I was busy as a bee today. I have been cleaning and hanging framed photos of me and Denzel around the house. I wanted it to pass a message to the future visitors who will try to disrespect me as Denzel's friends did on that faithful day the rain fell heavily. I was also cleaning up the paintings and rearranging them to how I felt like they should be. After I was done with the chore I wasn't asked to do, I went to the kitchen to grab a can of soda.
Hana came to work this morning and she has been making dishes I loved the scent of. I offered to help her earlier but she turned me down. I didn't mind because I had important things to do anyway.
While I sipped from the soda, Hana eventually cut her hand with the knife. She moaned loudly and cursed under her breath.
I froze, reliving the moaning sound she just made. It was so clear and unedited. It sounded just like the one I heard weeks ago when Denzel was mad at me and brought a woman to his room. That woman was Hana.
I wasn't shocked by this revelation. I was surprised by how smart I was. From the first moment I met Hana, I knew she could be Denzel's bedmate once in a while and she didn't disappoint.
It was a weird discovery.
When I got to the school premises, I was late for my class. I received lectures before getting a call from Lena who wanted to see me urgently. I made her come to the cafeteria for us to talk.
We sat together on the bench and I ordered the most just for myself.
"I'm really sorry if I said something bad that night or did something inconvenient. I never drink because I know how crazy I get." She stated.
"You don't have to apologize. You did nothing wrong. In fact, I enjoyed it more because you were there." Said a hungry me as I started eating from my plate.
"I was wondering, Lena. Do you have any marks on your body? Birthmark or scars?"
"What? Why would you ask that?"
"Your skin looks so flawless. I'm sorry, I have to ask. My curiosity got the best of me."
"It's okay. Well, I don't have any marks."
"What about scars?"
"Then I think I got a paper cut last week." She chuckled showing me her hand.
"I meant your back. Is your back as smooth as your hands and face?" I knew I sounded creepy right now but she was not telling me what I wanted to know.
"Why do you ask such a funny question?" She chuckled.
"It's because... Denzel likes it when I strip in front of him. I was thinking of a way to enhance how my back looks to him when I take off my bra."
"That's so naughty. But trust me, he loves you just the way you are. You've got nothing to worry about." She chuckled. Congratulations, Lena, you jumped over my question trickily.
I'll have to find another way to figure out what's going on with you, trust me.
Suddenly, two of the girls who attacked me showed up with their fair share of bandages. I used makeup to cover the excesses so I wouldn't get questioned by people.
"We are really sorry, Sheldon. Please, forgive us." The first girl said and the other nodded in agreement. This has Hunter written all over it. He didn't listen to what I said concerning this issue.
"It's okay. We have no issues." I said with Lena watching speechless.
"What was that about?" She asked after the girls had left.
"It's just girl drama. I had no idea they'll come begging." I grinned.
I went home amid the rain. The whole place was wet aside and I had to run into the house. I wanted to get some rest from the busy day but Denzel wanted me to come help him sort out some receipts and files. I agreed. Not sure why I even agreed to do so. We were in his room, working. He agreed to pay me per hour so I wasn't so bothered about what I had to do for him. I went about the house reading from file after file and sometimes I have to go back to the old files to figure out what he was looking for.
The workload was too much that I couldn't help joking about it whenever I got the chance. Denzel's laughing voice filled the room and I used it as an opportunity to order us snacks with his credit card. When my hair untangled from the way I tied it up at the center of my head, Denzel came over to help me braid them together so that they wouldn't falter anymore.
After he was done, It had me brimful of smiles as though I was a little kid. I didn't know he could fold my hair together considering how he didn't want to partake in anything at the bridge. He was playing the rich guy who doesn't want to get his clothes dirty. We shared the food when the order arrived and that was when I realized it was already dark outside.
We've been on his work for hours. Well, I'd blame Denzel. He didn't want to hire anyone to do the tough work for him. I couldn't tell how long this would last.
After we were done, we took turns in massaging each other's bodies. Our muscles were cramped up from bending so much and sitting so much. After the massage, I went to use the bathroom. On stepping out, I collided with Denzel on his way in.
"What if I wasn't done using it and you walked In." I pointed out.
"I don't know what I would have done. I might not regret it either way." He spoke so softly.
"I can sue you for walking in when I'm not yet done using the..."
"I was tempted to join you."
"Tempted? Since when did you start letting temptations come to you?" I stretched a smile.
"Since I started spending more time with you." He admitted.
"Yeah, right."
"I wish I can make you my secretary and then, I'll do nasty things to you during the break."
"I think that massage I gave you was way too effective." I laughed before brushing past him.
"I've got better things to think about. Like, how Hunter lost two of his girlfriends mysteriously." I air-quoted the last part.
"So, you're now making inquiries about my cousin. I'm jealous."
"Stop beating around the bush and give me a straight answer." I snapped.
"Those things are in his past and I don't wanna bring it up. It's full of disturbing memories." He answered.
"But is it true? What happened to those women? Is it true?"
He nodded slowly. "It's true. I just don't know if Hunter is guilty or not. We are not that close. He'd rather share his juicy daily routine with Rehan. They're more compatible."
"I see," I replied quietly.
I went into the kitchen to get more snacks but I bumped into Hana on my way in.
"Watch where you're going!" She yelled like we were having a beef. I've never fought with her so I didn't understand where her rudeness was coming from.
"Are you okay?" I asked wondering if she was having a bad day. That might be the reason she's being haughty.
"No, maybe you're the one who's having a bad day. Look where you're going next time or you might actually stumble and crash your face into this boiling pot of sauce." She shot back. She was definitely threatening me. She wants a fight.
When she brushed past me and our shoulders brutally collided. I rested on the table feeling the pain.
"Are you acting like this because Denzel accepted you into his bed?" I questioned in a low voice.
"What? You knew and you're still here? You must be a loser." She folded her arms and stood still waiting for my reaction.
"I don't care about all that but I'll only care when you insult me. Next time you pull this stunt, you won't be so lucky."
"You're only bluffing. There's nothing you can do to me."
"We'll see about that."
I grabbed the stuff I needed and left the kitchen.
The next day, I got ready to go to the salon. I didn't have lectures so I knew it would be better to use all my free time for self-care.
Denzel had gone to work otherwise, I would have dragged him along with me. He'll handle all the bills and buy whatever I needed.
When I got outside, I was surprised to see a motorcycle parked beside my car. I was thinking it was a present from the creep who was sending me death messages.
A motorcycle without a helmet?
A figure appeared from the corner of the house. It was the rider of the motorcycle. From his body stature, I immediately knew he was Hunter. The one who owned the motorcycle. He wore a cool leather jacket that matched the color of the vehicle.
"Hi, Sheldon." He said and I rolled my eyes. Hunter is doing too much these days. It wasn't not stamped anywhere that I must be friends with him, was it?
"Get out of here," I demanded.
"I wanted us to go on a ride." He stated, refusing to leave. He tossed his helmet at me and I caught it with instinct.
"I'm busy." I scoffed.
"It's very important we go. I'm allowing you to answer all of your questions. Whatever it is." He smirked knowing it would get to me. I had many shit to figure out.
"Fine, I how you keep your promises." I put on the helmet and joined him on the motorcycle. As he turned on the ignition and sped off, I wished in my heart that I wouldn't regret this no matter how ugly it gets with him.
"What the hell are you talking about?" She asked. I smirked. "That's for you to figure out. But watch out, you're in big trouble for your horrible habit. And Lena is going to be your last victim." "You're wrong. You're my last victim." She laughed out loud. Reaching for a little gas cylinder, she turned on the fire and placed the iron on it. "I'm going to clear your doubts, I promise... Since you're so confident and not even remorseful for what you've done." "You aren't either for all you've done. I don't fear you." I stated. I won't give her the satisfaction of watching me cower in fear. "Let's see if you'll still stand strong by the time I'm done. You'll learn a few lessons and know your place." "Who the heck do you think you are?" I yelled, glaring at her.She picked up the iron and came for me. I kicked my feet and she dodged it. "No!" I yelled and kicked my body hire to hurt her and prevent her from subduing me. "I thought you don't fear me. Hold still!" I laughed painf
"I'm going to call the police," Denzel said but I stopped him. I had to think fast and use this opportunity for my benefit. "Don't call the police. There's nothing much they can do without any leads. I will get to the bottom of this myself." "You know who did this?" His face dulled in confusion. "It's Morgan. Your father. He has every reason to hurt me. I've been hurting him for the past months. It's his turn I suppose." I was blatant in revealing my thoughts."My father? Do you think he's that dangerous to hire an assassin? You could have been dead by now." He examined.I guess he doesn't entirely detest the man.I chuckled. "It's a clumsy job. I think he's only trying to scare me." He blinked twice, observing me like I was a completely different person. "Why aren't you suspecting my mother? She's the only trouble we all know." "She has no beef with me. Not yet. But your father, right from the moment we said we were marrying each other, he loathed me. And he's helpless because y
I was quiet. Awfully quiet as Denzel and Hunter did all the talking. They wanted to set things right and repair the damages. Despite understanding their motive, I felt like they were wasting their time. The deed has been done. I was shattered and broken. Thoughts of my poor mom wrapped around my mind. By the time Denzel was done speaking, Lena was crying. And for some reason, I was not moved by her tears. Although, I noticed how she couldn't control herself. Rehan held her, his head bowed in shame."I'm so sorry. I was threatened. I didn't know what to do. Raven is powerful. I couldn't stand against her. So, I lied and covered everything up." Lena said when she caught her breathe. "How could you let her do that to you? Burn you like you weren't human. How on earth did it happen?" "It was a year ago. We were both at a conference. She drugged me and did that to me. When I received consciousness, she pretended like she had no clue what was going on. Eventually she confessed and said
"Sheldon, what's going on?" He asked holding my head."You are aware of what your mom did to my mother, aren't you. She was maltreated by your family and you kept it a secret. Why?" I questioned, staring at him helplessly. "I couldn't tell you. The moment I found out, I wished I didn't. Because I knew it would hurt you deeply.""You're hurting me now, genius!" I pulled away from him. "Guess what? I met Raven some hours ago and she handed me some money and I accepted it. I'm such a fool. I'm selling myself short to the monster who hurt my mother." "Don't overthink this, Sheldon. You've done nothing wrong." He soothed. My eyes squeezed shut, picturing my mom's disappointed face. I hurt her too many times when she was alive, now that she's late, I'm hurting her more. When would I learn to do better? Clutching onto my bag, I went into my bedroom and bawled my eyes out. I came to the conclusion that I needed to get rid of Mrs. Raven. She's a monster who doesn't deserve to live. I'm s
We were on our way. Taking an early flight to Tokyo. Hunter had it all figured out since he knew where the woman was staying. A three-star hotel in a rural area. Likely, she was laying low after what she did. The puzzle was a tough one to fix but there was no backing down. We reached the hotel, it looked old and low maintenance. Hunter was able to get through the poor reception and didn't mind sharing the details of their guests. We headed up to the third floor and I was relieved the elevator worked perfectly fine. On getting to her room, I grabbed Hunter's arm. His jaw went slack."Any problem? You can't do this?" He asked."What do you mean? Are you expecting me to screw up the mission? I only wanted to remind you that she's a female. You can't just enter her bedroom." I thundered. The corner of his mouth turned up. "Trust me, that won't be a problem. As long as it's the both of us, she'll be fine, alright?" "No, let me go in first." I insisted, walking ahead of him. I reached t
Out of all the moments for Denzel to go on the vacation he had been planning for, it had to be the moment I got dragged into a legal battle. Lena was getting ready to sue me and all I had to think about was the right color of bathing suit that would match my polished nails as I took a swim at the large pool behind the house. I was insane. But I'd blame Denzel who prepared all this. We were in his aunt's house. Another paradise on its own. Funny enough, his aunt wasn't related to the family. She was his high school teacher who he grew fond of. The way his eyes glowed whenever she wanted to have a conversation with him, confirmed how much he valued her. The teacher had retired and had her ten-year-old granddaughter running around the house whenever she visited. This side of the world was peaceful. I saw life in its purest form every morning I woke up from my bedroom. I saw a lot of smiles, received a lot of care, and of course, the amazing French accent I heard all around me. I didn'