Come Running [Season 1 Completed]

Chapter 39

"Why didn't you tell us you knew her from the start?" Jayla questioned
"I didn't want you to have to pick sides. You were already in so deep and he told you his side of the story which I totally believe is false.
I just didn't want to put you in a situation to have to choose between your boyfriend and best friend."
"But you didn't need to keep it from me either. I love you Chloe and I consider your opinions dearly. No one and nothing can come between our friendship."
The three hugged.

They had their evening devotion. It had been a while since they'd had it together.

They studied a passage from James 2:14-26.
They prayed and asked for the Holy Spirit to rest upon them and fill their mortal selves and teach them what they needed to know.

Carrie spoke first:
"I feel led by the Spirit to say this: Faith without works is incomplete and is without salvation. This is the same as our lives without the Holy Spirit.

Chloe spoke next:
"I'm led to say: The Holy Spirit anoints us into the service of the Lord (our works) which bears faith to be saved."

Jayla went last:
"The Holy Spirit is teaching us today: that our works power and drive faith that make us holy, and pure, and righteous."

They prayed deep into the night and then went to bed.

*. *. *. *. *.
The end-of-semester exams were drawing close and she still getting used to not studying with Kaiden.

He hadn't called and neither did she. It was better this way. Besides, she was preoccupied with thoughts about home.
Dad had received the second threat from the so-called Hispanic Mafia that Carlos Diego had lorded over.
They were known as The Bulls.

She believed in the power the Holy Spirit bestowed on the royal priesthood and tried not to worry.

Looking at the bright side, Dad's gotten better, Mum's R&J Foundation is thriving, Jason's doing pretty well as the empire's CEO and Jael has reached out to Myles and they both seem to be in a pretty good place.
And she... well, she was just fine.

*.          *.        *.        *.         *.      
A year and a half had passed and Jayla was closing in on her Neuroscience pre-med program.
The pressure build-up was just so massive the past year but at least, it was enough to take her mind off of things.

Kaiden hadn't kept in touch for the year and a half that they were apart. Though she still kept tabs on him on social media even after he made headlines with Whitney on the murder trial against Britney and her stepdad Marcus.

**********
The two were charged with the murder of Joanne, Whitney's housekeeper, Mrs Sandy Clove, the girls' mum and wife of Marcus Clove as well as Dr Frederick Dender, former husband of the late Mrs Sandy Clove. And for the attempted murder of Whitney Dender.

During the trial, lots of secrets came to light and many skeletons were yanked out of cupboards but Brian's involvement strangely did not surface. He had some powerful people covering up for him but the question was who?

Kaiden suspected his dad or probably the mafia Brian works for. But there was something he knew- Karl Torres would never let his family name be drugged in the mud. It was over his dead body.

Sometimes, he wondered why his father was bent on keeping the prestige and honour of the family name at all costs even at the expense of sheltering a cold-blooded murderer.

Britney mysteriously died during the trial and Marcus was given a 35 years sentence. They were affiliated with a powerful mafia that could not be named. They got rid of Britney to silence her forever and serve as a threat to Marcus.

Documents maliciously hidden by the late Mrs Sandy Clove were retrieved by the police force bringing to light the illegal transfer of funds from the family account meant to be apportioned as per the will of the late Dr Dender into foreign joint accounts bearing Sandy and Marcus' names.
That left Whitney with a little over 1 million US dollars as the only Dender alive.

Marcus pleaded guilty but with no further statements. He declared no accomplices aside from Britney but that was that. He said nothing else.

Kaiden and Whitney were advised to feign oblivion to Brian's involvement. He could feel threatened and may attack again if he sensed their knowledge of his hand in everything... at least until they had solid evidence to put him away for good.

Kaiden and Whitney got closer and closer with the case and all. He was always there for her, never leaving her side. He was a tower of support in those times.
Whitney still couldn't come to terms with it. I mean, how could someone kill tear apart her family in such a heartless manner? It still baffled her.
But thank God for Kaiden.

Their relationship seemed to be blossoming before the public eye but they both knew something was missing...