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You could listen to Fall on me and Say Something by A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera. It helped in getting me into the right mood.
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“I know this sounds really rude of me to ask, considering the fact that this was our first meeting, but I'm really desperate, son. I hope you can understand me?”
Jordan nodded affirmatively, seeing her despondent countenance, albeit confusedly. “Yes I do, Aunt. Plus, I'm ready to grant you any and every favour you require of me. It's your wedding day, after all,” he teased, trying to get her to smile.
For some reason, he didn't like seeing her melancholic or worried. Over the few days that they had been spent together, Jordan had grown close to the middle aged woman and although she was Emerald's mother, he felt like they both had some kind of connection; a mother–son connection.
Apologies for the late update. I've been quite under the weather. I hope I get better soon 🤧. Please bear with me❤️❤️
▬▬▬▬▬●●▬▬▬▬▬ “Pa? Are you feeling any better now?” Oriana asked her father, who laid awake on the hospital bed. “Any aches or pains anywhere? I could always go get the doctor,” she pushed, watching as her mother replaced the lid back on the rim of the water bottle before adjusting his pillows so he could sit comfortably. “Ana bear, calm down.” Peter, her father chuckled, “I assure you, I'm perfectly fine. I have no idea why your mother panicked and deemed it necessary to call you all the way down here,” her mother shot him a glare at his words. “What do you mean by that? She's our daughter, she has every right to know.” Doris, her mother frowned with her arms crossed. Oriana rolled her eyes and sat back in her chair, settling herself for the drama that was sure to spring up between her parents. “Not what I meant, darling. I was just trying to say that it was just a mild accident. No need to over–exaggerate and make it seem like it was a severe issue,”
▬▬▬▬▬●●▬▬▬▬▬ “Good day, Mr. Kale.” “Good day, Armani. To what do I owe the pleasure of your call?” “Nothing at all, sir. I just wanted to inform you of our progress on the project. My teammates and I are done with the blue prints and have forwarded them all to your email. All we need now is your affirmation or. . .” the voice trailed off nervously, “. . .repudiation, sir.” Jordan sighed, hearing the uncertainty in Armani's voice. He had decided to render a land of his to her and her teammates for their university project and so far, he hadn't regretted it one bit. Working with her and her teammates had been so easy and stress-free. “Rest assured, Armani, judging by how well you, your teammates and I have gotten along, repudiation would be the last thing on my mind,” he encouraged her. “Thank you very much, Mr. Kale. I really appreciate your help, sir.” he could hear her voice brimming with happiness. “Regarding your affirmation, sir, a
▬▬▬▬▬●●▬▬▬▬▬ Sitting in an almost trance–like state, Emerald stared unblinkingly at the light purple card she held so dearly in her hands. Her gaze shifted to the purple coloured flowers lying vibrantly on her office desk as her delicate fingers brushed softly against the intricate designs on the wonderfully scented card. Thinking back to the numerous amount of cards which laid haphazardly in the drawer of her nightstand, a beautiful smile graced her face. Today marked the fifteenth day Jordan had been sending her flowers, cards and really delectable meals and she had to admit that it had now become a norm for her to the point where her heart never failed to thud with anticipation at the start of each day as she always timed the arrival of the deliveries. Letting her eyes come to focus on the view of the flowers, Emerald allowed the surprise and awe she truly felt to show on her face. Since the first day where Jord
Moving around his closet while humming a tune with a wide smile on his face, Jordan absentmindedly looked through his rows and rows of clothes for what to wear for the day's occasion he had been invited to, while also reminiscing about the letter he had received from Emerald previously.A mirthful chuckle escaped his lips as he thought back to how she had tried to hide her concern for him by ‘strictly’ shunning him from delivering more flowers and cards to her. He knew that by now, her apartment and office would be looking like a garden or greenhouse but if that would earn him her speedy forgiveness, then he wouldn't back down at all, not even in the face of an allergy he never knew he had until that day.Jordan was happy, sincerely happy and for the first time, he actually allowed himself to bask in the happiness the thoughts of her gave him. Suddenly missing those bottomless emerald eyes of hers, Jordan dove into his closet to
“Auntie, I really love your hair.” From amidst all the little voices that surrounded her, vying for her attention, Emerald could make out the petite voice of a little girl. Before she could turn around to see and thank the owner of the little voice, she stopped short when she felt a light, feather-like touch on her hair. With a suppressed grin on her face, Emerald decided to pay no attention to the soft fingers coursing stealthily through her strands as she continued to chat animatedly with the energetic kids around her, trying all her best to give them all equal and undivided attention, albeit that task was proving to be a tad difficult. Few minutes and a earful of Disney princesses talks and Marvel characters rants later, the hesitant fingers of the little girl had turned more intrepid as she literally ran her hands through Emerald's golden locks and all Emerald could do was mentally thank Oriana for the half up
Jordan heaved a sigh for the umpteenth time tonight as his eyes continued to survey the mass of guests, his chocolate orbs persistently searching for her familiar figure hiding somewhere in the crowd, but to no avail. It was like she had disappeared into thin air since he had approached her at the kids area.Jordan face–palmed, internally scolding himself for approaching her in such manner. Knowing how Emerald was, she had probably thought of the use of that title on her as absurd and for all anyone knew, she could have receded and be on her way home at the moment. Jordan's eyes had been following her since she had excused herself from the incessant kids plaguing her to spill the beans on the existence of her supposed ‘boyfriend’.He had seen her talking to his sister, Carol and even stealing a few curious glances his way, indicating that somewhere in their discussion, his name had been brought up. But, when he had th
An apartment that was usually drowned in darkness and discomforting silence was now bedazzling in rays of the white lights streaming from the ceiling as soft music wafted from Emerald's boom box and echoed round the entire house, loud enough to chase away all whispers of muteness.Completely acting in contrary to what she would normally do, Emerald had turned on all the lights in the ground floor of the apartment, ranging from the ones in the living room to the ones in the kitchen and down the hallway till up the stairs. She had also gone further to patronise Spotify, rather than basking in the quietude she usually craved.Ever since Jordan had left — or rather, ever since she had told him to leave — Emerald had become irritated with the same silence and darkness she usually couldn't do without. Whenever she stayed in a dark and quiet place for a little while, her ears would start to zing in the silence and for some reason, now,
“Are you sure this dress isn't too extravagant? He did say to dress comfortable,” Emerald grimaced subtly, moving her palms over the fabric of the dress her friend had chosen for her. “And to dress comfortable to you means a pair of sweatpants and tank tops, isn't it?” Oriana mocked, snorting as she rummaged through Emerald's shoe shelf. “Leave it to Emerald Pearce to wear sweatpants or a suit to a dinner date,” she laughed, dodging the white pillow Emerald threw at her. Oriana couldn't believe that her best friend had actually changed all of her dark and gloomy bedspreads and comforters into bright coloured ones — well, not technically bright coloured, just white, but it was a huge step out of the darkness for her. She had also changed her thick velvet curtains, which had always stood as an hindrance to the penetration of the beautiful rays of sunlight and now, as Oriana helped her get ready for her date, sh
Grunting as he hurriedly threw on his clothes after haphazardly picking the first fabric he could get his hands on, Jordan had never in his entire life, multitasked as much and as frantically as he currently did. He buttoned up his shirt—his quivering hands making the task more difficult than it ought to be—while shaking his head to get rid of the water residue in his hair from his quick shower (the quickest he had ever showered), not having the time or patience to towel it dry as he simultaneously paced the length of the room in socks to find a pair of comfortable shoes since they were all only gathering in the backyard.Finally done securing the buttons on his shirt, Jordan grabbed a towel, fed up with the water marks ruining his shirt from his damp hair, and ran it vigorously through his hair; he crossed the room with a pair of shoes in his hold (ones he had also grabbed at first sight), only to suddenly howl in pain when he stubbed his little toe against the wooden bedpost.“Fuck!
If anyone had told Jordan three years ago that he would have all he currently had, he'd have probably stared them down with an emotionless expression before flinging a dagger in-between their eyes. But now as he stood in the kitchen of their home—one Emerald had been so adamant on contributing to purchase—doing the dishes, he couldn't help the smile that seemed to never leave his face whenever he caught glimpses of the shimmering wedding ring around his finger through the lather. He had been smiling more since they had gotten over the incident two years ago. Surely at first, he had been consumed by the guilt, but after Emerald vowed to leave him for someone else if he didn't suck it all up, he had eventually gotten over it, the both of them choosing to set it amongst the things of the past they wanted to forget. Presently, as he hand-washed the pile of dishes from the lunch buffet his wife had just consumed after already having breakfast and brunch, with snacks in-between, he could
Three months. . .It had been three months since that dreadful day. Three months since he had heard her voice. Three months since he had seen those whirlpool of her emerald green orbs. Three months since she had graced him with that heart–stopping smile of hers. Three months of merciless torture for Jordan and Emerald's family.And through the seemingly endless course of these harrowing months, it had made him wonder if he would ever get to hear her sweet voice call his name ever again, if he would ever look into those bottomless orbs of hers and see his image reflected in them ever again, if he would ever feel her warm touch against his ever again. The war had been won, the obstacles had been passed over, but the casualties and damage done was irreversible and too great to bear, especially for Jordan, who was ridden by overwhelming guilt. Perhaps if he had kept his unwarranted anger at bay that night at the club, they would have finished off Carl and wouldn't have had to deal with t
Hello everyone, this Author's Note is prepared with regards to my previous about the new book I intended to publish. So there's been a change of plans and I've decided to publish a totally different book instead and leave the Yuletide novella for the holiday seasons. The next book has already been drafted and will be published this month, maybe on the 4th of April as a birthday gift from me to you guys, so we'll see how it goes. Just wanted to inform you all. With mixed feelings, I announce the completion of Behind Their Veneers. There would be an epilogue and maybe a bonus chapter or two and then we'll close Emerald's and Jordan's book officially. I'm so happy and sad about this, cause I'm going to miss these two, but it'd pave way for our upcoming couples — Remi and Zion. You're all going to love them, I promise. Well, that'll be all for now. Thank you! Your author, Laramie.
Emerald could only hear the deafening ringing in her ears, she could feel her head throbbing as though someone was using her head as a drum to beat an arrhythmic tune. Her vision swam, multiple black dots clouding her eyesight as she dangled right off the edge of consciousness. Letting out an agonising groan, she let her head fall, her forehead hitting the floor as she was unable to keep her head up any longer; it felt too heavy for her to carry, so she remained on the floor, her pulsating head against the cold ground as she tried to recover her bearings. Vaguely hearing the clicks of heels tapping against the floor she laid her head against, Emerald groaned. To her, the small clicks sounded like the harsh shrill of cymbals clashing against each other. She heard the footsteps stop in front of her and with a pained moan, she squinted her eyes open, seeing doubles of each image as she stared cross-eyed at the pair of spiked hee
A feminine voice cut through the silence of the room, interrupting Owen's response and Jordan turned his head toward the entrance of the basement when he heard the clicks of heels tapping against the floor. A blonde woman came into Jordan's view just as several masked men shuffled into the room, taking up one side of the basement, surrounding the woman, while his own men took the other side and surrounded him and Owen, their stances rigidly alert. Frowning deeply at the new and unfamiliar intruder in the room, Jordan stood to his feet, pulling Owen with him before facing the unknown woman. His eyes remained glued to her face as he tried to shuffle through his memories for recognition of her while the woman was busy ogling his body, visibly undressing him with her gaze as she licked her lips. He had never seen or heard of her before, Jordan concluded, and not having the patience to deal with an evidently horny
Emerald felt as though she had been walking for hours non-stop since she and Jordan began walking down the stairs. She couldn't count how many times she had tripped over rocks and unleveled ground and how Jordan had prevented her from hitting the ground every single time.Her ankles felt strained and were throbbing in pain but she suppressed every pained groan that threatened to escape her lips; the last thing she wanted was to be a burden to Jordan, since Owen hadn't followed them down the tunnel, although she wondered why, because they needed all the help they could get.Feeling completely exhausted, she was about to ask for a five minute break when they finally stumbled upon a door. Jordan shone his flashlight on the disequilibrated structure, pulling Emerald behind him protectively before pushing it open gently.Sneaking in appeared farfetched at this point when the door creaked rather loudly, makin
The shrill sound of cars honking on both sides of the teal colored SUV irritated Emerald to no end. She stared out of the tinted windows, eyes glued to the slowly moving traffic they were currently stuck in, but her mind far away from her consciousness.When the recollection of where they were currently headed struck across her mind again, not that she ever forgot, Emerald dug her nails into her left thigh, trying to use the sting from the self infliction to distract herself from the jitters she felt.Her breathing increased, almost coming out in pants as her heart rate spiked. Her chest constricted and she could feel the familiar violent waves of a panic attack drowning her. Shutting her eyes, she tried to control her breathing, but found it near impossible as hot tears began to race down her cheeks.Suddenly, she felt a strong pair of arms lift her off the leather seat of the car and into their lap, familiar warm
'Dear daughter. . .' 'Dear daughter. . .' Those two words stared back at Emerald, glaring at her and mocking her from the surface of the bloodstained paper. She was currently at home, alongside Jordan, who had been adamant on not leaving her by herself. Thankfully, while the entire hullabaloo went down, her mother had been too tired and deep in her sleep to wake up to the sight of the blood on the hospital floor and Emerald's lower area, as well as the mess that was Oriana's face. Not wanting to deliver such terrible news to her while she was still so weak and on a day that was meant to be the happiest day for the entire family, they had decided to keep it from her for now, at least until she recovered a bit. But Emerald had been too restless to sit still. One look at her pale and sweaty face, slightly swollen, dull and bloodshot smaragd orbs, shaking form a