Simon pulled Anna into the hall, bolting the door behind them.They were standing alone in the long hallway, staring at each other. Everything seems to fall away as they become only conscious of each other.“What the h*ll do you think you are doing?” Anna snapped at him.“You tell me; looks like you really are back to make me miserable,” Simon stated.“I am going to make you miserable, Simon,” Anna shouted.Simon paced, flipping a hand through his hair as he turned back to her and asked, “Why Michael?”“That is none of your f*cking business, Parker!” Anna snapped, folding her hand on her chest.“Yes, it is, if you insist on staying back in town. If you keep this up, the media is going to get interested, and soon it will be everywhere that you were once married to me!” Simon exclaimed.“And why should I give a damn about that?” Anna asked, her left brow raised in“For f*ck sake, Anna, don’t play dumb with me. We both know why you are back in town. Are you trying to use Michael to taunt
“William what are you looking at I asked if you know anything about what Steve just said?” Simon called out again.William looked up from his phone and replied, “Hmm, sorry, I was not following. What is wrong?”“Sophia said there is a flyer going around with little Mia’s picture on it. Who authorized the dissemination of the program flyer without my knowledge?” Simon asked.“Hmm, we didn’t make use of little Mia’s picture, and I was going to show you a sample of the design once we got back to the office. I’m not sure how there is a flyer going out already,” William explained.Simon turned to Steve and said, “Tell Sophia not to worry; I’ll sort things out.”Steve spoke with Sophia for another two minutes before finally ending the call.“She is not really concerned that you used little Mia’s picture; she just wanted to know if you were the one who authorized it since she knows how careful you are bringing family into work,” Steve explained.“William, ask the marketing team; I want to kn
“F*ck!! Why does everything have to fall apart simply because she is in town?” Simon said in frustration.“Which is why the fact that Anna is working with the Gary group puts us at a great disadvantage,” Noah stated.Simon’s eyes hardened as he replied, “I know, but how can the Crawford Foundation do this to us? We have been partners for the last ten years, and now they are willing to open our spot simply because Anna is in town?”“As head of operations, I can tell you it’s going to impact our operations significantly if we do not get the Crawford grant this year. I’m sure we can survive without it, but it’s going to be on a very tight rope,” Noah stated, sitting down on one of the couches.“We can survive without them, but having their name as one of our clients is also an advantage beyond the money they invest,” Simon muttered, rubbing his temple.He could feel the onset of a headache as he thought about it. Then his mind drifted to his encounter with Anna a few hours ago.I am going
“Simon?” Anna called as she stepped into the house, walking straight to the kitchen to put the bouquet of flowers she had bought on the table. “Simon?” Anna called again, but the same silence met her in response. The well-lit Victorian house sat silent, the only sound being the ticking of the clock from the living room. "Maybe he is running late; it's that time of the year, and he has a lot to do," Anna muttered to herself as she checked the watch on her wrist. It was the end of the year; the cold winter days were getting shorter, and Simon's workload always seemed to increase during this time, despite Paul Parker, his uncle's offer of help, which he always turns down. Anna shook her head, not wanting to think about the drama between them, as she instead poured herself a cup of wine and waited for him to return. As she lifted the glass to her lips, she heard the doorknob turning. "Simon," Anna breathed as she stood up abruptly. The smile that lit her face coul
When Anna opened her eyes again, she was surrounded by a group of nurses who were all trying to revive her. “We need an IV line here,” a nurse shouted, pointing at someone else. “Her pulse is weak, BP dropping fast,” another nurse said from the other side of Anna. “Anna?” someone called out. Anna turned her head towards the sound and saw Lily, her best friend, with a crease of worry on her forehead. “I think she is awake now,” Lily said, getting the nurse's attention. “Hey there, take it easy,” the doctor said, holding her shoulder as she tried to sit up. “What happened?” Anna asked, her voice groggy as she looked around in confusion. “Take slow breaths; do you feel any pain or dizziness?” the doctor asked. “No, I just feel a little lightheaded,” Anna responded. “That’s okay, we will keep you hydrated and run some tests to make sure everything is alright.” The doctor stated. “Thank you so much, doctor,” Lily said, a look of relief on her face.
"Huh, I think you should go now, Anna," John interrupted, glaring at Nancy as he stepped in front of her. "What did you just say?" Anna asked. "Nothing you need to hear again, and by the way you should go visit your mother," Nancy snorted. Anna turned and, without saying a word, stepped out the door. She walked over to the car, got in, and sighed deeply. Lily noticed the concerned look on her face and asked, "Are you okay?" "I'm worried about my mom," Anna responded. "Do you want to go straight to the hospital now?" Lily asked. "No, let's go home, and then we can head there once I'm packed," Anna replied. "Okay," Lily responded as she drove out of the driveway and headed straight to Anna's house. "What do you want to do now?" Lily asked. Anna stepped out of the car when they got to the house; she walked straight up to her room, packed a bag, and came back downstairs. "Here, let me help you with that," Lily said, taking the bag from her. They were
Anna felt a movement on her nose, then she felt it in her nose; her eyes popped open as she sat up suddenly. The next thing she heard was the grin on her kid's face as they laughed at the funny look on her face. "Jasmine! Jayden! James!" Anna exclaimed as she tried not to grin. "Mom, you look so funny," James said, still laughing as he pointed at her face. "Oh really, you want to laugh, right?" Anna said, narrowing her eyes at them. She pulled all three of them towards her and started to tickle them, causing them to laugh uncontrollably. "Now don't try that on Mom again," Anna said, laughing as she stared at them, grateful for the gift of them. It's been five years and in moments like this her old life feels like it didn’t have all the pain she had experienced. "Mom, can we call Grandma now?" Jayden asked, sitting up. "Yes, let's do that; it's her birthday today," James supported, sitting up too. "Here I brought my tab and this," Jasmine added as she pulled
The airport was chaotic, a usual atmosphere in New Jersey around this time of the year. It was spring break with a lot of persons going on vacation. "It's been how long? Five years, right? How does it feel to be back?" Natasha asked Anna as they walked to the exit of the airport. Natasha Roberts had met Anna for the first time three years ago at the Fisher telecoms System, where Anna had come to put them through a cybersecurity course. The two had hit it off from there, fast becoming friends. On Anna's part, Natasha's personality reminded her of Lily. "I don't know how I feel, Nat; honestly, I don't think I want to feel anything for this place," Anna replied. "I understand that feeling. I don't know the whole story, but I got your back anytime," Natasha said with a warm smile. Anna smiled and replied, "Thanks, Nat." Barely five minutes after they got to the exit, Clayton appeared with a trolley in tow. All their bags were stacked on each other. "Okay, Billy, you go
“F*ck!! Why does everything have to fall apart simply because she is in town?” Simon said in frustration.“Which is why the fact that Anna is working with the Gary group puts us at a great disadvantage,” Noah stated.Simon’s eyes hardened as he replied, “I know, but how can the Crawford Foundation do this to us? We have been partners for the last ten years, and now they are willing to open our spot simply because Anna is in town?”“As head of operations, I can tell you it’s going to impact our operations significantly if we do not get the Crawford grant this year. I’m sure we can survive without it, but it’s going to be on a very tight rope,” Noah stated, sitting down on one of the couches.“We can survive without them, but having their name as one of our clients is also an advantage beyond the money they invest,” Simon muttered, rubbing his temple.He could feel the onset of a headache as he thought about it. Then his mind drifted to his encounter with Anna a few hours ago.I am going
“William what are you looking at I asked if you know anything about what Steve just said?” Simon called out again.William looked up from his phone and replied, “Hmm, sorry, I was not following. What is wrong?”“Sophia said there is a flyer going around with little Mia’s picture on it. Who authorized the dissemination of the program flyer without my knowledge?” Simon asked.“Hmm, we didn’t make use of little Mia’s picture, and I was going to show you a sample of the design once we got back to the office. I’m not sure how there is a flyer going out already,” William explained.Simon turned to Steve and said, “Tell Sophia not to worry; I’ll sort things out.”Steve spoke with Sophia for another two minutes before finally ending the call.“She is not really concerned that you used little Mia’s picture; she just wanted to know if you were the one who authorized it since she knows how careful you are bringing family into work,” Steve explained.“William, ask the marketing team; I want to kn
Simon pulled Anna into the hall, bolting the door behind them.They were standing alone in the long hallway, staring at each other. Everything seems to fall away as they become only conscious of each other.“What the h*ll do you think you are doing?” Anna snapped at him.“You tell me; looks like you really are back to make me miserable,” Simon stated.“I am going to make you miserable, Simon,” Anna shouted.Simon paced, flipping a hand through his hair as he turned back to her and asked, “Why Michael?”“That is none of your f*cking business, Parker!” Anna snapped, folding her hand on her chest.“Yes, it is, if you insist on staying back in town. If you keep this up, the media is going to get interested, and soon it will be everywhere that you were once married to me!” Simon exclaimed.“And why should I give a damn about that?” Anna asked, her left brow raised in“For f*ck sake, Anna, don’t play dumb with me. We both know why you are back in town. Are you trying to use Michael to taunt
“Anna, what are you talking about?” Clayton asked, smiling nervously as he looked from Michael to her.“Hello, Mr.?” Anna said, trailing off as she extended her hand to the client.Michael coughed slightly and introduced, “Mr. Harry, this is Anna Howard, known as Vectra within the industry. Anna, this is Mr. Harry Connor, CEO, Connor Media.”Anna smiled, keeping her hand stretched as she said, “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Connor.”Connor smiled in response and took her hand as he replied, “Hello Vectra, it’s an honor to meet you. I had no idea you were the one working on the issue. I guess you’re also the one behind the resolution.”“Well, you could call it a teamwork,” Anna responded, glancing at Nancy.“I don’t know what deal you want to make with me, but I already scheduled a meeting with the Parker group,” Connor responded.“Oh, I’m sure if you take ten minutes of your time to meet with me, you won’t regret it,” Anna responded.The room was quiet for a few seconds as Connor thought
Simon looked at the screen for a few seconds and still didn’t see what it was that Steve was staring at.“What are you seeing?” Simon asked.Hillary shook her head and said, “We’ve been looking at that video for the past fifteen minutes, and we didn’t’ find anything.”“There is an inscription at the base of that video; can you get someone to check that out?” Steve asked Hillary, pointing at the screen.Hillary looked in the direction he pointed, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion just before her eyes widened in shock.She snapped her finger and addressed the room, “I want everyone to check out the video on the fifth minute; it’s at the tail end of the video.”While the team got to work, Simon turned to Steve, his right eye squinted at him.“What?” Steve asked.“How did you find that?” Simon asked.“You’ve got my eagle eye to thank; in forensics, you’ve got to have an eye to catch things people don’t see,” Steve winked at him.“Oh, please,” Simon murmured, waving his hand at him in dis
“What is wrong, Nat? Can you speak up? You’re getting me more worried with your silence,” Anna said, eyes narrowed at Nat.“Hmm, no, Clayton said something came up at one of the Gary client’s sites, and he had to go with Michael when he sent someone to get you.” Nat explained.“Okay, that does not sound like an emergency,” Anna responded.“No, it’s not, but that’s not the main issue,” Nat stated.“What is it then?” Anna asked.“So, the client is the topmost paying client of the Gary group, and if they lose them, it’s going to be a disaster,” Nat explained.“That’s bad. What is the situation over there?” Anna asked, her expression becoming more serious.“Hmm, I'm not so sure,” Nat replied.“Was it a critical network outage?” Anna asked.“Yes, it is; their entire communication system is down,” Nat responded.“And did the team check to see if this was caused by a malicious activity?” Anna asked.“That I am not sure about. From Clayton’s voice, I could tell things are beginning to get hea
Jasmine and James stared at the screen of the tab Jayden held up to them.“Jayden, what is that?” Jasmine asked, pointing at the words he had typed.“What?” Jayden asked in defense.James suddenly burst out laughing, pointing at the screen and laughing the more.“Why are you laughing?” Jayden asked, pouting as his small eyes narrowed at his brother.“You can’t tell Dad that we are his children,” James pointed out.Jayden had written, Dad, don’t make Mummy cry; we are not happy with you.Jasmine shook her head and took the tab from him, clearing away the words he had written.“You do it then; I’m sure you cannot do it,” Jayden stated, sticking out his tongue at James.James's smile suddenly vanished as he replied, “I can, I can.”“No, you cannot,” Jayden continued to tease him.“Jasmine, I am going to write it,” James stated.“No, nobody is writing it again. I will write it,” Jasmine refused.She placed the tab on the bed again and typed out a few words. Picked it up and showed it to t
Simon drew in a breath, his eyes darkening with anger and pain as he looked at Steve.“I am not talking about that,” Simon muttered.Steve stopped, brushed a hand through his hair, and replied, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring that up.”Simon looked away, staring out the window of the moving car. The event of five years ago was not something he liked to talk about.“She is just worried about you,” Steve said again.“I know, but can you please tell Sophia I’m not a child?” Simon asked, closing his eyes as he let go of all the pain.“Sophia isn’t someone you can joke with, especially when she has her mind on something,” Steve muttered.“She has you so much in her finger, huh?” Simon stated, turning calm eyes towards Steve.Steve sighed and replied with a grin, “I’m a fool for love, my friend. I have no choice but to do her bidding.”“Hmm, hmm, I can see that, but really I’m fine. Can everyone just understand that?” Simon asked.“You know there is no point in telling them that; they wo
By the time Nat and Anna got back to the office, they didn't find Clayton in the office. Nat had waited for Anna at the rooftop elevator, not wanting to leave her alone."He must have left early," Nat said with a shrug.Anna cast a glance at her with a shake of her head as she headed to her desk."What? It's possible; we both know he does not really have a knack for hard work," Nat stated, sitting down.Anna didn't respond as they both got back to work, with Anna constantly catching Nat's eyes straying to the door and Clayton's table."You know you can just call him," Anna said, after about thirty minutes of silence."Why?" Nat asked."I mean, you obviously feel guilty about what happened," Anna muttered, looking up from the document in front of her."Guilty? Me? Of course not," Nat murmured with a roll of her eye."We both know you were kind of harsh with your words, Nat. And before you say more, I know Clayton can be a handful, and we both probably still blame him for all that has h