WASHINGTON, SEATTLE 2022~HUDSON~I was humming to the lyrics, drying my hair with the towel as I had just come out of the shower when my eyes landed on the lipstick that was on the dresser. Looking at it reminded me of her; I haven't heard from her in hours, and I don't want to lie. I missed her. I missed her presence. It's crazy because she doesn't feel the same, but I trusted time; just like Vivi always says, love takes time.I couldn't wait any longer, so I walked to the dresser and threw the towel on the bed. I picked up the lipstick before I got my phone; now I had an excuse to call her.I don't know why, for some reason, I was nervous. Sure, I was a man; I could handle rejection, but that constant feeling of being rejected weighed me down, the feeling of forcing someone to love you, even just a little.She asked me not to call her, as she said she was busy. I waited for her to at least text me, at least to tell me she had landed, but she didn't, I respected that she was settlin
Juliette knew about Maddison; she knew, and now is not the right time to tell you how she knew.I watched as Julliette closed the door. “I can ask her to leave; I can get security to throw her out.”“No, that will be… That will be rude; just… send her in.” I said, and she looked at me with a brow up, “I'm sure,” I said, as that's what that brow meant.“Alright, I will have Ms. Maddison join you shortly,” she said, and I nodded before I turned to the window and looked out, my finger trailing on my chin.I didn't get a chance to think of anything as I felt someone wrap their hands around my body, hugging me from behind. I quickly turned, removing them from my body.“Have a seat.”“I missed you.”“You know this is inappropriate, right?”“I apologize for that.”“I only have ten minutes,” I said, looking at my wristwatch.“Really, ten minutes for a woman who's carrying your child?” She questioned in a playful tone, which made me clear my throat.I watched as she took a seat across from me.
CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES 2022 ~ANASTASIA~I didn't realize that the car had parked already. I was so lost in a conversation with Vivi, forgetting that I was in front of a guard as I laughed freely. When my senses returned, I bid Vivi goodbye and promised her I would call Hudson as soon as I got time; she said he was worried.I also needed to speak to him about Maddison; Vivi telling me she was crying to Mrs. Frost touched me. She was a mother and only wanted the best for her child, even though she was not doing it the right way. The child was innocent, and I had to make sure Hudson would be with her, of course not as she wanted him but as the father of that child. At least she was doing the right thing, trying to involve the child's father, unlike me, who was hiding it from the father.After ending the call with Vivi, I fixed my makeup and made sure I was good to go. This was my first impression, and I wanted to look presentable.“Should I give you a call later, or?”“I wait here.”“U
William seemed shocked; it's like he didn't expect me to agree—maybe he wanted me to refuse and look bad in front of Sebastian; I mean, that's what he always did, so it was no surprise. “Come on, Mr. Rogers, I'm sure you can contribute to the conversation,” I said, a smile on my lips, he hesitated, and I can almost guess he almost changed his mind, but knowing him, he cleared his throat and sat.“Of course I can; what are we talking about?” he said in a challenging tone.“Well, this is Sebastian, Mr. Grant’s personal—”“We have met.” Sebastian cut me off, “Mr. Williams, one of the most successful businessmen in Seattle.” Sebastian, adjusting his glasses, said, God, I didn't realize Sebastian admired William. I mean, everyone else did; I just didn't think Sebastian was one of them—William is one of those men everyone admired; men wanted to be him and women wanted to be with him. Well, little did they know that the William they knew was very different from the William I knew.William se
Okay, I didn't understand what Jimena was doing here, and sure, it caught me by surprise, but I knew Jimena well; I couldn't let her intimidate me, so after hanging my coat, I walked to where she was.“What do you think?” She asked, showing me her toenails, which she was painting red, “William is obsessed with red; I thought to spice it up by adding these stones.” She said, sounding like we were friends, I mean, the man she was trying to impress was my ex-husband, the man she stole from me, so what made her think I would be here giving her tips on what would work? “Come on, don't tell me you're still not over him. Like, how does that even make sense? He never loved you.” She made a pitiful face before blowing on her nails, I guess to dry the polish.I didn't have her time anymore, so I told her they looked really beautiful: “Match them with red lingerie; I'm sure William will like that.” I added walking to the kitchen as I got a bottle of water.“Really?” I heard her voi
I didn't care that William never loved me, but wanting to hurt me so much somehow weighed me down, I knew standing here and crying about it wouldn't change a thing, so taking a deep breath, I put myself together before I used my fingers and touched the skin below my eyes just to make sure I had no tears, even though I didn't feel any. I just couldn't afford to allow William or Jimena to see tears on my face again.After calming down and being sure I had no tears, I made my way toward the door. I didn't care that I would distract them; I just wanted to leave there.When I reached the door, I turned to them and they were silent for a second. It wasn't surprising that they were both looking at me; well, I didn't need to explain myself to them, but I still did.“I’m going to have dinner with Mrs. Grant.”“We don't—”“You should too; arguing causes wrinkles,” I spoke over Jimena as she tried to act smart, and with that, I left, closing the door behind me.Jimena always wanted me to be that
Mrs. Grant turned to me with an expression that clearly said she was sorry, which confused me, as whoever she invited to her table was not my concern.“Thank you. Please, do you have champagne? Marriage can be stressful sometimes.” She asked as she sat down and picked up a glass of water.“How far along are you?” Mrs. Grant asked her, and she, for a moment, looked confused; it’s like she forgot that she was pregnant, and then, as if the words just clicked, she laughed, Mrs. Grant being polite as always, tried to laugh with her, and realizing she answered:“It was a joke; you should have seen your faces.” She said, which made Mrs. Grant nod.“Yes, Jimena can be so funny sometimes; I even wonder why she didn’t register to be a clown instead of a modeler,” I commented.“Yes, she is.” Mrs. Grant agreed before she picked up her glass of juice and sipped on it.“Yeah right, I'm so talented.” Jimena sarcastically said she was giving me those eyes that she always gave me. “Mrs. Grant, did you
~WILLIAM~When James told me Jimena had left the house, I knew she had come here; I just didn't get how she found my address, but knowing her well, I knew it was possible—she knew LA well—she often came here for work.I quickly rushed to the apartment, and as expected, she was there, dressed provocatively. Well, seeing her even half naked didn't turn me on, so I asked her to cover up, and seeing she failed whatever she had planned, we ended up arguing.She talked of how this was my plan; yes, I once mentioned that it would be good if she got pregnant, but I didn't mean it. I only wanted to go raw because she always asked me to wear a condom, and you know how irritating that is; sometimes I feel nothing in a condom.After the argument, Jimena left—slamming the door hard, and I didn't follow her as I needed a moment; I was worried that Ana heard part of the conversation; so I knew if she heard then my plan to win her wouldn't work.I walked to my room and paced waiting for Jimena, as I
~ANASTASIA~I won't say I was surprised; I expected that from Jimena, to cause a scene, but I didn't think she would go so far as to try to stain Williams' name, not that he didn't deserve it, but the way she made him look, I'm sure everyone in this room would start giving him the side eye.I was by my desk, thankfully by myself, as William went out with Jimena. I prayed he wouldn't come back, as I couldn't deal with them today.The rest of the team was already discussing things with their partners—well, decent partners, because William, god, he was just a headache. I keep wondering how things were just working in his favor, first the apartment and now this. It's like it was all planned; maybe we were shooting a movie or something because there's no way things just turned out like this.With that, I looked around, not that I was sure there were cameras, but lost in thoughts.It was beginning to feel boring, so I stood up, and seeing that no one was concentrating on me, I walked out. I
~WILLIAM~When James told me Jimena had left the house, I knew she had come here; I just didn't get how she found my address, but knowing her well, I knew it was possible—she knew LA well—she often came here for work.I quickly rushed to the apartment, and as expected, she was there, dressed provocatively. Well, seeing her even half naked didn't turn me on, so I asked her to cover up, and seeing she failed whatever she had planned, we ended up arguing.She talked of how this was my plan; yes, I once mentioned that it would be good if she got pregnant, but I didn't mean it. I only wanted to go raw because she always asked me to wear a condom, and you know how irritating that is; sometimes I feel nothing in a condom.After the argument, Jimena left—slamming the door hard, and I didn't follow her as I needed a moment; I was worried that Ana heard part of the conversation; so I knew if she heard then my plan to win her wouldn't work.I walked to my room and paced waiting for Jimena, as I
Mrs. Grant turned to me with an expression that clearly said she was sorry, which confused me, as whoever she invited to her table was not my concern.“Thank you. Please, do you have champagne? Marriage can be stressful sometimes.” She asked as she sat down and picked up a glass of water.“How far along are you?” Mrs. Grant asked her, and she, for a moment, looked confused; it’s like she forgot that she was pregnant, and then, as if the words just clicked, she laughed, Mrs. Grant being polite as always, tried to laugh with her, and realizing she answered:“It was a joke; you should have seen your faces.” She said, which made Mrs. Grant nod.“Yes, Jimena can be so funny sometimes; I even wonder why she didn’t register to be a clown instead of a modeler,” I commented.“Yes, she is.” Mrs. Grant agreed before she picked up her glass of juice and sipped on it.“Yeah right, I'm so talented.” Jimena sarcastically said she was giving me those eyes that she always gave me. “Mrs. Grant, did you
I didn't care that William never loved me, but wanting to hurt me so much somehow weighed me down, I knew standing here and crying about it wouldn't change a thing, so taking a deep breath, I put myself together before I used my fingers and touched the skin below my eyes just to make sure I had no tears, even though I didn't feel any. I just couldn't afford to allow William or Jimena to see tears on my face again.After calming down and being sure I had no tears, I made my way toward the door. I didn't care that I would distract them; I just wanted to leave there.When I reached the door, I turned to them and they were silent for a second. It wasn't surprising that they were both looking at me; well, I didn't need to explain myself to them, but I still did.“I’m going to have dinner with Mrs. Grant.”“We don't—”“You should too; arguing causes wrinkles,” I spoke over Jimena as she tried to act smart, and with that, I left, closing the door behind me.Jimena always wanted me to be that
Okay, I didn't understand what Jimena was doing here, and sure, it caught me by surprise, but I knew Jimena well; I couldn't let her intimidate me, so after hanging my coat, I walked to where she was.“What do you think?” She asked, showing me her toenails, which she was painting red, “William is obsessed with red; I thought to spice it up by adding these stones.” She said, sounding like we were friends, I mean, the man she was trying to impress was my ex-husband, the man she stole from me, so what made her think I would be here giving her tips on what would work? “Come on, don't tell me you're still not over him. Like, how does that even make sense? He never loved you.” She made a pitiful face before blowing on her nails, I guess to dry the polish.I didn't have her time anymore, so I told her they looked really beautiful: “Match them with red lingerie; I'm sure William will like that.” I added walking to the kitchen as I got a bottle of water.“Really?” I heard her voi
William seemed shocked; it's like he didn't expect me to agree—maybe he wanted me to refuse and look bad in front of Sebastian; I mean, that's what he always did, so it was no surprise. “Come on, Mr. Rogers, I'm sure you can contribute to the conversation,” I said, a smile on my lips, he hesitated, and I can almost guess he almost changed his mind, but knowing him, he cleared his throat and sat.“Of course I can; what are we talking about?” he said in a challenging tone.“Well, this is Sebastian, Mr. Grant’s personal—”“We have met.” Sebastian cut me off, “Mr. Williams, one of the most successful businessmen in Seattle.” Sebastian, adjusting his glasses, said, God, I didn't realize Sebastian admired William. I mean, everyone else did; I just didn't think Sebastian was one of them—William is one of those men everyone admired; men wanted to be him and women wanted to be with him. Well, little did they know that the William they knew was very different from the William I knew.William se
CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES 2022 ~ANASTASIA~I didn't realize that the car had parked already. I was so lost in a conversation with Vivi, forgetting that I was in front of a guard as I laughed freely. When my senses returned, I bid Vivi goodbye and promised her I would call Hudson as soon as I got time; she said he was worried.I also needed to speak to him about Maddison; Vivi telling me she was crying to Mrs. Frost touched me. She was a mother and only wanted the best for her child, even though she was not doing it the right way. The child was innocent, and I had to make sure Hudson would be with her, of course not as she wanted him but as the father of that child. At least she was doing the right thing, trying to involve the child's father, unlike me, who was hiding it from the father.After ending the call with Vivi, I fixed my makeup and made sure I was good to go. This was my first impression, and I wanted to look presentable.“Should I give you a call later, or?”“I wait here.”“U
Juliette knew about Maddison; she knew, and now is not the right time to tell you how she knew.I watched as Julliette closed the door. “I can ask her to leave; I can get security to throw her out.”“No, that will be… That will be rude; just… send her in.” I said, and she looked at me with a brow up, “I'm sure,” I said, as that's what that brow meant.“Alright, I will have Ms. Maddison join you shortly,” she said, and I nodded before I turned to the window and looked out, my finger trailing on my chin.I didn't get a chance to think of anything as I felt someone wrap their hands around my body, hugging me from behind. I quickly turned, removing them from my body.“Have a seat.”“I missed you.”“You know this is inappropriate, right?”“I apologize for that.”“I only have ten minutes,” I said, looking at my wristwatch.“Really, ten minutes for a woman who's carrying your child?” She questioned in a playful tone, which made me clear my throat.I watched as she took a seat across from me.
WASHINGTON, SEATTLE 2022~HUDSON~I was humming to the lyrics, drying my hair with the towel as I had just come out of the shower when my eyes landed on the lipstick that was on the dresser. Looking at it reminded me of her; I haven't heard from her in hours, and I don't want to lie. I missed her. I missed her presence. It's crazy because she doesn't feel the same, but I trusted time; just like Vivi always says, love takes time.I couldn't wait any longer, so I walked to the dresser and threw the towel on the bed. I picked up the lipstick before I got my phone; now I had an excuse to call her.I don't know why, for some reason, I was nervous. Sure, I was a man; I could handle rejection, but that constant feeling of being rejected weighed me down, the feeling of forcing someone to love you, even just a little.She asked me not to call her, as she said she was busy. I waited for her to at least text me, at least to tell me she had landed, but she didn't, I respected that she was settlin