The Haunted’s Kiss of Regret and Repentance

“Oh my God! What in blazes are you doing inside of my car?!” I hit my head on the window beside the driver’s seat as I looked in shock at Alister.

My brother laughed, and Izzy popped out from behind us while laughing her head off. I tried to calm myself down as I looked at the two of them back and forth.

“Are you two done laughing? Seriously! What if you guys made me have a heart attack, huh?!” I shoved Alister, and he just chuckled as he fixed his seatbelt, and so did Izzy at the back.

“Wait a minute, you two. Why are you fixing your seatbelts?” They looked at each other and stared at me in confusion.

“Well, Izzy and I don’t want to die in case you hit the brake a little too hard. Come one, sis, didn’t they teach you to buckle your seatbelts before driving?” I looked back as Izzy snorted. I threw my bag at Alister, and the guy just caught it and threw it at the back with Izzy.

“Hey! be careful with my bag!”

“You threw it! So I gave it to IzzyContent held by NôvelDrama.Org.

Now, put your seatbelt on and let’s go to the mall, we’re both hungry.”

“You two haven’t even answered my question as to why the both of you are here in my car!”

“Sis…” It was Izzy’s turn to speak. “Mom told Alister to follow you after what happened to the party, and since I wasn’t doing anything, I tagged along.”

“Why are you in my car?”

“Oh, Alister told the guards to let him drive it here when the guards told us that you wanted to ride it back to your place after your trip. We thought that it would be a great chance for the heirs of the De Leon clan to bond, and-”

Alister covered Izzy’s mouth, and I raised an eyebrow as I noticed the man was already annoyed.

“You talk too much, Izzy.” Alister said as he looked back at me.

“Sis, I blame you why Izzy’s been too loud lately.” Izzy and eye rolled our eyes.

“You girls even roll your eyes at the same time. Seriously. Women are the same.”

“Hey!” Izzy and I said at the same time. Alister shrugged, and I knew we weren’t going to win against him.

“Fine. I’ll drive, but I choose where we eat, and you guys tell me why the sudden visit, because I doubt it’s just mom.”

I looked at Alister as I drove the car to the mall.

“Especially you, Alister. You ended that talk with me on a sour note, so I doubt you’d be this thrilled to babysit your big sister.” He looked grim as I looked at him from the corner of my eyes.

“Well, sis, I’m sorry for that, but I know that you agree. I’m sorry for my choice of words, but even you know that everything I said is true.”

I felt my anger boil, but I took deep breaths as I gripped the steering wheel tightly.

“As the youngest…” Izzy spoke, “I propose a few hours of no fighting. You guys always told me before that we should play nice, especially in a public place.”

“We’re inside our sister’s car, Izzy. This isn’t a public place.”

“Yeah, but she’s driving, so if you don’t want to die early and leave the clan without a single heir, you better shut up, bro.”

I smirked at Izzy’s reply to Alister. The girl respected her big brother more than me, and we both know that. However, I felt glad that she somehow stood up for me.

“Tell me why you two are here. Traffic’s annoying, so I guess we have about ten minutes before we arrive at the restaurant near the mall. It’s just enough time to explain whatever it is.”

“Fine…” Alister took a deep breath before Speaking.

“Mom said that she was investigating everything that you and that Rian guy did. The twins, Trixie and Nixie, aren’t that much of a threat. However, since we know that they’re idiots in a way, their mouths are too unstable for the family.”

I thought of all the possible ways that those two could tell everyone about my secrets. I looked ahead as the cars moved slowly and waited for my brother to continue.

“The twins can’t be trusted, because they don’t have filters. Kf they ruined you, they could ruin the entire clan too. This is a huge scandal that can also affect the trust of all the investors that are usually trusting the heads of the clan. You, my dearest sister, are the heir. Not unless I get married do I get the title properly. Which means, for a few more years, you’ll be the face of the clan.”

“Alister is right, sis.” Izzy said in a worried tone.

“Even if it was in the past, the moment the people saw that controversy, their competitors would use that to destroy the trust of others in our family. This could mean the downfall of the majority of the family’s connections.”

“Izzy is right, Shyne. Which is why I was sent here. I needed to be the one who would scrutinize all the people surrounding you until you graduate and somehow take over. I’m also here to keep an eye on you and get more information that I could get.”

He looked at me as he said the last statement, and I released a deep breath at the stressful situation.

“So mom sent the two of you to get more information from me, and for me to be more behaved, right? She sent you two because she also lost every trust that she had of me.”

“Yes.” Izzy slapped Alister’s arm due to his bluntness.

I laughed bitterly at the two of them. I felt like I was going mad. The car was silent as the three of us minded our own businesses.

I recalled everything that happened to me for the past twenty-four hours. The trip, the cliff, and now my siblings coming to me to become my babysitters.

“Alister…” I called him. “You should have been the eldest. If only you were born a bit earlier than me, maybe… just maybe, I would have lived a bit differently.”

“Well, we can’t change anything sis.” He said as he took in a deep breath and released it before rubbing his temple.

“I’m the only male among the three heirs, so I have nearly the same burden as you. But I need you to hold onto your dignity, sis. You and I both know that we can’t change our identities, but we can maintain our reputation if we stay careful. You can enjoy your life without compromising the family’s name. So I suggest you help us fix the problem that your past created.”

I nodded as I drove faster to get to the restaurant where we had lunch.

The day ended with me telling my brother and sister everything that I could tell them. I told them about the multiple trips to the abortionist because of the false pregnancies.

“You’re telling me that the guy you slept with multiple times was obsessed with you, but you never left?!” Alister said while he tried his best to do it in a whisper.

However, the nerve that was visible on his temple told me that his temper was at its peak.

“Yes. I couldn’t leave because I was afraid of what would happen if I left him without a proper plan. When I left, it was only because mom found out about us, and I couldn’t hide it anymore. Mom said she’ll take care of everything, so I just left without a word.”

My brother’s face showed both anger and disappointment, but it warmed my heart a bit when I saw compassion. I knew the three of us never got along, but when it counted the most, we were still siblings.

I told them about how tired I was, and we could meet again three days from now. I felt too drained, and I wanted to just sleep and rest.

I drove Izzy and I to my flat, and Perry and her talked while I went straight to my room. I felt like I was too exhausted to even stand, so I decided to change my clothes and skip unpacking or taking a shower. I wasn’t dirty anyway, and my eyes felt too heavy.

I closed my eyes as my body dropped to the mattress. My eyes opened when a hand covered my mouth to cover my screams, and two hands pulled me under the bed, and into the cold darkness.