“Sandra!” Marie squealed as her best friend wrapped her hands around her. Three years or not, her best friend was still one of the best-looking women she had ever seen in her life.“Look at you. Fresh out of a coma and still stunning.”“Please, tell me you brought a brush and a mirror. I can't imagine how I look.”“You know I've always got you, babe.” Sandra said as she rummaged through her purse and fetched a small mirror and a brush.Marie gasped as she looked at herself. Sunken eyes rested on white cheeks that looked like their color had been sucked out through a straw.“Come on, babe. It's not so bad.”“Not so bad? I look like a mummy!” Marie exclaimed. She grabbed the bed frame and tried to stand up and fell back on the bed.“Babes. What are you doing? Are you trying to have a relapse?”“I’m trying to stand, Sandra. Why can't I get up?” Marie exclaimed, exhaling.“Marie. Please, stop it. If you keep doing that, I'm going to call Steven into the room.” Sandra said, waving a perfec
Marie’s hands trembled under the sheet as she walked Alden into the room with a woman and a young boy. Had Alden remarried? Was she looking at his wife? She glanced at Steven wondering if he knew about her relationship with Alden.“Hey, you. You gave us all quite a scare.” Alden said, as he wheeled himself forward to give her a hug. Steven stood back watching both of them with interest.“ Hello, My dear.” The woman said as she held her hand. Why did the woman feel familiar?She smiled at the woman and nodded before looking back at Alden.“Why are you in a wheelchair?” Marie asked.“Do you remember him?” Steven asked.“Of course, I do.” Marie said before she thought better of it. Of course she wasn't supposed to remember Alden if she didn't remember the last three years of her life. But how could she pretend not to remember the man whom she had known since she was about fourteen. A man whom she had shared grief with?“I remember he owns the company. And he didn't use a wheelchair then.
Steven tried to stop the sobbing sound from making it past his throat as the last thing he wanted to do was disrupt Marie's rest, but he was just so tired. He felt a light touch on his hair at first, and then a deliberate fondling of his curls.“You have such gorgeous hair, Steven.”A teary laugh tore out of Steven as he tried to look up at her.“Thank you, Marie. Glad to know some things haven't changed.”“What do you mean?”“Well, you love my hair. You called it gorgeous, too.”“Oh, I've always loved your hair,” Her eyes flickered across his chest as she said,“And other parts of you, too.”Steven beamed as he looked at her.“Why were you crying just now?” She asked, a concerned expression on her face. That was typical Marie, no matter what she was going through, she always found a way to act like everyone else's discomfort mattered.“Nothing for you to worry about.” He said, trying to stand. She gripped him on his wrist,“Come on, Steven. I’m not that fragile. I can handle the trut
Steven glanced at his watch as the preacher delivered his sermon. Thirty minutes earlier, he had met Cadence’s mother and had been astonished at the warmth the woman had shown him. During the drive here, he had expected a lot of reactions but was pleasantly surprised when Mrs Steele recognized him at once and hugged him.Steven glanced at the clock as the preacher stood aside for Mrs Steele to take the podium. She said a few words, teared up and started to speak again.Steven listened as she spoke about Cadence; the happy times, the sad times and the times she wished she had left Cadence in the hospital when she was still a baby. She laughed at that point and the whole church erupted in laughter. Steven found it admirable that someone who had lost her only daughter could still find a way to make herself and others laugh. He looked to his left and found Zed Norton sitting a few paces away from him. He nodded discreetly, glad that someone else from the office had shown up.After the cer
“Come on, Mrs. King. You can do it. Just put one leg in front of the other like me, see?” Rick muttered with one hand on his hip as he looked at her. She looked at Steven to save her, but he only held his hand up.“Don't look at me. I can't help. Listen to your physiotherapist.”Marie sighed and pushed her Zimmer frame forward.“Mrs. King! It's like you're not even trying.”“Hey, buddy! Take it easy on my wife. I think she needs a break.” He said as he winked at Marie. Marie smiled as Rick walked past her shaking his head. Had he always been this mischievous? It explained why she must have loved him before.She took a sip from her apple juice and smiled as she glanced at the new cell phone Steven King had gotten for her. She had tried to insist against it when he showed her the more expensive things he had already gotten and informed her that he had no plans of stopping. A quick glance revealed that her work email was done syncing. Why was it that she could remember her work email pas
“Steven, you're scaring me. Stop pacing.” Marie whispered as he let out a string of expletives and rummaged his hand through his hair. If what the video alleged was true, that woman had a lot of nerve coming down here.“Well, pacing won't help. Why do you think Sandra would have tried to harm me?It makes no sense.”“I don't know if she tried to harm you or not, Marie. But she needs to explain why she didn't disclose that you had actually gotten so close to her house.”“Okay. Well, she's on our way. Can you calm down? I don't want you blazing guns the minute she walks through the door.”“Fine!” He said as he plopped on the chair beside the bed.A sound from Marie's cell phone beeped as she picked up the phone and glanced at the caller ID.“It's Sandra. She's pulling in.”“Great. You stay here. I want to confront her myself, catch her off guard before she has a chance to formulate a story.”“Listen to yourself, Steven. You're talking about my best friend. I’m sure this is some giant mis
Marie rolled her eyes as she wheeled herself to the edge close to the elevator. She was about to go in when Steven stumbled out of it and let out a curse.“Hey! What's the issue? Where are you going in such a hurry?” Marie asked as Steven apologized and tried to side step her.“Where are you going? What did she say? Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?”“Marie, please I need a few minutes alone. I’ll see you soon, okay?” He asked, as he patted her hand and walked into his room before slamming the door shut.What was that all about? Had Sandra left? Thankfully, Sarah showed up at that moment to go ask her about lunch.“I’ll have anything you offer, Sarah. But I need to know. Did you overheat anything between Sandra and Steven? It took me ages to move from the bed to my chair. I was just on my way to see her but Steven stumbled in here like he had seen a ghost.”“No, Ma’am. I didn't overhear anything.”“Huh. That's strange. Please, can you assist me? I need to get downstairs and ta
“Thought I'd find you here.” James said as he held out a beer to Steven.“Go away. I don't want to talk right now.” Steven said, as he made to get up.“Sit back down, City Boy. We both know I'm not going back to the house until you spill about what's bugging you.”“I don't want to talk about it.”“You're moping about, spreading gloom to everyone and you claim nothing is wrong?”Steven sighed and bent his head between his knees. James clutched his shoulder and asked,“Come on City Boy, talk to me. What's wrong?”Where could he start from? He had no idea how James was going to react when he told him the full news. He decided to start out with the good news.“So, Marie's memory isn't back.”“Ah. I see that. She didn't even remember that I was the light of her life.”Steven barely cracked a smile before he continued.“She doesn't remember anything about our relationship and our marriage. She had started to hint at moving out and figuring out her feelings. I was devastated when she suggest
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