SHAWNAWe arrived in England in no time, the journey was just smooth, with no unnecessary stopover. It's just like everything was working together for our good concerning that.We haven't been able to contact Damien, but I'm sure he'll contact us once there's something we need to know, so we're all good for now.“Are you good?" Liam asked me as we got out of the plane, on our way to the part where we looked for the car Damien already prepared for us.“Of course, what about you?” I asked him back."I'm okay, it just kind of feels good to be in another land even though we're here for something rather important.” He said."Right…" I mumbled as I looked around, the place is fine, people here are just minding their business, just the way I love it.We recognized the car in no time, the driver was just like Damien described with the clothes and everything. We hopped into the car.Liam brought out the papers he had with him, the one that had the address of the house we were going to lay befo
EUGENEHe looked at me tentatively before handing over his phone to me, he didn't look comfortable with that but he gave me the phone anyway.“Here it is." He said and took the phone from him. I took it from him with a smile on my face.“Thank you. I'm just going to…” I trailed off as I did the things I wanted to, I already prepared everything, all I needed to do on his phone was to accept it there.I was done in a minute and handed over the phone to him.“I just resaved my name on your phone, that was all," I said when I noticed that he wanted to check his phone to see what was going on.I did change my name on his phone to make this more believable. He stopped looking at the phone immediately I said that.“I think you should go to the registry to book a date for us so we'll get married as soon as possible,” I told him.“I don't think I understand you, why do we have to rush?" He asked.“Didn’t you agree to us getting married immediately?" I pouted, hoping I just gave him my best pou
SHAWNATerror gripped my entire form as whoever was with the gun started chasing us, the gunshots were getting closer and we kept running too.“Go faster! They're getting closer! You're both too slow!” Henry yelled. I felt like I was holding them back, especially Liam. He's a great runner, but right now he's being so slow.I tried to rub as fast as I could but it just felt like I wasn't doing enough, those people are too fast.At some point, it seems we lost them because no one was behind us anymore. I wanted to stop but Henry was greatly against that.“Don’t stop till I say you should.” He said, proceeding further. It's just that he seems to know about this very well and we just have to follow his instructions if we want to get out of here alive.He soon stopped at some point, the place was just in between two stores, one could run if they wanted to here, it's an open space. Going forward would be a street while going back is that alley.“Why are you two even here? You're only compli
SHAWNAI looked away from him when I heard another groan from Liam, he's bleeding again, blood was seeping from the bandage and he looked like he'd lose his breath anytime soon.“Stay with me, Liam. You have to fight this with everything in you, you have to keep your eyes open now." I tried as much as possible to keep my voice stable even though I was practically shaking.I looked up from Liam when I heard departing voices she footsteps. It seems the people Henry said were around us just left.“They're gone." He said and I went back to being relieved a bit, Liam is my utmost priority now, we need to find help for him.“Did Damien say he's coming for you?" Henry asked."Yes, he's the only one that can get us out of here now. He said people are coming to get us out of here.” The tears were falling on my face freely.I've never felt this useless, it just feels like I'm just here useless while he's dying. I should be able to do something to help him, he has always been the one helping me,
SHAWNA“I think I'll just present it to my grandfather now, he's inside." He'll know what to do to the evidence.“Who’s your grandfather?” Henry asked, frowning.“He's someone you know, but I'd rather not say it. Just know that he'll be able to get Eugene out of the way with this." I smirked.“Okay then, just do anything that'll get her locked up for good.” He shrugged."Yeah, so I guess it's a goodbye turn,” I said, looking majorly at Damien."Unfortunately, I'll miss you so much. I wish we had more time now." Damien mumbled, he sounded so much like someone sad.“We'll still see tomorrow or something," I said.“We will, it's just not today. Goodbye anyways, I'm leaving with him." He pointed at Henry.I bade them goodbye then I ran into the house with a bright smile on my face. I really can't wait to tell Grandfather about this, he'll be so happy.I went upstairs and got to our floor in no time, opening the door with my card. They were all settled before the television, watching a sho
SHAWNAI stared at her with nothing coming to my mind as a response to her, she had a smirk on her face and was assessing me as if she expected me to lose my cool or something.Because of that look, I had to suppress the emotions coursing through me. I cleared my throat and put on the best smiling expression I could come up with.“When is the wedding? When is it meant to hold?" I asked her.“In two days, I'm doing it with the company's anniversary. So, you're specially invited, here's your invitation card." She collected a card from the person behind her and handed it over to me.“Here you go." She said as I took the card from her.I stared at the said card, the design was beautiful, obviously made by one of the best graphic designers in town.“So I'm expecting you as my maid of honor, you'll have everything you need, including dresses delivered to you before the day. Just come and be behind me as my maid of honor, sister."That last word sounded more like a mocking one from her, she
EUGENEThe kind of anger that surfaced through me when I saw Shawna and Liam at the mall was unmatched, I just wanted to smash their faces, but I had to control the anger.Smiling with her was harder than I thought it would be, especially when all I just wanted to do was end her existence.And Kyle told me that they've been taken care of, I've been waiting for the news of their death since I've been expecting to hear that they were killed in a gang shooting or something.Only for me to see them at the mall when I came to get something, I was more than shocked to see them there.But maybe I'll just end Shawna's chapter when she comes to the event.I didn't think twice before inviting her to the wedding, I just knew I'd have to do something about her when she came there since Kyle was too useless to do that.“Ma'am? Are you okay?" The lady I came here with is meant to assist me all through today with my dresses and other things I'll need to be said.“Do I look any different? Just do you
EUGENEI picked up my phone immediately after Kyle left, dialing my assistant. I put her in charge of that man and I expect to hear about it if there's any update on him at least.“Good afternoon ma'am." She said as soon as she picked up the call.“What's the update on Bryan Lancaster?"There was silence on the other end of the call immediately, I even heard a sharp breath, like a gasp.“Ma, I can explain." Those words just meant that what Kyle said was right. He's gone.“You better do, and don't you dare tell me that you can't find him, I won't take it lightly with you if you tell me that.”“He disappeared, he left the hospital without any traces and he hasn't been found since then. I wanted to find him myself before telling you that he was gone." She rushed out the words as if she didn't want me to interrupt her.Lines of profanities left my mouth as she said that, I was fervently hoping that it wasn't true and she still knew where he was.“What you're trying to say in essence is th
SHAWNAThe mall was supposed to be a simple stop, pick out a dress, maybe tease Liam about Lily, and then go home. But life had other plans.I hadn’t expected to see her.Eugene. And her mother. Casually strolling through the mall like they hadn’t caused hell in my life.My stomach twisted in disbelief as Liam and I exchanged a glance. They weren’t just walking around; they were laughing as if the past had been erased. As if the prison bars had never closed around Eugene. As if she hadn’t hurt me.Liam and I made our way toward them, our steps firm, our presence unmistakable. When Eugene turned, her eyes widened for just a moment before a slow smile spread across her lips. Her mother’s expression was even stranger—soft, welcoming, almost… affectionate. That wasn’t right. That woman had never been warm toward me.“Shawna!” Eugene’s mother suddenly pulled me into a hug, catching me completely off guard. I stiffened, my arms staying at my sides. What in the world?Before I could react, E
SHAWNAI let out a heavy sigh, leaning back in my chair as I recounted my earlier conversation with Damien to Liam. “He said I should go shopping to find something that makes me feel beautiful for the party,” I said, shaking my head. “He’s acting like everything is fine, like we didn’t go through all that mess.”Liam shrugged casually, fiddling with the edge of a folder on my desk. “Shawna, we both know your heart has always belonged to Damien,” he said matter-of-factly.His words caught me off guard, and I frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”“It means,” he began, leaning against the desk, “that’s why it was so easy for me to fall out of love with you. I’ve always thought you and Damien would end up together after… you know, that night.”I gave him a small smile, one that didn’t reach my eyes. “That’s not fair, Liam. You’re making it sound like I didn’t care about you.”“You did,” he said quickly, his tone softening. “But not the way you care about him. I’ve seen the way you blus
SHAWNAI stood at the door, watching as my kids left with Damien’s parents. My chest felt tight, and I couldn’t decide if it was because I was nervous about letting them go or if I was just overwhelmed by how fast everything was changing.“They’ll be fine,” my mom said, patting my shoulder. “You’ve raised them well.”“Yeah,” I muttered, though my heart wasn’t convinced.Not long after they drove off, there was a knock at the door. I opened it to find Damien standing there, looking… different. Softer, maybe? His usual confidence was still there, but his eyes held something else.“Can we talk?” he asked, his voice quiet.I nodded and stepped aside.He walked in, hands shoved in his pockets, looking like he was trying to figure out what to say. Finally, he sighed. “I just wanted to apologize for my parents. For how they treated you back then. For everything.”I folded my arms, leaning against the counter. “That’s a lot of years and a lot of hurt to apologize for, Damien.”“I know,” he sa
SHAWNADamien’s mother raised a perfectly manicured brow. “Surprised to see us, Shawna?”“Uh, yeah,” I admitted, gripping the door a little tighter. “I wasn’t expecting you.”“Well,” Damien’s father said, his voice cool but pointed, “it’s the same way we weren’t expecting to find out we had grandchildren.”I sucked in a breath, the guilt and anger swirling in my chest. Before I could even think of a response, my mother appeared behind me, her presence as sharp as ever.“Perhaps,” she said, her tone cutting like a knife, “if you’d treated my daughter well, you would’ve known she was pregnant before you threw her out.”The tension in the air thickened, and I glanced between them nervously. Damien’s mother's confident expression faltered, and she exchanged a guilty look with her husband.“We… we were wrong,” she said finally, her voice softer now. “We made a terrible mistake, Shawna, and we’re here to ask for your forgiveness.”I stared at her, speechless. I had imagined this moment a hu
SHAWNAAfter what felt like hours of arguing, yelling, and crying, the house was finally quiet. I sat at the kitchen table with a cup of tea, staring at the untouched steam rising from it. My nerves were fried, my head pounding, but at least the chaos had settled for now.The sound of soft footsteps made me look up. Phoebe, Jasper, and Billy shuffled into the kitchen, their eyes cast down. They stood in a line, looking like three kids caught sneaking cookies from the jar.I sighed and crossed my arms. “Well? What do you have to say for yourselves?”Phoebe, being the oldest and the boldest, stepped forward. “We’re sorry, Mom,” she said softly, her big brown eyes, so much like Damien’s, pleading with me. “We didn’t mean to upset you.”“We just… we didn’t know what to think,” Jasper added, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s all so confusing.”Billy stayed quiet, shifting uncomfortably, but I could see the guilt written all over his face. He hated seeing me upset, and I knew he didn’t me
DAMIEN“Alright, Dad,” I said, leaning against the wall of the study. “Let’s hear it. Grandpa says you tried to kill him. Care to explain?”My father’s head snapped up, his expression flipping between disbelief and annoyance. “He said what?”“You heard me,” I replied, crossing my arms. “He says you plotted to kill him for the company.”Dad groaned and ran a hand over his face, muttering something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like a curse. “Damien, your grandfather has always been dramatic, but this? This is a new low.”“I told you he wouldn’t believe me,” Grandpa chimed in, leaning casually on his cane. He didn’t seem the least bit concerned about the chaos he’d just stirred up.“Maybe because it sounds like something out of a bad soap opera,” I shot back.Dad sighed deeply, rubbing his temples. “Damien, your grandfather’s ‘assassination’ story is ridiculous. Here’s what actually happened.” He turned his gaze to the old man. “After your accident, when you miraculously re
DAMIEN folded my arms and leaned against the table, eyeing the man who claimed someone had plotted to kill him. The old man, my grandfather, met my gaze squarely, his expression unreadable.“So, let me get this straight,” I said, trying to keep the disbelief out of my voice. “You’re saying my father, your son, tried to have you killed so he could take over your company?”Grandpa nodded, his expression unchanging. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”I couldn’t help it, I laughed. A short, humorless laugh echoed off the walls of the dimly lit room. “Even for Dad, that’s a bit of a stretch.”His lips curled into a smirk. “Is it?”“You do realize how ridiculous that sounds, right?” I shot back, gesturing vaguely toward him. “Dad’s a lot of things, but a murderer? Come on.”“Ridiculous or not, it’s the truth,” Grandpa said calmly, resting his hands on the head of his cane.I rubbed my temples, pacing back and forth. “And what, you think I’m just going to take your word for it? I mean, sure,
SHAWNAAs the old man continued his cheerful banter with Damien and my children, I felt my patience wearing thin. My arms were folded tightly across my chest, and I tapped my foot against the floor, letting the tension seep into my movements. This wasn’t a family reunion I signed up for; it was an unexpected disaster.“Thank you for finding my children,” I said abruptly, cutting into the conversation. My tone was polite, but there was no mistaking the edge in my voice. “I’m grateful, truly. But we need to leave.”The old man’s jovial expression faltered slightly. “Leave? But we’ve just met. Surely you’d like to stay a while, Shawna. The kids seem to be having a great time.”I shook my head firmly, glancing at Phoebe and Billy, who were now clinging to him like he was their long-lost best friend. “We’ve had enough surprises for one day. Come on, kids, let’s go.”Phoebe and Billy exchanged a glance before crossing their arms and planting their feet firmly on the ground. “We’re not leavi
DAMIENI couldn’t move. My legs felt cemented to the floor as Shawna’s words echoed in my head. Who had her children? Our children. The weight of it all pressed down on me like a crushing wave, and yet, I couldn’t form a single coherent thought.“Damien!” Shawna’s voice cut through the fog. She stepped closer, gripping my arm tightly. “Who has my kids?!” Her voice cracked, panic lacing every word.I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. How was I supposed to explain this? The truth hadn’t even settled in my mind yet. Instead, I turned on my heel and motioned for her to follow.“Get in the car,” I muttered, my voice barely audible.“What? Damien, no! Talk to me! Who—”“Shawna, just get in the car!” I snapped, my tone sharper than I intended. Her eyes widened in hurt, but she didn’t argue. She stormed past me and climbed into the passenger seat.The tension in the car was suffocating. Shawna’s voice, sharp and demanding, cut through my thoughts like a blade. “Damien, what is going on?