EmilyI stare at the beautiful lady seated in front of me, on a call with her recipient. I have seen numerous elderly women who still look young, but this one is different. She looks like someone still in her late twenties. Her pink jumpsuit makes her look even younger, with her hair styled to the side of her neck. She's been on a call for more than three minutes, while I sit, waiting for her to finish."Okay. I will see you later." She says, dropping the call and turning to me. "I'm sorry about that. Where did we stop?" she apologizes.I smile. "We had concluded before your call came in. I will send you the designs. Please go through them and get back to me."She nods slightly. "Alright! I will do that." She picks her bag, getting ready to stand up. I follow, extending my hand for a shake."Thank you. It was a pleasure to meet you." I say, my hand still waiting for hers. Instead, she surprises me by pulling me in for a hug. My eyes widen, but I quickly replace the expression with a s
I grabbed my bag, ready to leave the office and call it a day. I would rather not stay late and get scolded by my father. I have some unfinished work, I will take it home instead, and get it done.As I pulled the door handle and stepped out, I was about to head toward my secretary, who was already standing when I walked out. My eyes landed on the manager striding to his office. I've been wanting to see him. Since he's been avoiding me, I might as well go to him instead. He must feel too important to come to me. He's not just older than me but also older than Ethan. I guess that's why he won't make the first move."I think he would rather not meet with you." my secretary said, but I didn’t turn to look at her. I already know that’s the case, so I’m going to him.Turning on my heels, I leisurely made my way to his office. Standing in front of his door, I knocked, waiting for his permission to enter. A few seconds passed, and I was still standing there. I knocked again, and this time,
I hurried downstairs, rushing to the kitchen to ask my mother if she had any pads or tampons. I wasn’t expecting my period this soon, but here it was, catching me off guard. It must be from the stress of the last two days and not getting enough sleep. Pushing the door open, I found her standing with the housemaid. "Mother, do you have any pads or tampons?" I asked, waiting for her response. But she didn’t answer right away. It was like her mind was elsewhere. Before she could respond, the maid spoke up. "I have a few pads. I will get them for you." She offered, turning to leave the room."Thank you, I will be waiting." She nodded and walked out, leaving me alone with my mother, who still hadn’t said a word, her gaze fixed on me."I thought you were pregnant, just hiding it from me. Perhaps you were scared to tell me."Not this again. I had already told her I wasn’t pregnant, but she still didn’t believe me. I can't believe she thinks I'm trying to cover up a pregnancy. If I were pre
RyanIt was late evening. I had just concluded a meeting with my client and was about to leave the lounge when my phone began to ring. Zara’s name flashed on the screen. She had crossed my mind earlier today, and I had considered stopping by to see her at home. Now that she was calling, I figured I should visit her before heading home. I pressed the answer button and placed the phone to my ear."Hey, Zara. Where are you? I’m coming over to the house." I asked.She sniffled at first, mumbling something I couldn’t hear. Just as I was about to ask her to repeat herself, her voice came through clearly."I'm not at home! I got into a little trouble at Shop Rite, and now I can't leave until I pay for it."Did I hear her correctly? What was she talking about? Did she steal something? What kind of trouble could be keeping her there? I would rather not get involved, if the media caught wind of this, they would come after me, but I couldn't just leave her to deal with it alone."Okay, I don’t
EmilyA WEEK LATERToday is the day I have been anticipating. Either I get a valid explanation about what happened to the money, or I take matters into my hands. Mr. Adams can’t fool me, even if he thinks he can fool my father. Since the incident at his office, I haven’t seen him, not even a glimpse. He’s probably been avoiding me. I have never met anyone as arrogant as him.Sure, they are influential, and his father being the Mayor’s closest friend doesn’t give him the right to do whatever he pleases. I know how to deal with people like him, who think power is everything. If they are powerful, let’s see if they have the money. I will make sure he faces consequences. And dragging my marriage into this only fuels how far I’m willing to go.I walked into the boardroom, where everyone was already waiting for me. I had called the meeting earlier this morning, so I expected everyone to be seated. As I entered the room, I noticed all the managers were present, except for the general manager,
I stepped out of my car, striding towards Whiff Wonders Company. It had been such a productive day. I received an invitation from Anderson to check out their new collection before the launch this week. I'm grateful what happened on the highway remained between us. Father didn’t say a word, and Ethan never found out.The accident made the news, but neither of them suspected I was there, nor that I might have been the target. Either way, I need to be more cautious and meticulous. I don’t know who’s out there trying to harm me for reasons I don’t even understand.As I approached the entrance, I heard someone calling my name and running towards me from behind. Turning around, I saw a man I didn’t recognize. His face seemed familiar, but I couldn’t place him or remember where I might have seen him. I paused, waiting for him to catch up."Hello! How can I help you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. A wide grin spread across his face, and I wondered if there was something on mine that made him s
We were all rushed to the hospital after the explosion. I was the only one who wasn’t admitted, having escaped without injury. Anderson, though physically unharmed, remained unconscious. When I asked the doctor why, he said Anderson needed rest to recover from the shock.It’s been thirty minutes since we arrived at the hospital, and I stayed to check on his secretary, who sustained minor injuries. The last thing I remember before losing consciousness was her placing the box in the car, yet she somehow escaped with barely few scratches, and minor injuries.Upon waking, I called Ethan, even though he's flying out of the country. I also tried contacting Father, but his phone wasn’t connecting. Calling Ethan over makes me feel like a burden already. I had to call to inform him of what had happened.I stood outside the hospital room, pacing back and forth, waiting for the doctor to come out of the room where Anderson's secretary was admitted. The stares and murmurs from people passing by w
There was a knock on the door. Spinning around, I saw Ethan walking in with a nurse behind him, carrying some injections. He flashed me a smile, standing next to me."Father is here." He informed me. I stood up, the thought of Father being around filled me with excitement."Where is he?" I asked, staring at the door, waiting for him to walk in. Just as expected, he was pushing the door open. I walked toward him and pulled him in for a warm hug."Are you okay? Did you sustain any injuries?" He asked as I clutched tightly to him."No, I'm fine. I lost consciousness, but when we got to the hospital, I woke up. They run some check up on me, I'm fine."He pulled out of the hug, turning me around to be certain. "I'm glad you’re fine. What about her?" He pointed at Anderson's secretary."The doctor said she will be fine. She has a few injuries, although she might not recognize people when she wakes up." Ethan responded in my place.I watched his expression grow darker with each passing secon
"Just be patient. You heard what your mother said. But she had no right to decide what she thought was good for you." He said, his voice firm yet calm.He sighed, looking away briefly. I could sense the concern in his tone, but as a doctor, he wasn’t supposed to show emotion, especially since this wasn’t about a patient. Doctors are trained to hold back their emotions, reserving their dread for moments when a life is truly lost.He patted my shoulder before standing up from the couch and striding back to his desk.I remained tense, unable to speak since returning from Grace's room. How did I not know she was my cousin? Why would Mother hide this from everyone? Was Amber even aware? She’s nowhere to be found, so I have no idea what she knows.Is she aware Mother hired Zara? Amber and Zara never got along, so it’s possible she knows, and that’s why she despises her. But why would Mother harbor such dislike for her niece and nephew without a good reason?Zara once had a brother, but he p
RyanI urged Jasper to drive faster. I needed to get to the house before mother leaves. She was supposed to be at home, but ever since Amber went missing, she hadn’t ceased visiting her boyfriend. I had called Zara repeatedly, but she wasn’t answering. Now, I wasn’t sure if she was deliberately ignoring me.Was this all part of some plan? How could she tell Emily she was pregnant with my child? Was she trying to destroy what I was still struggling to rebuild with Emily? She said she would change, yet here she was, tormenting her again.Everyone needed to understand their place in my life. I couldn’t let them ruin what I was building, especially after four years of neglecting Emily and finally trying to make things right.When we arrived at the house, I stepped out of the car and headed straight into the living room. Without hesitation, I ascended the stairs, striding purposefully toward her room.At her door, I knocked briefly, and as soon as she responded, I pushed the door open and
I walked into the living room, and there Ryan was, seated on the couch. His gaze met mine, and he smiled. I couldn’t help but smile back, my excitement bubbling over. Seeing him this close after a few days felt surreal."I didn’t expect to meet you here. We could have…" He began, but his words trailed off as he stood and walked toward me. Before I could even drop my bag, he was already pulling me into a hug.I snuggled into him, inhaling his cologne—a sweet mix of strawberry and vanilla. It hadn’t even been a week, but I missed him so much already.I fucking love this man. I’ve always loved him. Nothing has ever changed that. I thought I had moved on, but seeing him now made me realize it was all a lie from the start.Remembering why I was here, I gently pulled away from him. There would be time for this later, but right now, I am needing answers. He had been hiding things from me, and that had to stop.His brows furrowed as I stepped back, the smile on his face fading into a frown"A
I wasn’t sure if I should even be here, but before I knew it, I found myself driving toward her house. I needed an explanation, something to justify what she had done to me. What had I ever done to deserve this? Paying someone else to carry his child, knowing full well he was sick and could barely father one on his own?I could have been patient. I was there for him, ready to wait for as long as it took. I gave up everything, turned my back on my family, my career, my dignity, all for him. What more could I have sacrificed?I stepped out of the car, my heart heavy with anger and hurt, and made my way to the living room. Nothing had really changed here. The memories came rushing back, those years I spent cleaning, cooking, and doing her laundry because the maid was either sick, on her off days, or simply unavailable. A lot of it fell to me, and I endured it all.I marched into the house and was greeted by the maid. She looked up from her task, freezing the moment her eyes met mine. I e
Emily I arrived at the hospital and hurried inside the building, my heart pounding frantically since I’d heard the news. She couldn’t be pregnant for him, there was no possible way. I had suspected he was sleeping with her from the start, but everything seemed to shift when I was called to help him on the day he had the substance in his system. Alex had confirmed that he was given something that caused his intoxication, accompanied by heavy sleep. I knocked on his office door and waited a few seconds for a response, but there was none. Was he outside? Attending to a patient? Either way, I decided I could wait inside. I pushed the door open, but the room was empty. I walked further in and sat down to wait for him. That’s when I heard muffled sounds. Turning my attention to the source, I looked behind the bed. To my surprise, I saw a little child lying there. "Hey, are you sick?" I asked softly, walking up to her. She nodded in response, her small face pale and fragile. "I have
Zara How the hell did this happen? I can’t believe our plans failed, and we lost her. If there’s anyone I should blame, it’s Adams. I don't understand why the hell he had to ask for money. All he needed to do was follow a simple instruction, ask her to come over. But he messed it up completely. I heard a car, and looked out the window to see who’s parking outside. Tiptoeing toward the sliding window, I peered through. It was Adams, parking in the lot. I needed an explanation for why he did what he did. I marched back toward the bed, pacing while I waited for him to come upstairs. Getting him involved in this had been a terrible idea. The money he asked for was something he already had sitting in his bank account. What more did he require it for? He’d stolen enough from Empire Company. So why pull this stunt? The door to the room creaked open, and I knew it was him. I stood still, listening as the door clicked shut. As soon as it did, I turned to face him. He wore a troubled expres
It wasn’t long before I made up my mind to step out of the car. The phone was never going to ring at this point, and I’m not sure if we are in the right address. Jasper had claimed he knew the place and had brought us here, but at this point, I don’t think it has to be this place. We have to leave, go back, and wait for them to call. I pushed the door open, looking around the place to find anything suspicious. Someone could be somewhere watching us without us being aware. If I find anyone here, he’s a suspect, he has something to do with this. The car that just passed is no exception; I have to look into it. Maybe there could be a connection. I continued to look around, but I couldn’t even find where my guard had entered. Too many incomplete buildings, not sure where to follow. "Boss." Jasper called, and as I turned to look behind, in the blink of an eye, something flew past my eyes, landing on the car. "It's a knife." He announced, just in time as I looked at the knife that pierce
Ryan"You were on the phone with Emily, weren't you?" Mother asked just as I returned to the living room. I had been with her for the past two hours, waiting for her to receive a call from Amber's abductors.I'm not sure if they are, but that's the only thing I can think of. She did show me the countless threat messages, but I can't even comprehend them—they don't make sense to me.Amber has been missing for five days now. I have been keeping things on the down low to make sure I get to the bottom of this.Mother isn't even helping. As much as she has been crying about it, her so-called fiancé—I don't even know what he's doing to help."She's not. That was my secretary." I won't let her know I'm back with Emily; I don't want her opinion. The way she mistreated her without my knowledge is enough. I don't want further complications—not even Zara is allowed to go near her."She's your secretary, but you had to leave the room to make a call?" She questioned, skeptical of my response. "Oka
Mother wasn’t picking up my calls. They were supposed to be home by now, since we left the hospital. Could she be in the washroom? I’ll just call her later. I reached for my laptop, but the door suddenly flung open, startling me. My secretary barged in, panting heavily. My brows furrowed—something was clearly wrong, so I stood up, waiting for her to speak.“I’m… I’m so… sorry for barging in.” she stuttered, struggling to catch her breath.I gestured for her to calm down and speak.“I had to run when I saw him leave… the atmosphere…” she trailed off.I knew she was referring to my father, but why would she think something was wrong? There was no way he would harm me with so many people around.“I’m fine. You shouldn’t panic just because you saw him leaving.” I said, taking my seat.It was amusing how she had rushed in, thinking something had happened to me. Goodness, it was quite funny.“Is that you smiling?” She asked, her tone a mix of curiosity and concern.I looked up at her, unabl