LOGINVincentI sat on the bed, going through some financial news reports on my phone when it began to vibrate violently in my hand.An incoming call.My gaze drifted toward the unfamiliar number flashing across the screen.No caller ID.I already knew who it was… Sarah.After I blocked her numerous numbers, she had somehow managed to get hold of another phone.I'd warned her to stop calling me. If she needed anything, she was to contact my lawyer, yet she continued crossing the boundaries I had set.My thumb hovered over the decline button for a second, but I paused and decided to answer."What part of my warning didn't you understand?""Vincent..." Sarah's soft, broken, trembling voice drifted through the phone. "I... I've been trying to reach you, but you wouldn't answer any of my calls."Wasn't that obvious already?"What is it?" I asked flatly."It's Aaron. His condition... it's getting worse." She broke down into a sob. "The doctors said the heart attack was far more severe than they
JasmineThe thermoflask felt strangely heavy in my hand.I stood outside the hospital room, staring at the door, and took a long breath. If it had been entirely up to me… I wouldn't even be here.The only reason I had dragged myself to this hospital was because Collette kept asking about him."Have you visited your father yet?""How is he doing?"“Should I come with you to see him?”Those words had followed me around for days until they eventually became impossible to ignore.So here I was. Standing outside a room I desperately wished I could avoid.The thermoflask contained homemade soup—not because I wanted to cook for him, but because it was what a dutiful daughter was expected to bring.A perfect daughter.A caring daughter.What an amusing lie.I inhaled one last time before pushing the door open.The television was blaring loudly.A football match.Carl lay comfortably against the raised hospital bed, completely absorbed in the game. One leg was propped up while a bowl of fruit
Olivia"I wouldn't do that if I were you."Every head turned at once.I felt my breath catch the instant I saw Shawn walking toward us.His usually gentle expression was gone, his face frighteningly cold as his dark eyes fixed solely on Rick.The moment Rick's eyes landed on Shawn, every bit of confidence disappeared from his face.His entire body stiffened. The hand he had raised earlier slowly dropped to his side, like his body had forgotten how to move."Sh—"Before Rick could utter the word, Shawn was already standing in front of him.BANG!His foot slammed hard into Rick's right leg."Aahhh!" Rick let out a painful scream as his knee buckled beneath him.He crashed onto the pavement, clutching his leg with both hands while his face twisted in agony.The entire student center fell silent. Even the students walking nearby stopped to stare.I stood there, completely stunned.I had never... not once... seen Shawn like this before.The Shawn I knew was calm, easygoing, and patient. He
Olivia"We're here."I turned off the engine and looked at Shawn with a smile.He was already staring out the window, his gaze fixed on the sprawling campus before us.The grand entrance proudly displayed the words: Westbridge International University."So this is where your brother studies," Shawn murmured, taking everything in."It is.""It's... bigger than I imagined."I laughed softly."I said the same thing the first time Mom brought me here."Mother had practically begged me this morning.She had been rushing around the kitchen before leaving for work, carefully packing one of Sam's favorite meals into insulated food containers.Her homemade baked lasagna, along with a small container of chocolate chip cookies she'd baked that morning. She knew it was one of his favorite meals and insisted he needed a proper home-cooked meal during exams.She had looked at me with those pleading eyes only mothers possessed... How could I possibly refuse?Besides, she had been swamped with work l
AxelI was working on my laptop when a knock suddenly echoed through my office."Come in."The door opened, and Derek stepped inside."Sir, I just received a call from one of the security men at the hospital. They called to inform me that Mr. Pierce regained consciousness a little while ago."I paused.Jasmine's father had finally woken up from a coma.I slowly closed the laptop before looking directly at Derek."Has my wife gone to see him?""The guards haven't seen Mrs. Reynolds arrive yet."I frowned. That was unusual. Unless she hadn't been informed yet...Without wasting another second, I reached for my phone on the desk and unlocked it. My thumb hovered over Jasmine's contact, and just as I was about to press the call button... I suddenly stopped.The investigation report...The report the officers had handed over a few days after Carl had been injured inside his apartment resurfaced vividly in my mind.Every detail came flooding back: the inconsistencies, the unanswered questio
Aaron"What have you done, Mother?!" I roared, my voice echoing through the parking lot. "How could you let Vincent deceive you like that?"Mother recoiled like my words had struck her. Her lips trembled, and fresh tears spilled down her cheeks."I... I did it for your own good, Aaron...""I don't want to hear it!" I cut her off sharply. "You should have fucking held back! Vincent would have caved eventually! He always does! Just like every other time!"She shook her head frantically."No... no, Aaron. Your father was serious this time."Her voice cracked as she wiped at her tears."If I hadn't begged him... if I hadn't begged over and over again... if I hadn't agreed to all the conditions he gave me..." She swallowed painfully. "He was really going to let you rot in prison."I froze.Conditions?My heart skipped."...Conditions?" I repeated slowly.Not condition...Conditions... plural.My eyes narrowed immediately."What other conditions?"Mother's breathing grew uneven. She lowered
Olivia I didn’t resist. I didn’t even argue. I just followed him. Like a ghost. Like someone whose soul had already checked out. He opened the passenger door and gestured inside. I climbed in mechanically, my movements stiff and numb. He shut the door, walked around, and got into the driver’s
OliviaElla’s hand tightened around my wrist the moment we stepped inside the club.“Oh my God,” she gushed, eyes wide and sparkling as neon lights washed over her face. “This is Echelon. Do you know how hard it is to get into this place? Only a handful of people even have access.”I slowed my step
OliviaI sat there with my fingers crossed so tightly they were starting to ache, my knee bouncing uncontrollably beneath the desk as I stared intensely at my laptop, waiting for the page to load.Come on.Come on, please.I leaned closer, as if that might somehow help, my breath caught in my chest
OliviaMy leg wouldn’t stop tapping.I sat on the edge of the bed, hands clenched together in my lap, watching Axel get dressed at what had to be the slowest pace known to mankind.Shirt first.Then he paused, as if considering something, before reaching for his watch.I swallowed and bounced my kn







