"Eric," I began, my tone slow, as if I were talking to a child who had just misunderstood the simplest thing ever. "I asked about Rachel before I called her to my office. I was specifically told she was working with the filing team. So it’s kind of weird and crazy that you're saying now, that she's your secretary. You just agreed with me when I told you she was working in the filing office. So what the hell are you talking about?"Eric’s eyes narrowed as if I had just insulted his intelligence. "Well, you see, Mina, I know that she was working there. But yesterday, I already went through all the procedures. I talked with HR. There’s already a form there. I wrote her a letter, and she was supposed to come upstairs and become my secretary. So there you have it."I couldn't hide my disbelief. "If that was the case, why was she still down there in the filing system when I called?"Eric shrugged dismissively, an air of superiority coming from him. "I don’t know. Maybe you should ask her. B
I raised an eyebrow in question as I asked, "What is this?"Eric shook the cup in his hands, a faint smirk on his lips. "It’s your cup. Your favourite cup, if I’m guessing right." A winning smile on his face, like he was trying to get me to buy a product."And why do you have it?" I countered, arms crossing over my chest. "Do I need to do something to get it? Is that what you’re thinking? That you can hold the cup hostage over me, or something?"He laughed, the sound dripping with a hint of mockery. "Of course not, Mina. Your mind is running a mile a minute. It’s just a cup, stop being so paranoid. But I just remembered that you really like this cup. And since you’re back at work, I thought I could give it to you.""Why?" I asked, levelling my gaze at him, determined to read between his words. I didn’t trust him—not even for a second.Eric shifted slightly, his eyes darting away before he finally answered, "It’s a ‘Welcome Back’ gift, kind of. Think of it as...my version of a welcom
I stood there, stunned. My favourite cup suddenly felt like a hot coal in my hand. This—this was classic Eric, wasn’t it? He couldn’t lose. He couldn’t back down. And when the stakes were high, he played dirty. As long as he rose above in the end, The carefully laid desserts, the coffee, the damn cup—they were all off-limits now. The whole room was tainted, and poisoned, and my appetite was long gone.But then, another thought crept in. What if Giselle was lying? She’d hated me from the moment I’d walked into this company and resented me for my relationship with Eric. What if this was all part of some plan to alienate me, payback to make me mistrust everyone here?I looked at the cup again, doubt mixed with disgust. Could I really trust anything—or anyone—in this office?Probably not.I dumped the cup in the trash bin, the ceramic clinking hollowly l. It felt good to get rid of it, a silent testament to whatever petty games Eric was playing—or perhaps Giselle's manipulations—felt odd
“Mmm, I’m gonna have to break your heart there, lover boy,” I said, giving him a playful smile.“Oh, please don’t do that. What is it?” he asked, his face falling. “Don’t tell me you’re that busy. You just got back to the company today, and you haven’t gotten up to speed. Don’t tell me you’ve already started working.”“Not yet, it’s just that I kind of already had lunch,” I replied.“Oh, you’re coming from lunch?” he asked, his voice teasing.“Yes,” I confirmed.“You’re such a bad girl,” he said with a grin. “Why didn’t you just tell me or ask me to lunch? I would have loved to have lunch with you. I missed you so much and was looking forward to seeing you. And knowing that you were just downstairs was killing me. I was really looking forward to having lunch with you.”“I know,” I said, my voice apologetic. “ And I wanted that too, but I thought you might be busy, and I didn’t want to disturb you.”“But you could have called Jason and asked,” he suggested.“But then Jason is always so
"Nothing," Eric answered, looking too casual. "This is about the Blackwind. My father paid me a visit just now and reminded me that this is about the company and our legacy. Whatever feelings I have towards you, I should put them aside. I'm going to own this company one day After all, so yes, I'm not going to let us lose a big client just because you're... well, a whore."The words hit me like a slap in the face, but I just couldn’t stop the laugh that followed. “Well, that took longer than I thought for you to start throwing names at me," I said, still chuckling. "But it’s the truth now, isn’t it? Why should we hide it?” he sneered. “Just remember that I’m your Sister-in-law.”“Sister-in-law? Oh, come on. The way Rita puts it, she doesn’t have a sister anymore. How you’ve embarrassed her and ruined her entire social life. She’s got a gold digger for a sister now. Some people even think that because the two of you are related, she might be like you.” He paused, a smug look on his f
"I love Emerson. He is in love with me. And we’re going to get married," I said, my voice steady and firm. "Since Emerson already has a son, I no longer have to think about starting a family or building one anymore. Because he already has it. So, I’m already a member of his family, which, in turn, makes me your family." I smirked, watching his expression darken. "You didn’t want to have a family with me, but guess what? I’m still your family. So there you have it. You get to have Rita as your wife, and you get to have me as your… mother.""Don’t you ever call yourself my mother," he snapped, his anger finally bubbling over. The confidence he’d worn earlier started to crack. He knew my buttons, but I knew his too and I wasn't scared to use them.Anger began to seep into his words. Ever since we’d started this discussion, he’d seemed to have the upper hand, hurling jab after jab at me. But now that we were back to the root of the issue, he couldn’t take it."You are not my mother, Mina
Eric shrugged nonchalantly, leaning back in his chair. “We already went to the conference room. We waited for hours and hours, but you didn’t show, so we left.”I stared at him, birlwarded. “You told me thirty minutes.”“Thirty minutes?” he repeated mockingly. “What do you think I have to prepare for in thirty minutes? I told you we should meet later—fifteen minutes later, to be exact. We went there, waited for fifteen minutes, and you didn’t show. So we left. I have other things to do now.”I clenched my fists, forcing myself to remain calm. “Eric, when you came into my office and said you were serious about this project—that this was about the future—I actually believed you. I thought we were going to work on this together. But now you’re playing games again. So, what is it? Do you not want to inherit anything? Or do you want to inherit a failing company?”His smirk faded slightly, but he remained silent.“You know that you need me,” I continued, my voice steady but firm. “You kno
Thank God Eric finally started taking things seriously. Though I could see he didn’t appreciate my comments and the way I had handled things, he eventually stopped trying to undermine me with clever remarks and got down to business.As he presented the project, he introduced me to the team, outlining who did what and their roles. Each member pitched in, sharing their reports of what had been done. I asked them where they thought things had gone wrong, and whether they had conducted any assessment after the project had failed, and they offered their views on the issues.I instructed them to prepare a detailed report because I would need to go through it myself later, cross-checking their findings to see where improvements could be made. I also reminded them that Emmerson had prepared an alternative presentation, and I asked the members who had worked with Emerson to create a new version tailored to the Flager project.As we delved into the discussion, a knock on the door interrupted u
After the nurse disappeared, the silence in the waiting room thickened. Every pair of eyes turned to me again.Tina’s gaze was sharp and accusing, her lips pressed into a tight, angry line. Eric didn’t bother hiding his disgust. He looked over me with disdain. Rita threw glances at me now and then and I couldn't tell what she was thinking, but I knew which side she was.I sat there, wondering.Why does Trey want to see me?The question circled in my mind over and over like a broken record. It made no sense. Why would he want me, of all people, by his bedside? This wasn’t just strange—it was absurd. Whether he realized it or not, he was putting me in a position I didn’t want to be in, a position I didn’t ask for.The minutes dragged on in agonizing silence.Finally, Tina broke it with a snarl. “Oh no. No one is stopping me. I’m going to see my son.”Without waiting for anyone’s response, she marched off furiously as she barreled down the hallway in search of Trey’s ward.Emerson exhal
I couldn’t believe it. Trayson was awake. Talking. Alive. Relief and dread worked together inside me. I was glad he was conscious—no one here wanted a murder charge hanging over their head. But he was awake.Do you understand what I mean?He was going to talk. And what would he say?Would he say that Emerson attacked him? Would he twist the truth in his favour? Every eye in this room had already judged me. Even the officer, who was supposed to remain neutral, seemed to believe I was guilty.The worst part? Tina.This was the same woman who had spent the entire dinner praising me, gushing about how much she liked me. Her son had said so himself too. Now, here she was, transformed into a raging lioness, accusing me of being a monster who had hurt her son. And no matter what Trayson said—no matter what those security tapes from the restaurant revealed—Tina wasn’t going to believe that her precious son was an arrogant asshole.BUT, No alcohol in his system? Seriously?I remembered the fla
Everyone's eyes turned toward me, their expressions thick with anger, surprise, hatred, and disappointment. I could feel their judgment like sharp knives against my skin.Emerson's hand moved to his face, shielding his eyes as though trying to block out the truth or perhaps the sight of me standing there. He was the one person I wanted to look at, the one person whose reaction I needed to see. But he didn’t meet my gaze. I stood frozen, letting their stares cut into me, letting their judgment pour over me.Tina’s hand trembled as she raised it, pointing at me. Her voice was sharp, almost unrecognizable.“You tell me—what did you do to my son?”She pushed herself up, her entire body shaking with rage. I couldn’t move. I stood there, rooted in place, my breath caught in my throat, my mind blank. Tina was coming for me, and I didn’t know what to do.Eric grabbed her arms just in time, pulling her back as she lunged toward me. “Tina, stop!”The police officer stepped between us. His cal
“He is not dead, Tina!” Emerson snapped, his voice filled with frustration. “Stop acting as if he’s dead. He is alive and doing well. He is going to wake up, he’s going to regain consciousness, and he’s going to say what happened. Why are you causing all this ruckus? Why don’t you wait until he wakes up and speaks about what happened?”Tina’s expression hardened, her face replaced with suspicion and anger. “Because I’m afraid that one of you will get to him before I do,” she retorted. “Maybe you’ll get rid of him before I can find out the truth. And I’m going to protect my son.”Emerson’s face twisted in disbelief. “ Are you serious right now? I can't believe this, now you think we want to do what?“ Emerson released a sad laugh before he continued. “It’s okay if you don’t want me or Mina to go close to him. You’re his mother. You’re the first person he’s going to see. He’s going to tell you everything.““ And when he does tell me something, I don’t want any of you to flee. You’re g
I sat there on the chair, just sitting, staring at the walls, watching nurses and doctors pass by, their steps brisk, their faces a blur of calm and urgency. They came in and out, speaking softly, holding clipboards in hushed tones. My mind was blank. My body felt distant, as though I was a spectator of my own life.Then, out of nowhere, I heard the hurried click of heels—a determined, sharp sound cutting through the quiet of the hospital. Voices followed voices trying hard to be composed but strained.Tina and Emerson appeared first. They weren’t walking together; they were locked in a tug-of-war of anger. Emerson’s face was tight, his jaw clenched. Tina, her eyes wild, was a storm barely held in place.And behind them, a police officer.The sight of the uniform turned my stomach to ice. Panic surged through me so violently that I thought I might be sick. It’s done. We’re done. Everybody knows. I didn’t know how far this would go, but my mind raced to the worst. Was I an accomplice?
They were all staring at me, waiting. The room felt smaller, and my heart raced. I was nervous. Too nervous. So I blurted the first word that came to my head."Nothing."Tina’s eyes darkened, her voice rising. "What do you mean nothing? Treyson is lying in there. He is hurt. His life is on the line, and you’re telling me that nothing?""I mean… nothing really happened," I stammered, my voice weak. "I don’t know what you expect me to say. I just… I don’t know what happened."Her anger rose as she stepped closer. "What do you mean you don’t know what happened, Mina?""Okay, let’s just calm down," Emerson interjected, his tone soothing as he placed himself between us. "I get that our emotions are running high, and we all want answers, but let’s take a breath."Tina was having none of it. Her glare burned right through me. "No. I want to know what happened to my son. You and Mina were the ones with Trey when it happened, and I want to know exactly what went down. Are you going to tell me?
I know some people are going to call me a hypocrite, but Eric always treated Tina with respect—almost like she was his mother. He had just called her his godmother at dinner for Christ's sake.This was so inappropriate.I didn’t know if he was taking advantage of the situation, taking advantage of her, or if he didn’t even realize what he was doing. I didn’t know.But seeing the look on Rita’s face?Now that was good.That was priceless.The way she got mad. How her face turned red with fury. My heart released some heartache.As we reached them, Rita shifted her body, positioning herself firmly beside Eric. Emerson and I stood directly in front of Eric and Rita.Emerson didn’t waste time.“How is he? What did the doctor say? Is he going to be alright”Tina, trying her best not to cry, answered, “They haven’t told us anything. Ever since we got here, nobody has told us anything. I don’t know how my son is doing. I’m so worried. I just hope he gets out of all of this alive.”Eric reach
The car grew silent again, but of course, Rita couldn't just let the moment be. She decided to shift her attention from me to Emerson.“Mr. Blackwind—oh, I’m sorry,” she started awkwardly.Emerson didn’t miss a beat. “It’s fine, Rita. We’re family. You can call me Emerson.”I couldn’t help myself. “Or, Dad. You can call him father.” I gave a low laugh, the kind that dripped with sarcasm. If she was going to call him Dad, how exactly was she supposed to refer to me?Classic!The thought amused me more than it should have. I started laughing again. Rita shot me a glare, but then she straightened her posture, composed herself, and chose to ignore me. Smart choice.“What do you think happened to Trey?” she asked, her voice suddenly filled with curiosity and concern. “I mean, he was fine one minute, and then he just fell, and there was blood everywhere. Do you think it could be… a disease? Maybe he fainted from something else? Maybe he had a heart Attack Or an allergy to the food?”She li
The car was silent as we made our way to the hospital. The hum of the tyres on the road was a dull soundtrack to my chaotic thoughts. 'Oh God, please let Trey survive. Please don’t let anything bad happen. Please, just this once, let everything be okay.'The prayer looped in my head, unspoken but desperate, until a voice broke through to the present.“Mina? Mina?”I didn’t respond. I was too lost in my thoughts.“Mina!” Rita’s voice sharpened, as she shouted.I turned my head sharply toward her.“What do you want, Rita?”“Have you seen Mom? Have you talked to her lately?”I scoffed, a bitter laugh escaping before I could stop it.“Of course, you know I haven’t. You’re the one who talks to her all the time. You’re her bestie, aren’t you? You’d know if I had because she tells you everything.”Rita continued. “I think you should call Mom. At least check in on her. Whatever happened between the two of you—she’s still your mother.”Another scoff, sharper this time.“After what she said at