(ARIELLE'S POV) My restaurant, A and M, an initial for Arielle and Maverick, had finally opened its doors to the public the previous day, and today, I was hosting a meeting with potential shareholders of my restaurant. The response and turnout has been overwhelming, and I was excited to discuss the
(JARED’S POV) I blinked at her words. Huh, what entertainment? When I decided to come here, I knew talking to her wasn't going to be a walk in the park. What was I expecting, that she would warm up to me on the first day we met, three years after I wronged her? She looked... different. More than
(SOFIA’S POV) It was noon, and I was hungry, but being my lazy self, I didn't have the strength to make food. Pizza, my favorite food, was out of the question as I had been having it non-stop for a week. Scouting for a nice restaurant to have a decent lunch seemed like the best option. And so I go
(SOFIA’S POV) I froze, shock flooding my entire system like ice water. My eyes widened and I feared they would fall out of their sockets, and my breath paused in my heart, making it hard to breathe properly. The scene felt eerily familiar; by this time, the power dynamics seemed to have changed dr
(JARED'S POV) When Arielle had left with the man on shades, I hadn't really paid attention to him, but now, as they made for the exit door, I couldn't help but stare. One would think I was staring at Arielle, but In reality, I was focused on the burly man. Now this wasn't about me feeling jealou
(ARIELLE'S POV) "Goodness, why did I miss such a show?" Ashley exclaimed, her eyes dancing with amusement. She was in my office with Rebecca, as we recounted the encounter with Sofia earlier. "You needed to see the look on her face when she discovered Arielle was the owner of the restaurant. I
(SOFIA’S POV) I turned round another street corner, my mind occupied with nothing but pure rage and hurt at the way things turned out moments ago. Did it really take nothing for my whole life to collapse underneath me? Only after leaving the restaurant did I realize that I had left my car behind.
(ARIELLE’S POV) After the awkward interview with Stephen Stone — which Rebecca and Ashley didn’t stop teasing me for, I stepped out of the restaurant to get Maverick from school. If traffic and the weather were forgiving I’d make it just in time to redeem myself for picking him up late. I hurri
It was evident in the way she switched her weight from one foot to the other and opened her mouth to speak multiple times without saying anything. Nana Jean leaned forward in her seat, her face mean and sober in the manner of an old Catholic nun. “The diagnosis is Early-Onset Memory Degeneration S
(DWAYNE’S POV) The air in the room around me was electric with underlying animosity. They might have put on their best acts, but I wasn’t fooled. And truthfully, there was nothing they could do to change the state of things. The board members sat quietly, their gazes eluding mine like it was a life
I’d almost turned around to leave when I caught sight of it, sticking out from underneath the stack of papers on the desk. I looked closer at the letterhead and identified the name of a hospital—medical reports. Was this the result of ye MRI scan?, I wondered to myself. I knew better than to look. I
(ARIELLE’S POV) My time in Germany finally reached its end. After conducting a series of tests and feeding me with supplements and a great deal of other tablets, Dr. Ellen and Dr. Julian agreed that their procedure was indeed successful. They made their discovery public and what followed afterwards
“Did you get that yourself? Why didn’t you let the paramedics check you?” I inquired with a mix of concern and relief. “Paramedics? What paramedics?” Jared asked, his smile dampening a bit with confusion. “I was in a meeting with my associates… back at the hotel. Yeah. I was on a call…” he explaine
(ARIELLE’S POV) When I woke up, I learned from Ashley that Jared had to leave earlier because of some business. But he’d yet to return and I was due to leave for my hotel. “Any sign of him yet?” I asked Ashley as she stepped into the room. She’d left earlier to get me something to eat on the docto
(JARED'S POV) I left the hospital hesitantly, my mind hazy with worry. I was tired myself. I sat behind the wheel and looked into the rearview mirror. I let out a sigh and steered the car onto the road. I struggled to maintain my concentration as I drove. I resorted to driving slower than usual, a
(JARED’S POV) For the rest of the evening, I couldn’t help but feel guilty about forgetting Maverick’s birthday. It beat my imagination how I’d forgotten something as important as that. I never forgot important dates, especially not my son’s birthday. I smiled through the call and even instructed
He took deep breath, and slowly knelt down on one knee. He let go of my hand momentarily and the other arm which he’d had behind him the entire time produced a velvet box. He gently opened it and nestled right inside the box, sitting on a black velvet pad, was a diamond ring, resplendent and breatht