“What do you mean by you don’t want to attend the ball event?” Elena ignored and leaned comfortably in the cushioned chair as her parents dropped their eyes on her after Aria asked.“You don’t wanna answer?”“Oh, come on, Aria. Do I need to be there?” She frowned.“Of course! Many affluent business tycoons will be in attendance! You should be there to represent your company too,” Aria said.“There is no need for that.”“You might not know, but the event is really not about balling or partying, okay? It is about being exposed to new people who could help you and your company in return. You don’t understand the whole game?”Still, Elena remained unmoved as she stared at the blank space.It’s been five days since she received the invitation parcel and she had said nothing to her family because she believed that she would not be going.Ariana suddenly talking about it tonight was surely not what she wanted.“Besides, it will change people’s perspective about you!”“Which is?”“You know e
“Yes, room 303. Alright.”After Aria dropped the call, she hurried to the other room where Elena was, leaving the make-up artists in the room.“She’s almost here.”“Okay,” Elena nodded her head as she stared at herself in the mirror again.“I can’t believe we’re getting ready in a hotel room when we have a house. A mansion!” Elena smacked her tongue and turned her head to look at Aria.“If she comes to the house and meets the twins, what will you say? Will you say they are your kids?”“You said you are not hiding them,” Ariana frowned.“I am not.”“It seems to me like you are.”Elena swallowed and exhaled before she shook her head.“If she meets them now, she will know they are her brother’s children, which makes her their aunt. I don’t want them attached to each other. Not yet, at least.”“You said you liked Chloe. At least, she is the only person in that family that you liked so much.”“And?”“It does not matter if she meets them, does it?”“She could tell her family!” Elena snappe
When Elena said he had never said a word to her all through the three years she was married to their family, she meant it, literally. She was not exaggerating.Jeremy was neutral about her. He was apathetic in everything that concerned her and not to lie, she had never bothered about him.In fact, she could say that he took after his mother.Brenda was quite uninterested in her too. All she cared about was her son having a wife which would boost his reputation and he got one.Whether they loved each other or not was the least of her concerns.Maybe what Elena was grateful all through her marriage was that she didn’t have trouble with her in-laws like she had thought she would.Maybe she would have run away a long time even before the three years if the Russo were unnecessarily bad to her.But then again, if they really liked her and showed that they were on her side, maybe what happened might never have.She blamed no one, them especially.She did not even care about them!But staring
His hands in his pockets, Zeke’s lips tugged into a soft smile as he sighted Elena from where he stood and a sigh of relief escaped his lips.He ignored the people who turned to pay him respect and then some who stopped dancing just to acknowledge him and then walked gently to Elena.The woman looked like heaven. He does not know what heaven looks like but he was sure that she could pass for one.She was very beautiful. Maybe too much, in fact.She glowed effortlessly under the light, her eyes reflecting the chandeliers’ sparkle and amplifying the room's sense of opulence.“Elena,” he called her name softly as he stopped in front of her, not minding the people who were looking at him, and somehow, in this extravagant ballroom, it seemed as if the world outside was fading away and all that was left is the magic of the moment—— The music, and the enchantment of her beauty.“Elena, you…” he started, about to say when suddenly, someone got in between them and his face hardened at the sudd
Elena took another glance at her sister who kept her head turned out of the window throughout half their journey home and she let out a soft sigh.She reached out to her, dropped her hand on her hand, and then waited for her sister to pay attention to her which she did almost immediately.“Are you good?” She asked her.Ariana let out a long exhale before she answered “Sure.”“Are you still thinking about… uhm… Zeke?” “That man?” Ariana frowned in disgust and adjusted in her seat.“I am thinking about the man I danced with at the ballroom!” She defended like it was some big deal to be thinking about Zeke. “Who?”“You know that handsome man I was dancing with?” She asked, hope flashed through her eyes.“Who? I did not take a look at his face at all!”“Oh, sister!”“Why? Did he do something wrong?”“Of course!” Ariana exclaimed.“Really? What is that?!” Elena sat up.“He took my heart!”A short silence fell in the car after Ariana said and they both burst into laughter.“Excuse me?”“T
Chloe paced to and fro in her room while she kept her eyes glued to her phone, looking up things on the internet in order to clear her doubts.“But… I am so certain of what I saw,” she soliloquized as she took her index finger in her mouth. About a couple of hours ago while she had dressed Elena up, she noticed a scar on her belly. Under her belly to be precise.She had looked up all the surgery marks that could leave such scars but none of it looked like it till she searched for a cesarean section.Chloe was torn.Only people who had given birth through cesarean section could have such a scar but why did Elena have it?When she noticed it, she dropped her finger on it gently and tried to caress it before Elena slapped her hand away rather sensitively and turned away from her.“I can do this myself,” she had said before snatching the dress from her.It was because she acted unbothered about the scar by not asking what it was and by not looking curious that she left it be and let her
“Now, talk.”The moment the car entered Zeke’s perimeter and the car pulled into a garage, he had said.Jeremy ignored him till the car stopped moving and then sat upright, opened the door, and then turned his head to look at his brother.“In the car? At least, have some respect for me,” he rolled his eyes and then got down from the car.“God, your house!” He exclaimed as he strolled to the building while Zeke walked past him.“Do you not think it is quite embarrassing that as your brother, I have not been here before? You have never allowed me.”“It is still a surprise that you think I see you as my brother, Jeremy,” Zeke smacked his tongue and then walked away.“Why should I not see you like that? We are brothers. Our mother birthed us, from the same womb, separate years, though.”Zeke turned around, dropped his eyes on Jeremy, and dipped his hand in his pocket, “You are NOT my brother.”“Okay, okay, I hear you,” he waved his hand at him and then watched as the man walked ahead of h
Jeremy stared at his brother for a while and then swallowed the lump that was in his throat forcefully. He opened his mouth to talk, but words failed him and Zeke spoke up again.“In fact, it’s all useless. I will deal with my personal matters by myself, you may leave now.”“I doubt if you can make her forgive you without my help,” he shrugged his shoulders off.“Leave, Jeremy. My driver will drop you off at your destination. You should leave right away,” he said and then walked to the stairs.“But, it is late. I can’t not travel at such an ungodly hour.”Ryan glanced at Zeke who turned deaf ears as he ascended the stairs and then turned his head to look at Jeremy. He shook his head at him and pressed his lips together.“Let him be.”“Ah… that depressed mother fucker,” Jeremy shook his head and Ryan chuckled.“He is not depressed. You wronged him.”Jeremy sniffed and then nodded his head. “I know.”“I’m leaving,” he raised his hand to wave at Ryan and then turned around.“Tell him to
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