Brenda cries that she is at fault while stopping Mum from chasing after me. I sneer and walk straight without whipping my head back until I get to my bedroom. And I shut the door with a bang. So much anger is swelling in my heart by the time I sink my bum into the chair in front of my dresser. “Emily, you are special and deserving! Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!” I scream in front of my mirror and feel a tad bit better after. My joy currently lies in the fact that I have secured my dream job and there will be nothing stopping me. Maybe I should ask Stella about the possibility of getting an apartment rent-free from TRANSCORP? I think to myself. But the possibility of Christopher one day finding out about the one-night stand and sacking me from my job bothers me because then, he will take back every single penny the company gave to me, including the car and the apartment I want. When that happens, I will be homeless and left to return to this house with no oth
“What did you just say?! I dare you to repeat it!” With hands on my waist and a flaring nose, I am now standing right in front of Oliver not minding the presence of both of our families.Oliver backs away with a mix of fear and surprise in his eyes. I bet he wasn’t expecting that I would overhear him and almost launch an attack on him. “Oh, my goodness, Emily!” Mum shouts from somewhere behind me and I don’t give a fuck about her thoughts or anyone else’s. Everyone in this room is my enemy.“What happened to your own kidney?” I ask as I am ready to tear him down with my gritted teeth.Oliver blinks, unsure of how to word his response. “I-I Haven’t run the required tests yet, besides, I’m not – I-I Don’t think that I will make a better match,” he stutters.“Then does that give you the right to demand that I should give a part of my body to anyone when you can’t even make an effort for the same sacrifice? Who the hell do you think you are?!!!” I scream, my voice loud enough like
My alarm jerks me awake at 6 AM and I have to fight through with the sleep in my eyes to get off the bed and go to the bathroom to get ready. The thought of Christopher Moore soon finding out about our intimate night at the club kept me awake most of last night. I need to keep evidence for that day at the nightclub to prove my innocence. At least, he needs to know it was a big misunderstanding just in case he would want to blame and fire me for it.I stayed awake trying to hack into the servers of Exclusive XX Club, and it took quite some time before I was able to gain access. It seems I am a little rusty since it’s been over ten years since I last practised. Hacking is one of the skills the old master who raised me in the village after I escaped from my kidnappers taught me. Although I’m not professionally trained, I believe there is no information I cannot lay my hands on if I put my mind to it. The only thing it might take is time.Unfortunately for me, I didn’t find the fi
Stella turns her head in my direction and squints her eyes. “They do, but only to their executive staff.”I grin inwardly and ask again, carefully, “Does the executive personal assistant to the CEO count as an executive staff?” Stella doesn’t reply at first, instead, she eyes me like she’s trying to gauge my motive for that question.“Yes. But why do you ask?”I rub my hands together under my desk in excitement while trying not to look the part. “I am thinking of moving out of my family’s home soon. So, I was thinking that if Transcorp could offer me a place, I wouldn’t need to make further expenses on rent.”“Remind me as soon as your trial period ends. I will help you inquire if you qualify,” Stella says to me before shifting her gaze to the digital clock on her table. I guess it’s time to work.“Mr. Moore will be here any time soon. It’s time to make his espresso,” she alerts me. I glance at the clock and take note of the time so she doesn’t have to remind me about it ne
Stella walks in as I put the phone down. “I should have just come up here to use the restroom here,” she sighs as she sits behind her desk before lifting her gaze. “Who was that on the phone?”“Front desk,” I reply. “A media station reached out, wanting to interview Mr. Moore.”“Which Media house?” “HAWA media.”Something flickers in Stella’s eyes as she leans out of her seat. “And what was your response?”“I told them Mr. Moore wouldn’t be accepting any interviews currently because of his packed schedule.”Stella gasps and shoots out from her seat, her eyes widening in their sockets and immediately, I continue, speaking a beat faster, “And that we will contact them as soon as he gets some time off.”Stella sinks back into her seat and stares at me like she has just returned from the land of the dead.“Did I do something wrong?” I ask her.She waves her hand. “HAWA is a big media house recognized internationally, and Mr. Moore has been looking forward to an interview with
My eyes well up with tears of joy because I have been through so much all my life that I only have a little hope left.Getting a car gift for just a simple yet important position I snagged is like a sign from the heavens telling me, ‘Well done’ and to keep pushing.I turn to Christopher and offer him a bow. “Thank you, Mr. Moore, for the gift.”He nods and says as he hands the car key over to me, “Keep working hard.” I nod frantically and watch him leave, then my gaze shifts back to the tear-rubber-branded car that now belongs to me.Christopher said the paperwork was in the car, and I’m glad I came out with my driving licence which will enable me to drive my car back home.At least, I have a car that I didn’t have to struggle to save money to buy since Brenda is the only beloved daughter our parents got an expensive ride three years back.My eyes are filled with admiration as I run my fingers around the steering. The interior is everything and I can’t stop the tears running d
“Emily, you remember that I mentioned setting you up with my cousin, Chris?” Tessa asks, and I nod, holding back a nervous cough.A deep sigh escapes her lips as she leans back into her chair. “Unfortunately, I just learned that his marriage had been long arranged. I’m so sorry.”I quickly wave a dismissive hand, chuckling. “That’s fine. Although, while I don’t see myself ever getting married to my boss, I do appreciate your concern and support.”“What’s wrong with marrying your boss?” Tessa smirks. “If anything, I think office romance is the best kind of romance.”I lift my hands in surrender. “Alright, I think you have had more than enough to drink,” I say, wiping the corner of my lips with a napkin.“You are no fun,” Tessa eyes me and I’m happy she knows I do not want to continue in the direction of that conversation.I remember that I had a twenty-page portfolio to study and lift my gaze. “Do you want me to drop you off?”“No,” Tessa answers. “I came with my family’s chauff
The moment I storm into my bedroom, I find my phone and quickly send a text to Tessa.“Are you home now?”It doesn’t take three minutes for her to reach me through a video call on WhatsApp.“I just finished taking my bath. What’s up?” Tessa struggles to position her phone camera on herself while she smears some moisturiser on her face and dabs it into her skin.“Is there a way that I can successfully make myself sick so I’m unable to get out of bed this weekend?” I ask her.Immediately, her hands still and she refocuses her gaze on me. Squinting her eyes, she asks, “What is going on? What are you trying to avoid?”A deep sigh escapes my lips as I pace up and down my room.“My parents have scheduled the weekend to meet with Austin and his family; the old man they arranged for me to marry since Brenda stole my boyfriend??” I have to make sure Tessa understands the implications of that meeting and I think she does.“Emily, unfortunately, I’m not a doctor or a health practitione
If I didn’t know Stella could be this warm since the few weeks I’ve gotten to know her and work closely with her, tonight, proved it.Stella dropped work aside and chatted with us like an older sister. She told us the story of how she met her husband despite her busy schedule.She told us a story about a man who was so kind to her and would do anything to relieve her of her burden. And as she sat right next to me with a glowing smile, something hit me.Christopher was also like her husband; a man who would do anything to relieve me of my burden. Although we’ve only got together, he is someone that doesn’t like to see me suffer.So, hearing Stella talk about her husband, made me appreciate the man in my life. “Having a good man is important, but most importantly, you have to be a good woman to him to balance the equation,” Stella finished as her smiling gaze moved from one person to the other.Her advice struck me as well. Now, I know for a fact that I have to be intentional wit
Sandra and Lucy seem to have forgotten what I’m made of. I don’t give up easily on anything I’ve set my eyes on unless the chance is 0%. Yes, you heard that right.Even when I failed to secure a job at TRANSCORP, what did I do? In fact, what I did next should let anyone know that I am tenacious. And who can compete with that?---In quick elegant steps, I arrived in front of my daughter. And at my presence, he quickly introduced me to the minister of Finance.I exchanged polite pleasantries with the minister before whispering to my Dad’s ear, “Dad, please excuse me. I want to have a word with you for a moment.”The next second, I nodded curtly to the minister with a small polite smile on her lips before leaving.My dad found me alone at a table a minute later and joined me.“And what has my beautiful princess got to say to me?” he asked, a proud smile on his lips as he admired my beauty.Dad loved Mum a lot as I was their only child, he cherished me a lot, and even more afte
As soon as I finished making that statement, I brought the glass of champagne to my lips with my left hand to show off my engagement ring. Then I watched with satisfaction as Barbara’s gaze landed on it as something similar to shock and disbelief flashed across her eyes. It pleased me so greatly to see that reaction on her face.My instincts had told me that she had deliberately bright her friends over to greet me just to prove some kind of point to them.I think she was acting like I had honoured her family’s invitation for her sake, but my actions to counter that just now hadn’t been planned before hand. It was merely a reflex; something that just happened to take place.As I don’t have the time to entertain Barbara’s shock, I excused myself from her presence and went away to continue my chats with important men in the industry.---Barbara’s POV.My head swirled with different unbelievable crazy thoughts as my gaze caught the sparkling jewel sleeked around Christopher’s fin
“What’s funny?” Christopher asked in genuine confusion as he met my gaze, but I quickly shook my head, refusing to answer that question. “Nothing,” I smiled at him. “I shall return to my desk. Have a good day, Mr. Moore, and see you at your lunch.” As soon as I made my statement clear, I opened the door and walked out, shutting it with a soft thud. Then it took me a few moments to recover and adjust my emotions before making my way back to my office. Stella was eagerly waiting for my return which was evident from the way she leaned out of her table as soon as she saw me walk back in. “What is Mr. Moore’s excuse this time around?” she inquired with her gaze on me and I told her the exact reason Christopher gave to me. “Oh…” Stella drawled. She had a mixed expression at the news. While she was happy that Barbara wasn’t promoted because she was deserving of that position, she was still a bit dissatisfied with her. Just like me, she must be wondering if there wasn’t any other w
“I just stepped into the office this morning and learned the worst news in recent times since I started work at Transcorp,” Stella started, turning her full attention to me. And I can tell by the way her jaw flexed that she was trying hard to control her emotions. I pretended not to have any idea of what she was talking about just to be on the safer side and probed, “What bad news did you hear?” “Barbara Collins was promoted and moved from the secretary’s desk to the Management department. Didn’t you hear about it when you clocked in this morning?” Stella inquired, narrowing her eyes. I could tell she was just mad at the situation, and not at me, so there wasn’t any need for me to lie to her, especially when she was being so honest with me. “I heard about it,” I admitted as my shoulders naturally slumped. I’ve been tensed all morning since finding out the news, and I still felt that Christopher owed me some answers. “And you have no idea why she was given a promotion she didn
Emily’s POV. As the warm water from the shower splashes on my head and pours down my body, I can’t help but think about Christopher and what he was doing now. We didn’t have much time to ourselves at work today and standing under the shower only made me miss him more. Thoughts of Christopher occupied my mind until I turned off the shower and stepped back into my bedroom dressed in my pyjamas. And in my bid to quickly check my phone to see if there has been any text from him yet, I discovered that one of my bags which I returned from work with, was missing. My brows creased in worry as I began to think of the place where I must have left it because I am quite sure that I took both bags with me while leaving my office. “Did I leave it my car or...?” My thoughts immediately come to a halt when I finally remembered the last possible place where I might have left it. Almost immediately, anger consumed me as I opened my door and stormed out of my bedroom. I can’t imagine that I w
“Honey, you should know my sister doesn’t care about how long she has known this Christopher before deciding to marry him,” I said to Oliver, my tone dripping with honey. “So, she only cares about taking revenge on me?” Oliver asked, meeting my gaze with a scowl sitting on his face. He looked very displeased as if Emily didn’t have any right to do as she pleased with her life. I smirked to myself and slowly nodded in response, as innocence contoured my face. I have to sow more discord why pretending to be oblivious to them. “I believe that’s what she is thinking about. Also, like I said, this Christopher Moore is from the famous prominent Moore family. Emily will definitely pick him as her partner as along as she feels he’s better than you.” As I made that striking statement of indirectly calling Oliver inferior, I laughed inwardly as I watched him gnash his teeth from the corner of my eyes. But then, I had to go into another coughing fit as my expression grew weary. Almost i
Brenda’s POV.I have been sitting in my bedroom, impatiently waiting for Oliver to come find me since I heard of his arrival, but I have no idea of what has been keeping him downstairs. If I didn’t have to pretend to be totally helpless, I would have already found my way to the living room long ago. But as if Oliver could sense my displeasure, he knocked softly on my door and came in when I weakly approved. “Babe,” Oliver called me softly as he quickly rushed over to my side with concern laced in his brows. “How are you?” My eyes turned teary as I attempted to sit up on the bed, but he quickly assisted me saying, “You don’t have to struggle to do this while I’m here,” While I enjoy this, I can’t help but actually hope that his mind is still divided. It would be futile for him not to be concerned about Emily and her impending wedding after my efforts last night. I won’t even let it happen.“I have been waiting for your visit. What took you so long?” I asked weakly, allowing m
Emily’s POV.Work was a lot tasking today. I felt so exhausted that I could use a full body massage to relax my tensed nerves. But this is something only a phone call from Christopher would have solved. Sadly, he is pretty occupied today.As soon as I finished the last document I had to review for the day, I shut my computer and left the company, expecting to get home and get some rest only for me return home and see Oliver and his parents sitting in the living room chatting with Mum and Dad.Honestly, I had no idea the Jones’ would be in our house today even though Mrs. Jones had phoned Mum last night. Although I had heard Mum’s happy voice from the door as I walked a minute ago, it never occured to me that there were only a handful of people she invited home and had this kind of reaction with while chatting, and that the Jones should be the more appropriate family.My stomach churned, especially at the sight of Oliver. I don’t know why he still affected me so badly even though