CHAPTER TEN

Kelvin's P.O.V 

I had a wonderful time with Stephen; she was quite humorous and pleasant. However, she occasionally engaged in flirtatious behavior. Nonetheless, she was a cool and intelligent person.

I had the opportunity to meet all of the staff members, and they were all enthusiastic about my presence, welcoming me warmly, especially the women.

Why must I possess such handsome looks? I wasn't complaining though, I love my looks ;)

During lunch, Stephen and I dined together, and I shared details about my life, including my past relationship and its breakup. She chuckled and mentioned that my ex-girlfriend was foolish to let go of someone as charming as me and I couldn't agree with him less.

Following our meal, both of us remained busy. Stephen needed to work on some files, while I was occupied with transferring documents between offices.

"Goodnight, Kelly. See you on Monday," Stephen remarked as our workday came to an end, placing a kiss on my cheek.

It was a bit unusual, but I was gradually becoming accustomed to her flirtatious demeanor.

"Likewise, take care," I responded with a smile, waving as she gathered his belongings and left the office.

I let out a sigh, picked up my bags, and exited the office at a leisurely pace. I hailed a cab to take me home.

I entered the door and found my mom engrossed in a K drama, her favorite pastime.

"Hey, Mom," I greeted, giving her a warm hug.

"Kelly, you're home! Finally, you have a reason for being late. Now, go upstairs, freshen up, and come down for dinner. Hurry!" she instructed playfully, giving me a gentle push towards the stairs.

I chuckled, complying with her request.

"Sure thing," I hurried upstairs, shedding my clothes and stepping under the refreshing spray of the shower.

After drying off, I changed into comfy sweatpants and a gray top. Hunger gnawed at me, probably due to the demands of my work.

Laura's P.O.V

Following a busy day at the office, I got into my car and headed home. Parking in the garage, I stepped out and walked into the house.

Inside, I found my family engaged in their usual dinner time, sharing laughter and joy. My heart swelled with affection for them.

"Good evening, Mom, and Dad," I greeted warmly.

"Evening," my dad replied.

"How was your day at work?" my mom inquired.

"Great," I answered. A subtle doubt arose, but I pushed it away quickly.

I planted a kiss on my mom's cheek and embraced my dad.

"What about me? Don't I get a cheek peck too?" Lim chimed in dramatically, and I reluctantly hugged him.

"Hi Mads," I greeted Madison, even though she barely glanced in my direction.

"Hey," she replied, keeping her attention on her food. It was something I had grown accustomed to; her demeanor wasn't due to any anger toward me. It was just how she was.

"You know, you could work at my company," my dad suggested, a recurring idea that prompted an internal eye roll from me. Not this again!

"I'm content with my current job," I stated, addressing my dad directly.

My dad owned his own company, and he had a vision of grooming me to take over someday. However, I had my sights set on achieving independence and not relying on my family. That was why I chose to work elsewhere, keeping my identity hidden. Luckily, I secured the position and ever since then, I had been on my own without my family's help.

"If you say so," he conceded, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes again.

"But should you ever tire of your current job, remember there's always a place for you at the office, an even bigger place where there is less work and more pay," he added.

"Alright, I'll be thinking about it. I'm heading upstairs now," I announced, turning to leave.

"Take care, and don't forget to join us for dinner," my mom reminded me.

"Sure," I replied briefly.

As I closed my room door and dropped my bags onto the bed, a tired sigh escaped me.

"You'll regret this," Steve's voice echoed in my mind, and I groaned in response.

Angelica's warning played over and over in my head. 

Could she be right? Yes, she was, she wouldn't just lie to me. I felt so foolish for not realizing that Mr. Wayne had a son and now, I was in deep shit! 

'Arggh, why did I have to encounter that brat then?' I thought.

"What am I going to do on Monday? What's 

going to happen now?" I mused, my thoughts racing.

To move forward, I decided to push the matter aside and put my focus on another thing. I took a quick shower and headed downstairs for dinner.

Anika's P.O.V

After finishing work, I returned home and shared news of my progress with Nana, excluding the part about Richard. She was genuinely happy for me.

I headed upstairs to my room, turned on the lights, and went through the motions of removing my shoes and clothes. A relaxing shower followed, and I changed into my nightwear.

I couldn't help but feel relieved that tomorrow would be Saturday, granting me a day of freedom. I plopped down on my bed, drained and sleepy, yet my hunger also made itself known.

My stomach rumbled, prompting me to reluctantly get out of bed. Slipping into my fluffy slippers, I made my way downstairs. The television was still on, and I noticed Nana dozing off on the couch.

With a sigh, I gently tapped her shoulder to rouse her, prompting her to open her eyes.

"Nana, why are you sleeping here? Go to your room so you can rest comfortably," I suggested. She yawned before sighing, clearly fatigued.

"I didn't even realize I had dozed off. Maybe the movie I was watching got to me. Thanks for waking me up. I think I'll head to bed now," she acknowledged. 

Gently, I helped her up and escorted her to her room, bidding her goodnight with a wave. As she closed her door, I let out a sigh.

Returning to the living room, I aimed to turn off the television that had been playing a horror movie.

'So, she's into scary films?' I thought.

Just as I was about to power down the TV, I heard the words, "Previously on the Vampire Diaries."

That title rang a bell. Wasn't this the same show the interviewee mentioned watching the night before their interview, leading to him being late?

I shook my head, chuckling at the coincidence. I walked into the kitchen, retrieved an apple pie from the freezer, and microwaved it for two minutes.

When the microwave beeped, I retrieved the warm pie and returned to the living room. Just as I was about to turn off the TV, a scene from the show caught my attention.

Curiosity piqued, I settled in and began watching. Sleep was out of the question now because I was enjoying the weird show.

I found myself laughing heartily at the quirky encounter between Elena and Stefan, all while enjoying my apple pie. Time flew by unnoticed, and before I knew it, The Vampire Diaries had concluded. It was a shame because the show was so good.

Checking the wall clock, I was taken aback by how late it had gotten. I stopped myself before sinking further into distraction; after all, the movie could be a reason for lateness, as I had experienced myself.

With a sigh, I turned off the TV, washed the dishes, turned off the lights in the kitchen and living room, and retreated to my bedroom.

I was nearly asleep when my phone buzzed, prompting a groan as I reluctantly reached for it.

A message appeared as soon as I unlocked my phone.

'Anika, I'm sorry for hurting you. Can you forgive me for all the things I put you through? My life feels so incomplete without you ever since you left me and I know I've been a jerk but forgive me, please. Come back to me, just this one time and it won't happen again I promise you. I love you so much baby, don't forget that,' the message read.

I sighed and held back the tears from my eyes. 

Why does he like treating me this way?

Why do I still love Richard, why?

Why was my life this messed up?

Why do all the guys I had been with only date me for money?

I deleted the message and dropped my phone on the bed as I closed my eyes and let my mind travel to the BEAUTIFUL moment me and Richard had together before everything happened.

I remembered all the romantic cards he used to send me,

The messages.

The phone calls.

The gifts.

The jokes he cracks. 

The way he would sing with his bad voice just to make me laugh if I was ever in a bad mood.

The sweets names he used to call me.

The dates he took me to.

The places we used to go together. The little sweet things he always does to me make me fall deeper and deeper in love with him. But it was fake. All of it was just FAKE!

He never loved me, he was just using me for his gain and now he's apologizing saying he loves me even after he knew I knew the truth about him.

He was such a jerk and I hated him.

I wasn't able to sleep again so I kept on tossing and tossing until sleep shadowed me.

T.B.C

Noeline.