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A present.
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Maria No day off.
Her legs were numb and her body tired from the day's activities, the fun parts, and the parts that she was too complicated to be talked or thought about, at least not until she was freshened up and wrapped up in a blanket on her warm cozy bed. That period of introspection was something everyone needed, that time when you carry out personal criticisms and calculations about what really matters. The ride seemed longer than she expected. Not only was it longer, but it also bore with it two depressing messages from Jackson, just a few moments away from each other. The first— an invitation to somewhere she was unsure of, while the second was a message of urgency, she could feel the rush in the text after counting the exclamation marks that ended it.Only God knows what he wanted this time, she has asked for a day off. Like a halo, her thoughts were afloat in her head, churning and turning with the need to be attended to. It's been just a short while here yet so eventful, she kept feeling
Maria Something to say?
The D- day. It's been what? A year or two since he last saw his father, now he had to do it today and successfully hold back the emotions rooted deep in his heart. He had to smile, nod, and answer unsolicited questions just to protect that particular person—his mother. His bed seemed to swallow him deeper at that moment, making it even harder for him to get out of it. He hoped he could just lay there as time passed, registering in his head that nothing really mattered and that his life was his. Not the world's, not his father's, not America's, not ACE's, His. But that was too farfetched, it shouldn't be, he was only human after all.Was inviting Maria with him cowardice? It, indeed, was. A part of him was scared of the unfamiliarity or hostility that he'd be met with, he needed a familiar face to create a balance for the short period he was going to spend there. And he knows for sure her presence would piss off the old weasel. Anything he could to make a dent in his emotion
Maria Harry is a Jones?
How did her life go from living in a cramped two-room apartment to living the moments in houses she thought she'd only see in her dreams? That remained inexplicable to her. The fact that she existed in this time, in a mansion she once thought only the movies could offer, it was incredible. She had been angry after he informed her of the location, but as soon as she set foot on this heavenly ground, all of the anger waned drastically. All she felt was gratitude and happiness.Mr. Jones seemed to be a nice man, one of the nicest she had met since her stay here. If the mother was nice, and the father was— summing up looks and courtesy— near perfect, where then did Jackson get his nasty attitude? She was led to the dining room by the man that welcomed them outside the building. His name was Theo and from what Maria noticed, Theo was someone Jackson cared about. Something inside her moved when she watched Jackson hug him. Already sitting on one of the expensively carved chairs was Mrs. Jon
Maria The proposal
*A FEW MINUTES EARLIER* Theo accompanied Maria into the dining hall after father had said he had something important to discuss. Something didn't feel right, Jackson couldn't tell if his father was tense or pretending to be. In a while, they were at the lush green scene behind the buildings, his favorite place inside the mansion. He remembered sneaking out on late evenings to throw himself upon the soft grass as they cuddled him deeper, making the best blankets. He did this to feel like he was in control, like he could at least do something that he wanted to do. Theo was the person who watched out for his father's arrival and snuck him back into his room whenever he lost track of time.Those were the few good times that he could remember. Jackson's father took steps in sync with Jackson's, tucking his hands inside his pockets. He released them with a shrug and dropped them to his sides. Jackson wanted him to talk already, staying next to his father made him seeth in silence."I
Maria On edge.
The car screeched to a sudden halt, packing at the very middle of the road. Maria suddenly couldn't go on with her driving, she had to have heard wrong. Today had taken a lot of unexpected turns but this...this had to have been a mistake. First, The Jones Family, second—Harry, now this? Maybe Jackson was finding new ways to frustrate her. "W-what? What do you mean?" She blurted with surprise, "what are you talking about?""Marry me, Maria. You heard right." His head was resting on the seat and his eyes were covered by his arms as they rested on his forehead. His body language showed no nervousness or enthusiasm or fear, but it was quite the opposite for Maria. Her thoughts were clashing and electrical currents ran fervently down her spine. Confusion was the sole emotion she felt. Jackson had been acting weird since his meeting with his father, which she understood. From what she'd noticed, they probably had another clash or a disagreement. What she termed as unfathomable was
Maria Bad to worse.
"H-hi, what are you doing here?" She could barely manage to make out words, the shock was too much. Harry was the last person she had expected to be standing drenched in front of her apartment in the evening! Drenched and miserable. His lips tugged into a smile, "what a thrilling way to welcome a drenched visitor..." Sarcasm. But she didn't care about that right now. All she wanted to know was why her dilemma metamorphosed into a person and had come to torment her, it was hard enough dealing with it in her head.She realized she didn't invite him in like a polite person would have done. Immediately, she dropped her arm that held the door open and ushered him in."Come on in.""Thank you." He kicked his shoes off and placed them by the door side, along with the plastic bag he had—on a closer look, it looked like the content in it was rectangular shaped. He took light steps into the living room, and like a kitten, he stood at a particular corner to stop his wetness from messing things
Maria Acceptance.
She watched the loving glint his eyes darken with sadness and his grip on her hands got loose. He rose slowly and settled on a chair. He sat with a tired slump.Silence swallowed the air and the atmosphere was thick enough to choke. They both choked, on unsaid words, on their feelings and emotions. A knot formed in her chest from seeing him that sad...or was it disappointment?Maria didn't know the next thing to say to him, explaining wouldn't do him any good. One thing she was sure of was that he wasn't a part of her priorities right now. She had far more important things to settle. To achieve, and the moment she gave in to her emotions, the faster she might give it all up. She had seen powerful people get ruined by the myth called Love, and she feared falling into that same trap.He sighed, "can you at least tell me why?"Why? Because I came to the USA to do far more important things. Would that hurt him more? Because I fear emotions and the ties they have on us. Because I don't w
Maria First step, hard step.
Fear gripped her as she tried to still her hand from quivering so hard, her heart gave tumultuous beats as she pressed the doorbell, she had made up her mind too. She had decided to make good use of this opportunity to work her way to the top. It was business—pure business for the good of both of them, and she wasn't doing anything wrong, people used people, it was a symbiotic relationship and the number one rule of life.She had pushed Harry away, even when he promised he was going to stick around, how frustrating, how sad. Seeing the expression of sadness on his face had caused a part of her heart to sink, but the part that mattered—her mind— supported her decision. Love was fleeting and of no use. "You're doing the right thing, Maria." She mumbled to herself pressing her palms together.The door clicked open revealing Jackson leaning against the wall with his hand buried deep inside his pocket. She was not going to give him the chance to change his mind. This was the craziest thin
Latest chapter
Maria The end.
*FINAL CHAPTER*"I found the pills, and- and I don't know what to say," she broke down and started to cry. "After all these while, you still take them? I thought you were done! I thought you were clean! God... it's been six months and you kept lying to me! You lied to me!"She watched him wince and he sought the right words to say. He crumbled before her. He looked like the ghost of his former self."Why do you keep going back? After rehab! After the therapy sessions, why do you keep going back!?" She yelled, frantic. Her terror was built up by the moment."Because no one understands!" He yelled back. "No matter how hard I try to be me, no matter how hard I try to stop, I keep finding my way back to it! I was clean! Till I wasn't. I tried! I tried and tried but there was nothing to help me get through it""But I am here-""No, not like that. I know but not that like that, okay?" He threw the cup on the table across the wall and grabbed his head, pulling and thugging at his hair, "Wha
Maria This part is done
Jackson- Jackson had been hit. She chanted in her head, it replayed over and over. The image of him struggling with Andrew, that was the last thing she remembered before the world fell into a threatening silence. Her eyes slowly opened to a blinding glow of light. She shut them back because they hurt. Maria tried again and opened her eyes slowly this time. It took a while to overpower the headache and realize that she was in a hospital, and next to her was Jackson, fast asleep with half his body on the bed and the lower half on the chair that was next to the bed.She would have shouted if her throat didn't feel clogged. Jackson was next to her. What had happened? It felt as though it's been months till she last saw him. Maria squirmed lightly, shaking the bed a little to wake him up. She needed to know what had happened. Everything felt like a threat."Jackson, Jackson," she called out slowly and when he didn't answer, she could feel her eyes begin to water, "Jackson, please wake up.
Maria Closer to the end
On his phone's screen was a picture of Maria unconscious and with a nasty injury on her head. He was still at Harry's when he received the picture. He had been shocked beyond word, and Harry had to squeeze the phone out of his hands to know the reason for his shock. The message came with an instruction of confidentiality and an address he was asked to come discreetly without company, if he did anything out of place, she would be badly hurt. If the shock hadn't been obvious on his face, Jackson would have thought going alone was the best option. He couldn't stand the thought of something bad happening to her. She had been through enough already. It's been long since Jackson experienced such crippling anxiety. It was as though every nerve in his body worked at a faster pace and then took a downward spiral at intervals. This was bad. It was really bad. He never should have left her, clearly, he underestimated Andrew. This has to be his doing, it wasn't traceable to anyone else. "Calm
Maria Square one
For the brief moment that her eyes pried open, she felt that she was in transit. A vehicle or whatever mode of transportation it was, after that she drifted into another deep sleep till hours later. Or had it been days? Maria wasn't quite sure. She woke up with a splitting headache and tried to recognize the environs she found herself in. She didn't. And in the process of that, her headache got worse. Had she been hit? There was a banging pain at the side of her head, it hurts so much it could kill and she reached for it, except her hands weren't moving. It took all she had to tilt her head and see that it had been tied to the side of the chair in which she sat. Maria couldn't understand what was going on, she tried to recall and in bits and pieces, her memories began to sum up something more reliable. In violent glimpses, she could remember how foolishly she had opened the door for someone who was supposed to be her pizza delivery guy, when she tried to remember what happened after
Maria I know.
Harry left a while after bouncing on and off their discussion, they discussed how factual the situation may be and possible ways of finding out the truth. All of which Maria heard. Was pretending she did not hear all this lying? She had to speak to Jackson about it, but somehow she couldn't find the right way to. She appeared in the living room with her happiest smile and liveliest gaze, it was sickening. The shock, the thoughts. It ate at her at an unbelievable pace."Good morning, sunshine," Jackson said at the sight of her, his smile was faltering, and so was his facade. "I was just about to find you an audition for the sleeping beauty two, did you sleep well?"Of course, he was going to hide all of it behind humor. Was she beginning to get mad at him for not telling her the truth immediately? How long does he plan to hide it? Again, at the back of her mind, she felt as though she had no right to react. "I think I'd be a better Cinderella or Moana." She responded and gave him a b
Maria Found?
Things were going well, or they should be considering neither of them has brought up the issue with Andrew. It was due to be handled and Jackson had the perfect plan, but that could wait. Their relationship is what needed fixing. They didn't go back to the penthouse yet and everything was going okay, except for the never-ending apologies Maria offered and her 'do you still love me?" at frequent intervals. After what happened, Jackson was sure he could never stop loving her even when he tried, and her feelings were more obvious now after whatever discussion she'd had with his mother.Everything should be fine. They were back on track, and slowly and steadily, they'd be able to put their differences behind them. And of course, he was going to help her with her career, once the storm was over, he'd assist her in any way he could. She deserved to have her dreams fulfilled. It was morning and the coffee makers around him somehow only listened to Maria, so he has to sit and wait for her to
Maria oh, wow.
Strange coincidence. It's not like I knew someone else who lived in Spain and bore the name 'Maria.' Strange coincidence, really. Why did it make me feel so uneasy? I watched her as she unburdened, every word left her mouth as though it took a part of her with it. It wasn't the best sight.She continued. "I didn't have any family members or relatives, and it was impossible to get to the USA, I was under scrutiny at the time. They didn't let me go and Alfred didn't have my best interests at heart. After I had Maria, the evidence grew incriminating and I'd rather know where my child was than have them take her away from me. So I tried to escape, or I did, for a brief moment. The only place I could think of was the orphanage and I dropped her there," her voice cracked and she began to tear up again. "I dropped my daughter inside the orphanage and fled because I was too scared, too ashamed to be seen as the irresponsible mother. It was rainy that night...and I stayed, hoping someone s
Maria Explain.
*HARRY*It hasn't exactly been the best day for me, especially with the conflicting emotions, especially when I saw Maria this morning, I thought I was over her. I thought it would hurt less but every piece of advice I gave Jackson was half-minded. Being selfless was hard. I was doing the exact opposite of what I had threatened to do, it was funny how in between a split second I dropped from wanting their relationship in ruins into wanting them to work. Emotions were the most unstable thing I know.There was so much paperwork to be attended to and Higgins wasn't exactly helpful, not with the stunt that Jackson had pulled, everywhere and everyone was in chaos, it still seemed as though Sean was shrinking, it must be the stress. Maybe I was too, but how could I tell? Managing a personality such as Jackson's was a six-man work, and I had to handle it all alone.Enough of these thoughts, I cautioned in my head. I was driving and half the time, the road seemed blurry and I've had other dri
Maria Resolution
He beat her. That son of a bitch. That good for nothing laid in his hands her. The anger that Jackson thought had dissipated was beginning to take form — hard and fast. It sounded like the most absurd thing he has heard all year long. The woman he loves experienced the same thing as his mother whom he had been so naive, too small to lend a helping hand. It was beyond anger—what he felt, it was rage, a good amount of it directed at himself. Why hadn't he noticed? When he saw how shaken up she was by his presence, why didn't he think of all this? He had been bummed when she opened up about everything, it was impossible to voice her struggles adequately but she did a good job at it. It made him wonder what he'd have done if he had woken up and found himself in an orphanage with a couple of other kids, all ordinary. Would he have tried to be different like she did? Even when she fought for her dreams, she still suffered for them at the hands of someone like Andrew. He didn't know
