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
SHAWNA“Do you think it's a good idea to tell Damien? You talked about how much he was into her that day, do you think he'll read meaning into this?" Liam asked.The call disconnected, meaning Damien wasn't answering it at all. Maybe he's busy or something.“You think that? Well, I want to let him know now so he won't be blackmailed by her in the future. I don't think I'll forgive myself if I let this slide without letting him know about it." I replied as I dialed his number again.I thought about texting him about what I wanted to tell him, but it wouldn't be as effective as telling him on the phone.“I still think you shouldn't tell him though, I just have an inkling that it won't go the normal way,” Liam said.“But I won't still let Stacey manipulate him, I've done my part once I tell him about it. I still want to tell him.” I said stubbornly."I was just saying, you're free to do anything you like." He shrugged.Just as I was about to put another call through to Damien, a call cam
PHOEBEI frowned at the sound coming from the door. A slow, deliberate rattling. Like someone was testing the handle.I sat up in bed, my heart already picking up speed. "Housekeeping?" My voice came out shaky, uncertain.No answer.I cleared my throat. "Hello?"Silence. Nothing but my own breathing and the distant hum of the city outside. But the sound at the door didn’t stop. If anything, it got worse, more forceful, more urgent. The handle rattled, harder this time. My stomach dropped.I swallowed hard, forcing my shaky hands to reach for the hotel phone. My fingers fumbled over the buttons as I tried to call the front desk."Come on, come on," I muttered, my pulse pounding so loudly I could barely hear anything else. I pressed the call button, lifting the receiver to my ear. A second passed. Two. Then…The lights went out.I gasped, nearly dropping the phone. The entire room was swallowed by darkness, the only light now coming from the faint glow of the city outside, filtering th
RAMONI sat there, staring at the door Phoebe had just slammed shut. The air still felt thick with her frustration, her anger. I had called out to her, but she hadn’t even hesitated. Just walked away like I was no better than the rest of them.I sighed, rubbing my hands over my face. I wasn’t trying to control her. I wasn’t trying to stop her from living her life. But she didn’t see it that way.“She’s got fire, that one.”The voice made me tense. I turned, watching as my uncle stepped out from the back room, his arms crossed over his chest. His expression was unreadable, but there was something in his eyes. Something that made my stomach twist.“Why wouldn’t you let her leave?” he asked, stepping closer. “You getting soft?”I scoffed, leaning back in my chair, trying to act unfazed. “It’s not like that.”He smirked, tilting his head like he didn’t believe me. “Sure it’s not.”I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. “Phoebe doesn’t deserve to get caught up in all this.”“All this,” he rep
PHOEBEI folded my arms, leaning against the wall of Ramon’s tiny apartment. The space was cramped, barely big enough for the two of us, but that wasn’t what was bothering me. It was him, his expression, his tone, the way he was looking at me like I was making some kind of terrible mistake.“I don’t get it,” I said, shaking my head. “Why are you so against me moving out?”Ramon let out a deep sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked tired, like this conversation was wearing on him. “I’m not against it, Phoebe.”“Sure feels like it,” I shot back.His lips twitched, but it wasn’t a smile. More like a reflex, something bitter. He let out a small chuckle, but there wasn’t any humor in it. “I just know what it means to be without a family. And trust me, it’s not something you want.”I frowned, crossing my arms tighter. “So what? I should just stay there and let them control my life?”His gaze flickered to mine, steady, unshaken. “No,” he said. “I’m saying don’t make decisions when you
PHOEBEI stood outside Ramon’s door, my heart thudding in my chest like I’d just run a marathon. I wasn’t even sure why I had come here. Maybe it was the way I’d stormed out of Mom’s office, my frustration boiling over until it felt like I couldn’t breathe. Or maybe it was just because I needed to be somewhere I felt… safe. And for some reason, that place was here.Before I could change my mind and turn around, the door opened.Ramon stood there, blinking at me in surprise. His dark hair was tousled as he’d just rolled out of bed, and his black T-shirt clung to his chest in a way that made it impossible not to notice how toned he was. He wasn’t trying, wasn’t even aware of how ridiculously good-looking he looked, and somehow that made it even worse, or better, depending on how you looked at it.I swallowed hard, my brain short-circuiting for a second. His dark brown eyes were fixed on me, curious and maybe a little sleepy, like he hadn’t expected anyone to show up at his door, let alo
PHOEBEI waited until Phoebe walked into my office before I spoke. She was humming, looking happy like nothing in the world could bring her down.“Phoebe, can we talk?” I said, closing the file I was working on.She frowned a little but came over. “Sure. What’s up?”I leaned back in my chair, choosing my words carefully. “Eugene came by earlier.”Her face hardened immediately. “Oh. And let me guess….she had a lot to say?”“She’s worried, Phoebe.”“Of course, she is,” Phoebe muttered, crossing her arms. “She’s always worried about something.”“She’s your aunt. She cares about you.”“She doesn’t like Ramon, does she?” Phoebe’s voice was sharp.I sighed. “She has concerns. And, honestly, so do I.”Phoebe’s eyes widened. “Wait….you too?”“Phoebe, we’ve never even heard of this guy until recently, and now you’re spending all your time with him. Don’t you think that’s a little… fast?”Her jaw tightened. “I knew it. No one actually wants me to be happy.”“Phoebe, that’s not what this is abou
EUGENEI’ve seen Phoebe mad before. I’ve seen her throw tantrums over little things, like when the coffee wasn’t hot enough or when her favorite show ended on a cliffhanger. But this? This was different. This wasn’t just a flash of irritation or some harmless grumbling. This was something else entirely.I stood there, watching her storm out, her heels clicking against the hardwood floor like gunshots in the silence of the house. She didn’t say much, just muttered something under her breath as she snatched her purse from the couch and headed straight for the front door with Ramon. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t even know what had set her off this time.“Phoebe, where are you going?” I finally called out, hoping to stop her. But she didn’t even look back. She just pushed open the door, stepped outside, and slammed it shut behind her. Hard. The kind of slam that makes you flinch, like it’s meant to hurt you as much as it does the doorframe.I followed her, but only as far as the win
PHOEBEThe office buzzed softly around me, but my focus was entirely on Ramon. We’d wrapped up the whole argument with the triplets, and now it was just us, enjoying the quiet. He leaned back in the chair across from my desk, arms folded casually, his dark eyes watching me with that familiar smirk.“Can’t believe you stuck around after all that,” I teased, raising a brow.He chuckled. “You think I scare that easily?”“I don’t know,” I said, tapping my pen against my notebook. “My brothers are pretty intense.”He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Trust me, Phoebe, I’ve faced worse.”There was something in the way he said it light, but with a shadow underneath. His voice was easy, casual, but it carried a weight I couldn’t quite figure out. It wasn’t the first time I’d noticed it either. There were layers to Ramon, ones he wasn’t letting me see just yet. I tilted my head, debating whether to push him a little, maybe ask what was really going on behind that smile.But the
RAMONI leaned against Phoebe’s desk, watching them argue like they were the only ones in the room. Triplets. Identical in almost every way, same fiery temper, the same stubborn streak, same protective instinct over their little sister. It was almost entertaining at first. Almost.But now? I was bored.“Guys,” I said again, keeping my tone light and calm, but it was like I didn’t exist. They didn’t hear me. Or maybe they just chose to ignore me. Typical.“Jasper, can you just stop already?” Phoebe snapped, stepping in before things got even messier. She crossed her arms over her chest, looking annoyed.“I’m trying to protect you, Phoebe!” Jasper shot back, his voice rising. “You don’t even know who he really is!”I watched Phoebe’s jaw tighten, and I could tell she was about five seconds away from losing her cool. Jasper, as usual, wasn’t letting up. This was a regular scene with them, but it still felt like walking through a minefield every time.Billy, standing a little behind Jaspe
PHOEBE“Wait… Ramon?” Billy frowned, glancing between me and him like we’d just announced we were getting married or something.“That’s right,” Ramon said, stepping forward with a small, polite smile. “Nice to officially meet you both.”Jasper gave a short, dry laugh. “Yeah. Officially, huh? So this is a thing now?”“It is,” I said firmly, crossing my arms tighter. “And I’m not going to hide it, so you can drop the attitude.”“Attitude?” Jasper raised an eyebrow. “We don’t have attitude. We just… didn’t expect this, that’s all.”Billy nodded slowly, but his eyes stayed on Ramon, like he was trying to figure him out. “You move pretty fast, don’t you, Ramon?”“Billy,” I warned, my voice sharp, but Ramon just chuckled, brushing it off like it was nothing.“I get it,” he said smoothly. “I know I’m not exactly your favorite person. But I care about Phoebe, and I hope you can respect that.”Jasper snorted, crossing his arms like he was gearing up for a fight. “Oh, sure. Respect. That’s easy