“Is this really necessary?” Hannah groaned, tossing her manicured fingers through her glossy hair. Whipping that blonde mess to one side of her dainty shoulder, she dropped her shades back in place to cover her eyes and flapped a hand near her face to cool herself down. Not that it seemed to help.The bright yellow sun glared down on them anyway as Vincent rolled his eyes and tugged at the collar of his shirt. “Can’t think of anything more important than this. Trust me—nothing else holds utmost priority right now.”Hannah pulled a face. “Not that, idiot,” she smacked his upper arm lightly. “I mean, what am I doing here? One would think you’re grown-up enough to pull this off on your own.”Vincent couldn’t hold back the goofy grin that claimed his lips, his dark eyebrows twitching playfully. “Come on, a top-notch detective without a sidekick? Have you learned nothing from the brilliant Sherlock Holmes? Where have you been all your life? Under a rock?”That earned him another smack on t
Vincent wanted to say he could ask the same, but he bit his tongue.“Louise?” he asked instead.The person tilted their head to the other side.Vincent exchanged a glance with Hannah before continuing. “We’re here to see Louise Cooper. Can you call her out? We have something urgent to discuss with her.”The person sighed. “Well, you’re late.”“Why? Did she leave for work?” Hannah asked. “Where’s her workplace? Give us the address—we can find her th—”“Late as in… well, how else do you say it? You’re late,” they repeated. “Three weeks and seven days, to be exact.”Vincent frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”Had Louise left the country? That would be a problem. How would they track her down? This was the only address her agency had provided—the one from where she’d been hired.“Did she leave a contact number or anything?” Hannah inquired, grimacing slightly.To Vincent’s surprise, the person scoffed out a laugh, followed by a snort. “Don’t think that’s how it works, sweetheart.”Vi
Noémie gazed at the bathroom mirror, watching herself. Her palm gently curled around the small bump on her tummy, which had started to make its presence known.Her cheeks warmed at the realization that this was really happening, tears of wonder and natural affection wobbling in her beautiful brown eyes.She perfectly remembered the day the doctor broke the news to her—the apprehension, the overwhelming uncertainty.It was as if her entire world had tilted on its axis, and nothing else made sense. She was living the life of a nobody in a country she had never been to before.How was she supposed to raise a child on her own? Where was she even supposed to start? And then Vincent had popped up out of nowhere, dragging her back to face the demons she thought she had left behind.Yet, the man she claimed to be her worst nightmare was also the one she couldn’t stop thinking about. Not after everything that had happened two nights ago. When they had almost…After Ajax left and she stumbled i
Something pricked at the corner of her eyes.For some reason, it felt like a reminder that she still needed to reach out to her family. That she missed them—her mom, dad, Claudia—no matter how often she ignored the empty void in her heart.“Sure,” she said softly, nodding, before her face scrunched up. “But… isn’t it too late?”“Not when I’m with you,” he replied without hesitation, the corner of his lips tipping up. “Let me grab a bottle of water, and we’ll be good to go, alright?”She smiled up at him.The walk through the garden at night, beneath the black sky and the diamond-like stars hovering above, turned out to be surprisingly pleasant. Each time the cool breeze caressed past her or the fragrance of pines and flowers tickled her nose, she couldn’t help but shiver in delight.As usual, Ajax talked very little. But there was no need for him to say more. His silence had a way of making her feel everything words ever could. It was soothing, lighting a quiet glow of contentment in
By the time the next day arrived, Noémie had decided that she desperately needed to confide in someone.And for all those undeniable reasons that she couldn’t put into words, that person quickly turned out to be her sister, Claudia.She could no longer go on without pouring her heart out. Her heart could no longer bear the burden that had grown and grown into something she couldn’t name or recognize.After what happened last night—after he kissed her and threw her heart and mind into conflict—she had vanished from his sight so quickly that until she stumbled safely into her room, neither could she think straight nor breathe.All night, she tossed and turned in bed, unable to relax for even a minute.Even hours later, her heartbeat kept crashing against her ribs. Her mind kept battling with her heart.To her utter shock, her fingers had grown accustomed to feeling across her lips, the ghost of the kiss still lingering on her skin.But every time her thoughts ran wild, she shook her hea
Noémie squeezed her eyes shut as tears leaked freely. The two sisters hugged in the middle of the café, with no care for the world around them.It was only when Claudia pulled away and allowed Noémie to sit at the table she’d reserved that Noémie could finally get words out."It’s so good to see you, Claudia. How have you been?""How have I been?" Claudia repeated, exhaling in frustration as she took a seat across from her. "Worried sick, that’s how. What kind of stupid question is that?""You know what I mean," Noémie muttered under her breath, feeling apologetic."Do I?" Claudia raised an eyebrow, giving her sister a look that made Noémie regret all her decisions. "Anyway," she ran a hand through her hair, looking tired. "You said you had something to talk about. What is it? Is everything alright?"Noémie knew she shouldn’t have disappeared the way she did. It was wrong. Unfair to her family. To Claudia. They were all her well-wishers, and she should have done more for them instead
The moment Noémie walked in through the main door, she was startled to find Mrs Halest pacing the hall.Her one hand was on her hip as she talked over the phone, appearing distraught.However, as soon as her gaze arrived at Noémie, the older woman paused, gawked at her with an open mouth, and exclaimed. “Jesus!”Almost jogging over to her, Sonia Halest pulled her in a desperate hug.“Noémie!” she hailed breathlessly, relief washing over her voice in gallons. “You came back! We thought…we thought you left. God, what a fright! You scared the bejesus out of me!”Pulling away, Sonia Halest took out her phone again. “I should call Vince to let him know you’re back. They both went out to look for you.”Well, that was unexpected. Why did they…ohOh, no. Did he…did he think she left, too? Why didn’t this cross her mind before? That he could think of something like that? Then again, he could have just called her. Why didn’t he?Wait. Where was her phone? She acutely remembered taking it with h
When she could do nothing but drop her gaze and open and close her mouth like a fish out of water, Ajax grabbed her hand and lifted it.From his pocket, he pulled out something and slapped it on her palm.Noémie only spared that thing a brief glance, and she knew what it was.The sight of her phone only made her feel worse.How did he even find it? She asked herself. As if to answer the questions she could not dare to ask aloud, he drew his hand back and dropped to his side, fingers clasped so tight that his knuckle appeared white.“Found it on a cab driver,” he said through a tightly clenched jaw. “At the airport.”Noémie expected to hear the anger in his voice. She expected to see the fury burning in those dark eyes. It would have been so much better to hear him screaming and making a fuss over her carelessness.But no.Surprising her for the thousandth time, Ajax sounded anything but angry. He sounded disappointed. He sounded sad. Maybe angry, too, but Noémie could see—could feel—t
Claire hadn’t expected Vincent to prepare the contract so soon. It took her by surprise when the same delivery men appeared at her grandma’s place the next day and brought her back to the old Halest Villa.According to the giant clock hung in the drawing room, it was exactly 9 o’clock in the morning. The old Halest Villa was dreadfully quieter than the previous day. The maids and guards were the only people she noticed since the moment she walked in and took a seat on the couch, waiting for Vincent to make an appearance.Claire was nervous. Her legs were shaking with anxiousness after every passing second. The conversation she had with Marvin the previous day didn’t make her feel any better either. It made her feel even worse. She knew she shouldn’t be hiding something so important from Vincent—especi
[Nine Months Ago]A man in a white lab coat punched a six-digit code and waited calmly as the heavy metal door groaned and slowly slid open. Behind him, two tall and hefty men stood. One of them carried an unconscious woman in his arms.The door revealed a restless lab, with men in similar lab coats bustling here and there. The pungent scent of chemicals and something acidic hung heavy in the air.As the three men entered the lab, the man in the lab coat paused and lifted a hand to guide the two large men.“Take her to cube number five,” the man said, and without waiting for a response, headed in the opposite direction.The two hefty men followed the order and stationed the unconsci
Marvin pursed his lips, settling back in his seat and crossing his arms over his chest. “Fine. Let’s talk about something else, then.”Just by the shift in his tone, Claire could tell what was coming next.“Would you like to explain that video about your pregnancy?”“Not really.”“Claire!”Claire groaned and held her head in her hands. “Why do you even care?”“You’re doing that to get that Halest boy, aren’t you?”“So what?”“You need to let him go!”“I can’t. You know I…I can’t do that.” How could he even ask her such a thing?“It’s not fair to him, Claire. He doesn’t know—”“He doesn’t have to know.”“Claire!” He leaned forward, his gaze hopeful and brimmed with concern. “Don’t do this. You’re just hurting yourself. And him. It’s not fair…” He reached out and cupped the back of her hand with his. “…to you, too.”Claire yanked her hand away. “Drop the act, Marvin. We both know you don’t give a crap about me.”“I don’t know what I’ve done to make you feel like this.”“Are you serious?
The second the elevator doors of Grandma’s apartment building opened, Claire groaned at the sight of Marvin, her older brother. God, what was he doing here? she thought to herself.After the intense conversation with Vincent, the exact delivery guys dropped her back at the place they picked her up from.“What are you doing here?” she asked exasperatedly as she shuffled out of the elevator while rubbing her temple.At the sight of her, Marvin peeled his back off the wall and stood up straighter. “I’ve been out here for almost an hour,” he grumbled. “Where have you been?” Adjusting the collar of his shirt, he demanded with a deep frown.“First off, that’s not the answer to my question,” she paused in front of him to fix him with an annoyed look. “And second, why are you outside again?”In response to her question, Marvin only sighed deeply in his chest, scratching the back of his neck. “She won’t let me in,” he muttered with a shake of his head, clearly talking about Grandma. “I would h
“Not to me, but to yourself.” Stepping away, he yanked her hands away from his shirt. “You always tell yourself these sweet lies and find comfort in them, Claire. You think you’ve changed, but you’re still the same.” Turning on his heels, he ran a hand through his hair. Frustrated.“Vincent…”“This time you went too far, Claire. Too far. You dragged my family into this. I’m not sure if I can ever forgive you for misleading them with your fucked-up lies.”“Don’t say that, Vince. I did this for you. For us.”“Stop it, Claire!” He snapped, wanting nothing more than to yank his hair out. “Just stop it!”Rushing to him, she hugged him from behind. More tears flowed through her red-rimmed eyes. “I know what I did
Claire knew she had gone too far. She knew what came out of her mouth was bound to fuck everything up. Even more than her situation already was. Vince would hate her. He didn’t have to spell it out for her to know she was only worsening her impression in his eyes.What other choice did she have, though?She was running out of not only time, but also options. Patience was her least remarkable character trait, after all. And when it came to Vincent, her patience grew even thinner. So much time she had already wasted in coming to her senses that now every second she had to stay away from him felt like a stab of the knife straight to her heart.Perhaps that was the reason that when Ajax dismissed her and she was led out of the study by a maid, she wasn’t surprised—or let out even a squeak in protest—when Vincent grabbed her by the arm and dragged her into the closest empty room.
[Six Months Ago]After seeing off her husband at the airport for a two-days business trip, when a woman named Susan Green returned to her apartment, she barely kicked off her shoes and filled herself with a glass of water when a knock on the door arrived.Unsure of who it might be at the lunch hour, she opened the door only to find no one outside.Susan frowned. She was pretty sure she had heard the knock. Not once. Not twice. But thrice. Someone had knocked at the door thrice. Wondering if the kids in the building had once again picked up the bad habit of annoying the random neighbours, she closed the door and locked it.However, just when she hoped to get back to the kitchen counter and grab herself a glass of water, her gaze fell on the yellow manila envelope on the floor. It looked like someone had slipped it inside from under the door
Claire did as she was told. Quietly, she pulled the back of the chair and sat down with her fingers tightly laced with each other.For a long minute, no one said anything. The only sound in the room seemed to be the ticking of the clock. The tension in the room felt tighter and thicker than she had ever experienced. When someone did speak, it came from her left where Sonia Halest sat.“Is it true?” The older woman asked with a frown.Before Claire could clarify what the question was regarding, Vincent beat her to it.“Of course, it’s not!” He snapped, pounding a fist on the desk and glaring at Ajax. “Did you even hear a word I said? It’s all a lie. There’s nothing between us.”“Vince…” Claire tried to say when he spun his head and glared at her.
Claire sighed into her chest and felt her back slump against the door. Her heart ached to see him this mad at her. She wondered what could she possibly do to make things back to normal between them.On second thought, things had never been normal between them. Perhaps that was the reason she felt so clueless and hopeless and helpless. She did not have a single clue what could she say or do to make him love her the way he did once. Had she taken too long to come to her senses? Was it possible that he liked someone else now?Claire hated the idea of Vince being with some other woman. No. That would not do. He only belonged to her. He only loved her. Sure, he was refusing to admit that right now, but she wasn’t planning on giving up on them soon. She would make him hers, no matter what price she had to pay.With that determination in her heart, she sucked in another deep breath