"Hey, mister giant neighbor!" Called a sweet, flirty voice of a girl from the next-door neighbor's west window. But it was in a hushed tone.
Owen was right next to his window in front of the neighbor's as he was sitting with his back to it as he was smoking after his dinner. He was not sure he was being called, so he did not respond. Everybody knows his name is Owen Frost, and no one has ever called him a giant neighbor ever before. He's been in this neighborhood ever since he was assigned to do an undercover job for the Narcotics team seven years ago. He is the most trusted plumber in the whole area. And a lot of his neighbors had moved in and out, so he knew almost everyone around here already. This neighbor to his east side just moved in a few months ago. A mother and daughter. He checked the background of these two. The mother, Debra, is forty years old and a veteran hooker. Isabel, also known as Izzy, is seventeen, a senior high student but a famous troublemaker."Where are you going?" Izzy asked.Owen turned to look and frowned at the teenage girl on his bed."What now? I am not allowed to leave you here and find my peace somewhere else in this house?" He asked sarcastically."Yes!" Izzy answered shortly as she sat up and crossed her legs sitting on the bed. "I will behave, but you can't leave me alone. I'm scared."Owen was astounded. This girl sounds authoritative. She seemed to be commanding him around like he was someone among her servants or something. She was scared, and she was demanding Owen to stay in the same room. But he also realized it was not a good idea to leave this troublemaker in his bedroom where many confidential things, including his service firearm, were hidden in this room. She might find them if she starts to look around out of curiosity."You said it yourself. You're not into babies; although I am almost turning to legal age in a matter of days, I am sure I don't fit
“You’re quite odd. Did you know that?” Izzy asked with a pout.“So, I am the odd one now?!” Owen sneered at her. “When in fact, you are the one calling me names and all?”“You’re odd because you don’t seem to appreciate when I speak my honest thought,” Izzy retorted. “It makes me feel like you would rather prefer I lie to you.”“The more you talk, the more things become twisted and confusing,” Owen frowned. “Shut your mouth if you wanna stay, or go home if you can’t keep quiet!”Owen noticed how she could turn the issue into the way she wanted it to be. And the scary part of them is the possibility of her words being right despite the slight possibility of it being exaggerated. He felt the danger of being wrapped around her cute, tiny little fingers if he did not make her stop. Her enchanting charm was starting to win him over despite his mind resisti
"Ouch!" Izzy groaned.A loud thud awakened Owen, and he tried to see what was going on in the dark. He blinked his eyes to get used to the darkness and realized he was alone on the bed. He quickly reached for the lamp's switch closest to him and looked around."Izzy?" Owen softly called out, frowning.He was not sure, but he thought he heard her groan in pain, but where is she? Owen looked around. The window was closed. She wouldn't have done so if she left through it and fell off. Besides, the sound was close. The last image of her in his mind was the way she slept before he himself dozed off. She was by the side edge of the bed."Could she have fallen?" Owen asked himself mindlessly.He moved to check."Oh my god!" Owen jumped down the bed, walked around by the foot end, and went to Izzy's side. "She fell, but she did not bother to get up and climb up the bed again," Owen murmured."Hey, sleepyhead," he waked her. Owen could car
Owen realized the reason he was feeling discomfort earlier was that Izzy's left leg was above his belly. And he felt better when she moved to turn over as she lifted her leg to leave its position above him and flung to the other side, opposite to Owen's.He was about to say something about the weight that made him suffer breathing, but her sad voice caught more of his attention. He reached for her face and saw if she looked like how she sounded. He did not want to ask because he was not ready to answer any of her questions if she ever threw her curiosity back at him, so he used a different way to comfort her."Who are you?" He asked with a funny face. Eyes widened, faking to be scared and upset.Owen feigned surprise and shock at the person looking different from what he saw before he went back to sleep before dawn earlier."What?" Izzy asked, confused.She was startled when Owen held her face with both hands and turned her to look straight into his ey
"So, what is your plan?" Asked Owen as they prepared their breakfast together.Apparently, Owen agreed to feed her. So they walked down the stairs to his kitchen together. Owen was standing in front of his gas stove preparing fried eggs and bacon while Izzy volunteered to toast the sliced bread and set the table."How do you like your coffee?" Izzy asked instead of answering his question. Not that she was avoiding doing so, it just happened that Owen blurted his query almost the same time Izzy was going to ask about his coffee preferences."Black and strong," Owen said mindlessly."I didn't ask about your looks," Izzy sassed. "I can see you are a giant bar of dark chocolate and sturdy without a doubt. I was going to make you a cup of coffee, but I changed my mind." Just like she said, Izzy removed her hands from what she was about to do.Owen was dazed momentarily. He frowned with his mouth gaping. His left upper lip twitched in annoy
Izzy did not move away from the table even when she made the call."Hello, Uncle Kinsley," Izzy greeted while masticating on the food in her mouth, yet with elegance. No sound of her eating would be heard. In Owen's opinion, Izzy's bites on her food weren't even a bite. To Owen, Izzy was nibbling with how she took small bites on of her toast. She chewed on her food with finesse, refined manner as if it was too natural in her behavior. And she would take a sip on her coffee only when she had swallowed every bit of food she was chewing; also small sips, while listening to the phone ringing on the other end until it was answered and she greeted with calmness."I am being followed, and I am staying somewhere else for safety," Izzy stated. Then she listened again.Owen's interest was piqued at how this teenage girl was responding to her situation. She just said she was being followed, but there wasn't any hint of panic or worry in her tone. It was as if she was
"Correction, please, I said more or less," Izzy argued."Uhu, okay. Wait, what?" Owen asked again as he realized the words. "So it means I have to prepare myself of you staying more than five days, but I am telling you I will send you out on the seventh day. Are we clear?"Izzy scoffed as she agreed."You're so mean with how you make me feel fear of being sent away. I hope I don't stay even for five days," she sassed back.Owen chuckled. She said she is intimidated, but her reaction is far from it, in his eyes. Who sneers when frightened and admits it that way?"So why five then?" He asked again."To make sure everything is ready before I show up. I also need to think and plan my every move to clear my dad's name and find out who actually murdered my dad," Izzy answered. "I have my doubts of who, but I need proofs, solid proofs."Owen was not sure of what to do. He cannot leave her alone in his home. She is a teenage girl who ran
Izzy went to work with Owen just like he suggested. They got Izzy the size of her clothes, and with how attentive and diligent Izzy was to her assigned work to do, she got the hang of doing things Owen does. They were also able to check the neighborhood for the people who were after Izzy. She spotted the same man she saw tailing her a few times before. As they worked, they got to spend more time together. In the truck, on their meals, breaks, and even while doing their jobs, the two got the chance to share jokes and small conversations until Izzy mentioned her dad being dead after being framed for having contrabands in his properties."What happened?" Asked Owen indifferently. He was too eager to hear more details as Izzy's story seemed to sound so familiar with a case he was working on. But he did not make himself appear so interested in the topic."I believe my dad is innocent. It must have been his cousin Reynard Mayer behind all this. I just have to provide
“What’s wrong? What happened?” Mavie asked, baffled as the man suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist and he cried pitifully. Mavie looked at the patient on the bed, there was nothing unusual. His heartbeat was normal, and he looked just the way he used to be a coma patient. “What is going on? Please tell me….” Mavie answered assuringly. Trying to calm her Master to the best of her ability. She was also starting to feel scared because she had never seen this brave man act the way he was at that moment. Judas told her everything that he had seen his grandpa did except the part where he mentioned Mavie as his girl. But as he tried to ask again to show Mavie, the old man on the bed did nothing similar to what Judas was excitedly telling Mavie. “Mister Dinero, it’s me, Mavie. Do you recognize me?” Mavie asked casually, speaking to her patient like she would usually do. But the patient’s eyes did not move like Judas said they did. They tried again. Nothing. “I asked him a few q
As for Mavie, she was actually brave only because she knew some of her Master's men were around to protect her. But she was not going to rely everything on them. She will fight on her own if someone comes trying to bring her down. Mavie admits that her bravery was also because she was more than confident that her Master was not going to let her be bullied other than him. Like Judas would tell her most of the time; "You are my slave. I am your only Master. No one is allowed to order you around other than me. Not even a bully aside from me."So she did not fear to act accordingly, protecting herself when someone tried to intimidate her with violence. But she did not want to let the matter get worse. Mavie tried to deal with what happened in her own way."Mister Ray, please do not tell my Master about what happened today. I don't want him to get mad or worry about me. He already has so much to handle. I do not wish to add to the things that would bother him about me."Mavie begged Ray o
Days went on. Days became weeks. Weeks turned to months, and months became a year. A lot of things happened. Joaquin Dinero, Mavie's patient, passed away in his nap with Judas and Mavie right beside him. His body had seemed to reject the medications, and in Judas' dreams, his grandpa spoke to him that he was too tired and wanted to join his wife in peace. Ever since then, the grandson was torn between the sadness to let his grandpa go, and another sorrow that he was refusing to grant the last, one and only wish the old man seemed to have asked of Judas, the grandson. It was not even a wish done like every ordinary people would do. It was like asking Judas to let his grandfather die. And the way of asking such a wish was through a dream which Judas could not find in his heart to fully believe until he realized that every medical procedure and treatment they tried to provide the old Dinero did not seem to have any positive effect. But, of course, the grandson did not give up. Mav
Mavie did not want to disobey her employer so she ate the oatmeal although she was not a fan of eating it. She had to take some meds to get better very soon so she could do her tasks, and so she did everything her Master had ordered her. The medicine had an effect to make her feel sleepy so even if she did not want to sleep, thinking it was rude when her employer was around, her body was not able to fight against the medicine’s effect. Without her knowing, she had a good sleep and rested, when she woke up, she felt way much better. It was almost like she had never had any cramps earlier that day. “What are you doing?” Judas asked when he heard some noises from the kitchen while he was checking the monitors all around the house, his and his grandpa’s, his business building, and everything that was going on in his operations. By having an eye directly able to see everything in and out of his business establishments, Judas can easily handle problems even when he is afar. “Ahmm, I am s
Just as Judas had ordered, the lady doctor was able to speak with Ray, but the doctor suggested that the patient be brought to the hospital for a proper check-up. “At the clinic, we have everything we might need in order to make sure everything is accurate, unlike when we do it on house calls. It would be best to have her womb checked through an abdominal or vaginal ultrasound.” Ray relayed the message to his boss. Judas was silent for a while. He had to think of a way to keep everything in safety. There were a few things Judas had to consider whatever he might decide to do in his predicament. “Ray, I want you to check who gave me the first call with an unregistered number today. Can we make it quick? I want to bring Mavie to the hospital, but I am worried about leaving grandpa behind,” Judas stated with a dark face. Ray knew that look. As the assistant for the mafia don for quite a while now, he had learned to read between the lines, hear unspoken statements, and read his boss’ m
"Master….?" Mavie called out softly. Mavie was not so sure she was allowed to address the man the way they had agreed. She was confused if their arrangement also applied while she was on work duty or on the weekdays, now that they both realized they were also employee and employer aside from being slave and Master. But calling the man master was not something she felt awkward about at all, so when she noticed the man did not seem to mind her way of addressing him, Mavie continued to ask what she had in her thoughts. "How was the result from the test we did last Sunday with the doctor?" Judas was not sure if this girl was playing a silly game or if she was really unaware of such facts about the human reproductive system. But when he looked at Mavie's frail mien, Judas' gaze lowered and continued to clean his grandpa's teeth and gums with the soft and wet cloth. Just the way he saw on the security surveillance camera how Mavie would do such tasks of keeping the patient feeling fresh
“Master….?” Mavie did not expect to see the man, but instead of surprise, a faint smile was visible on her face. If there was someone Mavie wished to see at the very moment, it was no other than this person. The only person she had been thinking of with so much longing to see again, spend time with, no matter what reasons fate had to bring them together. “Master, is it really you?” Mavie asked again but in a soft whisper. Judas had so many scenes played in his mind of how this moment would turn out to be in reality to have a slight idea; if he cannot be accurate, so he would know how to explain and clarify his identity to Mavie. He had expected her to be surprised, first of all. If not, she should be scared o upset, but among all the possibilities his mind had conceived, Judas was baffled to see an exact opposite to what he had supposed Mavie would have reacted. “I had hoped the names of my slave and the hired carer for my grandpa would be one and the same person,” Judas hid his a
Ray started to check the packaging label of the item. He had a picture from Mavie’s stocks and the products that were on the racks. “They have the same packaging, right?” Ray held the pack and showed it to Judas. “This item is the same as the one in this picture, right, boss?”The cashier was watching the only customers he had in the store in the wee hours of the night; two men, as they chose items on the shelves. The store worker was not confident to walk closer and offer his assistance because he noticed they were on a section he was not very knowledgeable about. He was a man, after all, so he did not know much about sanitary pads. He was confident he could assist them, but only if they wanted to pay for their purchases. Because f they were going to ask anything else about the item, the worker was not ready to answer any questions. But if they still chose to approach him, he would just tell them to check the prints on the packaging. That’s all he could to help. Soon enough, two da
Ray was startled when he noticed his boss got into a car parked right outside the gates. Judas had ordered one of his men to bring a vehicle outside his gates and had its engine started because he would be leaving soon. And it was right where Judas asked it to be when they walked out of his grandpa's house. "Boss…?" Ray called for Judas' attention with hesitations. "What?" Judas asked as he fastened his seatbelt, seated right next to Ray, who was sitting behind the wheels. "I'm going to buy the pads and a serving of warm porridge. You can take your rest. I can handle this," Ray answered cautiously. "I have no doubt you can. I am even amazed you don't seem bothered that you are going to buy such items for a woman. Personal, if I may add," Judas said casually. "I don't think you're that kind of guy…." Judas could not say his words exactly. The Mafia Don was also cautious not to offend Ray's feelings if he happened to be wrong in his thoughts. They do not have much of an age differe