The next morning Marie awakened to the sound of someone’s raspy breathing. Her eyes flew open and found Steven’s on the floor as he bared his teeth at her.“What? Why are you glaring at me?”“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He grunted in a brusque tone that set her on edge.“Steven? What’s wrong? Did I say something in my sleep?”“No. You’ve been surprisingly quiet, haven’t you?” Steven replied, pushing himself off the floor and snatching his t-shirt from the bed before heading to the bathroom.Marie massaged her temple as she tried to recount whatever offense she had committed this time to land in his bad books.“Steven?” She called out as she kicked off the covers to follow him.The only reply he gave was the aggressive blast of the shower being turned on. She headed to the sofa and sank into it. If they both took turns in getting upset with each other, what time would be left to enjoy their romantic weekend?Ten minutes later, he emerged from the bathroom with a stern look
Rick sat quietly as Amelia wrapped her arms around him and covered his face with kisses. Steven chuckled as Rick made a face and attempted to wipe off her kisses.“My sweet sweet boy. I missed you.” Amelia cooed, smiling at an unimpressed Rick who looked smothered with her affection.“It's only been three weeks, Granny.”“That’s more than enough time away from my sweet angel, don't you think?” She asked, planting another kiss on his cheek.“Granny!” Rick exclaimed, swerving out of her reach and coming to stand beside him.“Hey honey, why don't you follow Sarah upstairs and pack the rest of your things while I thank Steven and Marie for taking such wonderful care of you.”“How do you know they took wonderful care of me?” Rick challenged.“Well, didn't they?” Amelia countered, arms akimbo.“They did. But you've always told me assumption is the lowest form of knowledge and now you're doing the same thing.”“Richard! Go up there and pack your things and stop bothering me.”Steven smiled a
“Steven?” Marie's voice snapped Steven out of his reverie as he caught himself and straightened up. Marie rounded the corner and came to stand where he was. His eyes darted to the sleeping figure of Sandra who apparently was still asleep. Had she kissed him thinking he was Zed?“I saw Sandra's car in the driveway. Oh, she's asleep.”“Yes… She err… She was waiting for you, actually. She fell asleep a couple of minutes ago.” Steven replied, clamping his hand over his mouth to get rid of the residue of Sandra's lipgloss. He hated that he could taste her lips on his right now.“Steven!”“Huh?”“You seem distracted. I was asking if she told you what's wrong?”“Something about her relationship with Zed. Said he was two-timing her?”“No! He didn't! How dare he?” Marie snapped, earning a raised eyebrow from him.“Let's discuss this in the kitchen so we don't wake her. She practically cried herself to sleep.” He whispered.“Oh, okay.” Marie said, walking with him to the kitchen and taking a se
“You're kidding, right?” Steven demanded as Marie shook her head sideways and tried to get him to calm down. She knew the likely reaction but had no choice but to ask for his help anyway. Her best friend was in a bad state and all that mattered was making sure Sandra got through the next couple of days without falling apart.“I don't want that woman staying here.” He insisted, shaking himself off from her grip and walking towards the bed.“You want me to toss my heart-broken best friend who needs me to the streets? Is that what you want, Steven?”“Marie. I don't want this to become an issue between us?”“Is this even my home?” The words escaped from her mouth before she could stop them. Steven’s eyes darkened as his gaze shot up to her face.“What do you mean is this your home? I invited you to move in. And in case you forgot, we're married.”“Fake-married.” She flung back hotly, crossing her arms over her chest.“Really? Take a moment to listen to yourself, Marie.” He said. The hurt
The next morning, Steven sauntered to the kitchen for a cup of coffee when he smelled the aroma of burning food.“Arghhhhh. My potatoes.” Sandra exclaimed while running to turn off the flame. Steven sighed inwardly as he walked past Sandra who stood glaring at him as though he was somehow the reason her food had gotten burnt.“Morning.” He said, strolling to the coffee pot while debating whether to go back to put on a shirt. He had temporarily forgotten about the presence of the stranger in his home and had felt content to roam around bare cheated while he drank his coffee but the way Sandra's eyes were roving over his bare torso made him uncomfortable.“Good Morning, Steven.” She said as her face crumpled into a sad expression. She wasn't going to begin another crying spell today, was she?“Do you feel better this morning?” He asked for a lack of something better to say.“No, I feel worse. Yesterday I was simply heartbroken, now I am not only heartbroken but hungover. I think I'm goi
“Do you feel better now?” Steven croaked, as he patted Sandra’s back.“I don’t know. This makes me feel so much better, please just a little longer, Steven.” She mumbled against his skin. Whenever Marie whispered things against his bare body, it usually felt like his entire being was being set on fire from the warmth of her breath, but with Sandra, it felt so uncomfortable. Plus, he had no idea how to explain this to Marie if she walked in on him right now.“I’m probably not going to be hugged like this for a while? Who am I kidding? I probably won’t be hugged like this for the rest of my life!” She cried out, as Steven found himself forced once again to say,“Shhhhh…You’ll find someone to love you.” Steven said. A few moments later, she nodded and pulled away from him.“Can you tell me what’s wrong with me? Am I somehow lacking? Please, look at me.” She pleaded in a sultry voice that had Steven looking at her tearstained eyes and lips, and then the rest of her. She had a nice body th
Marie’s hand shook as she put on her earrings, she was still so unsettled by what Alden had told her. After making her drive to his place to meet up with their 6 AM appointment, he had refused to give an exact name. He had however hinted at the fact that he had someone watching the situation closely and that Theodore was definitely not the man they were looking for. When she had asked why Theodore had been trying to get another job and meeting with contacts from their rival agencies, Alden had laughed in her face and told her that working in an agency didn’t stop one from being friends with people from other agencies. But the real shock had come when he said he had done some snooping and found out why Theodore had been looking for another job. Apparently, Theodore’s wife had been diagnosed with Alzheimers and he wanted to spend more time at home with her. According to Alden, he had been too embarrassed to disclose the reason and hadn't wanted to attract pity. But if he knew he was fac
Was this really for comfort?Steven gripped Marie’s hand tightly and held on to her. He had no idea what she planned to do but from the venomous look she had tossed at Zed who was now walking towards them, he had no doubt that the situation would escalate out of control if he let her go.“Good Morning, Boss. Marie.” Zed said to him, barely sparing a glance at Marie. That was a smart choice as even Stven could feel the animosity coursing through her veins“Is it? Is it really a good morning, though?” Marie asked in a steely voice, causing Zed to narrow his eyes.“Excuse us, Zed.” Steven said, leading her away from where Zed stood with an astonished expression on his face. Marie said nothing as they rode the elevator to the office but he knew she would give him an earful once they arrived at his office, which was why he intended to set her head straight first. Pulling out stern Steven was probably the thing to make her realize that meddling in her friend’s relationship was a bad idea.Th
Eight months later Marie smiled as she felt Steven’s warm breath dance on her face. Moments later, her eyes flickered open and locked with her husband's handsome eyes.“What's this?” She asked, as she sat up and made space for the tray he was holding.“A celebratory breakfast.” He said as Marie answered with a short laugh.“We can't keep celebrating a sentencing that happened four months ago, Steven.” She said as he ignored her and filled her glass with orange juice.“Who says?” Steven asked, as he planted a kiss on her forehead.“Me. I’m saying.”“Noted. Now eat.” He responded as he plunked on the bed beside her and watched her.“What?” She asked as his eyes roved over her.“I can't believe I almost lost you, Marie.”“You mean the way you were going on and refusing to listen to me?” She teased as she tossed a pillow at his head.“I told you I didn't like that woman.”“I know you told me. You’ve told me so almost a thousand times, Steven. But it was Zed that was the real shock to you
Steven’s mind whirled with thoughts as they headed to the hotel where he was staying. The silence in the air was rife with the weight of unspoken words. He glanced at her again and she looked so ashen. Was she okay? Why had she felt the need to come to Japan? How had she survived the flight? Was that why she looked so white? And why was she trembling so badly?He placed his hands upon hers and it was so sweaty.“Stop trembling. You're making me nervous.” He said in a more gruffer tone than he had planned.Her eyes widened for a second before she mouthed a solemn“Sorry.”She retracted her hand from under his and stuffed it in her laps.Huh. So much for wanting to comfort her. They said nothing to each other after that until the car stopped in front of the hotel.Steven rolled his eyes as Marie argued with the front desk attendant who had patiently explained that the hotel was fully booked and there was nothing she could do about it. To listen to Marie, it was like he was going to har
Steven frowned at the clock ticked noon. All his life, he had never had to wait to see anyone, but here he was, waiting on Mr. Kaito, whom he has been unable to see in the last two days.“Mr. King?” A feminine voice called out.“That's me.” He said in a chirpy voice, smiling even though his insides felt queasy. He knew convincing Mr. Kaito of the fact that Alden King Inc. still deserved his business was going to be tough and he wasn't so sure he was prepared for it. Although, in a way, he felt relieved the truth was out. The pretty brunette led him through a series of doors before stopping before a plush office. She tossed him a tight smile then knocked before leaving Steven on his own.Mr. Kaito took his sweet time before answering the door.“Mr. King, what a pleasant surprise.” Mr. Kaito said as he ushered him to a seat. While his face was smiling, Steven could sense the displeasure in his tone.“Thank you for seeing me.”Mr. Kaito took a long look at him, and Steven could feel the
Marie's hand clenched the steering wheel till her knuckles turned white. Sandra had a lot of nerve, seducing Steven and then trying to pin someone else's pregnancy on him. She jumped out of the car, and headed to the front door. She was about to knock when she noticed the door was open. Zed's loud voice filtered to where she stood.“You had just one job, Sandra! Seduce him! Get him to marry you! Don't think I care about that scum in your belly!”“I tried okay! He loves her! And I’m tired of being your little pawn! You always said you could have taken down Steven King without me so why haven't you?”“I've done everything on my part! You haven't done crap except complicate things for me. You couldn't even convince him to have sex with you. And he was drunk!”“And the only thing you’ve succeeded in doing is killing an innocent woman!” Sandra flung back.“Oh? Breathe a word of that to anyone and see what happens!”“Oh, please. What are you gonna do? Kill me too?” Sandra screamed.Marie to
Marie shoved the rest of her mementos and snapped her box shut. If she wanted to get to Lake George by nightfall, she had to hurry.She chuckled ruefully under her breath as she wondered about the rush. It's not like she had a job anymore or anything she needed to get to. Ten years with Steven, ten years of bending backwards, and all it took was one misunderstanding for him to fire her. She had even gone back and tried to explain but his granite heart hadn't moved. This from the man who though married to her, had decided to knock up her best friend.She frowned as her cell phone rang. She fished it out of her pocket, and held it to her ear with her shoulder as she rolled her luggage out.“James, there's nothing more we can do. I tried, James,”She waited as James tried to convince her not to leave town until he had spoken with Steven but to be honest, she was done begging him. For the most part of her adult life, she had fixated her emotions on him. Letting him treat her like his feel
Steven was slightly out of breath when he arrived at the orchard and ran into Rick.“Uncle Stevie! Wow. Aunty Marie was super fast. I only just spoke to her. Are you here to take me to the Planetarium? You’ve promised many times.” He asked expectantly.“You’re right, buddy. I do owe you a trip to the Planetarium. But that's not going to happen today, buddy. I've been…”“Busy. I know. You’ve had important things to do.” Rick said as a forlorn expression rested on his face. Steven sighed as he lowered himself to the boy’s gaze.“Now, Rick. You know how important you are to me, don't you?” Steven asked.Rick shrugged but Steven refused to let him out of his grasp till Rick said“Yeah.”“Well, Uncle Stevie has just had a lot of things happening to him at the same time. I'm almost done wrapping those things up and then we can go to the Planetarium as many times as you want, okay?”“Really truly?” Rick asked, a huge smile forming on his face.“Really, truly.” He confirmed.“Okay.”“That's m
“So you're headed to the house at Lake George?” Alden asked as Marie watched him peel an orange and toss a piece into his mouth. Ahead of them, Rick was glad that he had a no-school day and was allowed to run amok.“Quite a sugar rush, he’s got.” She remarked as Alden sighed.“Tell me about it. Amelia's going to have my head when she returns. One minute I look away and he downs all that stuff.”“So, what did Steven say when you told him the truth?”She sighed and tossed a piece of the tangerine she had just peeled into her mouth.“What I expected. That it didn't change anything. And that he wished me the best in life.”“He’s so obstinate sometimes.”“I told you to trust him more, Alden. If it were me, I would have been upset too. I know you love him, but you’ve got to stop coddling him!”“You don't understand, Marie. The boy is the light of my whole life. He’s everything William is not. And he was so young when he took over. And it infuriated many people.”“But that was over ten years
“Nice of you to stop for a chat and all but I'm very busy.” Steven said as Marie took her seat and folded her legs. It was like seeing a woman he hadn't met before.“I told him this was a waste of time. You don't work for someone for ten years without knowing how conceited and set in their ways they are.” Marie begun“Look, Marie. I don't know why Alden keeps trying. Isn't the work you've done for him in the past ten years impressive enough?” Steven asked.“Sneer at me, all you want. I'm not here because of Alden, I'm here because James asked me to come to talk to you.” She retorted, leaning forward to place her hand on his desk.While he didn't care about what she had to say, he figured the faster he allowed her to talk, the quicker she’d be out of his hair.“I'm listening.” He said, as leaned back in his seat.“First. I'm sorry I didn't disclose that Alden and I have a relationship.”“He was your boss, and…”“He was my guardian.” Marie cut in.Steven let out a sardonic laughter.“Gu
“What do you mean they're citing reputation issues as their reason for pulling out? We've committed to vendors, paid for the spaces for this exhibition and they're just canceling it?”Zed shrugged as Steven paced furiously. He sighed and leaned over his desk as Zed replied.“They also cited budget constraints and explained that it wasn't top priority for the foreseeable future.”“That's a load of bollocks and we both know it, Zed. Find out the real reason they're pulling the plug.”“I thought so too as well and tried to do some findings. My source alleged that top stakeholders were having cold feet due to our recent…err…”“Recent what?” Steven half yelled as he glared at Zed.“Due to your recent PR fiasco.”“What? They're canceling their activation because some reporter did a story on me?”“Well, Sir. You have to respond. You haven't addressed the rumors yet.”Steven thought about his phone call with Smith three days ago. He vehemently refused to believe what Smith was alleging until