Calvin’s phone pinged. He glared at his screen, reading and rereading the words as if expecting them to change. Charles wanted to know if he would be available to join the wedding rehearsals since he was acting as the best man. But all he could think was: how did the days go by so fast?
Angel hadn’t called him, and he hadn’t bothered to ask Charles for her first name. He chose friendship over love. He shouldn’t be feeling this horrible, but his chest and heart hurt each time he thought about it.
Calvin replied in the positive and shoved his phone into his pocket. Stepping away from his desk, he stopped by the window and stared at the expanse of buildings in front of him.
His thoughts raged hard, and he closed his eyes. Charles wasn’t just his friend. They were also related. Their parents might have a bad history, but the kids had decided they wouldn’t let that affect their relationship. He could only hope their friendshi
Yesterday’s meeting had gone fine, perfect even. Calvin was in a good mood as he took the elevator to his office. It was 6:45 a.m., and he didn’t expect anyone to be there. But when the elevator coughed him out on his floor, the first person he saw was Destinee. She was trying to drag a table. Calvin scoffed, dropping his briefcase on the floor as he moved to help her. Destinee looked up when he pulled the other end of the heavy desk. “Sir? You don’t have to.” “I wouldn’t if you weren’t struggling,” he replied. He pushed the desk towards the wall with little to no effort. “Is that all?” “Yes, sir,” she told him. “It’s for Ivana.” Calvin thought as much. Destinee’s table was by the window, and Ivana’s closer to the wall. There was enough space between each desk to give both of them privacy. Destinee removed a coffee from the pack of four on her table and offered him one. “Thanks,” he replied. “All black?” “Yes, s
Hana’s feet ached from standing for too long. Shopping with Mama wasn’t a fun adventure, and for someone who hated the whole concept, it was even more torturous. She had changed into so many gowns and dresses, some heavier than others. But none of them satisfied Mama. She didn’t care for a wedding dress. She wanted it over with it.Kyle’s card was safe in her suitcase. Cara had asked about it a few times and given up. They hadn’t spoken about Kyle, and she was hoping it never came up again. She was getting married. That was her destiny.Mama’s footsteps echoed throughout the store, and Hana faked a smile as her mother appeared from behind one of the stalls. She slowly rose to her feet, tired of the whole shopping experience. They were in a boutique, surrounded by only white dresses, but none of them appealed to her.Maybe if she had given them a second glance, she might have found one that interested her, but she had spe
Another unsolicited picture entered Calvin’s phone, and he scoffed. He couldn’t understand why Charles felt the need to bombard him with pictures of him and his soon-to-be wife on their date. But as the good friend he was, he replied with a thumbs up and placed the phone face down on his table.His phone rang. He ignored it until it rang again. Prepared to give Charles a piece of his mind, he snatched the phone off his desk and relaxed as soon as he saw his sister’s name.“Camilla,” he said into the phone, slumping back into the chair as he kicked out his legs.“Hey. Are you busy?”His eyes closed. “It’s a Monday morning, Camilla.”“Well, Faye is coming into town, and I’m off to pick her up,” she told him. He pressed his fingertip to the middle of his forehead. Faye was the daughter of their Aunt, Freya. Aunt Freya wasn’t blood-related to them, but she h
Tuesday rolled in slowly. The day was half spent, and Calvin was preparing to head to the set. He rechecked his wristwatch. Ten more minutes, and he would be done here. Making final touches to the document he was working on, he closed the file and shot to his feet. The board wanted an update. KJ had mentioned something about them reconsidering his spot. He was tired of fighting for it. But he wouldn’t give up his place so quickly, even if it was a losing battle. He grabbed his stuff and trotted to the door, opening it to the sight of a stunned Ivana. Her hand was raised to knock. He tilted his head to the side, giving her a chance to state her request. But she stayed numb.“Yes?” he barked, his voice holding more anger than necessary. “Any good news?”Ivana’s face paled. She looked back to Destinee, who pretended to be engrossed with something on her monitor screen.“Not yet, sir,” Ivana replied.Calvin offered her a tight smile, ignoring the slight tremor in her arms. He was being
There was something wrong with the address Charles sent Calvin, but he couldn’t place it. Kicking his legs under the passenger seat, he dialled his best friend’s number. The car was silent as he waited for the call to connect. His driver looked back, but Calvin shook his head. He had to confirm the address first before heading over to his sister’s place to say hi to Faye.Charles picked up, and his first statement was, “Hey, Charles. Is the address correct?”“Yes. Why?”“Just asking.”Calvin paused to pull the phone away from his ear. Like he did when Charles sent him the address, he frowned at the letters on his screen. He knew this restaurant and how long it usually took to get a reservation. Days, sometimes, it could take weeks. But that wouldn’t be a problem for Charles.Calvin’s worry was that the restaurant was better suited for business meetings and dat
Hana had always known she wouldn’t marry for love. But she had hoped to have some things done her way. Even her engagement party wasn’t in her control. When Baba told her to dress pretty this evening, he hadn’t mentioned the occasion. He hadn’t even let her sister or mother come with her. What she thought would be a father-daughter special moment turned into a private engagement party.There was only one photographer in the room to cover the ceremony. Nothing that happened there was her choice. At first, she had looked forward to seeing Kyle, but he had to reveal his true womanising self by coming to her party with another woman.What was his point? To hurt her? Well, it worked. He broke her already broken heart.A tap on Hana’s shoulder made her sit up straighter in the backseat. Kyle had left without wishing her well, and Baba had asked them to leave after that. Her eyes opened, and she got a full glimpse of Baba&rsquo
A newspaper dropped in front of Calvin’s desk, and he flung it across the wall after taking one look at the pictures on the first page. KJ chuckled, sliding into a seat far away from his brother. He hadn’t expected to see a picture of Hana and Charles smiling at each other on the front page of The Punchline newspaper.“Someone is in a mood,” KJ commented. His kid brother didn’t seem to care for his foul mood. He retrieved his phone from his pocket, tapping on the screen until it no longer responded. “I knew the face looked familiar. Shouldn’t you be happy for our cuz? How come we didn’t get an invitation?”“And you won’t get any,” Calvin snapped.“What the fuck is wrong with you?” KJ asked. His chair swung from left to right, and he gripped the armrests. A smile split his lips. “Is it because of the board meeting? Relax. I always have your back.”Calvin scoffed
Hana knew she was making a mistake talking to another man when her future husband was somewhere outside. But as her eyes glazed over Kyle, she knew it was a mistake she would willingly commit. Charles hadn’t even noticed her leave. He had spent more time talking to his friend, Larry, than he had done with his soon-to-be wife. She had expected him to call or text given how much time she had spent here in the restroom but got nothing from him.“Hana,” Kyle started. God, she hated how he called her by her real first name. She could sense that he was about to reject her.“I want you,” she repeated. She stepped back, one hand on the door’s knob. “You.”Entering the restroom, she kept the door wide open. Emotions flittered across Kyle’s face. Knowing his real name to be Calvin Kyle McKenna hadn’t changed her opinion of him. They could work on his playboy ways. Once he joined her, she locked the door. None of