MasukOn a Thursday afternoon, Jessie sat down with a cup of warm coffee on the sofa with Lillian. Her hands wrapped around the cup as she drank. Lillian sat with her legs folded on the sofa, her eyes fixed on Jessie. Then Jessie set her cup down. “I need to tell you something."Lillian looked up, furrowing her brows. "It wasn't Vicenzo who gave the order about Baba," she said softly. "It was Alex. He gave the authorization. Vicenzo just carried out what Alex decided."Lillian said nothing. She just stared at her sister's face with concern. The way she said it was like she was so sure of it. She wondered where Jessie got her information and whether Jessie thought she was a fool for thinking she didn't know she had been Vincenzo's informant."I know what happened, Jessie," she said. "Alex told me everything, and I believe him."Jessie's facial expression changed. “What?” she asked."He told me his part in it. All of it. He didn't try to come out looking better." She set her own cup down.
Lillian was lying in bed. She pulled the soft duvet over herself and lost herself in her thoughts. Jessie stayed awake staring at her phone in her room. She sat upright, her hand cupping her face, her elbows resting on her knees. She had been waiting for Vicenzo’s text. The room lit up again, and Lillian’s phone flashed. A notification came in. She could read it without picking up the phone. Breaking: Alexander Nick was photographed at an exclusive club with an unidentified woman.Her eyes widened, and she reached for the phone, and her mind went blank. Her jaw dropped. Before her brain could process it, her body had already become weak. She lay still on the bed, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. She didn't know how to react.It was so hard not to believe because she knew Alex. He had never been seen with a woman so close except with her. If he is this comfortable with a woman, then they have something going on already. Lillian felt used at that moment because she thought Alex kne
The hospital visit had turned into a normal thing for Lillian. After a few weeks of visits, she began to feel comfortable. The antiseptic no longer smells.What she noticed was her mother. There was a small green plant resting beside the window, and the leaves were facing the sun.On the bedside table, there was a picture frame of their family, all four of them, which was taken years ago. Her mother's legs were covered in a soft yellow blanket, which gave her warmth. Her mother had always possessed a quiet talent for making any place feel inhabited, even loved, with her presence and grand gestures. Lillian stepped into the room carrying a grocery bag filled with things for her mother. She brought fresh fruit, tea bags, flowers, and magazines. Clara looked away from the TV as Lilian walked in, and her gaze landed on Lilian; then she noticed the look. “Where is he?” she asked, and Lillian stood still. She wanted to pretend not to hear her mother, but she knew it would be a waste o
Alex did not sleep that night. He knew it wasn't normal because he had spent most of his adult life without getting enough sleep, but tonight, his body felt different. Most of the time, when he had sleepless nights, he was solving problems, anticipating threats, and coming up with plans, but the silence of the night gave him space to think. And he could think of only one person no matter how he tried to think about other things. He could only think about Lillian. He thought of her facial expression at the dining table when he handed the file to her. He thought of the way her hand trembled as she opened it and the hurt in her eyes when he told her she was free to leave. Every morning, he was in his study before six, working without interruption. From the outside, he appeared untouched, but inside he was dying.Only Michael could see that he was dying on the inside. He noticed the slight changes, the forgetfulness, and the lack of sleep. It took only a second for his attention to
Lillian rung the doorbell and Justin opened it almost immediately. “Lilian,” she chuckled and wrapped his arms around her.Lillian smiled, wrapping her arms around him. “Hey big boy, how are you doing,”“I’ve missed you so much,” he said and sighted her being escorted by the bodyguards. “Are you back home?” he asked and she nodded. Before she stepped inside, she perceived a warm scent of vanilla and jasmine. It was the smell of childhood sleepovers and whispered secrets. It was the perfume Jessie always wore.Lillian felt something inside her shake. She had not realized how desperately she needed something familiar. She was exhausted deep down in her soul. The kind of exhaustion that came from loving someone so much that the thought of them betraying their loved one seems impossible. When she walked in with Justin, Jessie was already sitting there smiling warmly. And the moment Lillian saw her cousin, her limbs became numb. Jessie opened her arms and Lillian stepped into them wi
Lillian stood in front of the open wardrobe, her eyes searching as she reached for her clothes. She didn't rush; she moved slowly and carefully selected the clothes to go with her boxes, which were not enough. She took enough clothes and shoes to leave with. She didn't take the gold and diamond jewelry with her. She carefully folded each dress neatly without the help of the maids. She took her passports, her identification cards, and some important documents with her. Then she walked to her bedside, took and picked up the framed picture of her father and family. She felt a lump in her throat, and her heart became heavy. She traced their smiling faces with her thumb, remembering her father's voice and the way he always protected them.She closed her eyes for a moment. “I wish you were here,” she whispered to herself.Then she placed the picture frame gently into her bag. Her eyes moved to the rose pendant lying here, the necklace Alex had given her, which she wore every day. She
Lillian changed into a pair of sweatpants and a plain white shirt. The outfit was tidy enough for her trip since she didn't have much to pack. Just a few clothes that one of Alex’s maids had given her. The clothes could hardly fill her small luggage. Since she came here without anything. Even her
The room was filled with silence and tension as Lillian screamed out her breath. Her hands gripped the edge of the bed, and her knuckles turned pale. Alex stood quietly with Marcus as the doctor helped stretch her ankle. His hands hovered around hers, hesitant as if he was unsure whether he should
Days had passed since Lillian’s ankle injury. Her ankle still throbbed faintly when she placed too much of her weight on it, even though the swelling had gone down. She had been confined to a penthouse. A luxurious prison with skyline windows, which she calls it. Lillian had not set her eyes on A
Lillian’s muscles screamed with every step that she took from yesterday’s shooting session. She thought she would be able to get enough rest, but she never knew this was just the beginning. Her mind had also been on her mother, her brother and Jessie. It had been weeks since she heard from them. E







