Mackenzie squeezed the collar of her shirt and tore her apron off her in the process. She needed to breathe. Charlotte, on the other hand, moved to the littke girl. She lowered her body in a squat and cupped Calista's cheeks. "What's wrong, sweety? You were supposed to be watching cartoons with Cameron. Did something happen?" Calista shook her head, a silent sign for no. She raised her eyes to spare her mother a short glance, but Charlotte remained in front of her, patiently waiting for an explanation. "Cameron changed channels by accident, aunt Charlotte, and the news came up. Mummy, you need to see this! Our new grandpa is on TV mummy!" Calista cried out again. This time, she walked past Charlotte and held her mother's right leg firmly, pulling and urging Mackenzie to go with her. Mackenzie's heart skipped ten beats at once. At the mention of Richard, Chase's father, she sprang up from her stool and picked Calista up from the ground. She held her daughter in her arms and rushe
The bartender poured her drink into a glass, picked up the glass with a professional delicacy and delivered it to her side of the table. Selene did not so much as look at him, not even to commend his effort. She reached for the glass and drowned the sour liquid down her throat with one swift gulp. She dropped the empty glass on the table before she glanced at the gold customized Rolex wristwatch that adorned her left wrist. Forty-five minutes, she hissed. Tapping her right foot on the ground, visibly restless, she continued to look at the door of the bar, then around her, just to see if the silly man had crawled into the bar while she was looking away from the door, and was currently searching for her. There were only a few people in the exquisite lounge, so he shouldn't have been so hard to find. The fact that he was, only meant he had not arrived yet, and Selene's patience was currently hanging on a thin thread, which five more minutes of his absense was sure to snap. Selene tor
Mackenzie had both her children dressed in thick black coats - a small preparation for the cold outside - by the time the security details arrived at her front door. It had been warm for a few days, but the weather that afternoon could almost be described as freezing. Calista wore around her neck, a red and black printed muffler, the red matching the color of the frame of her glasses. Cameron loved the dark blue color, so his muffler was dark blue. Tucked under Calista's right arm was a painting, specially done by her, of the sun and the garden they had met. She was certain her grandfather was going to love it. The security details helped put Cameron and Calista in the back seat of the car with Mackenzie. The driver turned on the car's heater before he started the engine. They started the journey to the hospital. The car came to a halt at the hospital's exit door. Chase had stationed himself at the hospital's exit, making sure it was well guarded. His most trusted guards, yet you
Chase and Mackenzie strolled out of Richard's ward into the quiet hospital corridor. As they walked, Mackenzie found herself tucking her fingers into her coat at seconds intervals. The weather on its own was cold, but being close to Chase seemed to heat her up, causing all the cold to rush to the tip of her fingers. "Uhh. Why don't we just order a coffee?" She asked. There was a nervous edge to her voice, one she hoped Chase wouldn't notice. He did. He looked down at her and managed a small smile. Mackenzie knew she should have looked away in that moment, from his eyes that always threatened to suck her in, but she didn't. It wouldn't hurt once to let her guard down and be completely drowned in his gaze, would it? "I just wanted time alone with you." Mackenzie's eyes widened, sparkling with delight. Her stomach churned from thousands of butterflies. She turned away immediately, chuckling from the shivers that rushed down her spine. "I guess that much." She replied, digging her
Mackenzie and Chase returned to the Richard's ward, laughing with a cup of hot chocolate in each hand. As Chase moved to push the door open, Mackenzie started to walk in, still laughing. Her laughter came to an abrupt halt immediately she caught sight of Eleanor in the room. She was seated on the bed, beside Richard, running her fingers through Calista's blonde hair. Eleanor smiled as Calista continued to playfully pinch Richard's bearded chin. Mackenzie stared at Eleanor, her blood drained from her face, and her limbs lacked the ability to move. She hated seeing her daughter with the old and conniving woman. Innocent Calista was not aware of how callous the woman was. She turned and smiled at her innocently as they chatted on. "The shareholders are thinking of revolting, Richard. The stock prices are plummeting, what are you going to do about it?" When Richard remained silent, Eleanor made sure to continue. "The company needs a better leader, Richard. Listen, I know Chase is the
FEW DAYS LATER That morning, Mackenzie dropped the kids at the door of their daycare center, as was part of her regular morning routine on weekdays. The security details had escorted them to the school premises on Chase's orders, to make sure they were safe at every step of the way. She lowered herself by squatting and held both their hands. Both Calista and Cameron blinked rapidly as they smiled at her. "Your daddy has promised to come pick you up from daycare today." She said to them. Both the kids jumped up in glee, oval eyes glittering with delight as they embraced their mother and followed their teacher into the building. Mackenzie also made sure to show the teacher a picture of Chase, letting her know he would be the one to pick the kids up from the daycare later that day. Chase had told her he wanted to know what it felt like to pick his kids from daycare. "He'll be here a few minutes after the kids close, so they can't leave with anyone that isn't him." Mackenzie instruc
Mackenzie sprang up to her feet immediately, ignoring her wobbling knees and the dire urge in the pit of her stomach to puke. Her mind was racing fast - too fast for her own good, and there was nothing she could do stop it. She paced about the tiny living room, tapping her trembling fingers against her hips continuously. "What am I going to do?" She cried. "What should I do?" She turned to look at Felicity. Her friend stood at the distal end of the room, saying nothing. Felicity's round eyes held a lot of sympathy, but that was the last thing Mackenzie needed. She was on the verge of losing her daughter, her entire life was slowly falling apart. "Breathe," Mackenzie advised herself, sucking in a deep breath. She stood still, closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh."My kids need me right now. I can't…I can't afford to mess things up." "Mackenzie," Felicity walked to her and placed both hands on her shoulders. Mackenzie chuckled dryly, forcing herself to swallow the lump in her
He brushed her loose strands of hair to the back of her eyes. With his thumbs, he erased her tears from her cheeks, and tilted her face up with her chin, so he could kiss her cheeks without going too low. "We are searching for the people who took Calista away right now. My men are on to them. I was in the office when I was called that the kids school was on fire, and the CCTV camera caught someone taking Calista." "Oh my God!" Mackenzie exclaimed. Her hands flew to her mouth as she cried. Chase's heart shrunk in his chest. She had no idea how it broke him to see her like that. He held her hands and pulled them away from her face. "Look at me, Kenzie." But she couldn't, not when her both eyes were flooded with tears. "We caught sight of the plate number, and my men are tailing the car down as we speak. We would get Cally back, Mackenzie. I promise you." She wanted, no…she needed to trust him, and she knew this. He was hurting as much as she did, she could tell from the redness of