“It looks like our dinner plans will have to be cancelled,” I say to Christopher as soon as I drop the call on my Mum.“Your sister is hospitalized?” Christopher asks me with a slight frown. “Yes.” I release a deep breath. “She has a bad kidney and needs a transplant urgently, so she keeps getting hospitalized once in a while.” Christopher holds my gaze for a moment before turning to order the chauffeur to take us to the hospital before shifting his attention back to me.“It seems like you are really not loved for someone who is the biological daughter of her parents.”Christopher’s statement cuts deep into me. Note that I’m not mad at him, but at my situation. I can’t even feel proud of my background.The thought of getting together with someone like Christopher makes me so ashamed that I think less of myself.I bet that in the other part of his mind, he must be regretting having me as a partner because I’m not even useful to him. I’m just the daughter of a rich known busine
“What do you mean?” I ask Mum, unsure of what she had just said to me. Maybe I’m mistaken, so I need her to clarify the matter with her. “Didn’t you hear me? Are you deaf?!” Mum shouts in my ear. “I said you won’t leave this place without giving a kidney to your sister! I don’t care of you hate her or not, but you will be the one to save her. Is that clear?” I scoff, burying my face in-between my knees. May God help me not to explode on my mother. Is she alright by the way? How can she threaten me about giving a part of my body out, and that to to a human being I hate so much? I am left in shock as I lift my head to meet Mum’s gaze. “I want to take what you just said to me as a joke. Don’t bother repeating it again.” Standing to my feet, I look her in the eyes and continue, “I won’t give my kidney to Brenda, and no one has the right to force me into d—.” ‘Pah!’ Instantly, I feel a sting on my left cheek and my palm fly up to my face to clasp it. Mum had just hit me, and fo
Christopher’s POV.When the ten minutes time interval I gave to Emily expired, I wait for another extra minute before pulling out my phone to call her.The phone rings for a while before going straight to voicemail.‘Why is she not picking up?’ I think to myself as I try her contact again and this time around, the mechanical voice says her phone it’s off.I don’t need another sign to know that something wrong has happened. Immediately, I unclasp my seatbelt and order the chauffeur to unlock the car.“I’m going up to find Emily, keep the car close,” I instruct the chauffeur before stepping out of the car.As soon as I into the hospital, I stop at the front desk and give the Wilson’s family name and immediately the nurse tells me their room number and directs me on how to get there.Something had better not happen to Emily otherwise, I won’t spare anyone.It’s possible that I might be thinking too much about the situation, but I can’t just rule out the possibility of Emily’s parents doi
“Christopher, she’s just unconscious. It’s a sedation for the procedure,” Mrs. Wilson said, her voice trembling, but I barely registered her words. All I could focus on was the worry etched into my heart.“What procedure?” I demanded, rising to my feet, my protective instincts kicking in full force. “You had no right to do this without my consent!”“We had to prepare her for surgery!” Mr. Wilson replied, raising his hands defensively. “She’s a match for Brenda, and time is running out.”“Don’t you dare use that as an excuse!” I spat back, stepping closer to them. “You think this is just a transaction? You think Emily is an object to be given away? She is not just your daughter; she is a person with her own life, her own choices!”“I assure you, we didn’t want this,” Mrs. Wilson pleaded, desperation creeping into her voice. “We only want to save Brenda.”“Then save her without dragging Emily into this,” I shot back, feeling a swell of anger at their selfishness. “You don’t get to decid
Emily’s POV.The moment I opened my eyes, I was met with a soft, warm glow from a dimly lit room. My vision blurred as my head throbbed painfully, as if I were waking from a fever dream.I felt weak, my limbs almost too heavy to lift, and I had to blink a few times before my surroundings came into focus. This room… it felt different. Familiar... in a way that comforted me immediately.Almost immediately, a cold shiver coursed through my body as the memory of the hospital seeped back in. My mother’s cold gaze, the sterile smell of antiseptic, the way she looked at me as though I were nothing but a means to an end. My stomach churned, and without thinking, my hand flew to my abdomen, pressing against the softness there, fearing they might have gone through with it—cut me open, taken what they wanted. I waited, almost frozen, trying to feel for any pain or incision.But there was nothing. No ache, no wound, just the pounding of my heart against my ribs and a lingering ache in my
Christopher’s words sent a fresh wave of emotion crashing over me, and I had to look away, afraid that he’d see just how deeply his kindness affected me with the tears starting to well up in my eyes.I took another sip of the soup, trying to focus on it and not anywhere else but I felt Christopher’s gaze on me, steady and unwavering as he pulled out the chair next to me and settled down.Taking this as a cue to leave us alone, the housekeeper packed the peas and excused herself.On the other hand, Christopher gestures for me to continue eating.“Tell me immediately you feel uncomfortable and the doctor will come and check on you. Is that clear?” Christopher said to me as his brows deep.I saw the concern that flashed across his eyes and felt a sense of relief wash through me.“I will,” I answered softly and continued eating, devouring everything in my plate as he watched me silently.“Do you want more? You didn’t get to have dinner with me as planned, you must be famished,” he
Christopher’s POV The soft clink of dishes and the gentle morning light spilling through the dining room window felt peaceful, reminding me of last night; the softness of Emily’s body in my arms. She had somehow clung to me in the middle of the night and I must say that I did enjoy having her in my arms. My heart eased the moment I finally saw Emily stepping toward me, a faint smile lighting her face. The colour had returned to her cheeks, and there was a subtle strength in her step that had been missing just yesterday. “Good morning, Christopher,” she greeted, her voice calm and a touch lighter than I’d expected. “Good morning, Emily,” I replied, watching her settle in the chair beside me. “That’s a fine choice of outfit for today,” I added, gesturing to the crisp navy dress she wore as if I wasn’t the one that picked it out for her. Emily’s eyes widened slightly, a hint of surprise colouring her expression like she doesn’t know I was the one who had the outfit pr
I composed myself just in time for her to turn her head in my direction. “Good morning, Stella,” I greeted her with a small smile and rounded my desk, settling behind it. “Good morning, Emily.” She paused, her brow creasing slightly as she stared at me. “You look a little pale. Are you alright?” “I’m fine. I just didn’t get much sleep last night,” I lied with an assuring smile and she nodded in understanding. “Don’t worry, everyone’s clocking off early today. Take a long rest this weekend. You have a long week ahead.” As I settled behind my desk she asked, almost as an afterthought, “Did you give Christopher his coffee, yet?” “Yes, I already did. I was just coming out from his office,” I replied. “Did he ask about me?” She probed and I shook my head in response. Stella seemed satisfied with that and returned to her work. A little while later, she handed me a stack of files and a few appointment requests to review for Christopher’s schedule next week. The steady r
“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
Barbara was a bit uncomfortable with my out-of-the-blue question. Her lashes fluttered lightly as she looked towards her father for help, but he either didn’t see her since he wasn’t looking her way, or he pretended not to have seen her subtle gesture.Whichever one it was, I am still waiting for Barbara’s response because I won’t let her get away with this. Her actions are annoying and the sight of her is irritating.Seeing that she couldn’t get away with my interrogation she smiled sheepishly and returned her gaze back to me.“I took a half-day off from work today.”“Why?” I probed, leaning out of my seat with all manner of curiosity as a deafening silence hit the room. And I’m glad that everyone apart from Barbara knew better but to be silent.Barbara looked anywhere but at me as she answered my question. “I wasn’t feeling too well, but I’m all good now.”A scoff escaped my lips before I could gauge my reaction. Nothing infuriated me more than this woman’s nonchalance at my
THURSDAY. Christopher’s POV. Thursday was a busy day for me and I barely had the time to check on Emily. But to make up for it, I invited her to have lunch with me during lunch break. Emily looked a bit stunned by the offer as she set my food down. “I have my lunch already. Also, while it’s true that Stella won’t say anything since she knows we are together, we can’t disrupt the work ethic” Emily said to me with slightly furrowed brows. If this had been any other day, I would have let her escape unfortunately for her, I’m not in that mood, so I pinned my gaze to her and ask, “Are you sure you don’t want to have lunch with me, and would prefer eating with others?” I asked her that question, I rubbed my jaw subtly with my fingers and licked my lower lips without doing as much as blinking. How could Emily resist this temptation? I am not always proud, but some special occasions calls for it, like today. Emily let out a deep sigh and plopped herself on the couch.
Emily’s POV. “I see that you are happy and satisfied with your best friend,” Christopher said with his gaze on me as he crossed his leg over the other while sitting on a chair as Tessa and I walked into the room and shut the door. From the shameless attitude he displayed back in the dining room, I thought that I would see him on my bed by now, but it turned out that he could be a gentleman when he wanted. “Of course, she’s always proud of me,” Tessa jumped in before words could form in my mouth. “Are you jealous that you don’t have any good friend like they way we do?” “Who said I don’t have good friends? What do you take me for?” Christopher retorted. Meanwhile, Tessa pretended to think for a moment before saying, “Oh... I remember now. All your friends are living abroad, so you are back here alone and lonely.” Tessa wriggled her eyebrows playfully after finishing her remark and I bet she’s very proud of herself while Christopher remained unaffected with her teasing until th