Good thing that with just one attempt of persuading Elaine, she managed to read what was running through my bothered mind. I love her more than anyone in the world but I also have an image to safeguard. I cannot afford a single piece of news about me getting leaked to the public. Dylan already has had enough recently. The last thing I wished to happen was to make his head spinning. He was still in the middle of his recovery at the hospital. And I was the one who begged him not to join the formality for both our sakes. The four of us, including Maureen, might not feel comfortable talking and seeing each other in one room. Don't even have the slightest idea about how on earth Maureen appeared in the meeting when as far as I could remember, I never invited her. At least not on my watch. And so was Elaine, I believed. In the middle of our trek back to the main entrance of the restaurant, I begged Elaine to listen to everything I was about to explain regarding her
I heaved an abrupt sigh to help me calm my bothered heart and brain, mirroring myself to Elaine's point of view. Who am I exactly to her? Four months. As far as I can remember, it has been four months since I met and made a deal with Elaine. She was hurting that night on the same day as her birthday. My beclouded life was given a lot of colors on that same day too, needless to say. The moment I laid eyes on her, I told myself that I wanted to be with that woman. Elaine was weeping that night when I found her looking at an expensive car while holding a fist-size stone as though she wanted to get her revenge by smashing the windows, but through my helpless eyes, she was the most beautiful woman I ever met my whole life. A heavenly-made masterpiece if I am to describe her. I already met and had relationships with hundreds of women, young and old, mostly prosperous, including Maureen. But none of them managed to reach out to my cold heart. None of them brought suc
Mom and Dad exchanged bothered glances for about ten seconds as though they were reading each other's minds while waiting for my response, I, on the other hand, took advantage of the deafening silence to gather my thoughts. Neither of my family must know about what was going on between me and Dylan. Never will be. Ghino and I already told them that everything was fine between us. We'll keep it that way until the very end of this marriage. Until then. So I eagerly announced, "It's tears of joy, Mom and Dad. Our family was gathered here today, of course, apart from Brother Noah because he was too busy with his work." "Speaking of that... What about his boss?" Dad frowned as he helped me change the subject. Perhaps he already noticed the tension that was engraved on my face. "What's his name again?" "Dex Spencer," Mom replied on my behalf. "You're getting old, honey. I told you to drink your vitamins every day. We just talked to that man a few hours ago..." Mo
"Are you alright, Miss?" The cab driver inquired of me the second I settled down in the backseat of his car. He then started the engine and took off. I was about to reassure the old man that I was just doing fine but was preceded by the continuous vibration and boisterous ringing of my phone. "Someone? Loved ones?" he scoffed. "Don't waste your tears on someone not deserving..." As the man kept on sharing his life experience, I glanced at the screen of the phone. The call came from Ghino so I slid the answer button right after clearing my throat, the cab driver also shut his mouth to respect my privacy. "Yeah, what's up?" Despite having a hard time coming up with those words, I still managed, luckily, as I kept on wiping the tears in my eyes. "I'm still on my way to the office, Ghino." The cab driver couldn't help but steal a glimpse at me from the rearview mirror. And every time I looked back at him, he quickly shifted his gaze back to the road ahead of us.
Dylan suddenly rolled his eyes as though he was avoiding making eye-to-eye contact with me. Instead of my face, he fixed his eyes on the screens above us. "Why aren't you answering, Mr. Spencer?" I added, this time, in a demanding tone. Unfortunately, my furious tone melted after seeing his wounded chest filled with bandages. "By the way, are you sure you can start working now with your condition?" Before saying a word, Dylan slid to the computer keyboard and operated the CCTV footage. He pressed a lot of keys as though he knew what he was doing until the footage stopped at the part when someone sneaked into our office. The balls of my eyes remained dilated when my instinct about Ghino had something to do with the original copies of the company's AFS (Annual Financial Statements). He opened the door of the office with a spare key, which I have no idea where he got one, and slid closer to my desk. Then he checked and scanned those documents one by one. He halted fo
"Well...," I cut him off and paused for a few seconds as I felt hesitant to make the wrong choice. But after a few seconds of considering things thoroughly, I spoke up, "You asked me to give you three days, Dylan. Let's stick to that plan first, can't we?" Using his own words as my excuse was the least I could say and do at the moment. The truth was, I couldn't get the right answer to his question - the desperate version of himself. "Then what's next after that?" He asked me again, putting more pressure on my shoulder. Similar to Ghino, his stepbrother also wanted nothing but the safety of my well-being, making my heart be in the state of being confused. "Then, you must do what you have to do for the sake of the company, Dylan. Get the justice you deserve. Get him arrested for the crime he committed. I don't care." That was half a lie. I cared, not for myself, but for my parents who started liking and had Ghino's back. Mom and Dad already have had enough on
Ghino was put into silence as he fixed his startled eyes on me. Guilty was evidently written all over his face. He knew that he could not deny my claim before we had a piece of substantial evidence to support our accusation. "Don't give me that kind of look, Ghino." I added, "Did you know what I hated the most being in a relationship with you? You're a good liar. You've been lying to me this entire time. I don't have a clue what are you up to, the reason you are doing this to me, or what your intention on marry me. I don't know." "Please, calm down, Elaine." I could not believe all the words that were slipped out of my mouth, that was his response - asking me to get calm. I gritted my teeth in disbelief as I encountered having a hard time breathing in order to let out those fucking words yet he responded to me to calm down. Is he fucking kidding me? "Yes, I took those documents from your desk last night. And I have someone carry them into my office. But that doesn
The sight filled me with a mix of anger and frustration, not only because of those women around him but because of what he said to them. What's the point of coming over when I am not the only one who he reached out to? The security guards already hurt my pride - that they mistook me for Dylan's wife. Their assumption about me was proven right when I heard the words straight from his own mouth. "Waiting for my wife, my foot," I whispered to myself. Taking a deep breath to steady my trembling nerves, I walk over to Dylan with a determined and furious face. I am not his wife like he boasted to them, but I had to intervene and put an end to whatever was happening. "Dylan," I called out his name, my voice cutting through the cacophony of the club. All their eyes turned toward me, and Dylan's gaze met mine, conveying a mix of concern and disappointment For a moment, our shared connection seemed to override the chaos surrounding us. The four women faltered for just a