SHAWNAI couldn't stay at the prison for long. Eugene wasn't even willing to talk to me again. I left with the promise of visiting her more often, that didn't sit well with her, of course.Just as I got out of the station, my phone started ringing. When I saw that it was Damien, a smile came up on my face. My entire face was warm.“Is someone missing me?” I teased as I answered the call."I think so, and we can meet right now if you'll meet me at our favorite spot,” he said."Really? Are you there right now?” I asked him, pausing by my car.“Yes, I'm waiting for you, come over." He said.He doesn't even have to say that twice. I was already thinking of what to do for the rest of the day since I've closed for the day, I'm done with all I have to do already.“I'll be with you shortly, stay right there," I told him.“I'll always wait for you." He said, his face very calm and soft.“Okay then, I guess I'll see you soon," I said then ended the call.I got into my car and drove towards the
SHAWNADamien looked back at the voice, he stood up immediately he saw the person who called his name. I didn't see his face very well, but it looked like was smiling.“Stacey, it's been years!" He exclaimed. They both hugged and laughed like they'd been away for years and they were just reconciling, which they were.“It has been years indeed. I didn't know I'd see you here though, I just knew that voice and the back view looked familiar." She giggled.I badly wanted to butt in there, she didn't look like someone who didn't know he was here when she was coming here, she walked straight to him without an iota of doubt in her.“Really? What are you doing here though? Both in the country and this place, you traveled out years ago." He asked her.I just sat down on the blanket while they talked away. It felt like I wasn't even there at all.“I did travel out to relocate. But I'm back here finally now, I made some mistakes years ago that I'm back to correct and start life all over again."
SHAWNAIs she mentally deranged or what? Because I can't just seem to understand why she'd say something like that. Damien is not a kid or toy that should be claimed that way.The fact that she walked away before I could give her a response was even more annoying, I was too stunned to say anything to her.Since we were almost at my car before she said that, I just got in. I drove off with my head filled with different thoughts. I didn't want to think too much about what just happened, I didn't want to be sad so soon already.I just started getting happy, there's no way I'll let anyone soil my happiness with her delusions. Damien doesn't have anything to do with her again, right? She just came out of her hiding ten years ago.I drove home, playing my favorite song on the car's speaker. I'm trying so hard to not let anything make me sad at all. She's not just enough to bring up that emotion in me.On getting home, I saw only my mom up. The kids and their grandfather were fast asleep, th
SHAWNAThe excited look on my face dimmed when I saw that it was a necklace, what was I even expecting? Why was I that happy? My heart dipped a lot when I saw what happened to be in the box.“I just thought I'd give you an apology gift, I owe you one." He said as he stretched out the gift towards me. I just kept staring at the shining object dangling in his hand.“I don't think I understand you, why are you giving me a necklace?" I asked even though he just clearly stated the reason he got it for me.“It's an apology gift. I'm sorry that I had the picnic ruined that way, and that's why I'm offering this as an apology.” He rephrased the sentence he said before.I stared at the necklace, he was still stretching it out to me. I honestly just don't know if the reason I'm mad is because I mistook the content of that box being something else.I eventually took the necklace from him but I was still mad, I didn't want to be so rude that I didn't take the gift from him. But what I had in mind
EUGENEI scratched my hair, the scalp was itching me so hard that I just wanted to pull it out or something. I can't remember the last time I had it washed.And the fact that the kind of heat that's around this side is just too much, there's almost no form of ventilation in the room. I was placed in the worst room around this side.“Hey, liar. Come over here.” One of those ladies that I fought with that day catcalled me. I just ignored them like I've been doing.I just want to be on my own but these ladies don't seem to understand that. Lillian was about to walk closer to me, definitely about to start trouble with me.Before she could get to me, a warder interrupted us."Eugene Brown, someone is here to see you,” he said, turning around almost immediately.I walked after him, knowing that those ladies would come after me if I didn't go now. I wonder who's waiting outside for me, I have an inkling that it's my mother though.She has been the one visiting me since I've been here. My fat
EUGENEI stopped and stared at the policewoman to make sure I heard her correctly. There's just no way I heard her right, did she just ask me if I want to get out of here?That felt like set up or something, “Sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly." I told her, a frown etched into my face. To think of it, I don't think I've ever told her about running away one-on-one.But on a normal note, everyone held up here would want to get out through any means. No one would want to stay here forever, especially me.I've never liked life as rough as this before, I grew up with luxury, and a life like this isn't just fitting at all. And the thought of being constricted to a place doesn't just sit well with me.“I can get you out of here if you want." She repeated.What does she even mean by that? She's like the toughest policewoman here, it's just very shocking to hear such questions from her.It's a setup, I just know there's no way she's being real right now. It's just better if I wave her
SHAWNA“We've come to the end of the shareholder's meeting, I look forward to actively working with you all. Have a nice day and week." I rounded up the meeting.As I made the final remarks, they all started mumbling within themselves, just greeting each other and smiling warmly at each other.I have a feeling that working with these people will be so easy. Well, that's excluding Stacey. She left minutes into the meeting with the excuse of having something important to do.She did that dramatically too, she made sure everyone knew she was leaving so I wouldn't be able to say anything. I didn't even respond to her till she left.Seeing as people were leaving already, I turned to Cara, my assistant.“Since when did Stacey become a shareholder here, and how am I just starting to know about this?" I asked her, I thought I had the name of everyone who just bought shares from the company directly.I'd have known if I saw her name, I know her very well and the name would have surely rang her
SHAWNA“What? How can a woman overpower you to this extent? How crazy could she have been?” I couldn't help but ask. Hearing that a female injured him that way is just kind of unbelievable.“She's that crazy.” He mumbled, looking at anywhere else but me."Why didn't you report to the authorities? I'm sure there's something you could have done or someone you could have told before signing off your shares.”There are just a lot of ways he could have gone about this without having to sell off the shares like that. And this man before me looks like he's hiding something.It felt like there's more to this than what he's letting off."She has something she's using against me, she used that to get me to sign the papers too. I didn't have any other choice but to do her bidding after she said she knew about it." He said, sighing as though he just let off something heavy from his chest.“And what's that? Why didn't you say that from the beginning?" I asked him."I don't think you want to know t
PHOEBEI felt like I’d been holding my breath the whole night, but when Uncle Richard finally gave his answer, it was like the air rushed back into my lungs.“Well,” he said with a small chuckle, wiping his mouth with his napkin, “the truth is, we’re a wealthy family. Very wealthy. Ramon chose to keep that hidden because he didn’t want gold-diggers. He wanted someone who’d love him for who he is, not what he has.”There was a beat of silence.Then Billy blinked. “Wait… you’re saying Ramon’s been pretending to be broke?”“Not broke,” Uncle Richard clarified with a grin. “Just… simple. Down-to-earth.”Everyone at the table was stunned. I couldn’t help it, I let out the tiniest giggle. Then a bigger one. And before long, laughter started to ripple around the table. Even Jasper cracked a smile. It was like the whole room finally exhaled.I glanced at Mom and made a small, sneaky wink. She caught it instantly. Her lips curved just slightly, and then she gave a quick nod.“Phoebe,” she said
RAMONI didn’t expect her to say that.“You want to invite my uncle to dinner?” I asked, blinking like I didn’t hear her right.Phoebe nodded, brushing her hair behind her ear. “Yes. I think it’s time. Everyone’s going crazy over him, and I just… I want to clear the air. If they meet him, maybe they’ll finally stop judging.”I rubbed the back of my neck, confused. “I mean, sure, I guess, but… I don’t know. He’s a quiet guy. He doesn’t do… dinners with strangers.”“Then ask him,” she said, giving me that look, half hopeful, half determined. “Please, Ramon. It matters to me.”I sighed and nodded slowly. “Okay. I’ll talk to him today. I can’t promise anything, but I’ll try.”“Thank you,” she smiled, squeezing my hand.Later that evening, I made my way to Uncle Richard’s place. He was outside on the porch, drinking tea like always, flipping through one of those thick history books he loved. I walked up and dropped into the chair beside him.He glanced at me over the top of his glasses. “Y
PHOEBEI slammed my door shut behind me, fuming. My chest felt tight, and my head ached. I couldn’t believe they all did that behind my back. Like, I couldn’t think for myself. Like, I didn’t know what I was doing.I threw myself onto my bed, letting out a long sigh as my face sank into the pillow. I wanted to scream. Maybe cry. But I didn’t. I just lay there, sulking in silence, trying not to overthink the whole night.A gentle knock came on my door about an hour later. I rolled over, expecting maybe my mom or dad. But to my surprise, it was my grandmother.“Can I come in, sweetheart?” she asked softly.“Yeah,” I muttered, sitting up.She walked in slowly, her warm smile softening the tension in my chest a bit. She sat beside me, her hand gently rubbing my back in that calming, rhythmic way only she could manage. Something about her presence always made the storm inside me feel a little less wild.“I heard there was a little storm downstairs,” she said lightly, trying to lift the moo
SHAWNAThe moment we stepped into the house, I knew something was wrong. The air felt thick, voices were raised, and all I could hear was arguing coming from the living room.“What’s going on here?” I asked, stepping in with Damien right behind me.Phoebe, Billy, Jasper, and Winnie all froze. The tension in the room hit me like a wall. Phoebe’s face was flushed, her arms folded tight across her chest. Winnie looked caught in the middle. Jasper had that tight-lipped, stubborn look, and Billy’s hands were resting on his hips like he was trying to keep himself from saying something worse.“Can someone explain this?” Damien asked firmly, eyes scanning all of them.“It’s nothing,” Phoebe said quickly.“It doesn’t sound like anything,” I said. “We could hear the shouting from outside.”“It’s about Ramon and his uncle,” Jasper muttered.Damien raised a brow. “Ramon?”Yes,” Winnie jumped in. “I told Billy and Jasper something earlier…about Richard, Ramon’s uncle. I recognized him from years a
PHOEBEI was tired. I just wanted to get home, take off my shoes, and crawl into bed. But the moment I walked into the house, I felt the tension hit me like a wall.Winnie was sitting on the couch.And my two brothers, Jasper and Billy, were standing next to her, arms crossed like bodyguards. The look on their faces said everything.“What’s going on?” I asked, closing the door behind me.Winnie stood up slowly. “We need to talk.”“I can see that,” I said, dropping my purse on the side table. “But what I don’t get is why you’re here… with my brothers.”“Phoebe,” Jasper started, “Winnie told us about the man you ran into at the mall. The one holding hands with that girl.”I blinked. “Richard?”“Yes,” Billy said, stepping forward. “She said he looked familiar and he happens to be Ramon’s uncle.”I froze, my heart suddenly pounding in my chest. “She told you that?”“Yes,” Jasper added with a serious look on his face. “And we think you need to be careful with this whole issue. It seems lik
RAMONMy uncle, Richard, stepped in like he owned the place, as usual. He looked around briefly and then narrowed his eyes at me.“She’s gone?” he asked.I nodded and moved to sit on the couch. “Yeah, just left.”He shut the door behind him and walked over, not wasting time.“What’s going on with Winnie?” I asked before he could even sit. “She recognized you at dinner. She’s not some random girl, you know. She’s sharp. You’ve been warning me about staying focused, but you’re the one slipping now. What exactly is happening?”My uncle paused by the chair, but didn’t sit. He rubbed his chin like he always did when he was buying time.“She just arrived,” he finally said. “I wasn’t expecting her to recognize me. It’s been years since I last saw her, and even then, she was still in school.”“So she does know you?”“Yes,” he sighed, finally sitting across from me. “Her father is one of my business partners. We’ve done deals together, some clean, some… not so clean.”I leaned forward, frownin
RAMONThe night started simply. After Phoebe told me everything that happened at the mall with Richard, I could tell it had been weighing on her. I wanted to take her mind off things, so I asked her out to dinner. Just something nice, somewhere quiet. I picked this cozy little restaurant I liked on the west side of town. Nothing too fancy, but it had a warm vibe, soft lights, and good pasta.Phoebe seemed excited when I picked her up. She smiled the whole car ride, playing with the radio, teasing me about my terrible playlist.“Ramon,” she laughed, “do you only listen to '90s rock ballads?”I chuckled. “Hey, don’t disrespect greatness. This is vintage mood-setting.”She rolled her eyes, but I could see the blush on her cheeks when our hands brushed on the gearshift. I liked her. A lot. And tonight, I just wanted it to be easy. Normal.When we got to the restaurant, Phoebe told me she’d invited Winnie to join us. I paused for a second.“She’s still suspicious of me, isn’t she?” I asked
PHOEBEIt was hard to ignore the odd tension in the air when we bumped into Richard and his… companion. Despite my initial surprise, I greeted him politely. “Hi, uncle Richard. Fancy running into you here.”He smiled, a bit awkwardly, as if he hadn’t expected to see us either. “Phoebe, Winnie, good to see you both.” His smile seemed genuine enough, but there was something in his eyes that made me think he was hiding something.Winnie, always the one to break the ice, stepped forward. “Hi, Mr. Richard. We didn’t expect to see you out here. Who’s the lovely lady?” Her tone was light, but I could tell she was curious, even more so after the awkwardness of the moment.Richard shifted a little on his feet, clearly uncomfortable. “Oh, just a friend,” he said quickly. “Nothing to worry about.” He didn’t even make eye contact with the woman beside him as he said it.Winnie didn’t seem convinced. “Are you in a hurry? We’ve barely seen you since… well, a while ago. We’ve missed the good chats,”
PHOEBEI blinked a few times, staring at Winnie like she had just told me unicorns were real.“What did you just say?” I asked slowly.“I said I know that man,” she repeated, still staring at the photo on my phone. “The one standing behind you two in that picture. Ramon’s uncle, right?”“Yeah,” I said, glancing at the photo again. “That’s Richard. Why?”Winnie raised an eyebrow, her tone serious. “He came to our house a while back. Twice, actually. He met with my dad.”I laughed, half out of shock, half because it sounded so ridiculous. “Winnie… your dad is basically a billionaire. Why would he meet with Richard? Richard owns like… nothing. He’s not exactly in your dad’s league.”Winnie didn’t even flinch. She stood there with her arms crossed, her brows slightly furrowed, clearly unamused. “I know what I saw, Phoebe,” she said firmly, her tone serious. “You think I’d forget something like that? The second I saw his face in that picture, I remembered. Same smile, same eyes, even the s