“Help us in what way?” River asked, arching his eyebrow at her.“ I know what your situation is right now and I can assure you that I can be a very good help to you, more than you can even imagine.”As soon as she said what she was saying she immediately stopped talking and she looked around to check if anybody was eavesdropping on their conversation. The boys also looked around in confusion wondering what was happening and why she was acting that way like there was somebody spying on her or something.“ What is going on? Why are you looking around like there’s somebody listening in on our conversation or like you’re scared of something?” Ryder finally asked with a confused look on his face.They initially thought that she was trying to mess with them or she probably heard their conversation before she walked up to them.“ I just want to be sure that there’s nobody around that can be listening in on this conversation.” She said with a wicked countenance that even made the boys more w
Archie arrived at the airport at exactly 3:00 p.m. after making moves to ensure that he was able to get a place to stay as soon as he landed, he was happy that finally he could get to business and return back to his city. A man was waiting for him outside with a placard having his name. “Good afternoon sir, are you waiting for me?” He asked the man. His father had told him beforehand that this was going to happen but she was to make sure that the person wasn't just trying to cajole him. A few people had a way of getting into the systems to know the Passengers arriving and portray themselves as chauffeurs. So one had to be very careful. The man nodded and raised a band that his father had told him the man possessed. That helped him out a lot in identification and he quickly entered the car."I'm taking you to the Grand Tulip Hotel." The man began conversationally but Archie shut it down. He wasn't in the mood to discuss anything with the driver, especially in a town where you knew n
Two Days Later, “Archie! Welcome home, my boy.” Simon called out as Archie stepped into the Lockwood mansion letting out a sigh of exhaustion, his trip for Sudan wasn't entirely hectic but it was a long one.“Simon,” Archie greeted, he extended his hand, but Simon ignored it, pulling him into a quick, firm hug instead.“It’s good to see you, Archie,” Simon said, stepping back to get a better look at him. “You’ve been missed around here.”“It’s good to be back,” Archie replied, a small smile playing on his lips, noticing the house was a bit quieter than usual, where was everyone?Before he could voice his question Simon turned to one of the maids hovering nearby. “Make sure to prepare something special for Mr. Archie. He must be famished after his journey.”The maid nodded and scurried off toward the kitchen, leaving Archie and Simon alone in the hall. Simon’s gaze returned to Archie, his eyes filled with pride.“I’ve got to say, Archie,” Simon began, his tone almost fatherly, “you’ve
"Archie stop" his mother yelled pushing him away and running to his foster dad who was gasping for breath.“What’s wrong?” she cried, her voice thick with panic. His chest heaved, his breaths coming in short, ragged gasps, and she could feel his heart pounding under her hands, faster and faster, like it was trying to escape his ribcage.“Archie!” she screamed, her voice cracking. “Archie, help me! We need to get him to the hospital!”Archie rolled his eyes but decided to help by calling their neighbor who lived just down the street.Together they managed to half-carry, half-drag him out of the restaurant and into her car, his mother hovering anxiously at their side the entire time.“Hold on,” she whispered, her voice trembling as they carefully lowered him into the back seat. “Just hold on.”Archie slid in beside his foster father, trying to keep him upright as they sped off toward the hospital, the tension in the car thick enough to choke on. Greg’s breathing was still labored, his e
ONE MONTH LATER“Mom, I brought you something to eat,” Archie said gently, holding out the bag to her. “You need to keep your strength up.”She glanced at the bag briefly before shaking her head, her expression resolute. “I’m not hungry, Archie,” she muttered, her voice hoarse from hours of crying. “I can’t eat right now.”“Mom please you can't keep doing this” Archie pleaded desperately but his mom just stared into the space barely acknowledging his presence.Archie sighed, frustrated, he placed the bag on the chair beside her, trying to keep his voice calm. “Mom, you need to eat something. Sitting here, refusing to eat, it’s not going to help anything. You have to take care of yourself too.”“Archie, you don’t understand,” she said, her tone sharp. “How can I think about eating when he is lying there… when he might not make it?”Archie’s heart twisted at the pain in her voice, but he couldn’t let her keep spiraling like this. “I know it’s hard, Mom,” he said, trying to be gentle but
Three Days LaterArchie walked up to the entrance of the restaurant, his heart sank as he pushed open the door and stepped inside.The sight that greeted him was worse than he had imagined. The dining area was empty, tables untouched, chairs neatly arranged as if waiting for people who never arrived. A few of the restaurant workers were gathered near the counter with nothing to do and no one to attend to as they were conversing.“Mr Archie!” one of the waiters called out as soon as she saw him. She hurried over, relief mixed with desperation in her eyes. “Thank goodness you’re here. We haven’t had a single customer all morning. And it’s been like this for days.”Archie frowned, glancing around the empty room. “No customers at all?” he asked, his voice laced with concern.She shook her head. “None. And the workers are getting restless, sir. We haven’t been paid in a while, and everyone’s worried about how they’re going to make ends meet.”Archie ran his head through his hair thinking o
Archie was surprised at Tommy's audacity. He clenched his hand into a hard fist and wasted no time to retaliate on Sienna's behalf. He advanced towards Tommy, punching him hard in the face. He punched him so hard that he reeled and fell to the ground. The people around them gasped and Archie immediately knew that most people were already filming what was going on. A small crowd was gathering but he didn't mind. He was not really sure what the consequences of punching Tommy would be, but he was ready to face them."Get the fuck off her," Archie fumed, grabbing Sienna's hand and pulling her away from Tommy so she could stand behind him. She was shaking hard and she was obviously trying hard not to cry. Embarrassment, pain, and shame were boldly written on her face as tears overflowed from her eyes."Never, ever do that to her again. Or anyone else," he warned, glaring at Tommy. Tommy knelt still on the ground, contemplating whether to beat Archie up like he so desperately wanted to or l
The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows on the corridor as Sienna walked briskly, her thoughts tangled with frustration and regret frantically searching for Archie with her eyes.She had never been one to back down from a challenge, but Archie, she just couldn't wrap her head around him anymore.But of course he wasn't the one to blame for this, if there was any pain in her heart it was her own doing.She had hoped their last conversation would be different, that maybe he’d open up. But it hadn’t gone as planned.She spotted Archie leaning against a tree, his dark eyes going through a book in his hand. Taking a deep breath, she approached him, her footsteps light on the grass.“Archie,” she began, her voice light and cautious.He looked up, his expression guarded. “What is it now, Sienna?”She hesitated, then plunged forward. “I wanted to ask you about your mother Archie.”His face hardened instantly, he clenched his fist and looked away from her. “That’s none of your busin