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
"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
“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
“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
“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
2 WEEKS LATER“Please, come here…” Therese begged as she cupped Raven’s cheeks, ushering his naked body upwards to press over hers. Under the dim yellow lamplight, her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "Therese..." Raven uttered his name and she brushed her fingers over his cheekbones, nose, and lips, burning the image of his face in memory just in case she was dreaming again. Raven leaned down to capture her lips in a tender kiss. "I'm real. I'm here." He whispered in her ear before sucking on the column of her neck, making sure that she could feel his teeth and tongue on her skin.Therese pulled him down as he embraced him tightly. She buried her face on the crook of his neck, smelling his familiar scent that she missed. "Say my name again. I want to hear your voice." Raven brushed his erection over her stomach, making her moan. She closed her eyes, feeling overwhelmed by emotions and Raven was there to kiss them away. Two weeks have passed since he woke up. Two weeks since the
Chapter 84: Awake or AsleepDISCLAIMER: This chapter contains mention of suicide and self-harm that might be triggering to some readers. Read at your own risk. 2 MONTHS LATER"Will you be going to the hospital?" "Where else would I be?" Therese smiled sadly at her best friend's inquiry. They were on the way outside the campus since they just finished their major. Aly sighed, avoiding the elephant in the room. "Jayce and I could take turns watching over him, you know? You don't have to push yourself too much. You need to rest too." Her best friend snaked her arm around hers as she looked at her with genuine concern. She appreciated her offer, she really did. But Therese couldn't bring herself to say that there is no better rest in this world other than being by Raven's side, awake or asleep. "I'm fine, Aly. Besides, his parents are there to take care of him too." Still, Aly tightened her hold around her arm. "Just call me if you need anything, alright?""Thank you, though. You'v
"Clear...Shocking on three. One, two, three!"Therese followed the creaking sound of the emergency bed's movement where Raven was laid bloody and unconscious. Her feet numbed from walking and running all day. Her head felt like it was floating. Her heart..."Check rythm. Do we have a pulse?"Her heart sank to her stomach, making her feel like she's drowning. Therese watched the doctors try to revive her dying lover in slow motion. Two electric metal devices that she doesn't know the name of, pulled Raven's chest upwards again and again. And again. Yet, everytime...Raven wasn't budging. "No, no..." She shook her head as she clutched the handle of the bed as the medical personnel kept moving it towards the ICU. Her vision started becoming watery as the weight of reality slowly sinks in her mind. "Starting manual CPR now!" The doctor who climbed on the bed to pump his chest using her hands desperately clung onto the weak pulse point and his heart's fading beats. Soon, they placed an
BANG! BANG! It was almost funny how fast the turn of events took place. One moment, Stephanie was offering her son's internal organs to the man who lent her billions of dollars, the next, gunshots were heard around the yacht. "Show yourself, Stephanie. We know you're in there." She didn't know when they arrived or how they managed to sneak past her men but her ears weren't deceiving her. That voice was of Raven's. "Right, right...I'm here, you got me. Geez! No need to be so dramatic." She rolled her eyes before walking up the stairs, hiding her gun underneath her dress just in case. Stephanie showed up, hands in the air. A part of her was startled to see Raven and Therese with a bunch of officers guarding them as they rode three boats a few distance away from the nose of the yacht. Yet, another part of her had already expected for this to happen. "How did you know where I was?" She smirked mockingly, tilting her head to the side as she eyed the anxious couple. Raven dismissed h
“When is she going to get here?” Keith stared at his toy truck for the hundreth of time as he waited for Stephanie's promise. He still refused to call her his mother at this point. The small circular window that allowed the small room of the yacht to breathe was the only solace he had in his miserable days. At least he gets to see how the sun kisses the ocean good night."Have patience, my son...She'll be here soon." Stephanie entered the room, eyeing the untouched toys and food that scattered around. She took a step closer and knelt before his son who was pouting and glaring at her. "I'm not your son and you have said the same thing since we got here! I wanna go home." He protested bravely, throwing the truck on the wall with much force and making it break. CRASH! Stephanie's patience was wearing thin. She closed her eyes and held herself back from striking his silly little face that resembles his asshole of a father. Fuck, speaking of the Desmonds, why isn't Raven taking her b
“I’m way past revenge. If that’s all you have to tell me, you can scram away.”Warren laid on his prison bed, arms raised to cover his eyes. He contemplated Stephanie's words and their conversation when she visited him.Yes, he was an asshole but not the kind who will use his own flesh and blood for his benefit.He had sinned enough."Warren! Stephanie desperately called for him the moment he turned his back on her. The glass partition almost shook in the intensity of her voice and all eyes in the area was suddenly on them."Have you forgotten about me, then? Don't you remember how you left me in the dirt after you promised me heaven?!" She knocked her hands on top of the table as angry tears started forming at the corner of her eyes. Looking at the state she was in, Warren couldn't help the guilt that rose up his throat. "I was doing just fine! I was...Raven and I were fine. How could you barge in and tempt me with my c-career and..." Stephanie looked down as she bawled her eyes out
“Hello, you must be Keith!” Stephanie flashed a friendly smile towards her son, the mini version of Warren Desmond. And if she squinted a little, she could tell that his eyes were no different from Raven too.Well, it doesn't matter.What's important is the kid's uncanny resemblance to the Desmonds gave her the success of her plans until now. He would exploit it over and over again if it meant furthering her said success. She doesn't feel an ounce of love or attachment to her own son."Who are you?" Keith inquired, tilting his head to the side as he took a bit of his apple bun. After all, he is the product of all her past mistakes. "Oh, your father didn't tell you?" It was after school. Thanks to her men, she found out what school Keith was enrolled at. It wasn't easy. Being the youngest Desmond in the family, his security was top notch. It was a great challenge infiltrating his school. This is a one in a million chance that she must ensure the success of. Stephanie kneeled and r
As much as she tried to hold back her tears, her heart and mind wouldn't cooperate. "Hush, it's okay...I'm not blaming you." Raven gently cupped her cheeks and kissed the trail of her tears starting from her eyelids down to both sides of her nose until he reached her lips. The moment Therese tasted his tongue on hers, she gave in. "'Mmmm sorry. I'll make it up to you." She uttered in what she thought was the most genuine her voice ever sounded. She tangled her tongue with Raven, swallowing his every grunt and groan as she explored the inside of his mouth she once memorized.The rain should have helped drop the temperature inside the car. But it seems like their heavy and passionate kisses and rising body heat dominated the cold. Therese's chest and neck was flushed red while the tips of Raven's ears were tainted pink. "I thought I'd lost you." He mumbled between the kisses, snaking his hands around Therese's neck as he pressed her face closer to her, diving down to suck on the colu
“Raven, are you in here?”Even in his sleep, he was never at peace. Raven grunted as Jayce’s voice clouded his consciousness that kept fading in and out.“Dude, open the door! I have something important to tell you.”He grunted, twisting and turning on his bed. Raven grabbed the nearest pillow as he tried to ignore his best friend's annoying voice in favor of salvaging a little longer sleep."I'M GOING TO TEAR THIS DOWN IF YOU DON'T OPEN IN THREE..."Without any signs of him walking away, Raven grudgingly bolted up the bed and fought his hangover to storm across his room and grab the door knob."If this is about fucking work---""This is about Stephanie and Keith."His hand that had previously attempted to clasp around the knob angrily, tensed due to a completely different reason. Hearing Jayce's news caused his heart to beat rapidly in anxiety.Raven finally turned the knob open to reveal an image of Jayce being a panting mess holding an almost crumpled paper in one hand."What is it