MasukThe kiss was quick,barely a second but it burned like fire against my skin.
My eyes shot open, and I froze, too shocked to even breathe.The figure slowly pulled his hand away from my mouth, and the sound of my gasp echoed down the silent hallway like a scream that never came. My body trembled as I pressed my back to the wall, every nerve on edge.“Don’t scream,” the voice murmured familiar and deep, the calmness in it only made the fear worse.“Bryan?” I whispered, my voice cracking as I tried to make sense of what was happening right now.The shadow shifted, and as the faint light from the far end of the hallway brushed across his face, I saw him…his sharp jawline, the messy strands of dark dreads falling over his forehead, and the unmistakable guilt in his eyes.“Yeah, it’s me,” he said softly, voice low and remorseful. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”I hit his chest, my hands still shaking “You nearly gave me a heart attack! Why would you do that?”I woke up with a pounding headache, the lingering trace of fear from the night before still clinging to me like a shadow. Glancing at my phone, I realized it was already 8 a.m a rare moment of peace without the usual school stress. I quickly swung my legs off the bed, trying to shake off the unsettling memories of last night, “it had probably all been my imagination”,I said convincing myself Cutie, jumped onto my leg, licking it eagerly, I scooped her up and carried her out of my room for some fresh air. But as I stepped into the hallway, I caught sight of the maids gathered together whispering and muttering under their breath, they froze and fell silent the instant they noticed me.“No need for the pretense; I already saw you guys talking... So, what were you discussing? Don’t tell me you were gossiping about me,” I teased, forcing a grin to mask the unease bubbling in my stomach.“Oh no, ma’am, nothing like that,” one of the other maids said quickly, he
Lily’s POV:I sat on my bed with my laptop open in front of me, my chest tightened with determination as I dug deeper into the news surrounding my father’s case from eighteen years ago. Giving up wasn’t an option not tonight, not ever because something about this case had always felt disturbingly off, and now that I’m fully active, I could finally see the cracks clearly.The old footage was grainy, the videos even worse, they never showed the mistress’s face not even once, every clip only revealed the CEO of Samito Hotel, lying lifeless in his office, his supposed mistress somewhere beside him, her face deliberately blurred or cut out. But I knew what that meant If she had survived… if she had been alive all these years… then she held the truth, she was the only one who could confirm whether my father was guilty or not.And as if the universe heard my silent plea, a new video popped up one posted by the mistress herself in the hospital, though her face was sti
BYRAIN POV:After my class ended, I didn’t even bother stopping to talk to anyone. My feet carried me straight to Lily’s classroom like they had a mind of their own, as I approached, I peeked through the window and spotted her sitting by herself, she look focused, her head slightly tilted as she listened to the teacher and then like she could sense me…her eyes moved to the window, and she saw me.She smiled softly but real.Something in my chest loosened.Without wasting a second, I head link her sending her a message: “Hey babe. I’ll wait for you so we can head to our next class together”.She replied almost instantly: Okay.Just one word, but it was enough to make me feel like the sun had warmed the cold parts of me and enough to remind me that despite everything she is finally letting me in. As soon as her class ended, I walked inside confidently..i heard the whispers immediately.“Oh wow, it’s Bryain.”“Is he here for Lily?”“God,
“Mom, after Dad died… did the police ever reopen the investigation? Or did they just close the case and declare him the murderer?” I asked, my eyes fixed on her face.Mom let out a quiet breath. “Lily, all the evidence pointed to your dad and they didn’t see any reason to investigate further.”“But Mom, something feels wrong and it’s only dad’s friend that will knows what really happened, we need to reopen the case,” I insisted, my voice trembling with frustration.“Shut up, Lily! We are not reopening that case,” she snapped suddenly, her voice slicing through the room. “That case is done and buried and that’s period!”She turned sharply and walked upstairs, leaving me frozen on the spot.If I said I wasn’t shocked, I’d be lying, her reaction wasn’t normal she was hiding something and as a psychology student, I could see all the signs…Something about that case ran deeper than she wanted to admit.“Lily… your mom is still sensitive about everything,” my stepda
“It all began eighteen years ago,” my mom started softly, her voice fragile as we all settled into our seats. “Your father worked at Samito Hotel, one of the biggest and most reputable hotels back then. He served as their hotel accountant for more than ten years.” She paused, inhaling slowly. “He was hardworking, honest, and respected by everyone who knew him, we were already married by the time all this happened, and I was pregnant with you and almost due for delivery.”She wiped her tears with trembling hands before continuing.“One fateful day, he came home looking devastated and I asked him what was wrong, but he wouldn’t tell me, he just said he wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. Days passed, and I realized he wasn’t going to work anymore so when I confronted him, he finally broke down and told me… he had been sacked by his boss.”My heart tightened.“He explained that he had been framed and accused of taking company funds he never touched, a
LILY POV:I walked into the classroom with Elvin trailing quietly behind me. The moment I stepped through the door, the room shifted, conversations dipped, phones lowered, and eyes locked onto me with a mix of pity, curiosity, and silent judgment It was as if the air suddenly stopped.They were looking at me like someone guilty of something unspeakable, like someone carrying a dark stain they didn’t want near them. I thought it was partly because of Linda’s death after all she was the one true friend I had in school.As I made my way to my seat, Kathryn and her girls the Divas exchanged smirks like they had been waiting for this moment.“Oh, look… the criminal’s daughter has finally arrived,” Kathryn announced loudly, her voice dripping with mockery that cut through the classroom.Jessica quickly added, “Yeah, the murderer’s daughter,” making sure everyone heard it.The impact was immediate and heads turned, eyes widened.A hush fell over the ro







