KYLEI walked out of the house with Damien before me, he didn't acknowledge me at first till I followed him to his car, that was when he stopped and looked back.“What is it, Kyle?" He asked me.“I'm going with you." I declared simply. "What's your concern with what I'm going there to do now?” He asked me back. "I'm going there with you, and that's final.”He was so calm, nothing like what Damien always looks like whenever it comes to an issue concerning the both of us.“It's none of my concern anyway. You'll continue with what you want to do with Eugene once I've handed her the file, just don't disturb me." He said then got into his car.I squeezed my fists tight as anger thrummed through me with what he just said, his mentioning the file made me even more angry, I'm meant to be the one who gets married to Eugene, she's my girlfriend.And how the hell is Eugene the heiress to the Lancaster empire I don't know. She didn't deem it fit to inform me even with how we've been discussing
EUGENE“Uh, can you stay here please, I need to have a conversation with Kyle. When I come back, we can discuss what you came here for." I said to Damien as I got outside.“No problem, just make it quick. I have other things to do." He said and started looking at his phone immediately.I ran out of the house after Kyle, he was about to get into his car when I went to jump before him.“Get out of my way, Eugene." He ordered me.“No, we need to talk," I said, crossing my arm over my chest.“How about you go in there and talk to the person you were talking to before you noticed that I even came with him?” He asked back, almost snapping.“Why are you being this way, Kyle? You should know already that I do most of the things I do for a reason, you should know that there's a reason I was giving him preferential treatment over you in there.” I said."Really? And why were you being that way with him if I may ask." He asked, looking at me with his jaw clenched.“I'm going to get something from
SHAWNA“Mom, are you okay?" Jasper asked me, his voice broke my line of thoughts.“Of course baby, why wouldn't I be? I'm very fine." I squeezed out a smile at him, he looked at me like he knew I was lying."Then why weren't you answering me when I called from the door? Is anything bothering you, mom?”"Come here.” I dragged him to myself and hugged him, I placed a kiss on his hair as I tried to force back the tears that were pricking my eyes."I'm fine, honey. I was just thinking about something concerning work which I'll figure out in no time, you have nothing to worry about.” I assured him."Okay, I trust you.” He smiled at me."So, how has school been with your brother?” Phoebe still can't go to school, for now, she's still healing.“School is fine, all of our classmates are very nice to us, we even made some new friends. Phoebe will like it there." He sounds so certain.“That’s very good, I'm glad you're making new friends there. Now, where's your brother?"“He's with Phoebe." He
SHAWNAI watched them both with my mouth agape, they were both laughing out their butts as though they were saying the funniest thing in the world.“Honestly, I can't wait. She said we'd meet on Monday for the final contract, which would seal the fake deal she doesn't know she just greedily signed." Mr Robert said.“The funniest thing is how eager you said she was to be working with you, we put up some good impression to the outside world though.” the other man laughed.Their laughter was so disgusting that I just wanted to bash their heads together with how much they were deriving joy from another person's misery.“I have to do something," I whispered to Liam.“You want to confront them? You're sure you want to do that?" He asked me back.“I don't have a choice, what they're doing is not good and they need to be called out for it," I said back.“You think they don't know that already? What you're about to do can turn out to be more risky than you'd think, I'd say we should just leave
DAMIEN“Aren't you coming anymore? I've been expecting you." Eugene's voice came on my phone for the umpteenth time this morning.It's safe to say that I've had a not-too-good morning already because her annoying voice was all I kept hearing.“I'm on your street already, you'll see me soon," I said and ended the call.Her call woke me up this morning, she called to tell me that she had drafted out the contract agreement and I had to come pick it up so I could sign.She has been disturbing me ever since I started to think that she's talking about me coming for another thing and not just the contract.Just as I got to her house premises, a familiar car drove past me, it looked like the car of the guy that's always around Shawna, it was even the one of I'm not mistaken.I honked when I got to the big gates of her house which was opened for me almost immediately.I parked my car haphazardly since I won't be spending too much time here anyway.Just as I got out of my car, I saw two guards
SHAWNAI brought down my phone immediately and looked at him with my heart aching like it had just been trampled upon by something really heavy.He was looking at me like I just said the funniest joke of the year.“I'm not joking," I said to him plainly but I doubt that did anything to him.He continued laughing but this time he was more controlled, it wasn't that mocking laughter, it was the one that was just normal.I've never felt more embarrassed, I felt like entering the ground or just hiding away somewhere in shame.“That can't be true, it has to be a joke. Lancaster is just too wild, you didn't even stop at your father's company, you jumped right at Lancaster.” He laughed once more."But I'm not even joking, why would I lie about something like that? Do I look like a liar to you?”He coughed into his hand and cleared his throat, he drank some water to clear his throat too. "I'm not saying you're lying, you're joking. Say something else, just not that, I know that can't be true
SHAWNAI got to the penthouse and Liam was there, waiting for me just like he said.“What are we going to do now? I don't even know what to do at this point, she fucking threw me out of her house when I went there." I rasped.“She threw you out of the house? I told you that I wanted to go with you but you refused, that lady needs to be put in her place.” Liam said with anger on his face.“That's why we need to get into that event she's organizing, we need to get in. That way, we might get something from the party, it might be one of the shareholders who control the company, I just need to meet someone." I said.“How do we get in then? How about I call the girl grandfather told me is my assistant? Maybe she can help me with something." I suggested.There's still no word from the lawyer and grandfather isn't waking up anytime soon.“You think she'll help?" He asked.“I'll just try." I shrugged and brought out my phone.I scrolled through my contact list for her phone number, i don't rem
DAMIEN“A letter came in for you, Damien," my mom said, handing me a paper that made me frown.I'm not even meant to be here right now, dad just asked me to come to see him for something.“Who is it from?” I asked as I opened it up."I don't know, open it first.” She shrugged and I opened it up to see that it was an invitation letter to an event taking place at Lancaster's grand hall.You're specially invited to the grand ball taking place today, we'd love it if you acknowledged this request and showed up, your presence would be highly appreciated. We apologize for the short notice, thank you. And it has the initials of Eugene at the end of the letter which just means that she's specifically inviting me.“The Lancaster Grand Hall? It has to be a very big event." Mom said as she looked into the letter with me."Yes, but I'm not going,” I mumbled, pocketing the letter."Did I just hear someone say something about the Lancaster event?” I rolled my eyes when I saw Dad come up to us.He c
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