STACEYA smile that I couldn't even tell if it was genuine or not came up on my face as I watched them being taken away by the policemen on the laptop before me.I'll actually give myself this, I really tried with the planning and all. I didn't even have to do much, Eugene is so dumb and predictable.I knew she'd want to go to Shawna again. All I had to do was to bug her and watch as she really foolishly went to meet with her. And as expected, that boy was with Shawna.They've all been arrested like this, I can't wait to go over there and say it to their faces when they find out that I'm behind this.“This is going to be so interesting." I smiled coyly as I rewatched that scene where they were taken to the police station. The confusion on each of their faces as they were handcuffed and taken away was golden.I know Eugene would want to do something like this, the more reason I had to do something about her quick. I made a huge mistake by getting her out of prison, I really shouldn't h
DAMIEN“Where exactly are you, Shawna? Where have you been?" I asked myself as I dialed her number for the umpteenth time this evening, I've been trying to get to her since morning but there hasn't been anything from her end.It's just like she vanished into thin air, there's no way she wouldn't have been on her phone since this morning, I've not been able to get through to her at all.I dialed her number once more but I was directed to voicemail this time around. Could she have turned off her phone? Or what could have gone wrong?“I’ll just go over to her house or the office, she'd be in either of those two places,” I mumbled to myself, concluding that I was going to her house now.There's currently nothing else I can do other than that, I didn't want to just start doing that before. I'd surely look stupid if I had shown up at her house because she hadn't answered my call in an hour.I dressed up and did everything I needed to do quickly to get there very fast. I just need to make su
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SHAWNA “Fucking Stacey!” I glanced at Eugene and let out a sigh, “Perhaps if you curse less I will be able to figure out a way for us to leave here.” Eugene scoffed, “Oh please, speak for yourself.” I glared at her, “You’re the one who got us into this!” “Yes, I shouldn't have come to warn you about the psychopath that has been unleashed on you! Maybe I wouldn't be in this hellhole again,” Eugene sneered. I let out a grunt as I relaxed on the wall. I felt a prick and I moved away to see cockroaches crawling out of the wall. Everything about this place disgusts me and I had no business being here. I was locked up in the same cell with Eugene. I had no idea where they've locked up Liam and I hoped for Stacey’s sake that he's alright because if she hurt him then she will have to deal with me. “How did it come to this?” I muttered. I heard voices outside and I grabbed hold of the iron bars as I shook it furiously. “I need to speak with the inspector!” I yelled. “Quiet!” a
SHAWNA“Our handcuffs, they're off,” I mumbled, surprised.Eugene sat across from me in the police van, her smug face still managing to twist with anxiety. Liam leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, shooting her a sharp glare that could cut glass.“Relax, Shawna,” Eugene said, her tone dripping with mock sweetness. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you. You did this. You led us right into Stacey’s trap.”Eugene rolled her eyes. “Oh, stop blaming me for your poor decisions. Maybe you would have seen it coming if you weren’t so naïve.”“Enough,” Liam snapped. “We’re all in this mess, thanks to her,” he said, pointing at Eugene, “so let’s focus on getting out.”Eugene scoffed, ignoring him as her eyes darted to the small window. The officers outside were talking in hushed tones, clearly distracted.“This is our chance,” she said suddenly, her voice low but excited. “We can slip out while th
EUGENEPain ripped through my shoulder as I stumbled into the dark alley, blood seeping between my fingers where I clutched my wound. My breaths were shallow and ragged, and every step felt like dragging a mountain. Liam’s voice echoed in my mind. “You don’t escape when the trap is wide open.”“Well, congratulations, Liam,” I muttered under my breath, collapsing against a dumpster. “You were right. Happy now?”I bit down a scream as I pressed harder on the wound. My vision blurred, and panic clawed at my chest. I was bleeding too much. If I didn’t stop it soon, I’d pass out, and passing out was as good as dying. I forced myself to think. The cops’ voices had faded, but I couldn’t afford to sit here for long.The alley reeked of rotting food and urine, but I had no choice. My eyes darted around, searching for anything that could help. An old, grimy t-shirt poked out of a trash bin, and I snatched it without hesitation, wrapping it tightly around my shoulder. The makeshift bandage was d
DAMIENI watched Stacey moving back and forth from the kitchen to the dining table. She was setting things up, placing plates, arranging silverware, and adjusting napkins like everything had to be perfect. She looked calm, but I couldn’t focus on her. My phone was in my hand, glowing with updates about Shawna and Liam.Their arrest. It was all a mess I couldn’t figure out. My stomach felt heavy, and my mind wouldn’t stop racing. Why would Stacey have anything to do with this?“Damien?” Stacey’s voice cut through my thoughts.I glanced up to see her standing by my side, her eyes narrowed just slightly like she was trying to read me. “Is something wrong?” she asked, her tone soft but laced with suspicion.I blinked, trying to focus on her face instead of the chaos running through my mind. “It’s nothing,” I said quickly, slipping my phone into my pocket. “Just work stuff.”She tilted her head, her eyes narrowing slightly. “You’ve been acting strange all evening. Are you sure it’s just wo
SHAWNA The world felt like it was spinning around me. My heart was racing, and I couldn’t even bring myself to take a deep breath. I just... couldn’t. The police officers had come back, and the news they brought shook me to my core. Eugene had escaped. I felt a strange mixture of shock and... relief. It was wrong to feel this way, I knew. But part of me couldn’t help it. She had been a problem for so long, and now she was gone, but... at what cost? I could still hear the echo of the gunshot in my mind. It was too real. I looked over at Liam, his face as pale as mine. He kept glancing at the police like he was trying to figure out what their next move was. But there was no escape now. We were trapped. “So what now?” Liam asked, his voice low and strained like he was holding back his panic. One of the policemen snorted like the idea of us trying to find answers was laughable. “What do you think? You’re going to prison.” Liam clenched his fists, his jaw tight. “You know you le
RAMONI couldn’t stop thinking about her.Phoebe.Her smile, her voice, the way her fingers touched mine so gently, like she was scared I’d disappear. The way she looked at me last night, I wasn’t just some guy with a messed-up plan and a fake relationship. No, she looked at me like I mattered. Like I was someone worth trusting.I was lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to focus on anything else. But her face kept flashing in my mind. Her laugh. The way her lips felt on mine. The way she pulled me close like she didn’t want to let go.God, I didn’t want to let go either.“I’m glad we made up,” I whispered to no one. “I really am.”My phone was on my chest, and I kept picking it up every two seconds just to look at her texts from last night. She’d sent a smiley face and a “get home safe,” and for some reason, that meant the world to me. It wasn’t much, but it felt real. Everything about last night felt real.But still… my uncle’s warning kept gnawing at the back of my mind
PHOEBEI walked through the front door, trying to act normal. But I couldn’t hide the smile tugging at my lips, or the way my body felt light, like I was floating. I hadn’t felt this… happy in a long time.Billy and Jasper were on the couch playing video games, but the second they saw me, they both paused the game and turned their heads slowly.“Well, well, well,” Billy said, grinning. “Look who’s glowing.”Jasper leaned forward and squinted at me. “You’re smiling way too much for someone who just got back from grocery shopping.”I rolled my eyes. “Mind your business.”Billy stood and crossed his arms like he was interrogating me. “We didn’t mind our business. That’s exactly why you’re blushing like that.”“I’m not blushing,” I said quickly, covering my cheeks even though I totally was. I could feel the heat rising, and that only made it worse.Jasper laughed and nudged Billy. “You totally are. And we know why.”I narrowed my eyes at both of them. “What are you two talking about?”Bil
RAMONI stared at the screen for a long time after the call ended. Phoebe’s dad? Golf? What was that even about? The man barely looked at me when I was dating his daughter. Why now?I paced the room, trying to make sense of it. Was it a trap? A test? Did he know something?I grabbed my phone, heart thumping. My fingers hovered over Phoebe’s contact."Don’t do it," I whispered to myself. "She doesn’t want to talk to you."Still, my thumb hit the call button.It rang.And rang.I was about to hang up when her voice came through, sharp and cold.“What do you want, Ramon?”I hesitated. “I…I know you don’t want to hear from me, and I get that. I just... I thought you should know something.”“What?”“Your dad. He called me. He invited me to golf with him tomorrow evening.”There was silence on the other end.“You’re kidding,” she said finally.“I’m not. I don’t even know what to make of it.”“That’s... weird,” she admitted. “But you should go.”I blinked. “Really?”“Yes. He’s not the type t
RAMONHis face was tight with anger, every muscle in his jaw flexing like he was holding himself back from exploding.“You’ve disappointed me, Ramon,” he said, voice cold and sharp. “You’ve truly disappointed me.”I stayed silent, standing stiff, hands clenched at my sides.He shook his head slowly, eyes filled with disgust. “I should’ve known. I should’ve known you weren’t ready for this. That you weren’t cut out for anything that required real strength or discipline.”I swallowed hard but didn’t speak. I knew better. I’d learned over the years that interrupting him when he got like this only made it worse.“You’re not worthy,” he spat. “I never should’ve put my trust in you. You were supposed to finish this. You were supposed to be the one who handled it all without catching feelings like a weak little boy.”He stepped closer, jabbing a finger in my chest. “But no. You let a girl unravel everything. One spoiled, privileged girl and suddenly your loyalty goes out the window? Are you
RAMONI leaned against the wall, arms still crossed as I watched Billy and Jasper circle my living room like they were on some episode of a home makeover show gone wrong. Their snide comments still echoed in my ears, but what hurt more wasn’t the jokes, it was the reason they were here. Phoebe.I exhaled slowly and finally said, “I didn’t mean to hurt her.”Billy paused, turning back to face me. “Yeah? Could’ve fooled us.”Jasper added, “She cried, man. You know how hard it is to make Phoebe cry? That girl could watch a sad movie and still hold it together.”“I didn’t try to hurt her,” I said, louder this time. My chest tightened. “Things got messed up. I made mistakes, yeah. But I never meant for it to end like this.”Billy folded his arms. “So, what? It just happened? You just ‘accidentally’ broke her heart?”Before I could even defend myself, that familiar, smug voice chimed in from behind me.“Alright, that’s enough.”I flinched.My uncle stepped forward, arms folded across his ch
RAMONI slammed the door behind me and let out a heavy sigh. The silence in the house was louder than ever. My shoes echoed on the floor as I walked into the living room. Everything felt tight in my chest. My throat burned, and I kept replaying her face in my mind…Phoebe was hurt, angry, her eyes watery like she was holding everything back.“Idiot,” I muttered to myself. “You really messed that one up.”I pulled off my jacket and tossed it on the couch. “You told her to walk away. Like some fool. Like she meant nothing.”I paced the room, dragging both hands down my face. “She told you to leave and you actually listened? What the hell, man? Who does that? Who actually walks out on someone they…” I stopped short, heart pounding. “Someone they…”I didn’t finish the sentence. Couldn’t. Saying it out loud would make everything worse. Realer.I clenched my fists, frustrated. “You just hurt the only woman who gave a damn about you. Congratulations.”Then, out of nowhere, I heard a creak beh
PHOEBEThe shoe flew faster than I expected. I was aiming for Billy, but the timing was just bad, really bad. The door opened right as I let go, and instead of hitting one of my annoying brothers, it smacked right into my assistant’s face.“Oh my God!” I gasped, rushing toward her. “Maya! I didn’t…I wasn’t…oh my God, I’m so sorry!”She just stood there, frozen, one hand on her cheek, eyes wide like she was still trying to figure out what just happened. Her mouth opened, then closed, then opened again.“That… really hurt,” she finally said, her voice small.“I know, I know,” I said quickly, flustered. “I’m such a mess right now. I swear I didn’t mean to hit you. It was meant for that idiot over there!” I pointed at Billy, who had now crouched behind the chair like he was in the middle of a war zone.“I was just walking in,” Maya muttered, still stunned. “I didn’t even say anything yet…”“I know!” I said again, practically tripping over my words. “And now your cheek is red, and I’m the
PHOEBEI couldn’t believe it. I actually couldn’t believe it.One second he was standing there in my office, all quiet and acting like everything was done and final, and the next, he was gone. Just like that. Gone.I stood in the middle of the room, staring at the spot where Ramon had stood minutes ago, and my chest felt like it was being crushed.And then the anger came.I grabbed the pen holder from my desk and hurled it across the room. Pens scattered everywhere. I didn’t care.He was supposed to fight for me.I picked up a stack of files and flung them on the floor. Papers floated in the air like leaves. Still didn’t care.“He was supposed to fight,” I mumbled under my breath, kicking the side of my chair.Then I reached for the mug he got me last week, the stupid one that said ‘Don’t Talk to Me Until I’ve Had Coffee’ and smashed it against the wall. The crash made me feel slightly better. Only slightly.The door creaked open.“Phoebe?” Billy’s voice.“No,” I said quickly, not tur
RAMONI stood in front of her, feeling like I’d stepped into a storm I wasn’t ready for.Phoebe looked at me with her arms crossed, her eyes sharp and guarded. Not like before. Not soft. Not kind. Just cold.“What are you doing here?” she asked. Her voice was sharp. Distant.I swallowed hard. “I came to pick up my things.”Her face changed for a second. Hurt, I think. But she blinked it away. “So you’re really leaving then?”I shifted on my feet. “Phoebe… you asked me to leave. I’m just respecting that.”She scoffed and looked away, shaking her head like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “So that’s it? You’re just walking away like a coward?”My chest tightened. “It’s not like that.”She turned back to me fast. “Then what is it like, Ramon? Huh? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you just gave up on me.”I took a step forward. “I didn’t give up.”“Then what are you doing?” she snapped. “I was angry. I was hurt. But I still expected you to… I don’t know, fight a li