[PLEASE BEWARE THAT A LOT OF NAUGHTY THINGS AND ACTIONS COULD BE SAID OR DONE SO YOU MIGHT WANT TO SKIP THIS PART, PLEASE. THANK YOU FOR READING.] Blasting songs were playing inside what seemed to be an underground resort. The whole place smelt of sweat, sex, blood, cigarettes, and cocaine. The place wasn't brightening because only red lights were turned on and men in black were seated across different sides of a large couch with naked ladies by their sides. In the middle was a large table and on top of it were different illegal items such as guns. A few people were patrolling the area with guns in their hands and had a stick of cigarettes in their hands. A man signaled to let the music down and it was done. Immediately an uproar was heard from a distance but it didn't interfere with what the men were doing. A lady pulled another young lady who looked around nineteen or twenty. The latter was wearing a short skirt with beads around her waist and then her shirt was exposing her
"Throw the ball over here Alex." His mate screamed and he did as he was told with the students yelling behind them, chanting their favorite club. Alex successfully threw the ball into the net and punched the air. He was sweating profusely but he didn't mind.He stopped and took a deep breath. With parted lips, he looked around the crowd filled with students and teachers, his eyes were looking for someone in particular. "Alex!" Her voice sounded like a bell to his hearing and instantly his heart raced, his head darted to the left-hand side and his eyes immediately spotted her among the female cheerleaders. She was with Sammie and they were both wearing a vest. She was holding a huge banner with his name inscribed on it. Alex waved at her with a wide smile and then got jumped on by his friends who were yelling. For the first time in his life, he felt inclusive. He felt the love that he had already wanted. He was lifted and praised for scoring what they believed was impossible.
Ashley was standing in front of Alex with her hands folded across her chest. He was sitting on the couch with his arm blocking his eyes and a few buttons of his were unbuttoned. She had to come looking for him after calling his number but he refused to pick up. "So, what do you plan on doing? Are you going to give in? Are you choosing to make the deal?" Jonathan asked as he entered the sitting room. He had a plate of noodles in his hands and was eating it little by little. He sat opposite Alex, waiting for his answer. "Hmm." Alex's answer was neither positive nor negative. He collected a clip from a man and after watching the clip, he somehow felt down and angry at his father. How could he have done this to his mom? "I have been here for about thirty minutes but I still don't understand what's going on. Are you two trying to shove me under the bridge intentionally or am I not a part of this anymore?" She asked. She didn't want to act clingy or helpless in this situa
Alex headed towards the room where he believed that his sister had been kept. It has been two days since his arrival and he was going to leave very soon for his mission. He had other things planned out but this was the first time he was faced with having to make a decision. A decision where Ashley's father was in line. He, therefore needed someone to help him in dealing with this without any false takings.Throughout the night he couldn't sleep. He couldn't even reply to Ashley comfortably or speak with her without feeling guilty but he trusted himself that at least, he would be able to provide some sort of shortcut. But first, he needed to speak with his sister. On getting to the room, two men pushed him back with strained looks. Alex furrowed his brows. He knew his father had instructed them not to give him access but he still wanted to try his luck. Apparently, the luck had faded out before he even started. "I need to see my sister." He said coldly. "You are not the bo
"This evening, an explosion happened around the outskirts of the City. The border connecting our city and City H. This happened around 8:45 pm with a lot of cops dead because of the incident. It had been said that the cops believed and made research that an illegal drug would be coming into the City and as it is their duty, they arrived at the scene to protect the citizens thereby losing their lives..." The newscaster continued reading the news that same night. Ashley, Jennie, and Ariana all dashed into the hospital that night with Josh and Sammie alongside her elder brother. They were all anxious and it had been reported that the men were brought to the hospital while the dead ones with their bodies still in place were taken to the mortuary. Ariana was not dressing in a cool way. She looked haggard and her eyes gave the vibe of a mad woman. She was looking around for any clues of her husband's whereabouts. They were not the only ones there though. Some other families had come t
Ashley stared at the grave of her father, loss for words. Her eyes were swollen and she looked disheartened. It had been a week after Brown's sudden death and the family finally found the heart to be brave enough to bury him. His well-wishers and a few neighbors that knew him were around to sympathize with the family.Ariana was weak. She couldn't say a word and wanted justice so desperately not only for her husband but for those who were also brutally killed during this moment. The prayer was said and Brown's body was laid to rest. Slowly, everyone departed including Ariana who walked away with the help of Louis while Jennie stayed beside her sister when she saw that she did not want to leave. "He is gone." She whispered. Ashley let out a shudder and blinked the tears off her eyes. She nodded slowly, accepting what her sister had said. "You can't bring him back. We can't bring him back. No words or tears will do us that magic." Jennie continued. "I am sorry." Ashley
"Hi. Good morning." A young vibrant looking guy of about twenty-five years said excitedly as soon as the door was opened, making Jennie raise her brows at him. "What's wrong with you? You're shaking like a leaf." She commented and closed the door. The guy chuckled as he tried to catch his breath. He put down his bag and looked around the room. He was wearing a grey pair of suits and his black hair was gelled, giving him a bit of a feminine look. However, he still had the muscles out for a show. He was not that tall but okay for anyone considering him as a partner and he has quite a funny character to himself. "Where is Ashley?" He asked, undisturbed that he had just put Jennie through doubts. "If she isn't sleeping then I think she is still getting prepared," Jennie answered him and walked to a tiny bell. Just as she was about to ring it, a small hand stopped her and smiled widely when their eyes met. It was no other than Jennie's daughter, Alyssa, who had taken afte
Ashley knocked before entering her boss's office. She swallowed hard, knowing how strict her boss was. The atmosphere that was supposed to be cold and receptive suddenly felt chilly and stiff to Ashley. The woman looked up from her table after five minutes and pointed at the chair for her to sit. "Thank you, ma'am," Ashley whispered and took her seat carefully staring at the desk. The woman adjusted her pair of glasses and focused on the young girl in front of her whose head was bowed. She cleared her throat and tapped on the desk before speaking. "Miss Ashley, I believe that you know why you are here." She started.Ashley slowly nodded, "Yes ma'am." "Although you are the most hardworking and distinguished worker in our midst I need you to realize that I don't take nonchalance as an attitude. This is your fifth time getting late to work which shouldn't have been so. If it had been anyone else, they would have gotten a one-time warning or suspension but you are who y
Alex closed the door and looked around with a soft look. The breeze blew his hair gently and his eyes were squinted as well as if trying to figure out something due to its view. This was surprising even though he had expected something like this. It was already evening in H City and the atmosphere brought back memories. Unlike ten years ago when this place was so despicable and no one could come here because it was a gangster's home, it was now an abode to many people and life had become better now. Alex could see the cops dragging a teenager with tattoos all over his body down the road. The teenager was trying to escape but with so many cops, his energy was futile. Ashley watched him, carefully observing his facial expressions. She had brought him to H City without his knowledge but he seemed to be taking it quite well. "What are we doing here?" Alex finally landed his eyes on her as his two hands went straight into his pockets to prevent them from getting iced. Good enough
"What do you think I should do, huh? I don't know if I am reciprocating the feelings back to her?" Alex frowned as he discussed his problem with Jonathan. "But she doesn't seem to mind. She is totally in love with you." "That's not an excuse. I just need to know if I am doing well enough." Alex answered.Jonathan exchanged his leg position and sat down a bit comfortably to the right. "Well...to be truthful, you are far from doing well enough."It felt as if someone had thrown a glass into his mirror, shattering all. Well, he knew what the truth was but having someone affirm it was something he wasn't expecting to hold within. Jonathan could see the sadness wash through his face. His lips curled downwards as a result of his answer. "Okay...you know what? Listen to me. I don't want you to pressure yourself in this short journey that you two would be going on. Ashley totally understands you, this is what I can assure you of so you don't need to rush and you don't nee
"I am sorry." These were Alex's first words immediately after he healed up and could speak. Ashley smiled and hugged him gently so as not to cause him any harm. It was their moment and they were taking the most of it. Alex missed her scent, he missed holding her and it was great to have her back. Later on, she held his hand. "I know...I know you're sorry and so am I" "You are not mad at me anymore?" "Why would I? I have told you that I have no reason any more to stay mad at you." She answered. "Does this mean that you still love me?" Alex asked gently, his eyes boring into hers desperately expecting a positive answer. Ashley couldn't meet his gaze and just stared somewhere else, intentionally raising his hopes.When Alex couldn't see her approval, he became slightly disappointed...in himself. "Oh." He muttered. "I must have been thinking too much that you and I..."Ashley silenced him with a kiss and looked into his eyes. "I know we have been apart for
It's been three weeks since Ashley started coming over to Alex's place all thanks to Valerie. Jenny and her husband also were able to come once in a while. Ariana was not left out as well. Ashley felt more at peace and worked from home instead. She had no trouble with Rhae going anywhere because Jonathan told her that she was going to find absolutely nothing. It was funny how he said that and somehow, she was just glad that they were both on good terms now. Ashley smiled at herself in the mirror as she packed her hair up. She had a great feeling that things were going to be good again and now that this misunderstanding had been clear, she couldn't wait to see Alex's expression whenever he woke up. Would he be happy to see her? Their time together as teenagers wasn't that long but they had impacted each other deeply and it was taking a toll on them even after all these years. She cleaned herself up and walked out of the bathroom only to meet the biggest shock of her life. She almos
A MONTH LATER,Ashley had just finished her therapy session with her female therapist. Her phone had been confiscated for a few days now because Ariana feared that things wouldn't improve but her phone was given back to her a day ago. She hadn't been to work as well.Ashley laid on the couch and crossed her legs against each other. She turned on the phone, only to meet a series of text messages inquiring about her health and how things were going. Sammie and Josh were also not excluded. Where they were was a bit far so it denied them the chance of visiting frequently like they would always do when they were still teenagers.So with the little amount of strength in her, she replied to all messages until she got to a particular one that caught her attention. She clicked on it so she could view the entire message. "Hey there, this is Valerie, Alex's sister. If you still want to speak with Alex and also to know where he is, contact me back." This message was sent just a MONTH ago as
Jonathan was already ushered in and was sitting down with the rest of the family but on the other side. His hands were clasped together with his head bowed. His right leg kept tapping against the ground as he prepared his mind to speak. He suddenly raised his head at once to speak, his eyes were on Ashley who he considered the oppressor. "Valerie told me what happened and I think you know what you have done so there is no need for me to start explaining. I hope your family is also aware this time. We don't need you to keep useless secrets that we would be blamed for again. Who do you think you are?" His tone started rising at the end of his sentence. "Tell me! Who do you think you are to do all this trash? How dare you approach my brother only to insult him and say trash to him, you b*tch...?"Ashley became angered and stood up fiercely. "How dare you call me a b*tch when you and that psycho brother of yours are the real d*ck, huh? Oh...so he ran out of the cafe and went
Ashley closed the door of the sitting room, looking soaked up and terrible at the same time. Her face was pale and at that point, even though it was deadly cold, it felt as if she was immune to the weather: 's circumstances. She leaned against the door and slid down to the ground which she sat upon, bawling her eyes out. Jenny who woke up due to the sound of the door being unlocked appeared with a knife and her husband behind her as well. She was scared that it was probably a thief or an attacker. Their minds didn't go through to the thought of it being Ashley because she would have called. But they were both stunned at the situation in front of them. "Ashley?" Jenny called in surprise and then looked at her husband. She gave him the knife and quickly approached her sister. When she got to her side, she knelt and touched her wet hair with a little bit of confusion. Her hands kept moving from one part of her body to another, purposely checking for any physical injuries while being
"Are you sure it's not something that you need my help with?" Philip asked as he looked at the cafe and turned off the car's engine. This was the third time he had brought Ashley over to this place. Was she now obsessed with it that she wouldn't stop coming or there was just another reason for it? "No, thank you. I am fine. You can go home now. We will discuss it tomorrow." Ashley answered with a brief smile and came out of the car with her things. She stood to watch Philip leave first before proceeding.The latter quickly reversed and took the other route. The hand Ashley was waving vigorously halted and her smile was wiped off. She exhaled silently as her eyes ran across the surroundings. She turned to face the cafe.Yeah, she had been coming here for a while with the hope of having a proper conversation with Alex regarding her pending questions. She was so much curious and there was no way she would let this slide but her first attempt in speaking with him landed in failur
"And this counts as the end of your story, Alyssa," Loius said and kisses his daughter's forehead. Jennie glanced back at them and smiled. She had also been listening to the father-daughter discussion while preparing Alyssa's things for school. Louis was a good reader and his voice was smooth which could make the listener not get tired of listening to him speak multiple times. That was the major score he used in winning her over finally. "Thank you, Daddy." Alyssa chuckled after Louis shook her head playfully. "Get to sleep. You don't want to go to school very late."Alyssa then closed her eyes and Louis stood up. He approached his wife and hugged her from the back. "You got a free concert." "I didn't know reading was now some form of concert." Jennie teased back and Louis bit her earlobe. "Ouch... Louis, stop it." "Should I?" Louis asked, proving to be stubborn. Before Jennie could answer, Alyssa did her the favor. "This is still my room." She mumble