When I stepped out of the car Trevor was waiting for me in the parking lot, scrolling through his phone. I grabbed my bag from the car and hurried to meet him. Trevor, in Trevor style give me a once over, his eyes lingering over my stomach. I was wearing a cute cream blazer and was certain my small bump was practically invisible.“Does he know I’m here?” I asked anxiously as he led me to a private elevator tucked into the corner of the parking lot.“Yeah, I told him.”“Did he ask what for?”“Yes.” Why was Trevor making me beg for every single information.“And?” He turned to me, “and, I told him he would find out when he saw you.”“You still have your job?” The elevator doors opened to reveal the penthouse floor.“Against all odds, yes.”Trevor walked up to the reception is abandoning me to walk down to the doors that lead to Pierce’s office. I let out a breath gripping my back tighter before I continued.When I push the doors open and peered in, Pierce was missing.I moved further i
My legs felt like lead underneath me as I made my way up to the house. Derek was on his phone and I took a wild guess that Pierce was on the other end. I considered waiting outside for till I knew whatever they would decide but knew how ridiculous that would be. I was going to have her grandchild for crying out loud, the only way she could get rid of me was if Pierce denied our child. Avoiding her this way was pointless. I brace myself and left Derek still on the phone. He looked like he wanted to stop me but changed his mind, turning away from me to continue his conversation. Elizabeth was in the living room looking as put together as always. Her hair was held up in a modern French twist. Chin set in a determined position as she sat witty her back straight, her hands stacked on top each other on her elegantly crossed legs. She had not seen me yet, I could still make a quick getaway. I took a small step back, and then another one. Still nothing. Relieved I turned, and went smack
I walked the rest of the way and found Lily leaning on the sink with her phone pressed to her ear“Lily, what the fuck is your problem!” I snapped and snatched the phone from her hand“Hey!” she yelled and followed me out.“Connor!” I yelled into her cell. The man on the other side chuckled, “I can tolerate those stupid messages you sent me but trying to rope my sister into this nonsense? That is crossing a line!”“I can assure you Myra, I have not been texting you or your sister. I am a straightforward man and I preferred to do my business in person. Besides, your sister called me, not the other way around.” There was no hint of a lie in his tone. It was either he was telling the truth, or just really good at lying.“Give me my freaking phone, Myra!”“Shut up!” I yelled back at her. She quieted down but crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. “Now you listen, Connor, I don’t care what you have been telling her, I don’t even give a shit who contacted whom but you ever try to text
“ Where do you think you are going?”Lily rolled her eyes, “not to meet him.”I cross my arms over my chest, my excitement meeting an untimely end. “I can’t take your word for it. Get back to your room.”“No.”I cooked my head to the side, waiting, while Lily eyed me, trying to spot my bluff.“Ughhh! Why are you like this?” She yammered, “ I don’t want to be here anymore and I’ll write those freaking college applications you ask for, okay? I know how much you want to get me out of your hair.”The door slammed in my face before I could process what she had said. Did she actually think I wanted her to go to college so she would be away from me? I raise my hand up to try her door knob and realized Hannah’s call was still going.“You there?” I asked and pressed the phone to my ear. “Kids ammaright?” She said jovially. I groaned. “She’s probably just hormonal, puberty and all that.”I chuckled at that, “I think she’s way past puberty hormones, now it’s just ‘new adult crisis’.”“Look on t
I stumbled out of bed, my legs trembling underneath me and a hand over my mouth. I burst through the bathroom door and made a beeline for the bathroom sink. Barely a second later, the wave of vomit surged up from my stomach, and then, I was retching. Tears dotted my vision as I clung to the bowl. My stomach screamed in protest with each convulsive spasm that shook my body.As they subsided, I rested my head on the edge of the sink, exhausted and drained. I took several ragged breaths in that position before I lifted my head and turned the tap on, studying my face in the mirror as water washed down the contents of my stomach. My face was pale and clammy, and a sheen of sweat coated my forehead. I cupped my hands under the cool water and brought it up to my mouth to wash out the bitter taste of bile, then took some more water and splashed over my face. “First, the nightmare and now, this?” I grumbled as I pat my mouth dry with a towel. “I need a shower.”I got rid of my clothes quickl
“Now I want you to slowly lower your foot to the ground and twist into your warrior III pose again.” Yoga lady continued, clearly not sensing the tension in the roomZ I followed through with her instructions doing my best to breathe, not fall over, while ignoring Pierce’s eyes burning into me. Talk about tripling difficulty.“Derek, I didn’t think yoga instructor was in your job description when I hired you.” Pierce said calmly.“I didn’t think it was either, till Angie summoned me in here.”I craned my neck to the side and spotted Pierce with his suit jacket unbuttoned, arms akimbo as he waited for Angie’s response. His eyes were not on me but my body didn’t seem to understand that.Angie lifted a shoulder nonchalantly, “She looked like she was going to crack her head open on the floor, or pop something that shouldn’t pop. I took authoritative liberties.”“I see.” He turned to me and I looked away quickly. I was beginning to feel lightheaded and blamed it on my terrible breathing te
I blinked in confusion several times and looked at Ruth. She gave me her usual smile and skulked off.“Hey Jeremy, long time no talk.”“Hey hey heyyy! How’s you mini-vacay going?” I sighed and sat back on my heel. “I am tired of sitting on ice. When’s O’Malley gonna call me back?” “I don’t know either. Maybe he wants you to have the baby first? Anyway, we miss youuu. Jace is such a grump without you here.” I heard what I assumed to be Jace speaking and then Jeremy laughed. “So I heard rumors…” he started and my heart dropped into my stomach.“What rumors?” I asked nervously. Did they hear that I was living with Pierce, and if they did, where did they hear it from. I was sure, Jace I could not help but think about Elizabeth and how much of a secret she wanted this to be for a while. “About an interview with Destan, is this true? Spill the beans girl.”I chuckled, my relief leaking into my voice. “Yeah, it’s true. How’d you hear that? Destan’s guest are always a surprise.”“I have my
Cold air brushed against my skin and I shivered in response, rolled over in bed and pulled my covers tighter around my shoulders. Wait something wasn’t right, I was sure I shut the windows before I climbed into bed. No matter, I would rather freeze than get out of bed, I was way too comfy. Suddenly I heard a thud that sounded very familiar, and then the telltale curse. I opened my eyes, all traces of sleep gone and sat up in bed. The windows were open, but this wasn’t Pierce’s home. This was the house I was raised in. I didn’t have time to wonder how I was here, all I could think about was the sound I heard. It was so ingrained in my memory that I would recognize it any day.My father was back from one of his drinking sprees and stumbling through the house. Soon he would get mad at the random furniture for tripping him, even though they had never changed position since I was born. Then he would accuse us of moving them.In the room, lit up only by moonlight, I tiptoed to the door. I
“The chances of that happening were slim.” He answered, rubbing the back of his head. “How would you know that?”“Because she's your mum and she loves you.”“And how would you know that?” He let out an exasperated breath. “What if it didn’t go the way it did.”“Then we would’ve added that to the list of things in your life I’ve ruined.”“Pierce?” I stepped out of Hannah’s hold to fully look at him. “I want the truth.” Even if he dropped a donation, it didn’t mean they would call him when she was sick. Lots of random people left donations to buildings all the time, it didn’t warrant this level of special treatment,“Can we not talk about this?”“Why?”“You forcing me into that room just saved my mother, which is why I want to hear what is going on from you. I gonna find out anyway but I’m giving you the opportunity to do the right thing here.” Please don’t lie to me, I begged in my head. Don’t give me a bullshit excuse like ‘it’s not important’ or ‘I won’t understand’. Please.He let
Had I misheard in my panic?“Oh dear.” Hannah whispered as I felt Carter tense around me. I pulled away from him and followed Hannah’s line of sight and behold, a Blackwood. And not just any Blackwood, the most infuriating of them. Pierce’s were not on me per se, but on Carter’s arms around me. I stepped away from Carter, confusion written on my face. I didn’t know he had a family member in Peaceful Pines. What was he doing here?“I’m sorry, we would’ve called you earlier but everything has been crazy since her fall.” The doctor said apologetically, as she stepped towards him.Drawn by a sudden wail, he glanced past her, concern on his face. “Is that her? How is she?How is who? My mother?The doctor looked my way briefly. “We’re having trouble calming her down we were hoping miss Myra could attempt calming her down but she doesn’t-““Excuse me, what’s going on here?” I asked loudly. Why was my mum’s doctor giving a recount of her health to HIM.She looked between us. “I’ll leave yo
“How is she now?” I asked, fear flooding my voice when I answered the call. “How is who?” Carter asked, I moved the phone away and confirmed that it was Carter, I had just been too distraught to check the caller Id “is everything fine?” He asked again. A strangled sound left my lips. “No. It’s not fine. I’m sorry, but I can’t make it to our date tonight, an emergency came up.” “What is it?” “My mum had an accident.” “Give me the address, I’ll meet you there.” He answered grimly. “No, you don’t have to-“ “I want to, Myra. Just turn your location on and I’ll track it.” I nodded frantically even though he could not see, and ended the call, turning my location on before I tossed my phone in my lap and stared out at the road in front of us. God let her be okay, I prayed. “She’ll be fine, Myra.” Hannah tried to soothe, but her foot never left the gas pedal. Hannah’s car slowed to a halt at the hospital and I rushed to the reception area. “Where is she?” The man behind
“So you’ve gone on four dates with this guy?” Hannah asked as she sucked a tapioca ball through her straw. We were in a new shop across the street from our favorite store because that had been rented out for a birthday party. The condensation on her drink had formed a wet spot on her shirt that said ‘I might be wrong but it’s very unlikely.’ “Yeah. That’s minus the restaurant accident.” “Oh my god Myra, that’s over two weeks! Did you really keep this away from me for that long?!” I smiled impishly at her frowning face. “I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, I mean it’s still not a big deal.” I shrugged. “Yeah, it’s totally not a big deal that you’re moving on from Pierce.” She scoffed, but a smile spread across her face. “Wow. And you have another date with him after this?” Carter and I agreed to meet up after Hannah and I were done. “It’s not a big deal.” I repeated. “What’s he like?” I chewed my lip, “he’s a perfect gentleman, he makes me feels at ease, but al
I wracked my brain for where I had heard the name and came up empty. “What can I help you with Mr. McClain.” I asked smoothly and raised my self up to touch the new, sturdier bed frame and mattress covered in a bedsheet I had never seen. “I am a representative of Luke Costner enterprise. You must I’ve seen us once or twice on tv. You probably watched Maria Delaine’s interview that broke the internet!” “Yeah I remember that.” He sounded like a very excited intern who was proud to be working in that office. “I don’t see what that has to do with me, though.” “Uhh, well my boss- the Luke Costner enterprise were hoping we could invite you for a one on one interview with the main man. “ he stumbled through the first half like he was surprised by my question but recovered, his pleasure returning back to his voice at the mention of Luke. “The Costner himself?” I asked, as I left the bedroom and peeked into the room next to it. Once empty, now it contained a bed, brighter and fresher l
I smiled as I climbed up the stairs that led up to my apartment. Lunch with Carter hd been fun and had gone without incidence. Save for overspilling ketchup that one time, but it wasn’t a hundred dollar accident. God, why did I become so clumsy around him? Something about doing something perfectly well till someone else was watching you. And he did that a lot. It didn’t cause my heart to leap in my throat like it did with Pierce. But a blush always crept in. I was glad I had asked it out to eat. Made me feel triumph over Pierce and his hold on me. I raised the tiny rug in front of my door in search of my key where I had left for Pierce or his movers, and found nothing. I tried the the door, but it didn’t move.Did they lock my house and take the key?! My eyes widened as I realized that Pierce may have gone back on his word again. I tried the knob again and thumped the door lightly. Perhaps they were inside placing the furniture back together. “I am coming!” I heard a voice of a woma
I blinked wondering if those words had come from him or me. His hands wrapped over mine on his collar and pulled it higher, around his neck. “I can’t let you go.” He said, as he kissed down my jawline. “What do you mean you can’t?” I asked, as I pushed through the fog that wanted me to stop thinking, to surrender to the feeling of him being close to me. “I mean, I should. It’s better for both of us.” He pulled me closer, nearly lifting me off my feet as he pressed me against the door. “But I just can’t Myra, I think of you walking out of this office, walking out of my life and…it’s not happening.” “You promised.” My eyebrows furrowed and I pulled my head back to look at him. He smiled at me, running his finger over the spot his mouth had been. “You don’t want to walk out either, Myra.” “No, I-I do.” Liar. I shut my eyes to chase away the thoughts. I couldn’t do this to myself. So close to the end. When I opened them, my convictions were evident. “I do.” “And yet your a
The first second I felt dawn break the next morning, I slipped out of Seth’s house after dropping a note to say thankyou, and went into mine to take a shower. Then I spent the last day of my weekend in Hannah’s home who listed the many merits of accepting Pierce’s money.“You don’t have to convince me Hannah, I’m not saying No. That choice was taken away, and in exchange, Pierce will stop bothering me.” Everytime I answered that, she would look at me with a sad expression on her face and whenever I glared at her, she would raise her hands in the air. I tried to spend a little more time with Lily while I was there. Seth’s story reminding me just how valuable she was to me, but Lily was out most of the time, I figured she was still mad at me for not taking her to the new house. Monday came, and I marched into Pierce’s office building with false confidence . When was the last time I had been there? That was right, when I brought lunch for him as a thank you. Then, I had told him that I
I thought about my neighbors while dad was acting a tyrant over us. We tried to be quiet a lot. But a few times dad would yell. Or shove us too hard against the walls. Our neighbors said nothing, and avoided eye contact. “It’s easier to pretend.” I answered quietly, staring down at my twisting fingers. “True. I got tired of pretending. I got into a lot of fights as a kid.” He continued. “So I could pretend the welts on my body were from my scuffles, not from my father. Now I cover those scars with tattoos.”“What about the scars in your mind?” He slowed his chewing, “those ones, we just have to live with. You’re doing a good job of it.” I let out a laugh, ready to deny knowing what he wad talking about, but the knowing look he gave me told me there was no point. My shoulders sagged. “You think so?” “Oh yeah, movie star.” “You know?!” He chuckled, “I’ve seen a couple of your series while in prison. Was my warden’s favorite . Seeing your…friend, jogged my memory.” “I d