***"Can we go home now?" Katherine asked Anderson, meeting him at the exit of the airport. Even though she couldn't understand why she felt that way, she knew she didn't like it. "Sure," he placed an arm across her shoulders. While she sat in the car, he went to say goodbye to his friends and Katherine watched from the window. When her gaze landed on James, she felt a cold shiver run down her spine. She pushed her gaze ahead, sighing and rubbing her temple. Why was she receiving comfort from James and why did she feel that way? Does it have something to do with the divorce? Could Anderson have fallen out of love with her and she resorted to James' comfort? But why James? She heard the car door open and she turned to find Anderson getting into the car seat beside her. The ride started and she once again got lost in thought, unaware of Anderson's peering gaze on her. He scooted close to her and placed his palm on her fiddling fingers, "how about we go to Hope's for our next va
***Katherine stared at her phone when she heard it beep, *I'm sorry I can't pick you up right now, honey. The meeting is going on longer than I assumed. Will you give me some minutes more?* *Oh don't worry about it, just send Tony. I'll wait for you at the restaurant.* she texted him back. There was no response and Katherine knew it was time to return to work. He must have taken a few seconds' break to send her the text. *This is Tony, I'll be there right away.* a response from Tony came. "Here you go," Katherine looked away from the phone and collected the coffee from Patty. "Thank you." "I bet you'll be leaving soon," she asked, going to sit opposite her. "Oh yes, just waiting for the car," Katherine replied, taking a sip from the warm liquid. "You said the constant headache was normal, does it mean I'll be getting it frequently?" "Not really, but when you get a memory it might come with some pain. That is normal." Katherine sighed, lowering the cup. Her phone beeped, it
***Anderson walked in on Katherine fast asleep on her vanity, the baby bib was encapsulated in her fist and even though she was fast asleep, she held tightly to the material. He grabbed a seat quietly and sat beside her, watching her peaceful face.He wondered for how long she was napping there and contemplated waking her up. In a trepid motion, James's words rang back in his head. He had told Anderson that Katherine had come to see him and tell him of the memories she was recalling that all involved him. He realized she was gaining her memories back faster than he expected and it bothered him. Although it only meant that she was recovering well and quickly, Anderson wished recalling her lost memories wasn't a means to prove that. Sighing, he rested his head on his palm, staring closely into her face while brushing off the hair strands from it. The action caused her to stir and her eyes fluttered open. On sighting him she relaxed and then smiled."Hey, you're back," she breathed
***A grimace creased Katherine's brows as she tried the ballgown one last time. The zipper refused to slide smoothly and she gave up for the umpteenth time with a sigh. She started getting out of the gown when a knock sounded on her door, stopping her. "It's Maria! Madam Trina sent me." "Oh, please come in, Maria!" She ushered her in without hesitation. Hearing the haste in her voice, Maria hurried in and stopped in her track when she sighted the situation Katherine was in. "Please come over and help me out, I think the zipper is stuck or something!" "Oh right away!" She immediately dashed behind her, fixed the metal, and smoothly ran the zipper up the fabric. Katherine breathed out in relief when she felt the corset clasp her upper sides. She rushed and peered into the mirror, staring at herself. A smile tugged her lips as she accessed the beauty of the fabric on her, it looked just as she expected and it fitted her just perfectly. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" She turned to Mar
***"Mr. Riecke?" Trina paused at the entrance, her round eyes etched with wrinkles, staring at her boss who appeared to be deeply lost in thoughts. Anderson jerked for a moment before turning to look at Trina. He sighed, pushed his gaze off, picked the wineglass and downed the liquid. "Are you okay, sir?" Trina walked in. "Come-in Trina. Do what you came here for. Ignore me," he hiccuped, taking another chug. She walked in. The noise he was making with the wineglass was what attracted her as she was preparing to leave. "Mr. Riecke, is something wrong?" She asked, even though she knew quite well what was wrong. It was his routine ever since Katherine walked out of his life and he realized how wrong he had been. On one of wasted days, he had opened up to her and filled her ears with everything that had happened, taking her comfort without even realizing it. Now, it was happening again, but Trina didn't understand why he was still grieving. Katherine had returned and she was righ
***Anderson pulled the phone from his ear, taking the last chug of his wine. He dropped the glass, staring at his cell phone which now looked like the most annoying thing in the world to him. He thought of smashing it to the ground and stepping repeatedly on it, but a second thought had him slipping out of his seat and jumping into his car."Take me home," he said icily to Gerald. He was restless and greatly pissed. It's been three hours and Katherine still hadn't replied to his texts nor returned his calls. He knew for a fact that she was home, her appointment with Patty lasted only for two hours and Tony had informed him she had been in her room all along since they returned.Relentless, he called her line again but it yielded the same result. Grumbling, he dialed Tony. "Is my wife still in her room?" "Yes sir. It's been almost an hour now since Trina went in there and she's yet to come out. I believe they're busy." "Trina has been in her room for an hour?" He grimaced."Yes si
***"Katy.." Katherine paused, the key tightly buried in her fist as Trina's feet moved hastily to get to her. She turned and Trina noticed the tears in her eyes, without asking she knew Anderson was already aware of the situation and she pursed her lips, swallowing her questions. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "Mr. Riecke-"I have to go, Trina, let's talk later," she answered tersely and stomped out of the house. Trina sighed, mixed emotions clogging her throat as she contemplated what to do. Her gaze moved to Anderson's room door and she started towards it, her guilt slowly turning to fear. "Mr. Riecke!" She gasped, seeing Anderson on his knees the moment she opened the door, he was gripping his forehead like he was in excruciating pain. "Oh my goodness, are you okay? What should I do?" Anderson's face was tightly grimaced as he tried to fight the pain shooting at the center of his forehead, waving aside the urge to find his suppressant. Lazily, he pointed to the door, "Katheri
***"Katy.." Katherine looked away from her window and sat up when she sighted Yvonne. She walked in, holding the saucer carefully as she head towards her. "Here, I got you coffee." "Thank you," Katherine took the coffee cup and drew a sip from the warm liquid that felt extremely good on her tongue. "You made this?" She asked in disbelief. "No, Maggie did. She said you were feeling a little low so she asked me to bring it to you." Katherine sighed, taking another sip from the latte. "Do you feel better?" Yvonne questioned, her button nose scrunched up curiously. "Sure," Katherine nodded. She settled on the bed beside her, "it's late. Are you sleeping over?" "Yeah," Katherine nodded, dropping the cup and throwing another stare at her window. "Does it mean you'll live here now, with us?" Yvonne's eyes held glee as she asked. Katherine smiled, ruffling her hair. "Not really, but I'm not sure I'll be leaving soon." She stood up and locked the blinds, sighing as she returned to
"When did you arrive?" Jude asked after handing her a cup of coffee. "Two hours ago. Would have arrived earlier but there was a little trouble with the flight." "I hope it was nothing serious. You're okay, right?" "Oh, not at all. And I'm fine," Hope smiled. Jude lowered his gaze to the ground like there was something interesting there and an awkward silence fell between them. "How have you been?" Hope broke the silence. He started with a slow repetitive nod, "Good. Really good. You?" "Same," Hope nodded. "I was driving to Dad Xavier's to pick up Katy's kids, so I thought I'd stop by and say hi since I was close. You'll be at the party, right?" "Yeah, I'm all dressed up for it." "Oh good," Hope breathed out, wrapping her palms around the mug. As much as she didn't like how silent they were, she expected it. It's been seven years and she suddenly appears in front of him without a word. She had hoped to ask him to accompany her to Xavier's or probably expected him to su
*** _*Six_Years Later*_ *** Renard's fingers caressed the package as he spoke on the phone to his mother. "Ugh, Mom! I told you I'm not going." "Just this once, Renard. It's not like you attended the previous ones. How long do you plan to distance yourself? They're your niece and nephew!" "Do you have to keep calling me every year for the same thing? I have work to do, if I slack Anderson wouldn't take it lightly. You know how he is. I can't stand him," Renard fused. "Even Marcus will be there, you think you're the only one who has work to do? Besides we both know Anderson wouldn't trouble for missing one day." Renard grumbled, taking the gift off his thigh. "If I go this once, will you stop calling me concerning it?" "I'll give you a break for the next two years." "Four," he bargained. "Three years. I can't believe we're bargaining this! It's not even supposed to be this serious." "You're making it serious, Mom. Like I don't care about my brother, I mean I send gif
***"Careful," Anderson cautioned, his palms resting on her bare baby bump. They both giggled as she successfully sat on him, her weight falling on him. She touched his chest to support her balance, and Anderson quickly adjusted to the weight. Katherine began moving her waist in circular motion and riding him slowly. Amidst the waves of pleasure, Anderson's eyes remained plastered on her, fearing that she might fall and ready to grasp her if she did. "Do you really have to do this?" He asked, guiding his hands to her waist. "Yes," she answered. "Relax and enjoy. I'm fine," she said, leaning slowly to kiss his chest. Anderson threw his head back, the pleasure slowly grasping him more than he could control. "About Marcus-Anderson sighed, "is that what this is about?" "No," Katherine denied, moving her hands to his chest and teasing his nipples with her fingers. "Fuck Katy, this is so goddamn good," he groaned and she smiled, loving how she gained control of him in a short space
***"200 meters is just perfect, if there are any changes I'll let you know beforehand," the client stood up."Please do, sir," Leila stood up with him. "Until then, we'll have the garden ready for you and yours " He smiled, "Perfect. If you're available, please attend." With that, he slipped an invitation card into her hand. "Oh," Leila hesitated, "I'll see what I can do." After a handshake, Leila picked up her stuff and walked out. In her car, which she managed to get back with her earning, Leila made a happy dance. She was elated and above all, she was glad she was finally doing something that would make her boss pleased with her again. After losing a rental deal a week back, Leila had tried to make up for it. She noticed Jude's unwillingness when she asked to be in charge of this project, but he eventually handed it to her. Amongst the twelve clients, ten were willing to patronize them, one was going to think about it and the last person already booked elsewhere. Leila coul
***Jude didn't miss the discontented look on Bianca's face when he walked in with Leila. "Hey," she forced a smile, "I didn't know you were bringing someone with you. We didn't discuss that." "She's my secretary and will be in charge of the meeting. She'll answer all of your questions and explain to you what to expect if your father's corporation partners with us." "Oh secretary," Bianca emphasized, relaxing. "I don't mind." "Where's your father, I expected to see him here with you." "Oh he's not coming," she winked. "He wants me to talk to you first and if I like what you're proposing, we automatically have a deal. So it's all in my hands now." "Okay," Jude shrugged, "so let me start with-"Hold on," Bianca's leaned over the table to touch him. Jude jerked away from her hold, glaring at her, "Why don't we eat first? It's a dinner date remember." "Not a date," he reminded. "Right," she chuckled softly. "Over here, waiter." A waiter approached their table at once, "What are y
***"Leila-" The door went open and she quickly turned away, wiping the tears from her eyes while trying to gain composure of herself. Jude's brow narrowed as he opened the door wider and walked in, his gaze first landed on the skinny tall man in his secretary's office and then on Leila whose back was at him. "I need you to make me some coffee," he said. "I'll be there, sir. Please give me a second," she answered, trying her best to give a straight response despite the sound of her voice. "Who is he?" Jude asked, staring at the unknown man that wore a frown. He didn't plan on interfering but the atmosphere in the room was something he didn't want any of his guests to meet. "H-he-" Leila stuttered. "I'm her husband," the skinny man replied, darting a cold stare at Jude, "you must be the boss." "Alex, please leave.." Leila tried to interfere. "What? I can't meet your boss? You said you were scared, should I tell him on your behalf then?" "No, get out!" Leila snapped, her voice
***Jude walked into his office, he turned around only to find Leila stirring his coffee as she spoke on the phone. Her body was in a different direction but her hand didn't stop moving the spoon in a circular motion. She was carried away and seemed to be pissed with whoever she was talking to on the phone. Jude noticed this and paused, watching her multitask. It was her first day without Ria's assistance and she was already giving him an idea of how berserking she could be. "I told you I'm fine, I don't need your money. Please stop calling me, you could get in trouble," She hassled. "Stop talking to me, I don't want any more problems between you guys." "Please don't say another word to me, Mom. You know I'll never agree to it. I can't move back in, don't you understand?...The other words strolled off his hearing. Mom? She was arguing with her mother? Jude squinted his brows. "I'm hanging up, please don't call me again. I'm fine and I don't need your help. I'm not worth losing yo
***"Sir?" Jude looked up from his computer to find Ria, his secretary walking in. "I brought the monthly accounts for the three hotels in Northridge. I already reworked them and piled in the conclusion. Please check and tell me if there's a problem." Jude took the papers from her and went through each page briefly. Knowing her capabilities, it didn't take him a lot of time before he started nodding in satisfaction. She had worked for him for four years and had proven countless times to be competent. Left to him, he wished he could make her stay. "What do you think? Is it good, sir?" She asked when he dropped the file. "Yeah. All good." "Really?" He shot her a stare, "is there a problem?" "Not really but the intern actually worked that out. It wasn't my doing." "Intern?" He looked lost for a minute before it hit him, "Leila?" "Yes sir. I gave them to her two days ago and made my workings too just in case, but checking them I realized she did quite a good job with the balanc
***"Oh hey, there Rey-" he grabbed her wrist before she could finish talking and led her out of the hall, scowling. His grip was too strong for her resistance and soon she relaxed and focused on catching up with his long step in her six inches heels. "What the hell," she breathed out when he finally stopped and released her, pushing her ahead of him roughly. "What the hell is right. Now, what the hell are you doing here?" He growled at her. She huffed, crossing her arms. "To see you obviously, who else do I know in this stinking rich organization." Renard grimaced, "I don't recall inviting you, and I cut all ties with Suzy and everything that has to do with her so why the hell are you here?" "Jeez chill, I didn't come to bother you," Anna assured, tucking her hair behind her ear, "You're the only one I could come to because you're the only one I know that knows Suzy." "So?" "I came to drop off her stuff. I'm leaving the country first thing tomorrow and her stuff are in my way.