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With messy morning hair, a yawning mouth, and sleepy eyes, Peach walked into the lobby in a large t-shirt and shorts, and then smiled, not caring that James and Matt were there.A month plus with these guys had made her so comfortable with their presence that she didn't care for her look or to act formally anymore with them."James, what is for breakfast," Peach asked softly, smiling as their eyes locked.A warm expression graced his face as he grinned at her and said, "Pancake, muffins, toast, bacon, eggs..."The Sound of the front door opening caused him to glance back and frown as Ryan let out, walking into the lobby. "Did someone say egg... I hope it's not burnt."A wide smile spread against Peach's face as her eyes widened and she shouted, "Ryan, Rookie!! You guys!!!" "Peach!" Ryan replied, grinning as he turned away from James and looked at her.As she was about to head over to hug them, Peach felt a presence behind her and immediately stopped in her tracks. Turning slightly
Sweat dripped down her forehead as Peach tossed aggressively and turned on her bed with her eyes closed, digging her hands into the sheet, as her grip tightened on the blankets. The sound of her father's angry cries haunted her dream as she struggled to wake up, but her eyelids felt heavy like lead in their sockets, tears rolling from the corners of her eyes, and onto her pillow. 'Dad,' The voice of her childhood self was faint, just a whisper, yet it still echoed throughout her mind.'Honey, let father grieve alone. Grandfather has been taking from us... so give him space.' Her mother's words were soft, and her body slowly relaxed on the bed. 'He's hurt... really sad like you and me, so let him be. For now.'"I will miss grandpa." Peach whispered in her sleep the exact words from the voice of her young self that crossed her mind and then her eyelids opened.Her vision was blurred for a moment, but she blinked slowly and saw her room bathed in sunlight. The sound of her breath cau
Shoving his hand into the sleeve of his coat, Elijah adjusted his gold embroidered black fit blazer over his broad chest, deep into his thoughts, his fingers traced down the edge of the button and pushed it through the hole. For a silent minute, he stared at his reflection, the three-piece black suit, shirt, and silk tie giving him an elegant aura, and mumbled, "Let's do this." The lobby has tense energy surrounding it as Matt waited for Elijah and Peach along with Rookie, Ryan, and James. "Keep an eye on him... Please." James finally broke the silence, eyeing Matt. Looking back at James with a humble nod, Matt replied, "Will do." Then silence took over as the sound of footsteps approached them, and everyone tensed immediately as Elijah walked into the lobby. For a moment, he stared at Matt's black dress shirt with gold lapel pin, and then the sound of a heel slowly hitting the tiles got his attention. When Elijah turned around, his gaze rested softly on Peach in a long, dark
Seeing how Madam Jewel's grip on Peach's hand was not causing her any pain, Elijah held back his desire to interfere, knowing that the situation wasn't that threatening. "There is more to tonight, so I am hoping that you can stay a bit longer," Madam Jewel said calmly, her hand loosening its grip against Peach's wrist, allowing Peach to pull her hand away as she lowered her head slightly to avoid anyone noticing how uncomfortable she was. A frown settled on Elijah's face because he could tell from Madam Jewel's words that she had something up her sleeve, her tone and expression had him suspicious of what exactly she meant. "But," Peach whispered, darting her gaze to meet Elijah's eyes, feeling hesitant to agree. Trust wasn't something she wanted to give to Madam Jewel and her family, knowing too well the danger of doing so since Madam Jewel had always been crafty and manipulative with whatever she did, and she had never hesitated to use whatever means available to her. "I would lo
The hall was in total silence after what Peach had said, and everyone was still staring at her, some with looks of disdain and others with expressions that showed their disbelief.Sighing, Madam Jewel shook her head slowly and said, sounding disappointed, "Mr. Meeks, give her the document.""Yes... I will get it from my car now." Lawyer Meeks hastily replied, looking slightly nervous, and Elijah caught onto it quickly, smirking faintly at the sight of his shaky gaze.Something was off about him, and Elijah could sense it, and his gaze followed Meeks as he walked off, holding back his desire to follow the lawyer and question him."Do you think I will lie on my late husband's name, especially on the day he passed... Am I that of a monster to you, Peach..." Madam Jewel cried, tears streaming down her face, as she placed a hand on her mouth in grief, drawing Elijah's attention back to her, and his expression hardened.With not a single care in her eyes and a numb expression, Peach shrugge
The hall was quiet until Melina suddenly burst into a chuckle that vibrated throughout the ballroom and caused quite a few people to frown in annoyance at the sound of such amusement coming out of Melina. The other guests glanced at her with confused expressions, not being able to understand what the problem was. The laughter finally died down, as Melina wiped the corners of her eyes from cracking up, and said in a soft tone, "Peach, I'm sorry if my reaction upset you, but why do you look so horrified like Grandmother is not doing you a big favor... Is it that you don't want to settle down because of my ex-husband, huh, my dear cousin?" 'What is this troublesome child doing now...' Madam Jewel thought as she raised a brow in anger. "Your daughter is going to go against Mother's wish for tonight... Why haven't you taught her some sense!" Tommy lashed out at Martha in a low tone. And a look of worry crossed Martha's features as she watched her daughter walk over to where Elijah an
As Peach and Elijah sat in the backseat of the vehicle with Matt behind the steering wheel, the atmosphere was awkward as the two tried not to look at each other. Even Matt was concerned about how quiet they both were and glanced in the rearview mirror, noticing that Peach's lips were puckered together as if she was deep in thought. With his gaze on the windshield, Elijah's index finger slowly rubbed against his bottom lips, and then finally darted his eyes towards Peach. "A penny for your thoughts," He quietly remarked, his voice low. With her eyes fixed on the file of her grandfather's will, Peach hesitated for a while before deciding to open her mouth and speak, "It's nothing." "It's nothing," Elijah commented as he shifted his gaze to glance at her. She sighed heavily, and stared out the window, her heart sinking, "I don't know what to do... There's a dilemma, and it has my thoughts spinning. And my mind is telling me something, but my heart is screaming at me not to do it."
As Miss Grace stood in front of her daughter's room door, she raised her knuckles to knock, but then hesitated before grabbing the doorknob, and pushing the door open. Quietly, she stepped into the bedroom to see Peach in bed, sleeping soundly, hugging a pillow. A smile graced her lips, and she stared tenderly at her daughter, and after a moment of that, she was about to leave when a file on Peach's desk got her attention. A feeling of hesitation filled her as she approached the desk, and as her hand hovered over the folder, she took a deep breath. Finally, Miss Grace pushed aside her fear of invading Peace's privacy, picked up the file, opened it, and read the contents. Her heart skipped a beat when she got done, and she hastily rushed over to her daughter's bedside and tapped her gently on the back. "Peach, wake up." Miss Grace's voice echoed in Peach's ears softly. Her eyes blinked open slowly as she looked at her mother standing above her, watching her with a concerned l