Daisy stopped by Ugo's room before she left for work in the morning. She pushed the door open gently and peeked in. and noticed that Ugo was sleeping, she started closing the door when she heard Ugo's voice. "Hey," she murmured, blinking at Daisy. "Hey." She entered. "How are you feeling?" "I’m great. Dozed off from boredom last night." She rubbed at the corners of her eyes. "Everything all right?" "Yeah.... just checking up on you. I'll leave for work soon. Will definitely get you cupcakes while coming back." Daisy said, yawning. Ugo looked at her. "I kept some pizza for you in the fridge yesterday. Did you see it?" "I wasn't really hungry when I got back. So I didn't check." "You should take a bite before leaving for work. You must be hungry now." "Huh?" Daisy asked. Ugo let out a short laughter. "What kind of food does Lexington eat? Is it fruit or does he take vitamins." "Now you're speaking in riddles U.U. What has Brett got to do with our discussion?" "
Daisy was up a bit late the next morning, it was the weekend and in the absence of work, she had no urgent need to get up early. Feeling groggy and grumpy but no longer overwhelmingly tired. She strolled to Ugo's room to check up on her before heading to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. The doorbell rang just as she was about to settle into the sofa. Her heart skipped a beat as she wondered who could be at her door. Brett was one of the four people she placed on the list to get past the front desk, so she felt he could be the one. Excitement rushed down her body as she headed to the door.And when she opened it, it was her mother. Bridget swept right past her in a fancy red flattering dress that she pulled off comfortably. Looking young enough to be her daughter's sister. She raked a glance over Daisy's comfortable nightwear before saying, "Honey, oh my God, did you hear?""Hear what?" Daisy asked, drawing her brows together."Christ you have no idea." She pulled Daisy into a tight
"I'm serious, Daisy Ledwig. Watch your damn weight. There's nothing funny about that." Bridget scolded. Daisy found her mother's persistence even more funny. So, she laughed some more until she fell on the bed. "Oh, stop it." Bridget shoved at Daisy's shoulder. "This is not funny." But Daisy laughed until a few tears streaked down her cheeks. "Daisy, really?" Bridget said, now smiling. She giggled sweetly and tapped Daisy gently on her lap. Finally, she gentled down and gave her mother an appreciative stare. Bridget's presence somehow turned out to be just what she needed. With her hands on her now cramping stomach, she took a deep cleansing breath. "Did he give it to him?" Daisy asked softly. Bridget's smile faded. "Who?" "Dad." "Give what to who?" "The money. Did he give it to Julian?" "Oh....." Bridget gasped and Daisy waited. "No." She said. "He would never give it to him. Your father is smarter than that. His mind doesn’t work that way. He told him to go to hell and
Handling the tablet over to her mother with more care than necessary, Daisy released the breath she'd been holding unknowingly. "That’s not his sister." She said, truthfully."I figured. The caption did the explanation but I didn't want to point that out." She looked at her mother. "Could you do me a favor and check up on Ugo. I have a call to make.""Sure." Bridget replied, getting up. "Don't be too soft on him. Be firm and state your boundaries. Most influential men easily take people for granted. There is a thin line between power and control when it comes to them." Bridget shared a tip out of the abundance of the experience she'd had. She reached over and set her hand on Daisy's own, kissed her forehead and left for Ugo's room. Once she left, Daisy grabbed her phone and hit the speed dial for Brett's phone. She bolted her door and leaned behind it while waiting for him to pick up. Two rings later, he did. "Lexington," he said, even though his screen would’ve told him it was D
Daisy cried her eyes out in the bathroom, and when she cleaned up herself and went to the sitting room to meet Ugo and the mother, the two women acted like her face wasn't looking stripped and her eyes weren't red. Surprisingly, Ugo agreed to stay at Daisy's place until much later. They played Ludo, watched some real comedy series, and played mix-and-match. And when Bridget was ready to leave, Daisy was eighty percent out of the sulking zone. The next couple of days crawled by. Every day she told herself she wasn’t waiting on some sort of contact from Brett, but when she crawled into bed at night, she would cry herself to sleep because just like the others, another day had ended without a word from him. The people around her worried. Ugo, her parents. Her mom formed the habit of calling her every morning, during lunch break and every evening. Donald, her Boss at the office, was worried too. Not because she wasn't doing her job well. If there was anything, she was doing her job ex
"Daisy." Bridget Ledwig practically squealed. "You’re going to look amazing. I know just the thing to do with your hair. You’ll love it." Ugo's lips twitched. "All right then, can't wait to see what the new Daisy would look like." New Daisy turned out to be a modern, slightly edgy hot-ass. Her once long, straight dark hair was now shoulder length, cut in long layers, with the tips tinted blond, framing her face. She had her makeup done, too, to see what sort of look she could pair with her new hairdo, and she found out that smoky eyes were a perfect killer, along with soft pink lip gloss. In the end, I didn't go with red for her nails and chose white for her toenails and pink for her fingernails. Everything looked great and she really liked them. For now, anyway. She was willing to admit she was going through a phase and she did. "Okay, I'll take it back," Ugo said, whistling. "Breakup clearly looks good on you." "See." Bridget crowed, grinning. "I told you. Now you
On Ugo's insistence that she was okay, the two friends found themselves on the dancefloor alongside Daisy's parents. When the song ended, they pulled apart and started toward their table. But Daisy felt fingers circle her wrist and when she turned her head, she found herself looking into the eyes of Willock Hampton, Manuel's younger brother. "I’d like to have the next dance," he said, his mouth curved in a boyish grin. There was no sign of the angered man she'd seen arguing with Brett the other night. Ugo stepped forward, looking at her friend for cues. Daisy's first instinct was to refuse Willock, and then she looked around. "You don't plan on causing a scene today, do you?" He tugged her into his arms. "I would never do that. I’ve got her," he said to Ugo, sweeping Daisy off. "You look fantastic, Daisy. I love your hair." Daisy managed a tight smile. "Thank you." "Relax," he said. "You’re so stiff. I won’t bite." "Sorry. Just want to be sure I don’t offend whoever y
When the new week arrived, Daisy left her apartment as New Daisy. With a well made-up face, soft lipstick and her new tinted bouncy hairstyle. Ugo had left earlier as she was rushing to beat traffic since her workplace was a bit far from Daisy's apartment. Daisy locked her apartment door and exited the elevator cheerfully, feeling pumped and ready to act like someone else, someone who wasn’t heartbroken and lost and angry. The SUV was at the curb when she stepped outside. Ben didn’t bother to exit the car, knowing she wouldn’t accept a ride. It puzzled Daisy that Brett would have his chauffeur wasting his time hanging around, just in case she might have him drive her somewhere. It didn’t make any sense unless Brett was feeling guilty. The morning at Lex and Gibson went by swiftly. "You look good, Daisy," Donald said when she first joined him in his office. "Are you doing all right?" "Not really." She replied truthfully. "But I’ll get there." Donald leaned forward, settin
We were now in an open corridor. Rocco stood like a statue at the end of the room, staring into space. Two other guards stood at a reasonable distance, taking the same stance. I snatched my hand back from him, crossing it over my chest. "Good. Then that's settled. But make no mistake, he turned "I'm going to take my pleasure from you, how and when I deem it fit." He threatened. "You dare not!" I challenged, creating a distance between us. "Really," he mused. "Let's see how that goes." "Every single thing about this situation is disappointing," I corrected him, feeling my jaw quiver. I had a temper. So I try so hard to always remain happy and positive. And that was why I surrounded myself with people that really love and care about me. They all knew and understood how bad my temper used to be. As a form of control, I would always remain cold and calm in situations I have no power over. Until I grab a full picture of the situation. But then, in some conditions, I almost alw
I was awakened by the distant sound of the television. Immediately I opened my eyes, I saw Maxine cropped up on a chair at the end of the room. "Welcome back to the land of the living," he muttered. "Where are we?" I croaked, sitting up on the bed and surveying the empty room that had only a bed and a television. Maxine stretched his arms, and sighed. "Home, The Garden." "Thank God." I sighed, before realizing what he meant. "You mean your home is referred to as The Garden?" "Mhmm." He hummed. "Gross." I spat out. "It's a good name." He stood up. "Hollis totally owe me for this." He murmured and left the room, not even saying a goodbye or any other word. My throat felt raw, and my body, emotionally exhausted. I could feel dark isolation seeping through the room like deep depression. I just wanted to go home, to go shopping, boat cruises, clubhouses and the courtroom. I wanted my life back. But even I know I couldn't. Not with the continuous attempt on my life and wi
Maxine gripped the steering wheel and side-glanced me. "Put your seatbelt on, this is going to be fun." I did as I was told, and he hit the red button on the rearview mirror, which caused the garage door to slide open. We drove out onto the gloomy street. Maxine didn't let go of the gas pedal until we were driving well above the speed limit. Darkened street signs flashed by. He sped through a red light, swerving around a car that was patiently waiting for its turn. 'What was the point of making me wear my seatbelt if he was planning on killing the both of us by crashing the car.' With an extended grin, he weaved us in and out of traffic. Eventually we moved away from the city streets and onto a country road. We picked up more speed, but at least there were no other cars to play chicken with. I was able to unclench my teeth and my stranglehold on the security bar against the door, using my free hand to wipe my newly dampened forehead. The car air-conditioner couldn't do anyt
The next time I woke up, the sun was already setting. I was feeling better, rested, though my joints and muscles ached from the lack of movement. As for the bump on my head, it was only sensitive to touch. there was no more throbbing. My hair on the other hand was a tangled mess. My head felt naked when my hair was down. I searched my pockets and then the barren room for anything that I could use to tie it back. The only thing I found was the glass of water that had been refilled, and that I greedily gulped down. The bedroom door had been left open, and hollowed sounds from a Television could still be heard. As soon as the smell of food tickled my nose, my stomach grumbled. The last meal I had eaten was the vegetable sauce my mother made specially for me. How long ago was that? My brain was still too foggy to count back the hours or the days. The thought of my mother sent chills down my spine. I haven't heard from my parents and I knew they would be worried sick. Letting my sto
With a stiff neck, I scanned my surroundings. there wasn't much to decipher. I was in a small room, lit only by the bedside lamp that was on the table next to the bed. There was an armchair with a rose velvet cushion in one corner. The walls were bland and frameless. After waiting for another bout of nausea to pass, I went to the window, holding on to the small table as support for my shaky frame. Outside, the sunsetting sky was of resilient palettes of shady hues, and I was peering over the shadows of endless rooftops. Wherever I was, it was high above a city, at least twenty stories high. Down below, a yellow cab was waiting at a red light on an otherwise empty street. I couldn't decide if I was still in Lilycity. I thought I had a fair recognition of the clock tower that stood at the center of the city square, but it was too distant and I was too tired to be sure. My hand pressed against the glass. I closed my eyes until the dizziness passed, then slowly and painfully moved to
There was a flash of light and distant noises. My head felt like someone was taking an ice pick and pouring heavy chipping on my skull. I decided that death couldn't be this painful, so I was probably not dead or this was what hell was supposed to feel like. My eyes were pried open, and a light came flashing again. This was followed by a groan, like a bear cub. 'was that me?' I managed to flutter my eyes open without anyone's help. Inches away from my face, someone was holding a pen-sized flashlight. I couldn't focus enough to see him, but I could definitely smell him. Light scent of woodberry and some chemicals I remember enduring the mixing process once I snuck into the chemistry laboratory during practicals that were meant for students offering science courses. The ceiling was swimming. I thought I was going to vomit, and I had to let my eyelids drop to stop the spinning. Slowly, the muffled sounds became words. "What's your name, sweetheart." Asked the man with the flashli
I climbed down carefully from the grey van that picked me up from the house. I was going to see a cartel Boss. So there are quite a lot of things that could happen today. It's either I end up dead or I succeed in striking a good deal that will keep my father alive and give my family enough time to pay up the crazy-absurd debt they leveled against my Father. If the stars are in my favor, the money might even be forgiven. But in all, one of these things was going to happen today and I pray my dead body won't be drawn out of the industrial looking premises. As I stood looking around, I got a nudge behind from one of the men. "Move!" He barked at me and like a crippled roach revealed by a light from a handheld torch. I had to put both of my feet to good use. One of the men walked in front, leading the way, while two others walked behind me. "Stop." A baritone voice from a guard stationed at the gate yelled at us. "She's going to go in blindfolded." He read out a rehearsed instruct
The silence at the dinning table felt excruciating and painful. I forced most of the mashed potatoes down my throat and swallowed hurriedly each time, unable to feel the taste of the meal. When the silence became too unbearable, I shifted my meal and turned to my parents. "Let's hear it, what's the problem?" "Eat Ugo." My father said, tapping me gently on the arm. "I'm full, and even if I'm not, I can't take more. I've lost my appetite. What's going on, what's with the silence and brooding, did someone die?" My mother was the first to shake her head. "We didn't lose anyone. But we might as well loose someone if we don't find a solution." She said, "Ada..." My father called in his usual peace-loving manner. "Ugo is not a child, honey. The earlier we start taking....the better." "Please talk to me... anyone. Dad, Mom." "Honey, it's nothing serious....." "Your father was accused of stealing from his company." My mom interrupted. "What?" I looked at my father, hoping he would as
UGO I took in the orderliness of the little room that had always served as my safe space for the longest time. All my childhood memories were still intact, almost as I had left them. My mother had taken it upon herself to preserve all the good memories, making sure not to alter the shape of the room and the position of things as I left them. I tried recalling the last time I visited Lilycity. It's been well over two years. Fairview had found a way to draw me into its tight grasp and sapped me off all my free time. I sighed, recalling my mother's tears at the airport when she came to pick me up. I was initially skeptical that she would be the one to pick me up, but then she somehow managed to convince me with my father's support that she has recovered perfectly since her intestinal surgery. "Poor woman." I murmured regrettably. Pulling my hair into a tight bun, I sat down on the only chair in my room, took in the beauty of the modest-looking room and smiled. What my room lacked in