28

Sean Peterson
“What the hell are you doing here?”
Unaffected by my anger she grinned widely.
“Is this how you speak to your family, Sean?”
“You are not my family!” I seethed, keeping my tone in check. I didn’t want to create a scene. Although it was a private parking lot, still there were guards.
“Why? I am your sister-in-law, your brother’s wife, which means I am entitled to your family.”
“Shut the fuck up! You are nothing to me and never will be. You are dead to me and my family.” I took slow steps toward her while pointing a finger at her.
“Ouch! That hurts.” She pressed her hand over her heart, still grinning. What a shameless bitch!
I glared at her for a while, her smirking face was building range inside me. My brother and Ryan’s face flashed before my eyes. She disappeared in thin air and left her eight months old son alone to other’s responsibility. She left him saying she couldn’t spend her life taking care of a child locked in four walls. She ran away, leaving her son with the people who don’t have time for him.
She didn’t turn back since then, not even once…and she dared to show me her fucking face now?. From her outfit, it seemed as if she had come from a beach vacation. Relishing on my brother’s money. Bitch!
“I thought after five years I’d receive a warm welcome, but…” She sighed. “Doesn’t matter… I kinda expected this.” She chuckled.
“What are you doing here?” I asked again. The level of anger had already reached the limit.
“Oh, yeah.” She removed her eyeglasses and put them in her handbag then she stepped near me and crossed her arms. Dramatic.
“I heard that you have been showing interest in my son.” She said as she looked into my eyes. “I wonder what could be the reason?” She tapped her chin dramatically.
“He’s my nephew. And you are calling him your son?” I scoffed. “Remember you flew away with the money leaving him behind? Ryan doesn’t even remember you; he doesn’t know what his mother looks like.”
She laughed. “Oh, it won’t take long for me to tell him who his mother is. He’s a child-my child; he’ll believe what he’s told.”
“Like hell I’ll let you anywhere near him!” I roared.
“You are not the one to decide that.” She narrowed her eyes at me, trying to intimidate me. I scoffed. As if I was going to be intimidated by her.
“Oh, believe me, I am the one,” I smirked.
“His mother is alive which means no one but his mother will decide for him.” She pointed a finger at herself. Then she chuckled. “And what is it making you shower your love on my son? Your direct relation to my son is dead-”
“Fucking shut your filthy mouth.” I snapped and stepped closer to her, giving her a deathly glare. “The one you are talking about was my brother. Your husband. Ryan’s father. Show some respect for the dead. And if you can’t then fucking don’t speak.”
“Whatever.” She waved her hand. “I was just here to warn you. Don’t have your eyes on my son’s property. It belongs to me and my son. No one can take it away from us.”
“The property and shares belong to Ryan and only Ryan, not you, not me, not bloody anyone. And you are not going anywhere near Ryan.” I gritted menacingly.
“Let’s see who stops me from meeting my son and getting what’s mine.”
“You-”
“Hey, cool down.” She raised her hands, confusing me about her intentions. “If you are worried that I’d go introduce me to my son right now then you are going to need to calm down because I’m not doing it now.”
I furrowed my brows thinking what wickedness was going on inside her empty head.
“As you know there’s always the right time for everything.” She showed her teeth, smiling like a fool. “And now is not the time. A few days more and boom my baby will get to know his mother.” She laughed. Bitch!
“Don’t worry, you’ll be there when I’ll do it. I will do it in front of you. Till then, relax.”
“I will not let that happen.” I snapped.
“We’ll see.” She adjusted her bag on her shoulder. “Now, I am gonna leave since I have a lot to prepare. It was nice meeting you, brother-in-law.”
Saying that she walked away. What the fuck could she be planning?
“Fuck!” I cursed, running my fingers through my hair. Then banged my hand on the hood of the car.
Apart from being left alone, Samantha was another reason I didn’t want Ryan to attend a boarding school. I knew she could get access to meet him anywhere by playing his mother’s card. But I won’t let that happen. Thank god, I had already warned my mother not to take decisions for Ryan without involving me, and now I had to do something to keep her away from Ryan. That bitch was after money, nothing else. She was bad news.
“What did that woman say that got you so pissed?”
I got startled by listening to Lauren’s voice just behind me. Fuck! Don’t tell me she saw her.
I turned to face her and before she could utter another word, I opened the car door for her “Sit.”
“No, first-” I grabbed her wrist and ushered her inside and after shutting the door I ran towards the driver’s seat.
“What was that?!” She snapped.
“You talk a lot, remember? We wouldn’t have taken off if I had let you finish.” I stated as I drove out of the parking lot.
“Okay then, I am asking now. Who’s she?”
“No one,” I replied, focusing on the road in front of me.
“No one? She practically got you pissed and she’s no one?” I was surprised by her calm voice of hers that I had to take a look at her.
“What? She’s one of your girlfriends, wasn’t she?” She raised her eyebrows and focused back on the road. “You know, you don’t have to hide her from me. I won’t judge, besides, I don’t care who you meet and greet.”
“She isn’t my girlfriend, Lauren. I never had one. Affairs, yes, but girlfriend, no.” I replied calmly. “And… are you jealous?” I laughed.
“Jealous? Me? Of your flings? No chance!” She scoffed and looked away. I took a glimpse at her and found her brows curled into a frown. I mentally smiled. When will she accept that she too was attracted to me?
Surprisingly, she maintained the silence the whole ride to her home-well not exactly quiet; her lips had been moving without any voice.
I stopped the car in front of her house but she hadn’t noticed it as she was still busy calculating something inside her head. Probably planning the murder of the woman she saw with me. And I was sure she would not think twice before doing so. Yep, she’s that crazy!
I waited for a while without disturbing her, giving her ample time to notice the surrounding. Two minutes passed, five minutes passed, but she didn’t notice. Eventually, I had to snap fingers before her eyes to bring her back from her devil-land.
“Huh! What?” She looked at me rudely as if I had disturbed her beauty sleep. Smiling, I pointed my finger at the window to indicate her house.
She slowly looked outside the window and jerked in the seat. “Oh, when did we arrive?” She asked in confusion.
“When you were planning the murder of the woman you saw with me,” I commented sweetly.
She challengingly raised her eyebrows at me. “What if it’s you I were planning the murder of?”
I chuckled. “Oh, you weren’t.” Then I slowly brought my face closer to her. “Because you won’t murder someone you are attracted to,” I whispered.
Almost immediately her face turned red. “I am not.”
Again in denial.
“And…and…and…” She looked for something inside the car, trying to hide her face from me. She then picked up her bag which was resting on the seat beside her thigh. “Thank you for the ride.”
She tried to open the car door but I held her wrist and yanked her towards me. “Where’s my goodnight kiss?” I asked.
“When did I agree to give you that?” She asked challengingly.
“When I told you I’d drop you at your place,” I muttered and grabbed the back of her neck to pull her closer but she pushed me away.
“You can’t just come to me to forget about your flings. That mysterious woman- most probably one of your flings- pissed you off and you are using me to forget what she said or did.”
My temper flared. How could she accuse me of something so vile? Giving her a sharp glare I again yanked her towards me by her wrist.
“I. Am. Not. Using. You. Lauren. Erase this gibberish from your head. Get that?” I stated sternly. “And the woman you are talking about is no one but Samantha, Ryan’s mother!”
Fuck!
Her eyes turned the widest they could and her jaw dropped.
“She what?!” She screeched loudly, exploding my eardrums in the process. “Why didn’t you tell me before? Turn the car, bring me to her. I’ll burn her alive.” She looked murderous.
“Hey, hey, listen, Lauren.” I tried to calm her down but as per her habit, she didn’t listen, and her rambling started.
“Listen to you? Why should I? That bitch left the kid alone and now she’s back! And you did nothing! You let her leave quietly. Why you did that? What if she shows herself to Ryan? I know she’s his mother but she isn’t good for him. She’ll ruin him. My Ryan will be devastated and I don’t want to see him upset at all. You should have done something, Sean.”
“Lauren, listen to me,” I said loudly as I cupped her face between my palms. “I won’t let her ruin Ryan. She won’t be able to play with Ryan as I won’t let it happen. Trust me.”
“Promise?” She whispered. “I promise,” I stated sincerely.
She sighed. “Still, you should have handed her over to me. She needs a good beating.”
I chuckled. “Next time, I’ll hand her over to you then you can teach her lesson in your ways.”
Signs of worry vanished from her face and she tried to smile.
“Now, time for the kiss.” I sealed her lips with mine. And as usual, she immediately responded to my kiss. Her eagerness to take over me governed my mind to imagine other scenarios-where we both are in bed, making passionate, sweet, and wild love.
I had no idea when my lips moved to her neck, nibbling the sweet flesh of hers. I regained my senses only when she moaned sweetly and her soft hand struggled to slip inside my shirt from the gaps between the buttons. My desire intensified but I put a brake on my wild running thoughts and detached my lips from her neck. I then gripped her hand which had almost snatched the buttons of my shirt.
“Wait there tigress. This might lead to something you aren’t ready for.”
Her eyes turned wide and a deep blush graced her cheeks. She yanked her hand out of my hold and looking away she dressed her hair with her fingers.
I rested my elbow on the steering wheel and balanced my face on my palm, watching her struggle to wipe the blush from her face. How cute!
“Your actions do not justify your words at all.” I chuckled. “You want me to stay away from you but your actions tell me otherwise.”
“I…I…Ahem…Good night.”
And she dashed out of the car. Laughing, I shook my head at her cuteness. She didn’t object to what I said-again.
She’s making me wait for her to confess her attraction to me. That’s fine, I’ll wait. After all, she isn’t going anywhere.
I started the car again. Now, I had to do something about Samantha. I couldn’t wait for her to make another move. I had to end whatever she had planned. I had to have an upper hand in the situation.
So, my destination was a lawyer. I hired the best lawyer and a personal investigator. I instructed them to work together and gather as many proofs as they could against Samantha. I was going to drag her to the court and for that, I needed evidence of why she hadn’t been in Ryan’s life for five years; why she wasn’t a good mother.
I instructed them to look into what she had done in the last five years. Where she had been, what she had done, where she lived, whom she was with, and most importantly, how and where she spent my brother’s money.
I had never bothered to look into her whereabouts as she shared no connection with my family because she broke them the day she left our family. But now, I would dig out every single piece of information about her and use it against her to save my nephew. My brother would have done that as well.
Ryan deserves the best.
Lauren Hart
Ugh! Why I did that? What came over me that I almost ripped his shirt off?
Stupid hormones!
So much for staying away from him!
God, why his touch turns me into a silly, hormonal teenage girl that can’t control her desires?
Ugh! I had brought it on myself. One second I was running away from him so he couldn’t kiss me and the very next second I was sticking myself to him!
How was I going to face him the next day at work?
Anyhow, I slept thinking about him and the next morning I woke up with a nightmare. I had a nightmare about a faceless lady snatching Ryan from my hold. I knew it was his mother I saw.
I swear I would have given her tight slaps and snatched her hair if I had got the chance to meet her. But Sean didn’t find it logical to introduce me to her.
How could she show her face again after leaving him for her so-called freedom? Honestly, I was worried about Ryan. Many dreadful questions were striking the walls of my brain. How will he react when he gets to see her? What if she mind washes him? What if she takes him far away? What if she takes him with her and then leaves him again?
But Sean promised me that he won’t let anything happen to Ryan. And I trust him on this without any doubt. If he said he will keep him safe from her that means he will.
Still, I had a tightening inside my heart that hadn’t been letting me think clearly. Nonetheless, I freshened up and got ready for work. I picked up my belongings and phone and made my way out of my room but I hadn’t even stepped out when my phone went off.
An unknown number flashed on the screen. Frowning, I picked it up and my eyes gleamed and my face lit up like a bright moon when I heard Ryan’s voice.
“Lauren, how are you?”
“Oh, god, buddy!” I squealed. “Hey, I am fine and I miss you, dear.”
“I miss you too, Lauren. And huh?” It seemed like he was talking to someone else too. “Oh, yeah, Lauren, grandma says she misses you too.”
I laughed. “I miss her too. And shouldn’t you be at school?”
“Uh, Grandma said I have to stay at home today.” He mumbled.
Sean must have called her and informed her.
“So, how are you doing, buddy?” I asked.
“I am doing fine. Lauren, could you tell me when will Uncle Sean bring me back there?”
How would I know?
“Uh, soon, buddy. Soon.” I replied with hesitation.
“Okay.” He muttered lowly. “Lauren, you know I have grown a new tomato plant in the garden. I am waiting for it to grow up.”
“Great, buddy. It’ll grow up soon, just take good care of it.” I replied.
“Lauren, grandma wants to talk to you.” He then handed the phone to grandma. We shared pleasantries first.
“How’s everything there. Sean is not giving you hard time, is he? He’s addressing you by your name or is he still playing that professional game.” She asked out of nowhere and I choked on the air.
Professional? He has already crossed the boundaries of professionalism and has entered my personal space.
But the question was- what should I reply to her?
I hadn’t even come up with an answer when she fired another question. “You two must be spending quality time with each other since no one is there to disturb you two.”
My face heated up at her question. God, why is she so wicked? She had been firing the questions I had no answers to.
I heard her laugh. “Oh, darling I’m just teasing you. I don’t want to hear the details of what you two do alone at home.”
“Work, grandma, work. We do official work.” This came out of my mouth in a rush.
My ears got filled with her loud laughter. “I know, dear. I know. I have been at your age once.”
I dismissed her comment and hesitantly asked something I had wanted to ask. “Uh, grandma?”
“Yes, dear.”
“Is…Is Ryan okay? I mean safe…you know-”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. He’s safe. Sean has tightened security around the place. Samantha… won’t come near him.” She was reluctant while saying so but I was revealed. Sean had already acted immediately.
We talked for a while then I bid goodbye to her. Then I left for work with one thought in mind- try to avoid Sean after what I did last night.
Ugh!
I was in my office arranging my files while humming a song and was waving my body with the tune when a voice startled me. Sean Peterson!
God, I was trying to avoid him for as long as I could but he knocked on my door unannounced.
“You seem chipper this morning. Is this the result of our make-out session last night?” He was leaning against the frame of the door with his hands in his pant pocket.
Was it necessary to bring it up? For him, yes!
“No! It’s because I received a call from Ryan this morning.” I ignored his smirking face and kept myself engaged in arranging files.
“You really have wrapped him around your finger. He never calls me himself. It’s me who calls and talks to him.” He chuckled lightly.
“Jealous?” I asked while raising my eyebrows.
He shook his head without answering and straightened himself and instructed me to come to his office and dictate his schedule.
“And yeah, you have to leave for Philadelphia tomorrow to finalize the land for your new car accessories showroom.”
“Alright then, be ready. You’ll accompany me on the trip.”
“What?! No!” I screeched.
“Why?” He asked while raising his brows, looking at me in confusion.
“Uh, you never tag me along with you on your business trips then why now?” I asked frantically.
“Because I want to.” He simply shrugged his shoulders. “You can’t say no. You must accompany your boss to the business meetings. And it’s a day trip, we’ll be back by the evening.”
I had no issues with accompanying him to any business meetings. But this time it was Philadelphia and West Philadelphia to be precise.
My birthplace. The place where my parents live.
There were high chances I could bump into them if I went there.
And I was not ready to meet them anytime soon.