My first crush (COMPLETED)√

CHAPTER 92: CHOICES

Stephen's POV

The air in the mansion felt wrong.

Too still. Too quiet.

I couldn't explain it, but something had happened here. Something dark. Something deliberate. My instincts — the same ones that built empires and closed ruthless deals — were screaming at me.

And Patricia knew something.

She had been acting strange ever since she came back from that mysterious "trip." And the timing? The exact day she returned... Sharon disappeared.

But no.

It couldn't be her.

They were sisters.

No matter how messy things got, blood was blood.

Right?

"Patricia," I said slowly, my voice cutting through the silence, "what do you know about this?"

Her eyes widened — not offended, not confused.

Afraid.

That fear twisted something inside me.

"I... I... um..." she stammered, stepping back slightly.

Before I could press further, my phone rang.

Unknown number.

I answered immediately. "Hello. Who's this?"

"Stephen, it's Allison. I've been trying to reach you all day."

Relief flickered for half a second.

"Oh. Do you know where Sharon is?" I asked quickly.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw it.

A smirk.

Patricia's lips curved ever so slightly before she masked it.

"I was actually calling to ask you that," Allison said. "She never showed up at my place. Wait... she's missing?"

"Four days," I replied, my voice tightening. "She's been missing for four days."

There was silence on the other end.

Then—

"No. No, something's wrong."

My pulse quickened. "What do you mean?"

"I... I told Sharon to sneak into Patricia's room," she admitted nervously. "To look for the real DNA results."

The words hit me like a punch.

"You what?" My voice rose despite myself.

Patricia's head tilted slightly. She was listening.

"I know it sounds crazy," Allison rushed on, "but we were right."

"Right about what?" I turned slightly away from Patricia, lowering my voice. My heart pounded violently. "What does it say?"

Please. Please don't let it be mine.

"It's negative," Allison said.

The world slowed.

"You're not the father. She lied. She framed you."

For a second, I couldn't breathe.

Then anger erupted — hot, volcanic, uncontrollable.

My eyes snapped toward Patricia.

Flames would've been kinder than what burned in my chest.

"Aren't you something?" I said coldly after ending the call. "You lied to me. I'm not the father."

Her composure cracked.

"If I'm not the father," I continued, stepping closer, my voice shaking with fury, "then who the hell is?"

She lifted her chin defiantly. "So you found out. That was quicker than I expected."

"Answer me!" I roared. "Who is it?"

"Why do you even care?" she shot back.

I lost it.

"Don't you dare ask me that! Just answer the question!"

She flinched slightly — not at my volume, but at the intensity in my eyes.

Then her expression shifted.

Dark.

Mocking.

"You want answers?" she asked slowly. "You really want to know where Sharon is?"

Everything inside me froze.

"What did you say?"

Her lips trembled, but her voice didn't.

"I kidnapped her."

The words echoed in the hallway like gunshots.

"I kidnapped the bitch," she repeated, louder now, rage pouring out of her. "And if you call the police, she dies. Do you hear me, Stephen? Don't test me."

For the first time in my life, I felt powerless.

"How could you?" I asked quietly. Not angry. Not shouting.

Just... broken.

She swallowed hard, blinking rapidly as if fighting tears.

"That's the last question you should ever ask me."

Silence swallowed us whole.

"What do you want?" I finally asked, my voice heavy with dread.

She stepped closer.

"I want you."

The audacity of it stunned me.

"Marry me, Stephen," she said softly, almost sweetly. "Marry me, and Sharon lives."

My hands curled into fists.

"And if I don't?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

She clicked her tongue lightly, tilting her head.

"I'm sure you don't want to hear the rest."

Her smile was terrifying.

"So," she whispered, eyes locking onto mine, "what do you say? Will you be my groom?"

The air felt suffocating.

For the first time, I felt like I was losing.

And I had no idea how to win this without losing her.