Aphrodite had considered a lot before going for the filing of the case and she knew that it was a flimsy one but she had to do it. Her sister was on her mind a lot for the past few days and she atleast wanted to be able to give her satisfaction that she had been avenged. Now a days, Aphrodite thinks that she should have been better when it came to their relationship and they both were not that different when it came to thinking about their careers. They always had been focused on that and Xavier de la Velga had known her sister better than her. That was the part that spited her the most. She had already used the information that he had given her and that is why she would have to do what he had asked her to."You didn't think it important enough to tell me that one of the executives at Coastline Multimedia was a black woman?" Aphrodite hissed at her client after losing the summary judgment that effectively ended their discrimination case. This had been a "throw-away" case for Aphrodite
Standing suddenly, which pulled her hand from Corrine's, Aphrodite said, "I knew that you would take his side..."She didn't wait for a response but simply stormed away from a shocked Corrine Justice, still seated on the bench in the courthouse hallway.Too riled to return to the office, from both the lost case and from speaking with Corrine Justice, Aphrodite decided not to return to the office that day. She would share the details of the case with Lana some other time.Glad that the condo was well north of the area impacted by the traffic loop, Aphrodite ignored the barricades and other traffic control devices being staged along her route. She would remind her parents to stay away from the affected areas over the weekend since they had historically avoided Myrtle Beach during peak tourist season and had little experience with the challenges they would face if they ventured into the heart of the entertainment area."How'd it go?" her mother, Pandora asked as soon as Aphrodite entered
"No," her mother said, "Nothing. I do remember talking with her about what she was going to put on the baby's birth certificate under the father's name. All she said was that she was going to leave it blank for the time being. Not that she didn't know who it was or anything, just that she wasn't ready to do it yet. Do you understand what I mean?"Aphrodite's mind was drifting, but she paused it and said, "I think so."Pandora asked, "Why the sudden interest in who the father was, or is?"Ignoring the question, Aphrodite asked, "Tell me this, Mom. If you knew who Alexander's father was and you met him, what would you say or do?""Before or after slapping his face?" Pandora growled.Aphrodite smiled and said, "You would have to get in line behind me. I'm going to go change and maybe go sit by the pool for a while Will you text me when Dad and Alex get back?"The condo property where her parents had bought their unit years ago was not designed as a resort, but rather a residential commun
Cara was busy making some lunch for herself and for Xavier as well when he was going to come back to the apartment. He had said in the morning that he had a meeting with his brother which he could not be postponed and started cutting up all the veggies that she knew would be required to make some pasta. It was the one dish that she could manage and could be called restaurant quality. Of course she could not cook like Rosa but she could do something. After going around in Madrid and walking for so long she had been in so much pain that she needed that rest today.But what she did not expect was the doorbell ringing. Xavier had his own key and would not ring the bell and she knew that no one would come to his apartment unless they knew that he had an apartment here. She was wearing a loose fitted pants and crop top and her hair was a mess. But she anyway opened the door and came across a beautiful and elegant woman. From her research of Xavier and his family Cara knew that this woman wa
Aphrodite watched Alex crawling in and out of dinosaur eggs with other kids and felt somewhat sorry about the struggles that his larger size was creating for him. He was already a head taller than most boys his age, and while this served him well in most of his athletic pursuits, it proved to be a disadvantage when rides and other objects designed for a child his age came into play.She was glad that her parents had decided not to accompany her and Alex to the DinoLand Café for dinner. Although, it likely wouldn't have mattered since the place was too noisy for them to have continued telling her about their day at the beach. She had a pretty good understanding of the events just from listening to Alex extolling the knowledge and generosity of the man he had met. A man who from her mother's description could have been none other than Devon Justice.Aphrodite had spent six hours that day going over statements from employees at Coastline Multimedia related to Devon Justice, and she didn'
Aphrodite turned and made her own assessment of the crowd. This was the first time since the trial had begun that she had bothered to see who might be in attendance to watch the spectacle unfold besides the players themselves. The one person that she recognized who was worth noting was Corrine Justice. She was chatting animatedly with Emily Willis. It appeared that they were waiting for Devon, or someone else, to join them for lunch."Come on," Aphrodite urged, "Let's get out of here and find something to eat real quick. We only have forty-five minutes and a lot to discuss before we turn things over to the defense."TREY joined Aphrodite in packing up their files and other items on the table as he asked, "You don't intend to call Dr. Henry?""That's one of the things that we can discuss over lunch," Aphrodite said.Dr. Melvin Henry was a professor at Spelman College in Atlanta. He was a renowned authority on the subject of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equality. Aphrodite had asked Dr. He
Cara could not help as the tears rolled down her face and Selena could see that and she said, “I don’t know what would I say to you right now so that you might be able to feel slightly better. I have really nothing to say….I know that you have suffered a loss like no other.”“Can I talk to you about her for a bit?” asked Cara.“Of course you can, querida. Of course you can…I am here to talk to you…ask me anything that your heart desires.”“I did not think that I would get the chance to talk to anyone who would actually know how she was. I mean, she definitely was my stepmother but I always knew her to be my mother. She is the one who helped me grow up without any trouble. And she made my dad very happy.”“How is your father coping up with her loss right now? It must be really difficult for him?”“It would have been difficult for him if he was here but he is not. He passed away four years back from heart attack in his sleep. No one got a chance to do anything at all.”“I am really sorr
"Mrs. Willis, did Athena Hart work at Coastline Multimedia for three consecutive summers?""Yes, she did.""Please share with the court in what capacity Miss Hart worked at Coastline during those three summers."Emily had a neutral expression on her face when she replied, "The summer between Athena's freshman and sophomore years at Clemson University, she was a participant in our summer internship program. The following two summers, she was a contract employee."Glancing back at Aphrodite, TREY could tell that she was as confused as he was over this answer. Thinking quickly while waiting for Aphrodite to finish writing the note that she was feverishly scribbling on her legal pad, he turned back to Emily."Can you explain what this contract employee position that Athena Hart held entailed?"Emily thought for a second and said, "It entailed mostly special projects, typically related to cross-collaboration between Marketing and the various production teams.""Special projects," TREY repe
Cara pursed her lips and then said,” You really think that I am going to tell you anything?”“No I don’t. But I am not above hurting you and you don’t mean anything to me so hurting you is going to be easier and probably be even fun.”“You think you are a man and that is why you are stronger than me?”“There is nothing to question about that. It is a known fact. You are the one who has been kidnapped and not me, so there is actually no point in arguing with me. I can do a lot of things to you, querida and make sure that no one ever finds you again but I am a good man with a good heart. Help me with what I require and I shall make sure you are sent back to Australia safe and sound.”“I know that you are lying. And nothing you say is going to make me believe that..” Cara spat at him as she said the words. Diego wiped his face with the back of his hand and sighed and then back handed her again. Cara knew it was coming and she had already swerved away and his hand did not hit her.She mov
Clubbing is a place for a type of people. Firstly, they had to be rich. Clubbing wasn't a poor man's activity. The cheapest booze inside would be worth twice the expensive brands outside. Everything was outrageously overpriced—not that he cared anyway.Second of all, they had to be a crowd person. Being in an enclosed room full of drunk people isn't exactly a paradise for introverted people. Sure, there wouldn't be much talking. Half of the experience was having conversations you'd barely hear over the booming music, or even remember the next morning because you're wasted as fuck, but there are still people who'd come up to you and talk.So when Xavier saw her, standing awkwardly with her outgoing friend dancing wildly by her side, he knew she didn't belong to this kind of scene. The complete opposite of him; as someone who basically grew up here, Xavier loved everything about the place. It felt like home, more so than any of his mansions, actually.He watched the two women as they he
“I know who you are, Diego. You made the mistake of speaking to me. And now I know that you are the one who is torturing me and has kidnapped me.”There was silence for a while and then all of a sudden the blindfold was taken off from her eyes and Diego was standing there before her in his shirt and trousers. He looked quite normal almost as if nothing had happened and was smirking at Cara.“I am sure you enjoyed that, querida.”“Don’t call me that you freaking bastard. You are nothing else but a vile manipulative..” said Cara as suddenly she was slapped and she could feel her lips split and she was bleeding and she could only feel helpless because her hands were still bound.“Don’t call me names, querida…your mouth was made for far better purposes and not this. You are a lot more important to me that you are ever going to be to my bastard cousin.”“And you are never going to be half the man that Xavier is.”“Whatever you say is not going to make me angry. You are a beautiful woman Ca
Cara struggled desperately, trying to free her hands from the heavy ropes that bound them together behind her back. She couldn’t see anything, thanks to the blindfold which covered most of her face. The ball gag shoved into her mouth prevented her from making much noise at all. When at last she realized the futility of her movements, she lay still and listened.Abruptly she felt the car begin to slow down. Cara’s heart fluttered in fear, wondering where she would be taken. She didn’t have long to wait. Moments later the car rolled to a stop, and a door opened. She was grabbed and hauled roughly out of the car, where she stumbled a bit on unsteady feet. Two hands gripped her shoulders, forcing her to walk quickly and unsteadily forward.She heard a door open. As she stepped through it, her footsteps echoed on what she wagered were hard tile floors. She and her captor proceeded through the room, then stopped suddenly. She heard a bell, followed by the sliding of a door that she realized
Some say, 'From pain comes wisdom,' but Jean had endured a lot over the past weeks and felt no wiser. Her boyfriend left her and it had hollowed out her soul. When she pushed through the door and rang the bell at Trader Dan's, she was hoping to put a bullet in her old life and thumb her nose at the jackass who left her behind.And Trader Dan's is just such a place; where souls are bared, pain will be endured, and whatever healing occurs will be everlasting.As she settled into the proprietor's chair with the tools of the trade laid out neatly on a small table nearby, Trader Dan's resonant voice filled her ears with a tale from another age. It seemed charming but odd to her. Perhaps it was just his effort to entertain his clients or calm frazzled nerves. Regardless, Jean found herself drifting back in time while the man gave her 'wisdom,' prick by prick."Meijuan sang like an angel, and from a very young age her voice would echo in the cavernous St. Ignatius Cathedral in Shanghai. Alth
“Love is really that important for me, Xavier. I know it sounds really stupid to you and you think that if I would just not think about it, things would be better but I cannot imagine spending my life in this way…”“All the time that we spent together, was it that difficult for you? Did you think that I did not care for you one whit? That I don’t wish to make you happy? If this is not all that there is to love then what is it that you want from me?”“Want from you? Xavier, from the moment that I have come here and have stepped into your world I have never wanted anything from. I have just wished for you to know the woman who was my mother and who was your mother as well and you never had the chance to. I never asked you for anything. You showered me with gifts, but those aren’t important to me. Do you know what is?”Xavier remained silent and looked at her darkly.“What is more important to me is the time that you spent with me…not just the love making but all the moments that you wer
Seeing that the stands were filling as the start of the game approached, Ulysses headed toward them to grab and save seats for the rest of the family that would be watching the game while Devon headed for the outfield to call his team into their dugout. At six feet, Alex stood a good head taller than any other player on the team. He looked like an adult being followed by children when the rest of the team fell in behind him as he led them to the dugout.Alex's team would be the visiting team for today's game, so Devon explained the planned batting order to the players before taking his lineup card out to the umpire at home plate. He saw that Aphrodite, Athena, his mother, and mother-in-law had all joined Ulysses in the stands. He heard his daughter squeal when she saw him and paused to wave to her. Athena looked as much like a junior version of her mother as Alex did his father.As had been the trend all season, Alex and his teammates batted around their first at-bat with Alex hitting
She was hopelessly in love.And nothing anyone would say could change the fact ever.Cara stared at Xavier who was sleeping on the bed with his back towards her. Sometime during the night he had woken her up by kissing her and pulling her nipples and then entering her again and again in deep and long strokes and Cara could not do anything but moan and cry out in pleasure.“Come for me, querida…make all those noises for me. You will always know that I was the one who made you cry out of pleasure!”It was so ardently male and so egoistic in nature that Cara thought how could a man be so full of himself, be so arrogant that he was the reason for a woman’s smile or tears. Even though he wasn’t wrong but still, the inherent feministic tendency in her tried saying that this was something that she should let go so easily but looking at him sleeping peacefully after such a night was not something she could agree to. She wished for him to sleep. They had the food that she had cooked and Xavier
"Well, I don't have a fancy car for you to drive to demonstrate my love for you, so I guess you'll have to settle for my undying concern for you and copious amounts of carnal pleasure. That's it! I can drive your Bentley and you get to drive me wild like you did last night."Laughing, Devon said, "That sounds like a win-win. We better get up and start getting ready if we intend to meet your parents on time."Aphrodite didn't move her body from on top of Devon as she reached over to the nightstand and retrieved her cell phone."What are you doing?" Devon asked."I'm texting my mom to let her know to meet us an hour later than we had planned.""Why? Traffic shouldn't be a problem for any of us on a Saturday morning."Finishing her text and returning the cell phone to the table, Aphrodite smiled down and said, "You haven't taken any of my hints, so I'll just have to make my intentions perfectly clear, my love. I intend to verify a suspicion that I have had since waking next to you...""W