All Chapters of Aaliyah’s Return : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

The sound of my phone ringing on my bedside wakes me up very early in the morning. Still half asleep, I look at the screen, and it's Gabe. I sit up abruptly, sleep clearing from my eyes instantly. My heart rate picks up. He wouldn’t call me at this time unless it were important.I answer immediately. “Gabe? What’s wrong?” “Boss,” his voice is steady but urgent, “there was another break-in at the store.” My heart sinks. “Again? Was there any damage this time?” “No, Boss,” he replies quickly. “But they tried to break the back door. The alarm went off, and they ran off.” “Please tell me they were caught?” I ask “Yes. This time they were caught. I’m about to call Mr Desmond to go down to the police station, stay with them during the investigation.” “Oh thank the goddess,” I say, relieved and frustrated by the constant attempts. A scapegoat is very necessary at this point to send a clear message to the attackers. “Now we will find out if it’s the same person who did it last time.”

Much later after having lunch, A sudden craving hits me. Pastries from the patisserie across the street are calling my name. I tried to think of something else but the craving is stuck to me like glue. I keep imagining biting into the buttery, melt-in-your-mouth flaky goodness with its perfect crust. What is life without a bit of sweetness? I think to myself. For one dangerous minute, I think about just going out without telling anyone. It's a few blocks away no one needs to know.… but then Sanity returns I will not make it out of the door before Brandon or Gabe catches me.… They would never approve, and they would have guards around me in an instant before I even made it across the pavement. I feel my frustration steadily building in my mind smh. I go into my bedroom for a few minutes and the craving will not let up. I feel so boxed in today, the silence feels suffocating and the echo of the constant steps of guards in rotation in the hallway is unnerving. Having the guards statione

We all sit around the living room in silence . Brandon is sitting on my left, while Shawn is on my right, Desmond chooses the single sofa facing me directly leaning forward with his usual seriousness, and Gabe sits a little apart from us in a single chair ever vigilant waiting to hear what comes next . They’re all staring at me as if they are waiting for some kind of reaction . Brandon starts talking first . “We have come to the realisation that these attempts are not random They’re all connected in one way or the other .” His voice is cool and calm as usual , He looks at Desmond. “ Can you tell us what you have found ?” “Yes,” Desmond says without hesitation, his tone grim. “I would love to share the information with you .” He continues . “We’ve traced the patterns. The timing, the methods , it’s too deliberate. Whoever is behind this is watching us, testing us to see what makes us tick , waiting for the right moment to strike.” I come to a sudden chilling realisation. “I am th

I wake up in the morning with Noahs arm hugging me . I don’t know when he crawled into my bed, but today more than ever, I’m grateful for his intuition. He can sense that I needed his innocent warmth today . I comb his hair with my fingers giving him a kiss on his forehead … “You can always tell when Mummy needs you … …” I say softly into his ears . He doest even stir , still in lala land. I lay there for a while basking in his warmth and innocence …Later on after Breakfast , Brandon notices me walking back and forth . He leans against the kitchen counter and says… “You’re restless,” I sigh, rubbing my arms . “I feel like I am under house arrest Brandon. I know you are trying to keep me safe but it’s driving me crazy . I will like a change of scenery at least .” His gaze softens. “I know its hard no need to explain .” He walks closer and envelops me in a brief quick hug kissing my temples . “I will speak to Desmond. He told me he will be working from his flat for a few days pe

I was awake by the crack of dawn. Inspiration had struck in the middle of the night when I woke to use the bathroom. The images remained in my head too vivid to ignore begging to be brought to life on a canvas or a drawing pad. I had a quick bath, slipped into dungarees, and gathered all my paints, brushes, a brand new small canvas, and put them into my bag. Brandon woke up just before I left. I made my excuses, telling him I needed to go back to Desmond’s to bring life to my painting. He seemed to understand and went back to Noah’s bedroom to sleep while I opened the front door and left. I took the elevator up to Desmond’s floor alone, excited to get to my creative corner. I knocked once and stood by the door waiting. Desmond opened the door for me, taking my bag of supplies from me. His hair looked like he had just woken up, his voice very deep and husky.“Aaliyah, you are a sight for sore eyes,” he said, leaning against the doorframe, looking at me with soft but still