==Olivia==
The call came for the umpteenth time and I knew I had to go check it out. As soon as I saw the name on the phone, I braced up, ready for what was to come.
I exited the library and got into the hallway.
“Happy birthday!” The screech could tear my ear drums apart. I flinched, taking the phone away from my ear to prevent any damage.
A smile graced my lips as the croaky birthday song entered my ear.
“Thank you, Leah.”
“Guess who the latest adult is?”
“Excuse me? I'm 21,” I said.
“That’s the point. Right now, you can join me in hitting the bar and drinking all you want.”
“Not happening. You know it.”
“Oh, let's see,” she said and I chuckled. “Anyways, what’s the plan? Where we gon' hit?”
“Bed.”
“Huh?”
I rolled my eyes, knowing what she was going on in her mind. “We gonna hit the bed. As in get to sleep.”
“Geez. Why do you have to be a party pooper? Of course, we aren't doing that. Listen, this is your twenty-first birthday.”
“I know, mommy.”
“So, we gonna make a memory. 5:30. Hit me up.”
“I guess you’ve forgotten, Officer. My shit starts by 5.”
She muttered a cuss word. “Then, we go as soon as you’re done. It makes it much better.”
I rolled my eyes. “Bye, Leah.” I cut the call.
Signing, I walked back into the library to finish up my reading.
###
Glancing at my wrist watch, I realised it was 9pm. Finally, my shit was over. I got one more order ready for a customer, then went into the dressing room and untied my apron. I got my things ready and left the café. When I stepped outside, I couldn’t believe what or rather who I saw. Leah, leaning on her pickup truck. This girl wouldn't cease to amaze me
“How long have you been here?”
She glanced at her watch. “A little over an hour, thank you,” she said and then squeezed her face. “Yikes, you look…pathetic.”
I followed her gaze and appraised myself. Sure, a faded t shirt and blue jeans wasn’t quite a statement, but that didn’t give her the right to call me out on it.
“Hey, watch it.”
She rolled her eyes. “Hop in.”
I got into the passenger side of the car. I was expecting her to start off the car, but when she didn’t, I looked at her. She was staring at me. I knew that look.
“No, Leah. I’m not going to watch Bama for you.”
Bama was her Chihuahua. Leah used to ask me to come take a look or parent him whenever she was away for her very many seminars. I always declined the offer, as not only did I not have much free time, but also, I wasn’t a pet person per se.
She rolled her eyes. “I know you enough not to trust you with my puppy, but that’s beside the point.”
“Okay, what’s the deal? “
Her smile grew wider till she gave a titter. “Awwwn. I still can’t believe you’ve reached the age of accountability. “
I sighed. “For God's sake, Leah. I’m 21, which literally means I got to that age of accountability some three years back.”
She chuckled and I felt like slapping the smile off her face.
“Yeah, right.”
“You know, I don’t take it well when you rub my size on my face.”
She laughed harder and I immediately regretted my words. I sat silent, frustrated as she continued guffawing.
“I’m so—” More laugh. “I'm sorry. Come on, we all know how cute petites like you are.”
When I didn’t say anything, she sobered up. “Okay, I’m sorry. For real.”
I shrugged.
“That's my baby girl. Anywho, I got something for you.”
I glanced at her as she stretched her hand to the back seat. She brought out a ribboned box and gave it to me.
Immediately, my anger disappeared. As much as Leah could be annoying, she was the perfect definition of a friend. She always had my back and I couldn’t have done anything without her.
I took the box. “Thank you.”
She smiled. “You’re welcome. But I bet you’d be more enamored when you find out what stuff is inside.”
“Come on, are you tryna tempt me into opening it?”
“Oh, no no. But I can’t wait to…you know what, forget it,” she said. “To the bar!”
I sighed. Here we go again.
“A'int gonna run away from this one,” she said, as she started the car engine.
==Matteo==Slowly, my eyes peeled open. I stared at the ceiling at some time, before finally rising. I perched on the edge of the bed and ran my hand across my hair.I stood, walked to my closet, opened it and took out my bathrobe. When I turned around, my eyes met something…noteworthy. A dent on my floor. A scrowl grew on my face as I stared at the pile of littered clothing. A bra, a panty and a gown. I took my eyes to the woman on the bed. Her legs spread apart, the blanket unable to give proper coverage to her nude body.I stared at her for a while, before leaving to brush my teeth. I walked down the hallway, into the balcony.“Good morning, sir,” a servant said.I took the newspaper fr
It was a starless night. Cold and foggy. Certainly not the perfect time for driving. John Doe knew this, and he knew what laid ahead of him. But he shook it off, relying on two facts. One, he wasn’t going to reach Brookehurt. Yes, his Mama's house was a little away from the town. It took about twenty minutes away to get there from her house. Two, this wasn’t the full moon. No threat to be wary of.And so, he drove. But the unsettling feeling was still in him.“Just a little closer,” he said. Just then, something darted across the road. He jammed his brakes, eyes wide open. Heart thumping. He stopped his engine, leaving just the brights on. And listened. All he could hear was the sound of crickets.When a minute passed and he didn’t hear anything, he continued, re
==Olivia==I woke up to the sound of a phone call. Awesome, it was from Leah.“Morning, Leah. Thanks for the really needed present.”She squealed. “You liked it? I bet you did!”I rolled my eyes. Leah's present was two pairs of Victoria’s secret lingerie. Among the most outrageous things she had sent, this took the lead.“Oh yes. Cos I work in a club and my success really depend on how flimsy my underwear is.”.“Don’t be an ingrate.”“I’m not,” I said. “But you now how these things are. I’m not comfortable with ‘em.”.
==Matteo==I got off the phone with my secretary, just in time for a knock to come.“Come in.” I said.The door opened to reveal my butler. “Sire, I have the documents with me.”I ushered him in, and he passed me the documents.The first page read: Olive Samantha Haynes. The second page displayed her personal information. From the look of things, she recently turned 21, measured 5”5 in height and worked as a waitress at a local café. I flipped to the next page and saw her pictures.My eyes circled around her form. I immediately shut the portfolio, not wanting to see more.“You may
*Olivia*Leah… I couldn’t be more grateful for a friend. For a sister. For a companion. She proved once again that she was the confidante I knew. She had suggested I offered to work for whomever it was my dad was owing. She made me realise I might be scared for nothing.I stayed in her apartment for the weekend and resumed fully to work on Monday. My boss had been considerate. When I told him I was ill he sympathised with me. I still hadn’t seen…Dad. I didn’t know where he was, and maybe I didn’t want to see him ever again.I got hold of some burger and fries then walked home. All I would do was eat and drown myself with some music. Something that would clear my mind.When I got home, I did just that, eating and lis
==Matteo==I slammed my palms on the table, fury blinding me. “How dare he?” I growled. “What gave him the effrontery? “My servant remained emotionless. Well, it wasn't as if I was expecting him to react.Fuck! The little bastard that called himself Lyons thought he could sideline me. The hell he thought. Ever since my encounter with my proposed…subject, I hadn’t been at rest. Thoughts about her plagued my mind. I would get flashes whenever I slept, and that scent was stuck in my nose. Fed up, I asked my servants to keep an eye on her. I didn’t want to claim her just yet. Now, everything was going well, until I was informed that Lyons…Lyons fucking Jones dropped by at her apartment. His conversation with her was
Chapter 8==Matteo==Her eyes were tightly shut. Her hair, sandy blonde, fell all over her face. It had been over thirty minutes she arrived, and I had been keeping watch. I was in the atrium with her.The first time I laid my eyes on her, intense hatred and disgust grew in me. I remembered thinking, what the hell was I going to do with this one. She was weak. She was frail. If I didn’t know better, I would have argued she was 15.Again, I cursed Haynes. Pete Haynes, the pathetic fool. He must have grown tired of the burden his daughter had on him, given that he decided to shift his responsibility on me.I sized the young lady again. I couldn’t tell what she would offer. Could I trust her to handle the kitch
==Olivia==My head was light, almost as if it didn’t exist. I wanted to speak, but couldn’t bring that to happen. Tried to turn my neck, that also was a failed mission. I was completely useless.Then, miraculously, my eyes began to obey me. It opened, slowly first before becoming fully active. I was in some form of room. The lighting was pretty dim, but I could still see. I tried to speak, to say hello, but cut myself shut. What happened? Where am I?Then, I saw a figure…no, someone. It was actually a person sitting few feet across from where I was. To say I was startled was an understatement. I literally had the scare of my life. Sitting before me was a guy. Now, although I couldn’t see much, I could tell that he was huge. He wore a black long