*Stuart's POV*
"Why do I have to stay in your place?" her first question.
"Aside from being my personal assistant, I am hiring you as my chef. I eat breakfast early, so I think it is best that you stay in my place," I answered.
"My apartment is just near your place," she reasoned, "it will not be difficult for me to be in your place early every morning."
"But we are not certain about your safety," I insisted, "besides, it may not be safe for you to walk at dawn, especially when the sun is still not out."
I saw her nod and continued reading.
"Is it really necessary for the contract to stipulate that we should go to work and go home together?" s
*Patricia's POV*The other day, a lunch was delivered to me with another note. The note's number is 21, and its watermark is 'L.' Yesterday, a child came to me when I left the building. She handed me a heart-shaped box of Ferrero Rocher. The girl told me that someone asked her to give the chocolates to me. I am not fond of eating chocolates, but how did the sender know that Ferrero Rocher is my favorite chocolate? The box of chocolates has a note numbered '9' with a period as a watermark."Patricia," one of my co-teachers called, "Madame would like to see you."I nodded at her before heading to the office. Madame was my ballet teacher before, but since many of her students have become part-time dance instructors at her Dance Studio, she has become our Dance Studio Administr
*Stuart’s POV*I was brought into a dark room where they tied my hands and feet to the chair.“Why are you doing this to me?” I screamed at them. Why are they tying me to the chair? What are they planning to do?“I am sorry, Sir,” one of the men said, “we are just following orders.”“Fvck! What do you need? Money? Let me go, and I will give you any amount you need,” I offered while trying to free myself.I heard them laugh before one of them spoke again, “You can’t bribe us with your money. We are just following orders. It is not us who will decide whether to untie you.”
*Patricia’s POV*I was lying wide awake on my bed as I stared at the ceiling trying to think for an excuse to stay away from Stuart. I am sure that Stuart will do something to get even with me after what happened in the hotel. I am afraid that he will ask me to warm his bed, something that I know I would be willing to give. But I must stop myself. I cannot be the same Patricia before, the one who is willing to give everything without asking in return.I still love Stuart and I am willing to give myself to him but he has to give himself to me also. I just need him to tell me that he loves me. That is the only thing I would like to hear from him to assure myself that giving ourselves a chance is the right decision.But Stuart has his ways and I wonder how I can escape him today. I lo
*Patricia’s POV*I hurriedly entered Bubble Tea because my friends had been waiting for me there. Stuart has a meeting and I asked him if I could go and meet my friends. He allowed me and that is why I am here. I was told that Arlene just arrived from Singapore and that is the reason why we decided to have a girls’ day out.“You never changed, Patricia,” Arlene uttered.“You missed me?” I joked.“Hmm, seems like you’re in a good mood,” she noticed, “are you and Stuart getting back together?”“How I wish,” I rolled my eyes, “but I am not putting my hopes on it. I do not want to assume that something special is
*Stuart's POV*"What happened, Marco?" I called, "How come my reservation became two rooms?" "Have you forgotten that you hired Patricia as your personal assistant? She may have checked your reservation and changed its details."I silently cursed after remembering that Patricia had access to all my transactions. This can't be! My plans will only work if she knows about it.Kaz fixed his problem by telling everyone he was already engaged. This way, the media's attention now turns to knowing about his fiancé. I feel that Kaz will introduce Patricia as his fiance, and I cannot allow it to happen."How about if you make sure Patricia gets pregnant," Marco suggested."I am not that desperate, Marco," I answered."Then do something," he uttered, "Kaz already told us about his plans to pursue Patricia.""Patricia does not love him," I interrupted."I don't know, man," I heard him say, "Kaz was there for her when you announced your divorce."Fvck! Why didn't I think of that? Marco's right. I
*Stuart's POV*I continued to check my time while anticipating her arrival. I can't stop walking, wondering if I'll get everything right. I want this date to be perfect. I want it to be memorable. My friend told me that it might not be a good idea to stage a kidnapping scene to surprise Patricia. He said pranks like this could usually ruin a lovely and romantic date, so he volunteered to be the one to pick up Patricia and deliver her safely to our date.He was right. Things might go wrong, especially when there will be bystanders who will try to save Patricia, thinking that it's an actual kidnapping incident. With that, I agreed with him and allowed him to go and check on Patricia.Almost everyone showed their support for me. I think only Mago is not happy that I am finally telling Patricia how I felt. He said he'd lose the bet he had with Arlene if I pursued my plan. But I told him to settle his own problem. He likes Arlene. Arlene will be the
*Stuart’s POV*I did not intend to force myself on her, but when I remembered the times when Kaz was at my place, I couldn’t help but feel mad. She allowed Kaz to tell her what to do, and I want to have the same privilege. I paid for this night; I should get what I want.I watched her intently as she was in deep sleep beside me. She got tired after what we did last night. I hate it! I did not want to hurt her, but I did. I was too blinded by the pain I felt. I did everything to show her my love. I sang, I danced, I cried, for Pete’s sake! So when I learned she chose to leave with Kaz than meet me, I decided to save my pride.I caressed her face, thinking, ’ Why can’t you stay away from Kaz? I tried to be like Kaz. I left my element, but why do you prefer to be with Kaz than with me?’My tears fell when I remembered our exchange of words last night.*flashback*”H
*Stuart's POV*" That's enough, Stuart," Mago came to check on me," you've had enough drink already."" I was ready to tell her," I uttered," I was prepared to confess my love to her."" Hey, remember that you have everything you need to bring back Patricia," he reminded me," stop wasting your time and use your available resources to your advantage."I stopped and thought for a while. Mago was right. I still have the edge in this race. I paid her debts and bought her parents' house. I owned almost everything that she had. It is time to change my ways. I only do these cheesy kinds of stuff because I want to compete with Kaz. But it is not working. This time, I will work my way – the fierce way." Hey, let me take you to your place," Mago offered." No," I refused," take me to the Grand Beatrice Hotel."" But you're drunk," Mago asserted." I'm good, man," I assured him," I already have plans. Take me to t