♡ Alfred ♡"Go do your homework in the living room. We'll join you soon," Skylar told Aurora, who nodded and got up from the stool. She smiled at me, and I returned the gesture, watching her walk out of the kitchen."She's adorable. I bet she takes after you," I said, smiling at Skylar. She rolled her eyes as she grabbed her dish and walked to the sink.Right. I was too caught up enjoying breakfast to remember that she was mad at me. I must have been crazy to show up at her house at night during that heavy rainfall. It was even crazier that I didn't plan to leave until I talked to her. What if she had already gone to bed? Or what if she hadn't even seen me? I would have frozen to death under the rain, looking pathetic when she found me the next day. Now, I was determined to earn her forgiveness, although it seemed like she wasn't mad anymore. Well, I wouldn't know for sure. Dad was the cause of all this. I knew he could be petty, but I never expected him to go behind my back and tell
♡ Skylar ♡"Skylar DeNovo has nothing to do with this either, and I hope her name stays out of everyone's mouth.""That bastard," Ethan growled immediately. "Hey! Tone it down with your curse word! Aurora is just upstairs," Hannah snapped back at him, but I didn't bother to look at them. My attention was focused on Alfred, who was giving a statement.Why did I find it strange that he looked incredibly attractive while giving that statement? The way he emphasized not messing with me repeatedly. Honestly, I found it appealing, and that was...not good."Hey!" I felt someone poke me, and I tore my eyes away from the TV screen, looking back at my two friends who were staring at me in confusion."What?" I asked, furrowing my brows as I looked between the two of them. Ethan rolled his eyes."He's trying to make it seem like he's innocent and has no involvement,""Well, he is." I blurted out those words before I even realized it. Hannah's eyes met mine, and the way she narrowed them in confu
♡ Skylar ♡"Mom, Dad," I called as I stepped into the dining room. I was greeted with silence. My eyes narrowed as I walked up to the table. Normally, Mom and Dad would already be seated there but it was just the food placed on the table. I pushed out a chair and placed my bag down before turning around and walking out of the room.I took the staircase leading to the hallway. I strutted through the hallway, staring at the family pictures that lined the hallway, taking time to study every one of them. I stopped in front of the family picture we had taken a year after they adopted me.Mom and Dad were seated on a long couch, I sat beside Dad, with a few months old Aurora on my lap, and Samantha sat at the other side with Mom. I zoned in on my face. I looked pale, something even my makeup couldn't conceal. The look of pain in my eyes was still there. It was a year since the betrayal, but it still hurt like hell even though I had pretended it didn't. I had nightmares every other night, a
The next day...♡ Skylar ♡"The year is almost coming to an end. Our project should be finished in four months or less" "That's a month before our given time. We can do that, right? You know I'm kind of worried""Hm," Alfred hummed. I raised my head to look at him while his gaze remained on my leg which was placed on his thigh, his fingers brushing through the sole of my feet. Right. How the hell did Alfred get into my house and what the heck led me to put my leg on his? I had no idea also."You have nice feet" he muttered, looking up to meet my eyes. I froze, gulping down nothing as I couldn't take my eyes off him. His electric blue eyes sucking me in as always. I felt the butterflies in my stomach again. He raised a brow and I snapped my eyes shut, but still didn't take my leg away from his."Who doesn't?""I know a lot" he muttered, his fingers still tracing my feet, slowly going up to my legs. I bit back a giggle at the tickling feeling."Alfred, stop it" I muttered. His lips str
♡ Skylar ♡"Isn't this dangerous?" I asked in fear as we stood in front of the Rollercoaster. Alfred shrugged and turned to look at me."We can never know until we try it" he replied. My eyes widened and I took a step back."No, thank you. Aurora and I will just stay down here""She seems to want to try it too" He replied, gesturing to her.I looked down at her, as she stared at the roller coaster in excitement. She was swinging my hand repeatedly as she bounced gleefully.I exhaled. I might as well give it a try. What could go wrong?"Let's go. Just once" I replied and Alfred winked...I was wrong. Many things could go wrong. I remember saying this two times and so many things went wrong. Like when I agreed to stay the night in New Hampshire and things went south and we had to share a room or when I had agreed to get Alfred to fall in love with me, thinking 'nothing can absolutely go wrong' and well look at me now. I'm supposed to make someone's heart beat fast but I'm the one whos
♡ Skylar ♡"Let me help" Alfred offered as I pulled open the backseat door. I shook my head."No, it's fine" I muttered. I carried her, letting her rest her head on my shoulder, her legs strapped around my waist. Turning around, I walked into the house.I gently placed her on the bed and walked back out of the house.Alfred was leaning on the car, a parcel in his hands when I came out. Where did he get that from?"Hey, thank you for today" I called quietly. He looked up at me, stretching out the parcel."Someone just delivered this to you" he replied. My brows furrowed as I grabbed it."What?"Suddenly my brain did a rewind. The Informant had indeed said she was going to have the little evidence she got delivered to me today. Oh, shoot. I had totally forgotten about that.I looked back at Alfred and tried to gauge his expression. Did he find it suspicious? He looked like he wanted to ask questions but he was holding it back. Thank Goodness I had no answers to his questions. "Hm, tha
♡ Alfred ♡Skylar hung up, and I sighed, lowering the phone to the table. I stared at her name on my phone in silence, and a sigh escaped my lips as I pushed the chair backward, swirling it around to face the glass wall. She said she wasn't angry, but I knew she was. Was it the ride? We laughed after that, but when we got into the car, the air around us had suddenly grown cold for some reason. Her smile was wiped off her face, and when she did smile, it was fake. The package she had received was indeed suspicious, even if I didn't want to admit it. And when I hugged her, she didn't return the hug. Just stood frozen. How did she expect me to believe I didn't do anything wrong? I exhaled, dragging my palm down my face. Why was it so hard to understand her? It was so hard to know if she wanted me to stay with her or get away from her, if she wanted me to hug her or not. I heard a knock on the door, and I sighed, turning my chair to its normal position. "Come in." The door opened, an
♡ Skylar ♡I glanced at the time on my phone's screen after I pulled my car to a stop inside the building parking lot. I glanced out of the car without winding down the window. Cars were parked neatly and not a single soul was there. I sighed and grabbed my bag, about to open the door when my phone rang.I relaxed back in the seat and took a peek at my phone to see Lara's name on the screen. I answered the call immediately. "What's going on?""Will you be stopping over at the office today, ma'am?"I stole a glance at the empty garage before replying."Yes, why?""An envelope was sent in by the mayor, and Mr Miller also sent in a..." she trailed off as if thinking of the proper way to put her next words."Pretty romantic package," she added.My lips unconsciously spread into a smile. I immediately shook my head, my smile dropping. I cleared my throat. "Is that all?""A few papers to sign and documents to review"I nodded as though she could see me. "Okay. I'll be there soon. "I low
A week later **♡ Skylar ♡"With all the evidence presented in court today, I hereby confirm Ethan Jun and Elias Jun guilty as charged and hence sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labor"The judge hit the gavel on the table and got on his feet."Court arise."We all got on our feet, and I watched in relief as the policemen whisked them away. I didn't feel bad for Ethan at all. He didn't show remorse when he tried to kill me, so why should I? It felt great to finally get justice for all they did to me. Not just for me and my mom but for every other person whose life has been ruined by them. Mom turned to me as she pulled me for a tight hug."I'm proud of you, Skylar,""I'm glad you never gave up, not even once," she added. As she pulled away, she held both my hands, a smile on her face."Now, forget all that happened in the past and live your life the way you should have. Don't hold back anymore. "I nodded. I felt tears escape from my eyes. But this time, they weren't because I w
♡ Skylar ♡I stopped my car in the compound and pulled out my phone. I opened Samantha's new text."Ethan is not with Aurora. You can go in now. Be careful and use the taser if things get out of hand but hopefully, it doesn't. He has cameras everywhere so don't talk to anyone on the phone on your way in"I exhaled and stared at the taser peeking out from my pants pocket before pushing it back in properly.Our plan was for me to go in, and meet Ethan while Sam distracts the men guarding Aurora, saves her, and leaves. Immediately Sam escapes, she takes Aurora to Alfred, who is with the police, and the Police come in to take Ethan. Some officers had been deployed to Mr Jun's office also. It was a good plan. But one mistake and everything could go wrong.I put my phone in my pocket and got out of the car. As soon as I stepped out, a guy walked up to me. He looked at me carefully as if studying my features. "I'm here for Ethan" He raised a finger on the receiver in his ear and muttered
♡ Skylar ♡"Skylar," I heard Alfred's voice. I looked up just as he pushed open the door and rushed into the head teacher's office. He cupped my cheeks immediately, his eyes filled with worry."Are you okay?"Was I? I was freaking out internally. I mean, who wouldn't? My only child was abducted. If I were the one, I'd be scared to death, not to talk of a five-year-old. I wonder how scared she'd be right now. The thought alone made my heart squeeze. I had cried but wiped it off immediately. Crying was going to solve nothing. In fact, I have had enough of this shit already. First, it was shooting Hannah, and now abducting my daughter?"It was Ethan who took her,"His jaw clenched as he let go of me. "That bastard has gone too far,"I turned around just as he turned to the principal. "How could you let a pupil leave with someone without the parent's approval?!""I apologize, Mr Miller. We had no idea because he used to come with Ms DeNovo on some occasions, " the head teacher replied.
♡ Skylar ♡I stepped back in shock, my lips apart and my eyes widened. What could I call this discovery? Surprising? Shocking?Hannah was the Informant. How had I not known? No, how did she manage to hide it so well that I didn't suspect her not even once? Why did she go as far as that? Why didn't she just come clean to me? She knows so much about Alfred's family, she hates Alfred and contacted me as the informant because she knew as Hannah that I wanted revenge. Wait. Ethan lied to me. She deceived me all this while. Come to think of it, did she befriend me at first for these years just to get at Alfred?"I know what you're thinking and trust me that's far from it" She began calmly as she put her phone away. I shook my head. "No, how can I? I already have trust issues because of you and Ethan!""What? Don't compare me to Ethan""At least listen to what I have to say"I nodded. "Okay go on, tell me the perfect cooked excuse you have brewed"She sighed. "You see, my mother had a thi
The next morning♡ Skylar ♡I snapped my eyes to Aurora's plate as soon as I walked into the kitchen. I raised my brow, seeing the slices of bread untouched on her plate."Rora, why aren't you finished yet? You're going to be late for school. " She adjusted herself on the seat, picking up a slice. "Daddy keeps giving me more," she muttered before stuffing the bread in her mouth. I looked over at Alfred, who was seated opposite her, and narrowed my eyes in accusation, but he just shot me a smile.I rolled my eyes."You know, she doesn't eat much, she's forcing herself because you gave it to her," I replied and reached over to her plate, taking the last slice and eating it."Sweetheart, you should have told me," She gave him a sheepish smile in return."Ugh, my bones are so weak it feels like I was the one doing the dancing last night," Arielle groaned. We all turned our heads towards the door as we watched her walk in while dragging her feet.She yawned loudly as she stretched her ar
♡ Skylar ♡"I knew she was going to fall asleep" I muttered as I took my eyes off Aurora's sleeping figure in the backseat."I'm going to, too but I'm afraid my brother will ask me to be left overnight in the car" Arielle added in a whisper causing me to chuckle.The dance performance had ended about two hours ago and Alfred had suggested we eat dinner in a restaurant before we headed home. Right after we got back in the car, towards my house, Aurora had fallen asleep. I wouldn't blame her though. She was just a little girl and her day had been stressful, besides it was late at night."Right, Ari, why are you still staying at Skylar's?" Alfred suddenly asked.I heard her mutter something incoherently before she added."Because my work is not over yet. The resort is not completed right?"She sighed and leaned forward, to settle herself between the front seats of the car."Though I don't want to quit. It's the best job, can I keep it?" She asked. I turned to her while smiling."I can al
The next day♡ Skylar ♡I stared down at my laptop immediately after the worker ended her presentation. Flexing my knuckles, I gave her a small smile and a nod."That was good. Everything is precise, but I still need to look into it. "Closing my laptop, I glanced at everyone in the room."Let's meet again tomorrow before lunch and I'll give my final decision,""Yes ma'am"I smiled, grabbed my laptop, and headed out of the meeting room.These past five months have been different. It was like everyone just disappeared. After that unfortunate incident with Ethan, I had seen him one or two times that week before he disappeared. I never saw him again or heard from him, and neither did Hannah. I didn't tell Alfred how Ethan had acted like a jerk. He was going to probably kill him, but that wasn't what I wanted yet. Finding strong evidence against them was what we were working on now, and I did my best to stay away from Mr Jun.Mom and I were working our relationship together and trying t
♡ Alfred ♡I dropped the gift bag I carried in, on the table and looked towards the stairs. Just then, Aurora came bouncing down the stairs."Daddy!" She giggled. I grinned and crouched to her level, opening my arms. She rushed into my arms, hugging me tightly. When she finally pulled away, I patted her hair lovingly as she kept a wide smile on her face."How was school today, sweetheart?"A frown immediately appeared on her face, making her look even more adorable. "A little bit interesting and a little bit boring,"I chuckled. "Why do you say so?"She shrugged. "It was interesting because I made a new friend but boring because my teacher taught a really really hard topic" She emphasized how hard it was in such a funny way that I couldn't help my laughter."Is that so?" I asked in between laughter."Daddy," she whined. I smiled so wide that my cheek hurt. Skylar had done such a great job in raising her that sometimes I didn't believe she was just five. Other times I can't help but
♡ Skylar ♡"How did you survive the fire, Mom?"I had lost count of how long we had stayed hugging and crying but Dad had found us in the room and then found out that I knew she was my biological mother. Currently, Mom was preparing dinner. We were all going to have dinner as a family and tell Samantha about us. I didn't know if Mom was going to leave the house but from the look of things, spending five years in the house with Dad, she had grown into him. It would feel nice to stay as one but my only fear was Samantha. "Should I call it fate?" Mom replied as she pulled open the lid of the pot. The aroma filled the kitchen and I salivated. I always knew something was familiar about her cooking.She turned to me. "Samantha's father found me when I fell unconscious from the fire."Right. I had to thank him. He found my mom and me. Somehow he was that string that brought us back together. "We made a deal for him to take me in. I'd pretend to be Samantha's mother. I wanted to disagree