"Audrey," Dmitri whispered when the call connected. “Hey !” He softly said.
"Dmitri ?” Audrey instant got up in the middle of the night when she heard his voice. “Is everything ok ? How come you're calling at this late hour ?" she asked in a concerned tone, all her sleepiness vanishing from her eyes as numerous worst case scenarios ran through her mind.
"I just received the message of confirmation for my departure tomorrow for a medical volunteer camp in the interiors of the countryside," Dmitri informed.
Audrey took a breath of relief, relieved that Dmitri was safe before she jerked back. Dmitri was leaving ? No ! She was going to miss him so much.
"Which camp, Dmitri ?" Audrey asked. She was missing him already.
"It's a medical camp,” Dmitri replied. “It is a cam
"Good Afternoon,Doctor! You're urgently needed in the intensive care unit of the hospital to check onexcessive bleeding in your patient. Itis an emergency," Hazel hurriedly but calmly informed Dmitri on call. “How long will you take to reach ?” She asked."I'm in the Director's room for a meeting, Doctor. I should be there in another 10 minutes," Dmitriresponded and quickly rushed out of the room while the Director opened the door for him to take flight.Dmitri nodded his thanks and raced down the hall."What is the matter, Doctor ?" Dmitri asked while quickly scanning the reports thrusted in his handby a nurse."Your patient,Mrs.Laura Emerson who underwent abdominal hysterectomy, started bleeding excessively within an hour after the surgery," Hazel reported."I can see the surgery went well from the reports.
Audrey noticed Rachel clutching a bunch of unfamiliar reports close to her chest but chose not to comment when she noticed Dmitri approaching them."Plans with the good doctor, Ms. Blaydes ?" Rachel teased while nudging her elbows at a flush faced Audrey."Yes and stop giving me that look. It's just a celebratory dinner at his home," Audrey huffed."Congratulations, my love ! I'm so proud of you," Dmitri huskily said. "And congratulations to the Valedictorian !" Dmitri beamed at Rachel before shaking her hand with his free one."Thank you, Doctor ! Now I would like to excuse myself as I have to find Leo. God knows where he is," Rachel huffed. "Enjoy the evening, you two !" she called out as she hurried away and winked at a glaring Audrey with a laugh."She drives me crazy," Audrey muttered under her breath but chuckled nonetheless with a shake of her head.As
"Hey Dmitri ! Good Morning ! Where are you ?" Audrey asked."I'm in the hospital,love" Dmitrirepliedand after so long, the nickname still made Audrey’s heart flutter."How come so early today?" Audreyasked."There was an unscheduled, emergency surgery, so I came in the wee hours of the morning today. I'm about to leave for home in a few minutes," Dmitri said."Can we meet in the Book Café for coffee and breakfast?" Audreyasked."Of course, we can meet ! I hope everything is fine, nothing urgent?" Dmitriasked."Oh yes ! Everything is fine, don't worry ! It has been a long time since we last met, so I was just wondering if we could spend some time together ?"Audrey said."Alright. See you soon at the Book Café," Dmitri said as they hung up the phone.
"Good Morning, love ! Get ready and come for breakfast and this is for you," Dmitrigreeted his lady love with a kissbeforehanding over a beautiful floral opal coloured dress to Audrey."Oh my god ! This dress is beautiful. Thank you, Dmitri!" Audrey squealed in delightas she saw Dmitri looking at her withall smiles."Now, stop smiling and looking at me. Let me get ready. See you at the breakfast table," Audrey said, making Dmitri grin."My smiles are constant, my beloved since you delighted me with your pregnancy news. I feel like I amin seventh heaven,forgetting all my worries and past. Itis a feeling I can't put into words," he saidas he walked out of the room and into the kitchen.Dmitri got a beautiful tray and dressed it up with flowers, fresh fruit and plated it up with an array of her favourite breakfast dishes in wooden cloches. He l
"I guess, itis always super nerve wracking and exciting, sharing the news of the first baby with parents- thesoon to be grandma and grandpa. I hope they willnotbeangry with me," Audreynervously thought."I'll only get one chance to break the news of their new status as Grandma and Grandpa, so I should make the best of it with a memorable reveal," murmured Audrey as she bought pink and blue balloons with grandma grandpa written on it."What are these for, Audrey?" asked Mrs.Lucy Blaydes as Audrey entered her home."Mom and Dad, read what is written on the balloons," Audrey said.Mr.and Mrs.Blaydes were shocked and angry but at the spur of the moment, they reigned control ontheir emotions somehow.For a minute, the couple just stared at each other before assimilating the news and starting a difficult conversation.&
For Audrey, the weekend came sooner than imagined.Dmitri visited the Blaydes’mansion to meet Audrey's parents regarding his marriage proposal."We live in a society in which the criteria for the selection of the perfect partner can turn out very differently," Mr.Blaydes commented while interacting with Dmitri at his home- his den."You're right, Mr.Blaydes. Our world is driven by consumerism that often prevents us from seeing the things that really matter," Dmitrireplied politely."While some are looking for a better half with a great personality, others may choose their partner by economic factors. But is itthe definition of love?" Audreyasked, looking at her Dad dead in the eye, silently asking him to be lenient with her lover.However, her father chose to ignore her and listened to what Dmitri had to say.
And from here,Audrey's journey to stardom began after three years working through many rejections and accomplishments. Though the experiences shared by the team of her agents in the initial years of work always stayed with her.After one of the strenuous tours, all the models celebrated their success at the round table with celebratory drinks in their hands and toasted for many more to come.Soon the topic eased to their personal stories which could put any commoner into disbelief."Why is it that for everything you gain in life, something is always lost ?" commented an established model.While some models recounted emotional manipulation and bullying, others claimed to have endured physical and even s*xual abuse at work.“As models, we'renot paid for our talents. We'rejust renting our bodiesand faces !Our body isn'tour ownany
The stage had only gotten bigger since that fateful day three years back, when she had decided to enter the modelling world. The unstoppable multi-hyphenate, Audrey, had conquered every field imaginable in the modeling portfolio.But, not a day went by in these three years, when her eyes couldn't stop lubricating a stream of incessant tears."Welcome, Audrey ! What brought you today to my cabin ?" Calvin asked as he greeted on the supermodel’svisit to the modelling agency's headquarters."It had been a long time since I met you, so I just dropped in to say hello !" Audrey replied."So, what is next on the horizon for my dear friend and supermodel after a string of epic highs ?" the handsome Calvin Hughes askedwith a pleasing smile on his face."I'm planning to be a voice for all the injustice that happens in our fashion industry, besides focusing and constantly
“I am sorry, Ma’am but we don’t have another pair of this pendant,” the jeweller apologized. “A gentleman bought the other one just minutes ago,” she informed.Dr. Natalie, Hazel’s daughter, looked down at the pendant with the letters, ‘M’ and ‘N’ intertwined in a heart and debated with herself if she should get through the whole ordeal of proposing Marcus or not ?Marcus was Dmitri and Audrey’s son.A lot was on stake, not only their relationship as colleagues at the hospital but also as best friends !It felt like history was repeating itself just like Hazel and Dmitri. However, the next generation had learnt from their mistakes and given a chance to flirt with destiny.“Ah well, I love this pendant. I will buy just this one then,” Natalie replied.At least if he rejects me,
“Time is not my friend,” the CFO of the Emerson Group, Sarah murmured when she finally looked up at the clock. It was nearing midnight already and she still had one last file to review.She noticed that the office was almost dark, indicating that everyone had gone home, save for one person and that was the CEO- Alex Emerson !That vain and haughty man, Sarah scoffed as she laboured over the file.“But you love him,” her subconscious teased.Unfortunately, she did and couldn’t help but think why had her stupid heart fallen for someone as rotten as Alex.“Because he saved you from the bullies at school once,” her mind taunted her with a peek of that memory when Sarah had started to fall for her “hero”.“And turned into my personal bully himself ! He is more like a monster now !!” She fought back
Melody returned back home after a long time of ceaseless ramp walk assignments and fashion tours.She decided to give her parents a surprise and without any warning burst into Dmitri’s office after the receptionist winked at her and let her go without informing the Head Doctor.However, she was the one who was in for a surprise when she saw a dashing young man in scrubs in her dad’s office. Handsome was too mild a word to describe him.Brown intense eyes looked back at her through sandy brown locks before plum pink lips asked, “I am sorry but do you have an appointment ?”“No !” Audrey breathed out.“Do you want to meet a gynaecologist ?”“No.”“Then you are in the wrong room, Miss. If you did not notice, this is the room of the Head of Gynaecology.”
After 23 years ….It felt like déjà vu when Mr. Tyler Blaydes entered Dmitri’s office and only the two of them were alone.However, the elder man was not here to threaten Dmitri but congratulate him and ask after his granddaughter’s health.“How is my precious Melody doing, Doctor ? Was the operation successful ? Is her baby healthy ? How is Ethan feeling after operating on his own baby ?” Mr. Tyler Blaydes worriedly asked.“There is no need to worry, Dad ! Ethan, Melody and their baby are perfectly fine. Melody is sleeping- she was too exhausted and Ethan is looking after the baby. He is already so possessive about his daughter, he won’t even share her with me,” Dmitri chuckled and the elder man laughed.“Isabelle is going to set her son straight like she always does,” Tyler Blaydes joke
Audrey woke up on the morning of their wedding day to find the sunshine winking in at the window of the little porch gable and a cool breeze frolicking with the curtains.When the car pulled up to take Audrey to her wedding ceremony, it was far from what she was expecting! And it was just the start of a gorgeous day filled with family, friends and so much laughter.Upon arrival for the wedding weekend, guests were each greeted with a personalized welcome favor -tropical fruity scent sunscreen, a palm leaf printed hand fan, sunglasses, shell shaped soap, candle with hints of gardenia and delicate musk fragrance, packed into beachy starfish gift bags with name and wedding date for a truly bespoke touch.Family, friends, and most importantly, the husband(s)-to-be stood in silence, peeking over the shoulders of the guests behind them, to get that first glimpse of the bride.Everyone was impatiently
It all started when Hazel began planning her own wedding.“Why don’t we just get married too?" Audrey suggested."Are you sure ?" Dmitri replied.And then Rachel said, "Well, Leo and I are going to get married too then,”“So, are we all deciding to have a triple wedding ?” Calvin questioned.When all three friends found themselves engaged at the same time, the idea hit them: "A triple wedding isn't only logical, but natural!""Why throw three small parties when we can throw one big one?" Hazel excitedly suggested."It would be so nice to have someone I love and trust go through the process with me," Audrey replied looking at Rachel and Hazel.Talk about a triple whammy !“I'm telling you all, right from the beginning to be prepared for this to be a c
"Isa, I'm in the midst of making an important life decision and Ihave no family to discuss my relationship goals with. You're experienced, a mutual friend of us both-Calvin and mine. So help me with your expertise on this subject," Hazel pleaded."Fine, let me help you reach a conclusion all by yourself. See, many of us don’t date for long-term viability. I call this pursuing The Prom Date," Isabelle coachedwhile sipping coffee with snacks."So before I venture into the topic further, tell me what’s an ideal prom date in your opinion ?" Isabelle questioned."Someone who looks great in pictures, gives you a night full of fun, and makes you look cool in front of your friends," Hazel replied."Yup ! Many of us finished high school more than a decade ago, and yet we’re still using the same rubric to evaluate potential partners," Isabelle commented."I understand,
"There are different kinds of love stories, but one thing is the same in all of them. In every love story, there is a 'Melody' ! It might be sweet or passionate. It can also be transcending or heart wrenching."The heart listens to no one because it is governed by love. Then, why try to control it ?" Audrey thought as she processed the emotional and fluid situation she had been through in the past few years.But these past couple of days had taught her how important it was to unwind, both mentally and physically. She enjoyed taking walks with Melody, watching cartoons, and playing games with her which brought them together.Melody slept early after dinner that evening. She was exhausted after a long day spent mostly outdoors.After they called it a day with all house chores taken care of, there was, between them, a weightless, seamless desire to be one.Dmitri pulled the bedroom
Destiny is indeed a swerving force. We don't have any control over it. No matter how much we try, destiny has always proven to be strong but all said and done, 'Love triumphs.'"Rachel, you enticed me in my days, allured me in my nights and bewitched me in a myriad unknown ways," Leo said as he held her hand in his."I can't live without you and Alex anymore. I want all of us to stay together under one roof for all the years to come," heconfessed.He was as handsome as hell, and as sweet as heaven. He captured her heart, lit her spirit on fire and consumed her soul. However,now,practicallyhispersonal and professional life had taken many twists and turns. "But there can be logistics issues. It would be difficult to maintain a healthy relationship without jeopardizing our individual careers as we both stay in different parts of the country," Rachelworriedlyreplied.