After dinner, I excused myself first. People were busy with their colleagues, I had to leave before the guests crowded out. Carlos also stood up. I smiled at him. It was reassuring to have someone I knew walking with me.Carlos chose to exit through the side door, not the front door like the other guests. It was comforting to see only us and our bodyguards passing through the corridor. The other guests were far ahead of us."That child was hidden from the public for a dozen years. Only people with great influence can do that. You know Dante Russo isn't just anybody. Your brother-in-law controls many politicians in the government," Carlos explained."Therefore, you must not underestimate Dorothy. Your relationship is not good. She won't hesitate to hurt you, Otis." Carlos looked at me with concern. "I still need you. Don't die."I chuckled. "I know Dorothy. Don't worry.""Your family is unique." Carlos raised his eyebrows.We parted ways in the parking lot. I was glad I'd gotten through
[Camari]“Finally!!!” Jasmine cheered excitedly. “We're at the beach!”I just shook my head as I watched her run toward the shore. We arrived in Honolulu an hour ago. Our flight was smooth, and the plane landed safely. The distance between the airport and the hotel was pretty close. So, we checked in, stored our luggage, and came here in no time.Jasmine couldn't wait to touch the sand. I let her do what she wanted while I stared far out to sea. I hadn't seen nature in a long time. In the three years I was married to Farrell, we didn't travel.I didn't even remember taking a vacation while working at Bloom Enterprise. I was a workaholic to show my parents what I could do. I wanted them to be proud of me and appoint me as Dad's successor without hesitation.“I'm hungry. Come on, let's eat.” Jasmine took my hand and pulled me towards the hotel.“I thought you'd play in the sand and building castles until bedtime,” I teased.She laughed. “I have three more days to play in the sand all I w
Bella held a bachelorette party. The event was heavily covered as several media outlets aired the news. I knew her purpose for doing that. Bella thought I would be jealous of her happiness.I didn't know any of her upper-class friends, but I remembered some of the faces of the women who accompanied her at the restaurant that night. After revealing her identity, she was eager to appear in public and pose for the camera."What a fake friend!" cursed Jasmine. "I can't believe I was fooled for six years!""And she did it for a Farrell." I snorted."No wonder she wouldn't take a picture with us when we were having fun. She claimed she didn't have social media. Apparently, she didn't want us to know who she really was. She must not want her friends to blow her cover either," Jasmine chuckled."You're right. After we found out who she was, she appeared on television almost every day. She must be laughing remembering how innocent we were by believing she was Bella Snow.""My goodness. I hate t
[Otis]Farrell's bachelor party was held at a famous club in the city center. They booked a room just for him and his friends. The event was live-streamed on his and some of his friends' social media accounts.I watched it only when my present was about to arrive. Jasper opened his social media account on his tablet and viewed the security camera view on his laptop. The live feed on social media was about to stop. So, we needed a backup.Someone opened the door with a knock from outside. A woman wearing a sexy nurse costume stood in the doorway. The men cheered and whistled. Farrell turned his head, and his face flushed as he saw her enter."Guys, we have a deal. No strippers," Farrell pointed out."I didn't book her, man," replied the man pointing the camera at him.The rest of his friends joined in the denial, so Farrell pressed his lips together. He covered the camera with his hand. The cheers of his friends grew louder before the show ended.I moved to the laptop. The woman approac
The world was unfair. I had to suffer from rejection from my siblings and father; and being bullied by friends at school and in the neighborhood. When I grew up, people didn't change the way they looked at me.Yet those who hurt me seemed to forget what they had done in the past. How could she greet me and invite me to dinner without any guilt? She even smiled when she invited me to chat over a meal.What did she want to discuss with me? Did she want to mention all the horrible things she had done to me during school? The change in her demeanor must be because I appeared in public with a better status. I couldn't believe Emma would look at me, let alone say hello, if I was penniless."There's no need to do anything. She won't come again," I replied."Trust me, sir. She'll come again," Jasper argued."Forget about that woman. Watch the road ahead of you." I quickly added when Jasper opened his mouth to argue with me again. "End of discussion."I took a deep breath as I closed my apartme
[Camari]Otis was much better the next morning. He smiled a lot and looked relaxed as he showered and dressed. I didn't ask him what happened to make him cry on the couch. He would tell me everything when he was ready.They received souvenirs from me happily in the morning. I bought swim trunks and T-shirts for Otis; some sweatshirts and training pants for Jasper; and Nicole wore the leather jacket I gave her.Jasmine and I couldn't have lunch together because her work was piling up. She hadn't worked for three days so she had to do installments to meet her weekly target. Therefore, I had lunch with Otis and Jasper in the CEO's office.Despite this, I left on time. I told Otis that I would drop by Deborah's unit. Fortunately, he didn't mind. Otis allowed me have dinner with my best friend.I was walking toward my car in the parking lot when I heard quick footsteps following me. Before getting any closer, I turned around. Bella walked quickly towards me and threw her right hand at my fa
She chose a restaurant, so I followed her car into the parking lot. I turned to Nicole, who had parked her motorcycle not far from me. I walked into the restaurant with her.Unlike the previous conversation, the waiter took me to a room. It seemed like the woman had something secret she wanted to discuss with me. I sat down and didn't order anything when the waiter asked. He excused himself after asking us to wait for the order to be delivered.“Well? What do you want to talk to me about?” I asked, seeing her only stare at me.“I'm disappointed with how you caught Farrell's attention.” She looked intently at my clothes and hair. “So, is this my son's weakness?”I laughed amusedly. “What? What you're looking at is not Farrell's weakness that I mentioned the other night, Eleanor, but his favorite.”“I should have realized you were wearing blue on purpose. That's why you don't mind me spreading your intimate pictures with other men in the media.” She sneered. “You want Farrell to see more
[Otis]Fortunately, that woman was nowhere to be seen around the parking lot. She was crazy if she thought I would still want to deal with her. Jasper drove the car safely to the apartment building. Camari met Deborah, so I had dinner with Jasper."What's this?" I asked when Jasper handed me something."The invitation is in the pile of mail in your mailbox." Jasper placed the envelope on the sideboard. "The rest is only brochures with advertisements."I looked at the envelope. There was only the recipient's name, no sender's name. I opened the envelope and took out the thick paper inside. I read the name on the invitation over and over again to make sure I wasn't imagining things."What invitation, sir?" Jasper asked."Farrell and Bella's wedding invitation." I handed him the invitation."What?" he said in surprise. "What did they invite you to come for?""I'm not coming." I walked towards my bedroom.I wasn't crazy yet. An invitation with no sender's name was suspicious. My family wou