Chapter 1 Hurt

Chapter 1 'You are getting married to Knoxville Daniel' are the words that has changed her life and had landed her in miseries she couldn't even escape from for months now. Aliya was a nineteen years old young vibrant aspiring actress, who wanted nothing, but to make her dreams of becoming a popular actress come true, but her dreams were shattered after she was asked to marry a stranger months ago. Unlike every other person that gets to decide for themselves without getting their parents involved, Aliya wasn't as lucky as that. Yes, she had everything at her disposal, which included money since she came from a well-to-do home although they were not very wealthy, but one thing she never had was freedom. Again, and just like every other day, she sat in the living room of her husband's mansion where she was supposed to find happiness, but found emptiness instead, as she waited for him to come back home. This is what she has been suffering for months since she got married to the stranger, but who would believe her when she said her husband was an arrogant and a promiscuous man that cheats on her almost every day with different women? Was she supposed to call it cheating when all he ever did was shove it on her face? Aliya checked her phone screen for the fifth time and sighed briefly. Again, it was already 10:30pm, and her husband was yet to be back home. She knew she shouldn't be waiting for him, but she couldn't also sleep as the thought of him being in danger out there struck her mind each time she wanted to get some sleep. She had tried to call him several times, but he never answered any of her calls, which made her more worried. She dialed his number once more, and this time, he answered the call, but she was disappointed when she heard the voices that came from the other end. "You are so sweet, Knox. You are huge down there," She tightened her fingers around her phone as those words came on from the other end. Of course, she recognized the voice to be Nina's. She knew she shouldn't be angry, knowing the kind of person her husband was, but she couldn't hold it in. "Hmm," Knox's groan sounded through her ears, and she bit her lip as she threw her head back, a drop of tears trickled down her cheeks, even if she wanted to fight them back. "You know you are the hottest bachelor ever, right? I wonder why you decided to get married when you can always enjoy hot girls. Your wife is not even pretty. I wonder why you settled for less when there are hot-looking ladies out there. I mean, look at me," Her heart wrenched in pain as she listened to Nina hurl insults at her, but she didn't blame her for everything, her husband was the one to be blamed. "Marriage doesn't stop me from doing what I want to do, sweetheart. Besides, you are the best, and you have been with me for long. You will always remain my favorite, Nina. Why don't you get on your knees and do your job, huh?" The bastard couldn't even defend her but chose to say those trash, and the thought of it hurts her so much. Was she supposed to ignore them and go to bed, or was she supposed to go there and confront them? "There's no point, Aliya. You will only humiliate yourself," She whispered to herself as she heard him groaning from the other end. She held the phone in her hands, staring at the screen as a pool of tears streamed down her cheeks. She wanted to end the call, but her fingers were numb that she couldn't even move them, but only cried her eyes out. "Why don't you divorce your wife and marry me, Knox? I'm ready to spend the rest of my life serving you in the other room, if you know what I mean," Again, Nina's shameless voice sounded, and she gulped down the lump that formed in her throat. "Divorce? That is not an option now. She has kept my bed warm one night or the other, and she's pretty good...""But I can always move in with you if you want me to. I don't just want her in the picture anymore," Nina's voice pierced through her ears. She knew it was time she ended the call, but she couldn't. For some reasons she couldn't explain, she wanted to listen to everything they had to say. She wanted to hear everything so she could break down totally. "The only reason I'm keeping her is because of my granddad, and because she satisfies me some times when I need her. She's just a collateral that was given to me by her parents in exchange for success. She should be useful, yeah? Now, enough of the talk, and get to work, baby," His deep voice sounded through her ears, and she felt her heart wrenched painfully, more tears found their way out of her eyes. Minutes passed, and the clapping of skin, groans and moans filled her ears, and this time, she was forced to end the call. It would only hurt her more if she decided to listen to them further. With her heart aching, she stood up to her feet and dragged herself toward the staircase, heading up to their matrimonial room. She slumped on the bed once she walked inside, buried her face between her palms, and cried like she had never done before. "Why did he answer the call if he was busy doing that?" She questioned herself, but she didn't need anyone to tell her the answer when it was staring right back at her. He wanted her to know he was busy with his promiscuous lifestyle, of course. "Don't cry, Aliya. It's not worth it. Get yourself together. He's not worthy of your tears," She shook her head as she mumbled to herself, but more tears kept streaming down her cheeks since she couldn't hold them in. She finally pulled herself together and dragged her feet into the bathroom, where she soaked herself in the bathtub. 'Maybe a warm bath would make her feel better' she thought to herself as she relaxed underneath the warm soapy water while sticking out her head. Seconds ticked into minutes, and it was finally an hour. By now, the water was already cold, so she stepped out of the bathtub and wore her robe before she headed back into her room to get some sleep. She stopped when she pulled the bathroom door open and found Knoxville standing in front of the mirror with just his brief on. It dawned on her that he must've come into the room while she was wallowing in thoughts. Gathering her strength together, she walked toward the bed to sit, but his words brought him to an abrupt halt. "Make me dinner. I'm hungry," How he dared to ask her that was something Aliya couldn't comprehend. "Are you a human?" Her question brought him to an abrupt halt as he was heading to the bathroom, and he scoffed as he turned to face her, wondering why she asked him that question, even if it was already obvious why. "Who treats his wife like this?" Tears trickled down her cheeks as she stared at him with resentment, but she didn't blame him for all these, instead, she blamed her parents who never thought of how she would feel before they forced her into this in the first place. "Wife? I never said I wanted to marry you," He finally turned to her and uttered, and she couldn't help but scoffed at his reply. Of course, she knew that from the start, which he didn't really have to remind her again. "You come home every night and have me waiting up for you... You come home every single night, smelling of other women... Do you still think nothing is wrong? I know you never liked me, but we are married now, can you respect that?" She screamed at the top of her voice, not minding if their maids would hear them arguing. Besides, it wasn't the first time that was going to happen, so it wasn't something strange anyway. "I never asked you to wait for me, Aliya... You chose to. Those women out there, they want me... They can't do without me. Come on, you aren't expecting me to not give them what they want, right? Don't you think it'll be unfair?" He smirked at her, and she didn't need anyone to tell her that he was doing this deliberately to hurt her, just as always. She paused and bit her bottom lip, as she forced back the tears that threatened to escape her eyes. She didn't want to cry in front of him, or cry because of him again, because it was not worth it. "I will be gone on a business trip for three days. I'm going tomorrow at noon," He said to her and went to the bathroom, and she slowly clenched her fists and gulped down nothing. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she stared at his back, but she fought them back. He was going on a trip with a woman, and she knew it, even though he decided to lie to her. His phone suddenly beeped with a message on the screen. As much as she wanted to ignore it, a part of her insisted that she check the message. She finally walked over to the bed and picked the phone, before she swiped the unlock button, and thankfully, the phone wasn't locked. 'Baby, I'm just texting to remind you to wake up early so we won't be late for our trip tomorrow. I love you so much, and I hope you dream about me as you have a peaceful night' she scoffed as she slowly tightened her fingers around the phone, her blood boiling in rage as she gritted her teeth. She knew before now that he was not going on a business trip, but with a woman. Didn't the woman know he was married? What the hell was she even thinking? Her husband was in the position to tell them he was married even if they were the ones throwing themselves at him, right? He accepted them wholeheartedly, which only meant that he liked them. "What are you doing with my phone?" His deep and angry voice snapped her back to reality, and she slowly raised her gaze to find him glaring hard at her. "You are going on a trip with another woman?" She scoffed as she threw the phone on the bed, and turned to face him fully. "What right do you have to go through my phone?" He snapped at her, giving her a deadly glare like he was going to hit her if she messed with him again. "I don't have any reason to check your phone, Knox. I know who you are, so why should I? Anyway, I wish you a safe trip..." She paused and bit her bottom lip. "And I wish you never make it back here because you know what? I hate you so much with the last drop of my blood. You disgust me!" She walked over to him and slapped him hard on his cheeks, then spat on his face before she turned and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. It was the first time she was going to do that, and she felt better this way...

Chapter 2 Let's have a baby

Chapter 2 Tears dropped from her eyes as she stared at the test strip in her hand which was marked two red dots. She was pregnant, and she knew it. Her heart wrenched in pain as more tears streamed down her cheeks. How will Knox react to the news later? What will happen to her then? Will his hatred for her change, or will he go worse? Those are the questions that kept flooding her mind without a single answer. She gulped down the lump in her throat before she finally braced herself and walked back into the room. Her heart stopped working for seconds when she walked in and found him on his PC, probably working, or texting his numerous girlfriends. He was supposed to go on his so-called trip today, but it was postponed because he had something urgent to attend to at the company. "Uhm... Knox..." She called and paused as she became nervous. Her heart hammered hard against her chest, with her temperature rising in fear. "Hmm?" He hummed, his eyes never leaving his PC as he worked his fingers fast on it. "Can we talk, please?" She asked, even if she was not sure of this. "What is it?" He inquired as he finally raised his gaze to look at her for the first time, his face was hardened like he was glaring at his worst enemy, and that alone sent shivers down her spine, and she gulped down nothing nervously. "Uhm... I just want us to talk about something important," She finally mustered the courage to sit beside him on the bed. Silence crept in, and if he listened keenly, he would hear her heart beating fast like it was on a race, but that was not his problem. He still had work to do tonight, and he didn't have much time to spare. "Are you going to stare at me and not say anything? I don't have all the time in the world," He broke the silence, and this time, she was forced to talk. "So, I was thinking... What is your take on having a baby?" She began, but the atmosphere became tense, and his face hardened at the question, which meant that he didn't like the sound of that. "What do you mean?" He asked coldly, his eyes piercing into hers, and she bit her bottom lip. "Nothing... I was just...""Are you pregnant?" He cut her off, staring at her with those demanding eyes, and she quickly shook her head. "No...no, I'm not. I was just... I was just uhm... thinking we...""I don't need a child with you, Aliya. Don't make the mistake of getting pregnant, because I will force it out of you myself," His words hit her hard, and her heart sank into her stomach. A pool of tears brimmed in her eyes, but she fought them back, knowing he wouldn't even care if she cried her eyes out. "Hmm. I will take note of that," She slowly nodded her head before she laid down on the bed, and pulled the duvet to cover herself. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she stared into space. She wanted to make this work before, and she was determined to do anything to keep her marriage, but what was her happiness without a child? She was hoping that she would one day have a baby, and that would be her reason for holding on to the ashes of a marriage, but at this point, she knew there was no hope for her. He would reject her and the baby when he found out that she was pregnant, and that was the last thing she wanted. Having her baby grow up in an abusive home was the last thing she wanted. "Divorce... That is the only solution at this point," She thought to herself as she slowly clenched her fingers tightly inside the duvet, and more tears streamed down her cheeks. This wasn't the life she dreamt of having but turned out that it was what her fate designed for her, or maybe what her parents wanted. How time flies, it was finally morning, and they were both in the dining room, having breakfast. "Let's get a divorce," She broke the awkward silence that assumed the atmosphere, and he paused eating. "What did you say?" He asked as if he didn't hear her the first time. "Let's get a divorce," He scoffed at her words as he stared at her. He slowly clenched his fists as he felt his blood boiling in rage. He was the one that supposed to give her divorce after he was done with ruining her, how could she have the guts to tell him that? "Are you kidding me?" He creases his eyebrows, and she scoffed as she stared back at him. "Do I look like I'm kidding around, Knox? I'm not," She shook her head, and he scoffed as he bit his bottom lip. "And what makes you think that I will allow you divorce me? You think you have the right to walk out of this marriage because you want to? Never! I won't ever allow that, Aliya!" He slammed his hands on the table as he sprang up to his feet, and she gulped down the sudden lump that formed in her throat. "Why? Why can't I do it? So you can keep me by your side forever to satisfy you when you don't have any choice?" She scoffed as she stood up from the dining. She tried to hold back the tears that threatened to leave her eyes. This was hard on her, especially now that she was carrying his child, but then, it was a decision she couldn't change her mind from. "Yes... You belong to me. You are just like a collateral your parents offered to me in exchange for success, how dare you think you have the right to make decisions in this marriage? Who the hell do you think you are?" He yelled at her, burning in rage. Her stared back at her, his mouth parted slightly, and waves of shock sparked through him. He never knew she could do this to him, he wasn't done with her, he wanted to make her feel so much pain, and it's annoying how she suddenly got the gut to seek divorce. "I never wanted this too, but what would you have me do when I found myself in this situation? Do you think I was happy, taking those pain up until now?" She scoffed as she stared him directly in the eyes daringly. "Your family can't even live without my help, and what makes you think that you won't come back crawling and begging to even be my dog? How dare you, Aliya!" He yelled at the top of his voice and scoffed afterward. His blood was boiling in rage, he felt like strangling her that minute and make her regret ever spilling those gibberish, but that was the last thing on his mind. He would never take anyone's life. "That is why you should withdraw your support from my family's business...""You don't have the right to file for divorce, Aliya. Your parents gave you to me, and they alone have the right to take you away. If you don't want to spend the rest of your life regretting this decision, why don't you just take your words back now, while I'm still being nice?" The corner of his lips twitched up into a smirk as he stared at her. The expression on Aliya's face said much about her fear and nervousness, but then, she wasn't going to continue to take this pain. "'I am just married to her because of my granddad. She's good in bed and satisfies me whenever I need sex. That is all she's good for'... Is that the only I am to you?" She scoffed as she shook her head, and he scoffed. "How did it feel? Was it painful to listen to me fuck another woman? How did it feel to hear her moan out my name? Was it painful to hear those words from me? Well, I only said the truth, Aliya. You are good for sex, which is why I'm keeping you by my side. I will say it to your face, over and over again," He thundered at her, and she slowly clenched her fists. She felt her heart tightened painfully, tears brimmed in her eyes, but she fought them back. She wasn't going to cry because of this bastard anymore. "Do you have a conscience at all, Knox? Here I was, worried about you that you were not home yet... I was praying fervently thinking something was wrong with you, even though I knew you could be with another woman... While I was here, worried sick about you, you were there with your fling, hurling insults at me..." She bit her bottom lip as the tears she has been holding finally found their way down her cheeks. She tried to hold back the tears, but she couldn't. "Conscience? I never had one. Don't blame me when you come back crawling on your knees and begging me. You won't like the other side of me," He uttered confidently, and she slowly nodded her head. "This is for the best. Let's end this. You can withdraw your support from my parent's company. I don't care anymore. No matter what fate has in store for me, I won't ever come back to you. Never!" She uttered before she turned to leave, but stopped and turned to face him again. "I will contact the lawyer to start preparing the papers right away. Until then, bye for now," And with that said, she climbed the stairs and headed to her room, while he stood rooted to the ground. Slowly, he clenched his fists as he stared at her walked away, his heart hammered hard against his chest, he felt his blood boiling in rage. This wasn't what he wanted. Minutes later, he watched as Aliya came downstairs with her suitcases, and that was how she left his house, and he didn't even bother to stop her from leaving, knowing she won't be able to take it for long before she would come crawling and begging him to take her back. Until then, he was going to keep waiting to welcome her with nothing, but hell on earth...

Chapter 3 You need to come back

Chapter 3 Aliya arrived at the hotel where she lodged a room to rest for some time before she decide on what to do with her life. As she sat on the edge of the small bed, tears streamed down her cheeks. Her heart aches, especially as she thought of raising her unborn child alone in the future, but that wasn't what hurt the most, but the fact that the baby would probably grow up being lied to that his or her father died. She didn't have any option, since her so-called husband won't ever accept the baby. After spending hours, crying her eyes out, she finally gathered the pieces of strength remaining in her, and dragged her feet into the bathroom, where she had a long and relaxing bath, and once she returned to the room, she got dressed and strode out, heading to the hospital where she decided to do a pregnancy test to authenticate the test strip. The drive to the hospital didn't take much time, and they arrived in less than twenty minutes. Once she saw the doctor, her blood sample was taken, and she was asked to wait for the test since it'll take only a few hours to get the result. She finally got the result after a few hours, and just as the test strip said earlier, she was really pregnant, and it was already one month. How come she never knew about this all this while? She asked herself as she took a cab home minutes later. She tried hard not to cry, holding on to the happiness of expecting a child, whom she believed would be her source of happiness later. "We are here, ma'am," The cabby's voice pulled her out of her train of thought, and that was when she realized that they were already parked in front of the hotel. "Thank you," She uttered, once she stepped out of the car and paid him. She turned to go inside the hotel but stopped at the sound of her ringing phone. Her heart sank into her stomach when she checked the screen and found out that it was her mom. Did Knox tell her that she filed for divorce? What will be her fate now, knowing her mom would stop at nothing to get her back? She asked herself as she tightened her fingers around the phone, and gulped down the lump that formed in her throat. There was no way she could avoid her forever, so she ended up answering the call. "Hey, mom..." She uttered with her heart hammering against her chest. "Aliya... How have you been? How is your husband?" Her heart wrenched in pain as a drop of tears slid down her cheeks. "Hmm... I'm fine," She slowly nodded her head, unable to contain her tears. "I just want to check up on you. I will drop by this weekend to say hi to you and your husband," Her mom's voice sounded through the phone before the call finally ended. Gathering all the broken pieces of herself together, she walked toward the hotel and headed straight to her room. She slumped on the bed as soon as she walked inside, burying her face between her palms as tears found their way down her cheeks. Even though she knew this was the best decision for her, she still couldn't help but doubt it. What if she really go running to him in the future, just as he had said? She couldn't help the questions that kept running through her mind, and when she thought of her mom, she felt like she would be haunted down by her worst nightmare later. After she cried her eyes out all day, it was finally evening, and she decided to finally search her phone. She would need to feed herself later, clothe herself, and find money to rent an apartment, so it wasn't ideal for her to just sit back here and do nothing but just cry, right? The few months she has been with Knox had been her worst nightmare, and now that she was finally free from his bondage, although not entirely free since she was yet to present the divorce papers to him, she had every reason to work on herself and make her dream, which she has always wanted, to come true. Searching for jobs online could be tiring, but not that she had an option at this point. After surfing the internet for a while, she finally found a job vacancy ad online. Without hesitation, she picked a pen and a piece of paper and wrote the address of the place, bearing in mind that she would begin her job hunt the next day. "Knox..." She whispered as she stared into space. Even though he never treated her right, even if their union wasn't built on love, she couldn't still help but think of her. Maybe this would've worked out if he had given it his best, the same way she has always done then. She finally managed to stand up from the bed and walked sluggishly into the bathroom. After she had her bath, she walked back into the room and lay on the bed, drifting to sleep afterward. How time flies? It was already morning, but she was yet to wake up, until the banging sound on the door pulled her forcefully out of her deep slumber, and she quickly sat up on the bed, her heart racing fast fearfully. "Who...who is there?" She asked as she rubbed her eyes sleepily. "Sir, you can't go in there... I'm sorry, you can't...""Open this door, Aliya!" Hearing the cold voice, she felt her heart sink into her stomach as realization dawned on her that Knox was here. She felt her body tremble, suddenly scared of opening the door for him, maybe because she didn't want to be dragged out of the hotel, or she was just scared of facing him. "Open this door, Aliya!" Came another bang on the door, and she gulped down nothing nervously as she held on tightly to the duvet, wishing she could disappear into thin air, but who said that it was possible to do? "You don't want to lose your job, do you? Get me the spare keys to this room, immediately!" She heard him thundering from outside, and she quickly jumped down from the bed. She turned to run into the bathroom, but on second thought, she made up her mind that she was going to be brave and face him. Minutes later, the door flung open, revealing Knoxville, looking enraged, but he was not alone. He was with her mom. "Mo...mom?" She stuttered as she took a step away, fear gripped her. She knew what would be her fate, now that her mom was here. She would eventually force her to get back together with Knox, and that was the last thing on her mind right now. "Wha...what are you..." Her voice trailed off as a hot slap landed across her cheeks, and she felt a spark in her eyes for some seconds. "How dare you think of bringing disgrace to me and your father?" The woman, who has a striking resemblance with Aliya thundered, her eyes burning in rage, while Knox just stood there with his hands crossed on his chest, as he smirked at her. "Mom..." Tears streamed down her cheeks as she gulped down nothing. "Why are you treating me like this? What have I ever done to deserve this from you?" She yelled at the top of her voice this time, unable to take the pain anymore. "Are you talking to me like that?" Her mom snapped at her, and she scoffed. "What more can you do if not slap me again? Go ahead and do it. Slap me all you want, mom! What kind of a mother are you? Putting your self-interest first before your only child's happiness. Do you deserve to be called a mother?" She sneered at her mom, earning another hot slap from her, but the pain she felt on her cheeks, was nothing, compared to the one in her heart. "If anything happened, you should fix your marriage, and not walk away...""What marriage? The one you forced me into? The one you desperately wanted me in because of your selfish desire?" She scoffed as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "It was never his fault that he treated me like a piece of trash... He cheats on me with different women, and it was never his fault... You were the one that caused all these in the first place. If you had added value to your child, nobody would've dared treat me like this!" She sneered angrily. "All men cheat, Aliya, and that shouldn't give you the right to think you can walk out of the marriage just because he cheated on you!" She scoffed and nodded at her mom's words. "Dad... Has he ever cheated on you and rubbed it on your face?""Aliya!""The first time you suspected him, you were all crazy. You want me to take the pain you couldn't? Are you kidding me? Is your business now important me? What the heck am I even saying? It has always been," She smiled, revealing her perfect dentition, but there was pain, hidden in her smile. "Aliya!""I have decided to end this shit of a marriage, and I am not going back to it," She slowly shook her head. "Aliya...""Don't try to convince me, mom," She shook her head before she turned to go into the bathroom. "Please, help me. Knox is going to take everything away from us. He won't spare us. He...he...he will make our lives miserable. Please help me," She turned to see her mom on her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks, and at that instant, she felt her heart sink into her stomach. Will she still be able to hold on to her decision at this point, knowing what Knox could do to her family? Was it worth it to give up her happiness and freedom? She glanced at Knox, who had just been standing there all along, and she knew she was in a deep mess. This was the time to make her decision that will either set her free forever, or set her in bondage...

Chapter 4 Met her dad

Chapter 4 A drop of tears slid down the corner of her cheek as she strolled down the road minutes later, but she quickly wiped it off. She was torn between running away from this toxic marriage and saving her family's business. She couldn't have neglected her mom and not done anything knowing Knox will indeed make their life miserable if she decided to really walk out of the marriage, right? "What do I do?" She stopped and ran her fingers through her hair, trying hard not to burst into tears. She was frustrated and tired of everything, and as much as she wanted to give up, she knew she had to keep going for the sake of her unborn baby. She wanted to keep the baby away from Knox, she wanted to raise him alone and maybe lie to him in the future that he was fatherless, but her plans had already shattered, and there was nothing she could do at this point. As she wallowed in thoughts and walked absentmindedly on the road, she almost jumped out of her skin when a black shiny call pulled over beside her, and if she had not taken a step back, maybe the car would've crushed her leg. It didn't look like the person did it intentionally, but she was just lost that she couldn't look where she was going. She gulped down the lump that formed in her throat, she felt her legs shaking from the shock she was just starting to recover from, and just when she wanted to continue to walk aimlessly again, the car finally opened and a middle-aged man stepped out of the car. He was graced in a black suit, his thick black hair was curled on his head with some strands laying on his forehead, and his skin looked smooth even though the man looked like he was in his sixties. As he walked toward her, many thoughts ran through her mind. 'Was he probably someone close to Knoxville whom he has sent to get her back since he gave her forty-eight hours to make her decision earlier? Or was he just a random person that was going to ask her for directions?' she couldn't help but ask herself as she felt a pang of fear in her heart. The man finally stopped in front of her, and this time, her fear was subdued when she saw the soft expression on the man's face which didn't depicts violence or gave her any reason to be scared of him. "Excuse me, Miss. Can I see you for a moment?" His voice was slightly deep as he spoke to her. "Is there any problem, Sir?" She asked, a bit skeptical about this, hoping it wasn't an attempt of abduction, but merely looking at the man, it already looked to her that he wasn't someone that'd abduct her, but then, those bad guys never really wrote it on their forehead that they were abductors. "Not really... My name is Arnoldo Stewart. I have something to discuss with you," He replied to her, and she slowly nodded her head. "What is it?" She further asked as she stared at him keenly, wondering what this man that looked extremely wealthy would want to discuss with a lowlife like herself that didn't have anything to survive on. "Here is my card. I will send my driver to pick you up by 6pm to dine and smile restaurant. Let's talk later," He uttered as he handed her his business card, and now that she was looking at the card, she realized that the man standing in front of her was the famous CEO of Orange entertainment industry, a company that dealt in the production of movies, music, and they even own a radio and TV station too. She couldn't believe her eyes as she raised her gaze to look at the man again, her mouth hanging open in shock. She never thought she'd ever seen the CEO of such a successful company with her eyes, but here he was, standing in front of her and even demanding to see her. "Alright...""Sorry, where do you live around here?" He cuts her off after he looked around the area. "I will call you when it's time to pick me up," She replied to him instead, because there was no way she would tell her address to a stranger she barely knew about, even though he was the famous CEO of a successful company. What if he had an ulterior motive? "Alright. Just call me when you are ready. I'll be looking forward to seeing you," He uttered before he finally turned and walked back to his car, but stopped and glanced at him one more time before he finally hopped in the back seat of the car, while she watched the car drive off. How time flies, it was almost 6pm, and she got dressed before she called the number, and told him where he would pick her up. It was really crazy to go out with a man she barely knew, but since they were going to a public place, then her safety was guaranteed. She finally left her room once it was 5:50pm, and the car came to pick her up just a few blocks from the hotel she lodged. The drive to the five-star restaurant took more time than she expected, but they finally arrived after what seemed like forever, and once she stepped into the restaurant she has never been to before, she tried not to get lost in admiration for the beautiful and fancy big restaurant. As she sat in front of him a few minutes later, she waited for the man to say why he had called her here, but he was just staring at her and rubbing his hands together, with a look on his face that depicts nervousness. "How have you been, Aliya?" He finally broke the awkward silence, and she raised her eyebrows as she stared at him blankly. She didn't remember telling this man his name, so it was crazy how he just called her name like that. "How did you know my name?" She asked curiously as she stared at him, her eyes demanding an answer. "You are Aliya, nineteen years old girl and turning twenty in three months. Daughter of Felicia, and wife to Knoxville Daniel," Her heart dropped as she watched the man utter details about her, and fear gripped her. Her hands suddenly became sweaty, her heart hammered hard against his chest as different thoughts came conflicting in her mind. Who was he? How come he knew so much about her? How much more did he know about her? She asked herself as she stared back at the man, blaming herself for coming here in the first place. "Ho...how did you know...that?" She tried not to show her nervousness to this mysterious man, but she couldn't as she ended up stuttering. "Who are you?" She further asked, and the man sighed as he lean forward while having his hand on the table. "How am I supposed not to know everything about my daughter, Aliya?" He uttered, and she stared at him blankly, trying to process what he just said. "Wh...what did you say?" She asked confusingly. "I am Arnaldo Stewart, your biological dad, Aliya," He uttered those words again, and this time, she froze in her seat as she stared at him, his words replaying in her head like she was dreaming...

Chapter 5 Take over my companies

Chapter 5 The world seemed to be frozen for seconds as she sat in front of him, trying to process what the man said to her. Was he saying the truth? "What...what are you saying? Did you bring me here to tell me that and think that I will believe you?" She scoffed, convincing herself that this was a lie. She had her father, and the man was staying at home with her mom. What the hell was this man saying to her and expecting her to believe him? "I'm sorry for not coming for you all this while. I had no idea you were my daughter until the last six months, and I have been trying to find you since then, up until...""And you think that I will believe you because you said that?" She scoffed. "I and your mother had a thing together back in college, during our last two months before graduation. We fell in love and dated for three years, but we broke up two weeks after our graduation, because I had to go out of the country to pursue my dream..." He paused and bit his lip as waves of guilty surged through him. "I had no idea she was pregnant with you before I left. I thought I would come back for her after I became successful, but... It took me nine years before I could come back, and...and I realized that she moved out of the city. I tried to find her, but it was all in vain," He explained, and she could only stare at him, still finding it difficult to believe. How was she supposed to bring herself to believe that the man she had lived all her knowing her dad wasn't really her biological dad? "My life has been messed up since then. I know I don't have any right to show my face in front of you now... I don't want this to seem like I'm coming back to you because I have no one else in my life... I'm really sorry," He explained, and she bit her bottom lip. It was obvious from his explanation that it wasn't all his fault. It was fine for him to have broken up with her to pursue his dream, and he never knew she was pregnant before she left, so it wasn't his fault. But then, it was difficult to believe him without any proof. "You can ask your mom about me... She wouldn't try to hide it from you now," He further said as if he read her thought, but she was too angry to even think of confronting her mom. How could she have hidden such a thing from her? Didn't she deserve to know the truth about her father? What was her reason? "Why did you come back for me?" She finally asked for the first time in over ten minutes that the man had been talking. Silence crept into the atmosphere as she waited for him to answer her, but deep down, Mr. Arnaldo was scared of telling her the reason now. "Uhm... I want you to take over my company as the new CEO, since I plan to retire in three months," He dropped the bombshell, and she froze in her seat. For seconds, she thought of how to react to this, whether she should scream her lungs out, but then, what if she was just dreaming? What if this was not real and she was just hallucinating? "Wha... what did you say?" She blinked her eyes rapidly, secretly pinching her thigh to be sure this wasn't her illusion, but since she could feel the pain coming from her skin, she knew she wasn't dreaming. This was a reality. "Please don't say no, Aliya. I will do everything I can to convince you. I know you are mad at me, but we can sort that out later...I really need your help, please," He pleaded with her desperately, but she could only stare in shock. Who would've ever thought she would manage to reach her dream of becoming a popular actress, but now she was going to manage a whole entertainment industry as the CEO? Has her nightmare finally ended? Has her miserable life finally come to an end? Has God answered her prayers now? "Let's take a DNA test," Those were the only words she could utter in reply to everything he said. She just wanted to be sure this man was saying the truth, to avoid reaping where she didn't belong. "Sure, anything you want," He replied to her with a new hope filling him. "I will arrange it right away. I will contact my doctor to take care of it tomorrow. I will personally pick you up to go to the hospital with me tomorrow morning," He replied to her, and she slowly nodded her head. If things turned out to be true, then she wouldn't have any reason to go back to that monster that called himself her husband. There wouldn't be any need to worry about paying him anymore. 'Is this how someone's story changes overnight? Is this how miracle happens?' she thought to herself as she felt new hope fill every ounce of her. She was finally going to break out of the yolk of miseries. They finally concluded their meeting before she went back to the hotel by cab since she insisted he shouldn't drop her off. She couldn't sleep all through the night after she got to the hotel, looking forward to daybreak, but the time didn't seem to be fast tonight. She kept tossing on the bed as the thoughts of the man filled her heart. Why didn't her mom tell him about the pregnancy before he left? Why didn't he ever bother to tell her that the person she thought was her father wasn't really the one? As much as she wanted to be angry, she thought that there was no reason to be. She has found out the truth, and that was all that matters. How time flies, it was finally morning the next day, and she quickly got dressed after she had her bath, leaving the hotel to meet Mr. Arnaldo, who already called her that he was on his way to pick her up. He arrived a few minutes later, and they both went to the hospital in his car. The test was done as soon as they arrived, and although the doctor asked them to go and come back in a few hours, she insisted on waiting for it because of curiosity. Sitting in the hospital the whole day was really something crazy she has never done all her life, but she didn't care at this point, because she really needed to know the truth. "Do you want to take a walk?" Mr. Arnaldo, who has also been with her in the hospital all day, asked as he sat beside her. Although he had a business meeting to attend, he had to put everything on hold. He hasn't been there for her ever since she was born, and this was the least of the things he could do to make her feel loved or wanted, rather. "No, I don't feel like it," She declined, and he nodded his head. "It feels awkward, honestly," She scoffed as she threw her head back, and bit her bottom lip. "I know..." He nodded his head as he glanced at her. She had a striking resemblance with her mom, the woman he was still in love with even after twenty years. He was scared of everything, scared of facing her again, scared of telling her that he was back. This was the only thing he could do, approaching his daughter. Maybe he shouldn't have broken up with her in the first place, he could've told her to wait for him that he would be back for her, but it was already nine years before he came back. Was she supposed to have waited for him that long? "Do you...have a child?" She tilted her head to look at him as she asked the question that had been bothering her for the whole day. She was scared of being rivals with his other kids. She was already through a lot in these few months, and she wasn't ready for another drama in her life again. "No, I don't have any," He replied to her, and she slowly nodded her head. Of course, she still had a lot of questions to ask him, which were not limited to how he had spent the recent years of his life, and how he managed to be so successful, but she tried to resist herself. "Hmm," She hummed as she stared into space. The doctor finally called them to his office, and the test was issued to them. It was positive. He was really her biological dad...