The hospital waiting room was less crowded and with very few people but was filled with the sounds of beeping machines and people talking. Aunt Elsie led the way, holding Herzl's hand tightly as they made their way to the front desk.The receptionist greeted them with a wide smile and asked how she could help them —she seems new, so aunt Elsie wasn't bothered by the question and decided to reply to her casually.“We're here to visit my niece, Ms. Fellers.” Aunt Elsie said, her voice firm and polite. “She's a patient here.”The receptionist typed on the computer for a moment, then looked up at them. “I see, Ms. Fellers is in intensive care, so I'm afraid you won't be able to visit her.” The receptionist explained, her tone sympathetic. “Only immediate family is allowed in the ICU.”Aunt Elsie felt a surge of frustration, almost forgetting the fact that she made the rules herself —but still, she's an exception to it. She knew that there was no way she would be able to convince the rece
Just when aunt Elsie was to open her mouth to speak, the door creaked opened, beating her to it. It was the doctor in charge of Ciara's health, and she was wearing a soft smile on her face.“I see you are here already, Mrs. Kent?” The doctor stated simply, walking towards the scene, and Aunt Elsie nodded slowly. “I must say; this isn't the perfect time to visit, ma'am, that was why the receptionist had denied your passage earlier.” Aunt Elsie felt a surge of anger rise within her. She had been turned down by the receptionist and might have waited outside for a long and now; the doctor was telling her that she should not have visited at all. She felt a mixture of frustration and guilt, knowing that her visit may have upset Ciara.“She's visibly scared by our presence, I'm afraid doctor, you are yet to do your job on her.” Aunt Elsie blurted out, feigning distress and concern. “Why is she yet to recover —after spending more than two weeks here?”“Since we are trying our best, she'll so
Ryan walked up to the front desk and spoke to the receptionist, explaining why he was there to her. But the receptionist denied him entrance, stating her reasons for it. He tried explaining how important it is to see Ciara at the moment but the receptionist kept turning him down, no matter how hard he tried.Ryan was frustrated, how was he supposed to explain his relationship with Ciara to this lady? He will only sound like a madman telling her he was her ex-husband since no one knew about their marriage —he doubts it if her family knows anything about it too.“I'm sorry, but I really need to see her.” Ryan pleaded, his frustration mounting, and was left with no choice but to spill the beans. “She's my ex-wife, and I need to talk to her. I'm not at rest hearing about her predicament, that's why I'm here; I just want to make sure she's okay.”The receptionist still looked skeptical, but she could see the desperation in Ryan's eyes. “I'm sorry, but I can't make an exception, no matter h
Ryan was quick to stare at the door whenever it creaked open, but will end up with the same disappointing look. He's been sitting for the past fifteen minutes and the person he was expecting is yet to come.After what seemed like an eternity to him, his face lit up when he sighted Sheila walking towards his table with another lady accompanying her. “Finally…" He breathed out sharply.“Hey, Ryan.” Sheila uttered, wearing an apologetic smile on her face. “I'm sorry I came late.”“It's okay.” Ryan replied, trying to keep his frustration from showing. He was glad that Sheila had finally arrived, but he couldn't help but feel a bit put out by her tardiness. “I hope you had a good reason for being late.”“Well, I don't know if it counts as an excuse, but I do have one!” Sheila said, her tone a little defensive. “I was caught up at the office and couldn't get away —I'm new there, and I'm supposed to put up an impressive act. But I'm here now, and I promise I won't be late again.”“That's gre
The morning sun was already streaming in through the window, and Ryan could feel the day's demands creeping up on him already. He stood in front of his wardrobe, staring at the row of suits that hung inside.Ryan hadn't worn one in months, and he felt a mix of emotions as he considered putting one on again. He finally reached for a navy-blue suit, shaking the wrinkles out as he pulled it off the hanger.He unbuttoned his shirt, sliding it off and replacing it with a crisp white button down. Furthermore, he buttoned it up, adjusting the cuffs and then slipping the jacket on. As he stood in front of the mirror, he couldn't help but feel a little bit like a stranger.Knowing he will be spending quite a lot of time in the States before returning to France, he leased a house. The new journey he's about to embark on will be quite a long ride; he needed, if not, a temporary place to stay.As Ryan stood in front of the mirror, admiring his reflection, his thoughts drifted to the reason for co
The knock on the door was gentle and soft, but was also audible enough to Aunt Elsie's hearing. She purposely waited for a few seconds for the knock to come up again, if not thrice, before answering. “Come in…" She uttered dryly, her gaze focused on the file she was reading.The door creaked opened afterward as Milan walked in briskly, her steps were steady and elegant as she hastens them towards Aunt Elsie's table. The look on her face was stoic and blank, with no trail of smile in her eyes either; Aunt Elsie had ordered every employee to stop smiling, saying it bore her out.“Yes…?” Aunt Elsie's left brow was raised, her voice clearly reflecting her emotion of not being interested in whatever Milan had to say. “Why have you come here, abruptly interrupting my precious moment?”Milan took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. She had anticipated that Aunt Elsie would not be pleased by her visit, but she had come too far to back out now.“I apologize for interrupting you, ma'am.
After the initial meeting of Ryan requesting to fill in the position of the company's CEO, they were discussing the benefits of letting him take over when Aunt Elsie barged into the conference room, the clanking sound from her heel vibrating aggressively throughout the room.The meeting was about to end when she had entered, but her presence had abruptly stopped the meeting with everyone present in the room wearing either a puzzled or questioning look —it was obvious they did not expect to see her at the moment.Aunt Elsie stood a few feet away from the huge oak door, glaring hells at them; they could feel the invincible heat from her glare poring aggressively into their skin —her aura was terrifying, making her presence more uncomfortable.“It seems like a good way to abruptly end the meeting like this.” Her voice was not only sharp, but venom was laced in it as well. “Perfect timing —I came just at the right time.”Mr. Robert stood up almost immediately, wearing a hard stare on his
Before anyone could stop her, she had already ripped the files into tiny shreds, littering the floor of the room with the pieces from the shreds she had just made —everyone in the room gasped in shock at Aunt Elsie's action.“Now that I have destroyed the evidence you think you can use to oust me out of here, what did you think will become of you, boy?” Aunt Elsie asked him, her voice was thick and sharp. “The fact that you foolishly gave me the files without thinking it twice shows how immature you are —no foolish soul like you can outsmart me!”Ryan stared blankly at her, insure of how to react. Aunt Elsie, on the flip side, was enjoying the confused look on his face —she was silently jubilating in her mind, wearing a dark grin on her face and not hiding her emotions at the moment.“Tsk, tsk...!” Aunt Elsie clicked her tongue against her upper teeth, feigning a sad look on her face as she strutted towards the position where Ryan was standing. “Now, I could not help but feel sorry fo
"There she is..." Jamel whispered but audible enough to Alex's hearing, who only nodded with out a reply as he strode towards Ms. Carter. They both exchanged pleasantries before he had his seat opposite her."It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Carter." Alex said as he sat down. Ms. Carter looked at him with an inscrutable expression, her green eyes glittering."The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Alex." she replied, her voice smooth and calm. "I understand you're the CEO of The Williams cooperation. It's quite an impressive company, I've heard lots about it."Alex smiled slightly but it was enough to brighten the atmosphere. "Thank you, but I'm hardly the only one responsible for its success. I'm lucky to have a great team." He uttered, still maintaining his slight smile. "A great team, and a great leader." Ms. Carter vocalized with a few head nod. With out much further ado, she cleared her throat, deciding to go straight to the point. "I supposed you are yet to find a shareholder yet, or ha
The long ride was slow and as well as a quiet one too. Alex sighed for the umpteenth times, unable to fathom the reason behind his sigh that seems not to be coming to an end — of course, he has many reasons for his continuous sigh, but he could not pinpoint which one of it was gnawing at him.Though his mind and thoughts seems to be in fuzzy, he managed to forced his focus on the wheels —he can't repeat the same mistakes twice and this time, he might not be lucky enough and might lose his life. Alex did not want that to happen to me once again, he dreaded the thought of it. He had almost seen death once —he won't face it this time.He's currently facing a lot but losing his life shouldn't be the thought on his mind. His mother —he had stressed her enough with his continuous and never seems to end escapades lately, should he add more to it? No, right? And his daughter too, what would happen to her if she's left behind? Times like this, Alex wished he could turn the hand of time and go
When Lisa walked into her office, she was surprised to find that Judas was not there. On a normal day, Judas would be the first one to greet her upon her arrival. But today, he was nowhere to be found. Lisa was confused and concerned, so she decided to call him to find out what was going on.When she pulled out her phone, she quickly dialed Judas's number. The phone rang and rang, but there was no answer after two try. She had wanted to dial the number for the third time but shrug it off, and decided to keep her phone.Just when she was about to do as thought, the phone rang, vibrating softly in her grip. She checked the caller — it was Judas. With a deep frown settling on her face, she reluctantly picked the call. "Hey..." Judas hailed dryly from the other end. "Sorry, I screened your call. I was about parking when you called so I couldn't answer the phone." "Where are you?" Lisa questioned instead, ignoring his excuses. "I just entered my office and find it empty — you aren't her
"I know what I'm saying is true, Lisa." Andy insisted, seeing the doubt in Lisa's eyes. "Since you left for Los Angeles and made me the acting chairman, my father has been pressuring me to take over the company." Andy went as far as explaining every little detail to Lisa not leaving one out of it. He went as far as telling her how Xavier left home since he refuse to dance to his tunes and even him going to apologize to his father thinking maybe he had change. Lisa was dumbfounded after listening to all what Andy had said, even though she had expected those cunning men not to back away easily. The one she mostly find hard to believe was Xavier cutting ties with his son over his petty greed but since it's coming out from Andy's mouth, she has no other choice than to believe it. "— I shouldn't be saying this, but I can't let them hurt you. I've watched you grown up and I see how kind and considerate you've been..." Andy muttered slowly in conclusion. "I won't possibly be at peace if I
As Andy stood there, staring at his father, he knew that their relationship was irreparably broken. No matter what he said or did, he would never be able to repair the damage that had been done.The man standing in front of him was not the father he had once known and loved. He was a stranger, a man consumed by greed and ambition. He was lost to him forever.Slowly, he turned and began to walk away. He didn't look back, didn't say another word. He simply left, and never looked back.Andy couldn't help but wondered how his father had turned this way — at this stage, he's beyond repair and no matter the amount of words said could bring back his old self which seems to be lost forever.‘Am I really doing the right thing?’ He asked himself, giving his actions a second thought. ‘Leaving him and walking out of his life the moment he's alone and needed someone by his side, is it really okay to desert him like this?’He's not alone, he has his brother who are always supporting him, no matter
"Whether it's sinful or not doesn't matter to me." Xavier cut his son off, matching his angry tone. "Did you think I wish to remain hidden while that bitch enjoy all the luxury to herself and her illegitimate kids?"Andy would have calmed down a bit but his father was only adding more fuel to his anger. "How dare you, father..." He uttered repulsively, trying to defend Lisa. "Why would you speak such ill words of her and her kids who had done nothing wrong against you?""Nothing wrong, eh?" Xavier muttered with a scoff. "Her existence alone has wronged me greatly. Now that I'm into it already, I won't back down until I see her got ruined completely."Andy shook his head sideways, the look of disgust that was on his his face deepen. "You aren't worth living with, Mr. Xavier. It's a good thing you left me on your own." He said with scoff. "I see why mom left you two decades, taking Stephanie along with her.""You..." Xavier yelled with anger written all over him, pointing his index fing
Ever since Andy could remember, he has never been anxious as he is at the moment. He wasn't even sure of the best words to say to his father when he see him. It was at that moment it all dawned on him that he has not planned all of these well enough which made him let out a low but tiring sigh.The moment Andy stepped in and as though his father had been expecting him to come, Andy was welcomed by his father's blazing gaze — if only looks were capable of ending one's life, Andy was sure to have dropped death on spot."What is this ungrateful brat doing here?" Xavier's thundered in anger, his voice laced with hatred and he did not hesitate to give his son that same look as well —hatred, anger, frustration and fury! He turned towards his brother's direction. "Fred, why did you allow this boy in?""I think he has something to say to you." Fred muttered, though audibly to Xavier's hearing with a slight shoulder shrug, collapsing on the nearest couch. "Let's listen to what he has to say. H
It was barely past noon when Andy had returned home from work that afternoon, he couldn't come back home the previous day because it was already late in the night when he finished from the theatre room so he took his rest at the hospital instead. Andy sat on his favorite couch with a heavy sigh of relief but his relief did not last more than a few moment, because his relief was swallowed with his gnawing feeling of emptiness. Everything seems empty to him — and he felt as though he's alone in the whole big world. He knew something was amiss somewhere and tried figuring it out. Alas! He figured out that it was the absence of his father. He had missed his father's presence in the house, his nagging and miss seeing his scowling face as well —all of these had made the past five years bearable for him but for the past one week, he has no one else to do all of these to him. Andy couldn't help but blamed himself for the emptiness he was feeling, he was the one who had sent his own biolog
Once they were gone, Lisa let out a sigh of relief. She was glad to have a moment to herself, and she was looking forward to the peace and quiet. Although she couldn't help but feel a bit guilty about sending the kids away but she had things to discuss about with Judas.Judas moved closer and sat down on the seat opposite Lisa's desk. Lisa, as well, sat down in her usual position, her eyes fixed on the man before her. His facial expression says it all, of course he has a lot o say to Lisa and could not wait to be permitted so he could relay his words. "It seems you have something to say, Judas." Lisa finally voiced out after observing Judas for a while. She's not too blind not to have noticed —she knows Judas too well. "What have you come up with this time around?" "Uh, yeah." He nodded his head in agreement, adjusting slightly on his seat. "You can guess..." his voice was drawling and far from usual.Lisa raised her left brow slightly. "Beats me. What are you up to this time, Jude