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Bad to worse.
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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
Maria Hook, line, and sinker.
Maria almost tripped as she stood up hurriedly from the chair, appalled by his action. Did he just wipe off ice cream from her lips and licked it, then winked right after!? Frankly speaking, if someone she had feelings for had done that, she would have fainted right on the spot—it was the sexiest thing she'd ever seen a person do to her. She immediately collected herself and shot him a mean glare. "Why did you do that!?" She exclaimed.He placed a finger on her lips to shush her, contrary to what he was about to say, he stilled his loving gaze on her mean one, "By your left, there's a man with completely thinned hair wearing a black coat."She immediately shot her stare in the direction he described."No, no no, don't look." He groaned, obviously frustrated. Well, too late. She shrugged."He is paparazzi itself, definitely. I've caught his tiny eyes glance here a couple of times and I've seen his face on countless occasions." He maintained his adorable smile, "I just made good use o
Maria More lies.
"It worked? What worked?" Maria excitedly asked as he flashed his phone closer toward her face. It was a picture of her Jackson—just as he had predicted—when he wiped the ice cream off her lips. A series of other pictures followed, two embarrassing ones of her looking red and flustered, and others of their fake loving moments."Oh, look at you, aren't you cute?" He asked with his eyes still fixed on the screen like he asked it instead of her. This was the second time he was calling her cute and she was already beginning to find it less annoying."The bait worked, eh? You must be so proud of yourself." "Of course, do you know how easy it is to make these people fall into traps? They believe only what they see." He somehow sank deeper into the couch with the victorious smirk still plastered on his face. "You are trending on every social media right now, I am so famous." He bragged, just as expected.Maria rolled her eyes yet again, if she kept this up, her eyeballs might detach from
Maria Tough dive
It was in situations like this that nighttime seemed to pass by fast. In a blink of an eye, the sun was up and blazing screaming for Maria to get off her bed and do something that matters. She sat up with her blanket still covering half of her body and a frown obvious on her face, she had agreed to meet Jackson at ACE last night, they won't be going together — not a good thing — but maybe not seeing him for a while would give her breathing space, the same breathing space she had hoped for last night before collapsing onto her bed like mashed potatoes. Her temple throbbed for no reason and waves of nervousness rose from the pit of her stomach, Maria threw a tantrum, falling on her back and throwing her legs in the air like it made her life any better or easier. Then again, she signed up for this, and hopefully, the pros would outweigh the cons. Since she had taken the first step, she might as well hammer the rest of it perfectly — no room for mistake, especially now that Mrs. Jone
Maria Even more lies
The elevator rise came with a stinging silence—harsh, painful, and loud enough to make Maria cling to the other end of it like she would burn if she took another step closer to where Harry was. She wasn't sure whether to spring up a conversation or just go along with it, he said nothing either. His indifference was killing her, but the least she could do was try to understand the reason he acted that way. Other people would have done worse—she had hurt him and betrayed his trust, the worst of it all was that she couldn't tell him the reason behind all this—even an explanation would seem absurd. The elevator clicked to a stop and they both got us, she did first cause he motioned towards the door as soon as they pried open. He walked behind her more like a bodyguard than a friend. She drew a deep breath as she sighted Jackson seated Higgins and Sean through the demarcation glass, her shoe became unnecessarily heavy once more."You got this, Maria. You got this." She muttered d to herse
Maria Love?
"Dinner? I thought your mother said pretty soon, like in a fairly distant future, I didn't realize it was going to be this fast," she didn't successfully hide her protest as she had wanted to. She would have preferred moping the ocean to going to dinner at the Jones."She's happy, excited even to meet you, and that's the point of all of this. She's the reason this deal exists in the first place." He responded with a little harshness embedded in his tone. Somehow, it seemed to put Maria back on track, reminding her of the reasons they had adopted this method in the first place. He continued, "but she isn't the one who suggested this dinner, it's my father. This is the last piece in order to make the story complete."Oh wow. If Jackson had looked closely enough, he would have seen her mouth agape and her eyes burning with dread. She gulped."Okay, okay. Let's get this over with," she pushed the sliding door that led outside open, "you're driving.""Why?" His brow raised in confusion,
Maria Unearthing.
Her words had been like a heater on a cold night, spreading waves of warmth to the iciest parts of him, he was left in such a daze that he couldn't manage to maintain eye contact, he already felt his disguise slipping. For a brief moment, he had believed her, forgetting that all of this was a sham, merely a sham. Why was she so good with words? Why was her deception sweet enough to almost cost him his defense? Jackson slowly lifted his hand from Maria's, feigning full concentration on his father when, in reality, the words he spoke floated by his eyes and deep into the unknown. He stole a quick glance at her from the corner of his eyes, and he was relieved to see the tension lifted from her face. Maria had been nervous, as expected of anyone within their right senses, to talk with his parents — he'd be too if he were in her shoes. It was at that moment it hit him that he had never once asked about her parents, relatives, or even friends, anyone at all that would be affected b
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
