Just A Little Bit
Rowan Vaughn.
No. No, no, no. What was he doing calling me? And in Paris of all places?
I stared at the phone, my heart pounding, completely thrown. I hadn’t heard from Rowan in two months. Not since the surgery, not since... everything. My thumb hovered over the screen, but I couldn’t bring myself to answer it. Not yet.
“Mummy?” Laura’s voice snapped me back to reality. She and Larry were both staring at me with those Rowan eyes.
“You two wouldn’t happen to know why Rowan Vaughn is calling me, would you?” I asked slowly, trying to keep my voice calm.
Larry looked to the left, Laura looked to the right and at the same time.
They both gulped.
Their silence was answer enough. I narrowed my eyes at them, a sinking feeling settling in my gut.
“What. Did. You. Do?” I repeated, my voice firmer now.
“We just... we thought it would be nice if...” Larry started, but trailed off, glancing at Laura for help.
“We invited him!” Laura blurted out finally, throwing her hands up as if confessing to some grand crime.
My mouth dropped open. “You what?”
“We invited him to Paris!” Larry added quickly, his words tumbling out. “We thought if you saw him again, maybe you’d like him again. You use to stare at his picture a lot. And you listen to all his news. It felt as if you had a crush. We thought, .aybe... maybe... you’d get married.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My seven-year-olds had somehow—somehow—managed to contact Rowan Vaughn and invite him to Paris. Without telling me.
I stared at them, speechless, my brain struggling to catch up with the absurdity of it all. “You did what?” I repeated, louder this time.
Laura bit her lip, her voice small. “We just wanted you to be happy, Mummy.”
I pressed my fingers to my temples, trying to stop the headache that was already forming. “Oh, my God. You invited Rowan Vaughn to Paris? Without asking me first? Do you have any idea how insane that is?”
They both shuffled awkwardly, clearly realizing their grand plan wasn’t being received as well as they’d hoped.
“But, Mummy,” Larry said quietly, “we just thought... maybe you wouldn’t be lonely anymore. And we thought he could help.”
I sighed, dropping my hands to my sides, overwhelmed by the entire situation. I looked at their faces—full of hope, guilt, and confusion. They didn’t understand how complicated everything with Rowan was. How painful. To them, it was simple.
In their minds, reuniting with Rowan would magically fix everything.
But life didn’t work that way.
And Rowan... he was a whole other story.
I crouched down in front of them, forcing myself to take a breath. “I know you two meant well,” I said gently, even though my heart was still racing. “But inviting Rowan without telling me? That’s not how we handle things. He’s... it’s complicated with him.”
Larry frowned. “But… do you still have a crush on him?”
I hesitated, the answer caught in my throat. I didn’t know how to explain it to them—how Rowan was a mix of anger, hurt, and a past I wasn’t sure I wanted to revisit.
They couldn’t understand that.
“I don’t know, sweetheart,” I said softly. “But you can’t fix everything with a surprise like this, okay?”
Laura looked like she was going to cry, and I instantly felt guilty for being so harsh. I pulled them both into a hug, sighing deeply as I held them.
“I love you both,” I whispered. “But next time, ask me first. Please.”
They nodded, hugging me back. For a moment, everything felt normal again, like their strange behavior was just a fluke. But as soon as I let go and stood up, I noticed Larry glancing at Laura, a look of hesitation crossing his face.
He was chewing on his lip, like he was about to say something he knew I wouldn’t like.
“Mummy...” Larry started, his voice cautious.
I frowned, crossing my arms. “What is it now?”
He shifted on his feet, eyes flicking between me and his sister before blurting, “You’ll still have to go and meet Uncle Rowan though.”
I froze.
My hands dropped to my sides as I stared at him, completely baffled. “What are you talking about? Why would I have to meet him?”
Laura tugged on Larry’s sleeve, her lips forming a nervous pout. “Should we tell her?”
Larry sighed, nodding reluctantly. “We have to.”
“Tell me what?” I demanded, my voice sharp with impatience.
The twins exchanged another nervous glance before Larry stepped forward. “We... kinda... took something.”
“Took something?” I repeated, my stomach churning with sudden worry. “What did you take?”
Laura fidgeted beside him, biting her lip. “We didn’t, like, take take it. We just borrowed some money.”
“Borrowed?!” I nearly shrieked. “From who?”
Larry cleared his throat, his voice getting smaller. “From the Vaughn family.”
I blinked, trying to process what I just heard. “From Rowan’s family?”
“Uh-huh,” Laura mumbled, her eyes wide. “We... hacked into their accounts. And... took some money. Just a little bit and out it in those air accounts. Illegal.”
“Just a little bit?” My voice shook, and I felt my legs weaken beneath me. I gripped the edge of the counter to steady myself. “How much is a little bit?”
Larry and Laura both took a step back, as if bracing for an explosion. Larry winced, looking down at the floor. “A hundred million dollars.”
For a moment, I thought the world had stopped. I stared at them, my mind completely blank. I felt like I was going to faint. My head spun, and I had to remind myself to breathe. "A hundred... million... dollars?" I echoed, each word like a weight pressing down on my chest.
Laura piped up, trying to explain, “We were just—”
But I couldn’t hear her. The blood was rushing in my ears, and I stumbled backward, gripping the counter so hard my knuckles turned white. “You stole a hundred million dollars from Rowan’s family?!”
Larry shook his head quickly. “Not stole! We left a note saying we’d give it back. All they have to do is agree to the terms.”
I stared at him, completely lost. “Terms? What terms?”
Laura, clearly panicked now, tried to explain. “If Rowan marries you, we’ll give it all back!”
I blinked again, not sure if I was awake or in some bizarre nightmare. “You... blackmailed him. With a hundred million dollars. Into marrying me?”
Larry and Laura nodded, though they looked terrified now, realizing just how bad their plan had gone.
My legs finally gave way, and I slumped down into a bench, my hand covering my mouth. “Oh my God,” I whispered.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
