"What will be my excuse to stay with them?" Lillian asked, if the plan was going to be foolproof everyone should be aware of the reason and the plan.
Riley made a face. Did they really had to come up with a plausible excuse too now? The day seemed to be dragging longer than usual with no end to the tunnel, atleast not one in sight.
"Say the flush is not working." She grumbled out, throwing her hands up in frustration.
"That's a silly excuse." Issac remarked, not before scrunching his face up in disgust.
"And easier to remember." She added- defensive, crossing her arms over her chest- narrowing her eyes at Issac.
"Why not, something along the lines of... she is hiding from her stalker." Issac thought deeply furrowing his eyebrow together as he thought of a good enough reason and waved his hand about as he did so.
"So she's hiding from you." Riley shot back, raising her eyebrow making Issac bit his lower lip with his canine.
"Self. Employed. Private. Investigator."
Lillian simply watched the spectacle in front of her with a disinterested look before leaving them to their fight while she went inside her room to take a shower. She didn't want to trigger Laura's allergy.
~~~~~~
While Lillian washed herself, Riley and Issac packed kitty's things in utter silence, Issac occasionally asking Riley where somethings were and ultimately bribing Kitty into the cage.
Issac cleansed his hands properly and wiped his hands on a towel.
"Ohh and by the way. Do not tell Christian what's going on." Riley added as Christian's existence dawned on her.
Issac frowned at the request, not wanting to keep something potentially dangerous from his best friend. "Why not?"
"We can't afford to risk this getting leaked out. What if he said something to someone? Too risky." She asked in an anxious tone before shaking her head, dismissively, not willing to take the risk. A shudder running through her at the mere possibility of the entire mission going to ruins.
"Christian will never do that." Issac objected, defending Christian from the mean assumption. Offended she'd think that low of his friend.
"What if you see it like this. You're hiding this to keep him safe and everyone safe."
"And how am I keeping him safe by lying to his face?" Issac asked, his face muscles twitching as Riley's spoke.
"Christian could reveal something importantly unintentionally to someone. You have no idea how many people are involved in sex trafficking!"
"And what if he reveals something about you both BECAUSE I didn't tell him what's going on?" Issac asked, taking care to place extra emphasis on because. Trying to convey how the situation can be seen through both sides.
"Well then tell him something so he'd know something just to keep him informed. Just not the whole thing." Riley argued back.
She hasn't talked to him in over half a decade, she can't trust him to not spill anything. Issac does trust him unconditionally but what if...
Riley shook her head. She can't be thinking of anything negative. She didn't want to jinx the entire mission by thinking negatively.
"This isn't only about trust, it's also about his ability to turn the situation around. Christian is not either of us, he always had trouble lying." Riley then said, clarifying her intention. While she did want to limit the information to a few people namely Lillian, Issac and her subordinates, she also had other valid reasons to worry about the information being told to another person.
She knew she hit the nail in the head when Issac looked upset, and breath out in relief. That ought to convince him.
While Issac wanted to argue back and tell her that his friend can keep a secret, he could only bite his tongue. This wasn't only about keeping a secret. They'd be meeting with Jason frequently about their resort as he was an investor, Issac can't just kick him out.
Christian wasn't a convincing actor. He can't act to save his life and if he did tell him Issac would have to worry about Jason knowing something was going on behind the scenes.
"Fine." He sighed out, grasping her reasoning but Riley could detect his distress.
Lillian and Issac soon left with Riley reiterating them to be careful.
"If anything happens, or you feel uncomfortable. Call me right away. I will come to you as fast my car lets me." Issac said as soon as he started the engine.
Lillian nodded her head.
"If kitty troubles you or something, call me right away. I will come to you right away."
"Absolutely not. I will call to keep you updated but you aren't allowed to come visit me." He vehemently dismissed the idea and told her in a stern tone. "As much as I hate to admit it, staying with Vincent is the safest idea right now."
Lillian nodded her head in understanding.
"Are you excited to live with Issac?" Lillian asked with an undercurrent of excitement, looking over the seat and at the furry animal in her cage- who was busy licking her paws clean, ignoring Lillian. Sulking about being put in the tiny cage after living freely- lazing around like a lion- in her human's apartment.
"I think she's mad." Lillian chuckled with a soft expression. "She likes good looking men so I think she's going to enjoy living with you." She continued, straightening herself so she was facing Issac.
"Well then she's certainly gonna love living with me. Though Christian isn't as handsome as me, I suppose you can call him that as per kitty's standards." Issac shrugged nonchalantly, jealously coursing through his veins and attacking him like the sting of thousand small bees.
~~~~~~
"You're kidding!" Casey gasped-exclaimed bringing her hand to her mouth in shock as Riley narrated what happened throughout the day through the phone.
"Wish I was." Riley replied.
"Any idea what we are gonna do?"
"Yea." She said before narrating the plan Lillian, Issac and herself concocted.
"Hmm." Casey hummed in respose, letting the idea sink in. "I don't think that's enough." She then said in an apologetic tone. It was good, just not good enough.
Jason has managed to keep his interference with the underworld under the wraps all this time, and a mere report about his father is not going to make much of a difference to him. Not unless there was enough evidence proving that he had taken part in it, to rip his mask off in public.
Unless... there was something more.
Now that she thought of it, the girl she was keeping on eye on was a variable. But there was a chance she'd be willing to help them....
But if Jason knew about their scheme to overthrow him then he will likely get rid of her so they needed to do something even bigger to divert his attention from her when her brother speaks to her.
What would be an even bigger obstacle that he'd forgot the girl.
Obstacle.... bigger one....
Threaten Jason.... shake his reputation....
Internally and externally....
Casey's eyes widened as she thought of the perfect answer.
"I have an idea." Casey said.
~~~~~~
"Shouldn't we go right?" Lillian asked after Issac swerved the car in the other direction.
"I don't want to drop you yet."
"Well, I'm amazing."
"You are." Issac nodded in acknowledgment. His response made something inside her flip, in a good way.
She hadn't meant it but..... well....
"And about the check." Issac started, licking his dry lips to give him the courage he needed to carry on with the rest of the sentence. "I really appreciate it. But what if I- what if it doesn't take off?" He asked nervously.
"I wouldn't have invested if I had doubts whether it would take off." She said looking at him with a blunt look. Issac broke out into a grin at that statement. "I recall now hearing of Jason Matthews, long back. He is smart, every company he has invested in has broke the stock market about 99 percent of the time. Have confidence in yourself, Issac."
He didn't know what but the way she said his name and the way she looked at him when she did so had his heart beating like crazy and his blood rushing down towards his southern region. He squirmed in his seat, trying to find a comfortable position to sit.
~~~~~~
"We're here." Issac said eyeing the house, not bothering to hide the face that screamed 'I'd much rather be anywhere else but here'.
"Bye then, I guess." Lillian said pushing the red button to unfasten her seat belt and looked at Issac when he did the same.
"I'm not letting you go in there, alone." He must have sensed something in her silence as he spoke in a 'duh' tone, answering her unasked question, when Lillian didn't open the car door on her side.
Lillian shrugged in response.
"Lillian!" Her mother's eyes lit up once she saw a familiar figure walk through the entrance. "I heard you swung by earlier, I was with my friends so I missed you." She explained.
"Who's this?" She asked looking at the young green eyed man in question.
"Issac." Lillian replied to the older women who managed to give her a strained smile at the brief- if it can even be called that- introduction.
Laura stretched out her hand to the young man who stood good 7 foot away and merely looked at it, she awkwardly retracted her hand when it was clear he didn't intend on shaking it.
"I'm sorry I just touched a cat on my way here." Issac said in an apologetic tone, scratching the back of his head as he let out a nervous laugh.
"I'm Laura Black." She introduced herself with a smile. Nodding her head at the reason. Her daughter must've told her about her allergy.
"I've heard a lot about you." Issac said with a charming smile. 'Not sure if it can be considered good tho.' He silently added in his head.
"What are you doing here with your suitcase?" Laura asked looking at the suitcase Issac was holding (he wouldn't let Lillian roll it).
Lillian looked at Issac. Should she lie?
Her worried didn't come true as Laura slapped her hands together arriving to the conclusion herself.
"You plan on moving back home." She asked more like stated, her eyes sparkled with joy like that a of little child's when given a candy- telling her how excited and delighted she was of her daughter's choice.
Laura reminded her of Riley. They both had the same excited, happy go lucky spirit. But in comparison to Laura, Riley was definitely a mere shadow of their mother.
"You have no idea how happy that makes me." Laura said stepping closer to Lillian with her arms extended to embrace her in a hug when she was stopped by the man that touched a cat on his way there.
"She doesn't like being touched." Issac said, alarmed, trying to save his girlfriend from her mother, his pitch growing progressively higher as the elder drew closer to his girlfriend.
That stopped Laura, who looked irritated at being interrupted by him.
"Who are you?" She asked, her lips kicking up in disdain. She had hugged her daughter plenty of times before and didn't need him to let her what she liked or didn't.
"Her-"
"Mr friend." Lillian interrupted Issac and said. Riley was dating Alex and it wasn't clear whether Laura was aware of it or not hence it was better to save themselves the drama of being accused to two timing.
Issac looked taken aback and hurt by that response.
"Yea." He muttered under his breath, his grip on the suitcase handle loosening. Did she not like other knowing they were dating? No. He can't think that, she probably had a reason to lie.
Laura rolled her eyes. Must be one of her fan boys. She told herself.
"Why don't you arrange your things, now. I will meet you later." Laura suggested and hoped that time would be enough to forget about his impoliteness.
"I'm sorry, Riley is dating someone and I wasn't sure if she knew about it. I didn't want to risk exposing about Riley and me." Lillian said as Laura moved further away.
"Thanks for the explanation." Issac said, relief evident in his tone- placing his hand on his chest. He certainly didn't want his intrusive thoughts to haunt his dreams over this.
~~~~~~
Lillian was jolted awake when she heard a knock on the door.
Hearing no response, Vincent opened the door slightly and poked his head in. Lillian looked at him her eyes half closed- sleepy but nevertheless sat up straight on the bed to welcome him in, drowsy and eager to go back to sleep.
"You're awake." He acknowledged in a stiff tone, not wanting to be there especially knowing what she had been through under his roof. Her existence was enough proof how much he had failed as a father.
As a human.
He thought that it was right, to distance himself from his kids.
He didn't want to end up being like his father.....
If he could only take it back. He swore he'd right the wrong, move hills just to give her a happy childhood. And Max too.
He'd look them in the eyes. Say that he loves them. Tell them he always knew their accomplishments, that he was proud of them. That he was worried when they were sick. That he always thought of them when he was away on business trips.
He'd right every mistakes he made.
"Hmm." Lillian hummed in reply, wondering what he wanted. She licked her dry lips to moisturize them and wiped her mouth with her sleeve, her dry skin peeling off like second skin along with her drool.
He hesitated and took slow and unsteady steps towards her. Maybe it was the cold temperature in her room but he felt chills run down his spine as he entered the room and he had a sudden urge to turn around and procrastinate this conversation as much as he could.
"Why... didn't you tell me?" He asked, swallowing, as he felt his throat closing in on him.
Lillian tilted her head to look at his tall figure looming over her with a indecipherable look and gave him a blank look, half asleep and not knowing what he was talking about.
Something about her stare, stirred his insides. Her look reminded him of someone he used to look up too. Someone whom he hated yet longed for.
His father.
Her stare was quite different then his though. Hers represented a detached look, a look that screamed 'why are you talking to her', while his father had evilness lurking behind that look, an 'I will use you and you won't even know it'.
It never striked him how similar Lillian was to his father's standards.
Emotionless. Cold.
Everything he didn't want his child to end up like.
When he almost lost Laura, he made excuses to not be there for his children. He had never been there for Max either so it was easier, to not care about Lillian too. Laura was the primary caregiver and he was just the type to make brief appearances.
Laura.... was a natural when it came to dealing with kids.
Guilt churned inside him and he felt a lump forming in his throat.
He had been relying on her so much, he lost himself when she almost died.
He didn't realize that his kids needed him to be present, in place of Laura till now.
"About... anything?" His voice turned into a whisper when he said the last word. He couldn't bring himself to say that word.
He didn't want it to be real.
At the same time, he wanted to rip the head of the man who hurt his daughter.
'Who even had the guts to do such a thing? Right under his nose that too.'
Lillian tilted her head to the side. As if suddenly realizing what he was talking about.
Vincent closed his eyes and bit the insides of his mouth at that motion.
Why did all of a sudden every single action of hers reminded him of his father. That man that had been dead for 4 decades.
"Just because." Lillian replied with a shrug. She had forgotten almost everything about it a long time ago....
Did she try to tell him? Maybe, maybe not. But did she? No.
Why can't people just move on...... she wondered, just like she did. Well might be because he just recently heard of it.
"I'm sorry." He said as he clenched his fist, his head hanging down in embarrassment, guilt, shame, regret and anger.
Lillian breathed out through her nostrils, looking at his defeated look. A man so powerful and mighty, he looked like he was dragged through the mud. So torn and despondent.
Maybe it was because of her overthinking mind. Or her personality disorder. She couldn't differentiate between either of them.
She saw herself as she would a character in a novel.
Vincent, Issac, Riley, everyone had a role to play and everyone had limited informations and different perspectives. And the characters inside her head, the reader.
If Vincent was the lead in the novel, he would be praised for being a loving husband but while he would be criticizied for how he was with Lillian- they'd understand him.
He didn't know she was raped then, so they'd have no reason to sympathize with her much. And they were under the delusion she was on drugs, and drugs are a taboo- hence, it really depended on the person to like or not like Lillian's character.
If Laura was the lead- they would've loved Vincent but hated Lillian. 'She had sacrificed her life for her, and THAT'S how she acts. How ungrateful. Not worth losing 15 years of your life over.'
Or maybe they'd sympathize with Lillian since her husband neglected her indirectly because of Laura and they'd feel like she was blaming Laura for her injust treatment. But since they didn't know much about her, Lillian would be just a side character.
If Max was the lead. No one would even know Lillian existed. Even if they did, she just be a background character that had less than a few appearances. While they wouldn't like Max blaming her for what happened, they'd understand where be was coming from.
If Benjamin or Stacy were the leads, they'd- while not hate Lillian- surely not necessarily like her as it broke their reality. That Riley was their child. They didn't want anyone to know Riley was adopted and Lillian's existence couldn't be more of an inconvenience.
Hence, they'd love the couple for taking in a complete stranger but they wouldn't like Lillian- as she wasn't the most nicest person to be around. They'd sympathize with her for what she went through, but there'd always be something about her that the readers won't like.
If Issac was the lead, everyone would simp for him. He was the ultimate dream- a rich guy, and cares about his girlfriend, understands her, feels upset of her behalf. And despite knowing she wasn't 'normal', he still loved her. He couldn't be more perfect.
They may or may not hate Lillian as she did ghost their heartthrob for 5 years and would want her to try harder to meet their standards, to make up for the lost time. They wouldn't like Vincent due to obvious reason and they'd have mixed reactions about Riley.
If Riley was the lead, things would be different. They would understand where her feelings were coming from due to the limited information she had and validate her, or maybe they'd hate her for 'betraying' her sister, while she wanted to be Vincent and Laura's daughter.
But whatever the case, she didn't consider anyone as a villain in her novel.
Neither Marcus, who raped her, nor Vincent, who neglected her.
You know, sometimes... things happen. You can't say why it does, it's just meant to happen. You can't stop them, despite how much you want too.
It was no use holding a grudge either. It's not going to change a thing. And it felt wrong, punishing someone for something you can't even remember well.
"It's alright." Lillian said after a few seconds- those few seconds felt like hours to Vincent who flinched at her voice.
He didn't expect it at all. He was expecting her to chew him out, hell, he was thinking she'd throw something at him- God knew it wasn't less than what he deserved.
He wanted to tell her, it wasn't. No, it wasn't 'alright'. It was anything but 'alright'.
He gulped and looked at her with emotions he couldn't name. There was something different about her.
He wished she'd do something other than look at him cluelessly as if she didn't know how her words the day before had rocked his world, tore his reality apart.
At least if she had yelled or laughed at his face for even daring to apologize, he wouldn't feel so bad.
Right, the Lillian from the previous morning would do just that.
Why bother telling him if she was just going to forgive him in the end?
His throat dried up and, swallowing him saliva to console, his parched throat started to hurt.
He opened his mouth, wanting to question her about her indifference. About her. Why couldn't she say something. Anything was better than forgiveness. But closed it when he knew he didn't have a right to ask anything in return. To make him feel better when he knew he didn't deserve it.
He was destined to live with his guilt. It was his to bear till his last breath.
"Your... mother..." Vincent started, wondering if he should even be asking that of her.
While Vincent knew he messed up, he didn't want Laura to be hurt. He didn't want to hurt the only person who had ever cared about him. The only one that had believed he could be humane, and that he just needed a little time.
What would she think of him now? If she knew how he ruined their daughter life. Childhoods were precious- they didn't last long but they were full of life, and yet he managed the mess something as sweet as that. Did he even have any redemption?
"I won't tell her." Lillian said, gently.
Vincent was a good husband. Not someone she'd like, but a nice one nonetheless. He still wanted to protect his wife even at times like this.
"No. If you want.." He couldn't just bring himself to say it.
"It's ok." She said making Vincent shake his head.
His father would be turning over in his grave if he could see Vincent now.
His personally sculpted workaholic business, not only put down his stoic mask but was also making a fool of himself infront of someone.
Not just someone but his own daughter!
"I-I.. I'm gonna go."
Lillian shrugged as he made his way out and shut the door behind him.
Vincent breathed audibly, taking in as much air as his lung would allow and breathing out, trying to ease the unbearable pain in his chest.
He also recalled the vast difference in Lillian's behavior.
And how he kicked her out. Oh God, why did he do that? He cried out internally. His every bad decision coming back to bite him in the rear end.
Just... what else did he not know?
He thought to himself as his heart spasmed in pain. Using his shaky finger he typed a name on his contact list on the phone and tapped on it.
The phone rang a few seconds before it was picked up by a drowsy 36 year old women.
"Good morning, Mr. Black. How may I be of your service." She said the rehearsed set of familiar words in a hoarse tone, with a tinge of annoyance at being woken up so rudely in the morning of her holiday.
"Find everything about Lillian Black. From 8 years ago till now, whom she lived with, what she was doing. Everything. I want the details on my desk as soon as possible. Make sure no one hears a word of this." Vincent managed to say in a stern voice- but if you listened closely, you could hear him trying to hide his apprehension.
The women looked at the blank screen of her phone in puzzlement.
Lillian Black, as in Vincent Black's daughter? Why is he asking ger to look into his daughter's life? Also, didn't 'he' already look into her whereabouts a year or two prior. Why didn't he tell Vincent about it?
'Whatever.' She thought to herself, not in the mood to read more into the situation. She threw her phone on the night stand nearby before succumbing to the darkness once again.
~~~~~
"What if I ended up like my father. To our children?" Lillian asked her boyfriend later that day as she laid on her side. The thought had been bugging her ever since she woke up- making appearance as soon as she started dreaming of something nice.
Was it because of his impromptu appearance during the wee hours of the day or because she was laying on the bed that had- supposedly- been hers all these years yet she never once got to sleep on it?
"You won't." Issac replied, kitty laying on his naked abdomen while he scratched the back her ears, making her purr, trying to convey how much she liked him petting her and not to stop.
Lillian hummed. Not satisfied with his respose but then again don't we all want to picture our partners' in a good light. Is this how he felt when Lillian answered with not more than two words? Dissatisfied.
"I'm not trying to paint a perfect picture of our future family, sweetheart. There are going to be times where I'm annoyed with you and there are going to be times where you're annoyed with me. There are going to be fights and I will be hurt when you remain silent about things that you don't like just because you think it will hurt someone or you don't want to be a burden. But know something, I will always love you. It will never change, not now and not in a thousand years.
I'm not saying this because to gain brownie points, you're not going to be the perfect mother and neither am I going to be the perfect father. But I know you will never neglect our child, you will try to be present as much as you can."
Lillian nodded her head. There he goes again, being the perfect boyfriend trying to ease her worries. He declarement of his love still did something to her. She almost said it back but she couldn't pin point what but something was holding her from saying it back. Was it her fear? But he already made it perfectly clear that he loved her so what was there to fear? That she doesn't mean it....
"I've never even babysat." She said, as if trying to prove something. Trying to waver his confidence in her.
"So?" He asked, lazily- resting his head on his hand.
Lillian looked at him making his sigh.
"Everything need not be based on facts Lil, sometimes using your emotions, intuition and heart is also necessary."
"What if I proved you wrong?" Lillian asked, shifting slightly.
"You won't. I have faith in you."