Half a year later It's months since the death of Sarah. After her death, Don brought her back to California for a proper funeral. Everyone was there, even those who did not know Sarah came to give them their condolences. Mourning and grieving about the death of a loved one, a mother who raised Don and his friends. To make things depressing, it also rained. I remember Leo tugging on me, his arms around my waist, unsure how to express myself. I told him after coming home that Sarah was his grandmother. He wanted to meet her, but she told him she would be in God's palace with his great-grandmother. Before the funeral, Don couldn't accept Sarah's death. He would be his usual self, but everyone in the house knows how much he is grieving. He would in his room not interact with his family and friends. I would take his food to him and bathe him even though he's a big man, even though he is acting like a manchild. I would occasionally wash with him, but I had no sexual desires, only closenes
I open the bedroom door to find Leo still sleeping. His legs and arms are spread apart, and his snores are soft but not loud.I chuckle and close the door behind me. I went onto the bed and kissed his forehead. He moves and groans in his sleep.My chuckles turn into giggles. "Come on, darling. It's time to wake up."He groans again and shakes his head on the pillow. "Five more minutes, Mum.""Darling, you need to get up, sweetie. I made your favorite."He popped his head and could see the sparkle in his eyes vision in a dark room. "Chocolate chip waffles.""Shaped like Mickey Mouse, drizzle with strawberry jam, whip cream, sprinkle with more chocolate chips along the side a glass of chocolate milk."It is unhealthy for any kid to eat sweets in the morning, but Leo loves his pancakes, which is my source of leverage to wake him up."Yay!" Leo jumped off our bed and went straight to the bathroom.I shake my head giggling.It's been two months and two weeks since I arrived at my cousins' h
"Hello, Mum," my son's laughs filled the house as if he brought warmth here.At first, he was shy and quiet with his relatives, but now he is open and gets along with everyone in the household."Ace, please don't drop your nephew," Athena scolded her brother."Leo and I are just having fun, right buddy." He rubs his knuckle on Leo's head, composing him to laugh more"Oh, Mum, Tito Aces is taking me to Disneyland this weekend. Can we go?" my son asks and sits next to Effie. Ares made himself at the table, already loading his plate with food."Disneyland? With what money?" I sense a hostile situation from Athena toward her brother. After spending time with the girls last weekend, Effie told me about Ares' Friday night activities and how Athena turned into a she-hulk learning about it. I can't hold back a smile."Hey, Grandpa made me the next successor to his company once he is ready to retire," Ares explains with his mouth full of food. "He wanted you to take over because you are the eld
I clean the dishes, then hear the phone ring down the hall, making my body flinch and the plate in my hand almost slip. "Hello?" Effie answered the phone. I listen. "Hi, Tita Helen. I'm good; the baby is good too. I just had a check-up the other day. Yes, he's with me 24/7. Don't worry." She chuckles. I can sense she is annoyed by my mother not liking the idea of her niece pregnant and eighteen, not ready for the real world. That is so like my mother. So judgmental. "Claire? Tita, I told you she isn't here. If she were, she would have called us. Yes, I will. Thea, Ares and I are out looking for them. Yes, yes, I will. Okay, yes, bye, Tita." I peer my head and see Effie sigh. She brushes her hair back and then finds me standing as she smiles. "Your mom called...again." "Just keep telling her that Leo and I aren't here." "She's going to keep calling." I lean against the wall and cross my arms. "I know." Since my escape, my mother quickly realized Leo and I were gone and probably
The next few days, avoiding my mother's calls, I finally dared to call her, and boy, she was wailing on the other side of the line that I could practically hear her from the other side of the world. She asked if Leo and I were okay. I reassured her everything was fine and that my cousins treated me with love and kindness. I didn't tell her I was also living with five other boys. She will send her ass here in a few minutes to bring me back home. After making her not worry, I told my mother why I left. The reason the engagement party didn't happen. I told my mother what Eddie did to me and Leo. For once, she stayed quiet on the line listening to me. She apologized and cried for the first time in my life. She blamed herself for not being a mother who was blinded by her high status. I couldn't agree more. Growing up with a helicopter mom wasn't easy. I attended pageants, went to good schools, graduated with honors in college, and; had a bachelor's in business, and my first choice was ope
"Hi, what can I get you, gentlemen?" "How about that sweet ass sitting on my lap or have your beautiful British mouth sucking my cock," a college guy and his friends snicker. I groan and roll my eyes in disgust. This wasn't the first time I got hit on. The moment I started working at B&M bar in downtown Long Beach last night - waitressing. Yesterday, I took orders from these two drunks who tried to hit me until Big Mac had them kicked out. Then another, with a married man, slapped my ass when his wife wasn't looking until I slipped her a note telling her what her husband was doing. They got into a heated argument the whole night. Just one day of working, I got hit on, slapped in the ass, and wolf-whistled. I should quit or complain to Billie or Big Mac, but the tips are great. "Are you a bit young to be working at a bar?" Says the other. Here we go again. That's not the first, either. I started working at Nay Nay's restaurant when I was sixteen; people who didn't know me alwa
I can feel my back aching as I lean and roll my neck, returning to wiping the tables. Once they are done, I gather the dirty glass cups and plates, heading to the kitchen to wash. It has been two weeks since I've worked here at B&M bar things are working great, and the money is good. Although I work every night, I also work in the daytime too. Doing laundry, cleaning dishes, cleaning each room, and grocery shopping. I don't mind the hard labor in my cousins' home. Back in Wellington, London, we have maids and one butler, Reuben. Old man Reuben has been with the family since his father served my grandfather, my father's dad. Reuben is loyal to my father and the family. While my parents have always been busy, he took care of me. He lost his wife and daughter in a car accident, so he's very cautious about me. He's always there for me. Reuben has also helped me escape the biggest mistake of marrying Eddie. He protected me more than my father. I miss Reuben. I hope he isn't punis
"CJ, can you come here, please?""Be there in a minute."After brushing my hair and tying it up in a neat ponytail, Leo was with Auntie Effie, Uncle Logan, and Zara at Chuckie Cheese thirty minutes ago, so I got time for myself. With my new phone in hand, I run downstairs to Thea's room, where I find her changing Jacob's diaper."Do you need help?" I ask."No, I got it. There, who's my big boy." She cooed, her son planting kisses. "That isn't why I called you.""Oh, okay." I was sure she needed help since she was still a new mother, and I had experience, but she got it. I can't help but smile to see Thea as a mother. She and Effie would come to me sometimes and ask for parenting advice. Not all parents are perfect at raising a kid. Look at me, My relationship with Leo's father isn't what it used to be, but I raised Leo the best I could.Watching Thea and Rex with their son made me wish we would be like them if Eddie weren't violent.Thea raised Effie after their parents passed away, s
Half a year later It's months since the death of Sarah. After her death, Don brought her back to California for a proper funeral. Everyone was there, even those who did not know Sarah came to give them their condolences. Mourning and grieving about the death of a loved one, a mother who raised Don and his friends. To make things depressing, it also rained. I remember Leo tugging on me, his arms around my waist, unsure how to express myself. I told him after coming home that Sarah was his grandmother. He wanted to meet her, but she told him she would be in God's palace with his great-grandmother. Before the funeral, Don couldn't accept Sarah's death. He would be his usual self, but everyone in the house knows how much he is grieving. He would in his room not interact with his family and friends. I would take his food to him and bathe him even though he's a big man, even though he is acting like a manchild. I would occasionally wash with him, but I had no sexual desires, only closenes
"Then that means," I look at Sarah, sleeping in my arms. "Sarah, is your mom too?""Right again, my dear Claire.""But I thought Vera is your mom?""That bitch is no mother of mine. She had to treat me like one because she was infertile. My dad had raped Sarah when she was his nurse, my old man still can shoot his little army, but Sarah didn't love my father. A month after I was born, Sarah left me. She joined the army to be their nurse and soon had an affair with Don's father as she was later pregnant with Don. But because Don's father was already married, she had to let go of the man she loves and live with her brutal boyfriend raising Don."I continue to listen to this side story of Don's life mixed in with Eddie. "Don had all the attention with Sarah to the point where she had forgotten about me. At the age of eight, I hired someone to look for Sarah. Vera never loved me; I already knew she was not my birth mother. So I sought out my biological mother." Eddie let out a chuckle an
Solomon ran fast but needed to be faster.Carrying two women weighing at least two hundred pounds is weighing him down. He may be built, but he isn't Superman. After thirty minutes of running through the woods, Eddie's men caught up to us. Solomon had to do whatever it takes to lose track of us. He had us in hiding behind a tree big enough for this oversized man while Eddie's men and dogs sniffed us out."Solomon, what are we going to do?" I whisper to him as I see moving lights from a distance and dogs barking as they close in on us. "We are about 5 miles away from our pinpoint location. The twins should be there waiting for us.""What about Don?" Worries kicked in my stomach as I touched my baby bump protectively. "I'm worried that he is already fighting with Petrov."I don't doubt Don can win against the most cunning and lustrous man on the planet. I worry that he will be killed."Don't worry about the boss," he says with a confident grin. "Petrov may be a monster, but no one me
"CJ. CJ. CJ? Where are you, my cute apo*?"I giggle softly while I hide under the table as Naynay searches around the kitchen. She looks at her feet and walks around, hearing her opening cabinets. I giggled some more until she stopped, and I covered my mouth from laughing."Where could that little one be?" She says in playful confusion. "Could she be in the closet? Or in this bag of rice?""I'm here!" I announced to her in a loud voice."Oh! I hear her but don't see her."I crawled out of the table and peered at her as she opened the upper cabinet. "I'm over here, Nay nay!"Naynay turns and looks down with a surprising look. "Oh! There you are. I didn't see you there."I ran to her from under the table, and she picked me up. The feeling of love coming from her always warms my heart. Although his skin was wrinkly and she smelled like crushed roses, it didn't matter that her warmth would be the same forever. I miss this feeling.Suddenly, the feeling of my grandmother's warmth turns we
Entering the large vault inside, what an ordinary bedroom would look like. It was tidy enough for a woman in her late 40s or early 50s to tidy enough to fit her personality. On the walls are paintings that show off her creativity."M-Mom," Don stuttered, too shocked.I hear her call out to her in a sorrowful tone as my eyes travel to the woman sitting on the chair leaning forward, making her hand gently stroke moments with her brush as she paints on the unfinished canvas. This woman's poster shows off how elegant and refined she is, her long dark brown hair in a long braid draped over her shoulder as her eyes are focused on the painting, unaware of our presence.In the corner of my eyes, I see the heart monitor and the IV drip with the wire and tubes connected to her.After she leans back to check her painting, she suddenly notices us and flashes us with a smile. Her dark, soft eyes met mine. "Hello, may I help you? Are you the new nurses?"I glance at Don and find him grinning; his e
Upon entering the house through the kitchen door, Don and I made our way to the door that leads to the basement. We ran to the bottom until we found the apparent vault door."Is this it?" Don approaches the door and touches it."Yes, I heard one of Eddie's men talking about a woman staying here and figured she could be your mom." I stand next to him. "Eddie got mad at me for asking about this and figured that his reaction tells me he is telling the truth."I advert my eyes on Don and see his jaws clench and his eyes darken. "Don, why does Eddie have your mother? All I know is he only has her to take leverage on you, but this has gone too far to use a mentally unstable woman."His hand was then made into a fist. He put down his hand and turned to face me with a worried expression. I'm not too fond of how he looks at me like that because I feel he has something to tell me—something else he has not told me about."Is this another secret?" I ask.Don nods and says, "Yes.""Should I be wor
"Don?" What is he doing here? "What are you doing here?" In the dark, I could see his blue eyes darken as he asked me that question. Before I can open my mouth, we both hear the guards coming from inside the house. Don put me down and grabbed my hand, leading us somewhere to hide. He found the shed and had us both inside. He pulls me close against his chest as my ear is pressed to hear the sound of his beating heart. "Have you seen her?" Says one guard as they are close to the shed. Don and I stay quiet. I feel his movement, grabbing something behind him, positioning himself to shoot anyone who finds us here. "No, but if Mr. Petrograd finds out we lost her, he will kill us all." "I don't see why he is obsessed with her even before she was the boss' fiancé." "Shhh...shut your damn mouth." Says a second guard. "There are stories about Mr. Petrov before coming here to America." "Like what?" "These are just rumors, whether true or not, but he once blackmailed his country's govern
I shift to the right side of the bed and then, in seconds, turn to the left. I kept at it for a few minutes until I rose from the bed, shaking my leg and biting my lower lip."How long do I have to wait here?" I mumble to myself. Solomon and the others had only left thirty minutes ago and half an hour before the deadline.I glanced at the square device that Solomon gave me in case one hour was up, and I pressed the button to contact Tech.The nervousness and restlessness are more considerable than waiting patiently for them to return. They are professional, but what if something happened? I can't just sit here and be worried. These are Don's most trusted friends, like brothers from another family. Since all of this has happened because of me, I'm doubting that I make things right.But how do I do it?I can't take down one of Eddie's men. I'm familiar with handling a gun, but if I were to go up against one, I would be fucked.I shake my head. "No time to be a wuss, Claire."I approache
"Come on, Solomon, let me go with you guys," I whine and beg Solomon for the hundredth time. We had arrived hours ago, and Tech had rented us a house across the street from Eddie's summer home. Solomon, the twins, and Tech are on the tablet screen discussing the plan to save Sarah while I make food for them. Tech had Someone deliver groceries early on enough for a few days. He had everything prepared before we even arrived.He wants to tell me I can't join him and the twins to rescue Sarah. I wanted to take part in this mission. I felt guilty towards Don because he accepted working for Eddie because of his mother, who is held captive. I never knew Eddie could stoop down low like that, using a human being as a person's weakness. That lets me know how much of a monster he is.Leo.My mind thought of my son, who shares the same blood as Eddie running through his veins. Calling Eddie a monster means Leo is a spawn of a monster. I never see Leo that way because he is also a part of me. My