Tia
“ What did you do for your friend?”.
“ We're all from Florida. All of us went to the same schools. I started working pretty early. We would hang out on weekends. I noticed the small changes,She would show up in baggy clothes, some days she wouldn't show up to school. One day I was heading home from work and I saw her. She was at the corner in a daze looking terrible”.
“I didn't ask her anything,I took her home with me. She stayed with us for a few days. One day Mel came over and she broke down and told us everything. Her stepfather Hits her and her mother does nothing, Her mom's an alcoholic. She had to sneak away to go to school. They won't let her.”
“So Mel and I did what we thought was right. After she left I told mom and dad everything, even the decision Mel and I made. They said we were making the right decision. I didn't work for the money nor did Mel,we were working for the experience. So Mel and I put her through school,we took care of her . We never told any of the others. I'm glad we did it”.
“We got her a Job and After she hit eighteen she was legally an adult. We helped her get a small apartment and filed a restraining order against her mother and stepfather. She's an accountant and smart.”
I found him looking at me. “ You are an amazing woman, do you know that?”.
“ Yes I do. We're going out tonight and you're not going “.
“ Fine , besides I have something to do ,but Joshua is following you “.
“Okay”.
When we got home, everyone was sitting around just being lazy. My mom went back to Florida,she said he had a job,she and Elizabeth spoke to each other everyday. I walked over to Allie.
“ Hey Tia “.
“ Hey Allie, can we talk for a minute?”.
“ Sure “. She got up and followed me.
“ Let's take a walk around the garden. I asked Dominic about your parents today. I'm sorry if it brings up bad memories for you ”.
She linked her arms through mine and smiled.
“ I grew up in the system. At a young age I saw how unfair the system was to orphans and then some Foster family's weren't good. They abused you so I decided I wanted to change that hence I became a lawyer. I was put in five different foster homes and each one was terrible so I chose to stay at the orphanage. I had four different jobs and studied diligently. I didn't want nor did I have time for relationships. Everyone knew I was an orphan and lived in the orphanage so they stayed away from me. When I was younger I wondered why no one wanted to be friends with me ,but as I got older it didn't bother me “.
“ I'm sorry Allie “.
“ It's okay. I was working at a bakery part time when one day Bennett came in.I had just turned eighteen and I had been living on my own for the past few months. He asked me my name but I ignored him. From his outfit alone I could tell he was different and I wanted to avoid anything with someone like him. I guess he figured out where I worked and what shifts because He started coming by when I was working. One day he showed up at the cafe I was working at. It got to a point where I was tired and I yelled at him”.
“ What did he do ?”.
“ Honestly I think both brother's are crazy. Dominic is scary when he's angry,he uses violence but not Bennett. I told him to stop following me ,I wasn't who he thought I was and that I wasn't interested. He just smiled and walked away. I didn't see him for almost two weeks. I always avoided the cafe owner's son. He would always try to touch me or Something.”
“ One day he was there ,that was the first day I saw Dominic. I was working alone,when I received an alert , saying my student loans were paid off. I was confused and lost in thought when Justin came in , that day he tried to force himself on me , luckily Dominic walked in. The minute he saw that Justin was trying to force himself on me he grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against the wall. That's when Bennett walked in. He looked at Dominic and me. I guess he saw the look on my face, because he grabbed my hand and led me out. He just said this brother will take care of it.
I asked him if he did it ,if he paid off my loans. He didn't hide it ,he just said yes. That now I had no reason to work here or anywhere else for that matter and he would take care of me. I got angry and started yelling and in a rage told him I'm an orphan. All he said was ‘ I know ‘.
I didn't know what to say. Dominic walked over to us. He asked him, " Is this her?’ and He nodded. He introduced him to me and He told Bennett to bring me over. He basically kidnapped me that night and brought me here for dinner with his parents. That night I was a nervous mess. Elizabeth and Marcus asked me about what I was studying,they asked about everything except for my family. When they asked where I was staying and I told them , Dominic had a slight breakdown and Elizabeth looked like she was about to lose it. Marcus said, he actually demanded that Bennett and Dominic go and get my stuff and move it over to their apartment. They didn't say anything. They just got up and left.”.
I couldn't help but laugh “ They don't give you a chance to get your bearings straight they steamroll you”. She started laughing
“ Yes they do. After they left Elizabeth brought me out here. I blurted it out without thinking. I told he she didn't have to be worried that I would leave her son alone. She started laughing and I was left confused. She told me Bennett already told them everything and It's been decided. They don't care about my background as long as her son says I'm the One he's going to marry then it's final. I was taken aback by her statement. I tried to argue my point but she shut me down. When Bennett came back he took me over to an apartment. He told me it's one his brother uses when he's in the city. I told him I couldn't afford it. He said that I didn't have to do anything but study and become successful”.
“ I figured he would get bored and or give up . Which one came first.His parents would see it wasn't a good idea but no hope. He tried taking me shopping but I revolted then he sent Elizabeth and I had no choice but to do the things he wanted me to do. Every day he came over and you know what he never slept at the apartment,he never touched me Tia. It had been going on for six months and not Once had he ever done something that went against my wishes. When I graduated and got my internship,I was so happy . They were there on my graduation day. I didn't realise how wealthy they were until I saw many of the parents of wealthy kids talking to them. They introduced themselves as my in-laws. They told everyone they were proud of their daughter-in-law and I couldn't help but cry. I never had anyone show that much care and love towards me. That night they took me out to celebrate. That was the day I accepted that Bennett was it for me. He proposed to me that night and I said yes. They've never changed towards me not once,they never looked down on me because of my background and they're always there for me helping me accomplish whatever I want to do and as you can see after nine years I'm still here”.
“ I'm happy you're here Allie “.
“ I'm happy you're here too Tia. I think this is where we were always destined to be. Everything that has happened was supposed to happen. If Alyssa hadn't been involved you would have never found out about your father”. She said
“ I guess so. Thank you for telling me. We're going clubbing tonight “.
“ Finally, I need a night out.Tia can I ask you something ?”.
”Anything”
“ Umm with everything that's happened, do you still want kids ?”.