LOGINA Year LaterA year had passed, easily and swiftly, as if the ruckus of many months ago had never happened — a year I thought could have gone wrong, that it could have led to disaster after Ralph took me and Zane with him, and afterwards paid an unexpected visit to Aldwin, leaving him with a threat to not just himself but to the empire he holds so dear.I had prepared my mind for the worst that could happen, even if the peace didn't last. But here we are a year later — longer than I had expected — with more peace and tranquillity than I had ever imagined.We had recently moved to Ralph's villa in Moldova. It was our third time moving to a new country within a year. Ralph never made it a habit of staying in one place for too long. We lived a holiday life — one I had only imagined when I was with Aldwin.Each morning felt better than the last, with Ralph's pampering and attention, waking me up with kisses that left no doubt about his intentions. We were having the time of our lives, and
Aldwin felt his hatred and disgust rise like bile in his throat. This man had slept with his wife, fathered a child he had raised, and now stood in his office making threats. And then the thought of Zane surfaced, unbidden and painful."If you think you can waltz in here to lay claim to what doesn't belong to you, think again," Aldwin warned."Claim on what exactly?" Ralph asked. Then his expression shifted as realisation dawned. "Oh, you mean Zane? He is very much my son, and there's nothing you can do about that.""Don't you dare mention his name."Aldwin rushed forward, his fist aimed at Ralph's face. But Ralph was faster. He caught Aldwin's arm, twisted it behind his back, and held him in place. Aldwin groaned in pain, but Ralph paid no attention to his cries.The elevator doors chimed, and Ray walked in with a shocked expression.One look at Ralph and he recognised him. Ray quickly reached into his suit jacket, pulled out a gun, and pointed it at Ralph.Ralph didn't flinch. He sl
Meanwhile, before Aldwin could figure out that Zane and Kora were missing, Ralph decided to pay him an unexpected visit. He knew how much Aldwin disliked such visits, but he wasn't there to be pleasant.He finished copying the files onto the hard drive and left for Imperial Holdings headquarters. Nothing gave Ralph more joy than the thought of taking Kora away from Aldwin. He didn't deserve her, dammit.***Aldwin's OfficeLizzy's voice sounded through the intercom on Aldwin's desk. "Sir, there's someone here to see you. He doesn't have an appointment, but he insists."Aldwin didn't look up from the papers he was reviewing. "I'm not receiving any guests without an appointment. Send him away."There was a pause, and then Lizzy spoke again. "Sir, he said you would want to see him. He said he's someone you've been searching for."Aldwin's hand stopped moving. His pen hovered above the document, and his brow shot up at the impossibility of who he imagined. Ralph? No. It couldn't be. His m
Zane agreed before leaving my room. As we drove out of the mansion, I spotted the obsidian SUV Ray and Aldwin had driven in earlier. My heart skipped a hundred beats as it approached us. Why was he back already? Did he suspect that something was off? "Mother," Zane called. "Stay calm. Don't give them anything to dwell on," I said while maintaining a fixed expression myself. The obsidian SUV came to a halt in the tracks just as it got closer. The driver's window rolled down, and Ray exchanged a glance between me and Zane. I flashed him a smile while Zane didn't look up from his phone. "Pleasant morning, Ray," I said in a casual tone. "Good morning, Mrs Ellison," Ray returned the greeting. I was looking forward to the back window rolling down too, but nothing. Out of curiosity, I asked. "Why are you back this early?" "Mr Aldwin asked me to pick up a file he left behind," Ray explained. "Oh," I said, only realising that Aldwin was not in the car. I sighed in relief. "Alright th
"No, no, Ralph," I said in a slightly raised voice and began to cough. My throat still felt sore from Aldwin's grip. Ralph's words took me by surprise. I never expected he would agree without thinking."You can't come here, and certainly not now. It's late, and you might need to make some arrangements for us to leave.""No. I don't need to make any last-minute arrangements. I have a plane on standby, and we can leave immediately," Ralph said, excited at the thought of leaving with me and Zane."Oh," I let out a small sound of surprise. I didn't expect that. Ralph was everything he said he was. I just hadn't imagined it was this big when he boasted to me about his wealth. A sudden surge of pride swelled within me."Can we wait until morning then? When Aldwin must have left for work, Zane and I will come to you. If we try to make any move now, we would be risking our chances of getting Aldwin's attention. Sneaking out by this time? He would definitely place us under house arrest, or wor
I was baffled to hear Aldwin mention Ralph again. What did Ralph have to do with Zane's attitude? My eyes widened in wonder. Did Zane mention Ralph to Aldwin?"Did he say something?" I asked again, sitting up quickly, hoping that wasn't the case. Aldwin was not supposed to find out about Ralph meeting Zane."Did Ralph reach out to you?" Aldwin asked suspiciously."No. Ralph is unreachable, and you know that," I lied, hoping my expression didn't give me away.Aldwin scoffed. "You must be joking if you think I believe anything you say now. For eighteen years, you made me raise a child that wasn't mine. Is there anything you can't do?" Aldwin asked between clenched teeth as he came closer."Tell me, where is Ralph? I know you know one or two pieces of information about him. Why else is Zane so nonchalant about the inheritance? Anyone would fight for it. Where. Is. Ralph?" Aldwin counted the words, making them sound more fierce. And this time, his fist circled around my neck, pressing har
He hesitated for a moment. Whatever it was, I was certain it weighed on his mind. He had been thinking about it for weeks, and he couldn't wait any longer."Who do you think Father will pick?" he asked. "As CEO, I mean. It has to be one of us, eventually."I was taken aback a little, trying to unde
I nodded, still staring at the papers in my lap. "What am I going to do, Lisa?""First, you're going to breathe." Lisa took the papers from me and set them on the nightstand. "Then you're going to wait for your mum, and then the three of us are going to figure this out together."I wanted to believ
The mansion came into view sooner than she expected, and Lisa was surprised at how quickly she had arrived. She parked in the circular driveway without bothering to find a proper spot and hurried through the front door. The staff member who greeted her barely had time to say hello before Lisa was a
Lisa sat in her car for a full five minutes, still wondering why she had agreed to do this, before she worked up the courage to walk into the hospital. The building was nothing special – a grey stone structure on a quiet street in Queens, far enough from Manhattan that no one would accidentally rec







