Going home.While his secretary, Cynthia handled the procedures, He and Emerald waited. He had been watching her all day. A little while into noon she had eaten and gone to sleep. He was grateful that she was not feeling much pain. She at this moment had woken up and was sipping on some ice tea while she scrolled through her phone."Don’t scroll too long, Emerald," Matthew murmured, his voice low and full of concern. "You will hurt your eyes. Rest a bit, Cynthia should be done soon."Emerald managed a weak smile, her eyes finally looking his way as he brought over her jacket to help her wear it."I am only looking, how will it hurt my eyes? You sound like a mother," she muttered.Matthew raised his brows, a soft smile adorning his face as he said, "You really are bad at taking care of yourself. You don’t even know it will hurt your eyes, or you don't even care. You sound like a child"Emerald folded her arms and harrumphed as she ignored him and kept scrolling despite his previous w
Old Madam Reeves Matthew and Emerald woke up to his grandmother, Old Madam Reeves sitting in the living room. The old woman had been traveling for a long while. It was normal for her to be gone for up to a year and show up. The first to come down stairs was Emerald, when she walked down to see the older woman, she froze. Old Madam Reeves on the other hand raised a brow as her eyes widened when she saw Emerald. Emerald was dressed too casually to be a staff of a guest and she knew that her grandson did not let people on the second floor of his home. “And who might you be, dear?” the old woman asked and Emerald tried to find her voice. It was not the butler beside the old woman or the staff’s respectful demeanor that told her that this woman was important, something about this old woman felt like she was staring at Matthew . Instinct told her they were related. “I am Emerald, Emerald Jackson,” she answered and the old woman let out a smile and beckoned to Emerald to come clo
To offend a celebrityAs she reached her bedroom, Nina closed the door behind her and let out a heavy sigh. She glanced at her phone, which had been left on the bed and couldn’t help but feel a twinge of resentment towards Emerald. If only her cousin hadn’t caused so much trouble in the past, maybe she would have long been married and would not have to worry about offending the Woods.Nina shook her head, pushing those thoughts aside. She sat on her bed and did not pick her phone. Even though she promised she would call him, she knew not to call. Obviously she did not want her family to go bankrupt, but she did not want to lose her marriage too. So she sat and waited.Meanwhile, downstairs, the Jackson family remained in the living room, the tension was like a heavy blanket, at least for the two women. Rodney, on the other hand, had finally calmed down, it was as if the money was already on its way. He took a sip of juice while he sat to relax without care.Annie, Jasmine's manager, s
Unable to fire a small staff"I'll have to report this matter to the top," the marketing director replied. "In the meantime, I'd suggest trying to find a compromise, perhaps have Jasmine stay away from her so that there is no friction."Annie nodded reluctantly. "Understood. I'll relay that to Jasmine, but I can't promise she'll be satisfied with that.""Do your best," the marketing director said. "This is a delicate situation, and we need to handle it with care. “I'll be in touch once I've relayed the matter."As Annie ended the call, she turned to Jasmine, bracing herself for the actress' reaction. "Jasmine, I've spoken with the marketing director, and I'm afraid the news isn't good. They're not willing to remove Emerald from the project."Jasmine's face contorted with rage. "What? Why not? I'm the star here, and I refuse to work with that backstabbing slut!""I know, Jasmine, I know," Annie soothed, raising a hand to try and calm the actress. "The director said that Emerald is a
A Deserved SlapEmerald's eyes widened in shock as the pieces fell into place. "Nina? What does she have to do with this? Don’t tell me, you have been acting out because you feel sorry for Nina. Is this what she told you to do?" Emerald felt like laughing. Was this girl a child?"Don't play dumb with me!" Jasmine spat, her hand raised as if to strike Emerald. "You tried to ruin your cousin’s life, and now you're doing the same thing. You can dream. You are leaving this crew whether you like it or not!"“Is that so?” Emerald said and turned to leave. Seeing that she was leaving again, Jasmine walked over and grabbed her back. The crew were already on alert at this point.“Don’t walk away when I am talking to you!” Jasmine basically screamed.“You need to calm down,” Emerald said, but her words only made Jasmine’s anger shoot to her head.She raised her hand to throw a slap.Emerald caught her hand easily and reciprocated. No one had any time to react when Emerald’s hand connected wit
Grandma to the rescueThe next day, she went in for work. Unlike her guess, the office was fine. Most were actually glad that Jasmine got her karma and most thought it would be bad if she got fired over this. But all over, things were fine. It was a bustling morning in the grand lobby of the Houston Corporation's headquarters. The Houston cooperation building was a bit different in design than the Reeves family building, but the towering glass walls and sleek, modern furnishings really spoke of power. As employees and staff alike hurried through, one could hear their footsteps echoing against the polished marble floors.In the middle of the corporate chaos, Amanda walked into the building. Her judgmental eyes scanned the building. Amanda's old face looked indifferent as she approached the reception desk, her movements were oddly graceful despite her advanced age.The young receptionist looked up from her computer and took in Amanda’s demeanor. She had worked in the industry enough to
ExposedEmerald suddenly realized why Amanda had come. It seems she had seen what was going on online.“I heard someone is giving you trouble. Just deal with them as you like. No one can do anything to you,” Amanda said and Emerald’s heart softened. She had a grandmother of her own, but it seems this was the first time she had actually felt what it was like to have a grandmother.“Of course. If I get bullied, I will tell you,” Emerald said.Amanda chuckled, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "Good. You are a semi boss here too. I want to see what the Houston family will dare do to you. Now, you'd best be getting back to work. I'll let you get on with your day."Emerald nodded, with a smile. " Thank you Grandma."Amanda reached out and gave Emerald's hand a gentle squeeze. "Now, off you go. I'll be sure to check in on you again soon."With one final embrace, Emerald reluctantly turned and headed back towards the building, her steps a little lighter, her heart a little fuller. As she w
Once a cheaterNina felt nervous as she drove to Andrew's place. Mixed emotions filled her; annoyance coupled with anticipation. The shocking revelation online troubled her.She could tell that one needed a great amount of power to make all those online news disappear and even sensor platforms from talking about it. Who was it?Could it be that Emerald really married someone better? The thought burned at her.This ignited her to resolve and to persevere. Emerald was busy living well while she was facing bankruptcy? She refused to go back to the way things were.The car arrived at the Woods family house and she stepped out.The familiar sight greeted her eyes. She took a deep breath. Smoothing her blouse, she mentally prepared her speech. She already made up her mind on how she was going to approach this.She walked to the front door and pressed the doorbell. It echoed within.The door flung wide, and a butler looked at her with a complicated expression. “Is Andrew in?” she asked and