“Jeff? The same Jeff?” Steven whispered before he could stop himself.“She told you about him? Sandra asked, a shadow crossing her face briefly.“Well. Not exactly.” Steven responded.“After the breakup, she almost fell apart. She cried so hard I thought my heart would break. This went on for weeks. She was such a mess.”This explained a lot. It wasn't hard to picture why she cried so easily these days too.“Well, thank you for the information. I’ll sort out the car stuff, don't worry about it.”“Sure, thank you. I gotta run now. Zed is probably home by now.” She said, hugging him again before dashing out of the restaurant. Steven found it slightly rude that she hadn't thanked him for paying for her food. It was like she expected him to because he was a billionaire.Shaking his head ruefully, he headed out of the restaurant, deep in thoughts.It still stunned him that Marie didn't think she could share her problems with him. Even if they hadn't been dating then and she had brought it
Marie tossed and turned in her bed as her mind traveled in a thousand different directions. Why was it that she trusted Steven so much and yet her heart was still beating wildly about his cryptic dinner?Everytime she looked into Steven King’s eyes, she didn't think the man was capable of hurting her. But she had been wrong before, and she had almost fallen apart when her entire world crashed before her eyes.She had to be a stronger, wiser version of herself than the nineteen-year-old who let herself be deceived by a manipulative guy who had turned her into his bank and sex slave. The door opened and Rick stood in the doorway clutching a stuffed bear. Beckoning him to enter with her fingers, she scooted to make room for him since he favored the right side of her bed.Grabbing her phone from the bedside table, she opened the text thread between James and Ellen, and herEllenHey Peoplessss… Marie, great news. I was checking through records at the office and found that the Kingfisher
The next morning as they rode to work, Marie listened as Steven told her some elaborate story about how he had sold her car for 48,000 dollars to a billionaire friend of his who had been looking for a used car to buy for her 16-year-old son whom he wanted to teach financial responsibility. From where she sat, it sounded like a load of crap but she was waiting on him to finish.“So yeah, I sold the car for that amount. I did tell you I'd get a good deal.” He said, winking at her.“Steven, I bought that car for 6,000 dollars. How could anyone have wasted so much money on it?” Marie asked“Hey. She did it as a personal favor to me, okay. We’re friends after all? And I’m having some work done on it to make it good as new.”“Even so, Steven! 48,000 dollars is ridiculous. Did you say “she”. Was this the woman you had dinner with last night?”“What?” Steven sputtered, then averted his gaze at the look in her eyes.Who was this mystery woman and why was he hiding it for Pete's sake.“Fine. Do
MarieHey guys. After Steven's birthday, can anyone guess the next party we’ll be attending?JamesNone. No more parties this year.EllenOffice Christmas party….SandraMy godson’s baby shower from all the closed door meetings.MarieWrong! We’ll be attending Sandra's funeral because you are so dead for what you've just done to me!SandraHe did not! He DID NOT!MarieListen to you! How could you tell him about Jeff? How could you lie to him that I was in debt? Debt, Sandra!SandraYou're welcome!JamesLadies, do you want to do this privately?MarieNo!SandraNo!MarieI’ve said all I wanted to say. Thank you for ALWAYS looking out for me!SandraYeah, go on and cry me a river. In fact, if I'm no help, you plan the party yourself!Marie’s nostrils flared as she clutched her cell phone in her hands. It was exactly like Sandra to turn every offense to her fault. Maybe she had overreacted a bit, but wasn't she expected to do so after what Sandra had done? Was it normal behavior for y
“Uncle Steve?” Rick asked as he climbed into bed with him. He had forgotten that he had told Rick that he could sleep with him. He sure wasn't in the mood to answer a million questions tonight.“Yes?” He answered, hoping his tone deterred Rick from pursuing whatever line of interrogation he was about to begin.“Are you fighting with Mrs King?” He asked“Why?” Steven asked, even though it would have been obvious to anyone with how curt he had been all evening.“She looked like she was sick. Like someone had punched her in the stomach. And you’ve been making scary sounds too.” Rick plowed on.“Turn out the lights, buddy. I need to sleep.” Steven said.“Okay.” Rick conceded as he turned out the lights and brought the covers to his chin. He said nothing for so long, Steven sighed in relief. As he felt himself drifting to sleep, he heard Rick say,“Uncle Steve?”He ignored him, hoping Rick would take that as a sign to mean he was asleep and let him be.“Uncle Steve?”Arghh.“What do you wa
Marie struggled to maintain a neutral facial expression as Steven shot daggers at Rick.Uh oh. Somebody was in big trouble. She hadn't intended to trick Steven into eating any of her cookies. In fact, after he had rejected them, she had been content to package it and share with people in the office. She had even begun making donuts when Rick sauntered into the kitchen, asked for some cookies and asked her if he could give Steven some.“No. He said he didn't want any.” She had responded but Rick had said,“I bet he does. Granny says Alden is a stubborn old man. I think Uncle Steve is just like him. They have the same frown and everything.”Little Rick was right. Steven was just as grumpy as his grandfather.“I bet he wanted some cookies but was too stubborn to have some because he's fighting with you.”“Very astute of you to deduce, young detective.” She had said and then smiled as he took five cookies from the tray and asked her to follow him.“Where are we going?”“I want to show you
“You're glowing, Mrs King!” Rick said, as they say at the breakfast table, eating donuts and coffee for breakfast, and hot chocolate for Rick.If Amelia could see them now, feeding her beloved grandson donuts for breakfast, she'd probably have a coronary. But some days were like that and one day wasn't going to ruin his healthy living lifestyle.He smiled as Marie's face flushed a bright shade of red. No doubt, she hadn't expected to be called out like that by an eight year old who knew too much for his own good. Although, she was indeed glowing and he knew why.“You're also blushing, uncle Steve.” Rick, the impartial observer noted as he glanced at Steven. This prompted a snort of laughter from Marie and a mock glare from him.Who was he kidding? He was absolutely, ridiculously happy this morning.“I thought you were on my side, buddy?” Steven teased.“I am. Why do you think I gave Mrs. King the idea to give you the cookies?” He questioned, his face mirroring the impatience he felt.
“Babe, he’ll be fine. Just breathe.” Marie whispered as she walked Steven King to the hanger where Alden Kings Inc.’s private jet was waiting. It galled her that her fear of flying would prevent her from being physically present to support him.“I don't understand how this happened, Marie. I don't…”“Babe, he’ll be okay. Look at me, Steven.” She said, tugging on his chin so he looked her in the eye.“He’ll be fine, Babe.” Marie said.He pulled her into his arms and clasped her back in a firm hug.“I wish you could come with me.” He mumbled into her hair, before letting out a deep sigh.Could she go with him? She had been having therapy sessions but she wasn't ready yet, and she didn't want to get aboard and create extra problems for him.“I'm sorry, babe.” She whispered and he said,“It's fine. I shouldn't ask you to. I know if you could, you would have offered to come. I love you, Marie. I’ll be back once I get a hold of things. Zed’s in charge but keep an eye on him for me, please?
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