Katherine POVNoreen’s nostrils flared, and her face contorted in anger.“You bitch!” she snarled, making her face ugly. Then, she lunged at me to get my phone.It was at that exact moment when Lucas Sanders, Oliver Mans, Mr. Jacobs, and Veronica came in. They saw what happened and were all outraged, except for Noreen’s father, who stood by watching the furor. Lorrie also looked like a frightened rabbit. She was in the corner, eyeing the two of us with disbelief and shock in her eyes. Then, I felt Lucas came to my rescue immediately. He pulled Noreen’s hands away from me. I could feel his body heat, his scent filling my nostrils. My heart skipped a beat. “What are you doing, Ms. Jacobs?” He grabbed Noreen’s hands when she tried to claw at my face and threw her off. She staggered, but Lucas Sanders was not about to be thwarted, even in the face of Noreen’s father, who only gasped and came to the rescue of his daughter. “It’s her fault, daddy!” Noreen cried when her father’s
Katherine POVI held my breath, awaiting Lucas’s response. It was suspenseful when I heard his ruling.“No. Katherine will stay. Noreen, on the other hand, is suspended."I heaved a sigh when I heard the verdict.At least I don’t have to worry about Erin’s medical expenses. I couldn’t bother the Foundation again because I had already decided not to ask Lucas Sanders a favor.“You can’t do that to my daughter.” Mr. Jacobs’ outraged voice cut through my trance.So does Lucas Sanders’ rebuttal.
Katherine POVMy office phone rang. It was the shrill sound that pulled us apart. We looked at each other awkwardly, now that reality has intruded between us. Lucas Sanders cleared his throat to get my attention. When he had it, he waved my phone in the air. “I will get in touch with you.” He said. I nodded but could not quite meet his eyes in embarrassment. At the back of my head, I asked myself how we arrived at the point where we were hugging each other like it was the natural thing to do. Then, he was gone. Reluctantly, I picked up the handset.“Hello.” “Has the boss gone up to his floor?” Veronica whispered on the other end. “Yeah,” I said, nodding while bending down to pick up the papers Noreen threw from my desk. “What did he tell you?” She asked, sounding intrigued. A lump suddenly formed in my throat at the abruptness of the question. To say that I was caught off guard was an understatement. I was not prepared for it. I gripped the handset, hoping the action woul
Katherine POVI counted one to ten in my head while the silence stretched between us.Then, when I couldn't bear the tension anymore, I asked him if there was still something he wanted to talk to me about."I still have to finish my work." I reminded him.I don't know if it was his habit to make people feel awkward, but he was doing a good job of it right now.I cleared my throat to get his attention."Sir?""Yes?" He asked.His eyes were on me."If there is nothing more, may I be excused? I still need to get back to my work."He did not respond, so I stood from my chair."How is Erin?" He asked.Now, my anger from the past week resurfaced."She's fine, sir. Thank you for asking." I told him stiffly."I bought something for her. Here." He said, handing several bags from famous children's shops.I shook my head, refusing
Lucas POVAfter Katherine left, I kept staring at the door, hoping she would return. But as seconds ticked by, I smiled wryly to myself.I bent my head down and sighed. What was I thinking?Katherine Fielding was so angry at me because she thought I was playing with her daughter's affection, but I was not. If I did, would that make me no worse than her ex-husband?I truly cared for Erin. It was never my intention to hurt her or make empty promises. I sighed, feeling a little lost. Katherine's burst of anger teased my head. “Dan, were you able to save my new personal number to Katherine’s phone?” I asked my assistant when he came in to bring in more work. “Yes, boss.” He responded crisply.“And were you able to report the loss of my personal phone and have it locked by our mobile carrier?” I asked again. Dan nodded yes, and I dismissed him. I wondered if Katherine would believe me if I told her ignoring Erin's call was unintentional. In all honesty, I would have called if I ha
Lucas POVI stared at my mother and felt a pang in my chest, knowing this was not a social call. “What are you doing here, mother?” I asked in an irritated tone. My mother flinched, but I knew better. There is not much that would leave Janine Sanders shaken. With her cold demeanor, whatever I threw her way was nothing. But being the great actress, she milked the situation for what it was worth. “I heard from your friends that you went to Kent, but you did not bother to visit me.” She squeezed the corner of her scarf like the idea broke her. I sighed. “Didn’t you receive the money I sent you for this month?” I went to pick up the receiver and dialed Dan’s number. “Did you send money to my mother’s bank account in Kent?” I asked when Dan answered the phone.All this while, my eyes were trained on her. My expression was filled with mistrust. “Boss, the money came through like clockwork,” Dan informed me.I knew it. I just did not know why she was here. I placed the receiver b
Katherine POV“This is an invasion of privacy!” Lucas Sanders roared when I remained stuck in the doorway, knees trembling in fright. To say that it left me startled was an understatement. It was the least of my expectations - to find Lucas Sanders angry when I marched up to his room, thawing the fury in my heart and leaving a cold dread inside. He was right. I was invading his privacy, but in my defense, that was because I reached the last shred of my patience. I remembered warning him against making contact with Erin, but he refused to listen. Instead, not only did he try to call her using my phone, but he also sent her the gifts I refused to accept earlier. If he did not do that, he wouldn’t be arousing my ire, causing me to march up here to confront him. I did not expect that he would meet me with equal fury. It was so unlike him. Lucas Sanders shouting at me to get out was like a dousing of cold water. I realized I had overstepped my bounds and moved to rectify my error
Lucas POV"You found Katherine," Agatha asked. Her voice sounded tremulous. Her tone hinted at jealousy, and I groaned. This is not what I wanted to cap my day. I massaged my temple when it throbbed in pain. First Katherine, then my mother, then Katherine again, and now Agatha. Annoyed, I turned to her and asked in a cold voice, barely holding on to my self-control. Any moment, I feel like snapping at her.I already felt crap for doing that Katherine. I don't want to add Agatha to my growing list of guilt."Can we do this visit some other time? I have a heavy workload, and you did not tell me you were coming," I told her before standing up from the couch and walking over to my desk.Even if I didn't feel like it, I began signing documents to shoo Agatha away.Agatha forced a smile to her face. I thought she would whine and insist. Thankfully, she didn't."Okay. I just came here to give you this."She rummaged through her ba,g and within seconds she was waving my lost phone in
Katherine POVIt was funny to watch him stutter as he tried explaining to our daughter what we were doing. “A kiss is an expression of love.” He told Erin. “So you love my mommy?” Erin asked. He nodded.Erin seemed satisfied by his response, and Lucas began to relax.A moment later, Erin turned her head toward him and asked. “If you love mommy, why is that girl kissing you?” Erin looked like she was about to cry,Now, that was something I did not expect to hear. My eyes turned to Lucas sharply. I heard Lucas cough out loud before glancing in my direction. My right brow arched upon hearing the information, leaving Lucas unsure of how to react. I would have remained oblivious to the whole thing if Erin did not mention it. Lucas gulped. He shook his head and began explaining with his eyes trained on me, magnifying his guilt. “You just said it. She was kissing me, not the other way around.” Lucas explained.He was watching my face for any change, but I remained impassive. It
Katherine POVThe way Lucas looked at me tells me a lot about the engagement ring that had gone viral a few months ago.My chest constricted.“The ring was for you.” He said shyly when Duke left, confirming what I already knew in my heart.Then, he sat beside me on the couch. I did not know“I was buying something for Agatha, a token to show her that I was willing to see her more than a friend.” I felt a blockage in my airways when he began to tell me about the ring I saw in Agatha’s post. The one that gave me the impression that he was toying with me.“A solitaire diamond ring caught my eye. At that time, I hated you for lying and choosing Greg over me, but the ring kept tugging at me. I bypassed the ring and left, but there was this restlessness inside, a feeling of regret. I asked Dan to go back to Hugo’s Creations to buy the ring under his name,
Katherine POVI nodded, and this time I allowed him to pull me to his chest. Lucas wrapped his arms around me, lightly dropping a kiss on my forehead.“I love you.” He said, but I remained silent. Right now, I can not define what I felt for Lucas. There was attraction and some feelings, but not enough to consider it love. “I don’t know what to say,” I told him honestly and shook my head. There was a subtle shift in him. I must have hurt him by being honest. I cupped his chin to force him to meet my gaze. “You know you are special, and I am attracted to you. I also like how you are good to me and a great father to Erin.” I told him sincerely while looking into his eyes. “But not enough to love me.” His reply hinted at bitterness, and I pulled him nearer for a quick kiss. He took advantage of our position. He grabbed the back of my head to deepen the kiss. Lucas began exploring my mouth. He was nibbling my lips, sending tingles all over my body, and down to my toes. I pushe
Katherine’s POVI swallowed hard after being confronted by the fury in Agatha’s gaze. The loathing in her eyes shook me to the core. Lucas told me she used to be my best friend, but her facial expression showed nothing except hatred. “You shouldn’t have come back!” She snarled, causing a shiver of fear to run through my spine, creating goosebumps. If looks could kill, I would have been dead by now from Agatha’s piercingly cold glare. I covered Erin’s ears with my hands. I don’t want her to hear anything Agatha says. “Why did you have to come back? Why did you have to mess with our lives? Lucas is mine!” Agatha spat the words out.She looked half-crazed, frothing in the mouth in anger. I was tongue-tied. Even Noreen did not look at me like this; with pure unadulterated hatred.I shook my head as fear spread through me. Not for myself but for Erin. I had been avoiding this kind of scene when Lucas suggested we work on us. Agatha was his unfinished business.Now, everything is sp
Katherine POVWhen we entered Lucas’ office, we found Oliver and Vern still there talking. Vern dropped the sketch pad and pencil to a nearby table when he saw us coming in. He then unrolled his tape measure, asking his assistant to jot down the measurements. I nudged Erin, silently urging her to approach Vern. To my surprise, my little girl ignored me and walked straight to Oliver, who sat on the couch upon our arrival. “Don’t be bad next time, Uncle Olly, okay?” She sure sounded grown-up. She looked too little against Oliver's frame when she looked at him with her head tilted back. I bit my lips while Lucas grinned from ear to ear. Oliver, on the other hand, looked surprised. He grinned and gamely responded. “Yes, ma’am.” Erin nodded. She beckoned for Oliver to lean his head closer. He bent to bring his head closer, arms went around her little body. When they were close, Erin wrapped her small arms around his neck.“Thank you, Uncle Olly. You are my third favorite person
Katherine POVI watched in amusement how Lucas tried to appease Erin.“It’s not like that, Erin.”Erin crossed her arms to her chest, looking like Lucas looked earlier when he tried to block Oliver from me.“No! From now on, she is my mommy only!” Erin declared, brooking no argument.Lucas looked like he was about to cry.He was flustered and red while trying to control himself. While it amused me to see him try so hard to convince his stubborn daughter that it was not the same. It looked like Erin was getting the upper hand in this case.&
Katherine POV“Good morning, Katherine.” Lorrie greeted me when I stepped outside the elevator. She came out of the pantry bearing a mug of steaming coffee. I remembered the coffee Lucas and I shared that morning, and my heart began to beat faster than usual when I thought about the kiss. “Good morning, Lorrie. Any urgent tasks for me today?” I asked, stopping for a while.Lorrie shook her head. We walked alongside each other toward our office, talking about my schedules.I appreciate Lorrie for making my professional life super dandy.“You have a meeting at ten o’clock with the boss.” She informed me. My brows furrowed. I had no recollection of Lucas mentioning the meeting to me. But maybe Lucas did not know either because Dan handles his schedules. I began signing documents, and when I finished, I prepared for my ten o’clock meeting with the boss. Ten minutes before ten, clutching my notebook, pen, and report for our department, I left my office for the meeting. “I am going
Katherine POVMy pulse quickened when he mentioned the possibility of Agatha hatching a plot to create trouble, and despite talking myself out of it, goosebumps formed on my skin.I trust Lucas. I trust that he would not do anything to betray my trust. He was still working on earning it full but I could see the effort he was putting in to rectify the misunderstandings of the past.I also knew that he would not allow anyone to hurt Erin and me, but they say that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.Agatha, from what Lucas told me, had been pining for him for years. Luke had been ready to give in to her, not because he felt something, but because of pity. And the fact that he thought he could not have me.However, Erin’s existence was an unexpected factor nobody counted on.I closed my eyes. How I wish I could remember. I rubbed my temples, feeling a slight throb.“Are you alrig
Lucas POVWe settled into a new routine. Though we still lived separately because I didn't want to rush Katherine, I managed to tear down the wall that separated our units. To maintain decorum, the wall remains erected, but it serves as a sliding door for easy access. It was actually to my advantage. The wall offers privacy but also allows us flexibility in our living arrangements.It was practical, too.To the rest of the world and snoopers, we lived in different apartment units. Only I, the occupants, and my assistant know the real score. Erin loved the fact that she could hang around me anytime she wanted. It was also an assurance to Katherine that while I made our units accessible to each other, I wouldn't invade her personal space unless she gave me the go-signal.“Good morning.” I greeted Katherine when she came to the kitchen.I just glanced at her, noting how attractive she looked this morning.Then, I quickly turned my attention back to the frying pan to skillfully maneu