Camille Charleston was properly fucked if the jelly-like feeling in her limbs and the throbbing ache in her lady bits were anything to go by. No surprises there. After all, Ralph, one of her junior reporters at Scandal and latest boy toy, knew his way around the sheets.He wasn't particularly good at his job by any stretch of the imagination. His weekly satire column on the country's politics often put her to sleep. But, what he lacked in the way of skills at the office, he more than made up for in her bed. And this was the only reason she'd kept him around. Camille didn't tolerate mediocrity in her life, and Ralph was far from mediocre when it came to using his tongue and dick.As satiated as she was, though, she had to send him home ASAP. She never made the mistake of allowing her lovers to stay the night. She wasn't about to start now with him. She loved her personal space too much. Though she'd admit, he looked thoroughly tempting as he lay there, with the covers spread over the l
It wasn't some sick twisted joke. And this man wasn't a delivery guy hired by some bozo at the office to scare the daylights out of her.No. This was her execution, and Ghostface, her executioner.The moment the penny dropped, the white box and the black rose scattered to the floor, and Camille put up her hands to ward off the attack as the man raised his gun and fired straight at her. The force of the bullet splitting her skin and shattering the bone in her arm sent her crashing to the floor.A maddening scream, as clangorous as her erratic pulse echoing in her ears, pierced the silence of her foyer. And it took her a little while to process that the sound, like a wounded animal trying to outrun its death, came from her or that the blood rapidly pooling around her as she crawled on her ass, dragging herself to the living room, oozed from the gaping hole in her arm.She wasn't even aware of the pain. All she could zone in on was her body's crippling flight or fight response to the hor
Marybeth awakened to a different world–one filled with murder and violence.As she stood in the living room, her eyes glued to the horrific news on the TV, she couldn't understand how humans could be so cruel, so brutal, and so heartless.Last night, the city had been taken under siege in a spate of gruesome attacks, sending shock waves throughout the country, and the cops were now out in full force, playing catch up to the criminals.The Police Minister—it still hadn't registered to her that the man was Hadley's father—was front and centre, vowing to bring the responsible party or parties to book.Marybeth snickered at his empty promises. She didn't expect much from a man neck-deep in the mob's affairs and watching him make a mockery of the people he was supposed to serve made her sick to her stomach."We have zero tolerance for violence, and our society has no place for animals—" Rawlings continued with his press-op, and Marybeth couldn't help but roll her eyes, immensely annoyed on
"It's okay, Orly," Marybeth murmured, gently patting Orlando's back to comfort her. "It's okay to miss your Daddy.""I should be used to it," Orlando cried even harder, her words muffled as she buried her face in Marybeth's shoulder. "But I thought after Mrs Allan left, Daddy would have time for me. Why does he work so much?"Marybeth thought it was a rhetorical question, but when Orlando pulled away and stared at her expectantly, her eyes brimming with the tears her small heart couldn't contain, she didn't know how to answer her.She knew why Austin was always away, but a six-year-old should never be burdened with the knowledge that her father was a crime lord and perhaps one of the deadliest, if not the most dangerous."Do you want to practice the guitar when we come home?" she suggested feebly, hoping to shift their conversation to a much happier place when she couldn't come up with a good reason for Austin's absence."But it's not Wednesday," reasoned Orlando in her six-year-old l
The last person Marybeth expected to find waiting for her in the staff room was her ex. She would have nicely asked him to get lost if the clerk wasn't there, watching them like a hawk, just waiting to catch any bit of gossip."What are you doing here?" she asked, trying her damnedest to keep her voice emotionless. "Didn't we agree to stay out of each other's way?""I didn't agree to anything," Elijah responded. "And even if I had, if it concerns your safety, no agreement can keep me away."Perturbed, Marybeth stammered, "My safety?""We need to talk," Elijah replied, not giving her a chance to refuse. He grabbed her lightly by the elbow and led her out of the staff room to his car in the visitor's parking area.To Marybeth's shock and surprise, Arno and Benji were still there. She assumed they'd leave after dropping her off and go do whatever the hell it was that security for the mob did during the day when normal people like her were out and about, working. But here they were, about
"What are you doing?" Marybeth asked shrilly. "What the hell is wrong with you? Unlock the door right now!""I will," Elijah replied. "But not until we talk."He reached for the folder on the dashboard and placed it on her lap. "This is the real reason I pitched up announced. You're in serious danger, Beth. I don't know how else I need to make you see. What will it take to get through to you? What will it take to make you see that this man you claim to love is slowly poisoning you?"Marybeth scoffed at his melodramatic statement. But she still opened the file anyway, bile rising in her throat when she saw the photos."What is this? Why do you keep showing me crime scene photos?""Because maybe facts will get through to you better than my emotions ever will," Elijah said. "You must have heard or seen the news about Scandal's editor?"Marybeth nodded, biting her lower lip, "Camille Something.""Yep, that's her," Elijah said, pointing at the first photo of a lifeless woman slumped agains
Marybeth was restless the whole morning after her talk with Eli.Scarlett was off sick with the cold, and Austin was still ghosting her—none of the fifteen texts she'd sent him, all screaming of her panic, had been read—so she didn't even have anyone talk things out with.When one of the grade six learners bounded into her classroom with a message from Smith summoning her to her office, Marybeth was grateful for the distraction, feeling optimistic that the principal wanted to update her on Adeline. In a day filled with murder and conspiracy theories, she could do with a bit of good news.But when she strode into Smith's office and found her staring listlessly out of the window, Marybeth began to doubt the purpose of their meeting."There you are," said Smith as she crossed the room, wringing her hands at her sides."What's going on?" Marybeth asked, even though her gut told her it wasn't the good news she'd expected."Please take a seat," Smith gestured at one of the visitors' chairs,
Marybeth checked her phone, relief dulling her senses when she saw it was Austin trying to reach her. She didn't realise how worried she was about him until his call."I'm assuming you have to take that," said Seshnee, nodding at the still-ringing phone in Marybeth's hand. She threw her handbag over her shoulder, adding, "I'll send your application to the judge. We should hear back from her in a day or two. In the meantime, Adeline and her siblings will remain at Safe Haven.""What about Carol? What's going to happen to her? Will she be charged with child neglect?"Seshnee shook her head, her thin lips curling in a small smile, "You mean by the police? I'm afraid not. Now that Social Services has taken over, we'll investigate Carol's case.""So what's going to happen to her?""She's free to return to her home for now until the hearing. And if she wants her kids back, she'll have to attend mandatory parenting lessons and put in some work with a family therapist.""I see," Marybeth said