SHAWNAThe three of them looked at me with a look that said they were not going to back down, I couldn't even sideline them at this point.“Yes Mom, who's our father this man, that man over there, or Liam," Billy asked me, his siblings nodded after what he just said, agreeing with the question.Before I could reply to them, the guy beside me butted in.“My name is Paul, I'd love to be your father if you would all allow me, it's nice to meet the three of you. I guess this would be the first time you're all seeing me.” He said.I was more than gobsmacked at what he just said, I just couldn't say anything. My children were looking at me, almost as if they were asking if he was being real.I couldn't even say anything, I just kept looking at them like a deer caught in headlights."Mom?" Phoebe asked me, dragging me out of that reverie.“How about you all sit down there and I discuss with him? I promise I'll tell you everything after this." I told them."Promise?” Jasper asked me, his mout
EUGENE“Let's go," I said to my driver, leaving the school with him after I had watched Damien leave with Shawna. The way he interfered and talked back at me made me so angry.I'm mad that he's still after her despite everything that has happened all these years, he doesn't even know that those children are his, yet he's still after her!What does he even see in her that I don't have? There's nothing special about her at all, she's just normal, absolutely normal!I have everything he can ever need, money included. I'm not poor and won't even be a financial problem to him, but he still wants someone as poor as that.“Ma'am?" My driver’s voice drew me out of that reverie, I'd been standing before the car, my eyes going over to the same spot where Shawna was standing with Damien and her three spawns.My assistant had to leave rapidly earlier with the other guys so I'm just with my driver.Can't she just focus on that guy that has been following her everywhere? They fit each other so damn
SHAWNALiam has been keeping me waiting here for some minutes now and I've been here since, he just kept telling me that I should please hold on for him.The most annoying and infuriating part of this is that he's not telling me what's keeping him waiting, he just keeps telling me to calm down.I sipped on the coffee before me with anger thrumming through me, I'm trying so hard to suppress the anger in me right now but nothing seems to be forthcoming.He said we should meet at a coffee shop and now I'm on my second cup of coffee yet there's nothing from him. I just kept scrolling through my phone till I felt a presence before me.I looked up from my phone to see Damien standing before me, he had his hand dipped into his pocket.“Damien?" I mumbled, almost as if I couldn't believe that he was standing before me.“Can I sit?" He asked me, gesturing at the chair opposite me, the one he was currently standing beside.I didn't even know what to say, Liam could come in anytime soon, and if
SHAWNA“What the actual fuck?" I cussed out loud, frozen on the spot with my mouth hung open. Liam acted immediately, he ran past me and started running after the guy.I couldn't even move at some point, it got to a point that I had to move. Just as I wanted to run after Liam, I saw him running back without my bag in his hand. He was panting heavily as he got to me, his eyes still looking around as though he was looking for someone. “You didn't see him?" I asked him with my heart racing. “It's as though he vanished into thin air, I didn't even see anyone that looks like him at some point." He replied warily. This just looks like a movie to me, the bag got collected from me in not up to five seconds and now it's gone just like that? Just vanished into the thin air.His eyes glanced down to my hand and a relieved look came up on his face.“Thank God your phone is with you, is there anything valuable in the bag?” He asked.I didn't bring the debit card with me today, "No, just a litt
SHAWNAI was more than shocked at her words, I was speechless for some seconds till she made a sound from the other end of the phone.“Of course, yes! When is the meeting starting? I'll be on my way now.” I rushed out the words."It's in thirty minutes. Make sure you come with enough documents to back up your claim, it's not going to be an easy session at all,” She said.“Of course, I'll be there very soon." She hung up almost immediately. Liam was looking at me with a look that was asking me to explain everything to him already.I told him everything she said and we were out of the hospital building in no time."I need to confirm if the document I had in that bag was the original one, or even if I put it there at all. I need to confirm now because I need the document." I narrated to Liam as he drove. “I’ve been thinking about it too, and I don't think you'd put something as important as that in the bag. Let's just keep hoping and praying till we get back home." Liam said back.“Exac
SHAWNAHe walked over to the front of the room, avoiding my eye contact. Maybe I heard wrong, or he meant to say ‘Shawna’ instead of the ‘Eugene’ he said.Because there's no way he just declared her as the heiress, he signed those documents himself. And I'm very sure he couldn't have forgotten my face, I don't even resemble Eugene one bit.“I have the documents to back up my claim here.” He said as he went to stand beside Eugene. She still has that smirk plastered on her face."Barrister John?" I mumbled, but it came out very loud that he looked up from those papers.“Yes, how may I help you ma'am?" He asked me casually, so formally."I think you made a mistake with the names, I'm Shawna and not Eugene, I think you forgot or something,” I said to him,"Allow the lawyer to do his work, don't disrupt him. Please go back to what you were doing." Eugene's mother interrupted and the lawyer did just as she said.“What's going on, Shawna?" Liam stood up from the chair too, confusion bare in
EUGENEExcitement thrummed through me as Shawna was dragged away by the policemen, she wasn't violent but she was fighting in their strong grip.I heaved a sigh of relief as she was eventually dragged away, it felt like a major problem in my life was being taken away. At least I won't have to worry about her for a while.“Congratulations Miss Shawna. You're good for the position already, it fits you." The guy who was exchanging words with Shawna earlier said, he had a huge smile plastered on his face.“Thank you.” I mustered up a fake smile at him, he just irks me in a kind of way. I don't know if it's because he just admitted to wanting to get married to Shawna before, he had even declared her children as his.Or if it's just because I'm not currently attracted to any male at the moment except for Damien of course. I won't rest till he realizes that I'm the right person for him.“Congratulations Miss Shawna, welcome onboard.” The man who anchored the meeting said to me as he left the
SHAWNA“Let me go! I'm not guilty! You all should do your fucking job and investigate this instead of just arresting!!" I spasmed around in their hold.It was like I wasn't even saying anything, they didn't stop till we got to their car. Liam wanted to come after me but he was pushed back.After I was forced into his car, I saw him starting his car and coming after the police car. That didn't make me relaxed, it just provided a kind of mental assurance that I'm not alone in this at all.The least these retards would have done is to carefully look into this, but no! Eugene has bought everyone with Lancster's money.Even the lawyer who's meant to be the one who says the truth and erases the confusion is working for her. Am I ever going to get out of this? Now the whole country knows me, everybody has seen my face and heard everything. I feel more weak and helpless than ever, I just want to end it all already.But the thought of leaving my kids behind makes me rethink that decision. And
RAMONI stood in the garden, massaging my temples and trying to figure out what just happened. I hated seeing Phoebe hurt. I hated that I was the reason for that look in her eyes, the one that made my chest ache. I wanted to run after her, fix it, explain everything better.I had just taken a step toward the house when I heard footsteps behind me. I turned to see Billy and Jasper coming out. Great. Just what I needed right now.They stood there awkwardly for a second before Billy cleared his throat."Hey, man," he said, not meeting my eyes. "We, uh... we just wanted to say sorry."I blinked, surprised. "Sorry?"Jasper shoved his hands into his pockets. "Yeah. For looking down on you. We didn't know... well, we didn't know you were who you are."I sighed, not really wanting to have this conversation. "It's fine," I muttered, even though it really wasn't."But," Billy added quickly, "we still think you're hiding something. And honestly... we don’t think you're worthy of our sister."Tha
PHOEBEThe second everyone was distracted inside, I grabbed Ramon’s hand and tugged him gently toward the garden. I was buzzing with excitement, my heart beating way too fast. I needed a moment alone with him, away from all the heavy stares and questions."Come on," I said, smiling at him. "Let’s get some air."He smiled back, letting me pull him along. The night air was cool and smelled faintly of roses. The garden lights made everything look soft and dreamy.Once we were far enough from the house, I stopped and turned to him, crossing my arms playfully. "So..." I began, raising an eyebrow. "You’re secretly rich, huh?"Ramon chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess so.""You guess so?" I laughed, nudging him with my shoulder. "Why didn’t you tell me?"He shrugged, looking a little sheepish. "I was going to tell you... eventually. I just wanted you to like me for me, you know? Not for anything else."I looked at him, my heart softening even more. His voice sounded so honest, s
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