Putting on the hood, she left the hotel which was, thankfully, just near the dormitory where Lance was staying. After a few minutes of walking, she reached the gates of the campus before calling her brother. On the third ring, Lance answered.
"I still have some money so I don't want to receive another buck from you." That was his first response even though she did not introduce who she was yet since she just changed into a new phone."Shut it and just meet me here at your campus' main gate. Quick," she responded before ending the call without listening to what he had to say.She just knew that Lance would just complain or even make up some stories just so he could not meet her. Well, that technique won't work on her anymore. Plus, this matter was urgent so she really needed to speak with him. A few minutes later, Lance came to see her wearing a scowl and in no less than a minute, he received a whack from his sister."Did Klauss ever call you theseLooking outside the window, Shantala had this indifferent expression plastered on her face, and the tears that once damped her cheeks were already dried. She kept telling herself that she should have expected such action from Hyperion since from the very beginning, she was never his priority... and she never was someone he actually cared about. His past actions, both his kindness and consideration, were simply for Stacey and now that he got her back, there was no need for him to be nice to her... much less help her from her ex-lover. Not to mention, he did not hesitate to send her off to Mr. Fuego and even bombed the island even though there was a high possibility for her to be killed. But no matter how many times she tells herself that, she still cannot shake away the pain tugging at her heart. "I told you," Klauss said, breaking the deafening silence between them, "Hyperion couldn't care less about you." Shantala simply stood quiet and
Shantala had sent emails and dialed numbers but they all had the same response to her."I apologize, ma'am, but we are not allowed to disclose the personal information of the company's CEO.""Ma'am, you have to set an appointment to be able to meet the CEO. But unfortunately, his schedule is full today so he cannot accommodate you."She heaved a heavy sigh and threw her phone on her bed and decided to once again open her diary. She flipped through the pages and started on the entries where she could no longer remember but even though she read all through them, the mission that she was assigned to was never even mentioned. And it was the biggest question she had in mind.Just then, upon reading the last page she had not gone through yet, Guillard's name was mentioned. It was written that he was a part of the team that will execute the mission but his role was not specified. This made her sit up from her bed as the guard's voice resounded in her ear
Ending the call, Klauss sat behind his desk and pulled on one of the drawers where he kept the dagger still covered in dried blood. It was actually the weapon that Shantala used when she attacked Tricia during the night of her engagement party with Helios. However, what also remained a puzzle to him was the fact that Shantala left Tricia's hotel room looking shocked and scared."Klauss, I did not want to kill her." Those were the very first words he heard from her when they finally left the hotel before the police came to the scene. Whatever happened to her and Tricia inside the hotel room, he had no idea what had taken place. He actually tried asking her before but she was not able to speak as if that was the very first time she killed a person.Putting the dagger back in its place, he shifted his attention towards the email he just received from one of his staff back in his hospital in Estermouth City.On the other hand, Shantala was still tryi
After a day of spending her time in Clanera City just staying inside the comfort of her room, Shantala decided to go out for a while. She went downstairs and looked for Klauss but she could not find him anywhere so she thought that he was probably outside. "Where are you going?" Klauss asked when he saw her.She stopped in her tracks and turned in his direction. "I'm a bit bored staying here. Can I go out for a walk? You can come with me if you are suspecting me of running away again," she replied.Klauss gave her a small smile before shaking his head lightly."I am heading back to Estermouth since there is an emergency in the hospital. As much as I wanted to bring you with me, I cannot do it since you are still recovering. Guillard arrived a while ago so he will be the one looking after you. If ever you attempt to make a run again, you will know what will happen next."He walked towards her and gave her a quick kiss on the lip
"Are you okay? Sorry if I surprised you," she apologized, thinking that her loud voice had startled her.The vendor shook her head with a hint of worry plastered on her face."I...I am fine. Thank you,” she stuttered.Since Shantala brought some band-aids with her, she opened one and covered the cut. It was a good thing that the pot didn't directly hurt her foot because it would surely cause inflammation. She stood back up and took the five little cacti she wanted to buy before facing Guillard."Give me 50 bucks and I will pay you twice the amount once we return," she said as she received an indifferent expression from him. She could tell that his stare was telling her how audacious she was to buy something when she did not bring any money with her. Still, she ignored it and reached her open palm towards him. Guillard gave her the money she wanted as his gaze returned to the vendor whose gaze was fixed on her.Paying for the cac
Shantala woke up quite early that morning since she planned to tend to the little garden before the sun showed up. It was the only thing she could do to distract herself from boredom while recovering.Just as she was washing up, she suddenly felt nauseous. At first, she thought that it was probably because she ate quite a lot the other night. Though her stomach was not upset at all, she still ended up vomiting a few times. The bitter taste all over her mouth made her wince, making her gargle as soon as she could to get rid of the taste."Argh!" she groaned as she left her room, "this is one of the reasons why I should stop eating a lot."Heading downstairs, she already saw Guillard outside doing his morning workout like how he usually spent his mornings. Since she had some time to spare, she went into the kitchen and prepared some tea for herself and a cup of coffee for the guard outside. She still felt a bit guilty about what she did to him back in the vi
"Hurry up inside!" he instructed when several masked men in black came out from the cars that were full of bullet holes. From that, Guillard already knew that they had most likely fought against Klauss' men before coming to that place. But what made him question the situation was the fact that he received no calls from the others who encountered these men first."Shantala Vien Arceo!" one of them yelled, stopping her from going back inside the house. "If you come with us without resistance, there would be no bloodshed."Before she could reply, Guillard intervened, "She is not going with you, bastards." Without looking behind him where Shantala was, he said, "Go back inside and never come out until it is safe.""You are the only one left so if you want to live, hand her over," the unknown man said.Shantala had this strong feeling that those men in black were definitely men working under Hyperion. At the moment, she had no courage and she
"Ah... ow, ow, ow..."Hyperion's men who were assigned to look after Shantala shifted their gaze on the bed where she was tied. Since it was instructed to give her a bit of freedom despite being tied, the chains that held onto the bed were at least one meter long. Watching her get up, they turned on their heels to face her. They got ready, thinking that she would go berserk like what they heard in the rumors from those who previously watched over her. They also heard of the news that she managed to escape from Klauss all by herself so there would always be a possibility that she would do the same in that situation. And letting her run away was definitely not on their list because it would be the end of them."I will... ask you questions later..." she breathed.They creased their forehead when they saw her covering her mouth as if something was about to come out. "But I really need to throw up!" she exclaimed.Before they could
The question thrown at him sounded like Shantala already knew something, catching Hyperion off guard. However, he did not want to believe it and wanted to think that it was simply a facade. Besides, if he acted out of character, she might become suspicious of him."If I found her, then I should not have proposed to your sister and met you that day. I would have married her like what we already planned for long," he replied. "Shantala... Did you find Tricia?""What do you think?""I think you did."This made her smile as she nodded her head. She could not really tell what Hyperion was thinking or what he wanted to do at the moment so it was hard for her to plan on what she should do next. She was about to speak but then, the head of the guards suddenly came up to her.Standing before her to get in between her and Hyperion, he held his earpiece and instructed, "Spread throughout the vicinity. Those who are stationed at the entrance, rush he
Upon leaving the stadium, Trevor's eyes were locked onto the stall where a woman was selling some ice cream."Uncle, I want some ice cream.""I'll buy you lots later. For now, let's head back home.""But I want some ice cream from that lady!" Trevor pointed at the stall.Still, Hyperion opened the door in the backseat to let him in, insisting that they must leave immediately. But instead of getting some cooperation from his son, he received a pair of puppy eyes."Dad, please?"Hyperion did not know how to react since he felt like Trevor was obviously coaxing him by using the word 'Dad.' But he cannot deny the fact that to be addressed like that made him happy.He let out a sigh as a sign of defeat. Nodding his head, the two of them walked to the stall. While waiting for his son to choose which flavor he wanted, Hyperion received another call from Guillard."Have you found her?" he asked."We lost track of her whe
Sitting in the living room with only one guard standing behind her, Shantala nervously waited. She clenched her hands upon hearing the gates opening. Her gaze, then, shifted to the direction where she saw a black van that was usually used by Gavin's men. She took a few deep breaths before she straightened her back and wore a poker face."Let me go! If he finds out about this, he will kill all of you! Fuck you all!"The woman's agitated voice broke the silence that long lingered in the residence. The two guards holding the woman down forced her to stand across from Shantala."You..." she said with gritted teeth upon seeing the woman in front of her. When the guards let her go, she glared at them before facing Shantala with a scoff."So it is you, huh." She sat on the sofa and flipped her hair. "What do you want?""Let me get straight to the point," she responded. "Are you Tricia Vexmore?"The woman leaned back on the sof
Hyperion was filled with joy that he could no longer hide the smile on his face. Leaning his forehead on Trevor's chest, he felt like tearing up once again. "Why are you happy, uncle?"The mafia boss' smile vanished in no time and he looked at his son again."Uncle?" he questioned.Trevor nodded."Call me Dad like what you did just a while back.""You already smiled so I'm calling you uncle again."He could not believe what he was hearing. Just when he thought that his very son had finally recognized him as his father, Trevor immediately crushed that without batting an eye. Heaving a sigh, he asked, "So you called me Dad because you saw me crying?""Uh-huh."He simply shook his head, unable to think how he should react to that. But he did appreciate that simple gesture and he did not expect that it would be Trevor who actually came at the time he needed someone. "Where is Mommy?" Tr
Shantala stared at Hyperion, thinking if she should believe his words or not. There was a possibility that it was indeed for that reason, however, she got the assurance she needed from her husband just the other night. That was why whether he went there for another matter or to meet Phoebe, she trusted him that he wouldn't be swayed.As a reply, she snickered. "He won't cheat on me," she said with confidence. "That aside, what kind of play are you trying to do now, Hyperion? Can't we just live in peace without seeing each other? Aren't you tired of all the shit going on?"Hyperion felt envious of Gavin, especially since he just witnessed how Shantala trusted him. He wanted to be the person in his place, however, that could never happen for as long as Gavin stayed with her. Gripping the steering wheel tighter, he could only think of using this chance to fully break the trust between Gavin and his wife. "I won't ever get tired until you surrender
Phoebe, despite being so close to the two of them, felt like she was in another dimension. The way they spoke sounded professionally evil but thrilling as well. She does not really care about how they will separate the two as long as she gets to marry Gavin, she will be more than satisfied. Looking at her father, she bit her lower lip with the anticipation of hearing the plans he and Mr. Devon had come up with.Back at the Devon residence, Shantala left their room when she finally calmed herself. Looking outside the window, she only came to realize that it was already nighttime. Heading to the living room, she saw Gavin seeing the lawyer out while Trevor was in the other room playing.A little while later, Gavin came walking toward her."What did the lawyer say?" she asked.But instead of getting an answer from him, she received a warm caress on the cheek as if he was wiping away her already-dried tears."How are you feeling?" he ask
Hyperion wanted to convince himself that he had gotten the judge to side with him. However, his instinct was telling him to not be so confident, especially since he had not seen Gavin's actions yet. And if he chooses to overlook this matter, there would always be a possibility that Shantala's husband could turn the tables on him."Before the next trial, meet with the judge and make sure that she did not change her mind. And seeing that Gavin is already making a move, make all the necessary preparations to end the case at the next meeting," he said before receiving a nod from the lawyer.After going through the divorce paper, he handed it back to him.He added, "Once Stacey returns, present that to her and whatever she demands like money or properties, list it down and have her sign it as soon as possible. If she asks for something else, then contact me first."After their brief meeting, the lawyer left Hyperion in his study room all alone. He went
Her mother's grip on her loosened, thus, she pushed her to the side and took another dagger from behind her. She pointed it towards Tricia, making sure that she would not interfere as she knelt before her mother.Fully shifting her attention towards her still filled with anger, she smirked."Look at how the tables have turned, mother. If you think you can kill me now, then, you are way too late."Raising both of her hands gripping the daggers, she yelled at the top of her lungs and stabbed her mother for the second time."Y-You..." Those were the last words she heard from her before breathing her last breath while bathing in her own pool of blood.Shantala remained unmoved as she stared at what she had done. With each passing minute, her anger subsided. She gulped at the sight in front of her."What... what have you done?!" Tricia screamed, bringing Shantala back to her senses. "I will have the police arrest you!"Starin
Shantala remained curled behind those closed doors and no matter how much she wanted to think of something else, her mind seemed to be a broken record. It kept on reminding her how she stabbed her mother back then. She could feel her body heat up just like that time but unlike now, she was fueled with so much rage on the day of the murder."What are you doing here?" Shantala could still remember those exact words that her mother said upon seeing her entering Tricia's room without permission. What puzzled her was not only the living presence of her mother but also the seemingly annoyed tone of her voice. "M-Mom?" she stuttered with surprise, obviously plastered all over her face. "How... I thought... What..."There were a lot of questions running through her mind but neither one of them was she able to speak out. She was confused about the situation."Answer my question, Shantala," her mother asked for the second time. However, her