The next morning,she woke up with a bloody knife in her hand, and she was lying in a strange place.
"Where am I? Am I dead already?" Maisie frowned when she opened her eyes.
At first, her head was spinning in circles, and she couldn't make out where she was.
Maisie tried to wake her sleepy self when she raised a hand to her face to swab, only to discover that her hands were all bloody.
Scared out of her wit, she looked down and found herself covered in blood. The floor was littered with blood from where she slept and trailed to the door.
Before she could make out what was going on, a bunch of men dressed in uniform stormed into the room.
They were policemen.
"Misses Noble. This isn't looking good for you," the man standing before her suggested.
"What's going on?" Maisie asked, utterly confused, her head aching. "Where am I?"
"Are you going to keep pretending, Miss Noble?" the policeman sarcastically remarked. He sighed deeply and added,
"Misses Noble. You are under arrest for the murder of your father and mother."
The words of the officer fully jerked Maisie awake. She realized that she was in her grandparents's home, and not too far away was the lifeless body of a woman in her forties on the floor. It was Rebecca Duval, her mother!
Her mom and dad were lying dead close to her.
She screamed, "Mom!" She ran in the body's direction while crying.
"Mommy! Who did this to you? Mommy!" She cried inconsolably.
"Misses Noble. You are not allowed to tamper with evidence!" The policeman warned.
Maisie was inconsolable, refused to listen to the instructions, and continued to cry out while holding her mother's body.
…..
In a few days, she was charged to trial and found guilty.
All the evidence pointed to her as the criminal who killed her own parents.
Her friends Serene Hunt even revealed that she was adopted and killed by her parents because they found their real daughter.
She hinted that she was afraid of giving up the inheritance.
Maisie was named the mastermind behind the gruesome deaths of her parents.
Masie was shocked when she saw the evidence and heard the eyewitnesses' testimonies.
She had been framed by Ethan. The latter's act had managed to fool everyone.
She was sentenced to prison and would rot for life.
"I did not kill my parents! Ethan framed me! I didn't kill my parents! I didn't!" Maisie was having an emotional breakdown. She kept on emphasizing the truth in hopes that they would believe her.
No one believed Maisie when she blamed it all on Ethan and Olivia.
Most of her friends and co-workers abandoned her. She was named the ungrateful daughter of the Duval family. Those who tried to help her received threats from the Noble family.
Maisie was helpless. It was exactly as Olivia had said to her. They had bigger plans for her, and they have achieved them.
Maisie was humiliated in ways she could never have imagined, and because of her suffering, she fell depressed.
Consequently, Masie was brought to the lock-up.
Maisie felt anxious when she saw the hard iron bars and the dim surroundings.
Her heart was cold, and she was in despair as she looked at the dark cage. Through her vision, which had been blurred by tears, she saw the scenes in her memory.
Just like that, Maisie was framed and wrongly accused of her parent's death; all the evidence pointed to her, and she was locked up behind bars.
A few weeks later, Ethan filed for divorce and took charge of all her properties, leaving her with nothing other than shame, humiliation, and prison time.
….
Two months later
That night, Masie suffered immense pain in her stomach. She told the officer about her illness, but she did not get any help. On the other hand, she was assaulted by her cellmates for no reason.
Masie protected her face and let the punches land on her body.
The leader of the gang yanked Masie's hair and smirked as she forcefully slapped her. "Mr. Noble told us to take good care of you, you little b*tch. Who asked you to bully his beloved woman?"
The blood in Masie's body turned cold.
This was the 'care' Ethan had given her.
She could not even begin to imagine Ethan's cruelness. She was already at her lowest, yet he kept on treating her with violence.
She was beaten by other inmates and fainted in the process.
The jail warden found her passed out.
Scared that she might die in their hands, the jail warden hurriedly took Maisoe to the hospital.
After a while, the doctor on duty walked into the ward with a file in her hands.
"Congratulations, Ms.Duval; you're two months pregnant. You have to look after your body and avoid stress no matter what."
The doctor said, Masie was dumbfounded looking at the result.
Maisie's quivered. "Doctor, what do you mean? How could I be pregnant?"
How could she get pregnant with the child of a strange man? How could she?
Maisie was taken back to lock up.
She felt depressed at the thought that her child would suffer with her.
"Ms.Duval, you have a visitor." The jail warden said this, looking at Maisie from the iron bar.
"Who was it?" Maisie was shocked; she hadn't had any visitors for two months, and she wondered who it could be.
The jail warden replied,She wants to remain anonymous."
Maisie didn't think too much of it and went outside to meet up with the anonymous visitor.
"Oh, look who we have here; it's the famous, ungrateful daughter of the Duval family. How does it feel to be so famous, Maisie Duval?"
Maisie heard the shrill voice.
It was a voice that she could never get rid of, even if she died.
Olivia Gibson sat in front of Maisie with her high cheekbones covered in meticulous make-up. She wore a dress that outlined her perfect figure.
She looked like a sophisticated, noble lady.
While Olivia Gibson looked like a fine and charming upper-class woman, Maisie looked like a miserable mistress.
"You b!tch, how dare you show your face in front of me? Do you even have any conscience left?"
Olivia's presence was stabbing Maisie's heart like a dagger.
Olivia Gibson looked at Maisie pitifully and said," You see, you lowly peasant, don't even think of competing with me ever again. You'll always remember the consequences of acting all high and mighty in front of"
" Why? What did I ever do to you, Olivia? I was your best friend and treated you well.
"Treated me well? You give yourself too much credit, don't you, Maisie Duval?" Olivia rudely interrupted her.
"You were a miserable abandoned child; why would you get so lucky and get adopted into an excellent family like that? I have always known that I deserved everything that you got, but I couldn't get my hands on it even if I wanted to. That's why I've always been jealous of everything you had—your excellent family, a charismatic husband, and a luxurious life. I wanted everything, and now I have them all to myself!
The light in the meeting room was dim. Nonetheless, it was enough for Maisie to see the malice and sinisterness on Olivia's face.
Maisie was mortified by this divergence.
"But why? …Why did you do this to me?" Maisie was teary.
A sinister laugh escaped Olivia's lips. " Of course, I did what I had to do! It's all your fault that you are here, and you deserve everything that happens to you. I hope you die miserably like your parents did!"
It could not be helped. Maisie's anger reached its limit, and she screamed,You!"
Maisie attempted to attack Olivia, but she was in handcuffs and
support herself. So she fell to the ground, and a debilitating pain shot up her stomach.
Her face was now white, but she gritted her teeth and struggled to lift her head.
Olivia towered over her, her cold, sinister gaze fixed on her. "This is all you can do while you rot in hell forever! Tsk, you deserve it!"
Her cold words hammered down on her before she left mercilessly.
For three months,she stayed in detention, and nobody offered to help her out. Not even her own friends.
Everyone deserted her when she needed them the most. She heard rumors that the Noble family was tracking her down and forcing people not to hurt her.
…..
Meanwhile, Zachary Stunder, the man she slept with,turned the whole world upside down in search of her.
He couldn't find her, no matter how much he tried.
Sitting in the middle of the office, Zachary had deep features, his eyebrows knitted tightly, and his lips pressed together, exuding an aloofness that kept others at a distance.
Zachary is a charming and confident man in his early thirties. He has a sophisticated look with a well-groomed beard and a stylish sense of fashion. His eyes are a captivating shade of hazel, and they hold a hint of mystery. Alex has a fit and athletic build.
Sitting in the middle of the office, Zachary had deep features, his eyebrows knitted tightly, and his lips pressed together, exuding an aloofness that kept others at a distance.
"Still no news?" His voice was cold, like that of a god who held the power of life and death.
Everyone was immediately frightened, sweating profusely. Suddenly, a young man wearing thick glasses exclaimed excitedly,Mr. Stunder,I have good news. I found her," Jake Dwight said as he walked into his office.
Zachary abruptly hopped on his feet and turned to look at Jake in disbelief.
"What? What did you say?" His eyes lingered on Jake with expectations.
Seeing his reactions, Jake beamed a little while nodding his head. "She's been found, Mr.Stunder; I got the news just now."
Zachary sighed repeatedly and then said. "I'm glad you found her. I need to thank her for saving my life that night."
Once the happiness in his eyes dissipated, His expression was replaced by aloofness and bitterness.
"If she hadn't been there to rescue me that night, the ploy to get me kicked out of the Stellar Corp would have thrived... . Now that she's been found, I'll repay her handsomely and make my brother pay for plotting against me."
He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist as he said this.
Zachary's drink was spiked, and he was set up with a woman to ruin his reputation and get him kicked out of the company, but he ended up spending the night in a strange room instead.
His half-brother Henry Noble and his son came up with this scheme in the hope of getting the company transferred to them.
The plot failed, and they ended up at his mercy.
"What are you waiting for, Jake Dwight? Take me to go see her immediately!" Zachary was excited.
At this time, Jake lowered his head dejectedly and wouldn't say a word.
Seeing this, Zachary was astounded.
When Jake refused to say a word, Zachary frowned. "What's the matter? Speak up!"
Jake's hands quivered, and his eyes fidgeted. " Well… How could I say this?"
"Are you still not going to tell me what the matter is?" Zachary was running out of patience.
Jake was afraid of his wrath, he muttered."The woman from that night is in prison!"
Once he said this, the ambiance of the room dropped, and nobody said a word.
Zachary's eyes were extremely dark when he heard this.
"How did this happen? What are the next steps?"
Jake was shocked. He didn't expect his aloof boss to care about some woman who was rotting behind bars for killing her parents.
"Do whatever it takes to get her out of prison in two days!" Zachary ultimately declared, forcing Jake to swallow the lump in his chest.
It was impossible to get anyone out of prison so soon, especially not a woman who was charged with murder!
"Mr.Stunder, there's a way to get her out of jail and out of this mess. However, on a 'condition,' there's a condition."
"Do it immediately!" Zachary declared.
…..
Miss Duval walked out of her cell; it was time for lunch.
The inmates received food. Maisie got steamed vegetables and rice.
As soon as she stepped away from the query, one of the bullies in the cell, who had made life a living hell for her at Eric's behest, forcefully took hers away.
The big bully sneered and grinned proudly at Maisie.
Maisie hadn't eaten anything the entire day since they took her breakfast as well; she was afraid her baby would suffer if she didn't eat.
Consequently, she clenched her fists and got ready to put up a fight.
"Duval, you have a visitor!"
However, the jail warden's voice stopped her in her tracks.
Then the guard informed her that she had a visitor.
She felt it was strange; she didn't have any visitors for two months, and now?
Unable to shake off the feelings, she went outside and was met by a strange man in a black suit. It was the assistant, Jake Dwight.
"Hello, my name is Jake Dwight, from Stellar Corp., and I am the CEO's personal assistant." He greeted her warmly and adjusted the position of his eyeglasses.
.
Maisie looked at the stranger curiously. She ransacked her brains and still couldn't remember where she met this man before; consequently, she gave up trying.
dropped a document in front of her. Upon seeing the content of the document, she was shocked.
Jake Dwight pulled out a document and propelled it to her.
Maisie picked up the file precariously and peered in.
In the next second, her eyes widened with shock as she asked. "Marry You?!"