“Let’s cut the bullshit, Warren. What did you do to Therese? What do you want from me?” Raven desperately tried to keep his voice low but his temper wasn’t keeping up. He saw a few guests raise their smartphones in secret to steal a quick snap of him and his brother. Once again, Warren took a sip from his glass of wine until the alcohol was almost gone. “Let’s just say I gave her a nice time.” There was a sinister glint in his eyes as he thought about the memoirs of that night. Anger flared in Raven’s chest but he didn’t say a word. He let his brother continue. “And what I want from you is simple. Everything.” “What?!”“Everything that you have. I’m going to take it all and ruin it.” His blood ran cold. How could he appear out of the blue after all these years just to turn into a monster? Raven’s chest ached as he thought about the older brother he admired when they were little. He gritted his teeth and willed himself not to lose his composure. That brother was gone. The man stand
“Hello. I’m your uncle Warren. I heard your name’s Keith?” Keith gawked at him like an innocent, little bird. He grasped the edge of his baby blue backpack strap so tight, his knuckles turned white. The kid swallowed hard in an awkward silence as he sensed something bad towards the guy. “Does dad know you’re going to pick me up?” He settled for a casual question.The kid looked around the school premises. Everyone was being picked up by their guardians. He wasn’t sure if he could call his uncle his guardian. Sure, he’s heard about his name a couple of times at home but this is the first time he saw him in flesh. He looks just like his dad. But there’s a different air around him and Keith didn't like it. Warren snickered before kneeling to level with Keith. He flashed his signature wide grin with his eyes disappearing as his facial muscles were lifted up. “Of course. In fact, he asked me to personally fetch you. He wants us to have our uncle-nephew time so we could get to know eac
“The DNA from the specimen and from the fetus’ blood is 99.9% matched.” Aly tightened her hand around Therese’s shoulders while the latter tried her best to not fall apart by the doctor’s words. She released a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Her fingers went cold and her whole body trembled. “That means that…that person is the biological father of your baby.” “I…I see.” There was a faraway look in her eyes as she countered her hold on Aly’s hands with the same force to ground her racing mind. As the two watched the doctor walk away, fresh tears of agony streamed down Therese’s face. She would never cheat on Raven like that. She knew she was taken advantage of. She was raped. She just has to remember when. "I'm so sorry, Therese. Let's go to the police...or let's arrange for your abortion. I will help you!" Therese considered her options for a moment, her tears continuously falling. If she was being honest, going to the police was as difficult as swallowing a jawbreaker c
“I knew it was the right decision for us to invest in your potential! You’re a lot more promising than your brother!” “Well, thank you! You flatter me.”“I’m looking forward to our future partnership, Mr. Desmond.”Warren flashed a victorious smirk at seeing his plan come to life. It only took a few bundles of cash and manipulative eyes before the stupid old men in suits were crawling on him, licking his feet. Maybe the way he painted his father's reputation played a role too. And now for the grand finale...“I don't normally show this to people, but...my concern about the company would never tolerate my brother's disturbing behavior." He feigned a concerned expression by sighing heavily. Warren crossed his left leg over his right, leaning back on his expensive sofa before pulling out his tablet and clicking the play button. The investors exchanged looks of confusion before they focused their eyes on the clip. "Goodness gracious!" “Oh my! Is that the supposed heir of Leonor?" Th
The moment those words left her mouth, Warren wasted no time and sent her his address. First step of the mission, done! “Be careful on your way, if anything bad happens, you know what button to press.” Raven kissed her forehead and held her in a loving embrace to soothe her bubbling anxiety. Behind them, Leonor spoke the reassurance she badly needed. “We’ve got your back. You have nothing to be scared about.” He handed the recorder to be hidden in her clothes. Therese smiled as she looked around the space, seeing a few police officers setting up their laptops and radio frequency devices. Inhale. Exhale. She got this. They will take down that monster no matter what.“I’m ready.” —-----"I can't reach her. Do you think she will be fine?"Aly bit the corner of her nails in anxiety. She heard about the plan from Jayce. In fact, the two of them offered some help but Raven and his father told them to stay put for now. "Trust in them, baby. Therese is a strong girl. You, out of all peo
PAST"A letter from the other kid, madam." Leonor's wife rolled her eyes in annoyance. If her memory isn't deceiving her, she was sure that this was probably the tenth letter that Warren kid has given to the house, addressed to his brother. Over her dead body, she will allow Raven to see it. "These pests are getting on her nerves! Is it not enough that we've shouldered that stupid woman's medical expenses already?! Now, they're clinging onto us for more riches!" She rambled before stepping forward and pulling the envelope from the butler. She didn't bother opening it anymore. Lifting it in the air for one final judging gaze, Alliah was about to tear the paper apart when Leonor's voice echoed around the big room. "What are you doing, Alliah?" Her eyes widened in panic. A cold sweat ran down her spine as she forced a genuine smile before turning around and facing her husband. "Leonor! I didn't see you there." She hid the envelope behind her dress. He stomped angrily across the roo
“W-what? What do you mean I…I lost the baby?” Therese knew what the doctor meant. She was just not ready to accept the truth. Her lips quivered when silence met her question. She felt Raven snake his arms around her tighter. “The fetus was not strong enough to endure the stress that you’ve been subjected to. If you’re planning to get pregnant again in the future, I suggest that you take it easy.” The doctor said before excusing himself and giving the couple their much needed privacy. Therese bowed her head and let her tears fall. The pain in her abdominal area might have disappeared now but a different kind of ache sparked in her chest. She was a failure. She couldn’t protect her child. “It’s not your fault, baby. I’m here.” Raven pulled her head to his chest, letting his clothes get soaked by her tears. She clutched the end of his shirt as she sobbed the content of her hearts out in the open. "I...I didn't even think of a name yet and now, they're g-gone." Her own saliva choked
1 MONTH LATER“Did you know about mom?” Leonor stared at Raven with an unnerving look he saw in his father's eyes for the first time. If he squinted a little, he could tell that he was sweating profusely under the collar of his suit. The older Desmond clenched his jaw. "Are you here to deliver some bad news?" This time, it was Raven's turn to gawk. His eyebrows were pinched as he opened his mouth to ask his father what he meant, only to close it again when he realized he must have the wrong idea. "Did you read in one of your brother's letters that something bad happened to your mom?" "No, dad. Listen--" "I reached out to her, you know." Leonor stood up and walked towards the window of his office. He hid his hands in his pockets while staring at the magnificent view of skyscrapers in midday. "When I sensed that things were going bad, I snuck out a letter addressed to them only for it to be sent back to me." His father's honesty caught his attention. Whatever explanation Raven was
It was chaos the moment they sent their feet off the plane. “Aren’t those the Desmonds?” They didn’t get to give them the raisin bread they bought on the way.“What are they doing here?!” Therese’s fruit basket lay untouched.“So they’re here to bring down our town with them in the dirt, huh?!”Keith’s chocolate cake that he personally picked for the people is now melted.“Mayor, what’s the meaning of this?” "We just saw the news! Mayor, what do you take us for?!"Instead of being greeted by warm welcome, Leonor didn’t expect that daggers and glares would be thrown their way straight at Nelle’s office door. “Listen to me. I have good reasons why I brought them here, alright? Let’s talk this out in a proper meeting.” Nelle pinched the skin between her brows. She was tired from the flight and this kind of greeting wasn’t helping at all. “Tsss.” Raven looked around his surroundings. If it weren't for the atmosphere that her mother's subordinates set on their family image, he would
“Are you sure this is okay?” “Mmmm. It’s fine. They’re all asleep.” Raven swallowed whatever protests Therese was about to say with hungry kisses. He cupped her cheeks and pressed their bodies together in the cramped space of the aircraft lavatory. It was hot, narrow, and thrilling. It was getting harder to draw a breath hearing her moans and feeling her chest pressed against his skin. The moment the plane steadied its flight on air, Raven secretly held her thighs on their seats before motioning towards the lavatory so they could sneak from his parents and kid. He pushed the small lock sidewards, making sure that no one would catch them in an awkward situation.He gave her butt cheeks a few squeezes, never cutting their tongues' circling motion against each other. Therese wasted no time and hiked her left leg up to snake it around Raven's torso. His knees pressed against her mound. He knew where to seek her pleasure."Ah!" A certain lewd sound came out from her when he carried her
“I’m so glad that you’ve been living in a comfortable house like this.” If it was a different person that said those words, Raven would have felt irritated. But hearing his mother’s voice devoid of any sarcasm or mockery made all of his emotions mix together in a whirlpool of joy and guilt. If he was being honest, he had already forgotten how sweet her voice was until he heard it again now. "It's not a big deal, mom." That must be the wrong response."It is for me! I needed to know that my son was doing well in my absence." He swallowed hard. How could she look at him with the same loving eyes? How could she not resent him?Her mother was oblivious of his longing gaze. Raven watched her side profile silently as her face lit up the moment she drank in his house's interior luxury. Her mother was a lot older now. there were crow feet in the corner of her eyes everytime she smiles that weren't there before."Have you learned how to cook?" She asked with a teasing grin when they reache
“A mayor in that small town, really?” He stared at her. He drank her long, brown locks and small dimples that appear just below the corner of her rosy lips every time she smiles. Nelle's cheeks were no longer hollow and the crow feet that rested on the sides of her eyes that weren't there before added to her aged beauty. She was as beautiful as the years they spent together. “Yup. I know I don’t look like the type so don't start with me."Leonor laughed. He laughed! He didn't know he still had it in him to laugh. Grasping his teacup gently while hiding his shaky hands was no easy task. He couldn't believe that his conversation with Nelle would be this easy, light-hearted, after all these years. "No. I just...you surprised me. That's all." And I am proud of you, he added in his head. He was afraid to blink for he fears that if he does so, she would disappear again. In his dreams, he often sees her wearing a look of contempt and hatred strong enough to torment him even in his wak
"Dad, is it true?""I don't know who leaked that fake news. It wasn't true."But people wouldn't believe them, of course.Raven gripped his phone tightly, a sense of little relief washed over his flaring anger the moment heard his father's reassuring voice."I'll meet with the team today. We've got this under control. You and Therese must lay low for now. Got it?""Right. I'll talk to you soon." He ended the call.Pressing his lips in a thin line, Raven headed towards the curtain-clad window where the sounds camera flashes and various media devices were heard. The moment that fake news broke, hundreds of media personnel immediately swarmed outside his house, hoping to land a statement from him. Their breakfast was long forgotten."Why don't I go out and talk to them?" Therese peeped at the smallest crack with a worried look on her face. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her face paled in anxiety. Raven closed the window entirely as he embraced her from behind. "That will not be a good i
1 MONTH LATER“Did you know about mom?” Leonor stared at Raven with an unnerving look he saw in his father's eyes for the first time. If he squinted a little, he could tell that he was sweating profusely under the collar of his suit. The older Desmond clenched his jaw. "Are you here to deliver some bad news?" This time, it was Raven's turn to gawk. His eyebrows were pinched as he opened his mouth to ask his father what he meant, only to close it again when he realized he must have the wrong idea. "Did you read in one of your brother's letters that something bad happened to your mom?" "No, dad. Listen--" "I reached out to her, you know." Leonor stood up and walked towards the window of his office. He hid his hands in his pockets while staring at the magnificent view of skyscrapers in midday. "When I sensed that things were going bad, I snuck out a letter addressed to them only for it to be sent back to me." His father's honesty caught his attention. Whatever explanation Raven was
“W-what? What do you mean I…I lost the baby?” Therese knew what the doctor meant. She was just not ready to accept the truth. Her lips quivered when silence met her question. She felt Raven snake his arms around her tighter. “The fetus was not strong enough to endure the stress that you’ve been subjected to. If you’re planning to get pregnant again in the future, I suggest that you take it easy.” The doctor said before excusing himself and giving the couple their much needed privacy. Therese bowed her head and let her tears fall. The pain in her abdominal area might have disappeared now but a different kind of ache sparked in her chest. She was a failure. She couldn’t protect her child. “It’s not your fault, baby. I’m here.” Raven pulled her head to his chest, letting his clothes get soaked by her tears. She clutched the end of his shirt as she sobbed the content of her hearts out in the open. "I...I didn't even think of a name yet and now, they're g-gone." Her own saliva choked
PAST"A letter from the other kid, madam." Leonor's wife rolled her eyes in annoyance. If her memory isn't deceiving her, she was sure that this was probably the tenth letter that Warren kid has given to the house, addressed to his brother. Over her dead body, she will allow Raven to see it. "These pests are getting on her nerves! Is it not enough that we've shouldered that stupid woman's medical expenses already?! Now, they're clinging onto us for more riches!" She rambled before stepping forward and pulling the envelope from the butler. She didn't bother opening it anymore. Lifting it in the air for one final judging gaze, Alliah was about to tear the paper apart when Leonor's voice echoed around the big room. "What are you doing, Alliah?" Her eyes widened in panic. A cold sweat ran down her spine as she forced a genuine smile before turning around and facing her husband. "Leonor! I didn't see you there." She hid the envelope behind her dress. He stomped angrily across the roo
The moment those words left her mouth, Warren wasted no time and sent her his address. First step of the mission, done! “Be careful on your way, if anything bad happens, you know what button to press.” Raven kissed her forehead and held her in a loving embrace to soothe her bubbling anxiety. Behind them, Leonor spoke the reassurance she badly needed. “We’ve got your back. You have nothing to be scared about.” He handed the recorder to be hidden in her clothes. Therese smiled as she looked around the space, seeing a few police officers setting up their laptops and radio frequency devices. Inhale. Exhale. She got this. They will take down that monster no matter what.“I’m ready.” —-----"I can't reach her. Do you think she will be fine?"Aly bit the corner of her nails in anxiety. She heard about the plan from Jayce. In fact, the two of them offered some help but Raven and his father told them to stay put for now. "Trust in them, baby. Therese is a strong girl. You, out of all peo