75: THE SOUND OF FEAR
ARIEL’S POV
“Who said the two of you could carry out this nonsense in my kitchen?” Mariam snapped at my mom, and I.
“Your kitchen?” I raised an eyebrow. “You barely even be here. And by the
house.”
“It’s just about a matter of time before I throw you out.”
I chuckled. “Impossible.”
“The both of you can leave now!” She snarled.
way,
this is my
My mother entered the conversation with a calm tone, “I’m sorry miss, but we’re preparing…..
“No one said you can talk!” Mariam barked at her.
“Don’t you dare raise your voice at her!” I gave Mariam a dark look.
She returned the expression. “Just look at this little rat, raising her voice at me like I was her puppet, or something.”
“If you want respect. Then you got to be respectful,” I told her. “Don’t think people are going to be smiling at you when you got that disgusting attitude.”
“Disgusting attitude?” Mariam laughed. “You went ahead to poison yourself, and put the blame on me. Now you’re saying I got a disgusting attitude?”
“You poisoned yourself?” My mom uttered softly, and looked at me. “Ariel, is this true?”
“Come on now mother. Why in the world would I do such a thing? Poisoning myself? Hell no.”
“Oh shut up now. Enough with the lies,” Mariam spat.
“Hey, you need to have some manners,” my mom told Mariam.
Mariam burst into laughter. “You’re telling me to have manners? When your daughter right here has none.”
“I won’t let you insult my daughter like that, do you hear me?!” My mom’s anger was awakened.
“What are you going to do?” Mariam moved closer to my mother. “Your daughter is nothing but a worthless piece of trash,” she said in huhsed tones.
My mom, brimming with rage, surprised Mariam with a tight slap. And as Mariam held her face in shock, she received another slap. Then my mom gave her the third one on a different cheek.
Mariam gaped at my mother who did nothing but glare at her. She couldn’t believe what just happened.
“That is what you get for being disrespectful to my daughter.” My mom picked a knife. “If you try to talk nonsense again, I won’t hesitate to stab you with this.”
15 THE SOUND OF FEAR
“Okay mom, you got to calm down. That’s enough, that’s enough,” I said, lowering the knife she was holding.
After that, we heard a the thunderous sound of a bullet released in the air.
us exchanged fearful glances, my
could feel myself getting carried
a bullet,” my
heard more gunshots, one after another, growing louder and closer. Panic gripped me immediately. I wasn’t going
my feet, my voice quivering with urgency. “Mom, we need to get to
relax. Everything will be fine,” my mom
so,” Mariam spoke, and
right now,” I told
“You think
heard more gunshots, and I knew something was definitely not going great outside this
grabbed my mom’s hand, and
rushed through the elegant hallways. I could hear our footsteps echoing in the mansion. Each step brought us closer to
could hear the cacophony
stomach, fueling
the dark room, my mom and I. I slammed the
mom
face, acting like I had no
open that door right now and let
“But mom..”
buts. Open it,” my mom’s mode was serious, and her decision
groaned, before opening the door. I glared at Mariam, but eventually shifted backwards, opening the door wide for her to
of someone slamming the door from downstairs. And at this point, I knew we were not safe. But I hoped nothing bad would happen
moment.
THE CHANG
hands around her chest. “What’s happening out there? Who
know, but we need to stay calm and stay hidden until it’s safe. We have to
we can’t just keep standing here
going to do then, huh?” Mariam aksed. Her irritating tone caused me
her.
around the room, as I was searching for anything that could offer a sense of
over the place, but I spotted a large wardrobe in the corner of
let’s hide inside the wardrobe. It’s our best chance
you sure we’re going to fit into that?” Mariam aksed,
shot her an irritated look. “If you don’t want to hide in it. That’s your own cup of tea. Maybe you can find somewhere more safe to hide your annoying ass
Please be respectful,” my mom told me. I exhaled deeply, before
each other. The scent of old clothes filled the air,
breath, but my fear compounded the moment I heard some maids screaming. The gunshots
and her life could be in danger. I quickly burst out of the wardrobe, running
you going to?” My mom asked me,
about me. Just keep yourself safe,” I answered, leaving the
ARIEL’S POV
deafening sound of gunshots reverberated through the mansion. Panic gripped her
and I was filled with
cracks piercing through the air. Accompanied by the desperate screams coming from downstairs, my fear intensified. Each gunshot seemed to echo through my bones, causing my heart to race and my hands to shake
couldn’t bear to imagine what was happening below, but
I could get her to safety before it was too late. The chaos and terror surrounding me was suffocating, and
eyes in fear. The terror emanating from downstairs was overwhelming. My heart raced and my hands shook as I tried to steady myself. But I knew I couldn’t let fear consume me. I needed to be strong in this moment, for myself and for Riley, whenever shr was at the moment, Gathering my courage, I took a deep breath and
LUKE’S POV
the office, diligently working my way through a stack of documents, when suddenly my phone began to ring. At first, I tried to ignore it
and my mind told me it was that guy who kept on requesting for
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