“Your brother and I were just having a chat,” I said before Damien could say anything. “He is really nice”“Sure, I am,” Harry said, his voice laced with sarcasm.“I will leave you two alone then,” I said, attempting to walk past Damien, but his hands wrapped around me, pulling me back. “Thank you for coming, Harry, but the next time you come to my house, I expect you to treat my guests with respect.” Damien barked. “Brother I..”“Did I make myself clear!” Damien barked. “Please don't start a fight” I muttered.Damiens's grip tightened around my arm, pulling me upstairs. I glanced back to look at Harry who wore a dumbfounded look on his face. “Damien, why did you do that?” I asked as we entered the room. “He is your brother, why would you speak to him in that manner?”“I love you, Vanessa, you know that, right?”I nodded “Of course I do”“Don't listen to anything he says, do you understand?”I sigh. “He simply said you love Elizabeth more than you love me,” I took a step forward.
**THREE HOURS AGO**Damien and I were in Alex's hospital room to check on her and suddenly, I got thirsty. I turned to face Damien.“I'm going to get a drink of water”His grip tightened around mine “I'll come with you”Alex and I laughed. “Is he always like this?”I nodded. “This is just a preview”I pulled away from Damien. “It will just take a second; I saw a water dispenser a few rooms away,” I tapped Damiens's shoulder and walked.“She is going to return, Damien,” Alex yelled as I walked out. I chuckled. Obviously, Damien was trying to come after me. But something felt strange. As I approached the water dispenser, I felt somebody following me. A nurse Perhaps? Or Raymond? After the shooting accident, I was cautious about everything, maybe too cautious?“Who are you?” I spun around to face the person. It was a man, a very startled man. “Is there a problem?” He asked. “I was just trying to get a drink of water”“Ah,” I said softly, moving away from the silence. “I'm so sorry, I
~~Damien~~I rushed down the stairs as soon as I heard her car pull up. “What were you thinking about leaving the house without me?”“This again?” I asked, exhausted. He wrapped his hands around my waist pushing me against him. “Never do that again” He muttered pressing his lips against mine”“Eww, what have you done to my cousin?” Alex asked, covering her face. “Now,” he said, pulling away from me. “This gym Instructor, did he touch you? Tell me if he did and I'm breaking him limb from limb”I cupped his face with both my hands. “It was fine, Damien, I'm here right now, and I'm safe, aren't I?”“Yeah, except for the flat tire, everything went fine. I promise,” Alex said. My jaw clenched. “He didn't have to know that,” I said, shooting her an annoyed gaze. Damiens brow furrowed, turning away from me. “Flat tire?”Alex nodded. “Her tire was flat when we got out of the gym. Luckily some guy came to our rescue.He turned to look at me. His brow raised. “Guy? As in a man?”“He took h
~~Wayne~~As I made my way into Mother's house, a cold shiver ran down my spine. Why did she ask for me? Was she mad about something I did? More orders to give? “Wayne” I heard her call out to me. I turned around startled. “Mother” I gasped. “You scared me”“Follow me.” She turned around, making her way towards the living room. As always. No, hello, so, how are you?”“Have you asked Vanessa out yet?” She asked, positioning herself on one of the living room chairs, sipping from a cup of tea…coffee? I'm not sure. “I believe it's too early mother, I only met her yesterday”Her gaze shot to me, her eyes cold. “We do not have time to waste; call her right now, say you have been thinking about her, and you want to meet with her,” she instructed. I sighed reaching into my pocket for my phone. Just as I had predicted. More orders. ~~Vanessa~~As always, I woke up wrapped up in Damian's arms only this time he wasn't sleeping. The softness of his kisses upon my back woke me up. “When
~~VANESSA~~I sat on one of the seats in the coffee shop waiting patiently for Wayne to show up. This was better than dining with a stranger. I couldn't help but think about the time Raymond and I went on a date and he almost died from an allergy attack. Sigh. I should have let him die. “Here is your double espresso with a splash of vanilla, ma'am,” The waiter said, placing my cup of coffee on the table before me. A smile formed on my lips as I grabbed the cup from the table. “Thank you,” I said, but he had already begun to walk off. As usual, there was a tiny spoon placed carefully beside my coffee, and I picked it up and began to steer. Cisco, the waiter, always added too much vanilla and called it a ‘splash,’ so, of course,, I had to stir. “Planning world domination?” A man's voice said sarcasm playing in his voice. Startled, I looked up to see who it was. Wayne. He stood before me, his dark eyes gazing into mine and his curly black hair falling perfectly onto his forehead
A rugged smirk formed on Raymond's lips. The sound of police sirens filled the air and immediately, he dashed off. I looked to my left and saw the ambulance arrived. “Thank God!” I gasped. Two of them rushed in with a stretcher in their hand. “I am over here!” I cried. They rushed towards me and I quickly pulled away from Wayne to let them do their job. “Vanessa!” Damien growled, rushing into the place. My head turned to see him, his eyes searching frantically for me. “Damien?” I yelled rushing towards him. He wrapped me up in a tight hug, his hug telling me words that his mouth couldn't say. “Blood,” he said, his voice barely audible as he pulled away to look at my hands. “It's Wayne's blood,” I said quickly. I turned to see Wayne being rolled out of a stretcher. “It was my fault,” I said, throat dry. Damien's hand squeezed mine tightly. “No, it's not”I quickly shook my head. “No” I gasped. “I saw him. Raymond”Damiens brow furrowed. “What?”“He was on the roof of the
“Stay in the hospital for a while,” My mother instructed. My brow creased. “What?” I muttered. “Make her feel obligated to take care of you when she does that, she will feel a bond to you, the man who took a bullet for her, and then you can't get close to Damien remember the plan and stick to it Wayne, make it look real”I exhaled sharply. “Of course Mother”“Do not disappoint me, Wayne,” “Yes, Mother,” But before I could say anything more before I could finish, the line went flat. I clenched my phone tightly. In my hands, anger boiling inside of me, I threw it across the room. I didn't care about the Davenport family. Did they abandon my pregnant mother years ago? So what? We are thriving without them; only my mother cares for revenge, and I'm tired; I just want her to love me. Is that too much to ask?~~Vanessa~~Damien rented out an entire restaurant opposite the hospital. “Damien, you shouldn't have done this; other people need to eat, too,” I said pretending that I was
~~Katherine~~My stomach tightened as Harry approached us. He looked exactly like Zane. Or was I tweaking? Zane was just three when I lost him. My heart raced faster as Harry's sharp gaze shifted to me. “Who is this?” He asked.“Oh, this is…” Vanessa's voice trailed off. She turned to look at me. “I'm sorry, what was your name again?”I swallowed hard.“Katherine” I managed to let out, my voice barely above a whisper. “My name is Katherine”“Ah, Katherine,” Vanessa said. “She is going to stay with us until her car is fixed. Vanessa explained. Harry nodded, turning to face Damien. “Can we talk?”“Of course, brother, what is it about?” “Follow me,” Harry said, turning to walk off. Damien turned to face Vanessa. “Do not leave the house,” he instructed before turning to follow his brother. I swallowed hard. Could it be Zane? My mind flashed back to twenty-seven years ago. It was racing violently and my twins Zane and Wayne were playing in the living room. But suddenly Wayne runs to
“Vanessa, please,” I begged, gently pulling away from her grasp.As I approached the door, something struck me from behind. I froze. Slowly, I turned to see her shoe on the ground. My head sprang up to look at her, my brows knitting together.“Did you just throw your shoe at me?”She sobbed. “Yes, what do you have to do? Do you want to hit her? Give her more reasons to lock you up?”She breathed shakingly. “It's our wedding night Damien, we should be together, so don't walk out on me”My jaw clenched as I approached her. She immediately took a step back, fear flickering in her eyes. .“What are you doing?” She ran across the room. “Are you angry? I'm sorry” She begged. As I drew closer, she took off her other shoe, throwing it at me, but I caught it. “Stop!” She cried covering her face.“Ouch, Vanessa, did you think I was going to hurt you?” I asked, pulling her hands away from her face. She looked at me, her eyes still wet from tears.“You are not?”My jaw tightened even more, my g
Katherine.The letter read,Congratulations on your wedding, I'm sure getting married into the Davenport family feels like a treat, well enjoy, I was going to come after you before but now that you are going to be a part of the family officially, you are also an enemy to me as they are to me, you will suffer the same pain that I will make them all feel.But…There's an escape for you, Go to the altar today to get married to Damien, but when the priest asks you if you will ask him as your husband, say no, shock the congregation and most importantly, Damien, Shatter his heart into pieces and you shall be free if the pain that I will rain on this family. A pain much worse than death. Love, Katherine Sinclair. My whole body shuddered with fear as I read its contents. How did the note get here? Did Katherine have an inside man at my wedding?The veil covered my head as Mr Davenport led me to the altar. But I was cautious of my surroundings, what if Katherine was here? Would she try anyth
As the nurse led me to Katherine's room in the hospital my fists clenched. I have not seen her in years. She must have changed a lot, but still carrying a grudge from years ago?Sigh. “In here, sir,” The nurse said, reaching for the door. “Stop”She paused, turning to look at me. “Leave, I want to go in alone” I instructed. She nodded, turning to leave. My fists loosened as I reached for the door. I exhaled sharply and pulled it open. “Katherine,” I muttered as My gaze caught her lying on the bed. Her gaze shifted to me, her eyes widening in surprise. “Well, this is a surprise,” She groaned, sitting up on her bed. “I knew you would come running to save your son but I didn't know you would come here so soon”“Katherine,” I said, walking towards her. “What do you think you are doing to my family?Her jaw clenched. “Your family?” She scoffed. “Soon, there will be no one for you to call family, and I will end you!” She snapped. My brow furrowed. I had never seen so much hate in he
My breathing grew ragged as Harry explained everything. “Dad, are you still there?” He asked. “Dad?”“I will be in America as soon as I can; call somebody to get my son out of prison; we are rich, goddammit! Use it!”I yelled, hanging up immediately. “George!” I yelled. My eyes searched frantically.“Yes sir?!” He responded almost immediately. “Prepare my plane, we are going to America” I Instructed. My children are suffering because of my past mistakes. I covered my face in shame. What a bad father I was. I needed to find Katherine and settle things between us before it got out of hand. ~~Vanessa~~I sat in the bathtub filled with water. My eyes closed as I thought about Damien. I wish I could be there with him. My eyes shot open as I heard the bedroom door open. “Who is there?” I asked but no response followed. “Harry?” I called again.Suddenly, the bathroom door pulled open, and Damien stepped in. Damien?!Without asking any questions, I jumped out of the bathroom, rushin
~~Wayne~~A FEW HOURS AGO. As I drove to Damien's company, I got a call from my mother, and I picked up immediately. “Hello, Mother,” I said, immediately picking up. “Are you out of the hospital yet?” She asked. “Yes, Mother,” I said, my back still twitching with pain.“Good, Make sure you come into the office with Damien, I need everything to be perfect”My hands tightened around the wheel “Do you have to get stabbed for this to work, Mother?”“Yes,” She responded curtly. “I won't die as long as you do your part. “Understand?”I nodded. “Yes, Mother”PRESENT TIME~~Vanessa~~“What does this look like?” I asked standing in front of a mirror as I tried on wedding dresses. “Beautiful” Alex responded in awe. “Yes but former or latter?” I asked spinning to see the back. “It depends, do you want to look beautiful? Or sexy?”I bit my lower lip in thought then finally spoke. “Sexy”“Then this one!” She yelled. We both shrieked in excitement. Then suddenly, my phone began to ring. Qu
“Yes,.murder” She responded, her voice steady.As I opened my mouth to speak she cut in. “I will leave you to rest.” With that she walked out of the office, the room shutting the door behind her. “Murder?”~~Vanessa~~I lay in bed, wrapped up in a blanket, as my mind reeled with thoughts. How did my life get like this? I was a complete mess and I knew it. I heard footsteps approach the room; excited, I jumped out of bed. “Damien?” I said pulling the door open. He smiled weakly at me. “How did you know it was me?”“You are the only one who comes up here,” I said, wrapping my hand around him in a tight hug. He lifted me up in his arms. Wrapping my legs around him. “How is Wayne?” I asked her and walked into the room, placing me carefully on the bed. “Vanessa” He breathed against my lips, his eyes searching mine. “How are you?”“I'm fine, Damien; I have to be,” he pushed me, causing my back to lay flat on the bed, and climbed onto me. “Are you scared?” He asked.“Raymond doesn't s
~~Katherine~~My stomach tightened as Harry approached us. He looked exactly like Zane. Or was I tweaking? Zane was just three when I lost him. My heart raced faster as Harry's sharp gaze shifted to me. “Who is this?” He asked.“Oh, this is…” Vanessa's voice trailed off. She turned to look at me. “I'm sorry, what was your name again?”I swallowed hard.“Katherine” I managed to let out, my voice barely above a whisper. “My name is Katherine”“Ah, Katherine,” Vanessa said. “She is going to stay with us until her car is fixed. Vanessa explained. Harry nodded, turning to face Damien. “Can we talk?”“Of course, brother, what is it about?” “Follow me,” Harry said, turning to walk off. Damien turned to face Vanessa. “Do not leave the house,” he instructed before turning to follow his brother. I swallowed hard. Could it be Zane? My mind flashed back to twenty-seven years ago. It was racing violently and my twins Zane and Wayne were playing in the living room. But suddenly Wayne runs to
“Stay in the hospital for a while,” My mother instructed. My brow creased. “What?” I muttered. “Make her feel obligated to take care of you when she does that, she will feel a bond to you, the man who took a bullet for her, and then you can't get close to Damien remember the plan and stick to it Wayne, make it look real”I exhaled sharply. “Of course Mother”“Do not disappoint me, Wayne,” “Yes, Mother,” But before I could say anything more before I could finish, the line went flat. I clenched my phone tightly. In my hands, anger boiling inside of me, I threw it across the room. I didn't care about the Davenport family. Did they abandon my pregnant mother years ago? So what? We are thriving without them; only my mother cares for revenge, and I'm tired; I just want her to love me. Is that too much to ask?~~Vanessa~~Damien rented out an entire restaurant opposite the hospital. “Damien, you shouldn't have done this; other people need to eat, too,” I said pretending that I was
A rugged smirk formed on Raymond's lips. The sound of police sirens filled the air and immediately, he dashed off. I looked to my left and saw the ambulance arrived. “Thank God!” I gasped. Two of them rushed in with a stretcher in their hand. “I am over here!” I cried. They rushed towards me and I quickly pulled away from Wayne to let them do their job. “Vanessa!” Damien growled, rushing into the place. My head turned to see him, his eyes searching frantically for me. “Damien?” I yelled rushing towards him. He wrapped me up in a tight hug, his hug telling me words that his mouth couldn't say. “Blood,” he said, his voice barely audible as he pulled away to look at my hands. “It's Wayne's blood,” I said quickly. I turned to see Wayne being rolled out of a stretcher. “It was my fault,” I said, throat dry. Damien's hand squeezed mine tightly. “No, it's not”I quickly shook my head. “No” I gasped. “I saw him. Raymond”Damiens brow furrowed. “What?”“He was on the roof of the