Ollie lifted his head when the door creaked open to reveal Seth. He yanked his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “Did you have it?” “Yes sir.” Seth strode to him, halting in front of the office desk. Bowing his head, he handed over the file to him. Seth had been Ollie’s P. A. for years but he was still the same as he met him years back. Rigid and a small talker . It was one of the reasons he lasted long with Ollie. He was Ollie’s favorite. He loved people that knew what boundaries were and respected them. And don’t try to kiss his ass. Though Ollie was crossing a boundary now. And he didn’t feel guilty about it. He needed to get it off his mind. He didn’t say he wasn’t going to look into it he said he wasn’t going to ask her questions. Ollie took the file from Seth. A crumpled sound filled the air as he ruffled his hands into the file.“Witness says it’s her brother.” Ollie balanced his gaze with Seth. “Her brother?” not her boyfriend. “Yes sir. According to the witness in the casi

June spaced out. The dribbling sound of the coffee became a hum in her ear. She hadn’t had a wink of sleep since the last night after the incident. No one in her situation would. Her problems were a series of never-ending strings. She was worn out. Exhausted. There was no way she would have five hundred thousand dollars in two weeks. Even if she worked for two weeks without rest, she wouldn’t make half the amount. She thought hard about what to do. But nothing. There was no light at the end of her tunnel. She hadn’t heard from John. The cause of her misery. His phone couldn’t be tracked this time. The universe constantly dealt with her brutally. There was never a day when she was genuinely happy and relieved. It was a myth to her. Hey! Hey!It came again louder jolting her back to earth. “Hey!” Her eyes veered to the counter. She gasped at the pile of mess on the counter. She grabbed the towel behind her and laid it on the counter. “I’m so sorry.” She apologized, wiping the s

Ollie loosened the tie around his neck when he stepped into the hall for the charity party. Coffered ceilings with plastered medallions, glossy hardwoods floor, people in expensive attires, and a grand piano playing softly in the background. Just like a typical high-class event. People competing for the best dressed. To be the most sensational. To have the highest money donated. Never about the people in need. Anger clutched his wrist at the thought. Though he grew up in a super elite environment. He acknowledged it was a pretty shitty place. He hated attending events like this. Sadly, it was hosted by his mom and he wasn’t given much of a choice. She had guilt-tripped him into coming for today’s event like always, telling him how much of a bad son he would be if he didn’t show up at her events. “How long is this?” He asked Seth who stood behind him. “Three hours sir.” “What?” Ollie tilted his head backward to face Seth. He had to be here for three hours? He would rather pi

She ruffled her hand through her hair when she heard the door shut behind Ollie. Already regretting her decision, The way she asked how much he’d pay her made worms crawl on her skin. The desperation in her voice made her shrink with shame. But that was how desperate she was. Over the week, she tried her best to take on any part-time jobs she could get—including this— in good faith that maybe it would sum to something. She knew it wouldn’t be much. But a girl could dream. She’d tried to get in contact with John. But, it was as if he’d been erased from existence. It wasn’t surprising. It was a vicious cycle. He would cause trouble and disappear for as long as the problem persists. Then he would show up after she had resolved it. But, this was different. How was she supposed to resolve fucking five hundred thousand dollars? Why would he do this to her and the twins? Still, it felt wrong, taking up Ollie’s proposal was all shades of wrong. She scrambled to her feet. She should l

How come she didn’t hear me when he entered the room? For the longest time, they heard each other’s gaze. Were they in some kind of competition? Why wasn’t he looking away? Should she look away? If she did look away would she be a loser? The silence lengthened between the making her uncomfortable. Her heart pounded in her ear under his darkened scrutiny. Blood gushed into her brain as all the nervousness came back to grip her. If this was to make her nervous, then it was working. Giving in, she blinked away and spoke in a reasonable voice she could muster. “How long have been standing there?” “A while ago.” He shrugged, grinning briefly with no trace of his former animosity. Was he bipolar? How could he switch from that to this in a breath? “I see.” It came as a coerced whisper. “You don’t have to be nervous.” He folded his arm around his chest, leaning back into the wall. She blurted out without much thought, letting out a panicked laugh. “I’m not. Why will I be? I’m defin