Raya"Are you okay?" Kendall asked the minute she saw me in the hallway, and I nodded, letting Kyle inside her apartment before I followed after him."I thought you were going to...""Stay with my boss?"She nodded after a while and said, "You shouldn't have. Now Kyle has hopes of him being his dad.""What? Why would he have that?""Because he asked him to be his dad. Like, who does that?"She covered her mouth momentarily and said, "That's crazy.""I know right." Kyle had gone into the room to play with Michael and Leah, so I could rant about his behavior properly without making him feel even worse. He was already going through it as it is.I ran a hand through my hair."What of... Mr. Sterling?" Kendall asked,"He has gone back. I don't know; he's being so nice and talking about how he likes me, and I...""What?"Right, I hadn't told her that part yet. Well, maybe because it just happened."He told you he liked you.""Yes, but it's obviously not real. He just wants to get into my p
Maxwell My heart was... I couldn't really explain it... Tight? Like there was a huge weight on my chest, which I couldn't get rid of, and drinking wasn't going to solve it either. I couldn't believe the way things had gone with Raya. Sex? Of course I wanted to have sex with her, but that was not the reason I had bared my heart out to her. She has just treated me like I was some pervert who was trying to get into her pants, and even though I could understand her, it didn't make the hurt go away quicker. I picked up my phone when it rang beside me on my desk in my study, and I groaned at the caller ID, "Ryan." "Wassup buddy?" He was sounding mischievous as always, which I didn't need. "I'm good, you?." "Good too. Have you seen the news yet?" Oh, what now? "Some new scandal about me?" "No. William, do you remember him? The senator. He was at Diane and Michael's wedding." Of course, I remembered him. Raya's ex. "What about him?" "Rumors are going around t
Raya"Oh my God, Raya, don't turn on the ..." But it was already late, as I was staring at myself on the TV with a picture of Kyle and William, who was claiming that I was an unstable mother of his child and that he needed to take custody of Kyle."Raya..." Kendall turned off the TV and managed to send Kyle off to play in his room with Michael."Wow, he must be crazy."I was numb and unfeeling, so I didn't even respond to her but kept staring at the TV.There was no way he was going to take my only source of happiness from me.Hadn't he said he wanted nothing to do with us?What is this now?"Raya!" Kendall shook me to earth, and that was when it dawned on me.The motherf*cker was indeed trying to take my only source of happiness from me."How dare him?""That's what I'm saying too," Kendall replied beside me, and I stood up. "I'm going to meet him.""Wait, Raya... Raya..."But I wasn't listening.I was putting on my jacket since I already had a top and jeans on, and as I walked out
Maxwell"I shouldn't have left her alone back then. I take it as my fault. I should have noticed how unstable she was back then and stood by her despite her flaws, though I'm not sure I would have met my wife if I hadn't done that. Anyway, I'm willing to take responsibility for my child now and give him the luxurious lifestyle that is befitting of a Rodriguez."The motherf*cker. Was he trying to appeal to the public or what?In the statement William Rodriguez had given, he said he had been unaware of his child, living his life without a care in the world, until he found out from the child from the secret child scandal involving me and Raya.I ruffled my hair, wishing that it hadn't come out. Then maybe... Just maybe Raya would have continued living her life without the eyes of the public on her and her abusive ex trying to claim her son back.I couldn't help but blame myself."Maxwell?" I raised my head when I heard my name and realized that Silas, who I had been calling, had picked
Raya It was mortifying to accept the help of Mr. Sterling after vehemently rejecting it the other day, but there was nothing I could do. I couldn't afford a lawyer, and he was genuinely reliable after everything I'd been through. I thought about what he said as I stood in the room I was going to be staying in from now on: "I can't help falling for you." Was he genuine? I mean, I don't think he would have gone to all this trouble if he just wanted to get into my pants. I sighed and sat down on the bed, drained and emotionally exhausted from the happenings around me, and my thoughts went back to the court paper I had been served. Why was he suddenly doing this, though? A way of torturing me and punishing me. It wasn't as if he hadn't done worse for absolutely no reason back then, when we were dating. I shut my eyes in an attempt to shut out the memory of things he had done to me then, and I opened them when Kyle walked in. He was looking... I don't know, sad... What I said t
RayaThe lawyer came in the next morning, looking all professional in a black suit and pants, and he asked me some questions he deemed important."Have you confirmed that Mr. Rodriguez is indeed the father?""Of course. I haven't been with anyone else than him since my college days" except for Mr. Sterling now, and the thought of the kiss we had shared the other night had me touching my cheeks from the heat that spread through it."How long were you both dating during your college years?""Two""Okay, and did you notice anything that could deem him unworthy of becoming the father?"Oh, there were a lot, but I wasn't sure how to say them."Uhm... he was quite... abusive.""Abusive in what way?""Uhm..." I fidgeted with my fingers, unsure of how to answer that."Take your time, please; you don't have to rush it.""Okay sir."****We walked out of the study minutes later with Mr. Dereg, the lawyer in front of me."Wow, you both are done so quickly." Mr. Sterling said when he saw us, and
RayaI got more agitated as the day for the first hearing got closer, and I had nothing to do with myself but draw.Fashion designs I had thought of before, and dreams I had kept bottled up. I drew them in an attempt to feel light, but none of them helped."What are you doing?" I turned around by the pool, where I sat staring at nothing, and I turned back to the water when I saw it to be Mr. Sterling.I wondered if he didn't have anything to do, as he was always around."Don't you have things to do?" I asked before I could shut my mouth, and he smiled."There's something called working from home, you know."I glanced at him again before voicing my next statement: "Is it because of me?""Of course, I..." He seemed to realize almost immediately the confession he had made again, and I sighed.I guess he really did like me, and I'll be lying if I say I didn't feel anything for him."Why though? Why do you like me?"He shifted on his seat awkwardly and said, "I... I don't know. I guess it
MaxwellI felt all thoughts of murder and skinning a certain William Rodriguez alive fly out of my head at the words that came out of my secretary's mouth that evening."What?" "Sleep with me."There was no way she was serious, right?But it looked like she was, with the way she was moving closer to me and looking all seductive.It was as if a switch had turned in her head, and I couldn't really blame it on the drink since it was only one can of beer we had both had.She was very sober and determined to drag me into this. I could see it in her eyes. "Raya... we shouldn't..."She sat on my leg and straddled me, running her hand down my cheeks, and it took all of me not to wrap my hands around her."Show me that sex is enjoyable. That it's not all about pleasing men but all about two people enjoying it."I finally found my voice of reasoning and stopped her from moving on me. "Raya, we shouldn't; you're drunk.""And do you think I am?"Of course she wasn't, but that was the only excus