Lincoln is staring at his phone, arguing with himself if he had done the right thing. When he saw Halsey walking out of the school with Nathan, he felt an anger which is indescribable in words. Seeing them together infuriated him and he became agitated. So after basketball practice was over, he cornered his teammate Chad and demanded where Nathan could have gone. Chad mentioned that Nathan frequently goes to a bar named Mags uptown. He also revealed the location of the place to Lincoln. Lincoln was quiet all this time, biding his time until he reached home. Upon reaching home, he informed Charlotte about Halsey. Charlotte was shocked but drove uptown to pick her up. But this wasn’t enough for Lincoln. Nathan is getting too close to Halsey and Lincoln won’t let them grow any closer. His rival must be punished.So he called the cops and told them about the bar.Is Halsey gonna be alright? He wonders. For some reason, he’s also feeling guilty. What if Charlotte doesn’t find her on tim
Halsey is waiting at the trench side, alone. She’s feeling a little giddy for some reason. There’s a book plopped open on her lap but she barely pays any attention to it. Instead, she keeps on glancing behind her to see if Nathan has arrived.It’s really early in the morning. The whole town's sleeping and Halsey seems to be the only one who’s awake. Lincoln and Charlotte were also sleeping soundly in their rooms. Halsey left a note next on Charlotte’s bedside table about meeting Nathan for a project. She can only hope that Charlotte doesn’t misunderstand her like Lincoln does.“Will he even come?” She wonders out loud. Nathan doesn’t seem like someone who wakes up early.Halsey debates whether to call him or not when she hears the bushes behind her shuffling.“Nathan?”She peers at the bushes and for a second, she thought she saw a shadow there. Halsey slowly stands up, feeling cautious.“Hello?” She says a little loudly. “Is anyone there? Is that you, Nathan?”Silence.Halsey doesn’t
Nathan grips the fork in anger, trying to control himself. Halsey looks from him to Daniel. There’s clearly some tension between the duo but they’re hiding it. Daniel is smiling as if nothing is wrong whereas Nathan is scared and angry. “I-I’m Halsey Scott,” she says with a small smile.“Scott…” Daniel frowns a little. “Are you by any chance the daughter of Jim Scott and Hannah Michell?”“Yes!” Halsey is surprised that Doctor Jacobs knew her parents. “How do you…”“Jim was an ace lawyer!” Daniel laughs. “Never lost a case for our hospital. I used to tell him to shift to New York and start a practice but he was content here. Hannah was a nurse at our hospital. I remember that she used to bring you with her at work sometimes.”His smile fades and he dons a sorrowful look. “I’m sorry about what happened to them,” he adds. “Two very good people, taken away too soon. It was a terrible accident.”Halsey simply nods her head but the topic of her parents is too painful to remember. “What’re
The whistle blows and Nathan is beaming, feeling victorious. He’s sweaty and panting but had just scored the last basket for the practice game. Lincoln is staring at him with a poker face while the other players high five with Nathan.“Well done team!” Nelson roars in joy. “Looks like ya’ll are ready for the Interstate Tournament in Boston.”“Yes Coach!” The team declares. They have been practicing for the Interstate Tournament for months and this is a big opportunity for them. Nathan, who’s aiming to apply for the national team after graduation, is especially hyped. Basketball is his life and it’s the only thing he wants to play for a long time.“Jacobs!” Nelson calls him. “Come to my office.”Nathan frowns but jogs behind the coach. They enter his office and Nelson shuts the door.“Sit.”Nelson motions Nathan to sit on a couch. Nathan does so and Nelson sits next to him, looking grim.“I know that you have a lot of problems with Lincoln,” the old man says. Nathan snorts at that comm
The beach behind Charlotte’s Lounge has been decorated with fairy lights. A small stage is set up in the middle of the beach with the lights shining on it. Several musical instruments are placed on it while a music system is located right next to the stage. The night is breezy and the waves are gentle, indicating a soothing evening perfect for the musical event.It’s not a very big event but Charlotte hosts it every year for small, independent bands who are looking for places to sing at. Several of her customers show up and even tourists who visit Bayers’ Coast, stop by to attend. Charlotte serves light finger food and cold drinks to the guests while several of her friends set up stalls around the area to sell homemade food and beverages.Many of the students at Bayers’ High School also participate in the event. Halsey recognizes some of her classmates who have turned up but she rarely talks to any of them. She’s busy helping Charlotte and Lincoln in last minute preparations. “I thin
Halsey sits on a chair next to Nathan and takes a deep breath as she picks up the guitar again. Nathan isn’t really interested in her music but rather focused on steering Halsey away from Lincoln. It seems that she loves music and the only way to seduce her is by complimenting her music. “Uh…” Halsey fumbles to play a tune. It’s as if she suddenly lost her talent.“What’s wrong?” Nathan asks.“Can you not look?” She requests sheepishly. “It makes me nervous.”This nerd is a handful! Nathan groans inwardly but he turns around so that his back faces her.“Go on,” he says warily. Closing her eyes, Halsey begins to sing.“Pitter patter falls the rain on my windowCreating an art which depicts our taleThe once blue sky is cloudy,Hiding the star I seek.I look up in the sky,Hoping you’d be thereYou promised me that we’ll be togetherThen why did you leave me alone hither?You said you will shine like a starBut why can’t I see you up there?You promised me that we’ll be togetherThen w
Nathan wakes up the next morning with a bad hangover. After they left the musical event, they hit a bar and drank for a long time. Harry managed to score a one night stand for himself with a girl from another school and left with her. Jimmy went home soon afterwards while Mike and Nathan stayed back a little longer until it was time for the bar to close. Not wanting to go home, Nathan crashed at Mike’s place since his parents weren’t there.“You look terrible,” Mike comments when Nathan comes downstairs. Nathan only grumbles and pours himself a glass of water before popping a few pills for the headache.“I’ve never seen you drink so much,” Mike goes on. “You’re worrying me, man!”“It’s nothing!” Nathan mutters.“What’s up with you and the Scott girl?” Mike asks. “I heard rumors that you’re spending a lotta time with her. I heard that Lydia isn’t very happy about it.”“Who cares about her?” Nathan snorts. “Wasn’t she your girlfriend only a few weeks ago?”“Why?”Mike is very curious.
This can’t be happening! Halsey screams in her mind. The cafe manager hired Nathan for the part time position and assigned Halsey to explain the job to him. Halsey tried to make excuses but fumbled in front of her manager’s strict glare.“This is the coffee machine,” she murmurs. “Press this one for espresso and this one for decaf. This one is for-”“Why’re you avoiding me?” Nathan demands.“Please don’t create a scene here,” Halsey begs. “I just want to work in peace and go home!”“For someone who wants peace, you seem to be throwing yourself in all kinds of trouble,” he grins. And who’s fault is that? Halsey asks in her mind but bites back her response.“Just work properly and ask the manager if you need help with anything,” she says curtly. “I’ve got to attend to the customers now.”Nathan warily watches as Halsey heads over to the tables to take orders. He puts on the cafe’s hat and seductively smiles at a group of women who are ogling at him. They giggle when he catches their ey
*Eight months later in New York*Halsey is crying hard while Nathan looks guilty while Jo is quiet. “How could you do this to me?” Halsey wails. “This…this is…this is such a betrayal!”“Hales, I didn’t mean it!” Nathan exclaims. “It was an accident!”“Dad, this really isn’t right,” Jo adds, shaking her head. “I’m disappointed in you! How could you do this to mom?”Nathan gapes at his daughter. “It was an accident!” He claims. “I swear it was! I didn’t do it on purpose, babe! I-I was seduced!”“SEDUCED?” Halsey shouts at him. “SEDUCED?”She’s now angry and she throws a pillow at him. “SEDUCED? HERE I AM CARRYING A LITTER AND YOU…YOU…”Stopping in between her tirade, she takes several deep breaths. Nathan is ashamed and sad by what he did.“YOU…YOU ATE THE LAST PIECE OF CHOCOLATE?” Halsey shrieks and throws another pillow at him. “YOU KNOW I NEED CHOCOLATES IN THIS STATE!”Nathan is truly ashamed but the chocolate was too delicious to ignore. He thought no one would find out but Jo cau
Lincoln was being carried away by Damien’s men. He’s completely catatonic, his mind in severe shock. They took him to the psychiatric hospital where the doctors checked up on him. For many days, they’ve tried to figure out what’s wrong with him but to no avail.His encephalitis has reached the advanced stage in a short period of time. The doctors have no hope now.“He’s in a sort of a self-induced coma,” the psychiatrist tells Halsey one day. “He can’t comprehend anything. His eyes are open but his mind is shut. It’s as if he had a severe shock which he couldn’t overcome.”“Can he stand trial?” Halsey asks. “There must be something you can do to make him sane again. We can’t just let him off the hook like this!”“We’re trying but in a way, his punishment is this,” the doctor concludes. “He won’t be able to stand trial but he’ll not recover from this.”Halsey glances inside the ward where Lincoln had been kept. He’s staring at the wall, unmoving for hours. His once luscious hair has fa
*Present*“They must’ve found us!” Hastings exclaims. “How? You just said it’s a safe place?“I don’t know!” Lincoln yells. “They’ll kill us. Let’s just kill the kid and-”“ARE YOU INSANE?” Hastings screams. “She’s our only bet! If we take her, we can negotiate with them and leave this place alive!”As soon as he says that, several of Damien’s guards barge out of the elevator. Without any word, Hastings enters the room and grabs Jo before escaping through the fire escape. Lincoln runs off to hide.Downstairs, Nathan, Halsey, Damien and Daniel, are scavenging the floors. Hastings’ guards are being captured by their men, leaving their way clear. “Jo!” Halsey cries. “Jo, where are you?” “Jo?” Nathan shouts. The rooms are empty and they start to ascend the stairs. Daniel breaks off from the group, heading east to find Jo. In the chaos, no one notices him leaving.Halsey is beside herself with fear. Nathan keeps a firm grip on her while Damien instructs his men to spread out. “We’ll loo
Jo is glaring at Lincoln. She’s not crying nor looking scared but rather apprehensive of the man. The guards who were supposed to watch over her that day, had knocked out Jason and kidnapped her while she was on the way to school. They lied to Nathan that she was safe so that he wouldn’t come after them.Now, hours later, she’s tied up in an empty building. They’re on the fifth floor where Lincoln and Hastings are hiding. Lincoln is glaring at the little girl and he wants to push her off the window but she’s his only leverage to get Halsey.“In a few hours, your mother will come to me and we’ll leave this place,” he grins. “And you’ll be dead.”He steps forward, a manic glee in his eyes. “Once Halsey is here, I’ll kill you and take her with me.”“My dad will beat you!” Jo sneers. “Remember what he did to the other guy when he kidnapped me? I’m not scared of you!”WHACK!Lincoln slaps the insolent child. Jo feels immense pain on her cheek and even though her eyes are stinging with tear
Halsey is feeling a little squirmish. Things have been hectic for the past few days and it has taken a toll on her health. Just that morning, she threw up everything she ate. Nathan was alarmed by her condition and insisted that she went to the hospital for a checkup. He’s sitting with her, holding her palm. They’re outside the doctor’s office. Halsey was asked to undergo some tests and now, the doctor is reading the results.“Nate, I’m fine,” she assures him. “There’s nothing to worry about. Go to work.”“No, I won’t stop worrying until I see the reports!” Nathan insists. “I want to stay here.”Halsey smiles and shakes her head. He’s so persistent in every little thing related to her health. Nathan can’t help it. He lost her once and he can’t lose her again. The moment she started to show signs of being ill, he was overcome with paranoia. He’s thinking about the worst case scenarios and his heart is filled with fear. “Is Jo at school?” Halsey asks.“The guard texted me that she’s s
Over the next few days, Daniel is kept under close observation. Hastings and Lincoln are still missing, something which is looming over everyone’s heads. Nathan is trying to find them but to no avail. He and Halsey are trying to maintain normalcy at home so that Jo doesn’t suspect anything.One night, Nathan arrives home late to find Halsey is still awake. She’s curled up on the couch, reading. When she hears the door open, she looks up and smiles.“Any luck finding them?” she asks when he plops on the seat next to her. “None,” Nathan admits. “I can’t find them. It’s like they’ve vanished.”Halsey is now troubled. Where could they be? Nathan puts his arm around her shoulder. “We’ll find them,” he assures her. “They can’t hide for long.”“I hope so,” she murmurs and hugs him.Meanwhile, miles away from Bayers’ Coast, Lincoln is feeling frustrated. He’s angry and annoyed at being locked up in the house all day. Hastings told him that they’ll be implementing their plan soon but he’s lo
CRASH!The vase breaks into thousands of tiny pieces. Standing above the broken ceramic is Lincoln, with wild red eyes. He’s in a murderous rage and he breaks everything in his vicinity. Hastings is on a couch, bored of the man-child’s drama but Lincoln is on a warpath.“I’LL KILL THEM ALL!” Lincoln shouts. “THEY’VE BETRAYED ME-”“You were stupid enough to trust a stranger,” Hastings yawns. “You should’ve come to me instead. Just like your dad did. Your stupidity cost us the hospital. If you had your shares, we’d have been unbeatable today.”Lincoln shoots him a glare but Hastings doesn’t care. They’re at Lincoln’s farmhouse, a property he had purchased a few months back in secret. Lincoln can’t fathom his loss. Jamie and Damien double crossed him but he’s more shocked by Salvez.“My father is a fool! He only wants his business to be safe but I don’t care about all that!” Lincoln yells. “I just want Halsey!”“And I want revenge against Nathan Michell,” Hastings says. “The best way to
Daniel and Lincoln stand up, shocked. They gape at Nathan who’s grinning. “What’s the meaning of this?” Daniel snarls at Salvez. “Why are you withdrawing your support? And isn’t he the head of the Michell family? He’s your enemy!”“My father is merely supporting me,” Damien calmly says. Daniel rounds on him.“Did you forget that I saved you all those years ago? I gave you a new heart!”“By killing the woman I love,” Damien quietly says. This makes Daniel even more furious. Lincoln is glaring at Jamie but she’s smug. Nathan takes charge.“Fifty five percent of the shares have been transferred to me,” he tells his father. “You’re not the chairperson of this hospital anymore. I am. It’s over for you, dad.”Daniel glares at Nathan while Lincoln is silent. He’s too shocked, too numb to say anything. Once again, he has lost. This can’t be happening, he tells himself. It’s all a bad dream!But it’s not. It’s real and it’s happening. Nathan has taken over the hospital and effectively, Linco
Nathan is sitting on the couch, thinking hard. It’s past three o’clock in the morning and he’s not sleepy. On the contrary, he’s feeling agitated about what’s going to happen in a few hours. Even if everything seems to go according to his plan, he’s still nervous. What if something goes wrong? Even one misstep can ruin years of hard work.Halsey stirs in her sleep and rolls over to the side to hug Nathan only to find the spot to be empty. She slowly opens her eyes to find him on the couch, drinking alone. He looks worried and this in turn, worries her.“What’s wrong?” she asks as she approaches him. “Why are you awake at this hour?”“Can’t sleep,” Nathan mutters as he takes a sip from his drink. Halsey sighs and sits next to him. She pours a glass of whiskey for herself. Nathan is slightly surprised.“When did you start drinking whiskey?” He asks.“I don’t drink it,” she admits. “I just wanna give you company right now, that’s all. Why? You don’t like it when I drink?”“It’s up to yo