EUGENEI stormed away from him with anger thrumming through me, he had some nerves to ask me that question. I get it that he saved me from being embarrassed.But even at that, that question just did something to me, it annoys the fuck out of me. I don't know if it's because it's true, or I'm just mad at myself for going to him for help in the first place.If my stupid assistant had just said why my attention was needed in the office, I'd have escaped all these. I'd just have to come up with a reasonable excuse, I wouldn't have shown up at all.I'll visit my assistant's case later, I need to take care of Shawna now. Maybe I'll just transfer all the aggression to her. I dialed my investigator's number, he'll have to ask me one or two for me.He picked up almost immediately, “Help me find Shawna's current location, I need to pay her a visit.” I said."On it ma'am, I'll text you the address once I get it.” Then he hung up. This is one of the things I kind of hate about him, no one hangs u
DAMIENThe moment the car's tire started moving, I ran behind them with my full strength. I tried to catch up with them but they drove off in different directions.I don't know who is behind the steering wheel, the faces are so unfamiliar. They were employed by Eugene but at the expense of what?Shawna’s shout for help kept ringing in my head, it had long been submerged by the car going farther.I stood in the middle of the road with clenched fists and frustration thrumming through me. What is Eugene up to this time around? Fuck, I Shouldn't have been so careful.I thought she needed help, fuck! She tricked me again.To think that I thought she changed for good, is she planning on kidnapping Shawna now or what?Then she's so dumb, I just realize how dumb and stupid she is. Why would anyone even think that way? I saw her and I know what she did!I'll think about that later, what's more important now is saving Shawna. She's still very drunk and at this point, I don't trust Eugene as one
EUGENE“Where the fuck are these boys?" I asked angrily, pacing around. They were meant to be here since we agreed that we'd meet here actually.They were even meant to follow my car when we drove out of that bar but they decided to go the other way. There's even no way Damien would have caught up with them.They were both just pussies, now I'm here waiting for them. The most infuriating part is that they're not picking up their calls.“They’re never without their phones, something must have happened to them.” The lady with them who got into my car said, worry grappling her entire form.I don't even care if they're personally alright, all I want from them is Shawna. I can't make more plans now without them, and the more we waste time, the closer we are to being caught by Damien.They took his car after all and he can track it in minutes. My investigator sent two more boys to come meet me here so the work will be faster.“Just pick up the damn phone!” I yelled, resisting the urge to th
SHAWNAA groan escaped my mouth as I opened my mouth, the bright lights of the room weren't helping matters either. My head aches a lot and my head is so blank.And to top it all, the room looks so strange, I can't even remember how I got here.“You're awake." A familiar voice said, startling me. The person soon came into view and it was none other than Damien.“Where is this?" I found myself asking.“It's my house. You don't remember anything that happened?" He frowned.Shaking my head was a big problem on its own, and the headache worsened. What could have caused this? I can't even remember anything, my head is so blank right now. “No, I don't." I had to do it verbally. “Here, this should help your hangover." He handed over the glass of water in his hand with a pill to me. Hangover? That only happened after excessive intake of alcohol right? What's he talking about? The frown on my face ebbed away when I vaguely remember myself going into a bar.I took the pills from him and swal
SHAWNA“You can't keep me here, I'm carrying your baby," Eugene said. Those words have to be the craziest thing I've heard in a while.I looked at her face, expecting her to laugh or something but she looked very serious, dead-ass serious. “What? That's not even possible." Damien scoffed, looking as shocked as I was."I'm not lying. I'm pregnant and you're the father.” Eugene shrugged, looking unbothered with a smirk on her face. She looks so confident, the kind of confidence that comes from having planned something out.“What are you even saying? I used a condom.”Those words made my heart shatter immediately, the warmness I was feeling towards him immediately turned into a very cold one. Condom? They had sex?“You both had sex?" I asked out loud.“Yes, he didn't tell you? We've been doing-" Damien cut her off with a glare on his face."Shut it Eugene, I only did it because you said that was the only way to get Shawna out of prison.” He snapped."You had sex with her because you wan
SHAWNAI lifted my head from my mother's shoulder as Phoebe walked further into the room. I cleared my throat and wiped the tears off my face.“Hey baby, I didn't see you there." I forced out a smile."Did our daddy make you cry, Mom?” She asked me with a little frown on her cute face."Why do you think so? Not, I was just being emotional.” I moved closer to her, bending down to her level."But I heard you say it.” She immediately ran away from me. I assumed that she was upset or something till she came back with her brothers.“Mom, did our daddy make you cry? Have you found him already? Who is he?” Jasper asked.I was speechless, I didn't know what to say or do. They looked like they wanted nothing but the truth from me and I knew I couldn't look them in the eye and lie to them again.But at the same time, I'd never tell them that Damien is their father. This is just so complicated, more complicated than I ever thought it would be.These kids deserve to know who their father is. But
LIAMShe looked at my face for a response, my head and face went blank immediately and I just had to calm down my nerves and then look around the room.“Let's go to the balcony, I don't think it's good if we talk about this here." She said, referencing her children, those kids act like adults at times and I won't be surprised if they heard us.“Okay," I mumbled and we walked over to the balcony, the cool evening breeze blowing our skin. It's a very pretty sight from here but that's the least of my problems.“Why did you ask that question though?” I asked her and she sighed."I feel like he deserves to know technically that they're his. But at the same time, seeing as he has gotten someone else pregnant makes me want to repel. A lot of things are at stake right now and my kids deserve to know the truth too.”"It's not just that, I thought I was getting somewhere with him then this happens. We were good, I thought he was changing for good really.”"I just don't know what to do right now
LIAM“What the actual fuck, man?" Damien growled, his eyes flashing in anger. The anger that's coursing through me is more than the one in him, the alcohol seems to be amplifying my anger.“I warned you, you're the last person I want to see right now," I said, going to sit down back. I wasn't able to sit properly before he dragged my back by the collar.He punched me squarely in the jaw, making my head loll to the side. A metallic taste appeared in my mouth which is blood.I didn't let him rest too, I didn't even wait to revel in the pain of the punch, I just punched him back. The fight got pretty much more than it was intended to be we were separated by policemen.When did they get here and who called them? The bartender standing behind them made me realize that he must have called them.I threw a glare his way as we were dragged away by the cops, neither of us tried to resist them, we just followed them peacefully.Arguing with them or resisting will only draw attention to us. We we
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