“Did I keep you waiting?” Chloe asked as she settled in front of Elena in the coffee shop away from the company.“Not really. Did you go somewhere far?”“No. I was with uhm… Ryan.”Elena didn’t fail to notice the blush that spread on her face and chucked gently. “With the way you just blush, someone could assume that you have a crush on the man.”“Which man? Ryan? No way!” Chloe protested hurriedly and Elena chuckled.“You don’t know how to lie.”“I am serious, Elena! I don’t have a crush on him!”“It’s been six years. You are not over the feelings yet?” “What?” Chloe breathed out.“I know you used to have a crush on him… as a teen,” she smiled softly.“B… but how? I mean… Why would you think so? I don’t…”“You always talked about him like he was a god. A sculpture. You talked about him and infatuation was all I could sense from you,” she said.“Elena,” Chloe swallowed and bowed her head.“What? Are you ashamed of your feelings?”“He is my brother’s friend.”“Is there any rule that
Instantly, Chloe choked on her saliva and kept coughing till Elena reached out to her and patted her shoulder.“Easy, Chloe. Is that too much of a news?” She chuckled.“You…” Chloe inhaled as she tried to regain her composure.“You have given birth… to two children?” When Elena nodded her head in agreement, she leaned back and exhaled again.She was expecting such an answer, but why had it gotten her more surprised?Was it because she answered without denying or was it because she has not just one child but two?“I… I thought… I thought you had not been with anyone since my brother,” Chloe stuttered.Instead of answering, Elena shrugged her shoulders off, picked up her coffee, and then sipped it slowly while she stared at the lady who was finding it hard to believe.“Who is he?” Chloe asked.“You ask too many questions, don’t you?”“I am curious about many things, Elena.”“You didn’t think I would tell you the truth, did you?” Elena raised a brow and Chloe shook her head.“W…who is t
“Your words hurt, Elena…” Chloe exhaled, a painful smile escaping her lips.Elena adjusted in her seat, and shook her head, “I did not mean to.”“Elena.”“You cannot meet my children.”“Why? Do you hate me too? If I could go back in time to change the past, I would, but I can’t. Why… why are you…”“I am not being hard on you on purpose, Chloe.”“Let me meet them.”“And who would I tell them you are? I would not introduce you to them as their aunt. You might think it’s just a word, but my children are so smart and you would be surprised by how quick they will figure you out.”“Anything!” Chloe sniffed and wiped the tears that laced her eyes with the back of her hand. “Anything, if aunt does not sit well with you.”Elena watched Chloe who kept tearing up no matter how much she wiped her tears away and then smacked her lips.Her eyes fell on her coffee and her ice had already melted. She picked up the glass cup, removed the straw, and then drank the coffee directly from the glass.“I co
“What do you mean by ‘a Russo’? She is just Chloe?” Elena rolled her eyes.Raymond kept his eyes pinned on the lady who was starting to feel intimidated by the man, and then, Elena exhaled and talked again.“It’s okay, Dad. You’re intimidating her.”“Does it look like I care?”Ariana rushed towards Elena, grabbed her hand, and then dragged her to another side of the room.“What are you doing? You never wanted her here.”“She knows already.”“About the twins? How?”Elena took a glance back at Chloe who kept her head bowed in front of her parents, and then returned to look at Ariana.“I told her.”“Elena!”“She saw the cesarean section scar and asked if I had given birth. Of course, I would not say no,” Elena rolled her eyes.“Are you cool with it?”“She said she would never tell anyone.”“And you trust her?”“Hold on…” Elena drew her brows together and exhaled.“If I remember correctly, you were urging me to tell her because ‘she is different from her family’, right?”“Just that I didn
“I… I am…”“She is not your aunt! What is wrong with you?!” Elena snapped.“We thought she was. She’s a new face and we can’t help but wonder,” Nathan shrugged his shoulders off.“Mum is right. I am just uhm… like a little sister?” She tilted her head.“Little sister? Aunt Aria is her sister.”Chloe smiled heartily, picked up their hands, and then fondled it gently. “She is like a sister to me. A sister from another mother, we can say,” she said and the twins nodded their heads, trying to understand.“I will leave you with them,” Elena said.As Chloe raised her head to look at Elena, she nodded her head knowingly, silently vowing that she could trust her.Elena nodded her head and then turned around. “Don’t stress her too much, guys. I’ll be back after I freshen up,” she said and walked out of the door.As soon as she left the room and then the twins were sure she was away from the door, they clutched closer to Chloe who was still on her knees and then stared at her.“Why? Are you loo
“Okay. I understand that you love passing your boundary, but… why must you bring me with you?”Ryan grunted for the umpteenth time at Zeke who did not even spare him a glance and only looked through the window.“Do you think I can enter now?”“If you want to embarrass yourself, yes,” Ryan rolled his eyes.“Can you be serious?”“Of course, I am serious. An inauguration ceremony is going on and as if attending without being invited is not enough, you want to go in right now when people are still there. You think the Baskervilles would welcome you with an open arm?”“Chloe was invited,” Zeke said.“Are you Chloe?”It was Ariana’s inauguration ceremony and literally all the influential businessmen were there, but he was not invited.Not like an invite could stop him, but he knew that he would finally be meeting with Elena’s parents.He does not know how that realization makes him feel but he knows damn well that they would never welcome him with an open arm.If Ariana could give him such
“She is not a toy,” Ryan stated.“I know. She is human. She is Elena. And… she is definitely not a toy. I don’t want to own her… I want to earn her, and I will.”After he said that, he turned to look out the window again and a soft smile tugged on Ryan’s lips.He ended the voice recording that he had switched on and then returned his phone to his pocket.One day… When the time was right to help his friend plead for Elena’s mercy again, he would probably have the evidence to show her that Zeke was not the same person from six years ago.===“Are you sure they are still in there? I didn’t see them coming out,” Ryan said as he walked to the entrance with Zeke.“They could still be there. You know they would probably wait till their guests leave… and well, they might have left through the back door. We can only know until we get there,” he said.As they stopped at the entrance, the two bouncers stood in front of them and then asked for their invitation cards.“Is the event not over?” Zeke
“Mr. Basker…”“What in the name of the lord is this man doing here?!”His voice thundered and everyone, including Elena, could swear that they had never received such a vibe from the man before.Zeke swallowed hard and then raised his head to look at the man. He looked angry, like never before. His brows were crumpled together, and his lips were mashed together while his chest kept rising in anger.When his eyes met with Ramon’s who let out a short smirk, his blood boiled but this was not the time to show his anger for the man.“Mr. Raymond, I…”And he slapped him across the face again.Zeke bit his lower lips, swallowed the blood in his mouth, and then raised his eyes to look at the man again.Where was he even going to start?He was not giving him the chance to talk or even look at him.Guess he should have listened to Ryan.It was as if the man saw what was going to happen and then warned him strongly from coming here without settling things with Elena first.He turned to look at E
When Zeke realized that the couple was not joking and that Ryan meant every bit of his words, he sat up properly and parted his lips.“You… you…”It was not like he did not support the couple. He had given them his blessings already even though he did not do that out loud.He had just settled with the fact that they were together… and then, they were getting married.In two weeks?!“You are kidding,” Zeke chuckled.“I really did not wish to break such news to you while you are here but… it is what it is,” he shrugged his shoulders gently.“It is not what it is, Ryan! You’ve not even been together for six months yet! Six months? Five months, in fact.”“It is not about how far, Zeke. It is about how well.”When Elena suddenly clasped her hands together and groaned, Zeke turned to look at her with a frown.“Awwn?” He mimicked her.“Of course, it is something to be happy for, am I wrong?”“But, two weeks?! Are you two pulling my legs? What the hell is chasing you?”“Let’s talk after you’r
Zeke stared at the woman whose head rested on the bed and slept so peacefully. He had literally begged her for hours before she finally fell asleep to get on the bed beside him and she had refused vehemently. Apart from promising that she was not sleepy, she had told him that if she was, she would go to sleep on the couch across the room, and not on the bed.“You are a patient. You need all the bed to yourself,” she had said.His hand reached out to her soft, silky hair gently, and he ran his hand through it gently.She looked very beautiful.She was very beautiful, Jesus.An extra one thousand days was taken when she was being created. Apart from her long lashes that were still as she was deeply asleep, her full, round lips were pouted cutely and he wished he could have a taste of them right now.Wishing his arm was not hurting and that there was no cast around it, he would have carried her from where she sat and lay her in the bed.“Her neck is gonna hurt a lot,” he breathed out.Th
“M… Marry? I…”“Why? You don’t want to marry me?” He raised his brows.“Fuck, yes! I mean… no! I want to… I just…”“Hold on…” he dropped her hand, looked around, and then rushed off to his closet.Chloe waited patiently as he was in the closet too and after a while, he rushed out, a box in his hand which made her crease her brows together.“Ryan…?”He went on a kneel instantly and opened the box.Chloe gasped as she stared at the ring in the box. It was an almond shaped diamond ring which was in fact, her dream ring.“I have had this… for a while now. I just… I wanted the right time.”“Babe…” she sobbed gently.“I guess I didn’t want to burden you and wanted to go at a slow pace. Trust me, I’ve wanted to wife you up since the moment we got together. But… I could not bear to scare you.”“I love you so much, Chloe, and I will forever do. With this ring, I ask you to go on the journey of life with me. With this ring, I ask that you take my hands forever. With this ring… I ask that you be
Chloe stared at the backside of the man who cooked for her in the kitchen while he hummed gently.One of the things Ryan loved to do so much for her was to cook.He always made sure she ate properly at least while they were together.It’s been a week since she had last seen him and a week since she had found out about the little human growing in her womb.“Babe,” she called out.“Yes?”“Have you ever… No, what are plans for the future?”He took a quick glance at her and chuckled and then returned to look at what he was cooking. “Plans for the future?”“Yes. What are your plans?”“Hmm. I really don’t wish for much, honestly. I just want to be by your side forever…” She sniffed, and nodded her head, “Fair enough.”“Is something bothering you?” He asked while he dished the food.“N… no. I guess I just wanted to know,” she clasped her hands together and he nodded his head.“How about you too then?”“Hmm. Be with you and… raise our children together in happiness,” she muttered the last pa
Shortly after the doctor finally announced to the family that he was out of danger already and had left the room for them, they surrounded Zeke’s bed, watching him. “Okay… can someone say something already?” He breathed out. Still, no one answered him and only watched. After a while, Brenda cleared her throat and then shook her head. “A gunshot in America? Is this some movie show?” She raised a brow. “Let’s go home, Mother,” Chloe moved over to her mother and then grabbed her arm. “No! I should…” “Just… listen to me,” she gritted her teeth. “I will drive you home,” Ryan sighed and looked away from his friend. “Could you… drop me at home too. I think my phone would blow up anytime soon as my wife would not stop calling,” Ray chuckled. Ryan nodded his head with a smile. Ray moved over to Elena, handed the car key to her, patted her back, and then moved away from her. “Will you call me when you get home?” She asked him. “Of course.” “And the twins. Don’t…” “I w
By the time Ryan and Chloe returned to the room, Brenda had already collected herself and only watched her son who lay in the bed.“Chloe,” she turned to look at her daughter and then the man who stood beside her, his hand on her back.“Are you good, mother?” She sniffed.Instead, Brenda moved over to the couple, grabbed Chloe’s wrist, and then pulled her away from Ryan.“Come with me,” she stated and then turned away.“What is going on, mum?” She asked as she followed her mother out of the room and then took a last glance at the confused Ryan.They didn’t stop outside the ward where others were. Her mother kept pulling her along till they got to a corridor and then let go of her.“What are you doing?”“Chloe,” Brenda breathed out, glanced at her daughter’s lower body, and then pinned her eyes on her.“Mother.”“I want to ask you a question, and I want to hear nothing but the truth from you.”“Go ahead, Mother.”Brenda sniffed and then swallowed. “You… are you…” she looked at her bell
Two hours after Zeke had been wheeled into the recovery room, Elena was finally granted the chance to meet him.Her father and Ryan urged her to go in and she did after adjusting her clothes and hair. Zeke could wake up anytime, she thought. It would not be nice if he saw her rumpled and rough.She entered fully, stood beside his bed, and then palmed her mouth.The man who was usually strong and agile was strapped to some machines and this sight broke her heart.She settled gently on the chair beside him and then watched him slowly.She didn’t know how long she had spent watching him before she finally leaned forward and then dropped her hand on his arm.“You better wake up soon…” she sniffed.“You’ve got a lot of things to say and do… so, wake up.”“Well… I could at least try to forgive you if you wake up now. But… if you take any longer, I would not.”She bore her eyes on his face and got no movement still and then sighed.“Nathan and Natalie… they will be so sad if they find out s
Before Gerald could move an inch or fire another bullet, a group of police ran in, and then he looked down at his body to see the red points that were all over his body.He turned to look outside, and sighting the uniformed men on the roof away from the building, he sighed in defeat.“Shit.”“Drop your gun, and take a step back!” He was ordered.He knew there was no escaping this. Aside from just killing off a person with proof, he has had prior charges of murder, rape, assault… oh, how much the list goes on.He raised his head to look at Zeke, tightened his grip around the gun, and then sniffed. At least, this mother fucker should not stay alive either.As he pointed the gun at Zeke, he was shot in his hand instantly and he dropped the gun and screamed.“We need an ambulance!” One of the police shouted and rushed to Zeke, scanned him, and then leaned down to check Camila.While the other men rushed to arrest Gerald, Zeke gestured at the man who was checking on Camila’s condition and
“Z…Zeke!” Camila gasped and scurried away from the man to grab a cloth to cover her nakedness.“You didn’t want me to come because of… this?” Zeke chuckled as he dropped his eyes on the man.Even while he was naked, he looked less bothered to have seen him and all he did was drop his hands on his waist and then stare at him like there was a competition going on.“What is going on?” He asked.Zeke scanned the man from the head. He was a thug, he needed not to be told.Everything about the man screamed that.Aside from the bold, ugly tattoos that he had all over his body, the multiple piercings on his nose and ears were proof too.Zeke entered fully and then turned to look at Camila who rushed to wear her pants and then a top before she turned to look at him, breathing heavily.“H… how did you find me? You brought the police?” She asked perilously and then looked around their environment.“Chill, it is just me,” he answered, “Yet,” he added under his breath.“Uhm… he is… she sniffed an