“She is on her way now,” Alisiar sends Caleb a text. "Shall I join you to talk to her for a while so that you can establish a sort of connection?" Alistair asks “No, I've got this." Caleb shakes his head. “Just take the other room, Venita is likely to stay till day break” Caleb tells Alist-air and he agrees with him. "Good luck." Alistair smiles knowingly. Five minutes later, Alistait texts Caleb to come down because Venita is waiting at the lobby and as Caleb enters the lobby, scanning the area until his eyes lands on Venita. She is sat on a plush couch, sipping a cocktail, her curves accentuated by a fitted red dress and Caleb's pulse quickens as he approaches her. "Venita," he says, his deep voice drawing her attention and her eyes lock onto his, a sultry smile spreading across her face. "Caleb," she purred, setting her drink aside. He sits beside her, his proximity igniting a spark of attraction. "You look stunning," Caleb compliments, his gaze roving over her. "T
As Kalin, Melanie, and Martin prepare to leave Bistro Bliss, Ryan suddenly halts as he remembers the nurses who traveled with Melanie, whom everybody seems to have forgotten about "Wait," Ryan says, his brow furrowed. "We can't leave yet." He emphasizes "What's wrong?" Melanie's eyes narrow "We left the nurses at home. They were resting in the guest room when we left the house, and it didn’t cross our minds to invite them," Ryan says as he pulls out his phone. "I completely forgot about them…we should check on them." Kalin's expression softens. "I'll order food for delivery…they must be hungry." Ryan nods, already dialing one of the waiter's numbers "That's thoughtful, Ryan." Melanie smiles. "Yeah, we can't forget about them." Martin nods in agreement. Ryan speaks into the phone, ordering various dishes from the vacation menu. "Let's get them some dinner," Ryan says, hanging up. "I'll make sure it is ready in 30 minutes so that we can have it delivered to the mansion s
Ryan pulls into his driveway, the sound of gravel crunching beneath his tires. He steps out of the car, stretching his arms over his head. As he enters the house, he is greeted by the warm aroma of freshly baked cookies. "Hey, sweetie! Welcome home." His mom, Karen, stood in the kitchen, a hint of a smile on her face. "Hey, Mom. What's up?" Ryan kisses her cheek. "We need to talk." Karen's expression turns serious. "What's going on?" Ryan's instincts tell him this wouldn't be a casual conversation. "I know you spent the night at Melanie's house and you guys shared the bed." Margaret leads him to the living room, gesturing for him to sit. "How did you...?" Ryan's eyes narrow. "That's not the point. The point is, you're a grown man, and I trust your judgment. But I want to remind you that Melanie's been through a lot… She deserves respect and care." Margaret's stern look silences him. "I know, Mom. I care about her deeply." Ryan nods, feeling a twinge of guilt "I know you
"Excited for our getaway?" as they drive away from Kalinin's house, Ryan glances at her, smiling."Very! I much need this break." Melanie nods enthusiastically."You deserve it." Ryan reaches for her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.The nurses, chat quietly in the backseat, discussing their plans for the weekend. As they hit the highway, Ryan adjusts the music, filling the car with soothing tunes and Melanie closes her eyes, letting the melody wash over her.The scenic route unwinds before them, with rolling hills and lush greenery. Ryan points out landmarks and shares stories about the area's history. After an hour's drive, Melanie opens her eyes, stretching."How much longer?" she asks and Ryan checks the GPS"About 30 minutes. We're almost there." He answers her so she takes out her phone to check her TikTok page because after Olivia posted the celebratory dinner content, she hasn’t checked her page.“Whoa!” she exclaims“99+ notifications…I have gone viral already” Melanie exclaim
“It's noon already…” Ryan checks his wristwatch and informs Melanie “I will gather the others,” Ryan offers but on stepping out of his room, Alex is already waiting with Patel and Thompson. “ what are you all doing here?” Ryan asks. “We are here to invite you for brunch,” Alex informs him. “Mel, they are here already,” Ryan informs and Mel steps out of the room Melanie, Ryan, Thompson, and Patel make their way to the resort's elegant brunch venue, and on getting there, they notice that the venue is surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows offering stunning views of the gardens.The brunch setup is impressive. A lavish buffet spread with international cuisine, fresh fruit and seafood stations, a made-to-order omelet bar, an assortment of pastries, croissants, and artisanal bread"This looks amazing!" As they take their seats, Melanie's eyes sparkle."Glad you're excited." Ryan smiles. While Thompson and Patel exchange a pleased glance, happy to see Melanie enjoying herself.Their s
The next morning,Location: Astrum University of Science and Innovation Guest HouseHere's the continuation:Caleb patiently waits outside the examination hall, scrolling through his phone. At the same time, Alistair handles the check-out procedures. Two hours later, Benjamin emerges, relieved, after finishing his test."Hey, man! How'd it go?" Caleb asks."Piece of cake." Benjamin grins and Alistair joins them.“I can tell that your test went really well which is why you are in a very good mood, but let me give you a quick, quick gist, to make your mood even better,” Alistar says and Caleb narrows his eyes at him.“I have a feeling that it is going to be something juicy” Benjamin smiles, nodding his head slowly, while giving Caleb a sly look.“My jolly good friend here slept with one of your hot lecturers last night” Alistair informs Ben.“I know that my lecturers are hot asf but which of them did Caleb sleep with?” Ben asks with his eyes narrowing.“He slept with Venita” Alistair i
As Caleb and Alistair Benjamin's mother's house in Oakland, Caleb navigates the car through the quiet neighborhood streets. The afternoon sunlight casts long shadows across the pavement."Take the scenic route," Alistair suggests, relaxing in the passenger seat."Sounds good to me." Caleb smiles, They cruise along the winding roads, passing by the lush parks and tree-lined avenues. The scenery shifts from suburban, to urban with tidy lawns and colorful gardens. Alistair points out landmarks, reminiscing about the local spots they visited whenever Caleb came home during the Mid-semester breaks and He carried him as his handbag because he wanted to avoid spending the mini-break with Mr. Rolands. After all, their home never felt like a home since his mom was never in the picture. Alistair’s mom had complications while giving birth to him and lost her life just because she was a woman of color.Caleb listens intently to everything that Alistair has to say, enjoying the company and as the
Alistair practically drags Caleb away from Kalinin’s sitting room and drags him back to the car. As they make their way to the car, Caleb's footsteps feel heavier and he can feel his heart sinking. The warm sunlight and gentle breeze mock him, a stark contrast to the chill settling within.Alistair notices Caleb's change in demeanor and the untroubled smile that he had when they left ASSU, now feels like a distant memory."Hey, man…are you good?" Alistair asks, concern carved on his face and Caleb forces a nod.Though unable to verbalize his emotions, the news of Melanie's staycation with Ryan has him reeling in betrayal because that was supposed to be them but she didn’t give him that chance. He wonders how it is that he can see Ryan’s true intentions crystal clear but he can’t quite wrap his head around why Melanie can’t see it, and he is left wondering if she really can’t see it or she is just pretending to be clueless.Alistair opens the door to the passenger's seat for Caleb to g