Sinjin couldn't remember the last time he'd had so much fun just goofing around. He and the boys had played games like chess, Monopoly, and Scrabble. When they grew tired of the games, they pleaded with him to tell them a story, so he fabricated one from his imagination.It had been so scary that they literally begged him to stop and cowered in fear under their blankets. Taking pity on them, he assured them they had nothing to worry about. While Troy stared at him skeptically, not believing him, Tristan simply grinned and called him an awesome storyteller.Now the boys were asleep, but he was finding it hard to sleep. He was thinking about Eds, wondering if she was asleep or, like him, staring up at the ceiling and wondering how her boys were doing. He wouldn't blame her because if his kids were with a stranger, he'd also wonder if they were doing fine.He wanted to tell her that she was an amazing person who had birthed and raised two amazing children so well. If there were an award
"Your brother is here, Em," one of her friends, Tasha excitedly announced. "He's so gorgeous!" Another one, Rhiannon gushed, sighing deeply. "He looks unreal.""I've warned you girls to stop eye-fucking my brother. He's not your type, or within your league," Emma snapped at them. She turned around to look at Sinjin, who was busy talking to the manager, her brows furrowing in confusion upon seeing the two children with him."Who are those kids with him?" Rhiannon inquired. "Is he doing one of those charity things again?""Where he goes to orphanages to meet kids and take them out to places?" Tasha chimed in. "He's so cool."Emma threw Tasha an annoyed glance and shook her head in disbelief. "I'll be back," Emma muttered, walking over to meet the group. "Sinjin.""Hey, sis," He smiled at her. "Lovely as always. I didn't keep you waiting, right?""We just got here," She replied, her gaze shifting to the boys. "Did you forget about our match today?""I'm here, aren't I?" He replied."Are
Sinjin felt like a stranger in his own home. Although he had grown up in this house, played games with his sister, and created his very first video game here, all those memories now seemed to belong to someone else. During dinner, his mother subtly pressured him into going on a blind date, his father discussed business, sports, and politics, and his sister used her wit to get him to give her money.Even though he knew this was their way of life now, he had still expected his parents to ask about his physical and mental health, how he was coping with the breakup, and to suggest he take a break. Ironically, it was someone outside of his family who noticed how hard he worked and suggested he take a break: a little boy he had known for only a few weeks but who suddenly meant the world to him.He saw his way out when his phone rang. Rising to his feet, he excused himself and left the dining room. The caller was the architect, who informed him that the residential property was completed a
A week later "Here are the files you requested, sir," Adella said as she dropped the files on the table. "You also have a meeting with the head of R&D in ten minutes, followed by another with the programming department at 11, and..." She suddenly trailed off.Sinjin glanced up from the file he was perusing, wondering why she had suddenly gone silent. His brows furrowed as she tentatively placed a single sheet of paper on the table—a list of eligible females recommended by his mother. He sighed.For the life of him, he couldn't fathom where or how she had come up with these names. He knew Merendra had a larger female population compared to males, and many were in need of husbands, but he hadn't realized they were this desperate."What’s this?" He demanded irritably."Um, sir, that’s... your mother..." She stuttered, swallowing nervously."Adella Simmons, do you work for my mother or for me?" He questioned harshly, eyes blazing."You, sir," She answered."Then why is this here?" He sig
"You're dressed to impress, aren't you?" Sande asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively at Eds."I don't know what you're talking about," Eds murmured, turning away to hide her pink cheeks. "You don't expect me to wear rags, do you?""Of course not." Sande shot her friend a secretive smile. "Pretend you don't know what I'm talking about all you like.""That's exactly what I'm doing," Eds assured her."He's here!" Tristan announced excitedly from the living room. "And he's got... gifts!""Really?" Sande rushed over to the window and whistled when she saw the bouquets. "Roses!""I'm sure he was expecting those gifts to be a surprise," Eds said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Now, he'll be the one surprised.""We can still act surprised." Tristan said.Eds smoothed down her blue sheath dress, wondering if Sande was indeed right about her wanting to impress Sinjin. She briefly considered going upstairs to change, but the sound of the doorbell ringing stopped her. She watched as Troy a
Sinjin, sitting smack dab in the middle of the upscale restaurant with several other people, felt awkward. His mother had reserved a private room for him and Brittany, but he had requested a table where they could be seen by others, a decision he now regretted.Just as he was beginning to wonder if Brittany would make an appearance or not, he wanted to make his escape. He could lie and come up with a very convincing excuse for bailing on his date to his mother, but he knew she'd just reschedule the date and he'd have to go through this again. As he looked up, he saw her being escorted to their table by the hostess, prompting him to stand up. Brittany apologized for keeping him waiting due to traffic."It's fine," he replied, forcing a smile as he pulled out her chair, gestured for her to sit, and then pushed it closer to the table before retaking his seat. "I just arrived five minutes ago.""You look very handsome," she remarked. "But then, you've always been very handsome.""Thank yo
Sinjin woke up disoriented, feeling like hell with his head aching and his arm burdened as though an elephant sat upon it. Gradually, he realized he was in the hospital as memories of the previous night flashed through his mind like scenes from a film: dinner with Brittany, her unhinged ex arriving, going berserk, and shooting him."Fuck," he muttered."Sinjin?" called his mother's anxious voice from somewhere in the room. In an instant, she appeared beside him and smiled with relief upon seeing him awake. "Oh, thank goodness. You're awake."Sinjin stared at his mother for a long time without saying anything, making her uncomfortable. She was happy he was awake despite knowing it was her fault he was in the hospital. Was she serious? Sometimes, he resented his mother for who she was and how she treated him, but there were moments when he loved her despite her flaws. This wasn't one of those moments."Are you okay, darling?" she asked."Do I look okay to you?" he snapped.Camilla flin
Sinjin stared impatiently out of the tinted window of his car, at the front door of the Aria Falls Police Department, wondering what was holding up Williams, whom he had sent to have Mark Reynolds released. Just as he decided to go in and take care of the matter himself, the door opened and Williams stepped out with Mark, who had a scowl on his face. He watched as they descended the steps and headed towards the car, but Mark hesitated, turning to say something to Williams.He pressed a button on his side of the door, and the window rolled down automatically. The car had been running for a few minutes, and it was making him irritable. His parents would flip if they knew he had gotten Mark released, but he didn't care about their opinions. All he knew was that he didn't have the time or energy to attend Mark's trial. Besides, Mark had helped him out of a situation that could have been sticky if things had gone differently that night."Get in, Mark," he ordered. "I don't have all day."