She dashed out of the house crying hysterically leaving the maids and guards murmuring amongst themselves. She cared less about the rumors and whispers. At this moment, she just needed a place to stay and think.

Her eyes opened up and the tears came out, rushing with full force the moment Erica got into the car.

She buried her face in her palms, trying to muffle her screams as her heart shattered into pieces.

She started the car engine and made her way straight to her father's house, hoping to explain everything to him and have him beg Norberto on her behalf. She will come back to meet Norberto when he's more calm. Not knowing what to believe, she assumes it is all a trick and Norberto is just playing on her intelligence. She will let him calm down then break the news of the pregnancy to him.

Upon pulling up at her father's house, Erica was heartbroken as she was told her father had gone out for a meeting.

“When will he be back?” She said to Oscar rather impatiently.

“I don't know. He didn't say.” Oscar had come outside upon sighting her car. He was her father's security guard.

“I'll wait for him.” Erica made it inside the surroundings but was stopped dead in her tracks by Oscar.

“You can't go in, any further, I'm sorry.”

“Why can't I? This is my father's house.”

Erica protested, trying to force her way inside.

“The order came from your father.”

“Really! My father!”

“Yes ma'am.”

“You heard him, you aren't deaf. You aren’t allowed to step foot inside the house any longer, so leave here now, or else I'll set the dogs on you.” She gritted her teeth, pointing towards the gate.

Erica immediately froze upon hearing the familiar voice. She was not expecting her sister back to the country anytime soon. Turning to face her, she saw Delaney, walking downstairs in a flowery gown which screamed luxury, she wouldn't be surprised to know Norberto is the one funding her expensive lifestyle.

“What are you doing here?” Erica quizzed, walking furiously towards her.

Delaney’s laughter rang out like tinkling bells, “The last time I checked, this is my house, my father’s house. I should be asking you that question. What are you doing here?” she came to a halt, facing Erica directly, with her arms akimbo.

“Stay away from Norberto, Delaney, I beg you. I need my home to be at peace and not in pieces.”

“Who is Norberto?” Delaney sneered.

“You the hell know who Norberto is, stop playing around with me, stay the hell away from my husband.” Erica was furious.

“tsk, tsk, tsk, poor you! You mean, your soon to be ex-husband” Delaney mocked.

She nudged Erica with her shoulder as she walked past her and sat on a chair.

“Look at you Erica, you look so pathetic. I love it when you are sad. You deserve no happiness, do you”

“You are evil, so evil Delaney, you are a monster. What have I ever done to you?”

“Ever since you and your mother walked into our lives, everything has changed. You started sharing almost everything with me. My father, my home, my friends, the attention, literally everything Erica and I so hate you for that. You were like the perfect daughter. Everyone preferred you over me and now you think you can be the wife of the richest man in the country, huh! I’d rather have you dead than share Norberto with me.”

“I never wanted to be his wife. I never took your man away from you. You know the truth yet you are still blaming me for everything. You caused everything yet lash out on me, how callous of you Delaney. And now that I want him, that I finally yearn for his love, you are back to destroy everything!”

“I am back to take what is rightfully mine and occupy my position as the wife to the richest man in the country, how does that sound? Don’t get in my way Erica, you won’t like the repercussions.”

Clap!!!

As if acting on impulse, she raised her hand and slapped Delaney hard across the cheek which sent her sprawling on the floor, holding her face.

The triumphant smile on Delaney’s face slowly faded away as a frown appeared on her face. She rubbed her cheek frantically, trying to ease the burning sensation.

“How dare you lay your filthy hands on me?” she stared angrily at Erica.

“When my mother and I came into this family, we came with love. All our life, we endured every trash, every single act of condemnation, every single hurtful and humiliating actions and words you threw at us. You turned her husband against her and my father against me……”

“He was never your father, you were only a part of this family since he got married to your mom, I mean he had no choice.” She rolled her eyes at Erica.

“Now you want to do the same to an innocent child, a child who hasn’t arrived in the world yet. You want to deprive an innocent child of his father’s love. I won’t let you do that. You might have succeeded in doing that to me but I won’t let you take the father of my unborn child away and deprive him of all the fatherly love and care he can get.”

Erica’s words got Delaney confused. She furrowed her eyebrows as a confused expression enveloped her entire face.

Pregnant! She can’t be. She must have slept with some cheap guy and now she’s pinning the baby on Norberto. She thought she had done everything possible to send Erica out of his life but getting pregnant for him will ruin everything. That means she won’t be able to have Norberto all to herself and the child could be a source of connection between Erica and him. She can’t be the one to have an heir for the family, it can’t be Erica, it has to be her.

Delaney rushed toward Erica and touched her stomach then glared at her, stealing glances at her flat stomach.

“Get your hands off me, stay away from me.”

“whose bastard child is that?” Delaney asked in disgust.

“You have no right calling my child such filthy names. This pregnancy belongs to Norberto.”

“Such a liar.” Delaney sneered, “You have been sleeping around with numerous boyfriends of yours and now that they do not want to accept the pregnancy, you want to pin it on Norberto. How shameless of you!”

“Do not talk dirty of me, for the past three years that I and Norberto have been married, I have had no carnal knowledge of any other man except him. I am not for the streets like you.”

“You and your bastard child won’t make it out of here alive.” Delaney pushed Erica to the floor with all her might, hitting her and kicking her in the tummy. “You bitch; I will make sure your mother doesn’t recognize you when you both meet in hell.”

Erica was already bleeding from the mouth at this point, but fought hard to shield her stomach and pregnancy from her evil sister’s blows and kicks. She was already regretting why she had come here in the first place.

“I hate the sight of you, I hate your presence and I wish you could just vanish from the surface of the earth.” Delaney ranted as she continued kicking Erica in the stomach and sending heavy blows on her head.

Erica groaned in pain. Her stomach was hurting so badly at this point and tears had started rolling down her bloodied and bruised face. The pain was excruciating. She struggled to get up but was pulled down by Delaney.

“If you try to come between Norberto and I, I swear, I will hunt you down and kill you. He is mine and mine alone, you better get this into your head”.

Glaring murderously at her sister, she smiled when she saw blood trickling down her leg. Feeling satisfied, she started to make her way back into the house. She took a few steps and stopped in her tracks just before entering the house, smirking.

“And make sure to get rid of that thing you call a baby.” She ordered before finally making her way back inside.

“I wonder which guy got you pregnant anyways.” She mumbled.

Unable to bear the excruciating pain ravaging through her body, Erica managed to reach for her bag and took her phone from inside. She could feel the remaining strength left in her slowly seeping away. She scrolled through her phone with bloodstained fingers searching frantically for Norberto’s number.

“Please, please pick up the phone, Norberto.”

However, the next second, a pair of leather shoes crushed her hands hard!

The next second, a pair of leather shoes crushed her hands hard!

She dragged herself on the floor towards her car, as she slowly lost consciousness.

……..

Erica Shawn perceived the strong smell of a hospital as she slowly opened her eyes. She had no idea how long she had been unconscious. She felt pains all over her body, including a throbbing headache.

She looked at the monitor which was beeping beside her and it took her a few seconds before she could see clearly. She saw the doctor dishing out orders to a young nurse who wrote things down quickly on a file.

The nurse nodded towards her after saying a few words to the doctor. The doctor turned and took a glance at her, seeing that she had regained consciousness, he rushed over to her side, feeling her temperature. “How do you feel now, miss?”

Erica Shawn took her hand to her belly immediately. “Please tell me I didn’t lose the pregnancy.” Erica whispered, her eyes were filled with tears and the veins in her head popped out. “How is my baby?”

The doctor let out a soft sigh. “You need to calm down.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down, just answer me. How is my baby please?” she whimpered, her eyes filled with pity.

“Your baby is fine, but you need to relax. Your body needs all the rest it can get.” The doctor assured her.

Erica sniffled and shut her eyes as she placed both hands on her stomach, tears rolled down each side of her face. She felt glad she still had the pregnancy even after everything.

“You were lucky to have been brought in here early, any further delay could have resulted in you losing the pregnancy. You need to be kept here for more observations. It is essential for the sake of your well-being and that of the child”.

Erica nodded, hoping that things would get better afterwards.

“Where’s my phone please?” she knew she had dialed Norberto’s number a couple of times, he must have called her back.

“I will have the nurse send it in right away. Your stuff is safe. We kept them in the security department”.

……….

Erica sighed and rubbed her temple as she stared at her phone. There was not a single call from Norberto. Who brought her to the hospital?

“Where's the person that brought me here?”

“He left already.”

“Did he introduce himself, who could he be?”

“You were brought in by a young man. He said his name was Peter and he was passing by when he saw you lying lifeless on the floor”.

“Alright, thanks doc”. Erica sighed, she tried to fight the tears that were threatening to fall again.

“He promised to come check on you later. Maybe you’ll get to see him then”.

Erica tried to hide her hurt and disappointment by bringing her knees up and burying her face between them as the tears slowly dropped.

“I don’t know what exactly you are going through or what might have happened but you need to be strong. Remember, when you are okay, your baby is okay and when you aren’t, it is the same case for your baby. Even though you are stabilized now and okay, there’s still a chance of you getting a miscarriage so that’s why we are still keeping you here to observe you and while doing that, we need you to please be relaxed and get enough rest. Keep in mind that your general health has a great effect on your baby”.

“Thanks for the kind words doc. I appreciate your great care of concern. I’m just concerned my husband never called to check up on me or the baby and I am worried”. Erica’s heart fell as she said those words. She couldn’t believe Norberto never returned her calls. Erica tossed her phone aside. She felt as if she was not existing anymore, especially to Norberto. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, as she slowly dozed off.

……..

Erica was strolling around the hospital premises, trying to clear her head when she got a glimpse of someone familiar on one of the nurse’s phones.

‘Lemme see this please, thank you”. She said, snatching the phone away from the nurse’s grip.

“No! this can’t be”. She sobbed, trying so hard not to break down. Her actions got the nurses worried, with confusion etched all over their faces.

It was a video of Delaney and Norberto. They were gorgeously dressed, holding hands like couples and kissing, with smiles on their faces.

“Latest billionaire couples.” The headlines made her heart tremble with fright. She sweated even though the weather was cold. Delaney was all over Norberto, flirting with him which further made Erica hurt.

Erica soon burst into tears after seeing the headlines. She felt betrayed by Norberto and her stepsister. She was in the hospital fighting for her life and her baby's too and all they could think of was to get engaged. Her absence was not even noticed by Norberto and he was still living fine. She sobbed so hard, which got the doctor and nurses worried about her health. She went inside the hospital room where her phone was and picked it up, still sobbing. Knowing she had no value in Norberto’s life, she resolved to accept his divorce proposal.

……..

“I’m so happy we are finally a couple.” Delaney giggled as she flirted with Norberto. They walked into the big hall where Norberto’s family were all seated awaiting the arrival of the couples. Norberto’s family had organized a big family dinner to welcome Delaney into their family.

“So many of my friends are so going to be jealous of me, when they see my posts on Instagram.” She squirmed.

Delaney looked at Norberto as they sat beside each other at the dining table.

“Norberto, what’s wrong?” you have been quiet, why aren’t you even saying anything? Or you are not happy?”

“Of course, I’m happy my dear. Just tired.” He said distantly.

Seeing he was aloof, Delaney decided to let him be and focused on her meal.

Norberto’s phone buzzed and he quickly picked it up from the table. His eyebrows lit up in surprise as he stared at the screen.

“I accept the divorce. You won’t ever get to feel even a bit of love from me. We are done… like you’ve said. Enjoy my absence since my presence never made you recognize my worth”. His jaw dropped as he read the message.

“What is the matter sweetie?” Delaney asked, snatching the phone away from his hand. “Good riddance to bad rubbish. I’m glad she realized already that she has no chance with you. It's only quite unfortunate it happened late”.

Norberto looked at Delaney with a puzzled look as she said those words. “Can I have my phone back please?” he asked, suddenly feeling hot and uneasy. He kept reading the text message he had received from Erica over and over and he wondered why he felt so concerned when he was the one that had asked for the divorce in the first place.

He excused himself and rose up, heading towards his room. Delaney felt pissed off and gritted her teeth in anger. She could feel a burning rage inside of her even though she tried to remain calm. She stood up just immediately and went after him.

She met him stretched out flat with his back on the bed. He was facing the ceiling, obviously in deep thoughts. Delaney walked towards him, sashaying. “I feel you are not in a good mood. I can lighten up your mood.” She said seductively, tracing his bare chest with her fingers.

“Not today Delaney, please, I’m tired.” He shoved her aside and went to sit at the edge of the bed.

“What is going on, Norberto? What is wrong with you? Don’t tell me you are in this mood just because of that text you received from Erica.”

Norberto stared at Delaney curiously, wondering if there was something she wasn’t telling him. “Do not talk of Erica like that. I am only a bit worried and concerned that she isn't at home by this time of the night. And her text message was just so sudden. I wasn't expecting her to accept the divorce this way”.

“The good thing is she already accepted it. Let's have some good time together”. She bit her lower lips flirtatiously, playing with a strand of hair that fell over her face.

Norberto looked at her and let out a sigh.

“I am not in the mood for this Delaney. We'll meet tomorrow. Goodnight!”. Norberto tried walking away but was pulled back by Delaney.

“Really! Are you sending me away now?” she asked unbelievably.

Seeing that there was no response from Norberto, she walked towards the shelf just beside the bed and took her bag. “I’m leaving; I’m going home”. She said and stormed out of the room, slamming the door really hard.

Immediately Delaney was gone, Norberto sprang up and headed straight for Erica’s room. He pushed the door open and his heart fell. Norberto could not explain the coldness that swept through his heart, numbing him, when he saw just an empty room.

Erica had never slept outside the house or stayed out late before. She had no friends and no family where he could say she was staying with at the moment.

He walked back to his room feeling dejected and with a very blank but heavy mind. He flunked himself on his bed and buried his face in his palms. He was wondering why he was feeling the way he felt at the moment. He couldn’t understand why he felt a sudden feeling of loneliness and fear.

Norberto started debating on whether he should return the numerous calls he had missed from her or reply to her text message. He didn’t even know where she was at the moment and this made his heart beat in trepidation.

He finally resolved the conflict in his mind and decided to call her. He picked up his phone and dialed her number with his heart in his mouth.

…

Six years later.

“Mommy! Mommy! Wake up”. Erica heard her son’s voice followed by his tiny pair of hands, shaking her.

“Oh Nicky, go away. I will get up soon”. She said with a sleepy voice, her eyes still closed.

“It’s Ricky mommy, not Nicky. By the way, your alarm has been beeping and it's causing such a nuisance already”.

“Oh sorry my love, I’m up now, see!” Erica said, finally opening her eyes. She slowly pulled herself up into a sitting position and pulled her son closer. “Give me a hug, my dear”.

The little boy threw himself into his mother’s waiting arms and snuggled deeply. Erica placed a deep kiss on his forehead before asking, “Where are your siblings?”

“Ricky is still sleeping and Becky is outside, painting as usual”.

Erica nodded and smiled. “Let's go see what your sister is painting”. Erica intertwined her hand with her son’s and went outside into the garden.

It was big and filled with beautiful flowers which spread across the floor, giving the place a beautiful view. Erica spotted Becky at the far end of the garden, doing what she loved the most.

“Hey beautiful, what are you painting, my love?” Erica asked, bending over her daughter’s shoulder to get a closer view of her painting.

“Hi mommy, it’s a butterfly”. Becky responded, smiling cheerfully.

Erica smiled and rubbed Becky’s head satisfactorily. “That’s beautiful love, it’s time to get ready for school. You can resume painting when you get back, okay! I need to be at work early, so let's go get you guys ready”. Becky looked at her mother and smiled. “Let’s go wake your brother up”. Erica held Nicky’s hand on one side and Becky’s hand on the other side and plodded towards Ricky’s room, chatting cheerfully with her kids.

Just like Nicky said, Ricky was still sleeping. Erica walked towards him and gently shook him, “Wakie wakie, wake up, Ricky, it’s time for school”. The third triplet stretched and yawned, Erica bent down, pulling him up, she kissed him on the forehead, then led the trio into the bathroom.

“Mommy, can you make another omelet for me please?” Becky asked, pulling at Erica’s gown as she got their lunch box ready.

“Another omelet, why?”

“She wants to give it to Jaime”. Ricky’s voice rang out. Erica looked at Becky who was shy already then back at Ricky. “So Ricky, tell me, who’s Jaime?”

“A boy in Becky’s class…”

“A boy! okay, I see.” Erica mumbled, she stared at Becky who was blushing already. “What did I miss? You know what, you will give me the full gist when we all are back home, how about that?” Erica loved her triplets dearly and she cherished them. They come first in her life and she was willing to do anything to see them happy. One thing she had adopted when it came to them was active and effective listening. It gives her time to interact with them and bond with them.

Once she was done packing their lunch boxes, she led the triplet downstairs. Rebecca, the maid, was waiting for them downstairs alongside Mathew, the driver.

“Make sure they are in safe hands; I need you to see them to their classes.” Erica said to Rebecca. “And please drive safely, Mathew.” She said, turning towards him.

Erica stood and watched with smiles on her face as they walked out of the house. She rubs her chest satisfactorily after which she goes to her room to get ready for work.

She was done in about one hour and hopped into her Maybach. She had just purchased it a week back, adding to her collections of luxurious cars. The ride to work was often therapeutic for Erica as she gets to see the city bustling with people just going about their lives. Little children playing by the roadside and chasing after each other. It was nostalgic.

After what felt like forever, Erica pulled up in the staff parking lot, she got down from the car and strode towards the company’s building.

Grace, her secretary, rushed over and took Erica’s handbag from her. “Ma’am, there’s someone at the reception waiting for you.”

“Who?” she muttered, chewing on a gum as she made her way towards her office.

“Your maternal Aunt, Amelia.”

“Amelia! What is she doing in my office at such an odd hour? Let her in”.

“Okay ma”.

Erica sat in her office wondering why Amelia wanted to see her all of a sudden. She was still deep in thought when the door opened and a woman, who should be in her late forties, walked up to her. The striking resemblance the woman had with her late mother made Erica stare at her awkwardly.

“Please sit, pardon my manners for staring at you but you look just like my late mother. And I still can’t get over it.”

The woman smiled, “Erica, I know you are surprised to see me in your office at such an odd time but I need to discuss something with you”.

“Go on, I can hear you, but you should have informed me before coming, aunt. What if I wasn't around?”

Ever since Erica left the United States, Amelia has been the only family member she was communicating with. She was her mother’s younger sister and took Erica just like her own daughter. She had taken Erica in until she was buoyant enough to have gotten her own place and helped her build her company from scratch.

“I know how you love to work, so I know you must surely come to the office. Well, what I want to discuss with you is about the company back in the United States, your father’s company”.

“What about it?” Erica sounded aloof. The last place she ever wanted to be reminded of was the place she fled from.

“It is on the verge of winding up due to bankruptcy”.

The revelation came as a shock to Erica. All this while, she had thought the company was doing so well, especially since her stepsister Delaney got engaged to Norberto, just so they could merge the company together. “Hum, this is shocking, but then, what has it got to do with me?” Erica said with confusion etched all over her face. She stared at the woman from head to toe.

“You are the only heir your father has on this earth. He has no other child. If there’s anyone to save his company, it is you, Erica. Your father spent quite a fortune on that company”.

“Then let Delaney and her father take care of that, not me”.

There was a heavy silence in the room as Erica said those words. She was not ready to go back to the United States. Everything that happened years back came rushing to her memory. She could remember everything vividly as though it was playing right in front of her.

Amelia understood the reason for her refusing to go back to the United States. “Keep the past behind you Amelia. Won't this also be an avenue to shove all they've done to you at their face. More like your own revenge”.

“These people are from the past, aunt; I don’t want to have anything to do with them anymore”. Erica pleaded.

“Norberto is now a major shareholder in the company. So he's affected too. And should I tell you about his own company, it's close to winding up due to bankruptcy also. The last information I got was them pitching for a grant, from your company and also trying to seek help. They need your help but then, they do not know you are the owner of Global Enterprises”.

Erica smirked as she rested her back against the high gloss painted wall of her office, pondering over what Amelia said.

“I think I know what to do aunt”. Amelia smiled and bade her farewell as she exited the office.

Grace walked inside with her left hand holding a file which she dropped on the table. She had a cup of coffee on the other hand which she handed over to Erica.

“You have a meeting with some new clients today, scheduled for three pm. Would you be available so I can add it to the to-do list ma?”

“What’s the meeting about?” Erica mumbled, typing on her laptop as she sipped the coffee at intervals.

“The meeting is with the Welling's enterprises. They are almost on the verge of closing their company due to too much debt incurred, so they are making a proposal to be considered for the grant as that would help settle off their debts and have the company back on its feet again. Considering the numerous benefits attached, they are willing to take any percentage of profit they will get if they merge with our company in the United states”.

“Hmm!” Erica sighed, “I see. Postpone the meeting till another time. I’ll let you know when I am free to meet with them”.

The company was her father's company. And Norberto being a major shareholder meant he was greatly affected too. Remembering what they made her pass through, she was determined to get her revenge back and make them beg at her feet. She realized she could only achieve this, if she agreed to help them and attend the meeting, revealing herself as the CEO of Global Enterprises.

She will make them bite their fingers in regret.

“But ma’am, are you willing to help them, I mean if we collaborate with them, won't it pull us back?” Grace said, interrupting her thoughts.

“No grace, I believe we have enough resources and finance to take care of everything. Send a message out to them. We will be having a meeting with them. Get me more information about that company. I need to know everything about them.”

“Alright ma’am.”

………………..

Five hours later.

Erica was going through some files when she heard someone knocking. “Come in”.

The door opened and she looked up to see Richard walk in with a smile on his face. He had a small gift bag with him.

“Hello pretty”. Richard said as he sat on the chair opposite Erica.

“Hello Richard, how are you?” she responded casually, still looking at the files in her hand.

Richard was a medical doctor who specialized in gynecology. He had been attracted to Erica for the past four years and since then, he had been hoping she would accept his advances and allow him into her life.

“Don’t you think you need some rest, Erica? You look tired. I got you this.” Erica took the gift bag from him and brought out its content. It was a necklace which had her name inscribed on it.

“This is beautiful. Thank you Richard. I have a lot of work to do and taking care of the triplets isn't easy either.”

Richard smiled and took her hand, rubbing it fondly. He looked at her and brushed the strand of hair that was squeaky clean, aside, as he kissed her hand gently.

“You know you've always got me Erica. I'll always be by your side, willing to help you. You don't have to carry the burden alone”. Erica's face flushed as Richard said those words.

“I'll need to go to the United States”. Erica explained her reasons for taking this decision and her fears about it.

“I'll go with you; you need not worry”. Richard assured her.