Backroom Book Novels & Stories

French toast, strawberry chops and turkey slices. And a can of coke. Unusual! "Something like what?" He asked, leaning back. "urrrrgh," I scanned the room until my eyes fell on the bookrack in front of me. "This!" I pull out one of the novels. “Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough,” he said immediately, without even glancing at it. He could tell which of the books were missing by just looking at the rest on the rack. “You read it?” There's suspicion in his tone.

“You’re restocking today. And don’t take a nap back there—I will check.” I stashed my backpack and went to the back aisles, where the light was bad and the bookshelves hadn’t been dusted since the first administration. It was peaceful, in the way abandoned houses are peaceful—quiet, but you kept waiting for the floorboards to creak. I made it through half a shelf of Derrida before I heard voices rising near the front. At first, I ignored it. People fought about textbooks all the time. But the volume ticked up, the words sharper.

It seemed like the room vanished into thin air. Warren shook his head. He already saw too much for the day. There was nothing that could surprise him anymore. Then Warren arrived in the basement of the White family again. He looked around and saw the books from earlier which he couldn't understand. The name of the first book, immediately grabbed his attention. The book was named 'The Legendary King Cole!'

"But Sophia is a woman too, isn't she?" "Sophia is different. She's an online influencer, and she's always sharing her life as a wealthy wife. She's sophisticated and elegant… Ugh, what's the point in telling you this? You wouldn't get it. Just give the shares back to Dad." I glanced at the new gold bracelet I had bought and smiled to myself. It really was true that money knew quality. The bracelet looked stunning, and I was sure Alice would love it, too. "I sold the shares. You can find whoever who bought them to buy them back."

He hangs up, and I look at the dead man on the floor. I turn my back and get into the car. - To the headquarters. The car stops on a busy street full of Macdonals and Starbucks stores, but I enter the old bookstore that no one gives a fuck about. The last book that the bookstore sold must have been in 1990, but all the shelves were full of old books without a speck of dust. I look at the man behind the counter, who greets me with a nod. Moving between the shelves, I reach the end of the hall. A bookshelf slides out of its place as if by magic, and I open the steel door that becomes visible using a retina reader and a code.

Lorenzo grabbed the heavy fireplace poker and pushed Alessia behind the desk. One of the intruders lunged toward the wooden box containing the letters. Another headed straight for Enzo. "No!" Alessia shouted. She grabbed one of the old books and threw it with all her strength. It struck the intruder's shoulder, buying Enzo just enough time to move. Lorenzo blocked another attacker, driving him backward into a bookshelf. Ancient books crashed to the floor. For several frantic seconds, chaos filled the room. Then, just as suddenly as they had appeared, the intruders retreated.

Elias urged me to pack up and take away Aria's and my belongings that day so that he could clear up the rooms for Larissa and her son to move in. Since I had no objections, I immediately followed him back to the house to pack things. After all, I wasn't planning on living in that house again, even if I managed to secure the ownership. When we opened the front door, there was no one in the living room. Then, we heard the sounds of someone moaning coming from Gabriel and Rhonda's room. A soft female voice said flirtatiously, "The plan for Tommy's organ transplant fell through. You need to come up with another plan…"

I’ll tell your dad that you got there already. Cillian: Okay. I’ll head to my old room and take a nap. I’ll talk to you later, bye. -- I quickly took my bags and head to my room upstairs. My room was just how I left it; I didn’t take much of my stuff to our current house because it was too much so I still have my old stuff from six years ago stuffed in here. After cleaning for a while, my room was now all sparkly clean. I can take a rest and lie on my bed now. I’ll sort out the stuff my from my bags later but before all that I’m going to check my novel first.

The elders exchanged uneasy glances, unsure of what to make of the scandal unfolding before them. "Who says I'm without proof?" I smirked, pulling out a digital recorder. "Here's the juicy bit of Derick and Jasmine's midnight rendezvous from last night. While they played me for a fool, the kid they thought was mine was burning up with fever all alone in his bed!"

After that day, I moved into Briarwood Manor by myself. The Cole residence wasn't far from the Brown residence. They weren't on the same street but were close enough that running into each other was always possible. Since I had chosen to give up the marriage agreement with Nathaniel in this life, I needed to cut things off completely and avoid unnecessary contact. On my first day back at Briarwood Manor, I started cleaning. I didn't expect to find the old marriage agreement tucked away in one of the cabinets.