… Daven's POV…
The door sprung open and was shut immediately with so much force that I thought it'll fall out of the wall.
"Ughhhhhh!!!" Adriana screamed. tears streamed down her face, ruining her eyeliner and makeup.
I stood frozen in the corner of her bedroom, watching her every move. Her eyes, blazing with fury, didn't notice me. She was lost in her anguish.
"No, no, no!" her voice cracked, her words dissolving into sobs.
She hurled her purse across the room, its contents spilling everywhere. Makeup shattered on the floor, lipstick rolling under the bed.
I held my breath, mesmerized by her turmoil.
With a sweep of her arm, she cleared the dresser, sending perfume bottles, jewelry, and photos crashing. The mirror above the dresser shattered, shards raining down.
Tears streamed down her face, her hands clenched in fists. "Why?" she screamed, her voice raw.
I stared, not a word coming from me. Something about how broken she looked made my own heart break. She looks too precious to cry like this.
But she brought this upon herself.
This is for trying to mess with my family.
With how lost she was in her own fury, she still hadn't noticed me.
I lifted my hands, palms facing each other, and brought them together in a slow, deliberate clap. The sharp sound cracked through the air.
Adriana's head jerked up, tears stained cheeks freezing.
Our eyes locked, shock filled her gaze.
"What a beautiful performance." I said, taking slow steps towards her.
"Daven?" She was trying to understand what was going on.
"It was you!" A scowl twisted her face.
"Look at me," I said, coming pretty close. I raised her chin forcefully so she would look directly in my arms.
"Forget how calm I act. I am the most dangerous Willingham you'll come across. If you want peace, stay away from my family."
She gulped hard. Her eyes once blazing in fury now widened in terror.
"I don't care who you're working for or what you're up to. The Willingham family is not your toy to play with."
She stood straight, quickly cleaning her tears. She opened her mouth, about to say something, but we were interrupted by the sound of someone talking outside the room.
"Eric?" She whispered, looking at the scattered room, and then at me.
I moved across the room, opening the door.
"Daven wait," Adriana held my sleeve.
"You better stop whatever mission you are on." I opened the door, revealing my brother and that bastard Taylor standing outside.
What was Taylor doing here today?
"Daven? What are you doing in my room?" Eric's expression twisted, confusion etched across his face.
His eyes fell on his wife, and his confusion deepened.
I smirked at the look of the smudged makeup and teary face of Adriana.
"Adriana, What happened? What did he do to you, Love?" He moved towards her, while giving me a menacing look.
I saw that coming. But the truth is, I didn't care.
"Daven where you drinking again?" Eric asked while Taylor supported him with a nod.
I could just walk out and leave these fools, but I wanted to see where it would go.
"Adriana, what happened? Don't be scared, tell me." Eric said, facing her.
"He can't hurt you. We are here." Taylor added.
"Yes, Adriana, What happened?" I winked at her.
She looked at me, and then, at Eric and Taylor.
"Actually, Uhm," She stammered.
"She was having a panic attack." I said.
Adriana stared at me in surprise. She was expecting me to tell on her.
Eric and Taylor weren't the right people.
"Yes! A panic attack. And Daven came in to help me. He heard noises." She said,
"Oh," Eric didn't like how the story ended.
"Daven, thank you, I'm sorry…" He started blabbering but I was already halfway across the hallway.
I didn't have time to waste on my uncultured younger brother.
I got to my room and immediately dialed Liam's number.
"What's up brahh?" Liam asked.
"Everything went smoothly." I said.
"Congrats Daven. What did your father say? I'm sure they're proud of you."
"Actually, I didn't tell them." I said.
"But why?"
"There's no need yet. Not until I find out what she's really up to."
"At least you should have taken credit for saving their asses!"
"I couldn't have done it without your skills. So you equally need credit." I said.
It all happened fast. From when the investigator mentioned that Adriana has a friend, Liam brought up the idea of hacking into their devices.
We were lucky Liam knew what he was doing and we could get all the details of their plans. And we even had enough time to shut the news station up.
The Willinghams would have been in unrecoverable chaos if it wasn't for Liam.
We all owe him. Alot.
"Did you get the girl arrested?" Liam asked, reminding me he was on the other side of the line.
"Uhm. No, not yet."
With all her evil plots I can sue her for trying to defame us, but something was holding me back.
I wanted to know what she was up to for real.
Who she was working for and why they were trying to destroy my family with false accusations of crimes we never committed.
"You know she won't give up. Right?"
"I'll keep a close eye on her, Liam."
"If you say so."
"I'll talk to you later buddy." Liam said, then hung up.
Eric and Adriana missed dinner with the excuse that Adriana was sick.
"She's taking Eric away from us!" Grandma was bitter.
"Grandma, she had a very terrible panic attack. She needs rest," Dad said.
"May demons like her keep panicking!" Grandma yelled, earning stifled laughs from everyone.
As I headed to my room after dinner, the moon lit darkness outside caught my attention. Someone was seated on the bench, head bowing. From the silhouette, I could tell it was Adriana.
I made my way outside, taking careful steps, hoping to hear another secret or evil plan of hers.
Instead, I heard her soft cries. She was rubbing her right wrist with her hands,
"Stop the burning. Please!" She cried out.