Elliot POVWhile I was still busy working myself up over the dinner date event, which did not go well according to plan, And all that had happened that day between myself and Olivia, with me also bothering myself with how to reach Sophie's kids.I did not know I would get so lucky just the next day.Sophie had not come to work that morning, so in the afternoon, I tried reaching out to Joseph to get an explanation for why she was absent. He told me that none of them were at home by the time he came to pick them up for school and work, and my heart sank."Had Sophie indeed made good on her threat? Had she secretly eloped with the kids to another company like she had threatened to in the past? But I thought she had accepted my apology."I heaved a deep sigh, wondering how I was going to cope if indeed my suspicions ended up being true. Thoughts of my new friends—her kids—also crossed my mind."You know what? Keep an eye on the build
SOPHIE'S POV The taxi I hired dropped me off at our estate. Elliot's Tesla was parked right outside our gate; all the doors were locked and no one was outside.Which meant that he was indoors with the kids.I leaped out of the car, paid the driver, and hurried through the estate gates, yearning to see the faces of my kids with my own eyes, before allowing myself to believe that they were a hundred percent safe.Elliot and the kids were standing on the balcony when I came into the compound."Mummy!" Isabella shrieked, running towards me. She had recognized me first. The other kids lifted their hands subsequently before happy smiles dotted their faces, and then they cheered;"She's back. She's back." I sprung into a run just behind Isabella as they all raced towards me to hug me.After my little affectionate demonstration with the kids, I finally summoned the spunk to look at Elliot, who had saved the day. He was still standing on the balcony, gazing at me with a blank look on his face
ELLIOT POV It was Sunday, and I sat in my parents' sitting room, waiting to hear my father's footsteps descending from the stairs anytime soon. I looked around at the targeted portraits hanging on the luxuriously painted walls like it was my first time seeing them like I was a stranger who was just visiting the apartment for the first time. I crossed my legs to look confident, but I still feared that it was an overdone posture and that it still did little to mask the anxiety I was really feeling.In my head, I had tried pre-selecting several lies to tell him, but after the encounter with Sophie yesterday, the lies no longer felt like lies, and even when I considered telling him the truth, I realized that at this moment, even the truth was obscure; there was no truth yet; all that was available was a possibility, and the purpose of my meeting with dad was not to discuss possibility but rather truth or facts."What would I tell him now?" I reasoned aloud, realizing myself almost immed
Sophie POVI jumped out of the passenger seat of the car immediately after we drove into the company's parking lot."Easy Madam." Joseph cautioned, but I could barely wait or listen to him as I hurriedly slammed the car door, rushing out of the park and towards the inside of the building.It was hard to believe that a few hours ago, I had been doing the complete opposite of that, which was lying cuddled up on top of my bed, enveloped in my duvet, even when I knew it was already past 7.My mind had been occupied by thoughts of how much had changed between myself and my boss. The bridge of formality and diplomacy that had initially stabilized the working relationship between us crashed on Saturday, so much so that I could even look him in the eye and address him by his first name. I could hit him across his shoulder and make silly jokes with him all within 24 hours. I was uncertain as to whether or not I could still confront him without feeling slightly uneasy."Has his spell on my kids
GENERAL POV It was past noon, and the golden glow of evening lingered.Joseph dropped the kids off at their estate. After they climbed out, he partially stuck out his head from the car window as usual and yelled sprightly."Going off to get your mom now; we’ll be right back just soon.”“Okay.” They responded uniformly.Waving at him and watching him drive back out in reverse motion. Owen and Nathan went to lock up the gates.‘I’m so famished.” Isabella complained to herself from where she stood.Owen and Nathan broke into a run on their return from the gate."What happened? Where are guys dashing to?"Isabella asked with her eyebrows raised and her little hands fixed on her waist."We've got just about two hours, Bella." Owen tried explaining with a quick voice while still on his heels, darting past her as he raced into the house.The confusion remained smothered on Isabella’s face.“Two hours to what?” She asked further, but Owen was already far gone; it was Nathan, who was behind h
SOPHIE POVI came to the office much earlier than usual today. Even my kids had been so surprised and could not help but keep inquiring over and over again."Mum, tell us, are you guys throwing another party at your workplace again today?"Isabella had even gone on to pose further, asking if it was Mr. Elliot's birthday this time.Until I finally had to sit them down and explain to them that it was actually because of the trip I informed them about a day earlier."Mummy needs to be punctual to set things straight and clear up any waiting mess at the office. You know checks and balances must be taken care of before traveling. Get it now?" I inquired."Oh...oh." They said, now looking more understanding. They too had to dress up a little more punctually for their school.I felt relieved as well when my explanation stopped their bugging questions, but deep down I knew that wasn't the complete story.Apart from the travel aspect, there was something else I heard on my way back from work y
SOPHIE POV "Look at you, Sophie; you’re shining like the sun. Still as beautiful as ever, if not more now."Edison remarked cheerfully after disengaging from the hug we just shared, flashing his extra-white teeth pleasantly.I smiled and looked away. "Enough with the sweet talk, Eddie. You're not looking bad yourself." I complimented him.He put a hand on his chest to signal his appreciation, and then I added inquisitively, "Is it up to two years now since we last met?""Yeah," he affirmed, raising his voice exuberantly."It's actually about two years and four months now. I remember we saw you last precisely at Professor Nicholas's book presentation at that Los Angeles conference where I bumped into you with your kids.""Oh my God, you're right." I agreed, nodding."Such a long time indeed."The last statement he made appeared to trigger his curiosity, so he started to look around."What is it?” I inquired, watching him.“Your kids, I just remembered. Where are they? You didn’t come
ELLIOT POVAfter my one-of-a-kind visit to Dad and my spontaneous encounter with Hannah, my sister, which again doubled to become another spontaneous encounter with Amanda, the atmosphere had become a thousand times more coercive than I had predicted it to be. Dad must have noticed my fitful gestures during the dinner the three of us had together, which is why after we said goodbye to Amanda and after I saw her off, he beckoned on me for another private talk."Son, this is not me trying to push Amanda down your throat or anything. This is just me saying, Hey, take a look at what's right under your nose, buddy. You and Amanda have been close friends since kindergarten. You are highly schooled and educated; she is too.You are a superclass CEO; she is a lawyer extraordinaire. I think you're a perfect fit. But hey, I'm only coming this way because time is running out, and you know how Harrington works; I don't want you replaced. So this is me doing my best as the founder and, more still,