“Let me help with your luggage,” Oliver said and took Esther’s luggage from her.
Esther and Oliver were discussing the 125th founding anniversary of the school while they made their way to the bus and unaware that a pair of emerald green eyes were watching them like a hawk.
“Can I sit next to you?” Oliver asked with a flushed face but Esther didn’t notice it as she was listless seeing Maverick coming out of his car with Agnes.
Seeing her being absent minded, Oliver repeated and his voice a little louder this time. “Can I sit here next to you?”
This effectively caught Esther's attention. “Sure!” Esther said and took the seat beside the wind
Esther looked at Betty and it gave her strength to see Betty’s reassuring smile. She lifted her foot to take a step away from Maverick, however just as she had taken a step, Maverick spoke. “Running away from me Esther?”Esther paused and turned to look at Maverick. Suddenly a snowball crashed into her shoulder, accompanied by the man’s chuckle. It startled Esther for a moment but she gathered herself shortly, seeing the man was laughing. ‘He isn’t angry.’Quickly, Esther crouched down to form a snowball and threw it to Maverick. The employees who were waiting to see Esther humiliated were equally surprised. Instead of dwelling on it, they resume the snowball fight.“Time out! Time out!” Esther lifted her hand
Night time fell, Esther received a message from Maverick asking her location while she was waiting for Betty to come out of the bathroom.[Still in our room, waiting for Betty.]Maverick, dressed casually, looked more handsome. Many female employees could not help but look at their young and handsome CEO with admiration.Agnes saw Maverick sitting alone on the couch and her eyes glinted. It’s an opportunity for her to seduce him. She sashayed towards Maverick and sat beside him with almost no space between.With a frown Maverick looked up from his phone and scooted away from Agnes to create a safe distance between them. Although Maverick was young and only in his early twenties he could see through
Slowly, Spencer closed the door of their room and returned to his parents. “She’s asleep,” Spencer gave his parents an apologetic look. Both Frank and Gloria chuckled remembering the time she was pregnant with Spencer. It was in the dead of night and it was raining cats and dogs when she asked Frank to buy a pizza. And when Frank returned with the box of pizza, Gloria was fast asleep and no matter how Frank woke her up to eat the pizza she just refused to stir up. The pizza ended up in the fridge but later discarded as Gloria didn’t want it anymore. “We totally understand it. Don’t worry about me and your mom.” Frank reached out to squeeze his son’s shoulder, reassuring him. “Thanks, dad, mom.” Spencer went back to their room after his parents retired for the night. *** Zoey visited her new three-month- old cafe branch. As she entered the cafe the staff were in a hurry. “What’s going on here?” Seeing more than fifty cups of coffee on the countertop. “The CEO of the comp
“I’m not rich yet.” Comparing herself to business tycoons, Zoey has a long way to go. Having spoken her thoughts, Zoey left. After Maurice was done with his meeting. He stood before the floor to ceiling window overlooking the coffee shop across the company building. His mind went to that feisty woman. Maurice shook his head. “What am I thinking?” Although she was undeniably beautiful, he would never be attracted to women who act tougher than him. She was like a man. He likes women who are gentle and quiet. Maurice's phone rang, taking him back from his thoughts. “What do you want this time?” Maurice's cold voice rang in the spacious office. “Maurice, I’m sorry. Please give me another chance,” Niki’s pleading voice was heard by Maurice but it didn’t move him a bit. He did not listen to his mom and fought for her but what did she do? She cheated on him. The man she introduced to him as her cousin wasn’t really her cousin but her lover. She made him a fool. Talking to her
Zoey didn’t even try to hide her exasperation and rolled her eyes. Maurice’s eyes narrowed considerably in displeasure. However, it would be rude if he just walked past the old woman without acknowledging her. He’ll just ignore the granddaughter of the old woman. “Good evening, Mrs. Desmond,” Maurice said and trained his eyes on the old woman, refusing to give the young woman beside her another glance. “It must be fate that we ran into each other again.” Mrs Desmond said with a light chuckle. Not ignorant of the meaning, Maurice said dryly, “It’s a coincidence, Mrs. Desmond.” He lifted his hand checking the time just to find an excuse. “Please excuse me, Mrs Desmond, it’s a long drive from here to my house, so I have to go. Bye.” Maurice strode away but he heard Zoey say, “Arrogant!” His hands that were relaxed the whole time clenched into fists at what he heard. ‘She had the nerve to say that to me.’ As usual Zoey woke up with the chickens. As her daily routine, Zoey jogge
Clayton shifted his attention away from his phone to the person seated across from him. Instead of being attracted or aroused at the provocatively dressed woman. Disgust welled up in him and it was displayed in his handsome face. Kwanjai was taken aback by the visible disgust Clayton had for her. No man had ever looked at her the way the man looked at her at the moment. They either look at her with an amorous glint in their eyes or with adoration. However, this man, an unconcealed repulsion was written all over his beautiful face. Without a word, Clayton stood up and left filled with disgust. And walked in the direction where the restrooms were located. “Hey, what are you doing here?” Emerald was surprised to see Clayton waiting at the door of the ladies restroom. “A woman tried to seduce me.” Clayton complained as he surrounded Emerald with his arms. “If you only allowed me to come here, she wouldn’t have the chance to come near me.” Emerald looked up at the sullen expressi
Although she had made a decision to let her know that she saw Maverick leaving the hotel with a beautiful woman, she found it hard to begin. “What? Cat got your tongue?” Esther teased her to alleviate the tense atmosphere. Betty swallowed before opening her mouth to speak but the phone atop her desk rang, stopping her from disclosing what she saw. She picked up the handset. “Come to my office,” Betty heard the familiar voice and her body went straight like a ramrod. “Okay sir,” Betty answered and she looked at Esther while putting down the handset. “I’ll talk to you later, the boss wants me to report to his office.” “Okay,” Esther sighed. Meanwhile in his office, Maverick was tapping his fingers on his table as he waited for Betty. “Come in,” he said as the first knock. “Betty, I need your help,” Maverick said as soon as he saw Betty enter the office. Betty couldn't help but frown, she couldn’t forget that he and a woman got into the same car, leaving the hotel. B
“Congratulations, Mr Strong and Ms Wagner,” Zoey said when she was near them. Maverick and Esther, shook hands with Zoey. On the other hand, Maurice who was near them took his phone and pretended to check on his messages.“You did a great job, Ms Desmond,” Maverick gave her two thumbs up. “Thanks Mr Strong but I only managed to come up with that idea because of the information you gave to me about Ms Wagner.” Zoey didn’t want to take all the credits. With clients' willingness to give her an input she was able to come up with such ideas. “By the way, Ms Desmond, I will introduce you to my siblings and in - laws, who knows, perhaps they will be your clients soon. That man wearing a black suit with gold tie is Theo, my eldest brother and his wife, Tracy. Next to her is my sister, Maya. Well we are triplets, and Maurice is my identical twin. Next to Maya is her husband, Spencer. And also the one seated on Maurice’s left side is Esther's best friend, Betty with her boyfriend, Rex.” Zoe
“Dad!” Maya pouted while Spencer chuckled. He’s used to the father and daughter’s antics. Clayton ignored Maya’s protest and talked to his granddaughter. “And don’t take your grandma and mother’s love for extreme sports.” Clayton looked at Spencer. “Make sure that your daughter won’t get involved in any extreme sports.” “Yes, dad.” Spencer nodded. He too didn’t want his daughter to take a liking to extreme sports. He would surely have a heart attack. “Are you going to make her life dull? No hobby? Just study and take over a company?” Emerald asked in a teasing tone. “Of course not, just no dangerous sports. There are sports that aren’t life threatening. She can choose from those. I can’t teach her to play golf when she grows up.” “That’s a great idea, dad.” Spencer agreed and added. “Maya and I also planned to enroll her for piano, dance and art lessons.” “Really?” Clayton was excited. Clayton wants diversity in their family. He wanted his grandchildren to have different hobbie
Zoey bit her lips. The feeling she had for Maurice was an elephant in the room that she was unwilling to face. Maurice was in a relationship and Zoey didn’t want to be the third party, destroying a relationship. Ignoring her feelings for the man would eventually kill it. That was the reason she didn’t want to admit to herself that she had fallen for the man. “Do you like me, Zoey?” Maurice’s voice was so gentle that it touched Zoey’s heart. Despite knowing that Maurice was currently free and had no girlfriend, she had no courage to confess. “If you say you don’t like me. I will tell mom and ask her to search for another woman that wants to be with me. I don’t want to force you into this relationship, Zoey. I won’t bother you again. ” Zoey's heart thumped painfully in her chest. Just the thought of losing Maurice to another woman was tearing her heart to pieces. “Do you like me, Zoey?” Maurice repeated his question a while ago. “How about you, Maurice?” Zoey asked with teary eyes.
Zoey bit her lips as her entire body and heart turned cold. “Sir, I’m not making an excuse. My phone and wallet had been stolen.” Zoey’s distressed look moved Emerald’s heart. She can’t just watch at the sideline and do nothing to help her. She couldn’t help but imagine her own daughter. What if her daughter, Maya was the one in this situation? Of course, she wanted someone to step in and intervene to help her daughter out of her predicament. “I’ll foot the bill,” Emerald passed on her black card to the server. Grateful that a good samaritan had stepped in to help her, Zoey stood up and bowed several times and unceasingly said, “Thank you.” She was in a foreign land without her phone and any money. If this kind hearted person didn’t take the initiative to help her, she couldn’t imagine what would have happened to her. She didn’t know if justice prevailed in this nation. “Come with us,” Emerald said in a soft voice. Since she had started helping her, she will follow through a
“Ms Desmond,” the man called out, his voice having an edge of huskiness. Recognizing the man, Zoey nodded and said, “Mr Fuller.” Jonathan Fuller was the president of the company that hosted the event. The event was exceptional and everything went well and beyond what he had expected. Since taking his father’s position, this was the first time that he hosted such a big event. He got curious about who was the event specialist that handled their event so well. His assistant took Zoey to meet Jonathan before the event concluded. Jonathan was smitten by the woman’s beauty and grace. “Get in the car. I’ll drive you home.” Confident that Jonathan wasn’t a pervert, Zoey didn’t refuse and hopped into the car. It was almost one in the morning when they arrived at Zoey’s apartment building. Zoey could not unbuckle her seat belt and Jonathan volunteered to help her. Not far from them, Maurice saw everything. From his vantage point it seemed that the man and woman in the sports car were
Zoey was snapped back from her own world and remembered that she wasn’t alone in the living room. She sat on the couch still hugging, Chubby the giant chubby penguin. Having no idea what to talk to, Zoey said nothing. Exhausted from the long journey, Zoey could not stop her eyes from closing when she was hugging the plushy. Maurice observed the sleeping woman, her eyebrows were drawn to a frown and her mouth slightly parted. But it didn’t lessen her beauty to a tiniest bit. “Here you go,” Trina served the hot chocolate drink. One for Maurice and one for Zoey. Trina smiled sheepishly at Maurice. “Zoey, sweetie.” Trina tried to wake Zoey by pulling the plushy away from her. “Mom, no, don’t take away Chubby from me. I missed him so much, I haven’t hugged him for two weeks,” Zoey murmured while she hugged Chubby tighter. Something flashed across Maurice's eyes while listening to Zoey. He took a sip on the hot chocolate while his eyes never left the woman who was mumbling in
Zoey felt Maurice’s body turned rigid. She bit her lips and wished that Maurice would go along with her. The man beside her looked down on her with an unreadable expression, and Zoey gave him a pleading eyes to act along with her. Zoey’s heart thumped strongly, banging her ribcage as she waited for Maurice. “Let’s go,” Maurice said indifferently and guided Zoey to his car. He opened the passenger seat and protected Zoey’s head from hitting the car frame. It was quite a romantic gesture that crushed Nick’s sliver of hope. Inside the car, Zoey fiddled the strap of her handbag, guiltily. “I’m sorry for using you Mr Strong. Please tell me how do I compensate you?” Zoey said but Maurice remained silent. Zoey felt goosebumps covered her entire body at the eerie silence that enveloped the car. “You can compensate me by making a plan for a marriage proposal.” Maverick spoke after an undetermined time of silence. “You have a girlfriend?” Zoey exclaimed in shock and added, quickly. “
Maurice pressed his lips into a thin line, waiting for Zoey to react and decline Tracy’s proposal. Caught unawares, Zoey's mind went haywire and she couldn’t form a word to refuse the idea. She swallowed several times to moisten her dry throat. Seeing that she wasn’t refusing the idea, Maurice frowned and said. “Her apartment is in the opposite direction to the manor. I have to go to bed early.” At this time, Zoey already recovered from her surprise, nodded in agreement and said, “It’s still early, taking a cab isn’t dangerous and I have learned some self - defense. So you don’t have to worry about me.” “Ten o’ clock is already late. Maurice, do me a favor. Drive Zoey to her apartment.” Theo spoke this time, he knew that Maurice would not refuse him. Maurice's hand that was in his pocket balled into a fist. “Please, don’t worry about me. I’m used to taking cabs.” Zoey was telling the truth. Before she managed to buy a second hand car, Zoey used to take cabs even in the dead
“Congratulations, Mr Strong and Ms Wagner,” Zoey said when she was near them. Maverick and Esther, shook hands with Zoey. On the other hand, Maurice who was near them took his phone and pretended to check on his messages.“You did a great job, Ms Desmond,” Maverick gave her two thumbs up. “Thanks Mr Strong but I only managed to come up with that idea because of the information you gave to me about Ms Wagner.” Zoey didn’t want to take all the credits. With clients' willingness to give her an input she was able to come up with such ideas. “By the way, Ms Desmond, I will introduce you to my siblings and in - laws, who knows, perhaps they will be your clients soon. That man wearing a black suit with gold tie is Theo, my eldest brother and his wife, Tracy. Next to her is my sister, Maya. Well we are triplets, and Maurice is my identical twin. Next to Maya is her husband, Spencer. And also the one seated on Maurice’s left side is Esther's best friend, Betty with her boyfriend, Rex.” Zoe
Although she had made a decision to let her know that she saw Maverick leaving the hotel with a beautiful woman, she found it hard to begin. “What? Cat got your tongue?” Esther teased her to alleviate the tense atmosphere. Betty swallowed before opening her mouth to speak but the phone atop her desk rang, stopping her from disclosing what she saw. She picked up the handset. “Come to my office,” Betty heard the familiar voice and her body went straight like a ramrod. “Okay sir,” Betty answered and she looked at Esther while putting down the handset. “I’ll talk to you later, the boss wants me to report to his office.” “Okay,” Esther sighed. Meanwhile in his office, Maverick was tapping his fingers on his table as he waited for Betty. “Come in,” he said as the first knock. “Betty, I need your help,” Maverick said as soon as he saw Betty enter the office. Betty couldn't help but frown, she couldn’t forget that he and a woman got into the same car, leaving the hotel. B