CADEN

It was one of those securities that Kaiser Chandler had hired for Daisy Esteban ever since he found out I was after her.

The jerk had a pistol aimed at me.
With bile in my throat, I released her and raised my hands in a surrendering motion.

The scene attracted the attention of some students around the premises, and there were screams and murmurs in the background.

Abduction and guns aren't everyday occurrences on campus.

"Stay back," the man warned.

I swallowed down the irritation and put on a smile while doing as he said.

I stepped back from her and slowly circled the vehicle to the driver's side.

"Get in and leave," the dick continued as if he was doing me a favor.

I watched Daisy watching me. She seemed a little relieved.

Oh, girl. She has no idea this isn't over yet.

I won't stop until her family pays for what they did to my sister.

And that's how I got into my car and drove away from her.

You'd say it was over for today, huh? She did too.

Little did she know I would shadow her, make her life a nightmare, just like her family did to mine.

I have her backpack, I have her details.

She has a waitress job at West Bay, one of the elegant restaurants around town.

So I didn't return to class as promised. Instead, I drove to West Bay, even earlier than she did. I got to meet people who knew her, people who had no idea who I was and what I was after.

I even got to return Daisy's bag to some young lady who flirted with me and let me follow her to the locker room, where I noticed the window wasn't that high and it had no security grilles.

Perfect!

All I had to do was wink at the lady who wouldn't stop blushing and leave to wait in the parking lot.

I called Paxton to ask for a favor; for him to invite the fraternity boys for lunch. I cashed the payment into his wallet and thanked him once again for helping a brother out, even though I left him surprised as to why he was inviting the boys for lunch.

While waiting, I received a text message from Keith a minute later. The next message was the one that left me choking on my breath.

He had said KANE ESTEBAN was out of prison and is currently in Palo Alto, in Center Yorker.
No! No!

Since when do murderers earn freedom?
He killed a human and he's set free?
No! This isn't justice.

How could the world be this unfair?

I should call Dad, but I didn't have the patience to talk to him now.

Anxiously, I waited as one minute turned to ten and ten minutes turned to thirty.

But eventually, that familiar Aston Martin pulled over, and behind it was another black Mercedes.

She was safeguarded, but I had promised to find her and let her feel my pain.

Earlier, I told myself I would tell her everything that she had done to me, what her parents did to me, and how it affected my family.

I was going to give her a taste of my agony and leave her to dwell on what her father had done for the rest of her life.

I was sure I would be able to breathe then.
But after learning that her father was freely walking the streets of California, I became extremely inflamed. Now I only sought revenge in terms of blood.

I waited impatiently until she was guided into the building, and the parking lot was free. Then I jogged to the safe passage that took me back into the building, to the locker room.

I quietly sneaked through the window. It was easy.
If I wasn't blinded with rage, I would have chuckled at the stupidity of this luxurious place.

"Where did you get that?" I heard her panicked voice.

"Earlier, some hot messy-haired guy showed up. He said you left it with him." It was that lady who gave me a stupid tour around here.

"Caden was here?" Daisy exclaimed, terror evident in her tone.

It should, for she knew what her family did to mine.

"That's his name? I honestly envy you. How can you be fishing out all the hotties in California? I wouldn't be surprised if Channing Tatum walks in here and confesses you left your panties at his place."

What? Pfft.

"When did he bring this?"

"About thirty minutes ago. I have to go; we have tripled customers today. Rob says they all go to your school. Get your ass out quickly and give me some hand." The girl said before leaving through the door.

Granted! Paxton did as I asked.

So, now is the right time to come out of hiding.
It was only me and her back here. I could avenge my twin sister.

Behind her, I stopped and forced myself to mutter the bitter question: "So your murderer of a father has returned?"

And she paused, her shoulders tensed.

I exhaled a painful laugh while I informed her: "Daisy Esteban, you have no idea how this operated in my favor. You see, I can kill you now without delay and watch your old man bury you. It's going to hurt more than imprisonment. He would prefer rotting in hell than breathing on this earth."

She didn't turn, but I saw her body shaking slightly when she whispered: "You're just angry. I know how you feel."

How dare she?

"You don't know a thing." I couldn't control myself as the growl came with a wild and destructive side of me.

I grasped her by the throat and slammed her tiny body against the concrete wall.

The collision was brutal. Even I felt it.

For a moment, she ceased, her eyes squeezed tightly closed, and her teeth gritted.

I should stop... I want to... But that side of me that wanted vengeance was dominating, and all I saw was red.

Cara's blood... Cara's coffin... Cara getting buried.

"Do not tell me a thing. You and I are nothing alike. You didn't have to be suffocated by your mother." I held her long, slender neck tightly, cutting off any means of air while she struggled for it.

I took satisfaction in watching her choke on her breath.

She couldn't speak even though she wanted to, and I saw it in her pleading eyes. It was relaxing...

I watched her blink a pool of tears while her fragile hands weakly attempted to push me away.

All I could think was that today Kane Esteban would taste the pain of losing someone. He would taste what my mom felt, what my father felt, and what I felt when I shouldn't.

So I repeatedly smashed her head against the wall until she couldn't see clearly until she couldn't fight anymore. "You didn't lose a sister," I kept on colliding her head against the wall, and it finally began to bleed right in front of me. "You didn't lose everything, you didn't lack love and family." Each word came with pounds of rage and anger. I kept hitting and hitting. I couldn't stop.

I should be scared of myself for this was nothing like who I was, who I should be.

It was when her eyes shut, and her body stopped responding that I knew my life was ruined...
The bloody wall. What the fuck? I killed a human being.

"Freaking jerk," someone thundered. The voice was loud and pained.

I tilted and found Kaiser Chandler gaping at the scene in front of him.

And then I was taken down with force.

It's not that I couldn't fight back...

No!

It's just that I had never hated myself this bad. Right now, I wanted someone to kill me.

Dad was right... I had no clue what I was doing in this world... I was useless.
Indeed, I had been useless.