Just as Clayton opened his mouth to explain, he saw Emerald's eyes flutter and opened. "You're awake!" He kissed her hand in joy. Leonardo stood at once and went to her bedside. "Dad?" Emerald wasn't sure if she was just seeing things. "Yes it's me, darling." Leonardo said to affirm her because he heard the doubt in her voice. "Why am I here?" From what she remembered she won the race as she was the one who finished the final lap first. "Your car flipped after you finished the final lap," Clayton said, shuddering that Emerald almost got killed. Emerald turned her head to look at him. Clayton wanted to divert the topic from that and said, "Congratulations baby!" "I'm not your baby," Emerald retorted. Displeasure plastered on her face. Leonardo coughed into his hand to hide the laugh that would not be held back and Clayton scowled at him, then sighed with exasperation and touched Emerald's face. "Yes, you are, my love," Clayton said with a smile on his face. "Clayton Strong, I
Clayton didn't know if he was happy or nervous at what the nurse said. He gave Emerald a sorry look. He was afraid he would be kicked out of the room. Emerald sniffed. "It's alright. It's not your fault." She winced again. "Ouch!" "Careful, don't move your arm," Clayton said and tucked behind her ears the strands of hair hanging loosely. The nurse came in with the painkiller. Clayton took the painkiller from her. "Open your mouth," he told Emerald, obediently opened her mouth and he placed the tablet on her tongue. After which he placed the straw on her lip. "Thank you," Emerald said after taking the pain reliever. With a smile, Clayton slid his forefinger under her chin and brushed her chin with his thumb. "It's my pleasure to serve you." "Aww! Your husband is so sweet!" The nurse exclaimed. The doctor came in, halting Emerald from correcting the nurse."Hi, I'm your orthopaedic surgeon, Kirk Cleron." The doctor introduced himself. "As I have told your husband a while ago that
Clayton held his tongue. They were in the corridor and it wasn't the right place to explain that to her. As if thousands of bees stung Emerald's heart at Clayton's silence. This was his admittance that he was worried that Lizzy would get hurt. Upon reaching the home theater, Clayton gently laid her on the couch."I don't want to watch anymore, I'll go back to my room and sleep," Emerald said and was ready to stand up but Clayton knelt before her, placing his palm over her waist. "Please listen to me, okay?" Clayton said gently. Showing her refusal, Emerald turned her face away from him. "Lizzy and I were never together," Clayton said, which successfully made her look at him. "Liar!" She blurted out. How can she believe him when she saw how he doted on Lizzy. He cherished her to the point that he believed Lizzy blindly and stood for her even if it was obvious that Li
"What are you afraid of?" Leonardo wanted to understand, for him to give sound advice. "In truth, I had spent a year trying to earn his love, and I lost myself in the process." She wasn't confident that Clayton really loves her.Perhaps Clayton was fascinated because of her unusual feats. She's no longer sure if she could go back as F1 driver after her elbow injury. Then Clayton would no longer be fascinated by her. "What if he was just confused and doesn't really love me?" She blurted out. "Clayton is my son and I know him well despite the fact that we were not that close." Leonard sighed. "I didn't arrange that marriage if I knew he wasn't in the least interested in you." Emerald looked at him askance. "Clayton is a stubborn man, no one can make him do something he doesn't like, even me." Leonardo said, darkly. "But, you threatened him with his inheritance, leaving no penny in h
Clayton stood up and faced Lizzy. "What are you doing here, Lizzy?" Goosebumps covered Lizzy's entire body at the coldness of his voice and gaze. "Clayton, I haven't seen you for ages. I missed you," she came forward to hug him but Clayton lifted his arm to stop her. "Didn't I make clear to you that I have no obligations to you apart from the monthly allowance?" Clayton said. Being humiliated in front of Emerald the orphan country bumpkin, Lizzy was livid and completely lost control. "Are you forgetting your promise to Alex just for this bumpkin brought by your father? You promised your brother to marry me." A blend of shock and anger was written all over Clayton's face. "Excuse me? When did I say I'm going to marry you? My brother didn't mention marrying you. He just asked me to take care of you and the baby."Interfering wasn't in the mind of Leonardo and Emerald so they simply watched Clayton deal with the woman."I will make it clear to you, I've never had the slightest fee
Clayton lifted his leg to leave but a hand suddenly grabbed his arm. Emerald smiled looking at his sour expression. "Stay here with me." "Do you want me to stay here and listen as you talk with another man?" Clayton could not hide his jealousy. Emerald didn't say anything and simply patted the chair next to her. "Who is Jim Farell to you?" Clayton asked as he sat on the chair reluctantly. "Stay and you'll know," Emerald started a video call which was answered right away. "You made me worry, Emerald!" Jim's handsome face appeared on the screen making Clayton more jealous. Why video call and not audio call? Did she really miss seeing him? "I left my phone in my bedroom," Emerald replied. "I can't come back yet as your little nephew still has to recover from pneumonia and Caroline had to train her replacement before leaving her work." Jim explained.
Shocked, Emerald abruptly folded her arms to cover her bosom, forgetting her injury. "Ouch!" She exclaimed in pain as pain shot up. "Babe," Clayton worriedly strode to her. "Be careful with your arm.""I'm fine," Emerald said under her breath trying to contain the pain. "I'll help you get dressed," said calmly, giving no sign of his wild heart beat. Slowly, he put her arms away from her bosom and helped Emerald put on her nightgown. Uneven red color stained Emerald skin from top to bottom. Though they were married once, Clayton hadn't seen her body at all. Unable to contain her embarrassment, Emerald closed her eyes. On Clayton's side, it took all of his self control to put out the fire in his body. "It's done," he announced with a labored breathing. Squinting her eyes before fully opening it was quite adorable. And it didn't help Clayton but only rekindled the fire he barely managed to put out. With one hand, Clayton cupped the back of her head and his other hand slithered
"Your woman, really?" Clayton asked and his lips quirked amusingly."No matter what, I was the first who met her. You already have someone you loved and now you set your eyes on her." Red snapped back. Clayton chuckled and decided to tell him who he was to Emerald. "Before you met her, I already met her in Kregger." "Who are you trying to fool?" Red laughed in derision. "Emerald and I got married before you met her." Finally dropping the bomb to wake him up from his illusion. "You're a liar and master manipulator," Red clenched his fists and wanted to punch Clayton. He made him believe that he was trying to help him to have Emerald but actually had his eyes on Emerald.Clayton grimly looked at Red. "What's happening here?" Leonardo asked as he felt the tension between Clayton and Red as soon as he entered the living room."You can ask my father, he will
“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