MinaEmerson followed my gaze. His nostrils flared, but the anger in his eyes dimmed.I turned and walked toward Trey, my steps slow, Emerson following behind me. We both stood there, staring down at Trey’s crumpled body. I opened my mouth to speak, my voice barely a whisper. “We should call—”Before I could finish, a voice shrieked from behind us.“Trey! Oh my God, what happened? Trey! Somebody call an ambulance!”The sharp click of heels echoed in the hallway as Tina ran toward us. She dropped to her knees beside Trey, cradling his head in her lap. Her hands trembled as she gently patted his face. “Trey, are you okay? Trey, wake up! Can you hear me? Somebody call an ambulance!”She slapped his cheeks lightly, her fingers shaking. Her eyes widened in horror when she pulled her hands away and saw the blood smeared across them.“Oh my God…” Her voice cracked as she stared at the blood on her hands.My stomach lurched. I stumbled away from the scene, clutching at the walls for balance
The car was silent as we made our way to the hospital. The hum of the tyres on the road was a dull soundtrack to my chaotic thoughts. 'Oh God, please let Trey survive. Please don’t let anything bad happen. Please, just this once, let everything be okay.'The prayer looped in my head, unspoken but desperate, until a voice broke through to the present.“Mina? Mina?”I didn’t respond. I was too lost in my thoughts.“Mina!” Rita’s voice sharpened, as she shouted.I turned my head sharply toward her.“What do you want, Rita?”“Have you seen Mom? Have you talked to her lately?”I scoffed, a bitter laugh escaping before I could stop it.“Of course, you know I haven’t. You’re the one who talks to her all the time. You’re her bestie, aren’t you? You’d know if I had because she tells you everything.”Rita continued. “I think you should call Mom. At least check in on her. Whatever happened between the two of you—she’s still your mother.”Another scoff, sharper this time.“After what she said at
The car grew silent again, but of course, Rita couldn't just let the moment be. She decided to shift her attention from me to Emerson.“Mr. Blackwind—oh, I’m sorry,” she started awkwardly.Emerson didn’t miss a beat. “It’s fine, Rita. We’re family. You can call me Emerson.”I couldn’t help myself. “Or, Dad. You can call him father.” I gave a low laugh, the kind that dripped with sarcasm. If she was going to call him Dad, how exactly was she supposed to refer to me?Classic!The thought amused me more than it should have. I started laughing again. Rita shot me a glare, but then she straightened her posture, composed herself, and chose to ignore me. Smart choice.“What do you think happened to Trey?” she asked, her voice suddenly filled with curiosity and concern. “I mean, he was fine one minute, and then he just fell, and there was blood everywhere. Do you think it could be… a disease? Maybe he fainted from something else? Maybe he had a heart Attack Or an allergy to the food?”She li
I know some people are going to call me a hypocrite, but Eric always treated Tina with respect—almost like she was his mother. He had just called her his godmother at dinner for Christ's sake.This was so inappropriate.I didn’t know if he was taking advantage of the situation, taking advantage of her, or if he didn’t even realize what he was doing. I didn’t know.But seeing the look on Rita’s face?Now that was good.That was priceless.The way she got mad. How her face turned red with fury. My heart released some heartache.As we reached them, Rita shifted her body, positioning herself firmly beside Eric. Emerson and I stood directly in front of Eric and Rita.Emerson didn’t waste time.“How is he? What did the doctor say? Is he going to be alright”Tina, trying her best not to cry, answered, “They haven’t told us anything. Ever since we got here, nobody has told us anything. I don’t know how my son is doing. I’m so worried. I just hope he gets out of all of this alive.”Eric reach
They were all staring at me, waiting. The room felt smaller, and my heart raced. I was nervous. Too nervous. So I blurted the first word that came to my head."Nothing."Tina’s eyes darkened, her voice rising. "What do you mean nothing? Treyson is lying in there. He is hurt. His life is on the line, and you’re telling me that nothing?""I mean… nothing really happened," I stammered, my voice weak. "I don’t know what you expect me to say. I just… I don’t know what happened."Her anger rose as she stepped closer. "What do you mean you don’t know what happened, Mina?""Okay, let’s just calm down," Emerson interjected, his tone soothing as he placed himself between us. "I get that our emotions are running high, and we all want answers, but let’s take a breath."Tina was having none of it. Her glare burned right through me. "No. I want to know what happened to my son. You and Mina were the ones with Trey when it happened, and I want to know exactly what went down. Are you going to tell me?
I sat there on the chair, just sitting, staring at the walls, watching nurses and doctors pass by, their steps brisk, their faces a blur of calm and urgency. They came in and out, speaking softly, holding clipboards in hushed tones. My mind was blank. My body felt distant, as though I was a spectator of my own life.Then, out of nowhere, I heard the hurried click of heels—a determined, sharp sound cutting through the quiet of the hospital. Voices followed voices trying hard to be composed but strained.Tina and Emerson appeared first. They weren’t walking together; they were locked in a tug-of-war of anger. Emerson’s face was tight, his jaw clenched. Tina, her eyes wild, was a storm barely held in place.And behind them, a police officer.The sight of the uniform turned my stomach to ice. Panic surged through me so violently that I thought I might be sick. It’s done. We’re done. Everybody knows. I didn’t know how far this would go, but my mind raced to the worst. Was I an accomplice?
“He is not dead, Tina!” Emerson snapped, his voice filled with frustration. “Stop acting as if he’s dead. He is alive and doing well. He is going to wake up, he’s going to regain consciousness, and he’s going to say what happened. Why are you causing all this ruckus? Why don’t you wait until he wakes up and speaks about what happened?”Tina’s expression hardened, her face replaced with suspicion and anger. “Because I’m afraid that one of you will get to him before I do,” she retorted. “Maybe you’ll get rid of him before I can find out the truth. And I’m going to protect my son.”Emerson’s face twisted in disbelief. “ Are you serious right now? I can't believe this, now you think we want to do what?“ Emerson released a sad laugh before he continued. “It’s okay if you don’t want me or Mina to go close to him. You’re his mother. You’re the first person he’s going to see. He’s going to tell you everything.““ And when he does tell me something, I don’t want any of you to flee. You’re g
Everyone's eyes turned toward me, their expressions thick with anger, surprise, hatred, and disappointment. I could feel their judgment like sharp knives against my skin.Emerson's hand moved to his face, shielding his eyes as though trying to block out the truth or perhaps the sight of me standing there. He was the one person I wanted to look at, the one person whose reaction I needed to see. But he didn’t meet my gaze. I stood frozen, letting their stares cut into me, letting their judgment pour over me.Tina’s hand trembled as she raised it, pointing at me. Her voice was sharp, almost unrecognizable.“You tell me—what did you do to my son?”She pushed herself up, her entire body shaking with rage. I couldn’t move. I stood there, rooted in place, my breath caught in my throat, my mind blank. Tina was coming for me, and I didn’t know what to do.Eric grabbed her arms just in time, pulling her back as she lunged toward me. “Tina, stop!”The police officer stepped between us. His cal
"Tina, I don't think we should be drinking right now.""Oh, come on, Mina, why are you being such a downfall? Don't you want to uplift my spirits? Come on, please join me."And then she's already there by the bar, pouring us wine. She calls the chef and asks him to prepare little snacks to eat while we're drinking the wine. She's already choosing classical music, changing the lights in the house—I didn't even know we had disco lights—and she's putting them on.She's already dancing. She's drinking. She's pulling me up to dance with her.I think it's better to dance than drink the wine, so I put the wine glass away. And then the two of us just start dancing. At first, I'm just doing it to please her, but then I actually have fun.I have to agree, the Flaglers can get on your throat, but they're actually kind of fun. Like Tina—she's probably in her 60s, late 50s—and here she is, having the time of her life. She's laughing, pulling me with her, dancing with me. And I find myself actually
I roll my eyes at Trey and completely ignore his comment. Instead, I turn back to Tina."We are so attracted to each other," I say sarcastically. "I was here for three days. The first day, everything was fine. And the second day? He already brought a woman home."His mother whips around so fast it’s like she got whiplash."You what?" she snaps, her voice sharp as a knife. "You brought a woman here? In this penthouse?"Trey shifts in his seat, but before he can answer, she’s already going off."I told you not to bring any woman into this house! What the hell is wrong with you? Do you know how dangerous that is? People could take pictures of you! Your face could be all over the internet! You need to keep your image clean, Trey! We already talked about this...."She barely stops to take a breath before firing off more questions."Where did you even get this girl? Do you know her? Did security check her? Did she have her phone when she was with you? I hope this doesn't make headlines Trey
"You wanted to apologize?" I repeat, my voice sharp. "Apologize for what exactly? For humiliating me? For the accusations? For the defamation? What parts of what you did are you trying to apologize for?"Tina exhales, steadying herself. "I get your frustration and your anger towards me.""Please stop talking as if you actually understand what I’m going through right now," I say bitterly."I’m sure you’re going through a lot, and I should have done this sooner." She pauses, glancing at Trey before looking back at me. "The thing is, I love my son. I know there isn’t a person on this earth who doesn’t love their kids, but—""But you’re not supposed to just accuse people of things without being sure," I cut in.She nods and I continue,"I didn’t do anything to Trey. I didn’t even touch him.""I know," she says softly. "And I’m sorry.""And you know this how?" I challenge.Tina takes a deep breath. "I didn’t let it go just because Trey asked me to. I did my own investigation. I saw the v
Trey just grins. "I try."I roll my eyes at him. "I can’t believe you’re actually defending hanging out with Eric." I practically spit out his name.Trey rolls his eyes at me too. "Okay, first of all, I didn’t know he was going to throw the vase at you like that. And second, I get that you’re mad because he’s a cheater, but that doesn’t mean I have to cut him off completely. I can still talk to him. I can still be friends with him.""Yeah, because you’re also a cheater, aren’t you, Tracy Flager?"Trey freezes. His eyes narrow. "Okay, hold on a minute. Just because I’m friends with a cheater doesn’t make me one."I scoff. "Cheaters are the worst kind of people."" What if it was someone close to you? What if it was your mom for example? If you found out your own mother was a cheater, what would you do?" "If I found out my mom cheated on my dad, I would never speak to her again. Ever." My voice holds no space for doubt. Because I know it’s true. The way I loved my father? If my mom
“Come on, Trey, just tell me. Who is it?” I demand, my mind racing with a million different possibilities.Trey lifts his hands, making a grand gesture as if unveiling a piece of art. “Mommy dearest, of course.”I frown. “My mother?”He bursts out laughing. “Of course not. I don’t even know your mother. I meant my mom.”His mother? "Your mother?". He nods excitedly. “Tina flager?” I ask again He grins. “Yep! Isn’t it great? This is going to be an interesting dinner.”I stare at him, baffled. “Are you crazy? You want me to have dinner with your mother?”Trey just shrugs, like this is no big deal. Like the last time I sat at a table with him and his mother, it didn’t end with him in the hospital. Like his mother didn’t want to drag me to a police station by my hair.“The last time the three of us were at the same table, your mom literally tried to have me arrested, Trey.” “I know, good times,” he says, smirking. “Just think about it— in a few decades, when we’re old, sitting in ou
He takes a breath. "I cannot work with Emerson. I’m not working with your ex-fiancé. I’d rather work with your ex-husband than work with your ex-fiancé."I raise an eyebrow. "Wow!""We already have bad blood, okay?" he says, shaking his head. "I don’t want to be in a situation where I say something about you sleeping so beautifully in my bed, and then I find myself in the hospital again."It’s a joke. And I laugh, because—well, it’s true.He grins. "See? You’re laughing. Good beginnings."I shake my head, amused. "So? What are you proposing?""Not proposing," he corrects. "I already did the proposal. I pitched it to the team, and the Blackwind board, and they understood me. They agreed with me."I frown. "Agreed with what?"He leans forward. "You don’t want to go back to the company. But you’re passionate about this project. You want to do this. So if you and I are going to work together, why not do it from here? We can set up an office here—just like A, B, and C."I hesitate. "And wh
I'm already standing, walking to my bedroom. I step inside, and lock it—this time with bolts. I take a long shower, washing off everything that happened today. By the time I slip into bed, exhaustion lulls me into a deep, dreamless sleep.The loud ringing of my phone wakes me. I groggily reach for it, rubbing my eyes as I glance at the screen. An unknown number.For a moment, I consider ignoring it, but something makes me pick up.“Hello?” My voice is hoarse with sleep.Silence.“Hello?” I try again.Then I hear it—the familiar voice,“Nina.”I sit up instantly. “Emerson?”“Yes.” I exhale. “Are you okay? How are you feeling?”“I’m fine,” I say. “Don’t worry about me.""I… I wanted to come after you. I wanted to stop you and talk to you... When you left, I wanted to hold you, to take care of you. I knew you needed me, but I also knew you wouldn’t have liked that. So, I just had to stand there and let you leave.”I sigh. “It wouldn’t have made a good picture if I wanted to quit and prov
I go shopping and buy new clothes.Yesterday, when Trey came back from wherever he had disappeared to, he brought me a few outfits because, according to him, I didn't have any. But today, I doing the shopping. I have my own money—the money Emerson gave me for my trip—so I take myself shopping.I even go to the salon and get my hair done. My nails, too. I throw a spa day for myself, just me, a celebration of… whatever this new chapter of my life. In the evening I have dinner, and then I head towards Trey’s penthouse.I think it’s time I start looking for my own apartment. I have Emerson’s money, after all.Or, you know what? I could still go on that trip to Rio.These are the thoughts running through my head as I step into the elevator. I get off the elevator and I open the door. The moment I step inside, I freeze.I blink, processing the sight in front of me.Trey is standing right there, in the exact spot where I stood yesterday when he came home with that blonde bimbo.And he’s hold
Then, all at once, the decision is made."This is not worth it," I say, standing up so fast my chair scrapes against the floor. I’m not doing this. I don’t care about this job, this project, this entire damn company. I’m not safe here.No one stops me as I step away from my desk."People have put things in my drink," I continue, my voice growing louder. "I don’t even know if they were trying to poison me or just being assholes. I don’t know what they’re capable of. And now this?" I motion toward the broken vase. I look at Eric, who has a forced smile on his face. I know that smile, he knows he fucked up but he is not going to own up to it or apologize. "No. I’m done." I announceI turn toward Emerson. Our eyes meet. His expression is unreadable, but something flickers there—something like regret.I smile tightly, grabbing my bag. "I’m leaving."And this time, I mean it.I am out of the door and already in the parking lot, walking towards my car, ready to leave it all behind. But t