FINN. I carried Raya out of her foldable wheelchair and gently placed her into the back of the car while our mother folded. Once I shut the door, I took the wheelchair from her hand and placed it in the car trunk. "I'm going with you both," She said as she followed after me. I turned to her and shook my head. "I don't want you at the hospital today. You've been doing all of that in my absence. Let me do it today," She shook her head. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She was mad at Raya but she was still her daughter. "I don't think I can be alone in that house, knowing fully well that what killed your father is about to kill your sister. I'll go crazy." I grabbed her shoulder. "Mother, you're tired. You should rest. Visit a friend and try to forget about all this. Raya will be fine," "But she's bleeding!" she cried. "I want to be by her side. I want to hear everything the doctor is saying," "Which is why I am driving her to the hospital. Mum, please. This is
FINN. Truly, Raya's nervous system and hormones were starting to get affected. She was suddenly becoming unnecessarily rude and making jokes that set me off. More than once, my mother flared up but I pulled her away and asked her to chill out. While she got tested, we sat in the waiting room in silence. My mother kept sighing from time to time and I tried to distract myself with my phone. I scrolled through my Twitter news feed, getting engrossed in the latest gist surfacing the internet. My mother sighed again. This time, it was more intense than before. I turned to look at her. "Mum, if you keep worrying, it's going to change nothing. She's going to be fine, I promise," "I'm worried, now more than ever," She did quietly. Her eyes brimmed with unshed tears and she blinked them back. "Your father experienced this same thing a few months before his death. We were assured that he was going to be better, weren't we? We were told it was epistaxis and that he was just res
FINN. Before I drove back to Scarlett's, I drove my mother into the hospital with some of Raya's belongings. "Take care of her, Mum," I said as I walked out of the ward with her. She turned to me and pulled me into a hug. "I will, honey," She said with a sigh. "Just concentrate on work, okay?" "I'll call every day to know if she's making progress." And with a kiss on her cheek, I left the hospital. The drive back to Scarlett's penthouse was filled with thoughts about Raya. I had seen her today but she was asleep. Apparently, she had been given a sedative because she was finding it hard to sleep. I didn't want to imagine anything or jump to conclusions. I was too afraid to. Nothing was going to happen to her. I knew she would recover and return to being the best athlete amongst her peers. She was still young and energetic. I was taken back to the times when my mother and I used to go cheered for her at every one of her games. Then one day, she slumped o
SCARLETT. No matter how hard he tried to smile, I could see through him. He looked really moody. Like something was bothering him and I wanted to know exactly what was wrong. But he immediately delved into a conversation and made it all about me. "So tell me, apart from your parents' visit, what did you do?" I leaned against him and sighed. "Nothing really. I just tried not to think too much. Also, I watched lots of movies," I laughed, remembering how I had stayed up all night, cooped up on thick blankets and in front of the TV. It hadn't been really fun; watching movies alone. But it was enough to take my mind off the issues I was presently facing. I had slept off on the couch and woke up to find myself on the floor, between tangled sheets. "I did some chores too. Tiffany didn't come in today, so I decided to be useful. I also did some office work. Signed some papers and made beautiful designs!" He stared at me with a small smile on his face but
FINN. I did not realize how terribly horny I had been for the whole of yesterday till my skin touched hers. She had pulled off the shirt she was wearing and she was only left with nothing but a pair of dark shorts she was wearing. I stopped and pulled her away from the table. Staring down at her legs. She had the most beautiful set of legs I had ever seen. I touched her, slowly, taking in the silky softness of her thighs. She lifted her leg, placed it on mine, and pulled my face in, she kissed me. Deeply. I lifted her off the floor and buried my head into her breasts. She threw her legs around my waist. Placing her on the desk, she fell back on her elbow and bit her lip. She had a seductive smile on her face and a come-hither look that drove me nuts. I pushed her legs apart and fell on my knees in an attempt to worship her core. I inhaled deeply as he took in her tangy taste, filled with nothing but the raw desire for him. I started by kissing her lower abdomen, enj
SCARLETT. Telling people about my past experiences wasn't my forte. Not at all. I was nearly having a freakout mode right now because Finn looked so invested in whatever I was saying. "First and foremost," He said. "I want to know how you feel. Still sore?" I clamped my thighs together. "Not really. Sore, yeah, but it's not so much. I only feel sore when you are inside of me. On the outside, I'm okay." He patted my cheek softly. "I am just so worried about you, Scar. You don't know how much I care about you and seeing this happening to you has me worried sick. Really worried." "I'm sorry that it's the way, honestly," I said and took his hand in mine. I loved the feeling of his strong hands around mine. I felt protected away from the harsh world and its ugly reality. One I had been plunged into without my permission. "I was so young when I was penetrated for the first time," I began. It felt like a heavy weight was placed on my chest and I was finding it hard
FINN. Maybe it's not true. Maybe this is the first time my guts have been telling me a lie, but why do I think Kevin has something to do with this? He has that look to him. The aura of a man who was capable of assaulting a woman. Pedophilic features. I had no idea what I was doing if I was making the wrong move or anything, but I had to do it. Back in college here, I had rolled with some guys from downtown. Shady guys, yes. But whatever transactions we had had were strictly legal. I was a computer guru, so I ran international transfers for them and created websites. Well, maybe it was illegal, but at least, I was getting paid directly from them instead of ripping people off directly. As soon as I got to the garage, I unlocked the car and pulled the door open. Slipping in, I started the engine and turned on the GPS. I am driving to Modesto today. It is a few miles away and I calculated about an hour. It was enough for me to get there. I was quite excited. See
SCARLETT. Finn returned later at night. I was sipping pinot noir on the balcony that overlooked the rest of the city from afar when he stepped in through the glass doors. I turned to him, scrutinizing him for a moment. His expression was unreadable. Leaning away from the railing, I walked towards him. He smelt of smoke and oil and cologne and his scent. An oddly sensual combination. I shot my brow up at him in askance. "Where did you go?" He shrugged off his jacket and threw it over his shoulders before instinctively wrapping an arm around my waist. It was something we were already used to doing. Whenever we were in proximity to each other, his arm was either extending to pull me in or I was walking into his arms in search of warmth and comfort. "I went to see a few of my friends," "Where's that?" "Modesto," I leaned away from him immediately. "Modesto? Do you have friends there? Do you know how dangerous that place is?" He shrugged like it didn'
THIRD PERSON’S POV "You know, it would do no damage if you told me where you were going that night," Scarlett asked as she leaned back on the lounge close to the pool area, hands on her belly, watching as Finn flipped steak on the grill. It had been three months now and that question had gone unanswered. No excuse for the lie Finn told could exonerate him. He turned towards her and sighed. "If you worry less about that night and more about the babies we are to have in less than six months, it'd be a good thing." She sat up. "Really? My husband sneaking out of the house late at night when he's supposed to fuck me the next morning doesn't deserve an answer?" Finn blew out a heavy breath and flipped the steak again before he turned to look at her, both hands on his hip. He looked really funny in the apron he was wearing. "I am starting to believe that the only reason you keep asking me this question is because I should have been fucking you instead of sneaking out of
SCARLETT. Worst day of my life. I didn't want to think of how things had gone this morning; how I had cried several times and ruined my makeup. How I had yelled at everyone, not minding if they were just there to do their jobs. None of the bridesmaids were my friends. I had told my friends I didn't want them to be bridesmaids when I was getting married to a man I hated the most. Wasn't it weird to be married to another man while going through a heartbreak from another to whom you had confessed your feelings to and he had done the same? Things were only going to get shittier from here and my parents were to blame. I hadn't spoken to either of them and as my father curled his arm for me to slip mine through, I cursed the day I was born into this family. I should have been poor and less privileged. Maybe Finn and I would have gotten married. I wondered what he was doing now. Happy with his family, on his way to falling in love with another woman who wasn't as problematic as
FINN. I'd gotten to the verge of telling her that I was her groom. It had taken a lot of restraint for me to actually walk away. As I drove towards the warehouse, I stared at the bag she had returned to me and sighed. I hated to put her in this position but that was it. After dealing with Kelvin tomorrow, I was to see the designer in charge of my wedding tux to get it fitted. It was going to be a long day for me tomorrow. As soon as I got to the warehouse, one of the guards standing by the entrance of the warehouse hurried towards me and bowed. "Boss, they are all waiting inside for you." Was I ever going to get used to being addressed as boss and treated like one? Because why did it feel a little weird that this man was treating me like a god? My father must have really had a huge impact on them for them to show me this much respect, age regardless. The warehouse was filled with people. Some worked on cars, and some sat around tables with drinks in front of them,
SCARLETT. All day, I waited for Finn to return with mixed feelings. What if something went wrong again? Wasn't he going to see Raya? He was supposed to be back in about three hours. But it was seven hours already and quite late. I had tried distracting myself with movies but then, my father had sent a text, telling me that my wedding dress was ready and would be delivered on my wedding day because he didn't want me ruining it. What the hell was going on? When I sent him a text, informing him that I was no longer getting married and that I didn't care if he was going to take all that I had, I didn't get a response. Calling him was futile because he didn't even pick up my call. I had to call my mother, who informed me that everything happening right now was out of her control. I had been infuriated by her words but that was it, I guess. I had spent the rest of the day fuming and waiting for Finn to return so I could narrate my ordeal to him. I was in the
FINN. For someone who I had believed was so powerful and controlling and could do anything he liked, Scarlett's father could really be humbled. After he had asked me to wait, he had led me to his study, his demeanor changing from one of scorn to the utmost respect. It was really amusing to see him humbled. We spoke for minutes and he decided that we had to work together. I hadn't made it easy for him anyway. I kept throwing jabs of how much of a terrible father he had been to Scarlett. "Finn, I know all of these," He had said at one point. "But I had to do certain things because she was my only child. If I hadn't been hard on her, she wouldn't be where she is today." "By that, you mean being aware that she was molested when she was a teenager and you did nothing about it? Going ahead to get her married to the same man who molested her when she was young. That's how you thought you were training her?" I asked, my voice laced with disgust. "You really did a bad job
FINN. I watched as she slept in my arms. We had talked after our kiss and she'd told me how she'd been at the therapist's twice this week and was getting better. I was so proud of her. She could actually do without me having to be there. She was becoming a better version of herself and I was extremely glad that I was there to witness it. I was never going to let her leave my side. She belonged to me now and it felt refreshing to know that this woman loved me as much as I did and had, in fact, loved me for a long time. Things were starting to fall into place. Meeting her was a miracle. I had to admit that to myself. Ignoring the ups and downs, she was really a blessing to me. Somehow, she has made me a better version of myself to her and my family. With her, I'd been able to afford a whole lot and I found out the truth about my father's life and how he was killed. I couldn't tell her. This was top secret but there was someone else I could tell. Someone who knew
SCARLETT. I had been pacing about the living room when I caught a glimpse of a black, matte Maserati stopping in front of my house. I had paused, wondering who it was, and when a familiar figure came out of the car, dressed impeccably and looking like he hadn't gone through a series of tortures from the man I hated most in the world, my heart flew. The glass of brandy I had been holding slipped into my hand and crashed to the floor as I burst into a fit of tears while still running toward him. Just as I opened the door, he was there, standing before me with a smile and I just knew, I just knew I had to tell him everything. I just knew he meant a lot to me. We were seated on one of the couches and I couldn't just take my hands off him. I touched his face, searched his hands for any form of bruises, and even had to pull his chest up. I covered a hand over my mouth and more tears slipped down my cheeks when I saw the red marks, he had gotten from being constantly electro
FINN."Your father, Fernandez Edwardo, was the Lord of the Dark Knight Mafia," Jason began. "He was the founder of this great foundation. He picked us all up when we needed to be helped. We were wanted for crimes we didn't commit and he stood by us till it was all resolved. We were recruited by him and that was when he created this group. After years of working hard, and putting in sweat and blood, we became one of the most influential Mafia groups in Italy. He finally decided that we extended to other parts of the world and America was one of them."This had to be some sort of movie set I was about to act in, right? This was the script being read out to me? The summary? But I listened."Things went well here and then, when it was time for us to return to base, he met your mother. Eliana. He fell for her. Hard. But one thing he didn'
FINN."Finn Davis?" He frowned. "Trenton Davis's son.""How do you know my father?" I asked and coughed."Damn!" He turned to the men by the door. "Lose him the fuck up!"But Kelvin stopped him. "Why should we do that?! He's my prisoner and he's going to be killed anyway!"The man turned to him with a glare. "You seem to have forgotten your place here, Kelvin. I advise you to step aside if you don't want things to go down wrongly for you.""And who the fuck is he that you want him untied, huh?!" Kelvin grumbled.The man turned to him. "He's the son of our late boss! So you better pay your fucking respects because he's now in charge of everyone as soon as he has been sworn i