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TWENTY-TWO

Author: Ruthie Kings
last update Last Updated: 2024-10-29 19:42:56

ELLEN

I got the anonymous notes on my desk for a few more days and I became suspicious of Dante. He was nicer to me, and we worked more informally than formally in the office. I wanted to confront him about it, but I wanted to be sure he was the one dropping those notes for me. I would not deny that alternating between the office and Oliver's house was difficult. I was exhausted most of the time and I was getting farther and farther from Sophie. Kennedy would soon return to New York and anxiety kicked in. I thought of how to joggle Sophie and work again. Lily and I had a very tough argument about working at Oliver's mansion and we said some really awful things to each other, so I could not ask for her help. With Kennedy's help, I got an apartment and was still furnishing it.

I tried hard not to let any of it affect my job at Oliver's mansion. For the first week, nothing went wrong between Oliver and me. He just seemed uninterested in me and only spoke to me when necessary.
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  • RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love   TWENTY-THREE

    ELLEN I forge ahead to work the next day. I had to go to Sophie's school first and made a complaint about a stranger speaking to my daughter. Her school authority promised to be on the lookout. I was so distracted going through the files with Oliver and carrying out other duties around his house, and he kept scolding me for it. I did not go to the office that day and I knew involving the police would make Tony more aggressive, just like before. When I was not with Oliver, I would weep, then wipe my tears and carry on with work, and he never noticed. Oliver made it worse by scolding and yelling at me. He never missed the opportunity. I contemplated telling Dante about it, but I did not want to drag innocent people into it again. That day ended terribly and as insensitive as Oliver was, he did not care about the emotion I displayed. I did not want little Sophie to be dragged into the sins I committed. Tony was the first boyfriend I had in college. I struggled with fin

  • RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love   TWENTY-FOUR

    ELLEN I did not hear from Tony for a few days as I had expected. It made me wonder if it was the Tony I knew or some other man with the same name. But I was confused and wondered if it was another Tony. What was he doing with my daughter and why had he told her I was his friend? I was in danger and was putting everyone else in danger. Knowing Tony, he would dig into Sophie's existence and would find out that Oliver was her father and might come for him. I did not exactly like Oliver, but I will never want to drag him into this mess. The worst was that I could not talk to anyone about it. Tony was a psycho and might kill anyone that offered to help me. Lily advised we should tell the police, but I was scared out of my body. I had moved out of Lily's place and stayed in a rented apartment and instructed the door attendant never to let anyone up without ringing me first. But Tony broke all protocols. Oliver stared at the phone I placed before him and dropped the spoon.

  • RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love   TWENTY-FIVE

    OLIVER "Selfish? Egoistical?" I said for the millionth time and scoffed. Dante trailed behind me after hearing what I told him. "Something must have made her snap like that. She is always so polite," Dante said fingering his phone. "Stupid girls! All of them! They are all the same!" I barked as Dante, and I walked into the kitchen. I called him as soon as my assistant quit. The way Miss Knight left still rankled me and it was more from the fact that I was left speechless. I did not expect it from her as I had expected from other girls that worked for me. "You must have done something that really triggered her. Ellen cannot just leave like that; this job is too important to her to leave like that." I spun to face Dante. Each time he called her by her first name I wanted to wrap my hands around his neck and squeeze the life out of him, but there was no reason for that. "What does she expect? That I rub her fur? I do not tolerate stupidity and you know

  • RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love   TWENTY-SIX

    ELLEN "Where is Sophie?" I asked, looking him straight in the eyes. That was the reason I came here. His grin disappeared and was replaced with a frown and a pout. "Is that the first thing you will say to me after all these years, Dolcezza?" He stood in front of me now and grabbed my hair from behind, pulling it backward and making my chin tilt, and giving him access to my neck. He sniffed my neck, tickling me with his stubble. I stood still, enduring his touch and trying not to remember those gory memories we shared. He started planting kisses all over my neck while mumbling. "Oh, Dolcezza, how I have missed you, your scent, your touch, your velvet skin." I could not take it anymore, so I shoved him away from me. He took a few steps back and smiled a crooked smile. "I see you are not the happiest person to see me return." He shrugged and stretched out his hand towards the man in the suit and he gave him the fat cigar. He put it between his lips and

  • RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love   TWENTY-SEVEN

    OLIVER I turned on the intercom and spoke into it. “Miss Knight, bring me the report from the Miami beach house construction...” I trailed off when I recalled that she no longer worked for me. I sighed and relaxed back on my chair. It’s been a few days since her sudden outburst. My legs had healed speedily and I could come to work with it now. Dante knocked once and entered my office. “Have you gone through those applications yet?” he asked as he flopped down on a seat in front of me. I looked at the applicants files in front of me and sighed. It was true that a lot of people vied for this job but not everyone has what I want. “I will sort through them. I need an assistant urgently.” I picked up the files and looked at the application of the first woman. She was a spinster and her fringes almost covered her eyes. I sighed. “Her bangs are too long,” I threw her application aside and picked the second one. Her smile was too bright. I shook my head. “Too b

  • RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love   TWENTY-EIGHT

    ELLEN “Triple your salary?” Lily yelled. “Are you fucking kidding me?!” I was in the kitchen preparing dinner while Lily helped Sophie arrange her puzzle. It has been two days since I submitted my resignation at the Monero Empire. Oliver paid me extra; above what he was supposed to pay. I was surprised when the alert came and I decided I would return the extra. “Yeah. I thought he bumped his head or something and I would have accepted the offer.” “Wait, are you saying you did not accept it? I thought you said you would think about it? Is that not what you said?” Lily asked in disbelief. “No. I told him I cannot work for him again. I don’t want to involve him with...” my words trailed as I remembered Sophie was there. Kids were smart and when adults speak, they always pretend they were not interested in the conversation, but they pick up everything one said. I made a sign to Lily telling her it was Tony. I did not want to get involved with Olive

  • RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love   TWENTY-NINE

    ELLEN “Let’s get married.” I stood there dumbfounded and staring blankly at him. Was he serious right now? Let us get married? How? Why? So many thoughts ran through my head at the same time. “But it...is for beneficial reasons,” he said immediately. “What beneficial reasons?” I could not help but ask. He took out an envelope and handed it over to me. He had no time to wait and speak. I do not understand what was going on. Here, I was trying to stay away from this man because a psycho was out there who could harm him at any time, and here he was pursuing me. “I will expect your answer tomorrow.” With that, he turned away from me, got into his car, and drove off, leaving me there, staring at him. I went up again, where Lily was waiting in my living room with her arms folded across her chest. Seems like she saw us. “Was that not Oliver Monero downstairs?” I huffed and pushed past her. My heart was thumping frantically from what I

  • RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love   THIRTY

    ELLEN Thoughts of Oliver kept nagging at me, but I tried to push them to the back of my mind. Surprisingly, Tony had not called or texted me since that day. It was almost like he did not exist, and my anxiety was gradually fading away. But now Oliver popped up with this unexpected proposal. I was dying to know why he wanted me to marry him. From the tone of the letter, it was all business, a contract marriage, but why me? I was dying to know why, and I also needed the money; Sophie needed it too, but my resentment for him was beclouding my senses. “Hi, I am here!” Lily announced as she came into the apartment. We have agreed to go shopping when she returns from work. Sophie was already dressed and was in the living room, while I struggled through my closet to get a perfect outfit. I needed a change of wardrobe, but that was a luxury I could not afford now because there were other important things I could use the money for. The more reason I should get married

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  • RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love   HUNDRED AND FIVE

    ELLEN I met Dante and Jerry waiting at the reception when I was allowed to go home, but there was no Oliver. I searched around for him with my eyes, but he wasn’t there. I did not know what to feel about that, but I knew he had a very good explanation for not showing up at the station. “Where is Oliver?” I asked Dante, noticing his mood. Something was off about the way they looked at me. “He wants to see you,” was Dante’s calm reply as he took my arms gently. “You are now free from the police, and we are glad.” He flashed me a smile that I knew was fake.Cold shivers ran down my spine. Dante was a terrible actor, and I knew something was wrong. Maybe Oliver has hurt himself. I was so uncomfortable with the atmosphere around them. “What is going on? I want to speak with Oliver,” I demanded, my voice cracking with emotions. “Calm down, Ellen. There is nothing wrong. Oliver has a surprise for you and would like to meet you somewhere,” Jerry said with a much more

  • RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love   HUNDRED AND FOUR

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  • RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love   HUNDRED AND THREE

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  • RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love   HUNDRED AND TWO

    ELLEN I had the sweetest dream in months and woke up with a smile. I ran my hand beside me at the part Oliver was supposed to lie in but found it empty. I opened my eyes and saw that it was really empty. I will not be happy if Oliver goes without saying goodbye again. Panicked, I sat up, only to see Oliver standing in front of the dressing mirror, all dressed up. I sighed with relief. "Good morning, my queen," he greeted and stalked toward me. "I hope you have a good night's sleep?" He leaned down and planted a soft kiss on my lips. I clutched the sheets around me and blushed like a teenager. He sat beside me and ran his fingers over my ruffled hair. "Has anyone told you that you look prettier in the morning?" he said, flashing me a sensual smile. "Okay, you are flattering me now." "I am not. I am serious." "Well, I got a little job done on my face; you cannot attribute it all to me." I looked down at my fingers as I spoke. Oliver moved closer to me and curled his foref

  • RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love   HUNDRED AND ONE

    ELLEN I was lying on the lazy boy by the pool when Oliver came rushing back. I could not contain my laughter as he came back down almost immediately. "Are you sure you went to the room?" I asked, eyeing his bulging muscles. He wore a black vest that showed all his perfect chest and arm muscles and grey sweatpants. "I needed to be with you," he said, dazzling me with his signature smile. I stood up, walked up to him, and took his hands. "I made a special dinner for us and hope you like everything." "I love whatever you make, Elle." The table was set behind me, and rose petals were scattered around the poolside with candlelights surrounding the table. A bottle of wine was on the table with tall wine glasses and the wrap of my meal. I led Oliver to the table and made him sir. "Tonight is a special night," I whispered in his ear. It was a special night for me. It was the only night I had felt free in a year and a few months. My troubles might not be over, but I wanted to s

  • RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love   HUNDRED

    OLIVER Antonio Romano is dead. That phrase lived rent-free in my head. I had seen the bastard only a few hours ago, and now he winded up dead in his apartment. All fingers would point at me, no doubt. I was the last one to get physical with him before his death, but I did not kill him, even though I would gladly have done that without hesitation. I left the house hurriedly so that no police would arrest me in front of my daughter. The police would come for us soon. Tony's father would not take the death of his remaining son lightly. Our source told us that police were swarming his house, looking for evidence. Nicholas was already in the company, and he wanted to get information from me first before the police saw anything. I walked into the meeting room. Dante, Jerry, and Alejandro stood when they saw me, but Nicholas remained seated, regarding me calmly. I ignored him and turned to Dante. "What's up? What is this I hear?" "Oliver, you should be speaking to me right now."

  • RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love   NINETY-NINE

    ELLEN I made sure to wait for Oliver and his men to come home. It was way past midnight when they came back to the mansion. Once I saw their car, my heart lurched in my chest. I knew this was the time to get out with my secret. I had already braced myself for what would come next, but part of me still maintained that t was not the right time. This was past midnight, and Oliver must be stressed from wherever he came from, considering that he left so early in the morning and came back this late. I wanted to heave this off my chest, but I did not want to be selfish. I should consider his mood before breaking such news to him. I had waited for the perfect time to say it, but none had presented itself. When he was happy, I didn't want to ruin his mood. When he was sad or cold, I feared what his reaction would be. In as much as I told myself that I considered his mood, I knew that I had held back so much because I was scared of losing him. When he came into the room, looking all bloo

  • RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love   NINETY-EIGHT

    OLIVER MORENO Antonio Romano. The bastard. He was already out of his car, tossing his keys to one of the men that would park it for him and hopping into the club. A few other vehicles followed the direction of his car. We got out of our car and started toward the club. One of the men we planted inside notified us that he was there already. They had gone there as harmless clubbers and took in every detail we wanted and knew where his men were positioned. We walked to the front of the club. The bouncers recognized us and let us pass. But I was sure they had notified Antonio, and if he didn't already know that we were there, he would probably be waiting for us. Loud sensual music hit us as we stalked into the club. A wave of booze and alcohol wafted toward us. I was in front while Dante and Alejandro followed closely behind me. A few heads turned towards us, especially the ladies, but I was not there for any of them. We stood by the entrance, my hands tucked into my pockets wh

  • RULE NUMBER ONE: Don't You Fall in Love   NINETY-SEVEN

    ELLEN I woke up alone. I knew that I had slept alone last night. I knew when Oliver came in last night. I didn't understand the feelings that were running inside me. I knew he was the only one I felt safe around after my attack, but when I was calm enough, I didn't know if I wanted to trust him that much. I still didn't know how to face him with a clear eye. I wanted to tell him about Tony, not to get even, but to remove this heave from my chest. Tony texted me last night when I was still in the living room with Lily, and I did not even tell her about it. I headed straight into the room, feeling worse. I thought about suicide, but I also thought about Sophie. I could not let her go through that pain because of my mistakes. I wept a little in the bathroom, with the showers on, so that everyone would feel I was taking a shower. I contemplated using the razor on the counter to cut myself until I bled out, but I couldn't. I tried Oliver's number, but it was switched off. I wanted to s

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