SHAWNA“Phoebe?" I called out in a little voice, my voice was very weak.Liam looked down at her to see what was happening with me, he looked equally shocked.I moved closer to my daughter, placing my hand on her chest, and I got nothing. She wasn't breathing any longer, that always only means one thing which I refuse to believe is what's going on.“She's no longer breathing! You both should fucking do something!" Liam yelled at them both but they were still unmoved.“Fuck you two, you'll regret it!" he yelled and took her further into the hospital himself.I was too shaken, stood still even when Liam was walking away with my daughter, my legs were too weak to move, my mind numb and eyes just clouded with too much tears.I watched helplessly as Liam was stopped in the middle of the lobby by two security guards. He looked like he wanted to hit them in the faces if not that he was carrying Phoebe.Just as an unimaginable level of anger overtook my entire form, a familiar figure started
SHAWNA“Are you all ready to go now?" Liam asked my mother and me. It's the morning after the incident with Phoebe.Grandfather had people on guard all night to stay with her so I didn't have to stay with her all night, I'm just on my way to the hospital this morning with Mom.Billy and Jasper have gone with their nanny this morning, they'll go to see their sister in the afternoon. But for now, it's just my mother and me.“Yes, we just finished," I answered him."Let's go then.” He walked out of the house with both of us behind him, we got outside and entered his car, zooming off immediately.“Are you going to a job interview today, Shawna?" Mom asked me when the ride started.“No, why did you ask?" “Well, you're dressed like that." She shrugged.Truth be told, I was dressed in office wear, but I tried as much as possible to make it look casual too. I wore a white pants trouser and a flowery shirt that was mostly black.“I took the heiress position from Grandpa,” I announced. I've be
EUGENE “I like that! I like that!" I grinned at Kyle, who beamed happily at me. I didn't even need to tell him before he knew he was meant to throw them out, and I like him for that. “Look at how helpless she looked, I like how today is just going for her," I grinned evilly. “I know right, let's just go to where you were going, they don't deserve this level of attention, they're low lives and it should remain that way." Kyle wrapped his arm around my shoulder. We walked towards his car and got in, his driver looked like he wanted to say something with how he kept glancing back. “Just spill it already, Frank," Kyle ordered him. “I just wanted to tell you that your brother was in the hospital too, I saw him go in.” He said. My heart skipped a beat when he said that, I felt the pressing need to be there already, I didn't want to go with Kyle before, but hearing that Damien would be there made me enthusiastic. “Really?" I asked out loud. Kyle glanced at me with the sudden shift
SHAWNA Phoebe's excited face when she saw me walk in warmed my heart a lot. I also went straight to her and wrapped my arms around her in a warm hug. “I've been waiting for you Mom!" She said out loud that my mother who was resting her head on the edge of the bed woke up. I broke the hug and looked into her eyes with a smile on my face, the color on her face and skin had returned fully. “I know baby, I'm here now. How are you feeling?" I asked her. "I'm fine now. I want to go home to see Billy and Jasper already, I miss them so much.” She pouted. "We're going to do just that, we'll get you out of here today, I know what it feels like to be stuck in a hospital room,” I said as I caressed her cute, chubby cheeks. "Did the doctor say she can go?” My mother asked with confusion in her voice. "I plan on seeing him in his office now,” I answered her. "Yay! I can't wait!” Phoebe squealed. "I'll go see the doctor now so we can start going home.” I ruffled her hair and stood up. Just
SHAWNA “What do they want this time? Anyways, I'm sure they'll leave when they get tired, I don't have any time at all today." “They look quite determined though, like they'll stay there till you come out even if it's night. I honestly wonder what rubs through their head, what do they want with the heiress now?" Liam asked me back. “That's their headache, not ours. They'll leave when they get tired. How's work today by the way?" I changed the topic entirely. “Everything is going smoothly, I got the best news from you today since I started my company." He smiled. I only smiled back at him, I've not even done up to half of what he has done for me, Liam is one of my biggest supporters and rock, he deserves all the good things in life. “You're closed from work right?" I asked him, seeing how relaxed he looked and his loosened tie. “Yes." “Good, can you please accompany me to my children's former school? I have one or two things to do there." I asked with a smirk on my face. He see
EUGENE I rushed into the house to see my parents pacing around the living room, my dad looked more conflicted. “Mom, I'm here now, what happened?" I asked as I dropped my bag on the couch, my heart was racing wildly in my chest, I knew already that something wasn't right. “Haven't you seen the news already or you've been out gallivanting around? The Lancaster empire now has a new heiress.” My father growled. This is not a trivial issue, my father rarely raises his voice, but when he does, it has to be that the matter is out of hand, there's no other way out at all. "I saw the news, but I don't understand what's going on, why are you both so riled up?” I frowned, "We're still struggling to get the acceptance of Mr Bryan Lancster into our business and he's not budging at all, finding a new heiress who's faceless as we speak will make this hard.” My mother butted in. "And the Lancasters are our only hope at rising again, so we have to get them to be partners with us, how do
DAMIEN I saw them come out of the building and instantly regretted coming out of my car at this point too. The last thing I want to do is talk to Eugene right now. “Damien!" She yelled out my name before I could avoid them, making me cuss it. Her mother turned too but Eugene walked towards me, making her mother come forward too. “What are you doing here?" Eugene asked when she got to me, I wanted to give a snarky comment that whatever I was looking for was none of her business but for the sake of her mother, I swallowed it. “I'm here to see someone,” I replied, trying as much as possible to not sound rude or anything. "Good afternoon, Damien.” Her mother greeted me herself. I didn't know if she was being normal or just because it's me but I answered since she's older and wasn't raised to be rude to anyone. "Good afternoon, ma'am. How's the family?” I asked her politely, pocketing my hands. "We’re all fine, you know, apart from the little setbacks we're experiencing in the
EUGENE I watched as Damien drove away, the window of his car was tinted so I couldn't see him at all, the only thing I saw was the dark window till the car joined the busy road. “What's that about? You didn't have to lie that much, Eugene. I even thought you'd let him know that you were joking before he left, but you didn't, you played on.” My mom said beside me. "I'm doing this for us, Mom. If the heiress doesn't want to be known, I might as well make use of the opportunity to get what we want for a little while." I shrugged. “No, you're not. We'll only end up in a bitter mess if you continue with this. The Lancaster empire isn't just something you can play with, we'll just get ourselves in a deeper mess." She said. "Why are you scared, Mom? This would be so fun, and even helpful to us.” I chuckled and turned around to go into the building back but she dragged me back, stopping me from going in. "No, we're going home now. I'm sure we'll figure something out with your dad,
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