~ MeganCharles came knocking on my door, but I ignored him until he got the message and stopped. I was very exhausted from everything that happened yesterday, and to top it off, I had to deal with Charles. I did my nightly routine and went straight to bed, driven by exhaustion.In the morning, I woke up to the sound of my phone buzzing on the nightstand. Prying my eyes open, I groaned as I reached over, fumbling to answer the call. A familiar name was on display on the screen.“Hello?” I answered, my voice still thick with sleep.“Happy birthday, Megan,” a familiar voice greeted me. It took a moment for my foggy brain to register that it was Jake. My brows furrowed slightly, but I didn’t want to sound rude with the question I had in mind.“Thank you, Jake,” I replied, sitting up and rubbing my eyes, “but why are you calling so early?”“I wanted to be the first to wish you. By the way, did you like my gift?” I could feel Jake smiling at the other end of the line, and it made my skin t
~ Megan“Charles, stop!” I cried as I tried to separate them. Thankfully, some staff came in with Charles, so they pulled him off Jake.“What the fuck, man?” Jake wiped the edge of his lips that were now bleeding. “Are you fucking nuts?”Charles shook his head, his eyes still mad with rage. “No mate, I am fine. You are the sick one.”I looked from Charles to Jake, confusion etched in my head. “What is going on here?”“Don’t ask me, ask him,” Charles hissed as he struggled to break free from the lounge staff.“No, Charles, I am asking you, what you are doing here,” I affirmed, facing Charles, my face devoid of a smile. “Why did you just barge in here like a madman and attack Jake? How did you even know I was here with him?”“You are asking the wrong questions, Megan,” Charles said. He finally succeeded in breaking free from the staff, then he barked at them, “get out and better stay quiet about this or I promise to make all your lives a miserable living hell.”After the staff left on t
~ Megan“No.” I held up a finger, stopping Janette from speaking. “Not today.”With that, I walked away, leaving behind my burden. When I came to this restaurant, I was starving, but now I have lost my appetite. The only place I could think of escaping to was my news agency.“Surprise!” The employees chimed as I entered, as if they were expecting me.I forced smiles as we cut the cake and popped the bottle of champagne. I couldn’t maintain my face for much longer, so I quietly slipped away into the confines of my office.I sat there for almost two hours, pondering whether or not to terminate the contract between Jake and me. I decided not to do it for obvious reasons. The only reason I would be forced to terminate was if the contract was flagged by default, and as of now, Jake had performed part of his obligations to the contract. I was the one left to complete my own end of the agreement.I groaned, running my fingers through my hair, scattering the ponytail I had made. I felt so bet
~ Megan“I am not a bank, Anna. I suggest you try your luck again with them.”Anna shook her head, rejecting my denial. “You are my last hope, Megan; we’ve waited for years for my mother to make it to the top of that list, now all I need is the money to pay.” In a split second, she grabbed my hands, desperation in her grip. “For old times’ sake, Megan, help me.”I snapped my hands out of her grasp with disdain. “For new times’ sake, get out of my office before I have you thrown out.”“Please, Megan,” Anna choked out. She went on her knees, pleading with me as if I held the keys to her mother’s life. “This isn’t the Megan I know. The Megan I know won’t watch another human die when she can help.”I chuckled bitterly. “You are right. This isn’t the Megan you knew. This is the Megan you made. You created a monster; live with the consequences.” I punched a few buttons on the landline phone on my desk; in a second, it rang. “Have security escort this woman out of my office,” I ordered.Anna
~ Megan I didn’t return my father’s smile. I just wanted him to be done and out of my face. “If you want money, I will send you the little I have—” “The little you have would mean nothing compared to the problem it is supposed to fix,” my father cut me off. “You were right about something.” He stared at me from a much more comfortable position. “There was no fire at any of our shops, but there was a fire at a warehouse where I had workers sewing fake designer branded clothes. And some people got hurt. They are poor, so a little money wouldn’t be too much to compensate them unless they’d open their mouths.” “I don’t see how that’s my business, Dad,” I said between my teeth, emphasizing on the ‘Dad.’ The man that raised me wasn’t the one sitting before me now. He was a complete stranger. A stranger who dealt illegally to make ends meet. What happened to the man that was once my role model? “You are disappointed in me right?” My father asked with a half-baked smile, and for a brief mo
~ MeganHer reply was something I wasn’t expecting to hear in a million years. “What?” I echoed.Janette turned around, her eyes filled with irritation and pride. “Yes, little Megan, I live here now. Charles invited me to stay.”I refused to believe what I was hearing. There was no way Charles invited her to stay with us without informing me first. I knew our relationship wasn’t what it used to be, but that was something I never expected of him. My mind raced with a million thoughts, and none of them were pleasant.“Charles invited you to stay?” I asked, trying to maintain my composure, hiding the storm brewing within me.Janette smirked, enjoying the ruckus she was causing. “Yes, he did. We are back together, you know. It is only a matter of time before he realizes the mistake he made by marrying you.”I felt a surge of anger, and for a brief moment, I imagined myself beating Janette to a pulp, but I had to control it. I couldn’t afford to lose my temper, at least not now.“Why would
~ CharlesI stood at Megan’s door, my smile faltering as I sensed the tension in the air. Megan’s usually warm eyes now reflected a mix of hurt and frustration. The atmosphere between us had become strained, and the decision to invite Janette without Megan’s knowledge had added fuel to the fire.“Can I come in, please?” I asked, attempting to maintain a calm demeanor regardless of the tension between us.Megan’s gaze lingered on me for a moment before she sighed, relenting with a nod. “Fine, come in.”Megan led me to her bed, but she maintained a clear distance between us, something I thought we had closed. I didn’t want to talk about the issue with Jake since we didn’t particularly end it well. And now, I just wanted to clear things up about Janette and not Jake.“About Janette,” I began, but Megan cut me off.“It’s fine. It’s your house, your rules,” she said dismissively. But I knew she was still mad at me.“I have a plan, but Janette staying here is a necessary evil,” I explained.
~ CharlesJanette’s admission echoed through the room, her voice trembling with heavy emotions of guilt, fear, and desperation. I maintained my mask of indifference, watching her carefully as Megan’s gaze shifted between us.“No, Janette, please don’t say that,” Megan said, genuine worry etched on her face.Janette collapsed onto the floor, her hands covering her face as Megan ran to her side. “It is all over social media. My career, everything I have worked for is crumbling,” she sobbed.“Janette please stop,” Megan cooed, then she shot me a suspicious look, narrowing her eyes. “Charles, did you have anything to do with this?”I shrugged nonchalantly, playing the innocent card. “Why would I? I didn’t even know Janette sold her body to wealthy people for fame.”Janette, now sobbing uncontrollably, managed to break free from Megan’s comfort to crawl to my legs. “Charles, you have to believe me. What they are showing isn’t the full truth. Please hear my own side of the story."I scoffed