These siblings are cute. I want Raffy as my older brother.
“Was that a man on the phone?” Regina rolled her eyes. Owen obviously needed something from her, but instead, he dwelled on the fact she was conversing with a man on the phone. “That’s none of your business.” “What are you doing here?” “It’s my mother. Is she here?” “Why would she be here? I left her hours ago, and she was fine.” He pushed Regina to get into her house. “Mom, are you here?” “Excuse me! I told you she’s not here.” “Please, help me find her.” He pleaded. “From what I remembered this morning, you fired me. So why should I help you?” “I take it back,” Owen said under his breath. “You said what?” “I take it back. I shouldn’t have fired you. What you do with your personal life is your business.” Regina rolled her eyes. “Please, just help find my mom.” “Have you asked your uncle? Maybe he knows?” “I didn’t think about that. I have a meeting in 15 minutes, and my mother is missing.” “Okay, I’ll ask Mr. Dalton so you can go to your meeting.” “I’ll follow you to t
After Regina brought Mrs. Bennet into the house, Owen offered to drop her off at her apartment. “Was that your brother on the phone?” “What?” His question bothered Regina, so she chose not to answer. “When I picked you up, were you talking to your brother?” “Why does it matter who it was?” Regina stared at him in disbelief. Earlier, he had taken on a soft demeanor when they were looking for his mother, but it seemed he was in battle mode again. “Are you dropping me off because you want to interrogate me?” Owen sighed. “It’s not that. Never mind. Thank you for helping find my mom.” Regina looked out the window and rolled her eyes. She thought Owen was going to apologize. Instead, he asked who was on the phone. ‘What is wrong with this guy, anyway?’ She asked her reflection. “You can have your job back if you want it.” ‘What did I expect? He never liked me, so why should he apologize? I should just be thankful I still have a job.’ “Sure, thanks,” she answered with equal indi
The week was almost over, and it had been a rough few days. Mrs. Bennet was not her usual happy self. Instead, there was another persona that had entered the equation. Regina had expected this to happen, but not so soon. Regina and the physical therapist had been successful in enhancing Mrs. Bennet’s motor skills by introducing exercise to her daily regimen. She had been resistant in the beginning, but having Regina do the exercises with her had made it entertaining. But this week, her mind regressed to her 5-year-old self and would do nothing. It was as if spoiled little Hailey had come out and taken over Mrs. Bennet’s body. Regina did everything to coax her out of her shell, even bribing her with ice cream, cake, and cookies. Things a younger kid would appreciate, but there was no convincing her, so they just let Mrs. Bennet sit and watch TV all day, which had Owen concerned. They called Dr. Albright to check and see why his mom was running a fever on top of everything that was
“Uncle Tim, can I ask you something? You’re close to the Bennet family more than anyone I know, and I’ll understand if you don’t want to answer my question as it might be too intrusive, and you’re close to their family than you are to me, so it’s okay if you don’t want to tell me, but I hope you do.” “Ginny, just tell me what’s on your mind.” Timothy rubbed his forehead as he extended his arm away from his ear to soften Regina’s shrilly voice on the phone. She babbled too much and used ‘the voice’ when she needed a favor. Ginny had always been a talker since she was little, and when she was on her fact-finding missions, she was relentless. “It’s about Mr. Bennet, you see.” “Which one?” He feigned ignorance. “Just the one who is grumpy.” “Well, I know Myles doesn’t talk too much, and Yvan is always grumpy because of his schedule.” “Uncle, Tim! It’s Owen, I’m asking about Owen.” The old man smiled with amusement. He knew she was talking about Owen, but wanted her to say his name.
“Hi Regina, do you mind if I talk to you privately for a sec?” Myles looked bothered about something, and she wondered if she did anything wrong. “No, not at all. What is it?” They walk through the hallways to the gardens outside. “I’ve been digging around, you know, standard procedure for a background check, and I have a pressing question.” Regina knew this question would pop up, and she was surprised it took a while for one of them to figure out her real identity. “Why are you using Martin as your last name instead of Albright?” “First off, thank you for asking instead of accusing me of being a liar. Before I answer your question, can I ask you one first?” “Sure. Not the way I would answer a question, but why not?” “Now that you know I’m an Albright, has it changed your perception of who I was when I was just Regina Martin?” “Maybe.” “Did it get better or worse?” Myles shrugged. “When your last name holds a lot of weight, it’s hard to carry that around and live up to others’
A, I’m sorry. It’s been a while since I last sent you a message. I had nothing good to share with you back then, but now I do. Remember when we first started sending handwritten letters? I thought it was lame, but you said your aunt and uncle took away all your phone privileges, and this was the only way we could communicate. I even asked if you’ve heard of e-mail and the internet. And you sent me that drawing of the guy flicking me off. That was the best thing I’ve ever gotten in the mail. Man, you were good at everything you touched. I guess those were part of the no-communication deal, too. But then again, you were always smarter than everyone else, so you found a way. I hated to admit that I never even used the postal system to send mail before, so I had to ask this lady to help me. I never told you that before because I didn’t want to look like a loser. So lame, right? Me asking for help. Anyway, I’m writing again to tell you that our hard work finally paid off. I found her,
“Mr. Dalton, I brought snacks,” Regina knocked at his office door. “He’s not in the office yet, dear.” Laurie, his assistant, had just come in and was surprised someone was at his door early that morning. “Oh, hi Laurie, I didn’t see you at your desk. I thought you were in there.” “Are these from the new bakery?” Laurie looked at the boxes on her table. “Yeah, my friend owns the place, and he bakes the pastries daily. The chocolate cake is so good, so help yourself. You too, Arthur, for your assistance.” He smiled while setting his things on the desk. Arthur Johnson is the CEO’s second assistant. While Laurie took care of the phone calls and important business transactions, Arthur dealt with the paperwork and out-of-office errands. Mr. Dalton usually sent him to different job sites or offices to deliver time-sensitive materials, which is why Regina often sees him at the Bennet mansion. “Don’t mind if I do,” Laurie said as she poured some coffee and got a pastry. “Hmm… this hit
Owen was amused. Regina managed to avoid him all week by hiding in the bathroom or the kitchen when he came in to greet his mom, finding one task or another, so they had no interactions. He tried to be astute about his timings when he came home, but for some reason, she always knew the minute he arrived. He heard snippets of her voice as she talked to several members of the household, sometime catching glimpses or her as she darted to her car or moved about the house. It was Friday and Owen just wanted to relax, so he came home early and got himself a beer from the fridge. Regina usually took half the day off, so he knew he had the house to himself for a few hours until his brothers arrived. Owen was on the treadmill with only his riding shorts on when his mother walked in. “You’re on my machine,” she declared. It was the last 30 mins of his workout. After lifting weights, he was doing cardio to strengthen his lungs and his heart, and during this time, he usually listened to music
“Regina, are you okay?” Arthur’s softer voice asked from the other side, and she looked up as she wiped her tears away. “I need to tell you something before he comes back. I drugged you the entire time you were with Jacob because he wanted you to cry and scream when he raped you, but he wouldn’t touch a sleeping body. He said it felt like he was fucking the dead. So I made you sleep.” “You what?” “I drugged you, so he couldn’t do anything to you. All the things he told you were lies. None of them happened.” “You did that for me?” she asked, confused about whom to believe. Was this version of Arthur telling the truth, or was it also another lie? “I couldn’t bear the thought that I stood by and watched while he harmed you.” “Why?” “I always loved you, Regina. I always will,” Arthur said before his face changed again. “That stupid shit. What did he tell you?” Armed with the knowledge that nothing happened between them, Regina stood to taunt Jacob. She wanted to get to the bottom o
“I wanted to see.”“And there’s a reason I told you no.”“Babe…”“That guy left me for dead, Regina. Would you like to see a picture of that?”“Yes. I want to understand why a man with a face so kind could be so horrible.”“I will show you the footage from the precinct and how they found out Arthur’s mental illness.” Owen sighed, knowing that keeping the truth from Regina would just give her more reason to sneak around. “Then will you come to bed and forget about this?” She nodded as Owen retrieved a file from his computer and showed her a video of Arthur arguing with himself at the precinct. He was fighting with himself as if there were two people instead of one, and Regina felt unnerved. “The doctors said Jacob was too traumatized by Arthur’s loss that he erased the fact that he was dead. In his grief, he developed the Arthur persona, who was kind and smart, just like the actual person. It was a form of coping mechanism.”“Where is he now?”“In the psychiatric hospital inside the
“YOU KILLED ARTHUR! YOU DON’T DESERVE TO BE HAPPY!” It said before images began appearing on the screen. Regina was frozen and horrified because of the text, she was trying to figure out what the images were but Owen closed the lid before she did.“Don’t touch the computer. It was just a virus. I have a friend who can clean this for you.“Who would send such a horrific message? And what is that message about Arthur? Is he dead?”“Yes, no. It’s a long story. Don’t worry about it.” He said as he moved the laptop to his desk.“Don’t lie to me, Owen.” Regina stood up to face him. “We said no secrets. What was that about? And why is there a naked woman on my screen?”“Did you have an affair and not tell me, because gods help me, I am not taking this crap from you.”“No babe, I wouldn’t do that to you. You have to sit while I tell you what that was about.”“I can’t sit. My blood is boiling right now.”“Okay, let’s go to the kitchen, get a glass of water for both of us while I collect my tho
“Dad, thank you for giving me the extended leave. France has inspired me a lot with my artistic side. Did you see my paintings?”“Yeah, I have a few of them put up in the hospital and around the house already. Is that what you want to do now? Paint?”“Oh no, that’s just my side hobby. I was inspired by the nursing home in France and wanted to build a non-profit nursing home as a branch of our hospital.”“That sounds like a good idea. I think someone suggested that before and we just didn’t have time to look into it. Talk to the project manager so we can get this started. Which wing do you want it in?”“Well, that’s the thing. I want it to be separate from the hospital, in a more scenic setting so we can usher the old people to rest peacefully. I don’t want them to feel like they’re in the hospital all the time.”“Are you willing to put in work for this project? This will be a lot of work, starting with finding available properties. You can’t just quit mid-way because it’s too hard.”R
“What are you telling them?”“Don’t worry about it, sweetie. I have everything in control.” He said confidently as they walked to his mother’s room.“Mom? Are you awake?” Owen asked. Myles was reading her a book Regina sent from France, and the scenes were getting steamy, so he was glad that his mother’s attention got diverted to the guests. “Look who’s here?”He stepped aside, and Regina softly exclaimed, “Surprise!”Mrs. Bennet stared at Regina, wondering who she was, and then it clicked. “Mandy? Oh, I’m glad you’ve come. I’ve missed you so.” She grew emotional as Regina sat on the bed and hugged her.“So did I Mrs. Bennet. I am glad to see that you are better.” Regina touched her forehead to get the temperature and her wrist to check how fast her pulse rate was.“Oh, it was nothing. They just worry too much. Now I’m in the hospital when all I want to do is see that dog.” Bella had been constant in her life, and like Regina, not having seen her for a few days, threw everything out o
News of Owen’s mystery woman spread throughout the nation as pictures of the couple were shared across every website on the internet. “Owen, what are we going to do? Can we hire someone to delete the pictures?” Regina asked as the car sped away. He smirked, “No.” “No? But your reputation?” “I’m a single man in a relationship with a beautiful woman, so I don’t care about the pictures.” “But the paparazzi, they’ll know.” “We’re not hiding our relationship, my love. Unless you want to.” “I don’t.” “I know you don’t want your face in the media, so we won’t tell them who you are. Let them find out on their own.” “I don’t care if they find out. I’m through hiding. It didn’t do me any good, anyway. I kept lying to people I really liked. I just hope they could forgive me,” she said, leaning back into the seat, more relaxed. “Well then, that’s settled,” Owen smiled and leaned over to nuzzle her ear. “You know they’ll be at my apartment waiting. What do you say we go to yours and lock
Regina asked how they all knew each other, and the three men regaled her with stories of when they met while re-constructing the apartment she was staying in.“So I have a question. If Owen owns the complex, then why do I have a small apartment?”Caelan and François both laughed and teased Owen.“Well, I didn’t want you to get suspicious about paying such a small price for an enormous apartment, so we gave you the smallest unit. It was Caelan’s place.”“Aww…” Regina looked at Caelan, “You gave it up for me? I’m sorry if I brought in mismatched furniture in there.”“Don’t feel sorry for him. He got a bigger apartment out of the deal, so he’s happy about that.” Owen butted in, and Regina laughed.“I don’t mind how you decorated the place. I like it and will keep most of the furniture,” Caelan replied.“So I heard Owen hired you to follow me around and disrupt my dates with Jason. Is that true?”“Well—I—He—Yes, it’s true,” Caelan could not defend himself, so he admitted the truth.“So th
The sun was peeking through the horizon by the time the couple fell asleep, satiated and full of love. Neither wanted to sleep lest everything was just a dream. Regina woke up first, staring at the sleeping man beside her, waiting for him to awaken. “What are you doing?” Owen asked, his voice husky from sleep.She blushed that she got caught running her finger down his chest, tracing the lines of his abdomen. “Waking you. Did it work?”“It did.” He grabbed her waist, pulling her toward him. He hooked his legs around hers and kissed her neck. “I missed you so much that when you stopped sending me messages, it made me go crazy.”“I’m sorry. I was so ashamed about what happened that I did not know how to handle the situation. How could I not know anything about my body?”“There were a lot of things happening during that time. Stop blaming yourself. We’re here now, where we should be. Just don’t shut me out again.”“I promise I won’t.” Owen nibbled her neck, and her body came alive. “W
“I had a baby—”“I know.”Regina scrunched her brows in shock. “But I never told you. The diary said you didn’t know.”“The baby was ours,” he said, holding her gaze. If her mouth wasn’t hanging open before, it was now.“How—”“How did I know? I have the same tracker app you do, and they were synched together so I could watch your cycle. I wanted to know when it would be safe because we were having unprotected sex. We needed to take extra precautions to prevent having an accident.”“But we still did.”“It doesn’t make a difference. I still love you.” “You knew, and you didn’t tell me?”“I was waiting for you to share your troubles, so I gave you the space you needed, but you just distanced yourself from me. I didn’t want to nag you because you’ve been through so much already. So I waited.”“The diary said I couldn’t tell you because I felt guilty.”“I know.”“But I didn’t tell you…”“You said it in the letter that you sent me.”“The letter that you keep talking about?”“Yes, do you w