MAE"I said what is going on here?" Aunt Margaret questions again after getting no response from any of us."I believe that you know why we are here," Ethan speaks up."If this is about the flash drive, I am their aunt and it is in their best interest that the flash drive stays with me. Like I mentioned to Lily earlier Mae can move in," Aunt Margaret replies but there is something about her tone that doesn't sit right with me."Sin could you excuse us for a moment?" I ask not wanting this conversation to escalate."Yeah I think that's a good idea," Ethan agrees pulling Sin to the side, I see the reluctance in Sin's eyes but he follows Ethan as they walk back to the car leaning on the side."Just come stay with us Mae, you don't need to rely on him," Lily adds diverting my attention back to them, she reaches out to hold my hand. "I cannot believe that you believe her Lily, I understand that she is our Aunt but after everything she has done to us," I try to reason with Lily, how naive
MAEMy jaw drops, and I stare at Aunt Margaret incredulously. "What?" I exclaim."You heard me," Aunt Margaret replies, her eyes unwavering. "Lily and Sin will get engaged. And in return, we'll make an apology video."Lily's face is pale, and she looks terrified. I look back at Ethan and Sin waiting patiently by the car, Sin's expression is grim and I don't know if it's what Ethan is telling him or maybe he just heard what my aunt said. "That's ridiculous!" I protest. "You can't just force them to get engaged!""Force? No one is forcing anyone into this," Aunt Margaret says calmly. "They are both adults.""Sin will not agree to it, so come up with something else," I protest."And why won't Sin agree to it?" Lily asks placing her hand on her waist, she looks at me with a puzzled look waiting patiently for my answer."He won't, we already talked about this Lily you know-""I told you I liked Sin and you took him away from me, the least you can do now is actually allow us to get engaged
SIN"Why am I getting locked up again?" She yells at me, her eyes widened in surprise and anger. "Ryder," I call out to him wondering why it's taking him too long to grab her inside. Ryder also looks confused by my order but he closes the distance between him and Mae."Please Ma'am, don't make this difficult," Ryder pleads with her motioning her to step into the elevator. She rolls her eyes at Ryder and then at me before taking a step back, "You can't lock me up, I am not some pet," She cries out. She takes another step and this time she makes a run for it.She doesn't get far when Ryder catches up to her quickly. He is fast and knows how to handle situations like this. As he grabs her arm gently, Mae tries to pull away. But Ryder is strong and doesn't let her go. "Please, Ma'am, I don't want to hurt you," he says in a calm voice. She looks at him, scared and angry at the same time. She stops trying to escape as though the realization has hit her that she can't escape from me or th
SINLily turned out to be quite cooperative during the meeting, she didn't hesitate to apologize not only to the company clients but to the media. I don't know if she was still taking in my rejection or if she felt being obedient would make me see her in a different light, but it all didn't matter to me. As we exit the meeting, the buzz of the reporters and the flash of the cameras are overwhelming, but there is a sense of accomplishment. Lily's apology has calmed the storm for now, but the real challenge is ahead.Ethan leans close, his voice barely audible over the chaos. "That went better than expected, huh?" His gaze is questioning, searching for my reaction.I nod, my mind already racing to the next steps. "It did, but we're not out of the woods yet. We need to ensure the clients are truly back on our side."As we make our way back to the car, Lily remains silent, a stark contrast to her earlier defiance. Her cooperation has been surprising, but her motives are still unclear t
SINAs I step into her room, I see Mae sitting on the bed, awake. She's handcuffed and lost in thought. She looks up at me, and her eyes are full of anger and fear."You're going to regret this," she says.I don't say anything. I place the tray on the bedside table and stand next to her keeping my distance as I place my hand into my pocket."You can't keep me here forever," she says."I can try," I say.She glares at me, "You're a monster."I shrug, "Maybe I am.""I hate you," she says."You can try to, see how that turns out for you," I reply. If there is anything I've come to understand about her, it's that she is slowly beginning to realize that I am all she has even though she is not ready to admit it. "You can hate me all you want," I continue, my tone even, devoid of any malice or satisfaction from the situation. "But it doesn't change where we are. You are not leaving my sight, not even for a second."Her anger seems to simmer just below the surface, her breaths coming in short
SINEvelyn?How did she get my new number? I had given her Ryder number recently in hopes that she would stop calling, her frequent calls and messages were starting to annoy me. "I have been trying to get to you through Ryder but he is always claiming that you are busy but now it seems you have been avoiding me," she says. I checked the caller ID again to be certain I saw an unknown number before placing the phone back to my ear. "I have been busy Evelyn, not all of us spend time just pressing our phones," I reply walking into my room. "So, are you saying all I do all day is nothing?" She questions. "No, Evelyn," I say, my tone even. "I'm not saying that. But I've been dealing with a lot lately, and I haven't had much time to talk to anyone," I add opening the door to my room. I place the phone on speaker and place it on the bedside table as I take off my clothes. Today has been a long day, a good shower should help."Well, now you do," she says. "And I have something important
SIN"She didn't -""Really? You expect me to believe that, I am aware that she has been in communication with you secretly.""Okay, well she has. Is that a bad thing? She is only worried about you, about the family's reputation and -""My family's affair should be less of your concern Evelyn," I cut her off, my voice firm yet calm. The last thing I need right now is Evelyn meddling in my personal affairs under the guise of concern, especially when it feels like an orchestrated attempt to weave herself back into my life using my mother's help.I run my fingers through my hair reminding myself to speak to my mother about this, I had overlooked her communications with Evelyn because I felt it would come to an end over time but it seems my judgment had been wrong. They seem to be closer than ever, my mother would never speak about my personal affairs with any woman but in Evelyn's case it seems not. "And it's not just about Mae," I continue, picking up the thread of our conversation. "I
MAE"Please Ma'am, you need to eat something," Victoria pleads as she steps into the room to find the food tray from last night untouched. I couldn't bring myself to eat last night, my mind has been occupied with Lily and why she did what she did after everything we have been through. Even in my dreams, I saw her face, those eyes filled with so many emotions I couldn't understand. It's like she's asking me to understand something, but I don't know what. I had woken up sweating and realized my cuffs had been taken off probably by Ryder or Sin. "I'm not hungry, Victoria," I say softly, not wanting to upset her. She's been nothing but kind to me, but I just can't eat. My stomach feels like it's tied in knots.Maybe if I see Lily again and talk to her, maybe I will feel the need to eat. Victoria sighs, a look of worry crossing her face. "You haven't eaten anything since yesterday, Ma'am. It's not good for you. Please, try to eat something. If not for Mr. Hayes but for me?" She holds o