Elli held the extra heavy files with one arm snuggling them tightly to her body and flung her bag on her shoulder, she was bearing the consequences of bringing office works home last night and working late while sacrificing a good amount of her beauty sleep. Now she was feeling droopy but there was no way she couldn't go to work today.

For the millionth time since she began working in this web desgining company she wished she could still be in college, life was so much fun and care free back then. Bunking classes, hanging out, chillaxing, partying and what not. But those days were gone... and hell she was misssing them too much today.

As she began walking down the pavement exiting their house she felt fuzzy in the stomach. Nervousness.

Only two days remained to complete the designs of the second worst client of hers, the first worst client - well she had already lost that grumpy one. And today, she had to give the progress report to her boss... and then a meeting with the clients. She was on the edge, too much work left undone.

Stumbling upon a pebble she staggered forward making all the files in her hands to scatter on the ground. With an annoyed huff she knelt down on the ground to pick them up, at the same moment a boy jumped upon her things and walked away without a glance backward.

"Hey!"

Elli yelled in agitation, there was no chivalry in todays world. Another woman walked on one of the loose sheets, she mumbled a quick sorry before strolling away. At least this woman had the decency to say sorry, Elli thought.

But when someone knelt down infront of her and without a word began gathering the files, Elli with a confused yet pleased smile looked at the direction of the kind person. He quickly helped her up with her things.

Elli offered a smile to him. "Thanks." She added after a small pause, "Chivalry is still not dead in earth I see."

The man, who was tall and had the look which indicated of regular visits to the gym - smiled back at her warmly. "No problem."

"Ok then. Errr... thanks again. Bye." She was about to walk away towards the next block, hauling a cab was easier from there. The bus might have already left. She hoped she could stock enough money soon to buy a car, a scooty would also do.

The man called her from behind, "Listen, wait..."

Elli turned back to see him approaching her with a nervous smile.

Hesitating for a while he finally spoke, "Do you live in that house?"

He pointed at Emma's house awkwardly.

"Yeah, why ?" Elli raised a eyebrow curiously seeing his smile increasing a notch, "We are neighbours then, mine is the opposite house of yours."

Elli kept silent, so he spoke again. "I'm Brandan. We just shifted here a week ago..."

Breath caught in her throat as Elli looked flabbergasted at Brandan first and then towards his house. Her eyes fell upon the man she thought to be Brandan who just decided to come out on the porch while brushing his teeth.

Oh God! If it was Brandan, then upon whom she had emptied the waste-bin that day!

His eyes caught her looking at him with shock, Elli kept staring at the assumed Brandan who held out the toothbrush in his hand and made a dangerous gesture of slicing throat - moving the toothbrush on his throat from one end to another.

Elli turned her eyes back to the real Brandan who had his hand held up towards her for a handshake.

Brandan's pleasnt smile transferred into a confused thin line when he saw Elli suddenly walk away in abruptly like she had poisonous ants spread all over her body.

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Brandan was excited, over the top and at the same time on the edge with nervous jitters in his stomach about the rendezvous he set for the two of them this evening - for Emma and him. Every once in a while between the works and looking over the piles of files upon his desk, Brandan was reharsing how he was going to convince her in giving him another chance. He wasn't positive that this one dinner would be enough to win her. He knew, considering his past actions towards the woman he now wanted to share his forever with - wasn't going to make his present and future a path of roses or something. It was infact a path of thorn he was going to walk upon. But if getting the bitter stabs of those thorns meant getting the worth every pain - Emma at the end, he was more than willing to walk through them.

Oliver who had been watching Brandan's dazed off expression from across the desk smirked knowingly and coughed rather loudly to get his attention. "Ahem. Mr. boss, hey. Earth to heaven - heaven to earth. Can you hear me?"

Brandan snapped up from his day dreaming stance to glare at a sheepish looking Oliver. "What the hell do you want now? F*** off and do your own work man."

Chuckling Oliver made himself relaxed on the chair across the huge office desk in Brandan's office and used his hands to push away the pile of files a bit sideways. "Wake up from your Emma-land, it's lunch time you know. I brought you food, here..."

Brandan took the sandwich from Oliver and tried covering up from getting caught like a teenager who was lost in daydreaming about the first girl he had a date with.

"It's just..." He trailed off trying to fit in an appropriate word toend his sentence. Thankfully Oliver saved him from that never ending task.

"...excited? Nervous?" Oliver asked.

With a sigh and tight lipped smile Brandan questioned, "Is it that obvious?"

Oliver nodded, "You look desperate, not that I blame you. So when you are going on this "date" with Emma?"

Brandan took a small bite of his sandwich and chewd slowly. "That's none of your business huh."

Oliver peeked at Brandan between impossibly big bites of his sandwich, he spoke in between chewing rather indecently. "First of all Brandan, are you sure Emma would forgive you? And even if she does, would she take you back - just like that?" He said the last bit clicking his fingers in the air.

A thread strung painfully in his guts as Brandan snapped his head up to glare furiously at his best friend. "Oliv..."

Before Brandan could yell the hell out of his brain Oliver interrupted firmly, "This is the reality Brandan. Face it! Considering your - situation - in the past, I strictly doubt that taming this now tigress Emma would be anything but easy. I'm not saying that it's impossible but it's not a piece of easy cupcake buddy."

Right before Brandan could scream some senses into Oliver his phone vibrated signalling the arrival of a text. Brandan opened it and immediately all the colour from his face drained. It was as if a living proof of Oliver's little speech, he read the text sent by Emma informing him that she wouldn't be able to meet him beacuse she was busy.

Brandan slammed the phone down roughly and dumped the sandwich into the wastebin under his desk. He muttered inaudibly, "Busy - my a**."

Oliver observed the obvious change in his mood but didn't get what he just said under his breath. "What?"

Frustrated Brandan felt like pulling all the hair off his own head. "Why would she not come?"

He wondered absentmindedly, he thought he had given her enough of a good reason or rather enough of a terrible threat that he was pretty sure she would definitely turn up. He thought that she had no other option but to let him in.

Oliver leaned back with a calm smile, "My prophecy hardly goes wrong."

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Emma slid out of her car and glanced wearily at Brandan's house, seeing the door opening she sucked in a breath and sprinted towards her house. She was in no mood to face him now. She increased her speed when she heard his loud - fierce footsteps nearing her. Right before she could step on the porch steps she was spinned around with massive force.

"What the hell Emma! Didn't you get a single word I told you last night?" Brandan's furious eyes glared at hers, Emma tried squirming out of his grip while glancing back at her house for a short moment.

"Kids are inside Brandan, keep that irritating sick voice of yours down." Emma spat back but Brandan was way past registering anything she said.

"You first answer me why you cancelled our - rendezvous - darlin'? Need I again remind you what I can do." Brandan saw Emma's eyes getting red in anger now, with all her force she pushed him away.

"What? What will you do? Drag me and my children to the court?"

Brandan was shocked and fell silent at her outburst when Emma swept her hair back from her face with both her hands which had messily fallen upon her eyes and blocking the view of this devil of a man.

Locking her eyes challengingly right into Brandan's own furious one's which were now fogging with growing indecisiveness and uncertainty Emma spat out, "If you Brandan Rozario... want to drag my - MY children to court and show them how cruel and heartless their father is, if you want them to witness how low their father can stoop to snatch them away from their mother and ruin their childhood, then you are more then welcome to do that."

It was as if a thunder fell on his head without a notice. He meant only to blackmail her, he thought his little trick last night would work. But now he found all his hopes crumbling down before him. He should have known better. Once again he questioned himself, who was this hell of a headstrong woman infront of him? Was it that same girl getting bullied years back!

However difficult this woman was making his approaches to see the light of success, he felt himslef getting turned on, falling for her deeper and deeper. It was unbelievable how fiesty and protective she could get for their kids, just like a tigress. Oliver was right indeed.

Emma saw Brandan exhale a shaky breath in defeat--or in adoration she couldn't decipher, but it made her raise her chin up in victory, knowing that she had just got the upper hand here.

"If you are so eager to show them what a freaking monster their biological father is, I would be more than happy to let you. But don't ever think that I would just sit there and enjoy the show - that I won't fight back. Because I hell will. I will go to any extenct to make sure my kids stay with me..."

She turned back to leave when Brandan's broken voice made her to stop in her track. "I would have never done that Emma, I was just..."

She glanced back over her shoulder to watch how drained and devastated he looked.

Brandan continued, "I thought by saying that - would make you, Sarah and Sammy come back to me..."

He lowered his head ashamed and cursed himself silently for always doing the wrong things in wrong times. He got this one chance - fate gave him this one chance, and what did he do? Mess it up as soon it was given to him.

Emma spun back with vengeance at the confession - angrier than before. "Really Brandan!"

She threw her hands up exasperated, "After what you did to me, you thought you would just pop up in my life out of the blue - threaten me and my children and also expect me to dance at the beats of your freaking whips?"

Her words sounded like a slap across his face. Brandan raked his hand through his hair sqeezing his eyes shut for a moment. He didn't know how to make this foolish tantrum of his right - or any of his tantrums in the past as well.

"I..." He tried to say something but nothing came out of his mouth. Instead Emma's next words made him even more tongue tied.

"You disgust me Brandan, you disgust me." Her words were firm and piercing, reminding him of his own words he had thrown ruthlessly at her face once.

She was about to turn around when he held her wrist making her swing back to look at him, his touch was gentle this time as his eyes pleaded her but Emma knew better to not fall for his acts. He had already proved he was still that jerk she knew, that he had proved all by himself.

"Emma, I beg you. Please, give me this one chance. I want to know my children, I want them to know that I - I'm their father." Brandan almost begged.

Emma refused to look at him, she wouldn't give a shit to his drama.

Despeartely Brandan added, "I know I don't deserve anything I am asking for but please - If not for me then just think about Sarah - Sammy. Please... at least do this for them."

He loosened his grip from around her wrist and let it slowly fall by her side and still facing her, he dragged his unwilling feets back, dying with every heavy steps he took away from her.

Emma ran inside the house and staright to her room as like rain drops tears were running out of her eyes, she didn't want him to see her like this - weak and so vulnerable. To see how much he and his actions were affecting her.

Unknown to both Brandan and Emma, two innocent pairs of eyes were watching them through the window upstairs. Their eyes were wide as they saw mr. stranger and their mommy shouting at each other. They couldn't hear what they were really yelling about but they saw the dangerous looks they were throwing at the other.

Sarah had her pink teddy clutched to her chest as she rubbed her nose sneezing. Sammy squinted his eyes at the retreating back of mr. stranger.

When they saw Emma sprinting inside the house, Sammy held Sarah's hand and strolled at the direction of Emma's room. His little hand pushed open the slightly ajar door and they both stepped inside. Both of them again stood wide eyed rooted to the spot when they saw their mommy sobbing, dropping her beautiful face in her hands.

Emma sobbed hiding her face in her palms. What was she supposed to do now? It was true that Sarah and Sammy had the right know their father. If they grew up unaware of him and one day found out about him from elsewhere, she wouldn't be able to bear their questions - which she knew would be raised - aimed like bullets at her.

It wasn't like they hadn't asked about their father before, they had. But Emma had always found a way to brush away their innocent questions and both of the kids had shut their mouth. They were more understanding then all the other five year old kids. They could see the pain smoulder in her eyes when they would ask about where their dad was, why was he not with them...

She knew their questions would only keep increasing and she had to face them with the truth one day. She didn't have the plan to fobid them from the truth for eternity but she just didn't expect that one day to arrive so soon.

Light padding of footsteps made her to raise her face from her hands. She saw, Sarah and Sammy were looking at her with wide eyes, they themselves looked on the verge of tears now.

"Why are you crying mommy?" Sarah asked innocently.

Emma didn't answer, she quickly rubbed her hands upon her face to clear the tear strains and gestured them to come to her.

Not wasting a second they ran towards her and sat on either sides of her on the bed. Emma grabbed them on to her lap and hugged them tight, she couldn't control her tears anymore nor she could let her kids see her crying and devastated like this.

Sammy snorted in silent anger pressing his head into his mommy's shoulder clutching handfuls of her shirt. One thing he was sure about now - that mr.starnger made his mommy cry, Mr. Stranger was a very bad man... very very bad man.

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So the table's turned now. What will Emma do now? And I hope you havn't missed the last bit. "... very very bad man". So let's see what fate has in store for the very very bad man - Brandan the evil daddy... haa haa.

If you've enjoyed reading this chapter then don't forget to vote and comment please.

Love you all so much.

- Lara.