BRIANN P.O.V
I have never felt so frightened than when my real name is mentioned.It triggered a different anxiety in me.
"Bring me a bottle of tequila and..." She paused just to sniff back the running emotion that closed up her throat.
"A goblet" I responded with a low bow before leaving.I later came back with them in a tray,walking up to her just to pour her a tequila.Dazed stare as if I was the reason for her tears, I dropped the bottle by her bedside. I noticed she had drank the coffee from the cups and I had to take them away. But then she called again, "Briann Adrienno" Her voice sent shivers through my skin,frozen with inquiry which caused me to turn to her. "Have a drink with me till I fall asleep"
"I'm sorry, but I can't.I have works to do" I dejected,trying so hard not to be too offensive. "Well...Drinking with me is also part of your work.I need you to sit by my side.Can't you do that?"
"Briann Adrienno" Her voice sent shivers through my skin frozen with inquisition which made me to turn to her.
"Have a drink with me till i fall asleep"
"I'm sorry but i can't,i have works to do"
I dejected,trying so hard not to be too offensive.
"Well...drinking with me is also part of your work,i need you to sit by my side,can't you do that!?"
"You shouldn't drink in such condition, you need to relax"
"But how can i relax when you are the reason for my tears,huh!?" Her eyes was dark because of how much she cried,so i couldn't just reject a sulky lady dying for my comfort.
"Just this once" I said and sat down on her bed even if i was scared of imprinting a stain on her white bedspread,i had to cautiously set my butt at the edge of the bed which was safer.For the first time i touched an expensive king-sized bed.
My eyes couldn't look away from the bead-like design of the chandelier,glimmering faintly as she drank more than she could handle.To me,it felt like I should just lie down for a minute to feel the kind of calm I'd never known before.I took a deep breath, pretending for a moment that I owned the room,that I belonged here.She didn't even notice when I fell back,unable to resist the strange pull of the moment.And then it hit me,a thought so sharp it made my chest tighten.
This house...I was meant to be here.I could see it now.The luxury,the silence,the power hidden in every corner.I would own this kind of room one day.I would be the one giving orders,not taking them.I would regain my place as Mrs Mason.Life has dragged me too far,but this time...it won't decide where I go.Not anymore.
Massilo's P.O.V
Life...how unfortunate it can be.We dream,we plan,we hope.Yet it all crumbles before we even realize it.I used to believe in tomorrow.I used to believe in us.
Sua and I.
That one day we'd find peace,build a life together,maybe even raise children.
But all of that vanished,and all that was left was pain.
I've been locked up in this cold cell for hours now.The walls whispered hopelessness,the sound of the jailer's keys scraping like broken promises.I don't even feel disappointment anymore,only emptiness.
"Everything's gonna be fine...Sua isn't dead" I whispered to myself,trying to convince the only person still listening.
Me.
But the air felt heavier than my words.There was this chill that crawled under my skin,raising every hair on my body like the air itself mourns her absence.
I can't believe she's gone.I shouldn't have looked for her.
I shouldn't have gone back.
Maybe if I had just stayed away,fate would've taken its course quietly.But no,i was selfish.I chased a love that wasn't ready to be found.
And now,I'm left with memories that won't let me breathe.I still remember our first kiss.The warmth, the trembling in her breath,the softness of her lips against mine.It wasn't just a kiss.It was a promise.A promise life never intended to keep.
The gate creaked open,its rusty groan slicing through the silence.Standing there was Xavier,his face was drawn and heavy with news I already feared.
"What about Briann?" I asked,my voice was barely steady.
He hesitated. "Well…about that....Mr Mason is on his way back home.He....framed Briann.Said she killed her own sister."
For a moment,my heart forgot how to beat.The air around me thickened,pressing against my chest like guilt I didn't deserve.
"Tell Mr Denice to dig up any possible evidence" I said through clenched teeth. "And contact Mr Nicole.I must get out of here today"
Xavier shook his head,worry clouding his eyes. "But Mr Mason has people everywhere.He's already bought silence from those in charge of the case.You can't win this"
"I don't need the world on my side" I muttered. "I just need Mr Nicole.He's the only one I trust.He won't bow to Mason"
Xavier didn't argue further.He only gave a resigned nod before stepping back, the clang of the gate echoing like a sentence being sealed.Two policemen followed him out,their boots striking the floor in rhythm,so cold, deliberate and watchful.I could feel their eyes even after they were gone.
BRIANN'S POV
Two Hours Later
"Briann!"
The sound of my name pulled me from a dreamless haze. Mrs. Angeles's voice carried panic.Sharp,urgent and trembling.
My eyes fluttered open.I was lying on Michelle's bed.The scent of her perfume lingered, faint and ghostly,almost enough to make me forget where I was.But then I saw it.A bright smear of yellow on the bedspread.My stomach turned.I jumped up,fear clawing at my throat as if the color itself accused me of something.
Before I could make sense of anything,Mrs Angeles burst into the room.Her hands gripped my shoulders,shaking me back to the present.
"You have to leave now! Mr. Mason is here,he'd come to take you to jail.You must hide,Briann.Please!"
Her eyes were wet.Desperation flickered in them like candlelight before a storm.
But I stood there,calm in a way I didn't understand.
"No" I said softly. "I'm done running.I'm tired of hiding from ghosts that wear human faces.I'll face him....whatever comes next"
Mrs Angeles's voice broke. "Why are you so stubborn? You can't fight a man like him! He owns the law, the people, the truth! Please, don't throw your life away!"
I turned to her, a sad smile tugging at my lips. "I've already lost everything" I whispered. "This…is just me taking it back"
And with that,I walked out of the room.The hallway stretched before me.Quiet,endless and lit by shadows that trembled like my heart.Each step echoed like a countdown to something inevitable.
But I didn't look back.Walking down the stairs.
There was incoherent yelling from the house entrance.The voices were unmistakable.
Michelle and Mr Mason.
Their tones crashed against each other like violent thunder and rain and somehow,I knew I was the storm they were fighting over.
My pulse quickened.Instinct screamed for safety,for escape,but my feet froze in place as the argument grew louder.
"You have no right to take any of the maids from this house!" Michelle's voice rang through the hall,trembling yet defiant. "They are my workers,and I will protect them...every one of them!"
Mr Mason's response came like venom wrapped in silk. "Protect?" He spat. "She killed someone.Michelle! Don't you know the law?"
Before I could even breathe,the front doors burst open.Police officers flooded in,rows of dark uniforms,boots thudding in unison,the metallic clatter of guns aimed straight at me.The air turned thick with fear.
And then he appeared.Mr Mason was dressed in a black suit that gleamed under the light,his cold eyes locked on me like I was already a memory.
"Massilo's in jail" He said flatly. "Don't make me eliminate you too"
Michelle's face twisted with pain and fury.She stepped forward, her fists trembled by her sides.Her voice cracked but didn't falter.
"How could you?" She demanded. "How could you do something like this to your own son?"
He said nothing,but his silence was worse than a confession.
Michelle moved closer,her voice lowered to a sharp whisper with the words she'd been holding in for years.
"Do you think I don't know how my mother died?" Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "You killed her"
For the first time,Mr Mason's mask slipped.His eyes widened,something dark flickering behind them.It was fear,rage,somehow maybe guilt.And then,as if to bury the truth,he turned to the officers and barked.
"Don't go easy on her!"
Hands seized me before I could speak.Cold metal bit into my wrists with handcuffs locking with a click that sounded like the end of something sacred.
The officers dragged me toward the door.Flashing lights awaited outside,blinding me as cameras snapped relentlessly.Reporters shouted my name,their voices merged into chaos.
"Briann! Briann! Look here!"
Their flashes painted my shame across every lens.
I saw Michelle standing by the steps,her face was pale and unreadable.She was later ushered into Mr Mason's sleek black car,his shadow slowly swallowed hers.
¤¤¤¤¤¤
The car ride was a blur,the city passing by was like a memory I was being erased from.When we finally stopped,I stared through the window.The glass reflected my pale face and behind it,the world of criminals waited.
The police station door swung open and shut endlessly,swallowing people whole.I stepped out,my feet heavy on the cracked pavement.
Just as I lifted my head,I heard a soft,almost hopeful voice behind me.
"Briann?"
It was the first voice that didn't sound like a weapon.And for a moment,just a fragile, fleeting moment.I wanted to believe not everything was lost.
NEXT CHAPTER LOADING...