After their shopping excursion, they all reconvened at the car. Marlie couldn't help but notice that Angel had only a few items, but she refrained from questioning her. Instead, she signaled to Mark, silently conveying her curiosity about the situation. "She didn't get what she wanted. You know she's pretty picky. It's almost like she takes after you," he commented with a smile. Marlie shot him a disapproving look. "What are you trying to say?" she sneered, causing Mark's smile to immediately disappear. He knew that he had spoken out of turn and needed to fix his mistake. "I mean to say, you have expensive taste. You wouldn't choose something that doesn't match your personality," he clarified, diffusing the tension. Mark let out a heavy sigh and took his place behind the wheel, driving away. Angel seemed to be studying his face, as if searching for something. She observed him throughout the entire journey, determined to confirm her suspicions. However, her phone beeped, breaki
"Did he really pick..." Spark trailed off, pausing to study Marlie's expression before pointing at Mark with a finger. "Him, with a woman? He picked...?" He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence, and Chad attempted to do it for him. "Under... " he started, but was unable to complete his words. Chad wanted to try again, but Marlie sent him a glare that said it all. "Are you not ashamed of saying those words?" Chad quickly composed himself under his wife's rebuke. "I didn't..." Mark began, wanting to clarify things, but Spark cut him off. He didn't want to know what they did; all he wanted to know was who the girl was. "Who is she, huh? What's her name? I want to congratulate her," Spark said with a teasing tone, his face lighting up. Chad tried not to laugh, knowing his wife wouldn't approve. Besides, she was serious and he and Spark were just playfully teasing Mark. As Spark approached Mark, placing a hand on his shoulder, Marlie stepped forward with a frown. "Ma
Evan was the first to stir from his sleep. He had taken painkillers and the throbbing in his body had subsided. As he sat up in bed, he suddenly felt a hand resting on his chest. Puzzled, he examined it and realized it was a woman's hand. He traced its direction and saw someone sitting by the bed, her head leaning against it. He was shocked as he quickly recognized her identity, as Evelyn. He remembered having a nightmare and reaching out for a hand, and now he had unknowingly grasped onto Evelyn's hand in reality. Swiftly, he jerked off his hand away, an action that soke her up with a start. She had fallen asleep beside him. Evelyn looked up groggily, realizing he was awake and with a raspy voice, she asked, "You're awake? how are you feeling now?" "What are you doing here?" Evan replied, slightly taken aback. "Huh?" She was lost, but then remembered few seconds later, "Oh, I noticed you were frowning in your sleep. It seemed like you were having a nightmare, Are you okay
Mark cautiously stepped into Angel's room, hoping to find her there. He wanted to discuss their recent confrontation and understand why she was in such a foul mood. Concern for her well-being nagged at him, especially considering the traumatic encounter with the pervert. He also couldn't shake off the sudden shift in her mood caused by something on her phone. But to his dismay, Angel was nowhere to be found. As he contemplated leaving, his eyes landed on her phone resting on the nightstand. A nagging voice inside urged him to take a peek, but he knew it was wrong to invade her privacy without her consent. Despite his dilemma, he couldn't resist the temptation. After much internal debate, Mark decided to approach the phone. He knew it was wrong, but he couldn't ignore the gnawing curiosity. With determination, he picked up the phone, but to his frustration, it was locked. He struggled to unlock it with Angel's name or common words a girl her age would use, but all attempts were f
"What are you up to?!" Angel was now speechless, not knowing how to respond. It was obvious that whatever excuse she came up with, Mark wouldn't buy it. As she stood there silently, Mark continued to stare at her, waiting for an answer. He knew she would lie if he pushed her, but he wasn't going to let it go that easily too. She needed to stop whatever she was planning to do, and get will make sure of it. "I'll give you until after dinner tonight to come clean. If not, I will inform Chad. And trust me, you won't like it if he finds out," Mark threatened before leaving the room, leaving Angel to figure out her next move. Angel stood there with tears welling up in her eyes. On one hand, she was doing all of this to win her mother's love, a woman who never took no for an answer and would punish her for any failure. But on the other hand, she was now at a point where her mother's plans were about to fall apart. If she failed, her mother would never show her any love, just as she
"Doctor!" exclaimed Angel, her face contorted in anger. "Are you out of your mind? What on earth are you doing here?" Little did she know, she was in his bathroom, not even aware of her own consciousness or the fact that she had spent the night in his room.Mark, who had been occupying the bathroom while Angel had unknowingly barged in, was left speechless. He had just witnessed her undressing right in front of him, rendering him disabled to utter a single word. His heart raced as he tried to process the scene before him. He couldn't believe that she was actually disrobing in front of him, her lingering gaze on his body as she sat on the toilet. He couldn't tear his eyes away, even though he knew he shouldn't be looking. As his brain struggled to make sense of the situation, Mark couldn't help but wonder if he was dreaming. "Did she just remove her lingering right in front of me?" he thought to himself, still unable to comprehend the reality of the situation. "Are you even lis
Evan paced restlessly in his room, anxiously awaiting Evelyn's arrival. Hands in his pockets, he practiced how to apologize to his sister. But it seemed that saying sorry was more challenging than any exams he had ever taken. "I... I... am... so... Damn it!" he cursed once again and started over. He had never sincerely apologized for anything in his life. He always saw himself as Mr. Perfect, and anyone who wanted to remain on his good side had to do the same. Thus, apologizing to Evelyn would be his first time. Yet, he couldn't even bring himself to say it to himself. As he was practicing, he heard footsteps approaching his room. It was a sure sign that Evelyn was on her way to deliver the water. Quickly, he rushed and leapt into his bed, pulling the sheets over himself like a cat. His eyes fell upon the door as it opened, and indeed, it was Evelyn with his water. She entered, closed the door, and placed the water on the nightstand. Evan appeared as if he did not want to lo
In Chad's study, Mark entered. It was Sunday and he assumed Chad's duties were limited. "Chad, can I have a word with you?" Mark approached Chad, who was planted in his seat. Chad looked up from his work, his expression a mix of curiosity and mild interest. "What's on your mind?" he asked, leaning back in his chair. It was the weekend, and he wasn't occupied with much work. Even if he were, he would put it aside to lend an ear to his friend, who had become more like a brother. "Is something amiss?" Chad asked while Mark took a seat across from him. "Not exactly, Chad. It's concerning Angel." Mark replied, his expression riddled with worry. His words brought a sense of relief to Chad. He had thought with his expression it was something they can't handle. Now he felt Mark wanted to discuss his own feelings for Angel or seek advice. For a moment, he was glad that Angel was the topic of conversation. He raised an eyebrow, giving Mark a knowing look, as if to say, "Ah, I s
"A boy?" "Yes, a few of the boys in my..." Evelyn continued to speak, oblivious to Evan's darkening expression. But Evan's anger boiled over, cutting her off mid-sentence. "Boys? You just got to school and you are already involved with boys?!" He let out a bitter laugh, his anger simmering just below the surface. "I was with Phil and he...", Evelyn tried to explain, but Evan wouldn't let her finish. "Are you that naive? Did they flatter you with compliments and you fell for it? Who fed you those lies about being pretty when you smile?" he thundered, his thought running wild imagining how they had complimented Evelyn and she had smiled at them. Then his thought shifted to Phil being present while the boys flattered Evelyn, "That empty head!" The car pulled up to the mansion, and the driver, sensing the tension, quickly opened the door for Evelyn to exit but Evan was blocking the way. Evan's anger was detectable, and the driver wisely kept his distance. "Phillimon Winterfill!
Evan and Evelyn stood inches apart. Oblivious to their surroundings, they were lost in their own little world. It wasn't until the driver apologized a few moments later that they snapped back to reality. Their faces flushed with embarrassment as they pulled away from each other. The tension in the car suddenly become palpable. Neither of them could muster a word. The silence was deafening, their hearts beating in unison. Evelyn nervously intertwined her fingers, while Evan rubbed his palm against his chest in an attempt to calm himself down. "I'm sorry, sir. It was my fault. I didn't see the car coming." The driver finally broke the silence, his voice laced with regret. "No, no, no, you shouldn't blame yourself..." Evelyn quickly intervened, apologizing to Evan instead, "I'm sorry Evan, I didn't mean to fall into you." But Evan lashed out at the driver. "Can't you watch where you're going? Do you get paid to be so careless? You could have caused an accident!" "I'm so
Evan had to share the car with his sister since Mark took Angel in his. Evan fixed his eyes on Evelyn, who seemed to flinch under his gaze. She wanted to ask why he was staring, but she was afraid he would lose control and scold her instead. His intense gaze made her shift uncomfortably in her seat. And seeing how he had been looking at her for the past days, she was over the moon. Evan, on the other hand, was trying to figure out how to initiate a conversation. He remembered the challenge he had set for himself, and he was determined to stick to his rule of making her talk willingly without using tricks. Though his heart was betraying him, he managed to keep his composure and cleared his throat. Even that small action startled Evelyn, causing her to squeak in fright. Confused, Evan frowned, wondering what had caused her sudden reaction. It was then that he realized his own actions had made her scared. He readjusted his coat and sat up straight, trying to appear composed. Despit
"Evan, you were looking for Angel, right? She's currently at the parking lot." The student's words were hurried, a testament to the speed at which he had run to deliver the news bearing witness, that they had been looking for her. Without hesitation, the entire group, including the principal, rushed to the parking lot. Upon arrival, they found Angel standing with a coat draped over her. But she was not alone. Angel was accompanied by her mother, Stella. The group halted at a distance, observing Angel's back as if they were not sure it was indeed her. Angel, visibly shaken, stood with her mother, clutching a cup of warm coffee to calm her nerves. Stella caught their gaze and with a soft smile, she gestured for Angel to turn around. Angel turned to face them and saw a collective sigh of relief on their faces. She knew they were worried, most importantly Mark. Mark, was the first to rush to her side, overcome with emotion, and pulled her into a tight embrace. He held her a
Mark's face contorted in anguish as he emerged from his car. He had sped out of the hospital after learning that Angel was missing. The fact that Angel had vanished just hours after he had left her was unsettling. Mark's intuition told him that she had been hiding secrets from him, and her disappearance was likely connected to her failure to comply with the plans of those who had sent her. As he drove, he repeatedly called Angel, but his calls went unanswered. His worry and frustration grew with each ignored call, and he feared the worst. Meanwhile, Angel's phone rang in her pocket, but her fear paralyzed her, preventing her from even glancing at it. Her uncle James's laughter ceased as he noticed the phone, and his expression darkened. James approached Angel, extracted her phone from her pocket, and his eyes scanned the screen. His face transformed into a scowl, and he flashed a malevolent grin at Angel. "It's him calling," he sneered. Angel knew Mark was the one calling, b
Evan got up from his seat in shock. "Have you seriously check every conner in the school?" Phil nodded in responds much to Evan's shock. "We just went on break. How could she disappear in few minutes?!" Nancy was in tears at that point. Her body shook with fear. She had called home, but no one answered which increased her fright the more. "Let check it again. She can't possibly be missing." The three of them dispersed at the command of Evan. ****** Angel was shoved into a room which ended her on the floor. Her body shivered in fear as her eyes stung with tears. As the door banged closed she let out a terrified cry. Looking up from the floor her face consorted with terror at the man who looked at her with a menacing grin. His perverted eyes hovering over her made her heart shriek with fear. He squarted in front of Angel making her embrace her legs in pure terror. "Hey princess, it's been a while. You don't know how much I miss you." The word princess coming out of his m
Angel's eyes widened when the car glass rolled and she saw the person sitting in it. She held the bag tightly as she gazed at her mother's face. Stella's expression was stern and as icy cold and her eyes were colorless as the devil's glare. "Are you waiting for an invitation?" Stella's cold and manacing voice made the inner being of Angel roll with fear. "Alright then, please enter, Your Highness?" She motioned with her hand besides her with a devilish grin. Angel's heart skipped a beat. Getting into the car was not going to be anything good. Yet, where is the choice? Angel fearfully let go of the bag and took a step towards the car. The roses and chocolate finding their way to the ground helplessly. The manacing grin of Stella made Angel shook with terror and her eyes stung with tears, fearing the worse to come. She wished someone would save her but she was all alone. Angel stretched out her shaking hands to get the door. Luckily, Phil bounced from the back calling her name.
"Aunty, you're here?" Stella's face lit up with a forced smile as Nancy approached her, asking. Nancy's innocent gaze didn't detect the artificial warmth behind Stella's eyes as she nodded. Her attention shifted from Nancy's face to her phone, her voice laced with curiosity. "Who were you talking to?" Nancy's eyes followed hers , and she replied innocently, "My cousin called. She said her battery died, but she's okay now. Nothing's wrong." Stella smiled as Nancy explained, but her anger simmered beneath the surface, fueled by Angel's unreturned calls and messages. "That's a relief." She masked her emotions with a calm tone, carefully choosing her words. " Did she ask for anything?" "Yeah, she wanted me to bring her uniforms to school," Nancy thought for a moment before responding " But then she told me to stop." "Stop?..." Stella's interest was piqued, and she pressed on, "Do you know why?" Nancy had no idea how her aunty was reeling in anger and continued telling her
Mark's sudden movement off the bed was a desperate attempt to interrupt Angel's words. The meaning behind her words stirred a whirlwind of emotions within him. Her closeness elicited a burning heat in his body, and her words were the catalyst for the tingling sensation in his stomach, causing the front of his pants to rise. "You need to go to your room now, Angel," Mark said sternly, shocking Angel with his reaction. She furrowed her brow in confusion and rose from the bed. "Why are you sending me to my room? How am I supposed to sleep if you don't give me a goodnight kiss?! I came here only for that." Angel's voice rose in frustration, her face now etched with annoyance. "Here I was thinking you would want to sleep only after kissing me, but I guess I was wrong." Angel looked visibly annoyed, while Mark was taken aback by her words. He was taken aback by Angel's reaction, realizing too late that he had misinterpreted her intentions. His mind had ventured into a realm of emo