It's been a week since my stay in Asher's penthouse, a big mistake that will never repeat itself, and he has called me a little over fifty times since then. I know that because an unknown number had been blowing up my phone all week. The contract had been signed, so there was no point in engaging in pointless things like calling each other, it would only lead to more complications… with what went down last week. It is obvious that I should stay away from him as much as possible. Besides, if he has something of the utmost importance to tell me, he can relay it to me through my assistant.
I've been telling this to myself all week since he started calling. I'm sure it's because I left his penthouse bright and early without saying goodbye. no doubt he is pissed off about it. Things are better off this way. At least I had things to keep me busy for the day. I had to shoot a campaign for the upcoming brand collaboration release between Canary and MIX. I got his first text.
Unknown: I've been calling you all week. This is Asher
I groaned inwardly as I walked over to my next activity for the day was an interview with Bloomberg Originals and immediately after that, I saw the next range of texts.
Unknown: I didn't see you in the morning
Unknown: we need to talk. I need to know what happened between us.
“The new models are waiting in the lobby, Miss Norman,” Anna says as she scrolls through her iPad.
“Bring them up to the conference room for the model selection”
“yes Miss”
Unknown: when can I see you?
I should never have agreed to meet up in his penthouse, I should never have slept over. I honestly could have just slept in my car. Sure, it wouldn't have been comfortable, but it would have prevented the events of that night. The most annoying part was the fact that after all these years, the effects he has on me are still obvious, and he knows that, after what happened obviously, he does. I need to be stronger. I have to be stronger. I won't be made a fool of again.
Today's modeling selection was good, but honestly, I just couldn't wait to have Melody in my arms again. It's Friday, and she'd be back from her ballet class early so that we could go to see the Encanto play that she is so obsessed with. My phone rings and I pick it up as the third ring.
“Hey Mom, I’m in the office. Yeah... you can just send her up, she knows the way. Bye mom”
I got up and packed my bags since I wouldn't be coming back to the office till next week. The door opens revealing my beautiful melody, her jet-black waves bouncing on her shoulders, and she skips into the room wearing her pink leotard.
“Hi mummy” Melody giggled as she jumped into my arms. I swung her around and the sound she made was just music to my ears.
“So, how was ballet class today?”
“Oh my gosh mummy, t’was soooooo much fun” Her green and gray heterochromia eyes gleamed with excitement.
“Okay, tell me about it.”
“So today we were tryin’ a new dance routine and during the splits Charlie farted, and it stunk… like, really stunk, but everyone started laughing sooo hard and… huh”
The door opened, Melody looked past me to look at the person at the door. I didn't turn back to look like I thought it was Anna, until Melody said.
“Oh… it’s the man from the pictures.”
I turned around confused to meet the wide eyes of Asher staring intently at Melody like he had just seen a ghost.
Oh shit… oh shit… oh shit
“Mom? I’m scared”
“It… it’s okay a baby” What am I going to do? I’m not ready for this. With the way he is staring at her, he is confused as to why this little girl looks exactly like him. I stare at him, but he keeps his eyes trained on Melody, causing her to hide behind me.
“Asher, you need to stop. Let’s go talk outside”
He shakes his head, his eyes finally finding mine. Hurt is all they are filled with.
“I’m just seeing things, right?”
I look away, tears threatening to spill out. We can’t do this here, not in front of Melody, so I turned to her.
“Hey baby, can you go to the kid's section for me? I’ll come to pick you up when I'm ready”
“Okay mummy,” she said and quickly left the room.
“Is she mine?” His voice shook.
“Asher…”
“Dammit! Just answer this one thing at least.”
“Yes… she is” I sobbed.
“Game night?” He asks and I nod
“What is her name?”
“Melody” I replied,
“For how long did you intend on keeping her a secret? Were you going to deny me a relationship with her? I’ve missed so much. How could you? What did I do that was so wrong? Why are you doing this to me?!” He yelled in a whisper, his eyes filled with confusion and anger.
Asher sat down on the sofa, head in his hands… devastated. For the first time in six years, I felt horrible. All this time, all I thought about was the hurt I felt that night after everything his father did, and I thought he never cared but seeing him here crying because of Melody. Maybe I had it all wrong.
“She doesn’t even know I’m her father,” he scoffed.
“I’m sor…”
“Don’t even think about it, because at this point I don’t believe you” he snapped, stood up, and walked to the door to leave. I run after and try to touch him, but he recoils.
“This isn’t my fault!” I yelled, feeling hurt as well.
“Whose is it? Because as far as I remember, the last time I saw you we kissed so passionately and were telling each other how much we didn’t want to say goodbye, and then you disappeared without a trace, so that isn’t my fault either. I came here to try to talk to you, but it looks like you are far from interested.”
I could do nothing but watch him leave as I sobbed uncontrollably. Now he knew. What am I going to do? How am I going to tell Melody that the man in the photo is her daddy? What am I going to do when Asher decides he wants to speak to her?
The way he looked at me, he’d never looked at me like that before. Not even when we’d met on the road or when I had introduced myself as Kimberly… he looked so hurt and betrayed, that was what hurt the most.
There was a knock and the door opened. I sprang up thinking Asher had come back, but instead, it was my worst nightmare staring right at me with his signature smirk that haunted me six years ago and still haunts me till this day.
“What the f*ck are you doing here?” my stomach churned from anxiety.
“No need to be hostile. It’s been a while, Gonzalez” Mr. Stone replied.
The last time I had seen Asher’s father was about four years ago on the day I graduated from college, he didn't say anything to me but I saw him stalking me from the crowd reminding me of the promise I had made. I tried to remain as calm as possible as I stared at him while he made himself comfortable on the sofa opposite me.“When was the last time I saw you? four… five years ago?” He scoffed as he looked around my office with a look in his eyes- as if he was judging, no one had to tell me he was.“Are you trying to make small talk Mr. Stone? I imagine you are a busy man so let's cut to the chase. what do you want?” I asked as I crossed my legs, his eyebrows rose in surprise.“You’ve grown bolder”“I refuse to let your family ridicule me again” I finalized, he nodded with a smirk that irked me… why did Asher have to look so much like him? It makes it so hard to hate him the way I want.“I only did what was best for my family”I scoffed.“And it was the best for me too” I added before
All of a sudden Asher decided to leave the picking of the models to me, everything… saying he trusted my judgment. yeah right- like he didn't threaten me a few days ago. the moment I saw him outside my door I realized he just did that because I was letting him see Melodie but I never agreed to him showing up in my home and how on earth did he find my house? I never left my house address on the contract “Let him in” I responded to the security guard. why was he here? So early in the morning as well. Was he here to threaten me again? Or was he here to finish what we started yesterday? What am I saying? Nothing happened yesterday I was so lost in thought that I hadn't noticed that Melodie come to me and was calling out to me. I shook my head as I felt her light tug on my night dress. “Mummy, someone is ringing the bell” “oh yeah right, sorry honey. why don't you eat your pancakes while they are still hot? I’ll get the door” I hugged myself as I walked down the stairs, I should ha
Those big green and gray eyes would be the end of me soon enough, all I did was leave Melody with Asher in the sitting room while I did some laundry and by the time I got back she was already begging me for permission to go over to Asher’s and I could just “tag along”. It was no rocket science that I lost. I let out a lengthy sigh as I watched Melody and Asher swim in his infinity pool from the lounge chairs, her giggles filled the air as Asher showed her funny new tricks. I wondered how they could swim with the sun as hot as it was, I was under a shade and I felt like I was going to have a heat stroke, I only swam an hour before I decided I was over it… I’d rather guard the refreshments. “Mummy come join us. We want to play tag and only two people would be boring” Melody complained while she floated across the water. “Aren’t you tired already? It’s way past your nap time bean” “Tag first then nap time. You don’t want Mr. Asher thinking you are boring, do you? It’s best we keep it
Transferring to this stupid school filled with stuck-up *ss holes was a huge mistake. What the heck was I thinking? That I’d fit in? That I’d make friends? That I’d live a drama-free life? I was so wrong… so wrong that I hate myself so much right now. I can barely afford lunch and my old tennis shoes were on their last legs while everyone here can afford a more-than-they-can-eat buffet and they have shoes for every week. I don’t fit in here. “Gonzalez wait up” Why… why… why?? “Just f*cking leave me alone!” I yell, increasing my pace. “Come on. Don’t leave” “Why?! What does it matter to you? You are just like the rest of them” “I don’t think that way about you” he turns me effortlessly by my backpack “Sure” “Damn it! I’m serious right now Sam. I think you are the most interesting person I’ve ever met” “You can’t fool me. I won’t become one of your booty calls Stone” I roll my eyes and fold my arms as I stare up at him. his blazer was nowhere to be found, as usual, his uniform
It was safe to say Stephanie and I sat there staring at each other for ten minutes, she didn't look as surprised as I was so she obviously knew I was the one she was going to meet. Did Asher have to make this week even worse for me? I cleared my throat and was about to talk but Stephanie beat me to it.“When Asher had told me about everything I thought it was a lie” she scoffed, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder“Yeah, I can't do this right now”I grabbed my bag, stood up, and made my way to the exit.“I begged him to let me come. he tried to tell you about it but you had been avoiding him all week” she chased after me“Oh, so it's my fault now”“No, it’s no one's fault” She shook her head, coming closer. I take a step back.“Are you really here as the head of models or are you all just here to make my life worse”“Both but only if you insist on still running Sam. Despite what you think, the reverse is the case” I narrowed my eyes at her and took a step closer.“what do you m
I guess he was pretty pissed. In my defense, I didn't do anything. It's not like I flirted with Mike or anything, Asher and I are dating anyway. I haven't seen him in over a week. I couldn't care less… in fact, I haven't been happier. “Mummy? When is Mr. Asher going to come over again?” Melody stares at me from the mirror “I don't know bean. He's been swamped”. I flashed her a smile I hoped was somewhat comforting. She looked out the window. “He promised he was going to teach me some new swimming tricks.” “I know honey. We are trying to work things around okay. He'll come around soon," I replied. “Okay mummy” my heart was breaking at how sad her voice sounded. No doubt she had grown attached to Asher in such a short time. Where the heck is he? I take it back. I care, as much as I don't want to… I do. Anna joined me as I sashayed into the building. the clacks of our heels against the marble floors were all that could be heard for miles. “Good morning Miss Norman” “Good morning
It’s been two weeks since Asher went to Japan. Still nothing from him, not even a response to my voice message. Best believe it has been the most agonizing two weeks of my life, but it also gave me time to sort out my thoughts. Steph helped for the most part, which helped us fill in the gap we had missed as well.“I can’t imagine how scared you must have been doing this all on your babe”, Steph sighed, throwing her head back while I looked through some documents and pictures she had brought to me and placed them on the coffee table.“It got better with time. I got accustomed to my new life because my mom was there, which made things easier, especially when I was pregnant with Melody”. I shrugged, not wanting to let my anger overwhelm me for now.“Ugh, I can’t believe this. I’m so mad… I’ve been so mad with my father since that night, but before. I couldn’t help but hate myself for being quiet for so long”“It’s okay, you were drugged by your father and whisked to rehab just because it
Asher’s private plane had gone off the radar for the past four hours after the first seven hours of the flight and no one knew where the plane was. I and Steph had only been informed two hours ago. I was going crazy with fear and anxiety. I couldn’t help but imagine the worst. Images of different possibilities floated into my mind as I tried to remain calm on the outside but was going through an emotional turmoil inside me.What we were hearing from the staff in the control room correlated so much with the Bermuda Triangle cases. Gone… suddenly lost and never to be seen again. My head felt tender from pulling on my hair in frustration, all I could do was pace back and forth in the control room while Steph kept yelling at the control room guys.“What do you mean? F*cking find him! If he dies, you all die!” Steph screamed before she paced over to me.“He’s going to be fine, okay, don’t worry.”“The storm is so bad though,” she added, as she glanced outside.“You need to calm down Steph.
Dinner date night… checkPress conference… checkTake pictures for a press conference… checkTease Asher some more… checkGo to a gala I have no interest in attending… checkFind a way to escape from the mysterious man in all black that has been following me for the past ten minutes… uncheckedIt was exactly that. A man had been following me for the past ten minutes in this stupid gala. I had decided not to go but changed my mind for business reasons. I think he wants to kill me because I can see something glinting in his hand. My… who would want to kill a good little me? I have a good idea, and it may have to do with getting back with the same son he had shipped me half across the world from. I knew the other shoe would drop soon. Does this guy know how uncomfortable it is to run in heels?I hadn't even had time to look back or notice that the creepy guy was no longer following behind me but had taken a corner and now had me in his grip when he pulled me unknowingly from my left, sl
The silence was louder than over a hundred people cheering in an auditorium. It was loud, it was icy, and it was quite choking as well, but Asher was handling it well, gladly participating in a stare-down with my scary Latino mother while I shivered like a wet chicken on the side. I was not complaining… I would rather be a wet chicken.“You broke your promise” my mother glared. Asher stared back.“Yes”“YES??” my mother yelled… more like screaming. She almost had a coronary. My hand instinctively reached out to Asher, looking for some to protect him from any oncoming flying slippers.“Mama…” I started, but she shut me up with a glare, causing me to instinctively sink into the sofa.“Mantener cerrado!!” (keep shut)“I don’t intend on denying it. I was ignorant, foolish, and weak. I am sorry. I won’t promise that she won’t get hurt again, but I can promise I will die trying to protect her and be worthy of her”, Asher added solemnly.“If you don’t, I’ll kill you myself” she stated, and I
If there was a competition for who could button their shirts faster, Asher would be the winner. By the time I was down from the counter and done adjusting my slip dress Asher’s shirt was buttoned all the way up, and he was five feet away from me doing the dishes like nothing happened as Melody waddled in. No, she didn’t see anything, thank goodness.“Hey Bean, what’s wrong?” I asked, quickly running over to her as she rubbed her sleepy eyes, the blanket somehow managed to hang over her head the entire trip here.“I had a bad dweam”“Aww sweetie it’s okay, want to sleep with mummy tonight?” I asked, stretching my hand-over for her to take. I could feel Asher’s eyes on me, but I ignored it.“Yeah”“Okay, let’s go.”I took one last glance at Asher to meet his eyes already on me, and then he winked. I felt butterflies… after all we had just done on that island, a mere wink caused me to have butterflies. I shook my head and let Melody lead me away.*****I wasn’t able to get much sleep las
The next couple of weeks consisted of sleepovers… lots of sleepovers where we both tagged along, of course, because Melody didn’t want to be apart from either of us. She couldn’t quite comprehend why we wouldn’t just get married and get it over with and in all honesty, it was too complicated to explain, so we just left her wondering. Maybe Sophie would help her figure it out soon. I highly doubt that though.“Is she asleep?” He asked, and I nodded before taking my spot beside him on the sofa.“Yes. Finally”“She has way too much energy. It’s been a while since I gave that many horsey rides” he sighed, throwing his head back and looking at me. He looked so boyish again, with that smile on his face and his hair in his eyes, but he couldn’t be bothered to get a haircut.“Your cousins don’t come over anymore.”“Not since they came over one time, and I was too heartbroken to see them” he chuckled.“Oh-”“No hard feelings” he laughed, punching me softly. I slapped his hand away.“You…”“I’m
Everything went thus…I provided Kira with the footage of Mr. Herman trying to force himself on me and a voice recording of very implicating conversations he had with many other female staff he had approached before suddenly firing them and ruining their lives in the process. I also got the footage of Mrs. Herman slapping and abusing me after believing the lies her cheating pig of a husband had fed her. Finally, I also provided a lot of pictures of Mr. Herman with his many girlfriends he had gone to visit whenever he had ‘gone on a business trip’. I had gotten all this evidence when I became successful. I learned early that you only mattered when you smelled like money.Kira took the pains of contacting many other news agencies and urged them to publish the stories which they obviously couldn’t turn down because of how juicy they were. Of course, they were paid to keep their mouths shut about who had leaked information to them. It only took an hour for the news to spread like wildfire
*Samantha Ceril Gonzalez* It has been a week since I and Asher talked about the past, even with that aside we barely had time to exchange mere formalities. We had become busier than ever. I had planned on telling Melody the truth about Asher but had put it on hold till the press conference announcing our official collaboration.Asher haIt had been a week since I and Asher talked about the past even with that aside we barely had time to exchange invitations since he had a better network and I handled food picking and tasting for the event while we got an event planner to handle the rest Steph was in charge of explaining the prototypes of our gym, lounge, and underwear and the short show of what the consumers and investors were to expect.I strutted into the conference room where Asher sat at one end of the table and I at the other while we waited for the board of directors of both our companies to fill the conference room. I could feel Asher’s gaze on me even when I tried to avoid the
Asher’s private plane had gone off the radar for the past four hours after the first seven hours of the flight and no one knew where the plane was. I and Steph had only been informed two hours ago. I was going crazy with fear and anxiety. I couldn’t help but imagine the worst. Images of different possibilities floated into my mind as I tried to remain calm on the outside but was going through an emotional turmoil inside me.What we were hearing from the staff in the control room correlated so much with the Bermuda Triangle cases. Gone… suddenly lost and never to be seen again. My head felt tender from pulling on my hair in frustration, all I could do was pace back and forth in the control room while Steph kept yelling at the control room guys.“What do you mean? F*cking find him! If he dies, you all die!” Steph screamed before she paced over to me.“He’s going to be fine, okay, don’t worry.”“The storm is so bad though,” she added, as she glanced outside.“You need to calm down Steph.
It’s been two weeks since Asher went to Japan. Still nothing from him, not even a response to my voice message. Best believe it has been the most agonizing two weeks of my life, but it also gave me time to sort out my thoughts. Steph helped for the most part, which helped us fill in the gap we had missed as well.“I can’t imagine how scared you must have been doing this all on your babe”, Steph sighed, throwing her head back while I looked through some documents and pictures she had brought to me and placed them on the coffee table.“It got better with time. I got accustomed to my new life because my mom was there, which made things easier, especially when I was pregnant with Melody”. I shrugged, not wanting to let my anger overwhelm me for now.“Ugh, I can’t believe this. I’m so mad… I’ve been so mad with my father since that night, but before. I couldn’t help but hate myself for being quiet for so long”“It’s okay, you were drugged by your father and whisked to rehab just because it
I guess he was pretty pissed. In my defense, I didn't do anything. It's not like I flirted with Mike or anything, Asher and I are dating anyway. I haven't seen him in over a week. I couldn't care less… in fact, I haven't been happier. “Mummy? When is Mr. Asher going to come over again?” Melody stares at me from the mirror “I don't know bean. He's been swamped”. I flashed her a smile I hoped was somewhat comforting. She looked out the window. “He promised he was going to teach me some new swimming tricks.” “I know honey. We are trying to work things around okay. He'll come around soon," I replied. “Okay mummy” my heart was breaking at how sad her voice sounded. No doubt she had grown attached to Asher in such a short time. Where the heck is he? I take it back. I care, as much as I don't want to… I do. Anna joined me as I sashayed into the building. the clacks of our heels against the marble floors were all that could be heard for miles. “Good morning Miss Norman” “Good morning