Seeing that he caused her a scare by the way he suddenly snapped, Ivan cleared his throat and adjusted his tie which suddenly seemed to clamp around his neck, “What happened?” His voice was a little calmer this time. “I… I tripped,” she stuttered a bit, still awkward that she was the one reporting her pain to him when it should be a reverse case. “You are clearly in pain,” his face darkened, his eyes narrowing, “When did it happen?” “A few days ago,” she responded, a little unsure if he told him it was the morning of the day they went to the party that she had twisted her ankle. He might get even more enraged. “Why didn't you say something then?” his gaze lingered on her intently, each question he ditched requiring an immediate answer. “I bought some relief patches and used them already,” she spoke softly, trying to sound reassuring that she had taken care of it. “A relief pain patch?” Ivan repeated, his eyebrows furrowed incredulously, his voice tinged with disbelief and fr
Stacy didn't know how to feel at that moment as Ivan carried her, and she didn't know how to feel at that moment because it felt like too much pressure. He was her boss, after all, and she was just another worker to him. Yet, here he was, carrying her into the store as if it were the most natural thing in the world.‘Please he should stop killing her with tension and tell her why he was doing this to her!’ As Ivan strode into the nearest elevator and entered as the doors parted, Skylar hoped he would drop her then and give her a space to catch her breath even if he had carried her like he was carrying a bag of feathers in his arms. She counted in her heart for a few seconds, 1, 2, 3 as she waited for him to drop her as soon as the doors closed. However, he remained still on the spot with no intention of dropping her. That was when urgency struck Skylar's heart that he was planning to take her into the mall like that!Goodness! Allowing this man to carry her was the biggest mistake!
“Mr Hamilton bought you these?!” Amelia's eyes grew into impossibly wide circles, as her mouth fell open with incredulity, “And even took you out for breakfast?!” She arched her head in disbelief. “He didn't take me out for breakfast, Amy. He just made me eat because we were going to have a long day on our business trip, and purchased comfortable shoes for me because I sprained my ankles and could not cope in my heels any longer,” Skylar pursed her lips and chuckled awkwardly, to keep the tension hanging in the air quite minimal. She had intentionally omitted the part where Ivan carried her into the elevator because she didn't want Amelia to freak out. It was still so unbelievable that he did all those that had been mentioned already. “Are you serious?” Amelia was still perplexed the more she tried to comprehend her friend's words, “This costs thousands!” Her eyebrows arched high as she raised the shoes again under the light to be sure it was the original pair she had confirmed ini
Ivan had been numb ever since the email concerning the waitress and the information about the mastermind behind her had been sent to him, and was consumed by the sheer reality that plagued him endlessly. He had strongly hoped that the perpetrators would be the ones who approached him at the party, Marcus and Hermes, so that he could have made them dance to the tune for their malicious act against him. However, he could never have imagined that it would be his own mother who would have arranged for a waitress to have him high on aphrodisiac. He had been so overwhelmed by the shocking revelation of the truth which had him teetering between anger and profound sadness, unable to shake the disbelief and betrayal that gnawed at his insides. The relationship between the two of them was already the worst for a very long time, and they had been apart longer than he could remember, since she loved living her own life without looking back at the adverse effects it had caused him. However,
Ivan had been demoralized ever since he drove out of his mother's house, feeling so terrible that, yet again, she had burned more bridges that might have brought them back together. He felt so bad and disappointed that she could justify her actions in the most crude words, and stood unapologetically before him even when she knew she had done wrong. He could not just believe her. He wished she had denied doing something like that and insisted that it was a mistake on the investigator's part. She had made him cross lines he was not meant to cross with his employee, and left the relationship between them more than what one could describe with just simple words. Ever since Ivan was young, he had never experienced his mother's love because she loved her gregarious lifestyle so much, and could not give it up for her little child. Adelaide had nannies stay with him most of the time in his life, and spent her life enjoying and exploring, away from her child and extremely busy husband, Con
Doctor Roberts had been with Ivan inside his room for what felt like forever, while Skylar sat in the huge living room, her eyes meandering around the luxurious mansion. It was not the first, second, or third time that she had been to his house in the three years of working with him, but she could not help but be enthralled by the beauty and elegance of the mansion's interiors and exteriors. Everything about his living room, down to the high-end chandeliers hanging above the ceiling, intricate interior designs, with high-end artwork adorning the walls, and every feature being controlled by an integrated home automation system was of great opulence. Skylar remembered the first day she took a tour around his house to find out that he had a standard private gym with top-of-the-line equipment, a home theater with plush reclining seats, a huge pool that could fit the standard measurement for that of the Olympics, a library filled with shelves of first-edition books, and so many features
Skylar's eyes darted to her wristwatch and her eyes grew wide in shock when she realized that she had spent more than thirty minutes with him doing nothing after the doctor had left. She immediately got on her feet, and got ready to leave as she took one more glance at him to be sure that he seemed fine. However, she was drawn back to the observation she made when she touched his skin initially, and tentatively, she reached out and placed a hand on his forehead instantly, her heart sinking at the intensity of the heat radiating from his skin as she withdrew her hand immediately. “Why is his fever not subsiding, yet?” She questioned herself as she gazed at him to see him still sleeping, her concern deepening so much. ‘Goodness! This is why it was good for him to have maids around!’ Skylar almost scoffed as she turned away immediately, her eyes quickly scanning the room for anything she could use to break his fever. She quickly made her way to his plush bathroom to get a bowl of
Skylar didn't know what she would do with the news that Ivan suddenly revealed to her without asking, but for some reason, she felt her heart sink instantly when he revealed that, his sharp words slashing her heart like a knife.Usually, she knew he had been in at most a few weeks' relationship with two elite ladies since she became his secretary, and knew those ladies even if his relationship with them had been circumstantial and confidential. But him suddenly announcing to her about a lady she didn't even know, made her feel so betrayed. She tried to keep her expression neutral when he said that and had faked an awkward chuckle before she left his house, but she had been so pissed since then, and had no idea why. Skylar stopped at her home, took her bath, and changed her clothes, before she set out to go to the hospital to see her Mum to spend time with her and clear her mind. However, on her way to the hospital, she kept fuming incessantly, her eyebrows crossing in disdain ever
The lucent rays of sunlight permeating the room bashed the face of the young man sprawled on the bed, prompting him to subconsciously stir out of his sleep and instantly squint his eyes. A soft moan escaped him as his eyelids jumped open simultaneously, causing him to reflexively shut his eyes instantly the moment the rays of light seeping in through the drapes of the floor-to-ceiling windows assaulted his eyes. Instantly, he rolled his body to the other side and turned his face, before a low groan suddenly escaped him the moment a throbbing headache plagued his head. ‘Shit. Why did his head hurt this badly?’ Grayson wondered as he slowly tried to own his eyes again, and instantly brought his hand from his side to massage his temples as tenderly as it could. It was at that moment that he realized. The room he was in smelled of expensive liquor, faint perfume, and the remnants of a reckless night, causing him to compulsively turn to look at the other side where the light had been
Ivan wanted to do something grand, so he took Leo's advice and decided to plan the biggest surprise package ever in a way that would make Skylar's heart move past whatever anger she had toward him. He hadn't even thought of it at all before. With a final tap on the screen of his laptop, he sent her a message that contained information about the luxurious six-star hotel that he wanted her to meet him at for a private rooftop dinner under the stars, and also had a custom-designed dinner dress and heels package sent to her door already.Anticipation of how everything would turn out perfectly at the very end of the date thumped through his heart as he confirmed the last minute appointment he made, which was going to be a drone display that would proclaim his true feelings for her. It was going to be the highlight of the date. And just right at the moment when a satisfied smirk tugged at the side of his lips, his private phone which was sitting on his dresser suddenly began to vibrate, a
The main door of the mansion slammed so hard with a force that threatened to fall off behind Grayson, as he stormed out of the mansion the moment he left his mother's sight with so much anger coursing through his veins. His balled fist trembled with repressed fury and his face scrunched up in a mask of steaming rage, as he made his way toward the sleek black car that he parked outside in front of the mansion. He got behind the driving wheel, ignited it immediately, floored on the accelerator, and drove out of the mansion at a crazy speed, as his mother's words echoed in his head again and again. “Step out of your brother's shadow and prove that you are worthy of the responsibility and her.”“Damn it!” He cussed angrily and hit his steering wheel angrily as he drove, unable to even think of where to go. ‘His mother had given him the worst option ever! How could she toil with his emotions like that?! How could she tell him to take over HAVAN so that he could keep a woman?’ ‘As muc
With a heavy heart, Skylar sat motionless in her chair all day, her gaze fixed on the same spreadsheet she had been pretending to work on for hours, with her mind far away from what was even going on around her. She had expected to see him a few hours later, after she thought that the storm concerning his mother proposing the most ridiculous idea must have passed, because the news that the votes turned against her quickly went like wildfire in the company. She anticipated that he would come back so that she would have the chance to explain herself, but it didn't seem like it at all. He didn't return till she clocked out late at night. The emptiness in her chest grew heavier and sadness seeped into her bones as she walked out of her office, her footsteps heavy on the quiet halls of the building, like her thoughts were drowning out of the world around her. As Skylar sauntered out of the main building, the cool night air kissed her puffy cheeks, but it did little to clear the haze c
Skylar was seated behind her work desk, motionless and absent-minded, as her fingers remained limp against the keyboard. In her heart was a heaviness that she couldn't even speak of, and it ached with the pain of confrontation that she had just endured. She couldn’t focus at all. The memory of Ivan's angry face that flashed at her the moment he entered the room refused to evade her, and his accusatory words that hinted at frustration and disappointment made her heartache. Nothing even hurt more than the fact that he didn't wait to hear her explain herself. He was just mad that she had met Grayson. “I can explain what happened,” she fought with her shaky voice as she tried to explain herself, but he had been too mad to even listen. “So you have been meeting him behind my back?! Since when?! And why?! Is that why you have been giving me an attitude for almost two days now?” He raged at her with words that slammed her heart against a wall with excruciating force, as her eyes watered
A man burst through the double doors of the executive hallway, his shoes thudding against the polished marble floor as he sprinted with a desperation that was fueled by panic, his hair disheveled and dampened with sweat. He barreled into the secretary’s office after an impatient knock, as he entered with the intention of informing Skylar of what was going on, only to come in direct contact with Ivan, who was also standing in the room. His steel-blue eyes flicked up in measured curiosity as the man skidded to a halt, narrowly avoiding slamming into a sleek leather armchair, almost melting as he tried to balance himself, barely catching his breath amid the suffocating tension that settled in the air. “Sir?” the man gasped, struggling to contain both his breath, almost stuttering, “Your…mother. No. I mean,” he shook his head in an attempt to correct himself, “Mrs. Hamilton is here.” Ivan, who still had flickers of rage scribbled over his face, arched a single eyebrow, with the fainte
The restaurant they were seated in crackled with tension as Amelia's sharp gaze locked onto Carlos's, her arms crossed, and her lips pursed in a fiery scowl, “You don’t even call me anymore,” she snapped, her voice slicing through the charged air like a whip. “Is that why you asked to meet me early this morning?” Carlos stared at her in disbelief, wondering if that was all she had to say when she called and asked to see him so urgently at the restaurant that was nearest to his house. “Is that what I am saying, Carlos?! I said that you don't even talk to me anymore! You would have called if I hadn't,” her face scrunched up into a frown, unable to stand the fact that he was disregarding her concern. Carlos met her glare, his jaw tightening in repressed anger, “You said that it was what you wanted,” he countered, his tone calm but strained, as if walking a tightrope over a chasm of resentment. He couldn't even believe she would be asking him that. “You would have called regardless,”
“Why?” Her eyebrows were raised in confusion, as she wondered why he was saying that. “The public announcement will be worth more,” he told her and skipped talking about it quickly, and she nodded slowly as if absorbing in bits what he meant. “Are you okay, though? You don't sound like yourself,” Carlos observed. Skylar pressed her lips together and shut her eyes for a moment, as she smiled again, “Yeah, I am fine,” she lied, “Just... tired. You know how it is.”“I get it,” Carlos sounded so concerned, “But if you need anything, you know I am here at your beck and call. And I mean anything,” he reminded her. Skylar felt a rush of gratitude in her heart because of his unmerited kindness towards her, and she couldn't help but be emotionally thankful at the moment, as she repeated, “Thank you, Carl. Thank you so much. You have been amazing, really. As soon as I am able to, I will take you out to eat. Anywhere you want. It is going to be my treat,” she promised. Carlos chuckled again
In the silent hospital room where nothing but the rhythmic beeping of the machines that monitored her mother’s vitals, Skylar sat again beside the bed, this time properly dressed in a pale-blue disposable safety suit, with her gloved hands gently wrapped around her mother’s frail right hand. She was unable to think properly after she returned from Ivan's house and knew she wouldn't even be able to perform well if she went home immediately. Instead, she returned to the hospital, asked to see her mother again, and was granted the grace to see her properly this time. However, her thoughts were far from at ease or where she was seated, as she stared blankly at her mother's bed, her mind spinning in a relentless tide of worry and self-doubt. Amid her fear for her mother and the fear for herself, her head was blowing up with pain, and her heart was racing with so much angst.She pressed her trembling lips together, struggling to contain the storm brewing inside her, as she tried not to l