I look at my mother in utter shock, whom I haven’t contacted in over six years. It’s not much surprising that she knows I’m back and knows my address. She’s used to spying on me since my high school days, but dropping by so early in the morning out of nowhere is awfully suspicious.And her outfit suggests that she has planned this visit for at most a week and didn’t just drop by during her morning jog.This moment looks so much like as if it’s staged. If God is watching over me right now, I’m sure he’s laughing with tears in his eyes.At one side of the door, my mother stands in a knee-length party gown with pearl necklace and bracelets and heavy makeup. And on the other side, in a stark contrast, I stand awkwardly staring at her in a man’s shirt and boxers with my hair looking like a chicken’s dwelling.One look and no one would admit that I’m someone who came out of her.“Are you daydreaming? Why do you look so lost?”I mentally slap myself back to reality at her disapproving look.
I angrily poke the omelette in the pan, breaking it into crumbs. Not being able to withstand my mom’s ignorance towards him, Denzel stuffs himself into the kitchen behind me.“How long is she going to stay?” Annoyance drips from his voice like drool. However, he can’t possibly be any more annoyed than I am.“Do you think I want her in my apartment after not contacting her for six years? She’s going to make my life a living hell!”“Well, with her rudeness aside, she sounds like a fun lady, though. Why do you hate her so much?”I have the urge to shove the scalding omelette crumbs into his mouth.“Tell me Denzel, have you ever had to grow up with a perfectionist?”He shakes his head.“I’ve spent almost twenty years of my life with her. I had to put up with her taunts and sarcastic remarks for every second of my day. And it never got easier. It's impossible to satisfy a perfectionist.”The kitchen grows silent and the sizzle of omelette in the pan fills the empty spaces. My face is hot w
For the first time since they’ve arrived, their face shows a human emotion. Both of them clamp their mouths shut in surprise and pure fear.“Mr. Flynn, we were told that she’s a single mother. We didn’t expect the child to be yours.”“Let me see your ID,” Denzel demands. The two take out their identity cards and hold them out for Denzel. His eyes run over them like a scanning machine before he returns the cards.The one with the iPod looks submissive, but the other one is as stubborn as a leech that doesn’t want to let go once it has started sucking on your skin.“Are you two married? May I see the marriage certificate? I’d also need to see a DNA proof to know you’re not bluffing.” She says proudly.Denzel’s gaze shines with a killing intent as he clicks his tongue. “Whether we’re married or not, it’s our business, not yours. As for the DNA proof, I have one.”Denzel unlocks his phone and shows them a digital copy of the DNA test results. The two can’t come up with any more excuses.“
Denzel Flynn******I rip the seal on the packet of pizza and shove one slice into my mouth. The foul taste is too strong to be erased by a single bite, so I shove the rest of the pieces too, not caring for a confused-looking Jake in the driver’s seat.“No, Flynn, I don’t want to eat your pizza even though I haven’t had breakfast doing your biddings all morning. But I’m so touched by your care.”I roll my eyes at his tantrum and hand over the last piece of pizza, which he takes without a word.“What do we have?” I ask.“I looked into the two of them. Their documents and information are legit. They manage an orphanage where they look after the abused and abandoned children.”“Did you find out about their informant?” I cut to the chase. Jake looks a little uneasy, hesitant to disclose the informant.“Who is it?” I try again.“Well, don’t get mad, but I did some digging, and it turns out the person paid a vast sum of money to those workers. The bank account details link back to Chloe.”M
Unknown POV******Layla rolls onto her bed in her rented apartment. Next to her is James Davenport, sleeping peacefully with his wife’s so-called best friend.Layla has spent yet another night with James in her bed and though she has no feelings for him, her actions are not for nothing. By making him commit adultery, Layla can make James her future voluntary or involuntary partner in crime. By the flow of the current things, she’s sure a lot of blood will be spilled in the future.Blood of the Flynn family.She smiles evilly at her genius plan when a knock comes at her door. Alarmed, she rises in the blink of an eye.No one knows of this place and her people aren’t patient enough to knock—they’d simply break in. This must mean that someone is on her trail.Can it be the cops? Did Denzel really break his word and told them her secret?“Wake up, Davenport!” She shakes the man passed out from alcohol beside him.“What is it?” His droopy eyes cannot discern the urgency and anger in Layl
Naomi West******My mom officially moved into my apartment and will live with us for heaven knows how long. Last night, her butler brought all of her stuff and I finally confirmed that she has more dresses than I do.After the relocation of her luggage, a bigger crisis hit us. Another person is equivalent to another room. Because of her baggage, she couldn’t move in with Ben, and the little demon heaved a sigh of relief when he learned that.So, I decided to give up my room and take refuge in Ben’s imaginary camp. However, Denzel wouldn’t have that.“I’ve finally been reunited with my son after five years. I want to be his roommate and get to understand him better.” He said.Neither I nor mom argued with that, and so it was decided that the boys will live together. Ben was exhilarated to hear that, too. And my mom got settled in Denzel’s old room.I’d expected her to taunt and throw a tantrum, having to live in a man’s room, but to my absolute surprise, she settled in really smoothly
I lose the sense of time, and the evening arrives in the blink of an eye. Finding a perfect, elegant gown on such a short notice is undoubtedly a headache since most of my closet consists of tomboy clothes with little space for party wears that wouldn’t suit to this occasion.However, the biggest nightmare of it all is having my mom select my gown and go through my closet. I skillfully dodge all of her side-eye glares. At last, she ends up choosing one of her dresses to fit the event.It’s a maroon, sparkly floor-length gown with off shoulder sleeves that matches my natural blush perfectly. My mom does my makeup as I sit like a doll before the mirror.Despite of my grudge towards my mom for nagging me for a better part of my life, I wouldn’t argue that she’s best at what she does.“There you go. Like a proper lady.” She slips away to the side, letting me stare at the beautiful reflection in the mirror.She’s done a good job with taming my bangs and the rest of the hair in a beautiful
It’s a portrait. In the acrylic painting, there is a woman leaning against the doorframe at the threshold, watching a child and a man interact like father and son. Whilst the man and the kid are engrossed in their games, the woman observes with a satisfied expression etched onto her face.I can understand and relate to that satisfaction really well.“Ladies and Gentleman, this is an art drawn by an anonymous artist. The way she captures the feel of a wholesome family is praiseworthy and heartwarming. In the backstory of the portrait, the mother and her child lived alone in the world until they came across a young man and their life became whole. Their family was complete.”The anchor goes on to blabber about the painting to create interest amongst the audience as I crane my head to look up at him with my doe-eyes and puffed lips.“I want it. Can I have it? Please...” He smiles and raises his hand to pat my head.“Let’s start the bidding! The beginning bid starts with ten grand.”Denze
I have been feeling guilty towards Marcus all night. Even though I made that Devil sleep on the couch and didn’t spare him a single glance this morning, my heart weighs heavy when I think of Marcus and how unfair I’ve been to him.Which is why the first thing I did in the morning was to schedule a meeting with him. I wanted to take Ben out as well, but Denzel probably knew about my intention and ended the discussion before it even came up.On the plus side, at least Marcus and I’ll be able to have a conversation like proper responsible grownups—on the downside, I won’t have any shield to hide behind.The bell jingles on the cafe’s door, warning us about a new presence. I look up and notice Marcus walking up to my table. For some reason, I can’t bring myself to smile.“Marcus, hey.” I speak, but even my tone sounds too monotonous. He nods, acknowledging my presence, but doesn’t speak up.Gathering courage, I say. “About last night. I’m truly sorry. Had I known beforehand, I would’ve d
Naomi West******“Let’s go Ben. Time for bed.” I intentionally don’t yell out my plans for tonight when I call for Ben. Denzel has been playing the role of a jealous and offended husband ever since we mentioned Marcus’s name this morning. It’ll only blow his head if he were to know what we’re going to do now.Ben finishes his dinner early and discards the dishes in the sink before running to his bedroom. With one more lookout for Denzel—still refusing to budge from the sofa and watching Frozen 2—I slip inside Ben’s room.He’s already sitting up on the bed under the covers when I enter. He excitedly looks at me as I approach my side of his bed and take out my phone.“Quick. Before daddy gets too weird.” He whispers, acting as if we’re kids watching a movie after curfew.I open my contacts and video call Marcus. I hand the phone to Ben as we wait patiently for Marcus to pick up. After three rings, he eventually does, but it changes to voice call.“Is it a bad time?” I ask, desperately
Unknown POV******Layla Kingsley stares dumbfounded at what she’s just discovered. After spending many weeks in isolation, plotting and planning and fearing for her life, it’s like she just hit a jackpot.But she never entered in the lottery, which is why the sight before her, the crucial piece of information, also gives her chills.This is it. This can change her whole life.She takes out her phone to capture this shocking moment. She continuously taps on the photo icon to take pictures from multiple angles.With a lingering look at the truth she’s just discovered, she walks away before anyone notices her presence. She laughs as she takes the street to her apartment. She’s been in so much pressure for the last few weeks, trying to come up with desperate measures to find something on the Flynn’s. But it’s been a pain in the butt with blondie and Davenport not picking up her calls. After her last meeting with Chloe, she made it clear that she wanted to come clean in front of her dea
Naomi West******I’m not mad. I’m not second-guessing my life choices at the moment. I’m only fuming with an uncontrollable amount of disappointment, hiding all of my viciousness behind a polite smile.I watch, standing in a corner as my dad empties my mom’s stuff from Denzel’s old room. He wasn’t exactly a cheerful lad when he found out that his wife has been living in a man’s room all this while, but one look at my face and he knows to keep his mouth shut about it.He only has himself to blame for what his wife has been through.But like myself, my mom isn’t one to hold grudges. My mom and dad had been MIA on me for three days since she went away with him and they only arrived this morning, that too, to fetch her things.I haven’t made peace with the fact that she’s so easily forgiven him, but who am I to judge, right? I can only bite my tongue and swallow my words for their happiness.“Did you eat a whole lemon for breakfast? Why do you look so sour?” My mom playfully bumps into m
Denzel Flynn******I never imagined Naomi’s father to run away like that. When I learned about his fleeing from the receptionist, it was bad enough. But when I overheard Mrs. West telling about their intimate moment from the night before to Naomi, it was a blow to my face.I’d warned myself to not get emotionally involved, but I end up being a part of this big drama, anyway. I guess that’s a package deal that comes with having a family.Mrs. West was not in high spirits after I broke the news to her but she was willing to spend the remaining days in the resort for the sake of our efforts. Even though we decided to stay and have fun, most of her time was invested in Naomi’s and Ben’s health.It was a nightmare to be short. If I exclude the morning picnics near the lake and occasional dinners and outing, we spent the last two days locked in our rooms.Now, it’s the seventh day, and we’re on our way to the court so little rose’s parents can finalize their divorce.The air inside the car
“Achoo!” I sneeze and snort, hugging the blanket close to myself early in the morning. It appears as though last night’s fun is catching up with me.“Achoo!” Ben sneezes beside me. I drape my blanket over him and pull him closer. At one point last night, he successfully washed his head in the chilly rain while I was too engrossed thinking about what his daddy said.Thinking about Denzel, my face heats up and I bury my head in my lap. Because of the Ben’s presence, I successfully avoided him last night.But what now?I think my thoughts summon the Devil as he enters our room. I try to act cool despite having a whole zoo running around in my stomach. No matter how hard I try, though, my face would always look like a blushing tomato.'I love you too.'His words resonate in my head and despite the huge, red warning signs, I feel myself surrounded by the dense fog created by his words. “Achoo!” Ben and I sneeze at once, struggling with a runny nose.Denzel raises an eyebrow and stares at
Naomi West******My parents kept to themselves all day, ignoring me, Denzel and even Ben at every turn at every corner. Denzel and I tried really hard to spy on them from a distance all afternoon, but everything seemed as normal as possible. It really struck a nerve in me when my dad shot me a warning look from his table during lunch when he spot me hiding behind tree pots.In the evening, when I refused to budge from my place, Denzel carried me away, claiming that I’ve developed an obsession with spying on my parents.It’s not that. Can you really blame a daughter for being curious? And it’s not like I’m hiding under their bed or something—now that’d be a scandal.After Denzel carried me away from my mission, he brought me back to the lakeside at sunset. Ben was already waiting for us near the water. It looks like he’s fallen in love with the environment here. Upon further inspection, I also find a cloth placed on the sand a little away from the water with an enormous basket on to
Denzel Flynn******I turn back to little rose to give her my undivided attention. Her fingers are fidgeting on the table to busy herself. Her mind keeps wandering to the door her parents and Ben disappeared into a while ago.“I thought you were a gold digger,” Little rose’s eyes flash at me with such intensity that burned my face. She’s indeed confused at my words and holds back her temper.“Like one of those women who deliberately spoils a rich man’s suit in hopes of getting close to him. But then again, I thought spoiling someone’s coat and putting them in a hospital are quite different matters.”She’s looking at me with an eyebrow raised.“All in all, I didn’t have a very first clear good impression of you, so I wanted to know you better before I could judge you.”I lean into the space between us with my arms resting on the table. She looks intimidated by the gesture, but in a good way. “Would you like to know how I feel about you right now?”Her cheeks flush and she immediately
Naomi West ******The soft rays from sun kisses my skin, melting my insides and compelling me to sleep. I had a sandwich earlier, but both Denzel and my dad restricted me from touching the wine. And whilst the three adults drank wine, I had to accompany Ben with a glass of orange juice.Serves me right, though. I don't recall much from yesterday. Everything is a blurry image after I drank the two glasses of wine. Even though I had my suspicions, Denzel assured me that the wine was a bit old and nothing else.However, I don't blame myself for passing out, since my dad came back last evening and promised to stay with us until the end of the week. Being overjoyed, I prepared everything this morning and here we are, sitting on the grass under the sun as one happy family."Ben don't wander too close to the water!" Denzel yells over my shoulder. Ben looks back at his father, smiles and walks further into the lake.I want to laugh so hard but I stifle it. I don't need to hurt Denzel's pride