“Samuel Lawrence. THE SAMUEL LAWRENCE!”
Nadia almost broadcasted to the entire restaurant screaming her surprise and quite a fun way of thinking of how playful, but cruel her destiny is to her.
“Please Nadia, just tone it down.”
She could only gasp and took a breath out and deep as she already lost her appetite for the meal that she had just ordered.
“Tell me about it.”
Retorting and rolled her eyes at her greatest dismay of the year. Nadia drinks her refreshment in one gulp and almost slams her glass onto the table as she once more clarifies the bomb that just exploded in front of her face.
"The Samuel Lawrence. The person that you hated more than anyone, your once childhood friend and first love who broke your heart mercilessly in the past?”
She wanted to melt on the spot and even wish that the earth would eat her alive rather than slap her very best friend in the face for just screaming her greatest nightmare coming true.
"Do you need to rub salt in my wounds?”
With a peace sign and a gesture of zipping her mouth. She crosses her arms as she hopelessly looks at the ceiling contemplating what she should do, while Nadia enjoys her food and ends up reminding her.
“Well, you do not have any choice for this matter. It’s our ‘tyrant chiefs’ assignment for you. Don’t worry, I know that you can do it.”
Easy for her to say. As she is having doubts about just how Nadia becomes her friend having the very opposite personality from her.
“I can do it.” She convinces herself trying to make the most of all the possible things and scenarios that she can. “Just how hard can it be to face your greatest mistake in life?” wanted to laugh out of her current scenario, as Nadia can somehow predict that she will be dead before this assignment of hers could ever end.
But being a good friend, Nadia comforted her by stating the facts and words about her current life right now.
“Look, you change so much in the past years. You are not the same nerd four eyes girl that everyone knew back then. You're beautiful, smart, and successful. Besides, you can use your name and your identity to be close to him, and that very fact is your greatest advantage.”
Taking Nadia’s point as she is not the same one from the past and sure enough, she is strong and not the same push-over girl. She can do it and it will be a piece of cake even though her target is the country's guarded and close lip subject.
“Wait, if I remember it correctly, isn’t your stepbrother working for him?”
Tell her all about how small the world could be. She nods as Nadia snaps her finger for the perfect and easiest way that the Universe is laying right in front of her.
“Just the perfect path. All you have to do is seek help from your brother do it as fast as you can then you are done!”
If only it was all that easy in the first place.
"I’M ALREADY HERE.”
Arrived at the airport after hours of long travel. Nostalgia hits her as she surely misses her old city and birthplace that she never anticipated being back into.
“I’ll be right there so you do not need to be worried.”
Ending the call as she walks towards the arrival gate where she expects her step brother waiting for her. She then mumbles.
“You can do this, Catherine.”
Surely conditions herself for facing her mother and stepfather after all these years. Sure, she is upset and even shut her mother for years after the divorce, but she does not hate her stepfather as she is fond of his stepbrother who becomes quite the perfect older brother figure to her.
“He’s here!”
Surprised by the sudden screams and flood of young students, teenagers, and a like holding some kind of banners at hand and looks like some fan of a famous star which she could not relate to. She immediately moves away from their path as she looks at where the commotion ended up into.
“I see.”
Retorting, but not in dismay as she surely recognizes the person as none other than the famous and raising country singer Alexander Ford, and by any means her only younger brother.
“She sure doesn’t know how to keep her mouth shut.”
She gritted her teeth knowing who the culprit was sure enough her mother called and informed his younger brother about her arrival.
“Just great.” Now in dismay, she feels like her great plan is turning into the side of being ruined and haywire, for the arrival of his younger brother.
The dotting younger brother whom she loves so much. But then is giving her a headache frequently times.
“I need to get out of here.”
Slowly sneaking out and taking advantage of her younger brother’s fans, she accidentally is pushed by her brother’s rushing fan and on her way to falling flat with her face. Knew what was coming, she just closes her eyes and waited for an impact only to be caught, pulled, and landed on the chest and locked into the tight arms of a man.
"Miss are you okay?”
With her cap flying and her hair falling perfectly unto the moment just like in some teen drama she hated more than anything and ever since she is left broken-hearted. She is stunned, somehow frozen in place as her eyes meet the person that she is not prepared to meet right now.
Worse.
“Cathy!”
Her younger brother screams her name across the place and calls her by the nickname that she only let five people in her life call her. Her father, her step-father, her step-brother, her younger brother, and Sam.
“Cathy?”
Puzzled, he surely got the surprise that he did not expect to have, but was more than glad to receive. He looks at the person he only tries to help, but ends up catching the one he misses so much, but could not have the balls to approach. Colliding in an unexpected turn, this surely is a part of her grand plan, right?
CHAPTER 4 “CATHY?” Wide eyes and more than the word surprise could ever figure out what she is feeling right now. Cath's out-of-luck life delivers her into the arms of the person that she least wanted to see right now. “Cath!” Worst her little brother, that though struggling amidst his swarming fans is trying to catch her attention. She composes herself thinking that she should deal with this unexpected event professionally. She stands smiling awkwardly, but before she can say a few words or two, her stupid heart gets a head out of her and unknowingly runs away from the scene. “Stupid, stupid, stupid!” she murmurs and leaves her entire baggage to save herself from the humiliation. But more likely escaping from the person that no matter how many times she denies it, her heart sure knows otherwise. “Will you please heaven and from above strike lightning at me right now?” her out-of-the-bag wish. Cath finds herself hiding behind a wall with her younger brother and Sam looking
“YOU ARE ugly! A pig! Pig, pig, pig!” Left but to cry, Cath can’t do anything but endure every other kid's bullying. For she is thinking that she cannot do anything about it. She is weak and small. With a dysfunctional family that is on the brim of breaking, everyone has the right to do such to her, right? “Stop it!” But then out of the blue, she somehow expected it. Sam came to her rescue. “Don’t bully her!” Sam yelled running in their direction and punching the hell out of the kids’ faces in front of her. “Mommy!” The kids then all scream crying and rolling on the dirt from his punches and kicks. While Sam is all fuming with anger for what they did to her. “That should teach you all a lesson, and don’t you all dare to make Cath cry ever again!” He screams, threatening with his tall and big stature that makes every kid around them scared of him. “Let’s go, Cath!” Sam then took her hand and drags her out of the park. Just in time with the bully’s mothers that are rushi
“DADDY! We want her to be our mommy!” Couldn’t believe what she just heard. Cath is stunned and prefers to think about it to be a simple slip of the tongue and a play that the innocent daughter of his teases them about. Her jaws wanted to drop, and her mind is half wandering and somewhat diving into the stash of her memories as the words reminded her. “When we both grow up, will you be the mother of my children, Cath?” The fleeting words, but only then, and the hell not now. That Cath is desperately shaking away from her thoughts. As she reminds herself that it is not the time to be reminiscing about the things that she curses and should already forget. “Mom-mommy?” She asks, putting on an awkward wild smile as she is composing herself at the same time and reminding herself that it is just a silly word from a kid who doesn’t even know what it means. “Yes! I want you to be our mommy! Daddy, marry her.” The cutest hell that she wanted the earth to open and swallow her whole or m
“WE want her to be our mommy!” “I only warn you this time, and the first and last. Whoever you are, stay away from my man.” A declaration from a little girl is shaking Cath’s mind right now. Asking herself if she is hearing it correctly, worst, she just receives a threat in a whispering way from the entitled Erika that she even didn’t care about. Especially since it revolves around Sam. “Do not worry, I am not stupid to dig my own grave.” She tries to play it cool and whispers back to Erika, with an awkward smile that the latter didn’t even buy. Making her question her luck and just how the heavens are playing and toying at her right now. “Hey! What are you doing with our mommy!” Monique protests, defending Cath like she is entitled to do so. Looking up towards Erika with the eyes and expression that’s screaming, she will protect her newfound mother no matter what. “Mommy? Do you have any idea what you are talking about?” “I know, I am very aware of that fact.” Erika couldn
“KEEP your mind in the game, Catherine Wayne.”As she reminds herself and the whole point of why she comes back to this place in the first place. “Keep your head in the game.”Shaking her head and out from the past moment, those eyes of Sam that almost take her out from the boundary of her plan is hunting her. She raises her hand and orders a drink just to cool herself and somehow erase those thoughts away from her mind. "I have high hopes for you myself, you can do this.”She talks to herself while trying to convince her thoughts with those claims. Drinking the whole bottle of wine in one to three gulps. Making everyone present in the restaurant taken aback by her uncanny behavior. “Thank you.”Handing her payment with some tip on the side. She went straight out of the restaurant in a tipsy state. But not enough for her to stumble down the road, yet. A once in a blue moon state and nature that she only does if she is stressed. “Samuel Lawrence.”As she reads the name that is writ
“YOU are such a piggy-rabbit, do you know that?”Suddenly reminded her of the past that she rather wishes that she didn’t. Cath open her eyes as she felt a slight pang of pain in her head. “Where---”Cutting herself, her vision slowly made the layout of the room. She sighs deeply as she realizes that she is already in her bed and old room way back when she is still living in the place. “Can I make you stay here for good?”Somewhat slap with the thought that she is in the hang of believing that it all happened or not. She immediately shakes those thoughts away as she might be just hallucinating it out of drunkenness, yet. “How did I end up here?” Electrified for a second as she jumps right out of the bed and looks all over under the mattress for any trace of a nightmare that might just happen last night. Considering that there is only one person she’s been with. “Wait a minute?”As she thought to herself. Now sitting properly on top of her bed thinking logically about what happe
“YOU are starting to be pathetic Catherine.” As she scolds herself whispering those words while deep sighing once in a while. All after knowing what happened last night and what her stepfather had told her. “Get your head in the game Catherine. There is no room for mistake.”Reminding herself and once more that somehow becomes her ritual every time she thinks and feels like she is being retracted from her original goal. Sitting in somehow an uncomfortable manner with her head somehow a bit on the cloud with the events that just happened. Her phone rings and she immediately picks it up. “I’m almost there.”As she assures, while looking out the window of the cab with the driver that’s for a while is looking back and forth from the passenger mirror and the road ahead. “Aren’t you the famous journalist Miss. Catherine Wayne?”Somewhat alarm in a way that she is thinking of keeping her job a secret just to be cautious of what might Sam thinks upon knowing. That will end up wi
ONLY a bit after seven thirty in the early morning and already the Lawrence’s household is in chaos. “I do not want that!”Monique screams, throwing her crayons and papers onto the floor while the three maids are in a big dilemma on how to subdue their little miss tantrums. “Little Miss please do not do this.”“No!”Wild like a lioness who is hunting for prey for the pride’s food. Monique even shrieks with a high-pitched voice that is like torture to everyone around her. While she is kicking and throwing everything that she could see. “I want to bring Mr. Scuffles!”She demanded. Her favorite cat that she always insists on bringing to school, with her reasoning that it will guard her against everything. Her spoiled and acting nature becomes their every morning struggle, just to get her to do a thing before going to school. All because she isn’t allowed by Sam to bring her pet cat Mr. Scuffles to school. Her adviser and some of the students in her class are allergic to cats. The su