Shawn Donnelly~~He woke up in his room. He had no idea how Xane’s men had done it but he woke up right in his room. He was shirtless and his pants were dirty but he was lying in bed.As he struggled to get up, his head protested against it, ringing relentlessly in his ears. However, the image of Serenity all tied up in that hole was unbearable when he thought of it.Wasn't it so fucked that after discovering that woman was a traitor, he loved her still? That he felt like he couldn't live anymore while watching those crooks hurt her?They hurt her. They would all pay for it. Xane and Sunny, they would seriously pay. He staggered to the close the blinds. The sunlight streaming in from it was hurting his eyes.He could feel how swollen his face had gotten. He touched it, felt the sore, and groaned. “Fucking, Xane!”He was barely allowed to ponder on his misfortune further when his phone rang. When he picked it up, he found that it was an unknown number. Instantaneously, his heart skippe
He again woke up on his bed. This time, his head was ringing even louder. He was again vaguely aware of the sunlight filtering weakly through the blinds.Shawn winced. This was like a deja vu from the day before. The only distinction was that his mouth didn't taste like hangover yesterday. If tasted of blood. His blood.How after all of that drinking did nothing to help his depression was even more frustrating. bottle. It hadn't helped. Not one bit.Serenity’s panicked face swarmed before his eyes and he shut it, hoping that it would shut the image of her in such a bad state off but it didn't. It was creating a throbbing ache in his head. He couldn't afford this. He couldn't afford the luxury of self-pity, not when everything he cared about was in danger and on the verge of ruins.He wondered if Serenity had given Sinclair the documents already. If yes, it meant he’d soon have cops banging on his door and not site workers.He needed water, aspirin, anything to dampen the insistent dru
The moment the shot blared, every one of the thugs– Shawn included was on alert. “I warned you not to try to be witty but you didn't listen?” Xane hollered. “Shoot her!” He ordered Sunny.At that moment, time seemed to stop. Shawn couldn't believe his ears. They were going to shoot Serenity. What the hell was happening?He was sure he didn't involve anyone. He came solo and abided by every rule. Who or what had fired that gun?Not caring for his own life, Shawn wanted to launch forward. His face was covered in beads of sweat now. He couldn't let Serenity die.Just when he was about to advance forward, the door behind got blown up, sending him and some of the thugs thumping away with a thud.“Shit!”“Get ready to fire!”“What's going on?!”He could hear the confused remarks from his perpetrators. All he could however think of was Serenity. Had she been shot? Had they got her?Coughing, he forced himself up in a pile of dust. It had created a somewhat fog that began to clear and give wa
CALISTA [Serrnity]~~I was locked in a dark room but not strapped to the chair. Food was given to me and, every time the door was opened, I tried to escape.Didn't work though.I kept on praying to God – hoping for a miracle. I wished for Shawn’s company to be saved. I didn't want people to lose their livelihoods because my life was on the line.“I promise to not exact my revenge on Shawn any longer if you get us through this, God.” I had prayed, hoping he’d listen.My revenge was something I desired for a very long time. It was something I had prayed for. Giving that up – praying to God and promising to let it go just because I didn't want other people to lose their livelihoods should mean something.Right?Could it be that I wanted something more than that revenge now?Replaying how Shawn was hit and beaten earlier in my head, I think I knew now what it was that I wanted more than revenge.It was Shawn.For a second time, he had managed to sneak into my heart. That prick. I tried s
I was pacing back and forth close to the surgery room – I mean, how far enough they could let me.Just when I was still getting into my thoughts, trying to place them together and allow myself to think of what comes after this, frantic questions came at me like bullets.Each one of the questions tore away at my already frayed nerves. "Serenity, are you okay?”“What happened?”“Did they hurt you?"Anyone could already guess who the ones questioning me were. They really needed to fill me up on a lot because I had no idea what had transpired in the heat of that moment.Yet, whatever it was, it saved me and Shawn. Partially. But it most definitely saved the Gadget Inc. Tears welled up in my eyes, instead, blurring the world around me. I could barely manage a choked sob, let alone answer their curious questions. The reality of the ordeal, the fear for Shawn, and the guilt of my own actions were threatening to drown me.You've been a bad girl, Calista.Just then, a uniformed officer approa
After the nurse’s exit, silence reigned between us. Since I had more than a million of questions in my head, I might as well ask my friends the ones they could answer.Perhaps, for distraction.“How did you even find us?" I finally asked, breaking the silence.Alice's soft voice answered, "We called the police, but it was Gabe..." she trailed off, flipping her gaze to him, "...he's the one who really tracked you down."Confusion clouded my mind. I turned to Gabe for explanation but he only gave me a weak smile and a shrug.“Tell me," I urged, "what really happened?"Brielle stepped forward, her hands shoved in her pockets. "Well," she began, "it all started with Jacob from the site. He called Alice, agitated because you hadn't returned after they said you hurriedly after– after well, you know… the site got ruined.”That. I almost forgot about that. My very important project. The one I had invested a lot of time, energy, and hope in.Gone like the wind.“They even checked with the CEO,
“Do you want me to put off the light or do you want to see every bit of it?” Shawn asked me, unbuttoning his shirt.Staring at the switch in a bid to avoid his gaze, “Dark is better.” I replied, my fingers swearing to fall off should I not quit brushing them against each other.Blame my nervousness. Timid was too kind a word to describe me but then again, my reaction was justified.I expected the lights to go off but instead, Shawn began to chuckle and advanced towards me, bare-chested. I was sitting at the edge of the bed and he climbed atop me. “I want to see every bit of it, Pookie. Don't try to run from my radar.” Every corner of his lips broke into a maleficent grin.Why then did he ask initially? I would have put my thoughts into words but my timidity wouldn't allow me to speak. I stared at nothing in my fingers instead. “You know it's funny how you stare at me so much in class that you grew popular for it and couldn't look into my eyes now that we are together in my room.” Sh
I couldn't believe what my eyes were seeing. At first, I thought I was hallucinating or something close to that. Yet, the entertained chuckles told me otherwise as it emanated from the four boys except for Shawn who only stood with a straight face, eyes settled on my body but avoiding my gaze.They were flashing their cameras and taking pictures of my nakedness!The frenzy struck me so hard at first that I remained frozen with widened eyes. It wasn't until their laughter increased that I regained a bit of my senses and knew to cover myself up with the duvet.“I can't believe half-nosed Calistar could look this hot without clothes.” Gabriel, one of our classmates thundered with taunt.I had always known Gabriel was a jerk. He was always the first to call me out for staring at Shawn in class and also the one who invented the ‘Half-Nosed Calistar’ nickname.I wished for the roof to fall on him right now and crush him to death. With tears burning in my eyes, “Get out! Get out, you asshol