REINAI held the design. I told Ravenna to sketch out away from my face. I stared at it, still trying to understand what she just sketched.Now, I knew that I wanted to deal with her and put her in her place with everything I had in me.But, looking at this nonsense she called a sketch made me want to humiliate her more than ever before.“Raveena,” I called her out.I noticed that she grumbled, stamping her feet on the floor before answering me. I decided to let this slide because that was not my main focus. We had a lot of work to do and this was what she was able to come up with. Quite shameful.“How did you find your way into this company? It was all through Ethan right?” I asked her, in my most calm state.“Excuse me?” she asked , raising her eyebrow.I found that very disrespecting to my office and my person. Raveena knew that I was in for her this time around and she can't escape me. Neither can she use Ethan to help her out of my hands.“I asked a question because, clearly you
REINAI saw the whole world of Raveena coming to an end as she heard that. Her break was when she went to see the love of her life, Ethan.Following him everywhere like a fly who would not leave a corpse alone. The thought of her doing that alone made my mouth bitter. I was going to do everything possible to stop them.Tears were gathering beneath her eyes and I saw as she fought them back.“What have I done to deserve this cruel treatment?” she asked as she watched her colleagues go out for a break.In her presence, I brought out my plate of chicken soup and white rice. Beside it was a fruit juice that I wanted to use to rush it down.“A lot.” I said within me, wearing a wide smile that she saw rather offensive.But, did I care? Never. I was the last person to care about what he did.“Go back to your desk and work. Remember, If those twenty sketches are not finished today, then you will sleep in the office,” I reminded her and she hit her leg on the floor like a little child.She he
ETHANIf I said I was not very impressed by what Reina showed me then it would be nothing but a lie.While I focused on the designs, my mind still drifted back to her beautiful skin and face.Why on earth did I lose this lady? She was so much invested in explaining the concept of the design to me and did not seem to give a fuck about me.But, I did give a whole lot about her. I loved her. My feelings were real and I knew that I had committed various atrocities in the past but was she going to forget about all of that?“So, that's all,” she said as she finished explaining the design that she had drafted out.I was already lost in her that I could not respond immediately. All I saw apart from the designs was her.“Ethan,” I heard my name countless times before I jolted out of my thoughts.I shook my head countless times and jerked.“I'm sorry. I'm sorry,” I apologized. She just stared at me with frustration written all over face.I knew how it felt for you to talk to a person for severa
REINA“Thank you. You guys did a great job. We will continue tomorrow,” I said,appreciating everyone's effort here with me.The whole team was doing a great job and I was very glad that we are pulling it off slowly.“But, I really wish we could work two times harder than how we are working now. This project needs to be done in no time,” I expressed my thoughts to the rest of the team standing in the same room with me.I was standing in between two mannequins that I wanted to be dressed up in this latest design. “We can. If you don't mind. We will finish these two dresses and dress the mannequins tonight so that we can show the exhibition in the fashion world before it is put up for sale,” one of the seamstresses suggested.I would have agreed to her decision but she looked tired already. They have been working all day since I brought this completed design.They all tried to get the perfect color of the materials, the gems, precious stones and everything needed for the dress all today
Ethan“Fire, fire.”I jerked the moment I heard the people in the building screaming from where I was. It all felt like a film in my eyes.The whole event flashed in my very eyes and I became so disorganized. At this time, I was in my office, going through a lot of documents that were placed on my table.The dresses that were ready were almost put out for display. We needed pictures. Not just anyhow pictures, professional pictures that would show the worth of the dress.I was still working on that when this whole shout shook me, disorganising whole thoughts.“Fire, where?” I blurted out, trying to look out of the window before taking any step. “The building. It's being razed down my fire,” one of my staff answered and without thinking twice, I dashed out of my room.The smoke coming from the fire hit my nostrils and my stomach rumbled. This was not a prank. A fire outbreak it really was.“Emergency. Call them. Tell them we have a fire in here,” I yelled at my staff who were running a
REINAI was confused the moment I saw smoke coming out of the office where I was working.I checked every corner of the room and could not find any trace of Ravenna. Before I knew it, Ravenna bounced into the room looking so unbothered when everyone was running from one corner to the other looking for ways to put off the fire.Now, seeing her in front of me just angered me. I already knew why she was doing this. Little did she know that she just unlocked a mini version of hell in her life.“Did you just say you tolerated a lot of nonsense from me? Come over again so that I can hear you well,” I said to her but she just sighed.This lady just disrespected me and I was here standing like a fool? Really? Wow. That was quite a lot for me to swallow in. I knew she was doing all of that because Ethan was here.When he was not here, she almost melted in my presence. I nodded slowly as I plotted my next plan in my head.She has no idea what is coming. This thing she has caused now was going
EthanI made sure that Ravenna did everything that I asked her to do while still involving my lawyer in the whole process.Still, everything was more or less like the prank a little child would pay. Ravenna had refused to come back to the house for some days after the incident and I also heard from Reina that she had refused to come to work.Shaking my head in front of my work desk at home, I knew that Raveena was up to no good. She had long been forgotten by me but as usual, I only kept her by my side. I only needed Reina. Now everything that was happening was not enough to get Reina close to me.She was still on her guard and didn't want to have anything to do with me. According to her, she only wanted business.Something clicked within me and I remembered a trick that I could play to bring Reina to me.I dialed her number immediately and she answered.“You called, Ethan. Is anything the problem?” she asked me, quite unserious.“No, no. Nothing is the problem. It's just business. I
REINA “He thinks he's smart.” I blurted out, throwing my phone on my couch. I had decided not to go to work today because I needed a break. And, I didn't do that alone.I have the whole team involved in this process a long damn break because they needed it.Only for Ethan to call me over to his house, hiding under the cover that he wanted me to get some design files.What does he take me for? A fool or a desperate woman who would just give in to something.I have never felt disrespected in the coming days that I have felt before. Ethan thinks he can use me as he likes but I am not that desperate.He should get the fuck away from me. My God! I buried my head, covering it with my palm.Where have I gone wrong to deserve all of these? It was a question that needed to be answered.I wish God could come in here and answer me but he didn't. I wish I could hear him speak or comfort me but I don't.Instead, what I keep seeing is Ethan making his stupid moves at me. I almost burst out into
Reina“Why isn’t he waking up, Ethan?” I whispered, clutching the edge of the hospital bed.My voice trembled as I stared at Andrew’s pale face, his tiny body was almost swallowed by the sheets. The steady beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound in the room.I was going crazy. My only child was in a critical condition. “Reina, calm down,” Ethan said softly, though from his voice , I knew he was also scared. He was standing by the window, his hand pressed against the glass. “The doctors said they are running more tests.”I snapped my head towards him. “Tests? Ethan, he has not opened his eyes in hours! This is more than a fever. I know it!”Ethan turned to me and his face tightened. “Do you think I’m not worried? I’m losing my mind here, Reina! But panicking won’t help him.”The tears I had been holding back spilled over as I buried my face in my hands. “He’s just a child. Our child. He doesn’t deserve this.”The night before, Andrew was not sick. He just suddenly became
Reina The email came at 7:45 a.m. sharp. It was as if the person who sent this mail did it deliberately to give me chills. I was sitting at the kitchen table, still in my oversized sweatshirt and sipping my first coffee of the day when I saw the subject line. “Congratulations on Your Appointment". My hand shook as I clicked the email, my heart pounding. And then I saw it: the confirmation that I had landed the job I had been dreaming about for years. It was the job of a Creative Director at one of the most prestigious firms in the city. I let out a gasp so loud that Ethan came running into the kitchen. “What’s wrong? Are you okay? Are you fine?” he asked, his face filled with concern. “Nothing’s wrong!” I said, laughing through my tears. “I got it, Ethan! I got the job!” His eyes widened in disbelief, and then, like a switch, his face softened into a smile. “Are you serious? Are you serious right now, sweetheart?” he asked, stepping closer. I nodded, holding up my phone
Reina The following morning, the house felt colder than ever. It was not the weather or the light drizzle outside my house, it was the emptiness Ethan left behind. After our little argument last night. Ethan left the house and refused to answer my calls. I was going crazy because of a husband I had married and now, he had refused to come back. My heart became so heavy as I began to think about the implications of our argument. Had I pushed him too far this time? Was this all my fault? I would have shut the fuck up and not talk much to him about anything. It would have saved us a lot of stress. I stared at the clock, my coffee untouched on the table. Every second that passed without a word from him felt like a ticking bomb. My pride told me to wait, to let him be the one to come back and apologize, but my heart was screaming at me to call him, to beg him to come home. I needed him home. I needed to see him even if we were quarreling. I picked up my phone, my fingers hov
Reina “Damn it!” I almost yelled at the blank wall b The sound of the rain splattering against the window just reminded me of how my mind was. The atmosphere in the house had changed since the accident. I was getting better of course, I knew I was. I was taking my drugs and going for my frequent checkups to make sure I was fine. I was doing all I wanted to do to stay alive. Because, Damn. I still had a little boy that I needed to take care of. Ethan was trying his best to be present, trying to make things better between the both of us and I always appreciated his efforts but something still felt fractured. No matter how hard we tried, the pieces of our relationship didn’t fit the way they used to. That was just the plain truth. I could not continue lying to myself. I loved him, yes. But we were not as we used to be. Tonight, the tension felt unbearable. I sat at the dining table, staring blankly at the steaming cup of tea in front of me. Andrew was already in bed, and t
Reina Everyday in the hospital was filled with so much pain and all I could see were patients who were attended to and nurses who were filled with so much concern. Ethan never left me for a second. He was there every morning when I woke up and every night when I drifted into restless sleep. But the accident had changed something. It was not just in my body, but in the air that surrounded us. I could feel it in the way he hovered over me, his hand brushing mine as if afraid I might shatter. I could see it in the way he looked at me. It was not just love; it was fear. And I hated it. “You are not eating enough,” Ethan said one afternoon. I pushed the food tray away, the smell of the hospital’s chicken broth making my stomach rumble. I hated the sight of food. I didn’t want to eat anything. “I’m fine.” “You are not fine, Reina,” he said, his tone hardening. He sat down beside me, his knee brushing against the edge of the bed. “You almost died.” I flinched at the word. “You
ReinaI woke up that morning feeling restless. Something was off, though I could not quite put my finger on it. I didn't know what was wrong. Ehan had left the house earlier than usual, claiming he had a meeting with a client. Andrew was still asleep upstairs and I could hear his small snores drifting down the hallway, reminding me that he was here in this house with me. Although, I knew that in an hour or two, he was going to be left with his nanny. I lingered over my coffee, staring out the kitchen window at the dull gray sky. The forecast had warned of heavy rain later in the day, but I was not worried. My schedule was packed with back-to-back meetings, and I had promised myself to leave early to pick up a package. "Are you going to sit there all day, or are you finally going to get ready?" Celia's voice crackled through my phone.“I’m moving, I’m moving,” I mumbled, setting my mug down and heading upstairs.As I dressed up, my thoughts wandered to Ethan. He had been doing goo
Reina's POV I woke up to the sound of rain tapping against the window. When I turned to my side, Ethan was not in bed. Again. For the past few days, he had taken to waking up before me, always slipping out of the room quietly. He said it was to give me more time to rest, but I noticed some strange things about him. He hovered around me yet kept his distance, as though he didn’t know how to approach me anymore. I sat up slowly, careful not to let the dizziness creep in again. The doctor’s words echoed in my mind: “Stress is a major trigger.” I could not help but laugh bitterly. How did he expect me to avoid stress when my entire life already felt this stressful? I was trying not to allow myself to be very stressed but, some things won't let me. “Reina?” Ethan’s voice startled me. I had not even heard him come in. He stood in the doorway, holding a tray with what looked like breakfast. I could see some scrambled eggs, toast, and a glass of orange juice. “You made br
Reina’s POV The pounding in my head kept on returning as it screamed vengeance to me. It was the third day this week, and I could no longer ignore the dizziness that often followed. I gripped the edge of the kitchen counter, trying to keep myself from falling to the floor as my vision blurred for a moment. “Mom, are you okay?” Andrew’s small voice pulled me out of my haze. He was standing by the fridge, holding a juice box, his curious eyes staring at me. I forced a smile. “Of course, sweetheart. Just tired. Did you finish your homework?” “Yes,” he replied, but his brows furrowed. “But, mum. You don’t look okay.” Before I could reassure him, the front door opened, and Ethan walked in. I could still feel his presence as he stepped in and it gave me a kind of feeling that I could not quite explain. Things had been better between us, but there was still a fragile thread tying us together. “Hey,” Ethan greeted, glancing at Andrew and then me. His eyes lingered on my face.
Reina I and Ethan reconciled again. After so many times of quarreling. The weeks after our reconciliation felt good at least. Ethan was attentive, loving, and almost like the man I had fallen in love with years ago. It felt too good to be true, and deep down, I could not shake the feeling that the storm wasn’t over. We were still going to have our quarrel again. One evening, as I was sitting in my home office reviewing proposals for my latest fashion campaign, my phone buzzed. It was Celia.“Reina, you are not going to believe this,” she said happily and her voice tinged with excitement and panic.“What is it?” I asked, leaning back in my chair.“I just saw Ethan,” she began.“And?”“He was at a café with a woman I didn’t recognize. They looked… close.”I felt my stomach drop. “Close how? What do you mean by that?”We just reconciled and now, Celia was telling me this? This was not true. “They were sitting in a corner booth, whispering, and he handed her a thick envelope. I did