Max cracked his knuckles as he clasped his hands together and stretched. It was easy to get into the manager’s computer. He had the lamest password in the world, and it was easy to guess, so Max could see what the guy was doing right away. First, Max had his computer screen flickering like it was losing power. He thought the guy was just a prick, so he was thinking of going easy on him, but as he delved deep into his computer applications, he found something that curdled his blood. There was a screen that was dedicated solely to Celine. The f*cker had a hidden camera on nearly all of his staff’s desks. That was why he could tell what she was doing. His breathing became labored as he contemplated what he should do to make this guy miserable. Max shut the supervisor’s computer down, changed all the access codes, and made it inoperable. Sebastian’s people were probably good at th

-=- R18 -=-Max ran to see Celine. He knew what happened, but he had to curb his anger and excitement so as not to scare and alert her that he was spying. ‘Wait! Why should I keep this from her? Who cares if I know what happened? I saw it with my own two eyes. No lies, Max, no more lies.’ He was busy thinking in the elevator while he impatiently waited for it to get to the floor where the courtyard was. ‘What happened?’ He asked as Celine jumped into his arms.‘It was so awful,’ her voice was muffled against his shoulder. ‘My supervisor made a pass at me, and I just… I want to get out of here and forget about it.’ He was rubbing her back to console her. This was the closest he had ever been to hugging her, and she felt very good in his arms. Like they were

‘Marry, you don’t know what you are talking about. You’ve never felt more than lust for any woman. Why now? Why my sister?’‘Because she makes me happy. She gives me hope and doesn’t care where I came from.’ Something dawned on him. ‘Wait! Are you saying no because I’m an orphan? Because I’m not good enough for your sister? Is that it?’ he asked accusingly.Clara held a hand to her mouth as she gasped, eyes wide. ‘How could you think that?’Max wiped a hand across his eyes, wiping the anguish away. He did not want to argue with Clara, but he had to bring his point across. His future was on the line. ‘Do you know why I never have a long-lasting relationship? Because the minute I tell

When all the tears had run dry, they sat side by side on the floor with their backs leaning on the bed, each thinking their own thoughts. Celine looks at Clara shyly, ‘Uhm... Carmen... Clara, I hope it’s okay that I asked Max what happened to you at the orphanage. I wanted to know because I know you’re not going to tell me how hard it was for you there. I know you’d tell me the fun parts but not the sad parts. He didn’t want to tell me, but I forced him, told him I’ll break up with him if he lied,’ she giggled. Clara laughed, ‘Good job using your newfound power on my brother. You should use it more often because he can be very bossy.’‘It's kind of weird that I have you for a sister, and then I have Max for a brother, too. But then again, I'm gl

‘I’m not sure,’ Clara said, moisture gathering in her eyes. ‘She called out my old name. Why don’t you go and see what happened? I’ll be outside listening.’It was not the way Clara planned this revelation. She wanted to do it slowly, but she did not count on her mom recognizing her so soon, and this brought tears to her eyes. Her mom knew who she was and celebrated this as a small victory. Clara stood outside the bathroom door, sniffling as she listened to their conversation. Sebastian had his arms around her in comfort.‘Mom, are you okay? What happened?’ Celine asked as she left the door ajar, so Clara could hear.Emelia was inconsolable, ‘Carmen... oh Carmen, it’s my baby... oh Carmen, I know it’s her. Tell me it’s my baby.’