Shadows Of A Forgotten Spring
Billionaire Shadow 25

COMMENT

Chapter 25

Although high on drugs and only partially aware of her surroundings, Annie's heart raced when she heard the unmistakable. sound of a car pulling into the garage. Alexander!

He was the only one who'd come home at this hour. Panic surged through her. She had assumed he wouldn't be back tonight and had let herself indulge far 100 freely. Now, she needed a plan and fast.

With unsteady steps. Annie stumbled toward the wine cellar, grabbing the first bottle within reach. She rushed back to the bedroom, emptied most of the wine into the bathroom sink, and then took a small sip, hoping the faint scent would mask any lingering signs of the drugs in her system

Quickly, she slipped into a long-sleeve blouse to cover any track marks, then returned to bed, trying to appear merely drunk.

Moments later, Alexander entered the room and found her sprawled across the bed, a wine bottle beside her. He sighed, running a frustrated hand through his hair. He couldn't really blame her, today had been a disaster.

If only things had gone differently, he thought.

They would have been celebrating their wedding tonight. But lately, everything seemed to be unraveling beyond his control.

The next morning, Alexander and Vivian stood by their mother's bedside, the silence in the hospital room thick with anticipation. They watched as their mother, Brianna, slowly opened her eyes, blinking against the bright fluorescent lights, her expression clouded with confusion. Alexander's stomach churned, a heavy knot of anxiety twisting tighter with each second. He didn't want to believe what the doctors had said. He wanted them to be wrong, desperately.

Brianna's gaze roamed around the room, her brow furrowing as if searching for something, or someone. Vivian, her face streaked with tears she had tried and failed to suppress, leaned forward and wrapped her arms around their mother. "Mom" she whispered her, voice breaking, "I'm here."

Brianna returned Vivian's embrace but continued to scan the room, her confusion deepening. Her lips parted as she took a shaky breath. "Where. where is your wife, Alex?" Her voice was weak but firm, carrying the authority of a woman who had always known her family's ins and outs. "Why isn't she here with you?"

Alexander felt a chill settle over him, his worst fears starting to solidify. He glanced at Vivian, who had frozen, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Mom" Vivian murmured, struggling to process the question.

Alexander swallowed hard, hoping his mother would drop the topic, but Brianna's sharp gaze found him. "I want you to bring Emma to me now," she said, each word steady, laden with strength that belied her fragile state. "I haven't seen her in a while, and I miss her." Vivian turned to Alexander, her own confusion turning to concen as she looked at his pale face. "Brother, what's going on? Emma... isn't here, she... Her voice trailed off as if, the truth was oo heavy to voice.

Alexander took a deep breath, but before he could even begin to explain, his mother's eyes narrowed, and her tone grew more insistent. "Alexander, what is wrong with you? Go get her. I want to see her.""

Brianna situation worsened over the months and her thirst for seeing Emma multiple over a thousand folds but no matter how many times she requested for Emma, Alexander's mind was made up, he was done dealing with Emma ans besides Emma was now living her live to the fullest with that good for nothing man that could hardly gather three figures together.

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Chapter 25

Months had passed 3ince Alexander had suddenly postponed their wedding, and yet he hadn't spoken a word about setting a new date. Annie's patience was wearing thin. Alexander seemed consumed with caring for his mother, Brianna, rather than attending to her, his fiancée. The more he brushed her aside, the more her resentment grew burning within her like a slow, smoldering fire.

She pressed her hand to her shoulder, where an old bullet scar by hidden beneath her clothes. It was a constant reminder of her predicament and her dwindling time. Annie knew it was only a matter of time before the man she owed came to collect She bit her finger anxiously, her mind racing to think of a way on. She needed money, and she needed it fast,

Her gaze darkened as she thought of Brianna. It had been near impossible to get close to Alexander's mother since her recent health crisis. Brianna, for reasons Annie couldn't quite grasp, had grown even more cold toward her, rejecting her offers to visit, and Alexander had backed his mother's decision, keeping Annie as far from the hospital as possible. Every time she had suggested visiting Brianna, Alexander would brush her off or shut her down, as though she were an outsider.

Annie cursed under her breath. Brianna needed to die for her to finally feel at peace. It was the only way to truly secure her future. But how was she supposed to plan anything when she wasn't even allowed near the hospital? She took a deep breath, and a new idea crept into her mind

"Vivian," she muttered to herself, her lips curling into a wicked smile.

Vivian might be her way in. Despite her reputation as a spoiled brat, Vivian had always seemed pliable and gullible to Annie. But Annie's hopes were dashed when Vivian turned down her attempts at bonding, refusing to go against her mother's wishes. That left Annie with no option but to act alone

If she couldn't access Brianna's estate directly she would find another way to get what she needed. A few nights later, just before Alexander returned from work, a group of masked robbers broke into his building, heading straight for one of the few places he hadn't touched since Emma left, Emma's bedroom. The robbers carried away millions worth of Emma's jewelry, pieces Alexander had kept untouched, as he has been reluctant to erase the last traces of his ex-wife from his life. When he discovered the theft, fury surged through him. He had left Emma's room untouched, preserving every item in its place, for reasons even he didn't know. But now, some brazen thieves had broken in, violated that space, and taken her precious belongings. He was ready to call the police, to have every item tracked down But before he could dial the number, Annie appeared, her face pale and trembling, clutching her stomach as she sank into a chair. She claimed to be shaken from the shock of the robbery, using soft, soothing words to draw Alexander's attention to her "fragile" state. She pleaded with him not to call the police, suggesting that involving them wouldn't do any one of there any good.

Her delicate act worked, and Alexander, albeit reluctantly, abandoned the idea of calling the police...