“There’s no need to threaten me. I’ll do my best to find her even if it’s not for your sake,” I replied in a flat voice.
Back then, I had no idea what he had in mind when he told me that I would have to take responsibility if I couldn’t find my sister.
…
**The next day**
Despite telling my parents that I would try my best to find my sister, I still didn’t have any solid idea where I would find Diana or why she had suddenly decided to disappear. The timing was just too perfect because it was so close to her upcoming wedding. The only source of comfort for me was my gut feeling that told me that she was doing fine wherever she was. If she was truly distressed or if she needed help, I was sure that she would have tried to get in contact with me by now.
After making my escape from my parents and out into the long hallway of the mansion, I ran into one of our oldest housekeepers. The way her eyes lit up told me that she was pleasantly surprised to see that I had returned. Lauren must have worked in our household for way more than ten years now because she started since I was still a child at that time.
“Miss Dahlia…” she whispered my name before smiling a little my way.
Her nervous reaction as her eyes darted up and down the hallway to check if anyone would witness our interaction told me that she was stepping out of her boundaries to greet me. Sometimes the harshness of the life that I’ve led made me forget that I was fortunate to have met and interacted with many kind souls and this woman standing in front of me was one of them.
“Lauren, have you been well?” I asked before showing her a genuine smile.
“Yes, thank you, Miss Dahlia…” she replied softly.
I could tell that despite her fear of being spotted conversing with me, she was glad that she was able to greet me. A sudden idea sparked up in my mind and although it was a risky move, I didn’t have that many cards left up my sleeves and my parents were right that time wasn’t at all on our side.
“Can we talk for a bit? Perhaps, outside in the garden?” I suggested before smiling sweetly at her.
“Umm…yes…” she replied hesitantly.
Lauren seemed more relaxed now that we were together in the garden. The vast garden surrounding the mansion hadn’t changed at all from the last time that I had been there. The various statues of mythical creatures that I found so interesting when I was a child were still there although they had failed to capture my interest this time around.
“Miss Dahlia…what is it that you would like to talk about?” Lauren asked and I could tell that she was more scared than curious.
I turned toward her and offered her a smile before I slowly reached for her hands. The housekeeper’s eyes widened in surprise at my action, but she did not pull her hands away. I still remembered vividly the various times that she had helped me out in the past whenever my parents got mad at me. I may not have that many allies in this house, but I wouldn’t hesitate to count her as one of them.
“Actually, I was just wondering if…you know…any male staff of this mansion had suddenly resigned or disappeared recently?” I asked while focusing my eyes on her face to read her reaction.
“Well…” she murmured before her eyes darted away to the side.
Her reaction gave me the answer that I was looking for. She may not know something directly, but my guess must have been spot on.
“Can you tell me who he is?” I asked softly before applying a little pressure to her hands that I still held in mine.
“I’m sorry but…” she began apologizing.
“There’s nothing for you to be sorry about. A male staff of this mansion suddenly decided to quit his job, how can that be your fault? Right?” I continued pressing further.
I could see a few emotions raging war on poor Lauren’s face as she hesitated. After a short moment of struggling with her own fears, Lauren let out a long sigh of resignation. She turned to face me again before showing me a sad smile.
“His name is Gordon and he suddenly resigned not so long ago. He was working as one of the drivers here,” she whispered as if it was a guilty confession.
Gordon…a driver…
“Thank you. You have no idea just how big of a help you were. Also, I’ll make sure to keep this little chat that we had a secret. Ok?” I said before smiling reassuringly at her.
“Thank you, Miss Dahlia…” she whispered before letting out another sigh.
As if she had just lifted a huge mountain range off of her chest, Lauren looked more at peace and relaxed than before. She smiled at me and nodded.
“Please just call me Leya like you used to…” I told her warmly.
“Miss Leya…I am so sorry that there was nothing that I could do for you and because of that…that happened…you couldn’t come home…” she said in a broken voice, and I could see tears well up in her eyes as she stared up into my face.
“It’s not your fault. If you’ve been feeling any sense of guilt, it has to stop. You shouldn’t feel guilty. What happened…was the way that things should be,” I replied before braving a smile.
In a sense, it wasn’t at all a lie. Instead of my words comforting her, a few tear drops rolled down Lauren’s cheeks and then she started sobbing before her hands flew to cover her face. I wished that I could comfort her properly, but I had bigger problems on my plate to deal with. A slightly bitter taste filled my mouth as I was forced to recognize the start of a very similar pattern that I had seen countless times before.
Dina, what have you done this time?
--To be continued…
After thanking Lauren again and giving her a brief hug, I quickly made my way out of the mansion. The sun would be setting soon, and I wanted to take a stroll in the city for a while to take some photos for what I needed to do next. Although I wasn’t absolutely sure what Dina was up to, I had a very good guess.The city center felt even busier that early evening when I arrived than I remembered the last time that I was there. It seemed like a few more shopping malls had popped up and some new skyscrapers that were under construction the last time that I was there had opened up as well. As usual, the crowd was a good mix of people ranging from couples, university and high school students and regular working adults. I used to come here with my sister all the time to hang out after high school or whenever we were allowed or had the time.After finding a good spot in front of one of the shopping malls that my sister and I liked to frequent, I took out my mobile phone and snapped a few sel
“Come back home. This is just another fling of yours and it will be over in less than a month or two based on your historical track record,” I snapped as I clutched my mobile phone tightly in my hand.“You’re wrong, Leya. This time it’s definitely different. I don’t blame you since you’re no longer living with us. You see, I’ve been secretly dating him for almost a year now and we are truly in love with each other,” my sister announced while sounding very proud.A year...“You’ve been engaged to Anthony for over ten years! Also, please don’t make your success in staying in a relationship for longer than a few months sound like a lifetime achievement because it is not!” I barked through the phone.After shouting for so long, my throat had started to hurt. I was panting as my anger started to boil over. It wasn’t that Dina never matured from the days that we were kids but she had matured in a way that was uniquely and completely her own. Her view of the world wasn’t normal but I couldn’
**Back to the present**‘I can’t wait for tonight to arrive…’I had no idea why Anthony decided to say something like that to me. The playful and extremely flirtatious smile that he showed me made my heart skip a dangerous beat and for a moment I didn’t quite know how to react. I wasn’t sure if the Anthony that I knew would say something like that. Then again, it wasn’t like he was in a position to say something so playful and suggestive to me while he was my sister’s fiancé. Just like me, he probably never thought that he would end up marrying me instead of my sister.“Diana dear! Congratulations on your wedding. You have no idea just how long we’ve been waiting for this day to come. You look stunning! This dress looks perfect on you. You couldn’t have chosen a better dress,” a middle-aged woman with light blonde hair said while smilingly widely at me.“Thank you very much for your kind words. I hope you enjoy the party at the reception later on,” I replied smoothly.It felt like a s
His kiss felt gentle and loving yet demanding at the same time. It felt sweet yet slightly aggressive and unlike any kiss that I had ever experienced before. It left me curious and also eager for more. His lips worked to seduce mine until I felt like my body would melt in his arms. My lips slowly parted to grant his seeking tongue entry into the wet depths of my mouth. Anthony let out a satisfied moan as he thrusted his tongue firmly between my parted lips and into my mouth.“Mhmm…” I heard myself moaning even louder this time as my eyes drifted closed.The way his tongue seduced mine in a fervent dance of passion told me just how experienced and skilled he was. I had thought so since the first time that we kissed that he was such a good kisser, and he was probably the best that I have ever had. Although I knew that countless pairs of eyes were watching us, I couldn’t stop myself from kissing him back hungrily. My mind felt intoxicated with the pleasure of his kiss and thoughts of him
Since we are now married, it was only natural that I would be moving in to live with Anthony at his family estate. I recalled the large white mansion with a large French-style garden out front from my numerous visits there during childhood after the engagement between Anthony and my sister had been decided. Although the mansion that belonged to my family was already overly large, the Vulkan family estate where Anthony lived was much larger. I smiled a little to myself when I thought of the many encounters that we shared when we were younger whenever I had the chance to visit his home.After waiting for too long, Anthony and I were finally on our way back to what would be my new home. After leaving my mother and making my way back to Anthony’s side, he welcomed me back warmly before leading me to a large black limousine that would take us back to his place.“I still can’t believe that father invited that many people to our wedding,” Anthony commented with a hint of complaint before he
I automatically looped an arm around his neck as I pressed my body against his. Our tongues ground against each other as we both desired to feel closer and more connected. His hand moved to cup my shoulders before sliding down to caress my upper arm. I moaned softly into our kiss before he began sucking on my tongue teasingly. The jolts of pleasure that flooded my body and made my core clench with desire also made my body feel weak. Therefore, I was thankful when Anthony’s hand caressed its way all the way down my arm to my wrist before he took the champagne glass that I was still holding from me. It was a small miracle that I hadn’t spilled any champagne by that time given how busy we were with each other. I heard a small clinking sound when Anthony placed my glass down on the table.“Ahh…” I moaned before letting out a long sigh of pleasure when Anthony finally broke our kiss.I was panting hard as I stared back at him with almost teary eyes. He was such a good kisser, not that I di
“Anthony…Ahhh…” I called his name.Before I could protest against anything, his face was between my breasts. I felt the hot heat of his breath against my sensitive skin for a brief moment before the hot wet heat of his mouth engulfed one of my nipples and made me cry out. It felt like his heat was being transferred to my body as he flicked his tongue skillfully against my erect nipple. His hand moved to massage my other breasts to feed me even more pleasure. I felt like I was about to lose my mind completely as I ran my fingers through his blond hair. His hair felt like fine silk against my fingers but it didn’t take long for me to be clutching at his hair as my passion took over me.“Just as I thought, you love this as well. Your body is amazingly sensitive,” he commented when he released my nipple from his mouth.“Anthony…please…” I begged although I wasn’t sure if I wanted him to stop or to give me more.Anthony made the decision for me when his tongue lapped at my other nipple be
I thought that this was all his fault when he began sucking hard on my nipple. The pleasure that invaded my senses made me throw my head back before crying out his name. I thought that Anthony would keep on playing with my breasts, but it soon became clear that he had something else in mind for me. Without any warning, he removed his mouth from my nipple before reaching for my shoulders. Suddenly, he turned me around and I found myself facing the wall before my body was pressed up against it. “Anthony…” I whispered his name in surprise. “Let me taste you…” he whispered close behind my ear.His warm breath softly caressed my earlobe before I felt the wetness of his tongue licking me there. My entire body shuddered from the waves of pleasure that invaded my body as Anthony flicked the tip of his tongue against my earlobe. His large manly hands held my arm and my waist to hold my body in place. It tickled a little, but it felt so pleasurable. “Ahh...Ahhh…” I moaned breathlessly as he
"What have you done? Have you completely lost your mind?" my father yelled at me immediately when our family was gathered in private. His face was completely red with anger as his voice echoed in the room. My mother looked like she was on the verge of tears, and I could tell that she was more worried about our family rather than her own daughter. "News of your ridiculous and scandalous behavior is now all over the place!" my father continued yelling. As if to drive his message home, his mobile phone began ringing non-stop. One glance at the name displayed on the screen drove my father to the brink before he switched off the phone and threw it onto the floor. My mother let out a scream at my father's sudden violent outburst before sinking down onto the sofa as if she had lost all strength in her body.I took the opportunity to slowly take a seat, and Diana was by my side in an instant. I knew that the best way to brave out this storm was to keep quiet and not let his words get to me.
Not having the experience of being a criminal before, I wasn't quite sure how one was supposed to be treated, but the experiences that I went through might have indeed been close. I thought that I was used to disappointing my parents and the people around me. I thought that I was used to seeing the look of disappointment and disapproval in their eyes before it became a look of resentment and then complete apathy and lack of care. I thought that I could deal with everything without getting my emotions involved because, after all, I was supposed to be used to this kind of treatment, and that was why I was caught utterly off guard by how quickly things escalated.Thinking back on it, my memories were quite blurry. Either it was simply too much for me to take in at the time for my brain to form any clear memories, or it was simply too shocking and too harsh for me to take. Either way, everything seemed to fly by me and over my head.Although every single teacher and the principal tried to
Just thinking that the fool right in front of me dared to say he was in love with my sister, while he couldn't even tell the two of us apart, made my blood boil. It took a lot of effort to repress the urge to reach out and strangle his neck right then and there. I reminded myself that I had a part to play and quite an audience to impress."No... this can't be..." Mr. Malton whispered hoarsely from a distance, stepping even further away from me. I stood up from the table, grabbed his arm, and pulled him back to my side as I glared up into his face."It's actually quite simple to fool you. All I had to do was dress up in my sister's clothes whenever I met you and talk a little more sweetly..." I said, letting out a hysterical laugh. I could still feel everyone's eyes on us as the attention in the room escalated even more than before.Mr. Malton was speechless as he tried to pull his arm away from my grip, but I wasn't about to let him get away so easily."Well, now I guess the secret is
I had no idea how Diana managed to keep the girls silent up until that point so that the news wouldn't spread; however, I knew that it wouldn't be too long before everyone in school knew about this illicit affair. We would be extremely lucky if this news did not spread beyond the school walls. Despite the gravity of the situation, Mr. Malton was already ready to make his retreat."What if they don't believe us? I feel so scared. I don't want to be alone, and I don't want you to leave me," I said pleadingly just to see his reaction."You know that I would never do that. It would just be temporary until everything blows over. I promise that I will never leave you. How could I possibly leave you? I love you so much," he declared his love for me boldly.The more dramatic things became, the more I felt that his act of adoration was completely fake. No matter how many times he claimed to be in love with my sister, it seemed like he couldn't even tell us apart. I wondered what kind of face h
"Leya, you need to help me find a way out of this. Diana simply cannot make this kind of mistake," my sister told me slowly and clearly as she stared directly into my eyes."You're right. You can't afford to make these kinds of mistakes," I agreed solemnly."No one else must find out about this. We have to do something before word gets out because word is definitely going to get out,," my sister stated calmly, and I could tell that she had returned to her calm and collected self."Can't we tell them that they simply misunderstood and that it's not true?" I asked, daring to harbor a little bit of hope."They probably won't believe what we tell them, but they might believe what we show them," Diana replied, and I could tell her mind was made up.Without using any more words, it seemed like an understanding had formed between us, and once again, it felt like it was us against the entire world....**The Next Day**As I pushed open the back door to the building that was supposed to be off
The moment that thought entered my mind, I quickly killed it and pushed it out of my mind as if extinguishing a small flame before it would spread and engulf everything. I told myself that it wouldn’t have to come to that and that we could find another way to figure things out.“Does it matter? Why does it have to matter?” Diana asked, and her tone was cold.My sister’s response quickly snapped me out of my thoughts and back to reality. I narrowed my eyes at her as my irritation started to take over.“It does matter! Have you completely lost your mind? He’s our teacher,” I reminded her as I started to truly lose my head over what my sister had confessed to me.Had I known that the person she had been dating was one of our teachers, I would have definitely stopped her. That was probably the reason why Diana decided to keep it a secret, even from me. In reality, I had my own doubts about whether or not I could have persuaded my sister not to pursue her taboo relationship with Mr. Malton
"I guess he is not someone in this school," I said as I ran my mind through potential candidates who could be my sister's true love."It's a secret," Diana repeated again before pressing her index finger teasingly against her lips."Are you really not going to tell me?" I asked."Honestly, you have no idea just how much I am dying to tell you who he is. But you see, I did promise him to keep it a secret between us... at least for now," Diana said before flashing me a regretful smile."I don't think I will end up liking this guy. He's telling you to keep secrets from me," I replied teasingly."I'll make sure that you're the first one to find out," Diana promised me with a beaming smile."I guess that it's good enough for me that you're happy," I told her honestly."Thank you, Leya. I love you so much. You're probably the only one who truly cares about my happiness," my sister said before pulling me into her embrace.Back then, when I held my sister in my arms and hugged her back tightl
“Shall we?” Bradon asked as he offered me his arm invitingly.“Thank you,” I replied as I smoothly slipped my arm into his.Appearing in front of the public as Diana, with Bradon as my escort as he flawlessly acted out the role of Anthony, drew quite a lot of attention to us. I could tell that Bradon felt restless, even under his calm and collected exterior, and that was probably because he couldn’t wait for this engagement announcement to come to an end. Even though he should have been reassured now that Diana was taking my place at the ceremony, it seemed that nothing could make Bradon completely feel at ease given the situation.“I sincerely hope that they keep it short,” Bradon whispered right into my ear before planting a soft kiss against my temple.I was sure we looked like the perfect loving couple, and perhaps that wasn’t so far from the truth. For the life of me, I had no idea how Diana managed to convince Desmond to let her take my place at the engagement ceremony, but I wa
"So, are you going to get on your hands and knees to beg? How much longer will you keep me waiting?" I asked while pointing my index finger at the empty floor right in front of my feet.If looks could kill, I would have died an extremely painful death, stabbed by the millions of daggers flying out of my father's eyes from the way he was glaring at me. Even when I was clearly his only route of escape from the impending hell that was awaiting him, it was clear that my father felt nothing but hatred for me. I returned his stare with one of my own as I continued pointing to the floor where I wanted them to get on their hands and knees."I'm still waiting. Oh, but if you're not willing, then I'll make sure that some men will escort you out," I said before grinning at them. I could tell that my father was hesitating, and that meant that he was truly considering abandoning whatever pride he had left to get down on his hands and knees to beg for help from his long-abandoned daughter.Time mov