X-factor #5 Novels & Stories

Samantha's heels hitting the marble floor echoed down the long hallway. Her phone buzzed in her fingers, and another notice appeared on the screen. SCANDAL UNVEILS: CALEB WINTERS ENGAGED IN FRAUD, EMBEZZLEMENT, AND CORPORATE SABOTAGE. She barely had time to breathe before another one struck. JAMES BLAKE'S LEGACY RESTORED: NEW EVIDENCE CLEARS HIS NAME. Her father's name.

Then, he nodded and left. I walked over to Julian with a calm expression. "We need to talk." The city lights gradually dimmed. The night grew quiet enough that it felt like the only sounds left in the world were our breathing. I looked at him. "So, tell me. What exactly do you want?" Julian's gaze, however, landed on the box in my hand. It was a box of cookies I had baked. Shane had always loved them. After a long silence, Julian said softly, "I want some too."

Crezelda came closer and slapped him hard across the face. “All you bring this family is shame! We raised you and Red the same, so why did you turn out this way? If we had known this would happen, we would’ve rather not had you as a son!” Zander let go of him and left with his wife. Blue dropped to the floor, crying silently. He tried to piece together his broken guitar. “Baby Tartar,” he sobbed. Red came closer. “Blue, the s*x scandal between you and Teressa leaked online.”

she continued gently, "it might be easier if you try to see this as an opportunity rather than a punishment." I sighed softly. We spoke for a while after that. She tried to calm me, offering small reassurances until the heaviness in my chest eased slightly. Still, everything felt unreal. Five months. Five strangers. And their father, who was known to be insanely rich and extremely strict. Before going to sleep, I found myself thinking about the countless magazine covers I had seen over the years. King in a sharp suit at some gala. Kyle performing on stage with a guitar. Keith smiling at a movie premiere.

I jumped on my bed and checked my phone, seeing a text notification plastered on my screen. Of course it just had to be my damned mother. Who else could it be? Lyssa Hendrix, the "queen" of the mafia. She was nothing better than my father; if anything, she was worse. She was cold, brutal, and didn't care about anything but herself. It disgusted me. I opened my phone, reading the text. "You're coming clubbing with me tomorrow. It's going to be so much fun!"

My parents want me to continue my study abroad to avoid you. Sorry if I wasn’t able to stop them. Sorry if I need to leave you now. But I know that even if they keep pushing us apart, my love for you will never change. You know how much I love you, Bree. No one can replace you in my heart. We’ll see each other again, Bree. I love you! -Seb End of flashback

She covered her nose and walked back into the house, pointing the camera inside. "Look. Miles has turned the house into a landfill. "I want to bring him back too, but look at how filthy he is. How am I supposed to bring him home like this?" I felt terribly wronged and muttered stiffly, "I'm not filthy." What can a five-year-old do? I've been dead for five years, and you still don't know. "Let me see Brother's house! I want to see!" A bright, lively voice came from the video. An eight-year-old boy in a little suit appeared on the screen, looking like a small prince.

He looked tired, stressed, and devastatingly handsome, the absolute picture of a dedicated man who had just escaped a brutal day at the office to be with the people he loved. "I am so, so sorry," Damian said, his voice deep and breathless as he reached the table. He leaned down and pressed a lingering kiss to the side of my head, right in front of his mother. As his lips brushed my skin, my breath caught. Beneath the familiar, sharp scent of his usual Tom Ford cologne, there was something else. A heavy, musky, distinct note of another cologne, one that absolutely did not belong to him, clinging to the fabric of his shirt.

The second bottle loomed in front of him, but his body refused. "Mr. Wright, Mr. Lopez," he muttered, swaying, "I... I can't drink anymore. Please. I've shown my sincerity. Let's finalize the deal." Wright chuckled. "Fine. Just make Miss Slutsky happy, and we'll consider it." Finley turned to Renee, his vision swimming. She looked at him like he was nothing. "Kneel." "What?" Finley stared at her in disbelief. "Renee... What are you saying?"

T*****r caught fire before the segment ended. #TheFifthVowIsForever trended again. Ava, listening from home, nearly spilled her tea. “Lord, this girl done declared a movement.” Ruth cackled. “You raised a PR army and didn’t even know it.” At MAX Holdings, Marcus’s phone buzzed. He glanced at the trending clip. Delphine’s fire lit up the screen. He smiled despite the chaos. “She’s got her mother’s backbone.” Natasha frowned. “That’s her daughter?”