As they got down from the car, and approached the big door to the living room, Zeke’s eyes lit up as he saw Elena rushed out of the door and tightened his grip on the shopping bags in his hands.“Elena,” he smiled.For some reason, the thought of Elena in his house, awaiting his return brought warmth to his heart. What if… what if every day were like this?When the twins suddenly halted and hid behind their father, Zeke stopped walking and chuckled.“You should go and hug your mummy. She is not mad at you, okay?”They hesitated for a while before they moved away gently from him and then walked towards Elena whose hands rested on her waist.“We are sorry, mama,” Nathan said as he wrapped his arms around her hips.“We are sorry,” Natalie mumbled too, and wrapped her arms around her mother.She looked down at them, breathed out, and patted the back of their head before she moved away from them.Leaning down to their height, she shook her head and then started, “Do you want to kill me?”“
Loosening up gently in his arms, Elena grabbed the hem of his cloth tightly and then kissed him back as though her life depended on it.She took charge of his lower lips while he sucked her upper lips so hungrily, yet passionately.Moaning in his mouth, Elena stiffened gently and then opened her eyes while her lips were still in his mouth.Slowly, she broke the kiss, panting heavily. “Elena…” Zeke groaned.She breathed out, released her grip on his cloth, and then covered her mouth with the back of her hand.“No, no, not that look, Elena,” Zeke covered the space between them and wrapped his arm around her waist.Overwhelmed, she hiccuped and then bit her lower lips gently.“Give me a chance again, please,” he whispered.“Zeke, N—”“I love you,” he cut her short.“You are mistaken.”He leaned closer to her and dropped a quick kiss on her lips which made her frown and he tilted his head. “I am not mistaken.”“Zeke, we can’t…”“I know you have no good memory of this place…” he rolled hi
“W… were you two watching us?!” She shouted, glancing around.Turning to look at Zeke who burst into a loud laughter, she glared at him, moved closer to him, and then hit the side of his stomach with the back of her hand.“It is not funny!”Zeke nodded his head, struggling to stop laughing. Out of everything, her facial expressions were more funny.She looked like she was caught doing something bad.“We did not exactly watch you,” Nathan defended.“We just raised the curtain for a while to check up on you and we saw you doing that,” the girl raised her brows playfully.“And it looked quite intense so we didn’t want to disrupt anything,” Nathan added.“Shut up, shut up!” She snapped and Zeke laughed out again.“I’m sorry,” he waved his hands at her when she threw him a deadly stare.“So, why did you two kiss if you have not… like reconciled?” Natalie asked.Elena scratched her forehead and shook her head, “We didn’t kiss exactly.”“Oh…” the kids’ mouths formed an O in a quite sarcastic
“What?” Mateo laughed from the other end of the phone which made Ramon cussed inwardly.“I am coming back.”“When?”“Now. I’m at the airport.”A short silence ensued for a while before Mateo chuckled again.“Did something happen?”“Of course, and I can’t stay here any longer. At least for now.”“She rejected you again.”“It is not funny.”“Actually, I find it amusing that you are joining this fight because of a woman.”“My mistake was joining later. I will do anything as long as it would ruin Zeke.”“Ooooh, how much you have grown, brother!” He laughed.“I will be in Italy soon.”After he dropped the call, he glanced at the last-minute flight ticket in his hand and then exhaled.After Elena had gone to pick up the kids which he was certain were with Zeke, Ray had bluntly said to his face that he was disappointed in him and would not want to see him again.How could all of them turn on him in that manner?Karina who was most nicest amongst them all turned her back to him too and then h
Zeke opened his eyes finally, closed them back, and then tugged his lips gently into a smile.The kids were still sleeping soundly beside him and the sound of their soft snores sounded like music to his ears.He did not know he could sleep well because just like they were medicines, he had slept off too while he patted their back and told stories to them.Yeah, stories.The previous night, Nathan and Natalie rushed to his bed and then told him to come to their middle, which he did without much query.After he lay in the middle, he covered their body with a duvet before they asked that he tell them a story.“You are joking,” he shook his head, chuckling.“No, we are not,” Natalie shook her head too.He exhaled and smiled, thinking of excuses to bring up but they were adamant.Finally, he settled for one. One that was only imaginary that he wondered if the children would find it fun.“So… once upon a time,” he started.They scooted closer to him and he grinned harder.Even if he truly h
“What were you saying?” He asked as his eyes finally dropped on the photo book and the huge frame in Nathan’s hand.“Where did you get those?” He asked again.He had just finished cooking when the door had pushed open and Ryan had rushed in.“Hey, dude! What is going on?!” He exclaimed in pure surprise as the man had not informed him before coming.And not like he actually minded, he just knew that Ryan would not have shown up at his place unannounced very early in the morning.“Hey,” Ryan shook his hands before his eyes trailed down to the apron that was tied around his waist.“Ah… I just finished cooking,” he explained and untied it gently.“You… were cooking?” He raised a brow.“Yes. I made a very nice delicacy,” he smiled.“Since when did you start cooking?” Ryan laughed.“Well… I want to make their food by myself today.”“Who?”“My…”“Daddy!”And the screams of the children cut him short.“We found a room opened and it was there,” he answered as he handed the frame over to his fa
“No, no, no. You must be mistaken, he is Ramon. Elena’s friend,” he said, pointing his index finger aimlessly. Ryan sighed, nodded his head, and then swallowed. “I stayed up all night trying to wrap my head around it too. I found out last night,” he said. Still, Zeke shook his head. That was impossible, was it not? Although he hated Ramon, very much in fact and he believed that something was off about the man right from the beginning but still, he still chose to believe that was because of his own personal feelings. He knew the man liked Elena and mainly because of that, he had hated the man. But… he was his cousin too? “Investigate further,” Zeke dropped the pictures on the table, refusing to believe. “You know that my information is correct. All the time,” Ryan shook his head. Heck, he was right! He had never had a reason to cross-check whatever information that his friend gave him. “You are saying Ramon is family! That is even the least of my concerns… the fa
“At this point, I think the Internet cannot function without you if you do not get aired in the news at least once a week.”While he drove, Ryan had bombarded him with calls like crazy and he had finally pulled to a corner just to receive the call only for the man to say that first.“What is going on?”“You are everywhere on the news… again.”Zeke exhaled and closed his eyes for a second. “What happened?”“You and Elena… it is finally out.”“What?”“The reason behind your separation.”“What?!” Zeke exclaimed.“And your recent charade… I mean… apology. The one outside of the building, it is all over the news too. You should see for yourself.”Zeke swallowed hard, nodded his head as if the man was there to see the gesture, and then ended the call.He rushed to the internet, and without much stress to type out his names as he was leading the charts just like every time, he clicked on it and then twitched his lips upward.The internet said that they separated because he cheated on Elena.
Elena dropped her head on the steering after the call ended and then Zeke finally got to her place.“What’s wrong?” He asked, placing his hands on her thighs.“He called… Mateo.”“Don’t let him get to you,okay? I have this under control. I have gotten…”She grabbed his wrist hurriedly, cutting him short.Elena shook her head, moving gently away from the camera that was planted in her car.“What?” He whispered when she dropped her index finger on her lips.She picked up her phone, and then turned on the note application, “My car is bugged too.”He drew his brows together as he read and then nodded his head.Afterward, he collected the phone from her and then typed in it too.“We are going to find the twins soon. There is a way.”“So Mateo called me too,” he said after she read the message he typed.“He did?”“And he made his demands already.”Zeke narrated everything to her and she shook her head.“He is crazy.”“I plan on doing that.”“What?!”“We have to give him what he wants in ord
“D… do you hear that?” Zeke stuttered after the call ended and Ryan raised his brows.“He is a psycho,” Ryan breathed out.“No, no. I heard the sound of a siren in the background. He…”“I got his location!” One of the men hollered.“Where is he?”“He is… nearby,” he drew his brows together and zoomed in properly.“He is around here,” he repeated.Zeke prepared to stand up but Ryan was quick to stop him.“No, wait.”“I have to find him.”“We need to be rational here. Hold on.”“He said the bomb could detonate on its own!”“I heard that, just calm down.”“How is it going so far?” Ray joined them in the car and Zeke breathed out.“He has called, and made his demands,” Zeke answered.“Good. How much? Tell me, and I will raise it right now.”“He wants all of my assets.”“What?”“My assets. Everything down to my shares and buildings.”Ray swallowed hard and then shook his head. “That psycho.”“What are we going to do? Make the call again. I will give him mine. They might not be up to yours,
“I knew it…”When the low, hoarse voice of the little boy came up, Ramon turned around to look at him and then breathed out.“What?”Nathan adjusted in his seat and then glanced at the tiny rope that was used to tie his wrists together.“I knew… something was wrong about you. I have always known that.”“Shut up, you don’t know anything,” he hissed at the boy.Natalie stirred gently from where she sat too and then finally opened her eyes.Looking around at where they were and how they were tied, she whined gently and then burst into tears.“I know you were not a good person,” Nathan said again.“The problem with you is that you act like you know everything.”“I think you are actually pained that I have always been right about you.”Ramon forced a laugh and then shook his head. “Right about me? You don’t know anything, trust me!”“Aside from the fact that you hold grudges against little children like us which actually amuses me, I know for a fact that you have always had this darker sid
The call ended, and Elena shook her head vigorously. There was no way this was going on. She swallowed hard and dialed the number again but it was not going through. Skeptically, she looked around the car while she made sure she sat tightly. What if it was not a lie? What if there was truly a bomb in her car? How could anyone have had access to the car anyway? Finally, her eyes settled on the dash camera in her car and she squinted her brows when her eyes caught the faint red light that was flashing beside it. She leaned closer and when she realized that a camera had been planted in her car. No wonder he knew to call the moment she wanted to leave the car. If truly she was sitting on a bomb as he had said, then she could have died if he had called her a second late. Oh, what a psychopath! Her kids were missing and she has been made to sit forcefully in her car. She browsed through her phone and then clicked the camera application. She began to record the car and then gentl
“K… kids? Whose kids?” Elena stuttered. Zeke dropped the call instantly and palmed his face. “You are not talking about the kids, are you?” The gateman stuttered. “Why…?!” He sniffed and shook his head. “Why did you let them go with him?” “I have seen him before, so I didn’t think to refuse him. Besides, they called him uncle.” Zeke looked around and his phone rang again. He gritted his teeth and then picked up the call gently. “Where are my children?!” She thundered, breathing heavily. “I am going to look…” “You said Ramon has them?!” “The gatekeeper said someone came to pick them up. I believe it was Ramon.” “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Elena screamed from the other side. “Stay back, Elena, I am going to find them,” he said when he heard the sounds of footsteps. “You can’t tell me to sit back while my children are missing!” She yelled and then dropped the call. Zeke looked around and when he saw the CCTV camera, he moved closer to the security man. “Can I see
“B… but… why have you come to pick us?” Nathan stuttered as he reluctantly got out of the gate.“Your daddy sent me to pick you up. He is running late at work.”Zeke had initially thought that they were going to close by 3PM as usual but they had closed by two.“Daddy?” Natalie raised her brows.“Have you forgotten? I am his friend. His only best friend in the world.”The twins exchanged glances again.“I know you two are mad at me about what I said the last time and I am so sorry, okay? Can you forgive me already? I’m taking you to your daddy. Can we leave now?”Nathan moved over to Natalie and then held her hand. “We will wait for Daddy to come.”Ramon gritted his teeth and then forced a smile hurriedly. “Come on, guys.”“Daddy promised to come pick us up.”“But he is not here yet.”“He probably thought we would be closing by three and not two!” Nathan snapped.Oh, this boy was smarter than his age.Ramon hissed,“Actually… I should not be telling you this…” he sighed and bowed his
“Can we not go to school today, Daddy?”Natalie forced a solemn look as she stared at her father who addressed her dress.“What?” “We are not going to tell mummy.”“What?!” He widened his eyes when Nathan added.“We’re going to act as if we went to school and then when it is time, you will take us back home,” Natalie said.“Jesus, when did you two become like this?!” He exclaimed and the twins burst into laughter.“You are being dramatic, papa.”“You want me to join you to lie to your mother!”“You are exaggerating. It’s not gonna be a lie. We’re just gonna tell her that we went to school…”“Whereas you didn’t?” He cut her short and she clasped her hands together.“Exactly.”“How did you two come up with that idea? It is so…”“Perfect? We know,” Nathan smiled.“Not perfect, guys!”Natalie covered the space between her and her father who knelt in front of her and then wrapped her arms around his neck.“That is because we have missed you, daddy. We want to spend the rest of today with
“But Daddy, do you pull your friends' clothes?” Natalie asked after they had watched Ramon out of the compound.“We were only talking. It is nothing serious. Trust me.”“I thought you were fighting. About what he told us.”Zeke sighed and then glanced at Ariana who chuckled. “We have settled everything. He had apologized for saying something like that so we are good now.”“Hmm,” Nathan rolled his eyes.“I am being serious.”He held the door for them and they both entered the car.“Have you told mummy?”He parted his lips and then scratched his forehead. “I forgot.”“Daddy!” They both exclaimed and he rushed back inside.Ariana laughed as they watched him run to the big door and she turned to look at the twins.“Your mummy will agree. Don’t worry.”===“Daddy, do you know our birthday is on Saturday?”He nodded his head as he took a turn out of the street before he glanced at them through the rearview mirror.“I do.”“We will be six years old!” Natalie shrieked and he giggled.“The ‘Ye
By the time Zeke and Elena got to the living room, Ramon was ready to leave. “Oh, I was just going to come to you to say bye!” He exclaimed, smiling. Zeke needed not to be told that the man was wearing the fakest and forced smile ever. “Oh… is that so?” Elena smiled and then moved away from Zeke. “I… sorry about your face,” she pointed her finger at his face and he chuckled. “I probably deserve it.” She nodded her head and he leaned closer to her gently and then hugged her. “I have missed you.” Zeke watched, with his hands curled into a tight ball. “When will I see you again?” She asked him. “When you feel like seeing me… but soon,” he pulled away and then stared at her. “Soon,” he repeated and then glanced at Zeke. He turned to leave the room after bowing at the old couple and then Zeke hurried after him. “Are you going to pick a fight again?!” Ray hollered. Instead, Zeke curled his arm around the man’s neck, turned back, and then smiled. “Not at all, fat