“Ugh, the audacity of that slut to show her face in school!” Ignore it. “I’m pretty sure she could only afford to go here because of Desmond money.” Inhale. Exhale. Focus on your lunch. “Imagine going against a Montefalco when you have nothing in your name. Girl, I could never!” “Imagine being so broke that being a babysitter to a billionaire baby is not enough…that whoring yourself up is a must!” Tears pricked her vision. Therese was by no means a sensitive girl. She knew that in order to survive this world, she had to mold her heart into metal and build thorned gates around her soul. But Raven managed to tear down her gates so words like this penetrate easily, hurting her like a bitch. “SHAY THATM AGAINM, MYOU UGMLY ASS!” In front of her, Aly growled towards the girls on the left cafeteria table, ready to pounce like a tiger. Her mouth was still half-full of rice when she shouted, but she’s prepared to defend her honor with rice flying around from her lips. Therese blinked
“You can look but you can never touch.” Therese pushed Raven out of the bed and the man stumbled on the floor. The polaroid camera dangled around his neck as his jaw dropped with him. The air in his room suddenly shifted. There were only the two of them and the hunger in his eyes. Erika’s words and the public scrutiny were long forgotten.“You’re trembling. What’s wrong? It’s not like you haven’t seen me in sexy lingerie before.” She giggled as she watched Raven’s face turn as red as a tomato. She kneeled on the silk sheets,flipping her hair and biting her cherry-red lips. Therese started her first pose. She bent down until her breasts were kissing the bed and her butt was lifted in the air, like a cat ready to pounce. Raven shook his head to force himself back to reality. “Well, it’s my first time seeing you in…this.” Click. Click. Click. He wasted no time and circled around her, making sure every erotic angle was captured by the camera. Of course, the see-through lace did nothi
“It’s been…how many years already?”Therese threw her head back laughing in cringe before she took a sip of her hot cappuccino. “God! We were at the start of our puberty when we dated.”“I think you were still taller than me back then.” She can’t believe it! Anthony Seaborn, her first-ever “puppy love” is now an owner of the most distinguished cafe in the place where she spent most of her childhood running around with snot on her nose. Therese could still remember his frail, nerdy aura back in highschool. In fact, the reason why Therese decided to date him back then was only because of pity. Anthony was a loner and always walked with his head turned down. “Yeah, can you believe that someone as pretty and as popular as me used to date a loser like you?” She pressed her hand on her chest dramatically in sarcasm, making Anthony blush and chuckle in embarrassment. It was true, though. Therese was a popular kid in highschool. Almost every guy in school used to hit on her back then, exce
“W-wait!” He tried to deepen the kiss by cupping her cheeks and pressing their bodies closer. It was a different experience compared to how Raven usually kisses her. His kisses full of rough hands and possessive tongues. Whereas Anthony's were gentle and grounding. She almost closed her eyes and basked in the new feeling. God, what is wrong with her?!"I said...Mhmp!...Wait!"But Therese slammed her palm on Anthony’s solid chest to give distance between them. She wished that the ocean waves would just take her away. “Is there something wrong?”Definitely! Guilt started to eat her up.“Anthony, I think you misunderstood me.” The man stared at him with confusion in his eyes. Taking a step back, Therese touched her lower lip with her trembling fingers. She could taste alcohol and mint from his kiss. “I’m not in a relationship but I…I have someone that I like.” Or love. She mentally clarified her words as Raven and Keith’s faces popped in her mind. Anthony suddenly visibly deflated
“Handsome and beautiful young people…perfect for each other! What a time to witness such young love.” Ofelia stared at the two young adults lovingly, chin propped on her right hand.TO: Black RavenHow’s Keith, darling?“Oh, uhm…we’re not really together. But your granddaughter is really lovely.”“She is! You’re a lucky man.”“I’m not…yet. Though, I’m planning to pursue her for real.”“Kyaaaaah!” She may not really understood the depth of his words but grandma Ofelia squealed like a teenager watching a romcom movie. The two exchanged conversation in the background while Therese was lost in her phone.Without her knowing, Anthony kept stealing glances towards her, admiring her smile.1 UNREAD MESSAGE: Black RavenHe’s got a medal at school! And he misses you everyday. (Picture attached)Therese smiled at his message, getting immersed in her own bubble. She zoomed in at the picture of Keith with his ever shy eyes, holding a gold medal in his left hand and a certificate in his right. Bes
"Raven and I were very much in love. He personally sought me and courted me. I used to think that our story was like a fairytale until Therese appeared and..." Jayce watched Erika's live interview with an impressed face. She sobbed mid-sentence, reaching for the tissue on the interviewer's table and blowing her nose to the side. Definitely a perfect PR training. "...that nanny seduced my fiance right in front of my eyes! She brainwashed him to think that I was the villain when all I ever did was ask her for some boundaries." More tears streamed down her cheeks, brows furrowed in agony. She made her words sound very realistic and Jayce had to give it to her. He swiped on his phone to play the clip of his best friend's latest press conference next. Just to compare. “I would like to clear out the circulating issue right at this very moment. Erika Montefalco and I were never in a relationship, and our supposed marriage was purposely arranged to merge the Desmond and Montefalc
“How have you been, girl? We miss you!” Aly’s cheerful energy was a breath of fresh air for Therese. She tossed over her bed and angled her phone camera sideways to get a better view of the video call. The call served as a distraction from everything that’s happening to her lately.“I’m doing great. Getting a lot of rest, as you can see.” She replied sarcastically, pulling her blankets up so it covers half of her face. “...before you called me.” “Oh, stop it. I have a surprise for you.” The girl with glasses almost jumped up her seat in excitement. Judging by the blur of trees on Aly’s peripheral, Therese could tell that her best friend was in a moving car. When she switched to the back camera mode, she didn’t miss the image of a certain smiley man who always wears his hair in a bun. “Is that Jayce?”Apparently, she was in a loud speaker mode since Jayce greeted her despite his face not reaching the view. She heard a distant, “what’s up, Therese?” in the background that Aly was quic
“Count me as your judge, young boys! I love seeing men compete for a woman’s heart!” Like a ghost materializing in thin air, Ofelia broke the tension in the room and traversed in the middle of the kitchen with heart-shaped eyes. From the looks of it, she must have heard the whole conversation between the two men as she was beaming with excitement like a child invited to watch a game. “Grandma! You won’t regret choosing me.”“Name what you want, grandma!” The two boys became so fired up by Ofelia’s push that they completely forgot about Therese’s presence at the back. She sighed heavily, stepping forward and placing a firm hand on both of the boys’ chest. “Guys, stop it. You don’t have to compete or do anything silly for me.” They eyed her for a moment as Raven placed his hand over hers. The two locked an intense eye contact when Anthony suddenly pulled her wrist and maneuvered her body behind him, turning his back completely towards Raven as he leaned down and wiped his thumb ove
BAM! BAM! BAM!"T-Therese...Please, I know you're in there. Let me in!" Raven slurred, his vision blurry because of the alcohol he chugged a few minutes later. Despite Jayce's protest, he found himself heading towards Aly's apartment and banging her gate. The doorbell was useless in catching her attention anyway. "Dude. Cut it out. What if someone sees you and makes a mess of your reputation again?" His best friend was having a hard time ripping his practically glued figure to the gate. He looked around to confirm that there are no prying eyes that would put them in danger. Jayce concentrated on pulling Raven's shoulders with all his might but the miserable man wasn't budging. "Fuck, you're as heavy as a boulder." "I need to...hick...see her, Jayce! I need to t-talk to my girlfriend! Hick!" Raven sniffed two, three times before wiping away the stubborn tears that kept intensifying his blurry vision.BAM! BAM!"Therese! T-therese, baby...Open the door and hear me out! I didn't do a
“Are you busy?” “Not really.” There was urgency behind Nelle's voice that Leonor found hard to ignore even if the line of the call was a bit choppy. Today, they had their daily video call at 9AM as the DesmondTech CEO was getting ready for his flight to see her again. He set up his phone while he had his things inside his luggage. This time, he plans to stay longer with Nelle in her hometown so it was given that he would need a lot of clothes to bring. A month or two...yeah, that would suffice his hunger for her presence for now. "I need to tell you something. Do you remember the man who attacked us with a gun?" Leonor stopped folding one of his jackets midway as he focused his attention to her image. "What about him?" Nelle took a deep breath before angling her camera closer to her face. "Well, it seems like the authorities have finally squeezed something out of him. He said he works under a woman named Stephanie White."He furrowed his eyebrows at the name. "Does it ring a be
"Ugh! Were you always this heavy?" Stephanie struggled to breathe as she dragged Raven's unconscious body towards the bed. Well, she realized she shouldn't be complaining when the drug worked wonders! Just one sip from the tea and he was knocked out like a horse in a tranquilizer. She took a mental note to thank that desperate man from Nelle's hometown. He was the one who delivered the drug she now likes to call the wonder sleeper. "Hngh! I..should have..." Stephanie pulled and pushed her ex-boyfriend's body until they reached the entrance of her door. Before executing her plan, she thought of asking one of her men for help but it was too risky to reveal such detail. If she wants to succeed, she must do this alone. "...led us near the bedroom instead, damn it!" She pulled up her curly hair in a bun when she managed to place Raven's body over the mattress, the foam bounced when she practically threw over. Wiping a bead of sweat that travelled down her temple, she proceeded to work
PRESENTRaven was in the middle of analyzing the latest data from their med booths when all of a sudden, his phone rang violently. He grabbed the device absentmindedly and looked at the screen to see an unregistered number dialing him.“Hello? Who’s this?” He furrowed his eyebrows as he continued browsing on the printed graphs on his table.There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line that almost made him hung up. Sighing in annoyance, Raven thought that it was just another one of those prank calls he often receives from random people."I don't have time for this. If you don't speak anytime soon, I'm blocking you." He gave the caller another second to speak. And when they didn't, he pulled his phone away from his ears and was about to finally press the end call button. "Goodb--""Wait. It's me....It's me."He froze. Slowly, he placed his phone again on his ear to confirm that he wasn't being delusional. "Stephanie? How did you get my new number? I obviously changed my ol
PAST“W-what…what…” Raven stammered as he held the pregnancy test showing two lines with trembling hands. His eyes flew open as he turned her head to an equally shaken Stephanie who was so close to crying. “I bet you know what those two lines meant.” She said as her gaze slid past him towards the window, a faint blush covering her cheeks. Raven saw the muscle on her neck contract as she swallowed hard. "I was just finding the right time to tell you..." "Since when?" "Two weeks ago." Raven felt a lump at the back of his throat. He took a look at the lines again and finally, reality sank in. He's going to be a father! God, he's going to start his family with the woman that he loves. A wave of pure happiness washed over him, causing his eyes to sting with unshed tears of joy. "Hey, w-what do you say? Would you like me to keep--"This is their chance to start again. Raven chuckled and rushed to hug Stephanie who was flabbergasted by his action. He was too happy, too shocked to notic
PASTSLAM! CRASH!Raven threw a glass of water on the wall, making sure that it was reduced to shards. He was buzzing with anger. Today, he caught Stephanie in the arms of another man after she promised him that she would finally change. That she would take their relationship seriously. It turned out that everything that came out of her mouth when they made-up was nothing but bullshit.“You told me you won’t do that anymore!” He screamed at the top of his lungs, his strong emotion getting ahead of him. He couldn't stomach the image of Stephanie making out with an older man just to boost her career. "I believe you! I can't believe I fucking believe you!" Raven was prepared to throw the second fragile object his hands would touch. But Stephanie suddenly matched the volume and rage in his voice. "For fuck's sake Raven! I told you I will secure this deal and that was it! Couldn't you be patient enough?! Now you ruined my one last shot at the show I've been eyeing since the beginning!"
PRESENT.“Welcome back to CelebTV, the home of the hottest and latest gossip in the world of famous faces!” The reporter exaggeratingly gasped for air as she covered her mouth and elbowed her blonde partner. “Have you heard about this, girl?”“What is it, girl?” “Stephanie White, one of the country’s most successful and prettiest runway models is back! After making names and stirring waves abroad, it seems like our girl would like to settle in the country for good. I swear to god, she’s perfect in every way. How I wish…” Therese grabbed the remote control and lowered the TV's volume as she scooted her back closer to Raven in bed. The reporter's voice faded in the background as her boyfriend snaked his arm around her naked torso. She could still feel the delicious ache in her muscles from their love making. "I saw your reaction, you know?"Raven sighed heavily, hiding his face on the crook of her neck. "What reaction?""Back when we had dinner and we saw Stephanie. You looked like y
From that point on, Raven saw red. “You motherfucker!” He yelled with his tone full of anger as he stormed inside and landed one solid punch on the bastard’s face. The force was so strong that the man instantly fell on the ground with a bleeding nose. "Oh my god, Raven, wait!" Stephanie's anxious voice faded in the background.When he saw the man struggling to get up and blinking his eyes rapidly as if he was trying to regain normal vision, the young Desmond wasted no time and took the opportunity to further his damage. He straddled the man while grabbing him by the collar. "You fucking stinky pervert....What have you been doing to my girl?!" He asked in gritted teeth and a pair of bloodshot eyes. It's ironic how he uttered such a question in hopes for an honest answer only to allow his body to move on its own without hearing him first. "Cough...cough...""DIE!" Raven kept punching him, again and again. He made sure that there are no surface of his skin that was left clean. His le
“Didn’t you miss me? Why are you acting so cold?” Stephanie crossed her right leg over her left so her ankle dangled carelessly. She made a show of leaning forward sensually for her dress to stretch downwards, revealing her cleavage. Raven didn’t budge. Irritation flared in his chest. Of course, he knew what she was trying to do.After he dismissed her last night, she should have gotten the signal of his disinterest. Well, he guesses Stephanie is still the kind of person she was years ago.“Who let you in?” It was strange that the moment he entered his office, the first thing that greeted his vision was the image of his ex-girlfriend, sitting comfortably on his leather sofa and reading a newspaper casually like it was the most normal thing to do. “Aw, don’t be mad. I came here because I have something to tell you.” She placed down the newspaper in favor of crossing the room and sitting at the edge of his table.He hated her confidence. He hated how she could still act like she owns