Tessa"Yes Mom, I'm already at home. I'm about to enter the house now." I said to my mom on the phone. "Are you together with your father?"Her words hit me like a ton of bricks. Not at the fact that she was asking whether we were together but the use of the word 'father' It hit my nerves deeply. "No. He still has some work to do at school. I return home alone." I mustered up and answered. I don't even think it would be a good idea to come home together with him. Firstly, no one should know I am connected to him in any way. I had barely gotten familiar with the new school. I don't want to be the talk of the school. Or for anyone to give me special treatment because I was his stepdaughter."Alright then. I made some soup before leaving. You can heat it up and boil potatoes. I will be back a bit late. My boss was invited to a dinner meeting, so she wants me to tag along.""No problem Mom. Take care.""Sure. Talk to you later." and the line went dead silent. I closed the door behind me a
TessaI went home with excitement and nervousness coursing through my veins. Was I not supposed to be scared? Being in the room with a man who wanted to eat me alive, despite being my stepfather, was terrifying. But I was happy that my mom wouldn't be back home on time.I got out of the taxi in front of the house. I would have come home with Carter, but he had a short meeting to attend, which made me come home earlier than him. I paid the cab driver and turned to leave when my phone suddenly beeped. It was a message from my mom instructing me to buy the necessary ingredients to make dinner.I groaned inwardly at the fact that I was already home and would have to turn back. I walked down to the next store to get some ingredients. It wasn't far from my house, so it only took me a few minutes. I purchased what I needed and turned to leave when I suddenly heard someone calling my name. I turned around, my gaze met Leah's. She was in the middle of buying a cucumber.She walked toward m
TessaMy face turned pale as I looked at my mom through the window. My heart beat faster than normal, I glared at Mr. Carter on the bed, and he was still there, with a light smile. Didn't he have respect for my mom?"Are you going to sit there?" I was forced to make that statement, but his expression didn't change. I sucked my lower lip before rushing into the bathroom, splashing water on my face and cleaning my dirty body. I then rushed out of the bathroom to change into something else. Mr. Carter was still on the bed, his eyes scanning each of my moves. I ignored him totally, changing into a pair of pants and a top.I heard my mom's voice from downstairs, chanting my name. Each of her calls made my heart beat faster. I made my way to the door to open it, but Mr. Carter's voice stopped me as he walked closer. I felt his presence at my back, his hand wrapped around my neck, traveling down to grab my nipple and caress it along with the cloth. Only God knows how he could locate it
Tessa The night passed with Mr. Carter doing different styles with me, and I couldn't deny the fact that I enjoyed each of it. I couldn't lay my hands on whether I was happy that Mom didn't sleep at home, and one part of me prayed it was always like this, but I knew that was much unrealistic. To be practical, guilt hit me hard yesterday with every passing moment with Mr Carter, I knew Mom was supposed to be in that position, but I was the one enjoying it. I wondered how Mom would react if she later found out about all this, but I prayed she doesn't.I did the final touches on my head, taking hold of my bag before storming out of the room, surprised to see Mr. Carter already waiting for me downstairs. I couldn't prepare breakfast today because I slept quite late and couldn't even wake up early, not to mention cook. He flashed me a devilish smile, but my face remained cold. Seeing him now with that smile made another pang of guilt hit me hard, at the same time I wanted him to hol
TessaI rolled my eyes before marching out of the class, going forward to Carter's office, while my mind was throbbing on why he had told me to go to his office. What more reason was I looking for? If not he had something on his mind. I just hoped people wouldn't be suspicious of us, because why would he tell Leah to go and sit while he tossed me out of the class?I seemed to be lost in thought, not realizing someone was standing in front of me until my head banged into the person's chest. I raised my head to meet the gaze of that woman, the shameless woman who came to my Carter's office.I twisted my face before branching to the other side to walk away, but she stopped me on my track, and I turned back to look at her. "Where did you keep your manners?" She asked with a hard voice as if she could beat me right there.I searched through my body, maybe I could find the manners she was talking about, but I couldn't. "Oh, I guess I forgot it at home," I replied with a little smile, know
TessaAfter the steamy moment with Mr Cater, I walk back to the class. My leg feeling weak. He had thrust over and over me today. I was feeling weak and I felt like going home. But I have another lecture at noon and I have to attend because the lecturer gave us an assignment last class. Even though I was not given a chance to do the assignment yesterday, I promise to do the assignment once I get to the class. Like a devil is to follow me around. I met this woman who had stopped me when I was going to Mr Cater's office earlier. I don't know her name but she kept appearing in my face. I squeezed my face. I wanted to dodge her but seems she had already seen me. "Hey, you! You there, stop over there!" she uttered, walking towards me. I furrowed my brows, hoping that I could just disappear, but that was already late, and she was already in my face. "Where are you coming from, sweating like this?" she asked, and I twisted my face. How could she ask me such a question? I'm an adult.
Cater's POVAfter the intense moment with Tessa, I made my way out of my office to compile fresh air outside. I was surprised when I saw Rebecca about to open the door to my office. I squeeze up my face, wondering why she was there."I was about to knock on your door," she said to me, and I raised my brows. "Why are you here?" I asked, unable to comprehend why she kept monitoring my movements."I'm just here to ask you a few questions," she replied. "I saw a student coming out of your office earlier, and she seemed to be sweating. I don't know what happened, but I think I should ask you why a student is sweating after coming out of your office." I was astonished. Is she monitoring me and Tessa? Why is she doing this? Why is she being a devil behind me?I screwed up my face. "Are you surprised that a student is coming out of a lecturer's office? How are you bothered that the student is sweating because it's hot inside the office," I asked, playing naive as if I didn't understand what s
TessaThe day went well, with classes and a visit to Mr Carter's office. Now, it was evening, and I had to head home. Mom will be coming home by five, exhausted, and had asked me to prepare dinner since she was too weak. I knew she hated me entering her kitchen, but she had no choice.As I left school, I grabbed a taxi, but not before seeing the guy who had slapped me earlier. He was rich, just like people said, but I didn't care about his wealth or his entitled attitude. He stared at me for what felt like an eternity before getting into his car, but I didn't bother to acknowledge him. I got into my taxi and headed home, lost in thought.During the drive, my mind kept wandering back to the moments I spent with Mr. Carter in his office. I couldn't deny that I enjoyed every second of it, even though it was forbidden. My body reacted to him in ways I couldn't control, and my mind struggled to push him away, to make him my enemy for breaking my mom's heart. But every time I tried, he f
CarterI was anxious as I stepped into the hospital with Samuel by my side. The atmosphere was heavy with worry, the kind that clings to you like a shadow. Tessa has been through so much of lately."Let's go to the security room," Samuel said, his voice steady but his eyes revealed his own concern. I nodded, feeling the weight of the moment. We made our way through the busy hallways, past doctors and nurses who moved quickly, their faces focused and serious. Each step felt like it took forever, and the sounds of the hospital echoed in my mind, amplifying my anxiety.When we reached the security room, I took a deep breath. The room was small and dimly lit, filled with screens showing different angles of the hospital. I felt a mix of hope and fear as I wondered what we would find in the footage. The security guard looked up from his monitor, noticing us."What can I help you with?" he asked, his tone professional but kind."We need to see the footage of when Leah was brought in for some
TessaI sat on the cold, hard bench in my prison cell, tears streaming down my cheeks. I never thought a simple favor would land me here, but life had a funny way of twisting things. I felt the weight of my choices, heavy and suffocating. All I wanted was to help someone, but now I was paying the price.The sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway, and my heart raced. I looked up to see my mother, Mila, Carter, and Samuel approaching. Relief washed over me at the sight of them, but it was quickly overshadowed by sadness. I wanted to be strong, but the tears wouldn't stop.Mila rushed to me, her arms wrapping around me tightly. I could feel her warmth, her love, and it made my heart ache even more. I hugged her back, trying to find comfort in her embrace. "I'm okay, really, Mom, I am fine," I said, but my voice wavered. "This is just what my help got me into."Mila pulled back, her eyes searching my face. "Tessa, I'm so sorry. I didn't want this for you." Her voice was soft, filled wit
CarterI felt a rush of confusion and anger as I paced the living room, my phone still buzzing in my hand. Mila had just told me that Tessa was arrested. "Why would they arrest Tessa?" I shouted, my voice echoing off the walls. My heart raced. Tessa was my friend; she was kind and caring. It made no sense to me.When I finally got home, the weight of the news sat heavy in my stomach. Mila was waiting for me, her face serious. My heart was racing. Mila was sitting on the couch, her eyes wide with worry and she looked concerned, and that only made my heart beat faster. I needed answers. I wanted to know why this was happening."Carter, you need to sit down. I have something to tell you," she said. I felt a knot form in my stomach. The tone in her voice told me it wasn't good news."Mila," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "What happened? Why was Tessa arrested?" I asked, already treading the answer.She took a deep breath, her eyes searching mine as if she were trying to gauge how
Tessa I stood there, my heart racing as I faced Liam. The anger in his eyes felt like a storm, and I could barely breathe. "I didn't poison Leah!" I shouted, my voice shaking. "She called me when she got sick! You can't seriously think I would do something like that!"Liam's face was cold, his disbelief cutting deep. "Prove it," he said, crossing his arms. "You were the last one with her. You need to show me that you didn't do this."I fumbled for my phone, my hands trembling as I pulled up the chat with Leah. "Look! She messaged me just before she got sick. She was asking for help!" I held the phone out to him, desperate for him to see the truth.Liam glanced at the screen but then shook his head. "This doesn't mean anything. You could have staged this. You could have poisoned her and then acted like you were trying to help.""Staged it? Are you serious?" I felt a surge of frustration. "I rushed her to the hospital because I was scared! I thought she was going to die!""Then why is
TessaI stood in the dimly lit room, my heart racing as I stared at the screen in my hands. His words was more of like present, echoed in my mind."You poisoned my sister, Leah." I couldn't believe what I had just heard. Leah was not just his sister; she was my best friend. The anger bubbled up inside me, mixing with confusion. How could he say something like that?"Why would you say something like that?" I demanded, my voice shaking. "You're joking, right? This isn't funny!"Liam's expression was serious, and that only made my fury grow. I had known him for years, but in this moment, I felt like I was looking at a stranger. "Tessa, I'm not joking," he said quietly, his eyes locking onto mine. "You did it. You poisoned her."I couldn't take it in. My mind raced, searching for answers. Leah was sweet, kind, and always there for me. How could Liam accuse me of this? I remembered all the times we laughed together, the secrets we shared, and the dreams we talked about. "Why would I hu
TessaI paced anxiously up and down in front of the emergency door, my mind racing with terrifying possibilities. What if Leah died? What would I do? The thought sent a chill down my spine, and I couldn't shake off the feeling of dread.Tears streamed down my face, and my heart pounded rapidly, threatening to burst out of my chest. My fingers hurt from clenching my fists, and I kept glaring at the emergency door, willing myself to see what was happening inside."Calm down, she'll be okay," the driver who had dropped me off earlier said, his eyes red-rimmed, filled with empathy.I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Thank you," I replied, genuinely thankful. If not for him, maybe, I might still be at home. Even though I told him to go so I wouldn't delay his work but he was proven too stubborn to heed. I wanted to tell him to be going but his phone rang, he contemplated for some minutes before he slid the green button and pressed the phone against his right ear. He went mute
TessaThe multiple calls and messages on my phone jolted me awake from my deep slumber, shattering the peaceful silence. I yawned countless times, my eyes puffy from sleeping all day. I rubbed my red eyes, trying to shake off the fatigue, before picking up the phone to check who the persistent caller was. Shockwaves ran through me as I saw all the calls and messages were from Leah.Why had she flooded my phone with calls and messages at the same time? Concern etched on my face, I clicked on her number and put her on speaker. The phone rang for what felt like an eternity before her voice chimed in, weak and uncharacteristic."What's up? I saw your missed calls and dozen messages," I said, trying to sound casual despite my growing unease."I'm good," she replied, but something about her tone sent alarm bells ringing in my mind. Her usual jovial demeanor was replaced by a frailty that unsettled me."Is everything okay with you?" I pressed, my brow furrowed with worry. Her labored breat
TessaI had already gone to bed, the warmth of my blanket wrapping around me like a cocoon. I was trying to forget the day and the picture of Carter with that woman. My heart was heavy, and sleep felt miles away. Just as I was starting to drift off, my phone buzzed on the nightstand. I grabbed it, squinting at the screen.It was a message from Carter. My heart jumped into my throat. What now? Did he want to talk again? I opened the message, but my stomach twisted when I read it.Carter: "Do you know Liam? He's here at the meeting. I don't know who he is but he keeps on watching me like a magnet glued to a metal."Liam? My mind raced. Carter didn't know about Liam... unless Liam had done something. My breath caught in my chest. I had thought I could keep Liam a secret, but now it felt like everything was unraveling."Is there any possibility he was the one you sent to stalk me? I mean, your doctor friend?" I was still thinking about the first message when the second one popped in.I sa
CarterImmediately, Tessa ended the call even though she gave me no chance to explain myself and pacify her, which I badly wanted to do; I felt a strange feeling settled in my stomach. I looked around, feeling hyper-aware of my surroundings. It was as if someone was watching me, tracking my every move. The thought nagged at me. Had Tessa told a friend to keep an eye on me? Would she stoop so low to order a friend to monitor my every movement, the people I talk to and move with? I shook my head, trying to dismiss the idea. But doubt lingered.I glanced around, my heart racing. In the corner, I spotted a man who looked familiar. It was Liam—the same guy who had been at the conference and had sent Tessa that picture. He was drinking and chatting with another man, and I felt a wave of discomfort wash over me.I wondered if he was the one who had been watching me. Maybe he was reporting back to Tessa, telling her things that weren't true. The idea made my blood boil. Why would he want to c