Zoe hesitated to take the document from him.Chuckling, Mason took a dig at her. “What’s the matter? Scared?”She said softly, “Why would I be scared?”Then, she took the document from him and started reading, but she didn’t get far before she was stunned by its contents.These documents contained the details of some projects her father signed off on before Sanders Group was shut down. Some of these projects were halted. They even made the news. If this ever got out, then her father was going to be sentenced to lifetime imprisonment!Her face turned pale and ashen.Aware of what she was thinking, he took the documents over and set them on fire with a lighter. His voice was nonchalant when he spoke. “Your father only signed them because someone tricked him! He’s a victim, too. I made no copies of this document. Once I burned it, nothing could put your father in harm’s way. Nothing will change even if they push your brother's court date back.”The documents were burned to a cris
Mason spoke ever so gently in the night, “Do you know what it means to have a fling with someone?”As a matter of fact, she didn’t know what it meant, nor did she want to.She tried to break free, but he had such a firm grip on her that their hips were pressed against each other. The two thin layers of cloth weren’t much help in covering her body parts.Embarrassed and upset, she said, “I told you, I’m not one of those ladies out there who you fool around with!”Lowering his head, he looked at her. Her long, black hair cascaded down her shoulder, and her face looked delicate as well. Her eyebrows were beautifully black and her nose was defined too. The colors of her lips reminded him of roses. She also had a darling figure that was both slender and supple.She was definitely one of the most beautiful ladies in the world.His eyes relaxed and he couldn’t help but murmur, “I’ve only ever had sex with you, Zoe!”What he said irritated her, but she didn’t dare to hit him too. In the
Zoe was trembling all over. She didn’t want to believe what Mason just told her and that life could be so cruel, but, deep down, she knew he had no reason to lie to her.Staring at him, her voice turned soft, “Mason…”It was clear what she was trying to say. She was trying to get him to help Ella.Flicking the cigarette, he smiled faintly. “This is no small feat. I’m not about to get on the bad side of both the Schmidts and the Lynches for her sake and get nothing in return. More to the point, I’m not exactly a charitable man. Don't you agree?”His voice was soft and his eyes were deep. She knew what he meant. All she had to do was let go of her pride and give in to his wishes. Return to his side and he’d keep Ella safe, letting her give birth to the baby.Her fingers twitched slightly, but she remained quiet for a long time.Staring at her, he could tell she wasn’t willing to do it. Instead of pushing her, he leaned over and snuffed out his cigarette.“Send Ella overseas, the
Zoe stayed the night at Ella’s place. She washed up and put on her friend’s pajamas. Then, she laid down next to her and chatted about a lot of stuff.Ella’s voice was soft and tender, “The fact was, I don’t care about Leslie anymore! He can go ahead and marry Nellie for all I care. I have to tend to my baby now! “I’ve thought of everything, Zoe. I’ll move out of Brookesville in two more weeks and live in a smaller city. I’ll buy a house and set up a flower shop. That’s where I’ll raise my baby.”“You’re going to be staying so far away, though. I’ll miss you!”“Will you drop by and visit me?”That put a lump in Zoe's throat, but she said, “Sure! I’m going to visit you several times throughout the whole year! I’ll even let you have a ten percent share of my dessert spot and help raise your baby into a strong kid! Your baby could be a boy or a girl. Either way, I’m sure they'll be extraordinarily beautiful!”Then, she leaned over and hugged Ella. “I’m going to miss you so badly!”
All Ella ever wanted was a family of her own.When she was finally able to speak, her voice was broken, “Why does it have to be so hard, Zoe? Why’s the universe tormenting me? Why can’t any of my wishes come true? “I really loved my baby. I even decided on a name. It’s Ellis! I’d make sure he gets all the happiness he deserves for the rest of his life!”Then, her voice became hoarse and she could only wheeze.More blood flowed out from her body and it made a mess everywhere.Zoe hugged her and said with a trembling voice, “Nonsense! I’m taking you to the hospital! Pull yourself together, Ella. I’m going to get you fixed in the hospital! Everything’s going to be fine. You hear me? Ambulance… I-I’ve got to call the ambulance.”…Ella could hear cars pulling over and Zoe’s guttural screams. All of a sudden, the advertisement boards around her rolled up another screen. Each one of them was displaying Leslie and Nellie’s wedding pictures.It turned out that today was the second day
Zoe stared at Leslie, who looked very worried.How hilarious.It was absurd that Ella should fall in love with someone like Leslie. It was outrageous that she would think the Schmidt family would let her friend go when she was pregnant with his baby.Zoe stumbled forward and said in a daze, “She was pregnant with your baby, Leslie! She didn’t want to let you know about it. All she wanted was to live in a faraway city and give birth to the baby. She just wanted to have a family of her own.”Tears were all over her cheeks when she raised her eyes, “It was never her intention to throw a wrench in your marriage. She didn’t even complain when you compensated her with fifty million dollars for making her lose her hearing! “She didn’t accept these cruel fates because she was numbed to them. It’s because she never had much to begin with! She has no family or lover. All she has is her baby! Do you know how happy she’s been ever since she was pregnant? She told me about her baby every sing
Mia said, “That’s fine, too! But at least freshen up and grab something to eat at the cafeteria! You’ll need your strength if you want to look after Ella!”Zoe nodded. Then, she lowered her head and ran her fingers over Ella’s hand, feeling reluctant to leave her.Turning around, Mia was beside herself with sorrow.…Zoe freshened up and went to the cafeteria on the second floor. She was in front of the elevator when she heard someone calling her name.Turning to look, she saw Cecil. Wearing a lab coat, he leaned on the window in the hallway. It was opened, allowing the winds to tousle his hair and bring out the melancholy air about him.It looked like he hadn’t slept the entire night.Cecil was the medical director of the hospital. He could pull some weight around here. She was well aware that he helped a lot in Ella’s case. So, she decided to go over and thank him.He stared at her intensely.She was a lot slimmer now. He could see her shoulders shaking slightly, but she was
Evening rolled on, but Ella had yet to come round from her coma. Mia looked at Zoe’s reddened eyes and said softly, “I’ll watch over her. You should go home, take a bath and get changed. Grab some shut-eye too. How long are you going to last if you keep white-knuckling it? Your dad’s worried sick about you too.”Zoe responded with a simple “Okay.” Before she left, she took Ella’s hands and said, “Wake up soon, Ella.”That made Mia feel sad again. Walking over to Zoe, she asked softly, “I was sending the doctor out and saw you with Cecil this morning. Are you going to give him a chance?”After a brief silence, Zoe responded, “I have no room in my heart for another relationship, Mia. Not for the time being.”Mia hesitated before saying, “I know this might not seem like the right time for a relationship. But don’t just turn him down. I could tell he quite likes you and he’s very respectful toward me and Gordon.”Nodding, Zoe said, “I understand, Mia.”…Zoe chatted with Mia for