CALEB The room was as silent as a graveyard as we sat around the large oval dining table, none of us uttering a word. I could tell how hard my mom was trying to sink into the drama that was playing out in the church. It was harder for her with the number of eyes glaring at her. Grandma was the first to make a sound by clearing her throat, her large accusing eyes fixed on my mother who kept fidgeting in her seat. “I respected the girl because you were the one who chose her for Caleb,” Grandma began, referring to my mother. My mom’s lips parted and slammed together in guilt. “Look at the disgrace that wretched girl has caused our family, she ruined our reputation!” Grandma spat, and Mom shuddered slightly, picking on her manicured nails. “No, no, grandma. You are getting everything wrong. Katherine’s family is the one getting the embarrassment,” Mom tried to defend herself, and Grandma scowled at her. “You think so? What are people going to think about the futu
MADAM HELEN “Get the work done by tomorrow if you’re not ready to fit into the list of unemployed people,” I snapped and slammed down the receiver, sighing loudly as I rubbed my forehead. I glanced down at the birthmark again and my lips twitched as I tried to remember where I had seen the mark before. I am certain that I have seen this mark somewhere before, but I can’t seem to discern the exact place and body. But one thing was sure, the mark was found on the body of a little boy. The problem I have now is remembering the boy’s name or his parents. “Miss Rosy is here, Madam Helen,” the intrusive voice of the chief maid seeped into my thoughts. I groaned out and nodded my head in approval as I pulled the paper into the drawer. The door opened and Rosy sauntered in as sassy as always. It always makes me happy to see one of my grandchildren taking after me, I won’t have to worry about the fortunes of the Connor family when I’m gone because I’m sure they’ll be in safe han
ROSY I frowned upon seeing Caleb still in the garage, pacing restlessly around his car. I narrowed my eyes and began to walk towards my car, ignoring his presence. “Don’t try to act like you didn’t see me,” his hard voice made my heart skip a beat. I swallowed hard and continued walking briskly towards my car. I still wonder why I gave my chauffeur a leave. Now I’m alone with this madman in the garage. “We need to talk, Rosy,” he shouted when I got to my car. I spun around and glared at him. “There’s nothing to talk about. Let’s end the deal and stop seeing each other. The sex never happened, okay?” I snapped out without thinking twice. I realized the mistake I had made when I saw his lips twitch into a sardonic smile. “Didn’t you say we should keep that secret behind the doors of my room but here you are blurting it out,” he mumbled. The serious and angry look on his face was gone; it was replaced by that mocking smirk that caused a stir of irritati
MADAM HELEN I shifted my attention away from the flower and glanced at my phone which had been ringing for some minutes. “I hope it’s not one of those useless employees,” I muttered as I wiped my hands on a rag and picked up the phone. “Yes?” I groused, staring at the blooming buds of the hibiscus flower. “Okay, send it to me.” I dropped the phone and sighed before going back to inspect my plants. The glass doors of my private plant house opened and a maid stepped in. “Miss Rosy is here to see you, ma’am,” she announced with her head bowed low. My brows snapped up in surprise as I stared at the maid in disbelief. “Rosy is here?” “Yes, madam,” she replied. “Let her in.” She left the house, and soon the door opened, and Rosy ran in, breathing heavily. I pushed out the smile that tried to break out on my face as I glared pretentiously at her. “It seems like you missed your way. This is the house of Caleb’s puppet, have you forgotten?” I said. From the corner
ROSY“This is a sample of the product; we need your approval before the production is kicked off. We took our time to research it, and the team of researchers concluded that the product would be a hit in the food industry,” Miss Theresa concluded and dropped her tablet on the desk.“Hmm…” I hummed, staring at the juice before me.“The advertisement?”“It will begin as soon as the production is completed, ma’am.”“When will that be over?”“In less than a week,” Miss Theresa assured.“You don’t have to worry, we’re out to get a famous model for the advert. The offer will be so tempting that she won’t be able to say no, also—”“I don’t need the model,” I cut her off and her jaws dropped.“Huh?” she huffed.“I have someone in mind for the advert. Slash the offer, I will handle it myself,” I said.Miss Theresa darted her lashes and slowly nodded.“Yes,” she said before retrieving the tablet.I picked up the small bottle of juice and clicked it open before consuming half of the
ROSY I shuddered slightly as I stared at Cassandra’s prying eyes, wondering what she was doing here. “What are you doing here?” I asked, trying not to sound hostile. She batted her lashes and sent a fake smile across to me. “You think I will leave my daughter alone?” She answered. I scoffed, twitching up my lips in disgust. “You not only believe that I will hurt your son but also your daughter?” “I just want to be sure that my daughter will be fine in your company,” she chipped and I scoffed out loudly, glaring at her. “Why do you want to see me?” Juliet demanded, faking a smile at me. I sighed, slowly developing second thoughts for this meeting. I shook my head and turned around to walk away. “You are walking away, don’t tell me that you brought us here to waste our time,” Cassandra snapped. I spun around, glaring at her. “I sent for Juliet, not you!” I snapped back at her. She narrowed her eyes at me and waved her hand in the air. I looked at Juliet, rem
CALEB I watched Rosy drop down to the ground in dejection. Her ghostly face held heartbreaking emotions as the ambulance carrying Madam Helen's body drove away. The house was in chaos as everyone ran around with horror in their eyes. After we found her dead body in the plant house, it was assumed that she had overdosed on her medication because her bottle of medicine was found lying close to her. The only one who seemed to be in pain was Rosy; the rest of her relatives had a blank expression. Perhaps, a happy one was hidden within the mask. It all seemed like a dream to me as I watched the ambulance skid away with its unique siren blaring in the air. How is this possible? I spoke with Madam Helen a few hours ago, how can she be dead? Why did she ignore the doctor's prescription? Could it be a mistake? “How did this happen?” Melanie chipped behind me, drifting me away from my thoughts. “When you get to the hospital, you will find that out,” Mariano snapped at her and got i
ROSY Staring at my reflection in the mirror brought tears to my eyes. I slammed it shut and breathed in sharply, tugging onto the sleeve of my dress. “Let’s go, Miss Rosy,” Miss Theresa emerged into the room. I spun around and picked up my bag, walking up to her. Miss Theresa paused and ran her eyes over me. “White dress?” She muttered. “What’s wrong with that?” My voice was hoarse as a result of the tears that I had been shedding since the day Madam Helen died. “But…” she trailed off and decided not to continue the conversation. I walked out of the room and she trailed after me, taking my bag from me. I could tell how uncomfortable she felt standing next to me in a different color of dress. Black dress is the recognized color for mourning, but right now, I seem to be breaking that rule on my grandma’s burial. “Don’t forget to get the flowers,” I muttered to Miss Theresa as we drove along the road. “Would you like to have anything else on the way?” Miss Theresa’