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
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
EVANGELINE MILLER.The ray of light slapped me in with a blinding whiteness, and I groaned at the burning feeling of the sun on my face. I finally fluttered my eyes open as I rolled off the bed. Crashing into the rather cold floor, I still had sleep in my eyes but not enough to keep me from noticing how different the ground felt.I had a soft rug glued to the ground. Why, then, did I crash into cold tiles, and on top of that, Harper's bed was not within my reach? I stood up abruptly, studying my surroundings as I forced my eyes open.A gasp escaped my throat as I realized I wasn't in my apartment. This place was anywhere but. For starters, no clothes were lingering around, and I couldn't see Harper's underwear dangling by the door handle. It was the complete opposite of my apartment. The wall was stainless white with furnishings to match. Everything was white, including the bedsheet I had wrapped around my waist.I gasped yet again, sounding like a pig this time. I had a bed sheet w
EVANGELINE MILLER."Fuck!" I cussed out loud as I remembered what led me into this situation of indescribable terror. Somehow, I still couldn't remember the details of it. My mind went completely blank after accepting Harper's dare to get the stranger's phone number. My mouth was still hung open in awe. "So you....you mean I was all over you? How would I know you're n-not lying?" I questioned, embarrassment flushing my face while I managed to look him in the eye. What kind of girl doesn't remember having sex with a stranger?! A smirk planted on his face as he took a few steps away from me. A glint of mischievousness in his eyes that he didn't bother hiding. I released a breath I didn't know I had been holding. "Well," he shrugged, his rich accent breezing into my ears. "More or less. You even picked out this hotel and said we should be 'quick' about it." I was beyond appalled, and I knew my traitor face showed it to him well. He chuckled as if he had just remembered something."
EVANGELINE MILLER."Asher! Over here!" Before I could begin the ask questions, I heard a voice call out from behind me, and both our heads snapped in that direction. Asher. Asher. Asher? I recited in my head. I didn't know any Asher except-It couldn't be him; I concluded, still confused.I groaned at the sight of Mercury, my boss, as she walked closer with an ear-to-ear grin on her baked face. Her clanging heels echoed through the entire room, the skimpy skirt she had on showing off her typical model legs.Mercury was beautiful in a maleficent kind of way, with red lips, seductive siren eyes, and a jawline that could cut paper. Every stride she took was coated in confidence and charisma. Mercury acted as though the world was her runway, and she owned it. A perk of being the daughter of one of the biggest fashion brands. The Uber driver, who is certainly not an Uber driver, waved to her as she neared. Words were caught in my throat, and I was in the middle of finding an excuse to
AXEL WHITE. Unlike the others who ended up on my bed, she didn't know who I was. I had been a regular at the club for as long as forever; somehow, she didn't know me. I still remember how terrified she looked when she saw me, and she didn't even tell me her name.I had gone to Club Aqua to knock myself out, as always. Why feel when there was something for numbing? Alcohol, parties, and cunt owners– my mantra. I was on my second bottle of whiskey when she approached me. My eyes were barely open. It was a cinematic experience, proving that the USA accommodated all kinds of crazy people. The memories of that night remained etched in my mind like a nightmare.How she'd walked up to me and asked for my contact, and things took a sudden, wild turn. I remembered vividly how she ended up on my legs, my lips, hot and urgent on hers, and she pressed against me.How intoxicating the feel of her body against mine was. Not to mention the urgent ride to my hotel when I tried not to rip off her
EVANGELINE MILLER"No, I didn't get fired. Thank you for asking!" I yelled as I kicked my shoes off and dipped my feet into the blue flip-flops by the door. Harper just stared, waiting for me to let it out as always. She sat up, monk style, on a bean bag with her phone, of course, then gently placed it by her side.I took off my jacket and flung it across the room. I didn't see what it landed on, but there was a crashing sound that I was going to check later when I felt saner.Right now, the weight of the world rested on my shoulders, I was beginning to feel like I walked out of the marvel dictionary and the writers were trying to dump heart-wrenching backstories on me, so when I finally become a murderous villain on the loose, there would be some sort of justification for it.I sighed, unbuttoning my shirt too. I tore it off, falling to my bed in nothing but a singlet and a trouser so tight around the waist, I could almost not breathe."Spill, Hun. What part of the Hollywood story a
AXEL WHITE. *Readers' discretion advised* "No, don't. Don't do that," I said sternly as I pulled Savanna off me as she tried to place her lips on mine. Her hands were everywhere, all over me. Bold of her to think I'd get kissed by a whore. "Why?" She quizzed breathlessly, genuinely baffled. "Kneel down and suck me off. That's why you're here." She knelt before me while I sat at the edge of the king-sized bed. It dipped, giving in to my weight. The room had fallen into a hush, accompanied by the soft glow of light that came from the chandelier above, casting an orange hue over the room and thereby accentuating the raunchy atmosphere. My nose was filled with the smell of whiskey and weed— although pungent, but I was too high, too drunk to mind. My body jolted in response when Savanna's hasty fingers crawled up my thighs, urgently finding my belt and unbuckling it. I leaned back and arched up, sucking air with my teeth as I allowed her the chance to rip the trouser off me. "Lik
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