"All of you are fucking useless!"
Britney screamed pointing at the 3 suit cled men in front of her. She stomped her pumps on the tiled floor in frustration. Frustrated that those three men with wide range of connections weren't able to get her brother out of jail.
"We tried our best mam but the case is too strong. The prosecution really made sure not to leave any loop holes. Even bribing the higher ups didn't help." One of the men spoke bowing down his head.
She let out a long breath. She was furious. They were one of the most powerful and feared families of the country and suddenly because of a rookie lawyer her brother went to jail and their relevance began to fade? She couldn't accept it. Those higher ups who mooched off their money were now covering like rats, hiding behind the fake masks of honesty and patriotism.
'Of course they would do that, after all they are getting praises without moving a muscle.'
"On top of it," one of the men started "The merger between Andrew Constructions and Cartier Empire has officially been legalized. They are having a celebration to announce it to the world."
When had she found out that it was the heiress of Andrew Constructions who was the reason behind her brother's arrest, she was determined to bring the Andrews family to the ground and would have succeeded in doing so if only the Cartiers didn't interfere.
Having the Cartier family in picture made everything harder. They were the only ones who could be set side by side with the Chases. The difference was, Cartiers had a good, spotless image while Chases were the total opposite.
"I DON'T CARE! I WANT MY DAD BACK!" The girl standing behind her screeched. Her high pitched voice echoed in the huge study room.
"You will honey," Britney said in a loving tone. "But we need some time. Don't you want that girl to suffer for what she did to us?"
The girl nodded, making her blonde ponytail bounce. "I do. I want her her to suffer until she comes to us begging on her knees but not just her. Also her husband, Calvin Cartier. You know how much I hate him right?"
"Yes, my baby. He will also pay for what he did." Britney caressed her face with gentle hands. "Find someone who hates him as much as us." She commanded, her blue eyes screamed dominance.
"There might be someone like that mam." A man took out his phone and raised it up to meet her gaze. She took a good look at the picture he showed.
"That heiress, has a lover."
...
"Why are you so slow? Are you a sloth?" Blair whined sitting on the edge of their bed while Calvin stood in front of the mirror, styling his hair. The had to go to the manor for the announcement party.
She tend to do everything fast, she was all done with her wine coloured outfit, hair and makeup within 30minutes. On the other hand, he leisurely took his time getting ready. Trying on six different shirts before finally picking one. Being a naturally impatient person, his slow pace really annoyed her.
"Why are you so impatient, are you a time bomb?" He mocked, now moving to the drawer to pick out the perfect watch. 'Time bomb? That's the best he could come up with?'
"All done, let's go." He said, looking at his reflection with a satisfied smile.
"Finally!"
"I heard that."
"That's why I said it out aloud."
...
"Are you doing well? Aaron asked as he hugged her. She nodded her head. And felt his hand caressing her hair. Though they were the same age, he always acted like a big brother towards her. At first he was worried about her getting married but seeing her all happy and smiling at the party put him at ease.
She hugged Miguel as well and gave Martha a small smile. Martha just ignored her for a good second but finally gave her a stiff smile after noticing Calvin raising his eyebrows at her.
"Hey Cal, looking for as average as always!" James said holding a smug smile when they went over to greet the Cartiers. Calvin rolled his eyes.
"Hey James, being as annoying as always." He shot back.
"Don't you get tired of him?" He asked Maya in an attempt to get back at James.
"Oh it's so tough to handle him." Maya answered laughing. James made a face at his wife and sipped his wine. Blair watched them with amusement. She enjoyed watching them being playful, teasing eachother, being a happy family.
Though she had Miguel and Aaron with her, they rarely ever got to live a happy family moment. Mainly because Martha wasn't very fond of her and never failed to remind her about the fact. There were lots of times when she felt like an outsider interrupting their family.
She was lost in thoughts when a voice called her name. She smiled wide at his sight. All of her sad thoughts disappeared just by looking at him. Raiden walked towards her wearing a similar smile. She introduced him to the Cartier family.
" Mr. Kingston, I have heard a lot about you. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Albert said, extending out his hand which Raiden shook gladly.
"The pleasure is all mine, sir."
Calvin secretly rolled his eyes and mimicked him without making any sound. The moment he saw Elvis giving him a weird look, he knew he got caught. He thanked God, it wasn't James or Jackie, or else they would hold it to his neck for the rest of his life.
For a reason he couldn't understand, Raiden's presence really annoyed him. He wanted to get away from there. With an excuse of greeting other guests, he took Blair's hand and they both walking away.
When they were a good distance away from his family, he spoke."I have to say you are quite bold, introducing your lover to your in laws." He said in a low voice, bending down his knees a little so she could hear him properly. His voice was monotonous but his thoughts were not.
"He's my boss, not my lover." She replied, not sparing him a glace. He scoffed internally at her excuse. That was the lamest excuse he had ever heard. Did she really expected him to believe that bullshit?
"So, your boss makes you blush and smile like crazy. Am I right?" There was something about his tone which made her frown. He sounded bitter? Annoyed? Cranky? She couldn't figure out.
"Why are you acting like a jealous husband?" She just said that to piss him off, not knowing that it might be the truth.
"You wish."
For a moment, he questioned his response. Was he really feeling jealous? He didn't like how Blair didn't even bother to look at him but her eyes always lit up seeing Raiden.
Jealousy was the last thing he would admit to. The words 'Calvin Cartier' and 'jealousy' didn't go in the same sentence. Never did he ever felt jealous for a woman. It was impossible.
According to his family, he had always been a jealous kid who cried whenever his mom paid someone else more attention then him. Till he turned 3 it was hard for his dad or his brothers to even get close to Joanne in his presence.
But this was different. He wasn't a baby anymore. It felt different. The burning feeling in his body was foreign to him and he didn't like it. For the first time in his life, he was experiencing jealousy.
'You really are something else, Mrs. Cartier.'
"Why is she calling me at this time?" Calvin wondered when he saw Jessica's name flash on the caller ID. Getting a call from her was already unusual, and on top of it, in middle of the day? He assumed it must be something important. Without wasting any more time, he tapped the green icon and placed the phone near his ear."Get inside!" He flinched when her voice blasted from the other side."Jessica? What is going on?" He inquired. He was pretty sure she was not talking to him. Did she call him by mistake? There were some weird noises from the other side. Muffled sounds, grunts, some commotion. His curiosity rose. Instead of questioning her any further, he kept quiet, putting his attention on what was happening on the call."You like to play, don't you?" It was a man's voice. Gruff and stern. However, that voice did not sound familiar to Calvin. And he did not sound like someone civil with Jessica. Before he could assume anything more, another feminine voice spoke."Stop! You want me,
Jessica watched intently as Dr. Hill put some disinfectant on a ball of cotton, held it up with a suture scissor and dabbed it on Stephanie’s chest. Jessica helped by pulling her shirt further, near her shoulder, to give the doctor better access to the wound. Stephanie was still like a statue. Surprisingly, the sting was very minimal, much less than the previous time. She remembered the last time she got her wound cleaned. It burned so much, she felt like someone had inserted a flaming rod inside her. She shook her head, wanting to forget that horrible memory, it was one of the main reason why she did not want to visit the hospital. “Does it hut too much?” Jessica inquired with a whisper, noticing the girl’s stiff expression. “Not at all.” She whispered back, putting the former at ease. Just the thought of getting shot sounded terrifying to her. On top of it, the pain that comes with its treatment, the idea made all hairs on her body stand up. In her eyes, she found incredibly brav
"I am just being paranoid." Raiden stated to himself. He gulped down a glass of water, wishing it will come his restless heart. Jessica had texted him saying that they had reached the hospital. 'They would be home in no time. It is not a big deal.' That's what he was trying to convince himself. However, his instinct told him something was not right. He glanced at his watch. The case would resume in half an hour. He had to get his mind off everything else and go through his points once again. Blair had already immersed herself in revising each and every document before they had to face the jury.For time being, everything was going in their favor. They just had to stay consistent and he would walk out of the courtroom with another victory by his name."Mr. Kingston? You seem distracted." Blair observed her boss's lost behavior. It was unusual of him, not paying attention on his work. "Should I get you a coffee?" She asked. "That is no need for that." He waved his hand to dismiss her
"Do you really like my brother?" It would be a lie if Stephanie said she did not expect it. Jessica was like that, nosy and straightforward. At least in Stephanie's eyes. She reminisced the conversation she had with Raiden that same morning."Dr Hill can't come today, so we have to go to the hospital." He informed, keeping his eyes downcasted. Things had been awkward between them since the day he indirected rejected her. In all honesty, she missed him. His face, his voice, his smile, his shabby cooking which she always ate without any complains. She would feel so overwhelmed by his efforts that his bland food did not bother her. She was happy, just by looking at him. His mere presence bought her unexplainable joy.However, now things were not the same as before. The person who provided her comfort, was acting like a complete stranger. And it was all her fault. She was convinced that it was a huge mistake on her side to confess his her feelings when she knew she would get rejected. 'Bu
We should always obey our elders. They know the best. Elders are never wrong. All these things are embodied in our heads since our childhood. We should never expect them to apologize, even when they are in the wrong. That's what we are taught. But, is it always true? In that room, Blair encountered to completely different type of adults."I am so sorry, my dear." Miguel apologized with regretful eyes as Martha stood in the back, keeping her lips zipped and holding on her usual, 'I am disgusted' expression. "All this time, I only thought about myself. How did I became so selfish? I never tried to understand how you must feel. Family is supposed to have each other's back in difficult times, but I left you alone when you needed my support the most. I'm sorry, Blair." He asked for her forgiveness with downcasted eyes.His heart was full of regret. He softly clutched her palm, showing her a grim smile. "It doesn't matter to me. Even if we don't share the same blood, you are still my li
"I really have no idea." Aaron chuckled when Blair gave him a questioning stare. As per Miguel's wish, her and Calvin visited the Andrews mansion. They found Aaron and Mr Park in the living room. However, the older couple was nowhere to be seen. She wondered what could be the reason behind the invitation."They were fighting again. Dad's health is getting worse." Aaron spoke up, out of the blue. Mister Park nodded his head in agreement."Mr Andrews is looking into divorce lawyers." He revealed. "At first I thought it was not that bad because they were attending marriage counseling. But now, things doesn't look that good.""Dad is planning to get a divorce!? Why didn't you tell me?" Aaron exclaimed, feeling disappointed. If he had known everything from the beginning, he could have tried to solve it."I didn't want to hide it from you, but your father asked me not to involve you. I am sorry." The older man apologized.My parents are considering divorce, for fuc- God's sake! How can I not