For reasons I did not understand, reasons I was not ready for, I was laughing with this person. He was the most maddening person in the world. And being in here, he has made me tell him how I was feeling, and laugh with him. Ridiculous!This must be the second time I was laughing with him. As I realized this, I looked at him again, and I thought, 'What’s up with this one? Is he a psychopath? Is he... Like, what is it about him that can be so maddening and makes you laugh at the same time? Is he a psychopath? A narcissist? A master manipulator?But also...I’m very confused.And as I thought this, I knew it. He was dangerous. He was trouble. He was not someone to be close to. He was someone I was supposed to keep a distance from and tell someone—anyone—about whatever it was that was going on here.So, out of nowhere, I just snapped."Is that going to be all? I don’t have to leave Blackwind? Okay, right, done. Can I leave now?"He looked at me, and there was this look.I caught him off
"Fine. What's the next one?" I decided to cut to the point."Well..." He drew out the word. "To be honest, I think I’m just gonna give you three.""Alright. Thank you, Your Majesty," I replied, sarcasm dripping from my voice. "What’s the last one?""I think I’m gonna keep this one to myself."I blinked. "What?"He smirked. "I feel like there’s a day when I’ll need to use this last card. So I’m gonna keep it. One day, when the need arises, I’ll cash it in.""What do you think this is, the Mafia?" I narrowed my eyes. "Are you like the mob, keeping favours or something?"He actually considered this for a moment, nodding as if he were seriously pondering his life choices. "You know, I could have been a good Mafia boss. I mean, I’m handsome after all. Strong. Charismatic.""One punch sent you to the hospital," I pointed out flatly.He winced, rubbing his jaw in mock pain. "Then I guess I just need to work harder."There was a pause."So... Rita’s gonna have a baby. And you’re gonna have
Tina wasted no time rushing towards Treyson's side. Her hands went over him like a mother hen checking every feather. She touched his face, smoothed his hair, and examined his black eye with a gasp that could have won an award for most dramatic performance."Oh, my baby," she muttered, half-praying, half-cursing whoever had dared to harm her precious son.I watched the scene, feeling like a trespasser in some strange family drama."It's fine, Mom. It's okay. I'm fine. I promise I'm fine." Treyson placated his mother.Tina's face remained concerned, her eyes scanning him like she could somehow make his injuries disappear. "Are you sure, baby? Are you sure? Who did this?" Her gaze flicked over to me, and there was something about the way she looked at me—as if she was ready to attack at any moment.Trey sighed and laid back against his pillow, his voice soft."I hit my head pretty hard. I really don't know what happened. I went to the toilet, then I went outside the restaurant, the ba
Tina shot me a sharp glare as she stared at me, and then she looked back at her son. Then with a calm, soft voice, she said, "Why don't you just look after your health? I just want you to get better. Let's get better so we can go home.""Go home?" Treyson asked as he looked at his mother. "What do you mean, go home? I thought you were leaving me here to head the project.""Yeah, well," she said as if she didn't want to have this conversation here or with me present, because she kind of gave me a look too. "We'll discuss that later.""No, there's no discussing that later. Tell me now or leave. What do you want to say that has to wait? If it's the injuries, it's just the eye, but I'm okay.""Your head is bandaged." Tina pointed out."I know, but the doctors told me it's not as bad as it looks. And as long as I rest, drink my water and look after myself, it will all be good in a couple of days. They are just concerned I might have a concussion, but I don't think I have it. So, what is r
I awkwardly stood up, brushing myself off and making sure I had everything with me with a quick glance around, Suddenly Trey's voice was heard commanding the room, and there was an edge and a threat in his voice as he said, “Mina, could you come over here for a second?”I looked at him, hesitant, knowing full well I was not going to follow whatever scheme he had in mind. But then, he pointed towards his mom with his eyes.He didn’t say another word, but he spoke to me through his eyes, and I understood what he was trying to communicate. I knew what he wanted.Reluctantly, I went closer to him.“closer,” he he said,I moved closer, hesitating but then, without warning, he grabbed my head, pulling me towards him.He whispered, “Do not tell anybody about our sacred agreement. One word out, and the offer is off the table.”“What are you two whispering to each other?” Tina said, her eyes narrowing as she first looked at me with an accusing glare, then shifted her attention to her son.Wi
Emmerson hesitated, his words faltering.“What?” I demanded. “What did you find, Emerson?”“I misspoke,” he said quickly, shaking his head. “I’m just tired.”“No,” I argued. “Finish what you were going to say. After you found him doing what?”He sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair. “After I found him kissing you.”“You mean when you found us kissing?” I gasped my voice filled with sarcasm.“I misspoke,” he said again, his words coming out in a rush. “I’m sorry. I’m just so damn tired, Mina. But after seeing you holding hands with him, you can’t fault me for wondering what’s going on.”I stared at him. The exhaustion on his face, the frustration in his voice—it all felt too much.“You don’t trust me,” I said quietly, more to myself than to him.“That’s not true,” Emerson said, his voice softening. “I trust you, Mina. But right now, I need to understand. I need to know what’s really happening here.”I didn't say anything. So, he continued."What's going on? Mina, talk to me.
I had to think quickly, "Because when I got there, the nurses told me that I couldn't leave him alone," I said, exhaling deeply. "He had a concussion. He's not supposed to fall asleep. So I was just there giving him company, and I must have lost track of time. And as you can see, I'm very tired, so I must have dozed off." "And holding hands?" Emerson shot back, "Okay, I cannot take responsibility for that," I replied, holding up my hands defensively. "I was not holding his hand. Maybe I fell asleep before him, and he took my hand, but I was in no way holding his hand. Okay, Emerson? I really need you to trust me right now." His expression softened slightly. "All right, Mina, I trust you. But still—what are you saying? You're saying that this is all over, and you’ve forgiven him? Is that what you're telling me?" I hesitated, knowing how this was going to sound. "I don’t know. But since we’re going to be working together, I don’t think it’s very good for us to have hatred towar
I sighed,"Honestly, I want to go to bed, okay? You're not an angel. You have gotten on my nerves a lot tonight. I have been mad at you a lot tonight. All I want is some space and sleep," I said, my voice sharp and filled with exhaustion.Then I pulled my hand away from him and started heading into the house.It was really late—so late that I wasn’t expecting anyone to be awake. I opened the door, stepping into the quiet house. Thomas, of course, would already be asleep at this hour. I didn’t bother turning on the lights. My only focus was on making it to bed, without further interruptions.But then, suddenly, the lights flicked on, and Madeline appeared right in front of me."Mina! What's going on? Why are you back so late? What happened? Is everything okay? Is Emerson okay? Where is he? Where's Emerson?" she asked frantically, her eyes darting around and looking behind me as though she expected him to walk through the door any second.Her questions came in rapidly, each one louder t
She looked at me with that twisted, dark smile, the one that told me she thought she had won. As if she had accomplished exactly what she came here to do. But she was still standing in my room, still breathing the same air as me, still existing in my space, and I couldn’t take it. The anger, the pain, the years of resentment came over me. My voice came out in a scream, raw and filled with fury. "Get out! Get out, get out, get out!" The door burst open. A nurse rushed in, followed closely by Trey. His eyes darted between me and my mother, concern into his face. "What’s going on?" he demanded. "Mina, what happened?" I pointed a shaking hand at Kristy. "I don’t want to see this woman ever again in my life!" My voice was hoarse, but I didn’t care. "I’ll get a restraining order if I have to. If I ever see you again, I swear I will make you regret it." The words cut through the air.
She looked at me for a long moment before speaking again."I am willing to give you another chance." She announced.A surprised cough escaped my lips. "A chance?" I repeated, narrowing my eyes. "A chance to do what, exactly?""A chance to prove that you have wished no ill for your sister," she said firmly. "To prove that you actually are part of this family."A disbelieving chuckle slipped past my lips, but my mother didn’t flinch. She pressed on as if she truly believed she held all the power in this conversation."You’re going to call Eric," she continued. "You’re going to tell him that everything that happened with Trey was wrong. You're going to talk to Trey and convince him to tell Eric that maybe he was lying. Just… find something. Make up anything. But make sure that Eric calls Rita, apologizes, and takes your sister back home where she belongs."She said it as if the matter was settled as if she had the final say.
By the time we turned back towards the room, we noticed that the doctor had already left. I guess there had been too much crying in the room. I found myself laughing. "I'm so happy, Emerson." He grinned, his excitement evident. "I'm even happier. You don’t know how I’m feeling right now. I want to—" He let out a breathless laugh. "I want to dance. I want to jump with joy. I want to scream it from the top of this building. I'm going to be a dad, Mina!" "And I'm going to be a mom," I said, my voice breaking as fresh tears welled in my eyes. Emerson's expression softened. "Oh my God, why are you still crying? I don’t think it’s good for the baby to cry so much." "I know," I sniffled, wiping my eyes. "I’m going to try. I really am. But I don’t know how to stop—I’m just so happy." At that moment, my stomach let out a loud rumble. Emerson chuckled. "Looks like our baby is hu
The doctor’s expression remained calm. “Did you drink every day?”I shook my head quickly. “No, not every day. Just occasionally.”Guilt flooded me. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry. I—I didn’t know I was pregnant.” My voice cracked, and the tears returned, burning the back of my eyes.The doctor placed a hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently. “Mina, it’s okay. You didn’t know.”I hiccupped on a sob. “But what if I—”“Listen to me,” she interrupted firmly, “You and the baby are healthy. Tomorrow, we’ll do a full examination, and so far, everything looks good. The important thing is that you know now. And because you know, I trust that you’ll take better care of yourself from here on out.”I sniffled, nodding, still feeling the weight of my mistakes.“But I need you to stop panicking, Mina,” she continued. “Stress will raise your blood pressure, and that’s not good for the baby. Right now, I just need you to focus on resting and
I just sat there, staring at Emmerson. My tongue felt heavy like it was weighed down by all that I couldn’t bring myself to say.“Come on, what is it?” Emerson urged, his voice softer now, careful. “Tell me whatever it is. We can go through it together.”But there was fear in his eyes. A fear that told me he was bracing himself for the worst.I opened my mouth, but no words came out.Before I could even attempt to find them, Trey spoke up. “We’re still waiting for the results. There hasn’t been a concrete answer yet.”Emerson exhaled, his shoulders losing a fraction of their tension. “What do you mean, concrete answer? What did the doctor say? What could it be?”“It’s fine,” I said quickly, nodding as I squeezed his hand. “Just wait for the results.”He looked at me, then at our intertwined fingers, and for some reason, my hands were trembling.Then he turned to Trey. “Treyson, can I talk to you aside for a minute?”Panic spiked in my chest. I clutched Emerson’s hand tighter. “No.
Trey looked at me, his expression unreadable, but there was something in his eyes—sympathy, maybe even sadness. His voice was quiet when he spoke again.“You’re pregnant, Mina.”I stared at him. The words didn’t make sense. They bounced around in my head, refusing to settle.“It’s not possible,” I said, a hollow laugh escaping my lips. It carried no joy, only confusion. “What are you saying, Trey? I can’t be pregnant. I… It’s impossible, okay?”I didn’t even know what I was saying anymore. My mind scrambled for explanations, for reasons..... This couldn't be true.Trey didn’t argue. He simply took my hand and placed it gently on the bed between us. His grip is grounding.“The doctors just confirmed it. You’re a hundred per cent pregnant.”“But how?” I whispered, shaking my head violently, as if denying it hard enough would make it untrue. If I accepted it if I let this idea take root in my mind, only for it to be ripped away later… I wouldn’t survive that. I couldn't.“They’re wrong,
I exhaled and looked at him. "Eric, you're just a bad human being. You slept with my sister, got her pregnant, and you were about to marry her. And not once did I attack you. Not once did I go to the papers and say, 'I broke up with Eric Blackwind because he slept with my sister.' That would have made headlines. I could have made a lot of money from your Betrayal. But I didn’t."I shook my head, disbelief coursing through me. "But the minute you found out I was with Emerson, you—" I scoffed. "You acted like I had committed murder... As if I had done something that deserved a death sentence. You acted like the real person that, deep down, you really are."Eric bowed his head, his voice barely a whisper. "I'm sorry. I know I'm not a good person. I'm selfish and arrogant. I'm all those things. I'm evil. I am all that you accuse me of and more"His fingers curled into fists, his jaw tightening before he spoke again. "And you know I didn’t want to divorce you.
"You!" Rita’s voice sliced through the air like a dagger, her finger trembling as she pointed at me. "This is all your fault!" She accused, her voice filled with bitterness.I blinked, frozen. "What did I do?""You did this to me!" she screamed, her face filled with rage. "You turned Trey against me! And now you’re turning Eric against me too! You’re turning everyone against me!" She cried bitterly.I stared at her in shock and disbelief. "Are you serious?"Her chest heaved. "It was always you. Always you!" she spat. "Mom always complaining about you. Dad would always talk about how smart you were, and how nice you were. It was always Mina this, Mina that! It was almost like I was invisible."Oh. So that’s what this was about.I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. "So this is about our childhood?" I asked, arching a brow. "About how you felt ignored while mom never spared me a glance? Did we have the same childhood? Mom adores you.
"Don't say that," Rita cried, her voice cracking with desperation. "Please, don't say that."Eric’s face remained cold, without any emotion. "You destroyed my life." His words were sharp, cutting through the air. "You told me you loved me. You promised me a family because you knew how much I loved talking about having a baby of my own, about having a family. But you? You were never who you pretended to be."Rita shook her head violently. "No, Eric, please—""What were you after, really?" Eric went on, his voice filled with disdain. "Always speaking ill of Mina behind her back, always trying to turn me against her. Now I see your true colours. I don’t know if it’s the hate you have for her or if it’s the money you were after. Because you spent more money than Mina ever did while we started dating until we got married, you spent ten times more. And I let you—because I wanted you to be happy. But to realize this about you now....?"His jaw clenched as he exhaled."No, Eric, stop saying t