Alden!This isn't a joke,I need this leave!” Steven yelled into the phone. He let out a curse and paced as Alden's angry voice rattled on angrily at the other end of the line.“Absolutely not. You think it's alright to shirk your responsibilities at this time? Do you have any idea how much your prolonged absence will hurt the company at the time?”Was his grandfather kidding? He expected Steven to be worried about his darn company when his wife was in a coma and needed him?“I don't freaking care, Alden! I don't care. My wife is in a coma and that's all that matters to me.”“Don't you dare blame this on Marie, Steven. You're asking for an indefinite leave so you can isolate and lick your wounds like you always do when things get tough but I'm not going to let you run my company into the ground!”“Alden!”“Three weeks leave and that's it.”“Maybe I'll quit then. Walk away from it all. I mean I've been thinking about it for a long time.”“Great. Let the scumbags who put your wife in the
“She looks beautiful, doesn't she? Despite the fact that she's bedecked in a hospital gown and her hair hasn't seen a brush for ages.” Sandra mused. It had been five weeks since Marie had been moved from the hospital to the house and though Dr. Terrence and his team were watching her closely, there had been no improvements.“She does.” He managed to say, offering Sandra a weak smile. She smiled warmly at him and squeezed his elbow. The past month had been torturous on so many levels, and Sandra had been there through it all. It was like the flirty, tactless woman had disappeared and left in her stead this loyal, warm and friendly woman. She had even offered to cook the other day when he couldn't sleep and had crashed into the kitchen at midnight. Not that he had taken her up on the offer. A burnt house was the last thing he wanted while Marie was still stuck in a coma. He missed Marie at work as much as he missed her at home. His calendar had gone from organized and efficient to chaot
“Shoot. Are you okay? Oh my, you're bleeding.” Steven said as he glanced down at Sandra's bloody fingers.“You should hurry and go to the station. I'm such a clumsy fool sometimes. Don't let me delay you.”“Are you sure? At least let one of the nurses take a look at that before it turns nasty please, I insist.”“The most important thing is for you to go to that station and find out the asshole that did this to my friend. I wish I could come and punch his face to the pulp.”“You should probably get that checked out first. I’ll tell one of the nurses to check on you, on my way out, okay?”“You're too kind, Steven King. Now go go.” She said, urging him towards the direction of the door. He bounded down the stairs in nervous anticipation. Had they actually caught Agent Smith or anyone who could lead to him? Were the puzzle pieces finally coming together?He backed out of the driveway with the speed of someone possessed with madness. He called James who answered on the second ring.“So, I’
“ Do you, Sandra Rakes take this man to be your husband, to livetogether in holy matrimony, to love him, to honor him, to comfort him, and to keep him in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?""I do." Sandra Rakes replied in a shaky voice. Although smiling, Marie rolled her eyes inwardly. Why Sandra kept acting like this was a real marriage was beyond her. God knows that she had tried to help her friend understand that her boss wasn't looking for love. He was looking for a wife for seven weeks. "Repeat after me," the Notary was saying now as Marie tried to focus on the ceremony before her. Even though she knew the wedding was a sham, she wished desperately it was her in the white dress. That it was her getting married to Steven Kings. She wished she was the one who any moment from now would be kissed by Stevie. She should be happy for her friend, Sandra. At least now Sandra would be able to get a studio apartment and set up her small bus
“Get the hell out of bed, lazy ass and talk to me!” Marie rolled her eyes inwardly as Sandra pummeled her pillow.“What? The one day I get a day off and I can't catch any sleep. Sandra, what's with you?”“What do you think? I can't reach my husband! Wake up, it's an emergency.”“Okay, okay. I’m up.” Marie said as she held up her hands in mock surrender and then sat up slowly. Sandra plunked herself next to her and looked at her with worried eyes.“What's the issue?” Marie demanded.“ I can't get a hold of Mr King.” Sandra said, sounding close to tears.Marie looked at her friend and tried to assess if she was being serious. Before the wedding, Marie had warned her thoroughly not to develop any kinds of feelings for Mr King. It was a marriage-in-name only. Once the negotiations for the transfer of the Kazuko Inc. accounts to their agency was complete, the marriage would be over. “ Look, he’s probably off to a meeting somewhere. What's the matter? Haven't you been paid?”“ I have. But
The next couple of weeks went by quickly as more talks of negotiations took up both Marie and Steven’s time. Sandra on the other hand was only too glad to be enjoying her status as the wife of the billionaire. Apparently after dinner that night, Steven had barely said a word to her but tossed a platinum credit card to her and asked her to buy whatever she wanted. Sandra had gone wild and started shopping for all sorts of furniture and accessories for her apartment, she hadn't stopped there, she had even bought tons of designer purses and shoes as well. At first Marie had been worried but then Sandra had gotten red in the face and asked her if she knew the resale value of a Kate Spade purse and that it was all an investment. Then she had looked at Marie closely and said,“You're not jealous, are you? Marie. I thought you were over him?” To which Marie had replied and told her not to be silly and that she was just watching out for her friend.“ The man is a billionaire, Marie. And you
Steven King reclined in his seat, closed his eyes and placed his fatigued feet on the plush mahogany table in front of him. One reason he had chosen Alden King’s new headquarters to overlook the beach was so that the constant sloshing of the waves would calm him in times like this.The journey to acquiring the Kazoku Inc account had been riddled with more stress and with anxiety than he had had to face in a long time. After countless meetings and several pitch documents were presented, Steven had been stumped on why the deal was yet to come through. Until he had heard from his grapevine contacts that the owner of Kazoku Inc was only willing to do business with people who were married. At first, Steven had been livid about that kind of hogwash. How did being unmarried affect his ability to develop compelling ads and campaigns for the Kazoku Inc brands? Steven had been willing to abandon the whole process until his grandfather had laughed in his face and told him that he hadn't expect
“Who the hell does he think he is? Ignoring me, treating me like shit?” Sandra shouted in anger as she dabbed eye shadow on Marie’s left eye.“Hmm…” Marie said, already regretting coming to Sandra's house when she was still in such a foul mood. Truth was since Thursday when she had signed the divorce papers in Steven’s office, Sandra had been upset.“He’s such a monster, Marie. How do you cope? Married for seven weeks and he didn't even so much as hold my hand! Our last and only kiss was on our bloody wedding day!” Marie had long given up defending Steven and reminding Sandra that it was supposed to be marriage-in-name only because it only made Sandra get all prickly and accuse Marie of still being in love with Steven.“Why are you going through all this trouble anyway, Marie. Not like he's going to notice you and want you.”Sandra must have caught Marie's eyes in the mirror because she immediately tried to apologize.“Look, I just mean that you should be careful. See what I went thr