The two of them went to a mall that was famous for baby and pregnant women’s clothes. Alicia helped her select her clothes and waited for her to try some of them on.
“How do I look in this?” She left the dressing room and twirled before Alicia. She was wearing a long peach-colored dress that was loose fitting and had a silver necklace matching it. Alicia looked up from her phone and was awed. “You look amazing! Wait. How do you manage to look beautiful in every outfit you try on?” “You flatter me too much.” Gemma looked down at her bump then held it. “I’ll take this too. Do you think I bought too much?” She looked through all the outfits she had bought, making sure they were big enough so she wouldn’t have to buy new ones after just a few weeks. When she looked up from her pile, she was baffled when her eyes locked with those of someone she didn’t expect to meet any t"You need to go back to the house." Alicia nudged her to leave. "Tell Livian about this, okay? I know you are afraid of worrying him too much but you shouldn't ignore everything because of this. What if your concerns are true?" She nagged.Gemma looked around and grabbed the other's arm. "We should go back together just in case.""Don't worry. I checked and there was no one. Whoever it is must have run away. It's just that they could come back later." She insisted on going."Make sure you give me a call to let me know that you are alright." Gemma reminded her sternly."I will." Alicia gave her a quick hug and hurried away.Gemma waited until the latter was out of view before she went back to the cottage.“That took you long enough. Couldn’t bear to part with your friend?” Livian teased when she entered the kitchen.“Someone’s following me. Or Alicia. Anyway, we are certain that
He paused for a few breaths before turning sharply. While he did catch someone looking at them, it turned out to be Darrell. He looked at his assistant in confusion then back at Gemma. Could he be the one who had been making her feel like her security had been compromised?She glanced back to follow his gaze and when she saw Darrell, she was just as confused. That was Livian’s assistant. What would he have against her?“Is it him?” He asked softly in her ear and she shook her head. She didn’t feel the chills anymore. It was definitely not him.She frowned when she thought about the possibility that there could be someone else in hiding. Could Darrell have noticed them? She knew not to ask. He might not be the culprit but at the same time, there was no way to be certain that he had nothing to do with it.“Sir, I’ve been looking for you.” He reported. He must have expected Livian to stand and leave s
When they concluded that Beth was going to take action, she had expected him to increase the security measures around her. What she didn't expect was that he would make Alicia's brother hover over her every second.She had only heard Alicia state once that her brother, Wayne, was a police officer but having one watching over her every minute was a different story altogether."Can you let me breathe for a minute?" She complained when he insisted on accompanying her to the market."Yes ma'am." He stepped aside for what felt like a few seconds only to return to her side.She huffed in frustration. She knew that she was probably acting up again but it was difficult not to be overwhelmed—especially when she remembered the reason why he had insisted on Wayne following her around. She hoped it wouldn't be long before they uncovered the mole.Once she had bought everything she needed, he insisted on carrying them for her and once again
That was not the kind of reaction Alicia expected so she was stunned. It took a moment for her to process the words, then she realized that she might be causing a misunderstanding."Okay, like I said, I'm just speculating. I didn't say it was the final truth. It could be different. Maybe I'm reading too much into things."Her words made no difference to Gemma."Tell me, why do you suspect him?" She asked.Alicia scooted closer even though she knew that they were on their own, as if making sure that no one could overhear their conversation."A few days ago, you felt as if you were being followed and when I looked over, I saw a shadow. Do you remember?""I will never forget what I felt.""A few minutes after my departure, I saw a man's back. I wasn't sure but from his frame and the back of his head, he could have been Darrell." She explained."That's not enough to conclude anything." Gemma refuted. "Even
He peeked over at what she was doing and understood what she meant. Gem Bliss was soon launching a new perfume soon and she needed to complete the design.There were some that had already been sent in from the company but they didn't seem to catch her eye in the slightest."This kind of reminds me of Yvonne." She paused with her hand around the mouse, which she was using to select the most suitable shade of blue for the bottle.He knew what she meant. Yvonne had been used by Cora who was attempting to bring her down, and the thought of it made him pity the brainless woman."What happened to her anyway?" He asked."Now that you mention it, I haven't heard of her since." She looked at him meaningfully. "Do you think my parents took extra special care of her like they did to Cora? I wouldn't be surprised."The possibility was high so he didn't answer directly. "Would you be mad at them if they did?"She didn't need
"Why would I ever do that?" Her suspicion shocked him.She averted her gaze. "You have enough motive to want to end her life. I thought it would be you." She lowered her voice to make sure no one overheard them.He cupped her face. "You aren't entirely wrong. I wanted nothing more than to kill her for everything she has done to us. But I didn't. I did not kidnap her. I know it's unbelievable but you have to trust me on this.""I trust you." She placed her hand on his. It wasn't like she would have set him up if he confessed to being the one behind Beth's disappearance. She would have done her best to make sure no one ever found evidence against him.…Although she trusted him, it was soon made clear that not everyone did. Wayne was in her hair as soon as he came to pick her up to go to the market."Can I ask you a question?" He started as if he was talking about a topic that didn't matter much."Sure
That was an interesting order, and she was not hearing it for the first time. He was indeed smitten with the woman he was talking about."I'll give you a scent tomorrow and if you like it, we can go to the next part of sending the gift." She suggested."There's a next part?" He frowned, having thought that getting the perfume was all there was to it."Of course. You are going to make it romantic or if you are scared she might flip, we can customize it so it's neither romantic nor polite. Bordering between friendship and love.""That's perfect. Where were you all my life?" He did a spin in excitement as if he had just won her heart even though he was yet to see the plan in action."There you are!" An excited voice cut off their conversation."Alicia?" She turned in pleasant surprise. "There you are. I didn't know you were coming.""I wanted to hang out." She turned to look at Wayne. "I thought you were out d
The thought in itself was shocking. Why would Alicia be jealous? Did she have feelings for Wayne? Weren't they siblings?They were actually foster siblings with no blood ties but… she frowned when she thought about it. If they didn't have blood ties, she could not blame them if they developed feelings for each other. It wasn't against the law either.She looked at her friend, who she was just about to blurt to about Wayne's plan to confess to the woman he liked. If she really had feelings for him, she would be devastated, so Gemma made something up."Wayne and I were discussing the launch of Gem Bliss' new perfume. It's for women but I was thinking of making a men's version for it, so I asked for his opinion. We are going to discuss it in detail later." She whispered so it wouldn't seem like she was making it up.As expected, Alicia was relieved. "I see. Though I can guess the kind of things he is going to recommend. He has ho
Wendy had her eyes shut when he opened the bathroom door."What's the result?" He asked.She didn't intend to tell him without playing a guessing game with him, which he quickly found out. Luckily, it was only a two choice option."Is it positive?" He asked hopefully. She shook her head.His mood dimmed in the slightest but he still asked, "Is it negative?"She shook her head, and he was baffled. Was she going to make him have a gazillion options even though it was a question of yes or no?He tried again. "Were you unable to take the test?"She shook her head to that too, and he was about to ma
It had been several weeks since Mia learned the truth about the past but it was not in the slightest bit easier to bear. It was still hard to imagine that the woman she had hated all her life was also the one who had saved her life. She had not had the courage to tell Carlos about it. Maybe he already knew the truth but kept it to himself. It was probably one of the things that would become clear with time and she was not willing to pry into them before they naturally unfolded. It made her feel guiltier because they were growing closer by the day.They had agreed to be friends but spent a lot of time together, doing things that friends definitely wouldn't ever do—not that she was complaining.On Friday evening, she went to his office as soon as she clocked out. This was how it had been for weeks. He would either seek her or she would seek him, every day. They would either have dinner together or he would drop her off. On weekends—like today—they would coo
“What in the world…” Gemma was rendered speechless by the insanity she had just heard. “Why the hell would such a rule even exist?”The elderly lawyer had no definite answer to that, because it was not he who had written the will nor had he set the rules that his granddaughter was finding absurd. He could only hypothesize. “The old man didn't want his bloodline to go extinct. He had to set some rules, and you are lucky that he did not specify that you must have a son before inheriting his estate.”Gemma sighed when she imagined that such a thing was possible. She had not known her grandfather when he was alive, because her family was yet to find her when he passed away. From the tales she had heard about him from her parents and grandmother, she knew that setting such an absurd rule did sound like something he would do.Even so, it still made no sense when she thought about it. “But I'm a w
Mia translated the document and while she didn't think there was anything secretive about it that would make Carlos unable to give it to someone else, she got the work done within the deadline nonetheless. It was the only way to get him to stop seeking trouble. She hated having to do everything he asked of her but he was the boss and there was nothing she could do about it. At least not yet.He was still sitting at his desk when she returned."That took you half an hour,." He remarked when he saw her.She placed the folder on his desk. "I'm done." She muttered, wondering why he sounded like he was complaining when he had given her two hours. She had not even taken up half of the allocated time. Was he going to scold her for being too fast?"Thank you." He half whispered. It was the first time he was appreciating anything she did and she was baffled."You're welcome." She smiled. He was smiling back at her and for the first time as well. She not
She thought he would ask to spend more days of the week with her or something along the lines but what he said surprised her."Promise me that you will sue Declan and that you will definitely go through with it no matter what happens."She frowned. "How is that paying you back? It's in my favor either way." She looked at him in confusion. Did he have a misunderstanding about the meaning of paying back?"It does pay me back. It's a win-win situation for both you and me."She thought hard about it and still couldn't understand how that was remotely possible."Is it because the man who hurt the woman you love will be behind bars and you will no longer have to see his face around? or, do you have personal grudges with him? Are you planning to use his term in prison as a way to end him?He smiled at her vivid imagination. "It's nothing of the sort. Well, those would be added benefits of putting him behind bars but the main reaso
"You are so beautiful." Livian ran his hand down her shoulder and kissed her cheek. She would have thought that he was just saying it to get on her good side but when she met his gaze, she had to believe that he truly meant it. His eyes were filled with adoration and if it was humanly possible, his attraction for her seemed to have intensified after what they had just done.She purred like a comfortable kitten when he kissed her cheek. She was lying against his chest with her body half sprawled against his. She pulled her knee up against his thigh and it drove him crazy. He groaned in pleasure."You are insatiable." She chuckled. They had done it twice in a row and she was beginning to realize that it didn't take much for him to be hard again.He wrapped his arms around her waist and chuckled against her neck. "Who am I to blame for that? If the wife is too sweet, is it the husband's fault that he got addicted to her sweetness?"She looked
Liam and Wendy had a shotgun wedding and it was baffling to everyone. The first thing they had to do was fulfill a part of the contract, which was for Wendy to make an appearance in the Dumont family as his wife.Their plan was to pass off as a real couple but they were shocked when they found out that Gemma was not falling for it."The two of you broke up two years ago, didn't you?" She questioned them."We reconciled and realized that we didn't want to risk losing each other again, so we decided to get married." Liam held her hand.Gemma chuckled. "Or, Liam had his assistant get him a suitable wife for hire so he would be able to access the trust fund from his great grandmother and since his assistant couldn't get a suitable woman, you decided that it would be more believable if it was you and him getting married." Gemma teased."That's not…" Wendy didn't know how to defend herself."It's okay. It's perfectly
She was certain that if she chose to agree to the contract marriage, the money she would earn would be enough to pay all her debts including her rent. Forget paying rent. Even if she wanted to purchase the entire estate and kick the landlady out of the apartment complex, she would have the power to do so.She was only in such a predicament because she had a falling out with her parents and decided to leave.It was impossible to count the number of bosses and managers who had tried to take advantage of their position to sexually harass her.Even so, she did not regret her decision, nor was she going to bend her will for that man. She shrugged. Many of her problems would be solved once she received her salary from the diner.After eating her snacks, she took a shower and prepared to go to bed.…It was already 7pm and the traffic couldn't get any crazier. Wendy was already an hour late for her evening shift and she kne
Evenings were the busiest time of the day at the diner and when Wendy was finally done with her work for the day, it was already 7pm. Even so, she couldn't leave until her replacement who would be working the night shift arrived since it was a 24 hour restaurant.She glanced at her pocket watch in irritation. Alma, that bitch, was late again. What irked her was the fact that she knew Alma disliked her and she was doing it on purpose like she always did whenever she had to take over the night shift from Wendy.Clara had already changed out of her work uniform and sent it to the laundry, so she was ready to go. She offered a smile at Wendy as she made her way towards the back door. "Want to go home together? My boyfriend will pick me up. We can give you a ride. Go on and change, I'll wait for you."Wendy looked up from the orders she was preparing for a couple and their daughter, returning the smile. "It's alright. I'll take the subway." She was gratef