Jerald, still seated on the floor, turned to Ixora with a gentle suggestion, "Go home, Ixora. Take the day off. Check on your twin; she seemed quite upset when she left here an hour ago."Ixora's teary eyes darted to the wall clock. "It's almost time for school to dismiss. I need to pick up Zira, and I haven't even thought about lunch, let alone dinner."He waved away her concerns. "Don't worry, I'll pick up Zira from school and handle lunch and dinner. I won't subject us to my questionable cooking skills. As my twin used to say, 'I don't know how to cook, but I can keep the belly satisfied.' Jake was the chef among us when we were younger, always in the kitchen with our mother."With a sigh, he added, "Take the day off, Ixora. It's been as taxing for you as it has for me, starting with your cramps."Reluctantly, Ixora pulled away from him. "Thank you so much. In that case..."Jerald interrupted, "Wait, why was your twin so upset? How did she find out about Jake?" His curiosity got th

In the basement, Jerald was vigorously hammering a nail into a piece of wood, his mood far from pleasant. Forget about the mission to eliminate Mostafa; those twins were going to be the death of him sooner or later.Cherry, in particular, had been avoiding him like the plague. She didn't want to see him at all, let alone discuss his twin with him. He had visited her countless times in the past week, but she consistently evaded him, refusing to meet or speak with him.He needed her to talk to him about his twin, damn it! That was the only way he could feel closer to Jake after so many months of separation. Maybe he'd attempt it again in the evening; who knew what was going on in the head of that troublesome and stubborn twin.Ixora, on the other hand, was on the verge of driving him to the brink of insanity. He mentally pondered whether a man had ever died from sexual frustration in history. It sure seemed like he might become the first to kick that kind of bucket because, honestly, re

Hours later, Cherry was in her room, getting ready for bed when the door creaked open, and Ixora entered."I'm not really up for whatever brought you here tonight, Ixora," she said with weariness in her voice.Ixora wasn't in her nightwear, as Cherry had assumed, given the late hour. Instead, she was clad in a towel, but her hair wasn't wet, indicating she hadn't showered yet. Cherry herself was in the midst of preparing for her own shower."I want to help you wash your hair tonight, Cher," Ixora said softly, her emotional exhaustion obvious.Their mother had always been the one to wash their hair until this day.In a different mood or time, Cherry might have chuckled or made a sarcastic comment. But not today. After her argument with Jerald, she felt emotionally raw.She turned and headed towards the bathroom, expecting Ixora to follow. There was no bathtub in her bathroom; it hadn't been there for the past eleven years.Cherry turned and raised an eyebrow at Ixora, silently asking h

In Jerald's place, Ixora had managed to wipe away her tears. She checked Jerald's room, but he wasn't there. She then walked to Zira's room. The young girl was dressed in a lovely pink nightwear, all set to stay with Cherry as Ixora had arranged in advance. Ixora took a moment to admire Zira's newly styled hair before entering the room.When Berezira saw her, she smiled slightly, "Ma'am Ixora."Ixora returned the smile and took her hand. "Are you ready, dear?"Berezira nodded, "Yes, ma'am.""Where's your father?""He's out back.""Did you tell him about our arrangement?""I didn't tell him like you instructed," Berezira replied.Ixora smiled, appreciative of her discretion, and bit her lip. She didn't want to ask Berezira to provide Jake's phone number, not wanting to involve the girl in her plan. Besides, she had a pretty good idea where to find the written number.With that in mind, she smiled and led Berezira out of the room. Holding the girl's hand, they walked through the woods

Jerald believed he'd experienced life's extremes, having traveled extensively and endured six months of harrowing torment. However, nothing could have prepared him for the vision that greeted him when the woman before him shed her robe.She appeared absolutely stunning in her form-fitting black gown, rendering him momentarily speechless—or was it that he'd lost his ability to speak? He couldn't be certain anymore.Not only did his mouth fail him; his desires surged uncontrollably. He had never yearned for a more exquisite sight.Ixora, without so much as a glance in his direction, awaited his response. As seconds ticked away, the only sounds were the chirping of crickets and his deepening breath. She began to feel a growing unease.Her twin sister had been rather confident that this plan would work. "All you have to do is drop your robe...consider him seduced," Cherry had advised. But it certainly didn't seem like she'd seduced anyone at this moment.Ixora managed to avert her gaze fr