TWIST OF FATE

CHAPTER 10: Love or Cruelty?

Kemmy was walking home when she heard her name being called from behind. Christian's voice echoed through the air. "Hey," he said, catching up to her. "Hi," Kemmy replied simply, her eyes sparkling with a hint of a smile.

Christian apologized for his earlier behavior, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled. "I'm sorry about earlier; I was totally out of my mind." Kemmy's smile broadened, and she nodded in acceptance.

As they walked side by side, Christian noticed that Kemmy seemed subdued. "Kemmy, are you okay? You seem sad," he asked, his brow furrowed in concern.

Kemmy's expression turned gloomy. "It's my dad. He goes to the shop all the time and comes back without selling anything. He's barely getting any customers." Christian's eyes widened in surprise. "What does he sell?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.

Kemmy's face lit up with a smile. "Fabrics; he sells designed fabrics. He makes them himself." Christian's eyes sparkled with excitement. "I think I can help!" he exclaimed. "My mom's company works with designed fabrics too, and lately, she's been running short of new designs. I could talk to her."

Kemmy's eyes shone with gratitude. "Thank you, Christian. That would really be a great help for my family." Christian smiled, feeling happy that he could make a difference.

As they parted ways, Christian headed home, feeling content after a good day. However, his peaceful mood was short-lived. As he entered the house, he found Ryan glaring at him with a hateful gaze. "Are you happy now? Huh?" Ryan spat, his voice venomous.

Christian sighed, already tired of Ryan's attitude. "What's wrong, Ryan?" he asked, his tone neutral.

Ryan's face twisted in anger. "Stop acting innocent, Christian! I'm sure you're happy now after making me look like a fool! After kissing my girl!" Christian's eyes narrowed, his anger rising. "Your girl? That's ridiculous! I didn't kiss your girl; I kissed Kemmy."

Ryan's face turned red with rage, and he clenched his fists. "You're really getting on my nerves, Christian!" Christian remained silent, which only infuriated Ryan further. With a swift punch, Ryan struck Christian. "Ouch! Ryan, you're satisfied now, huh? Tell me so I can go take a shower."

Christian's anger boiled over. "Ryan, I'm fed up with your disgusting anger issues! Tell me, what do you want from me again? After humiliating me in front of everyone, you come back home every day throwing punches at me. I've never complained. Ryan, I was always there for you, but you keep fighting me! And now you're fighting for Kemmy? You even called her your girl! Even punching me for kissing her? You like her? Or do you want to use and dump her like you did with other girls? I won't allow that, Ryan, because I love her too!"

Ryan's expression turned sinister. "Oh, so you really want a competition, huh? Okay, fine! Let's see who wins; let's see who wins her heart!" Christian shook his head, his eyes blazing with anger. "I'm not making a deal with you, Ryan, because her heart is not a toy to play with!"

Christian walked upstairs, leaving Ryan seething with anger.

Ryan's face twisted in a snarl. "Let's see who wins her heart!" he muttered to himself, storming upstairs.

Hours passed, and Christian settled into a restless sleep on the sofa. The sound of the door opening woke him, and he sat up to see his mom, Lucia, walking in.

"Christian, why are you sleeping on the sofa? Go inside; it's cold." Lucia said, looking puzzled.

Christian stretched, yawning. "Oh, mom, welcome back! I was waiting for you." Lucia looked puzzled. "What for?"

Christian smiled. "About your work, I think I know where you can get homemade fabric designs for your company." Lucia's eyes lit up with interest. "Really?" she asked.

"Yes, mom," Christian replied.

Lucia's face lit up with excitement. "When can we go there?"

Christian smiled, happy to see his mom's enthusiasm. "We can go there now!" he exclaimed.

Lucia nodded, already heading towards the door. "Let's go, Christian. I'm excited to see these designs."

Christian followed his mom, and they drove to Harrison's shop. When they arrived, Lucia was amazed by the unique designs. "Good day, sir. You own this shop?" Harrison nodded, puzzled by Lucia's sudden interest.

Lucia's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Wow! Do you know the owner of these designs in person? Can I get a contract?"

Harrison smiled, amused by Lucia's enthusiasm. "Yes, ma'am... I know the owner."

Lucia's face lit up with hope. "Alright! Please get me to the person! I'll pay you." Harrison chuckled. "So I get the money and the contract?" Lucia looked confused. "I don't get... The money is for you, and the contract is for the owner of these beautiful designs. That's what I mean!"

Harrison laughed, enjoying the exchange. "Then I own both." Lucia's smile turned to an expression of confusion. "You! You are the owner of these designs?... You don't look like a designer!" she exclaimed.

Harrison laughed again. "Then believe what you want to, ma'am! In case you need these fabrics, I'm at your service."

Lucia's eyes sparkled with admiration for Harrison's creative abilities. She walked around the shop, taking in the beautiful designs. After a while, she composed herself and made an offer to Harrison. "I own a company for the design of fabrics. We make designs on clear fabrics and sell them out to other countries. But lately, we've been growing down because our designs became too common, and it reduced the interest of people in our fabrics. And we're being pressed to export more of these fabrics with different designs. Please, sir, I want to ask for your help. I want you to work with me as the manager of the design department. You'll really be of great help to me, sir. And don't you worry, our pay is high; and yours will be higher because you'll become the engine of the company."

Harrison thought for a while and decided to accept the offer, even if it was just for the sake of his family. "Alright, I accept your offer, ma'am. But on one condition: you won't change the name of these designs... If you insist on including your company's name on it, my name must be included too!"

Lucia smiled, agreeing to Harrison's terms. "Sure, sure, that's fine by me!"

Harrison's face lit up with a smile as he extended his hand for a handshake. Lucia shook it, sealing their deal.

As they were about to leave, Harrison's attention drifted to Christian. "I know you from somewhere," Harrison said, trying to recall.

Christian's eyes darted to his mom, and he quickly intervened, not wanting his mom to know that he had been to Harrison's house before. "Yeah, it's me, Christian. We met briefly," Christian said with a smile, trying to downplay their previous encounter.

Harrison nodded, though still looking puzzled. "Oh yeah! I remember now. Nice to see you again, Christian!"

As soon as Lucia and Christian left, Harrison's excited mode was activated. He quickly locked his shop and rushed home to share the good news with his family.

"Kemmy! Shane! Come see what just happened!" Harrison exclaimed, barely containing his excitement.

Kemmy and Shane rushed to the living room, curious about their father's sudden outburst. "What is it, Dad?" Kemmy asked.

Harrison beamed with pride. "I just got a job offer from a big company! They want me to be their manager of designs!"

Kemmy and Shane's faces lit up with joy. "Dad, that's amazing!" Kemmy exclaimed.

Shane nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Dad, you deserve it!"

Harrison smiled, feeling happy and relieved. "We're going to be okay, kids. We're going to be just fine."

Danielle was cleaning the bathroom, her hands moving mechanically as she scrubbed the tiles. She was lost in thought, her mind wandering to her miserable life with her father and stepmother.

Just then, she felt a sudden pain on her back. She cried out as she turned around to see Rose standing behind her, a sly smile on her face.

"Ouch!" Danielle complained, rubbing her back.

Rose imitated her, "Ouch!" she said, laughing.

"Why do I still have my clothes still in the basket? Didn't I tell you to wash them? You're such an i***t!" Rose shouted, hitting Danielle again.

Danielle felt tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. "I'm sorry, Rose, but I didn't know you had dirty clothes in the basket," she explained.

Rose's expression turned angry. "Must you be told?" she shouted, hitting Danielle again.

Just then, Rhoda walked into the bathroom. "What's going on here?" she asked, her voice stern.

Rose quickly pointed the blame at Danielle. "She didn't wash my clothes, Mom!"

Rhoda's expression turned angry. "You're so careless, Danielle! You're such a poor, wretched daughter of a poor brother of mine!" she shouted, slapping Danielle across the face.

Danielle felt tears streaming down her face as she cried out in pain. She quickly grabbed the clothes and began to wash them, her heart heavy with sadness.

Rose and Rhoda walked out of the bathroom, leaving Danielle to her tears.

Danielle couldn't help but wonder why her life was so miserable. Why did she have to suffer at the hands of her own family members? She felt like she was all alone in the world, with no one to turn to.

As she continued to wash the clothes, Danielle couldn't help but feel a sense of hopelessness. Would her life ever change? Would she ever find happiness? Only time would tell.

Shane and Kemmy sat under a tree on a bench. Kemmy sat silently as she thought about Christian. She then realised that Christian was always by her side whenever she needed him. She realised she was already falling for him.

"Shane, I want to tell you something," she said, turning to Shane.

Shane turned to her direction. "I'm all ears!"

"The promotion daddy got was because of Christian," Kemmy said, a smile spreading across her face.

Shane was a bit shocked. "Really? That's so thoughtful of him."

"And I want to tell you something but you have to promise not to tease me," Kemmy said, knowing her brother fully well.

Shane smiled. "Well...it's based on what you have to say."

"Shane, I think I like Christian," Kemmy said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Shane's expression changed to one of surprise, but he didn't tease her as expected " I know."

Kemmy's eyes widened in surprise. "How did you know?"

Shane laughed. "The way everything was happening between you two. I knew both of you would end up loving each other.

"Don't think I'm teasing you," Shane said, still chuckling. "I'm just saying."

Kemmy's face flushed, a hint of annoyance in her voice. "I knew you'd tease me!" She stood up, leaving Shane still laughing uncontrollably.

Shane's laughter echoed through the football court, his eyes shining with mirth.

Ryan and Christian were playing a video game in their house. It looked like they were in good terms, but one could easily guess they were just bottling things up.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. It was Percy, Ryan's friend. Ryan asked him to come in, but he insisted that he wanted to see Ryan outside.

"Hey, dude!" Ryan said as they exchanged a handshake. "Why do you look like that?" Ryan asked, noticing Percy's worried expression.

Percy hesitated before speaking. "Ryan, I have bad news for you."

Ryan's mood changed instantly. "What is it?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.

Percy took a deep breath. "I was passing by the football court when I heard Kemmy telling her brother that she's in love with Christian."

Ryan's face darkened, his anger simmering just below the surface. "That's not possible! We must do something about this, and fast!"

Percy nodded in agreement. "There's only one way, Ryan. You have to disguise yourself to look like Christian."

Ryan's eyes lit up with excitement. "That's a great idea!"

Percy smiled. "But Christian wouldn't say he's Ryan either."

Ryan thought for a moment. "Yeah...you can be Christian when he's not there. And one day...one of you will be lying. You can convince her to believe you're the real Christian."

Percy nodded and quickly sped off out of the gate.

Ryan's mood suddenly changed. He became mad at Christian. He banged the door and walked to his room.

"What's wrong, Ryan?" Christian asked, confused by Ryan's sudden outburst.

Ryan took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "Nothing. Can I ask you for a favor?"

Christian raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

Ryan smiled, trying to appear nonchalant. "Can we switch seats in class?"

Christian looked at Ryan suspiciously. "Why?"

Ryan shrugged. "I just want to sit at the back in class."

Christian hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Alright, but why?"

Ryan just smiled, his mind already racing with his plan to disguise himself as Christian.

Christian couldn't shake off the feeling that Ryan was up to something. He decided to watch him closely to see what he was up to.

That night, Christian pretended to sleep, but he was actually keeping an eye on Ryan. He noticed that Ryan was sneaking around, trying not to make any noise.

Christian's curiosity was piqued. He quietly got out of bed and followed Ryan, trying not to be seen.

Ryan went to his room and started searching for something. Christian hid behind the door, watching him.

After a few minutes, Ryan found what he was looking for - a pair of contact lenses. Christian was confused. Why did Ryan need contact lenses?

Ryan put on the contact lenses and looked at himself in the mirror. Christian gasped. Ryan looked exactly like him!

Christian realized that Ryan was planning to impersonate him. But why? And what did it have to do with Kemmy?

Christian's mind was racing with questions. He knew he had to confront Ryan, but he also wanted to know more about his plan.

Christian decided to wait and observe, hoping to uncover more information about Ryan's scheme.

Harrison was taken to his new office, and Lucia introduced him to the staff. "Good day, ladies and gentlemen," Lucia said. "I can never forget all the effortless work you've done for the growth of this company. Thank you for all your efforts. Lately, we have been searching for new designs to upgrade our company. And fortunately for us, we found someone. Someone capable, someone talented! Can I have the privilege to introduce to you our new manager, Mr. Harrison Victor!" Lucia said as Harrison came up.

Goerge, who was also present, became confused. "Harrison!" Goerge remained still, too confused.

Just then, Harrison sighted Goerge and gave him a triumphant smile. "You failed, Goerge; you failed," Harrison said in his mind.

The staff welcomed Harrison warmly, and Lucia showed him to his new office. Harrison was impressed with the luxurious office and the warm welcome.

Harrison and his family moved into their new mansion, filled with joy and gratitude. The luxurious house and brand new car symbolized a brighter future.

Goerge's anger intensified. He couldn't accept Harrison's sudden success. "This can't be happening!" he muttered to himself.

Goerge went home very upset. He s*****d Danielle, who came to welcome him. "Get out of my sight!" he shouted as she ran back inside.

"Dear, what's wrong?" Rhoda said, seeing his behavior.

"That bastard has been promoted!" he said, almost breaking everything around him.

Calm down, Goerge, this isn't too serious..." Rhoda said.

"Yes, it is! It is the worst thing that has ever happened to me! You had to see the smile on his face; he was literally mocking me! How do you expect me to be calm?" he shouted.

"Don't you worry, Goerge, he just invited trouble for himself," Rhoda smirked.

Danielle, who was eavesdropping, wondered what they were up to again. "Who's Mr. Harrison?... Well, that's none of my business anyways." she said as she continued her work.