A deafening silence filled that part of the forest and Eros held her shoulders. "Who, Keisha?" he asked with hope in his eyes as she contemplated her memory. "I– I don't… know," she whispered with hesitance. "Ah– my friend was saved by a boy her age when she was younger. He didn't survive after being shot… I just remembered it," she made up an excuse. "But if he lived?" he asked with raised eyebrows and she didn't have an answer for his question. The forest was an impending doom and there was no escape. She can feel her heart racing, trying to break through her chest."That's impossible," she answered with a scoff. "If he lived and looked for your friend all those years till now, will she accept him?" They stayed quiet. They felt cold snow dropping on their bodies. The fresh breeze touched their skins with every drop of snow sticking to their bodies. "I've been looking and searching for you, Keisha. All those years! I didn't die– I fought for my life just to see you again," he co
Keisha sighed in relief before holding on to the doctor. Mainly from the news, but also from saving her from her father's wrath. The room seemed to have shrunk down and felt suffocating. She breathed deeply as she calmed herself down. "Can I see him?" Keisha asked but her request was declined, telling her that Eros needs to take his time to rest. "That's delightful news," Sebastian said with a smile as he stood next to Keisha who looked tense and troubled. He held her shoulders, making her stop breathing. "Why don't I take you home?" he suggested but she backed away, almost in a panic. "No! Uh… no," Keisha answered before scratching her head because of her sudden reaction. James noticed the eerie feeling in the room and stepped into the conversation."It's alright, I'll take her later," he offered with a slight smile and Keisha nodded her head immediately. Her voice cracked as she chuckled. "You should get rest, dad. After all, you rushed all the way here," Keisha whispered with a
EROS was still in the hospital unconscious two days after the operation, giving enough time for his enemies to plan their attack. He's fragile and weak, making it the perfect opportunity for their evil plans. Keisha has been in and out of the hospital specifically for the mafia members to check on her husband, while her little friends were also there. "I can't believe you threw her out like that," Taylor squirreled in excitement. They were staying in one of the vacant rooms. Keisha has her own bed, food, clothes, you name it. "Elaine's annoying. She needs to know her place," she answered with a blank face. The girls seemed to be excited yet Keisha looked troubled. After a couple of tries of cheering her up by whirling up the story, the girls looked at each other after no avail. "Is there anything wrong? Our boss is on the road to recovery–" Edith tried to reassure her but she shook her head. She sighed heavily before laying down on the bed. "That's not what I was thinking abou
Keisha stood beside Eros with a grim look on her face. She held the knife firmly with her hand as she looked down at his unconscious body. She stabbed him in his chest once, pulling back before stabbing him again. The blood splattered on her face and dripped from the base to the tip of the knife. "What have I done!" she shouted before her hands trembled, making her drop the knife to the ground. KEISHA audibly gasped after waking up on her bed and looking around. "It was a dream, fucking hell…" She sharply inhaled before sitting down and leaning on her bed frame. The gory details of her dreams send shivers down her spine. She wiped her forehead with the bedsheets and Shadow together with Eros came into mind again. Eros might've saved her when they were younger but this is her now. This is her mission, to kill him. "I don't fucking know anymore," she murnured to herself, on the brink of falling apart. Nightmares upon nightmares every time she slept. That assassin who managed to bypa
Keisha fidgeted with her fingers as she sat close to Eros inside the vehicle they were inside. She was breathing with caution as if she didn't want him to know she was there with him. Eros, on the other hand, looked calm and collected. The two opposing emotions created tension inside the car. Eros leaned back and crossed his arms. "You've been avoiding me," he murmured in a hoarse and tired tone. He turned his head in her direction but she looked away. It's only been hours since he woke up. The venom in his body made him weaker than if it was only the arrow that hit him. For his safety, he asked to escort both of them back to the mansion. "The security in the mansion is enhanced, we wouldn't need to worry about any sudden attacks," he reassured Keisha who was looking outside the window. Still not saying a word, she ignored him. He felt frustrated as he ran his fingers through his hair. (I saved her life yet she's ignoring me…) he thought to himself with the slightest groan. He loo
THE MOON was hiding behind the clouds as the sky brought down the sparkling white snow, coating the balcony in her room. She could barely see the mansion grounds due to the darkness of the night, and the thickness of the snow. The air was freezing cold, every breath she let out created a cloud outside her mouth. She chugged another glass of alcohol. The time was ticking and she only had till the following morning to kill the mafia boss she is married to. "Shadow is in grave danger because of my father…" she murmured to herself as she held her throbbing head. "But how could I kill… Eros?" The man who saved her, the person who gave her another chance. The man who she thought was all ruthless and had no love, turned out to be the opposite. One will die regardless of her choice. She placed the bottle of alcohol next to the first two she chugged down. Her footsteps were light as feathers as she went back inside and closed the balcony door. Her eyes were droopy and she was walking a
KEISHA woke up from a terrible sleep and she had zero clue as to how she ended up waking up in the bathroom, by the toilet. She tried standing up and holding onto the toilet seat to help her. The first thing she noticed when she looked in the mirror was her hair that was tied up in a low messy bun. Her brows furrowed further and she looked around the room and still couldn't remember what happened before she passed out. She opened the bathroom door and lay down on her bed when not even a couple of seconds later, Taylor came inside with a terribly worried expression. "I-is it true?" she asked in a shy and unsure voice, looking down at the ground. Keisha looked over at her and slowly blinked to process the information. "What's true?" she asked the question back and Taylor tilted her head to the left. She walked over to Keisha and sat on the bed. She grabbed Keisha's hands and held them together. "Can you not?" Keisha asked in annoyance as she tried to take her hands away. "Eros annou
THE ROOM was filled with utter silence as Keisha sat across from the annulment papers on the table. She was quiet, staring at it, and contemplating what her decision should be. "You've been staring at that paper for an hour already," Eros, the person on the other side of the table, informed her. Keisha looked up and her gaze was fixated on his cold and emotionless expression. They kept eye contact before Keisha slowly groped the paper and pulled it closer to her. "If I don't want to sign it?" she asked with squinted eyes, making him scoff loudly. The room was filled with silence yet again and Eros uttered, "Why? So you successfully kill me this time?" Keisha looked away, her tongue cut off, and was lost for words. (I still can't recall anything from last night!) she thought to herself, almost in tears as she imagined the events that led up to that moment. How could she be so stupid? Her senses were hypersensitive as she could hear the clock from across the room, the sound of her f
IT WAS early in the morning and Keisha was waking up from her sleep. She groaned in frustration as she hugged what was next to her. "Eros…" she whispered as she stared at his sleeping face. She was falling back asleep when she suddenly opened her eyes and looked at who she was hugging. "A pillow? Hah," she muttered how ridiculous she was to hallucinate about Eros. She threw the pillow away and wrapped herself in her blanket. It's almost been a month since Eros was hospitalized and she has been handling things until he wakes up and recovers. She immediately took a bath and got ready before heading to the hospital. "How is he?" she asked after entering his hospital room and removing the cover she used. The doctors who checked on his progress informed her of the situation. "His body is recovering rather quickly, there is a good chance he will wake up soon," he muttered and she nodded her head. She sat by his side and held his hand. "I really hope you wake up soon," she whispered with
All day without rest, Keisha stayed by Eros' side in the hospital until the response of their enemy finally came in. "Do you think I can trust you to take care of him?" she asked with crossed arms as she eyed Reyna who just arrived at the hospital. "Do what you want. Someone will keep watch so don't do anything stupid," she muttered before standing up. "He's my son, Of course, I'd take care of him," Reyna responded firmly and Keisha sighed heavily and nodded her head. She had no intention to trust her with this but she has no choice but to leave. "Sebastian will be there," she informed her and waited for her answer. Reyna took a deep breath before looking over at Keisha with a raised eyebrow. "Are you planning to make a peaceful exchange or not?" Reyna asked curiously and as a response, Keisha shook her head and turned around for the door. "Kill him," Reyna told her as Keisha walked out of the room to face what was to come. That's the plan, to end things once and for all. No more
"YOU'RE not going to let him die, you understand me?!" Keisha slammed the doctor against the wall out of frustration. It's been hours since the surgery started and the doctors inside the operating room are yet to finish. "Yes, Mrs. Galaz, however, you also need to calm down and rest or else you'll also be hospitalized," the doctor reminded her with sympathy. "No one here survives unless Eros does. I would kill every single one of you–" Keisha, who was overpowered by her emotions, was pulled away from the poor doctor. She looked behind her and saw Shadow pulling on her and dragging her away. "Let me go!" she screamed and tried prying away but he held her firmly. "You need to fucking calm down," he whispered to her as he pushed her against the wall and held her hand together. Still stubborn, she tried retaliating again. "Do you think you're helping by causing a ruckus?! Eros is being operated on and you're over here threatening the doctors!" he screamed, finally making her pause and
"It's been a while since we have laid down together," Keisha muttered as she squeezed herself closer to Eros who was just a breath away. Under the blankets of his bedroom, they were hugging each other. She can feel his breath touching her skin. "Y-yeah," he murmured and her brows furrowed slightly. She looked up and saw Eros just staring above her head into nothing. Keisha pushed him slightly and looked at him with confusion. "Are you alright?" she asked out of concern. "Yeah?" he answered unsurely with a nervous smile. "Now that I look at it, you don't seem well. Do you have a fever?" She raised her hand, checked his forehead's temperature, and found it hotter than usual. Eros was also sweating which made her more concerned. "I'll get you medicine–" Eros grabbed her hand and put it back beneath the blanket before hugging her tightly. "I feel this way because we haven't been together like this in a long time. Just let me enjoy our moment," he murmured sweet nothings that made
It was past dusk and Keisha just arrived at the computer lab of the mansion where James had been working countless hours to retrieve whatever was in the USB drive that Ellaine handed her. "What's wrong with your face?" she immediately asked after noticing the bruise on his face. He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw before glaring at her. "Why do you think?! Eros almost killed me because you told him we accidentally kissed!" he shouted, already in a bad mood and she added more to his stress. Keisha only chuckled before sitting down on the chair next to him and looking at the computer. "Cracking the code is almost done, that's why I called you in." He cleared his throat before typing. She leaned back and watched closely how he was hacking into it. It was unbelievable how much security a small USB drive has. "Where's my brother anyway?" he asked and she shrugged. Eros has been gone since earlier because of well… preparations for the possible attack. It's dangerous so everyone has
"Do you wish to braid your hair today, Ms. Keisha?" Edith, who was brushing her hair, asked with a sweet tone and she simply nodded in response. The vibe in the mansion seemed to have been better ever since Eros revealed he was alive. This lunch, she'll be meeting someone important. "It's a shame our friend got transferred elsewhere," Keisha muttered, a little disappointed that Taylor was moved to another department a month or so ago. Now it's only one person helping and serving her. However, the mafia boss promised to make a salary increase to help support her family. "How about you? What's your goal?" Keisha suddenly asked and the latter paused. It seems there was a lot for her to stop what she was doing. "I don't really know… I'm glad I was saved. An illegitimate daughter like me doesn't have many goals," Edith answered with a chuckle. (Ah, that's right… She's living for herself only. No one else has her back…) Keisha thought to herself, feeling pity. She knows how that feels, b
DAIMON was in his office chatting with Shadow as they planned for defense instead of offense. If anyone was to make the first move to attack, it would be the enemies. "I've been so busy that I haven't seen Keisha in such a long time," he muttered while they were on break drinking coffee. "Why not visit tomorrow?" Daimon questioned and the latter nodded his head. He's been so caught up in his own problems that he keeps brushing over visiting his partner in crime, the reason he was able to be here in the first place. Keisha was the only woman he wanted to protect yet now that the possibility that his sister is alive… His focus went to his sister. The odds of the mansion being attacked is low yet they still need to be prepared. "The mafia is split in half because of Eros' sudden reappearance… Some are reluctant to side with him yet he is powerful enough to reassure them," Daimon stated his thoughts with a sigh. "What about you?" Shadow asked and the man looked at him with a curious
REYNA crushed yet another piece of paper that suddenly appeared inside her room. No matter where and when she looked, she could not find who the culprit was. Someone's threatening their safety that knows its way around the mansion. "This is not good," she whispered to herself. It's almost two in the morning and she is sleepless. The mansion promised to be safe is turning into a time bomb. "I really need to talk to Eros," she whispered to herself with frustration before her anxiety made her search her room for a second time in case it was bugged. However, she did not find anything again. When the sun came up, she was restless, and without a doubt, her mind filled with questions and concerns she wanted to bring out the moment she meet Eros. Before she left her room, she blocked the door from the inside and if anyone tries to break in, the items would be out of place. However, when was told that breakfast was served, the only ones there were Daimon and his little brother who was havi
DAIMON sighed heavily before leaning back on the bench. "Why don't you play a bit more?" he sweetly asked his little brother so the two of them can be alone to talk. The kid obliged and once he was far enough, he turned to Keisha with a serious look. "There's one more thing you need to know," he started off. Keisha raised an eyebrow expecting some news. He cleared his throat before revealing what he knew. "We might've found Shadow's sister and already contacted her." Keisha's eyes widened and she covered her mouth. She couldn't believe what she just heard. "What?" she asked with wide eyes, that was all she could say. "Shadow is obsessed to know if she is actually his sister. He's doing everything he can to make the DNA test happen." She breathed heavily as her eyes kept shifting. "Is that why he hasn't been here since?" He nodded his head and she inhaled sharply. "I know he'll do anything to find his sister. There's always been the slightest bit of hope in him to find her alive,"