DAHILA’S POV

The sound of distant church bells snapped me awake. It took a while to adjust to the lights in the room, and looking around for anyone to turn off the lights, I saw a particular golden head seated on the visitor’s chair, working on a laptop with all seriousness.

I reached out. “H..Hello?”

He looked up and immediately our eyes met, a big smile lit up his face .

“Hey, you're awake?”

I tried getting up, but my bones ached, and as fast as light, he was beside me, helping me up.

“Take it slowly” he whispered. “You're still very weak”

I didn't say anything, but my eyes followed his movements, my mind racing madly.

I could still meet Geoffrey Cohen like this?

He stopped moving when he realized that my gaze seemed to have lingered longer. “Why are you looking at me? Is there something on my face?”

I shook my head and didn't say more.

He resumed working. “You need to rest,” he said, while typing away.

A few minutes later, the doctor appeared with a tab saying I could have died if Geoffrey hadn't saved me.

Geoffrey thanked him and ordered food for us as he now shut his laptop to sit with me.

“How are you feeling now?” He asked gently. “You didn't say anything since you woke up”

I yawned. Say something? What would I say to the man I'd once rejected.

That I got kicked out by my stepsister and my husband or that my mother now took her stepdaughter seriously that her own daughter.

"Hun?" He asked again, reaching out to pull hair off my face. "Were you so shocked to see me again?"

"As if" slipped. I realized my mistake and looked up with a smile. "No, thanks for helping me"

Geoffrey said nothing again, but was still looking at me like a scientist would study specimens.

I felt exposed under his scrutiny. He must be humiliating me in his mind that he was later my savior.

My eyes became downcast, and felt I should say something but "I..." No words came out.

I fondled my fingers, twisting it until I could feel the pain. But the pain couldn't match my embarrassment.

His brows furrowed. "What are you trying to say? Need me to call the doctor?"

I bit my lip this time to the point that I tasted the blood.

Suddenly, he reached out and placed his hand on mine. "You don't have to be embarrassed or flustered"

I looked at him, heart racing. He continued. "We both had wandered too far and saw different things. Perhaps a world of our own is all it takes"

A world of our own? What is he saying?

His phone rang just as he was about saying something else. He took his hand and left to pick it.

Heat rose to my cheeks as blushes, my racing heart not calming down. Do I tell him I was engaged to someone?

"What!?" His voice suddenly rang out. "You mean Manager Ryan was the embezzler?"

That name rang like an alarm. Ryan?

"Get me every information you can find on Ryan Malkova. I shall make sure I crush him and his family to a paste!"

Then he ended the call, coming back to face me. I was stupefied. The nurse brought the food later but I couldn't eat again.

Ryan worked for the Co and Co company as a manager and I'd overheard a lot of calls between him and his colleagues about usurping money and all.

Ryan Malkova's name brought back memories.

Memories of my near death experience, my whole two years with him that was snatched within a blink of an eye, his support for Amanda—

"Hey, Dahila are you fine?"

Something was brewing inside of me — Hatred, anger and anything to describe it.

He touched my hand again. "Is anything wrong?"

"What do I get for giving you all the information on Ryan Malkova?"

He blinked, "Wait, what?"

"You're a worker at Co and Co, right?" I asked again to be sure before telling him anything but he snickered.

I felt like a fool. Did I overreact or the Ryan Malkova he was talking about isn't even Ryan?

"I'm the boss of Co and Co" he looked away. "Even though I might lose the position sooner"

I curiously asked why and he began to explain everything. After I rejected him, he met his ex wife whose parents are rich and they got along well.

But his wife's health wasn't so good and so, she died last month, and he'd been facing a lot of challenges.

"My step-brothers wanted to snatch everything from me" he confessed the truth about his family too. "The investors that could help me, insisted I must be married...."

I heaved a long sigh. It all makes sense now, and I wondered why his brothers are hell-bent on bringing him down.

He was about to say more, then his phone vibrated and upon checking it, he looked up slowly. "You... you're Ryan Malkova's wife?"

"Not anymore" I swallowed. "He pushed me out"

I took my time, and told him everything about Ryan and our engagement and that I was never his wife.

We're both silent for a long time. Then he looked up with a pleading gaze, "Would you help me then?"

"How?"

He heaved a sigh. "I don't know. But Ryan's embezzlement is not helping and to bring a wife for the investors..."

He looked at me, and even though he wasn't saying anything, I could smell his question through his gaze.

"What!?" I gasped. "No way..."

"This is the best way for both of us, Dahila”

DAHILA'S POV

A WEEK LATER....

It was the board meeting to decide if Geoffrey could still keep Co and Co as the CEO.

Geoffrey held my hand before I stepped out of the Rolls Royce.

"If you can't do this, tell me now" he pleaded. "I promise I wouldn't hold it against you"

My chest was thumping madly, nervousness was the next thing to my heartbeat, but this was his last chance to keep Co and Co, so I had to be braced for this.

"I'd do it. Let's go and crush the investors and embezzlers, Hubby"

He laughed at the new title and together, we stepped out of the car.

People were gasping, cameras flashing violently, reporters rushing to us for questions but his bodyguards helped.

I had to agree to his proposal not to help only him but to grind Ryan and Amanda into a paste.

My mum and stepdad are coming here today as they're part of the investors, and Ryan the embezzler will face him today!

Geoffrey and I had agreed to fake a marriage certificate and act like the most lovely couple out there.

The past days were spent preparing for that, and today was the final showdown.

Co and Co were flooded with reporters here and there, wanting to ask why Geoffrey was hiding my hand.

It was like a drum was placed in my head, but when we got into his office, I slumped into the sofa.

"Are these the people that will be witnessing the meeting?"

He bent down to help me take the show off as I was struggling with it.

"No media is allowed into the conference room" he said. "I just need you to keep this act with me even in front of your parents"

"Not my parents" I told him, the taste of calling them parent bland. "No parents favours one child over another"

He said nothing and helped get my new inhaler. "You'd need this"

I felt grateful for all he did, I stared at him for a long while, I didn't know what to say other than to whisper almost to myself. "Thank you"

Geoffrey only chuckled and got ready for the meeting.

For the next one hour, I sat with him as he worked, almost getting exhausted when the secretary entered. "Mr Cohen, one Miss Amanda from Delacuz family is here to see you"

My heart jumped, he looked at me with concern. "Shall we?"

Let Amanda in? The memory of the pain I'd felt due to her manipulation burned in my mind like branding.

I didn't want to see her again, yet something else was backing my heartbeat up — confidence.

Would I cowardly avoid Amanda forever?

My hand began to quake. Would I let her eat her cake and have it, just like that?

Geoffrey rushed off his seat. "Hey, Dahlia are you fine?"

"L..Let her in" my voice came above whispers. "I'll be fine, let her in"

I guess the secretary took the command before Geoffrey's. She moved to the door and opened it for Amanda while Geoffrey was still holding me.

Her jaw dropped in shock and surprise.

I wanted to pull away from his embrace, but he didn't leave me. Instead, he hugged me tighter, and whispered what I wasn't expecting him to whisper. "You're my wife now, remember?"

"Dahila?" Amanda finally found her voice. "How did you sleep your way to this place?"

I wanted to move again, but Geoffrey wasn't letting me go. He looked at her. "What brings you to my office, Miss Delacuz?"

Amanda was still flustered, but fetched a small envelope from her bag, her eyes still looking at me enviously and wondering why I was in Geoffrey Cohen's arms.

"I...I came to invite you to my wedding" she said in the kind of tone to mock me. "My parents and fiance would still give you an invitation, I thought I should...."

"I'd only accept if my wife thinks we should be at your wedding" Geoffrey cut into her jabs. I looked at him with shock, but he continued. "You're not allowed to be in my office initially, Miss Delacuz. But I'd let this pass"

She clenched her fists, but turned to leave. However before she could pull the door, Amanda stopped and smirked at me. "Don't think this is the end, Dahila"

Then she left, Geoffrey removed his hand immediately, his nervousness obvious now.

We didn't have the chance to say more to each other when the secretary came back to inform us that the investors are here.

He helped me with my shoe again, and hugged me before we left the office and got to the conference room to meet my mom and Amanda's dad on the seat.

My chest sank like the Titanic. The fear of mum, her eyes and her voice made me shake to my feet.

She must have guessed this and got up with a proud smile. "Hey, Dahila. Miss mama?"

"M..Mum?"

"Ohh my little girl" she pulled me into a hug and whispered her manipulation plans for today into my heart. "Don't try to act smart, I'd take you back as my daughter only if you make sure Geoffrey Cohen loose this company"

Then she pulled away with a smile. "You didn't tell me you're with Mr Cohen"

I was frozen. She could still think of manipulating me like this?

Amanda must have called her to tell me, but never!

"Why should I tell you I was with Mr Cohen?" My voice came out incredibly sharp. "You only cared about your daughter, Amanda right?"

Geoffrey looked at me with a questioning gaze and I nodded silently. I got this.

Mum was surprised. But my stepdad stepped forward to scold me. "How can you talk to your mother like that! She was..."

"You're in no position to question my relationship with my mother, Mr Delacuz" I faced him sharply, the pain of his cruelty burning. "You're not my father!"

Mum gasped. This was the first time I'd look her in the face.

She was surprised, I was surprised too.

But they brought out the cruelty in me, and I shall serve it with a tray!

CHAPTER 4

DAHILA’S POV

“Dahila!”

“What?” I yelled back with the same energy she used. “You said to my face that Amanda is your daughter and you'd chose her over me”

“Stop being jealous, she’s your sister, Dahila!” She pulled her phone. “Does fucking Mr. Cohen make you loose your mind?”

“If that's it then yes, I'd lost my mind!” All the hates, her words of disapproval, my attempt to make my mother love me like she loved her stepdaughter, all flashed before my eyes. “I'm no longer who you think I was, mum”

Mum froze on her phone, she looked at me with dropped jaw, stepdad also too shaken to talk.

All my life, I kept quiet. With mum, Amanda and Ryan, I let them push me anyhow until I'm here now, and I shall make them feel every penny of my pain.

Geoffrey pulled my waist to himself. “Don't stress yourself darling. They don't worth yelling at”

“Mr Cohen what have your done to Dahila?” My stepdad asked. “She's getting madder!”

I wanted to reply this time, but Geoffrey held me down to let them assume whatever. Now that I was calm, mum dialed on her phone again as she said. “I'd call Amanda on you. Let her expose president Cohen's new bitch to the public”

Geoffery replied her. "Mrs Delcaruz, that’s defamation of character. She’s my legally married wife, and your daughter has no right to bring journalists to a private meeting.”

Mum didn't answer, she only dialed some number on her phone, and in the next minute, she was done and faced Geoffrey this time. “I’m one of the people that would decide if you're to continue keeping this seat, Geoffery Cohen. Are you sure you want to do this?”

"That..." He stopped, his gaze shrank. Mum and stepdad were really an investors and one of the decision makers of Co and Co.

Was he really going to change sides and let them bully me?

I looked at him expectantly. The reason why he asked me for a contract marriage was to win against his brothers, and whose favor did he need? Investors.

My chest sank like the Titanic. Was this the end of my pride and prejudice?

My eyes didn't leave Geoffrey, I want to hear what he has to say. Will he ditch me and win or stand by me and fail?

Three

Two

One

Silence again.

Some of the investors arrived, he still stood, not saying anything. Then his phone vibrated, and he moved from the statute position to check it.

After checking, he looked up with a smile so strange and shocking.

"Let's get the meeting started"

Just like my parents were shocked, I was also shocked. I looked at him shockingly. He was silent all these while just to tell us to get the meeting started?

More of the investors arrived and while he was less busy from greeting some of them, I texted him from where I was sitting. "What is happening? What are you planning?"

He looked up from where he was and smiled handsomely at me, and replied. "Just you wait"

I wished my heart could wait and be calm like he instructed.

More and more came in until the room was filled to brim abd he introduced me to them.

None of them clapped they were all eager to remove him from the seat.

"You never told us you'd get married, Mr Cohen, we don't support this" An elderly woman said.

Another one got up anf fling his file to the table. "Who did you think you're trying to fool? The eldest daughter of the Delacuz family was engaged!"

"I broke up with him" I replied the man without getting up. "He's now getting married to my sister"

Buzz and

Soon the hearing begun and all of them including my stepdad who stood up to talk had just one reason for removing him. "A man that couldn't control a family can never control a company! Geoffrey Cohen had a hand in the death of his ex wife"

He didn't flinch in the midst of the accusations, which baffles me the more.

When he was asked to talk, Geoffrey asked his secretary to bring a projector on which he leaked the videos and photos of his brothers bribing them.

"Y'all said I killed Evelyn?" He scoffed after thier gasped filled the air. "Have you all forgotten that my wife died a week after Mrs Delcaruz invited her for dinner?"

All eyes to my mother, including mine.

"Mrs. Delcaruz served Evelyn tea that evening when she came visiting me for some work…” Geoffrey continued, his voice cold. "The autopsy showed traces of…"

"LIES!" Mum jumped up immediately, petrified and her face pale. "I would never—"

"The toxicology report doesn't lie, Mrs. Delcaruz" He clicked to the next slide that showed the results of mum's DNA on the cup. “I kept this hidden for a long time…”

My blood ran cold. I don't know if I should be happy or sad. My Mum killed his wife, but for what reason…?

But before the document could fully load on screen, the conference room doors burst open.

Amanda stood there, still dressed like I saw her this morning but breathless, with Ryan by her side.

"President Geoffrey Cohen" Ryan smirked, holding up his phone like a trump card. "You might want to see this before you continue"

On his screen was a video of me in bed with another man that wasn't him.

My heart stopped for a moment, what on earth was he trying to potray…

"Your perfect wife" Ryan's voice dripped with venom and sinister. "Was cheating on you two nights ago"

The room erupted in whispers and gasps. Cameras from mum's secret journalists flashed.

Geoffrey's eyes locked on mine, coldly and betrayed.

"Geoffrey, that's not—" I started, my voice shaking.

"IS IT YOU IN THE VIDEO OR NOT, DAHILA?" His voice thundered across the room.

I couldn't lie. The woman's face was clearly mine.

"Yes but—"

He turned away before I could finish.