Hello Readers! It’s a pleasure to carry everyone along with me in this writing journey ,do well to enjoy this book and drop your comments and suggestions. Thank you.
Marie walked into her apartment and kicked off her heels. Closing the door behind her, she leaned against it and let out the breath she had been holding.Steven King had dropped her off and told her he would decide what to do about her in the morning.Knots swirled her belly as his words rang in her mind. He had called it a little kiss. That little kiss was better than all the fantasies Marie had had since the day she realized she was falling in love with him.Lost in her reverie, Marie went through the motions of undressing, removing her makeup and putting her jewelry away. A little part of her heart couldn't believe she had actually kissed Steven King. She felt both excited and fearful at the same time.Should she tell Sandra? No, bad idea. Sandra wouldn't understand and Marie knew she would end up saying something that would hurt her. Her insides were trembling so much that she itched to tell someone.She was still lost in her unsettling thoughts when her phone beeped.It was Ald
Marie's fingers drummed on the steering wheel as she waited for the light to turn green. When it did, she honked to signal the driver in front of her.Where was his mind? As soon as he moved, Marie slid forward and tore across the road. The sooner she got to Alden Kings Inc., the better for her. A few moments later, the great white building loomed before her and she drove into the parking lot. As expected, only a few cars were littered around. How could a place she had been in over a thousand times in the last ten years make her so nervous?Trying to take a deep breath but failing, she sighed and unhooked her seat belt. Whatever was waiting for her in Steven King’s office wouldn't go away so she might as well face it.Dread shoved aside, Marie soaked in the peace and quiet. The usual hustle and bustle of people coming in and going out, and the normal office clatter was absent. She wished it could be like this every day but knew that was a tall dream.“I don't have all day, you know.
Steven watched as Marie scrambled about looking for a towel for him to dry his face with. Waiting for her to take her seat, he dabbed his face with the towel she offered.“Married?” Marie cried in a shrill voice.“Yes. Why not?’ He asked, raising his brows and narrowing his eyes at the look on her face. He knew a lot of women who would grab the chance in a heartbeat, but he also knew Marie wasn’t one of them. If he was being honest, he was asking her because he knew she had no interest whatsoever in marrying him and that she wouldn’t make a fuss when the charade had to end.“I don’t… I don’t know what to say…” Marie confessed in a shaky voice. Steven could see her feet trembling under the table. Was the prospect of a fake marriage so terrifying? Was there a boyfriend somewhere she was considering? It dawned on him that he had never asked about her personal life so he didn’t know. But Steven knew Marie wouldn’t have kissed him if she had a boyfriend regardless of any altruistic intenti
The morning after Steven King proposed a fake marriage to her, Marie awoke with a splitting headache. After her meeting with him, she had driven straight to a bar and gotten herself drunk. Thinking about marrying him had sounded easy while he sat across from her and explained it but as soon as she had time to think it through, Marie had realized that her feelings concerning the matter were far from straightforward.She had loved Steven so long that she was prepared to marry him in a heartbeat if it were real. The thought of a fake marriage was what haunted her the most. How was he supposed to keep her feelings secret for the next couple of months?At the party, she had been so surprised at how fervently he had kissed her back. If he kept kissing her like that, Marie wasn't sure how much her heart would be able to take before it blurted out its love for him. And then there was the issue of Sandra. Marie knew that sooner or later, Sandra would find out what was going on. Even though sh
Light filtered rudely into Steven King’s room, tugging at his eyelids until he was forced to open them. A quick glance at his watch revealed that the time was 7 AM. Ever since his proposal to Marie, he had been battling several thoughts that were stuck on a loop in his mind. Today was Monday, and that meant that he had to put away any doubts he had and made his romance with Marie seem believable. It also meant that he had to take sniffing out the mole in Alden Kings Inc. more seriously. At first, when proposed ideas and insights had begun to leak, Steven had waved it aside but over the past few months, the frequent occurrence was beginning to rankle him. He had placed Zed Norton in charge of finding out who was sabotaging them but Zed’s efforts had turned out nothing. The leaks were the only reason he was being forced into the situation with Marie. It was the only reason why instead of spending time working on productive campaigns, he was thinking about how to smooth over ruffled f
Steven watched calmly as a panicky Marie paced back and forth in his office. The poor girl was so frightened that a part of him wanted to call the whole thing off. So what if he wasn't married? How did that affect his ability to run the company? “Marie, calm down. What are you so nervous about?”“But they were meant to be here by 1PM. 1PM. It’s barely 11 and they show up. What are we going to do?”“I won't tell you to calm down again, Marie. Breathe.”Taking a deep breath, Marie dropped into the chair beside him.“So, how do you know they're here? Did you see them?” Steven asked, taking a sip from his cup of iced latte.“I was nervous about not knowing the exact time they would show up and so I asked Lara and Thelma to be on the lookout for them. Lara just texted them that two men fitting their description walked in and were logging their details at the front desk.”“Okay, okay. So what's the problem here?.”“I don't know, Steven, do you think this would work?” Marie asked, the fear
Marie’s fingers flew across her keyboard as her thoughts flitted in different directions. Her heart was still slightly racing from Steven's kiss.Touching her lips, her body shivered with pleasure as she remained lost in the sweet memory of the kiss. Just this morning, over five people who had never spoken with her had come to chat with her. Marie could see through their plastic friendliness and knew they were only doing it because of the favors they hoped to get. What hurt the most was the people whom she genuinely liked and cared for who were now awkward around her. With the way Steven had looked at her before kissing her, Marie wasn't so sure it was pure acting anymore. Or was she so naive that she was seeing things that weren't there? But she hadn't imagined the comment about her cardigan so what game was he playing at?“Marie, get in here.” Steven's voice butted in, interrupting her thoughts. What did he want now? Wiping her clammy palms on her pants, she covered the short dist
“Hello, hello, hello!” Marie cried as she walked through the door and dumped the things she was carrying on the dining table. A brief inspection around the room revealed that nothing material had changed since the last time she was here. It was so like Sandra to move at a snail pace.“Hey you.” Sandra said, walking towards Marie with a white bra and a blue palazzo pant. Sniffing the bags holding their takeout, Sandra's eyes lit up in delight.“Hmm, this smells yummy, Marie. Chinese?”“Yes.” Marie said, giving Sandra a quick hug and heading to the kitchen to get wine glasses. “Babes, your phone is ringing,” Sandra called out from the living room.“I swear to God Babes, if it's Godzilla, I’m flushing your phone down the toilet. One of these days, you’re going to have to put your feet down. You can't come running every time he calls.”Reappearing with the wine glasses, Marie handed them to her and took the offending device to the kitchen. But it wasn't Steven or Alden who was calling,
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