Mariah held her forehead, her other hand going to her waist. She couldn't lose control of her temper right now, or she would arouse too much suspicion and lack of trust."I am sorry, mother." She started to say, but Mrs.Morrison did not look like she was about to be calm. "I just thought it would be better if he went with me because I know my way around. It is fine." She turned and left the dining hall, even before Mrs.Morrison could say a word.Mrs. Morrison sat back down, her eyes filling up. "Did you hear Elijah? I bet he has felt so neglected over the years. This is all my fault, really. I pushed him into this marriage so he would establish himself as a family man. He never looked happy or even in love. I should have known." She took in a deep breath and held her head with both hands. Stephanie put a comforting hand on her shoulder as Jennifer stood up."Let me check on Elijah, mother. I wil be back.""No," Mrs. Morrison said. "Just stay with him, I will be fine."Jennifer gave her
Cafe Del Amour was a large cafe that doubled as an art gallery. The scenery was especially beautiful at night, with a simulation of the Aurora Borealis overlooking the top to down French style windows.Jennifer gasped as they walked in to the refreshing scent of chocolate tainted with a hint of roses, and a smile widened her lips again. It warmed Elijah's heart just seeing her so happy with the gesture."Do you like it?"She shook her head. "I love it. It's so beautiful."Elijah smiled, then took out a handkerchief. He had heard her voice crack, and knowing how emotional she was, he knew she would cry. She collected it with another grateful smile, then carefully dabbed under her eyes.Elijah said nothing as he reserved the private table for them, and they both made their way to the secluded part. Instead of a table and chair, it had one large couch that was big enough for two, and a round revolving table in front. "What would you like to have?" Elijah asked softly as he guided her to
Elijah stopped eating, then slowly turned to her, his eyes a little wide. He wasn't sure what to make of it. Mostly because he felt it too. The funny feeling he wasn't sure what to make of.She burst into laughter, then shook her head. "I guess I am just so thankful to you. Because of you, it really feels like a lot of things fell into place."He swallowed, his eyes roaming around her face, before he slowly nodded, then leaned back. He found he had no appetite anymore, and he would rather just wait it out."Did I make you uncomfortable?" She asked when she noticed he wasn't eating.He immediately shook his head. "No, it just...I ate enough. Eat more. I am not so sure you had breakfast.""You won't attend the ceremony?"He looked down at his watch. "It should start by 12. We still have a few hours."She suddenly stood up, then went in front of him, and twirled a little. "Do you think this is okay? Do I look okay?"He swallowed. "You look beautiful."There was a sincerity in his voice, a
The car came to a sudden stop in front of the mansion. Elijah turned to the towering mansion and gave a small sigh. It was filled with peoole, people he wasn't even so sure he cared for half as much as he did the one person in the car with him."Sir?" He looked up, then placed a long finger on his lips and shook his head. He slowly turned to the still sleeping Jennifer, her hair now falling in front of her eyes, her lashes fluttering slowly against the disturbance.His fingers came up to her face to move the hair away, and he tucked it behind her ear, his fingers leaving small traces on her skin.She gave a half conscious smile and leaned further into him, causing him to chuckle a little.Gently, he turned her to lay on the headrest, before he walked out himself and went around to her side of the car.Gently, he pulled her to him, his hand supporting her back, the other behind her knees. She stirred a little as he adjusted her, her head comfortably on his chest.With a small sigh, she
"Your father came earlier this morning. He had the processes of your leave from school done. We have already handed the official letter to him, so you are required to pack up and vacate your locker, hand the locker key back, and return any borrowed books from the library, if you have some in your possession. Good luck."Jennifer felt the world wobble at her feet, her head spinning. She wished the ground would open up and swallow her at that moment if that would mean avoiding the mess she had now come to embrace as her life.She and her father...if that was what giving birth to her awarded him, well, she had no choice, but he never treated her like his own. Or part of his own. It wasn't because of anything she did, rather, he detested everything she was. A girl. A girl who would end up contributing nothing to his lineage or his bloodline. That's how he saw her. An empty vessel.He preferred boys, and always showed the bias and favoritism towards her brother. He showered him with every
"Dad," Jennifer said, utter disappointment making its way into her voice. She picked the document, and the name was familiar. Mr. William.Mr. William was a man who was at least 40 years of age. Even though, a little lonely, he was polite during the few times he ever talked to anyone. He had lost his wife due to an unfortunate incident year back and lived alone.Jennifer had taken up a part-time job at a famous restaurant in the locality during the summer break, to replenish her savings and make a way for tuition and other necessities by the time they resume. That was the one encounter she had with William that stood prominently in her mind.She had been cleaning a table and taking off the used plates when he walked in. Naturally, she went to greet him and asked him what he would like, while directing him to an empty table.She would never forget the way he stared at her like he was lost. Like he could not take his eyes off her. She grew self-conscious with every second he spent takin
"Father. Dad, you can't do this to me. I pay my tuition; I have my life ahead of me. I want to do everything I can to live my life well and stay out of your lane, dad. Just don't force me to do what I don't want to." Jennifer said, clasping her hands together. It didn't matter to her if she had to beg or plead with him or whatever it took for her to get him to understand.Her father gave her only a scoff as an answer as he let go of the remote. It fell with a clattering sound, and he turned and walked out of the living room.Jennifer was livid with anger and heavily disappointed by how easy it was for her father to gamble on her future just to secure her brother's marriage."Jenny..." Her mother started to say, walking closer to her. "I am sorry, but... You have to accept it.""Accept it? Mum, this is my life we are talking about! How can I leave school and everything just so I can become some item that can be pawned to raise money for Paul's marriage? If he can't afford it, then he
"Elijah?"Elijah stopped mid tracks and looked down at his watch. He was already running late for the office. He hated when his mother called early in the morning, especially since he knew just what she was about to say. With a silent gaze, he turned to his wife, Maria.She was a small woman who was well known for her kind, gentle dignity, with a smile that warmed the hearts of everyone she met. Her only concern was her lack of children. She and Elijah have been married for seven years, but she has never even conceived or had a miscarriage. The future seemed bleak.Elijah knew that was going to be the subject matter today too. He didn't really have the time for matters like these. He didn't want to indulge his parent's worry and didn't want to have to answer all their questions. In fact, he had been trying to escape going to the hospital for the tests they had been proposing.Maria gave him a small sad smile, then hung her head. He could see how much it affected her, and how much she w
The car came to a sudden stop in front of the mansion. Elijah turned to the towering mansion and gave a small sigh. It was filled with peoole, people he wasn't even so sure he cared for half as much as he did the one person in the car with him."Sir?" He looked up, then placed a long finger on his lips and shook his head. He slowly turned to the still sleeping Jennifer, her hair now falling in front of her eyes, her lashes fluttering slowly against the disturbance.His fingers came up to her face to move the hair away, and he tucked it behind her ear, his fingers leaving small traces on her skin.She gave a half conscious smile and leaned further into him, causing him to chuckle a little.Gently, he turned her to lay on the headrest, before he walked out himself and went around to her side of the car.Gently, he pulled her to him, his hand supporting her back, the other behind her knees. She stirred a little as he adjusted her, her head comfortably on his chest.With a small sigh, she
Elijah stopped eating, then slowly turned to her, his eyes a little wide. He wasn't sure what to make of it. Mostly because he felt it too. The funny feeling he wasn't sure what to make of.She burst into laughter, then shook her head. "I guess I am just so thankful to you. Because of you, it really feels like a lot of things fell into place."He swallowed, his eyes roaming around her face, before he slowly nodded, then leaned back. He found he had no appetite anymore, and he would rather just wait it out."Did I make you uncomfortable?" She asked when she noticed he wasn't eating.He immediately shook his head. "No, it just...I ate enough. Eat more. I am not so sure you had breakfast.""You won't attend the ceremony?"He looked down at his watch. "It should start by 12. We still have a few hours."She suddenly stood up, then went in front of him, and twirled a little. "Do you think this is okay? Do I look okay?"He swallowed. "You look beautiful."There was a sincerity in his voice, a
Cafe Del Amour was a large cafe that doubled as an art gallery. The scenery was especially beautiful at night, with a simulation of the Aurora Borealis overlooking the top to down French style windows.Jennifer gasped as they walked in to the refreshing scent of chocolate tainted with a hint of roses, and a smile widened her lips again. It warmed Elijah's heart just seeing her so happy with the gesture."Do you like it?"She shook her head. "I love it. It's so beautiful."Elijah smiled, then took out a handkerchief. He had heard her voice crack, and knowing how emotional she was, he knew she would cry. She collected it with another grateful smile, then carefully dabbed under her eyes.Elijah said nothing as he reserved the private table for them, and they both made their way to the secluded part. Instead of a table and chair, it had one large couch that was big enough for two, and a round revolving table in front. "What would you like to have?" Elijah asked softly as he guided her to
Mariah held her forehead, her other hand going to her waist. She couldn't lose control of her temper right now, or she would arouse too much suspicion and lack of trust."I am sorry, mother." She started to say, but Mrs.Morrison did not look like she was about to be calm. "I just thought it would be better if he went with me because I know my way around. It is fine." She turned and left the dining hall, even before Mrs.Morrison could say a word.Mrs. Morrison sat back down, her eyes filling up. "Did you hear Elijah? I bet he has felt so neglected over the years. This is all my fault, really. I pushed him into this marriage so he would establish himself as a family man. He never looked happy or even in love. I should have known." She took in a deep breath and held her head with both hands. Stephanie put a comforting hand on her shoulder as Jennifer stood up."Let me check on Elijah, mother. I wil be back.""No," Mrs. Morrison said. "Just stay with him, I will be fine."Jennifer gave her
Jennifer ate calmly, occasionally stealing glances at Elijah. He tried hard to focus on his food, and excused himself once he finished.Jennifer stalled for a minute or two, before excusing herself too and went after him, holding the box close to her chest.Elijah was removing his coat when she came in, and she stood by the door."What is wrong?" Elijah asked, then turned to her."Uh...I wanted to give you your privacy. That's why."He smiled and unbuttoned his cuffs, then pulled the sleeve upwards and walked to her slowly."You can come in. I am just going to freshen up." "Uhm, Elijah? You, uhm..got me this gift..."He nodded. "Yes?""I mean, there is no occasion and it must have been expensive."He looked at her for a minute, wondering if he heard it correctly."I just..." He let his voice trail off as he took in a deep breath. "I just thought of you the moment I saw it. And they said I could customize it and that's why I did that." He threw his hands up in defeat, lacking proper wo
Jennifer found herself left alone throughout, with Susan taking a lot of bed rest and Lilian tending to her. For some reason, it felt to Jennifer like Lilian didn't want to talk to her anymore, but she tried to keep the thought aside.She hadn't offended her, that she was sure of, so she just attributed it to her having so much on her hands."What are you thinking of?" Stephanie suddenly said, as she occupied the dining seat next to Jennifer's."Uh..not much." Jennifer said. It was surprising how Stephanie was now a lot calmer while talking to her, and she was kinder."You just don't want to share it?" She asked with a chuckle. "I understand." Stephanie stood, a slightly hurt expression on her face, but Jennifer called her back."I was just thinking of Elijah. He seems occupied."Stephanie giggled and sat next to her again. "Do you really like him? I mean, I thought of you as a gold digger, but...you don't even seem to wear any expensive stuff. You married him because you like him?""N
"Hey! Inmate 605. You have a letter." The jailer came to the door and threw in the wrapped envelope.Mr. Williams who looked way older than he actually was looked up at him and his brows furrowed."A letter?"The jailer only gave him a scowl as he turned his back to the door.He scowled back, even though the jailer wouldn't see it, and walked to the letter. He stood by the door which was the only source of light and opened the letter."The Mayor is investigating. X." That was the only content of the letter, but Mr. Williams knew exactly what it meant.He shook the remaining contents of the letter, and thousand dollar bills rolled off unto the floor.Going to his knees, he immediately packed them up and pushed them into the envelope, his eyes scanning around. There was no one.He knew he had to inform Lucky, Glory bar head immediately. If the Mayor finds anything on them, he wouldn't be the only one to go down. After all, some of his illegal activities have already come to light and he
Elijah put Jennifer gently to bed, and tucked her in, then went back to the desk to continue with his work. He has a few cards to check into, and he was going to check the phone number on the cards.There were only five, and he put the numbers into a call search site on his laptop. All five brought up the same name, Williams.He checked the cards. They were all slightly different. But not that he saw it, some had "Mr.Hugh." While others had "Liam Hugh."It rang a bell in his mind, and he put a call across to Ivan."Hello.""Yes sir?""The name of the contractor for the suburban area residential homes...what is his name again?"Ivan took a second before he answered. "Mr. Williams hugh. He was brought back and is still in jail awaiting evidence.""He is? Alright then. Thank you." He hung up and looked at it. No matter how he tried to check, Mr. Williams hugh was definitely connected to glory bar and the missing girls. All evidence and even circumstances pointed to him.He had built the
Jennifer suddenly opened her eyes, and Elijah moved away from her, awkwardly tucking his hands into his pockets."Were you about to wake me up? Do you need something?" She asked, straightening to a sitting position on the couch.He shook his head. "No, not really. I just...uh...I am going to wrap up here, and then take you home. I will see the Governor over tea later." "Okay. You can just finish up and I'll wait."Relieved, he took in a deep breath and nodded. "I will be quick."He went back to his laptop while she stretched, then stood up to put the pen back in it's case. "You are using the notepad, right?" She asked, and he nodded."I asked Ivan to check it.""Okay, then. Glad I was of help."She waited for him till he wrapped up all the reports he was making, took a few phone calls, and they were set to go."Are you hungry? All you had was breakfast."She shrugged. "I am going home soon, anyway. I think I will be fine."He looked at her and sighed. "Let's go." He said to the drive