Eleanor pushed her son's door open with one swift kick. The sound of glasswares crashing against the marble tiles was powerful enough to draw her attention. Once the door was open, she caught Jeffrey swinging a bat against the screen of his LED TV. Eleanor flinched once the glass screen shattered into pieces all over the floor. Jeffrey clenched the bat in his fists, shoulders trembling and sweat pouring from his head to his bare chest as he shivered. It wasn't from the cold temperature, but from the boiling anger that brewed within him. The muscles of his back threatened to tear his skin open. Eleanor's lips thinned in disgust. She held the door open and stepped into his room. Her right foot stepped on shard of glass and she groaned in frustration. His room was a total mess. He had thrown his books and shelves to the ground. His sheets and pillowcases were in shambles. His TV screen was shattered, all his favorite sculptures he collected to show off his father’s wealth were nothin
"Hey, hey, baby." Mackenzie called out to her baby girl, squatting before her and patting the back of her head. Calista's tear filled eyes looked up at her, and Mackenzie swallowed hard. They had just finished breakfast, and Mackenzie was only half done with clearing the dishes when Calista began asking for her father. "You don't have to cry, baby." She kissed Calista's right cheek, but it did not seem to be enough. The little girl continued to stare at her with sad eyes. "I had a dream last night, and I saw daddy. Did I really see my daddy yesterday?" Mackenzie's heart twisted in her chest, a sharp and painful twist. She cupped Calista's cheeks and smiled sweetly at her. "Of course baby, you saw your daddy. He spent the whole day with you and Cameron, and even tucked you to sleep." "But he didn't sleep on Cameron's bed, so where is he?" Calista replied, stubbornly. Mackenzie heaved a sigh, and looked around the small dining room before she said anything. "Don't worry baby, o
Mackenzie squeezed the collar of her shirt and tore her apron off her in the process. She needed to breathe. Charlotte, on the other hand, moved to the littke girl. She lowered her body in a squat and cupped Calista's cheeks. "What's wrong, sweety? You were supposed to be watching cartoons with Cameron. Did something happen?" Calista shook her head, a silent sign for no. She raised her eyes to spare her mother a short glance, but Charlotte remained in front of her, patiently waiting for an explanation. "Cameron changed channels by accident, aunt Charlotte, and the news came up. Mummy, you need to see this! Our new grandpa is on TV mummy!" Calista cried out again. This time, she walked past Charlotte and held her mother's right leg firmly, pulling and urging Mackenzie to go with her. Mackenzie's heart skipped ten beats at once. At the mention of Richard, Chase's father, she sprang up from her stool and picked Calista up from the ground. She held her daughter in her arms and rushe
The bartender poured her drink into a glass, picked up the glass with a professional delicacy and delivered it to her side of the table. Selene did not so much as look at him, not even to commend his effort. She reached for the glass and drowned the sour liquid down her throat with one swift gulp. She dropped the empty glass on the table before she glanced at the gold customized Rolex wristwatch that adorned her left wrist. Forty-five minutes, she hissed. Tapping her right foot on the ground, visibly restless, she continued to look at the door of the bar, then around her, just to see if the silly man had crawled into the bar while she was looking away from the door, and was currently searching for her. There were only a few people in the exquisite lounge, so he shouldn't have been so hard to find. The fact that he was, only meant he had not arrived yet, and Selene's patience was currently hanging on a thin thread, which five more minutes of his absense was sure to snap. Selene tor
Mackenzie had both her children dressed in thick black coats - a small preparation for the cold outside - by the time the security details arrived at her front door. It had been warm for a few days, but the weather that afternoon could almost be described as freezing. Calista wore around her neck, a red and black printed muffler, the red matching the color of the frame of her glasses. Cameron loved the dark blue color, so his muffler was dark blue. Tucked under Calista's right arm was a painting, specially done by her, of the sun and the garden they had met. She was certain her grandfather was going to love it. The security details helped put Cameron and Calista in the back seat of the car with Mackenzie. The driver turned on the car's heater before he started the engine. They started the journey to the hospital. The car came to a halt at the hospital's exit door. Chase had stationed himself at the hospital's exit, making sure it was well guarded. His most trusted guards, yet you
Chase and Mackenzie strolled out of Richard's ward into the quiet hospital corridor. As they walked, Mackenzie found herself tucking her fingers into her coat at seconds intervals. The weather on its own was cold, but being close to Chase seemed to heat her up, causing all the cold to rush to the tip of her fingers. "Uhh. Why don't we just order a coffee?" She asked. There was a nervous edge to her voice, one she hoped Chase wouldn't notice. He did. He looked down at her and managed a small smile. Mackenzie knew she should have looked away in that moment, from his eyes that always threatened to suck her in, but she didn't. It wouldn't hurt once to let her guard down and be completely drowned in his gaze, would it? "I just wanted time alone with you." Mackenzie's eyes widened, sparkling with delight. Her stomach churned from thousands of butterflies. She turned away immediately, chuckling from the shivers that rushed down her spine. "I guess that much." She replied, digging her
Mackenzie and Chase returned to the Richard's ward, laughing with a cup of hot chocolate in each hand. As Chase moved to push the door open, Mackenzie started to walk in, still laughing. Her laughter came to an abrupt halt immediately she caught sight of Eleanor in the room. She was seated on the bed, beside Richard, running her fingers through Calista's blonde hair. Eleanor smiled as Calista continued to playfully pinch Richard's bearded chin. Mackenzie stared at Eleanor, her blood drained from her face, and her limbs lacked the ability to move. She hated seeing her daughter with the old and conniving woman. Innocent Calista was not aware of how callous the woman was. She turned and smiled at her innocently as they chatted on. "The shareholders are thinking of revolting, Richard. The stock prices are plummeting, what are you going to do about it?" When Richard remained silent, Eleanor made sure to continue. "The company needs a better leader, Richard. Listen, I know Chase is the
FEW DAYS LATER That morning, Mackenzie dropped the kids at the door of their daycare center, as was part of her regular morning routine on weekdays. The security details had escorted them to the school premises on Chase's orders, to make sure they were safe at every step of the way. She lowered herself by squatting and held both their hands. Both Calista and Cameron blinked rapidly as they smiled at her. "Your daddy has promised to come pick you up from daycare today." She said to them. Both the kids jumped up in glee, oval eyes glittering with delight as they embraced their mother and followed their teacher into the building. Mackenzie also made sure to show the teacher a picture of Chase, letting her know he would be the one to pick the kids up from the daycare later that day. Chase had told her he wanted to know what it felt like to pick his kids from daycare. "He'll be here a few minutes after the kids close, so they can't leave with anyone that isn't him." Mackenzie instruc