The doors to the mansion open and Henry wheeled in a recovering Ashley into the house. Asher squealed in excitement as he ran towards her. Adam and all the other members of the house are beaming with smiles as they enter. A banner was draped on the entrance with the words welcome home Ashley written on it. “Welcome home” they all chorused. Adam squeezed her hands. Ashley managed a small smile as she kissed Asher on the forehead. “Thank you, sir Adam, thank you, everyone”. The road to recovery had been a tough one. She had spent three months in the hospital, there were a lot of complications. Henry was just glad that she was okay because in those three months, he had lost his sanity, and no one had remained the same. She turned around to peer at him, it was straining but it was worth it when he smiled at her. “Where are we going?” He smiled. “You will find out when we get there” She smiled. He was wheeling her to an unfamiliar area of the house. He punched in some keys when they g
“Doctor! Doctor! I think something is wrong with her." The machine by the bedside continued to beep loudly. Henry was conflicted; he couldn’t figure out if he wanted to stay by her side or go call the doctor. Beads of sweat etched on his forehead trickled down his face, although the room was perfectly ventilated. Henry hit the alarm button so hard that it broke in two, but not before the loud noise filled the hallway; he could hear it from inside. He stared into Ashley’s terrified face. Her blue eyes were motionless orbs as they bore into his, and her eye sockets were deep, baggy, dark circles around her eyes. Her stare was cold as death; it made his skin crawl. She clutched on to him so tightly that if she wasn’t so frail and weak, his bones would have snapped. He would have been terrified of her if he wasn't so in love with her. Her whole frame shook violently. She was merely held back by the tubes put in place by the doctors. Henry glanced at the door frantically; no one had come th
Leonard tidied his table, his mind preoccupied with his thoughts. He picked up his coat and case before exiting the office. “Hey Kristen?” “Hey Leo, “Are you going home already?” He nodded and managed a small smile. “Remember that date I told you I had?” She smiled a knowing smile. “Yes, of course I do.” She pointed at him. “I am rooting for you, you know that. You deserve it.” He nodded with a huge smile on his face. “Thank you. I know; we have planned this for so long now.” Kristen walked up to him and straightened his collar. “Don’t overthink it at all. I think she is going to like you. What’s there not to like?” He dramatically cleared his throat. “I hope Caleb doesn’t find out.” Caleb appeared from behind. “Find out what?” Kristen turned around. “Hello, babe,” she said with a smile on her face. Leonard waved at them before walking off. “Hey man! Find out what?” Caleb yelled out at him. Kristen laughed at him. “Leonard is going on a date with Anna.” “About time!” “Take
Eric was unable to sit still in his chair, and no, it wasn’t because he had locomotive problems. He was worried, as anyone would be if they had a meeting to talk to their lawyer about the chances of their freedom. Things weren’t looking good for him. He stared at the pristine white walls of the small conference room.Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, although the room was ventilated. He loosened his tie and knotted it again. His nerves were all over his face, he couldn’t even think. He was beginning to run out of options. There was a rapt knock on the door, and he jumped to his feet almost immediately. He crossed the length of the room and extended a hand. "Good day, Mr. Pratt.""Good day, Mr. Allen."Eric showed him a seat.Mr. Pratt was the best crooked lawyer that was willing to defend him. Henry had gotten on the side of the public; no lawyer wanted to wade into that kind of murky water, but with the right amount of money, any man could be bought."Any good news?" Eric delved
Mason Blackwood was spotting an overgrown stubble on his chin. Save for his lankiness and dull skin, he looked fairly the same. He was spending more time out of prison. Although it was in a courtroom, it was more than he could ask for. He lay on a thin mattress, his hands behind his head, as he stared up at the ceiling. The cell was dark save for the streaks of light from the hall that reflected in the room. The prison was uncharacteristically silent. It would have been complete stillness if his roommate did not snore so loud.Mason loved the early hours of the morning. It was the only time when the guards and wardens were not shouting out orders, the inmates were not issuing threats, laughing loudly, or doing whatever they liked. He liked to think it helped him think clearly, but if he was honest with himself, there was nothing on his mind.At first there was, he was dealing with lots of emotions at once. Anger, hope, regret, and sadness. He was angry at Henry, and Eric for landing hi
Ashley sipped her cocktail and watched in amusement as Henry and Adrian continued to bicker. They sat in a secluded area of a high-end restaurant. They had been at it for a while. She wanted to meddle, but she decided against it. They were the ray of sunshine on an otherwise gloomy day. The announcement of the attack on Mason’s life had terrified her, although she hid it from Henry. This was not a normal sibling squabble anymore. This was an ongoing attempted murder case. An attempted murder on her life. Eric had attempted to kill his brother and now had most likely attacked Mason. He wasn’t afraid to kill again. She tried not to think about it. Henry was still pretty shaken about her near-death experience, she didn’t want to alarm him further."When are you ever on time for anything?" Henry asked.Adrian appeared to be thinking. "I came early for Asher’s one-year birthday party.""Emm...you missed the little in-house toast we had before the party officially began," Ashley butted in.
Ashley was humming and moving her body to the sound of the music that filled the large kitchen when Henry burst through the doors. She almost knocked the tray of vegetables off the counter. "Henry!"He had his phone in the air. A confused expression on his face. "My phone is ringing."She stared at him in puzzlement. "So...""My dad is calling!" he replied in surprise.Her face softened. "Take the call then.""No!" he said suddenly. "I mean, yes, of course I want to, but what should I say to him?""Henry," she said, washing her hands and wiping them with a napkin. "You need to take the call." The phone stopped ringing at that moment. "Only then can you know what to say to him.""Why is he calling, though?""There are a lot of reasons why he could be calling. Maybe he wants to just check up on you and everyone else in the family, or there could be something really important he wants to tell you. You cannot know until you talk to him."Henry held her gaze before releasing a deep breath.
"Who is he?""He was the guy I thought she was in a relationship with, turned out they were only friends," Henry answered in a flat tone."I see." Adrian nodded.Henry had a frown on his face when he turned to him. "What do you see?""I see why you thought they were together, he is obviously taken by her, look how clingy he is..."His frown deepened. "Is it that obvious?"Adrian shrugged. "She is doing a good job of making it look as casual as possible."Henry cursed under his breath.Adrian gulped down the contents of his glass loudly. Henry turned to look at him, his face scrunched. "So are you jealous?"Henry scoffed. "Jealous? No? Why would I be?"Adrian had a look of amusement on his face as he shrugged. "I don’t know because he has his hands around her waist?""It doesn’t mean anything." Henry replied in a flat tone."Why are your eyes twitching and your hands in a fist?"Henry gritted his teeth. "Means nothing..."Adrian smiled. "If you say so..."They watched her in silence. "