I hand the cab driver a few dollar bills
and turn around to stare at Megan's mid-sized elegant white two story house. You might be wondering how she lives in a house like this when she works at a small cafe earning minimal wage. Well that's because when she and Tony got divorced, his properties were divided between them. She got to keep the house they lived in and a few of his assets.
Megan is basically a rich woman but she loves working at the cafe and earning from her efforts than spending the money she didn't work hard for. All Tony's money were for the children's college funds. My best friend is that humble and I admire her for that.
I walk up the front steps and knock at the polished wooden door. I'd given up on trying to cover myself up earlier so I just tied the ends of the shirt into a knot though my bra was still visible. I hear the clicking sound of the lock before the doors swings open.
"Oh My Gosh, Rayne! You scared me to death, you bitch." Megan wraps her arms around me in a tight hug, burrowing her head in the crook of my neck. A smile tugs at my lips as I return the hug. I try not to wince at the death grip she has on me, her arms tightening to the point my bones could easily get crushed.
When she eventually releases me, I'm being pulled into her medium-sized living room. I can hear the loud chatter of the kids coming from the dining room. The waft of something delicious drifts into my nostrils. If I'm not already shaken up by what I witnessed, my stomach will be begging for attention but right now, it growls with a sinking feeling I can't quite describe.
I flop down on her sectional sofa with a resigned sigh and lean my head back when the exhaustion hits me.
"You have a lot to explain, Ray. But first, I have to handle those kids." Megan says to me with a pointed glare, concern flitting across her face after she scans my appearance. I know she is still upset with me for ignoring her calls and texts— that's how emotional she can be— she worries too much about me just like my grandma and I don't want them to be. I hate being a bother to anyone.
Megan doesn't wait for my reply before she's hurrying into the dining room with a slight shake of her head at the sound of her children's arguments. Immediately she's out of sight, I hear her reprimand them. The children's voice follows and it's nothing but a whiny protest. Then Megan speaks to them in a much sterner tone that leaves no room for arguments.
They go silent. I assume their mother's message went across to them. Their mother is not to be messed with when she's angry or serious about something.
The sound of their footsteps reach my ears before they make an appearance in the living room. When Crystal and Cameron set their eyes on me, they run over to where I'm seated with the speed of lightening. Screams of excitement leave their lips as they launch themselves at me, closing their arms around my shoulders in a bone-crushing hug. Just like their mother, the twins are a hugger.
They are 10years old but still manage to act like toddlers especially when they argue which happens to be a lot. It's not fun for their mother.
"Aunt Rayne, we've missed you so much." They chorus at the same time, peppering my face with sloppy kisses. I can't contain the laughter that erupts from me at their loving gesture. I love them so much.
"I've missed you guys too." I kiss both their cheeks and pull away from the hug with a huge grin plastered on my face.
"Why didn't you visit us?" Crystal asks me with pouted lips. "Mommy said you're always busy at the hospital."
I feel a twinge of guilt prick at my chest. I ruffle Cameron's hair— the gesture making him smile— and hold onto Crystal's hand. "Your mom's right, Crystal. I have to take care of the sick people so they will feel much better. But don't worry, next time, I promise to visit."
The gloomy expression on their face fades away and is now replaced with the excitement from earlier. "Okay, aunt. What about Nellie? Why didn't she come with you?" Cameron inquires, staring up at me with eyes just like his mother's.
"Nellie has a lot of home work to do so she couldn't come with me." I say to them even though it isn't quite true.
The twins hug me one last time before sprinting over to the stairs when Megan sticks her head out of the kitchen and flashes them a glare. I find myself smiling wryly at the strong relationship Megan has with her children and the lack of mother-daughter relationship I have with Nellie.
It pains me to know that my own daughter hates me. I can't even remember the last time we watched TV together or go to the salon to get our hairs done or just talk about our day and anything in particular. As her mother, I barely know what goes on in her life— if she's making the right group of friends, having difficulty with any of her classes or just simply going through a tough time.
"Go settle in the guest room. I'll be there with you in the next few minutes." Megan's voice jerks me out of the train of thoughts going through my head. She gives me a look that says I–know–what–you're–thinking–about–so–you–better–snap–out–of–it.
I roll my eyes at her, grab my bag from the sofa before slinging it over my shoulder. I walk up the staircase while pulling out my phone from my bag to send a quick text to my grandma that I would be staying over at Megan's place and there's no need for her to worry about me.
Her reply is instant so that means she's waiting up for my return. The time is 11:30pm so I guess she must be insanely worried.
Grandma: Aright, dear. Please take good care of yourself. Extend my greetings to Megan and her wonderful children.
I don't bother to reply as I arrive at the top of the stairs. There's a long hallway with doors across from each other. Having been to Megan's house a couple of times, I walk over to the second door on my right and turn on the light switch. Bright light illuminates the room instantly and envelopes the darkness. Nothing has changed since the last time I've been here.
There's a Queen-sized bed in the center of the room, a nightstand with a lamp and an alarm clock placed on it, a wardrobe and a dresser which is across the perfectly made bed. The windows beckon in the bright rays of moonlight.
Megan reserves this particular guest room just for me. I come here to get away from my problems and dwell on the recent event occurring in my life. I know Megan doesn't mind but I try not to impose on her privacy or overstay my welcome.
Shutting the door shut behind me, I kick off my shoes and toss my bag to the bed. My clothes are off within a matter of seconds and I don't waste anymore time to step into the bathroom.
I let the warm water soak my body, feeling it hug every inch of skin so gently that a soft sigh escapes my lips. The reason for my being here reels back into my mind with the intention to drive me into a full blown panic.
My clenched fist meets the white porcelain tiles as I lower my head and focus on the strange pain rising in my throat and my inability to breathe. Watching someone's head being cut off from their body still has me in total shock but the nagging feeling deep in my chest of the possibility of being raped again if their boss hadn't walked in fuels my anxiety.
I decide to try the breathing exercises my therapist advised me to do if I noticed any sign of panic attacks. I turn off the shower and wring the water out of my hair. My eyes slowly feathers shut as I pay attention to my breathing. 1....2....3....4....I inhale through my nose. I repeat the same four-second count and exhale.
The process continues until I feel a certain emptiness in my lungs and relief flooding rapidly through my chest. I open my eyes and step out of the shower. I dry myself off with a towel and tie my hair up in a messy bun.
A few of Megan's clothes are hung in the wardrobe so I pick out a pair of grey sweatpants and a simple white T-shirt. Just as I make myself comfortable on the bed, Megan walks in looking freshly showered as well and clad in a white nightie while holding her phone. She sits across from me and drops the phone on her lap.
Flashing me a cursory glance, she asks, "What happened to you, Rayne?"
I debate telling her the truth or a fake story. I'm not sure the man will appreciate it if I told anyone about what I witnessed. I'm yet to know his name.
I decide to go with the latter but before I can tell her, she cuts me off immediately.
"I want nothing but the truth, Rayne. I'm your best friend. You can tell me anything." Megan beseeched with a comforting smile.
I sigh in defeat and begin to her what happened since I got to the hospital. How two policemen cornered me at the entrance of the building to question me about Boone's death and later knowing they were fakes. How I was injected and woke up in an unfamiliar room....meeting their intimidating and attractive boss— I don't why I told her that but it slipped out....how I almost got raped and the gore details.
When I finish my explanation with a breathy exhale, Megan looks at me wide eyed, her jaw hanging open in shock.
I wait for her to recover from the shock, allowing her to digest all what I just explained. I don't really blame Megan for reacting this way. It's pretty insane. I still can't believe how my life could change from simple to crazy in a matter of hours.
"Wow." Megan swallows hard and expels a deep sigh.
Before I can comprehend her next action, she closes her arms around me in a tight but comforting hug. I fiercely return the hug not knowing how much I really needed it until now. I don't cry like I expect to which isn't surprising. I've cried enough for one night.
"I'm so sorry you had to go through this, Rayne." She whispers in a soft voice, "Just know that I'm always here for you and I'm not going anywhere."
I don't give her a reply. All I do to acknowledge her words is nod my head. When Megan pulls away, she holds onto my hand and gives it a comforting squeeze which I deeply appreciate.
"I'm scared, Megan. What if he sends his men out to look for me? What if he finds out that I told you about everything? What if he––"
Megan presses her fingers to my lips to prevent me from rambling further, "Calm down, Rayne. You don't have to panic. Nothing is going to happen to me or you. It's a good thing you told me."
I take a deep breath to calm myself and flash her a small smile.
"So do you know his name? I want to know who their attractive boss is." Megan inquires. Even though she's being serious about it, my cheeks heats up in embarrassment.
"No— not really. He's the don of the Asian mafia. That's all I know." I mumble, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. Megan doesn't seem surprised that mafia exists in this modern time.
Am I the only oblivious one?
"I will search him up on the internet." Megan picks up her phone and pulls up the search engine. I sit patiently on the bed with my back resting on the headboard and my legs intertwined under the covers. "I don't see any pictures of him."
My eyebrows furrow in confusion as she shoves her phone in my face. I scan a random article that's detailed about the Asian mafia. Surprisingly, his name isn't mentioned. I read further down the article and learn how dangerous and ruthless he actually is. So many lives have been destroyed and illegal acts committed. I'm not surprised the police are silent about it. The man holds so much power than the president himself.
The longer I keep reading it, the more I feel terrified. There's a picture of him but his face is not shown. He had on a black expensive suit and a white hat. His head is lowered so the hat shields his face. When I'm done reading, she pulls her phone back and continues to search through it while I stay silent digesting all that I've read.
I am so dead if he decides to look for me.
"Holy shit!" Megan chokes on her breath, startling me for a bit.
"What's wrong?" I ask, scooting closer to her to see the reason for her outburst. I stare at what is displayed on her screen and my eyes widens.
The boss happens to be the owner and founder of the world's largest construction company— ARAN construction. The company provides construction management, general
contracting, design-build, and integrated project delivery
services.
I skip some parts until I get to a very good looking picture of him. He's clad in nothing but a suit. His hair is tied back and some of his piercings and tattoos are visible. He doesn't smile in the photo, his face is just neutral and stone cold.
Then I see his name written in bold letters— ARAN.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE
Hi, how are you guys doing?
Well— I'm doing fine. My internship is still ongoing and it's stressing me out. I'm trying to make time for my writing no matter how tight my schedule is.
I'm going to make all the chapters short from now on. Writing long chapters sucks ass.
Anyway, I hope you're enjoying the story so far.
Many more exciting ones to come.
OMG! I'm so excitedddd!!!!
Love you, babes💜✨
❤Jana❤