The next day, Asha was finally able to take a day off. Even though she had tons of interviews and a possible tour coming up, it felt good that she could stay home. So for the day, Asha decided to take the boys to the beach with Q since they never spent a lot of family time together.
"I'm bringing the wrestling action figures!" Austin chanted to his brothers.
"Do you guys have everything in your beach bags?" Asha asked.
"Yes!" Her boys smiled.
"Alright. Go help your daddy put everything in the truck." Asha nodded. "I'll be right out."
As Asha stepped into her back poolhouse, someone placed their hand over her mouth. As she kicked and tried to yell, they tugged her into her closed bar and held her in place.
"Shhhh!"
"Mmmhm!" Asha yelled in her muffled voice. "Mmfm!"
When Asha turned around, she knew exactly who it was. Noah.
"How the hell did you find my hou-"
"Shhh!" Noah whispered loudly. "Be quiet and listen to me for a second!"
As the smell of old alcohol lingered into Asha's nose, she sighed and combed her fingers through her hair.
"I saw Lily." Noah plead.
"What?"
"Lily! She was there, I swear!" Noah continued, looking crazed. "Yesterday when I was loitering around the strip, I saw her holding out a cup to people so that they could give her some money."
Asha gave him a weird look, scrunching her eyebrows at him.
"Are you drunk, Noah?" Asha asked.
"What? No! I'm sober!" Noah growled lowly. "And I know EXACTLY what I saw! I saw Lily!"
"Lily is DEAD, Noah! She's not here anymore!" Asha growled back. "This drinking you're doing has to go, because it has you thinking like a mad man right now!"
"I'm not acting like a mad man, Asha! I know what I saw and I saw her right on the strip!" Noah plead. "She had the same birthmark on her upper arm, curly hair like yours but silky like mine, and the same mole!"
Asha shook her head, pointing at her door.
"Out of my house, Noah." Asha demanded. "I have to spend some time with my boys today and I'm not going to let you ruin it."
Noah grilled her, placing his hands up and stepping back.
"Fine. Fine!" Noah nodded as he walked out. "You'll regret that you didn't listen to me. You will!"
But who in their right mind would believe a drunk who was always having these crazy hallucinations about his daughter? After all, that's how he became a drunk anyway.
As for Isaiah, he was scared shitless.
It'd been a week since Stephanie disappeared, and he hasn't seen her since. He told the kids that she was on a business trip so that they wouldn't be worrying about it like he was. He didn't want to file a police report either because he knew that he would be the first one on the suspect list based on his background. But at this point, he didn't care. He grabbed a phone, preparing to dial 911 when someone popped out of his bathroom.
Tyler.
"Holy shit!" Isaiah jumped, gasping out loud.
He placed his hand on his chest, breathing heavily as Tyler popped out in front of him. On her arms, were self inflicted cuts.
"I couldn't let her do it....." Tyler said in a dazed tone.
"How'd you get inside of here, Tyler?" Isaiah snarled.
"Don't call the police, please....."
"What are you talking about?"
Isaiah scrunched his eyebrows a little, finally figuring it out. His eyes widened as he turned to Tyler, giving her a shocked look.
"You.........killed her?" Isaiah whispered.
"I couldn't let her take my spot....my kids...." Tyler whined as tears fell down her eyes.
"What the hell did you do to her, Tyler?!" Isaiah barked as he grabbed her shoulders.
A week ago....
After Stephanie arrived home from work, she had an hour left before she had to pick up the kids, so she decided to take a shower so that she could come back to Isaiah's and relax. When she got out, she cut on the TV and decided to have some of her leftover smoothie as a drink. After a few sips, she plopped down in front of the couch and started changing the channel. Minutes later, she collapsed onto the carpet in front of her. As she slipped into unconsciousness, Tyler walked over her and stared at her, giving her a blank look. Stephanie died in a painless way. She didn't feel a thing. After that, Tyler wrapped her up and drove her body out to where she would NEVER be found.
Isaiah's eyes widened at Tyler as blood leaked from her wrists.
"Just........just let me raise my boys.." Tyler mumbled.
"I'm calling the poli-"
"You are NOT calling the police!" Tyler yelled. "You killed Roman because of the same thing so you will NOT contact them!"
Isaiah gave Tyler a blank stare, then started dialing a number. He picked up the phone, calling the treatment center that kept Tyler inside.
"Hi, is this the California Rehabilitation center?" Isaiah asked.
"No...." Tyler whispered lowly. "No!!!"
"Yes, Tyler's in my home and she's cutting up her wrists!" Isaiah said loudly over her. "Please get he-"
"No! Nooooo!" Tyler screamed in a bloodcurdling tone as she lunged for Isaiah's phone, trying to grab it as he fought her off. "I can't go back there! No!"
As Tyler tried to fight him, Isaiah grabbed one of her injection needles filled with sleep medicine and jabbed it into her neck. He filled her veins with the medicine as she froze, looking at him with her eyes and mouth wide open. He then snatched the needle out of her neck and watched her stumble back, falling back onto the floor. 10 minutes later, people from the building arrived in their bus and picked a sleeping Tyler up from the home. Isaiah carried her to the front door, allowing the men to take her and rush her back to the facility.
Once she left, Isaiah stood in the middle of the floor in shock. Stephanie was dead. However, what was he going to tell her parents?
In Saudi Arabia, Madilyn came over to Kayson's house right after school. Since she was there, she decided to help Iyana clean and prepare dinner. While they did this, Kayson started rinsing off the fruits before he heading to the field.
"Kayson, do you ever cook?" Madilyn asked. "Like for the whole family?"
"No?" Kayson chuckled, turning around with the crate against his hip. "That's a woman's job."
"What about cleaning?"
"Woman's job." Kayson added.
"Doesn't mean that you just leave your muddy farming tracks inside of here when you get from outside." Iyana snarled.
"Well when I see you working and slaving out in this seering heat for 4 hours a day, cleaning the barn animals, and harvesting, then that's when you can complain." Kayson smiled. "Otherwise, stick to being the woman of the house."
Madilyn smiled at Kayson, then looked back at Iyana.
"Iyana, stop cooking and cleaning." Madilyn smiled. "All three of us are going to have a bet."
"What bet?" Kayson asked.
"We're going to switch roles. Me and Iyana are going to do the farming and outside work, while you stay inside and cook and clean." Madilyn winked. "The first person who cracks and decides that they can't do it anymore is going to be forced to do what the winner says."
"Oh you're on!" Kayson smiled, shaking their heads.
"But you do have to show us how to farm." Iyana nodded.
"Come on out."
So when the girls came outside, Kayson showed the girls how to harvest from head to toe. He told them that they had to rake in the brown dirt with their fingers, carefully place the seeds in between the dints, cover them back up, and plant them. After that, they had to cut the grass, feed the animals, wash them, then come back inside. Together, Madilyn and Iyana thought that it would be a piece of cake.
But it wasn't. Three and a half hours later, they were still outside. Kayson chuckled, stepping out and walking into the barn. Inside, they were both trying to keep the cow still.
"You guys are still cleaning Cowla?" Kayson laughed, talking about the cow.
"She won't be still!" Madilyn groaned.
"Well, I'll be inside cooking." Kayson smiled as he walked away. "You guys can give up whenever you want!"
"Yeah right!" Iyana squealed, giving him a playful serious look.
As Kayson stepped inside of the kitchen, he prepared to make a tomato and lobster bisc. Even though he knew how to cook, he only knew how to make certain things that were quick and simple. He didn't know how to make sauce, make bread from scratch, etc. With the tomato by his side, he held the late butcher knife by the tomato and started cutting small slices of it.
"Geez I hope that I'm doing this right..." Kayson whispered to himself.
"Doing what right?"
Kayson jumped and glanced at Madilyn as she tapped her index finger on the counter, smiling at him.
"Uh........I know what I'm doing!" Kayson snarled. "You don't think I know how to cook this?"
"Really?" Madilyn scoffed. "Because you don't thin slice tomatoes when you cook a bisc. You cut them into small blocks."
Kayson's smile wiped off of his face as Madilyn walked over to the cutting board, slicing the tomatoes quickly and rapidly. As the tomatoes lie cut up, Madilyn quickly turned the tray and chopped the tomatoes up in small cubes. She did it in a matter of 60 seconds. Kayson's eyes widened as he looked at her, giving her a shocked look.
"How the hell did you do that?" He gasped.
"It takes years of practice and working in the kitchen." Madilyn laughed. "You want me to show you?"
"Uh, yes!"
As Kayson stood behind her, he reached over her and held a new tomato with the knife. Madilyn grabbed his firm hands, lifting up the hand he had with the knife. As Kayson held the tomato with the other hand, she placed the blade on top of the tomato.
"Now as best as you can, chop the tomato as fast as you can while you move the tomato over." Madilyn said.
Kayson leaned over her shoulder a little, chopping the tomato clean cut. Even though it wasn't to sharp, it was still good for his first time.
"See? Like that!" Madilyn smiled. "Now you turn the tray and cut it the opposite way."
Kayson turned the tray and started chopping it in the opposite way. As he started chopping the vegetable, Madilyn looked up at him as he leaned over her shoulders. Kayson looked back at Madilyn and paused, cutting the tomato slower and slower. He froze for a little while as they closed each other eyes, leaning in slowly and placing their lips on each others. The kissing went from soft to passionate within a couple seconds as Kayson dropped the knife, wrapping his arms around her waist. As Madilyn felt on his hands, they heard footsteps walk in front of them.
It was Abel.
Kayson jumped as he glanced up at him, watching Abel give him a furious look. Kissing Madilyn wasn't the problem, but kissing an American was. Knowing Abel, Abel was going to get in his ass.
And when Madilyn's parents found out, all hell was going to break loose.