Ellen’s eyes opened. She stared at the roof of her room, sweat dripping down her forehead. "Ellen?" Mrs. Grater called her. The voice that called to her was her mom. "Mom?" "What are you doing here?" Ellen asked as she rolled out of bed. "You were murmuring in your sleep and wouldn’t wake up," Mrs. Grater told her as she searched Ellen’s face. Ellen closed her eyes and flipped her right hand through her tousled hair. She turned to her mom and said, "I’m fine, mom. I was just very tired." Ellen forced a smile to alleviate her mother’s concern as she stood up and escorted her to the door. "Go get your pretty sleep, mom. I’ll see you in the morning, okay." Ellen told her as she opened the door. Mrs. Grater looked less concerned because of the smile on Ellen’s face. "Okay," she replied, and she hugged Ellen as she left the room. "I guess Luke got to me more than I want to admit to myself," Ellen muttered, shivering at the thought of the dream as she went back to bed. "Leo had bee
The voice halted him in his tracks, causing Alex to almost bump into him.“Mr. Warner,?” Alex called his boss, not sure why Leo looked suddenly pissed and angry.Leo turned slowly around, wishing his eyes not to see her familiar face. Unfortunately, there she was in flesh and blood, as sure as the day. Alex's attention was drawn to Leo’s line of sight as he sought to see what had caused the change in Leo’s mood.“Oh no, no, no, not her,” Alex whispered to himself as he left the two to save himself from the outburst that he knew anyone who attended to Leo after this encounter would suffer."Hello, Leo,” she said again, moving closer to him this time around."Hello, Sandra,” Leo responded, his face set in stone.Leo’s blood boiled. There she was, Sandra Roberts, the lady of his dreams who turned into a nightmare. She had on a black dress, and silver hills peaked from under the gown. Her hair was worn in her usual style, bobbed around her face, to frame her beautiful face.Extending a ha
It was Mary’s voice. What was going on? Leo thought as he sprinted up the stairs.“Mary? What is wrong?” Leo asked as he entered his grandma’s room.Mary was shaking as she said, “It’s Mrs. Warner; she isn’t responding.”Leo moved close to the bed, his feet heavy with each step as he drew closer to see his grandma’s face.“Grandma?” Leo called her, but there was no response.Taking her shoulders, Leo tried to raise her up and discovered she was cold.Leo turned to Mary, shouting, “Get Felix, now!”Mary ran out of the room and knocked on the door to Felix’s room as she shouted, “Mr. Albert!”A few seconds later, Felix came running into the room with her.“What is going on?” Felix asked frantically. He had been asleep and was shocked that the chaos had not woken him up.“Get the car, Felix!” Leo ordered, not glancing at him as he lifted his grandma.Leo tried to calm himself. “She’ll be fine,” he whispered to himself constantly.They drove in the dead of the night to the hospital; thank
Standing at the door, Mrs. Grater was holding two bags of groceries.“What the hell is going on?" Ellen said this as she saw her mom. Ellen turned to the table. Bent on one knee was Mama. Anderson, who is struggling to lift a basket.“Mama Anderson, are you alright?” Ellen asked as she bent to help her lift the basket to the table and to check on her."I'm okay, Ellen," Mama Anderson told her.Mrs. Grater walked up to them and dropped the groceries on the kitchen table.“She’ll be fine, Ellen; she just needs to catch her breath." Mrs. Grater said this to Ellen as she got water for Mama Anderson.A few minutes later, Mama Anderson had regained enough strength, and she said, "Ellen, dear, sorry to scare you,” with a kind smile.“It’s fine, Mama Anderson,” Ellen replied, finally relieved that nothing was wrong with the woman.“What happened? One minute you were calling me, and the next you were out,” Ellen asked her mom.Mrs. Grater busied herself with making breakfast as she answered, “
The door opened, and Ellen saw the woman. It was her—the woman who had missed her room that night—and the lipstick scenario at the elevator too.The woman’s face broke into a smile as she said, “It’s you; I haven’t seen you in a while.”Ellen smiled back, wondering why the woman was here as she said, "Hello, ma'am."As Ellen tried to figure out what was going on, Leo appeared at the doorway, his face set in stone, like he was about to storm out or something.“Mr. Warner? Hmm, I brought the file." Ellen was not sure what was going on. She looked from the woman to Leo, trying to figure out the situation.Realizing he had been wrong about his impression, Leo’s face relaxed, and he released his fist. He had thought it was Sandra; seeing her bothered him. He didn't know how or when she was going to show up again.“Hello Ellen, thank you for coming,” Leo told her, taking the file from her.“I love the lipstick you gave me,” Mrs. Warner said to Ellen.“Oh, I’m glad you liked it.” Ellen repli
Ellen felt Leo’s hand on her arm as he shouted, "Ellen, watch out!” Suddenly Ellen heard the whooshing sound of a bicycle drive past her as Leo pulled her into his arms and turned to stand between her and the sidewalk. “What the hell! Who drives a bike this late in the night?” Leo said as he watched the bike go. Ellen’s face was on his chest; she could perceive his cologne; the very essence of him encompassed her. Her heart rate picked up when she stood so close to Leo. Thinking something was wrong with her silence, Leo stepped back to look at her. “Are you okay?” he asked Her raging heart beat like a drum, as persistent as the wave of the sea on a stormy night. Struggling to calm herself, she replied, “I’m fine, sir,” stammering. Attributing her jitters to being shocked by what happened, Leo patted her on the back as he whispered to her, “You’re safe, you’re safe.” Stepping back abruptly, Ellen plastered a smile on her face as she said, “Thank you for the drive, sir, and also
Leo reached out for Ellen at the same time she landed in his arms, just as she shouted his name, “Leo!”The elevator shook, and the lights went off as it stopped."Ellen, you’re fine; we’re fine,” Leo whispered as he patted her back.Ellen’s head lay on Leo’s chest; her ear could hear his raging heart beat, which she assumed was because of the shaking of the elevator.Leo held onto her, his whole body a mixture of reactions. He was glad they were okay, and it was something minor that would be resolved in a few minutes. Leo didn’t know whether to be glad or indifferent that Ellen was wrapped in his arms.“I hate tiny spaces,” Ellen whispered as she squeezed her eyes.Leo chuckled, the vibrating sound of it in his chest audible to Ellen, whose head was still placed on his chest.“You’ll be out of it soon enough,” Leo told her reassuringly.A few minutes later, the lights came back on, and Ellen’s eyes shot open. She realized the compromising position she was in and consciously took a st
The sound resonated throughout the office, stopping Alex mid-sentence. Leo looked more angry after hearing the sound.“What the hell is going on?” Leo asked Alex as he rose to his feet.“There’s a fire, Mr. Warner,” Alex said, agitated.“Bl**dy h*ll, Alex, I can hear it’s a fire alarm. Where is the fire?” Leo shouted“It’s in the kitchen,” Alex replied.Without giving any other response, Leo sprang out of the office, and Ellen and Alex were closely on his heels."Ellen, reach out to the admin and have them reach out to the guest, urging them not to panic.” Leo told her as he pressed the elevator button.“Reach out to security and have them evacuate everyone in close proximity to the kitchen,” Leo added before the elevator door closed.“Is fire service on the way? I hope the kitchen has been cleared out,” Leo asked Alex as they rode down to the first floor.“Yes, Mr. Warner, the security guard I spoke to informed me it’s been taken care of,” Alex replied, carefully choosing his words.
Leo looked back to see Felix walk into the office with a smug look on his face. "Felix! Where have you been?" Leo asked before looking to see Ellen pointing at Felix with a look of panic on her face again. "Why are you pointing at Felix? Ellen, what is going on? Are you sure this isn't just an act?" Leo asked, stepping away from her. "It's him; he is behind it, Leo," Ellen said, speaking up. Leo shook his head in amazement and replied, "If this is some sort of joke, would you please stop it?" "I am telling you the damn truth; would you for once believe me?" Ellen shouted at him. Leo paused for a minute, then turned to look at Felix as he asked, "What the hell is she saying?" Felix shrugged and said, "I don't know Leo; I think she needs to go to the hospital; it's probably a panic due to the pregnancy." Leo turned to Ellen, concern etched on his face this time around as he said, "Ellen, I think we should get you to the hospital." Ellen screamed, beating Leo on the chest as she
Downstairs, Felix navigated through the crowd as he tried to avoid mingling. Everyone was having a light conversation while they all waited for the host."Felix? Over here," Mr. Phillips called from the crowd.Felix waved and smiled, hoping he would be able to slip away without having to go over, but Mr. Phillips had other plans."Felix, what a lovely event you have here. I must say that these past few days have made the Haven hotel the talk of the town," Mr. Phillips commented."I'm glad the event turned out better than we imagined," Felix replied, trying to keep his smile in place."I'm sure Leo is glad to have you on this; truly, two good heads are better than one," Mr. Phillips added."Felix, have you really been around? It's almost like you don't stay in New York," Viva said as she joined them with a glass of wine."I am Viva, but you only have eyes for one person; I guess that's why you haven't noticed me," Felix replied with a charming grin.Every other person in the group chuc
Ellen could feel her inside running faster than her physical legs could carry her."I should go home; yes, that's what I should do." Ellen murmured and walked out of the restaurant.She couldn't look back, for fear of seeing Felix come out of the restroom already.Ellen hailed a cab and gave the driver the address of her house."Alright, ma'am," the cab driver said, and he drove back onto the road.It was then that Ellen had the courage to look back, and she saw Felix walking out of the restaurant."This could just be a misunderstanding, right? I mean, what if I'm just mistaken? What if it's pregnancy hormones?" Ellen murmured.“I think I should have stayed to ask him,” Ellen muttered, adding, “It felt so real.”"I should tell Leo right; he has every right to know; he needs to know," Ellen whispered to herself with determination.She looked at her phone and realized it was too late to head to the hotel. She picked up her phone and dialed Leo's number. It rang for eternity, and nobody
Suddenly, fear gripped Ellen, her heart skipping as she looked back at the person behind her."Did I really scare you?" Felix asked, a broad grin on his face as he enjoyed the look on Ellen's face."What the hell was that about?" Ellen exclaimed, placing a hand on her chest as she calmed herself."I didn't mean to scare you; I just wanted to pull a prank on you," Felix explained as he laughed at her."That was not funny, Felix," Ellen told him, feigning anger."I know, but the look on your face was cute," Felix replied.Ellen turned and continued walking. "I thought you were too busy to come here," she said.Felix hurried after her and said, "Yeah, I had some things to take care of, but now I'm here and I'm taking you for dinner.Ellen paused, stopping in her tracks. "Dinner? All of a sudden?""Yes, you're done for the day, right? Let's go. I'll treat you to a nice meal," Felix said, grabbing Ellen's arm as he started walking towards his car.*******In Leo's office, he was going over
"What do you want, Sandra?" Ellen said, looking at Sandra, who showed up from nowhere to stand in front of her."You've grown some guts, Ellen; I thought you were banned from coming to this hotel." Sandra glared, stepping closer to her."Sandra, is there something specific you need or want to tell me?" Ellen asked calmly."You think I would have something important to talk to you about?" Sandra mocked."Whatever this is, I really don't have the time for it," Ellen informed her, stepping backward to create space between them.Sandra laughed mockingly, "What do you have if not time? I mean, with that pregnancy and all, I doubt if anyone is going to look your way.""Do you feel better from being mean?" Ellen asked.Sandra's eyes narrowed as she asked, "What did you just say?"Ellen struggled to remain calm. She looked at Sandra and smiled. "It's fine; we can't all have it perfect."Sandra's face went rigid. "Leo will never come back to you; I'll make sure of it," she hissed.Ellen looked
Leo brushed a hand through his hair and said, "Grandma, Ellen is...""Ellen!" Mrs. Grater exclaimed before Leo could finish his statement.Ellen? Where? Leo wondered as he looked towards the door, but there she was, in flesh."Uhm, hi, Mrs. Warner," Ellen said, stuttering as she tried to put on a smile for Mrs. Warner."How are you doing? Leo has been busy with school, you know; he has not come home. Why didn't you bring him home?" Mrs. Warner asked Ellen.Ellen didn't know how to explain it, so instead, she replied, "I'll make sure he comes from now on."That put a smile on Mrs. Warner's face as she pulled Ellen back to the lounge with her."Leo, see, it is Ellen." Mrs. Warner announced as if Leo was blind and hadn't seen her."Yes, grandma, it's Ellen," Leo replied, gesturing with his hand towards her.As Mrs. Warner pulled Ellen down beside her, they heard a commotion at the door."No, you can't do that now; it's supposed to be later today," Alex said as he walked through the door
Felix turned towards the wall nearest to him and slammed his hands against the wall, his face filled with anger as he cursed under his breath."F**k you!"Ellen didn't know what to do—if she was supposed to call him or just wait there till he saw her.Felix turned and headed out towards the entrance. Ellen hurried out and waited till he got to the entrance before she called out to him."Hey Felix, I didn't know you were still around," Ellen said, faking a surprised smile.Upon hearing Ellen call out to him, Felix relaxed his expression and turned up his lips in a smile."Hey, what's up? Yes, I am. I assumed you had gone already," Felix replied as he turned to face her."Uhm, we finished not too long ago; how are you?" Ellen asked, adding, "Are you heading to the hotel?""Uhm, yes, I am. Do you need a ride home?" Felix asked."No, don't worry, I'll find my way," Ellen replied. She wished she could ask him what was wrong, but she couldn't."Okay, call me when you get home," Felix told h
"Love stems from the most surprising places," Leo said, his voice deep and hoarse.Ellen placed her hand on the wall, her heart beating fast as she processed what she had just heard Leo say.The anchor for the broadcast asked again, "Would you say you have experienced this, Mr. Warner?"Leo smiled as he replied, "Yes, I have."Ellen hurried away into the restroom; she didn't stay to hear more of what Leo had to say."Our legacy was formed from love, and that is why the theme for this event is love and light," Leo concluded.In the restroom, Ellen stared at herself in the mirror. "I thought I was over this; he has found love. What do I care?"Her words didn't make her feel any better, but they gave her the strength to head out to meet the rest of the team after she relieved herself."Are you okay? That took you so long," Janet said to Ellen when she joined them."Yes, I'm fine," Ellen assured her."Okay, everyone, we are to meet here tomorrow; all that we have done will either be chang
Felix was jerked out of his thoughts. He glanced towards Ellen, embarrassed that he had been so lost in thought."Uhm, nothing; I was just thinking out loud about, you know, not knowing what goes on in Leo's mind," he explained.Ellen chuckled. "Did you really just give serious thought to understanding what goes on in Leo's mind?" she asked.Felix grinned in reply. "I guess I just did."Ellen laughed. "You have a better chance of winning the lottery than cracking the code in Leo's mind."They laughed at the thought until Felix pulled his car onto the sidewalk of Ellen's apartment."Thank you for bringing me home and for making me laugh too," Ellen stated, a soft smile on her face as she turned towards Felix."You're welcome, dear. I think I should make more jokes about Leo since it seems to crack you up so much," Felix joked.Ellen chuckled. "I don't think that would be necessary. All your jokes make me laugh anyway.""I'm glad to hear that." Felix replied, adding, "Do you mind if I p