Chapter 21
Jasmine
Finished
My eyes are surrounded by dark circles, I couldn’t sleep at all last night. Seeing that devil had afflicted my dreams with nightmares of our past.
Right now, I’m still in shock, nothing in this world could have prepared me for bumping into
him..
He hasn’t changed. He is the same cocky, cold–hearted arrogant man.
Seeing his face is a horrible reminder of everything I’ve tried to forget all these years.
How dare he kiss me! My lips still tingle, and horror drenches my heart, recalling all those times. he had forced himself sexually on me during the time we were married.
Anger.
Bitterness.
Humiliation.
These emotions surge through me all at once, and I despise myself for being so weak four years
ago.
Why did I let him treat me like that without ever fighting back?
Romano made me to be his human doll, only to sit prettily, to be seen by him, but my voice was never to be heard.
Why did I only quietly accept his cruelty? Why was I so afraid of him… And in the end, I still lost everything
I’ve always believed that my mother wasn’t a bad person, even though I barely know her. Who knows, maybe Romano’s father was the bad guy.
After all, he was a man who cheated on his wife, how much of a good person can he be when his only son is such a bastard?
The more I think about it, the more upset I get. All Romano knows is how to bully others, whether in business or personally, he strongly believes everything can be solved with violence.
That is the world he belongs to, but what I can never forgive is how he killed my child and the cruel things he had done to me.
My phone rings, snapping me from my thoughts; I glance at the screen and answer.
“Hello. Who is this?”
627PM
Chapter 21
Finished
that’s slated to be demolished so that the area can undergo development. We hope you can come and sign the paperwork.”
Shit!
I’ve been informed about this even while I was abroad.
I’ve been meaning to pay a visit to the place I used to live.
Why is it getting demolished so quickly?
I quickly arrived at the old house.
The old house is filled with the strong scent of mould, and as I enter inside, blurry memories of my childhood resurface at the back of my mind. We didn’t have much, but I remember being happy staying with my grandmother.
She was the only person who loved me unconditionally in my entire life.
I enter the living room and halt in my tracks, the entire place has been ransacked!
Did a thief break into the house? It has been abandoned for so long, I don’t think there is anything valuable… So why will anyone even break in?
My heart flutters with panic even as I walk to my mother’s old room, only to see that the lock has been bashed in, and the place is just as messy.
I bite my lips, my heart clenching tightly as I enter the room; when I was younger, I remember being forbidden to enter this place by my grandmother, but I would still secretly enter because a part of me had always yearned for a maternal love which I never got to experience.
I pick up a few things as I walk over to my mother’s set of drawers. All of the drawers had been yanked out and the old documents that had been stored inside them were mostly lying around on the floor
The old paintings on the wall catch my eye. I vaguely recalled that there used to be a hidden compartment behind that painting. A place where I used to play when I was younger, my heart jolts with a spark of memory as I walk over to the painting.
True enough, the wooden secret compartment is still there; my eyes land on a briefcase and a photo album lying on the ground. I remember that this place used to be empty, did my grandmother put these here?
There are pictures of my mom, lots of them. I feel a stab in my heart as I pick up a photo; I sit on the floor and start to go through her entire photo album from her childhood to her high school. My eyes land on a specific picture that makes all the hair on my body rise in attention.
My jaw nearly drops to the floor.
How can this be?
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Chapter 21
stepmother, and the words written at the back are ‘Best friends forever‘
Wait.
My mother and Petra are childhood friends? I’m filled with shock, which sprouts into confusion, and several questions burn in my mind.
If Petra used to be my mother’s good friend, why would she marry my father the year after her mother died:
Why would she have brought along a daughter who’s only one year younger than me?
There were too many doubts and uncertainty in my mind-
My mother’s death, the relationship between my mother and Petra, the reason why my father married my mother’s good friend, and that daughter who is one year younger than me.
Is there a possibility that Fiona is Dad’s biological daughter?
Does this mean Dad betrayed my Mom when she was still alive?
I can feel my heart clenching and my mind reeling with uncertainty.
Did Mom know about Dad cheating on her when she left?
Why did my mother and Romano’s father get into an accident up in the mountains?
I open the document next to the photo album, and the words‘ Serene Beauty Perfumery‘ are written on the first page..
My breath falters, the signature below clearly belongs to my mother.
After reading through the agreement, I realize that my mother had a 50% equity share in a company known as Serene Beauty Perfumery. My mother was also one of the company founders.
This is the first time I’ve come to know about my mother’s professional life. My grandmother had rarely spoken about her, probably because it wasn’t easy to talk about the reason mother’s death, and she didn’t want me to be hurt.
for
my
A thought flashes through my mind. Petra is running a company right now which also happens to be a perfume company.
My mind brews with suspicion, Is Petra’s company in any way related to the company my mother partly owned?
I walk out of the apartment lost in thoughts, still processing everything I’ve just learnt.
Petra stole my mom’s husband…and now she happens to run a perfume company, anyhow I think about it, so many things are not adding up.
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Chapter 21
interest suddenly fills me with a sense of familiarity.
I’m overwhelmed by a new surge of determination. If my mom is innocent, I have to clear her name. I won’t let her to simply be known as a homewrecker anymore. I’m also
doing this for me. if my mother turns out not to be guilty, then Romano will have to apologize to me.. Not that it will change anything, but still.
I’m so lost in thoughts that I realize too late the blank–tinted car that has been following me. The car screeches to a halt in front of me, and two burly–looking men jump down to block my path.
I let out a startled scream as one attempts to snatch the documents from my hands, but I react quickly enough to grab a hold of the documents and notebook.
“What are you doing? Who are you people?!”
The man glares at me ferociously and suddenly pushes me hard. I land hard against the floor breathless and my body bristles with pain where I scratch my knees.
“Help!” I scream, looking frantically at my surroundings.
“Get away
from her right now!” A loud shot rings in the air, and I scream; my attackers also use this opportunity to flee.
I look up in shock to stare at my saviour, my heart slamming hard against my ribcage.
This is
Romano’s right–hand man, Niko.
I know him because he always came to our house back then.
What is he doing here?
Is this a coincidence?
I’m yet to recover from my shock when he bows his head to greet me.
“Been a while, ma’am. Are you hurt?” His gaze surveys me as he suddenly grabs his phone. “I need to inform the Boss about those men, do you know them?”
Hearing his mention of Romano jolts me out of my trance and I stagger to my feet panickedly. “Did Romano send you to stalk me? How long have you been following me?!”
Niko doesn’t answer; his face is a cool, emotionless mask that reminds me of Romano. That psychotic bastard!
Tell
your boss to stay far away from me, even if I die, he should never interfere with my life, get
