Jessica stared at the person beside her father. Wasn't that Uncle Lincoln, the head of her father's laboratory company? Why was he with her father?

She looked at her father and it looked like he was a little pale. Was something wrong? And why would this man come to their house?

She remembered her father having a heated argument with him some months back.

"Jessy, won't you say hi to your uncle?" Mr. Graves said to his stupefied daughter.

"Hi, Uncle Lincoln!" Jessica said, dryly. There was something odd about this man that Jessica doesn't like but his father seems to trust him so much.

"Jessy, you are growing into a fine woman. How are your studies? I heard from your father you would be graduating soon. Good luck! " Uncle Lincoln said, smiling.

Jessica simply forced a smile out before continuing what she was doing. Her mind was feeling uneasy but she can't tell what it is.

As she was in deep thought, her father returned from escorting Uncle Lincoln out. She adjusted her mood and smiled brightly at her father.

"Daddy, when did you get back? I thought mother was lying to me" Jessica said, walking towards her father.

Mr. Graves smiled at his daughter before giving her a peck again. "How is my princess today? You must be engrossed in your studies that you didn't even feel my presence"

"Daddy, I am so sorry. I… "

" Princess, you don't have to apologize. Besides, I know how much you love your…" Mr. Graves said, winking at his daughter." I am always supporting you from the sidelines"

" That's why you are the best dad in the entire universe!" Jessica gave her dad a huge hug and the biggest smile ever!

She looked at her dad's smiling face and frowned." Dad, you look stressed. Are you okay? Is there a problem at the company?"

"My princess, don't you trust your super daddy? Of course, there is nothing wrong with the office. I just strained myself a little because of the annual meeting coming up tomorrow" Mr. Graves replied.

" Are you sure daddy? You look stressed and all these bags under your eyes and Uncle Lincoln… "

" Princess, I am fine. Everything will be over tomorrow and when you are through with your exams we will go on a daddy and his little girl's outing" Mr. Graves said, winking at his daughter again.

"Really dad? I can't wait to see Kristen's face when we go on vacation alone" Jessica said, grinning.

"You are still acting all giddy like a child. Don't you think we should take Kristen along too?" Mr. Graves asked.

"No! She is going to tattle to mother!" Jessica shook her head. Her father just smiled and stroked her head like a child.

"Daddy, I am no longer a child. Why do you keep stroking my hair?"

" I know you are a big girl now and I am going to miss the fact that you are no longer a child," Mr. Graves said, smiling.

"What about you letting me go abroad for my master's?" Jessica asked, taking advantage of the mood.

" That's a no, Jessy. No further talks on this issue" Mr. Graves said, not falling into her trap.

Jessica knew she would fail at this bargain but she just had to give it a shot. She nodded her head as she stopped questioning him.

Mrs. Graves who just came in dragging the two rascals with her saw this scene. She cleared her throat, looking at the father and daughter suspiciously.

"What are you guys plotting behind my back?" She asked, still holding the twins tightly.

"Honey, what's with that look?" Mr. Graves asked, throwing his wife a sweet smile.

"I always get the chills whenever you are in cohorts with your daughter! I have told you several times that you are spoiling her… "

"Honey, how can a princess be spoiled? Did you forget she is our princess?" Mr. Graves said.

"Daddy, if Jessy is the princess then who am I?" Kristen asked, glaring at Jessica.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Kristen. But you are in no way a description of a princess or even close to it" Jessica said, holding back her laughter.

"Hey, Jessy. Don't be mean to your sister!" Mrs. Graves said, scolding her older daughter.

Kristen had always liked to dress as a boy. She fights with her twin brother over his clothes. She hardly wears her feminine clothes except they are boogie pants or tops.

"You are my cute little princess!" Mr. Graves replied, looking at his second daughter with affection.

His eyes roamed all over the twins and noticed they looked ruffled. What were they up to this time around?

"And what happened to them?" Mr. Graves asked, looking at the two rascals who were looking ruffled.

"Long story. I give you guys ten minutes to get going and freshen up or you are grounded for two weeks!" Mrs. Graves said, looking at them sternly.

Jessica watched as the twins fled from the sitting room to their room. A beautiful and captivating smile was plastered on her face.

She was happy that she was surrounded by the people she loves the most. Sometimes, she might find the twins annoying, or let's say most times. Or her mother might sound annoying and intruding too. Or her father who showered all the love in the world on her might be the least annoying of them all.

But she was lucky she had a family. Not just any family but the richest in the entire Country!

The family of five had their dinner and played for a few minutes before they all headed to their separate rooms while the servants cleared the dining table.

Mr. Graves went to their bedroom followed by his wife. Immediately they got to the bedroom, he drew his wife towards him in a tight hug.

"I don't know what to do, Catherine. Those people had been planning for a long time" Mr. Graves said, trying to hold back a tear.

"What could be their reason? What did you do to them that was unforgivable? I am guessing there is an insider" Mrs. Graves complained, sobbing softly.

They had to put on an act these past weeks so the children won't notice the situation.

" What are we going to do now? These people would do anything to get our family down" She continued sobbing.

Mr. Graves held his wife tighter as they poured out their sorrow in their bedroom. He closed his eyes as the thought of what those people did flashback.

Mr. Graves was still baffled at the discoveries he just made. No matter how much they hid their tracks, he was able to detect them.

How could they be so wicked? What exactly do they want from him? Nevertheless, he was determined to fight till the end.

He won't let them get his family or…anything else!

Groaning loudly yet sleepily, Jessy tried to switch off the alarm ringing continuously for some time now.

"I just want to sleep a little! Let me sleep, Mr alarm! Why can't you just cooperate with me this once?" She murmured, covering her ears with her pillow.

She wants to sleep more! Last night she stayed up late trying to break the walls of the bank and after trying relentlessly for five hours, she finally did it at exactly 11:55. The crash lasted till exactly midnight.

There was a light tap on her door. She knew who it was but she was just too sleepy to care.

"Miss, your bath is ready. You have less than an hour to get to college" A cheerful voice said.

"Yeah. But Aunty Maya, I just need five minutes to get there. Why can't I just use the helicopter? Dad isn't going on any business trip out of town" Jessica said, covering herself with a thick blanket." Just twenty minutes to sleep and I will be in school in less than five minutes"

"Miss, your father left early this morning and the helicopter is not available at the moment. And if you don't wake up now, you might end up dressing shabbily for college" Aunt Maya said, removing the blanket from her.

Ha! She forgot she still needed to dress. She can't afford to be dressed shabbily or else that stupid Ella and her friends would upload her photos all over their school's group chat.

That's hell no for Jessica, a college-round fashionista that had won the most gorgeously dressed campus Bella in succession.

At the mention of her being shabbily dressed, she immediately jumped out of the bed. Her sleepiness vanished into thin air. She left Aunt Maya and went straight to the bathroom.

In less than twenty-five minutes, she was already dressed up and her face was lightly touched. Putting on tight-fitting jeans and a sleeveless top that brought out all her endowment, she carefully wore her jacket tailor-made for her by the famous designer who was making waves.

Jessica knew the school was going to be in an uproar because of the jacket but she doesn't give a damn!

The driver dropped her off at the entrance of the college. Immediately she got inside, she was dragged to the corner by someone.

"Damn it, girl! What kind of fucking brain do you have? You did crash them yesterday!"

She grinned at Winston who was looking at her as If he was looking at an alien." I told you I hate to lose"

" How did you do it? How could you crash it for five minutes? Ha! I can imagine my father's face last night… it must be fucking hilarious!" Winston said, bursting into laughter.

Yeah, this guy was a psycho and had a kind of father complex or something. He takes pride in being rebellious towards his father who was the technical director at the States Bank.

"Hey! Your bet… all of you. I need my four hundred bucks now" Jessica told him.

He looked at her." Why are you being so petty? It's not like you even need the money"

"I know I don't need the money but it's my sweat. Besides, we made a bet and I won" Jessica said, grinning.

Winston, who thought she was going to lose the bet, looked at her grudgingly before bringing out his phone.

" How about we split it? You can get the higher share" Winston asked.

"Why would I share with you when I was the one that did everything?" Jessica asked, glaring at Winston.

" Petty!" Winston said, sending her the money.

Soon afterward, there was a beep on Jessica's phone. She took it out and saw the bank messages.

"Good boy. Just let me know if there are any more bets with a higher percentage. I will give you a cut then" she said, giggling as she went straight to her class.

******

Classes were a bit tiring and stressful for Jessica as she kept yawning. Perhaps it was due to lack of sleep these past three days she had been trying to crash the site.

She was so tired that she immediately packed up to leave for home. She was about to call the driver when her phone rang.

"Hey mum, where are… are you crying? What happened?" Jessica asked, worried.

Her mother's next words made her face turn pale and her phone dropped to the ground.

All she told herself was… it wasn't real.

Jessica picked up her broken phone and dashed out of the school gate. She flagged a taxi that brought her home. Tears kept flowing down her eyes and her mind was filled with different thoughts.

On getting to their residence, she saw the police surrounding the place. She paid for the taxi and rushed inside.

"Mom, dad!" She called out, rushing to the living room. Her father was looking forlorn and broken as if the whole world came crashing on him.

Jessica couldn't take her eyes off her father who had become frail overnight. Her siblings' eyes were red from crying too much while her mother snuggled them to herself.

"That bastard finally betrayed you! I told you to be wary of him but you were so sure he won't repeat his mistake " her mother sobbed softly.

Jessica walked over to her father holding his hands. This was the first time she has seen him looking so confused.

" What happened, dad?" Jessica asked.

"Your dad was framed for producing harmful drugs in the laboratory and selling it out without approval. I don't know how they got evidence that activities like that had been on for three years. Activities that don't exist" her mother replied, clenching tightly on her dress.

Mr. Graves has been too broken to utter anything. He kept staring into space as he murmured to himself.

"Evidence? How could they have evidence of something that does not exist?"

"The company has been closed down by the government. Everything has been seized too. We have been given one week to leave this house too. All because of that… Nicholas… what's wrong… "

There was a scream from Jessica's mother as her father collapsed to the ground. That's when Jessica knew she was about to face the harsh reality of life.

She just realized that a new chapter had begun in her life.

Two Years Later

"I need an iced coffee!"

"Jessy, table two needs two iced coffees and an Americano"

"Two lattes and an Americano for table four"

Jessica's head was filled with different orders. She wondered why her second hadn't signed in yet.

She was supposed to drop an application at a company that was recruiting workers in an hour. She had to leave early to arrive on time.

Jessica tried her best to satisfy every customer so she won't be scolded by her grumpy boss. That man would bring down the roof on her if any of the customers complained. He was too stingy to hire more workers even when he knew they required more hands.

Jessica had taken up several jobs so far and now she was working at a coffee shop just down the street. She prefers working there because there is no need for transportation. After all, it was just down the street. During lunch, she could simply skip over to the house to have her lunch.

All in a bid to save money. The twin's education had to be taken care of including rental and other miscellaneous bills.

After Jessica's father fainted a year ago, he had severe heart failure. It was so severe he had to undergo surgery. They had to sell most of their possessions to revive him through surgery. The bank collected their house and their company was shut down.

Her father's friends and relatives all deserted them, claiming her father was involved in drug trafficking. They said all sorts of bad words against him.

"You are a stain on our family name!"

"We can't be seen together with your family. You are a disgrace to the Graves"

"How could you think of doing such a thing? Now our family name's been dragged into the mud because of you!"

"Who would have thought that he was such a snake! A poisonous one at that! How could you sell such drugs? You are wiping out generations!"

" I can't believe I was friends with such a dangerous person! And he claims to be a doctor! Or is it a laboratory scientist? What a shame!"

The family of five had to move to a smaller apartment downtown where they were not known, for fear of mockery by their so-called friends and family.

Luckily for Jessica, she had paid her tuition for the final year. She just had to bear all criticism as she wrote her final year examination.

"I can't believe she came to write the exam"

"Her family is in a mess and her father is at the point of death yet she still came to write the exams"

"It's obvious she doesn't have a future yet she is trying desperately to cling to it"

"Serves her right! She always claims to be a fashionista. I wonder how horrible her dressing would turn out to be!"

Amidst all the mockery, she put on a brave front for the two weeks she had in college. After her exams, to fend for her family, she delved into any menial job that could fetch her money. They had been surviving on her little pay job.

With her results out, she had been searching for a job that could pay her better. She was still lost in her thoughts when her phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number.

"Hello…"

"Jessy! I finally got hold of you! Thank goodness! Where the hell have you hidden all these while? Even if you were hiding from everyone, will I also be included? I thought I was your friend!" An angry voice began scolding her as soon as she picked up.

Just by her voice, Jessy knew it was her bosom friend talking. Angela was her childhood friend but they had to part ways when their family relocated abroad. They lost contact when Jessy stopped using her old line as soon as they moved out of their house.

"Angie… I… I am so sorry… I just… " Jessy didn't know what to tell her friend.

"Jessy! We need two lattes and an Americano on tables four and five! Hurry up and drop that call!" Her boss's voice said, getting pissed.

Jessica was also pissed off too. Her time was over but that damn girl that was supposed to take over from her was nowhere to be found. And the annoying part was that her boss won't pay her for the additional time spent. If not that she didn't need the job, she would have quit a long time ago.

"Angie, I need to go but I will be available in four hours. I will call you as soon as I am free" Jessy said.

"Alright, Jessy. Don't forget to call me. I will be waiting" Angie said, reluctant to end the call.

"I won't, Angie!" Jessica said, cutting the call hurriedly so she could get the orders ready.

Finally, an hour later, her second came with an apology. But Jessica had no time to waste because she had to go and submit her application letter as soon as possible.

She heard they were recruiting workers for the Turner Group of Company. She wanted to try her luck if she could get the position of secretary.

Picking up her bag, she walked swiftly trying to leave the Cafe as soon as she could. Unfortunately, she bumped into a muscular chest.

"Ouch! I am so sorry, please!" Jessica said, without looking at the person. After apologizing, with her head still bowed she turned to leave.

"Where do you think you are going, bitch! Do you know who you just bumped into?" A female voice shrieked as she drew Jessica back, holding her hair.

It felt as though Jessica's head was about to be separated from her neck. The girl's grip was so strong!

"I already apologize, Miss. Please, I am sorry. I was in a hurry and I didn't look where I was going… ouch! You are hurting me!" Jessica said, whimpering in pain.

" Let her go, Jane," A sexy baritone voice said. The voice was so alluring that Jessica had the urge to see the person.

She raised her head gradually and their eyes met. The man had the most gorgeous hazel eyes ever. There was a playful smirk on his face and his sexy plump lips looked tempting.

Jessica could feel those hazel eyes roaming all over her body. She suddenly felt naked before his eyes.

"Pervert!" She cursed, softly.

Then she turned around and left not knowing she just triggered a wild beast in the man.