EUGENE“Where the fuck are they? Where's the stupid Shawna he came in with? Now I can't find either of them." I growled as I looked into the third room since I started looking for them.What if they're in a corner having sex currently with the aphrodisiacs that's not meant to be for either of them working?Shawna is meant to be with the person I sent to her and Damien with me, they're not meant to be together at all.“Did they leave already? No, neither of them can drive in that state. They'd be too overdriven by the substance in them to even do anything other than make out with someone of the opposite sex.And as far as I'm concerned, Damien would have found her by now already which means they're together somewhere.“Arghhhhh! Can she just die already? Why's she everywhere in my business? She should just get the fuck out of my way already!” I yelled angrily.Luckily, no one was around me to hear what I just said. I've never felt this angry and frustrated for anything in a while, I've
SHAWNA I've never felt this way, my head is so foggy and my eyes feel so heavy to be lifted on their own. I tried to open my eyes to at least get where I am currently, I can feel it within myself normally that I'm not in my room at home at all. Opening my eyes proved to be another big problem, it was like something hard was tugging my eyes to just stay that way. My head is banging so hard and my entire body hurts. Where the fuck am I? I tried to recall everything that led up to me being here with me, and although it's hard to get, I remember myself being cornered against the female’s cubicle in the restroom. “Who are you?" I asked, my voice sounding so low that I could barely hear myself. My body is so hot and I just want to be touched by someone, just anyone in a lot of places. What's going on with me? I didn't even drink a lot of alcohol for me to get so tipsy. “You need something, baby?" That male voice said in my head, I can't even place a name on my face. “Who are
SHAWNAThe question hung in the air as I just looked into Damien’s face, my eyes looked directly into his and it looked like he was staring directly into the windows of my soul.I couldn't find my way to say anything to him, with how much I'd planned it up in my head to talk back to him if he dared ask me anything like this again.It's almost like my mouth was caught up in some kind of trap or something, I couldn't just say something.Suddenly, his eyes moved from my eyes down to my face, the glint in his eyes made my body feel like it was on fire, which made it harder for me to say something.Just as I opened my mouth to say something, my phone started ringing, effectively breaking the trance-like state I was in.The vibration of the phone against the bedside table and the loud ringing tone made me run away from under Damien's hold, he let me go this time and I rolled over to pick up the callLiam's name was displayed on the screen and I picked up the call immediately, I didn't wast
EUGENE“Where are you going? You barely slept overnight." Mom asked me as I got downstairs, she was standing by the door.“I'll sleep when I come back, I have to see someone now and it's kind of urgent,” I said and made my way towards the door when she stopped me again."Is it Kyle?” Who do you want to go and see?" She asked me, raising one of her eyebrows with her arms around her.“No, I need to leave now Mom," I whined.“Do you still think it's wise to keep secrets from me? Is there anything you do that I don't end up finding out about? Just spill already.” She said,I sighed, knowing she wouldn't allow me to leave without telling her what she just asked me."Damien, I'm going to see Damien. Can I leave now?”"Oh, is there something I don't know here, why are you going to see him this early?”I resisted the urge to say the words that wanted to come out, but I just had to shut it. I calmed down a bit before replying to her.“I didn't see him at the party yesterday, I need to see him
DAMIEN “Don't ever try to meddle in my business again, especially my life currently. You're no longer a part of it." Shawna said then walked out of the room. I had an emotionless look on my face as she left the room. I had a series of emotions coursing through me as she left the room, it felt like she was leaving my life right now. The words made my heart twist weirdly, it's like watching your high school crush kiss your bully, that kind of hurt and pain that'd leave someone breathless. “What exactly are you doing to me, Shawna?" I asked myself as I fell back on the bed. I lay there for a minute before standing up to take my bath. I need the shower, all the grime and dirt from last night need to be washed away. I got into the shower and took a very cold shower. My body feels so different from before, I feel slightly better compared to before even. "Uh, it's time time to get the fuck out of here already," I mumbled then started packing up, I took just my phone car keys, an
SHAWNA I got out of his car with my phone pressed to my ear, I only looked back once to tell him thank you, and that was all. “Can you repeat what you just said please, I wasn't listening," I asked Liam on the phone. “I said where are you now, do you need me to come pick you up? I'm at your house right now." He said. “I'll get home very soon, let's say twenty minutes, so I'll see you soon, you don't need to stress yourself, I've gotten a cab already," I told him. “Oh, okay then. I'll be waiting for you here." He mumbled. "Yes, thank you,” I said then hung up. I let out a very deep breath and then looked for a cab, I saw that Damien still had his car on that one spot till I entered the cab and left. He should just really leave me alone, I don't want to have anything to do with him again at all. I want to start a life without him, I badly want to forget him, but seeing him again is making it so hard. And the fact that we had sex this morning is crazier, I can't believe we
SHAWNAHis head tilted to the direction of the paper, I ran back outside to call anyone, either a doctor or a nurse but they were coming in already.“Please move aside ma'am, we have to attend to him now." The doctor who attended to him the other day rushed in with two nurses behind him.I did as he said and just stood by the side as they prodded Grandfather with a lot of things. They did that for five minutes or so before the doctor took off the stethoscope around his neck, and he turned to me.“It's as though he only woke up for a reason, he's not responsive again for now. He's back into a coma, that's all we could get. I guess he has told you something before he slipped back into unconsciousness.” He said."Yes, he told me something. So there's nothing again, for now, nothing at all.” I mumbled.I feel really sad that he's back to how he was again, I thought he was awake already for real.“I can detect that he's healing again, he's responding to treatment, it's just the next time h
EUGENE“Good morning ma'am, how was your weekend?" My assistant asked me as soon as I got to the office.“It was very fine, thank you. How was yours too?" I asked her back politely, the last thing I'd want to have here is to not have a good relationship with the workers, especially my assistant.So I've been trying as much as I can to be friendly with them.“It was fine too." She said as she followed me into the office with her book in hand.“I won't be doing too much today, I just want to explore the empire, I want to see everywhere and not just this building,” I told her."Well noted ma'am, your wish is my command, I'll make provision for that now.” She walked out of my office, leaving the steaming cup of coffee she came in with.If there's anything I love about this position, the coffees would be number one, they're so nice, thick, and creamy.I don't even know what they do to make it this rich and different from other ones I've drank before. I closed my eyes and revealed its delic
SHAWNA"Damien, Liam, I think something's wrong," I said, my voice trembling. "I can't find Billy and Phoebe anywhere."Their faces paled. "What do you mean you can't find them?" Damien asked, his voice sharp."I mean they're gone. Vanished. I've looked everywhere, and they're just… not here."Liam's eyes widened. "Maybe they're playing hide-and-seek?" he suggested, trying to sound optimistic."Liam, they wouldn't play hide-and-seek without telling me," I said, my heart pounding. "This isn't a game."We raced back to my mother's house, finding her frantically pacing the living room. "Jasper!" I cried, pulling him into a tight hug. "Where were you, darling? You scared me to death."Jasper simply shrugged. "I was playing in the garden," he mumbled.Then, his face crumpled. "But I can’t find Phoebe and Billy," he cried out, tears welling in his eyes. His lower lip trembled, and he buried his face in my skirt, sobs racking his small frame.I knelt beside him, my heart aching. "Oh, sweetie
PHOEBE"Come on, Billy!" I tugged his hand, practically dragging him down the stairs. "We gotta go!""Where are we going, Phoebe?" Billy whined, his lower lip trembling."To find Daddy!" I said, holding up my tablet. "I ordered a car. We're going to his office."The car arrived, a big black one. The driver looked at us suspiciously. "Where are you little ones going? And who's with you?""We're going to find our Daddy!" I declared. "We can take care of ourselves."Billy mumbled something about wanting ice cream, but I ignored him. "We're going to his company," I told the driver, giving him the address.He looked at us for a long time, like he didn't believe me. "Your parents know you're going alone?""We don't need them," I said confidently. "We're brave."The driver sighed. "Alright, get in."Billy was so excited, he tried to open the door himself. But it was stuck! "Stuck!" he yelled and started to cry a little. I tried to open it too, and I pushed hard. Finally, it opened with a LOU
SHAWNAThe house was quiet now, but the tension still lingered in the air. I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the photograph of my kids on the nightstand. Their bright, innocent smiles seemed a world away from the chaos that had unfolded earlier. I couldn’t ignore it anymore. This situation was spiraling out of control, and I needed to fix it before it broke something we couldn’t put back together.Taking a deep breath, I stood up and made my way to the living room, where the kids were sulking in different corners. Jasper sat on the couch with his arms crossed, Phoebe was curled up in the armchair with her face buried in a book she wasn’t reading, and Billy was sprawled on the floor, fiddling with a toy car but clearly not playing. The tension between them was palpable.“Alright, you three,” I began, standing in the middle of the room. “We need to talk.”Jasper looked away, Phoebe’s book snapped shut with an audible thud, and Billy groaned, dragging himself into a sitting positio
LIAMThe sound of laughter filled the park as Phoebe and Billy raced each other across the grassy field, their giggles carrying on the warm afternoon breeze. Jasper, however, stood a few feet away, kicking at the dirt with the tip of his shoe, a deep frown etched on his face.I approached him cautiously, knowing that pushing too hard could make things worse. "Jasper," I began gently, crouching down to his level, "what’s wrong, buddy? You’ve been quiet all afternoon."He stopped kicking and glanced at me, his little face set with a stubborn pout. "Why can’t I choose who I want as my daddy?" he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.The words hit me harder than I cared to admit, but I took a deep breath, forcing myself to remain calm. "Jasper," I said, my tone steady, "I know this is hard for you. It’s a big change. But Damien is your dad, and that’s not something anyone gets to choose. It’s just how it is."Jasper crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the ground. "But I do
SHAWNAI returned from the mall, juggling groceries and feeling pretty pleased with myself. The house was supposed to be quiet; I’d promised the kids a movie night later, and I figured they’d be playing. Instead, I walked into the sound of crying—loud, heart-wrenching sobs.Dropping the bags on the kitchen counter, I rushed into the living room to find Jasper on the couch, tears streaming down his little face. Phoebe and Noah hovered nearby, looking worried, while Damien sat awkwardly on the armrest, running a hand through his hair like he didn’t know what to do.“What happened?” I asked, my voice sharper than I intended.Damien stood as soon as he saw me, his face a mix of guilt and frustration. “It’s... a long story.”“Mommy!” Phoebe rushed over, tugging on my arm. “Jasper doesn’t want Daddy to be Daddy!”I blinked, utterly confused. “What?”Noah chimed in. “We were helping him plan something, but then Jasper got mad and started crying.”I looked between them, then at Damien. “Helpi
DAMIENI sat on the edge of Kyle’s couch, watching him casually toss clothes into his duffle bag, his movements unhurried, as if he had all the time in the world. Meanwhile, my thoughts raced a mile a minute, the small box in my hand feeling heavier than it had any right to. I turned it over in my fingers, the weight of what it represented settling like a stone in my chest.Kyle glanced over, his sharp eyes immediately catching on to what I was holding. His brows shot up, and an all-too-familiar smirk spread across his face. “What’s that?” he asked, leaning slightly forward. “A magic trick?”I rolled my eyes, already regretting having the box out in the open. “It’s a ring.”“No kidding,” he said, his smirk widening into a full-on grin. “You planning to propose, or are you just trying out jewelry for fun?”“Yes, I’m proposing,” I snapped, gripping the ring tighter in my palm.Kyle froze for a second, then let out a loud, boisterous laugh that echoed through the room like I’d just told
SHAWNAThe moment I got the news about Cara, I felt like the ground had shifted beneath me. I couldn’t believe it. She was gone, and with her went any chance of getting the answers we so desperately needed. My chest felt tight, and my mind raced with the realization that we might never know the full truth.Back home, I couldn’t sit still. I kept pacing, my thoughts spiraling. “We were so close,” I muttered to myself, frustration bubbling to the surface. Damien tried to comfort me, but I brushed him off gently. “I need to clear my head,” I said before heading back out.I drove to the hospital where Cara had been taken. I wasn’t ready to let this go without a fight. When I arrived, I demanded to see someone who could give me more information. A nurse led me to a stoic government official who barely flinched as I unloaded my questions.“I need a detailed report,” I said, my voice sharp but steady. “What happened to Cara? And Stacey—where are their bodies?”The man sighed, shuffling some
SHAWNAThe news hit me like a tidal wave—Stacey was gone. The police confirmed her death while we were still processing the chaos of the ambush. I didn’t know how to feel about it. Relief? Anger? Sadness? Maybe all three, or maybe nothing at all. It was hard to say anymore.Cara, on the other hand, had survived but was facing court as an accomplice. A part of me felt vindicated, but another part wondered if she’d planned on pulling something else even from behind bars. Damien didn’t seem concerned about her anymore.“Do you think we should keep running?” he asked as we sat on the edge of the bed in his quiet apartment, the evidence of the last few weeks weighing heavily in the air.I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. “We’ve been through hell here, Damien. Maybe we deserve a break.”He nodded slowly, his hand resting on my knee. “Yeah. You’re right. We’ve fought enough battles for a lifetime.”We sat in silence for a moment, the kind that felt heavy but necessary. Just as I w
SHAWNACara swallowed hard, her throat bobbing visibly. “I don’t know if I have anything useful,” she admitted, her voice cracking. “She didn’t tell me much. She kept me in the dark most of the time.”“Think,” I pressed, my tone cutting through the tension like a blade. “Anything you’ve heard, seen, or even suspected could be the key to stopping her.”“I… I do have some texts,” Cara said hesitantly, pulling her phone from her pocket. “She sent me instructions sometimes. And there’s this file she left at my place. She said not to open it, but I… I couldn’t help myself. It’s all in there, her plans, the names, everything. I took a picture of it with my phone”Damien and I exchanged a glance, a spark of hope igniting between us.“Good,” I said, nodding. “That’s a start. You’re going to hand everything over, and we’ll take it from there. But Cara…” I stepped closer, lowering my voice. “If you’re lying, or if you’re holding anything back, there won’t be a next time. Understood?”She nodded