เข้าสู่ระบบCRISTIAN “She left?!” Aaliyah was having a hard time digesting the news. Jocey just told her that Lacy left first thing at dawn. “Yes, Ma'am. She said she had some family stuff to attend to. She didn't wanna disturb your sleep. So she pleaded with me to inform you.”“I don't understand. What do you mean? Why would she leave? We have one more day to spend here. We're both supposed to return to school tomorrow.”“She's not returning to school though. She said she had to meet a family member. She said it was urgent.”“What family member?” Aaliyah scoffed, ruffling her hair. Then her gaze found me. “Daddy, did you know about this?”“What? Of course not. Why would I?” I didn't mean to sound as nervous as I did. And the slight chuckle I did made me sound even more nervous. It's just that my emotions are all over the place. I'm having a hard time keeping them together. “What's going on?” Michael asked, tapping my shoulder. He wasn't alone. Chuck and Joe were behind him. They were coming
LACY My fingers quivered as I slowly undid his belt. He was seated on the edge of the bed. I was kneeling between his thighs, while trying to undo his belt. But my fingers wouldn't stop trembling. For some unknown reason, I always feel a bit nervous around him. Not because he's got a hideous look. But just, I don't know, but there's just something about him that effortlessly unnerves me. I gasped lightly when he softly placed his hand on mine. He slowly took my hand down and undid the belt himself. Every second of that, his eyes stayed on me. Like he was trying to memorize every inch of my face. “Is your name really Lacy?” he asked, with a husky, breathy voice that made my insides tingle. “Yes.”“Do you like my friend, Joe?”Where's that question coming from?“Hmm?” He cocked a brow.“I think he's a sweet guy.”His jaw clenched. “Is that a yes?”“It's not a yes. Your friend is sweet but that's just it.”He exhaled. Like he was relieved or something. He took off the belt, but didn
CRISTIAN “What?” I was beyond dumbfounded. I had my suspicions. I really did. But God, I'd expected her to deny it. Tell me she didn't do it. Tell me I was wrong. Tell me my intuitions were playing tricks on me. I wasn't mentally ready for such blunt truth. And worse, I wasn't sure what to do with such truth. “I took the box,” she reiterated in a very shaky voice. “But believe me, I didn't mean to hurt her. I saw it and I thought she wasn't using them anymore. You know Aaliyah got a lot of beautiful stuff she doesn't make use of anymore. I thought she wouldn't notice its disappearance. I thought she wouldn't give a fuck...”“Are you a kleptomaniac?” I blurted out my question, stopping her rambling. “Is it an addiction? Are you cursed? Must you steal everything shiny? Or do you have a crazy obsession with jewelry?”“I'm not a kleptomaniac.” She said, as tears rolled down her face. A girl like her would effortlessly shed fake tears to get away with this. I shouldn't be moved by thos
CRISTIAN“Martha, tell me the truth. Did you take the jewelry box?” Jocey was interrogating the tenth maid and she had the same response as everyone else. “No, Ma'am. I didn't.” The maid replied. I sighed in sheer exasperation. This was getting exhausting. At this point, it was safe to believe the box vanished into thin air. Because no one was ready to admit they took it. “I'm really sorry, Sir.” Jocey turned to me. “I wish they were lying. But they're not. I've worked with them for years to know when they're being honest.”I ran a hand through my hair while nodding. “Sure. So what do we do now? If no one took the box, then maybe some ghost did.”“I know about the box because I take care of Aaliyah's things. The box was there until yesterday. If it vanished, then it was today. And I'm not trying to accuse anyone or to be rude, but…” she paused anxiously. “But what, Jocey? Tell me.” I insisted calmly, easing her anxiety. “But I think someone stole it. Someone out there at that par
CRISTIAN “There's your bitch.” Chuck whistled in a direction. We all looked and yeah, Aaliyah just came down the stairs with Lacy. They whispered something to each other and giggled. Lacy headed to the main kitchen while Aaliyah headed to the coffee counter. It's actually at the other end of the room. “Excuse me,” I said, heading to my daughter. “Dude, ain't we going to pick up the stuff anymore?” Joe asked. The stuff. He’s talking about a limited, branded Italian suit that I convinced the dealers to prepare for him. He couldn't convince them himself. He needed my connection. So I stepped in, and they agreed, at a reasonable, lower price. It got shipped down here last night. We were supposed to go pick it up, but after all that rambling about Lacy, I might as well ask them to return it.I ignored him and kept walking. Aaliyah was struggling with the coffee machine. Thank God I came over. My girl can't do shit to save her life. But she's the sweetest. She's just not domestic. “
CRISTIAN The guys were involved in their usual bickerings. I was just chuckling and putting in a few punchlines. They all spent the night here. As a matter of fact, almost everyone who showed up for the party last night slept over. There was enough room to accommodate everyone. I made sure of that when I built this place. My late wife was such a hostess. She loved these parties. She loved having the community over and preparing food for everyone. She was that perfect social butterfly. I was more of a reserved guy. But she was such a bubbly, extroverted beauty. She taught me how to vibe with others. I wouldn't say I learned much but at the very least, I know how to act interested and present when I find myself in conversation with people around me. A conversation that didn't involve business. You know, chitchat. The only conversations I could perfectly carry out were business conversations. Chit-chats used to drain me. It still does. I'm just a little more patient with it now. For







