Three days later.Rebecca had sent Amber to take care of Jane, so Jane was doing fine now. Her chickenpox was almost gone, though the spots were still mildly visible all over her body. She was yet to leave her room, even though she really wanted to go out and get some fresh air.“Mom and dad haven’t called me even once,” she puckered a little. “It’s like they went for their honeymoon.”Her thoughts shifted back to Rebecca once again. “She doesn’t know it, yet, but she’s fighting a losing battle. Benjamin is drunk on her, but I’ll be his new wine.“I never intended to take their relationship apart, but I’ve been waiting for the right person my whole life just like her. Maybe not as much as she did, and I’m not as cute as her, either, but… most average women are not cute, and I think I can be more intelligent, honest, supportive, and cooperative to my partner than she can be. These are only basic human qualities, but they are rare these days. I’m sure Benjamin will be attracted to me if

On the lawn, Ryan was sitting on the grass and was basking in the sunlight. A butterfly came and landed on his forefinger.Vlad and Mercie who were sitting next to him were surprised because it looked like the old man was silently conversing with the butterfly.They tried to catch the butterfly, but it flew away.“Let them that have the wings fly,” Ryan slapped on the back of their heads, making them pout in anger and leave his side.Elizabeth was watching Ryan from a distance, and Dorothy was also next to her. “It doesn’t look like he has a family, mom. Why don’t you give him a try?”Dorothy was shocked. “Elizabeth!” she couldn't believe what her own daughter was saying.“What? I’m just telling you to be practical,” Elizabeth was chewing on blueberries. “Dad won’t come back, so you want to stay alone for the rest of your life?”Dorothy was slack-jawed. She was actually thinking of staying with Elizabeth, but from Elizabeth's words, she felt like her daughter never really considered

Rebecca’s POV:From the very moment we’re born, the race of life will start and never ends until the last breath is drawn.These past few days have surely been a race and made me feel like it would go on forever.I experienced many things I haven't experienced in a while.I was ignored.I was insulted.And some of my ex-colleagues tried to scare me into withdrawing the cases against the company they work for, where I used to work for.All these things were pretty disheartening and scary to say the least.Being the prettiest girl no matter where I went, I always got the attention in a good way, without even having to try. However, things seem different now. Maybe because of what happened in my professional life and also what was happening with the Sterling family at the moment, all these things played their roles, I’m aware.I’ve been trying to get a job, but it’s not proving to be easy.I used to earn over a million dollars a month until recently, but now, I’m jobless, earning zero do

Benjamin’s POV:It wasn’t easy to not give my love the pizza when she was asking for it. I bought 3 round doughs baked with toppings of cheese and meat just so we could eat together, after all.I hoped she would understand my feelings. I wasn’t trying to chew up the food and then feed her like how birds feed their babies. She had two hands. She could easily grab a piece if she wanted, but only after I get some reward. The next moment, I saw her bringing her face closer to kiss me on the cheek. Yes. That was all I wanted. A little moment of love that couldn’t be shown any simpler.However, my ears caught the noise of wheels spinning and tires skidding before a blazing light flashed through the windshield.My instinct screamed danger. Only the thought of saving Rebecca ran through my mind, and my body reacted as fast as I wanted.In the blink of an eye, the front half of the car was utterly destroyed into a squashed mess. The shock stunned my body, so Rebecca could be feeling it a lot m

Jane’s POV:Looking out through the window, I see people running around to get to their jobs or daily labor. Even the ones from the apartment are heading out, but no one has the time to stop and say hello. None of them do, unless they have something they need.I wouldn’t have cared if it was the usual me, but today, I’m going to step out of the flat and the building after going through chickenpox for the past seven days.Amber, the talkative maid, brought a coffee and a green tea. Naturally, I reached out for the coffee, but she blocked my hand, and I had to settle for the green tea.“I was thinking of paying you a thousand dollars for your help,” I said softly, hoping to get some reaction from her, “but perhaps, 500 is enough.”She quickly swapped the tea with the coffee, making me smile without even trying. I took a slow and long sip as I continued to stare out the window. Cars speeding up pretty close to kids riding bicycles, and all kinds of vehicles swerving in and out through th

Rebecca woke up and found herself staring at a rather familiar ceiling. She was in her room.She sat up at once, her hands touching her chest simultaneously. Like she woke up from a nightmare, she felt the chill and cold, probably also due to the sweat on her face and her arms.The last thing she remembered was sitting in the car with Benjamin, and they were talking, and she was about to kiss him, and a light flashed from the side. And then something happened.Was what happened real or a dream? Did she even meet Benjamin? Or was that whole thing just a dream?She wasn’t sure. Then again, she was wearing the same dark green dress she remembered wearing most recently. So, it couldn’t have been a dream.If so, how did she end up in her room? That was another big question. However, right now, she grabbed her mobile, which had a couple of cracks on her screen, adding to her anxiety. She hit call.“Hey, my love,” Benjamin answered, and all her anxiety went out through the window. “How was y

The chairman of the Bell Fashions was watching blurry video footage on a desktop. The video showed his forty-floored building getting crushed to the ground at once. “How is this possible?” He had his hands on his forehead, fingers rubbing left and right. “Even bombs would take five to ten seconds to make this big of a building fall to the ground, but this footage shows the building falling in a second. Just… how? It’s like someone pummeled the whole building down instantly. It makes no fucking sense. I wish I had the insurance. Dammit!” The footage was taken by a camera from a faraway building, so the visuals weren’t clear, especially because it was dark at the time. One of the directors rushed into the room, gasping, “Chairman, the Myers family offloaded their holdings.” “Are you kidding me?” the chairman stood in shock, taking his glasses off his face. “Why didn’t Gregory call me? He’s our biggest client!” “That’s not all, sir,” the director blurted out. “Bell’s stock prices alr

“He went out on a delivery?” Rebecca pursed her lips as she talked with Sasha. “Was there a woman with her? Medium long hair, a little shorter than me, and has green eyes.”“Yes. A woman with similar features was talking with Benjamin,” Sasha replied fast. “She left after Benjamin left. Isn’t she his wife?”“NO!” Rebecca quickly denied. “I’m his wife. Tell him I came here when he returns.” Rebecca’s heartbeat picked its pace. “Hmph!” She then walked out of the hut in a hurry like a tense little rabbit.She could just wait until Benjamin returned and then tail him to see what he was doing during the day, but she didn’t want to do that. She wanted to believe in him, but at the same time, life didn’t feel so bewildering in a long while.She never thought she would have to compete with Jane over the rights for her own husband. This wasn’t something any parents could teach to a child. She had to fight this on her own, or she might lose her husband.She felt greatly discouraged.“I’ve alway

Benjamin called for an ambulance, and then Jacob was admitted to a hospital. It was only a mild sunstroke, so Benjamin didn’t find the need to accompany his father-in-law to the hospital, but he made sure to send a message to his wife.He delivered pizzas until evening and also noticed that the Wraith had been following him since morning.“She hasn't even stepped out of the car since morning, and she’s managed to somehow keep up with my speed for the most part. Is this what determination can do? Gotta admit she’s scary in a way,” Benjamin thought as he finished his work and sat upon his own Harley Davidson. “I want to teach her a lesson, but I would like it more if it’s Rebecca who does it. At any rate, it’s time to lose this stalker.”Benjamin drove fast and entered many alleys and left Jane clueless.She smashed her hand on the steering wheel and hurt herself. “Ouch. Dammit. He knows I’ve been tailing him, but he doesn’t even come to talk to me once. I was thinking of pulling him in

Many real estate tycoons were all talking about one name the past few days.“Who the heck is this Ryan? Where did he even come from?”“What’s his background? How can he buy so many properties in such a short time?”“Is the mafia behind him?”“Is it a politician? Or a rich businessman maybe?”“Whether it is the governor, or someone else… Someone must be backing him. Otherwise, how can a single man manage to buy an entire street? No one in this city owns an entire street.”“This isn’t just a matter of pride anymore. We must bring this man down.”Be it millionaires, or multi-millionaires, they were all thinking along the same lines. They wanted Ryan gone out of the city or from the surface of the earth if possible.This issue reached all the way to Terry Praise. He was also thinking of buying a building near the Sterling villa so he could closely observe the struggles of the Sterlings and thoroughly enjoy watching them suffer as he pushed them deeper and deeper into poverty.“Ryan… Ryan