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2024-10-29 19:42:56After an eventful weekend with Taylor lashing out at him and him ruining dinner, Nate was back to work. He had sent flowers to Mrs Wyatt and Taylor, apologizing for ruining dinner.
He was rather offended by their actions but brushed it aside. He didn’t believe in long term commitments or love and wished they could respect that. Taylor’s persistence over the years was the only thing that had kept their so-called relationship going.
There was no actual bond between them.
He pushed his thoughts of Taylor aside as he reread an email that caught his eye. He had received an invitation from an association of businessmen to attend a conference in Florida. He was asked to bring a plus one, preferably a coworker. He frowned, he couldn’t think of anyone. Taylor wasn’t an option because she was going to stir a lot of drama and he didn’t want unnecessary attention from reporters.
As for the workers in his company, the only person he could think of was Ruby.
There were other people who had more expertise than her but he still wanted her to go on the trip with him. Aside from their usual banters, he was intrigued by her and her intelligence. At the same time, she felt mysterious, he had read the file that contained her information a couple of times but it seemed vague. Another thing that made him curious was how familiar she looked. He could have sworn he saw her somewhere but he still couldn’t place it.
He stole a glance at the direction of her office, she wasn’t there. It felt a little awkward for him as she was always in her office, occasionally, he had caught her reading a book or watching a romcom.
Few minutes later, he saw her go into her office with Ethan, her arm locked in his as they laughed at something.
It was the first time he had seen her smile so much, most of the time, she wore a smug look. Nate was curious about what they were talking about, Ruby had laughed that much with him, not that he had given her a reason to, anyway.
He watched Ethan tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. Nate felt disgust in his gut, there were so many girls at the office, why did Ethan choose Ruby out of everyone. He had the urge to scatter whatever the two had going on even though they looked so happy together. It annoyed him that they looked perfect together, Ethan's perfect hair and boyish looks irritated him even more.
His curiosity piqued as he watched Ethan take a step closer to her. Were they dating? When did they get so close?
He hated the fact that he was burning with curiosity, he was never curious about anyone, not even Taylor. He always let her do whatever she wanted to do without taking interest .
When Ethan pulled Ruby in for a hug, that was the height of it, he had had enough of their office romance.
He dialed Ruby’s office number on the telecom with a frightening scowl etched on his handsome face.
“Come to my office now” he ordered as she placed the phone against her ear.
He watched Ruby’s once happy expression turn sour. She said something to Ethan and then made her way to his office. Did she dislike me that much? He thought.
Clearly, there was bad blood between them but he didn’t think it was all that serious.
“Mr Jacobin, you sent for me” her tone was formal and she kept a straight face
A part of Nate wished she could be the rude annoying brunette he knew, not this cold looking woman.
“I have received a complaint about an office romance going on between you and Ethan” he lied
He couldn’t think of anything to tell her and he didn’t want to ask her directly about her relationship with Ethan. He didn’t want to show how curious he was.
“I’m sorry, what do you mean?” She asked with a frown
“Informal relationships aren’t allowed at work. I pay you to work, not have a relationship with your colleague”
Ruby could sense a hint of jealousy but brushed it off, why would Nate be jealous of her and Ethan’s nonexistent romantic relationship?
“There’s nothing going on between Ethan and I” she loured
“I suggest you keep it that way” he said coldly
A part of him was relieved there was nothing going on between them, he couldn’t hate seeing Ethan tuck a strand of her hair out of her face again.
“And how about you?” She asked, she couldn’t tell where she had mustered the confidence from. “Don’t you think it’s unfair that you are keeping your marriage with Taylor a secret from us”
Nate sighed and rolled his eyes. He had seen a post about Taylor getting married to him soon but ignored it. She was only giving our false information.
“Taylor and I aren’t getting married for Christ sake!” He breathed out
It felt frustrating to have to explain that he didn’t want to get married over and over again.
“Oh”
Ruby tried her best to conceal the smile that was about to spread on her face. She was relieved they weren’t getting married.
“Why are you bothered about the marriage”
“Umm-m”she stuttered. “I- I you know”
She swallowed hard as she thought of what to say. She felt exposed as Nate’s eyes remained fixed on her.
“I’m not bothered about the marriage” she breathed out. “I only felt it wasn’t right that you didn’t tell us you were getting married”
“Oh really? Interesting” he murmured sarcastically
She let out a sigh of relief, thankful that he didn’t push it further.
“I can see you’re less busy so I’m going to give you work to do”
He really didn’t want to give her anything to work on but he needed Ethan away from her
Ruby frowned, she wasn’t done with what he asked her to do the other day.
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It was another sunny day at the office with Nate passing orders, Maggie running helter skelter looking disarrayed, the gossip trio laughing at something while Ruby sat at her desk, trying to finish working on a project. Ruby had little or no time to hang out with the girls and Ethan. For some sort of unknown reason, Nate kept loading her with work everytime. At first, she thought it was because he was angry she brought up his marriage with Taylor, then she realized he was just tormenting her even though he was going overboard. She hadn’t seen or heard about Taylor around the office which was a relief for her. The previous week, she had Cassie and Ethan help her clear some of her work but now Cassie was busy and Ethan took a two days leave because his pet was sick. Her stomach growled as she reminded herself she had nothing to eat all day. She had to live off coffee and junk food as she was always tired whenever she got back home from work.Her stomach let out a low grumble ag
Falling for the CEO 17
Ruby applied another coat of lipgloss, she wished Nate had informed her about the meeting earlier on so she could put on one of her best blouses. She let her hair fall loosely past her shoulders as she assessed herself in the mirror and hoped Anderson didn’t find her glasses funny like other people.Talking to Nate had helped relieve almost all the stress she felt. She had seen a part of him she had never seen, a part that made him so sweet and vulnerable. She couldn’t control the butterflies that danced in her tummy, all her worries about Taylor were gone, at least for a moment. She packed up her things and moved to the limo Anderson sent. The fact that she was going to be the latest gossip in the office excited her a little. She had always worked extra hard and it was finally paying off. Nate paid her a very decent amount of money, with that, she refurbished her house and was able to support her parents' restaurant. Just two months ago, she was worried about how she was going
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The crashing of the waves and the sunset was the perfect therapy ruby needed. After working for Nate for the past two months, she had been through a lot of emotions and needed a well deserved break. She sighed, it was only two months but it felt like forever.It wasn’t easy sharing the same space with someone who she had loved for years, the same person who had hurt her a number of times. She smiled as she watched some kids build sand castles and chase the waves. They looked happy and free, something she lacked in her childhood.Unlike other kids, she had to grow up faster than her age. She was taught by her parents that if she wanted to survive, she needed to work twice as hard, study twice as hard and be twice as strong as the other kids. Her father, Ken, had worked at a firm while her mother ran a little restaurant. He was paid a meager salary but the upside about it was that the owner of the firm provides shelter for his workers and that was how she ended up living in the ric
Falling for the CEO 19
Ruby stared at the salad without appetite. Everyone seemed to be chatting happily about her meeting with Anderson. Ethan was now back to work which gave her some kind of comfort. “Come on, stop holding back the details” Cassie cajoled her into talking about what had happened. “He’s so dreamy isn’t it? I bet he asked for your number, didn’t he?” Stacy commented and the girls giggled happily “I’d rather not talk about how everything went down, at least not yet” Ruby said quietly It occurred to her that one of the people seated at the cafeteria had given Anderson the information. She was only friends with a few people at the office and formal with the others so she couldn’t vouch for them. “You know we won’t stop bugging you until you tell us what happened” Carla chimed in eagerly Ruby breathed out as she poked her salad. One thing with the girls was that they never took a hint, they couldn’t tell when someone didn’t want to talk and be left alone. “Mr Anderson is just
Falling for the CEO 20
Ethan’s advice had set so many more questions in Ruby’s mind. She knew in order to succeed, she needed to have emotional intelligence and choose what was best for her but it was more difficult because she didn’t know what to choose.She loved Nate so much she didn’t want to hurt him, it also seemed wrong that she had just one meeting with Mr Anderson and that was all it took to win her over. It also didn’t seem right that someone in the office was a spy, she knew if she left, Nate’s business would come crashing. She popped an aspirin pill and gulped some water. This was what she wanted for the longest time, to be with the man she had loved but it was clear he didn’t want to be with her and she was certain he didn’t like her one bit, the only thing she was certain of was the fact that she annoyed him to bits.Taylor was another person to think about, she was back in Nate’s life as his supposed woman. The last thing she wanted was to bring up old high school drama into her life
Falling for the CEO 21
Ruby rolled her eyes as she tried on the fifth bathing suit. It was either she didn’t like it or she felt it was too revealing, it was one issue or the other. She stepped out in a blue bikini. “Honey, this is just perfect” Esme said tiredly Ruby had convinced her to join her in shopping for her trip to Florida. The girls spent the last hour visiting almost every clothing shop in Oregon as Ruby was indecisive on what to pick. “I don’t like the color, it doesn’t compliment my skin” she frownedRuby couldn’t help the fact that she wanted to impress Nate on their trip. She hated herself for it, for trying so hard to get his attention but she couldn’t help it. “But it’s a trip with your boss for heaven’s sake, you’re going to a conference, not a vacation or dinner!”Ruby rolled her eyes, she didn’t care what Esme had to say, it was her first business trip and also her first trip with Nate so she wanted to make the best out of it.She had to admit that she was going overboard wi
Falling for the CEO 22
The girls took shelter in a little coffee shop as the sky snarled with lightning and thunder. The rain showed no signs of stopping soon and it poured heavily. “If we didn’t have to deal with your shopping problem, we won’t be in this mess” Esme frowned, her perfect hair was soaking wet and her dress clung to her body like a second skin. “I’m so sorry”Ruby wasn’t any better than Esme, she had streaks of mascara running down her cheeks. They left the shopping bags in Esme’s car and ran to the nearest shop they could find as they couldn’t drive further in the rain. “After making me go through this much stress, you have to tell me about your boss” Esme teased as she ordered hot chocolate for them “There’s nothing to tell, he’s just my boss, nothing more” Ruby groaned.She felt more color rise to her cheeks at the thought of Nate. “Can you at least tell me his name? I need to know the name of the guy who has my best friend acting like she’s sixteen” “I’ll tell you when I’m re
Falling for the CEO 23
After two hours of heavy downpour, the downpour seemed to ease up a bit. Esme and Taylor were chatting excitedly while Ruby scrolled through her phone.It took so much control in her not to dump her drink on Taylor’s pretty face. She had felt so much anger and hatred in her life but nothing like the one she felt right now. It upset her even more than Esme and Taylor acted like everything was alright, they expected her to forget about everything like it didn’t happen. Her high school experience had redefined her whole life. For a couple of years after high school, up to when she went to college, she had trouble speaking in public and speaking to people generally. She always kept her head low because she had been told before that she wasn’t worthy of anything. She was called ugly duckling by most of the students and she had believed they had forgotten her real name.Taylor’s behavior towards her had scarred her for life. She always felt insecure and not pretty enough. “Ruby would b
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Falling for the CEO 276
It was time to go home.After a day well spent, Nate and Ruby decided to leave. It was already past one in the morning. The couple had already started packing their things. Ruby knew she had a long day ahead of her so she needed to get some sleep first.She walked hand in hand with Nate to the car park. It hurt her that they would have to go their separate ways. She was too shy to ask him if they would meet again very soon. Nate was exhausted but in a good way, he couldn't believe he would have to deal with the problems at the office by daybreak. Everything about it made him tired, just thinking about it made him tired. He held Ruby’s soft hand, not wanting to let it go. Even though they had not given a name to the situation between them,he loved everything about her. He was ready to take years off on vacation with her where there was nothing to disturb him. "I want to drive you home" he saidHe wasn't comfortable with her driving alone at night."No,I'll be fine," she
Falling for the CEO 276
Nate walked her to her car as usual. He noticed how sad she looked throughout the date. Her eyes held fear and her lips held back words from him.He was scared and so was she. The Italians caused so much damage to everyone, courtesy of Wyatt and his family. He understood how unsafe she was. "Thank you so much, Nate,"she smiled as she unlocked her car.She loved how kind he was, even though they had quarreled most of the time, he didn’t forsake her. He wished he could teleport into her mind and figure out what is wrong with her. Ruby had an ego and won't tell anyone if she had any problem. He shook his head sadly. "Ruby" he began softly, treading carefully. "Is there anything that is troubling you?" He watched her swallow the lump in her throat before she continued. "No, nothing," she said, plastering a fake smile on her face. "I've just been very tired recently, you know,work here and there" He knew she was lying but allowed her to have her way. Whatever was trou
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Mrs Wyatt had met Wyatt at a highschool dance back then. Of all her children,she would say she was more like Taylor when she was younger. Her father was one of the men who owned a car back then, it was something to brag about. Wyatt on his side wasn't close to rich,his parents could barely pay his school fees. He always showed up to school in tattered clothes with patches. Even with his tattered clothes, the rich girls still surrounded him. They were smitten by how handsome and charming he was despite the fact that he was poor. Her life was almost like a fairytale. She dated the richest guy at school and they were going to be crowned homecoming king and queen. That night, she dressed in the fanciest dress she had. Her maid helped her prep her face with a little bit of makeup. When it was time to announce the prom king and queen, her boyfriend was missing. They searched everywhere for him and eventually caught him making out with another girl. She was humiliated, ever
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Marco paced angrily, a cigarette in hand. Taylor Wyatt wasn't making things easy for him. He had taken her to different islands and thrown the biggest parties for her friends. He sighed as he drew in his smoke,how annoying could the spoiled brat get? So far, her father's campaign was doing just fine and he had a good chance of winning the election. It was crazy that the office for the minister of finance election was more popular than that of the election for the office of president. This was because very influential people were running for the post of Minister of finance. Occupying the office gave them free access to the country's wealth and they could loot money as much as they wanted to. He spent the last week acting all lovey-dovey with Taylor. She made him buy her expensive designer bags. He was comforted by the fact that the new development site was doing just fine and he had a lot of shares in the company. "Hey baby" Taylor called in her singsong voice and wrapped
Falling for the CEO 273
Roberta stretched tiredly . Mommy duties were stressing her. She had woken up early to bathe Lorenzo , feed him and take him to school. She drew out a carefully planned family tree for him. His school’s principal had called her back the next day. Rebecca stood her ground that getting the children involved with aspiring candidates was dangerous. Some of the candidates were dangerous themselves and would go the extra mile to harm innocent children in order to attain political positions. The principal brushed it off as nothing and assured her that he had everything under control.He said that Wyatt was only being generous and concerned about the children’s welfare. He had donated a huge sum of money and promised them a new basketball court. Of course, Wyatt was the least interested in the children’s welfare. He only wanted their support in the upcoming elections and he had invited reporters to take pictures of him as he donated money to the school. The interior decorator for th
Falling for the CEO 272
After a long day, Roberta returned home. The smell of her mother’s freshly baked cakes welcomed her. Her mouth watered immediately. “Mommy!” Lorenzo yelled happily as he played around his mother’s feet. She scooped her little delight into her arms and rained kisses on him. She did a good job masking the sadness she felt. When Carl was eating, she noticed some scars on his hands due to the moving of his shirt. She panicked, fresh tears falling off her eyes the third time. She scolded him for subjecting himself to such harsh punishment. He brushed it off, saying it was nothing important. Her heart shattered into a million pieces when she forced him to take off his shirt. The scars ran all the way from his nape to his lower back. It was obvious that he was attacked because of her and that was the reason he hadn’t contacted for a while.She prayed Lorenzo was nothing like that. She helped him apply ointment even though he assured her that he was doing just fine. When he w
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The sun rays forced its way into her room. Ruby yawned tiredly and stretched. She had a good night's sleep.The previous night, after dinner, Mark and her decided to pass time by discussing childhood and other topics they had not talked about before.A loud knock on the door,drove away the sleep from her eyes. "Come in"she said groggily,itching her eyes.She was tired,all she wanted to do was spend all day in the comfort of the bedsheets."Good morning sleeping beauty"Mark said sonorously with a tray of food balanced on his hands.She smiled. Mark had given her princess treatment since she came to his house,she was grateful for everything.She couldn't picture Nate doing the same. She pinched herself,it was too early to think about him."Good morning Mark,"she smiled."How are you doing?"he asked and set the tray on her bed. The smell of fresh cakes and coffee warmed her up."I feel very much better,thank you so much Mark"she said."I made you scones and my best confectioneries,hope y
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Roberta had the best sleep in the longest time. Her son was beside her throughout the night,she had no nightmares, everything was perfect. She slept in the comfort of her former bedroom. Posters she got as a teen were still on the wall,her mother refused to clean it out even when she moved out. She wished she could stay with them a little longer.She helped Lorenzo get ready for school and even made him breakfast. She wanted to drop him off at school but couldn't risk it. "You're such an amazing mom," her mother told her."Well,I got it from you"she smiled, placing a peck on her cheek. "So,you're leaving today, right?""Sadly, yes" "Roberta" her mother started, holding her hands"When will all these be over? We need you here I beg you, your son needs you,I've never seen him this happy in a long while" "Mother, I promise you, I'm doing everything possible to get done with my work and come to you guys. I love being here" she said sadly.Her emotions were in check, she had
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Victoria and Roger were let into Mrs Wyatt’s office by her secretary. Roger contained his excitement as he was fascinated by how huge her office was. "Welcome" she through gritted teeth.She had not forgotten the shame the couple brought her but she was willing to invest with them. "Thank you for having us. I apologize again for my behavior the other day" Victoria said, bobbing her head slightly. "Please take your seats" she ignored her apology."Without further ado, I'll suggest we carry on with this meeting immediately because I have other meetings to attend to" "Okay ma'am, here is the real estate we have,I bought this stock but I'm willing to sell it to you" Roger smiled. Mrs Wyatt took the file from the table and went through it carefully.The land was situated in the heart of Beverly hills. It was surrounded by many commercial businesses which meant more income for her. She knew the competition there was going to be strong but she was a business woman and always had
