“Can I tell you a secret?” Rissa whispered seductively into Adrian's ears at the time that the elevator ding opened.They instantly tore apart out of sheer embarrassment; they stayed quiet as the amused look on the face of Mrs Robinson said it all.“Mr Grey, congratulations to us for today's victory, Miss Stonebridge has been breaking through the toughest boundaries”“Stop flattering me Mrs Robinson, I am starting to get shy”, Rissa said playfully.“She wasn't flattering you, Rissa; you have indeed been making us real proud”, Adrian said, taking them both by surprise.Rissa blushed furiously, Mrs Robinson left them and took the elevator while they went into Adrian's office holding hands.Liam couldn't help but scoff loudly as Rissa’s smiling face showed up on the internet again.“Perchy Peach has been taking their sweet time basking in the limelight because we got hit for a short time”.“Adrian Grey is a businessman, don't blame him”, Amber said, munching on an apple pie.“Aren't thos
“If Caleb wasn't in the picture, we probably…. would still have met and we would fall in love like this”.Adrian said, holding her hand in his and kissing it softly.Rissa blushed furiously “Then I would have been a perfect Cinderella twice”.Adrian didn't respond to that, without Rissa being the mother of his child.He had been smitten by her the first day he had seen her through the CCTV footage on her first day at work.Seeing her as his victim's mother and confirming she works with Perchy Peach further supported his belief in their twisted fate.“Your turn Adrian”, Rissa said smiling.Adrian's mind was clouded; tons of questions swirled around his subconscious mind, begging to be unleashed.“Were you deeply in love with him? I mean back then”, he asked shyly.“If you are referring to my ex-husband Liam, I was in love with him or let's say, I thought I was until his feeble mind got the best of what I thought we had”, Rissa confessed sardonically.Adrian was silent for a split secon
“Miss Donaldson, are going to continue living in denial?” the therapist said with a raised brow.“Denial! Denial of what exactly?”“Of the fact that your thirst for revenge supersedes your chance of forgiveness”, the therapist responded worriedly.Diane laughed hysterically, “I must say, you aren't a sham; no wonder Liam Hickson comes all the way here to you”.“Mr Hickson! You know him?” the older woman asked with a confused expression on her face.“Let's say, I do in the past”, Diane responded nonchalantly.The therapist heaved a deep sigh.“Are you his ex-wife?” She asked sternly.“See! You are really smart”, Diane said sweetly.“Are you here for a therapy session or to stalk him?” The woman asked calmly, maintaining eye contact with Diane.“Both actually”“If you will excuse me, Miss Donaldson, I have a place to be now”, the woman said, standing up abruptly.“I can see he had bad-mouthed me a lot to you”, Diane said.“I am not obligated to reveal to you my session with another cli
Liam crossed his legs and smiled widely scanning through the official invitation sent by Perchy Peach to him.He wouldn't have considered such a late offer if he weren't playing hooky with Adrian Grey's integrity.He looked over at his father's peacefully sleeping face and rage engulfed him.“Hang in there dad, I will show you my strength soon”He looked around the room and his eyes settled on several bunches of flowers that had been sent by well-wishersPeople are so gullible enough to fall for whatever they hear on the internet, he thought inwardly.He stood up abruptly and left the hospital ward.He had missed three scheduled therapy sessions already.Liam got into his car and zoomed off at high speed.He alighted in front of the building and walked in putting his initial worries all away.This was his safe haven, he thought inwardly.“Mr Hickson, it is such a pleasure to see you again”, the therapist said excitedly.“Thank you, I am sorry I cancelled our initial schedules thrice;
Rissa glanced nervously at her reflection in the mirror.Mandy had done a great job, no doubt, but it had been a long time since she had been a spectacle at a workplace dinner.During the time she was dating Liam, many of her female colleagues would throw her disdainful glare at the company dinner as Liam's eyes were always on her.Now it is Adrian Grey, a more fierce lover; she glanced nervously at the watch, picked up her phone and dialled Adrian's number.She heard Caleb scream from the doorway.“Mum, dad is here”Her mind felt at ease and she got up abruptly to see him.The moment Rissa walked out, Adrian's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped in awe.“Wow! Mum, you look so beautiful”, Caleb said enthusiastically.Rissa blushed furiously as Adrian's eyes scrutinized her from head to toe.He smiled warmly at her and Rissa blushed furiously.His silence and charming smile said more than words could express.They got into the car and he couldn't take his eyes off her.“You are already m
“That wasn't nice, Adrian. Am I not welcome in Los Angeles?” Bianca responded, pouting.“Sorry, Bianca, I was just quite overwhelmed; you can sit; the dinner is about to commence”, Adrian responded, forcing a smile on his face.Bianca Grey, his young Aunt, is always a load of trouble.The only good thing in her life was Gracia, the only daughter she had from her third marriage which crashed before the child was born.Bianca threw an intent gaze at Rissa who bowed her head slightly in greeting.Her countenance remains expressionless, and she looks away, giving Rissa an impression of doubting her likability.The dinner commenced and everyone threw away their grievances to enjoy it.Liam threw occasional glances in Rissa's direction but she ignored it.Rissa was getting more nervous as the dinner progressed.She took a sneak peek at Bianca whose boldness weirdly intimidates her.Exotic delicacies and drinks were served and people kept digging in.Most bloggers were taking significant pic
Caleb watched helplessly as their luggage got pushed into the car.“Mum! You said we will be leaving on the weekend!” He cried out bitterly.“Sweetheart, the week ends tomorrow, a day earlier doesn't change anything”, Rissa said persuasively.Mandy was silent as she watched her crush, one of the bodyguards loading the car truck full of their stuff.She knew Rissa had her mind all made up, ever since she returned from the dinner the day before.She has been hellbent on moving out so quickly.Mandy had to resist the urge to question her about what triggered the firmness of her decision.Caleb, too, noticed a change in his mother's countenance when they returned from the dinner.Rissa's mind wandered as she had to pretend to be excited about moving back to their home.Liam's outrightly provocative behaviour at the dinner still pisses her off.He had hugged her tightly while millions of eyes were glued on them.She noticed Adrian's balled fist the moment Liam pulled away from her.The awk
“Who are you trying to seduce, Rissa?” Adrian said, looking into her eyes.Rissa stared intently into his eyes and busted out laughing.The others noticed their little conversation but pretended not to be eavesdropping it.Adrian Grey's confused expression made them realize something was definitely wrong between them as lovers, not employees and employers.“Myself, of course; I haven't had much time to dress younger in years”.Rissa's response set his mind at ease; it was really true; they both had to grow up quickly for individual reasons.They alighted at their picnic site and set up their tent.Music was put in place, and so were food, drinks and fruits.Rissa left Adrian's side and went ahead to sit with the women gisting about how the week had gone down.They started some games and merriment when a minibus stopped by the site.One look at the first person that alighted Adrian facepalmed himself.The other staff's countenance changed as they saw her too.Adrian, in a bid to salvag
Rissa locked herself in the restroom and cried her eyes out. Obviously, Adrian had listened to her voice message, but he didn't respond nor rush over to her office seeking her.Seeing that Sydney had walked into his office when she was about to leave, she couldn't get it out of her head that he could be having a steamy time with that wench!“What in God’s name is going on!” she muttered repeatedly, banging her hand on the wall.Was Adrian already tired of her now that he had met another that fit into his fantasy? Or had everything been because of Caleb from the onset?Confusion engulfed her, for the first time, another woman intimidated her effortlessly. She took another look at herself in the mirror and her eyes widened.Her flawless makeup had been ruined by tear lines. She wasn't about to become a spectacle if she walked out looking pitiful like that.The rapid change in Adrian continued to amaze her; a few weeks ago, they were both wrapped around each other, watching their only s
“Mr Grey, I am glad your company won my heart”“Thank you, Mr Winter, I appreciate this”, Adrian said enthusiastically.“Don't thank me, Sydney insisted you deserve it”Adrian scoffed inwardly while trying to maintain the pleasant look in his eyes. Sydney has been true to her word, obviously, which made Adrian more sceptical about it all.Every fibre in his body wishes to warn Mr Winter of the impending danger he is in, but he has people worth protecting. Sitting by Caleb's bedside, watching him sleep peacefully the previous night had given him more reasons to tread carefully.“I have to leave now; I have a flight to catch; Sydney will stay back and handle the rest”.Adrian shook Mr Winter's outstretched hand. But his mind kept throbbing endlessly on the fact that Sydney had played her cards right. She had totally fooled her adopted father to the brink.“It was nice having you around Mr Winter, I will be sure to come to visit when I come over to your country for vacation” “I will be
“If you keep staring at me like that, the steak will get burnt”, Sydney said nonchalantly.“Oh!” Adrian hastily reduced the heat of the grill and started dicing the steak.“You are not as dumb as the record suggests; I guess you figured it out already; you are different from Edward, your father”.“Is Mr Winter in on this too?” Adrian questioned suspiciously; at that point, he knew showing the fear in his heart would be a great weakness. He had to move along with the flow to save everyone he loved.“Mr Winter is my adopted father. I found my birth father a few years ago, and with this case, I have to prove to him that I am worth carrying his bloodline”, She picked up a fork and grabbed two diced steaks; she munched on them, savouring the taste.“What if he is using you?” Adrian questioned challengingly. Sydney laughed hysterically. “You care about me now? Do you think I am dumb enough not to have considered that? Well, I have proved useful too many times to be discarded”.“Okay, good l
Adrian outstretched his hand towards Rissa offering her a sparkling clean handkerchief. Her inaction towards collecting it made him draw her into his embrace.“Let us be positive, the doctor assured us that he will be fine”.Adrian's soothing words didn't do much to help Rissa's darkened countenance. Her mind is focused on tearing Mr George and his accomplices into shreds.She hadn't imagined Caleb and her son becoming a victim of their cruelty; she had felt sympathetic towards other victims from the onset, but now the pain runs deeper.Adrian took the television remote and increased the volume hastily, he watched Caleb's face as he slept peacefully. His fatherhood bond tugged at his subconscious mind telling him to make sure the perpetrators pay.They were still focused on the drinks before it was unknown to them that the candies had been copied too.“What! One of the victims died already”, Rissa said jolting out of her sorrowful state. She looked over at Caleb praying desperately fo
“Mr Grey, you have a package”, Mandy said, handing it over to him.“Who would send a package here for you, aren't you supposed to get them at the mansion?”. Rissa said, handing him a fork. He picked an apple slice and munched on it.“Beats me”, he said nonchalantly while opening the package.A note fell off it and Rissa picked it up.“From your number one fan, I hope you like it, Mr Grey”. She read out.Adrian could feel the heat radiating from Rissa's eyes as she clutched the note tightly as if she were ready to punch its sender in the face.Adrian smiled inwardly; for some reason, this jealous girlfriend version of her intrigues him a lot; he hid his desire to rub it in her face as he knew she would draw back.The package came off, and sunscreen was seen as a gift. They exchanged confused glances and it hit Rissa. She turned the note in her hand to the back.“Seeing how smooth your skin is as a porcelain jar, use this to prevent any blemishes that might try to ruin it”.“Sydney!” Ri
“We have another problem, Mr Grey,” she said hastily, her side glance thrown in Rissa's direction.“What is it?” Adrian questioned suspiciously, hiding his agitation; what else is about to go wrong? Mr George was just apprehended now just when he had his first breath of fresh air in hours, another problem has surfaced already.“That …that…”, she started.“Stop stammering already; we are all adults”, he said, referring to her walking up to his romantic moment with Rissa; after all, their relationship is public already.“I am sorry, Mr Winter just showed up unannounced”, she said at last.Adrian jumped up instantly with widened eyes, Rissa felt uncomfortable standing there watching them cluelessly.“Who is Mr Winter?” She questioned suspiciously.“A moneybag who could elevate the company but is very vicious and picky before investing, this impromptu visit puts us at a disadvantage”, Adrian rambled on feeling dejected.“Mr Grey, I think you should come now, we cannot keep him waiting and
Adrian's eyes widened in amazement, he had actually wished he could call on a fairy godmother as he usually imagined as a child. He was an adult now, such delusion could never solve his problems.But Alas! One has shown up all dressed stunningly turning all heads. He was tempted to rush out of his office as he stared intently at the CCTV footage where Rissa was surrounded by multiple paparazzi.She looked too confident to be calling whatever she was saying a bluff. Was her unexpected presence a solution or going to escalate the problems further?Whatever she was trying to do, he wasn't sure it would be effective except for her stunning look, which obviously had the best effect already.“Mr Grey, Miss Stonebridge has found us a solution”His secretary's words jolted him out of his depressed state. He didn't care about being classy and rushed down the stairs to the front door of Perchy Peach where Rissa was being interviewed.“As I had said earlier, those are the differences, check it o
“What do I want? So annoying when you ask in that manner” “What do you want Mr George?” Adrian questioned again; this time, his voice was firmer and dangerous. “Wow! So scary, well if you must know the only desire I have is to watch your company crumble”, Mr George said laughing awkwardly. Adrian resisted the urge to punch him in the face. This definitely was a bigger conspiracy, obviously; Mr George wasn't capable of orchestrating such alone. “Tell your sponsor that you make a great puppet, smart move on his part, someone would have to take the fall eventually…. someone easily dis..pen..sable”, Adrian said, smiling wickedly and taunting him. One of the few tricks he had picked up in his years as an actor. He stared intently into George’s eyes, his furrowed brow satisfied Adrian. Obviously, his trick had hit a nerve. “I am nobody's puppet! We are into a respectable partnership agreement, and we both have equal rights”, he responded defensively, crossing his arm over his chest.
Adrian locked hands with Rissa who put her ear gently on his broad chest. It feels like home, very homely, but it was too good to last a century.Adrian stared blankly at her, hoping desperately the world could be in favour of all their wishes. Everything was going on fine, so smoothly that he was feeling quite uneasy about it all.Tracy had committed suicide in prison after leaving a note stating she had gaslighted Bianca Grey and Diane Donaldson to do her bidding.They both got out unscratched after paying a meagre fine. Bianca left Los Angeles willingly after apologizing to those she had hurt, and Diane disappeared into thin air.Adrian couldn't be sure of how Liam Hickson handled the evidence he gave him secretly. But Golden Fingers seems to be back in all its glory, fiercely competing with Perchy Peach in the market.The only thing that reminds me of the scar of the battle is that Adrian insisted Rissa stay in his apartment, and this time around, she didn't refuse.The happiness