"Is that all?" Hodja asked as if things should go further between his sister and his friend.A forced smile appeared on her face. "Uh. Anything else?"Hodja shrugged. "You're not thinking about going out with him."Vivian snorted. "Please.""I really mean it. I don't like you living alone forever. You should find someone to rely on." Hodja said seriously. "I think Jerry is right for you. I'm serious."She knew he meant well but she was never sure what was in his heart anymore. "There's still a long way to go.""Miss Vivian...""I'll think about it," Vivian reassured her brother. "Tell me about yourself, how have you been these past two years? Are you and Sunnee about to have another baby?"They talked until late at night. That night, she slept at Hodja's house.~~~~~Next morning.“Boss, do you really have to do that?” Aiden stood at the door of Jaime's office, asking."Come in," Jaime said. "If you're hungry, come eat with me. My maid makes hamburgers and coffee.""Thanks, boss. I'm
His phone rings. It's a strange series of numbers. He leaned back in his chair. "Hello, I'm listening.""It's me."He sat up straight. He was ready to talk to her."Can we meet for a moment?" Vivian said. Her voice was still completely familiar to his ears, making his heart tremble with desire. In two years, she took a lot from him.After saying the place and time, she hung up.Locked in a phase of disbelief, he stood up and walked over to the window to get a panoramic view of the city. Vivian took the initiative to call. He couldn't understand that fact, even though he knew she did it because of Jerry."Vivian." He called her name then a smile appeared on his lips.The company phone on his desk beeped, and the receptionist's voice rang out. "President, Miss. Luna is calling."Looking unhappy at having his thoughts interrupted, Jaime walked back to the table and pressed the button. "Tell her I'm busy, I won't have lunch with her." He paused then added. "Say I have an appointment I can
After lunch, she drove out to the courthouse, arriving fifteen minutes early. She waited on the stairs in front of the building but thirty minutes later Jaime still hadn't appeared.She stubbornly waited another ten minutes before finally calling him but to no avail. Anxiety spread throughout her body. Maybe he didn't hear her words yesterday.Vivian was about to call him again but her phone rang. It was a call from Jerry, his voice was urgent. "Vivian, the contract has failed.""What?" She was stunned, her eyes wide open."We need to move our things to our new workplace today.""Impossible." Vivian raised her voice, ignoring the looks she received. She spoke frantically. "I talked to him yesterday...""We don't have a chance anymore." Jerry's voice sounded troubled. "I'll bring our stuff and meet you at the mall."Frustrated, Vivian turned around and rushed down the stairs. The thought of working with Jaime - under Jaime made her feel sick. There's something bad about him not showing
Since the day he believed Vivian had been burned to death, Jaime lived with guilt and shame. He sent flowers to his brother to express his condolences and apologize. Hodja despised him for driving his sister out of the house to her death.Because of that, Jaime never had the courage to appear before him. The guilt tormenting Jaime was like sending his soul to the grave.Now, Jaime was certain that his younger brother knew his sister was alive and also knew how she lived these past two years. Maybe he intentionally hid it. What exactly happened in those two years - Jaime wants to know everything. Why are Vivian and Jerry a couple? She should have gone back to him and asked for his forgiveness. She should do it.Jaime sped down the road, arriving at Hodja's workplace. Enter the building and go to the reception desk, he said. "I want to talk to Hodja." Without giving her a chance to respond, he added. "Tell him I'm Jaime. I want to talk to him about his sister."Five minutes later, he wa
"Eat it," Jerry said, leaning over to put the roast on her plate. "Our first day at least wasn't a complete disaster.""You're right." Vivian agrees to make a toast."I hope we get a lot of lawsuits, so we don't have to stay in the office all the time," Jerry said.Vivian smiled at him. "I hope so too."Jerry smiled, she listened to the loud conversations and the noises of cups and plates clanging around them. If things went the way they wanted, she would have a glass of champagne with Jerry right now instead of eating at some meat restaurant and drinking beer.Life is unpredictable, going around in circles and eventually returning to the same place, because from the beginning she was in city X, near Jaime."Why?" Jerry asked. “Do you think he hates you?” When she looked at him, Jerry reminded him. "You said he hated you, wanted revenge on you. It's just... I never thought he was that type of person. I know you don't want to hear about this but I still remember the way you looked at h
The thought of opening the conversation made her take everything a lot less. "Sorry." She called out stiffly. "I don't know the password."Then she heard Jaime talking to his secretary. "Tell her the password."Even more irritated, she gritted her teeth when she saw Aiden coming. Leaning down as if to whisper, he spoke. "The password is the president's birthday. He said you know it."Without answering, Vivian quickly entered the number and pressed the 'enter' button. Once she was logged in, Aiden stepped back, she could hear him talking to Jaime about some sales records followed by a meeting. Hearing those stories early in the morning, was so noisy and annoying.Her phone rang, and she picked it up. When she hears Jerry's voice, the door opens and closes, showing that Aiden has left."I'm here. It seems I've been assigned an unrelated mission." She spoke into the phone. "What are you doing?""Don't answer the phone while working. Please put it away." Jaime spoke loudly from where he s
"I'm almost done," Vivian replied. Grabbing the tray, they stood up and left together. Gritting his teeth together, he looked up, his eyes looking at Vivian's back growing smaller and smaller.Not wanting to eat anymore, Jaime got up and went upstairs to his office. Vivian sat on the couch again, typing furiously. Without saying anything to her, he sat down at his desk, pretending to shuffle some papers while watching her from afar. The distance between them was like a mountain he needed to jump over.A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts, he looked up to see Aiden enter. "The meeting is about to start, boss.""Uhm..." He said and stood up, taking the document the secretary gave him. With a discreet glance at Vivian, he walked out, spending the next two hours extremely bored in the conference room. When she returned later that afternoon, Vivian was gone.Packing his things, he drove back to the moody house, which stood tall like an abandoned mansion on a ghostly hill. The house
Juke slept on Vivian's lap, so she placed the computer on the arm of the chair and typed quietly. She looked up when he walked in after the meeting. Taking off his jacket, he walked towards her and gave it to her."Put it on Juke," Jaime said. Quietly taking the shirt, Vivian gently draped it over Juke's body like a blanket. "Is he crying again?""Uhm," Vivian replied.Jaime glanced over at his sleeping grandchild then turned back to his desk but stopped after three steps. Turning around, he glanced at Vivian, hesitantly, expecting her to reject him. "Are you hungry?"Vivian's unreadable eyes scanned the computer and then the window before looking up at him. "Uhm... yes.""What do you want to eat?" He expected her to say whatever but instead, she said."Sandwich and a bottle of mineral water."Without saying a word, he turned and walked out. As the door closed, he let out a deep breath, feeling his heart beat wildly in his chest.Finally, Vivian spoke kindly to him.~~~~~Vivian finds
5 months later...The road she traveled over the years was full of rocks. Vivian doesn't understand why small things turn into such great things. Life is a circle, she ran a big circle and finally returned to the starting point.She learned that with perseverance, one can go further and that weightless dreams can take flight one day. When the road is long and dark, it means the end is near, there will be light at the end of the road.All we need to do is put in effort and courage, no one can get out of their dark path without scars.That's difficult. Her heart is small and scared but the fear is less now than before.Vivian finds it funny how dramatic and difficult situations have happened to her and Jaime. However, in the end, they somehow remained together hand in hand.She couldn't know if they were soul mates in existence, but she believed that deep down, they had built an eternal bond somewhere from the beginning. That bond remains even after two years apart.She was happy that J
"Wait." Jaime quickly pulled Vivian back as soon as she opened the bedroom door.The bags hanging from her arms collided with each other. She asked with irritation. "What's up?""Close your eyes. Don't open them until I tell you to."Vivian snorted. "Is this some trick from that stupid book Clinton lent you?"His eyes became warm. "Of course not." Even though that's a lie. This was a cliché idea he read from a chapter in a book Clinton gave him: How to Surprise a Woman.Vivian closed her eyes.“Did you close your eyes?” He leaned forward to check."Yes." She nodded. Grabbing her shoulder, he led her into the room, gently closing the door behind him. Turning on the light, he led her toward the bathroom and stopped right in the doorway."OK, you can open your eyes." He said and smiled with satisfaction when Vivian saw rose petals floating on the bathtub. The scent of lavender and rosemary flows from lit candles placed around the rim of the tub.Vivian smiled impressed. "Are you serious?
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Vivian sobbed and pulled her mother close as if if she loosened her grip, she might lose her again.It's been a long time since she touched her mother's hair, smelled her scent, or hugged her tightly. All the regrets and pain shattered in that moment, nothing was more important than this moment. "Mom."Their reunion was spent crying and apologizing. Tears fell from all the hurt they had carried over the years. Each tear carries a different story every time it falls.There hasn't been a day since their father passed away that their small family of three has felt so complete."Look at you two." Her mother cried, stroking both of her children. The fact that they survived without their mother's warm hands, she said in a hoarse voice. "You two have grown up very well. My children.""I brought my daughter. Do you want to meet her?" Hodja asked. Picking up baby Esther from the ground, he gave the baby to Mrs. Maggie. "Esther, this is your grandmother. It's your gra
Vivian stayed at Hodja's house, hiding there for a few days until she calmed down and thought things through, but she felt like she was causing trouble for his small family. They are happy. She couldn't go to Jerry's house, so her brother's house was the last thing on her mind.First thing in the morning, Aiden called to let her know she didn't have to go to Jaime's office anymore, and instead she could work with Jerry.The past few days, burying herself in work had helped take other thoughts from her mind, but returning to the solace of Hodja's apartment was completely different. The room was very quiet.She lay on the cold bed and couldn't sleep. When she has nothing to do, she often walks around the apartment, stopping to look out the window.For a week, she let her mind wander and her heart rest for a while. Personal space helps clear any blockages in her mind. The fog began to gradually dissipate, and she could almost breathe normally again. Her chest is not too heavy.All that w
"Why do you want to be my mother now? Why should I call you mother, when you're not there for me or for Hodja, why?" Bitterness filled Vivian's heart. "I don't even know you. Jaime has considered you his biological mother for half his life, more so than Hodja and I. So how do I call you mother?"Vivian's eyebrows furrowed as she looked toward her mother for an answer, but she said nothing. Breathing out a light breath, Vivian turned away to wipe away her tears."If you were there when Hodja almost died twice, I would have knelt and admitted my mistake." Vivian declared. "But you weren't there. Others can proudly say that their mothers raised them well, but Hodja and I couldn't have that happiness. I raised him in your place. I also support myself. We never lived like other people. Waking up to my mother's breakfast, we never had that breakfast.""If I could go back in time, I want to experience that once. I missed that so much that when I finally ate your food, it just made me angry a
Everything would have gone according to Jaime's plan perfectly if he hadn't mentioned her mother. Vivian's blood boiled. She doesn't want to listen. She doesn't want to.Pulling the blanket over her head, she tried to fall asleep.The next morning, she woke up to the smell of delicious food. Jaime was cooking in the kitchen. "Come and eat quickly." He said as she walked in from the bathroom.They ate quietly like strangers. That's so sad. They had come so far, having been together for less than two years apart. Their relationship is so fragile that even the slightest touch will shatter it.Stealthily glancing at Jaime, Vivian found that she didn't know what to say. Is it her fault that they are like this? Because she was too stubborn, too stubborn because she had been in the dark for too long?Because she can't come to terms with her feelings for Jaime or admit them out loud?Is cowardice driving her life so she doesn't want to hear anything from him?That's right, it's her fault, she
Everything was hazy in memory, the argument two years ago had fatefully ended what they had. Remembering why Vivian left him is an even bigger task than plotting to get her back.Jaime leaned forward and ruffled his hair with both hands, frustration evident. Was it the heat of the moment that made Vivian pack her suitcase that night?He can't remember. What he remembered after watching Vivian leave was standing here in this room with anger welling up in a way he had never felt before.He doesn't care if she comes back or not. Jaime regrets that. He should care, because that's what means the most to him right now.That night if he had chased Vivian right after she left, maybe they wouldn't be here constantly arguing. Raising his head from his hands, he thought. Once she left, it seemed like she had no plans to return.He ate lunch and dinner in solitude hoping Vivian would return to eat with him, even if they ate in silence better than without her.If he hadn't rushed to talk to her th
When Vivian returned, she walked into the bathroom, Jaime knew that she would be stiff with anger despite the wonderful night they had had. It's better to give her some space to blow things up, like his mother suggested.Closing his eyes to return to dreamland, he prayed that Vivian would not leave him again.After cleaning up the messy clothes scattered on the floor, he took a shower and walked out. There were no plans for today, so he didn't know what Vivian would do. Mrs. Maggie and Juke have not returned from their trip yet, only the two of them are at home.Since meeting Vivian again after two years, he's begun to learn about her temperament, adapting to it, to a degree he never had when they first knew each other.When angry, she will bite and fight back easily, making him nervous or, most annoyingly, ignoring him. Today she will be angry because he won't let her continue last night's unfinished story.Jaime couldn't figure out how he was going to fight her. He just knew they ne
His excitement increased when he felt that Vivian temporarily stopped resisting. Quickly pulling down her shirt, he smelled her scent and kissed her shoulder. He had been waiting for this.The joy that Vivian kept for him for two years. She owes him. All he could think about was carrying her to bed and claiming her as his own.Retrieving her wet lips, he inserted his tongue into her mouth, groping until his fingers rested on her thighs. He caressed her white calves, pulling her forward to get even closer.Jaime desired her slowly. He wanted to taste every part of her to be reminded of her innocence. The girl's embarrassment about undressing in front of him swept across his mind. He'd be damned if he let her get away after tonight.Releasing her lips, Jaime breathed into her mouth, their lips barely brushing each other. His whole body was aroused, he was using all his energy to satisfy his desire. Turning off the light, he picked her up and walked towards the bed.Vivian's body is attr