After Daniel ended his call with Sylvia, he tapped his desk and a number keypad was projected.
He keyed-in a six-digit number and pressed his index finger and his drawer opened up.
He put a pen in a pen holder to prevent the drawer from locking.
It is a normal looking desk, alright.
Until someone tries to open it forcibly.
Someone like Celine.
‘Ahhhhh’
He took a deep breath and went under the desk to inspect the damage that Celine has done.
Who knew her kick could be deadly?
He ran his fingers and felt the dent on the wood portion.
“Tsk” he could not help but feel sorry for his desk.
He made the desk himself.
Combining his woodcraft and technology.
It’s one of his masterpieces.
And the annoying heiress just kicked it unabashedly.
‘Ha!’
The annoying heiress.
Is it difficult to say, ‘don’t agree to the wedding, Dan
“What’s the meaning of this?” she asked in confusion.“Why do you have my underwear?” she looked intently at Daniel expecting him to panic but she only saw calmness.What is happening?Daniel took a deep breath and walked towards the tall book shelf behind the desk.“Someone took it from you, I just took it back” he then placed a folder full of her photos in provocative positions.Celine didn’t know how to respond.“It’s not what you think”“What do you think I think?” Daniel calmly asked back.“I was assaulted that day. His name was Enrique” she started recalling everything that happened at the party.How Enrique approached her and how he mentioned having a meeting with Daniel. How he suspected that she is Anne Yates.There’s no point in hiding it now from Daniel.When she finished her story, she was already snu
“There’s nothing wrong with being resourceful, mother” she objected.“Except when he held them captive and force them to fight to death until he gets his information” Minerva corrected her.Celine just stared at her mother then took a deep breath.“And you know this, how?”“Because he held your Uncle Clint there”“You remember Uncle Clint’s bodyguard, found dead at the marina?” Minerva asked.“He went missing when Uncle Clint escaped to Blossom Country” she continued without waiting for Celine’s reply.Celine could not help but roll her eyes.“Honestly mother, I couldn’t care less about Uncle Clint or his thugs”“Do you know that Uncle Clint kidnapped me and proposed that I marry him instead?”“Shouldn’t the community thank Daniel for cleaning up unwanted citizens?” Celine scoff
Aunt Marge immediately understood her dilemma.“You need to let him know. Or it may be too late” the older lady squeezed her hand for comfort.After a few more exchanges, she finally felt comfortable with Aunt Marge.No wonder Daniel and Sylvia has only kind words for her.She could easily put anyone at ease without the fear of being judged.They were still enjoying their chat when Daniel called again.“Are you still with the insurance agent? I can pick you up if you’re held up”“No need. I’ll be back in 30 minutes” she said then ended their call.Aunt Marge is watching her reaction the whole time and she saw how Celine’s cheeks blushed while listening to Daniel’s voice.The way her eyes sparkled when something silly comes from the other end.She also noticed how Celine carefully ordered snacks which were Daniel’s favourite.Now she understands what Oscar meant earlier in the office when he said ‘they both needed a push’.“You can tell him how you really feel, Celine. Pain is more bea
When she left Linda’s room, she suddenly felt there’s nowhere to go.She has an unfinished discussion with Daniel about the incident in the yacht.About their divorce settlement.About his wedding.About him giving her flowers.She doesn’t want to go to the facility because all her bottled-up emotions would explode if she heard Sylvia’s gentle voice.Not to the mansion, for obvious reasons.Hotel it is.She decided to sit at a nearby bench near the bus stop and watched the people as they chase the bus.‘Funny’, she thought.After they managed to get on the bus, they were relieved enough to smile and to continue scrolling through their mobile phones as if the previous bus chase did not happen.Maybe it’s a gift to be able to acknowledge an obstacle and surpass it and move on and then repeat every time.To be able to celebrate small wins and to have the courage to accept defeat.She has never imagined to be in another person’s shoes.But sometimes she wonders, what if someone else is in
When they reached the resort, Celine could not prevent the inevitable. They ended up staying-in the whole afternoon and when they finished, she could not move a muscle.A lot of things have happened between them in the past few weeks, but it seemed none of it mattered when their bodies had a language on its own.They were in synched as soon as the doors were closed, and no words were needed to be spoken.Their bodies knew what they needed, and the mind just indulged in the pleasure.“D”“Shhhhhh” Daniel immediately cut her off.“Let’s not think of anything right now” he pulled her closer and just closed their eyes.For the first time in his years of existence, he felt free.Free of obligations.Free from being a Stevenson.Free from being Roland Yates’ apprentice.He just wants to be a man who longed to be with his woman.And the serenity that encapsulates them was so overwhelming he didn’t notice a drop of tear escaped from his eyes.And as soon as he realized it’s enormity, it was g
“I thought you want me to be happy?” Daniel asked innocently.“I do. But you won’t be happy with an arranged marriage. You should pick your own wife. I can help you with that. I can filter out those who are incompatible with you” she reasoned-out.“You sound like a jealous wife. If I didn’t know any better, I would think you’re in love with me and want to keep me to yourself” Daniel smirked then winked at her.“Oh wait, you insisted on divorcing me so I’m sure that’s not the case”She squinted her eyes in annoyance.How dare he expose her like that without regards for her feelings?“You’re so annoying” she just rolled her eyes to finish their discussion.She continued working on her laptop, but she couldn’t maintain her focus.Tack! Tack! Tack!Her keystrokes are so powerful it loosened-up all the gunk in her keyboard.After some time, she noticed Daniel went to the bathroom and came back smiling.“I’ve prepared your bath, you look like a dragon about to blow fire” he pointed to his n
The next day, she woke up before Daniel and her smile slowly crept up her face. There are times when she looks at him, as if she’s seeing him for the first time, and her heart would skip a beat. But most of the times, she sees him as a familiar face that gives comfort and warmth to her heart. She always thought she had to choose between the Daniel who sweeps her off her feet and the Daniel who would always catch her when she falls. But she knew in her heart, she needed both. She’s lucky Daniel is everything she ever needed in every stage of her life.“Are you sure you’re not in love with me?” she saw Daniel opened his eyes with a soft smile.“I was about to wake you up, you overslept. You promised to go to the cave” she demanded expressing her usual attitude.She turned around to hide her blush and let a gentle smile register across her face.Daniel did not waste any second and before she knew it, they were already trekking the inside of the jungle towards the secret cave.“Daniel, I
“You don’t like it?” Daniel asked.“I like it. This is mine, yes?” she confirmed without emotion.She thought she could escape the inevitable.She thought having Daniel all to herself in a faraway location would make her fantasy a reality.It seems he has moved on.No matter how many times they would share a bed, he would still belong to someone else when the time comes.When they went back to the resort, she suggested to go back to the city. Since she also wanted to visit Linda and the baby, Daniel did not suspect anything.“I can design a new ring if you don’t like it” Daniel has been observing her since he showed her the rest of the ring.Her reaction was not what he has envisioned for the longest time.He was expecting her to be moved and appreciative of his efforts but instead she just dismissed everything.“I’m just used to having one broken ring. Now that it’s complete, it just feels…unfamiliar” she replied honestly.“I think I will keep the two rings in my vault and just retai
The wedding was finished in an instant followed by a sumptuous dinner. The guests all stayed for the weekend at the resort and soon it was time for the guests to leave.“Enjoy your honeymoon. But you’ll have to decide how the company will move forward given that Minerva’s position will be vacant” Linda reminded both Celine and Daniel.The mother superior could not be any happier for the two of them now. Now she only wanted for Celine to have babies so she can guide her through motherhood.“Still work, Linda?” Daniel teased.“Actually, no. I want her to enjoy her motherhood so she has to sign the formalities as soon as possible” Linda objected.“Pbbft. Motherhood will only come once she’s ready. Maybe after two years if we’re lucky” Daniel defended his wife.Linda gave Celine a knowing look and she saw Celine shrink back. Clearly, she hasn’t told Daniel about it. Anyway, it’s not her business she just have to wait for her to be ready.When all the guests have left, Daniel decided to br
The eve of the wedding ceremony arrived and Helene’s resort was livelier than usual.Although the staffs were initially told that it was a small celebration, they still decided to close it down when they found out it was Ms. Yates’ wedding. Although the resort is closed for the next few days, all the staffs were present assisting the guests making sure everyone is comfortable and enjoying their stay.The Bloom family was immediately impressed as soon as they stepped foot on the resort.They had never imagined they would see the white beach and turquoise waters that Helene fell in love with during her final days.Grandma Bloom’s eyes were teary seeing the blooming flowers.Those were Helene’s favourites.It’s feels as though Helene would appear anytime in these flower beds.Celine was observing the old couple and decided to give them a back story.“My parents fell in love in this place and this is where I was conceived as a result of their love. This holds a great deal to my mom and I
The old man was really grumpy.And why wouldn’t he?Celine said that the ceremony will only involve a few guests. And it would be a simple celebration. However, as soon as she started setting up her decorations, he knew it wasn’t as simple as she claimed it to be.Since he could not convince them to stop, he left the farm as soon as they started putting up the tent and only came back when he received the message that the farm is back to its previous order.He could already see their eco-friendly rating dropping from the charts. He still needed to submit reports to explain that the event did not pollute the environment.So, he is really grumpy right now. He has a lot of work to do.If the spoiled owner wanted to discuss business he needed to calm down for a day before he would be willing to negotiate.To be honest, he’s beginning to have second thoughts on selling the property to Celine. Who could guess what she’s planning to do next time?If only there’s a way to contact his master’s
Everyone kept their silence when they saw Celine followed by Daniel.If looks could kill, Daniel would have been dead by now based from the glaring stares he’s getting. Even Aaron who adored him looks at him disappointingly now.He knew he made a mistake but he can explain himself if he will be given a chance. All that matters to him now is that Celine agreed to be his wife for real. The rest will follow later on.“Let’s have dinner now. Celine is hungry” Daniel said to break the deathly glares directed at him.The rest of the group snapped out of their own worlds when they heard Celine was hungry.Sylvia immediately went to the kitchen to check on the food while Aunt Marge prepared the dining table.Celine wanted to help but everyone wanted her to rest.She thought about what happened in the afternoon and they must have felt pity for her.Her heart warms up at the special treatment she’s receiving.“Uhhmm. Daniel and I talked about what will happen tomorrow. Since we originally plann
Daniel tried to swallow hard to remove the lump building in his throat.Suddenly, it was very difficult to breathe after realizing what happened.He let the elders scold him so he could punish himself but Sylvia’s silence was more than he could take.No one said another word anymore. No matter what they wanted to say, it’s all useless now.They were at this stand still when the Blooms arrived.“Ah, Daniel you came. Celine would be relieved” Dr. Bloom was filled with vigour.He never expected the wedding atmosphere to lift Grandma Bloom’s spirits.They just came from the make-shift tent where she inspected the final decorations and her eyes were dreamy.“Let’s get married again tomorrow, dear” she joked as she gave instructions to the wedding planning team.“Grandma” Daniel greeted.Grandma Bloom acknowledged his presence but turned her attention to the la
Their reactions were not like as she has expected.“What if Daniel doesn’t want to get married?” Aunt Marge suddenly asked.She was worried that Daniel would have to give in to Celine again.For the Stevensons, they place a high value to marriage and family. Since their businesses could easily attract those unscrupulous characters, they needed the kind of security that only blood and family could provide.“Of course, Daniel will marry Celine. There’s no way that Daniel will object” Sylvia defended Celine from the Stevensons.“I understand all your concern. Of course, Daniel will have to agree this time. Anyway, I prepared the ceremony thinking that Daniel has really found a wife. It turns out, it’s only a ruse to throw off the Solomons.” Celine explained.“Daniel has already said that he will only get married because of love. I guess later I will know if he sees me as his potential
She could hear Britney’s sobs in the background. Daniel must have put their call on speaker mode. Isn’t she really thick-skinned? If it were Celine, she would have definitely dug herself out of that room. But then again, she’s Britney Smith, only she can do what she does and only she can accept this kind of embarrassment.“Britney, just cross Daniel’s name on your list. He’s not used to dealing with emotions so you will really lose out. He’s also not romantic so you will be really bored. Aren’t you embarrassed if you have to set an appointment with me if you want to have intimate nights with him? Even if you managed to marry him, he will not acknowledge your marriage in public so no one will really know that he’s your husband. Trust me on this one, he’s been married for seven years now and yet no one knows about his wife. If you want to receive flowers, you will either have to plant it yourself or order it online to
She felt an inexplicable excitement hearing his deep and powerful voice. But her excitement was quelled when she heard Daniel speak.“I thought I told you to call my secretary for appointment?” Daniel asked without any emotion.“Well, I cannot reach Celine and your office suddenly went into company holiday. So, I thought I can call you again since you’re divorced now” Britney said sheepishly.Daniel heaved a deep breath to calm the rage he felt before replying again.“Ms. Smith, news of my divorce may have circulated but it doesn’t mean anyone can just call me for dates. I’m not that desperate.” he replied in a stern voice.“That’s not what I meant, Daniel. I just got back to the country and I have a project proposal. Knowing your work ethics, you wouldn’t let a good opportunity pass. I mentioned your divorce because I think your ex-wife will not be jealous anymore if we went f
When Daniel came back to their house, he received a call from his family.“Finally, you managed to subdue the Solomons” Aaron called him excitedly.“Yeah” he replied lightly.“Let’s have a drink” he invited.Living with the Stevensons for a while has greatly improved their relationship all thanks to Celine.“Bro, I’m sorry but I have to pass. Mom is feeling under the weather so Tiff is accompanying her for now” Aaron felt cold sweats appearing on his forehead. Never had he imagine that he will blatantly lie to Daniel one day.“Oh” was all Daniel could reply then ended their call.In that case, it’s best to rest early so he can reach Celine before lunch.He decided to leave some reminders to Oscar regarding the company’s affairs.“I’ll leave you in-charge, Oscar. I’ll be gone in a few days. Call me in case of emergency, O