“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
“Tell me the things I want, and just maybe, I will listen to you talk about other things” I said to Noah, hinting at a possible collaboration.Although, I’m not making any promises, but I could compromise a few things if that’s what would get him on my side.As soon as I made that proposal, another silence stretched between us. I have just a minute left but Noah doesn’t seem to care like he has all the time in the world, as he is the one calling the shots now.“You should have said this sooner,” he snorted as the sound of done closing reached my ears, followed by shuffling of feet.I rolled my eyes as my arm crossed below my chest. Noah is really getting on my nerves with the delays.At long last, he finally made a move to talk about my topic of interest. “I don’t know how you found that information, but Christopher’s marriage has been arranged since we were younger. And we knew nothing about it until a few weeks back, when grandpa made the introductions.”I rolled my eyes again
“Wow! Look whose contact still exists on my phone.” Noah’s low chuckle rang in my ears as soon as I greeted him. “I wonder why I still have it,” he finished.I know now, without doubts that this is my chance to rekindle whatever lost touch I had with Noah in the past.And to Noah, question, I responded, “Maybe because I am still important to you, and you can’t get over me.”But as soon as that statement reached his ears, an annoyance I didn’t know he had, manifested.“Barbara, it’s so rude to call someone this late at night. Who do you think you are to disturb my sleep?” “Noah, give me five minutes of your sleep time and if I’m not worth it in the end, you can hang up on me and get back to bed,” I quickly said with utter confidence just in case that brat planned to hang up on me without a chance.Noah let out a low groan into the phone. I can tell he’s still mad at me, but ready to give me a chance.“Make this five minutes worth it otherwise, I will make you pay in unimaginabl
It took a lot of effort of blinking and trying to steady myself on the rail of one of Dad’s exercise equipment to finally stabilise myself.“Y-you...y-you... Uncle Frederick told you that?” I asked Dad, definitely looking like I had been slapped back to reality.“Yes it did,” Dad confirmed once again. “Though, I heard it’s an arranged marriage.” As soon as he said that, both anger, confusion and bitterness consumed me. I had no idea I was a step late trying to win Christopher Moore over but what baffles me more is how and why his family would arrange his marriage.Is it that he can’t find himself a woman or they simply took charge of that aspect of his life because of her position?Also, what about me? I mean... Dad has been friends with uncle Fredrick and TRANSCORP’s business partner. Why didn’t they pick when they were searching for a wife for Christopher?I just can’t being myself to understand this stupid situation.I felt my breath size for a moment. I can’t accept this r
To me, everything dad said isn’t as important as the question I asked. And for the God’s sake, I hope they don’t plan to make me mad until the end of tomorrow.Mum gave me a burning look. “And why do you ask?” she asked, as if I shouldn’t have posed that question in the first place.I scoffed within me, getting ready to remind her of how sick her daughter was and how inappropriate it would be if anything happened to her at the Moore residence when Dad spoke.“No, she won’t,” he said with an intent gaze fixed on me. I held back a sigh of relief as I rose to my feet with Mum glaring daggers at me. At least Dad seems to be the only one on the right track, which is enough for me.As I left the living room, I could still hear Mum arguing with Dad.“What do you mean Brenda isn’t coming to the Moore residence with us?” “Brenda had a major surgery and should rest. What would you do if she fainted in their home?” Before a response could come from Mum, I had completely disappeared fr
A deep sigh escaped my lips before a small smile bloomed. I will miss Stella. And that’s for certain.The cool breeze from the night hit my face a few seconds later, snapping back to reality. I quickly walked towards the car park and found mine.The drive home had me thinking of what the future holds for me and Christopher. While everything seems roe going smoothly, I can’t help but be a little worried. Everything seems too good to be true. You know, I had once concluded that I was destined to be alone and unloved and zeroed my mind down on any form of expectation, until Christopher came along.Now, I’m thinking if our relationship will continue with the same energy and last a life time. I shouldn’t be blamed for having these thoughts as I have gone through hell and beyond to get to this point. See what my parents did to me. I was once their beloved little princess, until I went missing and returned years later.People can change, that I understand. But one’s parents? That’s
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 father. 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
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