"I like you the way you are when I met you. But if you have to be fierce and bolder to protect yourself, then so bet it, baby. I don't mind, you are still my beloved anyway. And if you need back up, your boyfriend is here, I'm just here, okay?"
Those words brought a smile to my face. I was really lucky to have him, my decision to resign on CBNews and apply as his secretary was one of the best decisions I've made. Although it was because of my plan before, at least, it changed and now I am having the best of him, enjoying his love and everything that he could offer.
Now, I was smiling alone in the living room as I read my journalism modules again. Caleb has gone into the company since he needed to attend to the workload waiting for him in Craige Inc. when we went to Maldives for our week vacation. He was packed with back-to-back meetings and documents to review and then we were scheduled to meet Mr. Zamora later for the press conference regarding our trend
The meeting place was in Caleb's office. It was supposed to be on the restaurant on the ground floor of the building, but then, there were still reporters waiting outside. They weren't as many as before but we would still have a hard time getting away from them once they see us. Surely, they would be completely gone after a week of not getting anything from us unless Stephanie would do something about it again and that's what she would do for sure after what happened last night.Besides, with the press conference that we would have with ZNA TV, they would still try to get something from us. That wouldn't be a problem anymore then, we would just wait till the fire dies. And then I could start with my new job in ZNA TV which we would also talk about tonight.Henri's team would escort me on the way to Craige Inc. as per Caleb's instructions to them. Since the day we came back here and the press started bombarding us, the security team was now always escortin
There were still reporters in front of Craige Inc.'s building as well and when they saw the LaFerrari where I was in, they started running in our direction, their cameras and microphones ready. But then, we headed to the parking lot and it was heavily guarded, only the employees of Craige Inc. were allowed to come in.Like gentlemen, they opened the car door for me and I stepped out of the car. A small smile was on my lips as I roamed my eyes around the parking lot and the exclusive spot for Caleb's cars. I felt deja vu upon remembering my first day here and I brought my Toyota. It looked so small and cheap compared to Caleb's LaFerarri.And as for my Toyota's being, I sell it on a second-hand car shop and saved the fund on my bank account for emergency purposes. Caleb lend me one of his expensive cars, so, I didn't need my old Toyota anymore."Elmar will come up with you, Ma'am. You two will be met up by our colleagues who were now up, guarding Mr
The two of them were still surprised with my sudden determination, until now, they couldn't still believe that I decided to take the press conference now, hence here we are, getting ready on one of ZNA TV's studios. Mr. Zamora came with us and personally led the preparation to make sure that everything would go smoothly and accordingly.Holding the prepared script for us, I read the lines again. Mr. Zamora and Caleb already talked about this, hence Mr. Zamora was able to prepare the script sooner. It wasn't literally a script of what we would say, just the chosen questions that the reporters of ZNA TV would ask us. This was what Caleb was talking about, he controls what would come out to the public and what would stay with him, he controls what to let the public see and know."Sir, we will now post our teaser for your press conference."Caleb nodded to the staff who informed us about the teaser release, we would start one and half hours from now. T
"Hazel!""Miss Quin!""Calm down,""Please, come back,"They have been calling and following me but I wasn't looking back, not taking even a single glance at them as I stormed my way to the entrance of the building. My steps echoed through the tiled and polished floor, my ankle strap sandals were taking hard steps, a sign that I was about to go on a war."Baby, wait!"Caleb finally caught up with me and held my arm, halting me suddenly. And if it wasn't because he was quick enough to support me, I went out of balance. My eyes landed on him, giving dagger looks."What?" I snickered. "Don't tell me you are going to stop me? Come one, Caleb. I won't let you do it, give this one to me.""Have you forgotten that we have just been in a press conference where I explained everything? That's it, Hazel. Don't fuss about, Miss Colbern. Let her be, Mirna and the guards will handle them.""Oh, no," I shook my head
"You did a great job there, baby."I smiled as I made circles on Caleb's chest. My head was resting on it while he was combing my hair with his fingers, kissing the top of my head from time to time. His tender kisses and fingers were soothing and I couldn't help but to close my eyes as the Advil I took this morning started losing its effect and now my head was aching again, add what had just happened at the entrance of Zamora Newscasting Agency.The beat of his heart was like a soft rhythm in my ears, I couldn't help but to smile even more as I hear it. I was starting to get sleepy, so I didn't respond to him and just listened as he talk, complimenting me."I'm glad to see you fighting back and not letting them have the satisfaction of defeating and ruining you, baby. I like your bravery, fierce and hot.""It wasn't easy though." I wasn't able to help myself help but to respond when he complimented me for being brave. "You know, I'm afraid o
I lay on his naked chest as his bit callous hands caressed my bareback. With our position, I could feel and hear his serene heartbeats amidst the silent room. Our breaths were even and equal, our eyes dropped closed as we relaxed after several rounds of lovemaking. The first ones were hard and rough, punishing and yearning. And the last ones were soft and gentle as he whispered how much he loved me."Baby?""Hmm?"Moving to look up at him, I found him staring lovingly at me and without a word, kissed my forehead that brought a smile to my face. My hand that was resting on his chest moved to caress his cheek, my smile widen, realizing that he kept what he said to me when I told him I don't like men with stubbles and mustaches. He kept his face clean."You know what, baby, I could spend the whole night without sleeping if that means staring at your angelic smile," he mumbled.I chuckled, "Oh, Caleb. Don't say that. I could see it in you
Thankfully, later on, that day, Geraldine called back and told me she was on her way home. CBNews fired her from work just because of what happened in the bar when it doesn't have something to do with her as one of CBNews' journalists anymore. She was off duty that night and whatever happened at the bar does not have something to do with her duty as a journalist.But then, we were talking about the dirty company of CBNews, so, it wasn't surprising that they did that to her. And for sure, they gave her a feedback that no other news company would accept her. A character reference that was manipulated with lies. That's just how they worked.When I asked her if we could meet, she declined and I could feel it in her voice that she didn't want to talk to anyone for a while. Of course, she probably felt bad after being fired to work and knowing what CBNews did to her character reference. Just like me, Geraldine was a self-supporting individual, so she needed to
Caleb Craige'sCal.She just simply shortened my name, she didn't make her own endearment for me. It was damn far from that, she didn't even think of calling me Cal as an endearment for me. But then, here I was, still smiling and blushing because my girlfriend just called me Cal because Hazel shortened my name.If someone would find out why I was smiling, they would probably think of me as a shallow man whose happiness was too small. But then, we were talking about Hazel here, my woman. There was no small thing when it comes to her. Everything was the best when it was Hazel we were talking about."Caleb?"I looked at the door that was half-open where Mirna was waiting. I motioned her to come in, she entered holding another pile of folders that I obviously needed to review and sign. I have been busy with paperworks since Hazel and I came back from our vacation and some meetings with the board regarding the recent issue that circulated.
Growing up, I always dreamed of having my own family and making sure that it would be a happy one, unlike what I had when I was a kid when my mother always spit hurtful words toward me as if I was the worst person she'd ever met and the worst person who came in her life. I was blamed for a sin I didn't commit, I was blamed for a mistake I didn't do. I always wish on the stars before that if I could only bring back time, I would reverse what happened. I wouldn't let my rapist father rape my mom so that both of us wouldn't be hurt like this. She wouldn't suffer and the same goes for me. But I was thankful that the start didn't grant my wish because if they didn't, I wouldn't happily watch my family having the time of their lives. "Mom, hurry! Daddy misses you again! And my tummy is grumbling, I want sandwicheeesss!" I couldn't help but to chuckle upon hearing that. When I reached the carpet where they were, I pinched his chubby cheeks, earning a giggle from him. "Here you go, my
Hazel Quin's "I now pronounce you, husband and wife." The venue was filled with applause as soon as the priest announced that Caleb and I were now married. I didn't know that getting married would be this overwhelming. The support from the people around was adding to the happiness I was feeling and I knew Caleb felt the same, especially now that the first important woman in her life attended the ceremony. Yes, Callista was here. A month before the wedding date, I visited Callista without telling Caleb. Of course, I was with Len and Athena on that day just in case something unexpected would happen. She wasn't expecting for my visit, she was shocked to see me unexpectedly. "What are you doing here?" It was her greeting when she finally recovered from her shock. And not wasting any time, I told her about my intent. She wasn't expecting it when I gave her the wedding invitation for priority guests. That day, I also tried my best to convince her to discuss about our setup o
Caleb Craige's "Is everything ready?" The staff is in charge of the dinner date I set up nodded with a smile. "Yes, sir. The dinner table, the lights, and the song that will play later." I nodded, "Okay. That's good." I handed him a generous tip which made him glad and I knew it made him more determined to do his work efficiently. After all, people just wanted their work and efforts to be paid fairly and appreciated, then they will do more. Fishing my phone out from the breast pocket of my suit, I dialed Athena's number to inform her that she could go and ask Hazel for a dinner now. I was glad when she told me she was already in my penthouse and convincing Hazel to go with her and the latter told her he'll ask first if I would let her. The thought of Hazel considering my decision first before deciding was boosting my pride and the chances of success for what I was planning to do tonight. It didn't take long before my phone vibrated and a text from Hazel came. Of course,
It didn't take a week before I was discharged from the hospital. But prior to that, I was advised to take a bed rest because of my delicate pregnancy. Due to the stress I've experienced during the trials, there could be a possibility that the next time I bleed, we would lose the baby. Of course, none of us wanted that to happen so we followed the doctor's advice. Caleb became more caring than before and took an out-of-office work. Instead of going to the office every day, he did all his work at home, either in our room or in his library. His meetings as well were held virtually unless his presence was mandatorily needed. He never let me get out of his sight, he was eager to take care of me. Even the foods I was eating and my bath, he took care of them all. And who am I to complain if that was the case? My heart was overflowing with joy and I felt the love I never felt before. He was too caring and too good to be true. Now, I realized Athena's words before; Caleb would do anythin
Caleb Craige's I didn't care anymore if my action of pushing Stephanie too much would backfire on me. The only thing on my mind then was to protect Hazel. "How dare you touch her!" I glowered. She shuddered upon seeing my angry state. My face was red in anger and it was no doubt that I could attack her anytime as if she was a little prey and I was the predator, but the guards held me. I was trying to control myself but couldn't, her image pulling Hazel's hair was still playing on my mind. The guards were having a hard time suppressing my moves to pounce on her when I heard Hazel's cry. "Ah!" All the blood drained on my face upon seeing blood dripping down her thighs when I turned to look at her. She was wearing a dress and with its light color, it wasn't hard to see the crimson color of the blood as she put her hands on her stomach. I was frozen on my spot and was unable to move for a while, until Athena, who came with us, shook me back to reality. "Come on, Hazel is ble
And the busy days making everything better started. The first, second, and third court trials for the cases filed against Stephanie have been done and everyone could now see what would be the outcome of the trials. We have the upper hand. Stephanie was infuriated upon seeing me again with Caleb. Her fury that her plans failed was evident, it helped the court consider the decision earlier than thought. Her temper was a disadvantage for them, she was caught one time when she tried to hurt me. Good thing the guards and Caleb were fast enough to handle her. "You bitch! Do you think I would let you go just like that?" "You took everything away from me. You don't deserve to be happy, you are a dream wrecker!" During our second trial, Stephanie's lawyer used the mentally-ill card to defend her. It showed that Stephanie might be experiencing mental illnesses, she was thinking that the world was against her and it was because of me. She was obsessed with the thought that everything tha
Attorney Lopez was in his mid-fifties but still looked young and masculine. It was no doubt that he had made several women cry in his youth. Len and I invited him into the living room after introducing myself to him. He already knew me because according to him, Caleb always mentioned my name whenever they were talking regarding the cases filed against Stephanie. "He was always saying that we have to win this so that everything would be fine again and he could focus on working on your relationship." A small smile made its way to my lips upon hearing that. He may look mad at me before but he was still thinking of fixing our relationship despite breaking his heart and his trust. Indeed, he was a good man. It was something I failed to realize before. Caleb wouldn't let me down. Instead, he would lift me up but not to the point that I would depend on him. That's just how he was, he was caring and loving in his own way. "Well, I actually don't know what to say about that. I didn't
Hazel Quin's Caleb's tired body collapsed on the bed the moment we came home. It didn't take him long to fall asleep, he didn't even bother to change. Sighing, I moved and started undressing him and changing his clothes with a pair of sweatpants and a white t-shirt so that he would be comfortable as he sleep. He was slightly moaning as I changed his clothes but was unconsciously moving along with my commands, making my task easier. It wasn't surprising that he would be this tired. I knew what he has been doing since he arrived in New York. He was working almost all of the time while taking care of me and slowly putting everything back in to place. It may not look like I knew it because I was always asleep due to pregnancy hormones, but whenever I was awake, I could see the dark circles and his eyes. And whenever I would wake up suddenly in the middle of the night, I would see him working and focused on his laptop. His workload was too much now that Mirna wasn't helping him any
Caleb Craige's "Just take these vitamins that I prescribed, avoid stress, staying up late, and don't tire yourself. Okay?" Hazel nodded as the ob gyne put her hands on the pocket of her gown after reminding us what we should do. This was Hazel's last day in the hospital and tomorrow, we'll be back in New York after she takes enough rest back in the hotel. Athena won't be coming back with us, she was now with her lover who just came here this morning to fetch her. Looks like they would spend some more time here before coming back to reality. I looked at Hazel who was still talking and asking Dra. Wrington, who until now still thought that Hazel and I were already married. None of us corrected her, I like how she addressed Hazel as Mrs. Craige. "If everything is okay now, I'll take my leave. Have a safe trip back to Australia." I nodded and thanked the ob before sitting beside my woman who was now getting ready to be discharged. The bills have been settled, we could go out any