Thalia's Pov

As the judge gave out the final divorce judgment, I kept squirming and pulling on my sweater. My mind
went completely blank. I already knew the outcome at the back of my mind. While I was idle, foolish, and
stupid in love, he planned it all out, calculated it, waited, and struck.

I turned my head and glanced at the man who was expecting the same outcome, 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 bonnet, 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?” My lawyer called my name, “Miss Nash,” but I ignored him. The judge had scarcely
read out the verdict for two seconds when the moron 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 villa. The villa which they both shared and was purchased with my money, my birthright money.

Everything they possessed was mine, and the court just ruled on the company and handed it to them
because I was so foolish as to sign on every piece of paper he placed 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 calculated attempt to offend me and make me shed more tears.

My lawyer 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 Biotech company, a company owned by Josh Nelson, that's the man who
just divorced me and left me with nothing. His company was on the verge of bankruptcy when his father,
my late Father's best friend, came up with a proposal. And together with my father, they decided to
merge their companies.

My father's company 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 had come 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 the lawyer 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 contact. All of the lawyers
had turned down my case because my signature was all over the place, but Derrick only accepted it
because he was the husband of one of my high school classmates.

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 place 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 ladies'
restroom and stared at the helpless figure in the mirror. The biggest knucklehead, the scumbag 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 was completely 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 had
complete control over all of my finances, and it never occurred 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-dollar 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.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 fucking black in color?' I
cursed myself.
When I turned the corner, Josh and his skank were chatting to their lawyer. They came to a halt and
peered at me as soon as they saw me.

“Oh, my God! Did she just pour water on herself?” Jessica the skank yelled, causing everyone around to
look at me.

Josh kept his palm on his mouth as if he was about to laugh, but restrained himself. A voice in my head
told me to get away, but as I tried to move, my feet went numb, compelling me to stare at the floor.

Josh said out loud, "Sweetheart, we don't have time for this; remember, we have a wedding to plan." My
heart skipped out of nowhere, and I was on the verge of passing out. For the sake of balance, 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 my lawyer, 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 skank 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 accident.”

He suggested, "Oooh Thalia, come with us; you are welcome to stay at our house till you get up on your
feet."

Before I could reply Melissa cradled me and exclaimed, "Ooooh my God, 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 a lawyer 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're coming 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 my lawyer 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 moron 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.
“Hey lady! 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 skank.

I noticed a plastic 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 knob 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 occurred to
me that he had changed all the doorknobs and locks. He couldn't possibly be so stupid!! 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 glanced inside the plastic bag and to my shock, it contained my
belongings. Like some animal, everything was packed in a disposable plastic 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 blacklisted 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 were laughing
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 plastic, and started walking, I had no destination but I just told myself to keep
walking. I was fatigued, blank 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 shit out of me without a trace.

Or a car to slam 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 place? 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 ever come upon my stupid 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
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.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, similar 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 I 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 to commit 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 pissed, 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 recommend you find another bridge to toss
whatever is in your plastic,” I said firmly.

She gazed down at the plastic 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,
prompting her to give me a confused expression that quickly transformed to rage and she began
smacking me in the face with the plastic 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 of coming 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 my hand in hers. I was certain the bridge would collapse, but after a few minutes, it came to a halt.

I yelled at her, "Get off of me!"

“Oooh, 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!” she laughed, it was amusing to see a crying face laughing. “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.

“I'm sorry, maybe you should have sent me an email when you planned to commit 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 snatched her by the sweater. She was not going to out-jump me.

“You're not jumping first,” I said, coughing. “Your stupid body will probably get stuck on a rock, blocking
my body, and when they find us, they'll probably think we were lovers who committed 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 I'm 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, "I'm 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 you wouldn't probably date me."

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 wouldn't 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

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 cockiness 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 splattered 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 fucking business!” he spat, causing more clots to land all over my face. He simply glanced
aside without apologizing. I was curious as to who had reared him, as he lacked 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 planned to commit 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 stupid
coincidence, the shithead decided to end his life on the same day I did, and he couldn't even use another
bridge.

He knelt and sat next to me, much to my astonishment, but remained silent. We sat and watched the
sunset, which was strange because none of us dared to jump.

To my amazement, he responded, "It's beautiful." Finally, rather than rudeness or mucus, he said
something kind. I cocked 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 was completely 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 chocolate bar.

“Were you planning to kill yourself with a chocolate 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 to commit 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 chocolate 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
chocolate. I couldn't remember when I had chocolate last.

He chuckled and was on the verge of laughing, but he held himself back. His face evident with shock, he
asked, "You walked all the way here?"

I answered, "Yes."

I could see he wanted to say something but couldn't or he was debating it in his head. He murmured
something and coughed. “pardon?” I asked. But he remained silent, and I gradually came to understand
him; he wasn't a blabbermouth.
But, because I was in the mood to converse, I said something even though I knew he wouldn't respond.

“I wanted to run in front of a moving car at first, but there were no cars on the highway...imagine 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.

“I was driving, and I'm parked down there. I was about to hit a tree but then I realized that if I survived,
I'd probably become paralyzed or brain-damaged, and I'd just end up in a fucking hospital again,” he
raged.

"I despise the stench of that place,” he added.

I giggled as if he'd said something amusing, which made him look at me.

I retorted, "You should have just snatched the pill tray and overdosed yourself."

He said, "The other guy who did it recently ended up in a coma."

“So you've been considering killing yourself for days?” I inquired.

“About a year,” he replied. “But on the day I finally had the balls, 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 snatched a strand of my hair and
smelled it; yeah, he was right; it smelled awful, and I couldn't recall the last time I washed it.

But then I remembered that he said “year." I couldn't comprehend what sort of hell he was experiencing
to be contemplating 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 stupid 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 saddest story gets to jump second,” he suggested.

I turned and glanced 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?” I asked, 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 saddest story jump last?” 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.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 they laughed at me for my folly. It
wasn't going to make any difference if one more person laughed. 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 to laugh.

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 Thalia Nash, and I am the world's most foolish and useless lady," 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 closest companions. 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 a large Biotech equipment company, 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 popular
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 I fought was miraculous. Josh's father's business
went bankrupt, and in order to rescue it, my father agreed to merge his company 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 the company along to our children.

My father's company already had a clause in place 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 planned, and everything
seemed to be going according to plan; 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 planet. 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 in labs or studying, despite the fact that we grew up in a rich family. But
when I was with Josh, I felt complete, 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 recommended that we
invest the company'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 the company, 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.

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.

I grew so preoccupied with the prospect of being pregnant that I completely forgot about my company.
And he gradually took over, beginning with replacing 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.

I agreed to whatever he proposed. It was Josh Josh Josh Josh Josh Josh Josh Josh
After 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 mentally 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 occasionally hear movement on the bed. When I awoke, he'd laugh
and invite me to join them.

I blamed 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 blame him because I never questioned everything he did or said. I always agreed with
everything.

Then he met Jessica and became an even larger monster; the abuse escalated, 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.
My lawyer had already hinted that I would lose the lawsuit, especially that I had even signed a prenup
unknowingly.

Josh had meticulously arranged everything. My lawyer tried to use the abuse and manipulation 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.

My lawyer attempted to utilize the bogus medicines that Josh had been giving me, but when I was called
to testify, his lawyer made me doubt everything to the point that I started crying.

When my lawyer'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 Josh 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 his lawyer'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 pharmaceutical company 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.
How can a full-grown lady with a degree from the country's top university be duped and played?

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 stupid as me?” I asked and looked up at his shocked
face.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. I knew she was always mine, to begin with. She
smelled 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 orgasm 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 collapsing company and emerged with a multibillion-dollar empire.

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
place, 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 unlawful 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 playing with
her chin, I questioned, "Who?"

“The idiotic Harvard graduate,” she said, sending both of us into laughter.

“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 the lawyer continue to feed her, she is a woman, and he can't feed and keep her forever?” she
clarified.

“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 out laughing; 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 plastic 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 collateral 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
inflicted 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.

I lifted myself and kissed her on the lips again as she smiled. I knew I was the luckiest man on the planet
to have her. “Perhaps the engagement celebration can be combined with tomorrow,” I proposed.

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 of combining 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, claiming 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,” I explained 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 plastic bag of her
clothes and left on foot, according 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 class 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 pissed. 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 play hard to get, but she knew she was already wet from the
rubbing she had given me earlier.
She enjoyed such games, playing hard to get while constantly being aware of her flaws. Her breasts
weren't as big or firm as Thalia's, not that I was comparing, but deep, aggressive sucking was always the
key to her opening wide for me.

I assaulted her breast one by one with the last 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 Biotech company.Brandon's Pov

I looked at her in astonishment, expecting her to rectify whatever joke she was narrating. But all she did
was glance 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 claim 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 out laughing, much to her surprise. I laughed so loudly that if anyone was
passing by on the highway, they could have heard my laughter. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I
coughed violently; my chest ached, but that did not bother me.

I couldn't recall the last time I laughed that hard; it had been long. The woman next to me was the
dumbest person on the planet. 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.

“You said we should share our stories, not laugh at each other,” she murmured, her arms folded and her
gaze averted. However, I couldn't stop myself from laughing 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 stupid 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 laughing, our
hearts racing simultaneously.

The truth was that we were cowards. The bridge came to a halt, and I was the first to speak.

“Thalia, dumb or stupid 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 stupidity? 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 can laugh and
grill me,” I replied.

She groaned and responded, "Well, to be honest, I have all my cells intact; take me to any biotech
company and I will run it, even invent," she laughed.
To be honest, I was starting to love her company; 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 become
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 Internet 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 accident 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's largest transportation
network, but I proved them wrong.

Mandel Logistics was the largest regulator of distribution and transportation companies in the country,
and we controlled the entire transportation network. There were four modes of transportation: land, air,
rail, and road.
Every transportation company 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, planes, 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 company,
and distributor. We made millions to billions of dollars in months, if not weeks.

I built a billion-dollar empire from the million-dollar 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 unsuccessful.

However, like with any corporation, transportation of imports and exports required a regulatory body,
which I and my associates provided.

I was on top of the world, living high on Booze, clubbing, and drugs while lurking in plain 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 orgasms, extended periods of drug-induced body pleasure.

I would buy and experiment with whatever sex drug my ears heard of, and we would have sex parties
from Friday to Sunday at daybreak. We would replace 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,
practiced community 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, large clots of blood poured out my mouth.

I ignored it and went to work, and that was the last encounter of my previous life. My secretary claimed
that I passed out at the door of my office and awoke two weeks later.

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-week coma. They
had previously diagnosed me with Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia, a type of uncommon 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 circulation 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 (AIHA) 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
replace 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 transplanted the complete bone marrow, which was the source of all blood cells, but that just
accelerated 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 transplanting 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 organs.

The lungs were severely damaged, which is why I got clots every time I coughed. All of the transplants I
had over the course of a year simply served to spread the infection to every organ 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 the lavish 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's last 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 organ transplants 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 a combination 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 my company.

Visitors began to flood my home, there were slews of lawyers 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 to
languish 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.Thalia's Pov

Unlike him, who had busted out laughing 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.

I shed a tear for him, and I strangely forgot about my shitty existence. I had all the time in the world, but
as he stated, I lacked the brain 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.

I figured he didn't want to talk about his condition. He didn't want my compassion; yes, we were
complete strangers, but his story was heartbreaking, I could not wish it on anyone except for Josh of
course.

Yes Brandon lived a life of immorality but he never hurt one, it was another case of good people getting
their lives shitted on.

“So you have cancer?” I cleared my throat.

“It could be cancer, autoimmune disease, anemia, or a combination 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 moron, 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 your company?” I asked.

“Are you interested in it? Would you reconsider committing 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 your company, I'm only curious” I responded. “And why didn't the board outsit you or
something?”

He laughed and told me to relax. “Clauses, Thalia, clauses,” he said as he pulled out his phone he said,
"I'm taking my companies 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 fucking 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 place, 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 planning his suicide and collapsing of his company for almost a year, and there
was no way he could change his 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 shity 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 play with them. I said, "I don't have any money to donate."

He scoffed and averted his gaze. “Ooh, I forgot your stupid husband stole it from you,” he said. “Perhaps
you should go fight for it, take it, give it away, then come 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 snatched his phone from him and
swiftly switched it off.

“Who are you calling?”

“My lawyer, I'm changing the plans of sinking my company to handing it over to you,” he replied.

“Are you a moron, and why would you do something like that?”

“Because I want to give it to you, you're right about me being heartless 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
committing suicide because I didn't have any money or because I had been betrayed? I started 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 the lawyers declined to take my case or when my lawyer 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 into laughter.

“Shut up!” I screamed at him.

“You have nothing to lose if you take my money. Aside from that, another man will come 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 accept your money, and you will not persuade me otherwise," I
responded.

He mockingly laughed, 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."

I locked 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.

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. I had earlier noted his focus on my chest area on a few occasions since I stepped on the
bridge but I had ignored it.Brandon's Pov

I stared at her as she covered her chest in irritation, I found it adorable and burst out laughing. I moved
away, my chest felt heavy, and I coughed loudly, larger clots pouring out, but I simply wiped my mouth.

The brainless girl was going to kill me with laughter. She managed to make me laugh 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 one last 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, one last 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 reclaiming
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. The last 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 me laugh,” I said, smiling.

Her eyes welled up as she gazed at me. “But why would you waste your last 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 play with her nails.

“Thalia It's simple: I assist you in destroying your useless hubby. You get your money, which you can
donate if you wish, and if you wish, you can come 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 die laughing," I said.

She continued, perplexed.

“Wasn't it supposed to be about beating the clock?” she asked.

“Time is irrelevant; this is fate. Thalia, you didn't come up here to jump, but to meet me, and neither did
I,” 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 reclaim what is rightfully yours!”

“Quiet! You are a complete 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 slapped me across the face. It was a cold night, which made the slap even more
painful. My heart began to race and blood began to flow from my nostrils. In shock, she held her mouth.

“Oh my God, 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 was completely
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 felt compelled 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 firm command 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 slap.
“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 footprintsThalia'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 occupy his mind or pass the little
time. I hurriedly snatched up my plastic 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 snatched it, I scowled; he was clearly a high-class jerk. He took out his phone, turned on the
flashlight, and led the way.

“Watch your step, this area of the bridge is dangerous," he said.

“What is the plan?” I inquired.

“I'm parked down there as I mentioned earlier,” he explained. 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 plastic 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 moron!” I yelled at him.

He remained silent, though, and continued to display the foolish flush. I was down swiftly and irritably
took up my plastic. 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 slammed 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 skank. 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 to lay my caution stick close to me. I bent down, cut
the wires, and the car started with a smidgeon of spark. He clapped, 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.

I froze 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 I combed 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 dropped out of the public eye.

After that, all articles were rumors and speculations regarding his whereabouts, with claims that he was
dead before his illness was revealed, even though the articles claimed 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 glove compartment and resumed driving.

“What made you come 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 already late, 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 stupid. I could only imagine the articles if he died in the car with me; I'd be declared guilty on
the spot.

There were red flags all over the place, 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 similar 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 placed my fingers on his neck. He suddenly leaped up,
as if he was experiencing a nightmare, I could only assume my hands were chilly.

“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 plastic 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 placed 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 trespassed, 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 too late to
turn back. Before accompanying 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 was completely 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, pissed, “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 glanced 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.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 manipulation paid off, and the results were even better than we had
planned. 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's compound, 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
the final divorce court hearing, but I informed him as soon as the judge read out the lovely lullaby.

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 the late Charles Nash and his
daughter. I told him to accept 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 accede to his plans 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 to compete with him,
outshining our gadgets and bankrupting us. We were on the verge of becoming 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 successful entrepreneur to an alcoholic old rug.

Despite all of our efforts, she relapsed, and every time I saw her, my blood boiled causing me to become
even more determined to eliminate the enemies who had put her into melancholy.

“How is she?” I posed the question.

He took me inside, saying, "She was asking for you." He continued, “Did Jessica agree to combine the
two parties?”
"We're talking about Jessica," I joked, "and she's still upset at me for even mentioning it," I answered,
making him laugh.

“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, his 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 place 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 explained.

“What happened to Thalia, Josh? When is she going to deliver those chocolate cookies?" mum inquired,
interrupting us. It seemed her memory had moved up some years. Dad and I froze, even though she
adored the chocolate 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 to come with them tomorrow,” I responded as she swiftly moved over to the window,
completely ignoring us.

“She'll stand in front of that window until her legs give out; it's time to commit her to a facility. She'll
never be the same," Dad stated.

“I'm not going to put my mother in an institution! If you want to have sex with your idiot secretary, go
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 slat that became available. 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 blame for mom's condition. To be honest I inherited that promiscuous life though I tamed it when my
eyes set on Jessica. I planned 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 reclaim 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 had laid herself for. She took a seat in a corner and
began playing 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.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
god who had given me such fate.

When I peered across the room, I noticed the fragile creature that had thwarted my carefully planned
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 particular house. My secret
hideout, my heaven.

I glanced 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 shit 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 placed 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 unsuccessful 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 glancing at while she tried to move me again. I was curious as to how large
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 you last had a bath?" I inquired, solemnly.

She quickly let go of me, embarrassed, and moved away, attempting to catch her foul odor. I sighed and
motioned for her to move closer, after which I climbed into the wheelchair using her body as a stair.
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 slammed the wheelchair down and became enraged. “What happens if it gets stuck, throws me off, or
electrocutes me?” She looked at me puzzled, and unlike last 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 planning on making her take 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 but lacked the language 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 planned to commit suicide but changed our minds last minute, and I made a
foolish pledge to her. The sleep allowed us to contemplate; 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 me company
for the rest of my days.

Her idiocy made me laugh after so many years. Yes, I was going to do everything I could to get her
anything from her husband as compensation, 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 skipped a beat as I dashed inside my room to discover it was empty; both her plastic 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, particularly 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 reconsider her 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 dollars into his account once he took the job. With a smile, I walked to the
bathroom full of life.Thalia's Pov

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 plastic 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 stupid coward. His first idea of moving to a small town and starting all over was not
a bad idea.

When I accepted his offer, I was completely 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 a large 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 size compared to the first one. It was surrounded by four doors.

It was like my mind was playing 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
someplace, so I dashed through it, which led to two doors.

Something wasn't quite right in the stupid 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 a larger 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 glass-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
relax; there was no reason to be alarmed.

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 the last 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
plastic 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 he coming for me? He should have realized I was missing? Maybe he died in the toilet, I
reasoned, it was the only explanation why he wasn't looking for me. If that was the case, I'd be lost in the
silly house for the rest of my life.

The thought made me even more panicked, and I proceeded to slam 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 I commit 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 playing 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 a lavish 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 applauding his son for all of his
accomplishments, or should I say thefts.

The crowd erupted in applause as a new logo appeared on the room's walls; the company, my company,
was changing name. It was a gathering to celebrate the company's rebranding. As I turned to 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,
stupid Brandon. He had been watching me all along. That moronic 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 the company's new name. It seemed
like I was reliving the court case. “Gentex group of companies,” he declared, freezing my entire body.
The crowd applauded as he turned to kiss Jessica passionately.

Was Brandon torturing me or was he friends with Josh? “Please God 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 claimed 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 started laughing 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. The last thing I remember seeing was absolute darkness
before I completely shut down.Josh's Pov

Despite my father's best efforts to ruin my night, everything was going according to plan. 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 replace 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 the company, as we were about to embark on a new chapter in a new
company the following week. Gentex group of companies was the new name, and it was a public
company with a slew of tiny businesses under it, rather than the one-man show that had been INc
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 clauses that only I could amend. At the very least, my late
father-in-law taught me one thing. The idea made me laugh.

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 a long
night, I planned to bathe in between her legs while they all returned home to their freezing beds,
imagining what it was like.

"Are things going as planned at the party?" Her voice was soothing to my ears as she inquired.
"More than I hoped," I said while I placed 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 the company. You are the right man for the job,
they all knew it was going to be you."

I burst out laughing 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 slap 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 plain 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 declared 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 this later, 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
flashed through my mind. Before I began comparing 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 could command 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.

“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 and commanded 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 explained.

“Then keep mum 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 preoccupied with setting up the company 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 than later.”

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, "Fuck 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.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 class A jerk, so I moved aside a little, turned on my tablet, and went on to watch her
foolish ex-husband being blackmailed with sex in order to put his mother in a mental 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, according to the information he gathered. The third place was his office which proved to
be the most challenging.

Every morning, the idiot swept the place 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 and last 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 farted. 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-planned by
his father. Or maybe he had the brains, but Jessica Mel was definitely his weakness.

Jessica Mel on the other hand was a show-off, based on my observations during the party; her full hair to
nail polish would be valued at ten thousand dollars. She had a high taste, that was evident and was solely
in the relationship 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 place during the party flaunting her flat chest and plasma backside for all to see. To
be honest, she wasn't my type; I preferred a lady 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 two ladies 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.

"Oooh, 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 fucking 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 glanced 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 become 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 collapsed 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?"

“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 to come and go at any time but…”

She raised her hand and climbed off from the bed before I could finish, seeking for her plastic 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 explained.

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 accompany me to the end. I instantly backed aside
and walked right to the correct door and opened it.

"I would have accompanied 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 accidentally 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 stupid 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 to commit 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.Thalia's Pov

As I walked out of the room, his sorrowful face kept flashing in my mind. His eyes were the saddest 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 blast of chilly
air greeted me.

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 glove compartment, 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 out laughing when I stomped on the gas and drove away.

I stepped on the gas hard and drove away like a lunatic, laughing 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 slammed on the brakes hard, nearly losing control of
the car.

After a brief pause, I broke out laughing, I laughed so that tears began running down my cheeks. I turned
around to face the back.

I was free to depart because, he wasn't coming 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 skank, 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 had completely 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. Screw 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 shit.
In minutes I was back at the house, I was surprised to see the gate open; something wasn't right; he was
always particular 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 to 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 ambulance, but my phone was in the plastic 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 place 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 explained.

My mouth hung open as I wiped my tears in shame. I was convinced he had committed 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 contemplated 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 occupy my mind as I began counting the crystals on the Chandler.

I chuckled remembering how I meant the psycho 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 planning just like the way he planned screwing me over?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 reclaim my company 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 in order to avoid
such thoughts.” As if he could read my mind, he stated.

It was always perplexing to me how he went from pervert 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 or comparing penises.

With shaky legs, I picked up the paperwork and sat down. Brandon's company was an empire, very huge
in comparison 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 explained. 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 declaring that I'm unfit. I would be summoned to defend my fitness and I'll lose
my company," he clarified the situation.

I bit my lower lip in surprise, “but I thought your company had clauses giving you full ownership?” I
asked.

“After I pulled off my attempt to sink the company at the last minute, they discovered it which grants
them a legal case and a vote," he replied.

For a brief period, I was deafeningly silent.

"Yes, Thalia, I have the money to take down Josh, but I need my company," he explained. "There are
things I can do with the company that I can't do with my money."

As my anxieties began to rise, I pretended to be glancing 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 into
a 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 explained as he demonstrated his company'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 his company 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 perving 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; he seemed to have planned out everything or at least had a thoroughly thought
out plan.

He instructed me to put on a suit and pitch for him. I was befuddled as I glanced 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 pervert 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!”

“If you wish, you can give me a nickname too," he replied.

I ignored him and asked, “are there any cameras in the toilet or bathroom?”

He said, "No, I'm not a fan of seeing myself masturbate or shave,” 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 places 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 place, but not in a sluty way, and the clothes fit me in a sexy way. Yes, I inherited both
my father's brilliance and my mother's large chest and looks but yet I was so dumb.

I knew the pervert 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 plain black 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 the last time I felt so
good about myself. The pervert 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 the last 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 relax, 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, pissed.

“Men use their penises to think, imagine how dumb they would be if a beauty like you walked in flashing
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 gay?"

“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 was laughing at me, the next praising me. He looked at his watch and
exclaimed, "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. The last thing my
minion share orders want is for word of me sinking the company to get out. The company's stock would
plummet, so they'd have to replace 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 relax 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.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 uncomfortable and on the verge of panicking.

“I merely came to make sure you didn't use my towel," I explained 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 a lady 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.”

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 I lay down on the bed, my back started paining," I explained. She locked her gaze on me and
drew closer as if she was going to slap me in the face. I swayed but she placed 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 spooked 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 God! 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 relax; it was all normal for my temperature to shoot up
all of a sudden; I had grown accustomed to my melancholy 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 explained 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 slam me with the
cold water, I shrugged and drifted off. It was already dark when I awoke, and we were being battered by
large 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't complain.

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 with lasagna that
landed 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 plate, everything had
vanished.
“When am I going to get a thank you?” she began clapping 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 reclaimed the bed by the time she returned, she was going to sleep on the couch until she
felt comfortable 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 tight latex 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, displaying her lovely face, which she had always hidden behind a veil of misery.
I was so taken aback by her beauty that I merely glanced 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 the last 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 a last-minute love affair was
a formula 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 pervert 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 placed 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 place,” I said something in my little microphone, and she clamped 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 accepted 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 placed 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 the last.

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 was coming 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 and lasagna from the night before landed on the floor.

My chest squeezed and clots began to come out of my mouth and nostrils after my digestive system had
given up. Unlike most days when I simply threw up, they kept coming out with every cough and lasted an
eternity.

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 I landed on my vomit, “Thalia," I said as l lost consciousness.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 even compliment me on how nice I looked.
To be honest, he snatched 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.

We landed 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 explained.

“Please accept 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 explained 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 playing silly games. His
company's destiny was in my hands, and he was enraged over a dumb cleavage. Screw him, I yanked 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
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, my late father was his late father's driver and we went through junior high and high school
together. My father was killed in the car accident 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
relationship 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
explained.

From his buttoned-up position, he gave me a judgmental glare. 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 explain the
type of relationship 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 a large, 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
glass of water.

“Brandon is like a brother to me, and when I got a text from him last 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 glanced 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 exclaimed, "How dare he bring one of his sluts to this
meeting after trying to ruin the company!" He added.

My heart sank in as I realized that everyone in the room thought I was one of Brandon's regular sluts; it
was insulting. It also explained why Nestor was asking me stupid 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 stupid seats,” I yelled at the top of my lungs, breathing heavily.

“Whoever you are, young lady…”

“Shut up, first of all, I'm not Brandon's slut; 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 rehearsed 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 his company before he's even gone underground!" I indicated.

“Hold on, young lady, 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 the company's
downfall,” I began by asking who they intended to replace Brandon with but they were all in complete
silence.

“Brandon's idea is to allow him twenty-six days to run the company. During this time, he will choose his
successor and he will make you all shareholders of a firm he is attempting to buy as compensation for
trying to sink this company," I declared 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 accept my
proposal.

“Which business is this?” they asked.

“Gentex group of companies,” I replied. I knew Brandon was going to be pissed but if we got the
company back, we needed board members. And his members were money-thirsty company grabbing
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 the company, 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 clarify 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 successful?”

“No, you become 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 explained. “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 plans.

Just like that, the takeover was placed on hold in an instant. The discussion concluded with comments
and revisions, and the room was cleared. I stood up and took off my jacket, amazed at what I'd
accomplished. 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 glanced 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
explained. I approached him and slapped 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. The company, favorite foods, sports, trips, automobiles, and television shows,
but nothing.

Nestor seemed to know everything about Brandon, which was strange given Brandon's claim 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 playing 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 a complete 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
glanced 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 stupid 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.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 slapping 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 declared, "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 success, but it seemed like I'd have to wait. I
just sat there, playing with his hand, as Nestor, much to my astonishment, began cleaning the room. I
also noticed that he was familiar with the layout 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 to come up here when he was unconscious to see how he was doing. The doctor would
secretly allow me in," he explained. 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 him comfortable." I held down my wrath to scream at him. Brandon, unlike other
people who betrayed me or pitied and laughed 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 even laughed 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 God as I sat on my bed. Before I burst out, I decided to occupy 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 relationship 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 relationship; 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 your company
speech? Is he assisting you in regaining control of your company?" 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 salary," he said with a smile that suddenly became melancholy.

"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 explained as he sat down.

"When she recovered, he paid all the costs and reinstated her employment. Her employment helped me
become 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 a large 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 us large retirement payouts," he added, staring at me.

“Brandon is a strange man, as you've probably noticed. He treats anyone who comes 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 a complete 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?”

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 glanced 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 alarm 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 claimed 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 come
to clean and bathe him, followed by Magie later in the afternoon. I grew accustomed to them, 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 was completely free of both.

I even had a front-row seat to Josh and Jessica's wedding, which was the city's largest 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; I compared his happiness to my wedding, and I would have
noticed the red flags if I hadn't been so in love with him.

Only when Nestor appeared did I come 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 reclaim 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 the last day. Nestor
urged me to relax 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 stupid things,” said a tired cracked voice. Brandon was completely awake and
unplugging all the tubes when we both looked behind us.

"Oh my God, 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. Pervert 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 mini coma.

He said, "Five days off my little time."

“Are you starving?” I inquired.

“Your dumb pancakes, not food, placed me in this shit," 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 coma.

“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 applauded.

“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
plan.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 slammed 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 the company was clean, I needed to go through them myself to be sure. I
looked up as Thalia moved up to the bed and placed 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 the last,” 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 flaws.

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, a company 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 the company's majority shares.

Which irritated me forcing me to put a bounty on Thalia's company since she required complete 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 the company files for thirty minutes, looking for any abnormalities in how he stole the
company from Thalia, but it was all clean. I looked through the court records and judgments for any
loopholes or holes that the judge might have missed, but I couldn't find any. The corporation was
legitimately acquired.

Plan B was activated in place. I started looking for any shady or illegal dealings Josh Nelson may have had
or been involved in. But, according to my private investigator, he was spotless. He only ever committed
one crime, which was betraying Thalia.
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 plate 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 a coma often.

"Brandon," she exclaimed.

“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.

I laughed out loud.

“On a more serious note, if Magie and Nestor genuinely care about you, why did you lie and claim 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 had
come to ask for my company, 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 be compensated, 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.”

"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 out laughing. My heart
raced, but I ignored it, she was so forthright that I didn't anticipate her to catch me off guard. My
laughter was a means of masking my perplexed feelings. I had no idea what they were, and I had no
desire to find out. I finished my laughter and requested water.

I was staring at her as I sipped it, while she was waiting for my response awkwardly. I removed the glass
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 slapped 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 I
lacked.

However, instead of my company, they had something to occupy 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 and company, 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 place 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 her company.

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 a commitment 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, clause by clause, 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 clause 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 big companies to make sure that companies were passed
down to children. Some companies set aside as much as 60% or just 10% for shares that were not to be
sold but inherited. The shares were kept in the company accumulating profits.

Different clauses applied to different companies, it was up to the owners of the company. It was a smart
move and prevented companies like mine from taking over other companies or buying off shareholders.

According 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 the company. Whether he was
divorced or not, Thalia was his first spouse while Jessica was his second spouse.

Her father must have placed 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 becoming heated.

With more than half of the shares in the child's control that could put Thalia back into the company as its
mother and I would be able to quickly buy off or compel a sale of the remaining shares. My directors
would complete 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 a large family happily. On second thought, a baby was
just what she needed to complete 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 sex
part.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 pissed 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 congratulating us and leaving.

But I'd become accustomed to his irresponsibility and was the one who was usually cleaning up after
him. In celebration of Gentex's takeover, he claimed he needed to party his life away.

He was somehow taking full credit for it, even though it was his plan 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 sluts. 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
compromise for my wife; a happy wife equals a happy husband.

"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 words coming out of my mouth being so comforting. 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 orgasm at such a high altitude before. I leaped to my feet and resumed my packing,
causing her to burst out laughing. 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 place herself in front of me to cover my boner. 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 plane and displaying 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 explained 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 plane, where no one could hear us. She was
thinking the same thoughts that I was. Even though it had only been minutes since I last 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 playing 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 my large 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 cum. The soaring jet pushed us back, nearly
slamming 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 slams. We burst out laughing when the captain ordered
us to belt up in our seats over the intercom.

It was as if we were rich, spoiled teens who had just fallen in love and stolen our parents' aircraft, fleeing
to an island 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 collapsed 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 the lady I married was
unquestionably a machine. "At the very least, pour me a glass of wine," I asked.

"No, you're my slave, 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 slave. She always wanted to be in control when
it came to playing 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 orgasms. 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 glass of wife in her right hand.

It appeared we were playing 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 pissed."

"But it's only a game," she assured me, "come 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 according to her, I was her slave and had no choice so she disregarded me and demanded that we
play the game.

She offered that after she was done with me, we would switch roles and she would be my slave but I was
no longer interested in her games. I could see her becoming enraged since she had never received a no
before.

"Can you fuck me as you used to fuck 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 declared. 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 fucked 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 was comparing the two women, a battle I'd been battling for over a month.
As I came and landed 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 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 played a game in which you miserably failed."

I laughed and got myself a glass 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 her last months with me. She missed giving me ideas
on how to torment Thalia.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 of coming 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't
comprehend 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 fucked 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 clause in the paperwork that allows you to control half of the company which would pave
for access 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 plate, 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 particular on that clause 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 platter, 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 clause. 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
my last night as a single person, but he had to ruin it with clauses I didn't want to hear about.
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
accepted.

I felt a wave of shame when I realized he had me covered all the time, but I was too stupid 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 his company, I wanted what my father labored for.

“What if Jessica and Josh had a child?” I asked, ignoring his last statement.

“Thalia, Consider something objectively rather than emotionally,” he replied.

“Please respond to the question.”

“Josh would subsequently learn of the clause, there is always a revision in clauses 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 clause 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,
reclaiming what he robbed me of, motherhood and while at it, taking away the company he labored to
steal. The jerk in front of me was a total genius, no wonder he was untouchable even when he was
dying.

“Explain?” 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 your company, 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 preoccupied to remember the clause, 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, particularly 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 clause would have been changed. There
were so many factors at play, so many things to give up, and so many people, including myself to hurt, all
for my selfish gain.Brandon's pov

She lingered in the bathroom for an extended period of time, implying that she was considering it. I was
kicking myself for coming up with the proposal in the first place. 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 formula for disaster because there were so many factors in the plan 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 black 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's company, 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 plan succeeding. 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 a complete 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 glanced 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 accept my company, 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 placed 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 would commit suicide and his skank 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 plan 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 final laugh."
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 a laugh.

“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 stupid as you.”

"I swear and cross my heart,"she said laughing.

"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 perverted 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 laugh
and hit me.
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 accident," I said.

“What kind of accident?”

“Skiing accident, 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.

The last 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 accident goes wrong and he dies? Who gets the
shares?”

“The jerk is still drafting his will and consulting lawyers, 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, compelling 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 getting late, 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 claim him as your
new boyfriend,” I stated sending her to laughter.

"I knew there was a small heart inside of you that was jealous," she said.

"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 would come 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 out laughing, 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 gay," I told her, surprising the life out of her.

"There is something about the way he looks at me that screams gay?" 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 God, 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 had come 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 the last 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 smelled completely 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 preoccupied.

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 collapse 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 jackass.
"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.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 occur.

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.

Planning a wedding and taking over a large corporation In the same month could be very exhausting.
Anyone in my shoes could have collapsed by now. To relax 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 my laptop.

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 platforms, I conducted some last-minute touch-ups on the
company.

I hadn't checked any of my social accounts 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 flashed up.

I was taken aback by the fact that the accounts 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 dollars.

I responded to each post with a heart emoji and a comment 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 dollar that could have been spent on
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 had commented, I went over all of my company's platforms. I had a staff in charge of all company
pages, but I needed to double-check that they were being pushed in accordance with my company's
policies.

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 place that I preferred compared 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 obnoxious lawyer 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 place of business. I didn't
tell my wife about the incident since I didn't want her to be alarmed. It was clearly none of our business
what had happened to Thalia.

But yet there I was searching through her account. 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 the laptop. I didn't want Jessica to find me
looking into Thalia's account.

I slipped under the blankets and wrapped myself around her, calling it a night. It was going to be a busy
day the next day. Jessica had planned 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 very late 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 at last. When I looked up, all I saw was snow. The scenery was
lovely, but the layers 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 her comment had a deeper significance, so I remained silent.

"Going through your ex's Facebook account 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 account, 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 fucking hold on for one day? Is it because I asked you to fuck me in the same way you
fucked her? Were you masturbating with her photos!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, which
irritated me.

“Her dunderhead lawyer showed up at my workplace the other day and demanded to know where she
was!” I retorted angrily. "He accused me of doing something to her," I explained.

Her demeanor changed from irritated to perplexed "Thalia is missing?" she inquired,

"According to him she had not been seen for days and his line has been blocked" I replied.

"Do you suppose she... committed 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 was last seen heading away from the house on foot, according to my
neighbors. I had previously assumed she was living with the lawyer and his wife, but that was not the
case.

She had no friends or relatives, 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 out laughing like a lunatic, much to my surprise. "Well, her lawyer should go report her
missing and leave you alone," she replied while she laughed uncontrollably. "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 success,” 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 planned itinerary because we had missed our breakfast
reservation and scheduled skiing instead.

I couldn't recall the last 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 place 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 place as soon as we landed, 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, laughing 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 crap out of me and caused me to lose focus.

I could hear screams, but it was too late; the last 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.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 skank. 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 account, according to Brandon, who couldn't
sleep.

Derrick, my attorney, followed him to his workplace 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 was completed.

We sat there watching as Josh awoke and the two started bickering because Jessica was not pleased with
him snooping around my account and on top of it she had earlier ordered him to fuck her the same way
he used to fuck me.

Brandon glanced 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 without commenting. I knew the pervert 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 clarified he walked away and took a shower, and when he turned to dress up I looked
away, causing Brandon to laugh.

"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 a complete moron.

Why would she beg Josh to fuck her the same way he used to fuck me? Were their useless lives that
boring or was she taunting me?

“How come 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 explained.

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 snatched
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 plan. We were watching a horror movie, he claimed, and there were no spoilers.

Everything seemed regular 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 skank.

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 had committed
suicide? How could they be so harsh, Jessica even dared to laugh 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 become 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 success 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
blame 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,
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 succeed."

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.Jessica's Pov
My skiing board lay partially drenched in Josh's blood on the frozen surface as I stood on the cold bloody
snow, lost and confused.

Josh, my husband of only days, was whisked away in a stupid helicopter and I was helpless and
powerless to just watch them take him away. They could not even allow me to accompany him.

They wouldn't let his bloody wife into the stupid 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 planned 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 was laughing, but when I turned around to look behind me, I heard a commotion and saw him flying
through the air with his skiboard dislodged.

I tried relaxing 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 accident 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 accident 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
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 explanation for why no hospital within a reasonable distance had any information about
them was that the helicopter had crashed.

I knelt, perplexed, and blame 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 occurring or would have been avoided if I had been a little more compromising
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 success. The moron 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 glass of water, I hurled the entire glass 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 fucking 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 accompanying 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 be coming 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.Thalia's Pov
My anxiety was over the ceiling, I couldn't even sit down, but there was a surge of exhilaration 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 skank. It was fulfilling watching her hopeless, and I wished I
was present to laugh 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 glanced at Brandon, who was preoccupied with
his tablet, a surge of exhilaration 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 cellar. Alcohol with a variety of flavors and types.

From the look of it looked pricey. There were bottles of wine, vodka, spirits, tequila, 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 cellars 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 glass 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 glass?"

"How long has it been since you last 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 glass 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 glass of wine and went on with
watching the skank.

"By the way, where is the helicopter?" I inquired but got no response. When I turned around, I found him
staring at my glass.

“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 plan
is?" I spoke in a solemn tone.
He was silent for a moment, as if he were contemplating, 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 stupid. 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 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 fuck 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 whore 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 too late.

"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 glass 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 placed 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'll come back to life.”

"Get your body off of me," I shouted, my heart racing and my palms sweating. He grabbed my glass 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 replacing them with
rubbers," he speculated.

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 fuck
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 accurate, 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 fuck without benefits and move on," he remarked as he scrolled through his useless tablet. I
took the glass and drank the entire contents.

“Pay attention to the screen, your ex-father-in-law 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 glass of wine.

"I was only joking," he said, laughing. I looked at him, irritated because the joke was not amusing. I
poured myself another glass and decided to concentrate my attention on the couple on the
screen.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 claim 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 relax.

“Relax! How am I expected to calm down?” Everyone in the room had their eyes fixed on us but I didn't
mind.

Victor snatched 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 slamming 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 fucking 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.

“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 placing 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 explained.

"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 occurred,” 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 claims 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 flashed 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 occasion. I received a sizable cheque from the
insurance company 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 and commanded 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 relatives 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 accept 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 slap 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 accident 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 plane, 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 become 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 stupid 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 God 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 claim 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
slammed 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 glanced at him; his face was battered,
and his nose was cut.

He appeared to be taking a nap because he was so relaxed. 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.Brandon's Pov

Every time Jessica showed up on the screen in tears, she stared at her and laughed out loud. I could tell
she'd never drunk that much booze before because she was so inebriated. She giggled sweetly as I
glanced 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. She laughed 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 flavor 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 in common.

“Crime,” she replied.

"Great," I thought to myself, at least we shared one thing in common.

“Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings?”

“ Lord of the Rings,” she replied.

Another thing in common I added to the score. “On a thirsty day, a glass of milk or a glass of water?”

She said, "Milk." I was practically giddy with delight. We had a lot of small things in common, 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 cellar 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 explained.

“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 a lady 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 skipped that important aspect.
“I believe you can come in and play the smart game; Josh will be too preoccupied with obtaining custody
or in shock to care about how his sperm ended up in you," I responded.

“You screwed up the plan?”

“No, I didn't, but we can still claim he cheated on Jessica on their wedding night," I responded, but she
shrugged, causing me to become 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 stupid 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 time laughing at your enemies.”

“I was having a good time until you shut the cellar 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 alarm 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 moron outside kept
ringing the doorbell, adding to the discomfort. 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 laughed
so hard that I forgot I was in pain.

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 God, thank God 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.

"Place 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 exclaimed, holding my waist and lifting my head to face Nestor.

He strolled over to the table, placed 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 moron!" 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
moron 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 her laps and exhaled deeply, like if I'd
just completed a marathon.

She continued to stroke my hair and saying something to me, but I had no idea what she was saying until
the moron 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 shit?" 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 exclaimed as he walked over to her, my head resting on
her lap. 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, come 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 relaxed into her lap, a lovely smile came on my face.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 relationship 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 glanced at him. Brandon may have been correct in his assumption that he was gay 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 shit 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 bloody irritating.
To my annoyance, he burst out laughing and began clapping. "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 and laugh 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 plan? Assassinate Josh and take over the company?
When did you start murdering people for the benefit of their businesses?" He enquired.

"It's my damn business!" It's my bloody company, 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 jackass 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 plans.
"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 plan?” I asked.

"He's right; after I die, he will be the only moron 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
planning 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 my lap 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 fucked 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 plan?" 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 the company in a variety of ways?"

"This is the only quick method to stall whatever future locks he will put on the company" Brandon
answered, "she becomes pregnant and we file ownership cease." He said, "I promised to get her the
company within a month, and that's what i'm doing"

“How long do alternative approaches take?” Nestor asked.

"At least seven months," he said.

"Just give me the commands, and I'll make sure the board gets her the company," 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 the company," I explained 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 Greenland
to live a happy life with my daughter," I added. I noticed Brandon's smile after I stated the last part.

Nestor shifted his gaze to Brandon, Brandon explained, "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 a lawsuit against you?” Nestor asked.

"We're leaving him in poverty, just like he left me and he will have no power to buy lawyers 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 placed it on the table. I snatched a piece of pepperoni from the
counter and attempted to shove it into Brandon's mouth. “Hey, mushroom is my favorite; I despise
pepperoni,” he said

“What? Who on earth despises pepperoni? Are you serious, who raised you?” I inquired, astonished, as I
selected the mushroom flavor. I shrugged and glanced 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, contemplating 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 plain
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 were laughing 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 you come up with such a plan 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 will come 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.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 can come 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.
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
glance. 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 the company? Josh was so set on wanting children that we discussed it even
before we married.

Heirs to take over his company? 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 the company but it turned out that he was
not going to have anybody to pass the company to.

It was all in vein, his sacrifices were all in vein.

I was about to burst out laughing, 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 slut, 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 and company's focus on me.
He had gotten his company, and it was time to relax 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 and laughing 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 black 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 relate 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 slack, he means well."

I cried, "Are his apologies going to give us answers that we want? because I demand damn answers of
what occurred!"

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 accident; 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 relax 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 what comes 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 clarified, 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 the last time he skied before the accident?:”

“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 accident?” I asked confused. The man in
front of me was asking all the stupid questions in the world.

“He was nervous, therefore we assume he wasn't ready to ski..."

“Shut up, my hubby is a natural when it comes with skiing; he skied four rounds before that foolish
accident. He never complained 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 relax, 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 alarm you, but in the event of an accident, 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 declared.

“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 a lawyer to tell me what the fool
meant.

I laughed and sat down, combing my hands through my hair. My nightmare grew into hell, and then into
a freak display 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 our lawyer 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's law enforcement this stupid or you were all born stupid!” 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, Victor landed 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.Thalia's pov

I watched Jessica collapse 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 collapsed in Victor's arms, their relationship was odd, as Brandon had pointed out earlier when
victor stripped her of her clothes and attempted to bathe her.

He claimed 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
compiling their background information which we planned to shove down Josh's throat.

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 Jessica lacked 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 why comfortably 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 accompany 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 shaving down there? In a few minutes, Nestor will be
here," he continued. Another response that I was anticipating. I raised my fist and slammed 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 are compressing 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 mini coma 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 pervert 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 reclaiming everything Josh had deprived me of.

Yes, any other woman in my position would be patient, plan 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 the last time
he was going to remember smiling.

When I thought about it, I believed my wedding day was also the last 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 my lady parts were swan with a bush, but because
Brandon's word sunk in.

How did he know I needed to shave? 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 glanced 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 you come 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.

“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 shave" he explained. "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 out laughing when I screamed in rage. I planned to get him. I was
going to get him back for the humiliation because I knew his flaws. 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 God, where are my jackets?" I tried to ignore them, but they only stared at me. I walked
over to the table and slapped my fist down. "Brandon the Jacket!"

He ignored my question and asked, "Which jackets?"

“Seriously?” I replied, annoyed.

He laughed and got up, I noticed he was dressed in black 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 had completely 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
glasses. He looked completely 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 the last 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 accident?” 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 bloody evil and I liked it, the bitch 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 become a screaming psycho and the game had not yet even begun.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 stupid 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.

“Bullshit!” 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 the last 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 out laughing, 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 plastic 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 explained.

Victor's face softened and his chest compressed 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 crucial component 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 he last fucked me the way he used to fuck Thalia, despite the
fact that I had desired it.

The irony is that I'm sure if Thalia found out, she'd laugh our asses off. I burst out laughing like a lunatic
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 ejaculates sperm during sexual intercourse," Victor said swiftly, "but how would he not realize he
has no testicles if there is no sperm coming 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 stupid question!" Victor screamed at him and slammed his hands on the table.

The doctor sat down and said “two more organs, the prostate gland, and seminal vesicle glands generate
seminal fluid, which nurtures and carries sperm.

Both are still intact, and if he ejaculates, he'll be able to generate a whitish fluid lacking 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
glands 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 balance, 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
contemplation, 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 plastic surgeon, and two theater nurses," the doctor said, perplexed.

“Keep it that way; my lawyer will send paperwork to all of you; if word of my son's medical procedure
becomes 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 placing them on his laps.

“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 successful 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 a lady he adored and become a father of two children.

Of course, that woman wouldn't be me, but it was a fact if Josh had not accepted 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 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 his lawyers, safe to assume.

He couldn't even wait for his son to heal before inventing another plan, one I knew was certain to end in
disaster. I stepped into the elevator as well, and I realized he had pressed on the last 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 explanation.
“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 the company was family. We never talked about the company
because he was still drafting and putting things in place.

"Are you joking?" With tears streaming down my cheeks, I inquired, but he merely glanced 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 my company 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 my lawyers, 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 the company
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 a large number of shares that will never be inherited, they may tip our
adversaries.

Gentex would be forced to declare 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 accused 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 become 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 plan? 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 become
infertile," he explained.

I locked my gaze on him; his strategy and plan 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 accepted since I needed the life of money to keep up my social image; I had ascended a very
high ladder and couldn't afford to let anything pull me down.

Victor elaborated on his strategy, saying that he would handle all of the hard work while I would play 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 play, so we were going to screw
karma.preview

Pre Chapter

Catalogue
Next Chapter

next

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 slowly lay down. The door swung
open, and the doctor entered, fully equipped. I was inseminated in a matter of seconds. I felt as if I were
committing 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 that lay 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 trampled 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 become 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 to come along and comprehend 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 explained 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 accustomed to Brandon lying on my lap 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 to come 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 according to plan?" 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 explanation for every decision I was making in my life.

"Are you able to walk around? Did the procedure make you feel uncomfortable?" 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.

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 both laughing 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 the latest 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 could complain 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 apartment complex 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 accepted.

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 plan 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 the last
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 father compensated 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 claimed. “Thalia
would honor me by giving me my last 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 placed my
head on his chest with our hands clasped. 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.

I laid my head on his chest as if there was no tomorrow, completely forgetting about the agony that was
my life or the sperm that I had just used to impregnate myself. I was completely engrossed in his chest
and wished for him to live another month.

I prayed to God 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 God, he abandoned me the day he just stood there and watched
me fall into Josh's trap

"Your hair smells so good, unlike the first 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.

He laughed and answered, "I was not arrogant, you offended me with your ugly sweater and you invaded
my space,"Brandon's Pov

“Your space?” she exclaimed 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 explained, "and no one should trespass 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 trespassing 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 trespass.

I suddenly felt my chest heavy and came to a halt; I'd had enough fun for the day and was free of
discomfort. 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 glass 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 began laughing as I glanced at her. She came to a halt and glanced at me, perplexed.
“ “Brandon?”

“Can we just sit by the pool and relax?” I asked as I walked to the pool, removed my shoes, sat by the
pool and placed my feet in the water. She remained still facing the floor. I coughed when she sat down
next to me.

"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 occupied and away from me.

In a flash, 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 stupid disease always managed to bring me back to reality. It just couldn't let
me have a little fun, slamming 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 not come. 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 to come 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 plate of food and her eyes were closed when I looked up. For someone who has just implanted
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 planned to take advantage of it. "It became
heated in here," I explained.
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 relaxed 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 exclaimed, 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 moron."

She averted her gaze as if she was contemplating something, then grabbed the dish and began flinging it
around.

She was quiet at first, and all I did was stare at her. I was laughing 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.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 uncomfortable.
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 accept 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 stupid?"

"No, but I'm hungry; feed me or I'll collapse 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 places.

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 flash, 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
splashed 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 damn if he was naked or
not so out of the blue I plunged into the water and held him without thinking.

I didn't comprehend 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 place 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 mini coma, he claimed 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 flash, 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. Something large 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 spiked 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 blame 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.

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 becoming pregnant with Brandon's
child would be disastrous and And that would mean saying goodbye to both my company 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 a complete moron!" I screamed, and I heard him laugh. He was clearly irresponsible
and unconcerned about the plan; he was eager to have sex and jeopardize our entire plan for stupid sex,
a plan 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 plan because I
was horny too. As I walked past Nestor, who was standing at the door with a sarcastic expression on his
face, as if he wanted to laugh at me, I yelled at him at the top of my lungs.

"Say one word and I'll slap 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 glance 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 would later come 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 stupid 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 exclaimed, 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 slapped 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 plans 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 the complex while I stared at him. I was left pissed 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 stupidity.

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 placed on his thighs probably placed 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.Jessica's Pov

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 his lawyers, and I hadn't spoken to him since. I had tried phoning him
numerous times to see how far he had progressed with the lawyers, 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 planned 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 stupid messages.

My head was spinning, I was hungry and couldn't remember the last 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. According 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 old lady 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 needed company as
well. She offered me the nuts she was eating and to my shock, I accepted without second thoughts.

I was always a hygienic person and never took food from commoners 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 shit 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 accident was some kind of eye-opening I thought to myself, it was not too late for us. The old
lady'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 stupid irritating wife. That was the last memory that he had
for me. I planned 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 the last 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 blacklisted his old ass but I needed to find out what was going on
the other side or if he was successful in sealing our company 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 gallant 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, last time I talked to him it was about changing clauses.

“Are you saying the department of health does not want us to change clauses, 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 clarified.

“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 clauses with the lawyers, 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 his company going to dust. A company 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, that company 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 not come up with anyone
that would such to our company.

Thinking about it critically, I wasn't surprised that anyone would try to sabotage us. Gentex was a stolen
company and some of Thalia's late father's old friends would be perfectly behind it.

Or some of Victor's enemies. My head was spinning trying to come 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
glass of water on the table. I quickly ran to the table and picked the glass 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 stupid I was not going to tell Josh about any shit 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 become 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 fake laughs. 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 accident during my honeymoon," he said as he lifted his eyes to
me. He was blaming himself, that much I could tell.

“Josh no it was not your fault, it was an accident ” 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
blame him, I wanted to run too, I couldn't face Josh, I was everything except a liar.Brandon's pov

I sat at the back of the helicopter nursing the hard slap 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 slap she needed to ask me herself. The woman was
weird, half of her was pissed 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 orgasm, not even
Thalia's slap 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 plans and couldn't risk it for two minutes of orgasm.

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 fuck 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 the land.

“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 slapped 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 placed himself in
between me and her. Thalia had lost it, the last time I checked she was the one that hugged me and
forced my items to begin misbehaving.

“Thalia calm down, you are hurting him, the last 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 slap 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 plan and our relationship.
To my annoyance, she burst out laughing like I had said something funny. “You are the stupid 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 fuck you without emotions attached but I
was not going to fuck you!” I assured her.

“You asked for two bloody minutes!” she replied.

“So that I can cum in peace, I have not orgasmed for more than two years. I thought I was dead down
there. Is it a crime for a dying man to have one last orgasm?” 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 orgasm 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 stupid 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 relationship 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.
I had not had time all day to get updates about stupid Josh, immediately the screen was turned on Josh's
stupid 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 another company 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 shit before your revenge comes 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 into laughter.

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 mood completely 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 shit. 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 plans will go into the bin?"

“What differences? I have no differences with you even though you slapped 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 cum 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 the last 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 horny?” 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 horny,” she replied.

I stared at her, she was definitely lying, I could see it in her eyes, she had become a bloody 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
explaining anything. I turned and found Nestor staring back at me, “Ain't you horny? 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 his
lawyers 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 clauses to the
shares. The lawsuit 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
company,” I replied.

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.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 God Nestor pumped some sense into me outside. I was the one that dived into the pool and
caused him to cum 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 slapped 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 explanation 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 relationship 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 pissed 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 the last 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 stupid 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 lawyer, her
husband, also popped up and we talked, though he was asking a lot of questions.

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 that
annoying elder brother and it was irritating the life out of me.

Yes, I was brainless Thalia that was easily manipulated but I left that girl on the bridge. A new improved,
self-aware, and no-take-shit 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 plan,
was I going to face them.

I was very sure if I visited them they were going to find out about my plans and guilt me into stopping
the vengeance. But I did not want anyone talking me out of my plans. 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, congratulating 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, occupation? She wanted all his social media
accounts 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 shit 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 into laughter. 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 cellar.

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 stupid 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 cum on my pajamas,” I said. There was silence then I heard him
giggle. He relaxed 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 pissed. “what the fuck 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 blame myself, he always looked so pale and dead
every time he had one of his episodes.
He pushed me and placed 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 pissed 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 was
comfortable 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 horny, 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
composure. “I have fingers, Brandon, in fact, buy me a vibrator," I joked, sending him into laughter.

He laughed 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 fucking
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.Josh's Pov

I had no idea how, but my wife seemed different, maybe it was because my accident had given her a
scare. She was all caring and making sure I was comfortable and well placed. In short, she was too nice,
Jessica was never nice.

Maybe we needed the accident, 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 shit 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 blaming herself for the accident. To be honest, I was blaming 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 play. I was just some
random unlucky guy that may have stepped on something and lost control of my boards or skis.

And for the plane crash, the plane 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 shit. I could smell the shit 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 shit 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 a lawsuit," 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 my company.
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 shit out of me.

“Can you open your mouth!” I yelled on top of my voice. “Who the fuck 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 ever come 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. My company,
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… lawyers? 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 to come up with names
of people that would want to destroy me. One thing was right, it was a total setup.

Someone set my company up but who? I was so stupid and naive thinking that no one was going to come
after me. I had everything wrong, my initial thought was that Thalia had nothing or the will to ever come
after me.

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 bloody country! I need to smell the same air that my enemies
are smelling!” I yelled on top of my voice.

The monitors began flashing red, forcing the nurses to come to my aid. I was so pissed, my blood was
boiling, I was going to fire all my stupid advisors for not doing their stupid jobs. I needed a new set of
advisors and a set of lawyers.

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 stupid 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 organ transplant.

I called all my directors, consultants, new advisors, and new lawyers. My father was against changing the
lawyers 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 our company, 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 surveillance. Hours, days,
weeks, and years of surveillance. We had no idea when such a sabotage would have taken place.

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 pissed to ask what was going on in her head.

The following day I was discharged, I went straight to the office. The company that I left peacefully was
in chaos.

We had auditors, assessors, engineers, and lawyers from different government departments and NGOs
in the building assessing and Auditing every machine, gadget, and file that the company 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 my company. 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, according 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 internet. From a new rising and branded
company, we were a new death trap. If the Audit was not worse, all the families of the patients that
were using our machines at the time of malfunction were organizing a lawsuit.

The worst was that they did not even want to settle. They wanted to drag my company 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 blame for our misfortunes.

Deep down I began regretting taking over the stupid company 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 manipulated 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.

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 her company?” 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 have company 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 the lawyer. He once came looking for her but never
retained, maybe he found her," I replied.

“Come on guys, no one would plan 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 fucking 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-endThalia's pov

I sat on the bed watching Josh lose his mind. I had no idea how Brandon was managing to place cameras
everywhere they went but I was glad I was able to follow all the updates.

It was satisfying to watch the stupid 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 plain
comfortable clothing.

Gentex was receiving lawsuits 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 place.

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 planned 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
shit and trying to hold on to the rags of Gentex that Brandon was going to leave them with.

I trusted Brandon completely, he assured me he had a strategy to revive my company 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 his company, 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 to laugh 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 elapsed
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 out laughing, 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 out laughing, 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, flat ass.

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 plan 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
plan," 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 accept 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 or communicated 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's company? 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 his company while destroying mine. I had stopped
arguing with him some days ago because that was not the last 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 stupid calendar again.

I grabbed the files and began going through them. Just like last time Nestor came and picked me up. I
was reluctant to leave Brandon alone at first, knowing full well what happened the last time we had left
him alone.

But there was no choice. I needed to talk with the board before they began hatching plans 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 pervert Brandon, he was more cheerful and would have passed a lot
of silly comments. 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 stupid 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 running late,” 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 pissed 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 stupid elder brother when it is obvious you would pay your entire savings to fuck 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 plane.
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 shit, 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 fucking 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 shit, yes you have some good tits that are refreshing for
him and everyone to look at but is that all you will ever offer him up to his last 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 tits 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
standing completely 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.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 shit 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 slack, 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 stupid 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 shit 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 dollars. 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.

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 and lay 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 collapse. 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 his company collapsing 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 placed
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.

She laughed and took it as a compliment. She stood up and walked to the kitchen, in seconds she was
back with the stupid plate 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 place 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 and later on swallowing.

“You should have slapped him,” I replied

“You heard everything?” she asked, to which I nodded. There was total silence in the room, I pointed at
the plate 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 slap 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 occupied," 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 relationship was already
awkward and the last 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 fuck. 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 your company?” she asked.

I chuckled and asked for a glass of water.

“The money I'm using was my inheritance, I inherited a shit 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 glass 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 one last 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.

The last time I used it was two years ago and we had a blast 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 slacked.

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 places and her heavy chest and hips contributed to her hourglass
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 the ladder and slowly jumped in.

“Finally,” she said and began splashing water at me. I swam to her and held her by the hair, sending her
into laughter. She splashed water back at me and we began playing like kids.

While she was busy splashing water at me I was busy holding her in all the right places 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 playing we decided to go back on deck, I was so tired and only collapsed when we
were on deck. She lay 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. She laughed 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 perverted ways some
week back.Josh's Pov

I sat on my bed wondering how and when my life ended up in shit. 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 shit my company was going through. I
couldn't remember the last time I slept but it was definitely in Canada.

I last slept in my hospital in Canada, my own house seemed like a casket while my company 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
dirty and I couldn't remember the last time I shaved. 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 become in the mirror even though it was only a few days.

The worst was yet to come 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 my company
was going through but no one knew which fish it was.

Some suggested it was the government itself but my company 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 bullshit” she
yelled on top of her voice.

“Bullshit! What Bullshit! You are giving me stupid food!” I yelled. I was not pissed 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 slammed 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 stupid
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 was last seen walking on foot from your house the day of your last divorce hearing,”
he stated

I clenched my Jaw pissed, Thalia was my last lead, or maybe I was givingThalia's late father too much
credit and he had nothing to do with anything.

“What of the lawyer and wife?”

“She informed them that she was going to live in one of her friend's vila'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 account. But it was possible with manipulation, 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 the lawyer not report her missing or something?” I asked but the
PI noted in refusal.

That was odd, I perfectly remembered the lawyer 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 plan 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
committed suicide that would not surprise me. The girl was very weak and naive but at least that would
cancel her out of the list.

A cold drink was brought to me and a blond stripper joined me and sat on my lap. I needed something to
cool me off. She began dancing and giving me a lap 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 fucking one stripper after the other from an
arousal of one lap dance.

I was so stressed out that my mind was still focused on the shit that was happening with my company
that no beautiful ass 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.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 shit that Josh was subjecting me to was very unfair. I felt like I was cursed.

Every time I found something that made me happy, shit always came slapping 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 shit about my cooking. He never had any problem with the fact that I couldn't
cook but just because his company 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 blaming me, if I had not insisted on going for the honeymoon he would have
seen the attack coming. 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 clause and neither were we planning to tell
him soon.
Everything was a complete 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 place was filled with whoress, 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 a lap dance.

He was smiling and seemed to be having the time of his life. It seemed like the whores were his new
favorite thing to pass time or have a laugh. 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 shit 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 escalated.

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.

They agreed and walked up to him where they gave him the lap 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 ass 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 shit 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.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 relationship 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 and laying the
groundwork for their demise…

According 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 his lack 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 simply landed 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, completely 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 contemplating 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 slap 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 would later come 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 Nestor labeled 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 cock into me. I
swore if he walked in I would have not stopped him.

Yes, it was unethical, 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 orgasmed on my leg. Images of him began to
replay 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 went completely 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, and laid 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 will come... 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 masturbating. I felt as if I was going to die, and in
fact, I wanted to die.

How could I masturbate in someone's house, I was so stupid? 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 acceptable to masturbate, Thalia, is it all-natural?" He said. I unfroze and cried out.

He offered me to taste his scrambled eggs and said, "I also masturbate." He had apparently grown tired
of waiting for me and had prepared the eggs himself. However, the truth was that he had overheard me
masturbating.

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 explained. "I promise I'll keep it a secret between us." In
his tone, I detected a trace of mockery.

He was laughing at me. The jackass 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 orgasmed 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 masturbating.

I glanced to my left and noticed that he had left me a plate; 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 planning 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 relations."

He remained deafeningly silent, his meaningless grin fixed on him. "How far are you willing to go in
blaming him for my disappearance?" I inquired, but he simply stared at me.

"Brandon!" I exclaimed, frustrated.

He said, "Was it your first orgasm?"

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 moron 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 magnetic gadget that, if pressed in the same room as a dialysis
machine, will destroy it."

I locked my gaze on him, the jerk had a large 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 on
it, indicating that he had gotten up early to mark his calendar rather than my insane masturbation.

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 explain 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 father come 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 his company.

We hadn't even started the complete 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 was last seen. He had the best lawyers, 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 were large enough to last a year or more. That was plenty of time for me to
give birth and reclaim my company.

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.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 calculation 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 explained.

I nodded, Thalia was never an early riser, she was always last with her snoring and her legs all over the
place, practically suffocating me to death. Something wasn't right. I stood up hurriedly and placed 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 collapse and I froze while holding on to the door. My
back felt like it was being pulled apart with a jigsaw. The pain was so terrible that I collapsed to the floor.

Maggie was most likely already on her way to the helicopter. I lay 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 stupid Thalia.

I attempted to do so the previous night, but she was optimistic that I would wake up because I had
completed all of the days allotted to me. She even had the audacity to refuse waiting for me in the
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 stupid girl masturbated 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 become 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.

I laid down on my back, facing the ceiling, and gave up the struggle. I'd grown accustomed 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 glanced at it; it wasn't as dark as ordinary blood, and it was more
pink than black.

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 ass 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
pissed, they had no idea I was watching them. The two morons 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 accompany 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 glanced at Maggie.

"Brandon, it's not what you want to think; please calm down!" She begged.

When I coughed, blood and clots splattered all over the place. 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 stupid 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 blank 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
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 stupid house, just as I had planned, 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 flames 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 plasma screen. I continued to pound it
until it was shattered and strewn across the floor.

I gathered all of the digital and paper revenge plans 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 stupid woman despised me. I
carried the clothing into the bathroom, doused them in spirit, and set them ablaze.

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 planned 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 too late; going
outside would simply allow them to gain access to my house.

I hurriedly doused the stupidly burning clothing with water and returned to the bedroom, searching for
anything that reminded me of the stupid 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
cellar.

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 uncontrollably, 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 damn; 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.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 a laugh. 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 our later 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 and lawsuits.

If I wasn't attending hearings involving my company, 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 glancing 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.

The last time anyone saw someone who suited her description was on the highway. She was barefoot
and carrying a plastic 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 blame, 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 my company 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
blame 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 blame. When my lawyer said my name, I hurriedly turned to my left.

Miss Kim was her name, and she was my fourth lawyer in less than two weeks. She cost a lot of money, a
lot of money.

I sacked the majority of the lawyers, and some quit because they couldn't stand my arrogance and rage.
Screw them, Kim was my kind of lawyer, 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
preoccupied 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 slapped her the other day when she refused
to accompany 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 was last 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 of laughing, 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 was completely innocent in everything and that I was the fool, but I needed to do
everything in my power to reclaim 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 was completely naked in the foreign office and fucking my lawyer, but I was willing to murder to
reclaim 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
my company 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 plane disaster was to blame 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 old lawyer, 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 glanced 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 lawyer
began clapping and laughing, much to my annoyance.

"If you try to throw your arms around me, you'll end up in court for another lawsuit," he said.

I fought against the hands that were holding me with all my might. When I turned around, I saw a large
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 idiot lawyer 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 his communications 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

“It's just annoying that the key perpetrators are out there and no one seems to care,” I cried out.
“Relax, this case will be dismissed soon,” he explained.

“What about the company?”

“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
relax.” I nodded and tucked my tie into place. 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 chocolate. 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 exclaimed.
“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.Brandon's POV

My head felt like it was being slammed 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 occurred 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 placed 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 your last hours so that I could get my stupid revenge, I was busy getting
my idiotic period," she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks.

I felt like a complete 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 explained 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
to communicate with her. She tried to get up but I stopped her by holding her hand.

“Please accept 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 has come to an end! I'm not expecting a child! You blew up all the plans!
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 a complete halt and frantically glared at me, trying to figure out
what I was saying, but she came to a complete stop when the door opened and Nestor strolled in.

"Destiny is the new password," he said. Thalia glanced 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 clapping; 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 out laughing. She laughed so loudly that I couldn't help
but glance 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 a complete 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 planned 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
compelled to hug him.

I had forgotten that I had given him my extra copies. "See, I always have a backup," I claimed 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 plans.

“Why didn't you chase me down faster or figure out the incomprehensible passcode?" I screamed at
him. He looked at me with his eyes wide open.

Thalia walked in with the breakfast and slammed the tray down on my lap," 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 blank
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 her later. 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 plane 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 declared before providing him an address, which he had no information about,
and commanded him to start the plane. The trip was calm, and we arrived at the old building in hours.

When we landed, 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 blamed him; the last 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 placed 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 my command.

"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 the lab 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 the lab, where he told his lab 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 explain 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. According to him, something had changed; I
should have run out of white blood and become vulnerable to all diseases.

“What have you done differently? Diet? Exercise?”

“No, I just stay in bed the whole day and play with my tablet," I explained. I remained silent, and he
simply stared at me, perplexed.

“So you're claiming 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 recommend spending as much time as possible
with that person," he explained. 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 explained.

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 new lab's hidden location.

“What happened to your vacation home on the beach?”

“Thalia lives there,” I stated.

He smiled and said, "Congratulations!" 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 a complete year and yet deliver
a baby," I replied.

"Sir, pregnancy is a period of nine months?" he stated.

“Whatever,” I replied.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 place 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 be completely 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, according 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 occupied 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
playing 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 relax; 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 implantation,"
he explained. “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 declared 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 two comprehensible 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 becoming 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 please come out?" Brandon ordered from the opposite side of the door.
But my attention was drawn to the two comprehensible lines; I was about to become 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
slaps 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 glanced 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.
“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 explained.

"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 declared

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 out laughing; he was correct; he would not rest in peace. He was definitely going to haunt us for
eternity. I pinched him because I needed a laugh.

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
explained, "I guess the pregnancy test reset my settings."

He laughed 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 place, 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.Brandon's Pov
The news of her pregnancy seemed to have buried the hatchet; she had forgotten about my jealousy
outburst and was preoccupied 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 accompany her to buy
new clothes, though she refused to take my money because I burned her previous clothes.

She applied for a job at my company, 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 places 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 I labeled 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 glad to know you've started seeking
treatment."

I stared at him, unsure if he was amused or pleased with me, so I played 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 glance before deciding to ignore me, she was too preoccupied 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 successful or granted only limited success, I would reconsider. I followed her
and took a spoonful, but the ice cream seemed like water on my palate. 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 alarm 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 placed the bowl of sugar back and went to get some fresh chili, which I chewed on like it was nothing.
My sense of taste was completely 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'm coming!" and returned to my thoughts. Something wasn't right; I had hoped to be turning
normal and healthier, but it appeared that things were becoming 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 becoming 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 replacement. 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 glanced 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 his lawyer are having an affair," with a phony grin on my face, I declared.

"Oh, my," she replied.

I was expecting her to burst out laughing or demand that I expose him to Jessica, but she was busy with
the stupid ice cream.

I cleared my throat and added, "according 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 flavor.

"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 explained, "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 her laughing,
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 new lab 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 the lab or my plans to continue
the therapy search.

He was irritated, but he signed it nonetheless; certainly, he had held many secrets for me in the past, but
now there was a lady between us, and he was compelled 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 flavor.

"Is there anything more you have to eat?" I asked.

He handed me a sandwich as he proceeded to his drawer. I took a large 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.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 balanced diet.

He even enrolled himself in an online teaching class over the two months and day in day out he would
make me delicious meals high-class meals. He was every pregnant woman's dream.

But deep inside I was expected to accept 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 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 regularly.
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 claimed 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 him complete 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 incompetence, 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 planned to
conduct a sex test later, 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 the last 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 the lawyers could establish that he had made contact with
me or that he was ever on the same highway I was last 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 clauses about their company.

It worked, due to pressure and anger of wanting to be on top, the fool had previously fired all the old
lawyers assigned to make changes and his new lawyers had no idea of the old intentions. While victor
was so busy cleaning up to remember the mess.

The investigations were completed while his civil proceedings were still pending, and they were handed
a massive fine of millions of dollars for negligence. I couldn't see how they could ever get back on their
feet.
Josh, according 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 fall completely 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 felt compelled 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
access 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 accounts. 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 planned 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.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 months later the wolves had decimated a booming
company with the potential to employ thousands and generate a large amount of revenue for the
country down the pit latrine.

My father was still clinging to the company'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.

The company 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 a last-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 be laughing 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 becoming colder and her face
shrinking up, she did not like my reply.

“Gentex will rise again after we pay the last lawsuit, but I don't see that happening with your stupid
behavior!" She screamed and hurled a glass 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 planted in your head, but let me formally inform
you that the company 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
lawyer!"

I hid my face behind my hand, embarrassed. The slap 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 plan.

I was supposed to sit my horny ass at the pubs I frequented while he sorted out the mess, according to
him I was the one that got my company into trouble, and to be honest, he was to blame for everything.

Looking back through history, every company 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 blaming himself deep down, but I was preoccupied 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 planned 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 the company could
breathe and all I needed was to get my wife pregnant.Brandon's Pov

Another fruitless week and the lab 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 becoming 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 strange computations, 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 calculated she would start asking after three months but she never
bothered.

She was so preoccupied 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 become 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 did last time so I
kept my observations to myself.

But there was a snag: Victor was in Russia, according 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.

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 become 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
calculation 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 planning on playing with her. I wrapped myself in the blankets 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 occurred. 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 the company for us," she said, smiling.

"I thought you had given up on the company?" 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 clause?" she questioned as she came to a halt.

It appeared that I was mistaken. She was still contemplating the fate of her company but owing to my
brilliant mind, I had her back.

"All of Nelson's new business and personal lawyers 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 place," 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 can come 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 occupied," 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 regular basis, and I needed to keep
up the pressure on him. There was no way I was going to be able to manage regular 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.Thalia's Pov

He undoubtedly agreed to accompany 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 his company, 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-related 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 planning 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 his lap. "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 glance 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 place, 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 accurate, 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.

"Congratulations," he replied while handing me a small box

"What is this for?"

"I never got to congratulate you on your pregnancy, and I'm sorry for that," he said. I couldn't tell if I was
supposed to laugh or be puzzled. Looking back, I couldn't recall him ever congratulating 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
congratulate me back then? What was the point of him congratulating 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 available. 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 preoccupied with finding a solution for him rather than spending time with him?

I sat there, pondering and calculating 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 explained. 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 time coming, 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 villas. 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 accustomed 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
calculations by claiming 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.

According 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 similar to mine was already on the market, an
(ECMO) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

The ECMO machine was similar 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 claim 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 calculations because nothing seemed to add up.

Even if he didn't believe in the machine, the very least he could do was calculate 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 cooking lasagna, 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 placed a
scoop of food on my mouth saying; "Could you please stop nursing me, I'm feeling much better now," he
declared.

I chewed with my mouth open and asked for another spoon since the lasagna was so delicious. He'd
honed his skills, and my meals paled in comparison. I promptly gathered a folk and dug in.

"What happened to the clothes you went shopping for?" He asked, catching me off guard. The lasagna
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 declared.

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 glance 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.

"The lawyer 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.

"Relax, 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 to lay low for a week until I received the professor's calculations 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 replacement. 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 Brandon company.

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 my lab 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 occasionally arrange a meeting in the United States and return there
for two days to work on my prototype.

The lab was up in his garage, I noted that was the only spot where there were no cameras, and he only
went there once when he launched the boat.

It was ideal; even if we had to return, he would never know until I was successful. 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.

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 slash 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 speculation that I was carrying Mandel's heir
were all over.Josh's Pov

It was six months since the hurricane passed through my company 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 entire company.

All the moneyed top guns I knew distanced themselves from my company as far as they could. The
scandals still loomed large 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 were laughing 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 the company 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 my lawyer;
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 the company 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 glance 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 explaining. "One of my friends who knows someone in high places
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 rich company 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 a company... 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 time comes, you can step up and salvage the
company," she explained.

I smiled, knowing she still had my back. But first, we had to see the gynecologist, and then we would go
outfit shopping.

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 blaming 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.

I complied 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 the last 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 glad 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 the company 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 my company. He was cunning, ruthless, and angry to sink companies beneath him.

But my company 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 explained.

She smiled and motioned for me to follow her out to the car. We drove to the venue and we were at the
Gala 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 flashing our invitation cards and quickly had glasses of wine in our hands as we waited for
the main wolf, but before that, we began scouting for other possible targets.Thalia's Pov

We slept in late, 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 blame 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 my lab or who to consult. That was
what happened when one was a bumbling liar.

There was no way out of the labyrinth 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 be commanding 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 quit commanding 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 black 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 succeed; all of these lies should be worth it," he replied.

I merely gave him a passing glance 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 really late, so I dashed out the door and was greeted by Nestor, who was dressed in a tuxedo.
He explained, "I'll be your plus two."

I merely stared at him, the man needed to get a life or say no. He complimented 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 place was completely 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 Gala.

I stood on the stairwell, peering down at the parting crowd. The Rich, both young and old wore costly
suits and beautiful dresses that if combined 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 relaxed and met some of the company'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 welcoming everyone to the Gala; 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 balanced, 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
laughing.

"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 his company, 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 plan 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 welcome 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 slap 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 the last 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 gala 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 Gala. 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. We last 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, laughing. "An FBI agent contacted me about it, and I believe your lawyer 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 slap him.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 shit that had happened a few months
before and was laughing at me.

For a brief while, my ears were deafened while my mind fought to comprehend 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
my company.

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.

She laughed 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 into laughter.

"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 your lawyer was notified of
my whereabouts, but if she kept that information to herself, you should arrest her."

My mind wandered to Kim; our last encounter had not gone well, resulting in me blocking her. The folly
of sleeping with a lawyer, yet the bitch 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-clad 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," Thalia laughed.

"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 whore, 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 whore!” 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
fucked 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 fucking Josh?" She asked.

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 ass handed to her, unable to
defend my own wife.

"Let's go!" she exclaimed, tears streaming down her face and marched ahead of me.

"Please don't," Thalia said, "where are my manners? Please accept 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 Mandela's
assistance. Take it and slam it up against your snout!"

The entire audience was stunned, and her choice of words was rather unappealing.
Thalia began clapping "Wow! Investors, that mentality 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 plans 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 ass.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 a complete moron, 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 ass at the ridiculous party if I could fly a helicopter but I
needed his ass to get to the other jerk.

Everything was beginning to make sense; Brandon wanted me to go to the ridiculous Gala in the hopes
of me running into Josh and the skank. 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 shit was probably going to be all over the news and internet 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 to come to light.

And the fool that started all the shit 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 snatched 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 plan.

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 stupid 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 shit 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 a coma," 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 playing the pity card, I knew it, he wasn't even ashamed of it. I busted out laughing
like a madwoman.

"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 stupid, or has your stupid 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 gay, your dunderhead boss was correct!" I yelled at him, but all he did was laugh 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 shit 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 the last
three months," he said, clearing his throat. "You are self-sufficient; you even dare to lie in my face about
a lot of shit," he declared.

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 moron I warned to keep an eye on you
also lied to me. Congratulations you managed to turn him to your side. Is this how I will spend my last
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 ass. You could
have just asked me to meet Josh and his skank!"

He smiled and asked, "And what would be your punishment if I did that?" He enquired.

I shrugged; he was a complete moron. 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 pissed 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 could come 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 ass? 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 shit," 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. According 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 pissed too "Instead of spending every
last 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 declared.

"Call me when you both grow up," and he walked out of the room, leaving Brandon and I stunned.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 to come 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 accumulated 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 shit that
was just slapped 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 fucking mouth!" I yelled at her and clutched my splitting skull which felt to be slamming into
my skull.

"What are you thinking, people are going to start watching us, this is so pitiful," she exclaimed. 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 plate, and having people watching me sit in
my vomit was the last thing on my mind. Thalia was rich, far more than I was or ever will be even if I lived
two lives.

While I languished 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 to come out of the shit victorious but why was it at my expense?

I sobbed uncontrollably and laughed 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 stupid ass into the car!" He screamed loudly.

"Thank God you've arrived, Victor,” Jessica tried to downplay the situation.

"Get your ass into the stupid car and shut up!" He screamed at her, instead. I was on the verge of
laughing uncontrollably. He approached me and dragged my pathetic ass into the car.

He was completely 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
asses given to us by a girl who l took every from, none of us wanted to communicate, 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 cabinet
and started drinking myself to death. Jessica and my father entered the room.

He stepped right up to me and snatched the bottle from my grip. I tried to resist, but I was slapped
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 collapsing company 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 internet. The housewife of Josh Nelson resurfaces with another billionaire's
child!" He screamed.

"We can sue her!" Jessica said. “Thalia committed 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 my lawyer and she ended up screwing me too.

“The stupidity of sleeping with your ugly ass lawyer!" 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 Thalia communicate with the
lawyer? 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 shit and was aware of the situation?”
"Probably spearheaded it, her fiance owns everyone and that explains 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 shit that was being thrown at me.

“So you mean all the lawsuits were orchestrated by her?” Jessica asked.

“Maybe but I am sure that she is coming to finish us off, whether she was behind everything or not. She
deliberately sent that invitation to humiliate you two and you stupidly fell for it."

He turned to me and said, “Son our hell just began, she is coming for Gentex whether it is in rumbles or
not."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 place, 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 stupid 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 moron, I grumbled.

She strolled to the kitchen after she was done with her dressing. I wasn't sure if she was playing 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 unsuccessful; 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 blank, maybe It was time to accept 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 and laid down to take a
nap.

On second thought, unlike her, I was concerned and planned to watch a recorded version after my nap.
After some minutes, she entered with a plate 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
explained. I just averted my gaze and picked up my tablet, focusing on the Nelsons' plotting.

Josh looked nonchalant 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 place 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 balance while the food on the platter tumbled to the ground. She
swiftly positioned herself and clenched her fists around her chest. She would have landed 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 was coming 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 to lay on the bed.
Was I about to go into a coma? "No no," I screamed to myself as I tried to pick up my tablet.

I needed Nestor to come 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 slab 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 shit themselves before they died, suppose
that was the case; it was natural, and I was going through a regular procedure; nonetheless, it was
disappointing that I didn't get to say goodbye to Thalia. The worst aspect was that the last recollection
she had of me was of a failed assassination attempt.

I just lay 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 moron was late, I
was going to file a complaint with the devil.

“Brandon Oh, my God," 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 arse 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 crap 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 God, you can talk."

Without glancing 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 fucking body, all the way down to my toes," I yelled at her, enraged.

“Nestor was not a doctor the last 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 shit. 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 was laugh. It irritated me that she wasn't puking despite her pregnant condition because I 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
exclaimed.

She came to a halt and placed her palm over my mouth. "Please, please, please, don't say that.”

“Please accept my apologies; I didn't mean to push you," I added.

She answered, "I know, it was an accident, it was my fault, I was out of line attempting to put phony food
in your mouth."

"Stop coming 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 ass 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 placed 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 I lay shamefully in an adult
diaper.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 accelerating 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 alarm at four o'clock, making sure that my headphones were connected. I didn't want to
wake Brandon up with my alarm.

I was in desperate need of sleep. It didn't take long for the four and a half hours to pass before the alarm
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 and compatible 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
circulation 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-compatible;
it had nothing to do with the voltage, but rather with the professor's theory that the blood output and
the cells input were supposed to be in balance but wasn't resulting in death due to a lack 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
circulation, 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 preoccupied 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 God," I screamed with delight and hugged him even tighter. I could feel
the baby kick, she seemed to be enjoying herself.

I tried to clasp 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 by complete 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 accomplish, 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 was coming 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 stupid 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.

I laughed 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 exclaimed 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 or later he was going to face me.

"I'll get you scallops," I said.

“Why did you provide my address to a complete stranger?” he yelled.

“Yes, I gave a stranger your address, I will not abandon you Brandon, and you are mistaken if you believe
that committing 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 slap. I was so outraged and enraged that I
resisted the urge to slap 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 to commit 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 accepted
because I wanted Josh at my feet at the time and was too foolish to comprehend 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 become 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
positions, and he was now facing in the opposite direction. I changed quickly and began combing 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 place 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 surveillance," I said, but he didn't respond.

"I'll get them ready," I said and walked out of the room.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 the company or our marriage.

He hadn't slept since he laid his eyes on Thalia, for the past two days he was up all night drinking himself
to death and blaming 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 place.

I needed to start planning 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 no company 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
successful 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 account.
Her line was off, she vanished completely 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 scumbag?" 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 explained.

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 shit 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 platter. The bitch 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 glanced 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 with lawyers, 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 the company while we were dealing with the lawsuits."

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 explained.

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 clause," I reminded him. It was long overdue.

"He holds me responsible for everything. Last night, I attempted and he told me to shove the company in
my ass. He'll simply give the company over to Brandon, and if he switches it to him, I do not trust him, he
might gamble the company 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 crap 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 become pregnant last 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 slap the fool, but he grabbed it. "You're better than me when it comes
to making compromises 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 become a
stakeholder through the child," he explained.
"Are you an animal? How dare you recommend 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 slammed into him, nearly knocking him out. "You moron, 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
unethical, but your marriage is already a sham; Josh is probably fucking some street whore, 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 fuck his lawyer raw in the hopes of having
an heir," he said.

I turned to face him, assuming he was lying and attempting to manipulate me. "Ask him if he fucks
whores 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 the company; 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 have completed 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 security company.

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 the company.

When questioned who gave the order, he said the company 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 security company!”
"How?" I asked confused.

"Using the back door, this is why you should think about my proposal, Brandon Fraser has already
corrupted everything in the company, 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
company, our dumb company.Brandon's Pov

My body was like a roller coaster for the past two days; one minute I was up, the next I was down and in
diapers. The good news was that Nestor had returned, which meant I didn't have to endure Thalia wiping
my butt.

The old me would have liked every minute of it, but the new me was humiliated and disgusted by the
situation.

I only wanted Nestor to do it; he wasn't objecting, and I even allowed him to stay in the house so that
Thalia wouldn't have a chance. It had always been Nestor's dream to live with me, he was just too proud
to say it.

Yes, even though it hurt, I was going to let the disease drain me of my life without accelerating it.

The slap she gave me jerked me back to reality; yes, I duped her into agreeing to have Josh's baby and
made sure it didn't appear like I was forcing her.

But, in retrospect, I changed my mind and attempted to stop her at the last minute and even Nestor's
intervention yielded nothing.

She was insistent and persuaded that a baby would magically heal all the shit that Josh put her through
but she was attempting to make it appear as if I forced her and she had no option.

I decided that crying over spilled milk was pointless, so I left her alone. I spent most of my days outside
the beach with Nestor playing chess, despite the fact that he was terrible at it and I was always winning.
However, the sun and wind were always soothing to my dying skin.

Thalia had not gone to work in two days and had not apologized for the strong smack she had given me,
which I could still feel every time I touched my cheek. I raised my hand and touched the cheek.

"Are you okay?" Nestor inquired. I was seated in my wheelchair, a blanket slung over my shoulders and a
drip bag dangling from my arm like a dying ninty-year-old man. A chessboard was placed on a table, and I
had just won my fifth game.

“Make your move," I said.

He offered, "Ain't you tired? Maybe we should go inside."

“No, I'd rather be outside," I replied.

"You won't be able to hide from Thalia indefinitely, and you two are just wasting the precious little time
you have left with," he observed.

I bit my dry cracked lip and asked "Did you get fucked in Spain?"

He seemed astonished; I had never inquired about his personal life in all the years I had known him. It
was never a concern of mine. I never bothered to inquire because, in my opinion, he only hung out with
me because I had saved his mother.
But there he was, changing my diapers and bathing me without even asking for anything in return. I had
recently written by Will which I had given him to file and hand to my lawyer and I only left him diapers
and I was sure he had read it but he did not confront me.

“No, I didn't; I received a call from my mother just as I was about to do so, and I had to drop everything,"
he responded with his usual blank expressionless face.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I retorted. "So you'd rather be here changing my nasty diapers, than
getting the fuck of your life?" I smirked.

“Yes, there will be plenty of fucking once you are gone," he mocked with a smile and made a move on
the chessboard.

I gave out a fake smile and solemnly said, “You don't have to be here just because I saved your mother;
you owe me nothing."

"Not all families should be built on blood," he responded.

I gritted my teeth, we weren't going to talk about family, so I glanced up at him and told him to play.
Speaking of the devil that I was ignoring, Thalia stepped out of the house walking towards us, "Who is
winning?" she inquired.

"He is and he isn't exhausted," Nestor responded and made a move that cost him the game for the sixth
time.

"Now it's my turn," Thalia said to Nestor and requested him to move without my consent. I did not
remember inviting her to play; I even doubted if she could even play.

"What are you afraid of? Are you scared of a pregnant lady!" She inquired as she proceeded to raise the
board, I chuckled. But I made sure my gaze was concentrated on the board rather than on her, I was still
uneasy around her.

I was going to allow her to play, and let her initiate the game. I planned on only playing one game with
her after I beat her, but to my surprise, we moved on to game three and she won all three games. My
expression of surprise was priceless.

As she stood up, she exclaimed, "You are playing, a nine-time high school champion, plus a two-time
Havard chess champion. Did you ever do a background check on me?" she inquired.

I looked at her even more surprised; she was right; when I initially looked her up, my major worry was to
make sure whatever tale she had told me was real; I had never paid attention to her life prior to
marrying Josh,

"I checked you up and I'm quite aware that you are Chess champion," Nestor responded. The fool was
supposed to update me before she sat down and embarrassed me, so I raised my eyes to meet him.

I tossed the board aside and requested him to take me back into the house. Her disappointment was
visible on her face. Nestor shifted his gaze to her as if awaiting her opinion.

“Brandon, I miss you, please don't ignore me, I'm sorry I hit you," she cried out.

“It's okay, I'm just tired, all I want to do is lie down on the bed," I lied.

“Okay, then, I'll wheel you," she gazed at me and stood up. She stepped forward and began rolling me
back. I didn't object since I didn't want to appear petty.

Because of the awkward silence, I spoke up first; “Victor discovered my surveillance equipment, he
knows that we've been watching them," I explained.
She came to a halt in front of me and took a step forward. "When? How? so you're not going to know
what they are up to?"

"I have been completely blind since morning," I said and recommended that she work from home. I
could see she was pondering something as she stared at me with her arms folded. It was entirely my
fault; I should have anticipated the consequences when I invited Josh and Jessica to the party.

Victor was a clever old man unlike his stupid son, and it was only a matter of time before he connected
the dots between what was happening to them and with my pattern of destroying my enemies.

“No, I'm not going into hiding; what's the point of bringing them down if I'm going to be afraid of them!”

I reminded her that Victor would go to any length to reclaim what she had previously stolen from him.

"I know, but he can't just walk up to me and shoot me. How likely is it that he'll alter the paperwork?"

I groaned and responded, "I have no idea, it's all up to Josh." I waited for her to respond, but she looked
away.

"So, in a nutshell, he'll control sixty percent of the company, while I'll own forty percent," she explained,
reaching out her hand to shake mine. "We did it, Brandon, you got me something," she said with a smile.

I smirked and motioned for her to remove her hand. "Brandon, you accomplished something that no one
other person could do in months."

"My board of directors wants those shares, and I must deliver them, yours is the sixty percent."

"What happens if? Anyway, don't mind me," she tried to ask but stopped halfway. We both kept quiet
waiting for the latter to talk.
Noticing that she was not going to complete her sentence, I spoke; “Anyway, don't bother, but I'm going
to continue sabotaging Gentex; Victor needs to be occupied before he touches those shares, I declared
and ordered Nestor, who had been too quiet to send out the message.

"Brandon, I think we should focus on your health and your child right now," she declared.

“You can do that, but I'm not going to give up my hobbies," I retorted. She began to say something, but
Nestor cut her off.

"I've sent the message, I believe Brandon, needs some rest," he suggested. She glanced at him but
moved out of the way as he wheeled me inside and helped me up the bed. She entered the room, and I
motioned for her to take a seat next to me. She walked over to me and sat.

I said; "I finished drafting my will yesterday, and Nestor has kept it safe somewhere to be presented to
you after I pass away," I explained.

"I hope you have not left anything for me?"

“Why would I do that? I have left something for my unborn son," I said, almost startling her. She
hurriedly stood up and turned to face me, but I interrupted her.

"Please, Thalia, don't fight with me any longer; it's my dying request; can't you at least fulfill one of my
many wishes I've had since I met you?" I enquired.

“But Brandon….“

“You can let the child come and decide whether or not he or she wants it."
“But why are you unable to give it to Nestor?"

"I left him something," I said, expecting Nestor to reveal what I had left him, but he only stared at us with
his hands in his pockets and his typical blank expression. I started wondering if he was mentally ill or
anything.

I glanced at Thalia, expecting her to respond, but all she did was look away. She finally said, "Brandon, I
can't, I don't deserve your money."

“Thalia I secretly contacted my doctor months ago after I outlived the month I was given because I
thought I was going to live, I thought I was going to see the baby, his first steps, first fight, the day he
would run away with my jet, so I gathered the team, but months later, they still have no treatment or
cure," I confessed.

She turned to look at me, surprised, before turning back to look at Nestor, who only looked away.
"Brandon, I'm very sorry," she said as she clasped my hands.

“It's fine, I was just hoping, it's not a crime, but anyway, I'm starting to feel it, even breathing has
become tough, it'll be time soon, and the baby getting everything is my final wish," I explained.

"You are very manipulative," she chuckled as tears streamed down her face. "You know if I say no, you
will probably ignore me until your last breath," she stated.

"I can't help myself, no matter how hard I try; everything was always going to be yours the day you
consented to accompany me to the house for revenge."

She brought her eyes to mine and made a request of her own: she wanted me to see the baby before I
died, and she wanted me to know the gender of the baby. If I was going to bequeath my riches to the
child, it was only right.

"All right, is the scanning machine still in the house?" I posed the question.
“No," she suggested, “let's go for a drive; I'll drive.”

“We can consult a physician, Thalia," Nestor protested.

"No, Brandon has been cooped up in this house for three months like he's in prison, get him ready," she
said as she rose from her seat. I had some energy left in me, so driving all the way to the city was not a
bad idea.

I consented, and Nestor got me ready while Thalia got ready in the other room and excitedly joined us.
Her sass was energizing to watch. Hating each other would not prevent me from dying or find a cure, as
Nestor correctly pointed out. I was going to leave her with pleasant memories of myself.

"I have an idea about your wealth," she said. "Let's bet, if the baby is a boy, I'll accept the inheritance,
but if it's a girl, you'll have to write a new will."

I stared at her for a minute then said "No, if it's a girl, you take the inheritance, you will probably raise
her brainless and she will need the money," I answered quickly.

"But, you've always had your heart set on the boy?" she inquired, perplexed

"That doesn't mean I'd put my money on my boy, or maybe you don't believe I'd be correct," I said,
motioning Nestor to exit the room.Thalia's Pov

We left to the sound of Dolly Parton's Jolene, one of my favorite country songs. Both Nestor and
Brandon were not country music fans, but because the trip was my idea, we were going to play my kind
of music, which did not sit well with the boys, so we had to take turns picking songs.

My style was country, Nestor's was pop, while Brandon's was rock, the kind that sounded like someone
was pounding a metal tin. Every time it was his turn to choose, I would shrug and close my eyes, waiting
for the headache song to finish and he would do the same when it was my turn.

He hated country music. We had to stop a few times for him to puke, but the good part was that he
didn't collapse or become paralyzed.

Of course, Doctor Nestor was behaving as if we were dealing with a baby. He insisted on turning the car
around every time we came to a halt. But Brandon, on the other hand, wanted us to keep going since he
was loving the ride and it was better puking on the road than in the bathroom.

I was following Brandon's lead, he had promised he would give us a signal the second his body felt like
giving up but it seemed like he was having a trip of his life. We would stop to refuel or buy as much junk
food as we could or just stop to breathe in the fresh air. Except for Nestor, it was Brandon and I's first
trip.

Brandon needed the trip, especially after hearing that he contacted his doctor and tried his last attempt
in search of a cure, it explained why he was so withdrawn the last few months. The prospect of failing
was eating him up.

Technically he was looking for a solution in secrecy while I was doing the same and we both failed. I had
failed to tell him about my failure because it would only have pissed him off more. Talking about the
machine, I had not stepped into the garage ever since the last failure. Of course, the prospect of having
missed something kept me awake at night.

We arrived in the city in a matter of hours, the sun was practically setting, but we planned to stay the
night at one of Brandon's houses then fly home the next day. We put on our disguises of blonde wigs,
sunglasses and parked the car in the hospital garage; the last thing we wanted was to draw media
attention.

Brandon had cramped up on the Gala story. For the past two days, I was so pissed to notice that the
story was not trending and most news organizations avoided airing the party incident for fear of being
sued.
Josh and Jessica were cropped out of those that did air it. Only irrelevant channels were permitted to
show the entire incident because they had no viewers or, if they did, it was mostly old folks who didn't
have time to make the story trend.

To keep everyone occupied, he published a videotape of Josh and his lawyer having sex in the courtroom
office. Nestor was apparently given the command to release the tape when he gave him the order to
sabotage them again. Such a controversy would be bigger and more delicious than what occurred at the
Gala.

Because we had no intention of attracting crowds and because there was a limit to how many times
Brandon could control the media. We went to the doctor's office right away because he had already
scheduled the scan.

He greeted us and told me to lie down on the bed, which I did, despite the fact that I was nervous. When
I looked at Brandon, I noticed that he had a comfortable expression on his face, as if we hadn't made the
bet yet. He walked up to me and took my hand in his.

"Hope you are not going to cheat,” I asked. "Is it even feasible for me to cheat?" he exclaimed with a
chuckle.

“You're wealthy enough to hire a doctor to deceive me" I responded, the doctor gave me a serious look,
but he didn't say anything. It was obvious he wanted to say a lot of things.

"You still have the drab girl inside of you," Brandon poked at me as he responded.

"No, Brandon, I'd like our bet in writing and signed by you," I ordered.

"So, in a nutshell, you don't trust me?" He enquired.

“You'd do anything for that money to end up with me, wouldn't you?" I retorted.
He stood up and asked for a pen and paper. Nestor passed them over to him, and he swiftly scribbled
something down and handed it to me. I opened it and read it; he vowed to only hand over the company
if the baby was a female, and he signed it.

I wasn't happy that he had to change his mind about gender at the last minute, but I let him do what he
wanted because he was sick. There was still a possibility that the baby was a boy.

The doctor requested me to lift my shirt up before beginning the scan. My heart began to race for
unknown reasons as the doctor applied the gel to my stomach.

Brandon smiled and clutched onto my hand as soon as we saw the baby.

Despite the fact that he had gambled on a girl, he exclaimed, "There he is."

"It's actually a girl," stated the doctor, filling him with joy. Nestor and I exchanged perplexed expressions.
I couldn't decide whether to be angry or punch him in the head, so I just gazed at the screen in shock but
I was not going to let him take away the beautiful moment.

"Congratulations, it is going to be a baby girl," the doctor said again.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Very sure and she looks healthy and perfect to me," he added.

I looked at Brandon who had a wide smile on his face as we watched our little girl moving her little hands
and legs. She was so beautiful, she was everything that I imagined her to be.Brandon's Pov

Yes, I cheated, even though I never wanted to know the gender of the child till birth so that I can have
the urge to live or something to look forward to. But time caught up with me and I became curious and
eager to know the gender before I died.

After the bolts of being confined to bed, day in and day out I began feeling like I was never going to make
it, so I began searching all over the internet on how to tell the sex of a child by looking at a pregnant
woman.

I was too ashamed to ask Thalia for a scan, I was very sure she would think I was intentionally giving up.
But when the time was near, a dying man always knew.

So I began searching on the internet, there were thousands of articles, especially those from the
Victorian era when ultrasound or scans were not available and those of African origin where technology
was still lacking.

Most of them spoke of strange and weird things but I picked on those which were sounding normal or
applicable. For example, some talked about the silkiness of the mother's skin.

When a woman was pregnant with a boy child, her skin became afflicted with pimples and her nose
became larger, which I didn't see on Thalia.

Her skin was so flawless and luminous ever since she became pregnant, indicating that she was having a
girl.

Another sign was ugliness and untidiness; when a woman was expecting a male child, she always became
ugly and lacked a sense of fashion, but not with my Thalia; she was always clean, smartly dressed, and
taking baths more than she used to when she was not so I picked that as well.

Finally, a woman expecting a male child always had her belly pointing to the floor, whereas a woman
expecting a girl had her belly pointing up or leaning towards her heart, which is how Thalia's belly
appeared and I made my conclusion.
The majority of the myths were African in origin, yet their forefathers were always correct. I once
traveled there and I was amazed by their myths and culture.

So, after concluding that she was expecting a girl, I had to confidently choose a female when she asked
for the bet, and voila, the scan showed it was really a girl.

I smiled, knowing she'd never give up my fortune. I found her smiling when I stared at her, but she then
grabbed and twisted my ears.

"Can you tell me how you found out? Did you scan my body when I was sleeping?" She screamed at me,
"Or maybe you drugged me and ran a scan on me."

I shouted out, "Thalia, you're injuring me!"

She exclaimed, "Respond to the stupid question!"

The doctor and Nestor stood back and watched as the insane pregnant woman assaulted me. Did she
forget that I was a dying man because of her hormones? "No, I didn't; I just noted a few things about
your pregnancy and assumed it was a girl," I responded.

"Liar! You've always held your stance that it is a boy and only changed at the last minute?"

“You can Google, how can I drug a pregnant woman, Thalia I have five senses. All I needed was to find
out more about your skin and the shape of your pregnancy," I sobbed, deep down I was hoping she was
joking with her allegations because drugging a woman for the purpose of scanning was way beneath.

She let go of my ear and glared at me. "You've been searching for pictures of Pregnant women?"

“Yes, there are several clues, such as how smooth or neat one is when pregnant," I replied.
“When did you start believing in ridiculous superstitions?" She inquired.

The doctor cleared his throat and we both turned to face him, we thanked the doctor as he handed us
the scans he took and walked out of the room.

I held my ear which was hurting, I was sure I was going to die as a result of her relentless onslaught. She
peered at the scans in excitement and forgot about the allegations and assaults she was landing on me in
seconds.

Even though she wanted to blame me for a variety of things, she smiled every time she looked at the
scans.

“That's our child," I explained.

"I thought you wanted a boy?" she said, looking up at me.

“I already knew she was a girl, I just couldn't come to terms with it," I responded and assisted her up.
"Come on, Nestor, why are you standing so far away?" She enquired. “Come and take a good look at
your niece."

"She looks beautiful," Nestor said as he drew closer. "Any idea for the name?" he inquired. Thalia's eyes
were drawn to me almost instantly as if she was expecting me to say our name.

"You do the honors and name the child," she suggested and caught me off surprise. My eyes welled up
with tears as a rush of emotions washed over me. I quickly placed my hands over my face to hide from
the embarrassment.

"That's not my place, Thalia," I replied.

She said, "But you named the boy, Brandon junior."

I wiped my tears away and responded, "Yes, I used to call him Brandon, but it was never his name; you
are the mother."

"Well, I'd like you to give the child a name."

I became extremely emotional, it was humiliating and uncomfortable for me. I was not used to pouring
my emotions out for people to watch, so I gazed at her then at Nestor.

"Perhaps we should give Brandon some time to consider his options for a name,” Nestor stepped up to
save my miserable ass. I began to wonder if I was meant to include him as a sibling in my will or
something.

"Okay, you've got a day," she said as she got out of bed "Who's up for pizza? Let's celebrate!" she
suggested

We walked back into the car and headed to the nearest pizza parlor before going to one of my houses.

To be honest I was still blank and had no idea what to name the girl. I spent the entire night googling
some rare beautiful names but I did not like any of them. I slept with the scan on my chest and
wondered if that was the only version of the little girl that I was meant to meet.Jessica's Pov

My life was a tremendous embarrassment, it was a freak show; no matter where I went, everyone
turned their heads and gossiped about me. My husband's sex tape was all over the internet. We couldn't
tell if it was leaked by Kim or Thalia because none of them could be reached.

The fool who was meant to be embarrassed and in hiding was unconcerned that the controversy was all
over the place. He didn't give a damn about us and spent much of his time in casinos gambling whatever
we were left with. He was either going to run us dry or put the house up as collateral for his gambling.
Victor was frantically attempting to save what was remaining of Gentex, and I hadn't seen him since his
awful proposal.

I couldn't look him in the eyes for some reason. What made matters worse was the fact that we shared
the same house.

I spent the majority of my time hidden in my room, only emerging after he went for work. It was nightfall
by the time he returned, and I was always in bed. He came to my bedroom door and knocked the other
day, but I had to pretend I wasn't there.

How could I face a father-in-law who proposed to impregnate me in order to rescue the company? Yes,
he and I had had sex in the past, but it was when I was working as a call girl. He was a paying client and I
was providing a service but I had long since buried that past, and we had sworn never to speak of it
again.

But he had the audacity to bring it up, even though Josh was unaware of it.

His idea kept playing in my head for unknown reasons, even though I couldn't stoop that low and there
were many ways that everything could go wrong, so I had to find a way to push everything out of my
head.

But every time I saw Josh's pitiful appearance, the proposition sprang to my mind. I couldn't have gone
down the aisle if I had known I was marrying such a wuss.

He'd given up totally and was waiting for Thalia to finish him off. Staying in the same house as he was
driving me insane, and it was strange that Victor had made no further attempts to persuade me; perhaps
he was regretting ever making such a dumb request in the first place. However, the proposal's demise on
that awful roadway was for the best.

I spent the majority of my mornings jogging in the park, trying to clear my head. I was still applying to
several agencies, even those in other countries but received no responses. Brandon Fraser wielded
considerable power, therefore it came as no surprise to me that no one was reading my letters.

What hurt the most was knowing that the man who was supposed to be on my side and protecting me
was spending his days at bars and casinos.

I decided to focus on myself and ignore the moron; the only person who could help me was Victor, no
matter how disgusting he was; perhaps his Russian acquaintances would help me get work, but I was
putting the notion of asking him aside because Russians had a poor rep if not careful I would be selling
myself into a sex ring.

I groaned as I hurried to my door and looked for my keys, but Josh's car in the corner attracted my
attention. He was home, despite the fact that it was only 10 a.m, he was never home that early.

When I pushed on the door, it opened. My first assumption was that he'd run out of money, but I could
smell the cheap perfume as soon as I walked in. As my gaze trailed over cheap pink garments laying on
the floor alongside his clothes, my throat became dry and I felt nauseated. I followed the trail upstairs
and heard moans and screams. Josh brought a prostitute into our house and was fucking her on our bed.

As the reality was sinking in I walked straight up the stairs into the bedroom. As soon as I opened the
door the girl got up and tried to run but he grabbed her and begged her not to be afraid. He informed
her that I liked such games.

On the contrary, when he was with Thalia, I was the one who introduced him to such a game; I was once
on the other side of the bed, and it was Thalia who had walked in on us, and we had invited her to join
us. Josh was playing the same sick game with me but the only difference was that I was the shocked wife.
He kept encouraging me to join them, while the prostitute he was talking to busted out laughing.

As he began licking her face, I stared at the animal with such anguish that I thought he was worse than
his foolish father. I felt like grabbing any metal load and slamming it into his brain. Fucking around was
OK, but using the hell I taught him against me was crossing the line. The obese swine had just crossed a
line that he was going to regret for the rest of his pitiful life.
I turned and walked out of the room, fighting back tears that were threatening to fall. I was done with
being the good wife. I had the impression he had linked up with Thalia to make my life a living hell, but I
was going to show him what hell was like.

I snatched up my phone from the table, I could hear him shouting out my name and describing how
great a threesome would be but I disregarded his nonsense and dialed Victor's number, inquiring about
his whereabouts. I snatched up my keys and drove all the way to Gentex headquarters in my sweatpants,
dripping with sweat from my earlier jogging, but I didn't care because I was so angry.

The place was bursting at the seams with staff that we could afford to pay but most of them had been
laid off. I ignored their stares and walked straight to Josh's office, where Victor was working because the
fool rarely went to work. I walked right by the Secretary and into the office without saying anything.

I shut the door and stripped down to my underwear. Victor stood there stunned as if he wasn't the one
who had suggested it in the first place.

"Are there any cameras or listening devices in the office?" I inquired.

"No... my workers always sweep the office before I enter," he said, swallowing hard.

As I moved seductively to him, I said, "Good, this room is soundproof, so you don't have to worry about
the Secretary, and ooh, I'm ovulating, so I hope your boys can swim." My knees were trembling, but I
kept going. My skin crawled just looking at him, but I had no choice but to go to the side of his table and
bend over like a cheap whore. Josh had reduced me to a cheap whore that was fucking his father in
order for me to be able to feed myself.

It was only sex, I kept telling myself, Josh had slept with a lot of whores in the six months I'd been
married to him. I was only retaining the favor and the number of whores that he had slept with could
feel the entire office block.

I felt my lady parts being touched by Victor's old ragged wrinkled hands, and I felt like puking, but I held
it in and fought back the tears. I'd been with men far older than him before, so one more wouldn't hurt.
As he kept touching me, I remembered all the sex positions that Josh and I did in the same stupid office.

I could feel his old bulge pressing against me as he bent over to me. He asked whether I was sure of what
I was doing, in hushed tones. "There is no going back," he stated

"Shut the Fuck up and fuck the living life out of me," I became enraged and yelled at him.

“Little girl, be cautious what you wish for," he whispered in my ear. His voice reminded me of those
pedophile uncles who would creep into a little girl's room every night and tell her he owned her.

“Don't worry, I'll make this an unforgettable experience for you," as he began pushing down on his
pants, he said. My mind immediately went to a powerless old peanut. The first time we had sex, he
wasn't old and I was only eighteen years old, so it would have dried up.

I was expecting him to penetrate me, but instead, he knelt and began to put his face all the way up my
butt. It was somewhat unpleasant, but as soon as his tongue touched my sensitive areas, my legs began
to shiver and little moans began to escape my lips. He was really fantastic and knew how to treat a lady,
or at least he did the first time he fucked me. I started bending and gave him more access.

It felt so good and all the guilt I felt disappeared. I wanted it so badly that I went from a soft moan to a
full scream as I felt myself becoming wet and a wave of pleasure began to build up with each lick. It was
like he knew my body. In seconds, a wave of unmeasurable pleasure filled me up and exploded. I felt
liberated as if a weight had been removed off my shoulders.

I wanted it, even more, so he turned me before I could recover, lifted my leg, and launched himself into a
deep thrusting in and out without remorse. The old man had more vitality than his dumb son, and I was
loving every minute of it as I screamed his name, never making the mistake of shouting his son's name. It
was as if he knew I was a starving, dissatisfied wife because he filled in all the gaps his stupid son was
starving.

He fucked me from the top of the desk, the floor, the window, and Josh's filthy chair. He even taught me
new sex positions that I had never tried before, and I could scarcely walk by the time he was finished. I
had to lie on the chair for about thirty minutes before I was able to get up.

I had no regrets or remorse about fucking my father-in-law. He cleaned himself, dressed, and popped a
champagne bottle when he was finished. We congratulated each other on our sex and hoped I was
impregnated. I was exhausted so he had to drive us home. Josh had gone on his late-night gambling by
the time we arrived.

I immediately ran to the shower where Victor pursued me and fucked me once again. It became our
routine, and I even spent some nights in his room. What started as a fertilization incident turned into a
full-fledged affair between the daughter and her father-in-law.

It was a fuck raw affair, not a kissing or romantic one. We had to be cautious, especially since Brandon
Fraser had his eyes on us at all times. Josh's office was the lone safe haven, as it was soundproof and
carefully screened for any gadgets every time he walked out. We used to fuck the shit out of each other
under the premise of popping up and checking on the firm, and I never missed a fucking day. He'd sneak
into my shower and finish me off when we got home.

Josh had no idea how much I was fucking and enjoying every minute of it. But, to avoid raising suspicion,
I would sleep with Josh every morning before he left for his whorehouse. With all of the diseases I was
exposing myself to, it was risky, but I had a package of preventative pills that I took every time I slept
with him.

To him, I was the good wife who put up with whatever shit he threw at me, but he had no idea I was
fucking his father under his roof and that we were going to have a baby that we would pass off as his just
to bring him back to his senses and in the end, he would change the clauses If his company to wife, child
and sibling, either way, my future child and I were covered. I was definitely going to get something out of
the stupid marriage.Thalia's Pov

A week passed but yet he couldn't come up with a name for our baby. I thought he was hesitating at
times; how tough was it for him to come up with a female name? There were thousands of names
everywhere, but every time I attempted to help him, he made excuses like "no, we can't name our
daughter this or that because I once slept with a girl named that," I could only curse, he had slept literally
with everyone in the country because there was no name that I came up with that he had not slept with.
I let him be since I'd learned that pressing him to do something always resulted in a fight.

Nestor and I talked about my Brandon project for quite some time. He thought I had given up too easily,
but he didn't understand how science worked. There was no way I would give up easily for my Brandon.

Every professor I approached with my research assumed I was insane or had a lot of free time to waste,
and the failure of the first phase was the final nail in the coffin. Nestor, on the other hand, believed I was
on the right track, and one night while Brandon was sleeping, he took me to the garage and made me go
through everything I had done incorrectly, which seemed to be minimal.

I realized that Brandon was like a brother to him. He even volunteered that I tested the machine on him
but I did not want to risk his life for my selfishness. He really wanted Brandon to survive; I felt the same
way, but the cursed project seemed to be taking vital time away from me, time that I should have been
spending with Brandon, and the constant lying had been draining my life, together with his.

I didn't want to be in that position again, then there was an option of telling him, but for what cause,
after finding out that he had secretly contacted doctors which Nestor was fully aware of…. I decided not
to give him another false hope.

But one thing I didn't give up was going to work, even if it was only three times a week. Brandon hired
eight bodyguards for me, which was completely unnecessary, but it was for the best since it calmed him
down and allowed me to work. He still had the notion that Victor was going to attack me or send some
bad guys to hurt me. I had somehow gotten used to handling Mandel's Affairs and if I said I did not like it,
then I was lying.

I sat at the back of my limousine and asked the driver to make a turn. First, I needed to pay a visit to
some people who needed to officially meet the new me. Brandon was going to kill me if he found out,
but they needed to know that I wasn't the scary little brainless kid I used to be.

Victor had paid my office a number of visits, according to my Secretary, and even had the arrogance to
issue threats, which did not sit well with me. I also needed to return the favor. I began with the elderly
gentleman, who, according to reliable sources, spent most of his time in my late father's office.
I only took three guards with me because I didn't want it to become an opera production but I left them
at the reception. I marched up to his secretary, who refused to let me into his office. She did not even
offer me a seat despite my pregnant tummy. She informed me he was in a meeting with possible
investors and was too busy to meet anyone.

The lunatic had no idea who I was or how important the information she was providing me was. I
demanded she inform him of my visit, but she threatened to call security. Victor would halt his meeting
and sprint to my feet if she only told him I was outdoors but she refused to grant my wish.

I became frustrated while attempting to put some sense into her so I decided to walk right into Victor's
office without knocking. Victor sprung to his feet like a ghost in surprise as soon as I walked in; he had
not anticipated me to pay him a kind visit.

"What the hell is going on here? Who is she?" One of the men in the room inquired.

"Thalia, what are you doing here?" Victor inquired.

"Please accept my apologies; your Secretary is really impolite," I explained as I sat down. The men's
expressions were priceless, but I was loving every minute of it.

"This is not acceptable, Thalia!" The old man shouted out, but I ignored him and reached for an
unopened bottle of water to satiate my thirst.

"How dare you come to my place of work and issue dry threats," I said, looking up at him.

“Thalia," he warned as his veins to the side of his head became visible. "This is not the time and place;
I'm calling security."

"You will never have the opportunity to grace my presence if you call security," I warned forcefully. I
could see him pause for a fraction of a second. As he argued within himself which of us was more
precious. Deep down he thought I was still the naive girl who he could manipulate, so I could not see him
passing off the opportunity.

He fixed his gaze on me rather than his guest. It was thrilling to see his old croaked face debating, the
nasty face I never envisioned meeting but I had to rethink my decision because he still believed he was
untouchable.

"Gentlemen," he murmured, and a smile crept over my lips, but not on the faces of the other gentlemen
in the room.

They were all dissatisfied and irritated when they stood up "Victor, you asked for time, and we not only
gave it to you, but we also followed you here," he remarked, "Wait a minute, we've already gone over
the important topics; I still have something to say."

"It's fine Victor, we're leaving," said the man who appeared to be in command.

I quickly got up and handed him my card; "Thalia Nash, acting owner of Mandel logistics," I said.

He looked surprised when I mentioned the corporation, his countenance softened, and I knew he'd
heard about the baby mom taking over Mandel. Before handing me his business card, he grinned and
introduced himself. Victor just stood there stunned as he realized what I'd done, unable to do anything
but watch as his investors walked away.

He turned furiously to face me when they'd all left and walked up to me, holding my arm tightly, "So you
think you can simply walk...

I took out my paper spray and went straight for his eyes before he could complete his sentence. He
cursed and rubbed his eyes as he yelled in agony. I figured he'd do something stupid, so I went prepared.

He shouted, "Are you crazy?"

"When I file you for sexual misconduct, you'll be free to question insanity. I'm sure you know Brandon
has a lot of judges in his pocket, and no one would be able to get a conviction. Lay your filthy hands on
me and the next thing you'll see is a cell block," I warned.

The room fell silent as he began his hunt for a chair with difficulty. I was going to reduce the foolish
moron to the trash that he was. I got up when he sat down.

"I've come here to ask one question, and yes, I've risked my life to ask it: what did my father ever do to
you?" I inquired, carefully removing a gun from my purse. The good news was that he had taken down all
of the cameras that may have served as proof so I was free to do any shit to him.

He carefully took his hands away from his puffy eyes and glared the gun down. "Are you a moron!" He
stated, "There are a lot of witnesses, and Brandon won't be able to spare you from prison."

I took the pepper spray and sprayed him again without warning, making him sob uncontrollably. While
he was scratching his eyes, I stood up and slammed his head into the table, causing him to scream even
louder. Even if he shouted on top of his lungs, no one was going to hear him because of the soundproof
room. The room was made soundproof to keep whatever was discussed in the office to remain in the
office. But that was going to be my advantage.

"You foolish bitch, you have knocked out my teeth!" He screamed. I could see blood gushing out of his
mouth, and his other hand was over his mouth while the other rubbed into his eyes.

It felt good to watch his foolish ass in pain; he thought he was untouchable, but I was about to show him
what that meant.

"If you don't answer the stupid question, I'll spray you again!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.

"Your scumbag father robbed me of everything!" he retorted "I was the one who came up with the idea
of starting an invention firm instead of working for some old company, it was my idea, but what did your
foolish father do!" he cried as the room became silent. With pepper spray and a gun aimed at him, all I
did was gaze at him
“He founded that idiotic company and bankrupted my company," he continued.

I nearly burst out laughing but I held it in, the man in front of me was a sorry sight. “How many chocolate
companies, how many car or cellphone companies are there in this country, you stupid man?" I
screamed at him, but he remained silent. I stood up and grabbed one of his arms; he attempted to push
me away, but I was quick because I had rehearsed before visiting his office.

I cuffed one hand and walked to the other side as he tried to grab me with his other hand; he was mostly
blind and couldn't see that I had moved. I snatched the other hand and cuffed it behind his back too.

I roared and lodged my gun into his mouth, saying, "When I say answer the foolish question, I mean
answer the dumb question." He believed he had the guts to go at my work rate and deliver dry threats,
but I was going to teach him.

“Are you now prepared to respond?" I inquired, and he responded with a fearful nod as if he was
beginning to realize how serious I was. I took the gun out of his mouth slowly, and he coughed loudly. "If
you are not going to kill in here, I will come after you and bury you!” he said.

"You will be shocked what rich people, I mean very affluent people, can get away with," I added, hitting
his face hard with the edge of the rifle. “So, where were we before... ooh, I was just saying, there are a
lot of similar companies out there, and he wasn't making the same gadgets or machines you were, so
why blame him for your failure?" I inquired, but he remained silent, his gaze on the floor.

“So, now that you're at my mercy, you've got nothing to say?" I asked.

"Do not expect me to regret what I did because you put a gun in my mouth. I'd do it even more if given
another chance...

I smacked him across the face before he could finish his thought.
Suddenly the door opened and the skank strolled in, bouncing her fake hips, but she froze when she saw
me holding a gun at her father-in-law. I was not expecting her to pay the old man a visit, but she did. I
quickly pointed the gun at her and told her to enter slowly and quietly or I would blow her head
off.Jessica's pov

As I stared at the bitch with the gun pointed at me, my heart stopped. I had never imagined the picture I
was staring at. Victor was handcuffed, his eyes swollen and bloodied, and he had blood all over his
mouth and clothes. Thalia stood beside him, holding a gun and what appeared to be pepper spray. The
woman was plainly insane. As she directed, I lifted my hands and quickly pushed on the door as per her
instruction, ignoring Victor's calls to call for help.

I was terrified; there was far too much blood for me to believe she wouldn't blow off my head and get
away with it. There was nothing inside the black coat that I wore. I was completely naked, and any
movement or attempts to grab the gun would expose me. Visiting a father in raw in nothing but a coat
would be the biggest scandal in the country. I had to play nice, we've had a lot of scandals and are scared
or risk being exposed.

I had gone over to surprise Victor with a sex snack that he was meant to fantasize about for the rest of
the day. We never did it in the morning but on that particular day, I woke up horny and found he had
already left for work so I decided to surprise him but I had no clue the ex-daughter-in-law was planning a
full-fledged assault the same morning.

"Take a seat," she said, motioning to a chair near Victor. “What exactly is your plan here? You will not get
away with murdering us, " I warned her.

" By the way, how is Josh doing? He seems to be getting fatter by the day; what are you feeding him?"
she inquired, a sleek smile on her face. I averted my gaze since I didn't want to bring up my

Useless husband.

"How's the marriage going? Is it as rosy as you hoped for when you finally won his heart and got rid of
me?" she inquired. I could hear the mockery in her voice; she was well aware of how messed up my
marriage was, which was all thanks to her. I averted my gaze and folded my arms.
She walked to where I was sitting and pepper-sprayed me right in the eyes, much to my surprise. As I
shouted out in agony, my eyes felt like they were on fire. I tried to stand up but she aimed the gun at my
stomach. I froze because I knew something was supposed to be cooking in there, even though it was way
too early. Victor, too, took a breath and came to a halt with his screaming. For a breath second we
shared a stare but quickly looked away, even the pepper spray in our eyes seemed to have vanished at
that particular moment.

"Let me make myself clear, when I ask you a question please be quick to answer," she warned. The last
thing I needed was a hole in my stomach, so I hurriedly nodded in terror.

"Now I'll ask you another question: how is your relationship with my ex? Is he behaving and not treating
you like an animal?" She asked as if she had gone crazy. I rubbed my eyes, they became itchy.

"Hey skank, you're demoralizing me!” she stated

“My eyes hurt, you're a moron... I tried to scream, but before I could finish my statement, she forced the
gun into my mouth, nearly touching the back of my throat. I felt like suffocating, the sensation was
nauseating, especially because I was still recuperating from the spray in my eyes. I tried to take the gun
away from her, but she pepper-sprayed me again. I had no choice but to let go of her and wipe my eyes.

“What's the fuck is wrong with you?" I sobbed. It was like humiliation was following me everywhere I
went. Victor was cursing her and attempting to free himself, but she merely smiled and told us to quit
fighting the process. She'd gone insane.

"Will you answer the question or will I have to spray you?"

“Josh is the worst person I've ever known!" I stated as her serious face began to curve into a smile. I
looked in Victor's direction but he looked away. I continued, “Is that the information you are itching to
hear? How your ex is treating me. Is Brandon Fraser so boring that you are always thinking about how
Josh is treating me? I screamed at her.
"You know it's too hot, you may take off your coat," she said, chuckling as she moved to the side of my
table.

I stopped massaging my eyes and froze, I had nothing under my coat and if she forced me to take it off,
we'd be exposed right away; even a first-grader could see that. Victor spoke out suddenly as if he had
noted I was naked. "I'm suing Mandel for this nonsense, and I'm suing you for the nonsense!" He
screamed.

"I suppose your father would be pleased to know that you for fucking your way up the corporate ladder
after foolishly signing away your inheritance away," he exclaimed.

As she leveled the gun at him, I could hear her breathing heavily. The words he spoke slashed her to the
core.

"The fact is that you were simply too stupid; any other man would have taken everything from you if it
hadn't been for Josh," he added.

She got closer to him, and the room became quieter. She was going to shoot him, I was certain. She went
within inches of him and aimed the rifle directly at his face.

He cried at her, "Do it, shoot me, you are so dumb!" She smiled and spat on his face, much to my shock.
She smiled again, the only thing Victor could do was close his swollen eyes with disgust.

"The next saliva will land on your mouth," she added as she pulled out her phone, texted something, and
then returned her attention to us. "It's just a shame that the fat foolish son isn't here; I'd love to shove
this pistol in his idiotic mouth, but he's not here," she said "Yes, I was foolish in love, yes, I was naive, but
some people love too much and lose their senses. I believe Jessica here understands what I'm talking
about, or perhaps she married for financial gain?" She mocked.

I would have battled her and snatched the ridiculous gun from her if I had had clothes inside my jacket,
but I couldn't risk exposing my affair with Victor, so she would notice even the tiniest movement, so I
had to sit there and suffer the humiliation like a good girl. Victor would signal me to take the rifle while
she was chatting and getting carried away, but I was too terrified. I'd persuade myself not to since the
jacket was too short and I'd be exposed.

"Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that whether it's through good books or the back door, I'm going
to obtain Gentex, and it won't take four years for me to get it," while gazing at Victor dead in the eyes,
she stated.

"You're implying that you're going to buy the public stock!" Victor asked in a mocking tone. She merely
smiled and averted his gaze.

She answered, "just sit back and see how young people take over organizations."

The door opened and a solemnly serious man, the same man she had been with at the cocktail party,
strode in. Three built-in guards escorted him in, and he walked straight to Thalia in shock. "What the fuck
are you doing?" he said, staring at me and then at Victor. He screamed at her and snatched up the gun.

"They were not cooperating, and I was scarcely able to communicate with them," he responded.

“Is it possible to remove the stupid cuffs from my wrists?" Victor screamed angrily at him.

"Shut up, fool," he said, turning to Thalia. "Are you all right upstairs? Don't you know we may be sued?"
he inquired.

“Allow them to sue us if they have the financial means to do so," she joked. He literally dragged her out
of the office by her arm. One of the guards grabbed her handbag as another began uncuffing Victor as I
swiftly rose up and breathed out.

Victor attempted to take the handcuffs as evidence but was prevented by the powerful hands. The other
guard cut the phone wire in half after disconnecting it. They both then demanded that we hand over our
phones, which we did, and they walked out of the office, shutting us in.
I dashed to the door and yelled for assistance, certain that I had left the worthless secretary at her desk.
Was she deaf or her hearing was impaired? Wasn't she aware of all the people that were entering and
exiting the office or maybe she was blind?Thalia's Pov

Nestor hauled me out of Gentex like a two-year-old child. The workers stared at us like a freak show but
he did not care. I kept begging him to stop, but he was so enraged that he was virtually on fire. He
shoved me into the car, oblivious to the fact that I was pregnant. "Ouch!," I cried out. “Are you insane?" I
yelled.

He grabbed my things from the guards, gave them some orders, and got into the car, driving away rather
silently. When we arrived at Mandel, he came to a stop enraged and spun around to confront me.

"What the fuck is your problem! How could you possibly jeopardize yourself, the baby, and the plan?" He
screamed loudly.

I folded my arms and turned away; I had no regrets about what I had done; I was just disappointed that I
did not have the opportunity to finish it; I had expected Victor to beg me to stop, but I was brutally
interrupted.

He yelled again, "Thalia, I'm talking to you!"

"Last time I checked, you worked for Brandon; now that I'm taking over, you work for me so you're out
of order shouting at me," I said as I turned to face him. He grinned and lowered his head as if I had said
something contradictory.

"Is this going to be the case? Well, let me give you some advice: if you keep doing what you're doing,
you're going to die before Brandon, so keep up with your stupidity," he added.

With a smirk, I continued, "At least I'll die knowing I scared those foolish idiots."
I couldn't help but wonder how much more rewarding it would have been if Josh had been present. At
the very least, I got the skank, but I was hoping she'd be the one to fight me.

The woman had been reduced to a filthy housewife; that was not the Jessica I was used to; she had more
balls at the gala than she had in there, and she looked afraid as if she was sure I was going to shoot her.
What was strange was that instead of grabbing my gun, she was busy clutching her coat.

'Thalia?' he exclaimed, startling me out of my reverie.

"Whether you're my boss or not, I'll be infusing some common sense into your skull, so feel free to fire
me," he declared.

I only averted my gaze because something about the skank's coat held my attention. It was as if she was
concealing something; the coat appeared to be far more essential than rescuing the day or her life. I was
too busy to notice it but now that I was outside I realized that it was weird.

“Thalia!” Nestor screamed and began driving away. "Hey, can you tell me where you're going? Stop the
dumb car, ain't we at Mandel" I inquired, puzzled.

“Brandon needs to talk sense into you at the beach house," he responded.

“Stop the dumb car!"I yelled at him, but he ignored me and continued driving erratically. "You can't tell
Brandon... you'll get in trouble because you're the one who got me the gun," I reminded him of it.

"Then the two of us best get ourselves into trouble and prepare to explain," he said.

"Are you a moron? He's sick, and he will not be able to deal with the news," I explained.

"I've already texted him, and he's probably hunting for a judge to bribe should Victor decide to sue you!"
he cried as he turned to face me.
I hesitated for a second, wondering how or when he had time to speak with Brandon. He was annoying,
and he betrayed me. Why was he so loyal to Brandon? I could only imagine how furious Brandon was. I
took out my phone and checked for messages from him but found none.

I began making up stories in my head to get myself out of the mess I'd gotten myself into. I screamed
in disgust because he was so ineffective.

We arrived at the airport, and I trailed angrily behind. I was meant to be in my office, finishing up some
paperwork. But there I was on my way back home. We boarded the plane and were on our way to the
beach house in a matter of minutes.

The entire flight was silent and somehow awkward. We arrived at the beach and I was the first to step
out. He gave me a warning look but I ignored him and walked into the house.

I stepped into the bedroom and found him on the phone, so I walked behind Nestor with my arms
folded. He sounded like he was speaking to a Judge, based on the tone of his voice and the terms he was
using. He recognized me right away and gave me a disappointed look, which I just averted. He turned to
face me after hanging up the phone and thanking Nestor for informing him.

"Please have a seat," he said.

I took a seat on the couch rather than the bed where he was sleeping. "Please make sure you have
delivered the baby the next time you plan to attack Victor. Is that clear?" He ordered. I remained silent
and went on playing with my fingers, avoiding eye contact.

When he was upset at me, he was terrifying, but in a good way. I really always liked his tone of voice… It
was somehow sexy.

"Thalia!" he screamed as he banged his hand on the bed. My mind was apparently elsewhere. As blood
splattered across the blankets, he began coughing uncontrollably. "Oh my God Brandon?" I said as I
dashed to him. “Are you okay? Do you require a glass of water?"
"No!" he screamed angrily. "I'm going to need your senses!" He inquired, "What were you thinking?"

"I wanted them to know I wasn't afraid of them, that dumb Victor had the guts to come to my workplace
and threaten me!" I retorted.

"So you had to lower yourself to their level?" he asked.

I chuckled and merely looked at him, but he was not going to make me regret what I had done. I'd do it
again on any given day. Or perhaps I should concentrate my attention on Josh, as I needed to stuff the
full gun into his stupid mouth.

"What happened to the gun?" He enquired.

Nestor walked to him and handed him the gun, which he checked and discovered to be fully loaded.
Maybe he assumed there were no bullets in it, but I had gone perfectly prepared.

"What if Victor had gotten his hands on the gun and shot you, killing you and the baby?" he wondered.

“Brandon, I had everything under control," I replied.

"You didn't have anything under control! Nothing! You could have been killed, and now I'm stuck
cleaning up after you"

"But, they will need a substantial sum of money in order to take me to court," I retorted.

He held his head in disappointment and said; “Mandel has been in business long before your father was
born, and the proprietors or firm have never been sued. Do you have any idea how much Victor can
make off of us?"
"That's why, I said, you'll make sure the case never goes to court," I said confidently.

They both looked at me as if I was insane, and to be honest, my mind was still on Jessica and her coat.
When I put the gun in her mouth, she was clutching her coat rather than the gun and never fought me.
How difficult was it for her to push a woman who was expecting a child? Victor was shackled to the chair,
but she wasn't but yet she was too preoccupied with pulling on it as if her life depended on it. The
dreadful coat was far too inexpensive for her taste.

"Are you with us, Thalia?" Nestor enquired.

"The stupid coat?" I stated it loudly.

“What are you talking about? What coat? Thalia, where has your brainless skull gone?"

I ignored them as I sat down, the word coat kept repeating in my mind. In my compactor, the sieve
needed a coat. I was so intent on introducing the new cells as ordinary cells instead of treating them like
antibiotics or any drug to ensure that the old cells welcomed them as some sort of boaster. But instead,
they were being perceived as foreign entities and getting attacked. I needed a coat for my compactor as
well as a coat for my cells and a sieving base.

I was so preoccupied with the transfusion that I forgot about the coat. I smiled at Nestor and turned to
kiss Brandon on the cheek.

"Thalia, what's going on, can you tell me what's wrong with you?"

“It is the hormones, the baby is killing me? I said aloud.

Brandon responded, "You were talking about a stupid coat." He wasn't buying my act, but I couldn't keep
my excitement in check. Brandon's life was going to be saved because of Jessica's obnoxious coat. I
attempted to kiss him once more, but he pushed me away. He roared at me, "Thalia, this is serious!"

I lied and said, "I know and I'm sorry; I promise I won't do it again. And Brandon, please, I'm starving," I
shouted out.

"Nestor, go into the kitchen and get a meal for her," he said. Nester was enraged when he glanced at
him. I guess he thought Brandon was going to beat me up or something, but I noticed he was simply
concerned about my safety. As I played with Brandon's ears, he stood there staring at me.

“Is that all there is to it?" he enquired

"What exactly do you mean?" Brandon enquired.

"So you're just going to let her off the hook after she jeopardized the plan and the baby?"

Brandon answered, "I'm grounding her; she won't be working the entire week," he replied to which I just
laughed because I needed the week off to concentrate on my gadget and prepare the coats. At the very
least, my early craziness resulted in my breakthrough. The answer was always in front of me, but I had
been overthinking everything and wasting valuable months.

"And I'm taking the gun away from her; if you decide to buy her gun in the future, please let me know.
'It's all your fault," he said and ordered him to go fetch my lunch. As he walked out the kitchen door, I
could see his face flush crimson with rage.

"Did you get your answers?" Surprisingly, he inquired. "Next time you plot such folly, please let me or
Nestor know?" he urged as I coughed and nodded.

"I'd like to shove the gun into Josh's mouth, I did not get the opportunity," I responded. He tried to
reason with me, but I interrupted him. "Yes, Brandon, I screwed up and put my life on the line, but I'd do
it all over again," I stated and he only looked away.
Nestor brought the food and I quickly ate it and took a shower. I got out a paper and wrote all the things
I needed and handed the pepper to Nestor. At first, he was surprised and did not understand but at night
I explained everything to him. I was very sure I was heading in the right direction though I was not sure
whether to inform Brandon or not.

But in the morning, while he was sleeping I rushed to the garage where Nestor was waiting for me and I
began working on my coats. If successful I needed a bigger test subject and Nestor knew where to find it.
He was so excited that he forgot about the other day's madness. He was the one person that believed in
me when all professors shamed my project.

But it was too early to celebrate, everything was just in theory. I needed to put everything up and test if
it was going to work. All I could pray for was that Brandon held on because every day that he woke up he
looked worse and was not getting any better. I was back with racing against time but he had lived six
more months and he was going to hold on for me.Josh's Pov

My phone kept ringing, but I ignored it. It was my father calling, and I was in no mood to speak with him.
I just blew $10,000 from my bank account, my last earned cash. I was officially broke and most of it I
blew it on gambling and whores, it had turned into an addiction that I couldn't control.

I sat in the cheap bar miserably, everything was gone and I had no idea where I was going to get my next
money. I kept staring at the empty account but my view of it was getting obstructed by my father's
constant calling.

Everything was gone because of my stupid ex-wife Thalia. I squandered it because of her, she managed
to ruin me in months while it took me years to ruin her. Years that I could never get back.

How could she be pregnant when I had made her believe she couldn't conceive and somehow she was
wealthier than me. After all the years I spent dragging her down, every effort and time was flushed
down the toilet.

As my phone beeped again, I sat there wondering why life was so unfair. Was the old man getting too old
to grasp that I was ignoring his calls? I sipped my cheap wine and pondered my thoughts. I felt so
worthless, and it was all because of her.

I began to ponder how different my life would have been if I hadn't consented in participating in the
vengeance. I'd most likely be working for a legal firm; I'd always wanted to be a lawyer, but my father
pushed me to study business administration and management, which I disliked so that I could take over
the dumb company.

I almost flung the phone when he called again, but it was Jessica, which was strange because she had
stopped caring and never called though we always had sex in the morning and it was her who always
initiated it. I guess deep down she still loved me.

I fixed my gaze on the phone, searching for the time when I noticed my notification was flooded with
messages, and when I saw the name Thalia, I leaped to my feet and opened it.

My father was apparently admitted to a hospital as a result of Thalia's attack. My senses stopped for a
minute as I stared at the message for a long time, reading it repeatedly and trying to digest everything. I
quickly dropped everything behind and ran out of the club, heading straight to the hospital. My attempts
to contact my father and Jessica were unsuccessful. They seemed to be retaliating for my failure to
return their calls. As I parked my car at the hospital premises, I cursed.

I went immediately to his room and found him shouting at the cops who were recording his statement.
He appeared to have been attacked by something poisonous, his eyes were red and swollen and he was
having trouble opening them.

“Have you nabbed the scumbag? Instead of arresting her, what are you doing here?" He roared at the
top of his lungs.

"Mr. Nelson, we need to interview you first, and then we'll interview Miss Nash and get her version of
the tale," the cop said, prompting my father to start tossing stuff on the floor.

"Before you injure someone, Mr. Nelson, calm down."

“Relax, relax, relax! That useless woman shoved a gun into my mouth, which is a criminal and she is
probably hiding all the evidence as we speak;"

"We'll obtain her side of the story, but having cameras in your office will assist in her arrest." the officer
stated.

“I don't have any bloody cameras," he said. "Where is Jessica, Jessica, Jessica, Jessica, Jessica?"

Jessica, who had been standing in the room's far corner, took a step forward. Her eyes were red but not
as puffy as my father's. She was dressed in a strange black coat that was far too hot for the weather and
was far too quiet. I was expecting her to be screaming at the faces of the policemen and screaming for
Thalia's head, but she was unusually silent.

Perhaps she was traumatized in some way. She looked up and saw that I was looking at her. She swiftly
shifted her sight to the officer. I couldn't decide whether or not approaching her and offering my support
was the correct thing to do. Although I walked over to her while keeping a safe distance.

"Where have you been!" my father asked as he recognized my presence. "How come you were avoiding
my phone calls?" he inquired.

"I misplaced my phone," I lied.

Jessica shrugged, but I didn't pay attention to her.

To catch our attention, the cop cleared his throat. "So, let me get this straight, and an
almost-seven-month pregnant woman handcuffed you, Mr. Nelson, and held your daughter-in-law at
gunpoint while doing so, and put the gun in both of your mouths?" he questioned.

I stared at the two in shock as the officer tried to grasp what happened. Even in my drunken state, a
pregnant woman would not have the upper hand on me, I thought to myself.
“Yes, that's what happened; why are you making it sound as if you're mocking the situation?" My
father screamed at him.

"I'm just trying to figure out what happened, and where was your secretary at the time of the attack?"
He inquired.

My father was virtually breathing fire as the two of them exchanged glances. "The room is soundproof," I
said after clearing my throat.

"Is this the same ex-wife that you stole everything from and was in court for her disappearance?" the
officer asked, staring at me for a long time.

When I heard his question, I shut my eyes and knew the case was not going away. He was under Brandon
Fraser and there were no two ways about.

“What does that have to do with the assault and kidnapping that little animal put us through?" My father
asked.

"I'm just trying to learn more about you and your claimed attacker," he responded.

"Get out now, since it appears that you are one of their puppets," my father exclaimed, having noticed
how biased the officer was in his questioning. The officer examined us and then returned his gaze to my
unusually silent wife.

“Okay, I'll call you if I have any additional questions, he added as he walked away. My father cursed out
every mother of insults, as his blood pressure began to rise.

I stepped up to him and said, "Calm down, Dad."

He screamed, "She placed a fucking gun in my mouth!" He roared at me and shoved me off of him,
"Where were you when that excuse of an ex-wife was putting a pistol in my mouth! Get out of my way,
your humiliating son!" He screamed at me, "You stink, you fucking stink of alcohol!" He added.

I could see the humiliation in his eyes, it was a look that I had never seen before. No one had ever
humiliated him like that before.

Thalia had the audacity to pepper spray my father and put a gun in his mouth, and I just stood there
shocked. She wasn't the Thalia I was familiar with, she had changed.

He screamed at Jessica, "And you! How could you just stand there and watch while she held a pistol to
your head?"

"Please don't begin with me, Victor," she replied. Her head was definitely somewhere else.

"You just stood there, you could have taken the gun from her grip?" He yelled at her. Jessica was taken
aback and burst out laughing. "How come you didn't take the gun away from a pregnant woman in her
seventh month?" She blasted him.

“And how did she get you cuffed in the first place?" She shrieked at the top of her lungs.

The door opened and we were told to keep it down by a nurse who came in. We were apparently
bothering the other patients. We apologized and decided to keep it down.

The room fell silent as each of us locked our gazes on one other.

“We should be engaging lawyers and not fighting each other," I stated.

"Wow, look who's decided to join the family," Jessica mocked and averted her gaze, but I was
unconcerned.
“Please tell me you're not going to hire Kim and fuck her for services, or is it daddy who will be the one
to do it this time?" "Shut up, Jessica," dad screamed.

"She wants to play dirty, so we'll play dirty too," reaching for his phone In a chilly tone, he said. I had no
idea what he was talking about, but I was curious and couldn't ask. It was only safe for me to keep quiet
since I had already given up on the family.

When the doctor entered, he motioned Jessica and me to take a step outside while he attended to my
father. In silence, we made our way to the corridor. Our relationship had devolved into a battle of
enraged stares. "Do you mind if I ask whether you're all right?" I posed the question.

She merely fixed her gaze on me before averting it.

Not knowing what to do, I scratched my head.

"Please mind your own fucking business," she said and walked to another chair after responding. We sat
in silence, ten meters apart, with no one attempting to strike up a discussion. We both rose up as soon
as the doctor exited.

"We're keeping an eye on your father for a night because his blood pressure is very high," he expressed
himself.

I inquired, "How about the eyes?"

“Do not worry, we'll give him something to help his eyes, and I've given him something to help him
relax," he went on to say.

"Thank you very much," I said as I thanked him and proceeded into the room. We found the drugs had
already knocked him down.
I decided I was going to spend the night there not because I wanted to but because I had nowhere to go.
I had no money to gamble or buy prostitutes and going to the house with Jessica was not something that
I wanted to do.

After staying for some minutes she got up and took her leave and I was left there, in my chair still trying
to grasp how my life was reduced to crumbles. But Thalia was definitely going to pay for what she did to
my father and Jessica. she had just crossed the line.Jessica's Pov

I walked down the hospital corridors like a witch being chased. The dumb coat I wore felt like it was
burning my skin off. I felt like I was being suffocated to death. I was dripping sweat and I could feel it
trailing behind my back. I quickly got into my car and took it off, I felt a wave of relief as I breathed in
hard.

I didn't even mind that the windows were not tainted or that people were still moving about. All I
wanted was fresh air. I drove the car somewhere secluded, parked the car, and opened the window.

The fresh air was very refreshing, stupid Thalia had reduced me to the gutter. Victor was right, it was
time to play dirty and bitch was going to regret the day she set her eyes on me. I took out my cigarette
from the handbag and began smoking. I held my tummy wondering if anything was cooking.

Thalia dared to point the gun at my unborn baby. I shrugged remembering the entire incident. It was not
over, I was going to get her for all the shit she did to me one way or another I was going to get her. I
screamed out in frustration, my life seemed to be a ring of endless misery.

I finished my cigarette and drove home pissed, Josh did well not to stay at the hospital. The last thing I
needed was to deal with another shit. I arrived at the house and went straight to shower. It was
refreshing to stand over the shower, and clean all the sweat off and dirt.

I made sure I soaked my eyes, I had refused treatment, and lied that I was okay to prevent the nurses
from having to force me to take off my coat. Me showing up at my father-in-law's office with nothing but
a coat would raise another scandal. That was the main priority and the reason why I never fought Thalia
for the gun. But Victor dared to question my stance when I was preventing a major scandal. I would
rather have died than let the world know that I was fucking my father-in-law.

After I was done I retired off to bed glad that no one had noticed that I had gone to have sex with my
father-in-law. He and I needed to have a talk, it was time we put our sex hormones in check because it
seemed like time was catching up with us. I checked all my messages before dozing off.

I was woken up by shouting and yelling, I could hear it was Victor's voice. I looked at my watch and it was
only 7 am. It couldn't be them, it was too early for them to be discharged. I quickly got up and put on my
robe, running downstairs. To my surprise, it was the father and son.

Victor was on the phone yelling on top of his voice while his useless son was trying to calm him down.

“What's going on, who discharged you?” I asked them, I was not expecting them to be home until the
afternoon. Victor turned around and I noted his eyes were still swollen. He looked away like he had not
seen me and walked to the kitchen. The old man was still upset with me but I did not mind. He should
have grabbed the gun himself if he had no integrity to worry about.

Josh cleared his throat and said; “Dad did not feel safe staying in the hospital another minute so he was
made to sign some papers."

He looked sober, I could not remember the day I last saw him sober. It took an attack on his father and
wife for him to grow some sense in his deadhead.

The door opened and Victor walked back, cursing and pushing everything in his way like a rabies dog.

“They can't find Thalia, she has disappeared again!” he yelled. “How difficult is it to find a pregnant girl in
this dumb country?”

“Are you planning to do something to her?” Josh asked.

“Not me the Russians, it is time that we taught that fool a lesson,"

“But… Brandon Fraser?" I jumped in, there was no way he was not going to connect the attack to us.

“Why can't we just sue, we can sue them for all the money Gentex needs," Josh spoke up.

“That is in the process but she needs to know who she is messing with, the Russians can scare her
without leaving a trace," he said.

Josh and I stared at each other and just watched as he walked upstairs. We were left there standing
awkwardly without anything to say to each other.

“Are...you okay?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes and walked to the kitchen, his sight was somehow irritating the life out of me. I went to
the fridge and picked anything that was in the fridge and began eating it. I heard him shout something
about visiting his mother but I did not care what he was doing in his pathetic life. He never bothered
telling me so I did not see the need to update me.

I spent the entire day in my bedroom, to be honest, if Victor couldn't find Thalia, then I had zero chances
of finding her but she was soon going to reveal herself. But a week passed and there was no progress
either with the police making a case or with finding Thalia. According to the police, Thalia showed up for
questioning and there was no evidence that what she did was not to protect herself.

The slut lied that Victor attacked her for buying shares in Gentex and all she did was defend herself. The
entire police were under Brandon's Payroll and fighting against that was a waste of time so we decided
to go civil and sue her.

With a lawsuit, she was definitely going to show her ass and I could only wish whatever Victor planned
for her was going to make her lose the stupid baby. He never told us anything to avoid us being
accomplices.
But the girl had big power behind her, she never showed up to the first session and only sent her lawyer
who asked for more time. This only allowed Victor to make sure that the case was transferred to one of
his old colleagues.

The same man that handled most of his past cases. The Judge was very loyal to Victor, the two went a
long way and we were granted and tipped a lot of money. Thalia had no idea what was going to hit her.

I woke up early and dressed in one of my expensive gowns. I wanted the front row seat to watch as
Thalia gave her money to the company that she was destroying.

We arrived at the court premises and we were seated minutes earlier. Victor and I were the
complainants and we sat with our lawyer but I noticed that the accused and her lawyers were not at
their desk. The judge had warned her lawyer to make sure she showed up without excuses or when was
going to be charged with contempt of court, fined or arrested, and ordered to pay us.

Josh was present and was seated in the front law seat, giving us full support. I guess he was there for the
money. I noted he had been by his father's side ever since he was attacked. He tried to expand his
newfound care to me but I did not tolerate nonsense. I had made myself busy all week. Victor and I had
not talked and neither did we find the time to engage in sex. He had been very occupied with finding
Thalia and working on the case with his lawyers.

He did find time in the busy schedule and informed me about Josh squandering all our life savings. I
understand why he was home all the time, he had no money to gamble and he had been given a final
warning. Just seeing his face made my skin crawl, he was despicable.

Maybe having Victor's child was not a bad idea, it was better than having weak children from a weak
father like Josh.

I looked to my left and I noticed my lawyer whispering something into Victor's ears. The facial expression
Victor gave was enough to tell me that something was wrong. Josh noticed too and walked up to us,
“What is taking the Judge so long?” he asked.
I looked up and noticed that he was correct, the Judge was nowhere to be seen. I looked at my watch, he
was thirty minutes late. Something was definitely wrong, or maybe he got caught in traffic or something?
But another thirty minutes passed and neither the Judge nor Thalia were present.

Victor's face turned red, he tried calling him but his phone went unanswered. He had assured me that his
judge friend was reliable but it looked like Thalia managed to buy him off.Thalia's Pov

We sat in front of the big screen watching the three idiots waiting for a judge that was not going to show
up. Brandon brought in a big screen just for the occasion and we mounted it in the corner of the
bedroom. Brandon sat on my left while Nestor was on my right and a big ball of popcorn was placed in
front of us.

We were supposed to be in court but we decided to abscond because we did not feel like going there.

In short, we dug some dirt on the Judge, which was big enough to end his shity career and a lot of people
including Victor's but we chose to hold Victor's for a while. All we had to do was ask the Judge not to
show up and we were covered. In fact, we were giving him a free off day or time out for being a bad job.

We watched as the courtroom deputy announced the Judge's absenteeism. Victor's face dropped and
shrunk into a pile of red mash. The old man was losing it, he began yelling and hitting tables in
frustration. The deputy had to call for security in order to calm him down. The skunk's expensive dress
looked like she was going to melt within her red dress.

It is very easy to make someone do what you want, without making them know that they were doing all
the work for you. We first made sure the case was presented by our own judge, then I did not show up
for the first hearing, forcing Victor to think he had an upper hand and somehow manipulated the system
and changed judges to his liking.

Little did he know that was what we wanted. We set a trap for him and he fell right into it. The fool was
not as clever as he thought he was.
Any judge that was friends with Victor meant that they had done shady dealings in the past together. We
needed such a judge to blackmail to gather with Victor so that he could drop the case. Victor selected
that Judge and we began digging for dirt as far as the time he was in high school. It did not take long to
find the dirt when one was using the FBI.

On any given day we would have asked the judge to call Victor and explain the situation but we wanted
to humiliate them and allowed them to go to court so that we could watch and laugh at them. The main
highlight was watching their evidence stolen right in front of their eyes. While they were busy arguing
with the deputy, two men that were seated in the crowd got up and quickly switched theirs and their
lawyer's suitcases disappearing through the crowd.

They were very quick like sinking sand and out before anyone would notice what was going on. It was
like watching a James bond movie, I held Brandon's hand and smiled. I noticed he was dozing and not
paying any attention or enjoying the show.

“Hey, your men just stole the evidence," I said.

“Oooh, yeah," he replied and looked away. He could barely hold a conversation and it always saddened
me. I missed the jerk, the pervert that always had his eyes in my cleavage. Even though I was enjoying
the show, my mind was in my garage. Every time I looked at him, my project popped up.

The good news was that I managed to prepare the coats for my compactor and what was remaining was
coating the cells. I planned to set up the machine tonight and I was going to test my subject and wish for
the best. It was going to work, it had to work. My calculations were right, I was very sure of that.

Brandon leaned on my shoulder and said, “She's fat,"

I turned and he gave me a sleek smile; “Bad manners Brandon, I'm pregnant and I'm supposed to be fat,"
I replied.

"Not you, I mean Jessica, she looks fat," he added. “And her boobs look way bigger, she always had ugly
tiny peanuts for breast."
I stared at the screen and noticed that something looked off about her. At first, I thought she had just
bought a smaller dress or something.

“Maybe she is pregnant," Nestor replied.

I chuckled and remembered the testicles we chopped off. “She can only be pregnant if she cheated on
Josh which could be the biggest twist," I replied in excitement.

“Wait a minute? Up to now, Josh does not know that he has no testicles?” Nestor asked.

“Because he is stupid, I know my babies like the palm of my hands and I could have known the first day I
masturbated after the accident," Brandon replied.

"Hey hey hey, we are not going to talk about masturbation here," I cut in.

"We are talking about Josh's testicles here," Brandon replied. “Hey Nestor, would you know if I removed
your testicles and how often do you masturbate?”

"Brandon seriously?'

"Why are you so uncomfortable? It's not like you've never done it in this house," he declared. Out of
nowhere, Nestor began choking on the popcorn. He held onto his chest and coughed uncontrollably.

“Ooh my God, Nestor are you okay?” I asked.

He kept coughing while Brandon laughed like it was funny. I yelled at him to stop it while Nestor got up
and ran into the kitchen probably to get more water.
“What just happened?" I asked confused.

“You masturbating shocked the living life out of him, he probably thinks that you are a virgin" he replied.

I felt like slapping him but it had been weeks if not months since I heard him laughing and being naughty.
I only pushed on him and continued watching the Nelson's trying to tear apart the deputy. They were
demanding for a new Judge to proceed with the case but they were given another date for a new trial
and a new judge within a month.

“Why didn't you put it on four months after I gave birth?" I asked.

“They will drop the case themselves after they find out their evidence is missing and have nothing to
present," he replied.

“You are such a genius," I said in excitement.

“Give the genius a kiss," he requested.

I stared at him for a second, he deserved more than a kiss for everything he was doing for me but there
was nothing that I could offer him and it was the first time he was asking me for something after
thanking him. I turned and moved to kiss him on the cheek. I gave him a soft perk and moved away but I
found him staring at me pissed.

“What?” I asked.

“I meant my lips," he replied.

I moved a bit and looked at him confused, trying to figure out if he was serious or joking but to my
disappointment, he looked dumb serious.

I rubbed my forehead like I was taking a test. Kissing him when he was not expecting it was different
from kissing him when he wanted it. The door opened and Nestor walked in. I breathed in a sigh of relief
which he noticed and chuckled.

I turned and asked Nestor if he was alright.

“I'm fine, thanks just got a grain on my throat," he replied.

“Nester, do you want to hear the rest of the masturbation story!" Brandon asked.

“Brandon shut up!” I yelled.

Kiss me and I will not tell him," he stated like he was blackmailing me. I turned to face Nestor for help. If
he said he was not interested in knowing about the masturbation then I would be saved but he kept
quiet.

“Thalia, I'm waiting for the answer," Brandon reminded me. I turned to Nestor again but he only stared
at me. I could not believe the idiot, he was siding with Brandon again. He always did that, every time I
thought he was becoming my bestie he ran back to Brandon.

Out of spite, I turned to face Brandon, grabbed his cheek, and kissed him. To my surprise, he let me do
all the work and did not do any work but he closed his eyes. I Broke the kiss up and faced him. He
opened his eyes to face me, “You are a bad kisser," he said in a serious tone.

On any given day and he was healthy, I would have hit him but I quietly moved to where I was seated
and went on with watching the drama. Nestor took a seat as well and I hit him instead. “What was that
for?” he asked.
“I only looked away and kept eating my popcorn.

"What's next," I asked like nothing just happened.

“You keep hiding, they are now mad for blood and probably want your head on a silver platter," Brandon
stated. I only nodded. We were one weird set of friends, just like that we had forgotten about the kiss.
Nestor was somehow used to our weirdness.

"Too bad, I will not get the opportunity to hear about the story,"

“Shut up!” I yelled at him.Josh's Pov

I was aware our judicial system was wack and I had once used it against Thalia but not to the extent that
I was witnessing.

How could a man that no one had laid eyes on for more than two years have such power? A fully seated
Judge, a Judge that we spoke to the previous night and he assured us of a victory suddenly decided not
to show up for his court hearing. To make matters worse the case was not handed to a new Judge but
postponed.

I looked around and the room was deserted, we were the only ones left together with the deputy. A DEA
walked in and my father walked to him.

“What the fuck is wrong, how can a Judge just choose not to show up!” he yelled.

“Judge Martins is under investigation, if I were you I would stay as far aware as I could," the DEA replied.
We all looked at each other in shock. He pulled my father aside and asked him to follow him to his office.

I could only assume that whatever he was about to say to him was classified. Our lawyer excused himself
to answer a phone call outside and I nodded. I looked over at Jessica and found her seated, she did not
look good and was too quiet.

I asked her if she was okay. She was sweating and it appeared like her dress was not helping her
situation. I wondered why she would come dressed like she was going for a cocktail party.

“I'm fine, just leave me alone," she replied.

“Jessica, you do not look fine," I insisted.

"Your face is disgusting to me," she replied as she stared into my eyes. I understood we were all pissed
with what was going on with the judge but there was a way in which she stared back at me. I could tell it
had nothing to do with the case but personal. Ever since Thalia attacked her she had been very spiteful
and reserved.

I decided to ignore her and looked at my watch. My father was still speaking with the DEA and nowhere
in sight. I could see people beginning to straw into the room and I could only assume that the room was
going to be used for another court hearing.

“Jessica it's time to go," I stated.

She wiped her brow and looked around, “Go where? Where is victor?”

“Another case is about to start, I think we have to vacate the room and wait for my father outside," I
suggested.

Our lawyer walked in looking through his papers like he had lost something. “I think your father took my
briefcase or put his things in mine," he said.

I turned to the table and noted my father's briefcase was still on the floor. I picked it up and I could see
from the outside that it was my father's. His briefcase was very different from his and one couldn't make
that mistake.

“This is my father's briefcase," I stated

“But this one contains Gentex files I believe before it was Gentex, it is my briefcase but the files in it are
not mine," he stated and handed it to me. I quickly grabbed it and perused through it. At first, I thought
he was joking but to my shock, it was Gentex's papers, before I renamed it.

I checked the papers one by one and they appeared to be duplicates of Inc Biotech. “How did you get
these? Did my father hand them to you?" I asked.

“No, I just found them in the case and I assumed he switched or accidentally put the files in mine," he
replied.

The door opened and my father walked in pissed and fuming. " What happened? What did he say?” I
quickly asked.

“That useless woman! Son, we need to talk," he replied. But the lawyer who was impatiently waiting for
me quickly cut in. “the briefcase," he mentioned.

“Oooh dad, did you put the biotech's files in the lawyer's briefcase, or did you mistakenly come with the
files here?

“No, why would I do that?" My father replied as the lawyer handed him the files. He took a long look at
them and I could see his face increase in color. “Where did you say you found these?” he asked.

“In my case, I can't seem to find the files I prepared for this case," the lawyer replied.

“Where is my case?” Dad shouted? I quickly handed him his case and he opened it like a mad man,
checking and throwing all the papers. The people in the courtroom began staring at us and wondering
what was going on.

I was confused too. I knelt down and picked up one of the papers and it was the same as the lawyer's
papers.

“Please do not tell me that someone stole the case files and replaced them with these old company
papers!" The lawyer yelled on top of his voice... I stopped and stared at him, while my father slowly took
a seat in full confusion. I grabbed his case and looked through it, there was nothing concerning the case,
everything was swapped out. But when? We only looked away for seconds.

“Wait a minute, do you mean all the evidence?" I asked but no one replied.

“You have soft copies, yes you have soft copies," I reminded them.

“Josh shut up, they probably took that as well, they are not that stupid," Jessica yelled at me.

The lawyer quickly took out his laptop just to counter check. “no no no," he cried out. “My entire
computer is wiped, they hacked and wiped everything, all my cases, everything is gone," he cried out.

It appeared like all his years of work were completely wiped but I had noted he had his laptop even when
we were arguing with the deputy. There was no way anyone would have tempered with it.

“Try searching in your crowd or emails, don't you save your things there," Jessica suggested.

“I'm saying they wiped every shit!” The lawyer yelled, eliciting a murmur from the people in the room.
The guard walked up to us and asked us to leave the room.

"We are leaving," Jessica replied.

I had no words as I was still processing what was happening. If the lawyer's soft copies had been deleted
then it meant that everyone's was deleted.

“But why hack us and delete on the day of the case?”

“To humiliate us," my father replied. “She wants to show us how powerful she is," he added.

"No no we can still make the evidence, the hospital still has your record doesn't it?” I asked.

“Son, they probably wiped everything, there is no evidence," Dad yelled. I held my head in confusion. It
felt like it was about to burst open. At that moment I only wanted to see Thalia, I wanted to burst her
head open, she had crossed the line.

“This is all your fault, I shouldn't have agreed with this stupid case, people warned me," the lawyer cried
out but we all ignore the idiot, it was not like he was doing it for free. He was so pissed, he got up and
left without saying a single word.

“I think we should leave," Jessica stated and tried to get up but she tumbled back down, she tried to get
up again but went down in split seconds. I quickly rushed to her and tried to grab her. “Jessica, Jessica!"

I called out her name but there was no response. The crowd began gathering around in shock, I placed
my thumbs over her nose, and to my relief, she was breathing. I looked around and noted that everyone
was busy watching instead of calling for help. Some idiots were even taking pictures.

“Is she breathing?” dad asked

"Yes, she is breathing, call the dumb ambulance!” I yelled at him.

He quickly took out his phone from his pocket and dialed the ambulance. In minutes, I was at the back of
the ambulance holding my wife's hand and on the way to the hospital praying.
A day that looked so promising, a day that we thought we were going to win turned into a nightmare. It
was all Thalia's fault, that wicked witch did that to my wife. She couldn't handle the stress and
humiliation.

I was going to kill Thalia, she was not going to manage to hide forever, I was going to kill her whether
they locked me up or not. I cried out.

We arrived at the hospital and Jessica was taken into a private room while I waited outside. My father
caught up and joined me in the waiting area.

“Dad, what is happening, why are we getting punished like this?” I asked him, trying to push the tears
inside. He only hugged me. “She is going to be fine, did the doctors say anything?”

“No, they only told me to wait outside," I replied.

“She needs you to be strong for her, for once try to be strong for her," he urged but I could not hold back
the tears.

“Dad, I want to kill her?”

"Who?" He asked, confused.

"Thalia, I want to kill her and bash her pregnancy open," I stated. “She has to be somewhere, she can't
hide for good. How hard can it be to find a rich pregnant bitch?” I inquired.

“According to my sources, she uses a jet and a helicopter but we have failed to track it. That idiot
Brandon Fraser owns half the aviation industry and with just a single order he wipes the records of every
flight" he replied.
“How can one person hold so much power, who allowed him?" I was confused. “And how did he meet
Thalia? it can't be the time I was married to her, we couldn't have been that successful in taking over the
company."

“People meet the devil at the lowest point of their lives, maybe he followed her case, approached her,
and made her an offer," he replied. “But rumors are that he is a dying man, that's why he is handing her
his wealth. She is sloppy and angry for revenge, she will make a mistake and no amount of money will
save her."

“Well, I can't wait for that day," I replied.

He cleared his throat and looked away, “About the judge, they got the FBI and CIA investigating him, I
mean us."

I looked at him confused. I understood the FBI sniffing around but the CIA was out of jurisdiction, they
never operated within the country. It was obviously Brandon Fraser trying to scare us.

“What does the CIA have to do with this case?” I asked.

He wiped his blow, “Judge Martins, and I go back to the time we were teenagers. After college I went
sourcing for funds for my company in Russia, it was the judge that connected me, by then he was just a
corporate lawyer. I agreed and we were sent into Iraq and did some shit," he replied. I stared at him
confused.

“We did some things but we were assured they wiped it off our records but somehow Brandon Fraser
found out about that, something that even the FBI failed to find the time he was sworn in as Judge. They
always do a background on judges but they never found it," he added with his head placed in his hand.

“How bad were the things you did?” I inquired.

"For the judge, he will probably face jail time and I will have to testify against him if I am to avoid jail
time," he replied. I got up angry and hit the wall.

“Son, Brandon Fraser is playing with us and if we do not change the ownership clauses in our company
he will get it," he stated.

“What do you mean, the company is secure, he will never get the 61%," I replied.

“You have no child, he can contest that," he stated.

I chuckled, “Dad I have only been married for seven months, on what grounds will he contest that, and to
what can we change them?” I asked.

Before he could reply, the doctor walked out with a smile on his face and I quickly ran to him. “Doctor, is
she going to be fine?” I asked.

“Very much fine, are you the husband?” he asked

“Yes, I am the husband."

“Congratulations, your wife is just pregnant and she only fainted because of stress," he stated. My heart
stopped for a second and I asked him to repeat what he had just said.

”Mr. Nelson, your wife is pregnant," he replied.

I looked behind in excitement at my father who had a shocked face on. He got up and I quickly ran to
him. “Did you hear that? Jessica is pregnant, she is finally pregnant," I stated while spinning him.

“Yeah, I heard," he replied, his shocked face still evident. I was sure he was surprised by the coincidence.
I asked the doctor if I could see why my wife and he agreed but cautioned not to stress her.

“I promise I will not," I replied and let go of my father. I could not believe my luck, finally, there was a
God of retribution. I could not hold my excitement in, a baby was the only thing I asked for and finally, I
was going to be a father.

I walked into the room and found her facing the opposite side. “babe," I called out but she ignored me.
“Jessica?" I called again.

I understood she was full of emotions and I had no right to celebrate with her. Twice I had given up on
her and went into gambling every time shit was dropped on us but she remained loyal. I did not deserve
her to be honest I did not deserve the baby too.

I climbed on the bed and hugged her from behind, hoping it was not too late. She tried to push me away
but I held on to her tightly. “We did it, babe, we did it," I stated.

She turned and I could see tears falling down her cheeks.

“What did we do? What's the purpose of having a child when you squandered all the money on whores,"
she yelled and slapped me hard. “This fucking baby has no future, it has nothing!” she added.

I only looked down in shame, she was right. I did not have money to even buy the baby nappies. “I'm
sorry babe, I promise I will stop gambling, no clubbing, nothing, I will fight for the company, I swear," I
told her.

She rolled her eyes and moved in a seating position. The door opened and Victor walked in but she
looked away. I guess she was pissed at both of us.

"I have something to say," she stated but Dad quickly jumped in. “Like I was saying outside, son you need
to add changes to the shares, I think Jessica has gone through a lot of shit for you and she deserves some
shares," he stated.
I looked at him confused, then turned to face Jessica who's facial features had softened a bit. But he was
right, Jessica had been through a lot of shit and deserved more than company. I cleared my throat and
said, “of course you are right, both the baby and mother deserve to be the majority share order, I will do
that, I will give you anything you want," I stated and kissed her on the forehead. She only nodded and
looked away.

“What did you want to say?" I asked

"Nothing, I just need rest," she replied

"Congratulations Jessica," my father stated

"Thank you, Victor," she replied and quickly hid under the covers.Thalia's

I kept biting my nails in anticipation because Brandon's men were taking longer than I had expected. The
ambulance rushed her to a hospital where Brandon had no cameras so we were blind and only had to
rely on sending people on the ground.

“Maybe she is dead. What if she is dead? Does it mean we killed her?” I inquired.

"She was still breathing, probably she fainted because of the ugly tight dress," Brandon replied. I turned
to face him, he could barely keep his eyes open, he was so tired and needed to sleep. Nestor got up and
switched off all the equipment. “Time to sleep," he declared like he was our father.

"Come on, we have to find out if she is dead or alive," Brandon protested.

"We will find out tomorrow," Nestor added.

Brandon looked at him pissed, as he began putting away everything. He was right, Brandon needed to
rest, we had already accomplished what we set forward and it was time to watch how they were going
to self-destruct.

I took out my pajamas while Nestor said good night. He usually slept in the garage like a guard watching
over my project or something. Brandon assumed he slept in the boat but never asked him. He was
initially offered one of the rooms but he refused to sleep in sex dungeons even though the rooms were
never operational.

I began changing but noticed that the room was too quiet, I turned hoping he was asleep but found him
wide awake staring at my butt. “I thought you were dozing a minute ago," I asked.

“Your ugly fat butt distracted my sweet dreams,” he replied.

“pervert," I shouted and rolled my eyes. I finished up and joined him. “Do you want a snuggle?" I asked
and moved near him before setting my usual alarm. Tomorrow was the big day for testing my subject. I
wished him good night and closed my eyes.

Morning came and I quickly washed up and ran to the garage before he woke up. I found Nestor had
already started the station. He had learned one or two things by spending time with me. He was very
eager and couldn't wait. I put on my lab coat and began recording the process. I began with injecting the
monkey with the infected cells while I kept a close eye as I awaited replication.

I wanted the subject's body to have the same environment as Brandon's so I injected it with artificial
cells similar to Brandon's infection. But only a few minutes in, the Monkey began convulsing before I
could even plug the machine in. I quickly took a sample and analyzed it, to my shock all the cells were
dead in minutes.

I had anticipated the reaction, considering the difference in makeup but it was too fast. “shit!" I yelled,
another setback.

"Try another monkey?" Nestor suggested.

"The results will still be the same, the human body can handle the infected cells way longer than a
monkey," I replied.

“Then try me, I can survive it, I will not be as weak as Brandon," he suggested without a second thought.

I looked up at him, he definitely had no idea what he was volunteering for. Maggie would never forgive
me, Brandon wouldn't forgive me either. I cleared my throat and asked him if he understood what he
was asking. He quickly nodded.

"Nestor, this is like volunteering to get infected with AIDS and am saying AiDS instead of HIV because
AIDs is the stage where your body can no longer fight ant disease and it is difficult to accept any
treatment," I stated in a serious tone. He tried to protest but I stopped him.

“Don't you ever ask me to trade your life for Brandon, I would never. Brandon has already accepted his
fate and this here is just me trying something to stop that fate," I made it m and concentrated my eyes
on the monkey. I quickly covered him up and began thinking. Getting any form of an animal infected was
out of the question. There was a probability of trying out other cancers but how could I test for a disease
without the actual disease, I thought to myself.

I looked at the clock and it was already 7 am. “Brandon will probably be awake, go make him breakfast
or something," I ordered.

"But you still need me here," he replied.

I will call you when I need you," I replied. He stared at me and noted my seriousness. I was not pleased
with his suggestion, I had no idea whether he was testing me but I felt insulted. He probably thought I
did not care about him and I would risk his life to save Brandon. He walked out and I took a seat thinking
of my next step.

I had no time to dilute the infected cells, making them more adaptable for the test subject, which would
take months. Months that Brandon did not have. There was only one option left, test the machine with a
monkey that is not infected. That would only test the machine but not if the cells could be filtered.

I was back to my first experiment with the rats but I had no option. With each day Brandon looked so
tired as if he was being forced to hang on.

I quickly got up and sedated the second monkey, plugging it into the machine and hoping for the best. I
could not afford another setback, I began with lower voltage until I was at the human applicable voltage.

Everyone seemed fine and working. The coats were working, the new cells were not getting attacked. I
took a sample and analyzed it for my coated cells and to my delight, they were present adapting in the
Monkey's body. That was a benchmark of my project and I screamed in excitement.

It was working though there was no way of telling if it can filter out the infected cells fast enough for
new cells to be transfused or generated. But the positive sign was that the fucking machine was working.

After all the rejection, bad reviews, and mocking from all the professors I invented some form of filter/
transfusion dialysis for blood and I felt like I was on top of the world. It was going to work, it had to work,
it was better than nothing. I kept comforting myself.

But deep down I knew I needed to test an infected subject and the only infected person was Brandon,
the machine would instantly kill him or save him. It was a gamble, a gamble that I would not live with if it
went south. I looked at my watch and it was already 8 am. I switched the machine off and walked out of
the garage, Brandon was obviously looking for me.

I walked into the house with my face down, thinking about the next move. I found Nestor tacking on
Brandon, he did not look good. Immediately he saw me, he nodded his head. I walked over to the bed
and took a seat.

It was one of those days where he could hardly move. “Good morning," I said while placing my hand on
his forehead and he only nodded his head. Nestor tapped on my leg and looked up. He wanted to know
my progress but I only nodded my head.
“Tell her," Brandon's hasty voice stated.

I turned and asked; “tell me what?”

“The skank is pregnant," Nestor replied.

My Jaw nearly dropped, I held his hand in shock, “But we cut off Josh's sacks?”

"But you never removed her uterus," he replied.

I held my hands on my mouth, the skank cheated, and last time we checked they never told Josh about
the operation. “Are you sure?" I asked again.

Nestor handed me the skank's medical report which they had managed to steal. I looked at it in shock,
though it was understandable if Jessica did actually cheat. Josh was a serial Cheater, it was only human
for her to cheat back. Something that I never had the balls to do when I was married to Josh.

But who was the father? It was not Josh that much we knew. And Victor was very much aware of his
son's condition and the way I knew him he was not joining to allow Jessica anywhere near his family. She
betrayed his family and I was going to enjoy watching her get thrown to the streets where she belonged
just like I was thrown.

“How did Victor take the news?” I asked.

`"That's the thing, the family was discharged this morning and they all looked happy. In fact, Victor drove
them home," Nestor replied.

I stared at him confused, something wasn't adding up.

Brandon tried to get up with difficulty, “we needed to set up cameras," he suggested.

"No Brandon, you need to rest. We have done all the damage and it's over for them," I insisted.

“But Thalia it's not yet over until I say it's over," he replied.

Nestor quickly cut in, “I will try and see if I can get the cameras in there," he volunteered.

“Good, good, something is fishy," Brandon replied.

“I think you should get a break…" I tried to speak out. I realized it was time for him to put a lid on the
revenge. Even if we had cameras or not, Josh was going to find out soon or later. But Brandon was very
stubborn, he still wanted to see the revenge till his last breath.

“Please do not take away my hobbies," he replied and looked in Nestor's direction. “Find out why Victor
is okay with Jessica having a child with another man. Something is not right, he has definitely planned
something," he ordered and got under the covers, ignoring me.Jessica's POV

We did it, we actually made a bastard, a taboo, I actually had no idea what to call the thing growing
inside of me. Or maybe calling it my insurance ticket was the best option. But if he or she ever grew up I
would definitely be ashamed to look them in the eyes and tell them exactly what they were.

At the moment I had no shame, life was about sacrifices and that was what I did in order not to turn back
into a life of prostitution. I swore never to return to such a life. And whatever the outcome was, I was
secured.

Victor and I never talked about the sex, because Brandon Fraser had ears everywhere. We were only
lucky Josh's accident happened in Canada and both he and Thalia had no idea about it. So it was best we
never spoke of it. Victor only said a few words, “Keep your mouth shut." And I was going to follow that
until my last breath.
I trusted Victor, and with the way Josh was behaving he was optimistic I was going to get my shares.
Shares that were enough to take care of my baby and I should things turn south. Josh had become a
perfect husband waiting for the arrival of his first child. I was not buying the act at first because he had
previously done that before.

Turning into a perfect husband one minute, then turning into a monster the other second. I had my
fingers crossed, waiting for him to change the clauses but it looked like it was taking forever.

A month had already elapsed and Josh only mentioned the clauses once. Victor did not want to discuss
the issue, whether by the mouth of the phone, alerting Brandon was out of the equation but I was dying
inside. Deep down I felt something bad was going to happen. But insisting on the change was going to
attract suspicion.

To make it worse, Victor was swamped with a lot of court cases relating to whatever shit he and the
judge did in Iraq. We barely saw him in the house. I did my own research on changing clauses, yes it was
risky but I used a public computer that would not be traced to me.

Most companies usually changed when a child was born or when someone in line died. Josh was
probably waiting for the child to be born, I had some months to go and no one knew what shit Thalia was
going to throw at us. I needed to talk to them, especially at the office where the room was secure.

But first I had to buy myself a gown for tonight's rebranding party. Josh was on top of things with trying
to rebrand Gentex. We might have lost some shares but we still had the majority and all we needed were
investors.

I bought my dress and drove back home, when I walked into the house, I found Victor and Josh having a
glass of wine. I do not know why but I was always uncomfortable around Victor, I had somehow gotten
used to his absence. I quickly spoke up. “What is going on? What are we celebrating?" I inquired?

Josh walked up to me and gave me an unpredictable kiss. I had my eyes open and could see Victor's face
turn pale as he looked away. I did not think of it that much and just ignored the useless man. “A Russian
company is attending the party and they are interested in investing in our company," he stated.
“Wow that's great, this will put Gentex on the map," I replied.

“Yes, since Brandon Fraser owns this country, Gentex will try going International and only supply to
those companies outside the country," Josh stated and called for his father to join us. Victor got up and
walked towards us.

“Since you can not drink, water will do for you," he added and walked to the kitchen to get me a glass of
water. Victor and I were left standing awkwardly without saying a word. Josh walked back with a glass
and handed it to me, “Did I miss anything?” he asked.

“Nothing," Victor and I said in unison and looked away. The awkwardness was very visible but Josh was
just too stupid and excited to notice it. “To my two favorite people in the world, the only ones that never
gave up on me," he stated.

I glanced at Victor before looking away. “Cheers," I said

“To new beginnings," Victor added as he hit my glass.

I quickly decided to excuse myself with the pretense of going to get myself ready for the party when in
the actual sense I was getting suffocated by Victor's presence. There were stories of pregnant women
hating the sight of their baby daddies and that was what I was probably going through.

As soon as I reached my bedroom, I ran to the bathroom and puked my guts out, it was the second time
that I saw his face and puked. Maybe my inner self was ashamed of what we did and my physical being
was trying to put up an act. I decided to take some rest before I began preparing myself. There were still
my free hours left.

Josh walked in and found me sleeping, he walked to my side of the bed and inquired whether I was fine
or not. “I'm just tired," I replied.
“Maybe we should have postponed the event," he suggested.

“No...no..no, I just took some rest after the shopping," I assured and asked him to prepare for the night. I
planned to take at least an hour's rest. I set the alarm and dozed off. By the time I woke up, it was
already past one hour. I looked at my watch surprised. “You overslept," Josh stated while fixing his tie.

He was sharply dressed in a tuxedo and I could not help but note that he had lost some of the weight. His
morning routine of exercising every day was working. He was slowly transforming into the man I once fell
in love with. But was it too late for us, could I be able to live with the dreaded grave secret? I wondered
as I got off the bed. “You should have woken me up an hour ago," I stated.

“No you need the sleep, the baby needs the sleep," he replied, knelt, and placed his head over my
tummy. I tried to move but he held on tightly. “Hello little one, hope you got the much-needed rest," he
said with a smile. “This is your daddy, and I can't wait to meet you. I have a lot of things planned for you,
your mother, and I," he added.

A wave of emotions hit me and tears dropped down my cheeks. I guess some people in life needed a
one-changing moment to happen for them to quit their bad habits.

“Jess, are you okay, why are you crying?" He asked as he got up to wipe my tears.

“Nothing, it's nothing, it's probably the hormones, yes the pregnant hormones are getting the hold of
me," I replied.

He led me to the bed and I took a seat, “You know what? I have been thinking," he stated while holding
my hands. “I think after Gentex gets on its feet or even if it does not because Thalia will make sure of
that. I think we should move to another country and start afresh," he suggested. I froze for a minute and
the tears stopped. “What about the shares? Oooh… I mean Gentex?"

“That's my father's obsession that nearly ruined my life and I think it has ruined a lot of people's lives, he
can have it but I will dissolve the shares, give some to the baby once it's born, and of course you and the
rest to Dad and he can decide what to do with them," he added.
I stared at him confused, downstairs he was busy making a toast about Gentex but there he was talking
about running.

“Am not saying we can go now, I am just asking you to think about it, I do not want our baby to come
and join this fight. Let's back off and leave it to dad who started it."

“Have you spoken to your father about this?” I asked.

“No I have not and do not tell him, we will talk to him after the baby is born. What is now important is a
safe environment for the child," he added.

I just nodded, what he was saying was making sense and he was still going to give me the shares, that
was what mattered the most, that was my security but I needed to play the situation. “Why not dissolve
the shares now, I mean you are only giving Thalia time," I suggested.

“Inheritance shares are the safest, that is the only reason why the company is not in Brandon's hands.
Give birth first and it will seal whatever plans they have on us. If I release the shares now, they will attack
and find a loop," he stated and got up before I could protest.

“Come on hurry up, the guests are waiting for us," he added and disappeared through the door. I cursed
out, I was running out of patience, I needed those shares fast, eight months was too far. I got up and
prepared myself for the night.

The father and son were already done when I walked downstairs to join them. As we entered the car I
quickly handed Victor a piece of paper urging him to convince his son to hand me the shares. I did not
tell him the part where his son suggested we leave the country and turn into background shareholders.

We arrived at the party around 8 pm. It was nice to see Gentex holding such a party though it was not
fully packed. Victor looked like he was the one in charge of the party, the old man never gave up a fight. I
spent the entire night socializing and avoiding his presence. The night was going well until he decided to
grab a mic and announce to the whole world that I was pregnant.
There was cheering in the crowd as I looked in Josh's direction who looked as pissed as I was. We
planned not to inform anyone about the pregnancy but the old fool decided to share the arrival of his
son without our consent.

It was always games when it came to Victor, the idiot was so selfish and only cared about no one except
for himself. Josh walked up to me apologizing but I was not in the mood, I was so pissed but for peace's
sake, I pretended to be mature for Gentex and received all the congratulatory messages from the
guests.Brandon's Pov

I sat on my bed counting my hours away, I always did that of late. It gave me inner peace and helped me
pass time that seemed to have slowed down. The bedsores were killing me, I felt like I was being
punished, every inch of my body was in pain. And I had become so bitter like a dying old man taking his
crusts on any that walked on both their legs.

A luxury that I had lost. I had made it eight months, no idea if it was by miracle or luck but it fucking hurt.
There were some days that I felt like giving up but when I looked at Thalia and her huge pregnancy I saw
the hope and will to live.

Some women gave birth in their eight months while some gave birth in their seventh month. I could feel
the day was near, she was going to be put to bed. We were still debating whether she was going to give
birth in the house or the hospital.

I was against the house, there were a lot of complications that could go wrong and that was why a
hospital delivery was always recommended and in case of complications. But Nestor and Thalia insisted
the birth take place in the house. They wanted me to be present, for the birth. Yes, I had the money to
shift the entire maternity ward in my house but it was still not safe, the baby had to be born at a fully
functional hospital.

Their worry was that I was going to miss the delivery of the baby because It was impossible to transport
my dying body to the hospital. For the last few weeks, I was unable to get out of bed. I had become
completely bedridden and undergone two surgeries to remove clots near my heart.
It was getting worse, the next clots were going to be my end because my body could not take any more
surgeries. At least I finally knew how I was going to die. Thrombosis or heart failure. I always thought it
would be my body drying up before my heart stopped. But I was not going to risk the delivery of the
baby. She was going to be delivered in a hospital and if I was going to be alive for that day, I was going to
be home watching live even though Thalia does not want cameras up her lady parts.

I spent most of my days trying to figure out what Victor was doing but a month passed without any
success. Nestor was very useless. I missed the days when my brain was not crowded with pain and I was
able to plot and plan things for myself but the pain was too much, thinking was a luxury.

The doctor advised me to take it easy but I was running out of time. I still needed to give Thalia what I
had promised her, that was Gentex and that was what I was going to give her whether she lost interest
or not.

Of late she had picked up her useless hobby of studying those useless numbers. She always looked
stressed like something was eating her inside. I had tried talking to her but she said it was my health that
was stressing her but I couldn't help but feel like it was something else.

Every morning she woke up at five and left the house to take a walk, which was very suspicious and she
always came back to the house at exactly 10 am. It was weird but I had learned to stop stressing and
asking about her movements. I trusted her but she was not taking care of herself and the baby and that's
what was worrying me.

I had tried convincing her to go for antenatal but every day was excuse after excuse. I stopped pushing,
even Nestor was of no help. I noticed the two had become distant and it was likely they fought. I talked
to Nestor to tell me what was going on but the fool asked me to talk to Thalia if I wanted answers.

Making Thalia talk about something she did not want to talk about was near to impossible. I tried talking
to her in the morning but all she said was that Nestor was trying to boss her around. The two were a
total disaster that was what I realized. They were probably going to tear their throats apart the minute I
was going to be put underground.

They were always so cool with each other that I even once thought they were secretly having an affair
but ever since Nestor moved in they argued over silly things like which brand of diapers I should be
wearing or the type of music I should be listening to. Sometimes I was forced to pretend to be dying just
to cut their childish fights.

I did not see them succeeding with my mission and that's why I was working hard to make sure I gave
Thalia the company before I went six feet under.

She was soon going to give birth and claim the 60% shares and the deal would be sealed but Victor was
up to something. He had accepted Jessicas's bastard which only meant they wanted to pass the child as
Josh's but that was only going to be under my dead body.

The old man even dared to announce the arrival of the baby to the whole world. I ordered Nestor to find
out what Victor's angle was but he came back empty-handed.

I began debating whether to reveal Thalia's pregnancy or not but I was very sure she was not going to
consent to that. I needed to think outside the box, it was obvious she had finally given up on Gentex.
Even Mandel, I had noted a month passed but she never reported for work. Nestor usually did her
reports and everything to do with the company while she was busy with her useless numbers.

It was frustrating when I was the only one who seemed not to have gotten bored with the
revenge.Thalia's Pov

A month cruised by and I did not put Brandon to the machine, the risk was too much. I was always a
coward and afraid to take risks ever since I was a little girl. That cowardness crept back in and I began
self-doubting myself on every aspect of the machine. I did not want to be the person that pulled the life
out of him.

I was still doing the experiments on my monkeys and trying to make serial dilutions that were capable of
keeping a monkey alive, but a month went by with no progress and I lost count of how many monkeys
died. I wanted to be sure before putting the machine on Brandon.

Nestor did not spare me, for the entire month he kept insisting that I put Brandon to the Machine. He
just did not understand the consequences of science. Tension built between us and it was difficult to
hide it from Brandon. We knew he noticed it but chose to ignore it because his body was in a lot of pain.
He had a lot of shit to deal with, his body was giving up on him and the last thing he would be doing was
babysitting our big assess.

He had just undergone two major surgeries to remove clots near his heart. That was the major setback
that made me begin rethinking the idea of plugging the machine on him. With each day, he woke up
weak. Internally I was fighting within myself with what decision to make. While on the outside Nestor
was pressuring me. I was always so stressed most of the days that sometimes I even forgot to bathe.
Maybe I was eventually having a baby boy according to Brandon's myths.

But Nestor was right I needed to plug him, his body was about to give up and I needed him to be at least
safe but every day I woke up with more self-doubt.

Brandon was busy with his stupid revenge, the fact that he could not find out why Victor was okay with
Jessica's Pregnancy was killing him. To be honest I was tired of the stupid revenge which he was so
obsessed with. He could barely breathe on his own and had to rely on an oxygen tank but he was still
adamant about the revenge. It was like he lived for it and there was nothing I could do about it.

But last night's party turned everything to worse when Victor announced the pregnancy. Yes, there was a
plan they were hatching but I was too busy with the dumb machine to care. Plus the pregnancy was
killing me, one month to go and none of my shoes fit, my clothes were unbearable and for the past three
months, I had not gone for the normal antenatal. I guess I was hiding from the Nelsons but frankly, the
machine was keeping me busy.

I walked into the house and found Brandon yelling and refusing to change his diaper. He was so pissed
because Nestor was unable to find out what Victor was planning. He could barely move but he was busy
wasting his energy.

“Just get out!” he yelled.

It was evident he was more pissed about his condition than finding out what Victor was up to. I signaled
Nestor to leave the room, I was so tired and got on the bed and to my surprise, he looked away.
“I was not done with Nestor," he said while putting on his oxygen mask.

“Do you want me to change your diaper?” I volunteered.

"No I don't, I want to know about Victor. Nestor is so useless, maybe we should find someone else to
replace him. He doesn't care about the revenge."

"Brandon I think we are all tired and need a break from all this," I suggested.

"Victor is not taking a break so neither am I," he replied while shifting to the other side. “I think we
should announce your pregnancy and who the father of your child is?” he requested.

I quickly got up hoping he was joking. He couldn't even look me in the eyes because he knew what he
was requesting was not going to sit well with me. I breathed in hard, he was already upset and I was not
in the mood to argue with him. I took a seat and kept quiet for a minute just staring at him, then an idea
occurred, an alternative; “Why not tell Josh about his impotence? That way you will expose Victor and
whatever he is planning down the toilet," I suggested.

He turned, staring at me with a smile, “You are a genius, why did I not think about that or stupid Nestor,"
he asked.

Nestor walked in with a plate of food and placed it on the table without looking in my direction. He was
so pissed with me, it was like everyone in the house was pissed at someone. But I ignored him and
ordered him to get a pen and paper. “For what?” he inquired.

“We are going to write Josh a letter, would you like to do the honors," I asked Brandon.

He nodded with a smile, a smile that I missed. Nestor brought the pen and paper while Brandon tried to
position himself in a seating position but he could not manage.
“It's okay, you can try again," I urged him.

“Thalia he can't, he is tired and he is dying!” Nestor yelled at me like a lunatic.

Both Brandon and I stared at him in shock, the shit head was making our tension obvious. He realized he
was way out of line and corrected himself; “What I meant to say was that Thalia can write or I can write
the letter we do not need to stress him," he stated.

“Wow thanks for the care," Brandon replied in an irritated tone and placed his head back on the bed.

“I was only trying to make him active, the doctor said we should make sure he is active," I replied.

“Well he is not fit, I am the one that spends a lot of time with him and I know when he is not okay,"
Nestor replied.

I chuckled and was about to blast him when out of frustration Brandon yelled at us to shut up. I could tell
the yelling took most of his energy. I silently took a seat in shame, we were going to kill him before his
time.

"Nestor do the writing, Josh will not be able to recognize your handwriting," he suggested without
addressing our small quarrel.

Nestor took a seat and began writing the letter according to Brandon's specifications. I just sat there
staring at Nestor pissed until I noted the distortion in Brandon's sentences. Instead of talking about
Canada, he began talking about his parent's accident. Nestor quickly stopped writing but we allowed
Brandon to finish up.

He never talked about his parents and for the eight months that I had known him, he never spoke about
them and I also noted that neither of his houses that I had been to had photos of his parents.
Nestor looked in my direction with fear in his eyes, he was begging me and I knew what his fear was
about. There were always stories of people talking about something they regretted, missed, or longed
for during their last breath. I looked at his vitals but they were the same as when I walked into the room.
I quickly placed my hand on his forehead, my heart beating fast. He stopped talking and asked. “What
are you doing?"

“I was just checking whether….” I stammered.

“Brandon, you were talking about your parent's accident instead of Josh's," Nestor jumped in.

“Oooh, was I?” Brandon replied. My apologies," he added.

Nestor got up and made an excuse of the food he had brought being cold. “Thalia help me in the
kitchen," he requested and I followed him from behind. Immediately we were in the kitchen, he closed
the door. “Am putting him on that machine, with or without consent. If he dies, I will take responsibility,"
he announced.

“But… but… I need”

"There is no time, I do not think he will be alive tomorrow, I was speaking to the doctor and he said the
least we could do was make him comfortable," he added.

I held my head in confusion, I had no idea what to do, but he was right. I started something and I needed
to end it. I had lied, manipulated, and put my health and that of the baby in jeopardy. It had all to be
worth something, “Okay fine, fine I will put him to the machine, I will do it," I stated.

"Ooh thank God finally," he said and hugged me. In a split second, the pissed Nestor was gone and old
Nestor was back. “What should I do?" He asked.

“Okay, you can go and get doctor Wilson, we will need him. No no, first prepare a room, the garage is
not safe," I ordered. All of a sudden the baby kicked, I held my tummy and cried out. Nestor quickly held
me and helped me take a seat. “Are you okay? Did the water break?”

“No no, the baby just kicked me for finally accepting to put Brandon to the machine," I joked and told
him to hurry with the preparations before self-doubt got hold of me. The longer we waited the more
time I was going to give myself to start second-guessing myself which was not something that I
needed.Brandon's Pov

I could only hope they didn't continue their squabble in the kitchen. I wished I had my legs because I
would have walked in on them and found out what they were up to. I was lying there on my searing back
from bedsores, presumably on my dying breath, but they didn't seem to mind. They had somehow
trodden on each other's dumb egos and were unable to breathe each other's air, and no matter how
hard I tried to ignore it, it was aggravating the life out of me.

Nestor strolled out smiling as the door opened, much to my astonishment. They appeared to be staged,
but instead of saying anything, he checked my vitals and walked out of the room before I could inquire
about what was going on.

The kitchen door opened again and Thalia walked out, unlike Nestor who was overly excited, she had a
nervous face on and was biting her nails. She always did that when she was about to tell me something
that I did not like. I stared at her as she took a seat, I noted she had lost the glow, she looked dirty and I
wondered the last time she took a bath.

“Brandon, we need to talk," she declared.

I'm not sure why, but my mind immediately went to Nestor's cheerful expression. And my instincts told
me they were sleeping together, and my heart began to race. That was the only reasonable explanation
for their strange interactions.

I just sat there, watching her clear her throat for the fourth time. To be honest, I didn't want to know
whether they made a mistake. Nestor was probably sick of changing me stinky diapers, and her
pregnancy hormones couldn't hold on. "It's okay, you don't have to tell me," I said quickly before she
could finish her sentence. "But the two of you should grow up," I added.
She looked at me puzzled and questioned what I was talking about, but I turned away and told her not to
worry.

"Brandon, anything you're talking about is incorrect; please pay attention to me. What I'm about to say
will either kill you or give you another opportunity at life."

For a little moment, I paused in my thinking and attempted to understand the final section. I had a
sneaking suspicion that I was hallucinating. I closed my eyes and kept my head turned.

"Have you ever wondered why we met at that bridge?" she inquired but received no response. She was
starting to irritate me, to be honest. My body hurt, and I wasn't in the mood for sex confessions or
stories about how grateful she was for everything I had done for her.

“Brandon, I think fate brought us to that bridge on that particular day. I was betrayed by my ex-husband
and you had solutions to take back what was stolen from me and ditch back the hell that was given to
me," she emotionally stated and placed her hand on my shoulder. I moved away out of annoyance.

"Thalia please I just want to rest," I finally replied.

She chuckled and ignored me, “Well I think I have answers to your disease,” she added and I quickly
opened my eyes.

“Nestor and I are not fighting because we had sex, how many times am I going to tell you that Nestor is
not my type? Anyway, if you can remember, am a graduate in bioengineering and sciences?" She made
mention even though I has no idea where she was going with her story. She noted I was not responding
and quickly asked.

“Brandon, am I talking to myself? Are you asleep?” she got on the bed and checked. She could clearly see
that my eyes were wide open and I was breathing.

“Okay, for the past three months I have been studying math and science books? Sneaking around? The
secrets? Going out early in the morning? The secret meetings in Italy? It was all for you Brandon, I was
creating a machine to cure or treat your illness," she confessed.

She was talking too fast and making it difficult for me to add everything together or make sense of
whatever she was saying. I breathed in hard and began recalling all my suspicions even though I was not
sure if what I was hearing was the truth or my brain was playing games with me.

She realized I was not going to say anything and went to explain. While I was busy thinking she was
fucking Nestor or had gotten tired of me and was looking for a way out; she was actually inventing the
life-saving machine that all scientists rebuked as possible. She was out there, my garage to be precise,
the one place that I never put Cameras because by the time my contractors were doing the garage I was
already sick and I needed the house to be turned into my private hospital.

The door opened and Nestor walked back in excited, “Did you tell him?” he asked

“I'm explaining, but he is not saying anything," she replied.

He walked to the side I was facing and knelt down, “I guess you guys met because she was supposed to
save you,"

"Nestor, we are not even sure if it is going to work," Thalia quickly spoke up. “That's the part I was about
to explain to him before you walked in," she added.

“The machine is going to work, I just called doctor Willson and he wants to see whatever you invented."

“Nestor over thirty monkeys are dead, we have to tell him the disadvantages before you start lying to
him. The machine can kill him!” Thalia yelled at him. They were probably going to start their childish fight
again. I began understanding where their tension was from. The third time again I was shamed it was not
sex.

From my assessment, Thalia built a machine that she thought could save me but could as well end my
life. She was trying to perfect it but my health was deteriorating while she was doing the perfecting. And
that's where she was fighting with Nestor who wanted to plug me into the machine. I slowly turned as
they kept fighting and put myself in a seating position. I had no idea where the energy came from but I
needed to get all the facts right.

As soon as they noticed I was up they stopped fighting.

“All I am saying is my machine is not human tested," Thalia said in a low tone.

“You… you built a machine for me?” I asked. The tears that I was trying so hard to push back came
flooding. She took a seat, “Yes, it's just a prototype,"

“Why didn't you tell me about it?” I asked.

“Because I wanted it first to work, I wanted to be sure that it was going to work rather than giving you
false hope," she replied.

The room became quiet, as we stared at each other. She cleared her throat and explained how the
machine worked. It sounded too good to be true like I was watching some sci-fi movie. I did not
understand most of the science part but it sounded sexy coming out of her mouth.

I switched off and began staring at her. What were the odds that on the day I chose to take my life at an
old bridge, a scientist chose to commit suicide as well? I knew she had papers from Harvard but it never
occurred to me, not even once that she was capable of inventing the machine to cure me.

“I actually got the idea when you took down Gentex's Dialysis's machine. Something capable of filtering
cells. Yes it is far-fetched but it can filter but I do not know if it can keep up with the replication because
no monkey has been able to survive your illness," she explained as she got on the end.

“I tried to volunteer but she…" Nestor tried to explain.

“Shut up Nestor! Go and prepare the room," Thalia yelled at him.

I immediately looked up at him, “Who what? Are you stupid?

“We had no option," Nestor replied.

“You are one of the biggest idiots that I have ever met," I replied but he retained my comment with a
smile. What the fuck was wrong with him? If I was not in bed I would have grabbed his as and beat some
sense into him but Thalia grabbed my face and asked me to concentrate on her.

“I'm not promising anything Brandon, it's just a long shot but Nestor was right I need to test the machine
on you, that's the only way I can know if the machine works. You are my only test subject," she stated.

“You should have told me, Thalia, I would have helped instead of wasting my money on Dr. Wilson's
research, "I replied. “I would have brought in top scientists,"

She quickly let go of my face and smiled, “You would be dead if I told you, Brandon, you are impatient
and always want things your way, you would have convinced me to test you."

“ouch!" she replied.

“And I did ask help and opinions from renowned scientists but they all said I was smoking weed. The
machine is scientifically impossible," she added. “This only needs one mind, a mind with a will and a
heart with hope not stupid scientist," she added.

I stared at her, I had a lot of questions and a lot of yelling for her. All the tension in the house could
have been avoided if she only told me what she was doing but they had the guts to keep it a secret. They
made a pact without me, yes I would have rushed her if I had known and I would be probably dead but
she made me doubt her, she made me think the worst of her, I even began liking her a little.
"You made me think you two were screwing?" I said with a chuckle. She moved over and began wiping
my tears. She signaled Nestor and he walked out of the room. “I wasn't sure the machine was going to
work, I even once gave it up?” she declared. I looked up at her without words.

The door opened and Nestor walked in rolling a table, on it was what I could only assume to be the
machine. It had a screen, some buttons, a lot of buttons and it had a lot of tubes hanging and cables.
Reality sank in that she had created the masterpiece by herself. More tears rolled down my face. I was
never a cry baby but I could not help but think how many hours she had put into the machine while
managing her pregnancy plus my moody ass.

“I think we can set the machine in here, this room has everything we need," Nestor suggested.

“Yes this room will do, Brandon I need an answer. Are you ready to try the machine?” she asked.

I had no idea how to respond as I just stared at the machine. My brainless Thalia made it, something that
world-renowned scientists failed to think of and something that other scientists set for failure. A girl who
brainlessly signed off all of her father's properties and company. A girl who was left homeless and
stupidly disturbed my suicide. A girl that out of curiosity I stupidly brought home and manipulated to get
pregnant and take over my company.

A girl that I slowly began developing feelings for, feelings that I never felt for anyone was going to save
my life. At that moment I did not care whether the machine was going to work or not. I just knew that I
found the answers to all the questions that bugged me ever since laying my eyes on her.

It was fate that brought us together on that bridge. And it was for that reason I was going to remove the
doubts I ever had on her and trust her.Josh's POV

My phone beeped as I was unpacking the last of our belongings in our new house. It was Dad, and he
was furious with Jessica for leaving the family home, but we didn't seem to mind. My father was the
most egotistical and toxic person I've ever encountered. The final straw was his last deed during the
dinner party.
We wanted to keep the baby a secret, but he made it public without our permission. We didn't believe
him when he blamed it on booze because we knew how far Victor Nelson would go to obtain what he
wanted and how little he cared about the people he affected.

Jessica was furious and continued to be furious, refusing to speak with him. She couldn't tolerate being
in the same room with him, so she proposed that we relocate to Europe just like I had suggested but our
finances were still on the rocks.

But seeing that her health and that of the baby were more important we decided to rent an apartment.
It was low grading for me but it was the cost-cutting sacrifice that we needed to make for our peace of
mind. It was only for some months and we were going to France. A new start and a new beginning.

The baby was like an eye-opener for me to get my act around and I was thankful each day I woke up. The
company was slowly building itself up, we had not heard from either Thalia or Brandon.

We had no idea why but we could only assume Thalia had given birth, she looked big the last time we
bumped into her. Maybe the baby gave her a second thought at life and they decided to concentrate
their time on the baby. Or maybe they were waiting for us to climb the ladder then cut the ladder from
the bottom as they did in court.

But I told myself to forget about them, whatever the outcome of her revenge against me was; I did not
care. My baby and wife were going to be my new priority and I was going to look for a new job in France,
maybe even go back to school and do what I always wanted to do. My father and Thalia, we're going to
continue with their useless revenge without me. I was out, and there were only a few months left.

Jessica walked up to me with a glass of water, like she knew exactly what I wanted. I kissed her and got
the water. “Is everything in the house?" She asked.

“Yes I think I got everything," I replied and held her hand in mine. “Come and join me," I requested and
pulled her to the chair. She sat on my lap and I handed her a file. “What's this?” she asked.
“Well you were right, tomorrow I'm starting the process to include you and the baby on my shares," I
announced.

She turned and kissed me passionately, I was not expecting the kiss but she was all over my face and
mouth in excitement. Before I knew it she had her dress on the floor. “Hold up?” I tried to get my breath
back but she was already in my pants. I knew nothing was going to happen. Ever since the Canada
incident.

I was too tired and was aware that no matter how much she was going to try to arouse me nothing was
going to get up. Plus I had forgotten my viagra back at the main house. I needed to go to a pharmacy to
get a new refill.

“Jessica stop, I'm not in the mood," I informed her.

“Do not worry, I will help you," she replied while pressing kisses all over my face and rubbing me. But
nothing was happening, she was only irritating me and making me more tired. I understood her
excitement but it was the wrong timing. “Jessica please, I can't, I'm just too tired," I begged her.

“You will be after I'm done with you," she replied.

"Jessica, I can't get it up! I need fuckng viagra and I think we left it in my father's fucking house!” I yelled
at her. She froze and stared at me in shame. She covered herself up and said “Sorry I didn't mean to, I
was just excited."

I looked away and she stood up, picking up the dress that was on the floor. She was quite embarrassed
but I was more embarrassed. I was the useless husband that needed an artificial sex booster in order to
get my thing up.

“It's fine, I understand. We can do it at night," I suggested.

“Ooh yes, we can do it, I can go and get your drugs at the pharmacy," she suggested.
"Okay thanks, I will just finish drafting these," I replied. She dressed up and hugged me, “thank you, what
changed your mind?”

I cleared my throat and zipped my Zipper, “Well both my father and Thalia are unpredictable. I'm just
securing our future," I replied.

“Yes...yes they are unpredictable and we need to be one step ahead of them," she replied and kissed me
on the forehead. I could not help but notice that she was acting very nervous. “Let me go and get those
drugs," she stated.

I held her hands, “No, you can get the drugs tomorrow morning. Am just tired and need rest tonight."

“No no, I was actually going out to get some groceries or food. We have nothing in the fridge," she
replied

"Ooh, I thought you were…? I stated. We stared at each other awkwardly, she cleared her throat and I
rubbed my hands in the hair. “I have to get going then, I will be right back," she said and quickly walked
upstairs to change.

Her eyes were watery like she was about to cry. I couldn't help but think that she was about to cry,
whether it was tears of joy or my pathetic penis that couldn't get up for her. But whichever it was, I felt
like a loser. She walked back in, kissed me goodbye, and went to the store.

I had no idea how I ended up with an angel like her. I didn't deserve her, I felt guilty, I felt like I was
bribing her with my shares. Soon she was going to get tired of me, I couldn't get it up for her naturally.
What kind of a woman would stay married to a man like that? That was the kind of shit that destroyed
marriages.

But then there was my wife, even though I had cheated on her thousands of times but she was out there
getting me Viagra drugs so that I could fuck her after bribing her with the shares.
I stood up, full of shame, and walked to the bedroom trying to process how I ended up with such an
incredible woman. I placed the folder on the bed and planned to work on it after I had taken a bath but
the doorbell rang forcing me to go downstairs and get it. I could only guess it was the neighbors
welcoming us but when I opened the door there was no one. Maybe I had begun hallucinating or
something but as I turned to close the door, I hit on something.

I looked down and it was an envelope, assuming I had dropped it when getting the things in the house, I
picked it up and looked at it. It was addressed to me much to my surprise. I chuckled, who on earth sent
letters in the technology world. I closed the door and took it with me to the bedroom. I turned to the
front and it said “Honeymoon where they betray continued,"

I had no idea what to make of it, or maybe it was Jessica trying to spice up our bedroom. But the word
betrayal sounded so serious. I opened it up and a photo of testicles dropped out. I picked it up, it was
definitely not from Jessica and I did not look like the joke. I stared at the photo then back at the
envelope.

I noted there was a letter and another photo. I got out the photo first and it was a photo of a man on an
operation table, naked and his testicles open. My stomach moved and all of its content splashed on my
shoes.

I took a closer look and the man appeared… appeared or should I say looked like me. My heart began
beating fast as I took a closer look. There was no doubt it was me, I could recognize myself even if I was
covered in scabies. I turned the photo and it said “Orchiectomy" I had no idea what it meant but I quickly
got my phone and googled it. “Orchiectomy" removal of one or both testicles.”

I felt a wave wash up as I took a seat, my legs could not hold my weight. I kept staring at the photo with
shaky hands. Someone was definitely playing games with me. It was Thalia, there was no one else, that
useless woman was never going to leave me alone. Something inside of me wanted to burn everything
and not feed into their revenge but I was curious.

For over eight months I was unable to successfully get it up, there was definitely something wrong with
me and even though the doctor said I was okay. Deep down I always knew something wasn't right down
there. I slowly took out the letter and my world came crashing back on me.
“A honeymoon is a place where memories are created for a new couple but yours was where your fate
was sealed. Go back to the hospital in Canada and ask the doctor which vital parts of yours were
dissected. Side effects of someone without testis (gain weight, unable to ejaculate, mood swings The
most obvious changes may be hot flashes and sweating. You may lose your sex drive not be able to get
an erection. Your wife and Father lied to you. Good luck and safe journey" the letter declared.

I began shaking, my hands became sweaty, whether the letter was from Brandon or Thalia, that part did
not matter. I ignored everything and concentrated on the side effects. I googled a lot of articles on the
removal of testicles, how it was done and how it would look on someone who had undergone the
procedure and I matched every aspect.

I fitted in perfectly, every side effect I had undergone or was experiencing. But the doctor did the tests, I
thought to myself but then I remembered my father was capable of paying off a doctor. Then I recalled
how weird the doctor in Canada behaved. In fact, both my father and Jessica behaved weirdly, they are
all nervous but I was too stupid to notice it.

But it was not making sense, why would my father keep such a secret from me or my wife? What would
they benefit from it? I kept asking myself but then I looked to my left and noticed the shares. Memories
of my father insisting I release the shares and Jessica also insisting that I gave her the shares.

I stood up, my legs shaking. I needed fresh air, so I walked to the window and opened it, taking in the
cold air. My wife was pregnant and if I had no testicles then whose child was she carrying? Her odd
behavior at the hospital when I was told she was pregnant.

But before I went mad, I needed answers. I needed to do a scan and find out if I had plastics or testicles.

On second thought, I needed to find out from the mouth that did the operation. I quickly packed up the
letter and the shares file, looked for my passport, and headed to the airport like a mad man.

Any man would have walked into a hospital and done a scan but I wanted the Canadian doctor to look
into my eyes and tell me he did not do an Orchiectomy. I remembered the sadness in his eyes and how
eager he wanted to leave the room. Whether he was paid by Thalia or Dad, he appeared to have just
gotten tied up in a mess he did not like.

I drove to the airport breathing fire, my phone kept beeping with Jessica's calls but I ignored her. I
needed answers before I killed her. Soon I was checking in and booking a flight. I was lucky to find the
last seat and I boarded. I had already googled the doctor and was in possession of his home address.

By the time I arrived in Canada It was 4 am but I did not mind. I got in a taxi and gave the driver the
address. My legs were shaking as I walked to the front door. Deep down I wanted the letter to be lies, I
wanted it to be propaganda set up by Thalia to ruin my day and doubt my father and wife.

I rang the bell and on the fourth attempt, the doctor opened the door. He was so sleepy and pissed at
me for disturbing his sleep but as soon his eyes recognized me, he froze and averted his eyes with
shame.

“Are you going to get in or stay outside freezing?” he asked.

I walked in and he followed me from behind. “I knew the second your father made the pregnancy
announcement, something wrong was going to happen," he said. I felt a hard slap to my heart, he knew
exactly why I was there.

“Can I offer you some water or something?” he asked.

“Where are your wife and daughter?” I asked. He looked at me surprised but I explained that I had
googled him.

“They are visiting grandma," he explained and took a seat while offering me a seat. But I did not feel like
seating. I began moving around his living room. I had no idea how to begin or where to start from. He
could be Brandon's employee and paid to lie to me.

But he cleared his throat and spoke up first; “Your father promised me he was going to tell you the truth
one day," he stated. My clothes became hot and I took off my coat.
"Did my father ask you to cut my testicles off?"

“No, you were involved in a fatal accident, and in order to save your life, we had to do the operation. It
was life or death, there were no relatives to sign the forms so we did the operation to save your life," he
explained.

“Did you inform my father or my wife about the procedure?” I asked.

“Yes, in fact, they were in the same room but they ordered me to lie to you. They said they needed time
and were going to tell you one day," he stated.

My tears dropped, I wasn't a man anyway, so it was okay to cry.

“I told them you needed some hormone therapy and general therapy. Why they needed time, I had no
idea because the

the procedure was irreversible," he added.

I stared at him and took a seat, covering my face with my shameful face. “So it's impossible for me to
father a child?” I asked.

“You can't father a child, Mr. Nelson, I'm sorry. Only your father can explain and give you the reasons
why he kept that fact a secret to you" he stated.

I lifted my head and asked for my medical file which he informed me was at the hospital. I politely asked
him to take me to it and he agreed.Thalia's Pov

He probably couldn't believe I'd come up with a possible cure for his awful condition. He was so
emotional, and tears kept rolling down his pale face. Since meeting him, he had changed my life in ways I
could never imagine and I was only retaining the favor. But I kept my fingers crossed and created a
mental checklist of everything that could go wrong, but all he did was laugh.

I didn't think he realized how grave serious my position was. If something went wrong, I'd blame myself
and live with the consequences for the rest of my life, while he'd be dead on my table.

Nestor had brought everything in and set it up just how I wanted it. All that remained were the medical
aspect and a lot of liters of blood that we needed for which we required doctors on standby. Doctors
who were well-versed in his condition. I knew they'd trash my machine as every other professor had, but
if Brandon was willing to be my test subject, he'd be the voice that I needed.

We sat on the bed waiting for Nestor who had gone to the city to get Dr. Willson and his team. I had my
hand clutched into his hand. He was very nervous and shaking. I guess he had given up on life and my
last-minute solution was like the unexpected lifeline he did not expect.

He had stopped crying, I could only assume that he was overwhelmed and still processing the fact that
he was going to live if the machine worked.

“You know I always assumed your father paid your lecturers at Harvard, you are just too dumb to have
graduated from Harvard," he broke the silence. I only rolled my eyes, on another day I would have hit
him.

“Well, now you know I'm not dumb," I replied. “I really have brain cells after all," I added and I laughed
out loud.

He smiled, “You know if this machine of yours works, it will be a game-changer in the cancer world. You
would be filthy rich, richer than me or Mandel and Gentex combined."

I chuckled and told him to shut up, I needed his answer. “I won't be rich if you do not volunteer," I
pointed out.
He turned to face me and inquired if I remembered the promise I made to him. My mind had been
through a lot and to be honest, I could not remember where I put my bra in the morning.

“Let me jog your memory," he volunteered. “if I make it to see the baby you and I are fucking. What's
funny is that you have been working your butt out just to fuck me," he said.

Out of nowhere, saliva caught up in my throat and I felt like I was choking. I quickly got my fat ass and
ran to the kitchen. Brandon was the biggest idiot in the world, I felt like hitting him, very useless, I risked
my health and that of the baby to save his sorry ass but all he had on his stupid mind was screwing me. I
breathed in hard and got myself a glass of water before walking back to the room.

“A pregnant woman behaving like a virgin," he laughed out.

“Shut up and give me an answer?"

“I choose sex," he replied. “We will give the baby to Nestor for babysitting for two days"

“Brandon, this is serious!" I yelled at him. He stared at me quietly like he was choosing which words to
use.

“That's the problem with you, you are giving me this beautiful solution but sounding like you are taking
me to my death sentence!” he replied in a soft tone. “I was only trying to brighten up the mood before
you scare me out of not agreeing to get hooked to that machine," he added and looked away.

He was right, I was sounding like a sales lady who had had a bad day and was trying to get rid of a
customer in order to avoid paperwork.

“Well, I just wanted you to know what you were getting yourself into. Or in what position I am putting
myself into," I reminded him.
“Thalia, I am dying either way and I understand that you do not want to be the one to pull the plug but
please be assured that what you created? What you made for me is a miracle and I will forever be
thankful until my last breath.

I never gave you money to fund your project but out of the allowances you earned coupled with my shirt
mood you created something that all the idiots I paid billions to could not" he said. “My solution was not
about money but commitment."

I wiped a tear that was forming from the corner of my eye. I did not know what to say or do. He tapped
at the bed and I took a seat. “I named you my Destiny, guess this was it," he added.

“But what if you die?" I asked

“I'm not a monkey?"

“I beg your pardon?"

“The monkeys are the ones you are injecting my infection with and they are dying but I have lived it with
two years,"

“But!"

“Stop it, Nestor is here," he said and the door opened. Nestor and a group of doctors walked in. “Are we
set," he asked.

“Wait a minute we need to understand how this machine works," Dr. Wilson announced. The man only
looked in my direction once and pretended like I was not in the room. I understood I outdid him, he was
the one that was given the entire Mandel fortune but twice he failed to find a solution. While on the
other hand, I created something with nothing but an allowance.
“Wilson your job here is not to validate her machine so stick to medicine," Brandon yelled at him.

"But sir I have to make sure…”

“That's my order, can we get to business," Brandon urged and looked in my direction. I was more
nervous than a kindergarten kid. He was back to being serious and I never liked a serious Brandon. He
was so intimidating.

I needed a second opinion even though I knew the doctor was going to go against my invention. Maybe
he would spot something valid that I missed. New minds were always sharp, but if he did, it would lead
to more debates and rescheduling.

Nestor noticed I had begun self-doubting and moved closer to me. He requested me to breathe,
“everything is going to be fine, I trust you and Brandon trusts you that's all we need to care about. We
are the only people in this room whose opinion should matter." he said. I nodded my head, the time to
be second-guessing and being emotional was over.

I needed to show confidence, they needed to know that I knew what I was doing. Without confidence,
no one in the room was going to take me seriously. I cleared my throat and introduced myself to them.
They were still unsure of what I was doing or invented. I introduced the machine to them and explained
how it worked and how their presence was needed.

After which I asked if they had questions but Brandon cut me off. At that particular moment, their
questions were irrelevant according to him but I needed to know if they understood how the machine
worked. “Thalia we are only going to put more doubt In you, Just put the thing on me," he requested.

“Sir I think this machine is risky, especially that it had not been tested," Dr. Wilson spoke up.

“Your opinion is irrelevant," Brandon yelled at him.

The room became quiet, Nestor being versed in how I operated the machine moved over to Brandon and
began preparing him.

“What's the name of the machine?” one of Dr. Wilson's assistants asked.

I stared in Brandon's direction, a name never occurred to me. I was always interested in making sure it
worked rather than naming it. “FRASER200i," I replied with a smile. The name popped up out of nowhere
and I was very sure he was going to love naming the machine after him. FRASER202i," he corrected. “The
year we met," he added with a smile. I returned the smile, he was still full of himself even on his
deathbed.

“Is this the flower? The girl that gave you months? Your destiny?” the doctor asked while looking at my
belly. He finally had the guts to acknowledge my presence and it looked like Brandon had been telling
him about me.

Brandon nodded and the doctor only raised his eyebrows and for the first time, he shut his mouth and
allowed me to work. We moved Brandon to the other bed and without hesitation, I began the setup and
ran over. When it was time to insert the machine I stopped and looked him into the eyes.

“Do not worry, this is the reason why we met," he said and asked me not to worry. I smiled and plugged
the machine in, took a breather, and pressed the on button. I stepped back a bit, all the vitals looked
normal but my eyes were on the timer. After exactly five minutes I connected the transfusion packs.

The process began and we could see the blood going into the machine to be filtered while the new blood
was joining back into his system. The machine worked, I never had doubt about that but was he going to
survive, or was the machine fast enough for the mutating cells. Nestor moved to where I was standing
and held me, I looked up at him as he smiled.Josh's Pov

I walked away without saying anything once the doctor handed me my files. I immediately flew to Cuba.
In high school, I had a friend who was a surgeon there. I hadn't seen him since high school, but I ran into
him at a conference in Europe once and he gave me his card. He was the only Doctor I could trust at the
time.
Brandon and my father had no idea who he was, so I realized there was no way they knew him. I hadn't
seen him in more than eight years, so neither of them could have known he existed or paid him off.

It was mid-day when I arrived in Cuba, and I had not slept for more than twenty-four hours. I needed
answers, not sleep, and Jessica was probably looking for me out of her mind, but I needed to clear her
name at the time.

I arrived at the Doctors hospital and he was shocked to see me. Cuba was the last place that he expected
to see me but when I explained my situation he understood why I flew miles away from home.

I handed him my file and he went through it, I could see his face turn into shock as he read it. He had
seen the pregnancy news all over the internet.

He pointed to a room and ordered me to go in it and change into a hospital gown for the tests.

I ordered him to do all the tests that were available in his book to confirm whether I had testicles or not.
He nodded and walked into the room after some minutes. He did not need a scan or tests but just from a
physical examination he could tell I had no testicles but I needed him to do all the tests, scans, and even
an assessment of whether I was capable of fathering a child.

After an hour he was done, I dressed up and followed him into his office. I could tell from his facial
expression that nothing was okay with me down there. I took a seat and he cleared his throat.

“Josh, I will get to the point straight, the accident you sustained in Canada was fatal and they had to do
an orchiectomy because your pelvic area got crushed under the weight of the helicopter. I noticed they
did constructive surgery," he stated. But I only stared at him as he went on to explain how impossible it
was for me to ever have a child.

“But why did the doctors lie to you? You have to sue them and why did you not follow up after you
started experiencing the side effects?” he asked.
I swallowed hard, “My father paid the doctors to lie to me," I replied.

"Oooh, I am so sorry, that's… why would he do that?” he asked but I ignored his questions and asked to
look at the scans. I was still in denial, he showed me my scans then handed me a scan of a normal male
with testicles.

I could clearly see the difference and I just sank in my chair. He offered a free therapist for me and a
home for some days but I thanked him and walked out ignoring his pleas. I had a date with the devil
called my father. But first I needed to face my wife.

At the back of my head I thought I could process Jessica fucking around, getting pregnant and leaving me
but why pin a baby on a man she knew would never impregnate her. Then it occurred to me, the money,
the shares.

Even if I had found out after splitting the shares she would still have a portion of her shares. She was
traping me to give her my shares by using a baby that was not mine. It never mattered if I found out or
not. Just the thought of it made my stomach turn.

I boarded the plane troubled, and when I arrived home it was already morning and I had not had sleep
for more than forty-eight hours. My own country seemed like a foreign country. I switched on my phone
and thousands of messages and missed calls popped up.

I ignored them and went straight into a liquor store. Alcohol was always my weakness when hit with a
brick but I was not going to drink myself to death. I just needed something strong while I drove home. I
recalled all the whores that I had to fuck in an attempt to impregnate one when I thought she was the
one with a problem.

I practically made her see a gynecologist and she was probably laughing at me in that office. Was she
punishing me for all the shit I put her through? I thought to myself as I drove into the driveway, a home I
had so many dreams for. I walked in and she immediately ran to me and hugged me with so much worry
on her face. “Ooh my God Josh where have you been?" she asked
“Canada," I replied and moved her out of my way.

“What? Why didn't you tell me? I am just from filing a missing person's report."

I looked into her eyes and said, “I went to relive our honeymoon." She stared at me confused but I could
see the shock in her eyes. She began stuttering but I walked upstairs ignoring her. I went straight to the
bathroom, placed my briefcase and bottle of whiskey on the sink, and decided to take a bath.

I wanted cold water to wake me up from the hell that I was walloping in. I felt like crying but I had no
tears but I could feel a headache coming on and I was getting a bit of a temperature. I was burning from
the inside and without the cold water, I was going to burst into flames. Jessica kept banging on the door,
requesting me to open for her but I ignored her and found a way to filter out her voice.

I finished my bath and walked out ignoring her presence. “Josh, what's going on? You are starting to
scare me?" she cried out. But I went on with my dressing. When I was done I went under the bed and
removed the trunk, roughly searching through it. I was very sure I had put it in there.

“Josh, what's going on? What are you looking for?" She kept asking? “Maybe I should call Victor," she
suggested and began searching for her phone but I found the gun just in time and pointed it at her.
“Make that call and I will blow your brains out!” I yelled at her.

She froze and quickly dropped the phone. "oooh my... God Josh! What... are... you doing?" She
stammered?

“Move!” I yelled at her.

"What the fuck are you doing!” she yelled back

I moved closer and held the gun to her head.

“Josh, you are starting to scare me, what's going on!”

“I said move to the living room!” I yelled at her. She noted the seriousness in my tone and said,
"Okay...okay..okay, I am moving." She began moving downstairs and I followed her from behind,
carefully pointing the gun at her.

“Whatever game you are playing, remember that I am pregnant Josh, I am pregnant with your child!”

“Shut your lying mouth or else am going to blow your fucking brains," I yelled on top of my lungs. I felt
like hitting her and opening her head open but that was a very easy way out.

We arrived in the living room and she turned to face me, she was scared quite alright but she was trying
to put on a brave face and kept touching her pregnancy like an attempt to gain sympathy from me but it
was not working.

“I'm going to pretend like this never happened and I'm going to assume that you are on drugs or
something…"

“Who is the father of the thing you are carrying inside of you?” I asked.

She began shaking, but quickly chuckled and put on an act. She was always a good actor and I was not
going to fall for it.

"Before you make up lies please be informed that I know that I do not have testicles, so tell me who the
father of the child is. Any lies and I will blow your head off and walk into a police station and hand myself
over," I warned.

She looked at me with so much shame and knelt to the floor. Tears began rolling on her face. I could only
guess she had not planned to be caught so early.
“How did you find out?” she asked.

“Will it reverse the lies?”

“Does... your father... know that you know?” she looked up and wiped her tears.

“How does that make a bloody difference!"

“Because you should be pointing a bloody gun at him and not me! He came up with a stupid idea! You
should be holding the dumb gun to his face!"

“Shut! Shut! Shut up!" I yelled at her as she screamed in terror. “Everything is his dumb fault!" She cried
out. “It's all his fault!"

“Did he force you to sleep with another man and pin the child on me!" I yelled at her. To my shock, she
burst out laughing like she had gone crazy and sat on the floor. She kept laughing over and over again
until I placed the gun to her head.

“You made me fuck another man, you brought whores into our house and disrespected our marriage.
You went out there and fucked every whore raw so that you could get them pregnant and tossed me
aside like I was some cheap slut. You pushed me into a tight corner!" She yelled at me.

Out of frustration I quickly grabbed her by her head and shoved the gun into her mouth. She began
fidgeting and trying to free herself but I pushed hard and asked, “Who is the bloody father, else I brow
your head!”

She was literally trying to prevent herself from choking but I placed harder. She realized I was not joking
and stopped fidgeting and nodded her head like she was surrendering. I slowly removed the gun and
asked again, “Who is the father?”
“Why don't you use your stupid head for once!" she replied while coughing out hard. “As I said earlier
your stupid father needs his head blown before you blow me!" She added.

I stared at her confused, “He said he was going to make sure I got the bloody shares! Our marriage was
already a shum, you gave up on it and I had nothing. Brandon Fraser made sure I was blacklisted in every
modeling agency. I was going back to the streets!” she cried out but I only stared at her.

“What was I supposed to do with an alcoholic abusive gambler who always gave up on every rock thrown
at him. A coward who could not even protect his wife from the manipulation of his stupid father!" She
yelled.

“Jessica, I need the answer to my question, "I replied.

"You stupid fool your father is the father of the bastard that I'm carrying! I'm carrying your stupid
brother!" She yelled with so much venom and without a care in the world.

At that moment I froze, I felt a nauseating feeling down my stomach and all the alcohol that I had for
breakfast came flashing out and landing on her. She screamed out in horror and tried wiping some of the
content off of her face.

She began sobbing uncontrollably as I recalled a conversation with my father when he asked him to split
the shares. At the time, I did not suspect or find it weird but now it began making sense. In his own
words, he requested I include; Child, wife, and sibling. I thought by sibling he meant my child's sibling but
in actual fact, he meant my sibling. He was trying to replace me with his new child with Jessica.

He planned it all from the beginning, that's the reason why he never told me about the operation
because he was going to groom a new child to run his stupid company and money angry Jessica was just
a pawn in his stupid plan. I wiped my mouth, while she kept crying on the floor covered in my vomit. She
looked like the filth that she was.

Yes, I might have pushed her into a tight corner but she was free to leave or ask for a job from my stupid
father but my wife was only capable of Jobs that required taking off her clothes. And because of greed,
she accepted to sleep with her father-in-law because he promised her some stupid shares of a company
that was plummeting to the ground. She was dumber than Thalia.

I really had bad luck with marrying stupid women but neither she nor my father was going to see any
drop of those shares. I was going to make sure that neither them, Thalia, or Brandon were ever going to
get the stupid shares. I was going to burn the stupid company to the ground. My life was a mess because
of that stupid company! I walked out and went to the garage, taking a container of kerosene with me
and driving off.Thalia's Pov

The anticipation was killing me; an hour had passed with no red signals. Not the sort that implied the
machine was killing him, but we were getting the kind that said he was getting drowsier by the hour.
Doctor Willson, on the other hand, attributed it to the fact that he was losing blood.

The hemoglobin level was above six, which was a favorable indicator as long as it continued that way.
We were safe from him becoming anemic or going into shock. We were also checking for any signs of
organ failure, but everything appeared to be fine at the time.

Brandon, on the other hand, had stopped speaking and was not responding to exchanges. The doctor
suggested we give him some time and let the equipment do its job. Nestor walked up to me and led me
to the kitchen, telling me that I had done my bit and that it was now up to Brandon to fight.

But my mind was crowded with the machine. We couldn't analyze the filtration rate because it was too
early, we had no data and we were doing everything blindly. We didn't know when to turn it off but
relied on guessing.

It was too early to assess the filtration and we had no idea when to turn it off but we estimated if the
Hemoglobin kept falling.

“You need to eat Thalia," Nestor said and began preparing some food.

“What if he does not make it?" I asked.

“Do not say that," he replied.

"No no, let's start thinking outside the box, there should be plan B, we do not have plan B," I said and
began panicking. Nestor stopped me and told me to breathe in. “Okay that's a good idea, you can start
thinking about that without panicking," he suggested and got me back to my seat.

He was right, panicking was not a solution, but my brain was all messed up and I couldn't think. I sat on
the kitchen chair biting my nails. Nestor handed me some orange juice. “Please drink it all, remember
you have to look after the baby as well," he reminded me. I nodded and began drinking it, my body felt
like it was being dragged.

I needed to clear my mind so while he was cooking I decided to go and take a shower. I always did my
best thinking in the shower.

I took my leave and told him I would return but first I checked on Brandon before going to shower. He
was still hanging on, so I took my things and went to shower. Under the cold splatters, I began
troubleshooting for other solutions.

The FRASER 2021i worked like a kidney dialysis machine. Just like it, it was not a permanent solution
especially since his cells were still going to keep replicating. If it worked it was only going to give him
time.

That was a luxury that he did not have but he needed a cure, the machine was providing some sort of
treatment but we had no idea of the duration or prognosis. But apart from something that filtered what
else could work? I kept thinking to myself.

I finished my shower, dressed up, and joined Dr. Willson.

“The Hb keeps dropping, I think we should remove the machine and study the cells," he suggested as
soon as I walked into the room.
I looked at the Hb and it was seven, “Unplug it," I seconded, anything below six was anemic and we did
not want to risk that.

He gave the orders and we removed the machine. They quickly took a sample and I waited in
anticipation. Brandon was unconscious, somehow it drained all of his energy. I noted that down, there
was a need to adjust that element.

But I was eager about the result and the doctor kept taking too long with his useless microscope. He
looked up at me and called me to take a look. I walked slowly to him and he gave me space to see the
difference myself. In one of the specimens, there were a lot of mutations while in the other there were a
few. “You did it destiny, what we have to do is find the duration," he stated with a smile.

“But these cells can still kill him," I replied. “No no I was expecting below thirty-five liter," I added.

“Ms. Thalia, as we are filtering the old mutated cells, new ones are getting replicated in his body. As it
stands, it will be which process will be faster than the other but I will recommend you for this machine,"
he said and drew his hand for a handshake. I stared at it, pissed.

"Ms. Thalia, your machine works, at least be proud of that," he added and put his hand away.

“How far with your cure, have you made any progress?” I asked.

He stared at me, he was definitely not expecting me to ask about the cure. “Brandon told me about
recalling your team and funding you to continue searching for a cure.”

He cleared his throat like he was embarrassed. “Oooh yes we are, but we are unable to culture the cells
in a lab environment, if you have noticed everything dies. That's our major roadblock," he replied.

I only rolled my eyes in anger and walked to the kitchen. Nestor was almost done, and the food smelled
delicious. “Lichens!" I yelled and took a seat. “For two years the fool can't grow the cells in a laboratory
set up. He has all the money at his disposal," I added. Nestor ignored my statement and handed me the
food. “Stop stressing, your monkeys were dying too that explained why he is having difficulty too."

I looked up at my food in shame and began eating it, it did not taste as good as it was because my mind
was still thinking of plan B. The ratio of the mutated cells was too high for the machine to keep up.

Yes, it slowed down the mutation and was possibly going to prevent any clots but the body was going to
notice the change and adapt to the mutation. That was my worry, I did not want to be a party pooper. I
noted how everyone was smiling while I was the only grampy one, smearing my negative energy all over
my creation. But I had studied Brandon's disease and was well aware of the ratios. We needed a ratio of
below thirty if the machine was going to work as a dialysis machine.

After another two hours, the doctor walked in and suggested we put him back to the machine. It was
stressing on his body but we needed to come up with the time interval. With a Hb of nine, we decided to
put him back to the machine while we closely monitored the mutation. We kept repeating the process
until the following morning.

Even though he was still unconscious there was some significant change in the mutation and he was
breathing on his own. That gave me a smile in the morning but being plugged on and off to a machine
every two hours was unbearable.

I decided to take my morning walk and Nestor decided to accompany me. We walked in silence while my
mind was still thinking of plan B. I should have thought of that while I was still making the FRASER2021i
but it was too late to cry over spilled milk.

“I have something that will cheer you up?" Nestor broke the silence. I heard him loud and clear but I was
not interested in anything.

“I sent the letter to Josh about his impotence, he probably knows that he is not the father of the baby his
wife is carrying," he stated and expected a reply from me but I had long buried that obsession. Josh and
Jessica could kill themselves and I wouldn't blink an eye. My main concern was Brandon and finding plan
B.
“Thalia, did you hear what I have just said?"

I stopped walking and turned “Yes I heard you loud and clear but I have important shit to worry about
rather than those two idiots," I replied, turned, and continued walking.

“I was only trying to lighten your mood, you thinking too much is not good for the baby," he replied.

“Then come up with a productive topic."

“Okay, did Brandon give you the name? Did he get to name the baby?” he asked.

I stopped and held my mouth, Brandon kept postponing naming the child and I became so preoccupied
with working on the machine that I forgot about the name.

“No, he did not," I stated.

Nestor noted my worry and held my hands, “As soon as he opens his eyes tell him to name his child,
okay,?”

I quickly nodded my head, I gave Brandon a simple task but like always he was doing his own thing of
being too difficult. But he was going to name the baby whether he liked it or not. I was not going to
accept any excuses the minute he opened his eyes.Josh's pov

As I drove to Gentex headquarters, I continued to gallop the bottle of whiskey. My gun was fully loaded
and sitting next to me in the passenger seat. A daughter and father-in-law expecting a child? It was like
something out of an episode of American Horror Story. Every time I thought about it, I felt sick. Was it a
one-nightstand or were they fucking for months? Or even years. Jessica would have answered a lot of my

questions, but I wanted to hear the answers straight from the pig's mouth.
Siblings sharing a lover was OK, but a parent sleeping with a child's spouse, getting them pregnant, and
then pinning the pregnancy on the child was inhuman. However, if I looked at it carefully, the indicators
were there all along, but I was too ignorant to perceive them.

Jessica was far too comfortable with my father; she was constantly seeking his favor, and whenever we
had a disagreement, she ran to him. She respected him more than me, in fact, she worshipped the
ground he walked on but I was just too stupid and viewed everything like normal. I always thought they
were just free with each other. How could I blame them, it was a father and daughter in law, there was
no way anyone could have suspected them.

But my father was a pig who had no shame or self-respect. I was going to pop some bullets in him,
maybe he was going to grow some self-respect and dignity. Or maybe I was going to pour kerosene on
him and while he burnt I was going to put the bullets in his head.

I arrived at the company and breathed in hard. I took the bottle of whiskey and took a long gallop.
Looking through my rear windows I made sure that his car was in his usual parking space. The pig could
not even take a day off to find his son. All he cared about was the stupid company.

The company that I sacrificed my life for but all went in vain because my own father, my biological father
chose to betray me. I took the last drink and grabbed my gun and stuffed it behind my shirt then I
grabbed my kerosene and went into the building.

I received a number of stares from the employees but I ignored them. Yes, I looked terrible but I did not
give a dumb. I walked straight to my office, he had a thing for that office and I was going to burn him in
it. The Secretary greeted me but alerted me to a meeting going on but I did not care. If he was in a
meeting and not on the run, then Jessica had not informed him about anything.

I matched in and they all looked up at me confused apart from my father who was standing in front
giving a presentation.

“Son, what brings you in here?” he asked. Just the tone of his voice made me sick, his face made my skin
crawl. I wanted to bash his head in with the projector but I played cool.
“I have been missing for two days and that's all you could say?”

“I was told you went to Canada," he replied without an ounce of remorse, not even a shred of pretense.
My blood boiled and without a second thought, I removed the gun out of my back and pointed it at him.
All the people present in the room murmured and raised their hands in fear.

“Everyone out! Except for the pig that calls himself my father!” I yelled.

Without a second thought, they all ran out of the room like flies and locked the door behind them. As I
turned I found him pouring himself a glass of Scotch. He did not even care that I was pointing a gun at
him. He took a sip and stared at me, waiting for me to speak. But I grabbed the kerosene and began
pouring it around the office. He chuckled like a stupid fool, he probably thought I was joking.

“You think if you burn us in this dumb office then you will solve everything?" he asked.

I finished the entire room and walked over to him, pouring the rest on his pathetic body.

“At Least you will not be able to get Gentex! Is that not what all this has been about. Stealing a dumb
company from a friend that never wronged you!” I yelled at him.

To my annoyance, he laughed out hard. “Do not play innocent," he said. “Everything I did up to now was
for your benefit! Your stupid future. I gave you all the shares, every stupid share!" He yelled.

“You fucked my wife you pig!" I replied and hit his dumb head. “How is fucking and impregnating my
wife ever going to benefit me!"

Blood oozed out of the temple of his eye as he turned to face me. I was expecting him to make excuses
or blame Jessica for seducing him but he went straight point-blank. “That slut never deserved you, I did
you a favor that you will forever live thanking me," he replied. I pointed the gun straight at his face but
we were disturbed by a bang In the door.

“My Nelson, this is the police, please open the door there is a better way of resolving whatever is
wrong!" The officer on the other side of the door yelled. He was probably stupid, the room was
soundproof inside and he was not going to be able to hear me even if I replied to him. I turned and
decided to concentrate on the fool below; “That slut was my wife! Where was your self-respect!”

“Your marriage was already over, you were the one that gave up when that stupid Thalia threw rocks on
us! All I had to do was damage control!”

“Damage control by lying to me about the operation in Canada and fucking my wife!”

He wiped his face; “If we had told you about the operation you would have given up on life. You have
always been a pussy Josh. Every obstacle in your way, you resorted to alcohol gambling and whores," he
replied.

“In fact, I planned to tell you after you changed the shares but Thalia sabotaged us. You went nuts and
when I proposed you to change the shares you spat at me so I had to do something for the company I
sacrificed my life for!” he yelled.

I felt like hitting him but I was curious, “Sacrifice! What sacrifice? You fool, I was the one who was forced
to choose a career that I never wanted. I was the one that had to marry that crazy Thalia! What sacrifice
did you make you fool! You used me and when you realized that I could not continue the generation for
your grudge you decided to make my replacement!” I yelled and hit him. It felt good hitting him, that
part I could not lie but I wanted to see him dead.

“If you were man enough to handle roadblocks in life I would have not resorted to making myself an
heir!” he yelled back.

I put my gun down and began hitting him with hard punches over and over again. The pig could not even
defend himself. He just sat there as I punched the life out of him. “You should have told me, taken me to
therapy, and maybe we wouldn't be in this dumb mess! Do you know the side effects? Did it ever occur
to you that my behavior was as a result of me not being a man and having no testosterone!” I yelled at
him.

Suddenly the door burst open and a swarm of policemen ran in. I turned trying to locate where I put my
gun but they were fast. Before I knew it two of them threw themselves at me and pinned me to the
floor. I tried to free myself but they were stronger, “You fools, get off of me, let me kill that animal! Let
me kill him!"

“Mr. Nelson, calm down!" The offer urged. He turned and ordered other officers to take my father to a
secure place. They were not supposed to be protecting him, the man was a dirty pig. The officers lifted
me as I kept fidgeting and kicking my legs in the air. They pushed me against the table and began cuffing
me while reading my rights to me.

“Mr. Nelson you will force us to taser you, you do not want your employees to see you like that," the
officer warned.

“Just get the fucking cuffs off my hands," I yelled at him.

“Am sorry but we can not do that, just calm down and whatever your father did to you there must be a
legal way to deal with it," he stated.

“No, the only way is to burn that fool together with this shity company!” I yelled at him as he took me
out of the office. My commotion had brought the entire company to a standstill and everyone was on
the floor trying to catch the glimpse of the son who came to blow his father's brain off. I was led through
the corridors in cuffs, everyone stared at me like I was a mad person or like I was the culprit.

My father and wife's pig were the culprits. As we reached outside I spotted Jessica standing by the car
and keeping a distance. I could see regret and shame on her face but I looked away and entered the
police car. “There are a lot of ways to take down a company without burning a company and your
father," the officer stated and drove off. I was breathing fire but he was right, his statement was making
sense.
My father only cared about one thing and that was Gentex. Taking him to an early grave was a very easy
way out for him. He needed to feel it where it hurt. I thought to myself as I was walked into a police
station and led into a cell. Attempted murder was what they were charging me with but I did not pay
attention to anyshit.

My mind was occupied with making my father pay. They first put me in a holding cell while I waited for
processing. I was granted my one phone call and I called Kim, she was the only one who hated Victor as
much as I did. She hated me too but what I was proposing to her was worth her time and money. I was
very sure my father was busy trying to do damage control or looking for a way of taking my name off.

But luckily I had all I needed in my car and all Kim had to do was bring me a briefcase that sat in my car. I
had all the papers and signatures I needed to make changes to my shares.

After seating for what seemed like forever and without processing and no sign of Kim I began thinking
my father had something up his sleeves. The fool could not even put himself in time out and reflect the
shit that he had put me through. He was busy trying to show him who was in control.

I tried speaking to the policeman on the desk but he ignored me and instructed me to shut up. I walked
away from the bars trying to think of a person who could get me out when I heard a familiar voice. I
turned and it was Kim. She showed up even though I treated her like shit.

“Well well well, I would have really loved to watch you pull the trigger on your father, the shit is all over
the internet," she stated.

I sighed in relief and walked to the bars, “I thought you were not going to show?"

“Well, the Nelson's are tearing each other apart and want to kill each other. I want a front row seat."

“I just want to say sorry…”

"Save the crap! I brought your briefcase as you instructed so where do you need to sign in order to
destroy your life," she asked and ordered the officer to release me or charge me.

“We haven't processed him yet," the officer replied.

“Then what are you waiting for? You know this is against the law, if you do not charge my client now we
are suing you!"

The officer began stuttering and making fake calls but Kim insisted on a charge. After a series of calls, the
officer decided to release me. Apparently, my father was not filing charges against me. If he thought I
was going to fall for the cheap act then he was wrong.

Immediately I was out of the cell I grabbed my briefcase, asked for Kim's laptop, and made all my shares
public right there in the police station. I did not want to give my father any chance or anyone.

“Did you call the press?” I asked

“Yes, the entire News outlets are outside, they heard about your attempted murder on your father and
they want front news," she replied.

“Good," I said and made my important call, a call that was going to change everything and put an end to
the lifelong grudge and revenge vendetta. It was time for everyone to get a life and no one was going to
get anything unless they had billions to restart the shity company again.

Kim stared at me confused, I could only assume she had come out of curiosity and thought I was not
going to do it.

"What?" I asked.

“I thought you had no balls and what exactly did your father do?" she asked.
“He fucked my wife!" I replied, sending her choking on her saliva. I walked outside and joined the angry
waiting reporters who had been waiting for close to two hours.

As soon as I walked outside their cameras began flashing, I had to put my hands over my face as I got
bombarded with thousands of questions. I raised my hands and they became quiet. “Yes, I attempted to
kill my father and burn him in that worthless company," I said, sending the crowd into a murmur.

“Why, and are you getting charged?" One of the reporters asked.

“Because the company never belonged to me or my father. We stole it from his best friend's daughter
who had done nothing to him rather than outshine him. My father forced me into his lifelong grudge and
I married Thalia Nash with the sole purpose of manipulating her and stealing the company," I
announced. They all looked at me in shock.

“Anyway, I have offloaded all my shares on the market, all my inheritance shares because there is no one
to inherit the shares."

“But is your wife not pregnant," another reporter asked.

I cleared my throat and said, “During my honeymoon in Canada, I was involved in an accident that forced
the surgeons to remove both my testicles," I said with my face down. “I'm not capable of having children
so the baby my wife is carrying is not mine but my father's," I added.

The entire outside became quiet, I could only assume they were trying to process what I had just said.

“Yes my wife is carrying my little brother so as of noon today Gentex is hundred percent public and if
anyone is willing to gamble they can buy the shares," I added and thanked them all for attending the
press briefing.
I turned and found Kim looking at me in shock. I moved close to her and thanked her for everything and
wired money into her account to finish up the process of making the stupid company public. I trusted she
could finish it up without intimidation from my father. It was ironic that it was the first time I was paying
her with money, my last money, money that I had been saving up for a new life in Europe but it was not
to be.

“What's next?" She asked.

“I'm going to visit my mom, I haven't seen her for over a month," I replied and began to walk away. She
tried to offer me a ride but I wanted to be left alone. I did not want her sympathy or anyone else's. By
noon all the shares were going to be as worthless as paper, I was going to watch everything crumble to
the ground with mom even though she could not remember me. At least she was the only person that
had no idea of how pathetic my life was.Jessica's Pov

I felt like my chest was collapsing in on me, that everything was crumbling around me. I knew there was
nothing I could do. I kept calling Victor, but the calls went unanswered. I last saw him when he was being
escorted out from headquarters by cops. I sat in my car, unsure of where to go or what to do.

There was no way I could follow Josh to the police station. When he was being loaded into a police car, I
observed that he didn't want to look at my face. He despised me and despised the sight of me. I needed
to give him some time to settle down, but I needed to speak with Victor first.

I decided to drive to the main house, which was the first place that I was supposed to look. Victor had to
be there, I was sure he knew his son had not split the shares. I had nothing and the baby had nothing.

He promised me he was going to get me something. He promised Josh was only ever going to find out
after the shares were given to me and my baby. But that was not to be, I kept wiping my tears as I drove
off. How did he even find out about Canada? My only guess was Brandon Frazer, the ghost, he must have
found out, but how?

I drove into the driveway, my eyes wet and swollen. I got my makeup bag and tried to hide the bruise
near my mouth. In a space of a month, I had a gun stuffed into my mouth twice like a hardcore criminal.
I was reduced to nothing, not even at the level of a prostitute. I got out of the car and walked into the
house. As predicted Victor was home, he was busy on the phone yelling at whoever was on the end of
the line.

I matched into the house pissed and to my annoyance, he turned his back to me like I was invincible or
something. After yelling on the phone for what seemed like forever, he turned. His face was badly
swollen, one of his eyes looked like it was completely swollen and he could not see through it.

“Why the fuck did you tell him about us!” he directed his anger on me.

“Why were you not answering my calls!" I asked but he only looked away. “Your stupid son put a gun
into my mouth! What was I supposed to do!”

“He is a coward, he was not going to shoot you!" He replied. I almost burst out laughing. I saw the look in
Josh's eyes. He was dead serious, he was going to kill me. It was the first time that I saw that look in his
eyes and it scared the life out of me. He was calling his son a coward but he was disfigured by the same
son. Ignored him and asked;

“How did he find out about Canada? Who told him?"

“You are the ones who decided to move out of this house, this house was your protection, it was always
wiped out every day for your own good but you decided to move out!”

I could not believe the fool, maybe the beatings he had gotten shifted his brain or something. Did he
honestly think we moved into a new house to discuss Canada? I walked to a chair and sat down. “I think
Brandon Fraser found out, he went digging in Canada, and told him," I suggested.

Victor only held his mouth. “Before he went crazy, he had the shared file and was ready to give me and
the baby some shares. I only stepped out to buy some groceries," I replied. A decision that I began
regretting, maybe if I had stayed, I could have known what went wrong and how he found out. I rubbed
my hands on my face, there was a lot of self-blame going on in my head.
“Did you say he was changing shares?” Victor asked. “Please tell me he did not have a company seal with
him? Why didn't you tell me!" he held me by the shoulders and shook me like a mad person. “I do not
know, I only saw him with papers but when he left for Gentex he had his briefcase," I replied.

“Why didn't you tell me? Am from instructing the police to release him without charges!"

“Well if you had picked up my calls maybe you would have found out," I yelled at him.

He quickly grabbed the phone and I could only assume he was calling the police department and
ordering them to put his son back in the cells.

“I have changed my mind, I want to press charges for the attempted murder!" He yelled at them but he
was told something that sent him running to the Tv. I followed behind as he switched on the Tv, and his
son popped up. My heart stopped for a minute as I watched Josh air all our dirty laundry for the world to
hear and watch.

What was worse was the fact that he made the shares public while declaring that I was carrying his
father's child. I turned to face Victor who only sank in his chair. I could only guess that he was proven
wrong, his son was not a coward after all. Josh laid us naked for the entire world to watch and judge. All
our skeletons were out, we were the jokes to be picked at and laughed at.

We were finished and even though I knew nothing about the business world, the scandal was too big for
those shares to have any value especially since it was Victor who announced my pregnancy. They were
all going to think we had planned to steal the shares, our own shares, and pass them to a taboo.

I was the whore that slept with her father-in-law and got pregnant. Shame and nastiness overwhelmed
me and I felt like I was about to burst open. I got out my phone and opened all my social media accounts.

The shit was all over my accounts, I was the shame of the city, even the stupid agents that refused to
sign me were busy referencing the shame as the reason why they didn't sign me. I threw the phone in
the corner while Victor was busy trying to block the shares but he was unsuccessful.
“Why did you give him so much power, why did you not keep some of the fucking shares!" I yelled at
him.

“Because he is my fucking son!" he yelled and got up.

I stood up and grabbed him, "where are you going? Where are you going?” I cried out.

“Get your hands off of me! Am going to get whatever is left of those shares," he replied and walked up to
his room.

I was left alone, drenched in my tears. I did not trust him for unknown reasons but there was nothing
that I could do. He needed to get those shares back even if they were going to be useless.

Maybe his Russian friends were going to do some magic. They always saved Gentex every time shit went
down. I told myself to breathe and calm down, the damage was already done, crying was not going to
solve anything.

Victor walked back with a briefcase, he cleared his throat, “I think you should stay away from the public
for now until I clean the mess,"

I quickly got up, “How… long is that going to take?" I asked while wiping my tears.

“I do not know, but I'm wasting time talking to you,"

“Wait a minute? What happens to us? I mean the baby in case you fail?"

"Just hang tight, since when have I failed to clean my son's mess," he stated and moved close to me. I
tried to move away but he grabbed my head and kissed me on the forehead. He let go of me, walked to
the door and stopped then turned to face me. There was a weird look on his face, a look that I had not
seen on him before. If I was not wrong I could say he was lost. He turned and walked out of the house,
leaving me in a huge empty house with nothing but shame.

I walked to the window and I saw a reporter's van, the press was watching us or was it safe to say me. I
screamed out, went into my old room, and continued with my crying while laughing at my pathetic life.

Thalia won, she won without even drawing blood. She was probably watching on a big flat screen,
expensive wine by her side, and a big fat bank account while I had nothing. It all crumbled down my feet
like a tsunami without warning. I had hope for my marriage with Josh but the marriage seemed to have
been cursed from day one.Thalia's pov

I stayed by his side for days, keeping a close eye on his vitals. The gadget appeared to be functioning; he
opened his eyes on occasion, although being unable to talk, and his Hb was over fifteen. His paleness had
vanished, as had the fear of anemia or shock. I saw the color of his skin for the first time. At the very
least, it supported his constant boasting about being God. The only drawback was that the mutation was
still above thirty-five percent, but I was confident that we'd make it go below.

I could wake up and stare at him all day. Nestor would make fun of me from time to time, but I would
always explain that I was

monitoring for medical reasons.

He and Dr. Wilson would only laugh but I would always ignore them. I would wake up early every day,
bathe and eat, take my vitamins, and sit next to Brandon, watching him while I held his hand. I liked it
that way and I could not wait for him to gain his strength and begin talking dirty smark.

If I was not drooling over Brandon I was in front of the TV watching the downfall of the Nelson's. I had
packed my revenge bag a month ago and my concentration was working on plan B for Brandon but the
scandal was too huge to ignore. It was in front of all newspapers and every social media page. Everyone
was talking about the father and daughter-in-law. I was right, after all, the fools destroyed each other
but we never saw it going down like that. I wanted to pinch Brandon and tell him I told him so but not
even he would have predicted the truck of skeletons in Nelson's closets. Jessica and Victor having an
affair and framing the baby on Josh was the dirtiest scandal I have ever read. It was a leaf from a horror
book. No wonder the old man was eager to announce the pregnancy to the world. Victor was an animal,
Nestor and I had tried to process how they even began sleeping together. What kind of a father would
sleep with his son's daughter? Or what kind of a wife would sleep with her father-in-law? They both had
no shame, no self-respect, and no morals. I wondered how my father was ever best friends with Victor.
He was a dog, maybe even worse than a dog. It made sense that he betrayed my father, the man was
capable of killing and attending your funeral.

I had no idea if it was my hormones or what but I somehow felt sorry for Josh. Yes, he deserved
everything that life was throwing at him but a part of me felt sorry for him. It was weird, but it was
obviously the hormones.

Gentex's shares plummeted the same hour they were released. All the investors disappeared and neither
Victor nor his son was anywhere to be seen. Most people hoped for Josh to finish the job of killing his
father but he disappeared. Nestor, who at first was against our revenge, seemed to have taken over the
obsession from Bradon. Maybe waiting on Brandon was too boring though he hid under the veil of
wanting to update Brandon once he was awake. To be honest the Nelsons provided some form of
entertainment to speed up a day. He also found out why Jessica was so loose as to sleep with her
father-in-law. Apparently, she knew Victor before Josh. There was a brothel in Manhattan where she
used to work as a sex worker some years ago. And every time Victor was in the area for some business
he would find entertainment with the prostitutes of the same brothel. Though Nestor had no proof
Jessica first slept with Victor there, he had proof and photos of them having drinks and lap dances. Victor
was sick, I doubted Josh knew that history of them, or maybe he was just too stupid to eat his father's
vomit. How a father would allow a prostitute to marry his son was something that we were never going
to understand or know unless maybe we asked Victor himself. He was last spotted in Siberia, the old
useless man finally gave up and ran away, leaving pregnant Jessica to the hell she deserved. The
nickname I gave her finally stuck, the skunk became skank. At least we found out why the two were too
comfortable with each other. Too comfortable in blankets. I couldn't wait to update Brandon once he
was awake, he enjoyed such gossip.

I was very sure he was listening to everything because I placed the Tv in the same room as him. I did not
want him to miss any part of his hobby.

The door opened and Nestor walked in with more blood for Brandon. He switched the coolers and joined
me. “Someone seems to be enjoying the downfall."

I looked up at him and rolled my eyes, “I turned the Tv on for Bradon's sake. You know how he loved and
was passionate about the revenge. Maybe if he hears about it he might decide to wake up," I replied.
“I think he was more passionate about porn," he stated. I looked up at him with my mouth open. He was
not lying; “But I think the revenge took over the porn," I joked and he just laughed. “Anyway, I was really
sure the revenge was going to backfire on you two," he said. I looked up at him and had no idea what he
meant. “I do not believe in revenge myself, I believe in karma," he added.

“Well sometimes karma is late and it's up to individuals to give revenge a try," I replied.

“Just glad it's all over and we can get back to our lives."

“I'm glad," I replied. “But what is going to happen to Gentex?"

He stared in my direction with a smirk on his face. If I was not wrong I would say he was mocking me.
Yes, I had given up on the revenge but that did not mean I did not care about the fate of the company
that started the entire hell.

“Well we lost a lot of money, the directors are asking about the fate of the company but for now we
have to concentrate on Brandon and the baby. We will deal with Gentex later," he replied and
disappeared through the kitchen door.

He seemed to be running away from me and the questions so I decided to drop the subject and
concentrate on Brandon. Dr. Wilson walked in for the adjustment. He and I talked last night and we
agreed to continue looking for a cure with his team. The FRASER2021i was just giving Brandon time and
not a solution. We both agreed to that fact. We had no idea how long but we were going to utilize it. We
had changed the filtration from two hours to four hours. We planned to adjust to six hours. After he was
done he walked back to his team. They were running on a clock and barely rested. Nestor had given
them four rooms which that they reconstructed into a lab. I couldn't help but feel sorry for them
sometimes.

The door opened and Nestor walked out of the kitchen with what seemed to be a cake in his hands. I
looked at him surprised and wondered what we were celebrating. I had no idea he could bake. He was
really stuffing me with food like he was fattening for slaughter or something.
I grabbed the plate and thanked him, he cleared his throat for the third time and I knew something was
wrong. He always did that when he was about to tell me something that I did not want to or agree to.

“Just say it," I said to him.

“Well, Brandon is doing well and you are almost due. So I think it's time to move you to the city," he
suggested, not sure if he was ordering me. I turned to face him and placed the plate of cake on the bed.
“Am not leaving Brandon," I replied.

“Thalia I promised Brandon you were going to give birth at a normal hospital. This is not the place for a
baby to be born in," he replied.

“Just bring everything in here and all the midwives and doctors I need or Dr. Willson will deliver my
baby," I suggested and went on with eating the cake. I did not want to discuss the issue any further. He
had just ruined a perfect day and his cake had just become tasteless. I was busy with the latest scandal
but he had to ruin it.

“Well I am not turning this place into a maternity ward," he replied.

I chuckled, he was speaking like I was some lame person who had no idea how to make a call, or I was
both dull and deaf.

I stood up and walked to Dr. Willson's Lab. The crew was surprised to see me, Nestor and I never visited
that part of the house. We always allowed them to work without pressure and if we needed anything we
always phoned them. When he opened the door I asked him if he had a minute. “Yes, Ms. Thalia?"

“I was asking if you could be my doctor for my delivery?” I asked.

"Ooh," he said and looked away. “I'm sorry Mrs. Thalia but I'm not that kind of doctor," he replied.
“What do you mean? Even a plumber can deliver a baby, did Nestor put you up to this?" I asked.

“Ms. Thalia, when last did you have a scan?" he asked.

I looked away in irritation, I couldn't even remember the last time I did the dumb scan or antenatal.

“You see? That's why you need to deliver in a hospital. I know how much you care about Mr Fraser but
delivery is just one day and by the third, you would be back here," he stated.

My blood boiled, while I was busy at Brandon's bedside. Nestor was busy poisoning me to the doctor.
Just the nerve? That fool needed to be put in place. I stormed off and found him standing by Brandon's
bed. “What the fuck is wrong with you!” I yelled at him.

"Thalia calm down!"

"Calm down! Are you stupid! How many times am I supposed to tell you that I am in charge! Am your
dumb boss!" I yelled at him.

He only chuckled, forcing me to hit him hard across the face. “Don't you ever laugh when I am talking to
you! Do I make myself clear and don't you ever go behind my back and make decisions for me!”

He stretched his neck and closed his eyes, his neck made a terrifying sound like he was going to turn and
hit me.

“Thalia pack your bag and go to the city," a low voice stated. I looked behind and it was Brandon. He was
working and he was talking. I ran to him in excitement but he looked away. “Why are you two idiots
always fighting like little kids?”

“Ooh my God you are talking, I held him and ignored what he was saying. He ordered Nestor to pack a
bag for me and prepare me for evacuation.
"But I'm not in labor, Do not pack my bag, call Dr. Nelson," I yelled at Nestor.

“Thalia do not fight with me, you are stressing me," he replied.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I cried out. I had no idea what to do. Whether I was supposed to hug him or not.
The doctor walked in and asked me to move while he did some tests on him. Nestor walked in with a
packed bag that looked like mine. I wanted so badly to yell at him but for Brandon's sake, I played it
cool.Bradon's pov

My entire chest hurt and my head felt like it was about to crack, but it was their voices that were the
most aggravating. They sounded like kindergarteners yelling on the playground. It remained a mystery as
to why they just couldn't get along. To get them to stop talking, I had to yell at them. Thalia tried to
swoon over me, but I shrugged her off. My beauty slumber was disrupted by her ranting and slaps.

When the doctor entered the room, he began collecting the ineffective samples and assessments. To be
honest, I felt even worse after I was linked up to the idiotic machine. It was like it was draining the life
out of me

Was it possible that she built a machine to kill me? Throughout history, women were known to be skillful
killers. The doctor kept asking questions and I nodded a yes or no to his questions. Thalia sat in a corner,
chewing her nails and fretting as if I were suffocating or dying.

“So am I dying?" I asked.

The doctor gave me a slight smile and I knew something was wrong. I just turned my head away with
disappointment. I guess hoping was too much for asking. He finished up and Thalia moved closer and
held my hand.

“Hello, I missed you," she said.

“Well, I did not miss you," I bluntly replied. “Why do you like abusing Nestor?”

She stared back at me disappointed “What? Are you supporting him, do you know what he did?” she
inquired.

I turned to face her, reminding her of whose idea it was in the first place for her to deliver at a hospital.
She only looked down in shame. “Listen, this is what you are going to do, you are going to apologise to
Nestor, prepare yourself, then go with him to the city," I instructed.

Tears began rolling down her cheeks as If I had just turned down her proposal, or asked her to commit
murder. “But Brandon I'm not leaving you," she replied.

“Is your machine movable?” I asked. She stopped with her fake tears and paused for a minute. Probably
wondering where I was going with the questions. “Yes, it is but.. ?”

“We will both move to the city for the sake of the baby, we will just have to tighten up with security," I
suggested.

She stared at me confused, my suggestion was not bad. But if she was that obsessed with me then it was
better for the two of us to go together to the city for the sake of the baby.

“Brandon I do not think it is safe to move you, the machine has made you weak and Dr. Wilson has set
up a Lab here… we can't take him away," she replied and hesitated a bit. “The Machine is not giving us
the results we hoped for so we have continued looking for the cure," she added. I only closed my eyes,
“So why am I plugged into it if it's not working?" I asked.

“Well, in short, it is working like dialysis but unlike hemodialysis which is done four or three times a
week, the Fraser is done every four hours in a day," she explained. “Plus you need a lot of blood
transfusion, that's why you are weak."

“So in short you are saying we are back to square one?"

“No no no, I didn't mean it that way, the machine is keeping you alive and giving us time to find other
solutions. The time that you never had."

I opened my eyes and stared at her for a while without saying a single word. To be honest I felt pathetic
but I did not want to ruin the mood. Going back in search of a cure only meant I was still dying. I did not
want to know how long I had, unlike last time. I asked her not to do any estimations, knowing always
made it more difficult for me.

“Is there any good news? Honestly, I can't just be surrounded by bad news… it's not like I'm cursed or
something," I joked. She scratched her head like she was thinking or something. My house was definitely
short of good news or were we just attracted to shit.

“Well, your revenge plotting finally destroyed both Josh and Victor. They are both on the run and have
left Gentex in ruins," she said with a smile on her face.

“Ooh, I see," I replied

"Is that all you are going to say? Maybe you need the details," she stated and got on the bed, lying next
to me. She held my hand and began narrating the downfall of the Nelson's. By the time she concluded, I
had my mouth wide open. I was shocked beyond belief and pissed at the same time.

How could I have missed the affair? I was supposed to have seen it. The clues were there, everything was
there but yet they played it so well. What pissed me the most was the fact that I had no video recordings
of the two fucking. Such would have been valuable for further blackmail.

“So where is Jessica?" I asked.

“Hiding in the Nelson mansion, she only goes out to buy groceries and stuff," Nestor replied and handed
me a flash. “This contains everything you need to know," he added.
Thalia looked up at him pissed, I could only assume she was not given the flash or was not aware of it.
She only rolled her eyes and looked away.

“Oooh and Josh was spotted visiting his mother, I really thought he was going to kill himself or
something," he added.

Thalia and I looked at each then turned to face him. Yes Josh killing himself would have been icing on the
cake but the suicide topic was very close to both our hearts and we both knew at what level of
worthlessness that one had to be to resort to suicide. Maybe we once wanted to drive Josh to that level
but then thinking about it brought some rather questions to ourselves.

Nestor realized the mistake and quickly apologized. The room became awkwardly silent before I spoke
first. “Did you pack everything?” I asked him.

"Yes, and we are ready to go," he announced.

“No wait, we have still not made a decision," Thalia interrupted.

“I will join you after I gather some strength, am sure you two can operate the machine?” I asked.

“Yes we can," Nestor replied.

“But…?" Thalia tried to protest.

“Thalia please can you just for once not stress me!" I yelled at her.

"Im sorry,"
“I will join you,” I emphasized.

“I know, or maybe I can go tomorrow, it's not like I will go into labor today," she stated mockingly and
got off the bed. I stared at her, she was just too difficult to deal with sometimes. She announced she was
going to take a walk on the beach and walked out.

“Did she just walk out on me?" I asked Nestor who only smiled.

“Welcome back," he said.

“Yeah to Thalia's craziness."

“Do not worry by tomorrow she will be in the city and I'm not bringing her back until she delivers," he
promised.

“Are you two ever going to get along?" I asked.

“No, I think she hates me because I'm more loyal to you than her," he replied.

I chuckled, a case of loyalty and jealousy, “How is Maggie?"

“She is fine, she actually keeps calling. She was expecting us to be in the city by noon. But tomorrow will
do, let us give Thalia time to think," he replied and walked to the kitchen. I signed and stretched myself,
the painkillers the doctor had given me were kicking in and I relaxed myself. I noticed my leg move as I
stretched and stopped for a minute.

If I remembered correctly… I was bedridden before I got hooked to the machine. I removed my covers
and tried lifting again, to my surprise the legs were moving. The machine was not a total failure, after all,
even my arms were moving around. Even though I had no energy, I could clearly see that I could move
around.
But I quickly put the covers back before anyone found me or I excited myself. If there was anything I
learned about my illness, it was that it liked playing games with me. Giving me false hope then crashing
me at the last minute like a bag of cornflakes.

Nestor walked back in with some soup and began feeding me. Unlike that pregnant woman who was
always slapping people, he knew how to take care of me. “Are you sure you are going to be alright by
joining us in the city? I think you should wait for us here."

“Just give me my tablet and I will be fine," I replied.

“People will find out about you in the city, this place provides privacy."

“I'm just tired of the scent and scenery of this place," I replied.

The door opened and Thalia walked in, she quickly grabbed the porridge away from Nestor without
asking and took over the feeding. The girl really grew some attitude while I was asleep. But somehow I
felt wanted, the two were fighting over me and it was somehow cute getting the attention.

“Fine I will go to the city with him, but you have to promise to be face timing me every minute. I want to
know everything," she stated.

“No problem, can I also face time you during labor?” I asked with a grin.

“No! Why are you so sure I will be in labor soon?"

“Thalia your EDD is very near. I did the calculations and I had left Nestor with instructions," I replied.

“When… is… my EDD?” she asked with embarrassment all over her face. I looked at her disappointed,
she had been putting my interests over her own child. What kind of a mother had no idea when she was
due? Was she even fit to be a mother? I began questioning myself. Maybe I had made a mistake or
something. I wanted to scold her but I played it cool on second thought.

It was my stupid illness that stole all her time with the pregnancy. She probably never enjoyed her
pregnancy period. Did she even have a craving? Or a weird obsession? I had a lot of questions but I kept
them to myself.

“Three or five days," I replied.

“But that's too far, can't I wait for two more days," she cried out.

“No you can't, the days might be more or less, and I'm joining you as soon as I regain my energy," I
replied.

She kept quiet and continued feeding me until I told her to stop. After she was done, I got my tablet and
updated myself with Nestor's Flash. Gentex was in crumbles and no investor was willing to take a risk
but Mandel, on the other hand, had all the money in the world. There was only one obstacle, the board
was in disagreement.

They all voted against Mandel taking over it, it was a liability they said, and a waste of money. With all
the bankruptcy, scandals, and debt, it was only going to drag Mandel down, they all said.

I bit my leap, they were all idiots, last time I checked they all wanted the shares but it looked like they all
changed their minds yesterday. Maybe they sent in an assessor or something. Well convincing them was
only going to cost me more money but going solo was going to make me richer or should I say Thalia and
her baby richer.

Then I remembered that the baby was without a name, I raised my eyebrows as I remembered the fact
that I had not named the baby yet. "Shit!" I said to myself.
“What?" Thalia asked.

“You have not given me water," I lied.

“Ohhh im so sorry, I forgot," she replied and ran to the kitchen. She walked back and handed me the
glass of water.

“Thank you fatty," I replied and looked away.

“No, you did not just call me Fatty!”

“Thalia, I'm tired and need to rest," I said as I handed her the glass. She looked like she was going to hit
me but closed her eyes and walked away.Josh's Pov

If someone asked me where I got the energy or motivation to work up every day, I'd tell them it's
because of my mother. She had a hazy memory and couldn't remember me, but her care home was my
home ever since the day I laundered our dirty skeletons in public, and I spent the majority of the day
there.

She recognized my face from the television and assumed I was a celebrity or actor. As a result, she
tolerated and enjoyed my visits, and she was always waiting for me at the door with a newspaper about
our family scandal.

Hearing her describe how the media was tearing us apart was heartbreaking, but it was the price I had to
pay if I wanted to spend time with her. The good news was that she supported me and believed my
father and Jessica were the bad guys. Which was only fair for anyone who followed the story.

The owners of the home allowed me to. I could only guess they felt sorry for me and pitied me. Every
morning she would read me every newspaper on the face of the country that carried my story. She had
no idea the old man that impregnated my wife was her husband or my father. At first, I would make her
aware of that fact but she would think I was joking or trying to ruin her fun so I gave up.
But there were days when she remembered me and asked me about my life. Those were the special
days, and I would just cry on her lap. I guess that was the main event for me though it was rare that she
ever snapped out of it. One day she once asked for Thalia and whether I was ever going to ask for
forgiveness from her and ask her back. I once saw that same question on social media but I had ignored
it.

That was a question that I never wanted to ask myself. What would I say if Thalia stood in front of me?
Did I have any regrets or remorse for what I and my father did to her? Was she to blame for my mother's
condition? Did her father's success play a bigger role in my mother's condition? A year ago I had clear
answers to those questions but now I did not want to ask myself or anyone asking me those questions.

But there was a question that always resurfaced every night in my one-room apartment. Before I closed
my eyes I asked myself if it was karma that I found myself in such a situation.

Yes, I was reduced into a one-room house, a small TV where I kept updated with the stock market. I had
no idea why but I was waiting for Gentex to pop up or Thalia to buy it. But she had disappeared off the
face of the earth.

There were some days when I was walking in the streets with my hood covered over my head and I could
imagine her popping up and laughing the hell out of me. I always had such nightmares and woke up all
sweaty.

So I decided I needed to move out of the city and start afresh but I had no money. The last money I had, I
paid Kim for her services. I also needed money to keep up with my mother's stay at the care home. But
there was nowhere in the city that I would get a job without turning heads so I was caught in a rock.

My only option was selling the house but that was where the bitch lived. My father had dumped her and
was nowhere to be seen. He knocked her up and ran away, I had no idea where he was, and neither did I
care. I think he knew if he showed his face I would finish him off.

I was going to sell the family house but first I needed to free myself.
I was in talks with Kim who for unknown reasons was on my side and ready to give council. I made it
clear to her we were never fucking or getting together. She was part of my toxic past that I needed to get
rid of.

Not like I was not grateful for her help but I needed to start afresh. The surprising thing was that she
understood and linked me up to one of her friends who was a divorce lawyer since she could not handle
such cases.

I had a hundred percent advantage of getting everything and being granted the divorce because of the
nature of my case. I was going to leave Jessica with nothing. There was nothing much to even take
anyway, the only available thing was the house.

All of our other properties, cars were all gone, most of them before the bankruptcy. Whatever was left
was taken by the banks. The house was the only thing that survived. I wanted it, I needed to sell it for my
new life with my mother. I was going to be living with her. Something that I should have stuck with
before those two devils convinced me otherwise.

With Kim's connection, my case was already presented to a judge and even though Jessica was
summoned she absconded and just decided not to show up. But on a brighter note, the divorce was filed
in the courts.

What only remained was her signature which she refused to grant me. I knew she was playing hard and
trying to get the world's attention but I was going to put her in place. She wanted my attention and I was
going to give it to her. My lawyer suggested we get a court official to serve her so that we could have
physical proof that she received the papers and was only going against the court. But I went against him
and took the papers myself.

I was told she was always found in the house so I was sure to find her home. I walked up to the door, the
reporters seemed to have gotten bored of trying to get a story from her and had deserted the premises.
The last time I passed through the area, I found them all swapped with reporters. I was surprised she
never gave an interview considering how she always wanted to be the center of attention.
I knocked on the door but got no response, I knocked for the fourth time but got no response. I was left
with no option but to call her, I had deleted her line but my brain somehow was able to recall it.

She answered it in seconds and came running to the door. She looked so terrible when she opened the
door and her pregnancy bump was already showing. My skin crawled but I told myself to control my
emotions. I could barely recognize her, I guess she had run out of all the cosmetics she hid behind.

“ooh my God, Josh, I knew you would come back for me," she said and tried to hug me but I pushed her
way and walked into the house. In my left hand were a pen and a recording phone while in my right hand
were the divorce papers. I placed them on the table and asked her to sign them. I was in a hurry and
needed to speak to a buyer soon.

She walked up to me and let out a mocking laugh, “I'm not signing anything," she replied.

“Jessica, do not make things difficult for yourself, sign these papers and vacate this house by
tomorrow."

“Are you mad! Where am I supposed to go?" she asked.

“That's none of my business, I am selling the house so do not embarrass yourself when the new owners
come to throw you out," I replied.

She moved away and walked to the kitchen like she had not heard what I said. I followed her with the
papers, “Jessica be reminded that the Judge won't go easy on you should I summon you," I warned her.

“Do whatever you want! She yelled at me. And walked to the counter to pour herself a glass of water
“You think im stupid, you think after all the shit I took from you, I am going to be homeless!"

“Get a fucking job or better abort that shit growing inside of you!" I replied.
She raised her eyes on me viciously and threw the glass she was holding at me without warning but I
quickly ducked.

“That is the reason why you will never feel how it feels like to have your own child!” she yelled at me.

The words cut deep, I knew exactly what she was doing and I was not going to fall for it.

“Jessica there are other ways for me to get this divorce with or without your signature," I replied but she
only rolled her eyes and wished me luck. The good part was that she was an illiterate prostitute.

I walked out of the house and took the evidence to my lawyer who handed it to the judge who agreed
with the recording and began the process of divorce with no consent. It was going to take longer than I
planned but I was given the house since there was no contest. It was a win-win situation for me since the
house was the major thing that I wanted.Thala's Pov

Morning came and Nestor and I arrived in the city without speaking to each other. It was tough leaving
Brandon alone but I had no choice rather than to start putting my baby first. He was going to be fine, Dr.
Wilson promised to keep me updated but as soon as I got inside the house, I turned on my laptop,
moved to one of the rooms, and began video calling Brandon.

I was not going to wait for any updates and I had all the time in the world. I planned to spend the whole
night annoying him. He thought he was not going to be seeing my face or hearing my voice but he was
wrong. He popped up on my screen a little bit pissed

and wanted to get rid of me, but I kept talking. Nestors entered with my belongings and asked if I had
picked the room.

I turned around and told him to take my belongings to the master suite. He locked his gaze on me for a
brief while before carrying the bags away.

"Did you just choose my room?" Brandon enquired.

"No, I just want him to get some exercise, and I'm going to sleep in this room," I retorted.

“Thalia, seriously???” he replied, disappointed. But I only smiled, annoying the life out of Nestor was fun.
It was all his fault that Brandon and I were separated.

Brandon would have agreed if he had been on my side and agreed to bring all of the midwives and
physicians I required. All he had to do was try, but he was acting as if he were my father, thinking he
knew what was best for me.

The door opened and Maggie walked in, beaming, and I jumped out of bed for a big hug. "All God finally,
how are you?" she asked.

"I'm okay, thanks and how are you?" I enquired.

Brandon's voice said through the computer, "Hello and goodbye."

Maggie approached the bed and waved at him in excitement. The last time she saw him, he was
unconscious and we had no clue if he would ever wake up. They exchanged a few words before they
both began scolding me for my lack of seriousness with the baby.

I just couldn't get why everyone was on my case when they were fully aware that I did not intentionally
neglect the pregnancy. I was taking all my vitamins and supplements but they all felt that wasn't enough.

Nestor walked in and asked if there was anything more that he needed to take to the other room.

“Ooh, I forgot to tell you, I will actually be using this room so go and bring back everything you took to
that room," I said with a smile.
“Nestor do not do that," Brandon yelled

“No it's okay, the boss has given the orders," Nestor replied in a mocking tone.

“You are a fucking pilot and not her maid," Brandon replied but Nestor ignored him and went on to
return all my things. I could see Brandon wanted to be physically present so as to pump some sense into
me but he was on the other side of the city. Nestor brought back every and again asked if I needed
anything. I placed my hand on my mouth and began thinking.

“Thalia, seriously, am turning the call off," Brandon warned.

“Brandon, remember I'm pregnant and my hormones are everywhere," I said and an idea popped up.
Brandon was the best teacher for being difficult and I was going to take a leaf off his book.

“I want lobsters, fresh lobsters, and handpicked by you," I ordered Nestor.

"But thalia it's nightfall, maybe he should go tomorrow," Maggie finally got in. She never interfered in
the beef with her son no matter how badly I treated her son.

“Mom it's okay, I need the fresh air and I need to pick some things up?” Nestor replied and moved
forward to kiss her forehead.

“But son, where are you going to get Lobsters at this hour?” she asked.

"Mom, I know a guy, are you staying or should I take you home?” he asked.

“I wanted to but we can't leave Thalia alone!" Maggie replied.

“I will be back mom, I will just pick up the lobsters," he said with a cold face aimed at me but I only
smiled. I knew I was hitting the right nerves but he was busy trying to play the mature one between the
two of us.

I cleared my throat, “Magie I thought you were going to be staying with us."

Her face blushed as she walked back to the bed. “I thought Nestor had told you two," she said.

“Told us what?" Brandon asked.

I looked in Nestor's direction who looked very uninterested in what she was saying and looked away.
Maggie looked in his direction too and decided to spill the beans herself after realizing her son was not
going to talk. “Well I did not want to trouble you these past months with my personal life while you sir
were battling for your life," she said and cleared her throat.

“Just spit it out, you are making me anxious!” Brandon yelled. To be fair I was also dying to hear what
she wanted to say.

“I'm engaged," she said.

I stared over at the screen, Brandon had his mouth open in shock. I had no idea whether to congratulate
her or laugh. I wondered how old she was and lucky to find love at her age. She kept quiet and waited for
us to say something.

“Nestor?” Brandon called out.

“Yes, sir"

"I want a photo of the man now, why didn't you tell me?”
“Boss, I did not think my mother's private life was that important to you," he replied.

"No, but your stepfather is that important to me," he said, mockingly, causing me to burst out laughing. I
knew it was impolite to laugh, but my adversary was going to have a stepfather. I hastily apologized, but
laughing had built up at the back of my throat and broken forth again. Maggie averted her gaze, clearly
irritated but unwilling to show it.

"Can you tell me how old this step daddy is?" Brandon inquired.

Nestor cut in, "None of your business," and swiftly roused his mother, instructing her to collect her
belongings.

"Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, my fiance and I just moved in, so I'll only be here in the morning,"
she informed.

"You'll be resigning next," Brandon said.

"No, Mr. Fraser," she responded, "Wilfred and I had discussed it."

"Well, tell Wilfred I'd like to meet him. Nestor, did you do all the background checks?” he asked.

"Congratulations Maggie, please accept our apologies for our poor manners, but Nestor having a
stepfather is adorable." I hugged her and immediately murmured something. We had no right to
question her decision, and no one was ever too old for love. "Are you sure you're okay with remaining
alone?" she inquired.

"Of course, I can sleep alone in a house; why are you treating me as if I'm disabled or something?" With a
phony laugh, I said. But I was pondering the roadblock that had just hit us in the back of my mind.
Despite the fact that we never discussed it and I never asked her, I always felt she was the ideal
candidate to be our baby's full-time live-in nanny.

But it appeared that she was on the road of love, and I had no intention of dragging her into my mess.
She thanked me when I let go of her and promised to physically introduce Wilfred to us.

She said her goodbyes and walked out with Nestor, who promised to return with fresh lobsters that he
had hand-picked.

I could only smile, waiting for him to return and make fun of him. They were gone in a flash, and Brandon
and I both burst out laughing; we needed it. It had been a dreadful month. I never imagined Maggie
looking for love; she always came across as very strict and bereft.

Her husband, on the other hand, had died a long time before. Nestor was most likely a teenager at the
time, and she opted to move on. We were thrilled for her, at least I was, but Nestor and Brandon didn't
seem to be.

"Can you imagine Nestor having a younger brother?" I couldn't stop laughing.

Brandon responded, "I'm going to look for this Wilfred, he sounds like a homeless guy."

"Come on, she didn't even give us full details, how did you know?” I asked.

“Because she did not say anything about him, she knows he is homeless and she was ashamed," he
replied. I only rolled my eyes and hoped he did not just come up with a new obsession. We were all
aware that his old obsession was almost or should I say closed unless Victor was busy planning to make a
comeback.

Dr. Wilson popped up on the screen before I could warn him; it was time to change the filters and
connect him to the machines. We were back to reality, and all I could do was sit there and watch. I
noticed his mood shift, and for a brief moment, he had forgotten about his condition while we were
laughing about Nestor's situation.
I kept cracking jokes, but all he did was smile. The doctor advised him to turn off his tablet since he
needed to conserve his energy, but after the doctor had vanished from view, I begged him not to.

I didn't want him to feel lonely. I didn't want to leave him alone in the house for that reason. Before he
turned off the iPad, I started thinking of ways to cheer him up.

Then an idea popped up, “Let's make a bet, if Winfred turns out to be a homeless guy I will give you ten
thousand dollars but if you are wrong, you give me the money," I suggested.

“That's boring, let's make it exciting," he suggested with raised eyebrows. I noted the smirk on his face
and knew it was something naughty.

“If he is a homeless man then we have to sleep together twice" he stated.

“Jesus Christ Brandon!"

“What?"

“Is sex the only thing in your head? I'm almost nine months and scared of pushing this baby out and the
last thing in my mind is your big thing going up in me," I yelled at him, sending him into laughter.

“And we have a bigger problem to worry about, We will not have a nanny for our baby. There is nowhere
Maggie will agree and I can't have two nannies," I added and folded my hands.

“Finally you acknowledged that I'm bigger than Josh '' he replied but I only looked away. The laptop
beeped battery low and cursed out.

“What?”
"Just switch to the phone," he offered, but I couldn't remember charging my phone either. I cursed again
as I searched for it and discovered it dead in my backpack.

"What do we do now?" I inquired.

It has a low battery as well. Nestor was the one who knew where the charger was, I had no idea where
he had put it. He was the one who packed everything. I looked over at the boxes and bags, I had no idea
which bag or box the charger was in.

"Could you please contact Nestor on my behalf and inquire as to where he hid the charger?" I inquired of
Brandon but received no response. I looked over at the screen, which was completely black. "No, no,
no…"I sobbed. I was certain it was 2% the last time I looked at it. I didn't have time to even say
goodnight. I started looking for the laptop charger as well as the phone charger.

I began with the boxes, but as soon as I tried to lean over, I felt a sharp pain beneath my waist. I clutched
my stomach fiercely, and before I could recover, I felt another one. It felt as if someone was stabbing me.

I winced in pain and attempted to walk back to the bed, but the pain hit me again, this time it knocked
me to the floor. I smacked my tummy and felt the impact. I screamed in agony, yelling Nestor's name,
but then I realized that I had sent him out to fetch lobsters.

I felt something running down my thighs as I was attempting to recuperate from the discomfort. When I
tried to raise my head, I saw red everywhere. I was surrounded by blood. I had no idea if my water was
broken but it felt like something worse. I was supposed to be having contractions but yet the pain was
concentrated below my belly and I knew something was wrong with the baby.Brandon's Pov

I kept tapping on the tablet, expecting her to pick up the phone, but she never did. I gave her a simple
task to switch to her phone, but it appeared like I gave her a lengthy task. I looked at my watch and
noted that ten minutes had elapsed. Maybe she was attempting to avoid the subject of sex.

She always did that every time I brought up the subject of sex, she always acted like a pregnant virgin,
but at the absolute least she would have said something or said goodbye, after all, she was the one who
phoned me. I clenched my teeth, annoyed, and attempted to contact her line again but I was unable to
do so.

I could only presume her phone was turned off or that she had forgotten to charge it. That woman was
incredibly sloppy with anything that had nothing to do with me.

Yes, she was stunning, even during her pregnancy, and the wisest person on the planet, but she was also
a little irresponsible. I decided to call the house telephone line but it went on ringing and ringing until I
got tired.

The useless machine hooked to me was killing me and the dumb girl was not answering the phone. How
difficult was it to answer a dumb phone, I almost yelled but calmed myself down and rang the phone
again but there was no response. That was so unlike her, she was eager to video call me until dawn.
Maybe she got tired but that was not making sense, because she had just brought up a very important
topic of a Nanny.

Our nameless child needed a Nanny and Magie was the only one I would trust to leave our princes with
but the old woman got horny out of nowhere. And I was very sure her lover was after the huge cheques
that I gave her and was probably younger.

I could not believe she betrayed us for sex, I was going to make her feel guilty and force her to dump
him. First I needed to carry out an investigation on the Winfred guy. He sounded like a homeless person
or a Janitor. Or even worse a terrorist, Nestor was supposed to inform but he decided to keep such news
from us and now we had no nanny.

But first I needed to get Thalia to answer the phone. It was over twenty minutes and she would have
answered or charged her phone a bit. On second thought something was wrong, from being angry I
became worried, she was almost due, maybe she was in labor, some women went into labor at seven or
eight months.

I quickly tried to get up but the thousands of machines that I was hooked to pulled me back to reality
and I cried out in pain. I did a double-check and every tube was intact.
I promptly dialed Nestor's number and instructed him to return to the house to check on her. He'd just
dropped Maggie off at her house and was on his way to the lobster shop. He insisted that if he did not
return with a pack of lobsters, Thalia was going to have his head, but I roared at him.

I had a feeling things were not quite right, something was definitely wrong. He offered to contact her,
assuming we had gotten into an argument, I rolled my eyes at his attempt of always acting like our
father.

He thought she had decided to block me or not answer the phone at home. But when he tried to call her
he received no response. He finally consented to go to the house, although a lot of time had passed.

I started berating myself for not taking her silence and inability to reach the phone seriously enough.
Even if she wasn't in labor, there was a chance someone had broken into the house and attacked her. I
had not yet set up security and I was reluctant and thought with Victor out of the country there was no
need to hurry. But it was looking like that was going to bite me in the ass.

I began panicking and all of a sudden my face became sweaty. The useless machines began beeping and
flashing. The doctor and his lab rats came running like some bees protecting its beehive from enemies.

“Calm down, Mr. Fraser, what's going on?” he asked.

“Thalia," I replied and they all looked at me like I was some dumb criminal but they decided to play it
cool.

“I'm sure she is just sleeping or something you can call her tomorrow," the doctor replied.

“No she is not okay, something is wrong and I can feel it. She is not picking up my calls!" I yelled at him.

“Please calm down, I will try calling her," he said and dialed her line. I noted he gave a signal but before I
could realize what was going on, one of his lab rats got a needle and pricked me without warning.

“Are you stupid!" I yelled at him. “What did you just stick into me?"

“Mr. Fraser we are just trying to help you, you have to be in stable condition for the procedure, if not
then the machine will kill you," he replied.

“I do not care about the stupid machine! Didn't you hear what I just said! Thalia is probably in labor!" I
yelled.

“Mr. Nestor would have informed you?" he replied.

“He is not with her, you fools, she is alone and not answering the phone and you just pumped drugs in
me?"

They looked at me confused like I was speaking a foreign language. “You are all fucking fired, all of you,
pack your dumb things and leave!"

“Okay let's not get ahead of ourselves, what's the address so that we can send the police or an
ambulance," he suggested.

For the first time in the five minutes he had been pumping me with shit, he spoke sense. I wondered why
I did not even think of it in the first place. I quickly gave him the address and he dialed 911. I began
feeling a little bit dizzy, the stupid drugs began working.

The doctor hung up the phone and assured me the police were going to check up on Thalia but I only
cursed. My blood pressure seemed to have been stabilized and the machines stopped beeping. But the
bad news was that I was slowly falling asleep. “Pump the shit out of me, I have to be awake… I need to
make sure she is alright," I ordered him.
But the stupid doctor only nodded and promised to make sure he found out everything. I wanted to hit
him so badly but I had energy and before I knew it I could barely keep my eyes open. I was knocked out
cold and I had no idea how many hours passed when I came round but I could tell it was morning.

My head hurt, it always hurt in the morning. I quickly tried to get up, all I could think about was Thalia
but my body felt like it was a heavy rock. The stupid machine was still hooked to me. I lifted my head in
search of anyone who was in the room but I was alone.

I tried to search for my tablet but it was nowhere in sight, the stupid doctor probably moved it. I quickly
pushed the dumb alert button and the doctor came running in. All I wanted to hear was good news or
else I was going to burst his head open.

"Where is my dumb tablet?" I asked him

“Mr. Fraser how... are you...feeling?" he stuttered.

I took a breather as I grabbed the tablet out of his hand. As soon as I turned it on I could see hundreds of
missed calls from Nestor and my heart sank in.

“Please Mr. Fraser, you have to watch your blood pressure," he warned.

"Just shut up and leave me alone," I said in a low voice. He stared at me and noted how serious I was.

"I just want to keep your blood pressure at normal levels. You dying because you are worried about Miss
Thalia is not going to help her," he stated.

“I swear if you do not get your ugly face out of my sight, I will unplug this stupid machine! I have the right
to deny this shit," I declared.

Noticing that I was serious, he quickly disappeared through the door. I dialed Nestor and he answered in
seconds. He was talking too fast and trying to shield things from me but I yelled at him.

“Boss, all I know is that she is in theater and no one is saying anything to me," he replied.

“What do you mean? What happened?”

“I just found her on the floor, there was blood everywhere and she was unresponsive. I tried to call you
but Dr. Wilson said you were asleep. I was only lucky the police ambulance arrived the minute I found
her," he replied.

I began startling, she was fine and did not complain of anything. “What are the doctors saying?” I asked
again but he had no data. I could tell he was blaming himself for leaving her but he had done nothing
wrong.

Thalia was the one who was trying her best to make his life miserable and sent him to buy lobster in the
middle of the night. But there was no time to blame her. I pressed the alert button and the doctor came
rushing. I cleared my throat and asked him if he had doctor friends at the hospital. He nodded with a yes
and made a call.

From his facial expressions, I could tell something was wrong. He hung up and cleared his throat, “Thalia
just had a caesarian… she had Placental abruption," he replied and I just stared at him. I had no idea
what the last part meant so I just stared at him.

“Sorry Brandon, it is a serious condition in which the placenta starts to come away from the inside of the
womb wall. If it happens close to the baby's due date, the baby is delivered immediately through
C-section."

“Is she okay? Is the baby okay?”

“She lost a lot of blood both during the surgery and at home, but they stabilized her," he replied. I waited
for him to say something about the baby but he only looked down.
“Wilson, what about the baby?” I asked. He was very irritating when he treated me like an egg that could
not handle any bad news.

“They are doing additional tests on the baby, something is wrong with her liver," he replied.

I placed my tablet away and sank in my bed, I had succeeded in passing my bad luck on the innocent
baby I thought to myself.

“I would only urge you to be strong, the doctors at St Louis are the best and they will do everything to
save the baby," he stated but I only turned and faced the other side. The baby was probably paying for
my sins, I was the one that came up with the idea to steal the sperms, I manipulated Thalia into agreeing
to have the baby when she was clearly not ready.

She was forced to choose between me and the baby and she chose me, spending all her time on that
stupid machine instead of going to all her doctor's appointments. And now I was getting saved while the
baby was dying.

“All I can advise you is to stay calm for Thalia and the baby," he added.

I turned and asked him if I looked like I was panicking. He nodded and I asked him to leave me alone. I
got my tablet and updated Nestor. I ordered him to look for the best Hepatologist in the country and to
check on thalia. I could only imagine the amount of guilt that she was feeling.Thalia's Pov

As I tried to lift my eyes, they felt heavy like they were glued to my face. I had no idea where I was or
how much time had passed. Everything hurt, and I felt like I was going to puke. Slowly opening my eyes, I
noticed a white ceiling and white walls, indicating that I was in a hospital.

My first thought was of my baby, so I reached out to touch my baby's hump. However, my hand braised
on what appeared to be a scar, and I winced in pain.
A familiar voice said, "Thalia, oh my God, you're awake."

Maggie took her phone and instantly contacted Nestor, notifying him that I was awake.

"Maggie, what happened to my baby? What happened to my baby? Where is my baby?" I sobbed.

"Calm down, Thalia, the doctor will be here soon," she assured me, ignoring my questions.

I attempted to take a seat but failed terribly. Everything felt as if I'd been sprayed with boiling water.
"Where is my baby?" I kept asking.

The door opened and the doctor walked in. I attempted to get up again and asked him where my baby
was.

"What happened to my child? Please tell me where she is?" I was frightened out of my mind. I vividly
could remember how hard I'd hit myself and the blood that was on the floor. Something was wrong, and
no one was telling me.

The doctor checked my vitals and ignored my cries for my baby and my questions. He explained why I
was in the hospital and the life-saving C-section that I underwent but I was not paying attention.

"Can you please tell me where my child is?"

"Miss Thalia, everything appears to be okay for the time being, but I would like you to relax," the doctor
urged while Maggie just stood in the corner.

“I will calm down when you tell me where my baby is?” I replied.
“Your baby is alive but I'm sorry to say this but your baby is undergoing surgery to correct the bile duct…
we confirmed congenital liver failure," he finally replied.

I locked my gaze on him, then shifted my gaze to Magie, who was just looking down, her eyes welling up
with tears.

I laughed a little and focused on the doctor.

"I apologize, Miss, but rest assured that the top hepatologist in the country is on the job," he went on to
say

I wanted everything to be a nightmare, so I slowly lifted my hand and winced as I pinched myself. Tears
streamed down my cheeks as I realized I was doomed to be unhappy for the rest of my life. Every time
was a shitstorm, but what sin did my baby commit? Then it hit me: all the missed doctor's appointments,
the neglect, and scans. The sperm we stole and the three lives we ruined. We were definitely getting
punished.

"I killed my baby, and it was all my fault," I sobbed.

Maggie approached me and attempted to hug me, but I shrugged. I didn't need sympathy because I felt
worthless. Brandon was correct; I was a complete moron who always managed to destroy or lose
anything that came into contact with my clumsy hands.

"Miss, the baby is still alive, and the surgery might be a success and the specialist will come in and
explain once he is done," the doctor urged, but I simply folded my arms and continued to cry.

He left the room after encouraging me to have hope. But I knew I was being punished and the baby was
paying for my sins, so hope was the last thing I wanted to hold on to.

“Thalia all we have to do is pray for the baby and the success of the surgery. The baby will be alright,"
Maggie said.
I turned and slowly got up ignoring the pain that I was in. “Pray to who exactly?” I asked.

“God, Thalia,"

I chuckled and almost burst out laughing, “Where was he when my baby was getting infected, so he
punished my baby and then sat around waiting for me to pray?” I asked, pissed.

*Thalia I know this is difficult, but…”

"But what???" I yelled at her. She just stared at me without saying a word. I knew I was being unfair to
her and that she only wanted to help but I did not like her prayer topic. If she wanted to pray, she was
free to but had no right to bring it up with me.

The door opened and Nestor walked in, he had probably heard everything from his facial expression but
as usual, he chose to ignore it.

“Hey Thalia, how are you doing?" He asked and took a seat on the bed.

"I...I…," I stammered not knowing how to reply, everything was a mess.

“It's all my fault, Nestor," I cried. He moved over and drew a hug while I cried. ”It's not your fault Thalia,"
he tried to comfort me but I pushed him away.

“Would you shut up for a second, both of you just shut up!” I yelled at them like a lunatic. My eyes were
almost popping out while my breathing became audibly tense.

“Thalia, just calmed down for a minute?"

"Cut with the crap already, you both know it's my fault, I neglected the baby. It's all my thought that the
baby is on the operating table and not in here with me. I did not go for my appointments, say it, say it!” I
yelled at both of them.

There was quietness with Nestor's eyes fixed on the floor.

“For once be honest! And stop being overly nice, just say it!”

“Alright, Thalia, what do you want to hear?” Nestor yelled.

"Son please no," Maggie tried to stop him but he yelled at her, “Mom, no you are not the one that had to
deal with her stupidity!"

“Ooh, now we get to see the real Nestor!" I replied.

“Yes it's your fucking fault Thalia, how many times did I remind you to go to those appointments! How
many times did I ask you to move to the dumb city!" He asked but I only stared at him furiously.

“You always insulted me, your only priority was Brandon, Brandon, and more Brandon! Why on earth did
you even agree to have a baby!"

"Nestor shut up!" Maggie yelled at him.

"No mother, she wants us to tell her the truth and I will tell her the truth. If it wasn't for Brandon who
asked me to go back to the house she would be dead because of her stupidity!” he yelled at me while my
tears just ran down my cheeks.

Everything he was saying was correct, I needed to hear it rather than being baby fed what they wanted
me to hear. Maggie looked at her son disappointed, “This is not how I brought you up," she said in a low
voice.

Nestor moved closer and tried to hold my hand but I moved mine away and looked away.

“Now that the truth is out of the way, we have to concentrate on the solution here, beating yourself for
the past mistakes is not a solution," he stated.

A knock came at the door and an old man in a lab coat walked in. He was different from the first doctor
and seemed to be the liver specialist doctor we had been waiting for.

He introduced himself as I wiped my tears and waited for the bad news. He was a very serious man and
went straight to the point without beating around the bush.

“I'm sorry but your daughter has Biliary atresia, a life-threatening congenital condition in infants where
the bile ducts are blocked or have developed abnormally. In your baby's case it developed abnormally
and blocked the flow of bile from the liver," he stated.

“Can you fix it?" Nestor asked.

"Are you the father?" The doctor asked.

“How is that part of your dumb business!" Nestor yelled at him and ordered him to answer the dumb
question.

“What caused it," I quickly asked. I needed the answer before knowing the solution, I wanted to know if I
caused my baby's condition.

“Please tell me if It's my fault?" I cried out.

“There are a lot of causes such as; A viral or bacterial infection after birth. An immune system problem,
such as when the immune system attacks the liver or bile ducts for one or two reasons," he announced
and I breathed a sense of relief.

It was not my fault after all but thinking about it again maybe if I did the scans the doctors would have
detected it.

" A genetic mutation. This is a long-lasting change in a gene’s structure or a problem during liver and bile
duct development in the fetus and lastly, Contact with toxic substances," he added

“So in short you are saying it's not the mother's fault?" Maggie asked.

“Let's not dwell on that, I heard you all arguing about whose fault it is but let me tell you that little girl
needs all the positive support and not self-blaming," the doctor stated, further annoying me.

“Now let's concentrate on making the little angel healthy," he said. Somehow I felt a sense of relief, he
sounded like he had a solution. I wiped my tears and faced him.

“Infants with biliary atresia are treated with a type of surgery called the Kasai procedure. This removes
the damaged bile ducts and replaces them with a section of the small intestine. Bile then flows right to
the small intestine but we tried that and were not successful," he stated.

I wanted to yell at him but I restrained myself and held on to my sheets instead.

“But there is a last option, a liver transplant and that's why I asked if this gentleman was the girl's father
because we need a match for a liver transplant," he asked.

The room fell silent, Nestor turned to face Maggie, who turned to face me, and I just stared at the door.
"How does a transplant work?" Nestor was the one who inquired.

"Don't worry, a living liver donation is a safe procedure in which we cut a small piece of your liver and
transplant it into the baby without harming you. As you know, the liver is an organ that can repair itself,"
he elaborated.

“However, we must first perform a blood test because the infant has rare protein markers that I'm sure
can be found in the father or mother."

“Take my liver then!" I yelled.

“I'm sorry but you just had a C-section and lost a lot of blood so we can't risk your life," the doctor
replied.

“Are you stupid! This is my baby!" I yelled at him.

“Thalia calm down," Nestor cut in, “What if we use any liver with the same blood type?"

“Like I said earlier, your baby has a set of rare markers and if we got any random liver it will trigger an
autoimmune reaction and lead us back to square one," he replied.

“Can't we look for another matching donor except for the parents?" Nestor asked

"Wait a minute ain't you the father?" The doctor asked.

"No, I'm just the pilot and she used a sperm donor," Nestor lied while I just sat in my bed lost.

"Ooh, I thought you were the father, but I'm sorry to say this but the protein makers I'm talking about
are one in a million, it will be a miracle to find a donor."

“Just take my bloody liver!” I yelled at him, pissed.

“I'm sorry that's a death sentence to you and no doctor in his right mind would do the procedure on you
and there is a possibility that you do not have the markers and that's why the baby attacked its own
liver," he added.

I was at loss, I felt like screaming for the whole world to hear me, I grabbed the pillows and began
throwing them at him. Why was the world against me, what crime did I commit? Maggie climbed on the
bed and held me as I cried my heart out.

While Nestor took the doctor outside as the room became unsuitable for a discussion. I was definitely
cursed, I was really cursed but who cursed me?"Thalia Pov

The doctors finally agreed to let me see my little angel. I was placed in a wheelchair and wheeled into a
room, sterilized, and ordered to put on a gown before being taken to see the beautiful angel. When I saw
the stupid box and hundreds of tubes to which my kid was linked, I cried.

She wasn't meant to be in there, and she appeared to be in distress. Worst of all, she had no name. The
nurses had continued asking about her name, and I would just shrug it off. Brandon had not yet named
her, and I was sick of waiting. "Hello little angel, today I'm giving you a name," I remarked as I
approached the incubator. She was stunning, and the nurses were correct in their assessment, she really
looked like me.

I was scared she was going to look like Josh and be a constant reminder of what I had done to him. But I
could only guess I was not going to get punished in that department.

I closed my eyes and tried to think of a name but came up empty. I opened them in shock, there were a
lot of names at the back of my head but I just couldn't get one out of my mouth. I tried again but still
came up empty. Maybe if I named her my name, it would solve everything but it did not feel alright.
I was a loser, I did not want to pass my bad luck to the poor innocent child. I had a curse and naming my
baby after myself was out of the equation but I could not come up with a name. I was blank, completely
blank. I told the nurse to quickly wheel me out of the room. I felt embarrassed and worthless, I
understood why Brandon found it difficult too.

“Are you sure, you still got some minutes," the nurse replied.

“Just get me out of here!” I yelled at her.

"Okay okay," she said and took me back to my room where Nestor and Magie were anxiously awaiting
for me but I was wheeled in with tears.

“What's wrong?" Maggie asked.

“I couldn't name her, my baby is very unlucky, she has fools for parents. What if she does not make it
and we have to bury her? What name will we put on her tombstone?"

“Thalia no one is going to die, Brandon has the best people on the ground," Nestor said. “You are only
worried about her and that's why you couldn't find a name for her," he added.

“Exactly, Nestor is right, first calm yourself down and now tell us how beautiful she is?"

I wiped my tears there were probably right on the scared part but where was Brandon going to find a
donor? At the back of my head, I began thinking about the possibility of her biological father being the
only donor. How could I even face him, how would I even approach him?

"Thalia, you have not answered our question?" Maggie snapped me out of my thoughts.

“She's beautiful, our little angel is beautiful," I replied.

“That's great, now you have to concentrate on that beautiful face and remove all negative thoughts,"
Maggie suggested. I nodded as they both helped me get on the bed. I felt miserable and the reality of
meeting up with Josh kept lingering. Was it how fate lined up my miserable life.

They both stayed with me until nightfall and I noted they were awfully quiet. I could tell they wanted to
bring up the Josh questions but were scared of how I could react. To be honest, I wanted them to bring it
up, I wanted to talk about our last resort but we were all scared of how that possibility would change
everything.

They said their goodbye after I had pretended to be asleep and as soon as the door closed, I opened my
eyes and cried more. I couldn't remember our initial plan, whether we were going to hide the baby from
Josh or not, or how we were ever going to inform him.

Morning came and I kept biting my nails while I stared at Brandon over the screen. I was still in the
hospital under observation and It had been three days since we were informed of my baby's life-saving
transplant but we were still unsuccessful in finding the donor.

Just like the Doctor had started finding, a donor with matching protein markers to our baby was next to
impossible even though Brandon had his men searching every hospital on the face of the earth for a
perfect match. Time was ticking and it looked like my baby had the same fate as Brandon.

He kept joking about how the baby could be his because of the rare markers which he compared to his
rare disease. It was not funny and I did not think it was appropriate even though I knew he was only
trying to cheer up the mood.

“Thalia do not worry, something will come up," he assured me. I knew he was doing his best but I had
done a lot of thinking concerning our situation for the past three days.

“We are running out of time, Brandon, and that stupid doctor has refused to take my liver!" I replied.

“Do not worry, soon my men will find something."

We didn't have time, and every minute that passed meant fewer breaths and more anguish for our baby
when the biological father was simply a phone call away. We were indirectly punishing the child. I'd
asked Nestor for information on Josh in case he was still alive behind Brandon's back. And we discovered
he was living in a little apartment and only came out to see his mother. He had requested a divorce from
a skunk but it had not yet been formalized.

The two idiots were separating, after nine stupid months, they couldn't even last a year. I could only
guess that Josh was not good at faking it when he was on the receiving end. That was my worry, I had
noted that every time we threw shit at him, he resorted to beer and whores but he had cut back on his
drinking and never went to the brothels he used to frequent.

I could only assume he was doing it for his mother, for whom he had always had a soft place. That was
good, if he was sober, he was going to be a good donor for the baby.

Yes, I was still thinking about the possibility of contacting him and asking for a liver. It was a long shot but
I was not going to sit around and watch my baby die and if it meant kneeling I was going to kneel in front
of my enemy.

I returned my focus on Brandon who was still talking but I had no idea about what, my mind had drifted
away

“Thalia, are you still with me?” he asked.

“We have to talk to Josh," I replied without giving it a second thought. He became quiet and I noticed his
face turn a little pale.

“Thalia you have to have hope, we will soon find a donor."

“The odds are against us Brandon even if we find that one person, are they going to be willing to donate
to our baby?" I asked.
“We will offer them a fortune," he replied, further irritating me. I hated it when he thought he could buy
anything or anyone.

“Guess what, yesterday I went to the toilet by myself, I walked," he said, trying to change the subject. I
gave him a fake smile, it was good news but it came at the wrong time. I could only guess the machine
was working. “That's great Brandon," I replied.

“Yes, soon I will come and be with you and the little angel. I was told they let you see her yesterday. Who
does she look like?” he asked. I knew he was trying to distract me from the Josh topic but I had already
made up my mind even if it meant going to prison for stealing the sperm.

“She looks like me, thank God," I said with a smile. “I guess she only inherited his stupid markers," I said
irritated.

"That's great I was worried she was going to inherit his big forehead," he joked but I was not in the mood
to laugh, I only stared at the laptop and asked how many years I would get for stealing the sperm and
cutting off Josh's balls.

Soon the world was going to learn about what we did and looking at what his father and wife did to him
he was going to get sympathy and look like a victim. I guess our perfect revenge was not that perfect.

“Thalia you are not going to jail for anything, even if you confessed, you will not go to jail!" He replied.

“Then let me talk to Josh, he is the only one that can save our baby."

"No, he is not, I'm the one that is going to save our baby!" He yelled at me.

I stared at the screen pissed, I wanted to shut the laptop down and make contact with Josh myself
without his permission. Brandon was power-hungry and always wanted to solve things his way by bribing
and buying his way out but the scenario was different and his arrogance was going to cost my baby's life.
My blood boiled, he was acting selfish, he was supposed to be putting the baby first.

“She is not your baby, and I'm not going to sit by and watch you kill my baby!" I yelled at him. “Always
remember that she is not your baby, you couldn't even give her a name, my baby is lying there sick
without a name and you think you can save her by what? Blackmailing the dumb hospital! I blasted him.

He stared at me for a second and quickly switched off his tablet. I screamed out and pushed the laptop
off my lap, sending it landing on the floor. Everything was a mess, it was all fucking mess. I heard
someone clear their throat and looked up with tears running down my face and it was Nestor.

He probably heard everything, he had a thing of sneaking up into rooms and hearing every shit. He
walked to the laptop and picked it up. “It's not broken," he said and placed it on the bed.

I wiped my tears and faced him, “I need your opinion, I know you always side with Brandon but I want
you to…"

He chuckled and stopped me for a minute, “Thalia you are most of the time wrong but shoot," he said.

I rolled my eyes, his royalty was not math, “you heard my argument with Brandon."

"No, I just heard the last part," he replied.

“I want to contact Josh, my baby does not have a chance," I requested.

“Let me guess, Brandon does not want you to contact him?" He asked. I nodded and he kept quiet for a
minute. “what would you do if you were in my position?” I asked him.

“I would do anything to make sure my baby was saved," he replied. “Thalia you do not have to ask
Brandon's permission to save your baby, but remember that you might get sued or worse Josh might not
agree to donate. And remember that he never wanted to have a child with you," he stated.

Realization hit me, he was right. Josh went to extreme lengths and made sure I was never pregnant for
him. He was going to try and punish me or hold me at Ransome. Or worse refuse to donate the liver.
Nestor was right, that was the part that I did not put into account. I began biting my nails again
nervously.

"But, Thalia, you have to ask him and if he refuses then it won't be your fault. What you will try to avoid
is the guilt of not telling him then later finding out he would have willingly fully donated it," he added.
“I'm very sure Josh is going to protect you," he added.

“But Brandon is against telling him, " I replied.

“Brandon is just scared of Josh ending up being part of the baby's life. You know you just can't ask Josh
to donate and expect him to walk away. So you have to ask yourself that question. Are you ready to bury
the past for the sake of the baby?"Brandon's Pov

I threw the tablet away, enraged at the fact that she had no hope when I had my guys scouting every
country for a donor. She even had the arrogance to declare that the baby wasn't mine; that was the
most hurtful statement and it kept recycling in my head. After all, I had done for her, after all the
sacrifices I had made for her.

The machines began beeping, and my meaningless blood pressure shot up. Before that useless doctor
and his minions got in and put me to sleep like some animal again, I began to calm down myself. Sleep
was the last thing I needed. The door sprang open, and they rushed in.

I persuaded them with a phony laugh, "I pinched myself, don't worry yourselves." They all looked at me
as if I were insane. The machinery came to a halt, and I let out a sigh.

I asked the doctor when my next session was and he said in four hours. He had earlier increased my
sessions from four to six which was a good sign. Soon it was going to be eight hours then ten and finally
twenty-four or even in a week. I was liking my odds but Thalia was going to be my own undoing.
I slowly removed my covers and asked for one of the minions to help me get to my wheelchair.

“Do you want to go to the toilet, Mr. Fraser?" Dr. Willson asked.

“Do I look like I want to shit?" I asked him and ordered the minion to take me to the bathroom.

“Are you going somewhere?" He asked again.

“Yes, I'm going to see my newborn baby,"

I nodded and wheeled myself to my closet. I stood up slowly and carefully, my legs trembling from
months of inactivity, but I closed my eyes and focused on my task. I had a feeling Thalia was going to do
something crazy, and I was the only one who could talk some sense into her.

As if I were a toddler learning to walk, I began taking small steps. It wasn't a problem because I did it first
thing in the morning, except for my bones, which were still stinging like someone was poking me with
hot knives.

"I don't believe this is a good idea, Mr. Fraser."

I remarked, "Nestor is coming to load the machine, and I'm relocating to the city."

The doctor stared at me confused, "But, sir, I don't recall us talking about that?" he asked. I was on the
verge of rolling my eyes but I controlled myself as I went on dismissing his baffling flaws.

I grabbed a golf t-shirt and some shorts because those were the only items I knew would fit. I returned to
my wheelchair and, despite their protests, wheeled myself to the restroom with my clothing on my laps.
They didn't have the right to order me around like I was a toddler. I was their employer, and I expected
them to respect that.

I hurriedly took a shower, and the water felt so nice, I couldn't recall the last time water hit my back.
They were constantly rubbing my back with that useless, filthy wet towel. But I didn't have time, so I
promised myself that I'd take a six-hour shower in the city. I finished what I needed to do, dressed
myself, and headed out. I was met by the same obnoxious people when I opened the bathroom door.

"Mr. Fraser, please, we don't know the consequences," the doctor pleaded.

“Do not worry if I die, Nestor will make sure you remain funded for the rest of your lives," I joked and
finally got his mouth to shut up. I always knew where to hit when it came to my employees.

I grabbed my tablet and texted Nestor; he was on his way, and he assured me that Thalia had not yet
spoken to her obnoxious ex-husband. I was not going to allow that reunion; that woman was frail, and I
could only imagine how she would react if I were no longer alive.

In exchange for his foolish liver, she would give him all of my fortune. I was even certain it was scorched;
that idiot used to drink like a useless whale, and I didn't want my baby to inherit an alcoholic liver.

I checked my emails for a status update but there was none; I wanted to scream but I had no energy.

I chose to wait for Nestor outside, I walked on the sand that felt too hot but I ignored it. The doctor's
minions followed from behind but at a safe distance. I could only guess they were hoping I'd trip and fall.
“Pathetic," I said to myself and began making calls while walking on the sticky sand.

It felt like I was learning to walk and my ankle hurt. I only walked for a few minutes and took a seat on
the sand defeated.

After what seemed forever, I noticed my helicopter in the air and got up. I waited for it to land and
quickly marched to it with difficulty ignoring all the pain before Nestor joined the bandwagon of people
that had a problem with me getting off the stupid bed. I quickly got in and noticed how he had the
fatherly look, the irritating look.

“The machine will be transported to the city too, I have exactly four hours," I said and told him to start
the dumb Helicopter. He turned without saying a word and started off.

In under thirty minutes, we were at the hospital. I had taken some painkillers just in time and by the time
I took my step I did not feel anything, I knew I was going to come and regret it later.

Thalia had no idea I was at the hospital. I was going to surprise her but first I went to see the baby. I had
no idea how the outcome of meeting with her was going to end but we sometimes behaved like
four-year-olds so in order to avoid my mood turning worse I decided to meet my baby first.

I was trembling as usual; eight months ago, I was convinced I wouldn't live to see the day. But there it
was, I was going to meet the princess; okay, I had messed up and was still stumped for a name, but I was
not going to name my baby after any name of a woman I had slept with.

I walked in and immediately recognized the machines she was hooked up to; they were all too familiar.
My heart plummeted as it reminded me of myself and all the suffering I had been through with the
foolish machines. The machines were not the same as mine, but the fact remained that she was in pain.

The only difference was that she was unable to communicate with us and tell us how much pain she was
in. I began to see why Thalia was so desperate for a liver and was willing to go to jail for it.

I moved closer and stared at her, a tear dropped and I quickly wiped it. The baby and its mother had a
tendency of making me cry and I was never a crier.

“I'm going to get you a liver, your mother and I are going to make sure you get a liver just hold on," I said
to her. She moved a bit, like she had heard my voice, and slowly opened her beautiful brown eyes. Not
only did she inherit her mother's beauty but she also inherited her mother's beautiful brown eyes.

“Hello," I waved at her. I could not contain my happiness, and yes she was not my biological daughter
but she was mine. It was my willingness to see her face that pushed me to fight every day. Of course,
there was the bonus of fucking her mother. But first, we had to calm her down.

She was definitely pissed with me, and even though what she said to me was uncalled for, but I was
always the mature one. On second thought, I had to remember that she was very emotional and
probably blamed herself for the baby's condition. It would have been worse if she mentioned me as the
reason the baby was in that condition, that was the main truth, and I knew it.

She put me first and worked on that machine while she neglected the baby. I gritted my teeth and
thought about stupid Josh's liver, maybe I was being too selfish or too jealousy. I did not like the
possibility of that useless meat head's body part being in my Princess but seeing her in that container
called an incubator was heartbreaking.

I needed to think fast, there were always a thousand ways of killing a bird. I quickly wiped my tears and
looked at my watch, an hour had already passed and I was remaining with exactly three hours to be
hooked to that stupid machine.

I waved her goodbye and I could swear she smiled at me. Another tear dropped, I promised her I was
going to get her the dumb river even if it meant stealing it from her stupid biological father. I walked out
of the room and found Nestor waiting for me. I expected him to be in Thalia's room.

“I talked to the management of this hospital and they agreed to give us a room off the books for you," he
said and moved a bit like he expected me to beat him up or something.

“Are you stupid?” I asked

“Do not worry I arranged the entire floor for you and it will be guarded and I informed them you were on
kidney dialysis," he replied. “Brandon it will only be for the days, Thalia and the baby will be here, you
will only have to walk in an elevator to see them rather than driving here every six hours."

I stared at him for a minute but stopped to ask for directions to Thalia's room. He was so irritating, but
his plan was not that bad but it would have been better if I came up with it myself. I was becoming too
slow and he was becoming smarter than me, he learned from the best teacher.

I arrived at Thalia's room and froze at the door, I breathed in hard, gave myself a pep talk before walking
in. She was facing the other side of the room, probably crying.

“Thalia," I called out but got no response. I cleared my throat and called her again. She turned, her eyes
red and swollen from crying.

She stared at me from bottom to top, she was still pissed with me which was evident on her face but
there was a hint of shock. I was standing on my two feet while she left me in bed, adapting to the
machine.

“Are you real or am I so pissed with you that I have begun imagining you walking?" She asked.

“You can ask me to take off my clothes and find out," I replied. She rolled her eyes and turned, I guess
my joke was not funny.

“If you are here to change my mind then you are wrong," she stated.

“I'm not here to change your mind Thalia, you were right we do not have time," I replied and took a seat.

She quickly got up and faced me, “Did you talk to Josh? Did he agree to donate part of his liver?" She
asked, almost excited.

“No Thalia, I think there is a better way to get it without him knowing," I suggested.

She stared at me, waiting for me to speak but I had no idea how to say what I was thinking. I cleared my
throat for the third time while she kept staring at me.
“For the love of God please speak out!" She yelled.

“Well I saw our little angel, whether you like it or not she is mine and she smiled at me," I tried to change
the subject.

“Brandon I swear, I will put you back in bed if you do not tell me how I'm supposed to get my daughter a
liver from Josh!" She yelled at me with so much anger.

I froze for a minute and only stared at her.Thalia's Pov

He gave me a disappointed look, which I did not believe he had ever given me before. My daughter's life
was on the line, and I didn't have time for a pep talk. Yes, he was walking and it was a wonderful sight to
watch, but all I needed was for him to take the urgency of my daughter's predicament as seriously as I
did his.

"Thalia, your impoliteness is getting unbecoming, and all I have left is a shred of thick skin," he said.

"I'm sorry, but my baby is in a lot of pain and I just want it to stop," I cried as I wiped away my tears.

“Our baby," he corrected.

“I'm sorry I know she is, and I apologize for what I said earlier but you are willing to punish our baby for
what exactly? when a liver is just a phone call away." I asked him.

He let out a sigh and climbed into bed. For some reason, I felt compelled to move. Even though he had
lost weight, he was towering over my tiny body and we were both in seated positions. I could guess I'd
grown accustomed to him being frail and helpless in bed. He gripped my hand tightly and stared me
down.

"Yes I didn't want the whale's liver in my daughter, but after seeing her, I'm going to get it, but we'll try
to avoid a situation where Josh holds us at knifepoint," he expressed himself.

"That is why we must speak with him and confess everything we have done to him, as well as ask for
forgiveness. We need to make a truce for the sake of our baby," I tried to explain, but he burst out
laughing, much to my displeasure.

"Thalia Josh never wanted a baby with you in the first place, do you know what he will do to you once
you confess?"

“I'm willing to take my chances," I replied.

"Okay first hear my plan, a plan that will not involve him knowing. Please have you thought of what he
will ask for in exchange for the liver?"

"That's where you come in and make sure he does not," I replied.

“No no Thalia, what if we did what we did to him when we cut off his balls," he suggested.

I glanced at him, perplexed, not understanding what he was saying. If my memory served me well, we
had to stage two accidents and place him on an operating table. We made certain that the procedure we
wanted was performed on him.

"While I was walking here, the best plan came to me," he said while I merely averted my gaze as he
continued. I'm not sure why, but I was sick of lying, manipulating, and removing people's body parts
without their consent.

"Thalia, be attentive, the plan is sound, and it can be implemented in a matter of minutes, '' he
mentioned. “We're all familiar with Josh's drinking habits." I merely nodded when he asked.

"I can have my men put something in his meals that causes organ failure, then we hire surgeons to cut a
portion of his liver to see if it's in good shape, and they'll inform him it's damaged, therefore they had no
option rather than to cut it because of his previous alcohol abuse," he explained.

I locked my gaze on him; the man was shrewd, if not malevolent. I'd always worried what type of hell I'd
be in if he exchanged rows with Josh, and which river my body would rot in. But, to be honest, all he
wanted to do was save our Princess. "Or we could just abduct him and force him to have the surgery.
There's no way that could be linked to us," he continued.

I cleared my throat; "Or maybe we can just ask him and tell him everything we have done," I said as I
shifted into a sitting position and gazed into his eyes. “Brandon, I'm exhausted, and I believe God is
punishing our child for the sins we've committed."

He was enraged and asked, "Since when did you believe in God?"

”I've been lying in this bed for the past few days, pondering my life choices over the past nine months," I
replied.

He scoffed, “So in short, you regret meeting me, can I just remind you that if I was not on that bridge you
would be dead!" He yelled at me.

“We would both be dead Brandon and I do not regret meeting you. Josh and his father needed to be
taught a life lesson and we did that but I think enough is enough. I do not want to live this life of cunning
and hurting people Brandon. I do not want my daughter to one day find out how her life was based on
stealing body parts from her father," I replied.

I could see the disappointment in his eyes but I was tired, I wanted to bury the hatchet, I wanted a clean
slate for the sake of our daughter.

“What if he refuses to donate the river? What next? There is a big chance that he will decide to punish
you by denying you the chance to see that baby live," he replied.
I averted my gaze; I had considered that option, but Josh was putting his life in order based on my
evaluation. His main focus was his mother and he was never spotted gambling or fucking around. There
was no way he was going to let the baby die, that was his sperm and chance at fathering a child.

The worst he could do was file a lawsuit and try to take complete custody of my child, but the good news
was that I had had the backup to win the case. I tried to explain that to Brandon but he didn't care; he
just wanted his way, which included kidnapping and stealing the liver.

What he didn't realize was that his scheme would backfire in a variety of ways; we were lucky Josh didn't
die the first time, but what if we weren't so lucky the second time? It was time to pick up after ourselves
and confront the repercussions of our actions. Josh had already paid for his, it was our turn.

He coughed out uncontrollably and tried to stand up but I noticed he was too weak too. He was all
sweaty all of a sudden and his hands were shaking. “Brandon, I think it's time to get strapped in," I said.

"No, I still have some minutes," he replied.

“Brandon you do not look good,"

"Do not try to change the subject!" He yelled. “Okay let's say he agrees and demands to be given
visitation rights? Are you two going to turn into best friends for the sake of the child and live happily ever
after. Have you thought of that?"

“Yes, I have thought of that possibility and if he has changed, I will grant him a day or two. I do not have
to be friends with him" I replied.

“What the fuck Thalia! Who did you make that fucking decision with or did you think I was dying so you
had to make the decision alone because according to you the child is not mine!"

"Well someone has to be mature between the two of us and put the baby first! We will deal with fucking
Josh after he gives that dying baby a liver!" I yelled.
The door opened and Nestor walked in, “Boss?"

"What? Can't you see that we are busy?" Brandon yelled at him.

"Your time is almost up and I would suggest you take your quarrel on the empty floor. This is a ward full
of mothers," he warned us and grabbed a wheelchair. I only looked down in shame. "Can you walk?'' he
asked me.

“I think so," I replied and he explained to me about the arrangement he had made with the hospital. It
was a very good idea, he really cared for his annoying boss.

"Brandon get on the wheelchair," he ordered. I do not know why but I always found it funny when he
called Brandon by his name.

“Can't you see we are in the middle of something!"

“You can continue arguing your points while you do your filtration session unless you want to die leaving
Josh with all the freedom to your baby…?" He mocked. The joke was not funny even though he said it in
a serious tone.

“Shut up!" Brandon yelled and got on the wheelchair. The words somehow hit him and he decided to do
the session. I searched for my slippers and joined them. I was still sore but I needed the exercise. I had
been lying on the bed for three days straight.

“Nestor, what do you think of this nonsense? Please tell me you do not support this madness?" Brandon
asked.

“I'm in support of the baby, the more you two argue, the more hours that baby is suffering," he replied
and pushed the elevator button. He wheeled Brandon first and I followed suit. “Yes you are right, now
pump some sense into Thalia. She is the one wasting time," Brandon replied.

I only rolled my eyes and kept quiet all the way to the floor he was given. He kept talking about how he
was correct and how I was wrong. He wanted Nestor to side with him, like he always did but Nestor kept
quiet too.

We walked into the room and found it already equipped. All the needed machines were moved from the
beach house to the hospital room. The room was going to be Brandon's new home until I and the baby
were released.

“Should I change you or you will change yourself?" Nestor asked.

“Can't you go a day without seeing my nakedness?" Brandon asked and ordered him to hook him to the
machine in his clothes. I just stood there watching him, trying to come up with a solution. My daughter
needed a liver tomorrow Asap. I needed to get Josh to agree to the donation but I did not want to seem
like I was ungrateful for everything Brandon had done for me.

“Thalia, are you with us?" Nestor asked

“She is probably realizing that I'm correct," Brandon replied.

I gazed at him with a serious face, “What if we try my plan and if he refuses, you can kidnap him and
steal the liver," I suggested. He laughed out loud and asked if my brain was intact.

“Please Brandon we are only wasting time, ain't you tired of the stupid revenge? We won, Josh, lost
don't you want to live a life where it's just the three of us with you just teaching the baby how to be a
strong young lady rather than spying on that tablet of yours?" I inquired.

He kept quiet
"I'm not asking you to be friends with Josh and if he will not be repentant, I will not allow him near our
daughter."

“Okay let's say he agreed to donate and repents who the fuck will be allowing him to enter my house
and visit our baby? What if he pretends to be nice and runs off with the baby?"

“Nestor, yes Nestor will be supervising the visits," I replied

"Wait a minute?? I'm a pilot, not a social care service," Nestor quickly jumped in but I ignored him,
concentrating my attention on Brandon “Just think about it please," I pleaded.

He only turned and looked away, Nestor had turned on the machine and signaled me to stop talking. We
all knew how uncomfortable and painful the machine was. I stayed for some hours and we just stared at
each other.

He knew I had already made up my mind and I was not going to change it. After another one, I said my
goodbye and went to check on the little angel. I could only hope Brandon was going to make the right
decision because I was ready to contact Josh with or without his blessing. I only brought the issue to him
out of respect.Brandon's Pov

I sat on the ineffective bed, waiting for the session to end. Nestor couldn't even bring my cozy bed,
which always made my back feel better. I was lost in thought; Thalia's attitude toward the liver was
disappointing. Josh was a man who had lost everything, and if he found out he had a daughter, he would
plan and kidnap her. He'd try to exact vengeance on her for the hell we inflicted on him.

That was what I would do if I were in his shoes. It was clear he didn't have the financial means to take us
on, but Thalia was hell-bent on being a holier-than-thou Christian and somewhere at the back of her
brain she thought Josh was also on the path of righteousness. And once she confessed he was going to
cry and embrace her, leading to them living happily ever after. It was a headache just thinking about it.

I had no idea how I missed that, I always thought she was going to one day give up and live a quiet life
with her daughter. But her becoming holy and confessing was something surprising.
Maybe it was because she had a near-death experience or something and somehow saw the hell that
awaited her. I had read a lot of stories of people changing once they encountered a near-death situation.
I gritted my teeth and looked at the time, my session was almost over and I sighed with relief.

The door opened and Nestor walked in and took a chair. “What is next? Should I make contact or we
kidnap Josh?" he asked. He was also anxious about which decision I was going to make. I was always
stubborn and my plans were always first.

I only looked at him, I was yet to make a decision, in fact, I was confused. Maybe going with her wishes
was the only solution but that was going to expose us if we refused his terms and were left with stealing
the liver option.

“Where is Thalia?" I asked.

“Sleeping in her room. We are running out of time," he reminded me.

“Go and try talking to her, if she wants to reconcile with Josh and start a new life it was still possible after
we get that liver," I reasoned.

“But sir," he tried to protest. I raised my hand and pointed to the door. He sighed and got up, if there
was anyone who could pump some sense in her, it was him. He walked out of the room and all I could do
was cross my fingers. While he was at it, I began checking my emails for any hope for the liver but there
was nothing.

I nearly screamed, I controlled myself and tossed the tablet aside. Before I knew it, I was dozing, the
dumb machine was taking all my energy and by the time I came around, it was morning. The bloody
bastard could not even wake me up when I had sent him on an errand. As soon as he saw my eyes
open he moved nearer.

“Thalia plans to talk to Josh today," he stated. I looked away pissed, my eyes trailing to the stupid
machine, I could only guess I was due. Slept with the machine on and woke up with the machine again.
“Sir we are running out of time and it looks like it's her way."

“I know, where does that whale live?" I asked.

“What whale?" He asked, confused.

“Ugly Josh of course? I nicknamed him as a whale because of his alcohol intake and weight gain," I
replied.

“He lives in an old apartment, he usually keeps to himself and has cut himself off from the outside world.
I guess he never had real friends," he remarked. I kept quiet, feeling attacked as I recalled how my life
felt like when I was first diagnosed.

All the linches that wanted to cling to me only for the purpose of me including them in my will or
donating to their useless company or organization. Such was life and a person always got to know who
his real friends were at the lowest point of his life.

I could only guess his situation was different but he was still man enough to hold on to life and we were
about to give him more determination to live once we spill the news about the baby. It was like the
lifeline I was given when I first met Thalia in that hideous sweater of hers. Her story was so pathetic that
it got me curious and I took her home.

I chuckled remembering how scared she was when she realized the decision she had made and tried to
run away. We had really come a long way and it looked like she was determined to live, even if the
machine malfunctioned and I died she had someone she was willing to live for.

“Sir are you okay?" Nestor asked.

“I'm okay, what?

“You have tears… in your eyes," he replied pointing at my left eye.

I slowly tried lifting my right hand, in an attempt to check but I failed miserably, it felt like it was stone or
someone had put cement in it. It was not painful, it only felt heavy in a weird way. I pretended like it was
nothing and gave him a fake smile.

I did not want to alert him so I lifted my left hand instead and wiped the stupid tear. “It's the machine, it
makes my eyes watery," I lied and looked away. Deep down I knew it was Thalia and that little human
fighting for her life.

“How many hours to the whales' apartment?" I asked. He gave me a confused look. But in those seconds
I had made up my decision. I was going for Thalia's plan but in a scenario, that whale began making
stupid demands I was going to kidnap it and steal the liver.

“Boss, I think you should let Thalia do the talking," he suggested.

“She is going to accept all of his demands or even make stupid offers to him " I replied and unhooked
myself from the machine. The time was up, I had become accustomed to how to unplug myself, that was
always the best part for me.

I planned to utilize the six hours to full potential. I tested my right hand and it moved, I could only
assume it was the machine or something was not going as planned. I decided I was going to keep my
mouth shut until I solved the liver issue.

"Sir, where are you going?" Nestor asked.

“To inform Thalia about the good news," I replied and led the way.

“Sir I think you need to rest, you can call Josh tomorrow, going to visit him is not necessary," he said but I
ignored him and went out of the room. Every fiber of me ached. I stopped and leaned against a wall.
Nestor matched up to me and I yelled at him to get the painkillers but he kept insisting I head back to my
room.

He was so irritating most of the time. I yelled at him to shut up and get me my pills. I was very sure they
were going to kick in by the time I was at the whale's house. He quickly handed the pills to me, I took
them, walking to the elevator. I arrived in Thalia's room and quickly took a seat, breathing heavily as if I
had just run a marathon.

Thalia turned, surprised that I was in her room.

“Brandon you are supposed to be resting," she said. Nestor walked in and seconded her, I looked away
and asked for water or anything watery. Thalia quickly handed me the milkshake which she was having.

“Brandon you just did your session, you need to rest,"

I laid myself on the bed and crossed my eyes, “I'm going to give Josh a visit," I replied and turned to face
her.

“Brandon, are you saying…?"

"Yes, in this world if you want to live a happy life you better make a woman happy but be warned that
should he refuse your request I'm stealing the dumb thing," I said.

I watched as her face slowly curved into a smile, she quickly grabbed me and hugged me. “Thank you so
much, Brandon, I knew you would come through," she said and gave me a huge kiss on my left cheek.

I would have loved it if it was on my lips but soon we were getting there. I could feel it from how close
and tight she was holding me and her boobs had tremendously grown as she was lactating. I held on to
her tightly. “I promise you that this is a new start for us, no more hatred, all I want is a healthy
environment for the baby," she said.
“ya ya ya, healthy environment for the baby," I replied.

“No Brandon this is the change we need but first I think I should be the one to tell him everything," she
said and tried to free herself but I held on tightly to her and looked directly into her eyes, she looked
away. I always loved it when she was a bit uncomfortable with our closeness or should I say shy and not
on my throat.

“Brandon?"

“Yes," I replied.

“Can you please let go of me," she requested.

"Ooh sorry I just never thought I would ever get a chance to hold you," I said and

I let go of her. “Congratulations on the baby, I never congratulated you yesterday," I mentioned.

“Thank you, congratulations to you too, it looks like the machine is working," she replied. We both
laughed, probably at ourselves. Yesterday we were at each other's throats but there we were
congratulating each other. We were both idiots.

“I think I should talk to Josh, he will likely listen to me," she suggested.

“Of course I'm not confessing any shit to that fool, I will leave that shit to you," I replied.

There was quietness in the room, she looked in Nestor's direction hoping for answers but he nodded his
head.
“Then what are you going to talk about with him," she asked.

“His options, I will not tell him about the baby or what we did to him, I'm just going to talk about what he
did to you," I replied and lay on the bed again. I kept doing that in hopes of the painkillers kicking in.
They were taking long and looking at my watch I had thirty minutes kicked off my six minutes. “Just trust
me, Thalia," I replied.

“You mean you are going to threaten him?” she asked.

“Mmmm, I just want to talk to him in a friendly manner," I replied and closed my eyes.

The door opened and Maggie walked in with some sweet-smelling food. I quickly got up, grabbed the
bag, and began eating before greeting her. “How is Winfred?" I asked her.

She blushed a bit before replying. Old age love, it was not a slight I was looking forward to. By the time I
was done with breakfast, the painkillers were in circulation. I quickly kissed the two women goodbye and
ordered Nestor to lead the way. Thalia had an uncertain look on her face, she wanted to stop me but she
did not want to argue with me just like I did not want to. I had agreed to her plan and the least she could
do was trust me.

We got outside and Nestor started the car, he was as blank as Thalia, he kept asking what I was up to
but I told him to wait and watch. On our way, we picked up two of my most scary-looking security guards
and we went straight to Josh's apartment. We were reliably informed he was home. I put myself
together and got out of the car, walking straight to the door and knocking.Josh's Pov

Except for my ex-wife to be, Jessica, who had somehow discovered my new phone number, I had kept
myself concealed from the world for days and no one even bothered to check up on me. That witch still
wouldn't sign the divorce papers, and she wanted to take me to hell with her. I didn't have time to
change my phone number, so I simply blocked her.

My attorney was finally able to secure a date for my divorce court. I was hopeful that I would be given
the divorce; no judge in their right mind would allow our marriage to continue to be a charade.
I thought a lot about the horror of my wife carrying my baby sibling. Sometimes I even had nightmares
about it.

The one saving grace was that my father was nowhere to be found. One of the reasons I stayed inside,
pondering on my life choices and sinking in self-pity, was that he knew better than to display his ugly
face. I would see a psychiatrist or something if I had the money, but things were not going as planned. I
wanted to sell the family home, but it seemed hard to locate even though I was selling it at a giveaway
price.

Thalia was not done with me yet, and she would not stop until I was dead and dry, was my first and only
guess. I desperately needed the money from that house; it was my fresh start if my mother and I were
ever to leave the stupid city.

I'd had everything in order, and I'd even given Jessica an eviction notice, despite the fact that she hadn't
moved in yet. I let her be, just seeing her face made me want to commit murder. I let her be and left it to
the new owners to deal with her but finding those new owners felt impossible.

I was on the verge of hanging on to the last thread of my sanity. Yes my father was right I was a weak
fool but what can be expected from a man without balls. I couldn't even afford testosterone therapy, I
had begun gaining more weight and all I was thinking about was giving up. But the face of my mother
always popped up every time those evil thoughts crossed my mind.

The days felt like punishment, there were days where I was tempted to go back to the brothels but my
wallet warned me not to and even if I wanted to I couldn't. No one wanted to associate with me with
shame hovering over my head. I had no idea how long I was going to hang on for my mother. There was
only a little time in which a man could pretend.

I was always locked up on my couch or visiting my mom. But every weekend I was home, sleeping my
hours off and blaming myself for the shit. I was rock bottom and so miserable, a knock came at my door
which was very unusual unless it was the apartment owner, I had only paid for half of my deposit and
spent all the weeks avoiding her.
Or maybe it was Jessica, the woman might have found me, it was not that difficult for her to track my
new number so I wouldn't be surprised If she found me. But I did not want to be bothered so I ignored
the knock.

There was silence for a second before the crazy maniac who was at the door began banging at it like a
mad person. I held my head in annoyance hoping they would just leave but whoever it was kept banging
and the noise grew louder. I was so pissed. Some people really had no decency or self-respect.

I matched to the door, opened it, and yelled at the useless man who only smiled and let himself in
without my consent. Before I could protest, another man who looked familiar entered. I was very sure I
had seen him somewhere but I could not remember. They were followed by two scary men. My first
thought was that they were men from the casinos I used to frequent.

“Can I help you all with something?" I asked as I turned, trying to play it cool. The man that was banging
on my door like a lunatic walked straight to my mini-fridge and grabbed my milkshake, drinking it all. I
felt enraged, the milkshake was for my supper, I had nothing to eat, he was getting on my nerves.
“Would you all get out of my fucking house!”

“This is not your house, you rent it," the lunatic replied and faced me. I stared at him and noted that his
skin was a bit pale and he had some redness in some places. If I was not mistaken, he looked like he was
sick or he looked like he had just been discharged from the hospital or something. He looked at his watch
and ordered me to sit down.

“No, I'm not going to sit down! Get out of my house all of you before I call the police!" I yelled at them.

Without warning the two built men grabbed me and pushed on my worn-out chair. I tried to get up but
they forced me back onto the chair. I had no idea who they were.

“If you keep refusing to sit down you will only force the men to hurt you," the man announced.

“You do not have the right to force me to take seats," I replied. I was not going to let them abuse me in
my house without giving a fight. "Who the hell are you and what do you want?"
“Pardon my manners, I'm Brandon Fraser," the sick lunatic finally introduced himself. I froze halfway and
stared at him. He took a seat on the opposite seat and gave me a smile, a very fake smile. I slowly sank in
my chair.

He looked so different, at least the rumors of him being sick and dying were correct. But the real issue
was that the man who had single-handedly destroyed my life was sitting in my living room and I just
stared at him.

“Finally I got your attention," he added.

I looked in the other man's direction and finally recalled where I had first met him. He was the one that
had escorted Thalia to the fundraising dinner. He waved and quickly looked away. I turned and
concentrated on the main cause of my downfall.

“Am sorry about your father and wife, I never planned for them to fuck. Like seriously that came as a
shock to me," he joked but I only kept staring wondering how he met Thalia.

“Are you in love with Thalia?" I asked. He raised his eyebrows confused at my question. I was also
confused by my own question. Other people in my situation would be kicking the last life out of him for
what he had done to me but there I was asking whether he was in love with my ex-wife.

“You see Nestor, I told you we would have a normal conversation," he said to the other man who just
nodded. “Calm on, prepare us some coffee, Josh, do you have coffee?" He asked.

“No, I'm a tea person," I replied.

He shrugged and looked away, I noted his hands were shaking, especially his right hand and he kept
tapping on his left leg.
“What disease do you have?" I asked. He had a full set of hair so I could only assume it was not cancer. I
noticed his fake smile disappear as soon as I asked him about his illness.

“Yes I'm in love with Thalia and I would do anything for that beautiful soul you left on the streets to rot,"
he spat out. The room became quiet, I had no idea how he expected me to reply to his statement. We
kept staring at each other, maybe we were sizing each other up or something.

I cleared my throat and asked, “What do you want?"

“I felt it was time for the two of us to finally meet," he replied.

“Did Thalia send you? Is this got to do with me not finding a buyer for my house?" I asked in a calm voice.
I was trying so hard not to yell at him. I was not scared but I only thought if I got him angry he was not
going to answer my questions.

“How much for the house?" he asked.

I chuckled, “What kind of games are you playing?"

“No this is not a game, I always play games behind closed doors. Since when did I play games with you
face to face?" He asked but I was not buying the act, he and Thalia must have gotten bored and were
trying a new way to destroy me completely.

“Where is Thalia, did she send you?"

“She is in the hospital… " he replied and began scratching his head. “She nearly died, parental
abruption," he added without looking at me. I had no idea how to reply, I could tell from his low eyes
that he was telling the truth but why was he here and not with his love and baby.

“I ask again how much for the house? I know you need the money, probably to move out of here and
start a new life with your mother," he replied.

“You've been blocking the sale of my house, do you think I'm that stupid!" I yelled at him.

“Yes you are stupid but I really want to buy your house and I can get Jessica to sign the divorce papers. In
less than a week, you will be out of here?" He explained.

“And why would you do that?" I asked and folded my arms.

“Apparently Thalia has had a change of heart and wants me to stop hurting you. She wants a truce," he
replied in a disappointed tone. I looked in the other man's direction and he only looked down.

“She wants to talk to you," he said.

“Well I do not want to talk to her, and I think your time is up, I will not accept your offer but thanks," I
replied and got up. I was expecting his goons to shove me back in my seat but they maintained their
stance waiting for orders.

“Too bad anyway the reason why I came here was to shove the win onto your face. You really made it
easy for me and I get to keep the beautiful woman," he bragged.

“Brandon!" The other man yelled at him.

“Come on, I have been dying to rub it on his ugly face. Someone needed to remind him that he threw
away a diamond and picked up shit!" He yelled. “Now you have two options, my men will drag you to the
hospital or you will walk willingly?" He asked and looked at his watch.

“I have nothing to say to Thalia!" I yelled. “What does she want from me? You said yourself, you two
won. Why can't you concentrate on your new baby and get a life!"
“We started planning our revenge the day you got onto the helicopter and went to your honeymoon at
that ski resort," he stated with a serious face. “Whatever we did to you came back to haunt us and
unfortunately we are unable to start a new life," he replied and for unknown reasons, my heart skipped.

“We knew you had no balls way back before I even began tearing Gentex apart," he added with a sleazy
smile.

The room became hot all of a sudden if I was not wrong, the idiot in front was confessing to being behind
the accident that took away my ability to be a man. I felt like all the veins in my head were popping up, I
held my head for a minute then flung at him and tried to grab him but his goons were fast.

They grabbed me while I kept shouting and insulting him. I wanted to kill him, I wanted to tear his pale
head off his body. Destroying Gentex was one thing but cutting off my testicles?? No, they did not,
maybe I miss understood him.

“Come on do not be a baby, you also did the same thing to thalia, hired doctors to make her believe
that she was infertile? We were only returning the further," he stated.

The other man moved forward, “Stop it, Brandon! What the fuck are you doing!"

“Okay fine I have stopped," he said and walked near me, again I noted he kept looking at his watch.

I yelled at the two men to let go of me and to my surprise they released me, I slowly took a seat and my
head.

“Come on, Thalia is waiting for you," he announced.

I looked up at him,
“She will answer all the questions spinning in your head right now," he stated.

I closed my eyes for a moment and tried to block all my thoughts. I did not want to think about what
they did to me.

“Thalia really wants to end the revenge, she is tired of everything but first she wants to speak to you,"
the other man said.

“After I have lost everything?" I asked

“She also lost everything and does not want to lose anything more. I'm sure you want a quiet life for you
and your mother too?" The man said.

I chuckled, "how is that possible with this pale fool around?" I asked.

“He only destroyed you with Thalia's approval, that's why he is here grouting Thalia wants out," the man
replied. I looked at the man, unlike Fraser, he was sincere in his voice and was not arrogant.

"Thalia will answer all your questions."

I looked away and debated within myself, meeting up with Thalia was only going to open old wounds
that I was struggling to close up and I was unaware of. I was going to find out something worse that
would lead to depression but maybe talking to her was what was going to end the shit load I was going
through.

Was she really tired of the revenge? Was she willing to just move on like that or was I willing to accept
the truce after what the pale lunatic just confessed?Thalia's Pov

Nestor texted, they were on their way to the hospital and Josh was with them. He didn't go into great
detail about how they persuaded Josh to agree to meet up with me. I was nervous because I hadn't seen
him since our encounter at the fundraiser; I felt confident then because I was tearing him down, but the
scenario now was different. I was going to tell him everything I'd done to him, then beg him to save my
baby.

But I began self-doubting again, I was so sure some hours ago that I wanted to meet up with him and
bury the hatchet. But hearing that he was on his way brought in questions and I began to wonder if I was
making the right decision. Perhaps Brandon was correct, and we were supposed to kidnap and steal the
liver. However, I owed my daughter a life free of vengeance, a fresh start, not a life of concealing her
from Josh's wrath.

In our initial plan, Brandon had mentioned framing Josh and his father for crimes they had not
committed, in order to keep them out of my daughter's life. Months ago I had no problem with that but
with time my stomach couldn't take it; I couldn't take it despite the fact that he deserved it.

When I checked my watch, thirty minutes had elapsed. A message popped up, it was Brandon and they
were in the parking lot.

My heart was racing for no obvious reason, so I got out of bed and gave myself a pep talk again. The
worst-case scenario was that he became upset and punished me by refusing to donate the liver. Or he
was as tired and ready for a fresh start like I was.

As the door opened, Brandon walked in and hugged me, checking to see if I'd changed my mind.

I double-checked to make sure I hadn't

"I'm a little frightened; I hope you didn't threaten him," I asked, but posed a bit; he responded, but I
wasn't paying attention. I let go of him and stared at him because he was so cold. The machine was not
doing what it was supposed to be doing. Something was wrong, but I didn't want to bring it upright; I
planned to do so later.

“Just remind him of what he did to you, ooh and I think I hinted on the possibility of us being involved in
his testicle accident."
“Brandon why?" I asked.

“He wouldn't have come if I hadn't, in fact, I went to grout but he wanted to split my head in half so I
changed my plans and will grout after he donates or when I kidnap him," he joked. I gave out a fake
smile.

Nestor entered the room and signaled to us, “you can let him in," I stated and ordered the two of them
to leave.

“No Thalia, he almost attacked Brandon," Nestor interjected.

“Yes there is no way I'm leaving you alone in the room at least if you do not trust me to keep my mouth
shut then allow Nestor to be in here," Brandon seconded.

“Guys I understand your worry but I will be fine as long as I do not provoke him."

Brandon chuckled, “Thalia we cut off his balls, he will definitely snap even if he was a prophet, he would
have still snapped." he tried reasoning with me but I told them to leave.

Josh and I had to deal with the nightmare we'd created amongst ourselves one-on-one. Everything
started with the two of us and it was going to end with us. Yes, there was a chance he would get
physical, but it was a risk I was ready to take. Brandon reached into his pocket and pulled out a revolver,
saying, "If he puts his hands on you, you can blast his brains out, we'll blame it on postpartum
depression," he stated as he slid the gun under my pillow.

"Brandon, are you psychologically ill or something?" Nestor and I stared at each other, he finally asked
the question I'd been dreading for months. I was expecting yelling, however, Brandon simply turned and
walked away; I thought it was time we got him a psychiatric evaluation; the man's thinking was quite
dark. They both walked out of the room with Nestor wishing me luck. I took a deep breath in and moved
closer to the pillow where Brandon had placed the gun.
I had my gaze set on the door, and a cold wave poured over me as it opened. He had a puzzled
expression on his face as he walked in. He had gained some more weight, his hair was scruffy and he
looked terrible.

I could only assume Brandon had scared him or something. I swallowed my saliva and thanked him for
coming to see me. He remained silent and fixed his gaze on me. "Please have a seat," I advised.

"Cut the nonsense, were you the one who caused the accident in Canada?" He inquired. He didn't want
to waste time with phony pleasantries, he wanted to get right to the subject.

With a straight face, I said, "Yes, I caused the accident in Canada." I heard him take a deep breath and
move back a little. "So... you told the doctors to remove my testicles?"

"It wasn't like that, Josh "

"How the fuck was it supposed to be!" He yelled at me and moved closer to me. He was standing inches
away from me and I could hear him breathing hard.

“Do not shout at me, remember that I'm not the Thalia that you used to shit on! Remember that!” I
yelled at him.

“What are you going to do if I yell? Call that sick lunatic you sold your soul to in here to have me beaten!
Just answer the dumb question!"

"I'm better than you who sold your soul to your father that turned around and fucked your wife!” I
retorted. "How does it feel to have a baby sibling!" I yelled. I was beginning to lose my cool but it was his
fault, Brandon was not a sick Lunatic.

He clenched his hands into a fist like he wanted to hit me but I maintained my stance.
“Yes I had the Doctors cut off your balls, just like you made the doctors make me believe that I was
barren," I finally got the words out of my chest, it felt like I had removed the huge stone off of me. He
dashed for me and tried to grab me but froze midway.

“I did not want you to have a child with Jessica, the inheritance child you called it. Well, there was a
clause in the company that you forgot to change. And it stated the rightful owner of the shares would
pass the shares to his or her first child with his first spouse," I quoted.

He stared at me confused, his lips moved like he wanted to say something however he opted out and
chose to listen. We were practically breathing each other's air and he was only seconds away from
strangling me but for an unknown reason, it was like he was waiting for me to explain how I destroyed
his life.

“You and your father were not that smart, even your dumb lawyers could not spot it but it only took the
sick lunatic one day and he spotted it," I said with a smile.

“What are you talking about?" he finally found the words.

“I'm your first wife and our first child was entitled to those shares, not the ugly child you were supposed
to have with the skank. So whether we divorced or not our child was the real heir, first spouse, I was
your first spouse," I said.

“First spouse Josh, I am your first spouse," I kept saying. “My father put that clause in to prevent anyone
from stealing the company.

“You are still dull ain't you? I sold those shares, and the little shit I made I paid off my debt, the stupid
company is gone, and neither you nor my useless father will ever put your hands on it unless you want to
pick the vomit I left of it!" He yelled at my face.

I laughed out and asked him to shut up. I was not done yet, the worst was yet to come. I slightly moved
near the pillow because what I was going to say to him was going to make him snap.
“Nine months ago, that was our plan, me getting pregnant for you and later claiming the company. So
we had to make sure we cause an accident that was going to leave the doctor's with no option but to cut
your balls out,"

I explained and watched his face wrinkle with pain, he grabbed my hair from behind with all his might,
almost causing me to scream. I reached for the gun but decided not to. I was in a seated position so he
was towering over me. I lifted my head and locked my gaze on him, grabbing him by his shirt. "I'm not
finished yet," I became enraged and yelled at him.

"Thalia what did you do with that Lunatic, what did you do with him!"

"Before they castrated you, we harvested your sperm, we received the sperm, and I was inseminated.
The strategy was straightforward," I laughed out loud.

I could feel his grip on my hair loosening and his eyes watering as he let go of me and gripped the bed for
balance. His hands were grabbing the bed sheets, practically yanking them away under me. "Wait...
wait... wait... wait... wait... wait... wait... wait... wait... wait," he stuttered

“That pregnancy I was carrying was yours, Josh, I was willing to cross any dumb line so I got pregnant by
your sperm and made sure you would never father any child Josh, an eye for an eye," I replied.

He was shaking and I could tell his legs could no longer support his weight. He slowly took a seat on the
bed next to me and looked into my eyes. “I never removed your womb you fool'' he said in a low tone.

He was too calm, that was not the reaction I was expecting. For a minute I felt scared, I had two options,
grab my gun or call for Brandon and Nestor but I stayed cool, it was too early to panic.

“You ruined me, Josh, you broke me and left me to rot! I was only returning the dumb favor!"
“Did I ever do anything illegal? You were the stupid dumb one that signed off everything to me! I never
held a knife on your dumb throat to sign those papers did I?" He asked but I only looked away. It was not
his right to take advantage on me even though I was too stupid.

“What kind of animal are you, why could you castrate me, why was I the only one that got castrated?"
He cried out “What punishment did my father get or Jessica? Why not just steal the company, why
castration?"

He clutched my hands as if pleading with me. He was no longer aggressive, and he sounded shattered,
which was exactly what I wanted, and I would have gone around putting salt in his wounds if I hadn't
needed him whole.

"I'm going to make you and that lunatic pay for what you did, but where is the baby?" Finally, he
inquired. At the very least, I was getting him to where I needed him to be.

"What have you done with my baby?"

"The baby is why I called you," I whispered, placing my hands on his, but he hastily withdrew his hands
away from me. He stood up and took a step back, wiping away his tears and saying, "What did you do
with the baby?"

"I didn't do anything, and I would never harm my child," I said. “She was born with congenital liver failure
and requires a liver transplant. They are saying they can't get it from me but the biological father," I
stated.

He merely glanced at me and didn't say anything. I wiped my tears away and averted my gaze. "I believe
the baby is being punished for my sins, for everything I've done to you," I said, but he only stared at me,
dumbfounded.

"I'm tired of this pointless vengeance and want us to call it a truce, I'm asking you to forgive me" I added.
He cleared his throat hard and asked "Which floor is my baby… and is it a girl or a boy? "

"It's a girl, she is so beautiful, she is in ICU, and the doctors are saying she has some rare markers, making
it difficult for us to find a donor."

There was total silence and I spoke again

“If you want to sue me, go ahead, but please save my baby," I pleaded. "We can put our disagreements
aside for the baby," he suggested.

He added in a low voice, "I'll set that difference aside once you remove your womb and get locked up for
the shit you did to me." He then turned and walked out of the room, ignoring my plea. "Josh, Josh, hold
on a second," I screamed and attempted to get out of bed, but I pushed against the pillow and the gun
slid off. He came to a halt, looked at the weapon, and then looked up, disappointed, before exiting the
room.Josh's Pov

My legs were as shaky as jelly as I stepped out of the room. Her hatred for me was the source of all my
horror. When she confessed to the procedure she performed on me, I wanted to split her face open.

How could a fellow human do such to another human? Yes, I was not innocent however she and that
lunatic crossed the line. But then my heart froze when she claimed to have inseminated herself with my
sperm. It was like I was reading a book of horror. When I was married to her I made it my mission never
to have a child with her.

She said she did it because of a loophole in my shares but I thought it was a punishment for all the years I
made those doctors lie to her. It was that confession that dissipated my wrath as soon as she admitted it.

I had intended to strangle her if she was the one who caused the accident, but the prospect that I was a
parent, a possibility that had been taken away from me, softened my heart. I was in shock, the woman
crossed hell in order to make sure I was burning in hell. I'd accepted the fact that I'd never had a child
but fate played a hand.
I walked out of the room, ignoring the pistol that fell underneath the pillow. Whether she intended to kill
me or not was the least on my mind.

Her lunatic boyfriend and the other man stood by the doorway and were probably eavesdropping.

I locked my gaze on the psychopath, who had orchestrated everything that had happened to me. Thalia
was incapable of concocting such deadly plans. As he rushed inside Thalia's room, he intentionally
brushed past me, barely caressing my shoulder. I was left with the other man who kept his stance. I had
no idea what his role was but he was the only one that did not look at me with so much hate.

I turned around, unsure of where the ICU was located and had no choice but to inquire. I inquired,
"Where is the baby, and in which direction is the ICU?" He volunteered to take me, much to my surprise
and we walked into the elevator, where I crouched and took a deep breath in. I had a baby girl and I was
a father. That was the realism I was attempting to instill in myself. The reality that had temporarily
soothed my anxiety and kept me from murdering.

I used to wonder if I had impregnated someone before the accident, in fact, I once wished it. Someone,
knocking on the door with a child, claiming it was mine. That dream was far-fetched then, however it
looked like it was becoming a reality.

“Are you alright?" The man asked.

I lifted my head up and looked up at him, “Do not try to act human to me, as far as I know, you are not
different from the two animals that did this to me," I spat out.

He chuckled and looked away, there was silence and I slowly lifted myself off the floor as the elevator
came to a halt. It opened and he led the way but stopped to face me. “By the way, I'm just the pilot and I
think you are all animals," he said and led the way. I snuffled, following behind as he led us into the
room.

My heart began to race, possibly due to a shortage of testosterone, and I became very emotional. He
handed me a gown and I entered the room alone, although I noticed I remained grilled at the door, most
likely guarding my visit.

They only let me see the infant because of the organ donation, not because they wanted me to meet
her, I was not stupid. I would not have known about the baby if it had not been born with a congenital
problem, particularly since I had sold the shares. I shivered as I stepped slowly to the incubator, unsure if
it was a joke or a hoax.

What if Thalia was playing a game, and there were cameras hidden around the incubator, waiting for me
to peek inside? But my gaze was drawn to the most stunning creature I'd ever seen. I exhaled deeply.

A slew of tubes hugged her body, clearly straining the tiny body. She was real, so I bit my tongue just to
make sure I was not dreaming. I wanted to take her hand and touch her, but the pilot had advised me
against it.

I just stared at her; she looked a lot like Thalia, but she had some of my traits as well, particularly the
ears and mouth. She was my baby, and I didn't need DNA to prove it. Yes, she was born under the most
dreadful circumstances imaginable, but she was mine. I brushed my tears away, desperately attempting
to silence the whispers in my head reminding me of what her mother had done to me. I wanted to
concentrate solely on the wonder in front of me at the time.

It was ironic to call it as such but it was better than the taboo that Jessica and my father had created.

The baby was innocent and seemed to be paying for her parents' sins. It was her mother's desperation to
get revenge on me that brought her to life. Thalia and her boyfriend were sick and they crossed the line,
they needed to pay for all of their crimes, someone needed to make them pay. But looking at the baby
below, it looked like she was the one paying.

I really wanted to hold her, I noted she only had Thalia's name on her wrist badly, they had not named
her yet.

Thousands of names flashed through my mind, and a smile grew across my lips. It felt unusual; a smile
was something I had lost on my face. For the preceding month, I had forgotten how to smile, but the
sleeping miracle seemed to have alleviated all of my misery. I fell in love with her right away and kept
reminding myself that she was mine.

She was so beautiful, I always wanted to have a child. I was not sure if she came at the right time but I
was short of happy moments in life. That there was a happy moment, a miracle that came with a price.

However Thalia, on the other hand, would never let me have her. They were teasing and playing with my
feelings. That's why she requested for the liver and forgiveness in the first place. She knew I'd be in a
tough situation because the baby was the only one I was destined to ever have. Why else was she born
with a condition that I could only solve? It was fate, I was meant to meet her and I think that fate
betrayed Thalia and her psycho of a boyfriend.

She was remorseful and desired to kill two birds with one stone. For the past months, I had learnt that
they were the most powerful and untouchable people in the world. They could simply have kidnapped
me and taken the liver without my knowledge.

But yet they chose to ask for it, I could only assume the guilt was eating her up or she wanted a moral
story to come and bribe my daughter with, in case she grew up and began asking questions.

Both situations involved me being out of the picture. I was not a fool, if I did not play my cards right it
was going to be the last time I set my eyes on the baby. I could only imagine if finding out about her was
going to set another reaction of endless revenge. They were willing to go to lengths to take me down
that much I knew but what did I have? Or at what lengths was I willing to go? I needed to think, I needed
to clear my head.

I said my goodbye and walked out of the room. The pilot was still standing at the door. I walked past him
without saying a single word. He ran after me and grabbed my shoulder, I turned and ordered him to get
his hand off of me. He let go of me and apologized."Please do not punish that baby for her mother's
sins," he said.

I only looked at him and walked away ignoring his pleas. I walked into the elevator and he followed suit,
talking about how I could be friends with Thalia for the sake of the child and we could co-parent.
However, I kept my mouth shut and placed it on the first floor. When the elevator stopped, I walked out
of the hospital, raised my hand for a taxi, and drove away. I headed straight to my mother, that was the
one place the lunatic would not get me.Thalia's pov

The door opened and Brandon walked in, picking the gun that had fallen on the floor. I still had my hands
on my mouth, shocked. Josh had noticed the gun and simply walked out of the room without saying
anything. Brandon tucked it away and hugged me, asking how things went.

"Terrible Brandon, I really pissed him off. Instead of begging for forgiveness, I was forced to brag about
all I did to him," I replied. He merely tightened his grip on me and pulled out his phone, dialing Nestor's
number and inquiring about Josh's whereabouts.

"According to Nestor, he went to visit the baby," he replied.

I hastily wiped the tears from my eyes. "Wow, that's fantastic news... Does that imply he'll make a
donation? Right?"

"Let's wait and see, it's all up to him," he said and turned away.

"Brandon, you're freezing. How long has it been since your last session?"

He looked away and tried to shift the conversation to something else, but I could tell he was past his
time. I pushed myself out of bed and headed over to the wheelchair. I could tell he was in a lot of pain
since he didn't chase Josh down or talk about kidnapping him.

"Get on, Brandon."

"NO, Thalia, we have to make sure the man doesn't leave this hospital with our liver."

Nestor was going to take care of it, so I ignored him and told him to get on. He got on and I wheeled him
up to his room.
While I was preparing the machine, he kept shouting, "Useless Josh is going to get away." I answered,
"Then order Nestor to make sure he doesn't."

I completed the setup and made all of the necessary connections. Then inquired on how he was doing.

I could tell he was furious; he despised being hooked up but had no choice. If he wanted to become
better, he needed to start taking the sessions seriously and accept that the machine was only a
temporary fix for his problem while the doctor worked around the clock to find a lasting answer.

I took a sample of blood and placed it in a cooler box. I was a patient, and if the doctors discovered me,
I'd be in serious trouble. But our doctor, on the other hand, was planning to stop over to check on him
and collect the samples. I could tell something was awry by the temperature of his skin. His cool skin and
calm demeanor always told me something was up.

He was undoubtedly aware of it but hid it from me since he didn't want to bother me with all the
nonsense that was going on.

The door opened and Nestor walked in, all sweaty, “He is gone, Josh is gone."

"Where?" I asked confused

“He just got into a cab some minutes ago," he replied.

Brandon tried to get up but I quickly pushed him back, “Brandon, no-no-no."

“We have to get him back, we are running out of time. This is why we should have just kidnapped him in
the first place" he yelled.
“So where are you going now, okay you were right but are you going to kidnap him yourself! Don't you
have people for that!" I yelled back at him. Sometimes he really was very difficult to handle. I slowly sat
back in his chair and went on withdrawing the blood. “Panicking is not going to solve anything, '' I turned
and asked Nestor if he had people following Josh. He nodded and I sighed in relief.

“He is probably going to think about it, let's just keep calm," I said.

“Thalia we cut off his balls, he has probably gone into hiding, to punish us and kill the baby," Brandon
replied.

I only stared at him, then turned in Nestor's direction who looked away. I packed everything up and sat
next to Brandon.

“Any news, where is he going?" I asked Nestor.

He took out his phone and checked the messages, “He has gone to his mother's care home," he replied.

“Are you sure!" I asked surprised.

“Yes, heaven hill, home for the old, that's where the cab dropped him off," he confirmed. “One of the
men followed him in and he was seen with his mother."

Brandon and I stared at each other, “He has probably gone to share the good news with his mother,"
Nester suggested. We both stared at him, yes the baby would have been good news but how we got that
baby was hell. Brandon and I were supposed to be receiving court summons or police calls.

I stood up and began biting my nails, “Why is he not reporting us if he is not donating!"

“Thalia, the baby dying is the biggest punishment he can ever serve us. He knows we are too powerful to
end up rotting in jail"
“But...but...when I told him about the baby he calmed down. I saw it in his eyes, it was that information
that prevented a bloodbath in my room," I said.

“Nestor, order the men to jump him as soon as he walks out of that home," Brandon ordered.

I looked up at Nestor who began typing something on his phone. “How was he when he walked out of
the ICU?" I asked him.

“He was emotional, I think confused…"

As the reality of stealing his liver began to sink in, I took a seat back on the bed. I was desperate for a
clean slit for my daughter; she deserved it. It was entirely my fault; I should have remained calm and
pleaded with him, but my newfound ego got the better of me.

"But he'll know we stole the liver, won't we get in trouble?" I asked as I turned to face Brandon.

"I'll take the fall; at the very least, I'll get some house rest. We'll steal it, but we'll come clean afterward,
so it'll be fair," he declared.

"Brandon, though, you are not in a fit state to stand trial."

"Exactly, then we settle," he said with a smile. "The man is desperate for money and a fresh start, and he
has no idea how much I'm worth, so I won't lose my entire fortune," he replied with a smile. I climbed on
the bed and hugged him, making sure not to hurt him. He was always a genius every time I fucked up.
"Please promise me that this is the last time we are doing anything illegal?" I asked him.

“I will only promise after the baby is home with us and that is not negotiable," he replied.
Nestor excused himself and proceeded to supervise the kidnapping and ensure Josh's safety. He walked
out after promising to keep us informed. I waved goodbye, I couldn't help but notice that he was ordered
to leave. I moved and lay in Brandon's arms. I looked up to find him staring at me with his gray eyes.
"It'll be alright, she'll be fine," he assured me. "I'm sorry I let you down."

"Please don't ever take all the nonsense I say to you when I'm furious," I said, puzzled. "You went out of
your way to make sure you delivered on your commitment. I believe we just breached a lot of
regulations and now we have to pay the price," I replied. "You are not God, Brandon Fraser," I went on to
say.

“Ouch Thalia, that really hurts," he laughed out. I giggled, it was the first time he was laughing while
hooked to the machine. “If it's any cancellation, I also failed to name her," I confessed. He looked at me
shocked.

"Am I a bad mother?" I asked.

"No...no you are not, okay we both suck," he replied. I looked at him and we both erupted into laughter.
We needed the laugh, we are always on each other's throats most of the time.

“But be assured that the baby is not going home without a name, if we have to name her as Liver… we
are naming her."

I burst out laughing, naming her liver would definitely nail us as the worst parents

“The surname?" He asked.

"What about the surname?"

"Are you going to give her mine, yours, or Josh's?" He asked.

I chuckled not in a funny way but in an irritating way, how could he ask such a question? Then I
remembered that I had yelled at him about the baby not being his.

"Brandon, I didn't mean what I said back then," I explained. "That's our baby in there, and she'll take
your last name."

He grabbed me out of nowhere and began devouring my mouth. I had to pause for a moment before
realizing he was kissing me. He stopped as if he was waiting for my approval. We stared at each other, I
grabbed him and proceeded where he left off. It had been a long time coming; we both had feelings for
each other but were forced to put them aside because he was dying.

I'd always been curious about how his lips felt against mine, and he was never a letdown. He had the
flavor of Cheerios on a cold winter morning, or he had eaten something with cheerios. We were about to
continue when a knock came at the door causing us to escape free from each other like rowdy
teenagers.

The door opened and Dr. Wilson walked in. Great, just what we wanted, the doctor bringing us back to
reality. Brandon shrugged, “Dr. Wilson, has anyone ever told you how ugly you are?"Brandon asked.

"Yes you always remind me of that every day," the doctor replied.

I cleared my throat and greeted him, quickly handing him the cooler box with all the samples in it, and
asked him to text me the results. He stared at me with an eyebrow raised, “Sorry did I interrupt
something…because I wanted to examine him first before taking the samples?" He asked.

"Yes, you interrupted everything!" Brandon yelled at him.

"No… you can examine him," I replied, a little bit embarrassed. Let me just go and check on the baby," I
added and waved goodbye. I could see the disappointment on Brandon's face but it was only going to
take minutes besides the nurses were probably looking for me and I needed to check on the baby.
After I was done with everything, I took a bath and went to check on the baby. She was hanging on but I
promised her a liver was coming. I later asked for permission to sleep in Brandon's room and the hospital
doctor agreed. I walked up to his room and stood at the door. Dr. Wilson had already gone.

We needed to talk about the kiss because it had been on my mind all day.

“Thalia I can hear you breathing," said a voice on the other end. Surprisingly, I opened the door fast and
found him chuckling.

"How did you do?"

He responded, "I can see through doors."

I just stood there, staring at him.

"Jesus Christ Brandon."

"There is a camera at the door," he said. "Wait a minute, is there a camera in my room?" I inquired.

He said, "No, I'm not a pervert; I just put one in the baby's room and here"

I walked up to his tablet and grabbed it; I couldn't believe he hadn't told me he had a video on it. "Did
you get a video of Josh's visit?"

"Yes," he said, grabbing it and directing me to the video. I took a seat next to him and observed. "Why
didn't you tell me you had this?"

“The man needed privacy, now are we going to talk about the kiss?" He asked.
I lifted my head and rolled my eyes, there was no privacy in Brandon's head. I watched the video and
noted how emotional he was, he did not look angry, he was in tears but why did he leave?

Brandon grabbed the tablet, away from me. “This is confusing Brandon?"

“Thalia, would you be my girlfriend?" He asked out of the blue as I froze.Brandon's Pov

Her cheeks heated a little, and there was a trace of redness in them, despite her surprised expression. I
had never had a girlfriend, I was always a manwhore and had never asked a lady to be my girlfriend
before. It was old school, yet every syllable that came out of my mouth put a smile on my face.

"I'm not sure when or how I started having feelings for you, Thalia, but it happened and I'm madly in love
with you," I finally admitted it, and my chest felt lighter; I'd been carrying that burden for months. I
assumed I'd die carrying the load, but fate had other ideas.

Out of nowhere, she slammed her hand into my shoulder.

"Ouchi!" I exclaimed. "What was the point of that?"

"What took you so long," she retorted.

I was stunned as I looked at her. "Were you waiting for me to propose? Are you a normal person? Why
didn't you propose?" I inquired but she got on top of me and switched off the machine. “Time up," she
announced and got really close to me, “When did you begin to have feelings for me, was it at the
bridge?" She asked

“Hell no, you were so ugly and irritating then," I replied. She looked away and moved off me. I didn't
mean it in a hurtful way but she gave me a disappointed look. “Thalia, I did not…"
“It's okay,'' she said and lay beside me. “I also did not like that arrogant self-absorbed jerk that behaved
like it owned the bridge," she replied.

“You disturbed my suicide?"

“Even during the first days in your house, you were arrogant, you locked me in those sex rooms just
because I tried to run away."

“I did not want to be alone," I replied, looking away. She moved closer and whispered. “You will never be
alone, I promise you that."

“Should I take this as a yes?" I asked.

“Yes Brandon crazy Fraser, I would love to be your first girlfriend," she said.

Her words were the most beautiful words I have ever heard in my pitiful life. Maybe it was because she
whispered to them, but they felt so soothing to my ears. When I withdrew my finger away from her neck,
the movement of her hair almost gave me the chills.

My hands extended from the sides of her head to her neck, shoulders, and hands. I gently but firmly
grasped her hands and held them in front of me, pausing. She didn't say anything and just stared at me,
which made me feel secure. Yes, there was an emergency with the liver, but Nestor would handle it, and
in case of an emergency he would text or call. I closed my eyes and exhaled deeply as my heartbeat out
of my chest.

I kissed her shoulder and ran my lips over my skin in the direction of her ear, but didn't quite get there. I
cocked my head and came to a halt when she took a long breath. "What are you doing, Brandon?" She
inquired. I could see she was afraid, but all I was doing was smelling her. I grinned as I peered into her
eyes.

My two hands snatched her left hand and pressed her open palm on my chest. "I owe you this beating
heart, and it will only beat for you from today until my dying breath."

As tears streamed down her cheeks, I mumbled, watching her intently.

Love, comfort, safety, care, patience, and respect radiated from her eyes. I grinned and let go of her
hands, running my fingers through her hair with one hand, softly guiding my face closer to her, and
placing my lips on hers.

At that moment it was just the two of us taking time as our lips passionately wrapped around each other.
The kiss was not as aggressive as it was the first time.

I had no idea how long we kissed but we finally broke off the kiss, tired and breathing heavily. Maybe it
was for all the months we missed and pretended not to have feelings for each other or was it for the
time we had to hide the feelings because I was dying. I was still dying that fact I knew but I felt I owed
myself a moment of happiness even if it was just for a day.

I cleared my throat, “I think the machine is not doing a good job. Sometimes my right-hand freezes," I
confessed. If we were going to be a couple, we needed to start on a clean slit.

"I know, I noticed and that's why Dr. Wilson came to examine you," she replied.

“So it's okay with you to be my girlfriend for a week or day?"

She held my face and told me not to say such words but that was the truth. For unknown reasons the
machine was not working as we expected.

“Let's just take a day at a time," she replied and pressed against me.

I kissed her forehead and checked on my messages. Useless Josh was still at the care home. I looked at
my watch and it was almost 11 pm. I wondered who ran the useless home for them to allow him visiting
at such an hour. Anyway, I put the tablet back on the table and concentrated On the beautiful thing on
my chest.

“I know the time you fell in love with me," I declared. She lifted her head.

"It was when I took you to my pool house and masturbated on your thigh."

I looked up at her and her face flushed red, “You went into the bed and masturbated in the bathroom," I
laughed out loud.

“Shut up Brandon and for your own information it was way before that," she replied with
embarrassment written all over her face.

“How could you fall for a jerk like me?" I asked. “Yes I helped you and it's all-natural but…"

She placed her hand over my mouth and said; “You are funny, you hide your feelings behind your sense
of humor, you dashingly handsome, you can now cook, you are tall, you are kind even though you do not
know it and finally you are smart," She stated sending me into a huge smile.

"You forgot two things," I replied

“No, I'm sure I got everything," she replied while recounting everything.

“Im super-rich and very gifted between my legs," I added.

She began pinching me like I was lying, “Thalia, stop you are hurting me," I cried out. She stopped, “You
brag a lot and you are evil, how do you come up with such evil plans?" She asked.
"I'm a strategist, not the devil, brainless girl," I replied. She giggled, it had been long since I called her by
that nickname.

“You know I always wondered if we turned the tables and you were Victor's son and the kind of horror I
would have gone through?"

My jaw dropped, did she really think I was that evil or stupid?

“First of all, I would have not married you, there are a lot of ways to steal a company. In fact, I would
have just fucked you so good you would have willingly signed off the papers to me," I replied.

“You…….." She raised her hand to hit me but I kissed her instead. She was my girlfriend and kisses were
the new way of shutting her up.

“Let us go and check on our princes?" I suggested. I had only seen her once.

“Do you have the energy to walk?" She asked.

I rolled my legs to make sure they weren't frozen, and I nodded. As we rolled to the ICU, she helped me
up and grabbed my phones. It was late and not visiting hours, according to the incompetent nurse we
found in the ward.

I contacted the hospital administrator to inform her who I was. I'd always been a generous donor to the
hospital. We were permitted to meet our baby after the call, but we were reminded to remain quiet
because she was asleep and needed the rest. With my arms wrapped around Thalia, we stood over the
incubator.

We made a beautiful family and we were going to be a family soon; all we needed was a liver from that
idiot. I kissed Thalia's forehead and assured her that our baby was going home with us soon. It was late
so we said our goodbyes and returned to my room.
Thalia was very tired, I could see her wincing, every step she made, her C-section stitches were probably
reminding her that she was not superhuman. I called in the nurse to check on her and she was given
some pain meds before we decided to call it a night. She lay beside me, and we were about to get into
another moment, we couldn't get our hands off of each other.

But my phone beeped, interrupting our special moment. I had no option but to break it off in case it was
Nestor. I picked it up, “What? Where did he go?" I yelled. Thalia looked up at me as I tensed up. “What
do you mean you lost him, didn't you have people watching him!" I yelled.

“Who is gone? What are you talking about?" Thalia frantically asked? "Oooh, my God is it Josh? Did they
lose Josh?" She cried out.

I could see the fear in her eyes but I needed to deal with Nestor first.

“Close all the bus stations, train stations, and Airports! Put him on a dumb terrorist watch list if you have
to!" I yelled and cut the phone.

How could they lose a broken guy, I was enraged and furious. I tried to hold on to Thalia, but she pushed
me away. I wasn't going to let her have any more moments of blame. "Where has he gone, and why
would he do such a thing to a helpless child?" She screamed.

I couldn't see why she expected so much from the creature who had taken everything from her. It was
best if she accepted the truth that he delighted in her agony sooner rather than later. She yelled out,
"This is my fault Brandon, I should have let you handle the liver."

"No, no, you're right, our baby deserves a life away from vengeance," I said, assuring her that I'd track
him down. To be honest, I was terrified; perhaps the idiot had committed suicide in one of the care
home toilets. I quickly texted Nestor to work up all the old people and check all the toilets but after some
minutes they found nothing.

The useless man had disappeared into thin air.

I couldn't think of anything reassuring to say to her, and I didn't want to make any false promises. Josh
had a habit of snapping whenever he was confronted with shit, and only the Lord knew what he was up
to.

I looked up, perplexed; I wasn't good at praying, but the angel in that room deserved one, and the
woman resting on my chest needed a break; for once in her life, she needed some good news. Without
her knowledge, I said my small prayer.

We sat there, despondent, waiting for updates that never arrived. Slowly, we both began to drift asleep,
until we were fully immersed in our slumber. A tap at the door was the only thing that jolted us awake. I
discovered it was dawn when I looked up, followed by Thalia, who was still sleepy.

I examined my phone for missed calls and texts from Nestor. They were yet to find Josh, I was aware
Nestor was tired and obviously had not slept for days but the baby's life was on the line and they needed
to pull up their socks. The knock came again and yelled out of frustration for whoever it was to get lost.

“I need your signature on these forms if I am to carry out the transplant on the baby," the man said on
the other side of the door.

Thalia's eyes popped up wide open, she quickly became alert and ran to open the door. The hepatologist
walked in and greeted us. I noticed he was holding some papers in his hand.

“I was told I would find you in here," he said.

"What's going on? You… said… something about transplant?" Thalia asked.

“A miracle popped up on my doorsteps this morning claiming he was the father of the baby and wanted
to donate," he replied.
Thalia held her heart in shock, as she turned to face me.

“So I came with him here and did all the tests. He was worried that his liver was not in a condition to
donate because of his past drinking but we found it okay and he had the protein markers, he is a match."
He announced.

Thalia ran to the poor doctor and hugged him, not sure why, “Ooh my god, that's Josh, how did he find
you?"

"he said he googled me. I brought the forms, he has already signed on the father's part, so I need your
signature Miss Nash."

"What the fuck! he is not the dumb father!" I yelled and got off the bed. My legs felt heavy, I had
missed my session by two hours but I did not give a dumb.

"Wait a minute, this is why I had to come up here, yes I know he is just a biological father and it's your
name on the birth certificate," the doctor tried to explain.

"But why did you allow him to sign!" I yelled at him.

“Because I want to save the innocent angel in there and you adults are killing her. You told me it was
insemination when the father was only a call away. What kind of fucking parents are you!" He yelled at
us.

"That other fool down there has made it clear he won't donate if his signature is not on the form and he
has made it clear that should he see any of your faces he will back out of the donation. So sign this and
let me do my job. You can solve this madness after the baby is safe," he said and handed the forms to
Thalia.

Thalia quickly grabbed the papers and signed them.

“Finally someone is looking out for her daughter," the doctor said and thanked her but warned us not to
go near the theater in case we bumped into Josh. He walked out of the room and I turned to face Thalia.

“Put a lot of security on the floor, it's the birth certificate that matters, not the theater papers," she said
as she held my hands.

"But Thalia?"

"Brandon, we got the liver, he is only using emotions." She said and led me to the bed, handing me my
tablet. "Call security now,"

I grabbed it and updated Nester, ordering him to bring security. I had no cameras in the theater and no
time to set up but useless Josh was not going to sign any more papers or leave the hospital with my
baby.Josh's Pov

Because of visiting my mother every day, I was somehow acquainted with the care home's ins and outs.
That sick psycho had men following me in their dark-tinted cars, I spotted them the minute I got into the
cab. The fools never even made the effort of hiding or maybe they thought I was stupid.

I had no clue how they planned to do what they were up to but it was obvious they were going to force
the liver out of me. So I had decided to take a breather and talk to my mother. I had no friends, she was
all I had, and the only I could tell the hell I just find out.

Yes, I was supposed to walk into a police station and tell them my case but that psycho owned everyone
in his pockets. I had to be careful with the way I dealt with the case. The only good part was that I had
Kim, she was good with lawsuits and wouldn't be bought because of the feelings she had for me. But for
the liver donation, I needed to make a decision fast.

I walked into the care home like I did every day and asked for my mother. Even though she was still
having problems recognizing me she was very excited when I told her about her granddaughter. I was so
emotional and in tears, she requested to meet the little girl but I informed her about her condition.
“Why are you not donating what are you doing here?" She had asked.

I had only looked away in shame, she was right. She said something beautiful to me, something that she
never said to me when I was growing up. In a short glimpse not sure if she was back in her head or it was
a new Sharon talking but she told me not to let my children pay for my past as she did.

“Whoever wronged you should be second and your child should be first," she added.

There was a lot of meaning in her statement even though I was not going to let Thalia and Psycho off the
hook so easily. Even if it was just for one day, I was going to put my princes first. I had kissed her
goodbye and used the back door to get away while the fools waited for me on the front door.

I usually used the back door when I overstayed my visit or the care home was closed. The nurses allowed
it because like everyone in the city, they pitied me, I was the man who stole from the first wife and got
my karma handed back to me by my father who impregnated my second wife. They were aware my
mother was all I got.

As soon as I was in the streets, I got in a cab. I had planned to go to the hospital but then changed my
mind and decided to find out who was in charge of my daughter's operation. I had found the name and
address and ordered the cab driver to take me there. If I was going to save my daughter, I was going to
do it alone and on my terms.

The doctor was shocked and pissed at me but as soon as I introduced myself he took interest. My initial
plan was to find out how long my daughter had and blackmail Thalia to hand over the baby to me in
exchange for the liver but the baby had no time for my legal battle.

My mother's words kept hamming behind my head so I postponed my plan and decided to donate my
liver. The baby had to come first no matter how hurt I was. She was the innocent angel that was caught
up in all the madness.

But I put my own conditions up, no Thalia or the sick psycho insight, or else I was baking out of the
donation, of course, I would still donate if my eyes landed on them but I wanted to show them that I still
had power even though I had no money.

I was going to play the game without hurting my little girl, I had to remind myself every step I made and
the good news was that her psycho lover was dying and Thalia was easy to manipulate. She was guilty
and I was going to use that against her.

The doctor had agreed to take me to the hospital to check if I was eligible or if I matched. But my worry
was being a perfect match but not being able to donate because of my past drinking. However, the
doctor assured me eight months was too little for me to have complete liver damage.

I had my fingers crossed as we arrived at the hospital and walked to the lab. But after what seemed like
forever the results were out and I was a perfect match. A wave of relief washed over me but I
immediately asked for the consent forms for the operation. The doctor had given me a shocked look but
I stood my ground, there was no room for negotiations.

To my surprise, he handed me the papers without protest or consulting with Thalia. I grabbed the papers
and signed. He left the room while other doctors remained behind for the preparation. I could only
assume the doctor had gone to give Thalia the forms to sign. I wanted to see their faces when the
half-signed forms were handed to them but I remembered my conditions on the table.

I decided to check on my princess before the operation. I had that honor only, Thalia was not going to
have that chance because I made sure to stay in the baby's room until the assigned surgeon came for
both of us. I noted they had guards all over the theater floor but they couldn't show their stupid faces. It
was a satisfying sight to see.

Yes it was not fair but they replaced my testicles with silicon and they deserved worse. I asked my little
angel to hold on and fight, she had to fight, she was obviously stronger than me, I was the coward in the
family but that was going to change.

We were both prepped for the surgery and taken to the theater, hoping that everything was going to go
as planned.Thalia's Pov
I continued pacing the room while Brandon kept ranting and raising his blood pressure. Two hours
passed since the surgery began. Nestor was busy updating us, on our angel and Josh. We were unable to
see our baby one last time before the surgery because Josh threatened to withdraw the donation if we
entered or were anywhere near the Theater or ICU. I couldn't deny that it hurt, but our baby needed that
liver, and any delay would mean her death.

Josh was never going to change, Brandon was correct, and that animal cherished the opportunity to see
me cry. But I wasn't going to feed into his anguish; I'd taken his punch with thick skin, and I wasn't going
to play his silly game after the operation.

I could hear Brandon's respiration from where I was pacing because he was so enraged. He was so used
to having the upper hand not being told what to do. He wanted to burst into the theater but I had
stopped him, our daughter deserved a peaceful surgery and quietness. I was also hurt but the doctor was
right. One of us needed to be the mature one. Josh was going to be lucky if I was going to grant him a
more than two hours visitation.

I breathed in hard, panicking was not going to work, the transplant was going to be over twelve hours or
more. I walked to the bed and took a seat but kept biting my nails.

"She was supposed to hear our voices before she got on that operating table or our beautiful faces but
instead she was subjected to that ugly thing's voice and face," Brandon broke the silence.

“I know sweetheart," I replied.

He stopped breathing erratically and smiled at me, “Did you just call me Sweetheart?"

“Yeah, ain't we dating?"

He smiled, “it's too safe, I want something naughty as my pet name."

I closed my eyes and breathed in hard, “Sweetheart you will complain about your pet name after the
surgery okay?" I said to him as I placed my hands on him. He nodded, the timing was so wrong for our
petty fights. My phone beeped, he moved anxiously and inquired whether it was Nestor.

I looked at it and it was Dr. Wilson, the results were out. The mutated cells were replicating at a faster
rate than normal. I quickly turned it off, I was not going to add more bad news on bad news. I had
suspected the cells were probably trying to outrun the filtration.

"Who was it then?" he asked.

“Just the Secretary, she was just reminding me of the papers I have not yet signed," I lied.

"Is she stupid? Fire her, you just had a baby, how does she expect you to keep track of the company?" he
asked.

“Brandon, I did not tell her about the delivery," I replied.

“Just fire her."

The door opened and a very tired-looking Nestor walked in, the man looked so overused. He had not
slept for days.

“Nestor oooh my God when did you last sleep?" I asked.

“I will sleep when that baby is safe in your arms," he replied.

“You my friend just got promoted to my chief security," Brandon replied.

I turned and gave him a cold glare, Nestor was not trained for that, he was our pilot but we were abusing
him. He took a seat and nodded, “No thanks boss, I am comfortable as the pilot. The theater is secure,
and the surgeon said we have a lot of hours to go," he replied.

"The hours are killing me," I cried out.

“Just have faith, she is going to survive, you guys have not named her yet?” he asked.

I stared in Brandon's direction, "We will name her as soon as she gets out of that operating room." He
replied. I smiled and held his hand. “Guess what?" Brandon asked.

"What?"

"Thalia and I are finally a couple, she is my first girlfriend, my first love," he added. His statement made
me tear up, I moved over and kissed him on his lips. Just like that, we changed from being pissed to
smiling.

When I turned I found Nestor staring at us shocked with his eyes wide open. I was expecting him to be
happy and congratulate us but he was looking at us like he had no idea we liked each other.

"Why are you looking at us like that?" Brandon asked?

“I thought you were going to die without confessing your love for her," he replied.

"Are you stupid!"

“To be fair Brandon, you have always been an arrogant dick that did not have the balls," he added.

"What the..," Brandon replied, trying to get up but I reminded him that he was hooked to the machine.
“Take that back or I will fire you!"

"Calm down," I got in with a hint of laughter in my voice. I always liked it when Nestor called him by his
first name. Usually, it was when he was saying something Brandon did not want to hear.

“Thalia, are you laughing?"

“No sweet Tiger, how does sweet Tiger sound to you?" I quickly changed the subject.

"I do not like it, and you Nestor are just Jealous," he replied. Nestor chuckled.

A knock came at the door and Maggie walked in with what seemed to be packs of food, my tummy made
a rumbling noise, I could smell the food from where I was seated.

"Good morning, I brought food, I'm very sure you guys have had nothing to eat for days," she said.

"Good morning Maggie," I replied with a smile.

“How is the little angel?" she asked.

“She is still in surgery."

"Thank God, I said a little prayer for her. I am very glad her biological father agreed to donate," she
added and I only nodded.

She looked in Brandon's direction and emphasized the need to put the baby's interest first above our
ego. Brandon only showed her fake teeth and grabbed the food. We thanked Maggie for the food while
she moved to her son and began whispering something to him. Brandon pinched me and tilted my head.
“What's going on?" he asked.

“Nothing, can we all just go back to eating?" Nestor replied.

Maggie looked away disappointed, it looked like she wanted to say something but opted out on her son's
orders.

“Something is definitely on, Nestor shut up and let your mother speak," Brandon ordered.

“Sir never mind, I do not want to bother you with my nonsense," she replied.

"First of all, I'm disappointed that you used the term Nonsense, Magie you and that ugly son of yours are
not nonsense to me, you are…?"

He hesitated a bit like he was looking for a heavy word to say. “Family," he finally said. A wave of
emotions filled me as I turned, we all looked at him, it was the first time he was using the term family. He
always made it clear that the two of them only stuck around because of his money.

"You are my family, Thalia and baby are our latest addition to the family," he added with a firm voice.

I could not hold my emotions, "Finally," I said and I moved up grabbing him for a kiss. Maggie cleared her
throat, surprised, we had not yet told her about our relationship status.

“Ooh my God, are you guys finally dating?" she asked. I let go and nodded in excitement, "He finally
proposed," I replied.

"Ooh my God Finally, I knew from the first day I set my eyes on you, you were meant for him," she added
and hugged me.
Nestor cleared his throat, “I think we need an apology," he requested.

“Do not push it," Brandon replied, sending us all into laughter.

“Now what was that whispering all about?" I asked and noted how uncomfortable Maggie turned.

"Maggie, please speak,"

"I came with Wilfred, he is outside," she replied like a teenager afraid of how we would respond. We
both stared at her with raised eyebrows. “I told him about the baby and he wanted to visit and I just
thought it was time you all met him."

“Mom no one is in the mood to meet your boyfriend, can't you see the boss is hooked to the machine,
the last thing we want is him spreading false news," Nestor yelled. He had a point, Brandon loved his
privacy and wouldn't want a stranger watching him hooked to the machine.

“It's okay, just tell the man to wait in the area, I'm just remaining with some minutes," Brandon replied.

“Boss it's not necessarily," Nestor replied.

“Calm down little bro, I just want to meet daddy," Brandon joked.

Maggie ran to the other side of the bed and hugged him in excitement, “thank you so much sir, I will go
and inform him," she said so excitedly. I had never seen her so excited before, she was so in love and I
had no idea why Nestor was not happy for his mother.

She waved us goodbye and walked out of the room, eager to inform her lover about the good news.
Nestor was boiling up, his veins were practically popping up. He put away his food and pretended to be
on his phone.
I walked to where he was seated; “Come on, she seems so happy," I said to him.

“He is younger than her," he replied irritatedly.

I looked back at Brandon who had a grin on his face. He was right, and it explained why Nestor was
pissed.

"How young?" I asked. "Is he younger than you!"

"No he is not, he is those forty-something dudes that do not age and are into old women," he replied.

“I'm so sorry," Brandon teased.

I looked back at him again and warned him, he just could not help taking a jab at Nestor. Even though
they did not know it, the two had that sibling rivalry and it was very cute most of the time.

“Ok Nestor, maybe Magie is just going through a moment and they will break up soon," I tried to comfort
him.

“Exactly, the good part is that she is over menopause and will not get pregnant," Brandon joked. I could
not help it, I burst out laughing. Nestor gave me a serious look and I held my mouth, apologizing.

"Maybe she wants something with a lot of energy," Brandon added.

"Brandon!" I yelled at him.

Nestor quickly got up and walked out of the room pissed. The last thing he wanted was to hear about the
young man sleeping with his mother.

"Brandon seriously,"

"We needed a laugh, at least he will go home and shower," he replied, surprising me. He had noticed
Nestor was tired but did not dismiss him. The man really liked pulling Nestor's strings. He looked at his
watch eager for the filtration to be over so that he could meet Maggie's young boyfriend. The
destruction was good while we waited for the surgery to be over.

“You can go and take a bath or do you want us to take our bath together?" he replied in a naughty voice.

I threw the pillow at him and got out of the room. We were not having our first bath in a hospital while
our daughter was fighting for her life downstairs.

I went back to my room and for my usual doctor's round before taking my bath. I looked at my watch
and Brandon's session was up. He had gotten acquainted with the machine and was able to turn it off.
Doctor Wilson's results kept ringing even though I was putting up smiles.

Brandon knew that the machine was not working as we expected it to but the good part was he was in
full acceptance. I could only guess that was why he proposed. He was living in the moment and
appreciating every minute he got from the machine. He had probably bathed, and I planned to go and
get him but when I turned I found him standing behind me.

"Brandon! You scared me."

“What are you thinking about? Our Princess is going to be fine," he said. I could only assume he had been
in the room for a long time and had been watching me. I only nodded and led the way, “The lab results
are out," I finally said. He stopped and held my mouth, “Let us forget about me for the days we are in
here,"

"But Brandon?"
"No Thalia, I know it's not going as planned so what's the point, let's go and meet Maggie's toyboy," he
said.

"Brandon please do not cause…"

"Do not worry, I will behave," he said.

We arrived in the waiting room, and as soon as Maggie saw us she got up. I could see the man she was
standing with, he was in Jeans, very casual, he wasn't that young-looking but one could tell he was
younger than Maggie.Brandon pov

I looked at the ugly man standing beside Maggie, he was young, quite alright but he was ugly. He moved
towards us before we were in reach. He was very excited to be meeting us. He drew a hand for a shake. I
stared at it, Thalia noted and moved over introducing herself. “Nice to finally meet you," she said with
a smile.

Maggie moved over, “Mr. Frasser, Thalia, this is Wilfred, my boyfriend," she introduced. Her words felt
so wrong for some unknown reason.

"Nice to meet you, sir," he held his hand forward again.

“What do you do for a living and why are you into old women?" I asked.

"Brandon!" Thalia yelled at me. I noted a hint of embarrassment on Maggie's face however I was doing
the interrogation for her benefit. The man beside her smelled of a scam alert, he was too young to be
named Wilfred, that name was always reserved for old people above ninety years old.

“I'm a professor at Yale and about the age difference, Maggie and I have talked about it. No one can
choose who they fall in love with," he replied. Maggie moved closer to him and held his hand.
I got out my tablet and googled the professors at Yale. To my disappointment his ugly face showed up,
he was not lying. But I was not satisfied, yes he was not a con man but he could be a serial killer that
faked love for older women, married them then cashed out from the insurance companies. I sent his
details to my private investigators.

I shook his hand for the sake that he had been holding it out for too long but I did not say a single word.

He wished us good luck with our daughter and I just nodded, taking a seat. Of course, I was being mean
and acting like Magie was my daughter. Maybe I was practicing for our little angel.

Thalia joined me and they all took seats as we waited for the surgery to be over. At some point I even
began dozing, Wilfred was very boring with his conversations. I was only woken up for my session, six
hours had passed. My blood boiled, I wanted to be there when my Princess was moved out of the
operating table but it was not to be. She had been in the operating room for close to twelve hours.

They were all locked up in there and no one was coming out to update us. All they did was ask us to pray,
I had prayed before and that fool agreed to donate his liver, maybe I needed to pray again.

We said our byes to Maggie and her boyfriend and headed back to my room for the filtration session. I
was feeling very drowsy and did not even protest the session. It was almost another six hours until a
doctor finally came to update us.

The surgery was over and our little angel had survived and was taken back to the ICU for recovery.
Unfortunately, Josh survived, I really wanted him to die on that table and end the drama that was
awaiting us.

Even though the six hours were not up, Thalia allowed me to tag along when the doctor allowed us to
see our baby. A wave of excitement swelled my chest up as Thalia wheeled me to the ward. The
drowsiness disappeared out of the blue. The good part was that Josh's recovery room was one floor
down so we had no probability of bumping into him.
We entered the room excited, seeing our little angel was worth every pain I was feeling. It all
disappeared, especially seeing Thalia crying with tears of Joy. The baby had fewer tubes attached to her
compared to the first time we laid our eyes on her. I kept asking the surgeon about the surgery and he
assured me it was successful and it was all up to our angel to fight.

To my disappointment Thalia asked about useless Josh, it must have been the hormones or something. I
shrugged and she noticed but chose to ignore me. Josh was doing well, he was awake and was under
observation.

They were going to release him in days. I could only hope she was not planning to visit him or ask me to
accompany her. I moved away from her and concentrated on the baby. She was asleep, probably hurting
from all the knives they stabbed into her.

The surgeon left us to have our moment, he only gave us minutes and I also only had minutes to go back
and finish my session.

“Don't you think we should go and thank Josh or something?" She asked, ruining a perfect moment. I
cleared my throat, “Thalia, can we enjoy the little moment we have with the baby please," I replied.

"Brandon, he is the reason why we are having this moment."

I looked up at her, “Yes he is a dickhead but let's be mature and thank him even though he does not
want to see our faces," she added.

“Then we will write him a letter and emphasize on the part that he does not want to see us," I stated and
concentrated on the baby, “Do you have any names yet? We have to name her," I asked. I knew the topic
was going to get her mind off that useless man.

“I do not know, I was thinking Gift or Mercy?" She stated.

"No, I once had sex with a girl named Gift, and Mercy sounds too catholic."
"Brandon! You have to censor that mouth of yours!" She yelled at me pissed. “Is there anyone you have
not slept with, in this town!"

"You," I replied with a grin. She hit my shoulder hard and I felt the impact, "ouch!" I cried out. “We can
name the baby after you," I suggested holding my hand.

"No no no, I do not want my child to become me, I do not want her to be a loser," she replied with a
straight face. " I do not want her to be brainless."

"Thalia?"

“Do not even tell me lies, you wouldn't want our daughter to be like me."

I moved closer to her and wrapped my hands around her waist. “Yes, I wouldn't want her to be like the
Thalia I first bumped into on that bridge but I would want her to be like Thalia the inventor that invented
something that scientists with years under their belt wouldn't, or the Thalia that had the guts to cut her
abusive ex-husband's balls and steal his sperm. Though I would not agree to the sperm part," I added.
She smiled and held my cheek, "you've changed Thalia, you are no longer weak or brainless." I
complimented.

She leaned over and gave me a kiss but a nurse walked in and interrupted us. Our visiting hour was over.
We asked for a second to say our good night which she granted. “Maybe we should mix our names or
something, my name is a big no because you will soon sleep with me," she said with a raised eyebrow.

I froze for a minute and stared at her as she looked away, ”Horny little bastard," I tickled her, sending her
into laughter.

We said our goodbyes and we were about to head to my room when a sharply dressed woman
approached us. I could swear I had seen her in some porn movie or I had slept with her before.
"Hello Miss Nash, I'm Kim, Mr. Nelson's lawyer. Can we talk somewhere private?" She inquired.

Thalia looked up at me surprised, without saying it we both knew that the lady in front of us was the
lawyer who Josh used to fuck for her services. I still had the videos and when I remembered I chuckled,
pissing her off.

“Mr. Frasser is something funny?" She asked.

"You look…" I tried to speak but Thalia cut me off and blinked at me. She moved forward to the lady and
asked what her visit was about.

"Can we go somewhere private," the lawyer insisted.

"My room is on this floor, we can use that," Thalia suggested leading the way. I followed behind but did
not forget to give the lawyer my taunting grin. She followed us ignoring me. I was quite aware she was a
civil lawyer and usually dealt with lawsuits. I could only conclude that useless Josh was suing us.

I knew he would be so stupid to do that and he would hire Kim his sperm less chamber. That was the
first mistake he made and I was going to use that against him.

We arrived in Thalia's room and the lawyer handed us the lawsuit papers “I would suggest you call your
lawyer for better understanding," she suggested. “Josh is suing for the accident you confessed to having
caused leading to his… testes being chopped off and the sperm you stole," she stated.

“First of all, we are capable of reading so no need for a lawyer especially since we are ready to settle," I
replied with a smile. I noted a wave of disappointment all over her face. She was not expecting us to
argue with her or call our lawyer.

“How much does your client want?" I asked. Josh was fucking irritating instead of waiting to recover or
our baby to recover he was busy filing suits.
She cleared her throat and showed me a fake smile "Well maybe you should call that lawyer, my client
does not want money," she replied, turning my face pale.

I did not need to read the damn suit or wait for her explanation. The idiot wanted my princess, our little
angel and it was going to be over my dead body. Thalia held my hands terrified, I saw a look in her eyes
that I last saw that day on the bridge. She was scared but she was not going to lose anything.

“My client is willing to overlook the evil you did to him if you sign off the parental rights to him," she
added.

“Did you fuck him after or before the surgery for the services you are providing?" I asked my voice coldly.

Her face curved in, obviously pissed, “I will not have you disrespect me;" she yelled

"Ohh shut up! We know you fuck him for your services, if I were you I would advise you to drop him as
your client then maybe he will have a one percent chance of winning because this will be your last case,"
I spat out.

I held Thalia by the hand and left the room throwing the papers on her face like the trash she was. Thalia
was shocked beyond belief, I was surprised actually, I thought she knew the cold part of me.

Or was she used to the naughty joking side of me? We walked all the way up to my room in silence, we
walked in and I began plugging myself into the machine without being reminded or forced.

We were at war and that useless Josh just crossed the line. He was lucky I did not have criminals on my
call list and Thalia would never forgive me otherwise I would have finished him with the hospital
medicine, accidental overdose.

“Brandon I'm scared," Thalia finally spoke after I was done hooking myself.
“Do not worry this case will not see the inside of a courtroom,"

“Are you going… to buy the judge or blackmail them?" She inquired.

“No, Kim will quit and Josh does not have the money to take me on with an expensive lawyer," I replied
and lifted my head.

A knock came at the door and Nestor walked in, he looked fresh and rested, the way I liked him. He
noted Thalia's distraught and asked what was going on.

"Nestor, Josh is suing us, he wants full custody of the baby otherwise, we go to court for what we did to
him," Thalia explained.

“He is stupid," Nestor replied and moved closer to me asking how to proceed He liked playing the games
more than he was willing to admit.

“It's either Josh will consider his friend's career or we ruin her with the sexual favors she was offering," I
replied.

“But Brandon you promised not to ruin people," Thalia jumped in.

“Thalia, the lawyer should know the code of ethics, we are not ruining her, I offered to settle. if you want
you can even give him an hour of visitation but he will not accept. He wants to hate you, he wants
revenge and I will not sit back and pray like the virgin Mary," I replied and looked away. I knew we had
the case in the bag, all she had to do was sit back and wait for the storm to pass.Josh's pov

I kept tracing my hand around the scar that ran from my ribcage to my abdomen. It was painful and had
not yet started healing. But I was enjoying every bit of that pain, it sort of reminded me of Amber, I
named her Amber. She was too beautiful to be in the hospital for days without a name.
I had no idea how I came to that name but her face looked like Amber. The scar reminded me of the life
that I gave her, the horrors that I had gone through the entire year. It was going to be a permanent
reminder but I was going to decide what reminder to cling to and I chose Amber.

I had already narrated my horror to my lawyer Kim and first thing in the morning she had driven to the
hospital and was in my room trying to persuade me to go for the money.

Brandon Fraser was the richest bastard on the planet and with all that money it was impossible to bury
what Thalia confessed but he could be willing to shut my mouth with a lot of money.

However, all I wanted was baby Amber, I wanted full custody. I was not selfish, I was going to grant them
some visitation rights.

I had dismissed her and ordered her to save the psycho couple with the lawsuit. I would have loved to
see their faces but I was recovering and needed the rest. All I wanted was my Amber Nelson, that was
what her birth certificate was supposed to read.

My mother cautioned me to put my baby first and that was what I was doing. Those two were animals,
just like my father, they did not deserve to raise a child. I for one had learned my lesson and was going to
start a new life away from the hate and revenge.

It was going to be just the three of us. My mother, Amber, and I. That angel gave me hope and a new
start.

I slept on the bed, still circling my scar, waiting for Kim who went upstairs to deliver the suit. After an
hour she walked back with a pile of papers in her hand. From her facial expressions, I could tell
everything was wrong.

She slammed the papers on the bed and folded her arms. "They were willing to settle, you should have
gone with my stupid advice," she yelled on top of her voice.
"Calm down, what happened?"

“That sick psycho threw the papers in my face and asked me to quit!" She yelled. And began pacing the
room. “He is going to use the sex tape to end me, Josh."

I was lost for words, yes I never expected them to just sign and hand the baby to me. I knew we were
going to court but threatening to end my lawyer's career slipped my mind. Brandon Fraser was a
power-obsessed maniac that I knew. He enjoyed taking down people and companies.

My first thought was that he would come for me but I had nothing to my name. The only thing I had was
the family house and him blocking the sale was nothing to me. I was going to get a new job and start
afresh.

But that bastard was well updated, how could I have forgotten about the sex tape. Maybe my life was so
overwhelmed with shit that I forgot about that part. Kim had done so well to rebrand herself and she
was lucky the psycho never persuaded her case to make sure she was stripped from practicing law. The
bar had decided to give a warning and penalty only.

"Josh Josh Josh?" She called me out and I snapped out of my head.

“What exactly did he say?"

“Does that matter? I actually feel sorry for you and no matter how bad someone has been, they do not
deserve to go through what you went through but settle and demand for visitation days," she advised.

I sniffed, she was scared, I could see it in her eyes. Who wouldn't be, considering what those two did to
me but are still free and turned the hospital into their living room.

“Let's say a man did what those animals did to me, they took out your womb and stole your eggs. Would
you go for the money or the baby?" I asked her. She looked away avoiding eye contact.

I chuckled, “I did not think so, that baby is the only baby that I will ever have, and getting two hours a
week or one day is out of the table. I do not need money, I have tasted what money feels and the
happiness I have when I look at that baby is nothing compared to whatever amount that bastard has," I
added.

She swallowed hard, facing me. She wanted to say it but she did not know how to say it. The woman
always loved me unconditionally and it was just unfortunate that I had no feelings for her. I once
destroyed her life and career and I was not going to do it again.

It was selfish of me, I never even apologized after the horror that sex tape did to her. She had just gone
independent and started her law firm and we both knew Brandon Fraser was going to tear it apart and
dig for every skeleton in her closet.

“So what's next?" She asked

“My stance still remains intact, but you are free to go, I will find another lawyer. There are a lot of
lawyers out there who owe me," I lied. Deep down I knew I was cornered. I had no one, no seasoned
lawyer would want to take my case, not after what happened to the previous lawyer or the dirty laundry
my father aired on our last judge.

Brandon ruined those two careers and made it seem like we did it. Kim was all I had, but I had forgotten
about our scandal before I consulted her. She stared at me with pity eyes like she knew that I had no
one.

“Maybe you can talk to Thalia, according to my assessment it looked like Brandon did the thinking for
her," she suggested and moved closer to the bed, taking my hand into hers. “She confessed for the sake
of that baby. If she wanted she would have taken that liver from you without you even knowing like they
did with the sperm but yet they chose not to.

"Did you ask them why?" She asked. She had a point but it was obvious they thought they were above
the law and could get the liver, with or without my consent.

“Talk to her Josh, you two can co-parent that little angel without destroying other people's lives."

“Then they should hand the baby to me."

"Josh you need to look for a job, you do not have the money to hire a babysitter or a nanny. How are you
going to look after her?" she asked.

"Those are the points they will argue against you."

I did not like where she was going with her advice. Thalia needed to pay for her sins just like I paid for my
sins. How special was she that she was supposed to go scot-free?

"Thank you for your advice Kim, I will think about it," I replied.

" Please do, I am not asking you to give up, but when you get that job and enough money then maybe
you can go after her and we both know Brandon won't be around then," she said with a wink. I stared at
her surprised, I never filled her in on his sickness, most of us thought it was a rumor until I saw him.

"Do you have an idea how long he has?" she asked. I nodded my head.

"Then take it as a blessing, take your time, learn something from your father and stop using emotions
before you lose everything." She said and stood up. I only stared at her as she left the room.

She was right, the psycho was dying and I knew Thalia very well but what if she had changed and could
not be manipulated like I used to? Giving them time was risky and could backfire and again striking now
was risky, and I would lose.
I had no lawyer and no money. The list I could hire was an amateur lawyer or on pro bono service which
would be embarrassing. I laid back defeated and pissed, trying to find a way out for both myself and
Amber.

Yesterday I thought it was really easy, maybe there was another way, a criminal record for the two of
them. Getting Thalia to confess again. I was running out of ideas but that was my only way out if a
lawsuit was not going to work.

Time elapsed and I began dozing, not sure for how long but I was only woken up by a poke on my face. I
immediately got up and that irritating pale face stared back at me with a straight face. I flinched and
moved, putting weight on my stitches and wincing in pain. He noted and a sick grin appeared on his face.

“Do you know how I met Thalia?" He asked, surprising me.

I cleared my throat, I was not in the mood to chit-chat with him. But before I could open my mouth he
blocked me. “I met her on an old rusty bridge, we had both gone there to jump to our death," he stated
in a cold tone. I raised my brow in shock, I had wondered how she had managed to bag a rich man like
him.

“She had a very hideous sweater on and was holding a garbage bag of her clothes, I believe you put her
clothes in it and left her to rot."

I only stared at him, my face blank, I had no idea where he was going with his speech.

“I was so pissed at her because she interrupted my suicide, it had taken me days to gather the courage to
jump that was until I learned she was there to jump too because of the shit you did to her. The hell you
put her through when she never did anything to you but love you," he spat out.

I maintained my gaze on him, I did not want to show any sign that I was scared of him. “I thought I paid
for that, why are you bringing the past?" I asked him, trying to hide my shock. Thalia really wanted to
commit suicide.
My daughter was one day going to ask about what transpired between Thalia and myself and the shame
of telling her the truth hit me. I was a horrible person that was the truth.

"I'm just reminding you of the hell you put her through that forced her to put you in hell too," he replied.
“She really wanted you to be put in a position where you walked on foot to that bridge and Jumped."

I looked to my left looking for my phone, I needed to record him.

“Are you looking for this?" He asked, waving my phone. I tried to grab it but he moved. My stitches hurt
and I almost cried out.

“Even if you recorded me I would just hire a hacker to erase it."

"What do you want because I'm not backing out!" I yelled at him.

“I am curious? What would you do if that little angel grew up and a man betrayed her as you did to her
mother?"

He asked a question that I could not bring myself to answer. I only turned and looked away.

He chuckled, “Well guess what? I would cut off that man's balls without blinking. That's why I am a
better father than you!"

I turned to ignore the pain, "You are an animal and Amber would turn out bad if you raised her?"

"Who is Amber?" he inquired.

"Since you two are too stupid to name her, I named her Amber?" I replied.
“keep the stupid name to yourself, we will name her a name that fits her," he replied.

"How much time do you have to live?" I asked and watched as his face turned paler. “It is just a pity that
you will not be there when Thalia rots in prison."

He burst out laughing irritating the life out of me,

“So you think if I die you will be able to lay your hands on that angel, wait a minute," he said and walked
to the door. He opened it and the same guy who earlier said he was the pilot walked in.

“Useless Josh, meet Nestor, this man is going to make sure you jump on that bridge should Thalia see the
inside of a cell. He is my little brother and he gets custody while you and Thalia exchange cell prisons.If
you think I am the devil then you should meet the little devil," he spat out with so much venom.

I stared at the man who had a serious face on, he waved at me but I only kept my face blank, not giving
out any emotions.

“Usually I'm bedridden or in a coma, while he carries out the hell on you," the psycho stated with a
smile.

“You do not scare me, your threats won't work. You have to kill me if you want to shut my mouth!"

“I think he is going for a criminal case," the young man stated while staring at me like he was reading my
mind.

“What criminal case? We never did anything criminal to him," the psycho joked.

“You caused that bloody accident! Thalia confessed and she will have to lie under oath!" I yelled.
"What accident?" The young man asked.

"I think he is talking about the accident where his father hired men and doctors to cut off his testes so
that he could sleep with his wife and steal the company under him," the psycho replied.

I stared at them shocked

"Ooh yeah, and his father ordered the doctor to lie to him about the operation. Boss, did you order any
doctors to lie to him?" The Young man asked.

"No no, we can call that doctor and ask him if I did, in fact, even his wife knew about it but she plotted
with his father so that she could carry a Nelson in her womb."

Rage filled me up as I was subjected to hearing how they planned to spin everything on my stupid father.
I began breathing erratically, I wanted to strangle them, I wanted to kill them but they were far from my
reach.

“Your father dug your grave and if I were you I would jump in and bury myself," the young man stated
and led the way while the psycho walked behind waving at me with a sick grin on his face.

My monitors began flashing, and the nurses rushed in trying to calm me down. As they injected me with
what I could only assume was going to put me to sleep. A tear dropped, they could easily frame my
father.

The story was believable and there was no way Thalia was not going to go with them or maybe she was
the one that sent them. I wanted my father to rot in hell but not at the cost of losing my Amber, I needed
to think fast, there was probably a loop in their plot that I could counterattack them but sleep washed
over me.Thalia's Pov
My baby was in my arms and my breast in her small mouth as I sat in my hospital bed. I always wanted to
be a mother, and it was because of that goal that I lost everything. However, I had closed that chapter
and was holding the new one in my arms. Maggie sat in the chair across from me, advising and
instructing me on all aspects of parenthood. I'm not sure how I would have survived without her.

They let me breastfeed my baby a week ago, but she had been away from me for too long and had no
concept of how to suck on my breast. When I tried to feed her, she would move away.

I was about to cry because I felt she had rejected me. After all, she only wanted to be fed from a bottle,
but Maggie was there to teach me, and the baby eventually learned with patience.

She would smile every time I slid my breasts in her little mouth. Sometimes I would even do it when she
was full, receiving a scolding from Maggie. That was the joy of a mother and I did not care whether my
boobs were going to shrink or not but I nearly lost her and bottle feeding was out of the question.

I could not understand how some mothers never enjoyed the art of breastfeeding, I was enjoying it but
sometimes I pumped into the bottle for Bradon who liked feeding her. It was something that he did
every time after his session, together with uncle Nestor. He was getting used to being called Uncle
Nestor.

As for Josh, I had not seen him or his lawyer. He got discharged the other week and he visited the baby
when we were all asleep. We were lucky we had guards everywhere and he had to plead with Nestor to
allow him.

It became his trend for the past week, he was avoiding Brandon and Me. He never wanted to see our
faces. I heard he named my baby Amber. It was not a bad name but he had no right to name her plus
Brandon insisted he had slept with a lot of Ambers so we rejected the name.

Josh even had the audacity to ask for my daughter's birth certificate so as to put the stupid name.
However, thanks to Brandon, he shut him up and dared him to sue us. I waited for the lawsuit but just
like the last threat we never received a court date.
Every time I asked Brandon what threats he used he would ask me to concentrate on the baby while I
left Josh to him. He swore he was not doing anything illegal so I dropped it.

What was more irritating was the fact that Josh always knew when I was asleep, sometimes I thought
Nestor was helping or Maggie but I never brought it up because Brandon would not spare them and he
had become so close with Nestor that sometimes they were inseparable.

Out of nowhere, the two became obsessed with video games and they would play every time Brandon
was having a session. Sometimes I was jealous, I was used to Brandon making me the center of his
attention so I learned to play and I would join in when I was not busy with office work.

I was officially discharged but chose to stay and wait for my baby so the hospital became my home
somehow and work was piling up at work so I had to work from the hospital.

But the special moments were when the baby was brought to me, I cherished every moment and finally,
I got an idea for her name. I was very sure Brandon had not slept with a girl with that name. If he was so
cautious about naming our girl with any name I was very sure when he was manwhore he was so
particular with that name too.

With the baby in my arms, I sneaked to the top floor as soon as Maggie took her leave. The nurses
always hated it when I did that but the little angel was no longer in ICU, and Brandon's room was very
sterile, Nestor made sure of it.

I walked in and found them in a heated football game, Brandon was losing and he was very worked up. I
greeted them but they did not even spare me a glance. I waved again and when they completely ignored
me I walked straight in front of the screen.

"Thalia what are you doing?" they both yelled at me.

"I need your attention," I replied.

"Thalia, later, can't you see that we are busy? Move now!" Brandon yelled at me.

“I have finally come up with a name but if you are busy then it's okay I will just name her alone," I replied
and began moving away.

"Yes finally, calling her baby was getting on my nerves," Nestor replied, putting the pad away. At least I
got his attention. However, Brandon still had the pad in his hands as he stared at me.

"What's the name?" Nestor asked?

I cleared my throat and began explaining, "We all know the reason why the baby has no name? It is
because someone in here used to sleep around so bad that they literally slept with every girl in this
town," I stated.

“Except for you, Jessica, and Maggie," Brandon replied.

“That's disgusting," Nestor shot some daggas in Brandon's direction for putting his mother on the list.

“So we are only left with one name and I'm sure he has never slept with this name," I said in excitement.
I was expecting them to begin giving me names but they were blank.

“Brandon, have you ever slept with a girl named Kendra?" I asked.

He stared at me still confused, Nestor smiled, he caught up faster while Brandon took longer to register.
When it finally pooped he dropped the pad and emotions filled his face.

“I do not know how we never thought about it and from what I have heard I think your mother was a
good woman. So I want our daughter to be named after your mother Brandon."
A tear dropped on his face, “No, I do not believe I have slept with Kendra before, that was always a
turn-off," he finally replied wiping his tears.

I moved to the bed and took a seat, “Then it's final, Brandon Fraser, meet Kendra Fraser," I said, handing
the baby to him. He was literally shaking, I could only guess that the name brought so much emotion and
memories for him. Nestor always said he was a Mummy's boy. “Thalia… are you sure?" He stammered.

"Very sure, I want her to be named after your mother. You made me rethink my decision about life and
it's all thanks to the woman that raised you," I replied and moved on top of the bed holding him. He
wiped his tears, “There seems to be something in my eye," he lied. I looked up in Nestor's direction, we
both knew how he hated pouring out his emotions publically.

"Thalia I never did anything that I did not benefit from," he replied.

“Whether you unintentionally helped me or not, that does not hide the big heart you have inside in
there," I pointed at his chest.

“No wait Thalia, I'm a very evil man."

Before he could finish, I placed my hand on his mouth. He was not going to ruin the beautiful naming
moment. He always did that, trying to reflect and hiding his emotions with the wrong things he did.

“A bad person would not have allowed Josh near the baby but you allow him every night. Deep down
there is a big heart somewhere," I replied.

He chuckled and smiled, and turned his attention to the baby that had her brown eyes fixed on him. “Hi
Kendra?" he waved at her. She smiled like she had heard his voice or something, forcing his eyes to shed
more tears.

She was his Princess and it was just a pity that he was running out of time. Previously, Several ideas had
popped in my head about his condition and I did not like where my ideas landed, he wouldn't agree so I
kept my mouth shut and waited for us to first get discharged.

“Hell Kendra?" Nestor moved over, waving and snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Now we have to get the doctor to discharge us, this hospital is killing me."

“Soon we will go home, we have not talked about this but I think we should go to the city mansion,"
Brandon announced, his eyes fixed on Kendra.

Nestor stared at me surprised, we both stayed quiet and watched as he played with the baby. He noted
our quietness and looked up. “The beach house was meant to be a sex dungeon and my daughter will
not be raised there," he stated and went on to play with her.

“Of course, of course," I replied.

There was a way in which he said it and I knew it had nothing to do with the place being a sex dungeon
but I had no idea what. Maybe he was trying to run away from the bad memories the place held even
though it had a lot of good memories as well.

I moved closer to him and cuddled him, “Is it okay if I redecorated the place, it looks like a 1950s house,"
I stated

"My mother decorated it," he replied.

I felt a lump in my throat, while I waited for the embarrassment to wash over me.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…?"

"It's fine and you are right, the place is too dull to raise a child in, you can add some colors," he replied.

"Are you sure? Your mother's memories and everything?"

“Mum always wanted to redecorate that place but dad was so old-fashioned. He was always talking
about heritage and maintaining the house as it was when it was handed to him," he explained.

It was the first time that he was going into details about his family, especially his father, he never talked
about his father. He once talked about his mother and her morning breakfast but never his father.
Nestor took a seat and we listened as he talked about his family, even Kendra had her little eyes focused
on him like she was listening to him.

Another week passed and we were finally discharged. I was so excited, Kendra was going to be sleeping
in a normal house, surrounded by family. Nestor was busy getting Brandon transferred into the house
while I and Brandon were packing my stuff and busy singing to ourselves.

We found that singing to a baby increases a baby's laughter and happiness so we taught ourselves a lot
of baby songs. We were still looking for a Nanny and Brandon was in charge of that, he was good at
reading people and spying so I trusted him to find someone we could trust with Kendra. Maggie was in
love and high in the clouds.

She and Wilfred were arranging a trip to Italy and we did not want to hinder her happiness. She had
spent so many years looking after Brandon and his family and it was time for her to live her life. So we let
her be.

We finished packing and we were about to walk out when Josh burst into my room ruining our moods.

"My baby is getting discharged and you did not have the decency to inform me!" he yelled.

“You never left your number," Brandon replied.

“Shut up!" Josh yelled at him. “Where are you taking Amber? Are you going to hide her from me!"

Brandon moved and placed himself between Josh and me. ”Her name is Kendra, we named her after my
mother," Brandon mocked.

"Are you stupid! You are not the father, I will sue you for the name, I'm the biological father?"

"And that's what you will only be," Brandon replied.

There was going to be a bloodbath and could smell it as both men folded their arms into fists. Nestor was
nowhere too near, I put the baby on the bed and moved in between them.

"It's funny how you really want this baby when you made it your life mission to make sure I never had
your child," I spat out. He looked away but yelled at him to look into my eyes.

“We are not going into hiding, we will be living in Brandon's Mansion, Pine vine 246, 1st street" I replied
with so much venom. Brandon held my back and tried to speak but raised my hand to stop him.

"The doors are always open if you want to see Kendra and respect her name or if you want to serve us
any lawsuit," I added.

He stared at me breathing heavily, possibly tongue-tied. They were both not expecting me to hear the
words that came out of my mouth. “You have two minutes to say goodbye to her or do you prefer
arguing with my boyfriend and scaring the shit out of KENDRA."

"I'm going to sue for that useless name," he replied probably because he was too ashamed that I was not
tapping in his anger for me.
"You know where to find us," I replied.

He moved to the bed and picked up the baby. I and Brandon Maintained our positions without glancing
at him. I was breathing heavily, Brandon moved closer and wrapped his arms around me.

I relaxed a bit as I continued to count the two minutes in my head. We could hear him promising to take
her away from us, he even dared to swear. My tummy tightened up, it took great restraint for me not to
turn around and slap the shit out of him.

The two minutes clocked and I turned marching to where he was standing and yanked the baby out of
arms without warning. I could only guess the force was too much and it scared Kendra a bit, she cried
out and that was the only thing that stopped him from yanking her back from me.

"You could have hurt her;" he yelled at me but I ignored him and disappeared through the door. It was
suffocating that I had to stomach his presence but there was a limit to my maturity. I could hear Brandon
following me but I did not turn around until we both entered the elevator.

"Why on earth would you give him our address?" Brandon asked.

“He does not have the balls to sue us and neither does he have the balls to be seeing my face every day.
We remind him of the things we took from him, things that he can never take back," I replied.Jessica's
Pov

My baby bump had begun showing, I was putting on a lot of weight, weight that I had worked hard to
maintain my entire life. Any woman in my shoes would have aborted and hit the road but I had nowhere
to go or how to start a new life.

I never went to college and neither did I graduate high school, I never got the opportunity. Selling my
body was what put food on my table and over my dead body was I going back to that.

The baby was my future, I had thought about it very much. No matter how ugly it was, it was going to
put food on my table.

I accepted the fact that Josh and I were never going to get back. To hell with him, after all the idiot was
the reason I was in my current situation. I was yet to sign the divorce papers, I was somehow punishing
him and I planned to contest the house.

I did my research on the internet. I was carrying a family member and the ugly thing inside of me
deserved part of the house. Those were my terms I set up for the divorce hearing next week. For the first
time, I was going to show up and demand my own terms whether the judge granted the house or not.

As for Victor, he was going to get the child support summons whether he liked it or not. He was not
going to hide for long, soon he was going to step up and face the consequences of his stupid plan. And
the bill was not going to be small, the child support was going to be covering and maintaining my luxury
life. I knew without that life I was not going to see a new man to feed me.

Victor was just a stepping stone, if there was one thing I learned from my late stupid mother was that if
life handed you lemons, you turn them into lemonade. I was a survivor and was not going to late a low
point in life define me.

Being locked up in the house turned me into a social media addict. To be honest I was only there to
check on my scandal. Getting pregnant for my father-in-law was out of an Alabama horror show. My face
was still trending while Victor's face disappeared off the sites.

A woman always got the worse, I was the whore and it was fellow women tagging me that tag, not men.
Through memorial time we were always our own enemies and I was not surprised. My fellow women
opened me up and kept my image trending, not that I cared. Sometimes I read the comments and
stalked the profiles of those that made the hideous comments.

It was through reading those comments that I came across a man's comment asking to buy the clothes I
wore while fucking Victor. I had scoffed but then opened my eyes to an opportunity in front of me. I had
inboxed him and inquired if he was serious. To my shock, he wanted everything up to my underwear for
two thousand dollars.
Using my instincts I deduced he was a sick pervert so I raised it to three thousand. I knew I was biting on
my luck but I needed the money. I had no idea when Josh was going to throw me out of the house. I was
even surprised that he had stopped trying to get me out even though the sale sign was outside. Plus my
contest against the house was going to take months.

I was running out of food, I had no car, all our luxury vehicles were sold or auctioned out to pay our debt.
I needed the money, it took a day for the pervert to reply and he accepted. I was literally jumping, the
world was full of such weirdos and I decided to capitalize on it. So I set up a website and named it the
in-law affair.

In days I had thousands of followers, weirdos, willing to buy anything I wanted. I was turning my lemons
into lemonade, my misfortune into fortune, I was going to survive. Some clothes I hung on them for big
sales but the good part was that some buyers only wanted to hear about my intimate sessions with
Victor.

Some even suggested I write a book, filthy always sold so I began setting up funds for such and searching
for a ghostwriter. People wanted to hear my side of the story and I was not going to disappoint. Even if
everything flopped and my book did not work out, Victor was my plan B.

A week passed and the day for the divorce hearing came, I was prepared and decided to show up.
Money from the sales allowed me to hire a lawyer and I bought myself a low-standard car. I had not seen
Josh for weeks, it was going to be difficult to face him but I was determined.

My lawyer was a bit late as we walked into the courtroom but we found it empty. Josh and his lawyers
were nowhere in sight. At first, I thought I got the wrong room forcing me to counter-check but it turned
out that Josh and his useless lawyer decided not to show up. It was after an hour that his lawyer showed
up but Josh was nowhere to be seen.

It was surprising considering how much he wanted to get rid of me. The judge was so pissed with us, he
found us to be childish and he walked out of the room requesting we sort out our shit before wasting his
time. I could not blame him, the last sessions, I was the one who never showed up.

A small smile crept on my face but I was worried, I couldn't help but I felt Josh was in trouble or
something. So I pestered his lawyer for his number but as soon as he heard my voice he turned the
phone off. I was forced to write him a message, reminding him of the court day but even though he did
not reply I could feel something was wrong.

So I began searching for his new apartment which turned out to be a dead end. Maybe he had moved
out of town I thought to myself but a gut feeling said something was wrong. Then I remembered his
mother, if he was out of town, he was going to take her with him. He loved that old woman even though
she had no memory of him.

So the following day I drove to her care home to find out and if I was lucky I was going to bump into him.
Plus if I was going to find out where he lived in case he has not moved, the care home was the best place
because it was obvious he was registered as her Guardian.

I walked into the place and my skin crawled, I felt like vomiting, the place smelled of old people, old
stinking people. If I was not curious about Josh I would have run out but I had no option but to take it
and walk in.

I asked for Sharon and I was informed she was in the garden but. After searching I finally landed my eyes
on the old woman, sitting on the bench. The sad part of it all was that I had to play nice, with a box of
cookies, I walked up to her and took a seat. She looked up at me, “hello Sharon how are you doing?"

"Do I know you?" She asked. She was always mean, she deserved being locked up in the sticking place, I
thought to myself.

“Am your son's wi… I mean friend," I replied.

"I do not have a son, you probably have me mixed up with someone else," she replied in a sad tone. “He
promised to come and get me from this hell house but he never came for me, I think he is dead and they
are hiding it from me," she added.

She was worse than I thought, the alcohol and drugs had fried her real bad. She was useless, how was I
going to get any answers from her? She looked away and went on with reading her magazine. I was hit
with a roadblock but I was not going to give up.
“My apologies, I thought the man that is always visiting was your son," I replied and began describing his
features.

She turned to face me with a smile, "ooh you mean Josh? No no, he is not my son, he is very famous and
my friend. He has a lot of scandals and is always in the papers" she replied and moved closer to me,
urging me to tilt my head to her so she could whisper something to me.

I tilted and she whispered, “Did you know that the bitch of his wife slept with his father and they are
now expecting a child together?"

I nodded and swallowed hard, as she went on insulting me, it looked like the only memory that her fried
head could keep was my scandal.

“I already know that Sharon," I almost yelled just to shut her up. She moved away irritated, “Then I will
not tell you what his first wife did to him, poor man" she replied.

I was getting irritated, I wanted to smack her gossiping face, she could not remember her son's face but
yet she remembered all his shit.

“You do not know everything because he only told me, it's not in the newspapers, he only told me," she
said and folded her arms.

I became curious, our dirty laundry was aired, what was she talking about?

“My apologies, yes you are right I do not know everything please tell me what I do not know," I stated.
Maybe she knew where he was and that was the secret she was talking about. She turned in excitement
and ordered me to tilt my head again.

"Josh has a daughter," she spat out and quickly placed her hand in her pocket, removing a picture of a
beautiful baby.

“They stole his sperm, the first wife stole his sperm in Canada," she added. For unknown reasons, her
heart skipped a bit as I looked at a picture of a baby in front of me. I could see Thalia all over the baby's
face, no DNA was needed.

My hands began shaking, yes Thalia was pregnant and it looked like she had given birth but the woman
in front of me was talking about stolen sperm, Canada plus Josh in the same sentence.

“I told you the news was not in the magazines," the woman grinned.

“Who stole sperm?" I asked.

*shshsh, Josh only told me, do not to let the others hear, his first wife caused his accident in Canada and
stole his sperm before they did that operation on him and she inserted the sperm in herself," the old
woman replied.

The world froze in front of me, the woman in front of me was crazy and probably making up everything
that was coming out of my mouth. She was lying, there was no way Thalia would Impregnate herself with
Josh's sperm, she hated Josh, she wanted Josh to be destroyed.

I looked at the baby again and that's when I saw the ears and the mouth area. A combination of Josh and
Thalia or were my eyes playing games with me and wanted me to believe the madwoman in front of me
so badly.

"Where… where is Josh?"

"At the hospital, they did not tell him the beautiful angel was getting discharged so he ran there instead
of going to court to divorce that bitch," the woman said.
I quickly got up, my heart beating with the photo in my hand. Her story explained why he would miss
court even though it never made sense. I ran out of the house ignoring her pleas for the photo.

I got in the car and sped off to the hospital. It wasn't far from where I was. My head was telling me it was
all lies but a small part of me was telling me to ask Josh. Only he was in the position to explain.

In minutes I was at the hospital, I ran in like a madwoman even though the hospital was massive and I
had no idea where to find Thalia but then the elevator opened and I caught a glimpse of Thalia forcing
me to hide behind a flower pot. She was with a man and holding a baby in her arms.

They were laughing and happy, I could only guess the man was Brandon Fraser. He looked ordinary in
casual clothes, the man that was our downfall, the man that ripped my happiness away from me and
forced me into the mess I was.

The urge to jump and cut his face with my nails filled me but four built-up security men popped out of
nowhere forcing me to back off. They led the couple into a car and sped off.

A tear dropped, Thalia ended up everything, she was rich and powerful, while I was a whore selling the
clothes I fucked my father-in-law in on the internet.

I began wiping my tears and that's when Josh popped up, his eyes searching like he was looking for
them. He had a pink baby head sock in his hands. I quickly sprung from where I was hiding, almost
scaring the shit out of him.

“Jessica, what are you doing here?"

I swallowed hard, “today was our divorce hearing I showed up but you did not…," I replied not knowing
where to start from.

He gritted his teeth and held his head, he looked like he had not slept for days.
“I was busy," he replied.

I chuckled, “What is more important than getting rid of me?"

“Jessica I have no time for you," he said and tried to move.

"Thalia and her boyfriend already left if they are the ones you are looking for," I replied while looking in
his hands.

He sighed like he was defeated

“Is that a baby head sock?" I asked.

He almost rolled his eyes and began walking away, my face made him want to vomit, he couldn't even
hide it.

“Is the baby yours?... Are you the father of Thalia's baby?" I finally asked the question bugging me. “Did
she cause the accident and steal your sperm?"

He looked at me surprised, “Who told you that?"

"Does it matter? Please Josh tell me if that bitch caused that skiing accident. I always blame myself for
forcing you to go to Canada… so please tell me that it was not my fault," I cried out.

“Jessica, go home," he replied.

“Every shit started from Canada, it's there where I agreed to lie to you about the operation. I always
thought maybe if I did not lie and we told you the truth I would not be the whore I am today," I tried to
up my game and it worked.

He closed his eyes, “Yes Thalia caused that accident, stole my sperm, and inseminated herself," he
replied.

My brain stopped and a wave of dizziness overwhelmed me, I could not stand on my feet. Josh ran to me
and held me, everything started from Canada, it was Thalia, she ruined my life. My lemonade turned
back into lemons.Josh's Pov

As much as I did not want to touch her, I had no option, she was going to slam to the ground and lose
that bastard in her. Not that I cared but that thing inside her needed to be a constant reminder of the
whore she was. I gently led her to a bench and helped her take a seat.

“Should I call a nurse or someone?" I asked.

"No, no, no," she replied, trying to come to terms with what I said. “So she planned everything, even
your operation?" She asked, still in shock. I nodded my head, I did not want to talk about Canada, I
wanted to get out of the hospital and counter-check if the address Thalia gave me was correct.

“But why? Why would she cut off your testicles? Have you reported her to the police? Why was she not
going out of here in cuffs?"

“Because you helped her! You and my stupid father made her job easy!" I yelled at her.

She looked up at me in more shock, her face was all sweaty and her breathing had changed. She
swallowed hard, “do not say that, yes I am to blame for some shit but I could never help that bitch, I
could never even if my life depended on it."

"If you had only come out clean, Thalia and that psycho knew about my inability to sire a child but they
never used it, even when that fool of my father announced it. Do you know why?" I yelled at her.
“I do not know, how should I know?"

"Because you and my father are dumb, let me explain it to you, even if you succeeded In passing that pig
in you as my child, it was never going to inherit anything because the inheritance clearly declared that
my first child with my firsts spouse," I replied. She glanced at me more confused. She was really dull, no
wonder it was easy for my father to manipulate her.

“Thalia is my first spouse, she stole the sperms and made me impotent so that she could have that one
child, the heir," I explained to her. Her mouth hung open, as tears began dripping from her eyes. Reality
hit her, she opened her legs for my father in vain. Her bastard was never going to get shit, Thalia was ten
steps ahead of us and we were all fools. I took a seat and wiped my brow.

"Did you know that? … Was Victor aware of that?" She stumbled.

As much as I wanted to lie, I could not, “No one was aware, not even our stupid lawyers who we used to
pay millions. The word first skipped our eyes but somehow that psycho noticed it" I replied.

She looked away, her face tense and hard like a rock. There was tense silence like she was thinking.

“According to them my father caused the accident in order to get my wife pregnant and force me to
change the clauses," I added.

She quickly turned and pressed her dirty hands on my thighs, "That's a lie, she is lying, we only lied to
you because Victor thought you couldn't handle the truth considering how much children meant to you,"

"You should have told me!" I yelled at her.

She chuckled, "We all know how weak and a coward you are, no offense but you wouldn't have changed
those clauses," she replied.
"I would have changed to myself or my father or even maybe you. Maybe we would have fucking
adopted and changed to that!" I yelled at her. "If I had a caring family that loved me and not because of
the stupid shares, they would have pulled me out of whatever hell I would have gone into!" I yelled on
top of my voice, attracting the attention of people passing by.

She only looked away, she knew she played into Thalia's game, it was our weakness that Brandon Fraser
fed on, I was the coward that gave up easily while she and my father were money-loving idiots that cared
about nothing else but money. They could not see a trap set in front of them because their heads were
full of cobwebs.

“Okay, we all got played but let's not forget about the animal that cut off your testicles… So you are not
pressing charges, you are going to let them scot-free?"

“I have my own way of dealing with this, I do not need your help," I replied and moved her fifth hand off
of me.

"Josh, we have to take them on, we have to make sure they rot in prison. We have to call Victor, he can
help," she suggested.

At the mention of victor, my blood and I stood up. She quickly followed suit. At the back of her stupid
brain, she thought we were a team. We were not a team, not then and not in the future.

"I'm sorry, no Victor but you and I can take her on, all this while we never had them cornered we now
have that useless woman, she committed a crime," she said, almost biting her own words.

"Jessica I do not need your help," I said while walking away. I had overstayed and needed to get going.

"No no Josh, I can help you, I can make Thalia confess and put her on recording."
I turned, “Thalia already confessed and asked forgiveness. How do you think I found out about Canada?"

"What but you said they want to pin Canada on Victor and me"

“She confessed because the baby needed a liver donation, I was the only one eligible for donation."

“Please tell me you did not donate, please Josh… that was the only card you had to finish them."

"Why should I punish my princess for her mothers' crime?" I asked.

She burst out laughing and began clapping like a madwoman. "You are so stupid Josh, you are a fool! She
played you, you should have sat back and watched that ugly baby die, watched her suffer, that was the
greatest revenge!" She spat out.

I moved towards her without thinking and pinned her against the wall without the care in the world,
“That ugly thing is my daughter, she is innocent in all this shit. At least Thalia had the heart to tell me
who the father was even if it risked her rotting in jail but you fucked my father and sealed your mouth!" I
yelled at her.

"She cut your balls, Josh, remember that she cut your balls!" She yelled back.

A small crowd had started gathering and was watching us. I resented the woman to the point that I
found myself defending the evil Thalia did to me. A security guard walked up to us, forcing me to let go
of her.

"Are you alright ma'am?" The guard asked her.

"I'm fine, did I ask for your help?" She replied.

I began walking away hoping to get rid of her but she ran after me. I kept ignoring her. "Josh, she is using
that thing called a baby to control you, she needs to rot in jail," she kept insisting. “You think they are
going to let you have custody? You think they are that stupid, you should not have donated the liver!"

I turned and pointed my finger at her belly, "Why have you not aborted that abomination growing
inside?"

She kept quiet and looked away.

“That little angel is the best thing that has ever happened to my pathetic life. Every time she smiles at
me, she gives me hope to live and forget all the hell I have been through. That's why I donated, it had
nothing to do with her mother or that psycho of her boyfriend." I replied.

"But you hated Thalia, you never wanted a child with her? You made sure of that, you always said she
was too dumb to carry your child," she reminded me. I only looked away, I waved my hand for a taxi and
quickly got in without glancing behind. How dare she demand I kill my Princess while she had a monster
growing inside of her.

The taxi driver snapped me out of my thoughts and asked where to. I gave him the address Thalia gave
me. I wanted to make sure she was not lying and did not give me the wrong address. In minutes the
driver stopped and I got out in front of a huge mansion. I had no idea if I was supposed to get in or wait.
A car came from behind me and stopped, the driver dropped the window and It was the pilot.

"Shouldn't you be home preparing your case against us?" he mocked.

"I just came to make sure Thalia has brought my baby here."

"Ooh I see, are you going to get in?" He asked, surprising me.

The little devil was so conniving, when he was with his boss he was always mean or just staring at me but
when he was alone with me he was nice and seemed to be the only human among their evil trio group.
He was the one that made my hospital visits easy. I had found it difficult to visit Amber while she was
either with Thalia or Brandon. I just couldn't face them, not with the possibility that they would one day
get away with what they did to me. That reality was sinking in. Jessica was right about using the liver to
bargain but I was not going to allow my only child to suffer for my mistakes in life.

But the man staring at me would text me every time Thalia was asleep and I would sneak in and visit my
little angel.

I had once asked him if he was not risking his job or why he was doing such when he had threatened to
end me or take over when the psycho died and to his defense, he said he did not need to be mean for
him to deal with me. He was naturally a nice person from my evaluation but I could not get why he
worked for a man like Brandon Fraser.

“Get in," he said.

I looked at him surprised

"Don't you want to see Kendra?" He asked

I really hated that name, I was going to make sure I get the name changed. But I was not going to bump
into those fools. He noticed my hesitation and chuckled. " I will take you to the other side of the house,
the two psychos won't know about it!" he winked.

Ever since I called Brandon a psycho, he has been imitating me. I slowly got in and he drove to the back
house. I followed him into the house and he asked me to get comfortable. I couldn't help but feel like I
was getting set up.

Yes, he was helping me with the hospital visits but what if it was a plan? It was always a plan with
Brandon Fraser even when I used my brain it was always his plan. It was like he was in my head and
would tell how I would react to certain situations.
I sat in the chair wondering whether to run or stay. I looked at my watch and that's when I realized that I
had been in the room for over an hour. I got up regretting it, I texted him but got no reply. I was about to
leave and that's when he walked in with Amber in his arms.

“I was waiting for Thalia to call it a night, I'm on night duty," he said and handed me the baby.

I was overwhelmed with emotions as a smile crept on my face.

“That smile is why I make it easy for you to see her," he said.

I looked up at him and decided not to reply.

"You guys can handle this situation in a civilized way without hating each other. Ain't you tired of
destroying each other's lives?" he asked.

“They couldn't even let me name her and you want me not to fight for my Amber?" I asked him.

He kept quiet, he took a chair and sat near the door. He did not trust me but yet he was willing to risk it
all.

“Fine have it your way but should you betray my kindness, I will make you blind, destroy the sensory
endings in hands making it impossible for you to see or touch the Princess in your arms," he stated with a
blank stare.Thalia's Pov

I was slowly familiarizing myself with the house, Brandon had allowed me to redecorate it the way I
wanted, and bit by bit it was turning into a warm home. We moved in some two weeks ago and Kendra
was still adapting to the new environment. But she was getting there, just like Brandon who could not
get his hands off her.
One would think he was the biological father, it was wonderful watching him play with her and
sometimes I closed my eyes and wished my eyes could always be subjected to such scenes but I knew
that was wishful thinking. We were living on borrowed time.

We were practically living like a couple just like the beach house, we moved into the same bedroom. But
on second thought we were a couple but not just married. He was my boyfriend while I was his girlfriend.

But something was getting to me, if I remembered correctly I made a bet with him to live and see the
baby in exchange for sex. It was common knowledge that he always wanted to sleep with me but ever
since we got home, he never made an attempt or talked about it. It was getting to me and I began
thinking that he was no longer attracted to me.

Or maybe he was waiting for me to heal or something. I would comfort myself but even his naughty
comments were gone. We were like a couple who had lived together for years and were only waiting for
death. We would kiss quite alright but I felt I was supposed to be fighting with him over the sex issues.

I understood the first week because I was healing but more than six weeks had passed since I gave birth
and I was beginning to worry. Maybe it was like everyone's love story, where they become bored once
they got the trophy. That explained his sudden change in appetite for me. He had me and there was no
need to fight or impress me.

I stocked up my files and decided to face him. It was not like I was horny but I missed the attention, I
missed his naughty words or him comparing the size with Josh's. I walked downstairs and found him
yelling at the maid.

We finally hired a maid, that was after a week that we had moved in after a background check and
scrutiny by Brandon. Her name was June, she was in her forties and a mother of two teenagers. She was
a lovely lady but Brandon seemed to find everything wrong in everything that she did. He even once
suggested firing her after one day just because she forgot to put back the bag in Kendra's room.

He looked up and noticed my presence, giving me a faint smile; “Hey, I did not see you there," he said
and dismissed the poor woman.
"What has she done now?"

"She forgot to feed Kendra."

"For how long?" I asked with raised eyebrows.

"Five minutes," he replied like it was ten hours.

I wanted to roll my eyes but I contained myself.

"Thalia the baby was starving while she was taking a poop," he replied. I held my mouth wide open, He
was crazier than I thought. He just made the maid confess that she was pooping. I did not want any
details so I ignored his statement and walked to him, taking a seat on his lap.

My brouse was quite revealing and I was taking advantage of the fact that he was once obsessed with my
cleavage. I wanted to test him before I brought up the topic.%

“Just give her time, she is adapting. If you keep following her every move she will keep messing up," I
replied and kissed him.

“I just can't help but feel that I chose the wrong person, there is something about her Thalia," he replied
with a serious face without glancing at my cleavage. It was disappointing I thought to myself, the old
Brandon would have undressed and devoid me.

Something was wrong but I had no idea how to start the topic without seeming horny or desperate. I
cleared my throat, “Then you just have to keep an eye on her at a distance, give her space," I replied.

“Would you move a bit, my legs…" he stated.

I quickly got up embarrassed, because of my hornyness I forgot about his illness. Guilt washed over me
and I wanted to crawl into a hole. Maybe that's why his mood was not on sex. The last blood slide
showed that mutation was progressing at a faster rate than the filtration, we were running on a flat line.
“I'm sorry did I hurt you?" I asked.

“No, I'm just fatigued," he replied. Before I could say anything he quickly changed the topic, he never
liked talking about how the machine was falling, I understood him, he was living in the moment.

"Is it not weird that Josh has not served us with a court hearing or that he never comes to visit Kendra?"
He asked.

Now that he brought it up, it was weird or maybe he had gone to ask his father for help or something.
“Let's just enjoy these weeks without him, I told you he was going to find it difficult visiting her," I
replied.

He kept quiet like he was thinking, “No Thalia something is wrong, I will have to resume spying on him,"
he replied.

I could not believe what came out of his mouth. I do not know why but I felt like he was trying to find
every excuse to keep himself busy and away from me.

"Brandon?"

"Yes?" he replied.

"Can I take you out to dinner tomorrow? Just the two of us?" I asked.

He froze for a second and stared at me with a smile.

“We have never gone on a date," I made him aware while biting my nails. It was my first time asking a
man out and I could only hope that I was not sounding desperate.

“Of course Thalia, I would love to go on a date with you," he replied. I quickly got up and ran into his
arms in excitement. “I promise you this is going to be the best night of your life." I traced kisses all over
him without a care in the world. He was mine but yet he felt like a stranger on some days.

“And where are you taking me?"

"That's my secret, it is going to be a surprise," I placed a kiss on his lips.

“It's a date then," he said.

I was so excited, if he was not going to step up then I was going to step up and make the last of our days
memorable.

June walked back with Kendra in her arms, “she is all full," she said, handing her to me. "Thank you June,
you can have your rest," I replied while my eyes were focused on Brandon. He had one of those
intimidating stares focused on the poor nanny.

I knew he wanted to say something but for my sake he kept quiet. The nanny only nodded and excused
herself, "Come on Brandon, give her a break."

"Thalia, there is something about her," he said. I ignored him and walked upstairs with my Kendra. I
needed to make plans for the special night without disturbance. I placed the baby in the cradle, she was
always going to sleep by herself when she was full.

I gave her a big kiss on the forehead and began making the arrangements. I wanted it to be a special
night for us and if I was lucky we were going to spend a night in each other's arms.

But first I needed to talk to Nestor, he and Brandon were very close. Maybe the two talked about some
things that Brandon felt he could not talk to me about. He was not home, Brandon had sent him to run
errands and he usually came back in the night.

Sometimes I was usually asleep and rarely had not time to catch up with him. Office work always
draining me, I was still working from home, I had gotten used to it. Brandon and I made a decision to
only go back when Kendra was a year old.

After I made the arrangements I helped Brandon get hooked to the machine and stayed with him until
he dozed off. Dr. Wilson had suggested we increase his session to ten hours to counterattack the
mutation but I declined.

The machine was already taking a toll on him. What I did not want was reaching a twenty-four session
making his body solely dependent on the machine. Brandon would rather die than become dependent
on the machine. I was already formulating plan B should his condition go to worse.

I had no idea how but I found myself dozing too and was only woken up by the sound of Kendra crying. I
looked over to Brandon and found him fast asleep. A knock came at the door, I rose from the bed and
quickly picked up Kendra. My initial thought was that it was June but when I opened the door I was
surprised to find Nestor.

*Evening Thalia, I heard her crying and thought I should keep her company," he said.

“ooh my God was she crying for long? I really think I overslept."

“I do not think so, June would have heard her," he said and took Kedra out of my arms.

“Thank you, but are you sure you are not tired?" I asked.

"No no no, uncle Nestor is never tired," he winked at me and left. I really wanted to talk to him about
Brandon but before I could open my mouth, he was already downstairs. He must have really missed
Kendra, I thought to myself. I decided to take a shower then join him before I prepared super.
I quickly ran to the bathroom and washed up, when I was done, Brandon was still fast asleep. The
machine was really draining him. I kissed him on the forehead and walked downstairs to the back door
where Nestor lived in the quarter. I couldn't understand how he came up with that decision when the
house was full of a lot of rooms. Maybe he needed the privacy or maybe he was giving Brandon and me
the privacy.

I walked to the back door and found it open. I was so busy on my phone replying to the arrangements I
had made for the following night when I heard familiar laughter. Even in my next life, I would still
remember that sick irritating laughter. I froze in my tracks and tried to process if what I was hearing was
correct.

I tiptoed to the quarter, with my heart beating fast, but when I heard his voice again, I quickly burst into
the room without a second thought, and to my shock it was really Josh, holding my Kendra with Nestor
seated on the chair. Immediately he saw me, he winced and looked away.

"What the fuck is going on here!" I yelled.

Josh looked in Nestor's direction and quickly spoke.

"I came to see my baby, is there a problem with that?" He asked.

I stared at my watch, it was past seven in the evening and a very inappropriate time to visit. Then it
clicked, Brandon's earlier question about Josh not ever coming to meet the baby. I looked in Nestor's
direction, pissed. I was breathing fire, he betrayed Brandon who had finally begun taking him as his little
brother. He went behind our backs and arranged with the animal for the visits while we slept.

I marched up to where he was standing with the intention of grabbing my baby but Nestor jumped in
between us. I had no idea how he moved from his seat to where I was standing.

"Use your head Thalia before you make a stupid mistake," he warned.
I could not believe what came out of his mouth, “Are you stupid? Get out of my way and hand the baby
to me!" I yelled at him.

He moved away and I was left with Josh staring at me, tears were dropping for unknown reasons.

“I thought you said I was free to visit my daughter?" He asked.

I wiped my tears, “Not behind my back," I replied.

"Ooh so I'm supposed to beg you for a visit or am I supposed to ask about your morning before you grant
me that wish?" he asked.

“No, you do not have to do any of those things, you knock on the door like a civilized person rather than
going behind my back!" I yelled at him.

"Did it not occur to you that I do not want to see your face?"

I swallowed hard and asked him to hand over the baby but he refused. I turned and asked Nestor to get
the baby off of him but he refused to. I had no option but to run up to Brandon ignoring Nestor's
plea.Brandon's Pov

I rose from my asleep tired and sweating, my chest filled with those bloody clots that I have been
managing to hide from both Thalia and Brandon. Every time I closed my eyes, it felt like it was my last
but for unknown reasons I found myself opening the eyes again. My first glance always landed on the
most beautiful face, Thalia, she always pulled me through, holding my hand through the dreaded six
hours.

The woman barely had a social life, her world revolved around me and the baby. I feared reality was
going to hit her one day and she was going to hate me for that.
When I opened my eyes, unfortunately, she was not there. With difficulty, I pushed myself into a seating
position. The baby cradle was empty, I could only assume that she was feeding the baby or preparing
something to eat.

I walked to the bathroom, almost limping. I guess the only advantage the machine gave me was the
ability to bathe myself and use the toilet instead of the stupid diapers. I quickly washed the clots away
and brushed my teeth and began warming myself with a towel when I heard Thalia calling my name. She
was practically screaming and terrified. I quickly walked back to the bedroom.

"Ooh my God, Brandon… Josh…," she gasped. She looked like she had run all the way up the stairs.

I held her hands, she was crying and I noticed Kendra was not in her arms. "Thalia calm down, what
happened? Where is Kendra?"

Before she could reply Nestor burst into the room. “This is why leaving her with me will never work, she
is too Brandon dependent!" he yelled.

For a second I froze and just stared at him. I really thought they had gotten over their rivalry for my
attention but I was wrong.

"Fuck off you stupid traitor!" Thalia turned, yelling at him. "Brandon, fire this idiot, fire him. He is a
bloody traitor;"

I was so confused and no one was telling me what was going on.

"Can the both of you shut up!" I raised my voice. They both became quiet, I breathed in hard, a small
headache was coming up and I asked Thalia to explain.

“He brings in Josh at night when we are asleep to see Kendra. This fool goes behind our backs, that's why
we never see Josh around here!" She explained.

I looked at Nestor in shock, “please tell me she is lying?" I asked him.

“No she is not, the last time I checked Josh was not forbidden to visit Kendra," he replied.

"Not behind our backs,"

"Was I supposed to wake you up when he arrived?" He asked.

“Would you all shut up!" I yelled again, holding my temple, “Where is Kendra? Please tell me she is with
June?" I asked.

They both looked at each other and ran out of the room. They left my daughter with useless Josh while
they came upstairs to argue with each other. I could not believe the stupidity and the carelessness.

I quickly picked my tablet and followed them while I scrolled straight to the main gate. I had previously
left the security to automatic and if Josh was able to enter without a clearance it could only imply that
Nestor had given him a pass. I knew something was wrong, I knew it. Thalia was right, Nestor was a
traitor, he compromised Kendra's safety. I walked into the quarter and found the both of them standing
in silence.

I was about to open my mouth when Josh placed his finger on his mouth, “Shshshsh, Not a single word, I
just put her to sleep," he said. “She usually sleeps at one but today she looked tired," he said and turned
to face me.

"What the fuck is going on?" I whispered.

"I was putting Am…. The baby to sleep," he replied. I really wanted him to call her Amber, I dared him to.
"If you excuse me I would love to take my leave," he requested.

"How long have you been sneaking into this house?" I asked in a calm voice. I was still processing the fact
the idiot in front of me had the time to run away with Kendra but chose not to. He was beginning to
confuse me, he was doing things that I could never predict making it difficult for me to analyze him.

“Since she got discharged, is there a problem? I thought I was free to see her," he replied with a sleazy
smile, he was mocking Thalia and me.

"I could have you imprisoned for trespassing!" I yelled at him.

“You look bad, are you taking your meds?" he mocked again.

Thalia moved and tried to slap him but I held her hand. "What are you doing?" She asked surprised.

“He is not worth it, take Kendra upstairs, I will join you," I ordered her. I was aware she wanted to give
him her peace of mind but it was not worth it. The man was miserable, he was the one that had to sneak
into a house when the owners were asleep in order to see his daughter.

"But... Brandon?"

"Please, Thalia?" I begged her.

“That's right do what the boss asks you to before you make him mad," Josh mocked in an attempt to get
a reaction out of her. But she ignored him, picked the baby, and walked out of the room without glancing
at us.

After she was out of the room, I turned my attention to the big fool in the room and stared him right in
the eye. He was not as stupid as we perceived him to be. Somehow he had crawled into Nestor's naive
heart and he was dividing his time.

"As I said earlier, you are tressing passing,"

"Not if your employee let me in, I would have loved to chat but I have a job to attend to, some of us have
to work," he stated.

I stared at him, then moved out of his way. He looked surprised, he was not expecting me to let him go
easily but I liked seeing people's shocked faces when I did the opposite. I was only getting a leaf from his
book or was I rewarding him for not running away? After he was gone, I faced the main culprit, he had
one of those serious faces on.

“Brandon I can explain," he quickly spoke up.

“You are my employee and should address me with respect," I replied, finally getting a reaction out of
him. He looked away disappointed. Yes, we had become so close like brothers and I had gotten used to
him calling me by my first name.

But he had closed the line, I entrusted him with everything, I was living him with Thalia and Kendra, but
before I was even six feet under he was dining with the enemy.

"You think just because he did not run off with Kendra it's safe to let him in behind our backs?"

"Sir I know gambled,"

"With my daughter's life!" I yelled at him.

"I know how this looks but I have tracking devices on Josh, his phone, his car, shoes, wristwatches,
everything. He was never going to go anywhere with Kendra."
"What if he walked in here with a gun, blew your brains off, and ran off with the baby? Thalia and I have
no idea about tracking him. What happens?" I asked with folded arms.

"He is a coward to do that," he replied.

“He is a desperate man, do you think if you are nice to him, he will reciprocate or not file lawsuits against
us?" I asked him. “The world is not a place to be nice Nestor you should have known better,"

“He is still petitioning for the name, maybe even custody. He has started taking online law classes, he is
willing to learn law to take you and Thalia down," he replied.

I took a breather for a second, Josh was really an idiot, how?? Anyway, that was not important. The man
in front of me had betrayed me.

"To be honest the man was shattered sir and it's only that I allow him to see the baby that has made him
not to do anything stupid," he replied like he was some kind of Jesus.

"Hello??, we never barricaded him from seeing Kendra, it was Thalia that gave him the address," I
reminded him.

“He does not have the stomach to see your faces. The reality that he has to forget or be nice just to see
his daughter was killing him so I… helped him but I never made it easy for him to steal the baby," he
replied.

"Pack your things," I ordered out of the blue

"What?" he asked, shocked, he was not expecting me to throw him out. But it was for his own good, in
fact, he needed time off, I was overworking him.
"You can't be serious?"

“I'm serious Nestor, you can use my penthouse, it's near here in case I need you."

“All this because you want Josh to be asking for the baby?"

"You think it's easy for Thalia to allow him to visit Kendra? You think we are the only ones that did bad
things?" I asked him

He only swallowed and looked, “Fine, I will move out now,"

"You can move out tomorrow morning," I suggested but he declined. I could tell he was hurt but I was
teaching him a lesson for going behind both our backs.

I walked away when he stopped replying, he needed some time alone. I walked upstairs and joined
Thalia.

"How did it go? what happened?" She asked.

“Useless Josh is gone and I asked Nestor to move out," I replied.

She kept quiet and only stared at me like someone had tied her mouth. She pretended to be tucking
Kendra who we knew was very quiet asleep.

"How is Nestor?" She finally asked

"Pissed of course,"
"What if we need him?"

"I thought you called him a traitor and asked me to fire him?" I asked.

"I...I...I..," she stammered.

I moved closer to her and wrapped my hands around her waist. "Do not worry, he will move himself back
before we even know it," I stated.

To my surprise she kept quiet, I could only guess that guilt was beginning to swell her up. I had noted she
was a person that was quick to react then thought about it later.

"But why, why would he do that?"

"He wants to buy Josh with kindness, poor Josh can't bring himself to see our beautiful faces. I guess you
were right."

"But that does not give Nestor the right to go behind our backs."

"I know," I replied. "Guess what? Josh has begun taking online classes in law, he plans to take us down
himself."

She turned around shocked

"The guy is really determined even if it takes twenty years," I added.

“The Nelson's are always good with binding their time," she replied.
“Do not worry, he is too dumb to pass the bar," I assured her.

A knock came at the door and Nestor walked in, “I just want to say my goodbye to Kendra," he said and
walked in. He was being dramatic about the whole thing; it was not like he was not coming tomorrow
morning.

All I did was cut Josh's access in the night and the penthouse was like only thirty minutes away. Thalia
walked to the bathroom ignoring his presence. I could only guess the guilt was only present when Nestor
was not in the room. He kissed the baby goodbye and walked out without saying a word. I sighed and
took a seat, my head was paining from the yelling. Noticing that Nestor was gone, Thalia came out of the
bathroom and joined me.

We both lost our appetite and just lay in each other's arms. The night had turned into something we did
not expect. I began missing Nestor for unknown reasons, I was sure he had not started his engine yet but
I was starving for a game.

"Brandon?" Thalia called me

"Yes?"

"I want to have sex," she asked forcing me to swallow hard. Yes, I had a pending sex session with her. I
had won the bet and lived to see the baby but a man always knew when their guy was on vacation.

I had noticed for the past days that she had tried to seduce me. I did not want to embarrass myself so I
ignored her. However, I never thought she had the guts or was bald enough to ask me for sex.

“I thought you were recovering?" I asked

“Im fine, I want sex," she replied.

She was probably stressed and looking for a way to release it, the old Brandon would have granted her
wish but my body could barely stand for a long time. I tried to reply but I did not know what to say. She
moved closer and held my hand. “Thalia I'm sorry…," I said as I turned.

"It's okay, I'm the one being selfish," she replied.

“No you are not, we can try tomorrow," I suggested. She moved closer, kissing me.

“Sorry I'm a bit disappointing, I guess this was not what you expected?" I added.

"No no, don't you ever say that, I would never trade you with anyone else. Being here is everything for
me, I just want you to be free with me and discuss everything, okay?"

I nodded and she rested on my chest. The following day came and I was in a lot of pain. It was like I had
spent the entire night thinking about how I was not able to satisfy my girlfriend sexually.

I even ruined the dinner she had planned because I was in bed the whole day. Nestor never showed up
and when I called him, he made an excuse of a meeting, he only came over to say good night to Kendra
at night. Even stupid Josh never showed up while Kendra kept us awake because she could not stop
crying.Jessica's Pov

For two weeks I stalked Josh, I wanted to find out where his stance was on ending Thalia and her useless
boyfriend. However to my disappointment, he was relaxed, he was behaving like Thalia's new lost cousin
or brother.

It was a disgusting sight that made me puke every time I saw him. Every night I followed him to her
house but I always maintained my distance. It was weird that he always went to visit that useless
daughter of his at night.

A daughter that was supposed to be mine but Thalia took that opportunity away from me. Now I was
stuck with a demon inside of me. Why he was visiting at night was another mystery.
I wondered if they sat around the dining table and exchanged recipes or if they laughed at each other for
all the horrible things they did to each other. But it was the stupid smile that he always came out with
from the house that made my blood boil.

The fool was happy, he had been manipulated and bought with visitation rights. They played him well
and he was too stupid to see it. Thalia would have cherished seeing him suffer but she knew she was
caught in a web and she used her head.

She used the baby, his mouth shut for the visitation. Every night I followed him, never tired, sometimes I
would arrive earlier and just watch the beautiful mansion and the people that went in and out.

I once lived in a similar mansion once but some stupid resentful and revengeful ex-wife fucked it all app
for me and forced me to move into an ugly family house. The happy days were definitely numbered for
that bitch, I could tell myself.

There I was in my special corner of the street where I would pack and wait for the biggest idiot in the
world. The idiot who got castrated and paid with a night visit for his own daughter. It was a pathetic sight
to watch.

Just like every day that evening, I waited for him and he came out laughing and hitting his hand in the air
like he had just won the lottery. I was tempted to run him over but that would only make things easier
for Thalia and leave her free of him. I was very sure a small part of her was itching to get rid of him.

Or maybe they were setting up a plan to finish him off. It was like when farmers fattened their cows for a
big slaughter. That could be the only explanation why they stopped destroying him and he was too blind
to see it.

I followed his taxi to his apartment and got out. I hesitated a bit whether to knock or turn around but I
had come a long way. I gathered some guts and knocked on the door. When he opened it and realized it
was me, he tried to close the door but I pushed it and let myself in.
"Jessica, get out!" He yelled.

“I came to inform you about our new divorce hearing date," I replied.

"My lawyer already informed me, now leave and how did you find this address?"

“Can I use your bathroom?" I quickly asked, I needed to think fast and use my head if I was to stay long
enough to share my plan with him. He glanced at me pissed, I just couldn't get how he was comfortable
seeing Thalia's face while mine disgusted him.

She was the one that was responsible for making him impotent for life. I only fucked his father, I never
took anything from him unlike what Thalia did to him. But there he was staring at me like I had cut off his
balls. Every inch of me made his skin crawl.

"Josh, I'm pregnant unless you want me to urinate on myself," I said without a second thought. I was
really desperate, like fucking desperate but I forgot that mentioning my pregnancy was only going to
bring bad memories for him.

I watched as his face tensed up, his hands rounded up into fists like he was about to hit me. I looked
away and closed my eyes in anticipation of a big blow.

“The toilet is to your left," he said, surprising me.

I opened my eyes and watched as he moved away to the kitchen counter. I could see a lot of papers on
the table like he was some sort of student or he was looking for work. I did not want to bite more than I
could chew so I ignored my surroundings.

"Thank you," I said and went to the toilet. I immediately closed the door and breathed in hard, for a
minute I thought he was going to hit me. I took my time in the bathroom and gathered myself up. I
wanted him to cool down before I got out, I waited for like thirty minutes before walking out.
I noticed he had put away all the papers and books I had previously noticed. I began beating myself for
wasting time in the toilet. He was still seated on the counter and sipping on a beer. His eyes were fixed
on me like he was ready to throw me out.

I walked to a seat next to him without invitation.

"What are you doing?" he asked. I stayed quiet and looked away. "The door is open Jessica, please
leave."

"I'm sorry, but I feel a little dizzy. I just want to get my breath out before I continue on my way," I lied.

“You can catch your breath in your car, is that not your car outside?"

“Josh I need fresh air, not a stupid car! Can you have some compassion!" I yelled at him. He stared at me
for a second then got up from the chair, excusing himself. I quickly got up and said the first thing that
came to my mind.

"I'm thinking of writing a book about our lives."

He stopped, turned, and stared at me

"My life, you, Thalia, Brandon, Victor, your baby, and the bastard inside me," I outlined.

"Are you stupid? Our lives are already all over the useless internet and magazines!"

"But we never get paid for that, I want to cash in, we all need money, don't you need money to fight
Thalia for custody or are you two a happy family now?" I spat out.
He gritted his teeth and walked back to the counter.

"Josh we need the money, there is no agency willing to employ me. And you also need the money to
spend on that baby of yours. Let us leap on the shit that ruined our lives," I explained.

"No!" He yelled. “Are you willing to go into details on how you fucked my father? Did you enjoy it so
much that you want to relive it all over again?" he mocked.

I tilted my head to my left like I was stretching it. I really wanted to hit him but that was going to send
me outside so I had to soundproof his words and pretend like I had not heard it.

“No, I did not enjoy it," I lied. Victor gave me the sex of my life, he was better in bed than his son. There
were no two ways about it but it was wrong, it was very wrong and an abomination that I liked but that
was not going to stop me from cashing in. Maybe I was going to edit that part out or that part was going
to be a gem.

“Josh, do you want to suffer for the rest of your life?" I asked.

“It is always about money with you, well I do not want to put shit in a stupid book for my daughter to
come and read about!" He yelled.

"Josh you are a victim, the only people that are villains are me, Victor, and Thalia. People will sympathize
with you."

"No! Get that stupid idea out of your head you are not writing that book!"

"Yes, I will, or are you going to sue me? Seriously Josh while Thalia is free? The woman that cut off your
balls and made sure you never fathered any child of your own?" I spat out.
"This is not about Thalia!"

"No it is, or did she pay you to keep your mouth shut?"

"Don't be ridiculous, do you want that thing in you to read about our shit?" He asked, trying to change
the subject but I was not going to let him off so easily.

"She or he will understand that without the book they would have starved to death. The book will even
help you with the case against Thalia, you can even have custody of that thing," I slipped.

He quickly got up and held my hand, “how dare you, her name is Amber!"

“No, her name is Kendra, they named her after Kendra Fraser, Brandon's mother. That baby does not
even carry your last name," I spat out.

He began dragging me outside without the care that I was expecting while I kept reminding him that the
child did not have his identity.

"Get out Jessica but remember that if you go ahead with that book, Thalia and I will sue you and you will
not get a penny!"

I stared at him pissed, he was the most stupid man in the world. I could not believe that I was once
married to a fool like him.

“So you are just going to let Thalia go scot-free?"

"I have told you a number of times that I will deal with Thalia in my own time and way," he said as he
pushed me outside.
"Maybe when you give birth to that thing inside, you will understand how it feels to love a little human
being. How life changes and all you want is to protect them and you will not want them to one day read
how you fucked your husband's father!" he yelled and smashed the door in my face.

I was left speechless and in shock, a tear dropped from my left eye and I wiped it. It was the baby, the
stupid baby had made him soft, that fifty little thing had turned him into a sisy without balls.

I was not going to sit back and watch him move on. Not when I was miserable. Not when Thalia was
Happy, not when Victor was probably fucking some whores in Europe, not when Brandon Fraser had
tamed him and was giving Thalia the life I should have had.

I walked to my car and drove off at the speed of light, I was barking at the wrong tree, I thought to
myself. I was not going to sit around while they formed a blended family. I knew the only way to break
the stupid new family was to get my hands on that filthy baby.

I arrived home and began putting my plan together. I did not want to waste time and convince myself to
change my mind. I had spent so many days spying on Josh at Thalia's that I knew the ins and outs. They
had a total of ten security guards and had security cameras mounted on each corner of the fence.

I knew there was much more and that's why I hide from the corner of the road every day. Thalia and
Brandon rarely went outdoors, I usually only noticed one man who I once was with Thalia at the cocktail
party. He usually did the shopping for them and moved in and out a lot of times. If he was not doing the
shopping it was their maid, I once saw her with the baby doing grocery shopping.

So I only had one option, an inside man, the maid was probably new compared to the young man so I
was going to target her. However, I needed to get more information about her. Every human being had
their own weakness no matter how well they got paid.

I was going to befriend her and learn what her weakness was. Thalia and her stupid boyfriend probably
had put their guns down and I was going to show them I could play the game as well.

And it was going to be some sweet revenge that was going to leave them blaming each other. If I was
lucky I could even blame it on stupid Josh. Brandon was going to finish him up before he gave him the
chance to talk.

It was the perfect science or was it the geography of catching two birds with one stone. By the time they
were going to realize what was happening, I was going to traffick that useless baby into Ukraine for sex
trafficking.

I went on my laptop, opened my site, and checked for the items I was left with for sale. My plan needed
a lot of money and I did not mind if I was going to spend all the money that I had saved from the site or
sell everything.Josh Pov

I walked to my kitchen counter pissed and breathing fire. In the book, both Thalia and I were monsters,
in fact, everyone around Amber was a monster and I could only imagine how devastating it would be if
she grew up and read that book.

Reality sank in, I never imagined how our past lives would impact her. Never, I was consumed with
getting her back that I had not planned at what age I was supposed to tell her the tale that I turned her
mother into a monster that castrated me for life.

No matter how hard I tried to hide it or pretend, it was a fact that I bred that evil Thalia. A Thalia that
never laughed or smiled. She was so different from the bubbly shy nerdy Thalia I first met who had her
headway in the clouds for me. The girl who basically worshiped and stepped on every step I made.

She made me the center of her universe but I turned and spat on her. I had no idea if it was guilty but
never had I recalled what I did to her from her point of view.

For years I had told myself she and her father were the villains while my father was the victim but after
Jessica questioned why I could stomach Thalia's face and not hers. It hit me, even though I had tried hard
not to show my emotions but her question kept harming the back of my head.

However I resented being in the same room with Thalia, that's why I always visited Amber at night in
order to avoid her and her boyfriend. If I was stuck on an Island with Jessica and Thalia, I think I would
stomach a woman that castrated me rather than the one that slept with my father. Would I? Or I was
just overreacting but there was one way to find out.

I needed to stop Jessica from writing that book, yes I needed the money but not at the expense of my
daughter's sanity. The media only knew a quarter of what I aired out to tarnish my father's image. What
they all knew was that I was used and I liked it that way but the whole story involved a lot of villains.

I walked to my bathroom and washed up, I really wanted to finish up my assignment before nightfall.
Yes, I enrolled myself in an online law class, I always wanted to be a lawyer and the shit that happened
just gave me a will. But I still needed an office job to pay for the classes and I had applied to a lot of
companies.

I doubted Thalia was still on the revenge quest to block me from finding work. If so I would have received
rejections already even though I had not received acceptance letters. Or maybe I had already dented my
image and no one would want to hire a man that stole his wife's company.

I sighed as I waited for a cab. I was born in riches but was slowly adapting to the new low life. I got into
the cab and headed to Thalia's. It was the first time that I was visiting in the afternoon or after the
incident when she found out I used to visit in the night.

I had tried to go there the following night but I found the combination to the door changed and when I
texted Nestor, I was shocked to learn the sick Psycho had thrown him out.

Somehow that was good news, once the sick psycho was out of the picture and Nestor on Thalia's throat,
it was going to be easy to win my case. I was playing two games and they had no idea how.

However, ever since that day I had not seen Amber, two days had passed and I missed her a lot. For the
past two days, I had pretended and lied to myself that I was busy when in actual fact I did not want to
ask Thalia for my baby. I figured I had no issue seeing her face but the main issue was asking for my
daughter.

The process of being polite and not causing her to rain hell or continue with her hell. I realized that was
my main problem, as I walked to the gate, it was different with Jessica who I could insult the life out of or
throw out. That was the main difference between the two women that showed me how hell felt like on
earth.

The cab had dropped me outside Thalia's residence but I stood at the gate just staring at it like an insane
person. I had no idea how many minutes passed before I came to that realization.

All of the sudden, the gate opened, I clenched my hands into a fist, realizing they were watching me.
There was no time to turn back so I walked in. Deep down I wanted Nestor to be around, he was a very
cool guy and easy to negotiate with.

However, as soon as I opened the door I was met with Thalia on the other side of the door. She had
folded arms across her bosom, big bosom, she was always blessed in that area. But I noticed her eyes
looked tired like she had not slept for days.

"How… were you able to make Kendra sleep?" she asked.

I glanced at her confused.

"Nestor said you are the one that used to put her to sleep," she added.

I raised my eyebrows, “so you are saying Am. .. She has not been sleeping for two days?"

"No, I did not say that, it was just difficult to…. Put her to sleep," she added with so much shame.

I could not believe what came out of her mouth, they practically punished my little angel. They should
have called me but they chose to punish her instead. Yeah, I was good at putting her to sleep while they
were sleeping and snoring in each other's arms. I was very sure she was not getting some sex from the
sick psycho.
However, while they were asleep I used to sing to her. She was a late sleeper, especially since she took a
lot of afternoon naps. Thalia and the fool had no idea about that, I wondered if she knew anything about
her daughter.

"Why didn't you call me?" I asked.

"Why didn't you visit?" she replied.

I chuckled, she was full of herself, if I remembered correctly, she was the one that went to wake up her
stupid sick psycho boyfriend when she found me putting Amber to sleep.

“last time.."

"Let's not talk about last time because you were wrong to visit my daughter without me being aware,
any judge would agree with that," she replied in a stern voice like she was warning me.

"Our daughter, point of correction and you have to sing to her. That useless Nany you have employed
knows nothing about taking care of Amber!"

"It's Kendra, I swear on my father's grave, if you continue calling her by that stupid name then we will
just settle everything in court or I will disappear with her from the face of the earth!" She yelled on top
of her voice.

From the popping veins on the sides of her face, I could tell she was serious and had no time for a court
hearing. She meant the second part loud and clear. I only stared at her, I did not waste my tax fare all the
way to argue with her.

I had had enough arguing for a day. She cleared her throat, "Okay so it's about singing, you do not look
like someone who sings. Ooh I forgot, I never knew the real you, four good years of pretense,"
"Thalia stop it, just stop it, I did not come here to argue with you or recall the hell we both did to each
other," I interrupted her.

"Kendra is sleeping," she abruptly replied.

"I did not come to see Am...Kendra," I replied.

"You see how you are confusing yourself with her name, now imagine how confusing it is for Kendra?"
She asked.

Before I could shut her up again, the maid walked in with Amber in her hands crying. Both Thalia and I
ran towards the maid intending to grab the baby. Our commotion was so loud that we almost bashed
each other, but it caught Amber's attention and she stopped crying, staring at us confused with her big
brown eyes.

We both felt embarrassed and ended up staring at each other and we were only forced to move apart
when we heard a loud throat clear. We looked up at the stairs and it was the sick psycho, looking sicker
than ever.

"What a reunion," he mocked.

"Brandon, what are you doing up?" Thalia ran up to him.

"I smelled a rat so I decided to take a walk," he said and joined us. I ignored him and took the
opportunity to grab the baby from June. Amber smiled immediately. I held her in my arms, "did you miss
me, did you miss me," I tickled her, sending her into laughter.

I looked around and noted that everyone had their eyes on me like I was some terrorist. It was obvious
Amber was giving them a hard time for the past two days but there she was laughing at my tickles.
"Stop tickling the baby!" The psych yelled. I had noticed that as soon as he showed up Thalia was not in
the race to grab Amber. She typically ran to her dying boyfriend. She loved him more than the baby.

What kind of a stupid mother was she? Then thinking about it critically, what I saw was a plus sign. If the
psycho dropped dead, she was going to shatter, leaving me with the chance to capitalize and slowly steal
Amber from her.

“I'm not tickling her hard, it was just a small rub below her belly, you should try it sometimes if you want
her to warm up to you," I mocked.

"Thalia, what is this buffon doing here? Please do not tell me it finally grew some balls to visit at an
appropriate time!" the psycho mocked, he was very irritating. One day I was going to really shut him up
but not in front of precious Amber.

I breathed in slowly, the only little human being that was preventing me from running to where he was
standing was the little angel in my arms who had her little mouth curved in a smile waiting for me to
tickle her again.

She always did that. It was only that smile that tamed me from not finishing him off. In fact, he always
looked like he was suffering and someone needed to end his miserable life.

All of a sudden, my eyes felt the weight and a tear dropped, landing on Amber, she closed her eyes,
surprised by the odd texture that landed on her face. I quickly began wiping her face but more tears
dropped.

"Jesus Christ he is going to drown the baby. Thalia, get Kendra away from him," the Psycho yelled.

Thalia moved close to me and tried grabbing Amber but I turned facing my back to her. “Would you just
give me a second," I yelled.

My yelling scared Amber, forcing her to send out a loud cry. I positioned her on my back with my back
facing Thalia and began patting her.

“Kendra, mommy is here, Josh, give her to me," Thalia ordered

"I will hand her to you, will you just give me a minute to calm her down," I whispered, making sure not to
scare the baby. I still had my back to them and I could only hope they were going to tame their mouths.

Like some miracle they both kept quiet and only Amber's cry filled the air until she stopped, for a second
I wished she had not because my snorting took over the room. It was embarrassing, I was never an
emotional person but I could only guess I had been holding on to a lot the past few weeks and it was
pouring down in front of the two people that finished and destroyed me.

They both kept quiet and just watched me without saying a word. I heard footsteps and only assumed
they both took a seat but i was not sure. It was getting awkward so I spoke up, "Jessica plans to write a
book on everything that went down between the two of you, Victor and I," I explained.

There was silence, I was expecting them to be all over, making threats and making phone calls but they
were both quiet. I wiped my tears and turned. They were both staring at me with faces that were
difficult for me to read. I had no idea if they were bothered by what I had said or not.Thalia's Pov

I tried as much as I could to put on a straight face but I was failing miserably. Brandon and Nestor were
good at that, not me. However, there was Josh in my living room crying, the once tyrant man had fallen.

There was a time I longed to see this day and there it was delivered to me on a silver platter. But yet I
was not rejoicing, Brandon took a seat and I followed suit. I knew if I looked at him, he was going to
make a funny face and I was going to burst out laughing so I deterred myself.

Josh was never an emotional man, he was the type that was brought up to have thick skin. Kendra had
really softened him up or was he just a cry baby from the beginning but hid it well. He said something
about Jessica writing a book on our revenge but we both ignored him and just stared at him.
He looked human for the first time and I realized that when I was married to him I was only subjected to
his cold emotions, it was weird seeing him tear up.

"Didn't you hear what I said, Jessica plans to tell everything in her stupid book for some cash," he
questioned.

"Of course, we heard you but are you okay?" Brandon asked like he cared when we all knew he was only
rubbing salt into the already bleeding wounds.

"I'm fine, do you know what such a book would do to Am... The baby?" Josh inquired.

I turned and faced Brandon, who glanced at me with a sleazy smile. He was enjoying every bit of what
was in front of him.

"Kendra finding out what hell transpired between us was never planned as a secret," he replied to which
I nodded, disappointing Josh. We could not believe he ran all the way here to ask us to stop his skank
from writing a book. The fact that he even stomached seeing our faces and broke down was astonishing.

"Thalia seriously, you are just going to sit there and let Jessica write the stupid book? Do you believe she
will portray you as a hero!"

“Why ain't you cashing on with her?" Brandon quickly interrupted him.

"I beg your pardon!"

"If I was in your shoes, I would be making notes together with Jessica. Don't you need the money for
court proceedings, law school, and expenses?" Brandon asked.

Josh breathed in hard, and I could see his shoulders tense up. "Are you two still spying on me? Do you
have cameras all over my house?" he yelled but controlled himself, realizing that Kendra was in his arms.
"No, Nestor told us, I guess he is not your best after all," Brandon chuckled.

Josh breathed in again and began pacing the room. Brandon winked at me and I just smiled. If Josh had
really thought Nestor was going to turn to him then he was the most stupid person in this universe.

Nestor was a full Brandon supporter. Even after he was chased out of the house, he distanced himself
from me instead of Brandon who chased him.

He took a seat and faced us, “But you are aware that Jessica will take the will away from you and you
won't be the first one to explain what really happened?"

I turned and looked in Brandon's direction again, “So you want us to kill Jessica?" Brandon asked.

The room became quiet as we both put on straight faces. He had no idea whether Bradon was serious; or
if he was joking but I was aware he was testing him.

“No God, I am talking about blocking her from writing the stupid book,"

"If you want I can kill her for you, then you wouldn't have to deal with her," Brandon added.

Josh chuckled, "you really think I'm that stupid? I only came here to give you the heads up, my part in
this circus is already out there."

"Aaaaah, that's so sweet of you, we had no idea you cared about us but on a serious note, Jessica has to
get permission from us before she writes anything concerning our lives. It is a requirement by law.

Do not worry but she is free to write her own part of how she fucked her father-in-law," Brandon replied
and we waited for Josh's reaction. To our disappointment, Josh only stared back at us. I noted that
Amber was fast asleep in his arms and all long he was rubbing her tummy.

That was the trick, singing and rubbing her tummy after a meal. I always breastfeed her before going to
sleep making it difficult for her to sleep on a heavy tummy. How he knew that and I did not, was
humiliating and I just looked down in shame as Brandon went on speaking.

"Have you seen the site your wife created? She is selling all the staff she wore when Victor used to fuck
her. I guess it was not a one-night stand but a full-blown affair. She is running out of the items and wants
to cash in on the book," Brandon teased.

I looked in his direction trying to hide my shock, he was still spying on them to my shock. For the past
two days, he had been struggling to get out of bed but that did not stop him from his hobby.

"Did you buy anything?" Josh asked, trying to put on a fake strong face.

"No, I'm now a father and trying to be a good example to my daughter."

I quickly got up and interrupted them before their bromance turned into an exchange of words.

“I think it's time for Kendra to go and take a nap," I declared and walked to where Josh was seated. He
hesitated a bit and just stared at me, his eyes a little bit red from his earlier crying.

“Josh, she needs to rest on something soft," I added until he finally decided to hand Kendra to me. He
immediately got up, he had no words to say, so he simply turned, and began walking away. Brandon was
very irritating, only Nestor and I understood him.

"Josh," I called out.

He stopped but he did not turn to face me

"Thank you… for the tip on how to calm Kendra down," I said.

The words felt heavy coming out of my mouth but it was the right thing to say. He walked out without
saying anything, I did not expect him to, so I walked up to the bedroom ignoring Brandon who had raised
eyebrows. I tucked the baby into sleep before heading back to Brandon.

"Are you building another machine for me?" he asked with a serious face. The question caught me off
guard that I began stammering. "I thought we were going to talk about the unexpected visitor?"

"You barely sleep and I have noticed you have started reading your books with numbers again," he
replied, ignoring my statement.

"I'm trying to work on plan B," I replied.

"Thalia, when are you going to learn to start putting yourself ahead of dickheads?" he asked.

I only looked at the ceiling

“You now have Kendra and she should be your main priority,"

"Hey hold on, I always put Kendra first, I'm only working on the calculations at night," I replied.

"You should be resting at night and not wasting your time on me," he replied as he got up and held my
hands. "Thalia you have to accept that I'm supposed to die. Please can you just do that for me," he
pleaded.

I only turned my head away without saying a single word as he embraced me. It was only going to be
over his dead body, that's when I was going to quit.
"Thalia the baby needs you, you have to promise me."

“I will only promise to stop the late nights. That's if Kendra agrees, you know she is the one who keeps
me up," I joked.

He gritted his teeth and sighed, he knew he was not going to get through to me. He slowly let go of me
and grabbed my hand, "I have a surprise for you, do you remember that dinner?" he asked. I quickly
nodded my head as he led me to the backyard.

“I had one of my people set it up for me, you were right we needed our first date and today I woke up
with a lot of energy," he winked. For unknown reasons, my face became heated up and I began blushing.
He chuckled and led me to beautiful scenery, a well romantic decorated table for two. "Wow Brandon
this is beautiful but I'm not dressed for the occasion," I cried out.

" No no, you look beautiful, you always look beautiful."

"Just give me a minute, I will be right back," I said and ran upstairs for a quick shower. It was our first
date and I was not going to attend it covered in Kendra's urine. I quickly finished up and put on a
beautiful red number, a bit of makeup, and tired my hair behind. I looked into Kendra's cradle and found
it empty, my heart sank, I had just put her to sleep some minutes ago.

"Miss Thalia," June called, forcing me to look behind. To my luck she was holding Kendra, “She was crying
so I picked her up, I guess she was not asleep."

I moved to the door relieved, I checked on her and she was very sleepy, probably just scared to be alone.

"You look beautiful Miss Thalia, are you going out?

"No, just having dinner in the gardens, afternoon dinner," I joked.

"That's good, then I will look after Kendra, go and have fun. You deserve it. But you have to bring her to
me if she begins crying okay?"

"No problem, I will take her outside for the fresh air, she likes the air,"

"Not outside the gate," I warned her.

"Of course, we never go outside the gate," she said and asked me not to keep Brandon waiting. Of
course, she knew the rules but people always needed to be reminded. I kissed Kendra on the forehead
and headed to the gardens. As soon as I entered, Brandon got up, his eyes wide open admiring what he
was seeing. “You look beautiful Thalia, you have always been beautiful."

"Thank you, you look handsome too," I replied not knowing what to say. He smiled and asked for my
hand, "let's dance."

I gave him my hand and he slowly wrapped his other hand around my waist, pushing me very nearer to
him. A slow jam began playing and we began moving to the rhythm. "I fulfilled my promise, Thalia, I even
gave you the bonus of seeing Josh in tears," he mentioned. "I have a surprise for you on the table," he
whispered.

I looked on the table and there was a file, I could see big words on it, Inc biotech, and I immediately froze
and stopped dancing. I looked up at him confused, Inc Biotech was a dead name and most importantly a
dead company.

He let go of my hands, picking up the file, "I have been talking to Dr. Wilson and he has been explaining
to me how the FRASER 2021 i can treat or even cure a lot of other cancers. So why not revamp your
company with such a machine? I already have a lot of investors lined up?"

Tears began dropping one by one, my own invention revamping my ruined company. I never even
thought about other cancers that were not as complicated as Brandon's or what the machine would do
for such patients. I felt the machine was a failure because It was not giving me the intended results with
Brandon.

"Biotech is back and it is all yours, I remember we agreed to get back what is yours, donate and go back
to that bridge and jump. So what is your verdict?" he asked as he wiped my tears. I moved closer to him
and embraced him into a hug.

He gave me back everything, he gave me more than he promised to give me, Mandel, Kendra, and now
Biotech but somehow I felt like I failed him. I held on tightly disappointed, I wanted him, why can't he
give me himself. I wanted Kendra to grow up knowing him as her father, why couldn't he see that was
what I wanted more.

"Thalia?"

“No jumping and no donating, everything is Kendra's now," I replied and looked up at him. He held my
cheek and dived in for a kiss, I missed his lips, they were so warm against mine. I kissed him back and
held onto him so passionately like it was our goodbye.

Like I was not going to get another chance to kiss him again. We were going to probably kiss for hours
but we were rudely interrupted by June who came running like a madwoman.

'They took her, they took her," she kept screaming.

I quickly broke off the kiss and faced her, she had no Kendra in her arms except for a feeding bottle.

"Who? What are you talking about?"

"Kendra, they took… Kendra!" she cried out.

My heart stopped for a minute, while Brandon ran outside, I had no idea where he got the energy to run.
I followed suit with June following behind.
We found one of the guards on the ground rubbing his eyes while the gate was wide open. Brandon ran
outside the gate searching but he found nothing. He walked back in, yelling at the guard on the floor to
get up and explain what the hell happened. But the man looked to be in severe pain as he rubbed his red
swollen eyes.

I turned to June, grabbing her by her dress.

"What happened! I gave you simple instructions not to go outside the fucking gate!" I yelled at
her.Brandon's Pov

My other two security personnel came running towards us, having heard the commotion outside. I had
two sets of security guards, one set was in charge of the inside and the other was in charge of the
outside.

He handed me the security tablet while he made calls and got into a car with his teammate. He had no
time to explain what transpired as we were running out of time. The tablet was going to give me all the
answers.

"June what happened? Please tell me what happened " Thalia kept yelling at the useless nanny. She was
panicking, crying, and almost on the verge of strangling the useless Nanny. I knew the stupid woman was
worthless and it looked like I was going to be proven right.

"I have no idea mum, I only handed the baby to one of the guards and ran in the house to get Kendra's
bottle," she explained. "But when I walked back, I found women pepper spraying the guards in the eyes
and running off with Kendra" she concluded.

Thalia stared in my direction confused, the story was not making sense. But there was only one way of
finding out so I opened the security footage. I called Thalia as I opened it. We could clearly see June
walking around near the gate as one of the guards approached her and they began talking.

The guard seemed to be paying too much attention to the gate as his partner joined him and began
talking to the people outside while peeping through the small opening on the gate. The nanny moved
away and it looked like the guards were laughing at whoever was on the other side of the gate.

I moved the cameras to check who they were talking to and to our shock it was a group of what looked
to be stripers in masks. They seemed to be dancing and trying to entice the stupid guards to open the
door.

For unknown reasons, June handed the baby, who was very much asleep to one of the guards and
walked away. While the other guard continued to talk to the girls. He said something to the other guard
and the two stupidly opened the gate. One of the stripers handed one of the guards a card while the
other one holding the baby joined in to read what was written on the card. We could see June returning
with a bottle but in split seconds, two girls got out what appeared to be pepper spray and sprayed the
stupid guards in the eyes.

The guard holding Kendra nearly dropped her but one of the girls caught the baby and ran off, entering a
vehicle that came from the east and drove off. June tried to move towards them but the remaining girls
grabbed the Guard's guns and pointed at her, she froze giving time for the remaining girls to enter in the
parked car they came with and speeding off.

June ran back into the house while one of the guards recovered from the pepper spray, ran into a car but
the fool drove after the wrong car.

I looked at Thalia in shock, it was like we were watching a fast-paced action movie. "Oooh my God
Brandon," she cried out.

"Do not worry we will get our little girl back," I promised her. I texted Nestor, and anyone I knew in law
enforcement. Someone kidnapped my princess and I had an idea of who.

"Brandon... who did... this? Who... took my baby," Thalia kept asking. She was shivering and could barely
get out a full sentence. I quickly took her inside and ordered June to call the ambulance for the idiot that
was lying on the floor.
In minutes Nestor was in the house and I showed him the video. Thalia and I knew if I had not chased
him, Kendra would be with us safe. Another stupid mistake based on our stupid emotions.

"Who do you think did this!" Nestor finally asked.

Then it hit me, there was only one person who was desperate to have Kendra. "It's Josh, he played us,
who else would have known the inside of this house?" I replied. Thalia held her mouth, as more tears
streamed down.

"No, Josh had a lot of opportunities to steal Kendra, this is not him," Nestor replied.

"Stop making excuses for him! We all know the fool was putting up an act!" I yelled and ran to my
bedroom taking out my gun. We were wasting time arguing. I walked back and ordered Nestor to watch
over Thalia while I planned to visit the fool.

"Brandon is that a gun?" he asked but I ignored him and went out of the house. I knew exactly where the
fool lived and drove there. I only drove for a couple of minutes before I spotted Nestor's car following
me from behind.

I gritted my teeth in anger, and stepped on the gas, any minute wasted was another minute that fool
was further with my child. It was him, there was a time when he used to frequent brothels and strip
clubs. He must have hired the useless strippers to kidnap Kendra for him at a cheap price.

I could feel blood coming out of my nose but I only kept wiping it away. No amount of blood was going to
stop me.

I arrived at the fool's house and checked whether my gun was loaded. I got out of the car but was met
with a sharp pain in my legs. I had to stop and wait for the pain to subside. The stupid disease was not
going to cut me off. I tried to walk again but only felt worse. I had to ignore it and walk to the door. I
began hitting on the door with every energy that I was left with.
The door suddenly opened and I quickly pointed the gun at the fool's forehead. "Where is she you stupid
fool!" I yelled at him.

He froze in shock, he was good at acting but I was not going to buy it. He breathed in hard, forcing me to
push him inside. I began yelling at him to give me my princes before I blew his brains out.

"What are you talking about?" He asked.

"Kendra! You kidnapped her, didn't you? Take me to all your rooms!" I yelled.

He stared at me confused, "what do you mean, who kidnapped Amber?" He asked further, infuriating
me.

"It's Kendra you stopped fool," I tried to hit him but my hands froze. The room began spinning over and
over again, as more blood oozed out of my nose. I had no idea if I was hallucinating but everything in the
house began moving as I became disoriented. I could see his mouth shouting but his voice was far away.
Suddenly everything became black and I felt a large bung.Josh's Pov

I couldn't understand what he was saying, none of it was making sense especially since he had a gun
pointed at my face. Out of nowhere, there was blood coming out of his nose and mouth. He was begging
to freak me out. He held his head like he was trying to think but I could tell he was in pain.

Then hell broke and he dropped to the floor with a bang. I froze confused, I had no idea whether he was
alive or dead. The gun was sprung across the room, while his body was on the other side. I hesitated
whether to pick up the gun or not. I was not a gun person but he had just bashed into my house and
pointed the stupid gun on my face, I needed to defend myself.

He began trembling with foam and blood coming out of his mouth like he was dozing. I had seen such a
scene before when I was a teenager. I had just knocked off from school and found my mother sprung
across the floor overdosing on drugs. I had to turn her to her sides in order to prevent her from choking
to death.
That was the exact scene in front of me but the only difference was that it was my enemy lying on the
floor. The man responsible for my horror was on my floor choking to death on his own blood. Was it
Karma? I was not obligated to help him, after all, he had broken into my house and pointed a gun at my
face, and made my life a living hell.

I began panicking as I watched him. It was always my dream to see him dead, he was the mastermind of
my demise, and with him, out of the picture; Amber was mine but then I remembered he said something
about kidnapping Amber. I quickly came to my senses, I was everything but not a murderer. Even if I
helped him he was still going to die. I needed to find out why he bashed into my house claiming I had
kidnapped my own daughter.

I quickly turned him to his side and began hitting his back for everything that was clogged in his dying
body to splash out.

Out of nowhere, the door opened and Nestor walked in pushing me off the crazy psycho, “What did you
do!" He yelled at me.

I raised my hands in the air, “Nothing, he just bashed in here pointing a gun at me and collapsed," I
explained.

Thalia walked in crying, "no no no, you killed him!"

I could not believe them, they were all aware that the psycho was sick but somehow in their heads, they
thought I beat him up or something. Nestor continued pressing where I left from while I stood up trying
to recover from the circus around me.

They both managed to stop him from choking and looked up at me.

"I was actually saving him before you shoved him off," I explained.

They looked at each other like I was not in the room, I could not read what they were thinking but I saw a
hint of confusion.

"We need to take him to the house, he needs the machine," Thalia said, ignoring me. She could not even
say a thank you for giving her stupid boyfriend some few hours on earth.

"Wait a minute, the psycho bashed in here accusing me of kidnapping the baby?" I asked.

Thalia got up and walked to where I was standing, she looked me straight in the eyes. I could see panic
and fear in her eyes. “Please Josh I will understand if it was you, I will make sure that police will not get
involved," she cried out, tears rolling down her cheeks.

I began putting dots together as I stared at her, "What… are you talking about? Where is Amber? Where
is my little girl?"

“They took her, you did not take...her?"

"No, I did not, who took her?" I began panicking and yelling. "Who took my baby?"

"Stripers, Brandon thought you hired the strippers to kidnap Kendra," she replied.

I couldn't understand what she was saying. Nestor got up and handed me his phone. There was a
video, I clicked on it as he carried the psycho in bridal style out of my apartment. I watched the video in
shock, a group of strippers kidnapped my Amber and took off in broad daylight.

To be honest I had thought about running off with her but the security and number of guards made me
think twice. However, the main problem was subjecting my angel to a life of running without money. I
wouldn't get far. But the strippers made it seem so simple, they were in and out in seconds.

"This… is not me, I have been here studying since I left your house," I replied.
Out of nowhere she held my hands and began begging me. “Please I promise you won't get into trouble,
Kendra is on medication, she needs to take her medication at 4 pm," she cried out.

"Thalia I did not kidnap her, I swear on her life and my mother's, I did not take our baby. I wouldn't
endanger her life like that," I assured her.

Nestor walked back in, "Thalia we need to go, he did not take her," he said. Thalia looked in his direction.

"He is a coward to do that, in fact, I always gave him an opportunity to run with Kendra but he never
did," he added.

Thalia turned, glancing back at me, I did not know how to react. I was supposed to get offended by
Nestor's statement but my mind was focused on my missing baby.

"We need to take Brandon home," he added. Thalia followed him while I quickly put on my shoes and
ran after them. They were about to start off when I banged on the car for them to let me in. "I'm going
with you, that's my daughter," I reminded them and got in the front seat. Thalia and the psycho were in
the back seat though he was still unconscious and lying on her lap.

Nestor drove quietly as thalia kept sobbing, however, one question was eating me up so I had to ask.
“Where were you all while my daughter was being kidnapped?" I asked.

"This is not the time to blame each other, we need to put our heads together. I already have men locking
airports, bus stations, and subways," Nestor replied.

"No this is the time to ask questions, that maniac pointed a gun at me, he almost killed me!"

"We were… having dinner... in the back garden, it was our first date," Thalia replied in between sobs. I
turned my eyes to the back seat and found her brushing her hands through the psycho's hair.
"Thalia you do not need to explain yourself to him," Nestor cut in.

"No, I should have stopped June, I bumped into her on my way to the gardens but I had my priorities for
dinner," she cried out. She kept blaming herself all the way to the mansion. Nestor had run out of
comforting words while I just kept quiet.

We arrived at the mansion and quickly the guards helped Nestor to get the psycho out of the car. I could
hear him asking them about the strippers but they all nodded in shame.

"What?" I asked.

“They got away, we were unable to find the van," one of the guards stated. Thalia let out a cry as Nestor
drew her for a hug. "You need to stop crying, you have to be strong for Kendra," he kept saying as they
followed the guards that carried the psycho.

I followed from behind as they entered a very luxurious bedroom but a bed and a machine in the corner
caught my attention as they placed the psycho on the bed and Thalia began connecting him to the tubes.

"You shouldn't be in there," Nestor pushed me outside.

"What is he suffering from?" I inquired. I never asked but the weird machine got me asking. Having been
in charge of Gentex I had never seen such a machine before, so I was curious.

"No one knows," Nestor replied with a blank face.

A guard walked up to us, “The police have been here waiting for you sir," he announced.

We quickly ran downstairs and two men in suits introduced themselves. They had already rounded up all
the guards and interviewed them but they needed to take them to the station for further interrogation.
Everyone was a suspect including Nestor and myself.

"The other guard is in hospital, he had a severe reaction to the pepper spray which happened to be laced
with an unidentified chemical," one of the officers announced.

"Any leads on the van?" Nestor asked, not interested in the men that screwed up.

"Not yet, we are trying to match the masks the strippers wore to any club or brothel in the area," the
other officer replied.

"From what we gathered, the strippers were advertising a new fake club, the guards being enticed
opened up to check out the invitation cards and merchandise and all know what happened next," he
added

"But we have one question? How did they know the guards were going to have a baby? Do they
babysit?" He asked

"No they do not, where is June?" Nestor asked one of the guards... We all began looking around but
there was no sign of the woman. One of the guards volunteered to get her while the other one denied
ever babysitting the baby, June simply asked them to hold the baby while she went back in the house to
get a feeding bottle.

One thing was clear, we could all see that everything looked staged. The officers played the video again,
as Thalia joined us.

"What's going on? Any progress?" she asked.

"We are just waiting for the maid, how often does she take the baby outside?" the officer inquired.
"Not without permission, she usually takes her to the gardens but we were using it," Thalia explained.

"Was the baby having trouble sleeping?"

"No, she was actually dozing," she recalled.

"She was asleep," the guard spoke up.

We all looked at each other confused, why would the maid leave the baby with the guards to fetch a
feeding bottle when the baby was asleep. Thalia held her hands over her mouth in shock. The other
guard returned with a confused expression on his face. "June is gone, she is not in the room and her
clothes are gone," he announced.

Thalia ran to the maid's room panicking while Nestor began searching for the security video. It appeared
their own maid was involved, I had met her a couple of times. She had seemed polite and someone who
minded her business, especially that she never told Thalia of my visits. Nestor scrolled to the afternoon
footage and we could all see the maid leaving with a backpack.

They all ran after me leaving the main culprit, I glanced into Nestor's direction pissed. The two officers
quickly sent an alert arrest to the other officers on the ground as they began assuring us they were going
to catch her.

I couldn't help but feel that she was already miles away. My Amber was probably in another country
because of the wasted time they should have spent locking up the place instead of running after me.

“If we are lucky, this might be a case of Ransom and the kidnappers are just looking for a way to make
quick cash," one of the officers replied.

"No, this might be a case of old enemies coming back to settle old scores!" I yelled in frustration.
"Calm down Josh,"

"No, I will not calm down, how many lives has that fool upstairs destroyed! How many enemies does she
have? One of them might have come to settle and my daughter is just paying for crimes she did not
commit!" I yelled.

They all looked down speechless, what could they day when they knew they fucked up. The two officers
excused themselves and asked me to have a little hope but I only looked away. It was obvious they were
in the psycho's pockets.

I walked outside for some fresh air because the inside of the house seemed to be suffocating me. I sat on
the stairs thinking. I was studying for my scholarship exams when the fool burst into my house. I really
needed that scholarship but what was the point when my daughter was missing? It was only fair to put
everything on hold until my daughter was in my hands. I needed to do something and not just sit there
and wait.

The stupid officers were right about one thing, the only way of finding out the identity of the strippers
was through identifying the masks they wore. I had been to a lot of brothels and each had a special set of
masks. That was where I needed to start from. I matched back into the house and asked Nestor for the
photos of the masks. Sitting there and blaming whoever was at fault was not going to solve anything.

"What do you plan on doing?" He asked

"Knock on every strip club and ask the right questions," I replied.

"Hold on," he said and walked upstairs. He walked back with a gun in his hands.

"Hey hey, what is that for?" I inquired.

"People do not just talk when you ask questions nicely," he said and led the way. We drove off and met
up with two tough security guys for cover.
Strip clubs and brothels were mainly run by gang members and Nestor was right about asking nicely. We
knocked on every club in the city but none had ever seen such masks before most of them alluded to the
fact that the kidnappers were pretending to be strippers.

That theory was not far-fetched but I had been around strippers to know when I saw one. The girls were
definitely stripers or retired strippers. Disappointed and tired we called it a night hoping the police had
cracked the masks but just like us, they hit a dead block. It was frustrating, every minute that went by,
the further Amber got away.Thalia's Pov

I sat beside Brandon with Kendra's towel in my hands crying. How or why June would do such a thing to
me kept hitting hard on me. I had treated her like family. Kendra loved her but she turned around and
spat on us.

A headache was coming on from my crying and thinking but what hurt the most was the fact that I
couldn't do anything to find my baby. It was horror after horror for my baby, first, it was the liver
problem now kidnapping? When was she going to catch a break? When was she going to stop paying for
my sins? I kept asking myself.

I looked towards the window and noticed it was getting dark. Nestor had earlier informed me, he and
Josh were going to search for strip clubs that owned the masks that the strippers wore.

It was irritating that whores were having my baby, I could imagine their filthy hands on my baby. She was
past her medication time and she was probably hungry and crying. The thought made my stomach turn,
why were they punishing my little angel I cried out.

The bed moved and I looked over, Brandon was awake. I quickly got up, "thank god, you are okay, " I
hugged him. I had thought he was going to go into a coma, like last time. He pointed to a glass of water
on the table and I quickly ran to it, helping him with a sip. "What… happened?"

"You collapsed in Josh's apartment," I replied. "We found you choking… Josh assisted you and placed you
on your sides."
He spat the water out of his mouth in shock, I was also still in shock by that fact. Josh hated Brandon, he
ruined his life, we ruined his life but for some unknown reasons, he saved him. I didn't even get a chance
to thank him, or maybe I ignored him because a thank you would not come out of my mouth.

"Where is Nestor?" he asked, trying to change the subject. He was uncomfortable too, I could tell from
his facial expressions.

"Brandon, it was not Josh, it was June our maid… you were right Brandon, you were right about her," I
cried out.

He began shaking, I quickly grabbed the glass of water away from him. "Where is that bitch! Please tell
me she is being interrogated?"

"No Brandon, she ran off the minute we went after Josh, she took the opportunity and ran," I explained. I
watched his face as a wave of guilt washed over him. He began hitting himself in frustration. Brandon
hated making mistakes.

And I could only imagine how he was feeling. I quickly got on the bed and wrapped my arms around him
in a cuddling position. "Stop it sweetheart you are hurting yourself!" I yelled at him.

"No this is my fault, because of my stupidity I allowed my baby's kidnapper to run scot-free."

"No no, I bumped into her when I finished dressing up, I let her take our little girl without difficulty," I
took the blame.

We kept blaming ourselves as we lay on the bed in our misery. "Why are we not allowed to be happy?" I
asked him but he kept quiet and asked for his tablet. I quickly picked the tablet from the table and
handed it to him.
"I put a tracking device on her phone," he said. My eyes popped up in excitement, it was no surprise that
he was tracking her. Brandon never trusted anyone. He turned it on and we could see the phone
beeping, "where is that? Where is she?"

He scratched his head in disappointment, "In the house, she left the stupid phone in the house!" He
yelled and threw the tablet across the room.

"Ooh my God, she knew? How did she know?" I held my head in frustration.

A knock came at the door and Nestor walked in. I quickly ran to him, questioning if they found
something.

He nodded his head in refusal, "The masks do not match any known strip club, it's like they designed
those masks specifically for the kidnapping," he explained.

"What of the useless guards? They might be in it all the way?" Brandon asked.

"One is still at the police station while the other one is in hospital, he reacted to the pepper spray," he
replied as he picked up the tablet. "And June's family left the country two days ago."

I began hyperventilating, I could not take it anymore, everything seemed to be heading for the worse.

"Thalia breathe in, breathe in, you have to breathe in for the sake of Kendra," Nestor said and held my
hands. I began breathing in slowly as he handed me a paper bag. "Breath in that, it will help," he
suggested. I grabbed the paper bag and began practicing my breathing in the corner.

"They can't be professionals and just disappear like that, call the hacker!"

"I have already called him and he is on the job."

"Where is… josh?" Brandon asked.

"He is downstairs, he said he is not going anywhere until the baby is found. Should I chase him?"

The room was meant with silence, Nester would have politely dropped him off at his house but he chose
to test us.

"Keep an eye on him," Brandon replied, having realized what Nestor Was doing.

"I already have his call records searched, both he, June, and the guards have nothing on their phones,"
Nestor replied.

A knock came at the door, surprising us. We thought it was one of the guards but when Nestor walked to
the door and opened it, Josh quickly burst in without permission.

"Get out, I have told you, you can't be in here," Nestor grabbed him.

"I know a way to find where those stripers are from," he announced.

I glanced in Brandon's direction and got up, we were desperate, our baby was running out of time.

"Let him be," Brandon ordered.

Nestor let go of his shirt surprised, I was surprised too but it was obvious that Brandon was running out
of options too.

"You are awake," Josh mocked.

"Just spit it out, Kendra is running out of time."

Josh chuckled, he glanced in my direction, the man was waiting for a thank you but he knew he was not
going to get it so he swallowed and explained his plan. "You all are not going to like the plan but we are
running out of time."

"Just fucking say it," I yelled at him.

"My father," he replied.

We all looked at each other in confusion

"I have been thinking, what if we are not able to track the masks because they are underground strip
clubs?" he asked.

"What if they are not strippers?" Brandon inquired.

"I have seen a lot of strippers in my life and those were strippers."

"We have a stripper expert," Brandon clapped his hands but Josh ignored him.

"My father knows every underground strip club in this country or any other country, he could tell those
masks in seconds," he added.

We all looked at each other,

"Plus my father knows people that can find people using rocked ways. Such a kidnapping took planning
and such people know something. Hacking and the police will take days but one phone call to my father
will solve this," he explained.

"Boss we have to try all possible means, we won't lose anything," Nestor added.

Brandon stared at Josh like he was analyzing him. I kept quiet because I did not know where to stand.

"Why would Victor help us after what we did to him," Brandon asked.

"He is not helping you but me, he owes me for fucking my wife and ruining my life," Josh replied.

"Your father has no morals, correct me if I'm wrong. Did he ever apologize for what he did to you?"

"Did you ever apologize? Hours ago you just pointed a gun at me while I saved your pathetic life but yet,
not even a simple thank you," he burst out and began walking out of the room, he stopped and turned.
"Do not worry I will keep you updated," he added and walked out of the room.Jessica's Pov

I was so tired, my feet hurt and my hands were killing me from carrying the useless baby that could not
stop crying. It was a long distance from the bus station to the border. I could not use the main transport
system because I was very much aware that Brandon would start by closing them. I learned a lot from
the period he was taking us down.

I had tossed my phones two days earlier and had to use illegal ways for transportation. The Mexico
border was my way out of the country, the place was a terrain of trees and sand without patrol cars.

I knew about the unpatrolled border from the stripers I used to work with, the time I was a striper. Most
of my former workmates were illegals and after a hard work of striping, they would talk about how they
walked for miles to cross the border into the states. Which type of transportation to use, how to find it
and how much to pay.
They were desperate women in need of cash and that's why I went to them for the Job and map. There
was no way Brandon would trace them, they had no phones or real Id which made them perfect for the
kidnapping. They had a plan from A to Z and all we needed was the inside person to make the baby
accessible.

The easy part was convincing the stupid maid, it turned out the woman could be bought for less than I
thought. She only agreed to work for Thalia because she was saving up to flee the country, her brother
was in trouble with the law so the money I provided her gave her time to flee before law enforcement
caught up with them.

I taught her everything about Brandon and how good he was good with hacking so we had to
communicate using letters.

It was like an early Christmas for me, all I had to do was sell everything on my site for double the price,
my car, and all my clothes. I did not care that I was losing everything, I was going to get back everything if
everything went as planned. What mattered was the fact that they were all going to remain in misery for
the rest of their pathetic lives wondering what happened to their ugly baby.

If only Josh had a brain I would have helped him with taking the baby away from the useless couple but
no, he decided to spit on me while he and stupid Thalia became some blended family. He was going to
suffer and pay for forgiving that bitch a second chance instead of me, the bitch destroyed our lives.

I stopped and squatted, yelling at the baby to shut up. We were near the mountain slides, a station the
girls claimed one had to reach before 8 pm in order to be picked up by the lorry driver. I had to shut the
baby up before I moved further because it was attracting a lot of danger towards me.

I searched for the bottle of milk and placed it in her mouth but she kept pushing it out and could not stop
crying, then I remembered the stupid medicine the Maid gave me. It was going to be difficult selling a
useless baby on medication but it was not life-threatening. If I was not wrong, the medication was for
the liver transplant she recently had.

I opened the bottle and forced some of the medicine down her throat making it worse as she burst out
crying like someone had beaten her or slapped her. I was left with no option but to lift her. I was never
good with babies but I knew if I did not calm her down, she was going to spike her temperature, leaving
me with a dead baby.

She kept crying over and over again as I parted her back, she was probably missing her useless mother
but she needed to get used to it because she was never seeing that woman again. I tried to feed her
again but she pushed the bottle away.

The brat was very useless, I was tempted to smack her little face but I did not want any scratches. The
buyers would reduce the price for scratches, I looked at my watch and noted I was running out of time. If
I missed the lorry, it would mean sleeping in the forest.

I had to improvise, so I picked up a piece of clothing and tied it on the baby's mouth, continuing with my
journey. It was hard enough being pregnant and carrying another baby through stretches of mountains.
In minutes, I arrived at the meet-up center and found other people waiting for the lorry. Usually, it was
the Mexicans entering the USA but for the specific lorry, it was people running away from the USA into
Mexico.

It was usually criminals like myself who had just kidnapped a baby, so I kept my distance. It was better
for one to mind their own business. They glanced at me a number of times but I ignored them. In less
than an hour, the lorry drove by and stopped for us. I looked at the baby and noticed she was sleeping.

Finally, the piece of cloth worked. I paid my fare and got in the back without making eye contact or
asking questions. I was successfully getting away with the kidnapping, the excitement was
overwhelming. I smiled at the sound of the engine.

The money I was going to make selling the stupid baby was enough to start a new life and live a luxury
life for the next ten or more if I invested wisely. I had already made arrangements with the Ukrainian and
in two days he was going to pick me up in a small-time in Mexico for Europe, he was going to make all
the traveling arrangements without Brandon tracking us.

In an hour we were in a small town but that was not my final destination. The lorry driver's job was to
drop us there and we were to board a train to the next town. I had my fake IDs ready as I got off the lorry
and waited for the train.
I was so tired but there was no time to rest, any second wasted was the time I was giving Thalia and her
stupid boyfriend time to find me. I boarded the train almost crawling, I had to take a nap on the entire
train ride, it was the useless baby that had to wake me up with her lousy crying.

I had no idea if I was going to manage the two days with her, she was very irritating. I tried to stop her
from crying but I only made it worse. The lady seated opposite me noticed and said something in Spanish
but I did not understand. "Diaper," she said.

I removed the jumper and was hit with a stench, I almost puked but I controlled myself. I got up, lifted
my bag, and carried the little annoying thing to the dirty bathroom. I had no idea how difficult raising a
brat was, I wondered if that was how it was going to be with the other brat growing inside me.

However I was going to hire a nanny, there was no way I was going to subject myself to such shit.
Immediately, I removed the diaper, the brat stopped crying, I wiped her, and washed her into the dirty
sink. She was not going to get sick over one bath.

She looked to be enjoying the cold bath after a long walk in the sun. I also needed the bath, so I quickly
changed her into a new diaper and clothes and walked back to my seat. The woman smiled at me and I
gave her a fake smile. I began feeding the baby and to my surprise, she began sucking. She reminded me
of Thalia and it was so irritating, I couldn't wait to sell her off for millions of dollars into trafficking

The train stopped and we arrived in the second town, I quickly packed up and walked out of the train.
There was no way anyone was ever going to find me, I was far away and free. I checked myself into some
cheap hotel with a celebratory dance, I placed the sleeping baby on the bed and rushed to get the
much-needed bath.Josh's Pov

I walked out of the room with my head held high, how dare he talk about forgiveness when he could not
even say a simple thank you after I saved his pathetic ass. He was indeed a miserable man who was dying
a miserable death from the many tubes I noticed hooked into his body. He was not worth my time. I
needed to talk to my father, he was the only man that could tell every mask associated with a strip club.

I grew up in a house where my mother would complain about his strip club addiction. My mother had
reached a point where she had to give up after she was tired of finding tickets from strip clubs. My father
was a man who moved from one strip club to the other. But I had no idea where to find him, he was
definitely outside the country but I had no idea where to start from. Nestor ran after me and blocked my
way.

"Please get out of my way," I ordered him as I tried to get him out of my way.

"Your father is in Morocco," he announced as I froze and glanced at him. I was not surprised that he
knew where my father was. They were probably stalking him and spying on him. "Why do you think
Victor's name is not the first person on the suspect list?" he asked. "The jet is ready and I can take you to
him," he offered.

Before I could reply, Thalia walked downstairs with a handbag, "I'm coming with you too, let's go, we do
not have time to waste time."

"Wait a minute my father will strangle you, seeing your face will spook him off," I protested.

"Thalia, Josh is right, stay with Brandon, I will take Josh to Morocco and make sure Kendra is a safe
home," Nestor came to my aid but she stared at him for like a minute and led the way, "I will only show
my face to Victor when necessary," she yelled at us to hurry.

It was already nightfall and arguing was the more time we were wasting. I was actually surprised that she
finally left the psycho's side and put her daughter first. I had noticed she spent a lot of time in that room
when I used to visit amber in the night. The woman had no idea who was with her baby or if the baby
was asleep or not. Maybe the baby missing gave her a reality check.

Nestor drove us to the airport and we got on the jet as he headed for Morocco. I had no idea whether I
had the nerves to face my father but for my daughter's sake, I was willing to face the devil himself. Thalia
sat in front with Nestor probably strategizing while I sat in the back seat. Thinking about it critically, the
psycho might have forced her to tag alone or something. The two did not trust me and they probably
thought I would run off with the baby if I was the first one to find my daughter.

We landed in Morocco in the early hours of the morning. We were all tired but couldn't rest. Nestor had
contacted the investigators back home but there was no news on the maid or Amber. It was like they
disappeared into thin air. The only last option we had was my father, for the first time in a long time, I
really wanted him to come through for me. We booked into a hotel and Nestor handed me a number, it
was my father's.

The plan was to call him and ask him to meet up in the hotel while they both listened from the other
room. It was not a bad plan especially since there was a chance that I would snap and kill the idiot called
my father if he said anything I did not like.

"If you want you can text him" Nestor suggested after he noticed a hint of hesitation in me but I grabbed
the phone and quickly dialed it. It was not like I was asking to move into his house. It rang on the first
attempt without a response.

I rang it again and on the other side came a familiar voice that I had hoped never to hear again. It hit my
eardrums hard and I recalled how the man set me up to a life of failure. He inquired who I was but I kept
quiet. I could hear him about to hang up when I introduced myself. He also froze on the other side of the
line. I could only guess he never expected my phone call. I explained I was in Morocco much to his
surprise and requested him to meet up with me in the hotel room.

He hesitated a bit and asked why. "It's about life or death and if you once cared about me, you will show
up," I said and hung up the phone. Thalia and Nestor tried not to say anything but their eyes said a lot as
they both stared at me worried but I knew my father, staying on the phone with him for a long time
would have led to provocation.

"He will be here," I assured them and took a seat.

"Does he know anything about Kendra?" Thalia asked.

"No I never told him and if he knew he would have been back in the country," I replied.

"Anyone up for breakfast? Nestor asked but all nodded in refusal. Our daughter was missing and no
parent would have an appetite for food. He walked out to get his breakfast, leaving Thalia and me alone
in the room.
She sat in one corner facing the other side while I sat in the other peeping through the window for my
father. The room was awkwardly silent, it was the first time we were alone in a room after the divorce. I
glanced in her direction and noticed her trying to hide the panic with her nails. She was still the old thalia
who was only taught to put a hard exterior on. But deep down she was as scared as hell.

"We will find her," I spoke up first.

She looked up and looked away, I turned and concentrated on the window.

"You know Brandon sensed that there was something wrong with the maid but I thought he was being
paranoid," she spoke up.

I looked in her direction

"He would be following her around the house and watching everything she did. I thought he missed
spying on you so he was taking it on the poor maid but I was wrong," she cried out.

I had no idea whether I was supposed to walk to her and comfort her but that was crossing the line. "He
is always right about people, he has this thing where he stares at you like he is reading your head," she
added.

"That machine, you have him hooked to, I have never seen it before?" seeing an opportunity, I asked.

"I inverted it, he saved my life so it was only fair to save him but it seems not to be working," she
explained while wiping her tears. I stared at her shocked, I was aware she graduated from Harvard but I
never thought she could put her head to work.

"He has some form of rare cancer that doctors have no answers to," she added and looked away. And
again I was caught tongue-tied and I had no idea what to say. If I was being honest it was better to keep
quiet.

"Thank you for preventing him from choking," she said but before I could say anything. Nestor walked
back in with his breakfast. He stared at us for a few seconds before taking a seat. The room became quiet
as he ate his food. I looked at my watch and began doubting whether my father was going to show up.

However, I couldn't stop thinking about the machine Thalia inverted for the psycho. She was brilliant,
something that I and my father failed to utilize but chose to ruin her. The psycho saw her potential and
utilized her. That thought kept beating at the back of my head as I submerged myself in my thoughts.

"Josh, Josh, josh?"

I quickly snapped out of my thoughts

"Are you alright?" Nester inquired.

"Yes I'm fine, I was wondering if my father is coming," I replied. But then a man got my attention in the
corner of my eye on the window. It was my father, he showed up. I quickly alerted them to leave the
room, they all rushed into the next room as I prepared myself to face the monster who was my father.

The doorbell rang and I hesitated a bit, I took a breather and walked to the door, opening it. There he
was in the fresh, he had a serious face on, obviously not wanting to put his hopes high of the reasons I
asked to meet him up. I asked him to get in and quickly searched for the photo containing the strippers. I
wanted to get rid of him as fast as I could because it was not a family reunion.

He looked at the picture surprised and chuckled "you came all the way here to show me pictures of
stripers," he asked as he took a deeper look at them. I noticed he was staring at the photos vividly.

"Do you know where I can find those strippers?" I asked.

He threw the pictures on the table and took a seat on the bed sighing in defeat. "I thought you had
moved on, son she is not worth your time," he replied, confusing me. "I beg your pardon? Who are you
talking about?"

"Is she not the reason why you are asking about those strippers? That bitch is not worth your time."

I stared at him, I had no idea whether he was talking about Thalia, was he aware of Amber?

" Would you just shut up and tell me if you know where I can find them! It's an emergency!"

"Michigan, underground sleeping willow. Only the chosen are invited," he replied.

My heart began beating fast, I knew he would know the strip club. "Are you planning on using the
striping in your divorce case?" he asked.

I looked at him confused

"I heard you are divorcing Jessica, is that not why you are digging about her stripping past?" he asked.

My heart froze as he began making sense, "Are… you saying that...Jessica knows these strippers?" I
stammered as I walked to where he was seated grabbing hold of his collar in terror.

"Yes she used to work for that underground strip club," he replied. "That was where I first met her. I
thought I told you?"

I felt like collapsing as everything began falling into place. It was Jessica after all, she was the only one
who hated Thalia and me to that extent.
"Son, what's going on?"

"She… has my daughter, she kidnapped my daughter. Jessica kidnapped my daughter," I cried out.

All of a sudden, the door burst open and Thalia ran out crying as Nestor chased after her but he was too
late.

My father quickly got up confused as she grabbed him and begged him to give us an address.

"Let go of me you!" He yelled at her. "Son, what the fuck is going on here? What are you doing with
her?"

Nestor quickly separated her from him, I had no energy myself as I was busy trying to play all the horrors
that Jessica was doing to my baby. I remembered how I threw her out of my house the last time I met
with her. How pissed she was at the fact that would stomach Thalia and not her. She was making me pay
for all the hurtful words I said to her.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on here!"

"I have a one-month-old baby, Thalia inseminated herself with my sperm," I explained and asked him to
take a seat as I narrated how the Canada accident was orchestrated by Thalia and her psycho of a
boyfriend. He froze in shock as he stared in Thalia's direction. He was in disbelief at the words that were
coming out of my mouth.

"She… castrated you, so you are saying… Canada is not my fault?" He broke down and held his face. "So
you are saying this bitch was behind everything!" He yelled and tried to grab her but Nestor quickly got
in between them.

"Nestor move, let this coward hit me, hit me you piss of shit!" Thalia yelled at him.
"You little piss of shit, you are going to rot in jail…"

"Would you all shut up!" I yelled on top of my voice. "My daughter is out there probably hungry and
cold, this is not the time to settle the shit we did to each other!"

"But son...?"

"I know, can we first find my little Amber, she is probably having difficulty sleeping, she always… has
trouble sleeping and that animal is probably torturing… her," I said as a tear dropped. My little angel had
turned me into a softy but I couldn't help it.

My father started in Thalia's direction with so much hurt but I knew he was a man that liked to capitalize
on situations. He walked to me and held me for a hug. I could hear Thalia chuckling.

"Do not worry I will help you find her, you should have told me about the little angel," he said.

"Do you have an idea where she might have taken her?" I asked him.

"No... But I might know who has an idea," he replied.

A wave of relief washed over me, I knew he could find my baby girl

"Let's go, we are running out of time," Nestor suggested.

"Wait a minute I am not going anywhere with that bitch!" he pointed at Thalia.

"And you think, I want to go anywhere with a stupid father that fucked his son's wife? I bet you could
fuck your own mother for money!" She yelled at him and walked out of the room before he could reply.
"Dad please can we just get my little girl," I begged him as he tried to run after her.

"Do you have pictures of her?" he asked.

I searched my wallet and gave him a photo of Amber. he stared at it with a smile "she is beautiful, she
has your nose," he said and promised to find her before nightfall. He quickly grabbed his phone and
began making phone calls.

"Where are we going?" Nestor asked as soon as he hung up the phone.

"Michigan," he replied.Thalia's pov

I matched to the car pissed, I wanted to hit the pig's face so badly however I controlled myself for my
daughter's sake. The fool appeared to know where to find the stupid skank. I was in disbelief and still
processing the fact that Jessica kidnapped my baby girl. I got my phone and quickly texted Brandon.

It was not easy leaving him but my baby needed me more. I promised to keep him updated with every
piece of information but I warned him not to send his men or law enforcement to the strip club. We first
needed to confirm it was indeed Jessica and whether she was in the country which I doubted. He
promised not to go in but he placed his men near the place and on stand-by.

The car door opened and Josh entered, he requested me to move over which I did but I noticed Nestor
and the old were not in sight.

"I want to have a word with you?" he said. "Right now I was supposed to be writing my exams for a
scholarship so that I can have sponsorship for law school but I put all that on hold to find my daughter.
Do you know how difficult it is for me to be here with you? The girl that castrated me?" he asked

"Josh this is not easy for me either!" I yelled at him frustrated.

"No, it is, I want you to extend that courtesy to my father. He fucked my wife but I am putting all the
hate I have for him on the sides for the sake of my daughter. Can you do that for Kendra?" he pleaded.

I chuckled hearing the name Kendra come out of his mouth. It was the first time he addressed her
willingly by the name I chose for her. I nodded for a day's truce but warned him to tame his father's
mouth. Nestor and the old fool entered the car and we drove off to the airport. I had noted the old fool
sending deadly glances in my direction but I ignored him.

“Let me make it clear," he finally said. "If I help you find this baby, I will be part of her life whether you
like it or not, that is my condition."

I only rolled my eyes, I knew Josh was not going to allow that so I kept quiet.

Within minutes we were in the air heading back to the states. We landed in Michigan and went straight
to the underground strip club. However, Victor insisted on going in alone. According to the club rules,
not everyone was allowed to go in.

Only rich filthy men who were willing to spend a lot of money on the whores were allowed to go in and it
was strictly by invitation. But I did not trust him, if my baby was in there, he would easily come out, lie to
my face and steal the baby for his son. Victor was a clever man and he was good at hiding when he did
not want to be found. He had once hidden from Brandon before.

"We do not need to go in there, call your contact to meet you here," I suggested.

"Listen to me girl, this girl is not just any stripper! She is their matron and her job is to recruit girls which
is a crime. She would not just come out here," Victor replied.

"Tell her you want a car session with her for a hundred thousand dollars," I offered.
He glanced at me in shock, "You want me to lie to her?"

"Just call her," Nestor urged him.

"She will not believe me," he said as he got his phone and texted her. It took some minutes for her to
reply and when she did she asked him to fuck off.

Then I remembered he was a broke old fool, he lost everything and the woman knew he could not afford
the money. I needed to think fast, then an idea popped up, "Nestor strip?" I ordered him.

He turned, looking in my direction surprised. "You are the rich client, Victor wants to introduce you to
the strippers," I announced.

"Yes that will work," Josh seconded my plan but Nestor was not liking the plan but he needed to step up
if we were going to have a chance of saving my baby. We got into the car and drove to an ATM but there
was not enough money. I only managed to withdraw twenty thousand dollars. The next ATM was like
miles away but we did not have time.

"I think the twenty will do, those whores do not deserve any penny. They kidnapped my daughter," Josh
insisted.

"Yes he is right, let's just use this money to draw her out," Victor seconded. I had my doubts but one
thing was clear. We did not have the time.

We voted and agreed to drive back to where the strip club was situated and staged the entire back seat
with the money. Nestor removed his shirt showing off his perfectly toned muscles. I stared a little before
looking away, he noticed and chuckled.

But I ignored him and ordered him to sit on the money with Victor seated next to him. We then took a
video of them insisting Nestor was the main client and sent it to the stripper matron. Within seconds she
replied, asking for a minute. I had no idea whether it was shirtless Nestor or if it was the money but her
reply was very fast.

Josh and I quickly hid in the front seat and closed the partition, separating us from the back seat. The
good part was that the vehicle was tinted but we had to stay really quiet. I could hear Josh breathing
heavily as we waited. The woman took longer than we expected but after thirty minutes she showed up
but she was not alone. She walked out with two guards, it turned out she did not trust Victor.

"Shit!" I said and warned Nestor and Victor who were in the back seat.

Victor quickly walked out to meet her up, he hugged her and greeted her.

"Cut the crap?" She yelled.

"Calm down Linda, the client is waiting in the back seat?" he said.

"What does this client want?"

"A good time," he replied.

The guards walked to the back and I began praying for them not to check the front seats. They opened
the back door and Nestor waved at them. Victor got in and sat on the left.

“Hello cutie, why don't you come inside and get the real fun?" She asked him.

"I do not like sharing and the inside contains a lot of familiar faces. I want the fun here where it is clean"
he replied and asked her to get in.

She hesitated a bit but as she was entering she signaled the two guards to check the front seats. My
heart began beating fast. Josh quickly used his instincts and stepped on the gas, driving us off at the
speed of lightning. I had to struggle to get my seat belt on and could hear the bodies being thrown
around in the back seat. I had no idea where he was going but my heart was beating very fast. I kept
looking behind, searching if there was a car chasing after us.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"We do not have time to play nice with her," he said as he drove us back to the airport.

"Nestor are you okay?" I asked as I opened the partition to the back seat. I could see them sprung on
the seats with the money everywhere.

"We will offer her the money in the jet, she will talk," Josh said as he drove like a maniac.

We arrived at the airport and Nestor pointed a gun at the woman, forcing her to enter the jet. I looked
behind but saw no cars after us. We all got in and Nestor started the engine. I was so tired and scared for
my life. We were all holding our chests trying to catch our breath.

The lady was still holding her head, she looked like she got her head hurt.

"What the fuck is going on?" she asked.

Josh got out his phone and played the kidnapping video for her. She watched it pissed and looked up at
him.

"What has that got to do with me?"

"Fifty thousand dollars to name all those whores in that video and where Jessica has taken, my baby?" I
politely offered her.
She looked in Victor's direction and spat at him.

"I had nothing to do with that kidnapping and those are not my girls."

"Hundred thousand dollars, new name, country of your choice, and new identity," I offered.

"This is a life-changing experience, think about it before you say no," Josh urged her.

"One million dollars," she replied without shame.

"In your dreams, you should be in police custody but we are here making you an offer," Josh yelled at
her.

Out of nowhere Victor grabbed a gun from his son and pointed it at her. He yelled at Nestor to open the
jet door which opened without warning, forcing us to take cover. He grabbed the woman by the hair,
placed her head outside while he placed the gun in her mouth. The woman began screaming and
pushing him, I tried to stop the madness but Josh stopped me.

"We do not need to hurt her, I have one million dollars," I said.

"She will just ask for more money, let my father deal with this his way," Josh replied.

I could not watch so I turned my back away as Victor kept threatening and yelling at her. I was very sure
he was going to throw her off. But the woman was as tough as a rock. Without warning, he shot into her
leg sending her to wail in pain.

"I will keep shooting until I run out of bullets!" he yelled at her.
I quickly covered my ears, I could not take the sound of the woman crying.

"Okay... okay, she is in Mexico, the.. baby is in Mexico," she cried out.

"Jessica took the baby to Mexico," she gasped with tears rolling down her eyes. I quickly turned, Victor
still had the gun pointed at the other leg.

"Let go of her, she is confessing!" I yelled at him.

"Where in Mexico and why!" Victor yelled at her, ignoring me.

"Santa motel, tomorrow a guy...from Ukraine will pick her... up and you will never see that baby... again,"
she said.

Victor finally let go of her and Nestor automatically closed the door. The woman coughed out as she lay
on the floor, crying and pressing her hand on the gunshot wound.

"Oooh my God, Jessica is trafficking the baby?" Victor asked.

"Yes, I warned her but you know Jessica when she convinces herself with something," the woman
replied.

I held my mouth in shock, my baby was barely two months old and that bitch was selling her. Josh ran to
the cockpit and informed Nestor of our new destination. Mexico was not that far away from the USA, we
could make it before morning and for the first time, I began praying. I had heard about child trafficking
rings.

It was very difficult to trace trafficked children. Once they were sold, it was the end. I looked in Josh's
direction worried and panicking, he walked to where I was seated and held my shaking hands.

"Josh, get your hands off her filthy hands," Victor yelled at him, frustrated.

"Dad shut up!"

I updated Brandon, as I just sat there with Josh trying to calm me down. I knew it was going to take time
for Brandon's team to reach Mexico so it was up to us.

We arrived in Mexico and Nestor made sure we landed near the motel. He rented a car for us and we
headed to the motel. We were not sure if the woman was telling the truth so we left Victor pointing a
gun at her as we authenticated the story. It was two in the morning by the time we arrived at the motel.
The sound of a baby crying and not just any baby but my Kendra got me running the run of my life.

I could tell the sound of her voice from miles away. We did not mind the owner of the motel at the
reception desk as we burst in, following the sound of the baby crying. She was crying so loud and for the
first time, I was glad that she cried like she was possessed. Nestor led the way as the crying led us to a
room in the corner.

He burst the door open and on the bed was Jessica sleeping with headphones in her ears while my baby
was in the corner of the room crying herself to death. The bitch was snoring and had no idea we were in
the room. I quickly ran to the corner and picked my baby up.

"Mummy is here, mummy is here," I said to her and began kissing her. I looked up and thanked God for
keeping her alive. She stopped crying as soon as she heard my voice. Josh walked over, “my little angel, I
told you we would find her," he said while kissing her.

Kendra was so confused as she kept staring at us, her eyes were red and swollen from crying. She was
running a fever and had a dirty diaper on her. My blood boiled as I handed her to Josh.

I walked to the bedside where the skank was sleeping, got on top of the bed, and began hitting her over
and over again. By the time she realized what was going on, I had already landed good blows on her
stupid ugly face.

She began screaming and tried pushing me off but my weight was so overwhelming that all she could do
was cover her face. I did not care that she was pregnant. The filthy animal wanted to traffic my baby, my
only precious baby. I kept hitting her over and over again until Nestor felt it was enough and pulled me
off of her.

"Let go of me, I will kill this bitch today," I kept yelling.

"Thalia, calm down, killing her will only make things easier for her," he warned me. But I wanted to hit
her so badly, I wanted to put her into a coma.

The door opened and the police and Brandon's men walked in. That was the only thing that saved her
sorry stinking ass.

They lifted her off the bed and began reading her rights. She was so confused and swollen from my
blows.

"You filthy animal!" I spat at her.

Josh moved closer to her, “You will rot in jail for the rest of your pathetic life and I'm going to convince
my father to take that thing growing inside of you away so that you are left with no one!" He yelled at
her.

She tried to kick him but the policemen quickly took her away while she rendered all mother of insults at
us.

I looked at Josh, wondering

"That is the only way my father will stay away from our daughter," he clarified.Brandon's Pov

When an almost lifeless father can't fly across the country to save his own daughter and has to watch the
man that he spent months destroying doing the honors, he breaks down with self-pity. That was what
happened to me, I was very pissed, so pissed that I had to pretend to be sleeping when they all returned
home. I heard Thalia asking Nestor not to wake me up or disturb me. I was the biggest jerk in the entire
world and I did not care.

Yes, my heart was filled with joy as I heard the news of the rescue. It was just unfortunate I could not be
there to rescue my little angel but I was glad they were home. I felt like a failure knowing that it was Josh
who got to play the hero instead of me. It was selfish of me, which I knew but I was only human and I
was a very jealous type.

They were first rushed to the hospital for Kendra's check-up as soon as they landed in the country. I
waited in anticipation but after the checkup, she was found to be okay but only dehydrated. I really
wanted to hold her but I hid in my own stupidity instead of welcoming my family.

I woke up first the next morning full of energy, I found her awake and after I showered I picked her up
and went to my office to make preparations. Thalia was fast asleep and I began making preparations for
the witch that kidnapped my angel to rot in hell. She was not going to get the luxury to grout in the
courtroom and neither was she going to get her moment of fame or write a stupid book about the
ordeal.

I arranged with my FBI friends to leave her to rot in a Mexican prison. Mexican laws were stiff and tough
for child traffickers and they never allowed such animals to see the face of a courtroom. They were
sentenced on arrival in prison or just thrown in jail to rot. I wanted her to be tried there and give birth in
a rotten cell. She was going to wish she was dead by the time the USA government arranged for her
transfer.

In other good news, my hacker was finally able to track down June and her family in South Africa. She
was arrested and brought back to the country where she was going to rot in jail together with her
useless brother who to my shock was a drug dealer.

In her confession, she told the police he was the reason she agreed to kidnap Kendra for Jessica. She was
pathetic and the fact that she only got paid peanuts was insulting.

I beat myself for having missed that when I was doing a background on the useless woman but it turned
out her brother had a different name from her making it difficult for me to link him to her. But the good
part was that she was arrested.

I sat in my office putting the last touches on everything and playing with Kendra. I had heard about
moments or days to someone's death where they became very active and full of energy. That was how I
was feeling as I waited for Thalia and Nestor to wake up.

I walked to the kitchen and prepared them a meal. I had no idea whether the idiot and his father were
going to show up but I did not care if they did. Though I did not want to pretend to be nice.

I heard footsteps and yelling, I quickly walked out of the kitchen and Thalia ran to me. "Ooh my God, I
thought she was kidnapped again," she said, panicking.

"I'm sorry, you were sleeping and I thought of making breakfast with her. Welcome home," I replied,
hugging her. Nestor stood behind her with his blank stare, probably wondering why I was on two feet
when I was down yesterday.

I could see they were both surprised to find me standing, they probably thought they were going to wake
up to find me bedridden or something.

Thalia quickly hugged me, "We found her," she said, kissing me in excitement.

I asked the two of them to wash up and join me in the dining room where I had a special meal prepared
for them. Nestor went to his room while I helped Thalia with the baby as she washed up. When she was
done we walked to the dining room. And not once did I ask about the rescue. She kept asking how I was
feeling, to which I assured her I was fine.

They could tell something was wrong but kept their mouth shut as I looked to be in a good mood.
So I was left with conversations "I spoke to Maggie and she said she is coming back tomorrow and has
agreed to help with Kendra," I announced.

"Wow, I had no idea, that's great news" Nestor replied but Thalia only stared at me. The woman was
reading my mind. I asked them to dig in the food, and again not once did I ask about Mexico, Josh, or his
father and I think that was what was bothering Thalia. But what was the point when I was dying? I was
not sure if Thalia knew but my Jet contained cameras and I watched everything that transpired onboard.

I watched how Josh calmed her down. I had no idea whether to be mad or pissed. I never anticipated
them ever seeing eye to eye but it looked like that was where they were heading. Yes, I was
disappointed, I was a bit jealous, to be honest, Josh was going to live and raise my daughter and the icing
was that he and Thalia were going to get along while I was going to die and rot away with a possibility of
Kendra never knowing me.

How could she? Even if she grew up and pictures of me were shown to her, I doubted she would care. I
was only her mother's boyfriend while she was going to grow up with her biological father who
happened to be Josh. That was the reason why I did not want to talk about the rescue.

We ate in silence with Thalia staring at me, as I vigorously cut my pieces of meat in anger. No one was
ever prepared for death, I came to realize that. A year ago I was so eager to die but there I was pissed at
the fact that I was dying. A lot of things had changed and I had a lot to lose.

We finished up and I cleared my throat.

"Nestor, I'm sorry I chased you from the house," I broke the silence and apologized. I never apologized
but for all the shit I did to him, he deserved at least one apology.

"Boss, I should have informed you about Josh, it was actually my fault," he replied, irritating the life out
of me.

"Please call me Brandon," I interrupted him.

He glanced at me and only nodded.

"Sometimes Thalia is a pain in the ass but every time she is stubborn, just leave the room, get some fresh
air and ignore her because she needs you."

"Please Brandon, why are you talking like this?" Thalia cried out.

"Do not worry, you are going to be fine," I held her hand and requested her not to ruin the moment.

I stood up and washed the plates while they kept staring at me with pitiful eyes. I ignored them and went
on washing the plates. I began telling them about Jessica's fate in Mexico which they were not interested
in. Though I went on explaining without the care in the world. I also informed them about June and her
stupid brother.

After I was done I walked to the bedroom with Kendra and I just lay with her in bed quietly.

Thalia walked in and wrapped her hands around me.

"She looks beautiful," I said while playing with her hair.

"Brandon, please how are you feeling, should I call Dr. Wilson?" She asked me.

"Thalia?"

"Yes?"

"Marry me, I want to die married," I proposed.

The room became quiet then she replied

"I will marry you after we find you a cure," she replied, irritating me.

"Kendra, your mother is so irritating," I replied.

"No, listen, Brandon, I was just interrupted when Kendra got kidnapped but I had planned to tell you,"
she said and requested me to face her but I denied her request. I was tired of the machine and putting
another machine on top of it was out of the option.

"Brandon please?" she began begging.

"Are you refusing my proposal or putting a condition on my proposal?" I asked her while playing with
Kendra who seemed to be enjoying my hands playing with her skin. She was smiling when hours ago she
was about to be sold to sex traffickers. She had no idea she was about to be sold, that's why I admired
the innocence of being a child.

"Brandon, remember plan B, I talked to Dr. Wilson and he agreed to my plan. Your cells seemed to be
multiplying due to your body activity but what if we slowed that down by putting you into an induced
coma?" She asked but I kept playing with Kendra, Ignoring her.

"Brandon, in a coma state, your body's metabolic activity will be near zero. I already put a team to design
a machine that will put you in that phase and the FRASER 2021i will keep up with the filtration until we
find a cure" she announced.

"Thalia, no and I'm sorry I asked you to marry me, that was selfish of me. You deserve to live your life,
find another man to grow old with but please not Josh," I joked even though I was serious.

"Brandon please are you hearing what I'm saying?"

"I said no, I'm not putting my body into any more machines, I ran my race, it is time to say goodbye" I
replied and began singing to Kendra.

She got irritated and walked out of the room banging the door. That woman needed to get a life for
once, I thought to myself as I kept singing to my daughter. She was really obsessed with creating
machines for me.Josh's Pov

Thalia and I agreed to a truce which I doubted was ever going to work especially with the psycho around
but to my surprise days turned into weeks and the arrangements was working. It took time for me to get
used to calling my daughter Kendra but Thalia was right, calling her by two names was not fair to our
daughter.

So I compromised, her name was never going to define who her real father was. Victor kept insisting I
was a failure and a sissy. According to him, I was making it easy for Thalia to control my life, however, I
never paid him ears because Kendra spent most of the time with me and Thalia was not complaining.
The baby was all I wanted in the first place.

I began my testosterone therapy treatment and got back to my weight. Thalia was paying for the
procedure because she felt it was the right thing to do. At first, I refused the offer but with persuasion, I
agreed in order to get her off my back.

In a week's time, I was invited for interviews and hired by a new company with a good-paying salary in
management. I accepted because I needed the money and a new place.

In two weeks I moved into a new place near the workplace and in a month I moved my mother in with
me. It was not easy convincing her but she eventually agreed. Her memory was still shaggy but at least
she was at home and she always brightened up when I brought Kendra home.

I had turned around my life for my daughter, kept my father at a distance and the only thing that was
remaining was the divorce. I rarely saw Thalia because she was very busy. I heard she revamped Inc
Biotech with the machine she created for the psycho who I had noticed had disappeared.
The machine was a game-changer in the cancer world making her filthy rich. She was also running
Mandel, she was a very powerful and rich woman. My father once asked me how I was okay with the
fact that she was rich, I told him I was happy with my simple life.

I was okay with the fact that I had a simple job and it did not bother me. For the first time in my life, I
was doing something genuine without hurting anyone's daughter. Maybe if my father once did that, he
would also be happy.

Away from him, the last time I saw the psycho was when he pointed a gun at me. I was always tempted
to ask but I always talked myself into minding my own business. But I really wanted to talk to Thalia. It
was months and Jessica was still in Mexico,

So when I knocked early, I dropped by her company, surprising her. We had become comfortable around
each other though I had noticed she rarely smiled. I only concluded it had something to do with her
psycho lover.

I walked in and went straight to the point with the divorce.

"Ooh, my apologies I forgot about that, I will remind Nestor about it," she apologized.

She looked so tired like she was not having enough sleep.

"Hope am not troubling you, I could not imagine running two companies," I replied.

"No no, do you ever think that we planned to keep Jessica in Mexico and it is only fair I get you the
divorce," she replied but I noted that she kept looking at her watch.

"Are you in a hurry?" I asked.

"No, anyway, would you take Kendra over the weekend? Maggie will not be available and I have to be
somewhere," she asked, surprising me. Something was not right, there was no way the Psycho was
granting me days like Christmas so I asked.

"Where is Brandon?"

She looked up at me with a blank face

"I'm just surprised that he is okay with me spending a lot of time with Kendra."

She began biting her nails and tears dropped. I was confused, wondering if I had said anything insulting.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she apologized while wiping her tears.

"Thalia, are you okay, did he do something to you?"

"No, no, Brandon is in a coma, he has been in a coma for five months," she replied, shocking me.

"I placed him in the coma, the cancer was progressing so it was either death or coma."

"Oooh, I had no idea, I'm so sorry, I had no idea."

She grabbed her hanky and wiped her tears. Everything began making sense, it was too peaceful for the
psycho to just lay low and allow me in and out of his house like that. And it explained why Thalia was
always sad. I never expected her to share, it was not lit, we were that close. I knew he was dying but I
never imagined putting him in an induced coma.

"It is actually a good thing, I came up with the idea. It gives us time to find a cure for him," she added.
"And he agreed?"

"I think he only agreed because he was tired of the pain. He wanted to rest. He had fulfilled his promise
to me and saw an option to rest without hurting me," she cried out.

I just sat there in my seat debating whether to go to her side and give her a hug or not. Yes, we were
friends but not at that level. She kept crying and I felt like a jerk forcing me to walk to her side of the
table. I slowly parted her back, "it is going to be fine, I'm sure the scientists will find something. You
should have said something"

"I did not want to bother with the fate of the man who took you down," she replied.

She was right, and I was supposed to be happy but I was not feeling like celebrating even though I had
prayed for the day of his demise. The man never got to apologize or thank me for saving our daughter.
But I was not going to hold grudges with him. At least I got a second chance in all the madness and chose
to move on.

"What happens if you never find a cure, I apologize but have you thought about that possibility?"

"Every day," she replied. "We agreed to let him go but I do not think I will ever do that," she replied. "I
love him so much and I can't pull that plug," she confessed and quickly got up.

"We will find something, I'm sure of that," she added, sounding defensive.

I walked back to my side not knowing what to say. She wiped her eyes and quickly changed the topic. "I
heard about your job, congratulations."

"Ooh yes, though I do not like having a boss but I love working for the firm though I plan to climb to the
top," I replied.
"That's good, I am really happy for you Josh," she stated.

We talked for more minutes and I cheered her up with my boring life then we drove to her house where
I picked Kendra up. She was so excited to see me. I said my goodbye and went on my way.

In two weeks Nestor handed me my divorce papers with Jessica's signature. I chose not to ask how he
got it or why Jessica signed or if it was real all I cared about was that I was free from the witch. She was
still in Mexico rotting in a filthy prison and I still never felt sorry for her. Maybe if she never kidnapped
Kendra, I would have forgiven her for sleeping with my father with time.

But I finally got to move on as a free man and it was during this period that I met Scarlet at the firm I was
working at. She was very intelligent, with green eyes and curly hair.

I had noticed her always giving me the signals but I ignored her for weeks. After Thalia and Jessica I had
convinced myself I was bad for women but Scarlet was not the type to give up. She one day gathered the
courage to ask me out and I said yes. I was surprised to find out that we had a lot of things in common
and I liked her. We went on a number of dates and became inseparable.

So I told her everything about myself including my accident in Canada which she already knew about. I
always seemed to forget that my shit was all over the internet. She loved the part of me that learned
from my mistake and moved on. We began dating seriously and I introduced her to my daughter. She fell
in love with her at first sight.

After five months I decided to propose to her, and she accepted my proposal. I was yet to introduce her
to Thalia because she was so busy and I did not want to disturb her. But after she heard about my
engagement she invited me over to her house. For an unknown reason, I was nervous as I approached
the house.

I knocked and Maggie let in. She led me to the living room where Thalia was playing with Kendra. We
exchanged pleasantries and she asked me to take a seat.
"Coffee?"

"No, thank you," I replied.

"Congratulations on your engagement," she went straight to the point.

"Thank you, you are invited, and I'm not taking a no for an answer," I replied.

She raised her eyebrows, "And when am I going to meet the mystery woman?"

A wave of embarrassment washed over me "I really wanted to introduce you but you were always busy. I
did not think it was that important."

"The woman is going to move into your house, she will be Kendra's stepmother and that's very
important to me," she replied.

"Fine, you are right, I will bring her over tomorrow. Kendra already loves her, you two will get along
well," I assured her as I told her about Scarlet and everything she knew about me.

"I'm sure you know everything and you already had Nestor look into her?"

She gave out a fake chuckle giving herself out. "I do not know what you are talking about," she replied
without eye contact.

"Is she clean? Did you find out something about her? Is that why you called me here?" I began panicking,
that was the reason why she never asked about her or requested to meet her. After what happened with
the first nanny I was hundred percent sure Nestor did a background check on scarlet.
"No no, Scarlett is clean, she is actually a nice lady," she replied embarrassingly. "According to Nestor, of
course, I asked him about her. He does the snooping around without my permission. He is very irritating
just like Brandon," she replied.

I sighed in relief and relaxed in my chair. She called Maggie and handed her Kendra. I noticed her smile
had disappeared, she had a serious face on. She grabbed an envelope that was on the table and handed
it to me. I looked at it confused and asked what it was.

"Your wedding gift," she replied.

"No Thalia I will not accept it," I replied.

"Don't you want to have children with Scarlet?" she asked.

I froze, trying my best to interpret what just came out of her mouth. My initial thought was that the
envelope contained money. I quickly opened it and to my surprise, it contained a vault number and the
name of a hospital. I looked up at her confused.

"I had forgotten about the sperm actually but Nestor reminded me of it some days ago. Apparently,
Brandon told him to only bring it up if you did not end up with me?" She said with a smile. “We actually
froze a lot of your sperm in case the first insemination did not work," she explained.

Tears began rolling down my face.

"You and scarlet can make a lot of little sisters for Kendra."

I only stared at her, the psycho and Nestor were something else. How could they think I and Thalia would
ever end up together but I was not surprised, he was a psycho. However, the big picture was that Scarlet
and I were going to have our own babies. I got up and hugged her without asking for permission.
"Thank you so much, we talked about this with Scarlet and even though she was okay with not having my
kids this news is going to make her very happy," I said to her.

I could not believe my luck, I never imagined they kept my sperm, maybe it was possible to have that
beer with the Psycho if he once woke up.Jessica's Pov

Heavily pregnant, dirty, and rotting in a foreign country with no hope. My country dumped me and left
me to rot like I was the first person to commit a crime. They allowed Brandon Fraser to throw me in a pit
hell without trial. They allowed him to staple on my human rights. I deserved a trial no matter how bad
my crime was but every time a day passed I lost hope.

In the earlier weeks, I had tried killing myself but the useless guards walked in on me and placed me in
isolation under strict supervision.

It was there where I lost count of how many months passed but my pregnancy kept reminding me that
the months were passing. It was huge like I was carrying stupid twins. I regretted not having aborted the
idiot.

Everything was a mess and I just wanted to die. Thalia won, she won, I was sure she was watching me.
Sometimes I would kneel on the floor and yell for forgiveness like a mad person. I did not care if it was
embarrassing or if she was laughing at me, I just wanted to go back to my country. I wanted everything
to stop but no one came to get me.

They locked me up and threw away the keys and the sad part was that no one was looking for me. That
reality was what hurt the most. No one, I had no one not even the filthy father of my child who I knew
was aware of where I was looked up.

I would cry myself to sleep every night, wishing I would get sick and die but nothing. I was not allowed to
mingle with other prisoners because of my suicide attempt. They kept me isolated with little human
contact. The only time I saw a person was when they brought me food. Sometimes I refused to eat but
they would come in and force it down my throat.
I had no clue as to why they wanted me to live so bad. It was so irritating that they treasured seeing me
suffering. Sometimes I thought they were getting paid for every tear I shed or every time I got on my
knees begging Thalia to free me but she never came.

Not once did she even show her face? Maybe the room had mirrors and she visited me when I was not
aware. I had no idea. Sometimes I could pretend she was there and I would ask for forgiveness. I was
losing my mind and I knew it but there was nothing I could do.

The only person that eventually showed up was the guy that she was always with. He walked into the
filthy room and I was glad to see him. I actually smiled, I never knew his name or how he was related to
Thalia but it was refreshing seeing a familiar face.

I saw hope, Thalia had heard my cries and I assumed he had come to negotiate with me. I was willing to
do anything for the possibility of going home to my country.

Most prisons in my country were a luxury for one to spend their last days in. They had soft beds, decent
food, aircon or Tvs but not compared to the hell I was in. And with good behavior, I could get out in less
than ten years.

A table and two chairs were brought in and he requested me to take a seat. I told myself not to blow my
one opportunity. However when he handed me the divorce papers my heart sank. All hope varnished, I
got on my knees and began begging him.

He ignored my pleas and handed me a pen to sign. He merely said two sentences which were irritating
and kept pointing at the paper. At the back of my head, I thought Thalia was testing me and I began to
convince myself maybe if I signed Josh would talk to her on my behalf so I signed the papers.

He got up, grabbed the pen and forms from my hands, and walked out of the room without saying a
word. The guards walked in and took away the chairs and tables leaving me standing like a confused fool.

Only after minutes passed, not sure if it was an hour, I came back to my senses and screamed on top of
my voice. Reality sank in. I missed my only bargaining chip. He was never going to come for me.
I screwed up again, I was so desperate to please Thalia and her boyfriend that I ruined my own chances
of ever going back to America and getting a trial. I fucked up and dropped to the ground crying. I cried
and cried until I ran out of tears, soaking wet in my own tears.

How was I the only one that ended up with such fate? They all got their second chances but mine was
robbed away from me by Thalia and Brandon. To make it worse they were even deciding for me to live
when I did not want to. Where did I go wrong? Why was I so stupid? Why were they not forgiving me
when they forgave each other? I kept asking myself as I walloped myself in self-pity.

More days turned into nightfall with no sign of the man or Thalia or anyone that could speak English. I
began accepting my fate and began coming to terms with the fact that I was never going to see my
country ever again. The thing I was carrying was never going to get the opportunity to be born in his
country.

Why that was okay with Victor, I had no idea but on second thought he was the man that betrayed his
son. He had no obligation to the monster I was carrying inside me. I was very sure he was glad I was
giving birth to it in the filthy jail.

One morning the guards walked in again and took me to a small room with a TV, a plate of well-prepared
Mexican food, and a bottle of expensive Italian wine, my favorite. I had no idea what changed or why
they were pampering me. I felt a bit scared and walked to the chair with shaky legs.

There was a note on the table asking me to enjoy myself. Maybe it was my birthday or it was Christmas
but I had no idea how long I was there. I slowly poured myself the wine even though I was pregnant, they
did not care so why was I supposed to care. I tasted the food and it was delicious and soothing down my
throat. It felt like a luxury, the irony was that back home I used to throw away such food.

I did not mind that I was using my filthy hands to eat but they had intentionally not provided me with a
fork or spoon. They probably thought I was going to kill myself with it or something. I kept eating and
enjoying myself when the screen popped up, attracting my attention.

I stopped eating as I stared at the screen, the video looked live and it appeared to be in a church. From
the decorations, I could tell it was a wedding. It was very beautiful with nice decor and it was fully
packed. The door opened and a very beautiful woman walked down the aisle. I could not help but
admire the dress that she was wearing. I kept wondering why they were subjecting me to a wedding
but as soon as I saw the groom, my face turned stone cold.

It was Josh, happily smiling and staring at the woman like his life depended on it. I began breathing
heavily as the food in my mouth turned sour and a tear dropout.

The stupid man that made me sign the papers stood next to him as his best man. He played me or was I
was just too stupid that signed without intimidation… I really made it fucking easy.

Then I saw Thalia with her ugly little girl in her arms. She was invited to the stupid wedding too, they
became friends while I was rotting. She was smiling and cheering on the new couple.

That was what they wanted me to see, they moved on and they were living the best of their lives. I sat
there and watched the entire wedding as if I was being forced to watch. Like someone had placed a gun
to my head. If I wanted I would have turned the chair and placed my fingers into my ears but no I wanted
to watch. Somewhere at the back of my head, I thought there was a message for me at the end of the
video. So I made myself watch and stomach it all?

Josh looked so happy, very happy, I never expected him to turn around his life. He had even lost weight
and changed his hairstyle, completely unrecognizable. It was not fair, Josh was a bad person and he
deserved to be rotting in jail like me. Including Thalia, she castrated a man but yet the man she castrated
invited her to his wedding.

The only person that I did not see was Victor which was a good sign. Maybe they put him in his own pit
of hell to rot. Maybe his human rights got stripped away too but I wasn't sure, just the thought gave me
some assurance.

The wedding ended and the screen turned black. I began panicking, waiting for my surprise that never
came. I was expecting Thalia to pop at the end of the video but nothing, they did not even wave at me or
laugh at me.
I went into a spiral and began throwing the expensive food to the ground. The expensive bottle of wine
landed on the floor and the tiny sharp glasses got my attention. I saw a way out, and I quickly ran to the
ground in an attempt to get the bottle and cut my wrist but I felt a sharp pain below my belly.

I froze for a minute, waiting for the pain to pass but it only got worse. I was hit again and I saw blood
running down my leg, I could not stand the pain as I yelled. The guards quickly rushed in and lifted me
out of the room. I began yelling, going to the filthy rotting room was not what I wanted.

All I could think about was the piece of glass that I failed to pick up. I was a total failure, a simple job
failed again. Then one of the guards informed me I was having a baby. I was in labor, the little demon
was coming out. They took me to what seemed like a clinic room and after two hours I gave birth to a
baby boy. I wasn't sure if it was a boy because I never got to touch him. I heard him crying but never
touched him. I kept asking them to give him to me but they never did.

It was after two days of smelling a familiar cologne when I realized what was going on. It was Victor, he
was a free man. I was tied to the bed waiting to be transferred back to the isolation room. He walked in
with my baby in his arms smiling. I lifted my head in shock.

"Hello Jessica, meet our son, Harry Nelson," he said.

I stared at his ugly face, my first intuition was that he had come to get me. The fool finally remembered
me but when I saw the way he was looking at me. I knew he was only there for my baby.

"Do not worry, I am going to make sure I raise him into a respectable young man," he said and kissed me
on the forehead.

"You fucking bastard, you filthy animal! What are you doing here, put my son down, leave my son!" I
kept yelling but he only smiled and walked out of the room with my baby and the guards only watched
him. One of the guards walked near to me and said, “This hell is no place to raise a handsome boy like
him, you should be grateful the father came for him."Thalia's Pov

After Josh and Scarlett's wedding, we flew straight to the beach house. I guess seeing Josh happy and
finding the love of his life brought so many memories of Brandon. If I said I was not jealous then I was
lying. I was dead jealous, in fact, I never wanted to attend but Scarlet was such a nice person after I met
her so I could not come up with an excuse not to attend.

Nestor was Josh's best man, they were not that close but Josh had no one to ask so he asked Nestor. I
never objected because it was not my place.

Yes Brandon would be pisssed and Nestor would have gotten fired over and over again but we were
living in a new chapter. Overall the wedding was spectacular, I wished the couple the best in their
marriage and their future but I wanted to be with Brandon.

I had been busy the past five months, rarely having time for Kendra because I was tackling two
companies plus modifying Brandon's capsule where he lay, awaiting the cure.

I made it in a way that I could lay in it too and wrap my hands around him. Dr. Wilson never approved of
it but it was not like he was susceptible to infection or I was contagious. I always disinfected myself
before I got in.

Sometimes I placed Kendra with me inside. I wanted her to familiarize herself with him. I promised him
that she was never going to forget him no matter how many years passed and that was what I was
fulfilling.

I used to videotape Kendra's life for him to come and watch. She was now crawling and saying some
baby words. I got everything on videotape. He was never going to miss any little detail of his daughter's
life. Her first word, first fall, first school. I was going to document without fail.

Everyone around me had their cameras ready to contribute to the video archive that I was creating. Even
Josh and Scarlet helped in the videos especially since Kendra spent some days at their house.

After they sent me the videos I could compile them and arrange them in chronological order. Brandon
was never going to miss anything. All I could hope for was Dr. Willson not to fail me. I was counting on
him, he owed Brandon and he needed to hurry up before Brandon missed everything in Kendra's life.
I sat there gossiping to him about Josh and Scarlet's wedding to every detail. I could only imagine the foul
comments he would pass. Maybe even ruined the day or something or he would have been in the
forefront making sure the day happened and shipped them to a far place for their honeymoon where he
would have left them stranded. That was Brandon, wicked in a cute way.

A tear dropped, I missed him so much, I missed being shocked at his plans and wondering if he was
normal upstairs. I missed him coughing at me, I missed hearing him firing Nestor thousands of times.

I missed his jealous nature, always jumping to conclusions and thinking Nestor and I were having an
affair. He even hid Josh's sperm thinking, Josh and I were going to end up being lovers and have more
babies. I chuckled just thinking about that.

I missed everything about him, and what was sad about everything was the fact we never even got to be
intimate. He won the bet but never claimed it for reasons known to himself. If only I could turn the clock
back and fall for his advances.

What if we had followed Nestor's advice and not gone ahead with our revenge? Maybe he and I would
have become a couple in the early days or months. But would he have lived that long? Would he have
had a will to live if he was not looking forward to seeing Josh on his knees or Kendra's beautiful face?
There were a lot of factors in revenge that gave him the will to fight.

I felt a hand behind my back and looked up, it was Nestor. I had thought he had gone back to have fun
with one of the bridesmaids but that was not to be. He was really boring, no wonder Brandon thought he
was gay or something.

"Kendra needs to sleep," he said.

I looked at my lap and found her fast asleep. "Oooh, I did not notice," I said as he picked her up and took
her to her little bed. She was turning one in some weeks, she had grown and was no longer troublesome
when it came to sleeping.
He walked back after he had tucked her in and sat beside me. Unlike what Brandon had predicted,
Nestor and I got along so well. Maybe it was because there was no Brandon to fight over or impress.

He respected my decisions and when I was wrong he politely corrected me and I also respected his
opinions and trusted him with my life. He usually dealt with the Mandel businesses, even though he had
no qualifications but he was good at it through watching and paying attention to Brandon.

Most of the time I learned a lot from him. Inc Biotech was my baby and I brought back all the directors
that were loyal to my father that Josh and his stupid father got rid of. We were taking baby steps at the
time but the FRASER 2021i was the most happening medical breakthrough in the country.

It was responding to a lot of cancers, it was better than chemotherapy and most patients were opting for
it. My face was all over billboard magazines and newspapers. I guess I was famous. My father was proud
of me wherever he was. To be honest, I was not happy, everyone around me noticed that.

How could I be when the stupid machine failed to work on the person that I created it for. Yes, I was
being selfish but it broke my heart that a lot of families got their second chance while my man was in a
stupid coma.

"Do you think he hears us?" Nestor snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Yes he does, of course, he hears us," I replied.

"Then, I will have to confess about being Josh's best man. Hope when you wake up you take it easy on
me," he pleaded.

We both became quiet like we were waiting for him to get up and go crazy on us but it was quiet. Too
quiet, he just slept there not even minding a brink.

"The doctor will soon find the cure, very soon," Nestor added when he noted I was crying.
I only nodded my head but that cure never came, a year passed, another year passed and a total number
of five years passed altogether. I turned thirty years old while Kendra turned Five years but Brandon was
still in that capsule and the doctor was nowhere near the stupid cure.

My daughter was already in Kindergarten and Brandon missed part of her life, of course, Josh was there.
He was not a bad father, he was a very good father, I could not complain but I also wanted my Brandon
to be there but he was not. He never got to have that chance. But Kendra knew him, I made sure she
knew she had two fathers one was Josh while the other one was Brandon.

I would take her to the beach house, she loved the beach house though I never told her why it was built.
At first, she would ask a lot of questions as to why her other daddy was asleep.

I tried my best to explain in simplified ways but that only led to more questions but I loved it when she
asked questions about him. She was fascinated by the capsule in which he lay and always requested to
sleep with him in it.

She once asked me what I did when I was with him in the capsule so I told her, I told him secrets that I
did not want other people to know. She picked that up and always requested me to leave the room so
that she could tell Brandon every secret she had. I had no idea what secrets she had at her age but I was
thankful that she trusted him with her secrets. Though Brandon was asleep he was part of her life.

In that same year, Scarlett got inseminated with Josh's sperm and the two were expecting their first child
together. I was so happy for them and for an unknown reason we became so close, too close.

They were always at my house and every time I was free I was at theirs. I did not have many friends
except for Nestor, Maggie, and her boyfriend who were still going strong. But it was them who were
usually at my place, trying to cheer me on or something. I understood they thought I was lonely but, to
be honest I was very envious of them.

They had a perfect family while my other half was in a coma. They were good people, Josh had turned
out to be a good man, his father was the one who was a bad influence on him. Scarlet shaped him into a
loving father but I was envious he got a happy ending while I was still waiting for mine.
And I had no idea if I was the one who was overthinking or not but recently they were bringing one of
their male friends over to my house a lot. His name was Paul, he was a nice guy and they always made
sure he sat next to me. At first, I did not think of it much but then Nestor brought it up when I was alone
with him.

Josh and Scarlet were trying to set me up with a man, he had told me. I was so pissed, they were both
aware of Brandon but they were trying to make me cheat on him. Being a very successful rich scientist/
inventor I was receiving a lot of proposals from handsome men in the corporate world but I used to turn
them all away because I was waiting for my Brandon, a man that gave me a second chance at life and left
me all his wealth. I was not going to betray him, and neither was I ever going to give up on him.

Without thinking I stormed into their house without knocking and yelled at them to fuck off my private
life. They had no right, it was only five years and I was not going to give up.

"Thalia, we were only trying to help," Scarlet tried calming me down.

"Did I say that I needed your help? I have a boyfriend and his name is Brandon!" I yelled at her.

"We all think that you should let him go, he would want you to find someone and live your life," Josh cut
in.

The audacity made me clench my body, he was out of his jurisdiction and had no right, no right.

"What do you mean by us? Who are these we?"

"Maggie and Wilfred also think that it is time, Brandon's condition is one of those that do not have a
cure, you have to accept that!" he snapped and yelled at me. Scarlet quickly held his hand.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell but what I'm saying is that it is not healthy for you and Kendra…"
"Josh watch what comes out of your mouth next," I warned him while pointing a finger at him. "We have
come a long way and do not destroy our friendship with your careless mouth," I warned.

"Thalia?"

"Don't, let me make one thing clear, I will never give up on Brandon and neither is Kendra. If people can
not respect that then they should not be my friend," I said and stormed out crying. I drove back to the
house and woke up Kendra who was asleep.

"Mummy, where are we going?" she asked

"To the place where I first met your father?" I replied.

"Which one?"

"The sleeping beauty," I replied with a smile.

We drove in the middle of the night to the infamous bridge. I had hired a construction company and they
had renovated the bridge which made it safe for Kendra and me to sit there. She liked it and was not
scared that it was dark or that it was a long way down. I used to go there alone but it was time for
Kendra to know the place.

We both said a prayer for Brandon as we just sat there and watched the sunrise gather. It was the first
time she was seeing it and she was very excited and jumping. I had to calm her down. My phone kept
ringing, Nestor, Josh, and Maggie kept calling me but I ignored their calls. I did not want to talk to any of
them. How dare they think it was time for Brandon to go.

After another hour I noticed Kendra was very tired so I drove back home. I found the house fully packed,
they all thought I had run off with my daughter or something.
"Thalia you scared us,"

"Brandon is still at the beach house, where do you think I would go without him," I replied, handing
Kendra to Maggie.

"We are sorry Thalia, it was not in our place," Josh apologized. I only nodded and folded my arms.

"We are very sorry, we just wanted you to have a full life," Scarlet added.

They asked for forgiveness, the only person waiting patiently like me was Nestor. At least two people did
not lose hope… ooh three people, together with Kendra.Thalia's Pov

Another eight years elapsed, I had no idea how but they just flew by like a wildfire. Indeed time never
waited for anyone but I couldn't help but feel like it was deliberately running away from me.

My Kendra had just turned thirteen, yes she was a teenager. She grew up into a beautiful, strong
nonsense young girl. She never lost hope in meeting Brandon, every weekend she went to visit him at
the beach house, telling him everything that was happening in her life and all her secrets, secrets that
she never wanted me and Josh to know.

She loved the beach house and never missed the weekend. We also kept the tradition of watching the
sunrise at the bridge on the anniversary that I met Brandon. Sometimes I forgot and she had to remind
me. She was my rock, if it was not for her I would have lost hope just like the others.

I saw it in their eyes when I talked about Brandon, they just wanted me to stop talking about him and
move on. But they couldn't say it to my face because they did not want to offend me. Even Nestor
seemed to have given up, I noted he reduced visiting, he even found himself a girlfriend, which was a
sign that he had moved on.
Only Kendra and I were hanging on but I was on a thread and every time that realization hit me I shrunk
in shame.

I had no idea whether doctor Wilson had given up because I stopped taking progress reports from him.
He would send them every month to my email but I intentionally stopped opening them because I was
tired of getting the same report with no progress while I was pumping in a lot of money.

I stopped harassing him with my constant visits. Even when I was visiting Brandon I would ignore the lab.
It was too much of hearing the same things over and over again.

I had no idea how many more years I was supposed to wait, but it was becoming depressing. Maybe that
was the reason why Nestor found himself a girlfriend.

Josh and Scarlet had two sons, one was eight while the other was five years old. Kendra adored them
and she was always protecting them at school.

They were a constant reminder of how the years were flying by. Thirteen years was a lot of years to wait
for the cure, a lot of years but I did not want to pull the plug. That was his wish, in the event we failed to
find a cure, we were not supposed to wake him up, we were not supposed to say goodbye. We were
supposed to switch off all the machines and let him die. I could not do that, the love I had for him would
kill me if I did that.

I had no idea what to do, sometimes I would just pretend that he was not in a coma so that I would be
sane for a day. The thoughts were killing me, I was thinking too much and everyone around me noticed
that I was finally breaking down so they suggested I see a therapist but it never worked out.

All the therapists suggested I pull the plug which was a big no to me. They all wanted to make it look like
I was punishing Brandon. One even dared to call me selfish after I confessed that a maximum number of
years Brandon stated to pull the plug.

I had kept that a secret, not even Nestor was aware of it. I guess Brandon only told me because he never
wanted us to be fighting. His wish was three years but I went all the way up to thirteen years, going
against his wish. Was I selfish? Was the therapist right? Maybe they were but I felt offended and stopped
going to the sessions.

They all found out that I had quiet therapy and requested a meeting but I kept giving excuses of being
busy. I knew what they wanted to talk about and I was not interested. I would hide at the beach house,
usually staring at the plugs and machines that were keeping Brandon alive. Asking myself whether he
was in pain, whether he hated me for holding on too long or whether he would forgive me.

I had a lot of questions but only he was eligible to answer. I heard footsteps behind me and knew it was
Nestor. They stupidly called him. I had not seen him in weeks.

"Hello, Nestor? I'm not pulling the plug, let us give the doctor some more years?" I quickly spoke.

"What is the doctor saying?" He asked.

"I do not know, I stopped reading his progress reports a year ago," I replied.

"Thalia, seriously?"

"Brandon was right, that fool is useless. Maybe he diverts all the millions I give him to his personal
account," I replied.

He kept quiet without responding

"Have you ever asked Kendra how she feels about letting him go?"

"How on earth would I ask her that? What kind of a mother would ask her child that!" I yelled at him.
"I asked her?" he replied.

I turned in shock to face him, he had no right to do that.

"She said if he is in pain then it's only fair we let him go to heaven," he replied.

I glanced at him speechlessly, there was no way Kendra would have said that. She was the only one that
was on my side. She had been looking forward to meeting him. She liked all the stories I told her about
him. She had watched all the videos of him and always wondered how fun he would have been with her.

"Kendra would have told me, stop lying."

"She does not want to break your heart, I promised her I would not tell you," he added.

I placed my face in my hands, as he drew me for a hug. "Brandon would understand, I think it's time we
said goodbye to him."

"No! No!" I pushed him off. "You know what we went through with him, Josh, Scarlett, Maggie, and
Wilfred have no idea who Brandon is. We know him, we are not supposed to give up like them!"

"Thalia, it has been thirteen years, Thirteen fucking years."

"People stay in comas for more than thirty years!" I yelled at him.

"Those people are not waiting for a cure, a cure that we have no idea about. I think we should talk to Dr.
Wilson," he replied and began walking towards the lab. I was in disbelief at what was coming out of his
mouth.
I quickly ran after him as he pounded on the doctor's door like a mad man. The door opened and the
doctor walked out confused. He had really gotten old, he looked malnourished and looked like he had
not stepped outside for days or maybe months.

"You scared me, I thought it was intruders," he said. He turned in my direction and ran to me. "Ooh miss
Thalia, you have not aged a single day,"

"Cut the clap!" Nestor shouted at him. He glanced at Nestor in disappointment, then turned to me. "Miss
Thalia you just came in time, I have sent numerous emails but you never replied so I made
improvements," he said.

I could tell he was disoriented, even though I stopped bugging him I always visited Brandon, and the lab
and the capsule were in the same house. He could have walked out of the lab to meet up with me but he
did not. He looked like he had gone insane.

Nestor and I exchanged worried glances as he pushed the door of the lab. I ignored the Doctor who was
eager to say something and followed from behind. To our shock, we found the lab in chaos. There
were papers everywhere, the equipment was not maintained and most of them were off. And lastly, he
was alone, there was no sign of his team.

"Dr. Wilson, where is your team?" I asked

"They quit a year ago, they said they had wasted a lot of years," he replied.

My heart stopped for a minute

"Do not worry, I never up, miss Thalia, Never, no for Mr. Fraser,"

"Shut up! What do you mean they left? Why was I not informed!"
He walked near me and I was hit with a horrible stench. He smelled so horrible like he had not bathed in
ages.

" Finding another team was not a solution," he replied.

I wanted to hit him, I wanted to kill him but Nestor held me as I insulted him. How could he? After all the
millions that I kept sending. The state of the lab said it all, the negligence, it was all over. I kept a man in
a coma for nothing, it was all my fault.

"I'm going to call the police, Thalia, this piece of shit needs to rot in prison."

"And who is going to administer the cure if you arrest me?" the Dr replied.

I was not sure if he had gone mad or if I was hearing double. But someone needed to take him away
before I committed murder.

"Come, miss Thalia, come and check how the cells are dying. It was a virus, masking itself into cancerous
cells. It confused us because of being able to attack both red blood cells and white blood." he said.
“Brandon had a virus, not Cancer, and in unmasking the virus, it took thirteen bloody years" he added.

"Shut up!" Nestor yelled at him.

His last sentence caught my attention, "What did you say?"

He pointed to the table where one clean microscope was placed. "See for yourself, Miss Thalia."

I got up and walked to the table

"Please Thalia do not tell me you believe this mad fool."

"Quiet Nestor, scientists are supposed to be mad fools," I said as I peeped through the microscope. I saw
familiar mutated cells, but they looked shriveled.

"Wait here, let me get a fresh sample from mr Brandon," he suggested

But I yelled at him to stay still as I grabbed a needle myself and went and collected fresh blood. I ran back
to the lab and the old man handed me a vial of a colorless liquid. I first prepared a slide alone and I could
see the mutated cells. I added the liquid and the cells changed back to normal shape exposing a root-like
structure that dissolved and the cells shrunk.

My eyes almost popped out of my socket, I tried the process three times. "Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit!"
I kept screaming.

"Why didn't you tell me!"

"What's going on Thalia?" Nestor asked

"Fucking cure, he did it, he found the cure," I said in excitement.

"I need to assess the dose, I need to start a trial," the doctor began explaining but I ignored him, took out
the smallest needle, loading the cure into it.

"Thalia what are you doing?"

"You all wanted to unplug him so it won't make a difference," I said and ran to the capsule. I opened it up
and injected Brandon into his arm. By the time the doctor came in, it was too late, I had already given
Brandon the cure. Yes, it was not tested yet but what was the point when they all wanted to end his life.
"Miss Thalia, what have you done?"

"We will unplug the machine after monitoring," I said.

Nestor stood at the entrance with his hand in his hair. I got my headset and put them in my ears not
wanting to hear all that could go wrong with injecting medicine that was not tested. I began going
through the emails the doctor sent me for the past year.

He made a breakthrough the day I stopped opening his emails, a year ago though the cells were not
shrinking. According to his notes, the cure sounded promising, and when I did not reply he thought I had
rejected it and he began modifying it to perfection using only a microscope as his aid which took a year.

The old fool did it. Brandon was the guinea pig and if he died then it was meant to be.

An hour passed and he seemed okay, two, three and on the eighth hour, I took a sample, and behold the
cells were dying, most of them were dead. I typically lifted the old man, he was so thin, he had punished
himself to do the impossible even when his team quit on him. "You did it, you did it," I kissed him on the
cheek.

Nestor's shocked face was priceless. For the first time in the fourteen years I had known him, he became
emotional and shed a tear. He just sat on the floor, I was the one who began texting Maggie and the
others. Yes, it was too early and Brandon's body was still processing but from the Doctor's notes, I did
not see anything that could go wrong unless he was allergic to one of the components.

The following morning everyone arrived shocked, I was the only one smiling. After thirteen years, and
almost losing hope, my smile popped back on my face. We were yet to remove him from the coma. I
wanted his body to be independent of the machine.

But the good news was that the cells were dying. Every slide I made contained fewer cells which went on
for a week until I could not see cells that I could count with my hands.
Dr. Wilson then finally removed all the machines and gave him something to remove him from the coma.
We were all at the beach house in anticipation. He prepared us to expect the worst, like memory loss,
loss of speech, or even failure to wake up especially when thirteen years passed.

And it was not automatic that he was going to open his eyes and we understood. Kendra was very
excited, she wanted to meet him but he did not open his eyes. He was in there but his brain was
adapting to the change, meaning we had to wait.

I took leave from work and moved into the beach house. I wanted him to see my face first. We had
moved him into his old room, it was exactly the way it was when he left it.

Kendra would join me, every day after school, reading to him her romantic novels. I had only stepped out
to prepare her a meal when I heard screaming. I ran back into the room and found Brandon with his gray
eyes wide open. The eyes that I missed a lot. He kept staring at Kendra, who was screaming in
excitement. Even when she moved his eyes followed her new position.Brandon's Pov

It was the irritating voice again reading stupid love novels to me. I hated love novels but she was always
there with her irritating voice. There were times when I wanted to yell at her but every time I tried to
open my mouth or eyes they felt heavy like rocks. I rarely heard the words but lately, I began hearing
everything.

Back then I would feel when someone touched me or if they stayed longer and spoke for a long time.
That particular voice was usually the one that I heard and I always followed it when I got lost within
myself even though it was irritating.

There was also one sweet voice that was always crying. She was just so sad but I liked it a lot, she was
always talking about how she never gave up on some dude. Then there was a man who was always
talking about his girlfriend. It was a torture session with him. I always heard the voices but never saw the
faces. It was like I was trapped with no way out.

But on that particular day, the little voice was causing me to burst out. She was always reading some
love books to me. I snapped and all of a sudden my eyes popped open and they landed on the little
irritating thing. She quickly got up and screamed like a siren almost bursting my eardrums.

A woman came running but my attention was on the little girl that could not screaming in excitement. I
tried to open my mouth but failed miserably. I had to rely on my eyes to warn her to stop.

The lady ran towards the bed in excitement, her eyes filled with tears of joy.

"Ooh my God Brandon," she cried out and practically placed her large chest on me while the other little
one climbed on the other side and wrapped her arms around my head. They were both crying in
excitement. I had no idea who they were, it appeared they knew me.

"Dad, hi Im Kendra," the girl introduced herself and hugged me tighter, nearly popping my eyes out of
the socket.

A daughter, I had a daughter… if she was my daughter then the woman on my chest was my wife? I tried
opening my mouth but it was still heavy. They both finally let go of me and I breathed a sigh of relief.

They nearly burst my libs open but before I could recover. The woman dived for my lips and began
devouring the life out of me. I nearly choked to death.

"Mummy, yak, we need to brush his teeth first," the little girl cried out.

She quickly let go of my innocent lips blushing, the woman was crazy. She instructed the little one to go
and get the doctor. For the first time, she did something right, I needed a doctor and not the molestation
she was subjecting me to in front of the little girl.

"We did it, Love, it took a lot of years and sacrifice but we did it," she said but I only stared at her with no
idea of what she was talking about.

The door opened, the girl walked in with what looked to be a mad man. My heart dropped when the lady
addressed him as the doctor. He asked the lady to move away as he began assessing me. She hesitated a
bit but the little girl pulled her away.

"Mr. Fraser, I know you are scared and confused but blink if you can hear me?" he asked. I noticed he
was waiting for me to reply and realized I was Mr. Fraser. I slowly blinked, sending him into a cheer. He
did some more tests and began writing in what appeared to be a notebook, a very dirty notebook.

"It is going to take you some time to get back all your senses and ability to talk, you have been in a coma
for thirteen years," he declared.

Out of shock my mouth finally opened but I had no words to say. I waited for him to retract the joke but
he was dead serious. He was serious even though he looked like he was a homeless man.

After he was done, the woman and the little girl walked back in, very anxious.

"Yes Doctor, how is he?"

"He is trying to process everything but he needs time to get used to a body he has not used for thirteen
years," the old man said again. "He will need all the support and therapy he can get because he can't
remember a thing," he added.

The lady moved closer and took a seat in the chair next to me. "Do not worry, I will be here for you."

"And me," the girl replied.

"Ple…

I tried to talk but my mouth ached, " "please… no… romantic books," I finally said.
The lady burst out laughing, "I told you he was not the Romantic type," she said to the little girl.

"Love is known to bring people out of a coma, it is what brought him out," the girl replied.

I shrugged, sending them into laughter. The two sat on the bed and began narrating how I ended up in a
coma which was because of some weird disease. After she was done filling in some gaps, another
welcoming party walked in excited and began hugging me.

There was an old woman who introduced herself as Maggie, according to her she was my nanny, the
other man was her lover, and her son called Nestor. Then the other family confused more, The man was
the little girl's biological father with his wife and two sons.

But why was the girl addressing me as her father? I was more confused as I stared at the excited faces in
front of me who I could only suppose were my family but I had no clue who they were. I was not as
excited as they were and all I wanted was to get a long bath and be left alone.

Finally, the lady came to my rescue and chased them all out of the room. They all said their goodnights
and I just nodded Because I was having trouble talking they gave me a writing pad. My handwriting was
all over the place but it was readable.

I requested a cold bath and she quickly prepared it. She called back the guy she was calling Nestor and he
assisted me to the bathroom. He tried to help get the gown out but I refused. I was not disabled, I was
going to bathe myself. I just wanted to be alone.

But to my shock, as soon as I was completely naked and in the tub. The lady walked in naked and
entered the tub. I really wanted to scream but she laughed out like it was funny.

"Do not worry, I will not touch you," she said in a teasing way and she began bathing herself.

I was left trying to force my eyes not to look. She giggled, "you are free to look if you want to?"
"No," I said

She giggled again, irritating the shot out of me.

"Are..we??"

"No we are not married but you did propose the day you agreed to be placed in a coma, but I said no"
she replied.

I glanced at her confused as she began explaining everything from how we met. It was like hearing a
tragic movie.

The Brandon she was talking about sounded terrible but in a good way. I could not believe she waited for
me for thirteen years. But it was the way I met with her that hit me hard and to think the man that
destroyed her was in that room welcoming me back was weirder.

She went on to explain about the Kendra girl and how she was born, and how it was my idea to take
down her ex. How we castrated him, how we sank her company, how her ex-father-in-law impregnated
her ex's wife, how Kendra was kidnapped, and his ex' wife who was rotting in Mexico.

The shock on my face was priceless, I guess I had relaxed a bit and was not aware that she was washing
my hair. Our entire story fit a period of one year. But it felt like a story that could fit the time frame I was
in the coma.

The bottom line was I could not remember anything. I kept apologizing for that. She seemed like a nice
person, however, I could not remember anything about my past or her.

We finished bathing and she assisted me with picking some clothes. It was awkward, any man in my
position would have nailed her but my brain was a network of confusion. I had just gotten up from a
thirteen-year-old coma.

The following day I was taken to the city and the following days that followed were intense and I began
my therapy. Thalia did not want to waste time, she hired therapists in different areas. Speech, trauma,
psychology, anything that could help me heal.

The therapists were the cool ones and I was always looking forward to their sessions. But when it came
to being home, Thalia was all over me trying to force me to remember her. One day I had to shout at her
because it was becoming overwhelming.

Yes, she was excited and wanted to continue where we left from but I could not remember shit. I needed
time, I needed to remember at my own pace and time.

I had begun catching up with their names and Nestor was the coolest, he rarely talked or tried to force
me to remember him.

He was just there playing video games with me which I had to learn from scratch. Sometimes images
would pop up when we were playing even though they never made sense. The doctors said it was my
brain trying to piece my memories together.

Kendra was also cool, even though she never stopped talking. Her voice was weird because I
remembered it not only from her reading me her boring romantic novels but from talking. I recalled her
placing her mouth to my heart and talking over and over when I was in the coma.

I guess she was used to that so she was all over me telling me about everything, even things I was not
supposed to know. I knew that she could drive, and she had a bank account that no one knew about
except me. I was her secret bank and she was always itching to tell me things. She was the one that
made it easy to understand other people.

According to her, we made a pact to share each other's secrets when she was five years old. She was
very manipulating but I liked her very much. I even got used to her calling me dad.
The only person I only stared at when he visited was the Josh guy, I just could not help it especially since I
castrated him. Sometimes Thalia would snap me out of it but I would go into the staring phase again.
Maybe I just never liked the guy naturally which Thalia confirmed.

After two weeks more tests were done and I was pronounced free of the BFAM. All the cancerous cells
dead and wiped out like I never had it. I was a free man and I owed it to the old man who nearly became
insane trying to solve my case and Thalia who stood her ground and never gave up on me.

Everyone was always talking about how she never gave up on me and how special she was. I was not
blind, I already noticed and she was filthy rich even though according to her it was my wealth but I did
not feel like I was the rich type. I loved sleeping a lot and I developed an obsession with water, not the
office.

Slowly my memories began popping up though they were mixed up. But the first memories were the
ones I used to party a lot before I met Thalia or before I was diagnosed. it was a start in the right
direction according to the doctors.Thalia's Pov

Brandon was awake, and he hadn't aged a day. It appeared as if the capsule had preserved him for me,
and thirteen years had passed in the blink of an eye.

I couldn't help myself, but I'd formed a habit of staring at him and only glancing away when he caught
me. I knew he was having fun because he could smile. He still possessed that arrogance cokyness.

Who could blame me when he was so hot? I used to irritate him so much that I would throw myself at
him. It was like a dream, and I kept expecting someone to wake me up and pull me out of it, but he was
there every time I awoke.

My desperation was evident so he distanced himself but as soon as I backed off and allowed him to heal
he warmed up to me. What impressed me was the fact that he and Kendra became instant best friends.

They were inseparable. Even Josh had gotten a little jealous. But no one could tell how or maybe it was
just natural for them to bond. Or it had to do with the fact that she spent a lot of time with him when he
was in the coma and he was familiar with her voice.

The good news was that his memories began popping up though the first memories were before he got
diagnosed.

The period when he was a manwhore. It was irritating because he wanted answers; so he and Nestor
began frequenting nightclubs in attempts to rekindle old memories.

I had to swallow it all and allow him to remember everything on his own. But it was dumb irritating, very
irritating.

Work kept me busy and sane from going crazy which I noticed he hated. He never wanted to work and
was not interested in Mandel, the money, or anything.

The doctors said it was normal, people who were in a coma usually lost or changed in some aspects. I
guess Brandon had become lazy and non-materialistic.

The good news was that he was completely cured. Dr. Wilson was my guardian angel. He was also seeing
therapists and recovering. He became part of the family.

Eventually, Brandon began remembering glimpses of me. I had no idea what triggered it but he began
remembering me. There was no way of telling if he was ever going to remember everything but I
capitalized on the few memories and began following him to the nightclubs.

I was not used to such places but I was doing it for him. Waiting for old memories was not going to help
me have him so I decided to develop new ones.

The clubbing Brandon was the real Brandon and it was time to get to know him.

My plan worked and he began asking me out to accompany him out from time to time.
It was like our first date and I was falling for him all over. It was beautiful and I cherished every moment I
spent with him. I was no longer irritating him, he began enjoying my obsession with him.

Finally, I gave him all the archived recordings of Kendra from the time she was a baby to her thirteenth
birthday for him to watch and he loved every moment of it.

It was hundreds of tapes and he had all the time in the world to watch them since he never went to
work. The tapes also helped trigger some memories so he used to watch them every morning.

Nestor also had tapes of his own to jog his memories but I never bothered to find out what they were.

After we dated for some weeks he finally began getting flashes of how we met on the bridge but he
couldn't remember everything. It was progress, at least we were making fresh memories and he had
begun falling in love with me afresh.

One afternoon, I sat in my office trying to figure out my next move when he walked in surprising me. At
first, I thought he just missed me but to my surprise, he knelt on one knee and proposed. I screamed like
a madwoman.

I did not care whether my employees were hearing my noise. I waited thirteen good years for the man
that was proposing to me and I was not going to be quiet or accept the proposal in quietness.

"What changed? Why this surprise?" I asked as I kept kissing him over and over again.

"Time, I do not want time to separate us or some shit to drop out of nowhere and separate us," he
replied.

I teared up as I looked up at him

I kissed him on the mouth passionately, I missed his soft warm lips with a hint of coldness.

It felt like an explosion of the best flavors in the universe all at once mingling together and creating the
best taste and sensation I have ever felt. Or maybe I just missed him but the soft sounds that were
escaping from his mouth felt like Christmas to my ears wanting him to go deeper.

It felt like I was not in my own body anymore and I was in another universe floating. Before we knew it
we were both naked, and he was on top of me. I guess we had both been holding on far too long and just
wanted to get on with it. Finally, it was worth the wait.

He was such a gentleman. It felt like I wanted to get lost forever in him and he was touching the right
places. I waited for thirteen years, that was how long I wanted the sex to last but then I remembered he
was mine forever.

Our wedding day eventually came and Kendra was my maid of honor while Nestor was Brandon's best
man.

My happiness finally came, it was just delayed and required my patience. Our ceremony was beautiful,
we only had a few guests and close family.

When the ceremony was done we made a stop at the bridge, the place we first met, and laughed out
loud. We had come a long way, fate brought us to that bridge that day. Life screwed us so bad that we
could meet on that particular day.

He was supposed to save me while I was supposed to save him. Just like we promised each other we
went back to where it all started.

We wanted to know if we both still wanted to Jump.

He turned to me and asked, “Thalia Fraser, are you jumping off or not?"
I looked up at him, “No thank you, I want to live."

“Brandon Fraser, would you like to jump off?" I asked him.

"No thank you," he replied.

We kissed and told him I had some good news

"What?" he asked impatiently.

"I'm pregnant,"

He nearly fell over out of excitement.

THE END