DAMIEN The incessant ringing of my phone snapped me out of my thoughts as I groaned and grabbed the annoying thing. I desperately wanted to destroy the phone but seeing who was calling I reigned my temper. It’s been three hours since my confrontation with Liam and Shawna. I was certain that the sleazebag was sleeping with Shawna when we were still together. But I didn't know why that mattered and why I felt so hurt. Shawna told me we weren't married again so I had no right to interfere in her life. I knew she was right but it didn't make me feel better. I just felt like shit which was why I had returned and buried myself in my bar. My phone rang again and I sighed staring at the time. Suzy would be here soon and she would make a fuss if she saw me like this. I picked up the call with a scowl on my face, “Hello.”“Where the hell are you, Damien?” my father’s voice sounded in my ears. I winced taking the phone away from my ears, “Keep your voice down.”There was a slight pause at
SHAWNA“What is happening now?” I asked, staring at the papers in my hand. My mom walked up to me with a frown as she took the document and stared at it. “You’re naming her your heir?” my mother asked. My grandfather nodded with a smile, “Yes, it was your mother’s wish before she passed away.”I saw the broken look on my mother’s face as she stared at my grandfather. Her voice broke when she spoke up again, “Mother is dead?”My grandfather nodded, “I’m sorry, Princess. We tried to reach out to you but we couldn't. That was when we found out you've left that scumbag. Before I could find you again she died.”I didn't understand anything but I knew the love a daughter had for her mother. Even though my grandparents disowned my mother she still felt terrible at the realization that her mother was dead.“I’m so sorry, Mom,” I patted her back. My grandfather handed my mom a box, “Take this, she asked me to give it to you.”My mom collected the box and cradled it like it was the most im
SHAWNAThe loud wail of Phoebe pulled me out of my thoughts as I stood by the sidewalk feeling miserable about myself. “Get off my stand, woman!” the ice cream vendor snapped at me. “Hush now, Phoebe, I’ll get you the ice cream. I just need to grab cash from the house,” I said to Phoebe, trying to placate her as we crossed the road and headed back home. Phoebe was having none of it as she kept crying like someone who had lost something. Her cries broke my heart as I entered inside and my mother frowned when she saw us. “What did you do to her?” she asked me with a frown. Phoebe jumped into my mother’s arms immediately, hiccuping and mumbling, “Ice cream.”I gave my mom a sad smile as I briefed her on what Eugene had done. “That b–” I arched my brow at my mom, reminding her we didn't use swear words around the kids. My mom sighed, “How could she do that to a little girl? She's heartless.”Then my mom turned to Phoebe, “Don’t worry, Grandma will buy you ice cream now, my little p
SHAWNA“What are you doing here?” I asked the moment I saw Eugene. Eugene smirked and I wished I could punch her to wipe the smirk off her face. “Why, I'm the new landlady,” Eugene announced. My former landlord stared at Eugene and bowed, clearing his throat. “Uh… Miss Eugene, I'm trying to evict them but they're proving stubborn,” my landlord said. Eugene waved him off, “Leave. I'll handle this.”When he left I decided to swallow my pride and plead with Eugene at least for the sake of my children she would consider. “Hurry up with her luggage, boys,” Eugene clapped her hands. The nen she came with didn't waste time at all, they walked into the house immediately, leaving me alone with Eugene.“You don't have to do this. Give me a few more hours to sort things out." I said. I didn't want to sound like I was begging her, just negotiating.Today took a wild turn, I've always tried to avoid anything that has to do with being in contact with Eugene because she's trouble herself.But
SHAWNA“Phoebe!", I yelled and rushed downstairs with her. Blood had smeared the place she was lying on.“Mom." I heard her weak voice over my racing heart.I carried her up into my arms, and just at the same time my mom rushed out from the room she was in with the boys.They all started questioning me but were all shocked at the sight before them.I took Phoebe straight into the car, placing her in the back seat. The boys and mom cornered me before I could get to the driver's seat.“What's going on Shawna?" Mom asked me, the boys were trying to open the car's door, but the child's lock was on.“She fell down the stairs mom, I need to get her to the hospital now!" I rushed out.“Let's go to the hospital together then." She wanted to get into the car with me but I stopped her, finally thinking straight.“No, you'll relapse before we get to the hospital. Stay here with the boys, I'll keep you posted." I jumped into the car and locked all the doors.I know how much they'll all want to go
SHAWNA“Phoebe?" I called out in a little voice, my voice was very weak.Liam looked down at her to see what was happening with me, he looked equally shocked.I moved closer to my daughter, placing my hand on her chest, and I got nothing. She wasn't breathing any longer, that always only means one thing which I refuse to believe is what's going on.“She's no longer breathing! You both should fucking do something!" Liam yelled at them both but they were still unmoved.“Fuck you two, you'll regret it!" he yelled and took her further into the hospital himself.I was too shaken, stood still even when Liam was walking away with my daughter, my legs were too weak to move, my mind numb and eyes just clouded with too much tears.I watched helplessly as Liam was stopped in the middle of the lobby by two security guards. He looked like he wanted to hit them in the faces if not that he was carrying Phoebe.Just as an unimaginable level of anger overtook my entire form, a familiar figure started
SHAWNA“Are you all ready to go now?" Liam asked my mother and me. It's the morning after the incident with Phoebe.Grandfather had people on guard all night to stay with her so I didn't have to stay with her all night, I'm just on my way to the hospital this morning with Mom.Billy and Jasper have gone with their nanny this morning, they'll go to see their sister in the afternoon. But for now, it's just my mother and me.“Yes, we just finished," I answered him."Let's go then.” He walked out of the house with both of us behind him, we got outside and entered his car, zooming off immediately.“Are you going to a job interview today, Shawna?" Mom asked me when the ride started.“No, why did you ask?" “Well, you're dressed like that." She shrugged.Truth be told, I was dressed in office wear, but I tried as much as possible to make it look casual too. I wore a white pants trouser and a flowery shirt that was mostly black.“I took the heiress position from Grandpa,” I announced. I've be
EUGENE “I like that! I like that!" I grinned at Kyle, who beamed happily at me. I didn't even need to tell him before he knew he was meant to throw them out, and I like him for that. “Look at how helpless she looked, I like how today is just going for her," I grinned evilly. “I know right, let's just go to where you were going, they don't deserve this level of attention, they're low lives and it should remain that way." Kyle wrapped his arm around my shoulder. We walked towards his car and got in, his driver looked like he wanted to say something with how he kept glancing back. “Just spill it already, Frank," Kyle ordered him. “I just wanted to tell you that your brother was in the hospital too, I saw him go in.” He said. My heart skipped a beat when he said that, I felt the pressing need to be there already, I didn't want to go with Kyle before, but hearing that Damien would be there made me enthusiastic. “Really?" I asked out loud. Kyle glanced at me with the sudden shift
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