VampireBrat: I finished chapter one today and I am excited to post it. This is my first time writing a story like this and so far, I really like it. I hope you guys like it too. I own only the storyline. Unless it's mentioned at the start, the story will be done mainly in third person and the picture at the top is the face claim for Sara, who is played by the lovely Paola Rey.
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Screams of children echoed around the playground as they ran around. Moms and dads were sitting on benches or blankets, chasing their children, or talking to each other. One girl was swinging around a bubble wand, screaming with laughter as bubbles flew around her. A little girl wearing a black shirt, a black skirt covered in sunflowers, and a pair of gladiator sandals sprinted toward the play structure.
"Ainsley, slow down!" A voice laughed as the little girl stopped running and instead bounced in place.
"Mommy! Hurry, I wanna play before we go to granny's," The little girl giggled as her mother caught up with her.
"Auntie Riya!" Another child yelled as a little boy ran and hugged her legs.
"Well, bless my soul. If it isn't my little Artie," Riya grinned at the boy as he smiled at her. "Where's your dad?"
"Dad's coming. I ran ahead of him," Arthur chuckled before looking for his little cousin. "Ainsley, let's go on the swings!"
Riya smiled brightly at the two children as they took each other's hands and ran towards the swings. Looking behind her, she made sure that she was in range to sit on the bench before she sat down and placed Ainsley's Bluey backpack on the bench. Once she sat down, Riya fixed her jean jacket and crossed her right leg over her left leg, watching the kids as they swung and squealed loudly.
"Damn it. Why can he run so fast?" A deep, baritone panted as Riya looked over her shoulder.
Her older brother, David, was leaning on the back of the bench with his son's Spider-Man backpack hanging off of his shoulder. Riya bit her bottom lip to keep herself from laughing before he walked around the bench and sat down. Reaching down, Riya grabbed the backpack and sat it between them next to Ainsley's bag, before looking at her brother.
"How are you doing?" David panted, looking at his sister.
"I could be better. It's just a difference in what Julio says versus what he does," Riya said as her brother sat up more, his forehead wrinkling in worry. "Ya know? He can be the sweetest man in the world, but then he can be an utter bastard."
"Ri, I mean, how long have you two been doing this dance?" David asked, his eyes looking at his niece. "You met him right out of high school and he seemed like a good guy, but then he had the first affair. You took him back, then he did it again."
As David talked, Riya nodded her head in shame as she watched her daughter and nephew run around the playground. Leaning forward, she rested her face in her hands while David rubbed her back gently. He knew how much the relationship with the man they were talking about wore his sister down and he knew that she would have to deal with him for the rest of her life because of their daughter.
"I know, I know," Riya sighed, lifting her head from her hands.
"What is it about him that makes you stay? Is the dick that good?" David asked, making his sister laugh.
"I have never met a dick in my life, that made me do cartwheels," Riya chuckled before she sat up fully. "What makes me stay is that when everything's good...it's really good."
"Sometimes, I feel like you're afraid to leave him and I want you to get over him, because I know you can," David started, looking at Riya to gauge her reaction. "You accept these things that he does with these women."
"For the last soon-to-be three years, I have been in mommy mode. I haven't had the mental capacity for 'what the fuck is he doing?' It's too much to add on top of what I already have going on," Riya spat.
"You have so much potential and before you met him, you shined brightly," David said, his voice cracking as Riya looked away. "It hurts me to know that, that bastard can say 'I'm still going to do what the hell I've been doing.' It feels like he doesn't care about you."
As David spoke, his eyes started to water as Riya tried to keep her emotions in check, not wanting to cry in front of her daughter. "You are the mother of his child and he treats you like dirt and on top of that, he lets his bitches treat you badly. There's no point for him to fight for you because you give him everything and then some. It's not fair."
"I believe what he tells me. When he says that he wants his family, he loves me and he loves our daughter and we are what he wants. I believe him because I want us to work," Riya said, a few tears falling down her face.
Wiping his sister's tears away from her face, David took a deep breath before he went in for the sentence he knew would cause his sister to second-guess everything. "Right now, where do you think he is?"
Opening her mouth, Riya was going to answer his question but then it dawned on her that she didn't know. Deciding that it was better to not say anything since she wasn't sure, she closed her mouth and rubbed her temples instead. Ainsley and Arthur ran toward their parents, squealing loudly as Riya and David sat up and tried to get rid of the tense aura around them. Both toddlers ran into their parents' arms and Riya peppered her daughter's face with kisses, making the little girl scream with laughter.
"Are you two ready to go see granny?" Riya asked as the toddlers cheered loudly. "Guess that's our cue."
Gathering their children and the bags, the siblings walked towards the parking lot and they were unaware of the woman that was watching them. Sitting in a black Charger, was a blonde hair woman with lips red as blood. Her icy blue eyes were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses but they followed after Riya and her daughter. Sucking her teeth in annoyance, the woman turned the engine over and pulled out of the parking spot. She drove quickly out of the parking lot and cut in front of the foursome, causing David and Riya to jump backward in shock as she flew into the street.
"Bitch," David and Riya chorused as they readjusted their children before walking to their cars.
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"Granny!" Ainsley screamed as her mother helped her out of her car seat.
"Is that my Ainsley bear and Artie?! Come hug granny!" The older woman yelled, dropping to her knees and holding her arms out to her sides.
Once the children were free from their car seats, they jumped out of the cars and rushed to their grandmother, Athena. The older woman laughed loudly as the toddlers tackled her to the ground and as Riya watched her mother laughing with the children, David noticed a black truck sitting in the driveway. His face contorted into barely contained anger as he walked towards his stepmother, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Mom, he's not here is he?" David asked as Athena looked at him.
"He said he wanted to talk to Riya. He's inside with your father right now," Athena said, smiling at the children. "Please don't do anything that will get you in trouble again David."
David bit his bottom lip, turning his head to the side in disgust at the mention of his sister's ex. Athena looked at her two children, one filled with anger and the other filled with hurt and resentment. Standing up, Athena bent down to look at her grandchildren with a bright smile.
"How about we go ride your McLaren cars?" Athena asked, causing the toddlers to scream in joy. "Come on."
Holding out her hands, the two children grabbed her hands and they walked towards the backyard as the front door opened. Stepping out on the front porch, was Julio Madrigal. His hands were in the pockets of his black leather jacket and his black Timbs thudded against the wood of the porch steps as he walked down. A smirk crossed his lips as he approached Riya, stopping before her and leaning down to kiss her. Turning her head to the right, Riya let Julio kiss her cheek as she sent a look to her brother.
"Julio, what do you want?" David asked, stepping towards the pair as Julio pulled away from Riya.
"I just wanted to see Riya. How's it hangin' mama?" Julio asked, his brown eyes scanning over the short woman.
"Could be a lot better right now. Julio, what do you want?" Riya asked, her eyes staring back into his. "You vanished for three months and now you want to appear, acting like everything's good? It's not."
"I was away on..." He started, rubbing the top of his buzzed head.
"Business. Yeah, I know. That's what you always say," Riya interrupted as she scoffed.
Pulling his left hand out of his pocket, he dangled a key ring in front of Riya's face, causing the woman to scrunch her face in confusion before she grabbed them. Looking at the keys in her hand, before looking at David in confusion.
"What are these for?" Riya questioned.
"They're to your new house," Julio smirked as Riya and David's mouths dropped open in shock.
"What are you talking about? Why did you buy me a house?" Riya stammered as David glared at Julio.
"What are you up to?" David asked.
"I wanted to get Riya a place that she and Ainsley can call theirs," Julio answered, shrugging.
"We have an apartment that is our home and are you living there with us?" Riya asked, resting one of her hands on her hips.
"It's for you. All the ups and downs that we've been through ever since we got together and you're still by my side. I wanted to give you something nice." Was Julio's response.
"You're shitting me, right?" Riya chuckled before looking at her brother. "He's kidding right?"
"No, I'm not," Julio smirked, wrapping his arms around Riya and pulling her into a hug before he rested his cheek on the top of her head. "End of the day mama, you've been with me for a long time, and I wanted to give you something for you and our baby. So you have somewhere to call home."
As Julio talked to Riya, he was staring David down with a smug grin on his plump, pink lips. It wasn't uncommon that after showing a grand gesture to the woman, Riya was willing to stay by his side because Julio would renew her hope that they would be a family. It was Julio's true nature that led David and Julio to end up in a furniture-moving fight when Riya announced her pregnancy with Ainsley. What should have been a happy event, turned into a brawl that spanned over the entire first floor of their parents' home, leaving broken chairs, coffee tables, a torn couch, and shattered glass in their wake. Julio's mother was the one who called the police when their fathers couldn't pull the pair off of each other, which resulted in both David and Julio getting arrested.
"How about we go together and see your new house?" Julio asked as the front door opened.
"Riya! Sara called! She said that she needs you to come into the office right now," Felix, David's father, yelled from the porch.
The older man could see his son growing angrier by the minute with the man who was hugging his daughter. So, he placed a quick call to the daughter of a friend of his who worked with her at the law firm to call her in, using any excuse that she could think of. Pushing away from Julio, Riya smiled tightly at him before walking to David. Taking his hand in hers, she placed the keys in his hand before walking to her truck.
"I'll text you later with the address," Julio yelled as Riya nodded before climbing into the truck.
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Soon Riya arrived at the law firm and she drove into the underground parking lot. The Beetles played in the background softly as her phone's screen lit up, showing a text message from Julio. Casting a glance at the screen, she saw that it was the address for her new house and she sighed heavily, swiping the message away. Pulling into a parking spot, she turned the engine off and turned around, reaching underneath her seat and pulling out a small duffle bag. Shouldering the bag, she locked the doors, and grabbed her phone, and keys before tossing them into her purse. Slamming the door shut, Riya jogged towards the elevator and once she approached, she pushed the 'up' button multiple times.
"Come on, come on, come on," Riya mumbled, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
Soon, the 'ding' of the elevator arriving caused her nerves to settle as the doors opened and she walked into the small room. Turning around as the doors closed, she unzipped the duffle and dug through it. She found a light blue button-up shirt and a pair of black belt-strapped high-waisted wide-leg slacks. Her hands riffled through the bag as she searched for a pair of heels or flats in the bag when the 'ding' echoed in the small room. As the doors opened, Riya was met with Sara and the brown-haired bombshell pulled the chocolate-skinned girl out of the elevator, dragging her down the hallway towards their shared office.
"?Por que me llamo tu hermano y me dijo que Julio te habia comprado una casa? ?Que diablos le pasa?" Sara ranted to the girl, causing Riya to roll her eyes.
"Porque me compro una casa," Riya sighed, rubbing her temple as they entered the office.
Sara shoved Riya inside before closing the door behind them and Riya pulled out her emergency work clothes. Running her hands through her hair a few times, breaking apart the tight curls, Sara stalked towards her desk as Riya changed her clothes, and decided to leave her sneakers on her feet before pulling her hair into a high ponytail. Sitting at her desk, Riya packed her clothes into the bag and Sara looked at her.
"Please, tell me that you aren't going to accept the house? That's just another thing he can use to control you," Sara sighed, looking at her best friend.
"I only agreed to go see the house," Riya admitted before pulling out her phone and unlocking it.
She went to her messages and clicked on Julio's name, her eyes landing on the address before walking over to Sara's desk. Showing the address to her, Sara immediately pulled up Google Maps on her computer and typed it in. The house that appeared was a rustic-style ranch with a horse stable in the backyard, which caused the girls' eyes to widen in shock. Shaking her head, Riya erased the address and re-typed it in, believing that Sara had typed something wrong. However, when the same house appeared, Riya's body dropped to the floor in shock.
"I knew that he was well off, but I didn't know it was like this. This has to be at least half a million dollar house," Sara gasped as Riya closed out the tab. "Why did you do that? I wasn't done staring at the house that bastard bought you."
"I don't want to look at it, hell, I don't even want to see it," Riya said, looking at her. "So, what did you need me for exactly?"
"Oh, right. The son of that hotel chain....Uhh, they had the first resort here when we were in high school and they opened up more hotels around the country and across the globe. Damnit, I'm drawing a blank," Sara said, thumping her forehead with the heel of her palm.
"Exalted Paradise?" Riya asked as Sara's eyes lit up.
"That's it. The son requested a lawyer from our firm, someone who was well-versed in business law. However he wanted someone who would protect the organization instead of the family if any operations are conducted outside of the law," Sara said, looking at her friend.
"And I am the only lawyer here who practices corporate law since everyone else handles estate planning, intellectual property, litigation, entertainment law, and contracts," Riya finished before a thought popped into her head. "Wait, there are other law firms that specialize in corporate law specifically. Why did they go out of their way to come to this firm?"
"I don't know something about the son being a big fan of your career. Maybe he just respects you?" Sara quipped, pulling the address back up on her screen and looking at the property. "I think you should talk to Daryl or Rick come Monday morning. See if you can get the house and property in your name so that Julio can't use it against you later."
"He wouldn't do that," Riya mumbled under her breath as Sara sent her a pointed look. "But it wouldn't hurt to talk to them."
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VampireBrat: That's the end of chapter one and hopefully, chapter two will be up sometime in the next few days. Please share the story and comment!