Aliyah strolled hesitantly across the corridor and headed back to the living room, as soon as she turned the corner, she met his piercing gaze, fixated on her as she moved closer. Ben was seated on the couch with his legs crossed, she wondered why he was still shirtless, perhaps he had the sudden urge to remain topless this evening. She was gone for quite a while and Ben had more than enough time to go back to his room, get something to wear, and return to the living room, but he did not. He just sat there waiting, unclad, for reasons only he knew the answers to. She could feel the heat from the lasers he was shooting from his eyes. "How long are you gonna leave my limited editions togs lying on the floor?" his words jolted her out of her thoughts, "W—W—What?" She asked in a low and submissive tone, still in a daze. "Get my Shirt off the fucking floor!" he snapped at her, Aliyah did not know when her legs moved on their own toward where she had thrown his shirt, on the ground, It
********"Sir, we have searched everywhere and there is no sign of it, all his houses and hidden properties, even the ones acquired under false names""Damn you Peter. Even in your grave, you are being a thorn in my side, huh?" The grumpy middle-aged man muttered to himself, as he peered out of his window. "You are probably somewhere up in hell making fun of me now, aren't ya?" he gave a thousand-yard stare. "Sir, there is one more thing I have to tell you." he turned in curiosity about his assistant's words."What is it about?" his brows furrowed in anticipation. "The only possibility left is his dau—"Ring! His mobile buzzed, it wasn't a text but a call. He raised a hand to cut him off. And picked up the phone to his ear. "Hello, who am I speaking with?" he asked in curiosity, he was not expecting any calls this earlyAliyah's eyes widened at the familiar voice"Hello, Uncle Dave is that you? it's me, Aliyah" a low tired voice spoke from the phone, the middle-aged man's brow
She turned to him briefly, it felt like they could both see through their eyes, what was lying deep in their souls, away from the world. Ben stared at her, his gaze being nothing like it was yesterday, not tender, but more subtle, she thought about asking him again, she had no one to turn to, no one but him, and it was all clear to her now.Even if he was a raving lunatic whom she suspects to be a murderer, she was still willing to toss those thoughts aside and plead with him again. Her Uncle did not give a rat's ass about her or about making things right, that was the weighty fact she had to come to terms with, it was the truth laid bare. And she was going to have to deal with it somehow. She felt betrayed. Being next to him, was unsettling but, the words sat right on tip of her tongue and all she had to do was just say it, her eyes were already saying it on her behalf, but he wouldn't acknowledge such a thing, he had a heart of steel. "I-" Ben interjected before she could say a
It was now clear to her that his order was just an attempt to make her suffer because she could not stand the sight of blood. It felt like she was out of the lion's den as soon as she stepped out of the room, she stood there for a while and her eyes traveled to the clothes in her hands, since he wanted too much to throw them away now she would do just that. She retraced her steps back to where she had picked them from and tossed them back there. Then went back to the kitchen to brew his cup of coffee for him, when she was done she carried the cup, gently on the tray to go and give him in the study— as soon as she opened the door— that was when she noticed the scene, books were scattered across the floor, as if a tussle had ensued in here, but it was just Ben at his desk doing what he was doing like he did not notice this, although he seemed troubled on something as his gaze remained fixated on his laptop.What the hell happened here? She wondered. Aliyah's eyes shot from left to
Ben fiddled with the the glass cup filled to the top with whiskey, he brought the cup to his lips and gobbled it down his throat, his Adam's apple bobbling up and down, before he dropped the glass cup on the table with a slam. An annoying thought invaded his mind. Opposite where he sat was Karl who was fiddling with a pen in his own hand, while the other hand held a glass cup which he took his time, sipping slowly from, savoring the taste, and taking a sip again. His eyes darted to Ben who looked troubled somewhat, a very unusual expression on his face. "What's up? Seems like you've got a load of things on your table," Ben spared him a glance as he settled on the couch, waving his hands through his hair, "Is it business related? Or the other?" Karl asked, visibly worried, because he was well aware of the countless number of people trailing behind Ben recently. For one thing or the other —mostly negative things. "Nothing serious," Ben answered with a flip of his finger
Ben rubbed his forehead, seeming bothered about something after he cursed. "What's up?" Karl asked."Speak of the devil," Ben muttered as he dropped his phone on the table. Karl raised a brow, wondering who Ben was referring to—he suddenly paused, throwing a gaze at Ben "Don't tell me you are referring to grandfather as the devil when you are even more delish than he is? Is that a text from him?" Karl asked bemused. "Who else will I be referring to if not him?" Ben asked with a shrug of his shoulders, he stretched his hand, "It was from Steve. He said grandfather had to be rushed to the hospital again. But it wasn't very urgent no need to worry. Grandfather just wants to be out of the hospital, I guess that's why he didn't wait for more than two days before rushing out of the hospital, only to be rushed back in."Karl chuckles—both of them fully aware of how tough the old man could be, only doing things he wanted and wished. "And he also wants me to come by tomorrow, bet that's ju
She felt like she was drowning in a sea of exhaustion, the arch of her back was aching and her heavy shoulders weren't in the best shape, she lifted the weight of her body on the floor and felt the warmth of what seemed like a cover in her side, she remembered clearly that she didn't cover herself with this.It looked like Ben's jacket so she quickly took it off and rushed to place it back on the rack before he came back. Her muscles were tensed and she still had so much book to cover. She could not even think for a second that it was Ben who put the cloth on her. Without much thought, she stood up from the floor, feeling dizzy. An hour passed, and Aliyah concluded her tasks at the library. Exiting after meticulously arranging everything, she descended the stairs, anticipating Ben's presence in the living room to report the completion of the assigned work. However, he was nowhere to be found, prompting her to head straight to the kitchen for a much-needed water break.Viola, hav
*************It was a breezy evening before a storm. Mr Vawn stood in front of the expansive window before him as he muttered to himself about not being able to undergo his nightly strolls. Even For a man who had been unstoppable all his life the limitations of aging and the eventuality of death were unavoidable. this was the task he faced every day as he was on the last leg of his life, he had left most of his work in the hands of capable men, and the strolls were the only thing he looked forward to these days apart from the timely visits of his grandchildren as he awaited his end. He spent his time resting these days as he had fully relinquished all his positions to retire but there was one thing that bugged him to this day. His search for a successor. Being a man who arrived at the pinnacle of business by sheer dedication and hard work he wasn't okay with the idea of inheritance merely on the basis of blood tiesHe had made it clear to his family that the one who inherited his