A knock came from the door of Carla's office, bringing her back to reality. She adjusted herself on the chair, before saying with a steady voice, " Come in ". A nurse in a stainless white gown walked in after hearing her voice. " Dr Whiston your test result is ready", said the nurse holding a red file to her chest. Carla stared at her with a cold expression before saying, " Hand it over " The nurse quickly stretch out her hand to give her the report. " You may leave now " " Yes ma'am " The moment the nurse walked out of the office, her eyes quickly moved from the back of the nurse to the file in her hands. Thinking about the possible result, she felt a chill go down her spine. " Why has this one incident created so many problems for me? ", she thought. " Infact, can't I have a problem free life for just two minutes. First, my mother is threatening to get me married to a business associate's son , then the one night stand with Amaeri's elder brother, Aries. Even though we promised to forget it ever happened, I am holding the report of a pregnancy test. Like. . . I know right. . . How am I supposed to forget about it when I might be pregnant. But it's also possible that I am not though " , Carla thought with a troubled mind. She gradually took her eyes down to the report in her hands, trying to summon courage to open it.
" You know when a child is born, especially when they has been a lot of uncertainty around it's birth, there is usually a grand celebration to celebrate it's successful arrival. ", Older Josephine narrated.
" Well, this is where my life has always been different. "
" Where do I even begin? "
" I guess I should start from the very beginning "
" I was actually a twin. Yeah . . . I know . . . I am a rare event. But I later found out that we have different mothers."
" Nurtured in the same womb but different mothers!"
" How crazy does that sound?! "
" It's a pretty long story though. Don't worry I will tell you the story later on in the book "
" Okay. . . where was I? Ahhh . . . yes . . . I was a twin. My twin sister, Carlyle and I were born in Mathis Hospital, Brookwood. Carlyle was born twenty minutes before I was born.
At that time when our mother, Isabella Whiston, held us both in her arms, there was a weak lovely smile on her pale face.
She was still pretty weak from all the pushing and labor pain but as she said, which I quote, " Looking at you two little cute angels in my arms, I felt like an injured soldier who just won a battle. You that feeling of victory which overwhelms the body and overshadows every feeling of pain in the body. "
I didn't really understand how she felt at that time. I guess because I have never had a child before.
But anyways, that feeling of joy for my parents only lasted for a few hours. When our medical report came, Carlyle was in good health with no sign of any deficiency or abnormality.
As for me, the doctor found out that my heart was 3 centimeters out of place, pressing the left lung slightly and according to the doctor, I may find it difficult to breathe at times.
This came as a great shock to my parents, and to make things worse, I couldn't be operated on. The only solution was to see if as I grew older my heart would gradually move back in place.
What am I even saying? This kinda also gave them hope that this abnormality would correct itself.
My parents actually thought that this would be the only problem that I would face after I was born.
Unknowingly to them, this was actually just beginning.
But before I continue, let me formally introduce myself. The name's Carla Josie Whiston. Yeah . . . I was born into one of the most powerful and richest family in the whole of Brookwood, The Whiston Family. Most people say I am very lucky but I never really found it a lucky thing.
My father, Edward Whiston, is the CEO of Whiston Corporation, a multi million dollars company in Brookwood.
The Whiston family were good friends and business partners with both the Armani and Anderson family, who were also among the richest and most powerful family in Brookwood. Infant, together they make the top 3 in Brookwood.
It turned out these three family have been really close for decades, to the extent that offending one of them means offending all three altogether.
You can imagine offending the three most powerful families in a country.
Damn !!!!! That idiot is really unlucky. If you are related to that person, make sure to say your final goodbyes because he or she may no longer be the same person they were before they offended these families.
I don't even know the best way to paint the picture. You know it's like the ancient days where someone dares to offend the Greek god, Zues. No one expects that he comes out alive. Infact I'm sure they start preparing for his burial. This is exactly what happens when you offend them.
There was this one time when they found out that their private lawyer was selling out information about them and their companies to a rival family, the Blackwell family.
Till this day, I have no idea what happened to him and I didn't lay my eyes on him again. All I know is that he was reported to have been killed in a car accident, which I know was simply a cover up story.
Anyways, the friendship between the elders was transferred to the children and children's children of the family. This is how Carlyle and I because besties with Amaeri, the only grand daughter of the Armani family and the only girl in the family in twenty years.
Holy shit !!. . . I know right, it's was almost as if the family was cursed to have only male children. Well, she was born a week after Carlyle and I were born. This fact kinda solidified our friendship even more because our mothers raised us all together.
We spent all our childhood together and we treated each other more like sister. We even celebrated our birthday days together.
As I grew older, I saw the hospital quite more often than a normal child would. My parents would always tell me that I was just doing a regular check up.
I don't know if it's just my parents, or do all parents think children are fools. I knew something was wrong with me because if it was just a regular check up, why don't Carlyle and Amaeri also come along with me for a check up. Also everytime we leave the hospital, they always had a sullen look on their faces. Even after telling me that I was in perfectly good shape.
I was still a child anyways, so I simply ignored this situation and even got used to seeing the hospital very often.
But things got pretty bad when I turned five. Carlyle, Amaeri and I were playing with the water gun our dads got for us in the garden, at the back of our massive house. We were having a lot of fun, while our mother sat in courtyard having tea and chatting, when I had a minor cardiac arrest and fainted.
Remembering that day right now, I can remember the sharp pain I had in my chest. It felt like someone stabbed me with a knife. The pain was so sudden that I fell unconscious. The next time I open my eyes, I found myself on a bed with pipes connected to my body and two days had passed.
From that very moment, every changed. I was no longer allowed to play with my sisters or even walk around the house. Infact I barely left my room. I even had a personal maid who attended to all my needs.
At first, I thought it was a temporary thing until I fully recover but this continued for years. I didn't even get to go to school like my sisters, rather I was homeschooled. And o my goodness!!! How I had it. All this treatment made me feel like I was some kind of handicap. As a result, as gradually withdrew myself and kinda became depressed.
Instead of my ' loving ' parents to try their best to find out what was wrong by talking to me, they put on psychology therapy.
So you can imagine my childhood life. I was either on one treatment or the other, or I was taking therapy sessions.
What do you think I would become when I grow up?
Charlotte is a young sexy lady who has been through a lot in her life since she was born and was suppose to die before she turns thirteen. But due to her strong-will to live she survived. Years later, she becomes a rich and influencial woman who owns a hospital and cosmetic company. But has one problem Finding True Love within 365days or she will have to marry the man chosen by the Council.
" Don't say anymore word than you already have, don't..." I stuck a finger out at him, sauntering away on my heels when a hand wrapped itself around my arm. Breathlessly he whispered, "You know that I do love you and...fine, what exactly was I supposed to do?" "Protect me and stand up for me. That is what you do for someone who you claim you love!" ************ Out to spite her ex-boyfriend after he had broken up with her on her birthday, Daphne slept with a stranger who turned out to be his uncle while trying to rebuff his words that she was unwanted by others. Was she ready for the wild chase that followed when he found out years later that she had been pregnant with his heirs and that she had been hiding the truth all this while? Faced with the ruthless CEO, known as the beast, who wasn't ready to back down, Daphne does everything possible to make sure her kids wouldn't be taken from her, but what happens when love gets in the mix of it all? Would she be able to conquer these weird feelings and give in her all amidst her scars? And with how deadly he turned out to be? And faced with her ex who still wants her back, what choice is she going to make?
For seven years, Jillian pursued Bryan with unyielding passion, but he remained distant, his emotions tightly sealed. Disheartened, she left for overseas after graduating from college. Three years later, Jillian, now a successful attorney, sat provocatively on the lap of Bryan's competitor. She flashed Bryan a playful smile and taunted, "What's wrong, Bryan? Are you impotent?" Bryan's restraint shattered in an instant. In a swift motion, he scooped her up and tossed her onto the bed. The next morning, as Bryan woke up, Jillian flashed a mischievous smile. "Let's keep things casual, okay?"
After a heated confrontation with her husband and mistress, Brianna was pushed down to stairs. She thought she would die but when she woke up again, she realized that she traveled back two years ago, when it was not late for her to correct her path. The first thing she needed to do when she was reborn was divorce that scum. She saved from the darkest time but he lied to her and murdered her in the end. This time, she would not repeat the same mistakes anymore. She would bring the glory of her family back and make those people who betrayed her pay the price! However, in the process of climbing up to the peak of her career, she met a very intimidating and handsome man who kept on messing with her head through his bold attitude. Brianna doesn't want to be involved with another man again, for she has proven to herself that they will just drag her down, but her constant incidents with him are slowly breaking the wall she built to protect her heart. Brianna will surely choose her career over a man this time, but it's possible to choose both, right? What if he hurt her too? No! She won't risk it but. "You have to run away from me, Bree. Coz I'm done running away, I'll chase you now."
The day Lilah found out that she was pregnant, she caught her fiancé cheating on her. Her remorseless fiancé and his mistress almost killed her. Lilah fled for her dear life. When she returned to her hometown five years later, she happened to save a little boy's life. The boy's father turned out to be the world's richest man. Everything changed for Lilah from that moment. The man didn't let her experience any inconvenience. When her ex-fiancé bullied her, he crushed the scumbag's family and also rented out an entire island just to give Lilah a break from all the drama. He also taught Lilah's hateful father a lesson. He crushed all her enemies before she even asked. When Lilah's vile sister threw herself at him, he showed her a marriage certificate and said, "I'm happily married and my wife is much more beautiful than you are!" Lilah was shocked. "When did we ever get married? Last I checked, I was still single." With a wicked smile, he said, "Honey, we've been married for five years. Isn't it about time we had another child together?" Lilah's jaw dropped to the floor. What the hell was he talking about?
Two years ago, Ricky found himself coerced into marrying Emma to protect the woman he cherished. From Ricky's perspective, Emma was despicable, resorting to underhanded schemes to ensure their marriage. He maintained a distant and cold attitude toward her, reserving his warmth for another. Yet, Emma remained wholeheartedly dedicated to Ricky for more than ten years. As she grew weary and considered relinquishing her efforts, Ricky was seized by a sudden fear. Only when Emma's life teetered on the edge, pregnant with Ricky's child, did he recognize-the love of his life had always been Emma.
The night before her engagement, Valerie was tricked by her boyfriend and stepsister into spending the night with a stranger. After the night together, the man vanished. Later, her boyfriend accused her of cheating, revealing his affair with her stepsister. Pressured by her father, Valerie married an unconscious man in place of her stepsister. Valerie exposed the scheme, sabotaged her father's ambitions, and transformed herself. When her husband woke and chased her to the airport, she calmly refused him, saying, "It's over between us." He held her firmly. "You married me, so you must commit."