I didn't doubt HIS capabilities in getting information. He was an expert in this field, he could dig up information on someone's ancestry if I asked. He ran a background check on Lilian before but that was only basic information, things in the present not some buried past.Whatever happened to Lilian before, I trust him to find out. I mean he hasn't failed me before. After settling everything at the hotel, it was already late so I headed home.I was expecting to be greeted by Rose's loud voice at the door but it was silent when I came in. A little unusual, weren't they here yet?Then I saw Lilian descending the steps. She had a little smile on her face and looked better than she did this morning. That was good. "Lilian." I called. She paused at the call and faced me. "Hi. When did you get back?" She asked. "Not long ago." I loosened my tie, though I wore suits all day, I still found it stifling sometimes. "Are the kids here yet?" I took off my jacket. "Yes. They arrived not long
Waking up in Byron's bed was strange. Strange but nice. It meant I was comfortable enough with him. I was also glad I didn't have a nightmare. That'd have been a disaster.Ever since the incident, I had not been this close with the male gender, well except Nathan. I was awake for a while but didn't want to face him, not after my wild thoughts yesterday. I felt a light touch on my face which must have been the wind.I heard the bed creak as Byron probably got out of bed. I mustered the courage to open my eyes and met an empty bed. I took the opportunity to look around his room.It looked prim and proper with everything in place, just as I expected from him. There were a few books on a shelf beside his vanity mirror, other than that, the room was sparsely furnished.The door to Byron's closet opened and I heard his footsteps in the room."Good morning." I greeted him. He was fully dressed and looked ready for work."Morning. I hope you had a good night's sleep." He responded."Yeah I d
Contrary to what I thought, I actually had a good night's sleep. I was so tired that the dim light didn't bother me as much as I thought it would have and I soon fell into oblivion. I woke up the next morning without an alarm. I set alarms but usually wake up before them. No matter how tired I was, my biological clock made me wake up at 6am or even earlier everyday.I gingerly opened my eyes to welcome the light in the room. I stared at the ceiling for awhile trying to wake myself up completely. Then I heard the soft breathing from my side. I almost forgot Lilian was right next to me.Judging from the creases on the bed, she didn't seem to move around a lot in her sleep. She had flipped over and unlike last night, her back was no longer facing me.I rested my head on my pillow and found myself staring at her. There were no expressions on her face, her pink lips were pressed in a thin line. Strands of hair had escaped from her ponytail, scattering on her forehead. I looked closer at th
"Can we eat out tonight, please?" The girls pleaded. We were closed for the day and the only thing I wanted to do after today's hard work was to eat one of Lucia's delicacies and get warm under my blanket.But the girls had other plans.My workers stared at our family drama and waited with bated breath for my reply. I was forced to oblige to their wishes."Fine, I'll call the driver now."I said resignedly, picking up my phone."Actually," Rose said, "can Byron join us? Since we won't be cooking this night and James won't be home. I don't want my brother to starve to death.""He can't starve to death because he missed one meal." Christie countered."Who told you?" Rose said."That's enough!" I almost shouted. "No one is going to starve to death."This shut them up. I didn't know two people could be so similar. It's probably not the best trait in a friendship.They had been on their best behavior all day and kept out of my way but immediately the sun began to set, they'd been bickering
I locked up the file in the safe in my office. I made a quick call "Find them" I said coldly through gritted teeth. He must have expected me to request that of him as he replied "Already on it""When you find them, bring them to the place. I would like to chat with them" my message was passed across so I hung up. I drank a cup of water to calm the fire raging in me. By the time I dropped the cup, my expression was once again tranquil. I had to keep my cool, I was going to see Lilian and the girls soon, it wouldn't be great if I let anything slip.As I walked into the store I heard Lilian's voice scolding "....I told you not to behave this way when I'm at work. Did you see how my workers were staring at you guys?"She didn't need to deal with this right now or with them. Maybe I shouldn't have allowed them come."Did they do something?" I asked drawing attention to myself."You're here, babe." She called, a smile on her face as she dropped a feather like kiss on my cheek. "They didn
"Be back in the next two hours so we can go home before your siblings are back from school." A young woman named Violet said, sweeping her brown hair off her face. "Don't bring up your parents and siblings with the kids." She warned.Eleven year old Isla groaned as she packed her books into her school bag. "You tell me this everyday mum. You should know that I'm great with the children by now." She said."Being careful is never enough." Violet smiled, kissing her on the forehead. Isla had been waiting all week to visit the orphanage but her mum had insisted that she waited till the weekend.She had managed to convince her mum to let her visit on a Friday, though as she was a strong-willed little girl."Bye mum. See you soon." She told her as she ran off to look for someone to make happy.Ever since the first time she'd visited the orphanage, she'd decided that she wanted to be like her mum whose life motto was to give hope to the hopeless and to put a smile on the faces of kids who
After Lilian and I's heart to heart the other night, there wasn't a drastic change in our relationship. For one, we didn't have time to be around each other as we were both immersed in our work. When we were around the kids, we kept up the happy couple act. When we were all by ourselves, it was honestly awkward. We've been so used to ignoring each other that any other action was weird.One notable difference was taking the initiative to check up on one another. I mean, she still hesitates a little when I inquire about her wellbeing at least she doesn't think I have an ulterior motive anymore.It was still strange sharing a room, especially the bed. I still stopped to stare at the once empty cabinets and drawers now occupied with her things.Looking at my room that now had her traces everywhere made me feel warm. Just like that two days passed. I was tense for those two days, glancing at my phone at every chance I got. The radio silence from the other side was very off putting but al
The week had dragged by really slowly but it was finally coming to an end. "Uriel, have you uploaded all the fits on social media?" I asked her, stretching. We were finally done with our Christmas line I couldn't have been happier."I thought it'd be better to upload just a few to avoid our designs being stolen." She replied."That's good. Did you add that sales last only through the weekend and that we'll be closing for the year after the sales?""Of course, ma'am. You don't have to worry about anything." She said.I smiled, grateful for my diligent workers who had worked round the clock to make this a success."Thank you all for your hard work this past months. It's been really nice working with you and getting to know you."The girls smiled, returning my compliments. "I won't be coming in tomorrow. I'm sure the three of you can handle the sales.""Of course ma'am." Ashley replied on their behalf."That's great. Expect your Christmas bonuses before tomorrow." I told them, getting