All Chapters of The Bait, The Ruin: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

100 Chapters

Chapter 1: The Bait

DAHLIA'S POV I wake up with a gasp, my body drenched in cold sweat as a scream tears through the silence. My heart pounds wildly against my ribs as I sit up, disoriented, my ears ringing… then I realize the space beside me is empty. Jerome isn’t in bed. Panic grips me instantly. I throw the covers off and rush out of the room, my bare feet slapping against the cold floor as I follow the sound of his voice. He’s cursing loudly, the kind of raw, frustrated anger that makes my chest tighten. “Babe, oh my God!” I cry, rushing into the kitchen just in time to see him struggling on the floor, his wheelchair slightly out of reach. I drop to my knees beside him, trying to lift him back up. “Hold on, I’ve got you…” “Don’t touch me! Damn it!” he snaps, shoving me hard enough that I almost lose my balance. The force of it stings more than it should. Before I can steady myself, he sweeps everything off the kitchen counter in one violent motion. Plates shatter. A cup rolls across the floor a

Chapter 2: Unemployed And Shattered

DAHLIA'S POV “I'm so sorry, sir.” Mr. Peter's voice breaks through the icy silence, reminding me of the position her daughter, as I just realized has put me.“Please, forgive me. That was a mistake.” I begin to stutter as I go closer and bow my head apologetically.“Kassie, what are you doing out here? What's this ruckus about?” Mr. Peter reprimands at once when he sees his daughter as she hurries to pick up her phone.“I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't…”“Go home, now! All of you!” He yells and the teenagers scattered in different directions, realizing how much trouble they are in and the position they put the man in.“I am truly sorry, sir. This was all my fault.” I continue to apologize, not knowing how else to make them understand that I meant no disrespect.“Who's she?” The man asks my boss who makes an attempt to wipe blood off his face, ignoring me.“She is the delivery van driver. One of our recent employees and I am sorry, I called her off duty to…”“She was.” The man says, turning t

Chapter 3: What If?

DAHLIA'S POV “I'm really sorry, officers. I must go.” I hurry to the ambulance as a young doctor is about to lock the door and tap.“Excuse me. I've to go with him. I'm his guardian!” I shout loud enough for him to hear and open the door.“Okay. Climb in. You must be his wife?” He looks curiously at me as I settle into the car. I only nod as I take Jer’s hand and squeeze gently. He must've been in a great shock when the fire broke out. I don't know how the fire started yet and I don't think anyone else can explain it better apart from the man lying unconsciously in front of me.“Let's go!” The young man notifies the driver and the sirens take off before the car goes into motion.“I'm here now, babe. I'm so sorry that I had to leave you alone, all by yourself. I'm such a terrible wife but I have no choice and I really don't know what to do to fix all of these.” I break into soft sobs, kissing the back of his hand.“He's going to be alright, ma'am. He lost consciousness because of the

Chapter 4: Never Will I Ever!

DAHLIA'S POV I am speechless as the lady calls back the doctors to take Jerome back into the emergency room and start his operation even before I reply to her question. A sudden burst of emotion courses through my body as I watch her call the shots. Well, I know the feeling, to be at the top and have such power. Now that's all in the past for me.“I'm sorry, ma'am. But what offer?” I finally find my voice again when I see the doctor in charge of Jerome's surgery entering the ER.“It's a private matter. Let's go to my office if you have the time now?” “Well, I should…”“Of course, she has the time now, Miss Nani!” Sunny nudges me as I try to give an excuse. It seems everyone knows this woman that has my husband and daughter's well-being in her hands and I don't.“Don't worry, I will watch over Jerome until you come back, Best.” She waves me off to follow the woman when I continue to hesitate.I follow her outside, and she takes me to her car instead, stopping only when she pauses to

Chapter 5: Fatherless Daughter

DAHLIA'S POV “No, ma'am! You can't see him without an appointment! Or a prior notice from him.” My father's secretary insisted.I've been standing in front of his office for almost two hours and she, her name tag reads Ella, first told me he was in a meeting and now she just keeps vomiting different excuses why I can't see him.“I understand that you're new, so I have no choice but to repeat myself. Tell him that Dahlia is here to see him. He'll… fuck, I am his daughter!” I curse, biting my bottom lip to hold back my brewing anger.It was already late when I finished at the hospital yesterday. Taking care of Jerome and looking after Cleo who still looks at me like a lost puppy, my hands were so full that I felt too exhausted to think about Miss Nani and her offer. Sunny paid another visit to the hospital to check up on me before heading to work earlier in the morning and when I don't get any calls from Mr Peter, I know that I really don't have a job as a driver anymore. I can only t

Chapter 6: No Way Out

DAHLIA'S POV I blow out a breath as I come down from the taxi and head toward the main gate of the estate Ms Nani sent to me. I stop to hand my ID to a security officer in the Estate's Gatehouse.“There's a Mrs Dahlia here for Ms Nani.” He murmurs into the barely visible mic on his collar.Then almost instantly punches the gate’s password and it lifts slowly, revealing orchards.I don't know that my mouth is open as I watch the man and look around to see how tight the estate's security is. I am not sure why I am surprised as I already know that people as wealthy as Ms Nani would make enemies at every turn without realizing, just because they are lucky. And everyone is probably a threat to people like her, so she's always protected and careful.“You're welcome, ma'am.” The man types in another keyword and the gate glides closed with a swish sound, followed by continuing beeping noises from overhead scan cams.I clamp my mouth shut and walk in, taking another look behind as if I am wal

Chapter 7: Indecisions

DAHLIA'S POV “Are you stalking me?” He stops short in front of me, then grabs my chin harshly. “Who paid you to follow me?” “Get your hands off me!” I push his hand away, stepping backwards. “Wells, what's going on? Do you two know each other?” Nani asks him quickly, standing between us. “If he's the brother I am supposed to carry a child for, I am sorry to disappoint you, ma'am, but I can't do this!” I cry, starting to hurry away. “Wait a minute, she's the one? No, that's outrageous because this stupid woman can't be a mother to my own offspring!” He shouts, his tone matching mine. That makes me stop mid step to rush back to where he still stands looking at me. Nani’s eyes were wide open. She obviously doesn't understand a thing going on. While her brother's infuriating attitude casts evil shadows around the corners of his dark green orbs. “You don't fucking call me stupid!” I yell, losing my temper enough to attack him. He overpowers me before my fist lands on his face a

Chapter 8: Living For Pain

WELLINGTON’S POVMy knuckles turn white as I keep folding my hands, trying to get a hold of myself and not smash the table before me into pieces.How dare she? “Wells, sit down. We must talk about whatever happened there just now.” I hear Nani's voice before I turn to see her already sitting down cross-legged.“There's nothing to talk about here. Just find another person. There are thousands of girls ready to take up this offer without complications. It doesn't have to be her. You know nothing about her.” I fume, falling into a chair.She gives me one disbelieving look, then shakes her head, frowning in contempt. “Do you? I mean, it looks like you know her so well that you sound so sure that she's not a good fit!”“Nani…”She lifts a hand to cut me off. She is the only lucky person in the world who I can't fight, so let her take advantage of that.“It's true that there are plenty of fish in the sea, but why keep looking when I have caught the best of them all, Wells? Before I made th

Chapter 9: Guilt Trick

DAHLIA'S POV MOMMY?I don't think I heard that right. Cleo is calling me Mommy again! I spin around and go to sit beside her on the bed.“Please, Mommy! I want to go with you!” She screams again and that breaks my heart much more than her father's decision.I hold her hand in mine as I feel warm liquid roll down my cheeks. Her eyes are tightly closed, her lips dry and thin, her face so white as she keeps turning her head in her sleep, as if she is trying to fight off something. Or probably get away from whatever demon that has been haunting her since the accident. She fought her way back to me and I can't let anyone take her away from me again.“My love, Mommy is right here with you.” I pull her up gently and wrap my arms around her.In her unconscious state, she is calling on me, clinging to me for dear life and remembers that I would have done anything to stop the truck that ran into them if I had super powers. If I could see the future back then, I could have given anything to sav

Face Slapping

DAHLIA'S POV I don’t understand anything anymore. Why is everything happening at once?I stand at the doorway, my mouth open, but no words come out. I must look foolish, just standing there like that. But I can’t move. I can’t even think properly.“What is going on?” Sunny asks as she walks up behind me.She steps forward so she can see the man better. It is getting dark already. I turned off most of the lights in the house to save power, so my porch is the only one without light in the whole street.I never used to think about it before. But now… I can clearly see how badly I have been living these past few months.Everything has been falling apart. First, my business crashed. Then my life followed.But this past week… This week has been the worst. Every single thing that happens reminds me of how low I have fallen.“I am sorry, Mrs. Salazar,” the lawyer says calmly, like none of this matters to him. Well, it doesn't! “If you read your lease agreement properly, you will understand t

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