EVANGELINE.Day one as a nanny to a woman that I barely even know. Google had told me to dress smartly after countless hours of research. I needed perfection. Something to soften up that rigid woman.It also stated that I picked a friendly color to lessen the tension in the atmosphere. The color white, especially, but Mrs. White hated white, and I began to wonder how much more was going to be different about dealing with her. She gave me the vibes of an older version of Marilyn Monroe, except with severe mental issues, but I do not judge.So I chose baby pink, a jumpsuit with slightly off shoulders yet comfy. I've had it in my wardrobe for a while, and it was safe to say it suited me perfectly— according to my personal stylist, Harper. With unbelievable speed, a week had passed since the deal had been finalized. Mr. Isaac reached out to me via email yesterday, again, asking for my schedule and that his boss would want to meet me. That made me feel a little queasy, especially after th
AXEL."Axel? What are you doing?" I heard a familiar voice call out, and I turned with the dismantled, smoking microwave in my hand. I'd asked the maids to leave because, except for dinner with 'the' family, I didn't enjoy eating anything made in the house for extremely weird reasons that even I wasn't aware of yet. I go to restaurants and eat well, and I cook some easy meals by myself, to my taste. I turned to Evangeline and read the shock off her face. Too bad she was seeing me bare and shirtless again. I wondered what that image reminded her of. I strip her with my eyes every single time I set my sights on her.I placed the microwave down slowly. I had unplugged it already. What remained was bringing out the ghost of the plastic container I had forgotten inside of it."Oh my god! What are you doing?" Evangeline exclaimed again as she registered the sight in her head. She turned around the cabinet with her hand over her nose to meet me.I winced, embarrassed. I didn't want to expl
EVANGELINE.His face lit up upon her arrival, and I was shocked beyond words, bile rising in my throat as the lady called out to Axel, thereby cutting off our conversation, or whatever that talk was. Like a person who walked out of the Barbie movie, she was. Pale skin, straight blonde hair, and a dress that seemed like the inspiration was taken from photos of the milky way. She posed by the doorway, her hands resting on her hips while she wore a luscious smile to draw him in.I absorbed her thin, wiry frame and how elegant it made her look, although her face had been baked. She was beautiful— and it made me feel queasy. Why did I feel queasy!?A smile snaked Axel's lips as he looked at her, then at me, reading the shock off my face— I tried to hide it, but my lips remained parted. Why was I even shocked? I had nothing to do with his business. Still, as I told myself that, I couldn't shake off that bitter feeling that blossomed in my chest.I threw him a questioning look contrary to
EVANGELINE. What the hell!? A gasp escaped my throat, followed by the overwhelming feeling of fear and how it slipped its claws into my chest and grabbed me, rendering me helpless before him.I fought to move or at least say something, but the words remained stuck in my throat. Asher looked at me like he knew I needed time to register his presence at my doorstep. How did he even find me?Did he think I was going to run away without compensating him? That must be why he'd come all the way here. I titled my head and looked down the hallway, frantic and desperate to find the police or, worse, patiently waiting to drag me off in handcuffs."Are you going to…say something?" He quizzed, his orbs boring into mine."Eva? Is there a problem?" I heard Harper call out. It took me a few seconds to register that I had to provide a response.I cleared my throat, "No, N- no, it's nothing I can't handle. I'd…be here for a while," I said in a rush. With immediacy, I stepped out and closed the door b
EVANGELINE.Asher's words bounced off my ears and died down in a ringing echo. Even though he was just a seat away from me, I could have sworn that I had heard wrong. I shuffled in my seat, moving the pillow on my leg to the other chair."I don't get…it," I croaked. "What do you mean??"He tensed up a bit, reacting like he was baffled by my question or didn't expect it. Who the fuck just woke up and decided to sponsor a random kid!? "I want to…sponsor him throughout the years of his education," Asher spelled out again, emphasizing every word, and I stared wide-eyed, processing really slowly all he'd said. "You want to sponsor him throughout the years of his education? My…brother, Marcus. You want to sponsor him throughout the years of his education!?" I repeated like a broken record, and my voice came out a disgusting squeal. Ditching the seat once more, I rose to my feet. "Why?""Why?""Yeah…" I nodded, my head heavy with thoughts. "Why? W-why do you want to help him? Why are you h
AXEL.Evangeline erupted in a burst of rude laughter, one so hearty she steadied herself against the wall to regain composure. I knew that game and didn't intend to fall for it— her condescending tone was meant to get to me and somehow throw me off.Not today, Medusa. I crossed my legs, watching her reaction till she was done with her seemingly endless laughter."I'm convinced comedy really is your thing, Axel," She began firmly. Her smiling lips had dissolved into a stern, straight pause. "Look, I get it. You have the looks and the money. You get the bad bitches, and ladies are all over you. Not only that, but I also had a one-night stand with you, which NEVER would have happened if we weren't drunk—" Evangeline paused.I smirked, seeing the hint of red on her face. She folded her arms across her chest again and repeatedly blinked like she was trying to push out a thought. I fucking loved that I knew what she was thinking."—but that gives you no fucking right!" Her tone rose in ang
EVANGELINE.Everything had happened so fast, like a dream. I'd been immersed in my work when I heard some ruckus happening at the front of the office— of course, I plugged in my AirPods deeper since I didn't want to be a part of whatever was going on. That lasted up until a minute before someone nudged me, signaling to the front space.I'd been awed. I rose from my seat and waddled past the compartments, looking forward to seeing what they were talking about. Most of my coworkers were on their feet, and they faced the same direction— the front of the office. Due to the size of the room, it wasn't easy to see what was before me till I reached the front, and my jaw dropped to the floor.Right before me, in my face, was Axel and the big bouquet of red roses in his hands. He looked like his usual gorgeous self, in a casual fit and his intentionally disheveled hair that perfected his bookish playboy look. I needed not to say my breath was caught in my throat, but it was, because of someone
ASHER."Don't you think today will be so fun!?" Mercury chimed as I drove, trying to keep my focus on the road. She'd been really distracting, and I tried my best to get my head in the game. Aren't couples supposed to do things like this only after the proposal has happened? I'd barely said a word to her about getting married, so her audacity and high hopes were surprising, really."Yeah…" my voice trailed as I clutched the steering wheel tighter and bustled through the busy streets, dreading what was about to happen. "It's going to be fun."I could feel the intensity of her stare burn into my skin from the corner of my eyes, and I tried to even my emotions— because somehow, I still felt that I shouldn't hurt her feelings, but these days, it kept feeling like it was what I was going to end up doing. "Do you not want to do this right now, Asher?" She asked again in a low tone. "The shop would always be there. We don't have to do any of this if you don't want to, right now. I'm sorry I
AXEL. (Final)Asher would get married tomorrow, although it doesn't seem like he's planning on it. He'd vanished into the thin air, and our parents had been worried for a few days.It wasn't like they hadn't realized he really didn't want to do it. He'd told them several times. Now, I was charged with the responsibility of finding him, but to no avail. I barely even knew where he used to be, not to talk of successfully guessing his hideout.I had one last place in mind, and I'd made it my last because a part of me never wanted to believe that it was possible. He couldn't be with Evangeline, right? She'd specifically told us not to contact her anymore.I still did, as frequently as I could, to make sure she knew I was still waiting. I didn't know what to do, and I very much wanted to respect her decision, too. It would be so wrong of me to intrude. Still, I thought about her every day.Every minute, she was on my mind, and I kept wondering how she was doing. If she was fine, if she ate
ASHER.It's been a few days. The doctors only told me that Marcus had been discharged although when I reached out to his teachers, they confirmed that he hadn't resumed school yet, which meant he was with Evangeline here.I wouldn't blame her if she didn't want me close to him, but I did want to know how Marcus was doing. We had left the hospital in a hurry on Evangeline's request, so I didn't have the chance to be there for him the way I wanted to, and that hurt so much. I dropped my suitcase on the chair and fell onto the couch. It was a long day at work today and it was even worse because I couldn't concentrate on the things I had to do. It was almost as though I had detached from the world around me. It terrified me so much.It hadn't been up to a minute since I walked in when the door opened again. The low creaking sound forced me to open my eyes, and I saw Mercury and my mother walk in. I sighed tiredly, already frustrated by the discussion that hadn't even begun yet.I didn't
EVANGELINEMarcus was now conscious. I was the first person he saw and recognized after he opened his eyes yesterday. There was no greater joy. The moment I realized that he was fine, half the stress I had been feeling melted into nothing.Now, he was asleep, and I was back to the unfortunate hospital chair, swallowed by my thoughts again. It wasn't a bad thing sometimes. I couldn't help but imagine what I'd have been like if Marcus hadn't opened his eyes.I was dotting my 'Is' and crossing my 'Ts,' doing everything that needed to be done before I began a new chapter. Closure might seem far, but it was worth the try.I informed Harper about the accident last night but told her not to bother coming since Marcus was getting better. I could handle that much by myself now. I already sent the brothers off yesterday, seeing as their presence did my heart more harm than good.Asher was more reluctant to go, judging from the kind of relationship he had with Marcus, and I couldn't blame him.
EVANGELINE.Asher and I were on the same hospital chair, waiting for the results from the blood transfusion. Axel was still in, and waiting for him was the most tortuous thing I'd ever had to deal with.We sat in silence. I was so overwhelmed with sadness, and it gnawed at my chest. Asher, being a person who always read the room, stuck with the silence. My legs wouldn't stop shaking, and I couldn't seem to stop shedding tears either.My palms were pressed together in a prayer. I broke the silence by speaking first. "They said…it was on the football field…""Hm-hm," Asher nodded, his gaze was fixed in the empty space."He—" I took a pause to catch my breath. "He slipped and fell and—" hit his head. I was supposed to add that, but my mouth wouldn't make the words. I couldn't seem to believe that it was Marcus and he'd ever go through something this terrible."I…called him the night before," Asher said, "And…we had this…chess tournament after which he told me…"Do you think I should try
EVANGELINE"Where is he!?" I shouted again, and Asher was looking just as perplexed as I was. I turned to him. "Haven't you seen him since you got here?""I haven't, Evangeline," He responded tersely. "They didn't let me.""What do you mean they didn't let you?" Axel intercepted. "You haven't seen him, then why are you even here? What did the doctor say?"Asher huffed, "Well, I guess I should have barged into the fucking room then! They didn't let me see him! It had barely been fifteen minutes since I got here. All I know is the ward he is!""Can you two shut up and just show me the ward?!" I shouted as I walked down the hallway at an increased pace and they followed me. This was the worst time for them to be arguing. Asher overtook and led the way, then pointed to a ward as he continued down the hall. "This one."Oh god! Oh god! I was panicking, and my entire body shook on its own. What did the poor child do to deserve something like this happening to him? What exactly happened? Ho
EVANGELINE.We were meeting at a restaurant not very far from my apartment. I texted to meet up and scheduled it for today. Sitting in the restaurant had been a chore of its own. I seem to be the center of attention for no reason at all.Then I remembered that there was an art ik about me flying around. One that somehow hadn't seen the light. I wondered if Asher bothered to deny the rumors or if he just left them to linger and cause more hurt.It was weird how I had earlier thought something could work out between all three of us. I'd been hesitant to let go of my relationship with them, but I have decided what I thought was best for us. There wasn't a way I could be with Axel if Asher still harbored those feelings. His drunken call last night terrified me.I hadn't taken him to be the kind who drank. I figured I should draw a line and fast, no matter how much it killed me.Aside that, I'd been hurt way too much by Axel that I couldn't see past it. People didn't just spring up with a
ASHERAfter hearing of the impromptu meeting Axel had set up with the shareholders, I couldn't hold back the anger I felt for him. As the acting head of the organization, I had the right to be aware of any meeting to take place.It was as though he'd gone behind my back to do it on purpose, and somehow, Axel had also managed to incite pity in their minds. Rumors about him spread like wildfire in the office. A lot of people were on his side, and they felt sorry for him since he'd been in the shadows for so long.Do they even know what he'd been doing in the shadows or how much I'd cleaned up after him? I doubt he mentioned any of that. I doubt he mentioned how he got wasted, got into trouble, and had fights that landed him in police custody on late nights. He must have forgotten to tell them that.He must have left out the part where I wasn't given the chance to be a child all so I could fill in for his inefficiency. How I was made to grow up earlier than I should, so I could jump into
AXELThe sun had just begun its ascent into the morning sky as I strode into the headquarters of the company. I'd spent the whole of last week getting settled in last week. It was finally time to do something differently, to set the path I wanted.I've had this thought, but it got worse since the article about Evangeline and Asher hit the net. The amount of affluence he had that made people so interested in his business— I wanted to have it, too. A part of me believed it was possible with the right amount of work.I just hoped Evangeline took me back when she noticed my effort. She hadn't been responding to my texts, nor had she returned any of my calls. It took all my willpower not to camp outside her apartment like I always had since she'd already warned me against it. I missed her so much. It felt like there was a hole in my chest.Each step I took echoed through the polished marble floors of the grand lobby, a stark contrast to the weight that pressed down on my shoulders. Today m
EVANGELINEMy patience wore thin as Axel's mother continued to push me to accept her offer and disappear from her sons' lives. The condescension in her tone and the dismissive way she spoke of my feelings for Axel grated on my nerves.Unable to contain my frustration any longer, I leaned forward and said through gritted teeth, "Can I let you in on a little secret, Mrs. White?""Oh, please!" She rubbed her forehead, frustrated. "There's more to this!? The whole thing makes me so uncomfortable already!" "Hm," I nodded reluctantly, ready to burn everything to the ground with a smile planted on my face. "I'm pregnant, and it's for Axel." It didn't take me too much to spill the words since I was already tired of her insensitivity. "Before you say the next thing on your mind, I think it's imperative for you to know that I did try to get rid of the child…my child for your son's happiness, but…that didn't work out for me, just like everything else!"Her reaction was instantaneous, her eyes w