone along with you to get what you want!¡± I became enraged and yelled at him. He chuckled and averted his gaze. He answered, ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m asking you to do something we¡¯ve never done before.¡± I approached him and mmed into him, nearly knocking him out. ¡°You m*ron, it was a long time ago, long before I even met Josh!¡± He turned around and grabbed me, dragging me towards the car and pinning me. ¡°How do you suppose Thalia got Brandon to do her dirty deed for her?¡± He asked but I merely gazed at him. ¡°Do you think she just happened to run into him and told him her story, and he agreed to assist her? She probably sacrificed her soul or even worse,¡± he continued, his eyes wide open as though possessed. I attempted to shove him away from me, but he was clinging to me. ¡°Yes, what am proposing is hical, but your marriage is already a sham; Josh is probably f**king some street wh*re, and if you divorce him, you won¡¯t even get a spoon from the kitchen because everything belongs to Thalia or the Bank!¡± he spat out. We were so close and practically breathing each other¡¯s air. ¡°You know what, you know what? Josh was persuaded that you were the problem, and he proceeded to f**k hiswyer raw in the hopes of having an heir,¡± he said. I turned to face him, assuming he was lying and attempting to manipte me. ¡°Ask him if he f**ks wh*res with condoms? Or better still, look through his wallet for condoms,¡± he continued. I stared at him without responding; ¡°I¡¯m not pressuring you; I¡¯m only presenting a proposition. You get pregnant, tell Josh it¡¯s his, and he regains his will to battle for thepany; then I can urge him, or even influence him, to modify the provision to wife, kid, and sibling. It¡¯s a win-win situation for you because you¡¯ll get something regardless of how horrible things turn out.¡± I kept staring at him, stunned at how a father would betray his own son for financial gain. He let go of my hand and started putting his jacket back together. When his phone beeped, he got it out of his pockets, opened it, and turned to face me. ¡°My men havepleted their search, and I was correct in my assumption that Thalia was listening to us and watching us. Get in the car,¡¯ he urged, motioning me to do so. I gathered my belongings and slid into the rear seat, avoiding eye contact. I couldn¡¯t look him in the eyes with what he¡¯d just proposed, but he was correct about one thing: My marriage to Josh had ended, and I had nothing, no money, no home, and no job? Thalia was going to see to it that I was degraded to the same level as she was. Having a kid with Victor, however, was a taboo, there had to be another better solution. When we got to the family house, his men were already waiting for us. ¡°Are you able to figure out who owns the equipment?¡± Victor enquired The man responded, ¡°Josh, your son.¡± Victor and I exchanged puzzled looks before he walked up to the man and took the microphone and cameras, confirming that they had been installed by Josh¡¯s securitypany. He got out his phone and contacted the security firm¡¯s manager, who confirmed that his men had been dispatched to our house, the family¡¯s residence, and thepany. When questioned who gave the order, he said thepany owner via a memorandum, which he promptly sent. We could obviously see that the signature was neither Josh¡¯s nor Victor¡¯s. I watched as Victor¡¯s face began to turn purple, and he yelled and flung his phone against the wall. ¡°The idiot has bought our securitypany!¡± ¡°How?¡± I asked confused. ¡°Using the back door, this is why you should think about my proposal, Brandon Fraser has already corrupted everything in thepany, it is only the inheritance shares that he can¡¯t touch,¡± he said to me but I only stared at him. He walked out of the house and demanded for an answer by noon tomorrow. I was left staring at the smashed cameras, we were definitely dealing with someone dangerous. We couldn¡¯t even take him to court for invasion of our privacy because he had made sure to use our