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CHAPTER NINE: A CRY IN THE CROWD.
Last Updated:
2024-12-02 18:43:10
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BEHIND OFFICE DOORS CHAPTER TEN: UNSEEN BONDS.
“Is Jack safe?” Laura’s voice was barely a whisper, the question slipped from her lips as if voicing it could ease the tightness in her chest. Her heart beat a frenzied rhythm.She took a deep breath and cast one last glance toward the street as she forced herself to step back into the cozy, softly lit cafe.Her mind raced as she approached the counter, her thoughts tangled and pressed. She needed answers.“Fred took the child away in his vehicle,” she finally said, her voice quivering as she locked eyes with Jerry. “Why would he do that?” The question lingered in the air, carrying an undertone of desperation that she couldn’t hide.Jerry’s brows shot up, his surprise evident as he turned to look at her. “Fred? When?” He asked, blinking away his shock. He glanced at the line of customers but didn’t seem in any hurry to attend to them; something about Laura’s expression held him in place.Laura clenched her hands, willing herself to stay calm, though unease gnawed at her like a rele
Last Updated : 2024-12-03BEHIND OFFICE DOORS CHAPTER ELEVEN: A DANGEROUS GAME BEGINS.
Maggie quickly fixed her outfit and hair, glanced in the mirror, and checked her looks for the last time. She had to make sure that she looked perfect. No one should suspect anything.Her heart still beat with the lingering thrill, but she forced herself into a calm expression as she quietly slipped out of the office, casting a final, playful look back at Fred. “I’ll be right back,” she whispered, her gaze suggestive, a silent reminder of the taste they’d just shared.Fred hurriedly buttoned his shirt and ran a hand through his hair, breathing deeply to steady himself. He adjusted his collar and settled into his chair, but the persistent knocking made his heart hammer even harder. Who could be at his door, pounding with such urgency? Fred thought to himself.Maggie’s heels clicked against the polished floor as she moved toward the entrance. She thrust the door open, only to have her expression hang. "Oh...it’s just you,” she said, clearly annoyed.The cleaner stood there, looking
Last Updated : 2024-12-05BEHIND OFFICE DOORS CHAPTER TWELVE: THE TRAP.
Fred's vehicle sped into the yard, the ground beneath it scattering gravel in all directions and he made a swift halt.Not because he was scared, but because he was happy with how things were going according to his elaborate plan, his heart was thumping.He looked at the time on his watch and oh well, it was still early. In one hour, Jerry would be back home, which was just the amount of time Fred required to complete his mission.There was a pause in the car as he looked around to check if anyone was looking. The compound was utterly quiet with the only sound being leaves swaying in the wind.Pleased with his environment, Fred's hand sneaked into the vehicle's glove compartment from which he retrieved a worn-out paper. It was Laura’s resume, detailed, precise, and the perfect bait for his plan.Fred placed the document on the passenger seat, smoothing out its creases with a sly smile. “Desperate women are the easiest to manipulate,” he muttered, recalling Laura’s helplessness and he
Last Updated : 2024-12-06BEHIND OFFICE DOORS CHAPTER THIRTEEN: A DELICATE TRUTH.
“Jerry… Jerry, wait!” Fred’s voice rang out in the dim hallway as he jogged after his cousin. His tone was desperate, edged with panic, but Jerry didn’t slow down. His broad shoulders were tense, his pace brisk, and in his hand, he clutched Laura’s resume, the damning evidence of Fred’s manipulation.Fred caught up and grabbed Jerry’s arm, spinning him around. “Jerry, come on, bro! Let’s talk about this. You can’t tell her!” Fred pleaded.Jerry’s face contorted in anger. “Fred, what is it now? Haven’t you done enough?” His voice rose, echoing off the walls. “You flirt with every woman in this town like it’s some kind of game, and you’re still not satisfied?”.Fred shifted nervously, his usual cocky demeanor faltering. “Jerry, listen, she was too stubborn. I just wanted to get her attention. That’s all!” His voice cracked, betraying his unease.“Too stubborn?” Jerry’s laugh was bitter, humorless. “Fred, not Laura! She’s been through enough already. She doesn’t need you messing with
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Laura was overwhelmed. Her head was plagued with conflicts, insecurities, and a pain that wouldn’t go away. Waves of emotion had struck her, and as her body sank against the sink in the restroom, tears began to flow freely from the corners of her eyes like drops of rain falling from the eaves of a house.Laura faced the mirror in front of her as if trying to find something. In that state, however, she didn't want to be seen and wished to stay like that for hours.A loud bang on the restroom’s door brought her to a sudden halt.“Is anyone there?” An impatient woman’s voice reached her, followed by more banging.Laura hastily dried her face with the sleeve of the uniform and coughed to mask her voice. ‘Um… Yes, yes, I’ll be out in a minute!’ she said, making sure her voice sounded as calm as possible.She gave her reflection one last glance and opened the door.The customer stood there with an annoyed expression but greeted her nonetheless. “Hello there.”“Good morning, ma’am,” Laura
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“Uh - um, I - I’m sorry” Laura broke the silence and awkward situation as her voice trembled and she gently pulled away from Jerry’s firm grip. Her cheeks burned red, she avoided his gaze and fumbled to straighten her dress and regain composure.Jerry hesitated, feeling the heat rise to his own face.He could feel the quickening of his heart in ways that he could almost hear it pound in his ears with every heartbeat. He coughed, averting his gaze from her. “Um - yeah, didn’t notice the floor was slippery too,” he mumbled, his voice unnaturally high.The air between them felt charged, heavy with unspoken words and emotions neither was ready to confront. The faint sound of the cafe’s clock ticking was the only noise cutting through the tense silence.“We, sorry, I - I think we should close right away, it's getting late” Jerry stammered as he stylishly took out his phone from his pocket to distract himself from the uncomfortable stares Laura gave him while she readjusted herself too.“O
Last Updated : 2024-12-09BEHIND OFFICE DOORS CHAPTER SIXTEEN: THE CONFESSION.
Jerry was rooted to the door, his gaze fixated on the unexpected turn of events before him. It was something beyond his imagination. Not even close. A woman, wearing one of Fred’s shirts almost inappropriately, stood half naked looking for Fred in his other room.She didn’t seem to even notice, or maybe she just didn’t care, that Jerry was in front of her."Fred?" She called out, a high-pitched and indifferent voice as though Jerry wasn't standing there.The walls felt as though they were closing in on him. The air was trapped in his throat, fists were drawn, and the heart rate increased. What he was currently witnessing was incomprehensible.How could Fred have someone in his room at this hour? And still, come to talk to me like he really cared? What was happening?.“Excuse me?” Jerry’s voice was low and firm, though his body betrayed his rising anger. “Who are you? And what are you doing here?” His eyes fixed on the lady, unwilling to look away. Her presence pissed him off more t
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Laura finally gathered the strength to steady her breath, the fluttering in her chest slowly subsided. With great effort, she managed to bring her trembling right hand to his face and touched Jerry’s cheek as she spoke. “Jerry…” She began, her voice quiet, shaking as if it were about to break. The sentence was daunting, quite literally. She never would have thought she would find herself in such a situation, definitely not like this and definitely not with him. “I… I can’t even express how conflicted I am at this moment, but I had no idea you liked me that way. All this time I thought you considered me as a friend, a colleague.”She had never intended to cause him any pain. He was her best friend and now she was going to let it all go and there was something she had to say that was going to be the most cruel. “But how could I let him down easily?” She wondered. “How do I explain to him, that even if he is a perfect man, and in every way I have no problem with him, I just don’t love
Last Updated : 2024-12-10
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It was weirdly still in that office, amplifying the noise of Laura's own heartbeat in it. She stood frozen, taking shallow breaths, trembling fingers clutching the photograph in place and eyes skimming over the glossy image, disbelief tightening around her like a vice. Her late father was in the picture, standing alongside Maggie. That crash over her mind was the very realization that it knocked the air out of her lungs. "No..." she whispered softly, her voice trailing off. Her hand shot into her mouth as if trying to prevent a sudden gasp from rushing out.But the truth was right there and undeniable. Her father, whom she had loved and dreamed of since his passing, was smiling in the photograph with his arm around Maggie. They looked happy. They looked like family. Like they belonged together.Memories surged through Laura’s mind, swift and relentless. The warmth of her childhood, the love she had once known, before it all shattered.The arguments. The bitter accusations. The pain
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The small white piece of paper trembled in Fred's hands, the two bold lines staring into him like a silent accusation. The very well-structured life that he had lived stood on the verge of being devastated-nothing else but the evidence that dangled in front of him forfeit. Gingerly, he tightened his grip around the paper; his knuckles turned white as sharp bursts of breath followed. Underneath his skin, anger simmered so closely to boiling; but, it was just a matter of time for it to explode. "What the… what is this?" He said in an intrusive, icy voice.Laura winced under the venom in his tone. This was not how she was expecting the moment to turn out. She hadn't really envisioned it at all. Still, if she had, surely it would have and should have been different. Different from this. "Fred?" Her voice became soft; she paused. “Why are you looking at me like that, Fred?”. Fred gave a bitter laugh, a short one without warmth. He shook his head, disbelief in evidence by the way his eye
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As the doctor's words vibrated in her ears, she found herself stuck when she sat staring into blank air.“The test came back positive”. The doctor revealed. A sharp pang shot through her chest. The world blurred around her; her vision swam. "What? No”. Her voice trembled like a whisper. "How? It was only one night. That's impossible."Her cold, unsteady hands reached forward to grab the paper resting on the table. And she grabbed it without care, wrinkling the edges with her fingers and quickly scanning through the results. With her tear-stained vision, she barely saw the words, but she understood their meaning beyond doubt. A heavy surge of emotions inundated her, guilt twisting her insides, shame scorching her heart, and anger bubbling just beneath her skin as images of her mother flashed through her thoughts, the tenderness of her voice erasing into utter disappointment in memory.She lied to her mother, to Jerry, to herself. The truth lay buried within Fred, believing that one
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There was an awful silence in the house, the deadlier with the slight rubbing of leaves against each other outside, while on the edge of the couch Mrs. Charlotte excitedly tapped her fingers against her right knee. Her mind had, for a time, fought against her growing unease, but the suspicion would not yield any further. There's something really wrong with Laura.Over the past couple of days, the girl had been acting really weird, pale, weak, and a shadow of her usual energetic self. Initially, Mrs. Charlotte was convincing enough to persuade herself that her daughter was simply wearing herself out, probably getting over a passing illness. But the signs got hard to ignore eventually. That feeling of concern transformed into sheer determination. Steeling her breath, she stood up and made her way again toward the hallway that led to Laura's room. This time, she would not simply let a vague conversation fade away on easy reassurances. Her feet settled against the floor beneath the doo
BEHIND OFFICE DOORS CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-THREE: UNSPOKEN FEARS.
Laura stood in Fred's office with her arms crossed in front of her and inspected him closely as though his face was some complicated puzzle. The atmosphere between them was tightly strung with an electric hotness, as hundreds of different thoughts raced through her mind, all forming around the same question that had been torturing her painfully for the last few days. She wanted answers, real answers, no comforting platitudes or charming words thrown out there in reply to her discomfort. Dropping one foot after placing it gently in front, then lowering it into a whisper to bring him in. Laura began as she stared into his eyes softly, "Fred," “I don’t get it”. “If we are together, why should we hide it?”. “What are you afraid of?" She paused for a beat. "Why does it have to be a secret?".Fred did not answer right away. He remained still, an inscrutable expression on his face. The charismatic man she fell for now appeared far away, his gaze averted from hers while he tapped his finger
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Laura narrowed her eyes at the cashier; her suspicion was falling into the deep abyss of mistrust as the sharp, jarring laughter had escaped the lips of the woman standing before her. There was something, obviously, wrong about this, which made an awkward little tingle run throughout Laura’s neck. "I asked…”. “Why are you laughing?" She rephrased the question, forcefully subduing her feelings, but unmistakably the heat laced her voice. For a split second, the cashier's gaze held that of Laura's and seemed for a moment as though she might remember. But the idea dissipated quickly; her smile turned into a frown for a second and shook Laura off, saying, "Oh, it's nothing," now a voice suddenly too casual to be comfortable while sliding Laura's phone across the counter.“The payment has been successfully processed. You’re all set to go.”Laura hesitated, her fingers tightening slightly around the receipt. That laughter, it had felt pointed, like there was a hidden joke, one she wasn’t in
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One could feel the energy in the cafe buzzing about tenfold, the thick scent of coffee, sharply contrasted by the sweetness of baking, and then made a loud, annoying harmony of swishing voices and clinking mugs, one that seemed to focus on absolute nothingness for Laura. Her world had shrunk to nothing else except for the awkward broken silence between her and Jerry.Laura stood at the counter, making herself stiff, aware of his nearness beside her, and he had been waiting, waiting for answers, for just one explanation that could somehow justify the change in her behavior. His patience was wearing thin, evidenced by the way his knuckles pressed down against the polished counter, his legs were drawn tense and his expression unreadable.Jerry did not want to prolong the silence any further and, after a few moments, reached behind him for a rag and began cleaning the counter, pretending that he was busy. His own eyes remained glued on Laura, watching, searching.Before he finally spoke,
BEHIND OFFICE DOORS CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY: THE TRUTH HE CANNOT HANDLE.
Jerry paced restlessly before the doorstep of Laura’s apartment, fixated on Fred’s car parked close to the building. He tried to fit pieces together of the dark thoughts surging through his mind regarding what Fred could be doing in Laura’s place for the entire night. Slowly, his jaw stiffened, and his hands curled into fists. He really got angry at the thought of Fred choosing this instead of returning home; him being there for Laura filled Jerry with fury. Jealousy coursed down his veins, giving him a tense posture. After a deep breath inward, Jerry turned back to the door and knocked loudly, the impatience building within him slowly with each moment of unresolved silence.Inside, Laura and Fred rushed toward the door while tightly holding each other's hands. “Open the door, really, come on!” Fred exclaimed urgently. His gaze passed over the door's glass panel, then managed to catch Jerry’s silhouette standing outside.“No”. “You open the door,” Laura insisted, wildly adjusting he
BEHIND OFFICE DOORS CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETEEN: SECRETS BENEATH THE SHEETS.
Her memories enveloped her mind, still moments of stolen intimacy, with the warmth of his touch barely sliding off her skin. They made a pool of emotions rush through her, almost stealing her breath away while anticipation was mounting inside her. But water splashing in the bathroom jolted her from the bliss of memories. Seconds later, Fred stepped out, water droplets glistening down from his wet hair onto the floor as he passed his hand through the strands and shook them dry, his eyes glistening on her. His lips danced with a small smile as he advanced toward the bed, still bare of clothing. With the utmost tenderness, he knelt down and placed both his hands on her legs while saying, "Come here, beautiful" with a voice that sounded steady but was thrown in with tenderness.Laura hesitated for a moment but let him pull her closer. Known warmth trickled through her and chilled her deep heart. She inhaled strongly, as if the atmosphere were electrified by the pulsating moment. Fred's
