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chapter 28
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Choosen chapter 29
Vren slouched in his swivel chair as the call went on unanswered. He doesn’t want to sound desperate but he’s been ringing her phone three times in a row. He turned to his computer, his fingers drumming on the mahogany desk. He swore he would stop at three. And technically, calling her assistant is not breaking the standard he set for himself. He spun his chair and focused on the view out the glass walls of office. His thumb hovered over his phone.A brief knock on his door interrupted the peace in his office.“Come in.” He twirled his chair back around and greeted his secretary standing in his doorway.Regina’s almond-shaped eyes wrinkled on the corners when she smiled at him. She was over her 40s when he took over as the CEO of one of the largest hotel chains. He earned the title along with the secretary. “Conference in fifteen minutes.”He nodded.“And what’s going on with that?” Regina motions a hand over her face.Vren chucks his phone on his desk.
Choosen Chapter 30
Audrey surreptitiously glanced down at the hand intertwined with hers. Vren has been sweeter the past few days. He even canceled on important meetings to go with her doctor’s appointment. He insisted he comes with. It’s not that he was acting strange. He was constant in displaying a thoughtful gesture. It was crossing the thin line to romantic but she keeps that idea locked up in the back of her mind. It was almost like he was trying to win her over.“You know everyone here. And they know you.” He winks, a wry grin on his face.The pool splashed from the familiar faces clad in swim suits. Floats were on the pool, pink lemonades in every hand to balance the afternoon heat. The smell of barbecue made her stomach growled. Nathaniel Forester, one of the few people who skipped the swim suit, approaches them.“Hi. I’m glad you could make it.” He pushed his sunglasses up his head and gave Vren a manly hug before turning to her.“Happy birthday.” Audrey smiled.His
Choosen Chapter 31
His knuckles made a faint knock against the door before his arm slid back to his side. He rereads the message from Kylie this morning. Audrey called in sick and demanded to not be disturbed. Like that would stop him from checking on her. The door clicked open, Kylie’s head popping out. “I knew it would be you.”“You’re developing clairvoyance, Kylie?” He quipped, sneaking a peek over her shoulder.“No. You’re making this annoying pattern of showing up when you’re not supposed to,” she replies flatly.He fiddles with his phone before vocalizing his silent question.Kylie had a knowing look. “She’s inside.”“Oh. Is she okay?”“If I say yes, would you leave her alone?”Vren purses his lips as if in thought.“Save it. You’re not.” She opens the door further and steps aside. “Living room. If she asks you why I let you in, tell her you held me at gunpoint.”He chuckles. “Is she okay though?”“You men make my job hard.” She muttered to herself a
Choosen Chapter 32
Stilettos clicking on a marbled floor was the sound Audrey grown accustomed to since moving to the city. It sounded more appealing to her ear when she was the one making the sound. High heels are power. And she traded sneakers for power. Her feet weren’t always clad in stilettos. She was once a doe-eyed girl who thought her purpose in life was as simple as her best friend Rachel’s was. However, the naiveté wears off when childhood faded in the background.The tapping of her heels halted as she waits for the elevator. She looks down her burgundy heels, smoothing her skirt. Her mother calling every night becomes bearable enough. Comforting her mother becomes easier after every call from Vren. For the first time in a very long time, she doesn’t feel entirely alone.It became a routine. Her mother calls prior to Vren. And then she falls asleep unceremoniously while listening to him ramble on the other line.Audrey steps in the elevator and pressed the floor to her offic
Choosen chapter 33
Regina opens the door to his office, her head bobbing out of the opening. “Ms. Danler is here to see you.” There was mirth in her smile and a wag in her eyebrows.Although puzzlement registered before pleasure, he ran a hand through his hair, ironing his tie with his palm. He raises from his seat and clears his throat. “Send her in.”His secretary made a crowing noise. “All right.”Vren drummed his fingers on his desk. He waited for one more harrowing second and decided, to hell with it, he’s going to her.He walked around his desk and padded across his office to the door. He opened it, finding Audrey on the other side of the door.She stood there, her eyebrows in a beautiful crease. She had both arms tucked over her chest and she was giving him the baleful narrowed eyes.“Hi.” He smiles.Audrey put her hand flat on his chest, deliberately shoving him back inside. “Have you seen the papers?”“What papers?” He lets her push him all the way in.
Choosen Chapter 34
Vren makes her forget. He makes her light when she’s heavy from the grueling dilemmas she puts herself through. The one thing Audrey favors more is that he makes her feel. She would have been outrageous seeing that one woman transitioned to clichéd life of a novel heroine who has hearts for eyes. Right now, more than ever, she understands why women buys Sassy issue after issue as soon as it hits the stands. It was a beacon of hope to a less boring life.“I thought we all agreed this is just us girls.” Jessica indecisively browse the menu.Kathie’s cup of caramel macchiato clattered noisily on the saucer. “Jess, we don’t have men around. Audrey is just checking on her emails like she always does.”Jessica snorted, pointing a manicured finger her way. “I’ve seen her check emails. All those times ago, she never made that face.”Audrey darted her eyes away from her phone after sending a reply. “I’m not making any face.”They were at their usual hangout after a h
Choosen Chapter 35
The ride was painfully long. Her throat hurts. There was a chill setting on the pit of her stomach. A weight crushing her shoulders. There was pricking in her eyes, threatening to blur her vision. She dug her nails on her palm, reminding herself this isn’t the time to unravel. She sucked in a breath and focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Kylie walks down the hall next to her. Mark trailed behind.The waiting room was quiet. Her aunt Gemma was sitting next to her father. She rushed toward her and gave her a hug. She was trembling and she was mopping her face with a handkerchief.“It’s okay, aunt Gem. You can go and we’ll keep you updated.” She patted her back and put her rumpled aunt in arm’s length. “It’s okay.”She nods and leaves the waiting room without another word. The crying has worn her out.Kylie stood in one corner, looking slightly out of place. “Do you want me to call Vren?”Audrey could only nod. The mention of Vren weakened her.
Choosen Chapter 36
Vren pulled up in the hospital parking lot, slamming the car door shut behind him. He was on his car for four hours. Thanks to the adamant traffic. Kylie was at the entrance of the hospital, bags on both shoulders – one was Audrey’s. She was twiddling with her phone until she sees him approaching. There was relief in her smile as if she just saw an older brother coming in for a rescue.“Finally,” she sighed, typing away in her phone. She’s been updating him and he was more than grateful that her mother is out of the woods.“How is she?”“Her mom’s out of the woods. Audrey is doing okay. She handles herself like a pro,” she answers confidently.It was true. An always polished Audrey could handle almost anything. But she wasn’t a freaking machine. She might disregard that she’s human most of the time, but there’s not a trickling chance he would let her keep to herself now. He wanted her to need him. Almost like needing her to need him. And he’s working on that.
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Choosen Epilogue
Audrey nodded, sweeping her gaze on every faces in the conference room. She was in one of their weekly meetings. She was following up on their stories, barely speaking because there wasn’t much to say to the competent and insightful women around the table. The fitness team were just giving her an update when her phone buzzed with a text message from Vren.She clicks her pen, wishing nothing more but for the meeting to be over. And when it did, she watches in agony as everyone exits before her. She types a reply on her phone, changing her mind when a man she recognized in one glimpse comes in as everyone else was going out.The lingering glances didn’t go unnoticed. She was getting used to the female attention he constantly gets wherever he goes. She still has her moments though – where she just couldn’t help but get jealous. But, of course, Vren doesn’t have to know that. The things is, she really thought the women would eventually subside once he no longer have the lux
Choosen Ending part 2
“Berry, nude or matte blue?”Audrey squinted closer to her computer screen where Jessica was holding three nail polishes and Kathie was shifting in her enormous couch. “Nude.”Since two out of three has had hassles going to places, they resorted to video calls.“Yeah, nude.” Kathie nods, pausing to fluff a throw pillow.“Boring. I think I’ll choose matte blue.” She glances briefly at them, then snort laughed.Audrey shot her a glare. “What?”“Nothing. My screen is ninety-five percent round bellies. Five percent faces of my best friends.” She shakes the bottle, grinning at the screen.“I’ll kill you if you take a screenshot right now.”Jessica bellowed a laugh. “I’d like to see you try with that belly.”“Just wait until you get one of these bellies too,” Kathie chimes in a sing song voice. She adjusted her phone, angling it to her face.Their friend merely snorted and started painting her toenails.Audrey would’ve given a skeptical eye
Choosen Ending part 1
“Sweetheart?” Vren closes the door behind him. She hasn’t opened the door for him. Although she only meets him at the door on a few occasions, he’s still allowed to expect a peck from his girlfriend. He padded quietly inside his penthouse, chest fluttering as he hears her elegant voice from the living room.He watches in amusement as the woman he’s been obsessing over for months now chided someone over her phone. He couldn’t exactly hear the entire conversation but he was able to get the idea that it was about an advertiser who pulled out from a prime spot at the last minute.She’s supposed to be on sabbatical leave but she kept everything monitored through Kylie. Although she reassured him she’s keeping herself from stress, Vren tries to get her off the phone. Mainly for his own personal gain because he needed the attention. Some days she’s hunched over her laptop, maybe checking her emails, and sometimes engrossed in a video call with her friend Rachel Myers whom she
Choosen chapter 45
Audrey paces in her bedroom. The pink interior slowly transitioned into an irritating shade because her room looked happy in contrary to the dread dwelling in the pit of her stomach. Her mother came over to her Aunt Gemma’s house—the first time she went out of the house since she has been discharged from the hospital.A revving car from outside snapped her out of her thoughts, reorienting her to the task at hand. The engine groaned loudly into a stop but she couldn’t care less about it. She leaned her back against the wall, looked out the window where the sun was streaming in several hours ago. There wasn’t any trace of it anymore which means she’s spent the day fruitlessly.The wall felt cold against her back. She gathered a calming breath in through her nose and scrolled through her contacts one more time. Swallowing the bile in her throat, she rings him. The soles of her feet were freezing as her palms. She hoped it will go to voicemail and save her from the embarras
Choosen CHAPTER 44
One call. All it takes is one phone call. For Pete’s sake just call. She’s been staring at her phone all morning. She’s been mustering all the courage she needed to make the call. Since when did a single phone call became her toughest obstacle?Right. When she started mooning over Vren Parkinson without control over it. And that’s why she’s been wanting to call in the first place.Audrey figured she needed the fresh air to clear her mind, so she sat in the front porch and breathed in some courage.She’s been so occupied she didn’t pay attention to the car easing onto the driveway. Her head snapped to the direction of the driver’s side where the car door just closed with a soft thud. Her hands clenched at the sight of a familiar face she’s known by heart.He hesitated when he sees her on the porch swing. Mistaking her lack of movement for something else other than pure surprise, he turns and reopens the door.“Dad, it’s okay.” She bolted upright, stopping her
Choosen chapter 42
Vren pursed his lips irritably as he reaches the end of his contacts. Yet again. In emotional conflicts, he would resort to calling a past fling. But, surprising himself, he was deleting each single one from his contacts.What the hell was he supposed to do?For a great portion of his life, he had women as proven distraction from the noise of business ordeals. However, he haven’t met Audrey then. He didn’t have a deep emotional conflict that could only be relieved by one particular woman.His life is way off course. The only solution to put it back on track is to have his Audrey back. Whatever it might cost him. He had long lists of grand gestures he’s taken a mental note of. If that doesn’t give away how much he hasn’t been sleeping, maybe the dark circles might.He was on the verge of smashing his phone for having no one else to call. He takes out a heavy sigh and pressed that one phone number he has considered to call.Damn it. What the hell?Vren cli
Choosen chapter 41
Audrey won’t talk about it. She won’t even think about it. She wrapped her arms around her legs and tucked her knees against her chest. Her fingers shielded her eyes from the sun. She peeks through the space between her thumb and forefinger to assess how much she overslept. Her arm slumped back to her side as she wishes she could sink further to the cushions.He loves me.She shakes her head aggressively, shoving the thought out of her head.She told herself that this is how things are supposed to be. It was right to keep him in arm’s length. The barely there suggestion of marriage triggered everything she had kept at the back of her mind and pooled all over her. The mention of the ring really did a number on her. Her mother’s words that angered her then, came back to haunt her. However, she developed the habit of setting aside outside influences from her decisions over the years. So if Audrey were to screw up, she has an accusatory finger right to her face.Aud
Choosen chapter 43
Audrey sink to the rug, her gaze going over the opened door of the bathroom where she just spent the entire morning after having a round of morning sickness and some other stuff she doesn’t want to think about. A small sob slipped out, followed by another.She began crying in the quiet of the guest room. Her chest heaved from huge, racking sobs that doesn’t seem to end. She pulled her legs close, tucking her knees to her chest. She buried her face on the comfort of her thighs. Hoping it will muffle the sound.She was fine yesterday. She was doing well in keeping her mind off the soft spot. But waking up today with a terrible morning sickness felt like stepping right onto a landmine. Amidst the distressing process of cleaning her stomach clean, she thought about how bearable it once was when Vren was right on her side, holding her hair back, rubbing her back and his voice so soft on her ears.“Damn it!” She hissed as the memory flood in fresh new tears to her already
Choosen Chapter 40
Vren’s hand covers hers, snapping her out of her stream of thought. They were in the kitchen having coffee after lunch. He wanted to stay for the weekend. Badly. But he had important business to attend to that he couldn’t reschedule. He likes to think that Audrey was just sulking that he couldn’t stay, but that’s not Audrey. She won’t show her need for him to stay because that would be demanding him to stay. And she’s not the kind to hold someone back.“You’re awfully quiet, Audrey.” He links his pinky finger with hers, finally drawing her attention to him.Her other hand grazed the curving handle of her mug. “It’s nothing, really.”“What is it? Maybe I can help?” Vren wasn’t dense not to notice her mother locking herself up in her bedroom. Audrey leaves her be.She kept her eyes on the mug like she found entertainment in the swaying steam of her coffee. She was silent still.Vren urges her face up with a finger beneath her chin. “Is this about getting a rin
