Ethan was the opposite of his brother, Liam, Elena noticed. It was barely two weeks after his arrival, and there had been three parties in the house, one of them involving the whole relatives. Even Mr Paul, who Elena thought never laughed, was over himself with smiles and silly remarks at Ethan's jokes and energy. Not once did Mr Griffin grab Ethan's shoulders or swing a drunk arm over his neck, and exclaim, "Now this is what we're talking about!"The house was always brimming with the sound of Ethan's voice. He made new friends, entertained old ones who came calling. Loud music was never absent in his room. The maidservants were always on the move. Ethan rolled out dollar bills to the guards and maidservants at random, winning their smiles and reverence. Strange girls entered and left the house.His mother would stand by him during these, grinning warmly. The smile of a proud mother. His father would only smile and pass by to his business.Liam was always absent in these parties.El
"SMITH?!" Elena's voice boomed around the living room of her father's house.Chelsea sat there on the sofa facing Elena, filing her nails. Her stomach was still flat, but it was clear she had taken in. Jennifer was seated away from them, her fingers tapping away on her laptop, a headset over her ears. Their mother was out to a yoga class, and their father stood at the door, his hands planted on his hips. "Answer me, Chelsea," Elena shouted again. "Is it the Smith I know or another guy altogether?""I'm not happy with this questioning," Chelsea grumbled."Shut your mouth!" their father thundered. "I don't believe you could still speak even after this rubbish.""Dad, what rubbish are you talking about?" Chelsea retorted. "When has it become a crime to get pregnant for a man you cherish?"Elena's face cracked up in laughter. The thoughts of how probable this situation was flickered around Elena's mind.Smith and Chelsea weren't total strangers. Few weeks after Elena and Smith began to d
Liam was solemnly sitting behind his desk in his office when his reinstated secretary called to tell him he had a visitor. It was almost 4 p.m. and Liam planned to go home early."Tell the visitor to return tomorrow; I am closed for the day," he said.There was a hesitation from her side, before she said, "It's Charlie, your friend.""Tell him I said I'm closed for the day," Liam retorted, setting the phone down with a loud thud.Did Charlie think Liam was a fool all this while? It had been over a month now and this was the first time Charlie was coming to him, after that incident with Mr Parkwood and his granddaughter."What nonsense," he snapped.He had scarcely recollected himself when his phone buzzed. The secretary again."Can I be at peace for once?" he shouted into the receiver. "Tell the motherfucker to leave, I said.""Sir, it's another visitor," she said. "A woman."Liam glanced at his watch. "Does she bring business?""Yes, sir. She's been coming for a while now.""If that'
Elena laid on her bed, and closed her eyes. But she was far from getting comfort. The gold chandelier hovered above her, silently, like a lone bird which was sad, too, just as Elena was.The black box clock beside her bed had "7:00 PM" in large red letters. Elena watched it, wondering how it felt to be happy again, to be at peace with oneself.From a flat oval device hidden somewhere in her room, a sad melancholic tune seeped out, clouding her mind. How the hell was this device always able to detect her mood and play tunes accordingly?She sat up, and stared at the screaming luxury of her room, the millions in her bank accounts and the luxurious life open for her. How then was her heart pulsing in great agony? How wasn't money the solution to this stuff? Why were the troubles of her life eating deep into her fabric of peace?She had just concluded a call with Rosa, and the latter had gone on and on, enlisting the good news of her life so far: Her
"Mr Packwood runs a cult, and calls it his bodyguards," Charlie said as he sat on the couch, a bottle of cold beer in his hand. "He said he entrusted them all with his life, because they had — we had — gone into a devilish pact with him. We know all of his secrets. Even the ladies rubbing oil all over his thighs. They know he's a devil."He looked Liam over, who was listening too hard to this tale."I'm not saying this so you go and fight him," Charlie said. "It's their family shit. And if the police does nothing, it shouldn't bother you.""That's bullshit," Liam retorted, shaking his head. "I almost lost my life because of this man's trickery. There ain't no way I'm letting him go free with this."Charlie leaned forward, his eyes earnest and pleading. "Liam, listen to me. I know I've told too many lies and done lots of shits, and you don't trust me anymore. But listen to me this one last time."He dropped the bottle and clasped his hands
It was two days after Liam's fight with his bodyguard that Elena gathered enough courage to go back to the track of her initial plan: the elimination of Smith. Well, elimination was a strong word, but she loved the way it sounded in her mind.Now that Luke was walking around the mansion, sulking, and with a cross plaster on his nose, Elena didn't know who else to turn to. Chris was too strict and too loyal to Liam to lead his wife into such a dangerous adventure.By the way, since the incident with Luke, the other guards — including most of the maidservants — began to avoid Elena like a plague. They would only spit out their greetings, not looking her way, and then look for holes to hide. No one wanted to seem flirty with the boss's wife.Sometimes it was funny, other times it wasn't. Elena didn't want to be seen as such a person. But it was inevitable. Liam's love over her was so large and overwhelming that forces trembled in its presence.Elena
Liam floated in the swimming pool, the one tucked in the back of the mansion, away from the prying eyes of Ethan's endless stream of visitors.Even though the pool water was temperate enough to calm a suicidal man, Liam felt unsettled. He couldn't stop reminiscing about three days ago, when he was summoned by his father...***The room was darker than it should have been. His father sat in a shadowed part of the room, while Liam, and his brother sat on sofas, lit up with light. There was a prevailing silence, and even Liam, who had the impatience of a Gemini, sat still and waited for whatever his father had to say to him.Liam knew he was in trouble. Striking a bodyguard was an act of carelessness and indiscipline. And he was about to pay for it. Liam could only but wonder what his punishment would be. Whatever it was, he was willing to accept. Because the anger still burned in him; maybe a damn punishment would cool him down."What have you done, Liam?" his father's voice finally br
Elena couldn't describe the sort of adrenaline push that led her to do this, but she found herself deep in it, and by the time she came back to his right senses, the hare had slept too long. First, the bouncer had returned and motioned for her to come. She followed the strange man into a hallway leading to the restrooms. There, he thrusted some folded clothes to her."Mind telling me what you're gonna use this for?" he asked. "Do you sense any weapon with me?" she asked. He looked her over quickly. Two laughing girls just entered and passed them. "I don't think so," he said."Do I look dangerous?""No, you don't." He scratched his balding head nervously."Wanna search me, then? Will that make you feel suddenly safe?""Of course not, ma'am." A nervous laugh. "You can do your stuff. Any other thing?""Um, nothing much. I just need me a rope, a roll of duct tape, a lighter" — She grabbed one hanging out of his pocket — "and a slave whip." She made it look like a BDSM plan. "That's a