Stephanie dragged herself to the nearest room and quietly shut the door. A housekeeper around, searching for the culprit behind the broken vase. All the people were gathered in the living room, so what caused the vase to fall and break? Not being able to find anyone, she concluded the wind to be the miscreant and went back to assist the rest. Stephanie breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the footsteps fade away in distance. Lucky for her, the housekeeper didn't notice the drops of blood that had stained the floor, dripping from her sole. She put a hand over her mouth to stop herself from wailing in pain as she pulled the piece of glass from her heel. She had to stay there, without making any noise until everyone left. ...Raiden took a quick glance at his watch while focusing on the road ahead. It was almost midnight. With Blair, time seemed to fly away like wind. He didn't pay vigilance until his phone reminded him that it was his time to go to bed. They had been talking for ho
Jessica saw a girl curled up in a corner of her room with back facing towards her. There were blood stains on the floor, indicating someone was dragged in there. "Who are you?" Jessica questioned, trying to sound brave. However, she couldn't stop the quiver in her voice. A stranger was in her room in middle of the night and blood was smeared on the carpet. It was enough for her to feel terrified. Without waiting for an answer, she sprinted out, back to the living room. "What happened?" Raiden held her shoulder to calm her down when she breathlessly entered the hall. All four of them gather around her, curious behind the reason of her state. "That is someone in my room, there was blood!" She managed to speak. Not letting her speak further, Raiden ran towards her room. Calvin followed him, leaving the three people alone. Their hammered state melted away within just few minutes. Blair rubbed her back while Aaron held her from the side. Raiden slammed with the door open and carefully l
Blair slammed her phone on the couch, holding a triumph smile on her face. Britney really thought she could threaten her to bail her brother out of jail. Blair wanted to laugh at her and slap some sense in her head at the same time. Calvin, who had been sitting next to her and listening to their conversation, clapped his hands proudly. "That was so hot!" He commented, throwing her a wink. She's shifted closer to him, held both of his hands and jumped in her place. "This feels so good." She giggled, feeling giddy with the sudden adrenaline rush. Her tummy was swarming with butterflies. She couldn't stop moving, going up and down on the mattress. Britney's sudden call had left her dumbfounded. She froze for a second, not knowing what to say when she threatened to expose her secret. She felt what any person would have, in her shoes. Fear. Fear of disappointing her loved ones. Fear of not being accepted. Fear of losing people. The phone begun to shake in her grip. Seeing her petrified
People stood up as a sign of respect when they saw Martha walking through the building's corridor. They smiled and greeted their boss' wife. However, she ignored all the welcoming faces and kept her eyes straight, not stopping anywhere before she reached her husband's office. Aaron called her out, feeling confused by her unexpected visit. But he was ignored too. Mr Park was surprised. He left his chair to greet her good afternoon. He went to ask her the reason behind her sudden arrival. Martha's peripheral vision noticed Mr Park. However, she did not pay any mind to him. She didn't have time for whatever he was trying to say. She didn't even stop to look at Aaron, there was no way she would spare even a second for Mr Park. She had a big news in her hands. Something that would turn everything upside down. Receiving the news, she had the most believable reaction that anyone would have hearing such information. Eyes as big as saucer pans and mouth hanging wide open. Though she was left
The Halls of Andrew mansion seemed unusually quiet to Blair. She was used to the silence since the huge place was occupied by only few people. However, something was off the day. The air seemed too tense. Something was wrong. She could sense it. "I'm sorry." Hearing that from Mr Park had left her in a worried state. He had called her over to the mansion as soon as possible. She clutched the wine bottle safely in her palms. She had bought it for their dinner, but sensing the grave atmosphere, she was convinced that the dark red liquid would not see the night. She saw Mr Park standing outside her uncle's study. His hands were clasped together and head was hanging low. There was some sort of trouble, she could guess from his posture. She tried talking to him, but instead of listening to her, he just pointed his thumb towards the study, motioning her to go inside. She obeyed his wishes by leaving him alone in the long corridor. "You heard what Park said. She knew about this but still ch
"What are you doing up so late?" Raiden asked when he saw Stephanie in the kitchen past midnight. She chuckled nervously when she saw him standing in front of her with no shirt on. She turned her head north to avoid him from seeing her flaming face. He frowned at her gesture. "Are you alright? Your face is-" he tried to lean and touch her forehead but she abruptly pushed him away. He felt her hands touch his best chest as he stumbled backwards. 'Wait, bare chest?' He realised what just happened and stepped away. He began to apologize proposely. He had no intention of appearing in front of her like that. He often wondered shirtless at night in his house and he did not expect to see her there at that time. "I couldn't sleep, so I found something to do." She turned around and attempted to chop some strawberries. One thing that she had noticed about him, was that he loved strawberries. She often saw him snacking on them. She wanted to slice them prettily and present to him. It was just
"What are you doing!" Jessica exclaimed in annoyance for the nth time, using her back to push away Aaron as her hands were coated with marination which she had prepared for the chicken. He stumbled backwards due to the force. He put both of his hands up in a defensive position. "I am just trying to help you." He fortified himself. She narrowed her eyes at him and pointed at the pan that was clutched in his hand. "Did I say I wanted that?" She raised a brow in questioning manner. He shook his head and put the pan on the counter. "I just thought you might need it, so I prepared myself." He replied with an innocent smile and blinked his lashes. She heaved a deep sigh at his response. She could not even be angry at him because he was just so adorable. He walked closer to her and held her shoulders with head hanging low. "I just don't feel good that you are doing all the hard work and I am of no help." He admitted. She placed her palms on either side of his face and pressed soft peck on
When Stephanie ran away from her hoise, she didn't have anywhere to go. At that vulnerable moment, an unexpected person appeared as a silver lining to her dark cloud. The man whom she had approached as a Predator, wanting to use him in her game of lies and revenge. However fate had different plans. Raiden Kingston, in her eyes was a bad guy, a villain, her enemy. After all her father would not be in prison if he had not backed up Blair in the case. Since the beginning, it was his fault. He should not have allowed Blair to the open a dead case. He had done the work of adding fuel to the fire. It was astounding, even to Stephanie herself, how Raiden went from being the devil of her story to being her saviour in hard times. She didn't realise when her gratitude towards him turned into admiration and then, to much more. Her initial impression of him had completely disappeared. Instead, it was replaced by the feeling of something that the world referred to as love. She did not even know t
"Why is she calling me at this time?" Calvin wondered when he saw Jessica's name flash on the caller ID. Getting a call from her was already unusual, and on top of it, in middle of the day? He assumed it must be something important. Without wasting any more time, he tapped the green icon and placed the phone near his ear."Get inside!" He flinched when her voice blasted from the other side."Jessica? What is going on?" He inquired. He was pretty sure she was not talking to him. Did she call him by mistake? There were some weird noises from the other side. Muffled sounds, grunts, some commotion. His curiosity rose. Instead of questioning her any further, he kept quiet, putting his attention on what was happening on the call."You like to play, don't you?" It was a man's voice. Gruff and stern. However, that voice did not sound familiar to Calvin. And he did not sound like someone civil with Jessica. Before he could assume anything more, another feminine voice spoke."Stop! You want me,
Jessica watched intently as Dr. Hill put some disinfectant on a ball of cotton, held it up with a suture scissor and dabbed it on Stephanie’s chest. Jessica helped by pulling her shirt further, near her shoulder, to give the doctor better access to the wound. Stephanie was still like a statue. Surprisingly, the sting was very minimal, much less than the previous time. She remembered the last time she got her wound cleaned. It burned so much, she felt like someone had inserted a flaming rod inside her. She shook her head, wanting to forget that horrible memory, it was one of the main reason why she did not want to visit the hospital. “Does it hut too much?” Jessica inquired with a whisper, noticing the girl’s stiff expression. “Not at all.” She whispered back, putting the former at ease. Just the thought of getting shot sounded terrifying to her. On top of it, the pain that comes with its treatment, the idea made all hairs on her body stand up. In her eyes, she found incredibly brav
"I am just being paranoid." Raiden stated to himself. He gulped down a glass of water, wishing it will come his restless heart. Jessica had texted him saying that they had reached the hospital. 'They would be home in no time. It is not a big deal.' That's what he was trying to convince himself. However, his instinct told him something was not right. He glanced at his watch. The case would resume in half an hour. He had to get his mind off everything else and go through his points once again. Blair had already immersed herself in revising each and every document before they had to face the jury.For time being, everything was going in their favor. They just had to stay consistent and he would walk out of the courtroom with another victory by his name."Mr. Kingston? You seem distracted." Blair observed her boss's lost behavior. It was unusual of him, not paying attention on his work. "Should I get you a coffee?" She asked. "That is no need for that." He waved his hand to dismiss her
"Do you really like my brother?" It would be a lie if Stephanie said she did not expect it. Jessica was like that, nosy and straightforward. At least in Stephanie's eyes. She reminisced the conversation she had with Raiden that same morning."Dr Hill can't come today, so we have to go to the hospital." He informed, keeping his eyes downcasted. Things had been awkward between them since the day he indirected rejected her. In all honesty, she missed him. His face, his voice, his smile, his shabby cooking which she always ate without any complains. She would feel so overwhelmed by his efforts that his bland food did not bother her. She was happy, just by looking at him. His mere presence bought her unexplainable joy.However, now things were not the same as before. The person who provided her comfort, was acting like a complete stranger. And it was all her fault. She was convinced that it was a huge mistake on her side to confess his her feelings when she knew she would get rejected. 'Bu
We should always obey our elders. They know the best. Elders are never wrong. All these things are embodied in our heads since our childhood. We should never expect them to apologize, even when they are in the wrong. That's what we are taught. But, is it always true? In that room, Blair encountered to completely different type of adults."I am so sorry, my dear." Miguel apologized with regretful eyes as Martha stood in the back, keeping her lips zipped and holding on her usual, 'I am disgusted' expression. "All this time, I only thought about myself. How did I became so selfish? I never tried to understand how you must feel. Family is supposed to have each other's back in difficult times, but I left you alone when you needed my support the most. I'm sorry, Blair." He asked for her forgiveness with downcasted eyes.His heart was full of regret. He softly clutched her palm, showing her a grim smile. "It doesn't matter to me. Even if we don't share the same blood, you are still my li
"I really have no idea." Aaron chuckled when Blair gave him a questioning stare. As per Miguel's wish, her and Calvin visited the Andrews mansion. They found Aaron and Mr Park in the living room. However, the older couple was nowhere to be seen. She wondered what could be the reason behind the invitation."They were fighting again. Dad's health is getting worse." Aaron spoke up, out of the blue. Mister Park nodded his head in agreement."Mr Andrews is looking into divorce lawyers." He revealed. "At first I thought it was not that bad because they were attending marriage counseling. But now, things doesn't look that good.""Dad is planning to get a divorce!? Why didn't you tell me?" Aaron exclaimed, feeling disappointed. If he had known everything from the beginning, he could have tried to solve it."I didn't want to hide it from you, but your father asked me not to involve you. I am sorry." The older man apologized.My parents are considering divorce, for fuc- God's sake! How can I not
"Of course I'm fine. Don't worry too much." All right, reach home safely. Blair placed her phone on the center table and streched out her arms. It was strange. Wan had called her late at night it just to ask if she was safe. There was a wierd tremble in his voice, as if he was scared of something. She had to trust him and wait for him to share whatever that was bothering him.She remembered the talk she had earlier with her uncle. She was overjoyed when she saw his caller ID flashing on her phone screen. She had been constantly texting him in hopes to get a chance to explain herself. He never reply to any of her texts. On top of it, with Byron Chase roaming free, it would just create more problems between them. Therefore, his call made her happy, yet surprised.She laid down on the couch and scratched her scalp. After a long day of work, she wanted to have a good rest, still she was up till late as she was waiting for Calvin. He had informed her beforehand that he was going to be late
"Careful!" Raiden exclaimed when he saw Stephanie trying to sit up straight. He rushed to her side and put a couple of pillows behind her back. She laid on the soft pillows and moaned in pain while holding her chest. He instinctively rubbed her back and squeezed her arm to help her cope with the pain."Are you all right? Do you need something?" He asked, still holding her securely. She gulped and looked at him with shy eyes, just to find him staring back at her with eyes full of concern. They stayed in the same position for about 3 seconds before he pulled back and faked a cough. She dropped her eyes back down at her hands."Here, It's time for a medicines." He held out a few pills in his palm and the glass of water in other hand. She mentally gagged at the site of those bitter medicines, but took them anyways. She silently thanked him, avoiding his eyes at all costs. He heaved a deep sigh and sat next to her."Why did you leave? You were aware of what dangers awaited you and yet you
“Breaking News! Byron Chase, who was convicted for assault and murder of multiple women will be released from the prison, today. What could be the reason behind such sudden action? Netizens believe it’s because of attorney Blair Andrews-Cartier being his biological daughter. Blood is thicker than water. Could that be the reason behind Chase’s bail? Will our general public ever be able to trust the state to provide justice?”Britney turned the TV off and breathed in relief. She leaned back on the couch and crossed her legs in an elegant manner. It was finally happening. After waiting for months, her brother was coming home. She could not contain her happiness. For his welcome, she had cleaned up his room, asked the cook to prepare his favourite dishes and got dressed up in her prettiest outfit.She had not seen him ever since he was arrested. Mainly, because the court order had forbidden it. Now, knowing that he was coming back to her, she could not wait. As per her deal with Raiden, s