THE SECRET MEET UP*

Layla ran out.

At first, it was only static in his mind, a name echoing against a wall he couldn't climb. But then, as her lips trembled against his, her taste and warmth unlocked something deeper.

A rush of images broke through __starting from day one, when he was sent by his father to start protecting her, how he fell in love with her and their shared kisses in the dark, how he claimed her as his property...his little fox.

He gasped, pulling back suddenly, eyes widening, "fox!" he whispered.

Tears welled up in pearl's eye's hope flooding her face.

with a ragged breath, Roonie pulled her down against him, kissing her hard, as though to reclaim every lost second.

"I remembered...." he breathed against her lip.

"Damn!, fox... i remember everything.

THE SECRET MEET UP*

The night was heavy with silence. Tate sat across from Richard in his living room, her hands trembling as she placed the folded DNA papers on the table between them. Her eyes were swollen, her face drained of life.

Tate voice quivering “Richard… I can’t hide it anymore. I did the test years ago, just after Pearl was born. Adrian isn’t her father. You are.”

The words dropped like stones in the room. Richard froze, staring at the papers with wide eyes. His breath hitched, and for the first time in years, he looked rattled.

Richard: “…What did you just say?”

“She’s your daughter. Pearl is yours, Richard… Not Adrian’s. I carried this secret all these years because I was ashamed… but it’s the truth.” Tate cried like a kid.

Richard’s eyes clouded, his hands trembling as he backed away, shaking his head violently.

Richard: “No… no, that’s not possible… No…”

But then his face changed. Memories clawed at him—memories he had buried, the cruel things he had done to Pearl when she was only a child, the way he justified it as revenge against Adrian. His eyes widened in horror as realization struck.

“My God… what have I done?” Richard tears fell from his eyes.

Tate looked up, her tears streaming uncontrollably.

“You hurt her, Richard! All those years… the way she cried, the way she suffered—and all because you hated your brother. And now… now you know. The child you tortured was your own flesh and blood!” Tate screamed loudly her tears almost blinding her.

Richard’s knees gave way, and he sank into the chair, clutching his head. His breathing was ragged, his eyes filled with shock, regret, and something close to madness.

“I thought she was his… I thought she was Adrian’s child. I wanted him to feel pain, to lose what he loved most. I… I destroyed her… my own daughter…” Richard cried.

Tate buried her face in her hands, her sobs filling the air.

Tate screaming through her tears, “You’re a monster, Richard! You took my sin and turned it into her nightmare. You broke her life just to hurt your brother—and all this time, you didn’t even know she was yours!”

The room fell into silence again, except for Tate’s weeping and Richard’s shaking breaths. His eyes were wide, haunted, staring at nothing as the weight of his crimes crushed him.

---

Adrian Carson stood frozen outside the half-open door, his heart pounding in his chest. He had followed Tate, unable to shake the gnawing suspicion that had haunted him for years. Now he stood in the shadows, listening—his breath shallow, his fists clenched.

Inside, Tate’s broken sobs cut through the silence.