2025-01-11 02:15:01The funeral house was located at the southern end of the Catholic Mid-west district church. Neither Jason nor his wife was a devoted church goer but as the church owned the only funeral house which was allowed to exist in the southern province of Arkwrath, it made sense to bury the deceased in the ways of the people. The way of the people required the widow of the deceased to be present during the funeral ceremony at the church but not at the graveyard during the burial.
Even though Dee had never regarded black as a colour fit for her body, she was shrouded in a knee-length black silk dress flattering her hourglass figure at the funeral with a tiny shawl hanging loosely on her shoulders. The funeral ceremony was packed with people she could not recall knowing or seeing until that day especially the several men who were all suited up. Dee was too lost in the myriad of the thoughts of losing her husband and the euphoria of false freedom she knew she never wanted when she was called to read her tribute to Jason. The last few days had passed by in a blur as she remembered how a single call shattered her heart. She was not sure whether she loved him or not any more until that evening. Dee realized that she did not love him anymore as a husband but she wanted him as a father for his daughter who she was looking to abandon with him to start a new family with ZacXavi. She however knew that she had to keep up a loving widowed wife front for a show and here she was in a church about to read the tribute about a loving husband whose death had shattered her whole world. ‘My whole world, my ass’ , she thought. As she felt her lips curling into a sneer, she effortlessly masked it with a sniff while dabbing her nose with a black silk napkin. As she stood up to approach the pulpit, she did something that shocked herself and Luke, Miss Lily, Daisy and ZacXavi. She burst into an uncontrollable stream of tears. She continued this show for more than a minute that she appeared inconsolable even though her sister and her mom were sitted on her sides holding her hands in theirs. Successfully, Dee failed to read the tribute that she never wrote as she was escorted out of the church by her mom and sister as the funeral ceremony continued with others reading their tributes. The last few days after she was told he was hit by a fire truck was a blur because she had to submerge herself in heavy doses of her medications because of her anxiety issues which however had nothing to do with Jason’s death. Rather, she was concerned about whom is capable of taking care of her daughter whom she loved enough to want a good and stable life for. She had zoned out until she felt the car come to a sudden stop outside the cemetery which was about 3 kilometers from the funeral house. ‘Good Riddance to bad rubbish’, she thought as she stepped out of the car. As a widow was not allowed to watch her deceased husband being lowered into the earth, she was led to a garden few meters away. She found the garden surprisingly comforting in the midst of the gloomy cloud which had shrouded every soul present at the cemetery. ‘Including the dead’, she thought smiling lazily while starring at the darkened statue of previously white angels who now had broken wings. She turned suddenly as she heard a twig break behind her. ‘Hey beauty’, ZacXavi said while brandishing his newly installed veneers. ‘Hey’, Dee replied with a tired voice. ‘You sure know that your performance is an Oscar winning one, right?', he said while patting the tip of her waist length blonde hair, the only contrasting colour to what she had on asides her skin colour which was blush pink. Beside her was jason’s boss who comforted her while whispering to her that she deserved an Oscar for her performance. ‘They would actually think that you actually loved Jason.’ he continued. ‘I did!’, she said almost screaming with tears choking her voice. ZacXavi was more than speechless and merely laughed quietly as he turned back towards Jason’s final resting place where the burial was ongoing. Dee felt a hand wrap around her shoulder few minutes after she heard ZacXavi’s retreating steps and looked sideways to see who it was. It was the woman that Jason fondly referred to as Aunt May. She handed out a handkerchief to Dee to clean the tears streaming down her face. It was only then did Dee realize that she had been crying. The woman said nothing as she held Dee to her body while looking into the far distance. She had always been emotionless and she still is. As Dee continued to cry without holding back, Aunt May he hugged her tighter and said something that sent shivers down Dee’s spine and halted her tears and award winning performances.‘He loved you, you did not. He worshipped you, he never cheated but you did. He was willing to forgive you but he is dead now.’ Dee instantly pulled out of her arms before she finished talkingand took 2 steps away from her. Aunt May merely shook her head before adding her last words, ‘To you.’ Zacxavi who had been watching her and the woman can only be amused on how good of an actress Dee was. ‘Maybe she loved him or not. That’s her business. I have her all to myself now’, He thought as he moved towards her again and saw that her expression had changed. ZacXavi was interested in taunting Dee again but the look on her face stopped his thought as well as his walk to where she was. He could not decipher whether she was angry, sad or both. ‘That’s enough drama for today’, he thought as he quickly masked the smile forming on his lips with an emotionless face. As he turned towards the parking lot of the church, he felt a pair of eyes on his back. He looked back and saw Dee looking at him. This time around, he made no effort to mask the smile forming at the corner of his lips as he winked at Dee while licking his lower lips at the same time. Dee did not know how to react. She was more shocked than pleased with his actions. She quickly looked around to ensure that no one saw him do that. And unfortunately, she saw an oddly familiar pair of eyes in the crowd looking straight at her and the direction of ZacXavi. The lower part of his face was however covered with a black nose mask like a K-Drama star. The physique was indisputably his as she knew how breathtaking he looked in black on black. She looked down hurriedly as she felt her heart beating faster than normal as her head started to ache. She thought she might be hallucinating as she shook her head to get the face as well as the ache out of her head. Dee looked up again towards where she had seen him. He was still there with his arms at akimbo and his eyes were fixed on her figure. Dee’s heart could no longer absorb the stares as she only remembered crashing into the damp bush of finely trimmed chrysanthemum as she lost consciousness.
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Dee woke up in her bed with a throbbing ache in the right side of her head which made her wince inaudibly as she struggled to open her eyes. The curtains of her room had been left wide open and she could see the sun setting across the horizon. She had always loved watching the sunset especially when she sits by the pool of hers’ and Jason’s mansion which they lost to a deadly loan shark whose constant threat made them escape the city for her parents’. Jason had however never provided her with answers to the question of what he used the money for. She closed her eyes again as she felt the numbing ache returning with extra throbs. Dee caught herself drifting into dreamland again until she felt something warm snuggling close to her body. She instantly opened her eyes and turned her head to check what it was. It was then that she realized that Ria was sleeping beside her on the bed. She wondered why Ria was sleeping beside her as she rarely sleeps in the room with her without her father
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John’s eyes were glued to the 10 different screens in front of him in the security office of ArkWrath hospital. It was not a one man’s job but his shift mate had left him alone in the room again to take another quick dump which John had lost count of the number within 3 hours. His focus was interrupted by his ringing phone. They had been warned not to leave their phones on during work hours but today was a special day and he was willing to risk not only his job but also his life for it. As he answered the call, he said nothing and waited for the caller whom he had identified through the unsaved number to say the safe word which they had mastered, ‘Fix it when you should’.‘Fix it when you should. It’s done. Do your part now mate.’ the caller said‘Got it. Spotlights on me in 3 minutes. How far along was it?’, he asked‘3 minutes at most. Clean the slates ASAP.’, she repliedBefore John could reply again, he heard a vigorous knock on the door of the security room. ‘Duty calls’, he sai
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The sterile air of the hospital felt heavy, almost suffocating. Nurse Syma stood quietly in the room, her hands steady as she adjusted the syringe in her gloved fingers. The heavily bandaged and ironically fragile figure lying unconscious, had no idea of the darkness that loomed over him. She felt an obvious disconnect with the figure and sighed at the thought of not having a personal attachment to him. To her, he was just another target, another cog in the machine of a larger, ruthless scheme that had drawn her in. Syma knew that she couldn’t afford to make any mistakes. She carefully inserted the syringe into his IV line, pushing the plunger slowly. The content of the syringe was designed to eliminate him within 5 minutes. Once she had emptied the syringe, she dipped it into her scrub’s pocket which hid the slight tremble of her hand at that moment. She knew what came next. The job would be done, and she would move on. ‘No emotional attachment, no second thoughts’, she thought as
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The grand hall of ArkWrath Manor buzzed with a quiet, but palpable, tension. Guests milled about in the sea of glimmering gowns and sharp tuxedos, the air thick with whispered conversations and unspoken alliances.At the center of it all stood **Olivia**, her pixie cut framing her sharp, determined features. Gone was the girl who had entered the ArkWrath empire mere months ago, uncertain and unnoticed. In her place was a woman who carried herself like she owned every inch of the room. The dress Jason had selected for her tonight—a fitted midnight black silk gown, velvet and flowing, with lace embroidery along the hem—was breathtaking. The long slit up the side of the gown allowed her to move like a shadow, fluid and untouchable. Jason ArkWrath—president of the entire ArkWrath empire—had, according to the press, chosen wisely. Jason appeared at her side again, his deep-set eyes hidden behind a black and gold mask that matched his dark tailored suit perfectly. There was a certain wild
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The night had finally arrived. The city of ArkWrath buzzed with anticipation as the opening chords of a new era played out in the luxurious ballroom of the ArkWrath estate. The welcoming party was not just an event—it was a statement. Every detail, every glance exchanged, every whispered word carried weight. Jason stood before the large mirror in his suite, his father’s new butler—a tall, perfectly composed man named Benet—having finished the final adjustments to his attire. Jason’s tuxedo was tailored to perfection, black as the night with gold accents that subtly hinted at the opulence of the ArkWrath legacy. His mask, a work of art, rested over his face, hiding his expression from the world. The ArkWrath family did not simply walk into a room; they commanded it. And tonight, Jason was going to make sure the world saw him as more than just a name—he was the face of this empire. He barely noticed Benet fussing with his cufflinks, his mind preoccupied with the events to come. His f
CHAPTER 48
Jason stood by the grand windows of his mansion, the floor-to-ceiling glass offering him a sweeping view of Arkwrath serene coastline. The sun was just beginning to set, casting its golden light across the shimmering water. This mansion was the perfect place for power players like himself to keep their secrets hidden. But secrets, as Jason had come to learn, were never fully hidden. They had a way of bubbling up, especially when you had too many people to trust.His father’s call had come just two days ago, and now, with the welcoming party drawing near, Jason was still grappling with the weight of the conversation. Winston, his father, had been unusually insistent that Jason make time to visit Aunt May. The invitation was personal, informal, and in Jason's eyes, fraught with potential complications."Aunt May insists on cooking for you," Winston had said, his voice gruff but warm. "She wants to meet the man who's taken over everything that once belonged to her husband. I understand
CHAPTER 47
As the day wore on, Olivia couldn’t help but feel the weight of it all. She had no idea how much her life would change from this point forward, but one thing was certain: she was now part of Jason’s world. And as much as she tried to deny it, a part of her couldn’t help but wonder what else lay behind that mask, behind that calm, composed exterior. She would have to learn to navigate this world, to keep her emotions in check. But deep down, she knew the hardest part would be keeping her growing attraction to Jason hidden. Because no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t deny the undeniable pull he had on her. And that terrified her more than anything else..Olivia stared at her phone, her eyes scanning the schedule once again. The calendar she’d just synced with Jason's was now filled with precise, almost meticulous details of her upcoming days. There were meetings, appointments, tasks—all arranged with an efficiency that left no room for ambiguity. As she went through the events, o
CHAPTER 46
Olivia had returned to her seat and she didn’t trust him. Not yet. But as Jason’s fingers moved swiftly over the keyboard, she realized that her choice was already made. She had no other option but to trust him, at least for now.Again, Olivia sat in the uncomfortable silence of the room, her eyes darting between Jason and the space around them. There was an air of discomfort about the situation, a palpable tension that seemed to follow Jason wherever he went. He was different from the man she had first met—different from the son of Arkwrath who had been an unspoken legend. Jason was no longer just a figure in the shadows of his father’s empire; now, he was its heart, and every action he took seemed deliberate, controlled, and... unsettling.She had tried to understand him in the moments she spent around him, but now, in this office—his domain—it felt like the game had just begun. Jason didn’t seem like the kind of person to make idle conversation. He spoke when he needed to, and when
CHAPTER 45
Olivia sat across from Jason, her mind racing as she observed his every move. He was different now, no longer the man she had once seen in passing, no longer the son of the man who had ruled the empire with unyielding control. Jason was the empire now. And Olivia couldn't help but wonder: was this his true nature? Or was it all an elaborate façade? His calculated demeanor, the coldness with which he spoke, it was as if everything was part of a game—a game she didn’t fully understand but would soon be forced to play.Jason’s gaze never wavered as he stared down at the screen of his laptop, the soft glow illuminating his sharp features. His presence in the room was suffocating even. He exuded an energy that made everything else seem insignificant. Olivia shifted in her seat, feeling like an intruder in this vast, cold office.Then, just as she thought she had figured out his demeanor, he spoke again, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade.“You’re going to start living with
CHAPTER 44
Jason stepped out of the elevator and into the atrium of the Arkwrath Tower. The faint hum of the city outside echoed in the massive glass windows, but inside, there was nothing but silence and the sense of impending change. The air seemed thicker, charged with a subtle tension as if the world itself was holding its breath, waiting for him to take the first step into his new role. As he crossed the polished marble floors, his heels clicking against the surface, a realization hit him. This was it. This was the moment. He wasn’t just stepping into his father’s shoes—he was claiming the throne. He was no longer the son of the man who had once built the empire; he was the emperor now. And whether he liked it or not, the world was going to watch him. His every move, every decision, would be scrutinized. Agreed with, disagreed with, criticized, and most of all, gossiped about. Jason had always known this would come. But now, as he entered his father’s old domain, there was a tangible weig
