A resentful wail—interspersed only by sobs that sounded more like someone was being strangled—was echoing in the middle of the night while Javier and Florence could not see even a single soul out there? Animated by the power of “hell, naw!”, Florence dove into Javier’s arms for protection. Her hands were clasped firmly on either side of her head, hoping to block out the ghastly demand in her ears. Her eyes were squeezed so tightly shut that even a crowbar could not pry them open.Javier himself was just as terrified. He would have felt better if he could see the source of the voice rather than just hear a woman sobbing about getting her head back. At least he would know what he was up against! But just hearing it without any visuals at all?! Nooooope!Then, Florence hugged him in a “help-me!” sort of way. She was soft and supple—damn, that sexy figure in combination with her silky-smooth skin sure was welcoming. She was warm, and damn did she smell good! Nothing competed with fea
Javier shook his head. By the time his vision was back to normal, the dog was gone. It had escaped! “What kind of hell spawned this little sh*t?!” Javier wondered to himself aloud. “Was this really an effect of the world changing? Is this an example of mutation because of the Storm? Or is there something else at play?”Baffled and unsure what to think, Javier returned to the dorm and told the residents to open the door. Inside, he found Florence huddling the frightened kids closely. She was white from fear, and yet in the presence of vulnerable kids, she had assumed the role of the protector without a second thought. “Hush, it’s alright! It was fake. Someone pulled a terrible prank and put on this white sheet and…” Javier made up a fib to explain the haunting away exactly because the truth could land him in a mental institution. No one would believe him—and for good reason too!Javier drove Florence back to the Yuzuian restaurant, where the latter’s electric scooter was. While
Mrs. Greene opened her flap and unlocked the floodgate, the spit during her tirade so profusive that she could water an old lady’s lawn. “It’s him, officers! It’s all him! He did this to his own camera just to remove himself as a suspect, but we know better than that! He’s the guy who stole my goddamn lingerie!”She turned and trained her finger on Javier. “You vile, disgusting, degenerate piece of sh*t! Ptooey!”‘Back at you! I'd rather spend the night with my left hand than with you!’ By this point in the morning, Bernadetta had arrived at work. Her heels clicked onto the floor as she sauntered toward the commotion. As soon as she heard what had transpired, she laughed, looking clearly amused. She trained her perfectly manicured finger on Javier and piled on. “Oh, it was him. I can testify to that! He stole Mrs. Greene’s bra because he is…the Lingerie Phantom Thief! By day, he is Javier Kersey. At night, he is Jo Ker, the Bra Stealer!” Javier threw his arms up in exasperation
As Bernadetta launched a barrage of kicks against the restaurant door, Mrs. Greene summoned 120% of her strength, holding the fort. The older woman had made a living terrorizing others with absurd accusations and downright unreasonable demands, but this time, she had met her match. Bernadetta James put the “man” in the word “woman”—in that she resorted to violence as soon as things escalated. In the end, it took both Mrs. Greene’s apology and a deal to provide Javier and Bernadetta with three days’ meals, all free of charge, to make the young woman stop. Then—“because I actually have a weakness against people sincerely appealing to my better angels,” according to Bernadetta—she amended the peace offer, changing the three days’ free meals to…a week’s worth. Back in the inn, Javier expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Bernadetta for rescuing him. “I can’t thank you enough for standing by my side when I needed it the most, Bern. But I can thank you a bit more if you refrain from using t
“Javier… Let’s get a divorce!”It was to be Javier Kersey’s 24th birthday tomorrow and this was what Selena Lewis was telling him tonight.Even though Selena had been picking fights up and down and digging out flaws in their relationship, it had never crossed Javier’s mind that he would be receiving a “special” gift like this on the night before he turned 24. Seated on the couch in the living room, Javier tried to salvage the relationship after a momentary lapse.“Selena, my birthday’s tomorrow and I wanted to give you a surprise, you know, a special present for—”“No need.” Selena waved dismissively before Javier could finish his sentence.“I can’t bear to see you work so hard—an office worker in the day and part-time food delivery man at night. A surprise gift bought using your hard work and sweat? I don’t need it. That’s too much on you, too exhausting.”Javier looked hopeful, his gaze brimming with delight when he looked up.“I don’t think it’s hard at all. Selena, for you,
Javier and Selena went down from their apartment together around nine the next morning. While they were waiting for a cab by the road, Javier offered her a last chance.“Do you want to reconsider your decision?”Selena did not even spare him a glance. “No.”Right after her prompt decline, her phone rang inside her brand new purse. When she pulled it out, Javier saw that it was a new phone. Judging by the logo on the back, the cellphone was a collaboration model with Porsche. Selena glanced at the name on the screen and walked off to the side. As she picked up the call, her voice dripped with honey and sounded incredibly sweet. That honeyed voice had once belonged only to Javier, but it was now enjoyment for the man on the other end of the line. Since they were over, Javier did not comment as he flagged down a passing cab. Opening the car door, he gestured for Selena who had just ended her call to get in.From when they had known each other, he had always been a gentleman. And now
Terry was intoxicated by Ciara’s beauty but once he heard what she had said, he was infuriated, especially after seeing his beloved car being squashed into a pancake.But before he could say anything, Ciara walked up to him with her long legs which were cladded in a pair of black tights. Stunned, Terry fell under the bewitching gaze of the lady’s eyes. It was as if they were sucking his soul away. When the girl reached him, she said threateningly with a grin on her face, “Keep staring and I’ll dig your eyes out, yeah?”She was smiling but Terry felt chills running down his spine and he unconsciously averted his gaze.No longer bothered with Terry, Ciara went to Selena and pinched the girl’s chin while raising her face like she was teasing the latter. After some scrutiny, Ciara giggled. Her gaze was mocking.“My brother said that you’re beautiful, inside and out, and married you despite our family’s protest. We offended the Soroys because of this and grandpa got so angry that he ban
Ciara went back to Javier’s side after sneering at Selena.When she saw the man’s blank face, she stuck her tongue out at him and hugged him as a peace offering. She burrowed her head in Javier’s embrace and asked softly, “Javy, I was wrong, okay? Save me some pride, don’t scold me in front of outsiders…”Javier was honestly powerless against his younger sister. Ruffling her hair, he slung an arm around her shoulders, and together, they walked toward the Rhino GX.Selena had always thought that Javier did not know how to drive but it was today that she realized the man could drive and he could drive rather smoothly. With a step on the accelerator, Selena watched as the large tank sped off into the distance. For some time, she stood there stunned, her cheeks throbbing from the slaps she had received.Suddenly, she threw herself at Terry, who stood equally stunned beside her, and shook his shoulders fervently. “Terry, he was acting, right? He must’ve emptied his pockets to hire that