Malcolm walked up the stairs, hands buried in both pockets. A few distance away, two maids followed, carrying a tray of food and behind them, was Michael, the butler. They made sure not to come any closer to him. He walked till he came in front of a door. Halting, he knocked.
“Go away.” A small voice belonging to Bryan answered from inside.
Malcolm knocked yet again.
“I said go away. Leave me alone.” He yelled in a tiny voice.
Moving aside, Malcolm gestured to the butler who quickly provided a spare key and quietly opened the door. There wasn’t any soccer wallpaper or designs on the wall. The room looked like an adult’s room—neat and kept. Bryan laid in the middle of the big Victorian bed, tucked under the sheets. The minute the door opened, he turned and threw his father a spiteful glare.
“Can’t somebody have some privacy around here?” He grumbled. The maids wal
Lauren walked languidly out of the bathroom, a large towel wrapped around her fragile body. Her once empty vanity table was now half filled with body creams and what nots.She hated this. She hated herself.As she lowered herself onto the stool in front of the mirror, her eyes caught sight of her ringless fourth finger. In a matter of hours, she would become someone’s wife. No, not wife. Perhaps the word ‘prostitute’ was a better substitute. In a matter of hours, she would be tied to some skanky old man—for life.A tear escaped her eyes.Carefully, she began to massage Michelle’s cream all over her body. Grace had brought all of Michelle’s creams and make ups from Michelle’s room. According to her, she had to smell like Michelle in order not to be caught. After spending more than an hour on the vanity table, she got up, letting the towl fall off her body and proceeded to wear the clothes Grace had prepared f
A wave of cold air hit Lauren the minute she entered the car, causing her to shiver a little. Grace, who followed closely behind her, also made to enter but was immediately blocked by the huge man in a black suit and dark sunglasses. “I was ordered to bring only Miss. Byrne.” He retorted.Lauren watched the drama with a dry chuckle. This marriage deal had actually brought her some good luck. Her grumpy, bossy stepmother actually smiled at her because of it. For the first time, someone carried her luggage for her and even opened the car door for her; not to forget, she was being ridden in a state-of-the-art car. The door closed and through its tinted window, she watched her stepmother shed crocodile tears and run into her husband’s arms for comfort. She looked past them to the house that started her miseries. Perhaps, it would be the last time she ever saw it.Goodbye Lauren. My name is Michelle Byrne.She sang it over and
Butler?!Lauren coughed lightly as she studied the man standing beside her. How could she have thought of him as her husband-to-be? His tailored suit was spick and span but it didn’t show affluence.If he isn’t her husband, then who is? “Who is…” Lauren’s voice trailed off when she realized Michael’s attention was no longer on her but the stairs. Reluctantly, she turned towards the stairs, and unconsciously, a gasp escaped her throat. The magical blue eyes belonging to the sturdy man alighting the stairs seem to captivate her and root her to the ground. She gawked unashamedly. Did such beauty still exist in the world? He was flawless and even the eyes that called out to her carried a devilish aura.Her feet wobbled as she stared on but she barely noticed that she was almost on the tiled floor neither did she notice when the butler helped her back to her feet, calling out to her if she was okay.
Lauren suddenly began to suffocate. This wasn’t happening, was it?This definitely wasn’t real.She was supposed to be married to an old, ugly, fat man—according to her imaginations—and not to the most powerful figure in the entire city. She looked at her poor signature that now looked like a piece of rubbish beside his polished one. Why didn’t she realize it from start? The blue eyes would have told her so but she had been so convinced because it was rare for a commoner like her to ever come so close to him.Unperturbed by her frequent glances, Malcolm added some ice to his glass of whiskey and gave the glass a shake before taking a sip of the strong liquid. “You seem surprised, Ms. Byrne.” “H..How can it be--?” She stuttered. “What? Am I not up to your class?” He threw back, catching her off guard.Lauren was at sea. He always had a way of forcing someone into
It was barely 6 a.m when Lauren woke up the next day. She had barely slept the night before; not when she was scared he might pounce on her. Grabbing her robe from the bed stand, she headed downstairs. She might as well give herself a tour before Mr. High-and-Mighty awoke. Walking into the sitting room, she bumped into Michael “Good morning, Michael.” She greeted. It was funny how she had thought he was her husband the day before. “Good morning, Ma’am.” He replied with a slight bow.She looked around the empty sitting room and chuckled, “Seems I’m the first to awake.” “The Master doesn’t come down until 8 a.m.”She mouthed an ‘oh’ nodding repeatedly, “And Bunn—I mean, Bryan?” “Breakfast is usually served by 8, so they both come down by 8.”Lauren’s brows creased, “Bryan doesn’t go to
Kate helped Lauren turn off the tap while she grabbed a towel from its rack to wipe her wet palms.She turned and flashed a smile at Kate, “Thank you, Kate. I’ll just go upstairs and shower before breakfast.” “Yes, Ms.” Kate replied.Just as she was about to turn the doorknob and open the door, she heard the main door open, followed by loud bickering. Her brows creased, she peeped through the small opening in the door, to see a man and a bickering woman. “Who are they?” Lauren whispered to Kate, not wanting to be noticed. “The master’s parents.” She replied.Huh? Parents? She might not be an ardent follower of the Knight family but she knew their last family head looked nothing like the man standing in the sitting room. “Are you sure? How comes…” Her voice trailed off. she didn’t know if it was okay to mention it to the mai
Malcolm coughed lightly. Michelle did what?!According to her file, she was the spoilt brat of the Byrne family and those words perfectly translated into she can’t do domestic chores. Perhaps she paid Kate to lie. That was the perfect explanation—she bribed Kate to lie. “So, tell me dear, who taught how to cook?” Joyce asked.Lauren smiled. “I lived my whole life learning it from my mom and our nanny…” Lauren coughed realizing what she had just done. She gave an awkward smile, “Actually, what I meant was that I used to sneak into the kitchen when I was younger and nag the chef until she agreed to teach me a few recipes. Behind my mother’s back of course.”Joyce smiled, “I see. She must have been a very good cook.”Lauren remembered her mother and smiled unconsciously, “She was the best.”The sound of a chair being drawn back attracted their attention.
Lauren spent the entire day doing nothing and she hated herself for it. Maybe because she was used to eating herself up with work. She had joined the servants to wash the dishes against their wishes but she was careful enough not to join them in preparing dinner—not after Malcolm’s reaction that morning. He had left the table the minute Kate had spilled the beans. Did the thought of her irk him that much? Or was it to tell her that she had no busy whatsoever preparing his meals. Bryan stayed in his room the entire day. It seemed he was avoiding her too. She sighed. Should she tell him?Tell him what in particular?That she was the girl by the pond? That they had met twice? Or that the old skank she had told him about was actually his father? But he wouldn’t believe. Unless she was willing to take off the mask and show him her real face but she was scared. what if he ended up telling his father and blowing up the entire cover? Her family would on
Lauren found herself in a big mansion. It was so big and beautiful that she couldn't help but admire it. Just as she was about to move about to admire it, something clung to her legs and when she turned, she saw Bryan. "Bryan?" She turned and carried him into her arms so naturally like he was a part of his life. She played around with him and just when she was getting tired, she heard a voice call out her name. Turning around, she saw no one. Was she just imagining it? It came again, this time, the voice was filled with longing and loneliness. "Who are you?" She asked. The voice came the third time and this time, a figure appeared by the door, slowly walking towards her. As the face came into light, a wave of recognition hit her and her tears began to flow freely as she ran into his arms. "Malcolm." She closed her eyes familiarizing herself with the feeling he brought and when she opened them, she was no longer in the beautiful mansion.
...Be downstairs in five minutes or forget about living...Warren flung his phone in fear and without waiting for his wife to question him, he scurried downstairs. If the voice he heard on the phone was real, then he was dead. He flew down the stairs to meet the 'visitor' who was seated comfortably on the sofa, sipping from a glass of blood-red wine. "Mr. Knight," Warren called out in respect. The man before him maybe his son-in-law but three was no way he was going to disrespect him. Malcolm finally looked at him, his eyes as icy as ever. "Start talking," Malcolm said.Warren was confused. What was the meaning of this? Was this man trying to play a prank?He smiled, "Is Mr. Knight trying to crack a joke?"Malcolm didn't reply. He kept looking at the giant clock at the other end of the room and after exactly five minutes, he threw a stack of documents at Warren. Realizing how serious the man before him was, Warren pick
Malcolm leaned by the car, smoking a cigarette and staring into the space his son disappeared into. His subordinates looked confused but they dared not question him. They had been there for hours but instead of going after the little guy and bringing him back home, they stood they for close to an hour. Malcolm however, was ignorant of what his subordinates were thinking. He only stood there quietly, with a stick of burning cigarette between his fingers, feeling as nervous as ever. Just then, he heard Bryan scream for help and that was enough to jolt him out of whatever reverie he was in. Quickly, he rushed in and the sight that greeted him, made his blood boil. Lauren laid on the floor helplessly unconscious. Quickly, he dished out an order to call Dr. Alfred before carrying the frail girl into his arms to the car and driving her off to Dr. Alfred's hospital. Bryan ignored his father. His only attention was on his mother. The thought of her death made his heart wrench. He didn't wan
Malcolm stood by Bryan's door, listening to him sulk all night with a sigh. How could he have not known? How could he have allowed himself to be deceived twice by the same person? Now, he had hurt everybody around him, including his son and most especially, Lauren. He wondered how meeting her again would feel like. He didn't even know where she was for crying out loud! Gradually pushing his weak body to his room, his face scrunched at the sight of it. The scent of that woman still lingered. In fact, it had overshadowed the scent of his Lauren and it disgusted him. He walked to the balcony, lighting a cigarette and drawing in the smoke like he was trying to find comfort in it. He chuckle as he choked. He didn't believe that a day would come when he of all people would feel pain. Maybe, karma was finally knocking at his doorstep. He chuckled wryly.Karma.Did he even believe in that word?Anna hummed a song as she took a morning shower. Perhaps, it w
Michelle let go of Bryan's chin quickly and staggered backward, her eyes not leaving the figure at the door.Malcolm.How come? She didn't even hear his car drive in. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came. Bryan glared at her and then his father before slowly walking away to his room upstairs. His face, clearly showing how to hurt he was. "Welcome baby." Michelle greeted in the most natural voice ever, hoping Malcolm hadn't seen what had transpired earlier since Bryan had his back to him. Smiling she walked up to him and made to collect his briefcase but his firm hold on it told her he had clearly seen the scene earlier. Like an executioner approaching his victim, he took cold steps towards her, her mind skipping at each step he made.He flung the briefcase to one side of the sofa, "Start talking." He said in a calm voice.Huh?! " Baby I don't know what you are talking about." Michelle tried hard to maintain her innocent look despi
Bryan stayed with Anna and her family, unwilling to return home. Anna tried every technique she could remember but the little guy was resolute. He wanted to stay with her. Anna panicked. It was getting pretty late. The sky was turning dark. She had successfully spent her whole day with the little guy but yet even now, he was ever reluctant to return to his parents. "How about this? We will meet at the lake tomorrow. Is that okay with you?" Anna negotiated, finding it funny that she was actually bargaining with a little chap.Bryan blinked, "Pinky promise?"Anna sighed. She hadn't meant her word but she really wasn't expecting him to hold her by her words. "If I Pinky swear, will you return home?"He pretended to be in deep thoughts and after a while, he looked up to her and nodded. "Fine then." She gave in, bringing her pinky finger close to the guy, and just as their Pinkys met, images began to fly through her head at a ridiculously
Bryan sat almost lifelessly, starring straight into the lake. He looked downcast. Things have never been the same ever since his mother left. His father had become so into that woman that he no longer listened or care about him.Mommy... His heart cried out, Bryan has been a good boy. Please come back to little Bryan.He didn't feel like going home despite the fact that he knew guards would be on the search for him. Luckily, that woman didn't know a thing about this place. He frowned at the thought of her discovering his mother's most treasured place. It would be like a weed entering into a place where it isn't wanted. "Little One?"Bryan froze. Had he been imagining too much that he now heard her voice in his head? Tears welled in his eyes. But just when he concluded it was an illusion, a hand touched his shoulder and the voice came again. This time, he couldn't resist it. He turned around and at the sight of her, the tears that
Anna sighed in relief after they were settled in. Luckily, Grandpa Worth had a friend in the city who was willing to accommodate them. As she looked at the family of three, her heart swelled with gratitude. They knew nothing about her yet, they risked leaving their home to accompany her to a hospital. She could only hope in her heart that someday, she would be able to repay their kindness to her. She gazed lovingly at little Gwen who was busy watching the city through the window. From her exclamations, Anna could guess it was her first time being in a big city like this. "Anna, why don't you take a walk with your sister? I think I'm going to have a headache listening to all her nonsense." Keira suggested with a smile. Behind Anna, she shared a brief meaningful gaze with her husband. If a part of her memory could flash the minute they entered the city, it only meant she was somehow connected to this city. And who knows? Perhaps, she might end up recalling more if she ge
Michelle looked in the direction of the open door, her mouth wide open in shock. She even forgot she was naked! By the door, stood Malcolm with an extremely chilly aura. God! She was doomed! She turned to look at the cause of her problems but instead of being as shocked as her, he actually had a sly smile on his face. "Malcolm..." Michelle lacked what to say. She had been caught red-handed so she couldn't whip up a single lie. "You really don't know what is called bad timing, bro, do you?" Christian said with a satisfied look on his face. It was like he had done it on purpose to piss his brother off.Quickly, Michelle grabbed her shirt and flew out of the bed. She put it on and quickly approached the man with the vicious aura standing by the door but before she could reach out to touch him, he evaded her touch. "Darling, it wasn't my fault. Christian tried to force himself on me." She said, sounding grieved.The man didn't say