Romans de chriswrites

MaliaHis text seemed to call out to me.My thumb hovered over the screen. I should have just ignored him and should’ve tossed my phone across the room and buried myself in assignments or music or literally anything else that doesn't include continuing the conversation.But my pulse began to race with anticipation, with Maverick, you could never be certain. Before I could talk myself out of it, I hit video call.The ringing barely lasted two seconds before his face filled the screen. Maverick was sprawled across his bed, shirtless just like in the photo he had sent and on his face was a lazy and satisfied grin, like he knew he’d already won.“Finally,” he drawled. “Took you long enough.”I swallowed hard and tried to mask my nerves with annoyance. “You’re ridiculous.”“Yeah? Then why’d you call?” His eyes gleamed, shifting as he angled his phone lower. He stretched and I saw his muscles ripple, he made a show of settling back into his pillow.I rolled onto my side, clutching the phone

Later that day, as per our new routine, I waited for Maverick by his car for him to take me home.The ride home was quiet and not in a peaceful way, it was undeniably heavy with the things neither of us wanted to admit out loud. Thankfully the hum of the engine filled the silence while I diligently scrolled through my phone, pretending to be invested in posts I wasn’t even seeing.From the corner of my eye, I could see him watching me intently. I could tell before he even opened his mouth that he had come up with something to say.“All day, I’ve been thinking about how funny some things are.” Maverick said in a voice edged with a familiar tease. “Rumors have a way of being right sometimes.”Heat flooded my cheeks and before I could stop it, the words were out of my mouth. “You’re insufferable.”His grin widened. “And yet…” his eyes flicked to my face, catching the way I was biting down on my lip, “…you can’t even deny it without blushing.”I groaned and sank lower into my seat, glari

Malia The smell of grease and overcooked fries from ether cafeteria amped up my discomfort, I felt like I was walking into a boxing arena ready to take hits. I could feel the looks before they landed, hear the hushed whispers before they were spoken, my skin buzzed with negative anticipation, today was going to be the same as yesterday, if not worse. As I walked into the cafeteria, tray in hand, I could feel like somehow things had quelled down. Had someone else become trending news? Some sort of relief flowed through me. I clutched my tray tighter, bracing myself as I scanned the room. It didn’t take long to figure out why things had changed. Venessa. She sat on top of one of the long tables, With her legs crossed and her glossy hair catching the fluorescent light. Around her, her group leaned in, hanging on to her every word like she was performing. Which, knowing Vanessa, she absolutely was. Her voice carried, loud enough for the entire cafeteria to hear. “Oh my God, can we

Malia The silence in my room felt heavy. Dinner was over but the weight of it hadn’t left me. I could still feel the ghost of Maverick’s hand against my knee under the table, a touch no one else had noticed. Now he leaned against my wall, arms crossed over his chest, eyes pinned on the floor instead of me. His shirt stretched tight across his shoulders, and the chain at his neck reflected the dim lamplight. He looked untouchable, like he wanted to stay that way. I sat on the edge of my bed, pretending to adjust the hem of my dress, but really I was trying to figure out how to breathe in a room that seemed too full of him. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and full of warming. “Don’t look at me like that. I don’t need pity.” My chest squeezed, what I felt for him wasn’t pity, it wasn’t not even close. What I felt for him had weight and the kind of ache that came from watching him act like nothing touched him when I knew deep down everything did. “It’s not pity,” I counte

Malia Before the dinner, I had been pacing around my room since I returned from school. My stomach tangled in knots after everything that had during the day. Ethan’s careful voice still rang in my ears, his eyes sharper than usual when he asked me about the rumor, and I had pretended like it rolled off me. Pretended like Maverick’s stare in the cafeteria hadn’t burned me through and through and like I wasn’t still restless, waiting for the other shoe to drop. I leaned over the mirror, fixing my hair for no real reason. My reflection looked flushed and uncertain. I tugged the hem of my dress straight, smoothing the fabric against my thighs as if that would settle me. I knew dinner downstairs would be nothing more than my mom talking too much, Maverick brooding in silence, and his father pretending to play the part of a man who cared but still, my pulse picked up. Maverick would be there and my body couldn’t wait. Mums voice rang out from downstairs. “Malia! Dinner!”

Maverick By the next morning, the rumor had teeth. Before I even got to my locker, I could feel the stares on me. They were staring for longer than they usually did, and then pretended not to, then leaned close to themselves to whisper. I knew exactly whose name was in their mouths, and it made my blood run hot. Then I saw Nancy walking like she was proud of herself, all sway and lip gloss, eating up the attention. I didn’t hesitate. I fell in step a few paces behind, silently and steady. She didn’t notice of course, why would she? She was too busy smiling at the mess she’d made. She pushed through the back doors, sunlight hitting her hair just right, like the world had staged it for her. Out on the field, it was quieter and we were without any audience. That was when I called her name. “Nessa.” She turned around and looked at me with her stupidly fake smile. “Maverick,” she said, like she’d been expecting me. I closed the distance, and the smile slid off her face

KAYLA POVThe buildup of Thorne-Brooks legacy legally was a tough one. But for the first time, it felt like an avenue of protecting people instead of destroying them. The boardroom of Naomi Brooks institute for regenerative health was turned into a war zone for three days. Clara who has the backings of several legal auditors brought out a pile of international asset registries and Julius’ offshore accounts remnants they got the wipe.Lucas sat the presiding head of that table as his dominant aura filled the room. He didn’t hold the title of the CEO of Thorne Global but he still maintain his ruthless energy when it comes to corporate laws which he is aware of. “I want to remind you that if we execute this structure, then it will be permanent,” Clara said as she was holding a massive red document. “If you agree to this, then the Thorne family has no business with the equality generated in the regenerative science now and the future to come. They’ll be stripped off leading everything to

KAYLA POVAfter seeing that message, we knew Naomi, my mother has something to do with it. Lucas didn’t take any chances as he put Julius in a tight position. Julius on his part couldn’t make a move since he knew that his chance of monopolizing the future is gone. “You’ll pay for making me lose my investment,” Julius shouted but his voice was consumed by silent sobs where his voice betrayed him. “You can sense within you that you just made an empty threat,” Lucas responded with dominance in his tone. “By the way, we might or might not cross path again, Julius.” Lucas forcefully gain access to the elevator we exited the mainframe room and penthouse in general.We booked a flight back to New York to unravel the message sent to that screen. The flight was a calm one as it felt like walking on a cloud of tranquility. The data wipe affected the global market and spread shockwaves in the financial markets. JJ Med-Tech’s shares hit a rock bottom as investors tried to flee the scene with le

KAYLA POVWhen that alarm blared, I knew something has gone wrong. The decision yet to be made was another pressing issue. Julius slammed his fist on the mahogany tree near him as his face was red with untold fury. The whole penthouse was thrown into corporate chaos and panic as I discovered the system has strike a warning measured in hours. Hus team of technical directors were not left out as I roamed the room trying to flood the comms channels. “What do you mean that the system is collapsing?” Julius yelled as the room couldn’t recover from the panic mode. “As you said earlier, Zack had a brilliant mind,” I said as my voice was visible and clear despite the noise of the sirens. “He didn’t just set a timer but it was a trap. Your team tried to access the server through an external network, that’s where they triggered a neural latency cascade. The mainframe is protecting its backup data from the core.”Lucas’ anger probably reached peak as he didn’t wait for Julius to recover himsel

KAYLA POVI was happy that I accepted the urgent request to visit my mom. Through that visit, we were able to get a vital information which happens to be that code. Lucas was in his usual mood as he was just neutral after Naomi left for her cell. We didn’t waste time as we completed the necessary documentations before leaving the New York correctional center. We had a mission which is travelling to Geneva to stop an impending monopoly. A flight to Geneva was already booked by Lucas for both of us. With his connections, we arrived at the airport unnoticed by the people of New York. The plane took off and landed in Geneva where we operate in stealth mode under the influence of fake corporate identities. The remnants of Lucas’ old shell accounts was our leverage to secure a private vehicle while keeping a low profile. The air in Geneva felt sterile bur the smell of snow didn’t escape my nasal interpretation. The black SUV which was used moved peacefully as it passed the headquarters of

KAYLA POVAfter my decision at the cottage, Lucas accepted it and we made our way to New York correctional center. After passing the necessary verifications, we were accompanied by an officer to the visitor’s block. The air there was suffocating and thick with disinfectant, stale sweat and despair hanging in the air. Talking about the despair, it was heavy because different souls are brought guilty or innocent. This was a clear contrast to the calm peace I experienced at the cottage for several weeks now. I was led to a chair facing the thick glass separating the visiting room for both visitors and prisoners. I sat there keeping my hand on the cold metal counter while Lucas stood behind me with his dominant presence. He wasn’t with tailored suit but the simple clothing he put on still commands the room. The guards there stood their distance because they all remember the tales of the once feared CEO in New York. The iron door at the prisoners’ visiting room slowly opened to reveal th

KAYLA POVThe silence around the cottage was not forced but it flowed with the natural rhythm of nature. The silence was golden as we needed it after enduring months and years of noise that had the potential to crack eardrums. It’s been several weeks as we have adapt to the life of an ordinary individual. Day in, day out, the sun from the riverine horizon played a major part in our lives. This way, we tried to forget the past as we forge the present in this cottage. Lucas was slowly adapting to a life that was different from the one he took as a lifestyle. He had a good grip on the machete as he can survey the dense bush away from the cottage. Anytime he comes back from such expedition, his raw masculine energy stood at its peak. It was different from the ruthless personality that defined his life for twent years. I felt love returning to the settings as being aligned with nature. The final edit which was found in the house and what we found in the bridge are all gone into the dark