Marcus' POV The sight of Lilian picking herself to her feet and wiping the tears from her face gave me a sense of guilt, my dark secret lurking out of the shadows, wanting to reveal themselves. I couldn't feel the embarrassment steaming from her as she fidgeted with her elbow, the memory of her in that skimpy nightgown a fresh image playing in my head.She must've begun to hate herself for giving in to her lustful desires, desires I had orchestrated. I wished I could just tell her the truth and relieve her if all the mental torture so she would know how good she was. But that would make me the devil, and even if she forgives me for my evil deeds, would she ever be able to forget it?How long before she tells my father about all of it? It would be far worse than whatever I had done to Lula. I knew just how much he loved her, so I knew he would never be able to forgive the fact that I intentionally tried to have her seduced and recorded after drugging her. He would not only disown me.
Tallulah's POVMy grip tightened around the stair guide nervously when I saw my mom and Marcus discussing up the stairs. They were whispering indistinctly so I couldn't hear exactly what they were saying. But what caught my attention was the way he was so close to her, and when he took a small step backwards, I noticed that he had been holding her hand while he spoke to her. I didn't like the fact that he was saying something to her considering the fact that he didn't even like her or me in the first place. I began to suspect that he was in a way manipulating her, following the happenings of last night. From the way her head was held down with her arms wrapped around each other was enough proof that their conversation wasn't just a usual one. What could he be telling her?“Mom, the eggs are ready.” I called, cutting through their conversation.She shuddered a little from the sound of my voice before tilting her head sideways to face me, and when she did, she returned her gaze to Marc
Tallulah's POV “What?!” She asked, rubbing her eyes with that thin smile still on her face. “This has nothing to do with your step brother. He didn't do anything. I told you, I only got emotional.” She sounded quite believable but there was the possibility that she was covering for him. “I know mom. Just tell me what he said. I need to know.” “Okay.” She muttered. Her hands left mine as she sauntered towards the trail containing the eggs I had fried. I responded to her movements, taking out the plates so she could serve them. She sighed. “At first, he wanted to apologize for what happened last night, but I told him not to. It wasn't his fault.” I scoffed inwardly, hating the fact that she took it easy on him even after the pain he had caused her. But unknown to me, the worst was yet to come. “Instead, I apologized to him.” My fingers clenched tightly at either side of the pile of plates I was holding, wanting to smash it against the floor. “You did what?!” I spa
Marcus POV My own home had become a haunted house, with the memories of what I had done replaying over and over in my head whenever I caught sight of Lilian. It was even worse with Lula who hated my every breath, scoffs and snickers leaving her lips whenever I was near. Maybe all she needed was space in order for her to recover. I remembered last night how I froze when she walked in to see me with the glass of milk I was holding. Somehow, I feared that she might soon figure it all out, that's if she hasn't found that already. I was only glad that at the point where she walked in, I had already disposed of the spiked milk and replaced it with another full glass which I drank from before her arrival. It did bother me that she was about to drink from the same cup I had used, but again, we had already kissed several times so it didn't matter. My fingers clenched tightly against the keys when the rumbling of my stomach cut through my train of thoughts. I hadn't eaten since last night
Tallulah's POV All I could feel as I sat opposite him was uneasiness, the negative tension in the room messing with my senses. At this point, it would be expected that ‘hate’ must've overshadowed all other emotions whenever the thought of him came to mind. But it wasn't that way, I still couldn't stop glancing at him as he ate his meal at the same fast pace. It was both annoying and cute to watch him eat that way with obvious hunger written all over his face as he took large bites of the sandwiches until there was little left on the plate. Immediately as those eyes lifted, mine averted from him just in time before we locked gazes. I could still see him from the corner of my eyes, noticing how he scanned various parts of the table. “Where are you going?” My mom asked, referring to Marcus. He stared back at her either in confusion, or he was tryna to think of what to say. “You said you needed him somewhere this morning, right?” His eyes moved around one last time, colliding
Tallulah's POV It happened just as he had said. Before I could take a bath in preparation to leave the house, he had prepared himself and drove his car out of the compound. I was left behind to decide if I wanted to follow after and leave the mansion as well. But I already knew the answer to my question. I never wanted to go out in the first place, and my hair didn't need any adjustment, neither did I need to visit a library. I would've still left if I wanted, considering the fact that I had already announced my plans to my mom and Kathie, but. A part of me shivered as I thought of going out there, into a city I didn't know quite well. I was an indoor loving introvert who would rather shut out the rest of the world. When my mom asked, I lied to her that I had postponed my plans. I spent the rest of the day with Kathie, helping her pack her stuff in preparation for college. As she had said, she now had a new peak box which her dad had gotten her. I also did my best to lighten the
Tallulah's POV His eyes had begun to light up as they scanned my face, and that dejected look was slowly contorting into a thin smile. The sight had my legs moving slightly, my skin brushing the silk material of the couch underneath it. I hated how giddy his gaze made me feel, and the warmth his smile made my heart feel. I sucked in a rush of air, gathering my shallow breaths to speak. “It doesn't mean I forgive you, but I think we can find a way to live under the same roof without tearing each other apart." He took a step down, his hand gripping the railing tightly, and that smile thinned out into a grimace. I had never felt so confused, not knowing whether I wanted him to be happy or sad. “That’ll be nice.” He muttered. “I still want you to know that I'm deeply sorry, Lula. But I also understand if you can't forgive me after what I did.” His head was downcast with his eyes shot at the floor beneath him, and a sad snicker left his lips. “Yeah, I don't think I deserve y
Marcus’ POV The black shiny dashboard and the low sound of the tires rolling along the pavement. The feeling of the slick steering wheel underneath my finger tips brought the memories crawling back into my head. My Dad never knew how many times I'd raced with my school mates, using this incredibly hot blue monster. I pressed on the turtle as the gate swung open, the car propelling me right into the compound until I was at the foot of the mansion. It was a fine Sunday morning with wonderful weather filled with the mild rays of sunlight and the sound of birds chirping in the trees. After a stop at the carwash, the BMW with mild scratches at its sides was looking newer than ever. The seats were leathered again after the thorough cleaning. I could almost wish the car still belonged to me,but no matter how much I loved it, the Ferrari, my dream car, would always be my first choice… A knock at the window had me shrugging, my eyes shifting to see Tallulah waving at me from behind the gl
Marcus’ POVMy mind wandered about, trying to imagine why she wasn't taking her calls, considering the fact that it was already 9am and the carteen must have served her dinner an hour ago which would have given her enough time to be in her room at this hour. I dialed the number over and over again, but it was still the same result. The series of dial tone beeps on and on until the call was cut. The only two reasons I could think of was either she was asleep or she just didn't want to talk to me. But both reasons seemed strange due to the fact that I knew Tallulah never slept early nor would she want to avoid speaking to me. We hadn't gotten into any dispute lately, and most importantly, the last time we parted after she strode into her dorm, her chins were flushed against her will with a warm smile across her lips. I could feel a smirk creeping across my lips as I thought of how perfect she looked as she walked away into the girl's dormitory with her box trailing behind her. Even t
Marcus' POVThe sight of the other students lifting their hands to answer questions, and the sound of their voice as they did so enthusiastically gave me irks. It reminded me of the first year of school when I had been like them, doing all I can to stay relevant and loved by the lecturers. After a while, I saw the real pictures and realized that it was all unnecessary since it only mattered if the exams and tests were passed properly.Most of the students in my department were men who were advanced in age, some even as old as my father. They must've come to take the course just like my father made me do because they needed the certificate for a job they wanted. The thought of how long I was going to have to deal with this unending circle of classes, tests, and exams annoyed me deeply. Not just a week or a month, six whole months which would probably rob me of my mind before I was halfway through it.I thought of just leaving and spending the rest of the session hanging out with some
Lililan's POVThe sight of the three siblings, Tallulah, Marcus and Kathie leaving the house in the sparkling Ferrari threw my mind into tides of thoughts as I wondered how their school would be like and how they would cope now that they would be away from home during the weekends. I wasn't that worried about Marcus since he had already been in school for four years, graduating with a perfect grade. My concern was about the girls, Kathie and Lula. Before I graduated highschool, I had met Tallulah's father and had the affair with him that changed my life forever. My dream of going to college to study a course which would help me do what I loved was destroyed with the sight of that strange but handsome fellow. When I found out I was pregnant and was far from the prevention stage, I kept the secret away from my grandmother who I loved since I had lost my parents when I was just ten years old. Life was already rough for us since she and my uncle struggled to pay the fees and afford my e
Kathie's POV The days blurred together in a whirlwind of lectures, assignments, and the steady rhythm of Bella's presence in our dorm room. Each evening brought a quiet routine: Bella engrossed in her coding projects, me buried in textbooks, both of us occasionally exchanging brief words or glances that seemed to convey more than what was spoken aloud.One particularly exhausting Friday afternoon, after a marathon of classes, I returned to our room feeling drained. Bella was already there, as usual, her focus intent on her laptop screen. I flopped down on my bed, staring up at the ceiling with a sigh."You look beat," Bella remarked, her voice breaking the silence. She glanced over at me with a mixture of concern and curiosity.I managed a weak smile. "Yeah, these lectures are really taking it out of me."Bella nodded sympathetically. "I get it. Want me to make some tea again? It might help you unwind."I hesitated for a moment, touched by her thoughtfulness. "Actually, that sounds p
83. Kathie's POVThe following days of lectures came in a rush, each day filled with two or more lectures which lasted two hours each. There was so much information to take in as the lectures did their best to make sure that everyone understood what they were teaching. I knew it wasn't this way in other colleges. I heard from my friends that their lectures don't even bother to come to classes most times, and when they did, they taught their courses to a class of over two hundred students, not caring if the students understood what they taught or not. I wouldn't blame them though, imagine having to make each of those hundreds of students understand each lecture. It would be exhausting. The only suffocating thing about this school was my new roommate, Bella Terrace. I wouldn't exactly use the word ‘suffocating’ due to the fact that it was a sweet kind of uneasiness I felt whenever she was present in the room. Most of the time, she was always on her PC, typing quickly in a manner that
Tallulah's POV One afternoon, as we sat under the shade of a large oak tree near the campus pond, Connor brought up his plans for the upcoming semester break. "I was thinking of visiting my family back home," he said, twirling a blade of grass between his fingers. "It's been a while since I've seen them, and I miss them.""That sounds nice," I replied, watching the sunlight filter through the leaves above us. "Do you go home often?"He shook his head, a wistful smile on his face. "Not as often as I'd like. My family lives a few hours away, so it's not always easy to make the trip."I nodded sympathetically, understanding the challenges of balancing university life with family obligations. "I hope you get to see them soon," I said sincerely. "Family time is important."Connor's expression softened. "What about you, Tallulah? Any plans for the break?"I shrugged, unsure of how to answer. "I haven't really thought about it. Maybe I'll visit my parents for a few days.""Sounds like a goo
Tallulah's POVI couldn't help but check my makeup over and over again on my phone's screen as I stood at the university's bustling cafeteria, nervously scanning the room for Connor. We had agreed to meet here for coffee, and despite my initial reservations, I was determined to approach this with an open mind. It wouldn't be fare to write him off just because of his looks which made him look like a dangerous gangster. The sight of him sitting across the room at he extreme end had taking large breaths as I prepared myself to meet him. Spotting him at a corner table, I made my way over, my heel slapping against thw tlles as i maintained the posture wuth a warmth on my face that resonated wjgh my burning chest.Connor looked up as I approached, his face breaking into a warm smile. "Hey, Tallulah! Glad you could make it," he greeted, gesturing for me to take a seat across from him."Hey, Connor," I replied, returning his smile as I settled into the chair. The aroma of freshly brewed coff
Tallulah's POV Connor’s invitation caught me off guard. I hesitated for a moment, unsure how to respond. He seemed sincere, but after everything with Marcus, I wasn’t sure diving into something new was a good idea. Yet, there was a curiosity tugging at me, urging me to step out of my comfort zone.“Um, sure,” I finally replied, trying to sound casual despite the flutter in my chest. “Coffee sounds nice. But as I said earlier, I'm not interested in seeing anyone right now, so I'll have to decline. I'm sorry.”The silence followed my rejection, my heart pacing firm each second that passed, not knowing what to expect from the latter.“That's alright. He voiced, breaking the silence. And as I said, I just want us to be friends, nothing intense. So we can still have coffee tomorrow to get to know each other.”“I'm sorry. I'll be occupied tomorrow.”“When will you be free?” He asked, almost immediately.It seemed like he wasn't willing to back down to the extent where he had begun to lie
Tallulah's POVThe calmness in the air was quite palatable, bringing me relief as I stared into his expression filled with remorse. I admired his bravery, not afraid to stand his ground regardless of who was against him, as long as protecting me was involved. After a few seconds of staring, he shrugged lightly, his eyes shooting at the car.“So, are you going to drive off, or not?” he asked, my brows rising in confusion.My fingers felt the keys in my palms, realizing that he had given me his car keys a moment ago. I was beginning to remember the conversation we were having about me taking his car while he walked to my dorm, and I had also remembered my firm resolve not to let him off easily.“Are you sure you want to hand the love of your life over to me?” I asked, earning a chuckle from his lips.He snickered. “Come on, Lula. We both know you're the love of my life. That car is just a substitute now that you're my step sister.”I found the joke awkward rather than funny, but I smile