Peyton Griffin's POV

The sight of Caleb lying stiff on the floor was doing wonders on my heart rate, and I didn't mean it in a good way.

When everyone had recovered from the shocking scene, Jack reassured me that everything would be just fine as he and Shawn tried carrying Caleb back up the stairs.

I took Gail from Jacob and shooed him off to help the remaining guys as I moved Gail and Marci towards their rooms.

After Gail was tucked into her covers, I headed to Marci's room to ensure she was alright.

"You okay?" I leaned against the slightly open door.

"Define okay," She asked while running a brush through her hair.

"Did you just sass me, young lady?"

"Maybe, maybe not. Who knows?" She shrugged and stopped brushing her hair. She looked at me, "Shouldn't you be upstairs checking on your crush?" Her brow shot up.

I rolled my eyes, "You literally threatened me the other day, and now you want me to check up on him."

Unbelievable.

"I'm just saying you should follow your heart. And I'm pretty sure the boys don't know how to look after someone drunk." She stated.

"Why do I have to check up on him? Why not you?"

I don't like to nag, but I would gladly stay far away from Caleb if it meant I completed my mission here.

"Look at it this way, an employee just walking into their employer's bedroom to ensure that he is okay." She stood up from her dresser and walked closer to me.

"Seriously though, if you like Caleb, try not to break his heart when you leave. In hindsight, you might not even be the first."

What she said caught my attention; Caleb was in love before with whom? Cue the slight tugging on my heart as I realized that Caleb had loved another girl.

Not that I care though.

These people are really confusing. I remember only coming here to look at one person who bore Parks, but if I had to take care of the two of them. They might as well double my pay.

With that, Marci softly closed the door and left me in the hallway with my thoughts.

I started making my way to my room.

None of these people here will understand how bad things will escalate for my family back home if the press catches wind of my love life.

It's already frustrating that Father Dearest may already know where I am since Jordan has such a big mouth. I didn't want to worry about Caleb's safety.

Easier said than done.

I hated him for so many reasons when I first got here but now that I've seen him in a different light, I hate to admit it, but I was wrong.

I pass by his room to get to mine, and whether by accident or instinct, I walk in.

Jack was standing over Caleb's bed; Caleb was sprawled on it. Jacob and Shawn nodded at me and walked out of the room.

"How is he?" I ask as I step closer.

"Alright," Jack responds coldly.

"Hold on, Oprah, why are you angry?"

The feminist in me always looks forward to teaching men some manners. I guess it's a trait I picked up in the Empire.

"Oh shit, Peyton, I'm not angry at you. I'm angry at him." He glances at his best friend.

"Is this the part I ask you what he did? Or are you going to continue to stare death in his direction?" I cock my hip.

I can see the wheels in his head turning, and I'm sure it's because he doesn't know whether he can trust me. I've only been here for two months, give or take. And I know that if the tables were turned, I would believe him even if...

"He went through some stuff when he was younger," Jack finally says, breaking me out of my running thoughts. I try my best not to interrupt him, even though I have many questions burning at the tip of my tongue.

"And from what I've seen over the years, it still bothers him about what happened. He thinks that if he lived his life differently; the heartbreak could have been prevented."

I feel my blood freeze, "He got drunk off his ass because of a girl?!" I screeched.

Guess I was right then.

"Calm down, Oprah," He mocks me with an amused smile. "It wasn't a girl. Caleb has never had intense feelings for one before. But because of the bro code; I can't tell you too much detail."

"I am not a hoe." I glare at him.

I don't know. For some reason; I feel at peace knowing that he has never dated anyone.

He raises his hands in mock surrender, "Never said you were," A sly smile rested on his lips, and I felt like hitting him right on the head. "Bottom line is, he is hurt, but with the right girl, he won't be." He offers with a suggestive look.

"I am in a house of braindead people." I mutter as I look upwards, "If it helps you sleep at night, just because I find him more bearable now than when I first got here; doesn't mean I think of messing up the sheets with him." I gesture wildly.

"If that's true, why is your face bright red? I knew people have different ways of showing that they are turned on, but Peyton, please! He's drunk and asleep. He wouldn't you want to take advantage of him."

I can handle being under pressure to make deals but what I can't handle is someone mocking my love life, even if it has ceased to exist for a while now.

I swing my leg in the hair to kick some sense into this boy, but he must have been very agile or some ghost. When my leg lands on the floor without making contact, I hear laughter from behind me.

I turn around to see him laughing while clutching the door's handle, "You are going to need to be faster than that if you plan on hitting me."

I grind my teeth, "I'll leave you to it then but try not to make it so loud."

I was about to send a string of insults his way, but he walked out of the room, his laughter echoing in the corridor.

I huffed and turned back to look at Caleb. I will blame instincts because, for some reason, I walked closer to his bed and removed the stray hair on his forehead from his face.

The dim lights in the room cast a glow on his form, the steady rising of his chest was the only clue I had that he was alive. A frown crawled onto his face, and he groaned.

"Who hurt you, Caleb?" I whisper quietly.

I couldn't resist the urge to peck him on his forehead and walk out of the room.

-

I couldn't fall asleep last night. I don't know if it was because I was still at a loss of how to find a solution to the problem that I was facing or because Caleb was in pain, and I never noticed it.

I am very good at reading people, so I should have noticed some signs, but I guess he might be good at hiding it. And from the way, Jack vaguely explained the problem to me last night. It's safe to say that Caleb has been dealing with this for a while now. Most likely, he has adjusted to it to a great extent.

I have been throwing hits at the dummy I found in the gym for a while now. I don't know how long it's been, but a high whistle broke me out of my one-sided duel.

"Mind telling us what that dummy did to you?" Jack asks as he and Shawn walk into the room and stand before me.

I redirect the question, "What are you guys doing today?"

Shawn shrugs while Jack says something about heading over to the studio to book a hotel in a town for the next stop of their concert.

"Shawn, can you come with me to the grocery store?" I ask.

"What for?"

"Thanksgiving is around the corner," I say as if it's obvious. "And I would like to eat something homemade."

"I think I died and went to heaven." I roll my eyes at Jack's comment.

I wipe sweat from my brows while eyeing the dummy, "So which one of you boys can take me on?"

I've been here since the early hours, and I am not close to releasing the tension within me. It's times like this I wish that Charlie was nearby; fighting karate with her was always stress relieving even though she turned me into a mat most times.

"If I win, you owe me a deal." Shawn cracks his knuckles as he comes onto the mat.

"As you said if, when I whoop your ass, I want a heart to heart," I declare as we get into position

Trust me, it's better if you don't ask.

-

We were evenly matched, so evenly that we had the same amount of bruises when we were done.

I just finished making a large batch of bacon and eggs. While everyone ate, I couldn't help but worry about my blonde employer upstairs.

As if reading my thoughts, Jack asks, "Is Caleb up yet?"

Jacob yawns, "He came down around four am. He's been in the music room blasting up ruckus all morning."

Marci and Gail glance at each other before they both get up, "We'll be right back." Marci says on behalf of the two of them as they leave the dining room.

Me being me, I get up and start pulling Jack and Shawn towards the elevator. I call out to Jacob over my shoulder, "Make sure Caleb gets his breakfast."

"I can't make that happen if you are walking away, princess." I could already see the smirk on his face.

I flip him off as the elevator doors close.

"When did you start caring if Caleb ate or not?" Jack asks with a knowing smile.

"Well, I can't have the person paying me to die of starvation before he actually pays me." I smile sweetly.

Jack scowls at me but says nothing more as we make our way to the uber.

I completely forgot that the press was going to be at the lobby hunting for some new scoops. I call it being unnecessarily nosey. So I also forgot that I am a runaway British heiress, and currently being hunted down by the same people I once called family.

It's times like this I wish I was Sleeping Beauty. I could simply sleep this whole commotion for a century and wake up still looking fresh.

We pull up at the grocery store and walk in. Jack leads us to an empty aisle and looks at me with raised brows.

"Is this the part where I lie to you and say the 'it's not what it looks like' speech, or are you going to out me to Caleb?" My sass breaks away.

Jack rolls his eyes but suddenly smirks, and before you know it, Shawn also joins in the joke that I am guessing is on me.

"Do I even want to know why your lips are turned that way?" I ask.

"Actually, I figured it out when you first got here. Believe it or not, Peyton, I am pretty good at computers. But the British Empire wiped out the memory of your mother," I felt my heart clench, "They didn't think that someone with enough brains would look into the lineage of the Griffins. The missing woman was Mrs Faith, Margret Griffin."

I feel my whole resolve slip. Not one, not two, but three of them have already figured out who I was. But I want to know how deep they went; so I can try to spread more dust on my life.

"How much do you know?" I look into their eyes, daring them to lie to me.

"Not much, but your friends at the British Empire are looking for you. And it's only a matter of time before Caleb realises it too." We three share a knowing look.

I hate to admit it, but the musician may have developed a slight crush on me. What annoys me more is that I was brewing an attraction within me.

"What Caleb doesn't know won't hurt him. As far as he is concerned, I am only here to get some extra cash. Plus when Taryn gets back, I'm leaving.

"Just how selfish are you?!" Jack explodes out of nowhere, gathering the attention of some bystanders.

"How am I selfish?"

I don't have to explain myself to anyone, Caleb and I agreed that once Gail's former sitter returned, I was free to go.

Jack only knows the basics about me; he is in no place to judge my decisions. I won't allow myself to believe in some fairy tale that a musician is in love with me. If I stay here, I could get my happy ending and maybe, just maybe, have peace of mind for once.

But at what cost?

It even sounds moronic when you think about it. People say that I deserve a happy ending after everything that I have been through; People say that I have lost a lot and deserve that big smile at the end of the rainbow People say a lot more things because they are watching from the sidelines.

People don't know that the repercussion would get us all killed. If I chose to stay here and not return to the Bahamas. To not go back to the place that would hunt me down no matter how far I run.

I reprimand Jack with a cold gaze, "Your best friend likes me, but it doesn't change the fact that I will not be needed here when Taryn comes home. The sooner you-lot accept it, the better for us all." I add silently the better for Caleb.

I walked away from them and headed over to the exits. I was still in earshot because I heard Jack mutter, "Your absence will do more bad than good."

I ordered an Uber, and he drove to Dinah Delabsy's HQ. I have never felt so unsure about something in my life. I said to myself that I would only come here, buy some time, earn a little extra cash and leave. No complications and no extra priorities.

Jack be damned.

I walk through the sea of workers who don't even spare me a glance. I head straight to Dinah's office.

"Dinah, I came to ask," I opened the door and walked in.

I was half expecting her to be in a compromising position but imagine my surprise when I see her with Caleb.

I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. I took in his cleaned-up state.

For once, I can't tell what is going through his head, but all the same, I'm glad that he's alright. Deep down, I know it's not because I was worried about the few dollars I would be missing if he were to be otherwise.

"For a favour," I say with uncertainty.

Dinah looked like a kid in a candy store as she looked from Caleb to me

"You know what, Caleb, you're right. My binders do look better on my table. Can you guys be a dear and put them back for me?"

As she said it, I noticed her worksheets were all over the floor.

Seems like I was late for the show.

She winked at me while I looked heavenward, knowing where this was going. She walked out of the office.

"So about that deal?" I might as well consider it.

I am still dying to know what happened to his parents, but I'm also dying to know why everyone thinks that Caleb and I magically fell in love in two months.

I have said it once, and I will repeat it. I am not a Cinderella come to life.

"Are you talking about the same deal of the night of Gail's show and tell?"

I agree with him, even though I don't know where I'm going with this.

"Yes, but I say we change it up a bit." I grinned as I closed the distance between us and bent down to pick up one of Dinah's binders, examining the new designs before dropping it back on the table.

"You ask me a question, and I answer honestly, while I ask you, and you answer honestly." I bypass the usual protocol for a deal.

"So you want to play a game of truth or truth?" A corner of his mouth quirks up, forming a smirk.

"Anything that helps you sleep at night."

Caleb bends down to pick a binder. He bites his lip as he stands back upright.

"Here goes; what was in that book you were reading?"

Did I see that coming? Yes. Do I want to answer it? No. But it was my suggestion, so must I answer it? Yes.

"It was my mom's diary or journal, if you may." I avoid eye contact.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Caleb pinning me with a pointed look.

"If you don't want to answer, I'll understand. I know how it feels about sharing something personal." He gives me an understanding look.

I breathe deeply and say what has been on my mind since last night, "Why in black's name did you drink yourself to a stupor last night?"

Caleb's sincere gaze falters as his hand goes rigid while still on my shoulder.

I look up to him and muster some courage, "Caleb, has anyone ever told you that some demons need to be faced sooner than later."

I'm one to talk.

He rips his hand away from my shoulder and stares me down, "You wouldn't even know how to face a demon even if some dude came in with a pair of horns on his head, a slick tail and a pitchfork."

I resist the urge to scoff.

Only if he knew.

"I might just surprise you; we had a deal. I fulfilled my end of the bargain, and you must do yours."

A low blow, I know, but that was how things at the Empire worked. As long as half of the deal was complete, the other half had to be completed.

Caleb glared death in my direction, "I was getting flashbacks of my parents, that's what." He all but spits at me.

I guess the subject of family is touchy for all of us.

I simply sigh and pick up some more binders. I mull over what he just said. I guess his parents walked out on them.

I mean, it makes sense since Dinah refers to them as her children, but if she does. Why does she want more kids with Marcel? Or was it the other way around? This is getting way too confusing even for me.

"Why are you even reading your mom's stuff anyway? You should be with her instead of playing the girl who acts like a gold digger one moment and a caring person the next."

I could literally bite off his head for that. I knew I would regret this, but even I know when to draw the line. It's like Mr Celebrity over here needs a reality check. One that I would gladly give him.

I drop the binders I gathered and stand to my feet. I walked to him, going over my words because even though Lola and I share the same DNA yet different personalities. There's one thing we will always have in common.

A wicked tongue.

"Do you think I want to be here?! May I remind you that I am only here because you needed my help with your sister? I agree I did come here looking for extra cash but excuse me if not all of us have perfect family memories.

Forget what I said earlier. You are one of the most ungrateful, incompetent morons I have ever met. I mean, why did you even think that? You feel like you've got me figured out but let me tell you something. I can't be defined in a paragraph. You better watch your words because the next time..."

I was cut short from my rant when he stretched his hand out. I flinched, thinking he would hit me.

At least that's what father dearest would do any time I spoke back to him.

He swiped his hand under my eye; I didn't even know my eyes were leaking. When someone throws dirt at the people you love, you will lose your shit.

"Peyton, I didn't mean it like that. I just thought that..."

Excuses are never acceptable; they are said to compensate for one's stupidity.

"You just thought about what you already knew. You're used to girls throwing themselves at you because they need you. But you know what, I don't need you. I'm only here because you need me to watch Gail; at least I don't rely on my memories to see my parents."

Before I could take in the full extent of how badly my words had hurt him, I walked out of the office. I didn't even know where I was going. I just wanted to get as far away as possible from him.

I stumbled into Jack and Shawn in the elevator. The two of them shuffled on their feet whilst I ignored them and focused on trying to remain calm.

"Jack, you were right, I was being selfish, but at least I have more manners than your best friend." I spit at the last word as I focused on the metallic doors in front of me.

Even Charlie knows when to shut up, and her mouth filter is as big as Olaf's.

"What are you talking about?" Jack asks with confusion, "I was coming to say sorry for what I said to you."

"Marcel can kill me later for this," Shawn brought our attention to him, "Peyton, no matter how deep you've fallen, please promise me that you will not insult the people that raised Caleb."

I scrunch my brows in confusion and a bit of anger. I can't be blunt, but Caleb can run his mouth off about my late mother to me.

"Why is that, Shawn?"

"Because Caleb's parents' existences are literally the meaning of out of this world."