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
“Please don’t cry…I should not have asked you to talk about her. It is my fault. Please…” Cara insisted as she brought out a box of tissues and offered to Selena.Selena de la Velga wiped her eyes and said,” I never thought that there would be a day that I would be upset about the fact that Xavier did not get the chance to know his mother or his father. I mean, I always thought that I would never have thought that she would leave us so soon. I always thought that maybe there would be a day when Xavier would be interested to know about his mother and I would be able to tell him everything. Maybe I would even ask him to find out about Matilda and then meet her. It was my mistake that I could not tell him and I did not even think of…”“Please don’t say that…please…I am sure that Mom did not even think like that once. She never said anything about Xavier until the last day but she had a picture of him. The picture that had been clicked when he was a newborn baby and it is still with me. I
Cara paced the full length of the living area at least a dozen times before she was took a deep breath and told herself to calm down.But she couldn't.How could she be calm when she knew that Xavier was going to be furious?.If only she had stayed out a bit longer. Explored a few more of the queen streets in the cities medieval gothic quarter. But the 3 days or full on non stop sightseeing in Madrid and 4 nights of vigorous love making had finally taken their toll. The idea of whiling away afternoon with a book stretched out on one of the loungers by the apartments school along with a bowl of Caesar salad and pasta had been too tempting to resist.And then Xavier’s mother had rung the doorbell and walked in into the apartment.His mother.Her stomach turned into knots she began to peace again her beer feet taking her own another Circuit of the living area and then out onto the sun warmed terrace school stop but the fresh air didn't help. Her mind continued to spin in ever decreasing
“Do you think she guessed that we are?” She felt her face aflame. “You know….”He gave her a glimmer of a smile. “Having a relationship?”Her heart missed a beat. Relationship? Was that how he thought of their affair? She nodded telling herself not to read anything into it.It's just a word.“She didn't ask me outright,” he said. “But I suspect that she guessed.”Cara let out a little groan of embarrassment her gaze darting down to her t shirt and shorts. Selena de la Vega had been pleasant and friendly but what must have she been secretly thinking? That her son’s standards had dropped considerably from the sophisticated women he usually saw no doubt.Xavier as though he had read her mind tilted her chin up and said she thought she you were very beautiful and charming. And very elegant as well.Her eyes widened food she did?Si. He posed his gaze moving thoughtfully over her face for a long moment in fact you have made such an impression she has asked me to invite you to a luncheon at
It was still hard for Devon not to envision a more mature version of Athena every time he saw Aphrodite, but seeing her dressed in a tailored business suit at least offered something foreign to what he had always seen Athena wearing. As stunningly beautiful and professional as Aphrodite looked in her courtroom attire, it was far different from the more casual business dresses and slacks with blouse combinations that Athena had worn while working.The difference that struck Devon most significantly between the sisters was the confidence and self-assuredness that Aphrodite possessed compared to the almost timid and reserved presence that Athena had displayed while around other people. When she and Devon had been alone, Athena was so much more alive. She was decisive and confident; the one to set the pace for their relationship and who made most of the choices for how they would spend their time together.There had been hundreds of times over the past ten years when Devon had wished that
Turning back to face Madison, Hughes said, "You sound like you have witnessed Mr. Justice complimenting others..."Madison laughed, and said, "It would be hard not to. Do you know that Coastline Multimedia has been recognized by several national HR associations in the past few years for our employee recognition and incentive programs? Those are all Devon's doing. Besides weekly, monthly, and yearly recognition of employees from each department for their outstanding job performance, Devon established programs that recognize teamwork, diversity, volunteerism, and several other attributes of employee behavior that make employees feel valued. Devon doesn't stop there, though. He is very hands-on; spending time throughout the organization, and speaking with employees about their lives as well as their jobs. I would be surprised if there were even two employees at Coastline Multimedia who hadn't received a personal compliment from Devon Justice in the last month."Returning his focus to the
"Mrs. Reese," Aphrodite said, "You testified earlier that your intimate relationship with Devon Justice began while you were still in high school and continued on an occasional basis until May 31, 2011, during all or part of which time you both were employees of Coastline Multimedia. Do you remember that testimony or do I need to ask the court reporter to read it back to you?""I remember.""Thank you, Mrs. Reese. I have no further questions, your Honor."Chapter SixteenBarely able to hide her smugness, Aphrodite flashed only a minor glance toward Devon as she returned to her seat.Judge Brunner asked, "Does the defense wish to redirect?"Answering for both attorneys, Wally Hughes said, "Not at this time, your, Honor.""Then we'll take a fifteen-minute break before you call your next witness," the judge announced."I'm going to go to the bathroom," Carlotta said as she rose. TREY and Aphrodite remained seated."Fine," Aphrodite told her client, "But don't talk to anyone without mysel