Sophie's POVI woke up to the sound of my phone vibrating for an incoming call. I jerked up with red, half-sleepy eyes.I thought it was Elliot because he had not returned to the hotel yesterday night after his behavior at the office in the morning, and I had not wanted to call so I wouldn't come off as being the eager one."Maybe he was calling to apologize," I thought.But when I grabbed my phone from under the nearby pillow to check on the caller, the name on the screen was Aunty Susan.I gasped, hesitating at first due to the firsthand surprise, but quickly picked it up, happy about the call all the same."Aunty Suzi," I called, smiling."Aunchi Suzhia." She mimicked me with a weird, mocking voice."So you still remember you had an aunt back home? After your first call saying you had arrived and would call us back when settled, we’ve heard nothing from you?"Aunty continued in her playful yet sardonic voice."I'm so sorry; you wouldn't believe me if I told you a lot came up. Like
SOPHIE POVIt was Monday morning, and it was also my first proper resumption to work at the New Zealand branch of Harrington Inc.We were on our way to the office. Elliot and I were both dressed in corporate suits, sitting spaced apart behind Manuel in the back seat as usual. But, unlike Friday morning, the atmosphere in the car was totally different. It was so much more serene and quiet. And even when Manuel had tried driving a bit faster on the freeway, Elliot had waved calmly from the back, saying,"Hey, you're too fast, man. Take it gently."Manuel immediately heeded, reducing the car's pace while muttering an apologetic "Sorry, sir."I stole quick, careful glances at Elliot from the corner of my eyes. He has been like this since Sunday morning, wearing that same sober, introspective look on his face.After that unusual drama on Saturday night, we still had not talked about what he confessed to me that night, and I knew I wasn't going to bring it up because I felt it wasn't in my
Elliot POVI sat in my new office, running my hand over my head, multiple thoughts pummeling through my mind. Sophie had just accepted my apology and, at the same time, rejected my offer for a date, which left me hanging in my thoughts."Is she still angry with me?”“Should I go back and apologize again?”I felt like going out of the office to have a drink at the previous bar I went to on Saturday. This downing of so many bottles whenever I'm losing concentration was becoming a habit, but I did not really care anymore. It felt like I could handle anything else, but once it was something that involved Sophie, this craving for alcohol just arose because there was no natural way I knew of right now that could take her out of my mind.I jerked up and walked hurriedly towards the door, holding on to the handle, and then stopped midway."Elliot, are you really becoming a drunk?”I took a deep breath and turned hesitantly before walking slowly back to my seat. Maybe I should call somebody? M
SOPHIE POV"Pick your call."I prompted him one more time, looking from him to the phone vibrating on his side of the table.At first, when I caught a glimpse of the capital "O" starting the name of the caller, I had guessed it was Olivia, but when it was followed by his corresponding reaction, the uneven lines on his forehead, which betrayed the shock he was actually feeling and was desperately trying to hide by his show of nonchalance.I got the needed confirmation for my suspicions. It meant my guess was 100 percent accurate.The ringing had stopped briefly, and even Elliot seemed to silently let out a sigh of relief, freeing the lines on his forehead for a moment.But his rest was not for long because, when he picked up his cutlery to proceed with his meal, his phone had started to ring again.The lines of frustration reappeared on his face, and I could almost hear him swear under his breath.“I really think you should pick it up this time."I pushed further quietly, eager to hear
GENERAL POVIsabella watched Aunt Susan in the kitchen as she nervously placed the frying pan on the gas cooker and switched on the burner."It looks like you're just starting, Aunty." Isabella queried with folded arms."Yes, my dear, I'm so sorry I missed my alarm by 30 minutes. Sleep robbed your aunt's old bones. But don't worry about it, darling; Aunty will be done in less than an hour."Then she paused to squint at Isabella. "Or are you hungry already, darling?""No, Aunty, I'm not; I still have some excess burgers to snack on in my school bags.""Are you sure, dearie? You know, I could order some pizza for you guys before continuing with this spinach.""It's fine, Aunty, take your time; I'm not even that hungry, by the way.""What about your brothers? Have you asked them?”Isabella let out a quick cackle, then placed both her tiny hands over her mouth and reduced her voice a little, like she wanted to tell a secret."My brothers? They're worse; those could even wait till tomorro
ELLIOT POV Sophie and I landed at 6 a.m. on Wednesday at John F. Kennedy International Airport. We departed from New Zealand at 2 p.m. on Tuesday after resolving the office issue on Monday evening. The journey had lasted for about 16 hours, but it felt so much shorter than it really was because I had spent all my time watching Sophie and meditating, or should I say we had spent the journey watching each other from the corner of our eyes, our expressions full of so much hidden meaning that words failed to describe. She was sitting at an arm's length from me in the business class section of the plane.I couldn't help thinking about the Monday evening experience over and over in my mind: how brilliantly she had resolved the case that brought us to New Zealand, and how, at the end of everything, I had finally summoned the courage to tell her how much I truly felt for her.I thought of how we had shared our first kiss an
Sophie POV I took a sip from the glass of water on my desk, directing all my attention to the computer screen gleaming before me.The traps I set up for those treacherous informants within our company were beginning to yield results.About three of the cloned email addresses received messages from the suspects agreeing to my terms and conditions; all I had to do now was extend my hook, and the silly baits would catch on to it."Should I inform Elliot at this point?" I reasoned."No, I preferred making my kill first before letting him know of the situation." Immediately I thought of Elliot; memories of yesterday flashed before me. Elliot had appeared so tense when I had gone back to his office later that afternoon to pick up my kids, and I had asked him what the matter was, but he had only responded from the top of his head as he rushed out of the office, mumbling something like:"Just go home with t
OLIVIA POV I picked up my phone again to dial the new number Gerald had given me when I requested his boss’s New Zealand contact; it rang out and returned unanswered yet again for the fifth time."Is this really Elliot's number?" I muttered to myself impatiently. "Because he can't say he hasn't been seeing my calls for the past 20 minutes. I deliberately called by 5 p.m. so he wouldn't have any excuse. It's still noon over there, or is he ignoring me on purpose?" I continued to vent silently to myself, hissing and tapping my foot repeatedly. When I could no longer contain my irritability, I sprung up to my feet and made for Gerald's office. "Good evening, madam. I was just about to leave when you came in." Gerald stood on his feet, clutching his briefcase with one hand. "Oh," I said, taking the guest seat before he could even offer me a seat. He turned and went ba
I am filled with immense gratitude as I write this message, appreciating every one of you who has joined me on this journey. Whether you have been following from the start or have recently become a part of this story, your presence has truly enhanced the storytelling experience in immeasurable ways.I am thankful for allowing my characters to be a part of your lives, for investing your time and emotions in their successes and challenges, and for sharing in their joys and sorrows. Your support, feedback, and motivation have been the driving force behind every word written, inspiring me to explore their world further and create narratives that resonate with you.As we come to the end of this story, I'm thrilled to announce that a new story awaits. In the meantime, I would like to hear your thoughts about the story, please don't hesitate to share your feedback.Once again, I extend my heartfelt thanks for being a part of this remarkable journey. Your support ignites my passion.With dee
SOPHIE'S POVI shifted the thick, opaque curtains that fell over the window in my room to one side as I observed the gate of our house through the transparent glass upstairs.The Tesla had just driven out through the open gate, and one of the uninformed security guards had begun to close it up.Elliot, who had been raising fire and brimstone some moments ago, had finally resigned to the strong will of his daughter. He has finally yielded to her persuasion as well as that of her older twin, Amelia. I let out a small smile. Was it not funny that despite his so-called anger about the recent developments, he still insisted on dropping them off at the park, even when Amelia kept insisting that the park was not that far? Sometimes, I find myself debating again who actually pampered Isabella more between her father and grandfather. I let out a wider smile this time.I drew the curtains closed again and returned to my bed to sit quietly."Just like yesterday," I whispered.It was so hard to
GENERAL POVOwen was sitting stiffly inside Michael's larger-than-life office space. While Michael reclined at the other end of the desk, his manner was a little more relaxed since the last time they met at his school. They were having a conversation about Isabella."Have you called my sister yet?" Owen asked calmly."No, not yet," Michael answered, almost blushing at the sound of Isabella's name.Owen shrugged weakly and said,"But why her? I mean, what drew you to her? She literally dresses like a guy. Though I know my sister is beautiful, if you're not close to her like us, you might never know."Michael let out an indulgent smile, readjusting his seat and leaning forward before he spoke again.Actually, I've seen Isabella several times without her usual regalia. Erm, you know, her usual regalia." He let out a gentle laugh.Then, a little more quietly, he added:"She is so kind and beautiful."Owen laughed too, in a way that said, "I thought as much,"Then Michael went on to tap h
ISABELLA’S POVI opened my eyes faintly the next morning after a long sleep the previous night, rolling over tiredly on the hospital's compact bed. Then suddenly, my body brushed against the rigid weight of someone sitting with his back turned against me on the bed. I sat up immediately, rubbing my palms over my face and eyes to brighten my vision. The person turned over at once, and to my relief, it was the face of Dr. James.My curious expression softened into a smile. He smiled too, and with a soothing voice, he asked,"How are you feeling?"His gaze switched to my neck and arms.I involuntarily touched the plastered areas on my hands before I said,"I'm quite fine; it was just a slight accident."A small silence ensued. He stared at me with deep care in his eyes, and for a second I had to bite my lip and look away shyly.Then he inhaled and brought out my phone from the pocket of his lab coat. Then he made a weak gesture with his hand before he said,"Your phone; I charged it for
Nathan arrived at the Epiloxx Club as directed by the address from Isabella's text message. As soon as he got out of the taxi, He walked towards the entrance and stopped for a moment to catch his breath before attempting to go in. He stopped again and flexed his wrist to see what the time was saying on his gold watch; it was exactly 11:30 am. He inhaled and exhaled to calm his nerves, trying to imagine the look Scarlett would have on her face the moment she eventually saw him, as well as the reaction of this so-called boyfriend of hers. Then he brashly waved his hand as if to say, "Whatever." Before proceeding finally into the building with slow but steady strides. While inside the club and standing awkwardly near the door with surveilling eyes, the first thing Nathan's eyes picked out from the crowded, noisy hall illuminated with dull multicolored lights was the sight of Scarlett kissing a guy at the back of the room, a man whom Nathan immediately identified as Kevin. He froze and
General POVIsabella's apartment was located less than 10 minutes away from her school, immediately outside the terminating bar gate.She was in the house, sitting in her cozy blue-painted bedroom with the warm, masculine-looking decor and walls pervaded by the many photographs of bikers and popular sportsmen around the world.She was wreathed in blue tops and shorts, which also marched with the color of her room, sporting a pair of expensive trainers, leaning over to untie and retie the shoelaces with a meticulous expression on her face and taut lips. She lifted her head quickly to check the vintage clocks hanging above the arc when she was done and mouthed the words:"Five minutes past six already?" looking surprised and taken aback."Oh my God." She whispered again, springing up to her feet hurriedly. The event she was about to attend was actually a racing exercise organized by her teammates back in school and was supposed to begin at exactly 6:30; she had just 25 minutes left to
GENERAL POVThe first and second basements of the round, well-ventilated university hall were filled up with mostly young people from different parts of the city; all of them were clothed in nice dresses while also bearing notebooks and pens on their palms, jotting down points as they kept their focus fixedly on the young prominent speaker standing on top of the podium and was about to round off his talk.The speaker's name was Michael Howard, a 25-year-old billionaire heir and owner of one of the largest corporations booming in New York City, just about second after the Harringtons. He was invited to the school’s graduation to deliver the first key note speech to the graduating students. During the speech, Michael went ahead to acknowledge the CEO of Harrington Inc., Elliot Harrigton, who was also present as one of his biggest inspirations.All the while, Nathan, sitting with brother Owen and dressed up in their graduating gowns, nodded attentively to everything Michael was saying at
15 YEARS LATERSOPHIE'S POVI was seated with Elliot in the sectioned corner of our sitting room, where the dining room was located. Breakfast was set, and we were already digging into it in silence when Nathan, who was all suited up and sitting next to his father and ready to accompany him to his office, disrupted the quietness with his slightly hoarse, passionate voice. This had become a usual routine for us every morning since Elliot started to allow him to accompany him to work about four years ago. Sometimes these dining table speculations and business advice would mostly start hours before breakfast; other times, they would start during the meal, and if we happened to be lucky, it would be after we were done eating. Sometimes I found myself counting to ten silently in anticipation of his voice, just like I had done today while dishing the meal, and as expected, the fresh economic expert we had for a son was not disappointed."I was actually following up on one of the brokerage
SOPHIE'S POVAs soon as we arrived at the house, Elliot took out the keys from the ignition point, let out a small groan, and came down from the car hurriedly. With double-quick yet uncoordinated steps, Elliot entered the house with his head bowed to the earth. It was obvious he was still feeling hurt; perhaps it was better to allow him some quiet time to absorb everything. I observed him through the windscreen for a moment before turning over to glance at Mrs. Harrington, his mother, who was still bent over in the back seat, sniffing and weeping bitterly since the moment she followed us to the family house. Even the kids were muttering, their hands resting on her shoulder."Stop crying, grandma," Isabella said, looking at her, and her brother's eyes were on her too, looking at her worriedly.She wrapped her hands around them to acknowledge their plea, but she still could not stop her crying."Darlings, could you please borrow me a few minutes alone with Grandma?"They looked at her o