Susan listened in shock as David recounted everything and when he was done with talking, a moment of silence ensued between both of them. Then, she cleared her throat and repeated what had been playing at the back of her mind while he was talking. “I am not aware of any of these and trust me, I never asked Richard to di anything to you or your family.”David heaved a deep breath. “Well, he did. Let me just tell you now, so it would not sound like a shock to you. I’ll take him down on my own and it’ll be worse than he would expect” “Are you sure Richard did these to you? Do you have concrete proof? We could get him arrested if there’s any CCTV footage that shows his face”David frowned as his eyes settled on his reflection in the mirror in front of him. What was Elise’s mother trying to insinuate now? He asked himself . Then he said, “Would I call to lie to you? I am very sure that it was Richard. At some point, I couldn’t get a good hang on the voice. Afterwards, everything became
Sophia stood with folded arms by the door, staring at him in silence. She was about to close the door when she saw an unfamiliar jeeppull up in her driveway. She lingered a few seconds by the door, waiting for the visitor to get out. It turned out to be David. He wore a thick, heavy coat and a large head warmer was on his head. He locked up his car and started jogging on the wet, morning grass towards her. Her eyes widened with surprise as he approached her.It was after she allowed him to get in, panting that she asked him why he chose to show up at her apartment that early in the morning. She there a sharp glance at the screen of her phone.It was only a few minutes after 7am and David was at her house.“You can sit over here” She said quietly, gesturing at one of the couch in the room. Then, she sat on the one facing him. Sky was behind her. He leaned by the glass table, trying to finish up the remaining content of the bottle in his hands.David took off his heavy coat, leaving ju
This period, he needed to plan out his counter attack on Richard as carefully as he could. Back at his apartment, he decided to call Susan Rodriguez—his ex girlfriend’s mother— and inform her of the consequences of the events that had happened the previous night. Susan listened without a word and told him not to panic because she knew exactly what to do about the situation. As soon as the call ended, Susan slipped her phone into the back of her jeans and she got out of the rocking chair that she was seated onas she ambled towards the railing on her balcony. She was embittered and a wave of coldness swept through her system as she thought of Richard. What she felt inside was a stark difference to the atmosphere around her. The afternoon was warm and the air was a bit heavy with heat. Although she was outside, she still felt the color of her shirt get wet by the sweat at the back of her neck. She was more than uncomfortable with everything that was happening. Why was it so hard for h
At first, he thought that he was only being tired and after having dinner in his kitchen, he turned off the lights everywhere and went into his room where he took some sleeping pills do he could doze off as soon as possible and sleep away the disturbing feeling.Yet, when the effects of the pills had just started to tell on his body, he still had to struggle to stay awake because he had a bad feeling that something was wrong somewhere. He sat up in bed. The room dark and quiet. From the time on his phone, he could see that it was almost 11pm.He slowly pushed himself out of bed and groped around in the dark for his padded shoes. He found them and headed to the kitchen. The kitchen had a faint smell of coffee. That was the last thing he had prepared in the kitchen that morning. He took out a carton of warm milk from the fridge and poured some out for himself. He emptied the content into his mouth and let out a soft belch. His stomach rumbled within in but he ignored it. As he stood
It felt very unusual for Richard to spend the whole evening without calling to check on her and she could not shake off the eerie feeling she felt. Once, she had managed track Richard’s phone to his hostel and she found out his room number without his knowledge. Now, his phone was no longer giving off the location signals that usually helped her to know where he was. So, she had to be content with going this hostel to ask about him The following morning, Elise left her house with woolen wrap, tucked around her neck. She also put on her knee high boots and wore a pair of warm hand gloves. When she woke up that Morning, she had overhead one of the home staff complaining about the weather. It had snowed all nights and the news on the radio revealed that the local roads were all blocked so citizens had to stay stuck at home until the road workers came over at noon to clear off the snow.Elise was downcast and she decided not to risk her safety by going out in the snowy weather. She wa
This was his chance to leave this unknown place. Richard reasoned to himself. It was to his advantage that the man outside the bathroom was gullible enough to let him out of the other room so easily.The bathroom was clean. The tub and the towels were dry.The medicine cabinet above the sink had a mirrored door and behind it were over-the-counter analgesics, and toothpaste, and tampons, and dental floss, and spare soap and shampoo.The toilet seat was only short distance away from where he stood. Judging by what he saw in the bathroom, Richard could tell that a lady lived in that house. There was a pink colored towel hung on a small rack behind the door of the bathroom.He bent over and picked up a small hammer that was lying on the bathroom floor. He positioned it between his hands and he pushed the bathroom door open as quietly as he could.The bodyguard had his back facing Richard and he was not aware that Richard was standing by the open doorway of the bathroom. He was completel
Richard watched as she tried to pull off her coat. Somehow, her long slender arms pinned behind her back for a moment. She was stuck. As she struggled to free her arms, Richard eyes fell on her exposed cleavage. Richard swallowed hard and rose to help her. He was still trying to squeeze around the small table, in an attempt to get to where she was when she finally broke free of the coat and pulled it over the back of the chair. He sat back down. She looked down at her shirt, it was a tight-fitting black-and-white striped shirt that clung firmly to her body, she stretched herself and started to push the sleeves to her elbow. “Sorry, I didn’t really know what to wear,” she muttered, embarrassed at what had just happened. “I haven’t really been on a date in a while.” She looked up at him, and he could tell that she was watching him for his reaction. He knew that he should say something – contradict her, raise some sort of objection – but he just sat there, expressionless, unable to
.“Do you think David is not over the breakup?” she asked.He shook his head.“Seeking to get back at me?”Richard nodded.“He lost me. It is such a shame that he can never get me any more because someone way better found me” She winked at him.He smiled. “Someone got you?” “Handsome, tall, very full of mystery…” Elise explained. "I only wish I knew why he disappeared into thin air last week”Richard froze, his smile disappearing. Elise’s last words danced around in his head. That only meant one thing.She was still thinking of the period he did not talk to him for four days. Richard looked down at his cake, pushing his fork into it. “You still have not told me anything about your sudden disappearance " She said, pinning him down with her eyes. She watched him as he picked at the cake, pushing the icing to the edge of the plate. “Don’t you think you should let me know? Do you think I believe that made up story about you falling sick?” she asked.“I don’t know.” Richard said shar
The next few days went by in a whir of emotions for Elise and Richard. As Richard drove down the sunny road, Elise’s nerves were palpable. She fidgeted with her fingers and sighed deeply. “Are you okay?”Elise spoke up, her voice laced with worry. “My Mom is going to be disappointed in me, she had always envisioned something else for me.”Richard turned and met her eyes. “We have nothing to lose, Elise. We love each other, and that’s all that matters. Elise, don’t worry. It’ll be okay. We’ve got this.”“I just don’t want her to be disappointed in me. I feel like I should have told her before now,” Elise replied, her voice wavering.Richard took one hand off the steering wheel to reach over and take Elise’s hand.“She loves you, Elise. She’ll be happy for you once she sees how happy we are.”Elise squeezed Richard’s hand and smiled. “You’re right. I’m probably just overthinking it.”As they arrived at the residence, they were welcomed by the high gates that led to the luxurious mansi
James’ wife, Susan, had been sitting quietly during Richard’s announcement, but as soon as he spoke the words “Hûlio is my father,” her eyes widened in shock. She had always assumed Richard was a lost cause, coming from a poor family and with no connections to speak of. But now, it seemed, he was from a wealthy bloodline.Susan’s first instinct was to make up for her previous bad character by offering something valuable to Richard. “Richard, my daughter Elise is also unmarried. I propose that you take her as your wife,” she said, smiling sweetly.Richard was taken aback by the sudden proposal. He had been secretly dating Elise for months, but Susan didn’t know that. He shook his head, declining politely. “Thank you for the offer, but I cannot accept. I have other plans.”Susan’s smile faltered for a moment before she put on a gracious façade once again. “Of course, I understand. We will do everything we can to help you reconnect with your family,” she said, still trying to make up for
The rich office of Hûlio was a grand affair, decked with lavish furnishings and ornate decorations. The walls were adorned with artwork and photographs of his family, giving a glimpse into the life of luxury that he lived. A large mahogany desk dominated the center of the room, on which sat an array of expensive gadgets and trinkets.Hûlio sat at his desk, pouring over old family documents when Rue entered the room.“Sir, I received a rather peculiar email today,” she said.Hûlio looked up from the papers and raised a questioning eyebrow.“It seems that an anonymous person claims to have found your lost son,” Rue continued.Hûlio’s eyes widened in surprise. “My son? But he was kidnapped when he was only 10 years old. How could he be found now?”“That’s what the sender of the email claims, sir. They are requesting a meeting at an open field to prove their claims,” Rue explained. Hûlio leaned back in his chair and lit a cigarette, his thoughts racing. Could this be real? Could his long
As Elise stepped into her room, she closed the door behind her, making sure that her boyfriend Richard’s palm tree-patterned shirt was folded and placed beside her bed. The dim light from the bedside lamp created a peaceful atmosphere that made her feel relaxed. The apartment was small but cozy, with walls decorated with various paintings of the sunset, flowers, and the Eiffel Tower. She walked towards the mirror, and she could see her reflection, appreciating how her olive-toned skin glowed. She was wearing a cream tank top and her hair was tied in a bun.As she began her skincare routine, she applied her favorite cleanser in circular motions, ensuring it was thoroughly massaged into her skin. A faint fragrance of lavender from the lotion she was using soon filled the room. She enjoyed the calmness of the room as the music from the speaker on the shelf played softly in the background.As she continued massaging her face, her phone rang. Elise hesitated, assuming it was probably her
As Elise cuddled close to Richard, she felt the warmth of his body and the softness of the blanket they shared. They made small talk about the movie, commenting on the plot and the scares. Despite the creepy atmosphere, they both felt relaxed in each other’s company.However, as Richard stayed up after Elise went to bed, the mood in the room changed. His thoughts turned to the stranger he had bumped into at the airport, and the picture of his face kept flashing in his mind. The news about Sly being a direct heir of Hulio Adiento added to the sense of unease in the room. The image of Hulio’s face on the TV screen sent shivers down Richard’s spine as he tried to make sense of the coincidence.Lost in thought, Richard eventually headed to bed with a sinking feeling, wondering what the next day would bring.As Richard stepped out of his house, the sun was shining brightly in the sky, and a cool breeze blew across his face. He closed the door behind him, took a deep breath and started walk
It was not long before avoiding his work calls and watching the news in fear that he might be wanted by the police. His room was dark and messy, with clothes piled up on the floor and empty bottles scattered around. He didn’t care about anything anymore, not even himself.His thoughts were disturbed, swirling around in his head like a storm. He couldn’t believe what he had done, and he didn’t know how to face the consequences. All he knew was that he was a monster, and that he deserved to be punishedAfter two days of locking himself in his apartment he decided to speak up about what he has done and he visited his family house very early the following morning.One thing that had always in endeared him to this house where he spent most of his childhood was that it reeked of wealth. Sly’s family home was a mansion surrounded by lush green gardens, a swimming pool, and a fleet of luxury cars parked outside. The front door was adorned with a grand entrance, and the marble floors shimmer
It took a while before he could lift her off the wet ground and trudge through the quiet woods to the main road where his police vehicle had been parked. He carefully opened it up and out her in the back seat before he ran over to the other side of the car and got into the driver’s seat.He took her to the hospital immediately, where she was treated for her injuries and given a rape kit.As she lay in the hospital bed, Elise’s mind was consumed by the horror of what had happened. She couldn’t believe that Sly, someone she had trusted so deeply, could have done something so vile.The following morning, Hanna laid on the hospital bed, her body feeling violated and her mind consumed with the memory of the brutal attack. Her eyes were closed, but she wasn’t asleep – she was lost in thought, replaying the incident over and over in her head.The room was quiet except for the soft hum of medical equipment. The walls were painted a pale blue, and there was a small window that looked out onto
He tugged harder on her belt, her body pressing up further against his. He grabbed her hair in his fist and balled it up. He drew her head back and looked at her. She began to cry, to plead.“Please don’t,” She said. “Please.”“Shut up.”He kissed her again and this time, he inserted his tongue in her mouth. By pleading, she had left herself open to this. Again he pulled her head back roughly. “Kiss back,” he said.And I did.When he was satisfied, he stopped and tried to work the latch on Her belt. It was a belt with a strange buckle and he couldn’t figure it out. To have him let go of her, for him to leave her alone, she said, “Let me, I’ll do it.”He watched her.When she was done, he unzipped the jeans she wore.“Now take off your shirt.”She had a cardigan sweater on. She took that off. He reached over to help unbutton her shirt. He fumbled.“I’ll do it,” She said again.She unbuttoned the oxford-cloth shirt and, like the cardigan, She peeled it back from her body. It was like
He stated down at her with so much intensity in his eyes.It terrified the hell out of her as crossed both legs over her and sat on her thigh.“What are you trying to do? I need—” She got cut off as his strong palms came heavily on her mouth, sitting out her voice. “Hanna!” Sly growled. “Can you not see that I am madly in love with you?” He said His voice reverberated through the woods and bounded back to them.Cold sweat trickled down the Hanna’s neck as she locked eyes with himShe was numb.He released his hand from her mouth.I screamed. Quickly. Abruptly.The struggle began. She rose her feet in difficulty.He covered her mouth again. He kneed her in the back of her legs so that she would fall down. “You don’t get it, Hanna. I have fallen in love with you and if I don’t taste you first I will not be happy when I leave the island” He said in a bitter voice She struggled some more, trying to push off his weight from her almost tired body.His threat rang out into the air. It was