The first light of dawn met Rome laying in bed, wide awake as he spaced out in his thoughts.
“What is it?” Catherine softly asked, staring at him with a hint of worry in her eyes.
I‘m thinking of ways to turn your family on each other,’ Rome thought with a faded smile.
Then he laid on his side, placed his hands gently on Catherine’s right cheek, and said, “It's nothing for you to worry about.”
Even though she wasn't satisfied with his reply, she said nothing and let out a soft sighed.
After a moment of silence, Catherine pressed her lips together, and then said, “Do you have work today?”
“Why do you ask?” Rome gently intoned, noticing the hesitation in her eyes.
“Well, today is my first day as the executive vice president of the 'DreamTeam', and… and I was hoping you could go to the company with me.”
“Sure. I would love to stand by you, wife.”
“Oh, but your part-time job.”
“I don't have any shift today.”
Thanks for reading.
When Catherine and Rome got back to her office, she sluggishly sat in her seat and rested her head on the desk.Then she shut her eyes closed and mumbled, “I've been trying my best to act in an upright, moral way, but why do I end up getting hurt for doing the right thing?”‘Because your heart is pure gold, and people with good hearts get step on by those who are self-centered and selfish.’ Rome thought with darkness in his expression.After a moment of silence, Catherine lifted her head, and when she met his eyes, he looked calm and naive as he gently smiled at her and thought, ‘Theres a saying that goes, ‘good always wins over evil,’ I'm going to make that true for you.’“Don't you want to sit down? Your legs will hurt if you keep standing like that.” Catherine gently intoned, staring at him with concern in her eyes.“Actually, I need to drink,” Rome said, focusing away
After wandering in their thoughts, none of the team members knew what Mr. Ford was talking about, so they all maintained their silence, afraid that the wrong word would get them in trouble. “What should I do to get a damn answer from you guys! Cut a finger?” Mr. Ford shouted, slightly waving the knife. Horror took off the faces of the team members, and finally, one of them gained the courage and mumbled, “Mr… Ford, please forgive our simple-minded minds, but we don't know what you are talking about.” Scowling, Mr. Ford leaned forward, rested his elbows on his jeans, and asked in annoyance, “Did you or did you not bully my daughter-in-law?” A look of confusion crossed their faces as they stared wide-eyed at each other. “Excuse my boldness for saying this, but you don't have a daughter-in-law.” One for them said, staring nervously at the floor. Gazing to the right, Mr. Ford smirked and asked, “Is it true that you are not married, s
The touch of a tender finger caressing against the skin of his face caused Rome to slowly raise his eyelids. Then he gazed into Catherine's eyes and faintly smiled. “Morning, wife.”Rome said, holding onto her hand. “Sorry that I woke you,” Catherine mumbled with a hint of worry in her eyes. “It's nothing. Is everything okay?” “I've been thinking, should I just save myself the trouble for later and give Charles’ position to him this morning?” Pulling her onto his chest, Rome hugged her tightly and asked, “Is that what you want?” “Well no. But wouldn't it be best to give up when the situation is less disgraceful?” Catherine mumbled, wrapping her hand around his waist. “What do you plan on gaining from giving up?” “Nothing.” “Exactly, you get nothing from giving up, so if that's your plan to gain nothing then go ahead.” There was a long pause. Then Catherine let out a soft breath and mumbled, “Do you think
The loud music from his ringtone caused Rome to moan in his sleep as he slightly rolled over to his side, then his hand patted against the nightstand until he got a hold of his phone.“One more minute,” Rome whispered, raising his eyelid before opening his other eye.When he caught a glimpse of the name on the screen, he immediately got off the bed and headed into the bathroom.He then rubbed his eyelids and let out a yawn before answering the call.“Dad, it's six o'clock. What is this about?” Rome mumbled, clearing his throat.“It's the weekend. You and I have a breakfast plan.” Mr. Ford's voice echoed from the speakers, sounding a bit excited and a little annoyed.“I know. But it's six.”“How long does the morning last for?”“From twelve a.m. to eleven fifty-nine a.m.”“Good. Those entire hours are breakfast hours, so get your but
As the Barlow family had breakfast the atmosphere around the table was calm until Catherine and Rome walked into the dining room. The sense of hostility was all the couple felt from some of the relatives. But Catherine took her seat, pretending like she didn't see her cousins’ hateful stares, her uncles’ angry eyes, and their wives' cold expressions. “Good morning,” Catherine mumbled, staring at her plate. An echo of half-hearted responses from her uncles and aunts circled the table. Then she got a heartedly greeting from her parents, and a normal reply from both of her grandparents. However, Chloe and the rest of the cousins maintained their silence and continued to stare hatefully at Catherine. “A pleasant morning to all,” Rome said, smiling at the family. All he got as a response was total silence and icy stares. “It would be a pleasant morning without you here. You are ruining others appetites.” Elijah mumbled, but
All four cousins gazed at each other, not wanting to be the first to speak. But that only left the board members mumbling angrily to themselves.Finally, when another few minutes had gone by in silence, one of the board members stood up and said in annoyance, “You four are not serious! I have more important things to do than this!”“Like what? Visit a brothel. You know a man who has been married for thirty years should be careful of the places he goes.” Chloe mumbled, casually inspecting her nails.“Wh-at! What nonsense are you talking about!”“All I'm saying is that people may assume that you are unfaithful to the minister of justice only daughter if you continue going to these places.”“Stop talking nonsense!”“Leave if it's truly a lie and bear the consequences later. Or sit down and listen
The moment the elevator hit the top floor and its door opened, Rome walked into the corridor along with Mr. Orlando and K. Then he faced his father and said, “You know what to do, right?” “Yeah. But can you handle this end?” Mr. Ford asked with worry in his expression. “Father, I…” “Rome, inside that conference hall, are the top beasts in the business industry, and if you can't tame them, you wouldn't earn their submission.” “Have a little faith in me. I'm your son after all.” As his expression relaxed, Mr. Ford rested his palm on Rome’s cheek, patted it, and said, “You have my full trust, son. I'm proud of you.” Afterward, he drew his hand to his side and the bodyguard pressed button one. Then the elevator door closed. “Let's go,” Rome mumbled, glancing at Mr. Orlando. The conference room was quiet as everyone anxiously waited, expecting Mr. Ford to walk into the room at any minute. But when
“Ding” The elevator door opened on the eighth floor, and Mr. Ford stepped into the corridor with his bodyguards. ‘Is it the eighth or the ninth floor that Rome said Jeff works at?’ Mr. Ford thought as he walked down the hallway, feeling a bit confused. After walking a bit further, he spotted a lady seated at the end of the hall, and he marched straight to the desk, stopped, and gave her a half-smile. “Mr. Ford,” She mumbled, hastily standing to her feet. “No need for formality.” Mr. Ford said, gently tapping his fingers on the desk. Giving a nervous smile, she sat back down and asked, “How can I help you?” “Is your boss here?” Mr. Ford asked with a relaxed expression. “No, sir Jeff is in a board meeting. But I can give him a call to inform him of your presence.” A feeling of ease took over Mr. Ford as he thought, ‘I got the number right.’ Then he focused his gaze on her name tag and said, “Th