"Hey, Mom, are you busy?" Tristan asked as he settled down on the chair in front of the kitchen island.Eds turned to give her son her full attention. "No, baby, what's wrong?" She replied."I was, um... Well, Troy and I were wondering when we'll go back to school," He said, fiddling with his fingers. "It's been weeks, and we've missed a lot of things."Eds sighed and walked over to the island, leaning against it as she reached out to take Tristan's small hands in hers. She had been thinking about their education too and knew she needed to get their transcripts from the school, but that would mean going back to Dapplewood, which was not an option.She knew Taron's silence since the kidnapping didn't mean he had given up. Far from it—he was likely planning something even more sinister, and she dreaded to think what that could be. His closest friend had died, and he would want revenge."I know, baby. I've been thinking about it too, but you know we can't go back home. You and Troy will g
"Is he here yet?" Troy asked his brother."No," Tristan replied, his face glued to the window overlooking the parking lot. Eds had refused to let him open the window or go out on the balcony. Sinjin had promised to take them to watch a college basketball game, but he was running late."He won't get here any faster even if you turn into that panel of glass you have your face glued to," Sande teased him, walking over to take a seat on the sofa."But we'll be late to the game," Troy whined."Maybe he's stuck in traffic. The man made sure to return to Merendra today instead of Sunday. Cut him some slack," Eds admonished them."Yes, mom," The boys responded, looking duly chastised.Five minutes later, the doorbell rang, and both boys raced to open the door, not bothering to ask who the visitor was as Eds had instructed. Troy flung the door open and threw his arms around Sinjin's waist, with his brother following suit."I've missed you boys too," Sinjin said, ruffling their hair and chuckli
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