I woke in an unfamiliar room with my body aching all over.
At first, I couldn’t remember where I was because it sure is not my room. When I roamed my eyes around, I realized I was in a hospital room. It took me another minute to remember why I was there.
Somebody had set me up at school and intended to kill me. Those men…they were paid by someone to do it. Henry was the one who gave me the letter allegedly written by Olivia. But it had been a trap. If there is anyone who did it, it’s Henry. Or perhaps Darion.
The door burst open, interrupting my thoughts.
“Father,” I said.
He crossed the distance between us and the next thing I felt was the sting on my left cheek as he struck me.
“You stupid boy,” he said, seething. I looked at him. The pain in my whole body was too much that the pain in my face was nothing. I gave him a blank look.
“You ought to remember that this is going to be your life now. People are going to drag you down because I have given you power. Use that brain of yours not to get deceived.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose before he sat down on the couch.
“Do you know who did this to you?” he asked and I did not hesitate to answer.
“Henry,” I said, much to his surprise. His eyes widened as he looked at me. I was certain he was going to strike me again so I prepared myself for it.
“Henry stabbed you?” he asked in disbelief. I shook my head.
“I believe he hired people to do the job. He gave me a letter saying it was written by Olivia. I went to the place where Olivia wants to meet but I met strangers instead.”
He was silent for a moment, processing the things I have said to him. “If he’s the one who gave you the letter leading to your setup, he was so certain you’re going to end up dead. Henry isn’t the only one behind this. He can’t move without his brother.”
“You believe me?” I asked, surprised. It wasn’t all the time that he believed me. It was often Darion or Henry’s side he takes.
His eyes darkened as they bore into mine.
“If I find that you’re lying then I don’t care if you’re already betrothed. You’re leaving my house and I don’t care where you go. Olivia can settle on marrying Henry instead. So you better be telling the truth, boy.”
I looked at him straight in the eye and then he fixed his coat to go out. I was left alone with my thoughts and the pain in my body was too much that I couldn’t even sleep a wink. I don’t know how Henry or Darion is going to get away with this but if they manage to do so, I’m in danger of getting kicked out of the house. I’d be homeless. I don’t know if I should be worried about it or not.
It didn’t take long for sleep to come later that day. By the time I woke up, I was not alone in my room. When I looked around, I saw Henry sitting by the couch and Darion leaning on the wall. Father was by the window. I was very aware of the glare that Darion is giving but I couldn’t care less. I was literally stabbed. His glare is the least of my concerns.
“This little shit is lying, Father,” said Darion and pointed a finger at me.
“Darion’s right. We were both at the gymnasium for the basketball match. We both left before the period ended. None of us saw him off.”
I furrowed my brows as I looked at Henry. I know he’s a liar but really? He would go to this extent just to get away from what he did? My mouth remained shut as I let them talk. There would be no sense of reasoning now. Father would surely listen to them since he had heard what I had to say earlier.
Silence covered the whole room and we all looked at Father as he let out a sigh. I wanted to get up and punch Henry in the face. Hiring gangsters to kill me was too much. If it were up to me, I would gladly have them marry Olivia instead. But Father has made it perfectly clear that it won’t end up well for me if I refuse and I am sure as hell I will not only end up homeless. I might end up way worse than that.
“Very well then. Since none of you will admit to this then I shall do what needed to be done,” Father said and we all looked at him questioningly. “Olivia, dear. Please come in.”
Henry’s eyes widened in surprise at the mention of Olivia’s name. Darion too. However, unlike Henry, Darion is more relaxed. Could it be that Henry did that stunt all by himself?
The door opened and in came Olivia. As usual, she looked like she came straight out of a photo shoot and came here just to solve a dispute. She gave me a cold look—well, she gave all of us a cold look before turning her gaze to our father.
“Olivia, did you write that letter I gave you earlier?” father asked.
Olivia took something from her coat and it was the letter that Henry gave to him. She placed it on the foot of my cot and shook her head.
“That isn’t mine, Mr. Olivieri, and I don’t remember writing a letter the day this incident happened.”
A sigh of relief came out of me and I looked at my brothers who were already seething. They all looked like they were so close to snapping and choking me to death.
“Then do you know who wrote this letter?”
Again, Olivia shook her head. “My handwriting doesn’t look like that.” She took another paper from her coat and placed it next to the letter. “This is my handwriting. You can see and compare.”
Before father could even say something, Olivia turned to look at me. Her eyes were still cold and I couldn’t help but wonder if this girl even know how to smile.
She gave me a small nod and then another to Father before walking out of the room. She didn’t even acknowledge Darion and Henry as she walked past.
Another blanket of silence coated us until Father started walking towards where Henry was sitting. I knew what was going to happen and tension filled the room that I could almost taste it.
Before Henry could say something, father’s palm connected with his jaw. I swallowed hard as I looked at how Henry’s face started to turn red. Clearly, he was surprised his father could even do it to him -- slap in the face in front of me, the supposed to be hated, son. And I know it’s making them angrier that their father is taking my side.
“This is unfair, father. Why are you siding with the loser? Henry did nothing wrong. Clearly, this shithead and that bitch are lying. You should believe us! We are your sons—“
“Useless sons!” yelled father. Darion looked hurt and surprised at what father said but I bet father was too angry to even care. “Our company is at the edge, Darion. We are close to getting bankrupt.”
I mirrored Darion’s confused expression as we looked at Father.
“What do you mean, father? Our company is doing well. We are doing well—“
“You don’t know anything, you stupid brat! While you’re out there, doing stupid things, our company is losing money. You don’t know anything because you are an irresponsible one. The de la Fontaines are people who can help us get back up. That is why a marriage between our families is necessary. If you hadn’t been such a problematic child, I would have chosen you to marry that girl you just called a bitch. Or I would have chosen your brother if he doesn’t admire you so much. But you’re both not good choices.”
Father pointed at me. “This boy is the only option I have to save our company. This boy who isn’t even my son. This boy who got so many achievements than both of you combined. He’s the perfect man for Olivia de la Fontaine. But what did you do? You attempted to kill him?” He gave another slap to Henry and I could have sworn Henry whimpered.
“If Kingsley had died today, we would have lost our only hope. And you would have put me through the trouble of hiding a dead body.”
My body went cold at that. Of course, he would rather hide a dead body than let his sons go to prison.
“This is the last warning for the two of you. Touch him again and you’ll see what I can do.”
And then he walked out of the room.
Days passed since the incident and I got out of the hospital the moment the stab wound started to heal. Father did not call on the police. He wouldn't dare to do so as one of his sons could be convicted. Henry and Darion started to ignore me, which was good. I didn't want their attention in the first place. Should they try to do it again, they know what would be the consequence. Or maybe if they try to do it again, they'd be smarter and more careful so as to not get caught. The thought bothers me.Another thing that bothers me was the voice I heard during that incident when I was losing consciousness. Someone had saved me and brought me to the hospital. If it hadn't been for that man, I would have died. I asked the nurses about it but they just shrug and went on with their job. I asked father about it and he was too focused on getting mad for the trouble his sons had caused to answer my question.It was a total mystery. What's more, is that I don't know who it was but he knew my name.
Everything happened so fast. One moment we were just discussing the details of the wedding—one I really didn't pay much attention to. I was too stunned—too surprised to process everything. And the next thing I knew, me and Olivia married. It all happened too fast. And I couldn't believe they pushed through it. And I couldn't believe I became father's personal puppet.It's been almost two years since me and Olivia got married. Almost two years since we started to live with each other. Our families bought a house—a mansion—that's unnecessarily huge for the two of us. Olivia and her own business is thriving and father is restless. Especially when Harold de la Fontaine kept asking about when I should take over the company.Knowing father, he will never, ever hand me his company. Especially since I am not his son. Other than that, he's also pissed that Harold kept asking him when he should retire from the company."That bastard is getting cocky," he said in one of our scheduled family dinn
Days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months. Olivia and I surprisingly got along well. For almost two years of being married, we started to get along. Despite the fact that she can become quite intimidating, I got used to it and I could see that whenever she was around me, she drops the mask of being a girl boss and just being an ordinary woman. She enjoys painting, I found out. She wasn't planning on telling me and was secretly painting on one of the vacant rooms in our house. I accidentally found out about it and saw her artwork. They were mostly landscapes and I told her they were amazing.I could tell she is not used to receiving compliments about her artwork as she was never given the opportunity to express or share it with others. Somehow, I could relate to her. As to how her whole life's controlled by her parents."I just...do it whenever I have free time. They're nothing special, really. They're just amateur work—""Olivia," I said as I stared at her flipbook. I looked at
The blinding pain all over my body was the one that woke me up first. I could hear the beeping sound of some machines and I kept my eyes closed as I could barely open them.I don't know where I am nor what happened. But as I tried to recall the memories, it came flooding into me like a hurricane. The memory of Olivia's face as they molested and killed her. The memory of how they shot her next and how her blood pooled underneath her. The memory of life slowly seeping out from her eyes.It all came pouring that I didn't realize I was already sobbing. The machine's beeping sound intensified and suddenly, it became too loud that I felt like my head was about to explode.One thing I wanted to do was to get out of the damned place and find those men who killed my wife.But then the door suddenly burst open and men in uniforms get inside. It was then that I realize my hand was cuffed on the bed and that I can't get out no matter how hard I get away.Two men held my arms as they try to hold m
The silence in the room was deafening and yet, I could almost hear Mr. de la Fontaine cursing me inside his head. He was staring at me. Seething. Mrs. de la Fontaine sat in the corner, sobbing. Losing a daughter is terrible.However, I lost a wife too.Olivia and I married out of convenience for both our families. In her case, the de la Fontaines needed a strong foundation to strengthen their company further. They needed the Olivieris. As for my father, he used me as a tool to secure his company that was nearing bankruptcy. Of course, father never told the de la Fontaines about the company’s situation. Otherwise, there is no way the de la Fontaines would invest. Olivia and I wouldn’t have happened.We shouldn’t have happened. If I had known it would come to this point, I shouldn’t have agreed.But I was powerless. What could I have done?“What happened back there, Kingsley?” Mr. Harold asked. “Did you…Did you really kill my Olivia?”The pain in his voice was something that would proba
The alleys were dark and as much as I hate it, it was my only companion. It welcomed me with open arms as I marched through it, the future uncertain.My whole body ached with every movement I make. My legs, in particular, were screaming with pain. I contemplated what Darion and Henry offered. I contemplated if I made the right decision to accept their offer. One thing running in my mind was that, my life will not end like this. I refuse for it to end like this. This may make matters worse or this will give me a second chance. It was a risk I was willing to take. After all, other than my life, what else have I got to lose?I hissed in pain when my foot snagged on something. The sound of metal rolling against the concrete pathway echoed along the narrow alley. It made me wince. It was loud enough to wake the monsters in everyone's nightmare. But I kept on walking. What else can I do?In the distance, I could hear the sound of the traffic. I need to get there as soon as I can. If I don't
"You piece of shit," muttered my older brother as he landed a punch on my right cheek. I stumbled and fell on the floor and winced in pain at the impact. At 15 years old, Darion is already bulky. Perhaps all those times he practiced football made him like that."Why are you always so useless, Kingsley?" said my other half-brother, Henry. He's 13 and he was just standing behind his brother as he was also looking at me, snickering.At 10 years old, I was a small boy. That is why it is so easy for them to pick on me. Other than that, they know I am not going to tell on them to our father. Father never took my side."You said you wanted juice. I gave you juice. What's the matter with it?" I asked as I helped myself to stand up. The only piece of trousers I own has become dirty. I would have to wash it tonight and hope it dries for tomorrow."Orange juice, you freak. This isn't orange juice." Darion made an emphasis on his annoyance by throwing the juice right into my face. The juice dripp
"Father!" Darion glared at me before he looked at his father to plead whatever case he has. "He can't marry Olivia!" "And why the hell not?" "Because..." Darion shifted in his seat as if he suddenly lost the words. "Because Kingsley is not an Olivieri. I am sure you wanted one from this family to marry one from de la Fontaine for business purposes but he doesn't carry your name—" "Like I said, he will carry it from now on. He will now become Kingsley Olivieri and he will be the one to marry Olivia de la Fontaine. End of discussion." Silence filled the whole surrounding and the dread I was feeling was getting heavier and heavier. "Father, I don't understand—" "What is so hard to understand, Kingsley?" he snapped. "You are to marry Olivia de la Fontaine as, among the three of you, you're the one with the cleanest records." "This is so unfair. Darion should be the one marrying Olivia—" "Then he should have worked harder for it. Not deal drugs. I won't be able to settle a busine