Masukđ Happy New Year! đ
May this new year bring you fresh hope, renewed strength, and endless opportunities. May your days be filled with joy, peace, and success. đ New Year Prayers: I pray that God goes ahead of you this year, opening doors no one can shut. May He grant you good health, wisdom, favor, and protection. May your efforts be crowned with success, and may sorrow, lack, and failure be far from you. This year shall be your season of breakthrough and testimony. đĄ Words of Advice for the New Year: Walk with purpose and discipline. Let go of past regrets and embrace new beginnings. Be kind, patient, and grateful in all things. Work hard, pray always, and never stop believing in yourself. Choose peace over anger and progress over excuses. ⨠Final Wish: May this new year be better than all the years before it. May your dreams come alive and your life shine brighter each day. Happy New Year! đđMIRELAGetting Louis out of the house and somewhere in a ditchâor wherever artists wind up deadâwas the easy part. Finding out who gave him all that information was the real challenge. If he had dug up all that about me, then someone had been keeping tabs.âInteresting,â I murmured, staring at my reflection in the mirror. My thoughts shifted to Arlene. She would be the ideal suspect, but between getting the pieces ready for the auction and going to the hospital⌠where could she have found the time to do a background check? I added, arching my eyebrows at the sound of the door opening in the distance.I reached for a pair of scissors and slipped out of my robe, clutching it in one hand.âLouis! If youâre back for another round, I swear on everything I hold dear, I donât care what you have to say, and I wonât hesitate to defend myself ifââI stopped as the door closed and Daisy walked into the hallway.âMom? What are you doing with scissors, and what happened to Louis?ââDaisy,â I said,
ARLENEâHi,â I heard Liam whisper softly, and opened my eyes. I had fallen asleep, and for the first time in a long while, I felt completely relaxed.âHi. Whereâs everybody?â I asked, looking around.The room was empty, and the machines whirred quietly. âMatilda and Olivia are in the waiting area. When we came, you were asleep, and they didnât want to disturb you.ââHow long have I been out?â I asked and tried to sit up, but he stopped me.âYou need to rest. You canât sit up yet. Youâve been out for a couple of hours, but thatâs actually great,â he replied, and I nodded.âThe babies⌠howâre they?â I inquired, glancing in their direction.âAsleep and doing pretty well,â he said, breaking into a smile. âTheyâre so beautiful,â he added, and I smiled.âWhereâs Cole?â I asked, and he frowned.âDonât be like that. I donât like him much either, but he helped me get here safely and stayed throughout everything. I hate to admit it, but I owe him.ââIâm sorry I couldnât be here with you,â he sa
MIRELAâDonât try to play the emotional card, Mirela. If you think someone is out for you, then letâs take it to the police.ââWhat?â I blurted and shook my head. âYou want to walk into the chief of policeâs office and tell him someone is spreading mindless gossip? Iâm sure he can find a much better way to waste his time.ââI think heâd be interested in the information I have to give him, so I might just do it. And if itâs mindless gossip, we can investigate and catch whoeverâs behind it. A win-win situation, if you ask me,â he said, smirking.âIf you want to disturb him with random texts that anyone could come up with in the middle of the day and send with malicious intent, be my guest, Louis. But donât waste my time too.âI started walking past him, back to the bathroom to get ready, but he reached for my hand and pulled me toward himself.âYou really are the devil, Mirela,â he said, his eyes darkened with anger and his tone sterner than I had ever heard it. âHow do you do all these
MIRELAGetting ready for what the day would bring was my next order of business. When I was a few miles away from the front door, the cook stepped outside to light a cigarette and saw me. He gasped and put the lighter back in his pocket.âSmoke all you want; I donât judge. Just donât do it in front of the house. We donât want the first thing people smell when they walk in here to be cigarettes, do we?ââNo, maâam,â he said and slid the cigarette into his pocket as I walked past him. I placed my shoes under my arm and opened the front door with my free hand.âYou walked home?â he asked, locking the door behind him. I turned and watched him nervously smooth his trousers.âYes, and my feet hurt. Iâll need a hot bath. Donât bother to cook lunch; Iâll be in the hospital with Arlene later.âHis face instantly brightened when I mentioned her name. âWe heard about the hospital. How is she doing?ââWord travels fast, doesnât it?â I replied and studied him for a moment before turning around. âS
MIRELAIt wasnât enough that Arlene had stolen my thunder by having the highest bids ever recorded in any auction; she also had to make it solely about her by choosing today, of all days, to get contractions and be taken to the hospital.âMom, you look like youâve seen a ghost. Arleneâs having her baby; you should be happy to see your grandkid.â Daisyâs voice pulled me out of my reverie, back into the present. I stifled a groan and glanced at her briefly before deciding the wall in front of us was a much better option to gaze upon.She hadnât made any effort toââI think sheâll be having more than one baby, and for the record, they arenât my grandkids.ââDonât be like that. The kids are completely innocent and have nothing to do with any of this.ââYouâre too naĂŻve for your own good,â I replied, and she rolled her eyes.âWhat makes you think sheâs having more than one baby? Were you at the ultrasound?ââNo, but I know her enough to know that she likes to make an entrance and grab all
KADEâTen minutes left, kid,â the cop said from where he was seated and began humming a familiar tune.âCan I make copies of some of these? Ten minutes is not enough time to read through all of them.ââDo you promise to burn them after you write your damn essay?â he asked, and I nodded enthusiastically.I had given him the impression that I was some kid eager to impress their teacher and get good grades, and I intended to fully play into it till I left. âThereâs a photocopier to your right,â he added, and I turned around.True to his words, there was an old but functional copier sitting against the wall. I hit the buttons and began making copies of all the information I needed. While I had originally started looking through the celebratory events in the town to see if I could find some similarities, my focus was really on the deaths that occurred.If they matched my theory, then that was a lead. I could use it to figure out who these assassins were. I had to take out time to study the







