PHOEBERamon grinned as we walked toward the car, his hand slipping into mine like it belonged there. I rolled my eyes but didn’t pull away. He always did this, acted like he had some secret joke I wasn’t in on. It was annoying.“What?” I shot him a look.“Nothing.” His grin widened. “Just thinking.”“Thinking about what?”He tugged me to a stop, turning so he was facing me fully. “Thinking about how you get all flustered when I tease you.”I scoffed. “I do not.”“Oh, you do.” He stepped closer, eyes dark with amusement. “Like right now. Your nose is scrunching up. You only do that when you’re trying to act tough.”I huffed. “You’re ridiculous.”“And you love it.”I rolled my eyes again, but my heart was pounding. He was too close. The air between us felt too thick. “I tolerate it.”He chuckled, low and knowing. “Mm-hmm.”I turned away, but he caught my wrist, pulling me back. “Come on, Phoebe, admit it. You like it when I mess with you.”I lifted my chin. “You’re not that charming, R
SHAWNAThe hospital smelled like antiseptic and fear. My heels clicked against the cold tile as I rushed toward the ICU, my heart pounding in my chest. The bright fluorescent lights overhead did nothing to warm the cold, sterile atmosphere. Nurses whispered in hushed tones, doctors moved quickly past me, their expressions grim, and somewhere, a machine beeped steadily, the sound pressing against my skull like a ticking clock.None of it mattered. I ran to a nurse and asked about Mr Bryan Lancaster. She told me he was in room 109, one of their VIP wards. I ran and The only thing I saw was the man lying motionless in the hospital bed."Grandpa?" My voice cracked as I stepped closer, my throat dry.He didn’t move. His skin, usually full of warmth, looked pale, too pale. His chest barely rose under the thin hospital blanket. Wires and tubes ran from his body to machines I didn’t understand, blinking and beeping like a language I couldn’t comprehend.This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real.
SHAWNAI stared at my phone, my hands shaking so bad I almost dropped it. The call had ended, but the voice still echoed in my head. Admit what you did. Resign. Walk away, or your grandfather won’t make it. My chest tightened, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Who was doing this? And why?“Shawna?”I looked up and saw Damien standing in the doorway, his brows furrowed, concern etched all over his face. He took one look at me and rushed over.“What happened? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”I opened my mouth, but nothing came out at first. Then, somehow, I forced the words out. “I just got a call. Someone’s threatening me.”“What?” His eyes widened. “Threatening you how?”“They… they said if I don’t step down as CEO, admit to fraud, they’ll… they’ll kill my grandfather,” I whispered, my voice breaking.Damien’s jaw clenched. “What the hell? This people won’t stop, right? Who would do something like that?”“I don’t know!” I ran my hands through my hair, tugging slightly at the root
PHOEBEIt felt like my heart dropped to the floor the minute I stepped inside the house. The warm, fluttery feelings that had been buzzing through me all afternoon after hanging out with Ramon disappeared in an instant. One look at my mom’s face and I knew something was wrong.“Phoebe,” Grandma said gently from the living room, her voice tight. She gave me a small nod, her expression serious. I barely had time to say hi before the tension hit me like a wave.“What happened?” I asked, dropping my bag by the door.Mom didn’t even look at me. She was sitting on the couch, staring at nothing, like she’d checked out of reality. Her eyes were red like she’d been crying for hours.“Phoebe…” Grandma walked over slowly, her steps heavy, and put her hand on my arm. The look on her face made my stomach twist into knots. There was something in her eyes, something serious, something that made me feel like I needed to sit down even though I was still standing.“It’s your great-grandfather… and your
PHOEBEI kept staring at mom, waiting for more, waiting for her to say something that would make all of this make sense. But she didn’t. She just sat there with that forced smile on her face, like that was supposed to be enough.“It’s not just the stress, is it?” I asked quietly.“Phoebe, don’t…” she started, but I cut her off.“No, Mom. Don’t brush me off. You look like you haven’t slept in days. You’ve barely eaten, and you’re acting like… like you’re carrying the whole world on your shoulders. And now, with Grandpa getting worse, you’re falling apart, and I don’t know how to help you because you won’t let me in!” My voice cracked at the end, and I blinked back tears, frustrated that I couldn’t keep it together.Mom’s face softened, and for a second, I thought she might finally open up. But instead, she just sighed and reached out to take my hand.“I’m okay, Phoebe. Really. I just… I need some time to figure things out. And I need you to focus on yourself, okay? You’ve got so much a
SHAWNAI was sitting on the edge of the bed after the kids had left, staring at my hands like they held all the answers. Spoiler alert: they didn’t. My mind was a mess, full of doubts and exhaustion. Then Damien walked in, shutting the door softly behind him. For a moment, he just stood there, watching me, as if he wasn’t sure whether to say something or let me be alone with my thoughts.“You okay?” he asked gently, his voice cutting through my haze.I let out a shaky breath. “Not really,” I admitted.Damien came over and sat next to me. His hand brushed mine as he settled in beside me, and for a moment, I felt a small spark of comfort. “What’s on your mind?” he pressed.I laughed bitterly, the sound harsh even to my ears. “What isn’t on my mind?” I said. “I feel like I’m losing myself, Damien. Every time we win one battle, another one shows up. It’s like I’m stuck in a never-ending war. I’m exhausted, and I don’t even know how to stop fighting anymore.”He leaned back and rested his
PHOEBEI sat in the living room, feeling the weight of the day pressing down on me. After I left Mom, I met up with my brothers in the hallway. Their faces were tight with worry and frustration.“Phoebe, what’s going on?” Jasper asked, folding his arms.I shook my head. “Everything’s falling apart again. Every time we finally get happy, something bad happens.”Billy frowned, his face tight. “It’s like we’re cursed. Nothing goes right when things are good.”Jasper snorted. “Yeah, every time you smile, disaster follows.”I looked down, my voice trembling a little. “I don’t know why, but I think Ramon might be able to help. He’s different from those others.”Billy’s eyes shot open, anger flashing. “Ramon? You’re not supposed to be seen with him, Phoebe. He’s not welcome in our business.”Jasper’s tone turned cold. “We don’t want him involved. You should stay away from him.”I frowned. “Why can’t you see that he might actually be useful? He listens. He cares.”Billy shook his head sharply
PHOEBEIt happened so fast.One second, I was stepping into the garden, trying to calm down after that fight with my brothers, and the next, I was screaming because there was someone standing in the shadows. My heart jumped into my throat, and I stumbled back.The figure turned toward me, and my scream cut off when I saw his face.“Ramon?” I whispered, my voice shaky from the scare.“Hey,” he said, pulling back the hood of his cloak and giving me that lopsided smile that always made my stomach flip.“What are you doing here?” I asked, still trying to catch my breath. “And why are you sneaking around in my garden like some kind of… vampire hiding from the light?”Ramon chuckled softly, and without a word, he reached into his cloak and pulled out a small bouquet of flowers. The petals were soft-looking and a deep shade of purple, and they smelled like wild berries and fresh rain.“I missed you,” he said, his voice gentle. “And I had a feeling you were having a bad day.”My heart squeeze
PHOEBERichard didn’t react at first. He just stared at me like he was trying to read my thoughts.“I’m sorry for coming unannounced. I just… I really need your help.”I heard my own voice tremble. My eyes darted briefly to the floor before finding Richard’s again. I hated that I sounded so desperate, but I was. Completely and utterly desperate.Richard frowned, his brows pulling together. “What’s going on? Is something wrong?”I nodded slowly, my fingers wringing each other nervously in front of me. “It’s Ramon. I’ve been trying to find him all day. His apartment’s locked up. It looks like no one’s there. Curtains drawn. Door locked. Lights off. I knocked, I waited… nothing.”Richard’s expression changed subtly. Concern started creeping in.“I tried calling him. Several times. But his number’s not going through. It’s not even ringing.” I paused, struggling to keep my voice steady. “And I’ve spoken to some people who used to see him often…security at his place, a few mutual friends. N
PHOEBELater that day, I was still sitting at my desk, staring at the resignation letter in my hands like it might change if I looked at it long enough. It didn’t. The words stayed the same.I stood up and walked over to Clara’s desk. She looked up from her computer and gave me a soft smile before bowing to greet me.“Clara,” I said, holding up the letter. “Do you know where Ramon is? I need to speak with him.”She frowned and shook her head. “Oh… he left early this morning. Said he had something urgent to take care of. He didn’t say where he was going.”I felt my chest tighten. “Did he seem okay?”Clara paused, thinking. “I don’t know. He was quiet. Didn’t really talk to anyone. Just packed up his stuff and left.”“Packed up?”She nodded. “Yeah. Said he wouldn’t be coming back for a while.”That made my heart drop. What the hell was going on?I left the office immediately. I didn’t even bother to grab my bag. I just walked out, got into a cab, and told the driver to take me to Ramon’
PHOEBEI sat on my bed staring at nothing. My eyes were sore from crying, but no more tears came. I felt empty. Numb.A soft knock pulled me out of my thoughts. I blinked and looked up."Come in," I said quietly.To my surprise, it wasn’t Winnie. It was my grandmother."Grandma?" I said, standing up.She walked in slowly, her eyes scanning my face like she could read every thought running wild in my head. She didn’t say anything at first. She just came straight to me and pulled me into a hug. No words, no questions, just warmth. And in that moment, I cracked."Oh, my sweet girl," she whispered into my hair. "What’s wrong?"I hugged her tighter, and the tears came again, harder this time. I couldn’t stop them even if I tried. The sobs came from somewhere deep, somewhere I didn’t know still ached this much."I feel like I don’t know him," I sobbed, my voice shaking. "I feel like everything I believed was a lie."She didn’t say anything right away. Just rubbed my back gently, like she us
RAMONThe moment I saw her, my heart stopped.There she was, Phoebe. Standing by the garden path with the sun behind her, making her hair glow like it always used to when we’d sit on the porch together. I couldn’t move at first. I just stared.“Phoebe,” I said, finally stepping forward.She looked up, and our eyes met, but the look on her face hit me like a punch in the gut. No warmth. No relief. Just surprise… and something that felt like pain and disappointment rolled into one.She turned away instantly, like she couldn’t get away fast enough.“Wait…Phoebe, wait!” I rushed forward.She didn’t stop. She picked up her pace, but I caught up to her. I reached out and lightly grabbed her arm. “Please. Don’t go. Just let me talk.”“Let go of me, Ramon,” she said, her voice low and cold.I did. I stepped back, hands raised. “Okay. I’m sorry. I just… I wasn’t expecting to see you. I didn’t think you’d come out here.”“Well, I didn’t think I’d run into you,” she snapped. “Yet here we are.”“
BILLYI watched the door close behind Phoebe as she walked out of the room. My eyes followed her, but she didn’t even glance back. She just left.Jasper was standing beside me, arms folded, a puzzled look on his face. We both turned slowly to look at Winnie, who was still sitting on the edge of the bed. Her hands were clasped together, and she looked like she was trying not to say too much.“What’s going on?” I asked, breaking the silence first. “She just left us standing here.”“Yeah,” Jasper added. “She looked upset. And Ramon walked out earlier, looking like someone kicked his soul out. What’s happening?”Winnie looked up at us and sighed. “It’s… complicated.”Jasper raised an eyebrow. “Complicated how?”She stood up slowly, smoothing her shirt. “It’s something you should really hear from Phoebe.”“But she’s not exactly giving out answers right now, is she?” I said. “We’re her brothers. We have a right to know what’s happening with her.”“I agree,” Jasper added, nodding. “Did she r
PHOEBEThat morning, I woke up to the quiet hum of birds outside the window. For once, I didn’t have to rush to work or pretend everything was fine. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, trying not to think too much.The soft floral curtains swayed gently with the breeze, and for a moment, everything felt peaceful. But that peace didn’t reach inside me. I felt like I was just floating, present in body, but far from okay. My eyes were heavy from lack of sleep, and my chest ached from holding in tears all night. Still, I stayed there, wrapped in Winnie’s guest blanket, letting the silence stretch as long as it could.Winnie had helped sneak me into her house late last night, and I was grateful."Are you going to tell your parents you’re here?" she asked softly that morning as she came into the room with a cup of warm tea.I sat up slowly, blinking away the crust from my eyes. "There’s no need. They’ll just ask questions I’m not ready to answer."She nodded and handed me the cup. The mug
RAMONI stood there for a long time, watching Phoebe walk away. Her words echoed in my head like a sharp slap: “I never want to see you again.” I wanted to chase after her, to make her listen, to explain everything. But I couldn’t. Not when I didn’t even have the answers she needed.Not when everything in my life was already broken beyond repair.Maybe she was right to leave. Maybe this was the best thing for her. That’s what I kept telling myself as I dragged myself back to my uncle’s house. It was late, and the street was too quiet, like even the night wanted nothing to do with me.When I stepped inside, Uncle Richard looked up from the couch. He was lounging like a king in his robe, glass of whiskey in hand, the flickering TV light painting shadows across his aging face. He looked too calm for someone who had just helped me destroy the only thing that ever made sense in my life.“Well, look who’s back,” he said, a slow smile curling at the corners of his lips. “I take it she finall
PHOEBEMy whole body was sore. My dress was torn, my wrists burned from the ropes, and my eyes stung from crying. I was huddled in a corner of that cold, dark room, shivering as the last of the men ran out like rats. One second, they were setting up cameras, saying the most disgusting things, and the next, they were gone. Just like that.It made no sense. None of it did. Why would they leave me? What scared them off?I was too weak to stand, too confused to think straight. My head was pounding, and I could still feel whatever they had drugged me with swirling through my system. My heart was racing so fast I could barely catch my breath. My legs were pulled to my chest, arms wrapped tightly around them, as if I could make myself disappear if I just curled up small enough.And then I heard footsteps.Fast. Heavy. Coming closer.My eyes shot to the door.I froze.My heart shot to my throat.Were they back?Did they forget something?Were they going to finish what they started?I couldn’t
RAMONI stood in that hotel lobby staring at the manager as if he'd just announced a death. Maybe he had. Because knowing Phoebe had been taken right from under my nose felt exactly like that, like something had died inside me."She was in your care!" I shouted. "She was supposed to wait for me here!""Mr. Ramon," the manager said nervously, "we thought it was authorized…""By whom? My uncle?" I spat. "You took her because my uncle said so? Did she look like she wanted to leave? Did you even ask her that?"No answer. Just that sick, silent guilt on their faces.I didn't waste another second. I turned on my heel, stormed out of the hotel, jumped into my car, and sped straight to Richard's estate. My hands gripped the wheel so hard they ached. My mind was a storm, rage, fear, regret. I kept seeing her face in my head, her smile, the way she had trusted me. And now...She was gone.When I got to the mansion, the guards at the gate crossed their arms."Sir, Mr. Richard said not to let you