Masuk(Rayner)“Mom!”My voice tears through the room as I stride toward her.She sits there with one leg crossed over the other, calmly sipping tea as though she hadn’t just done something completely unforgivable.I stop right in front of her, glaring down at her.“How could you go around handing out invitations to a wedding I never even consented to?”“You don’t need to consent to a wedding before having one, dear.” She smiles lightly over the rim of her cup. “All you have to do is show up. I’ll handle everything else.”“Mom!”The word rips out of me in a growl. I can actually feel the veins straining against my neck.Slowly, she sets her teacup on the table before lifting her gaze to mine.“Rayner.” She sighs. “You should be grateful you have a mother who’s willing to go through all this just to keep her family together. Do you think every mother would?”“I’d rather you be one of those mothers who minds her own business instead of forcing your decisions on me.”She rises to her feet.“My
(Amara)“I’m here to personally give you the invite to Rayner and Stella’s wedding.”Helena’s voice keeps replaying in my head as I sit alone in my office.Could my mother really be right this time?Then my mother’s voice follows.“I’m sorry, Amara, but you shouldn’t believe Rayner. There’s nothing he can do anymore.”A slow breath leaves my lungs as I rake a hand through my hair. The ache behind my eyes only deepens.“Amara.”Martha’s voice pulls me back to the present.“Is everything alright?”I lift my head.For a second, I’d completely forgotten she was standing in my office.I press my lips into a thin line.“Yes, Martha. Everything’s fine.” I force a small smile. “I was just thinking about the campaign shoot. How far along are we?”“Almost ready.”She places a document on my desk.“These are the scripts for the campaign. I actually came to let you know we’ll be leaving soon. I thought you’d want to be there.”“Of course.”I open the folder.My eyes scan each page carefully, movi
(Amara)“Wha… what are you saying, dear?” My mother’s fingers wrap around my hand, gentle yet trembling. Disbelief floods her eyes. “You’re joking, right? You don’t mean what you just said.”“Joking?” I repeat, staring at her. “How can I joke about something like this?” I pull my hand away and rake my fingers through my hair before tilting my head to one side. “It’s the truth, Mom. I’m pregnant, and the father of my child is Rayner. Rayner Sinclair.”The color drains from her face.A low groan slips from her lips as her hand flies to the back of her neck.Then her knees give out.“Mom!”I lunge toward her, but Nathan gets there first, catching her before she hits the floor.“Nathan… she…” Her trembling finger lifts toward me. Tears blur her eyes as she struggles to breathe through the shock. Nathan snaps to me. “How could you do this, Amara? How could you let something like this happen?”I clamp my teeth together so hard my jaw aches.“She doesn’t care about Mom’s feelings.” Julian’
(Maya)“Wow, Maya. You should be given an award for Best Actress, you know?” Kelvin says as he sets the bag of fruit on the table.I glance at him for only a second before looking away.“Then you should’ve come with the award.”He chuckles.“I didn’t know awards are presented to people wearing hospital gowns inside hospital rooms.”“Tsk.” I scoff. “What an excuse.”He lets out a slow sigh.“So… how did it go?”My thoughts drift back to everything.To Amara.To the look in her eyes.To the way everything unfolded exactly as I wanted.A slow smile curls across my lips.“I’ve managed to shift her attention away from me.” Satisfaction warms my chest. “The moment Grace walked into the room, I saw it in Amara’s eyes. Doubt.” I let out a soft laugh. “There’s going to be a bombshell soon. Something extraordinary is about to happen.”I turn to him.“And it’s all thanks to you. If you hadn’t figured out who made that post… if you hadn’t uncovered the truth about Selina… I wouldn’t have the uppe
(Amara)“What are you saying?” My voice comes out in a strained whisper. “Selina’s dead. Dead, Maya. So how do you expect me to believe any of this? How do you expect me to believe someone who’s dead was just here trying to kill you.”“Because she isn’t dead, Amara.” Maya’s voice is unwavering. “Selina’s alive. She’s alive.”I go completely still.The air catches in my lungs, refusing to move.Seeing the panic spreading across my face, Maya reaches for my trembling hands and holds them firmly.“Lily’s birthday party,” she says quietly. “I chased after a woman who looked exactly like Selina. I lost her before I could catch up, but I know what I saw. So tell me… if she was really dead, how could she have been there? How could she have gotten into the party?”For a moment, my mind drifts back to that night.I remember seeing Maya rushing around the corner as though she was chasing someone.I remember running after her and grabbing her wrist, asking what had happened.Could she…Could she
(Maya)Footsteps.They move toward me, slow and careful.Closer.Closer.I can feel someone’s presence now. The warmth of their breath brushes against my face as the figure leans over my bed.Three.Two.One.My eyes snap open.A figure looms over me.A face mask conceals every feature except a pair of eyes staring down at me.Our gazes collide.Those eyes widen.As if she never expected me to be awake.In the next second, the gloved hand shoots up, a syringe flashing beneath the dim light as it plunges toward me.My hand flies up on instinct.I catch the wrist midair, stopping the needle inches from my skin.“Die! Just die!” she hisses, forcing the syringe downward.A chill shoots through me.That voice.“Selina!”The growl tears from my throat as I shove her hand aside. The syringe flies from her grip and clatters onto the floor.“How dare you!”My palm crashes against her cheek.Her head snaps sideways.“You really think you can kill me?” I let out a cold laugh.Her head slowly tur
(Rayner)“I’m leaving the office now and I don’t know if I’ll be returning,” I say into the air, knowing fully well she can hear me from where she’s seated.“Huh? I thought—”“You can choose to follow me out now or remain here,” I add, cutting her off as I stride toward the door.I don’t wait for h
(Amara)“Tell me the truth, Amara. What’s going on? What’s your relationship with that man from the mall?”Maya’s voice rings through the room, sharp and relentless.I move deeper into the room before I even realize it, anger rising too fast.“I don’t have any relationship with him. And neither wil
(Amara)Argh.A soft groan slips from my lips as my phone alarm beeps insistently. It’s crazy how, even now, I still haven’t learned how to ignore this damn thing. Half-asleep, I stretch a hand toward the bedside table to shut it off like I always do, but my fingers meet nothing.I frown.Slowly, m
(Amara)I scoff and turn back to my drink, deliberately ignoring his greeting. I’m not in the mood to talk. Not to anyone. Especially not to someone who looks like he wants to be friendly.I hear him sigh, unbothered by my coldness.“You seem to be alone. Mind if I join you?”The words hit somethin







