Blackmailed or not, You are mine

Chapter 1 – Chance Encounter–

**Ethan POV**

Putting the cereals, pancakes and a box of juice at the table, I called out for my siblings to go and have our breakfast. It is another busy Monday for me. The day just started and I'm already feeling exhausted, dreading for the day to end.

Ivan, my younger brother and Jeanine, our youngest sister, took their place at the table and started eating. “So, how’s school?” I asked in between bites, trying to make conversation.

“Nothing much. Still boring,” Jeanine lazily said. She just started high school this year and it looks like she became popular with the crowd. She’s a little spoiled being the youngest and the only girl but she knows that when we said no, it means no.

“Coach allowed me Thursday and Friday practice off as long as I won’t miss the Monday ‘till Wednesday practices. So I could start looking for a part time that will allow me to work half day on Thursday, Friday and whole day of Saturday and Sunday,” Ivan said. He’s playing football since it gives him scholarship and he’s quite good at it. His grades are also an A or an A-, B+ being the lowest and very rare, and I'm really proud of him.

“No,” I said with a strained voice. “I told you not to worry about money and not to work until you graduate. Mom and I can handle everything for now. And if you want, you could look for another scholarship and go to college while working. Mom and I will help. But until then, no one will work part time except me and mom.”

“I don’t need to go to college. We need the money and mom is getting weaker and I’m almost done with school and~.”

“No means no, Ivan.” And that shut him up. I don’t want any of my siblings to start working while me and mom can still provide for them. I know Ivan is just concern on mom and mine's health. But I don’t want them to worry about our family situation the way I did back then.

Our father, Samuel Salvatore, died when I was only 10. We’re not well off even back then, and it got worse when Dad died. Our mother, Katie, has no work being a full time housewife and all of our father’s savings went to funeral expenses while his insurance money went to pay debts. Mom needed to work to have money to feed our aching stomach and to pay some of our remaining debts along with our daily expenses. I barely made it through high school, having to go to school and to take care of my siblings which are both too young at that time, but thankfully, I made it. When I graduated from high school at the age of 18, I started taking part time jobs while Ivan and Jeanine are at school. I also do all the house works along with babysitting my siblings after school hours. And I'm still doing that up to this date. I want to work full time but I can’t with all the responsibilities that I need to do at home.

But I guess Ivan has a point on one thing, mom is getting older and weaker as time goes. Maybe I could convince her to stay at home while I work full time or maybe 3 part time jobs. I just wish mom would agree. Knowing her, she’s one stubborn woman and she won’t like the idea of not being able to work.

I was brought back to the present when Ivan took the dirty dishes and went to the kitchen sink to wash them.

“Leave them there. I’ll wash them later,” I called out as I walk to my room. It’s already past seven and I still haven’t bathe yet. I need to be at work at eight. The owner of the restaurant I'm working at right now, Delight, is a nice old couple, but I don’t want to abuse their kindness. So I try my best not to be late or be absent during my shifts.

“Just mind your own,” I heard Ivan called back to me. Later I heard him scolding Jeanine on being old enough to wash her own dishes. Among the two, Ivan is the responsible one, and Jeanine is the brat. But its expected. Ivan is older, and Jeanine is the youngest. Maybe we spoiled her a little too much. But she’ll learn. She has to.

I better hurry before those two kill themselves. They never got along.

**Shawn POV**

“I need all those papers on my desk before nine, or else, you’re fired.” I didn’t wait for my secretary’s response and ended the call. I have a meeting with some important clients that I've been trying to convince to sign a contract with for a weeks’ time at ten in the morning and my stupid secretary misplaced the documents I need. It’s almost eight and I'll only give him an hour to fix his mistake. Someone will really get fired if I won’t get the deal I wants due to some moron’s negligent. I've been in a bad mood since I woke up and this is not what I need right now.

I felt my stomach grumble and remember that I forgot to eat dinner last night and left the house early today without breakfast, not even a cup of coffee. And it’s all my mother’s fault. She’s been pestering me for the last three years on getting married and last night was the last straw. Last night was suppose to be our weekly family dinner and yet my nosy mother invited two sluts to join us. Both girls keeps on bothering me trying to flirt and get my attention. Saying I am pissed off is an understatement. I left my parents house without a word and went back to my place. I also ignored all my mother’s calls. She needs to know when to stop interfering with my life. I'm old enough to know what I should and should do with my life. And I don’t want to get married and that’s final.

“Stop at the first café or restaurant you see,” I ordered Bob, my driver/bodyguard. Maybe I could take a bite of some sandwich or something and a cup of coffee to calm my nerves. My meeting later this day is important so being calm is better.

Bob stopped the car in front of restaurant named Delight. It’s a small diner but it looks nice and clean so it’ll do. Bob opened the door for me and I took a step out the of the car. I walked towards the diner’s door when I heard a soft voice yelling at us to move out of the way.

I looked at my left and saw a very adorable guy skating towards our direction looking flustered. It looks like something went wrong with his skating shoes and he don’t have control on it at the moment.

Bob tried to move me away but I felt this urge to save that guy. What if he collided on a street post behind me and bump his head on it. He might get an injury, or worse, he could die. I pushed Bob’s hands away from me and catch that adorable guy in my arms. He bump into me and we both fell down on the ground, with him on top of me. My arms feels like they have a mind on their own and automatically went to his head and waist to cover him from any other harm.

“Mr. Collins!”

I ignored Bob’s concerned voice and went ahead to check my baby for any injuries. I pulled him up to sit on my lap so I could inspect him more closely. Wait. My baby? Where did it come from? Well, whatever. I’ll dwell on it later. I need to make sure that he’s doing well first.

He’s shaking in my arms still looking frightened. I tighten my hold on him and whispered sweet nothings on his ears to calm his nerves down. I know we already gathered some audience but none of them are any of my concern. There’s a cute innocent looking young man in my arm and he has all my attention. His head is buried on my chest so I can’t see his face. Though I know he’s crying since I can feel my suit getting soak. But I don’t really mind.

We’ve been in that position for a few minutes when we heard someone went out of the restaurant followed by a gasp. “Oh my! Ethan, what happened to you?” said an old lady’s voice.

Ethan. That’s a nice name.

For the first time, my baby moved his head to peek and see the lady who spoke. His eyes are red and fluffy due to crying and it hurts a little inside seeing him like that. “M-M-Mrs. Wood, I-I-I.” I almost purr hearing his stuttering voice trying to explain to the old lady.

I pulled his head back into my chest and caress his back trying to soothe his nerves down again. “Sshhh. It’s okay, baby. Relax. You’re fine. Nothing and no one will harm you.”

“Why won’t we go inside and have him drink a glass of water to help him calm down,” the old lady, Mrs. Wood as what my baby called her, ushered us inside the restaurant with a warm smile on her face. “You’ve gathered quite a number of audience already and I don’t think it’s helping him relax.”

Hearing that, I carried my baby in my arm with his head hidden at the crook of my neck and walked inside the diner, with Bob and Mrs. Wood following behind us.