Thank you for reading. I truly appreciate the support, comments, and gems that this book has received:)
It was after the final meeting for the day that Ivan leaned back in his chair in the office with a slight smile playing at the corners of his lips as he replayed the moment in his mind, and could still picture the way Skylar's eyes had widened when he said those words to her when she called him, Mr. Hamilton again, when they were painting together. “Call me by my name,” he had said, his tone gentle but firm while watching her with a curiosity he could barely contain.“What?!” At first, Skylar had blinked, almost as if she hadn’t heard him correctly, and then she gave him an adorable, bewildered look that made her brows knit together in confusion and her lips part slightly as if she was about to protest. And she did protest. “I can't,” she struggled to find the right words, wondering why he would suddenly ask that of her, when she had been calling him Mr. Hamilton her whole life. She wondered how weird that would even sound on a normal day if she read the daily reports to him and
Steam curled up from the coffee machine on the counter at Hafe café, as Kali stood behind the counter, while brewing cups of coffee for customers, and sending their orders for other snacks to the new employee, Imogen. Yet as she moved with focus, making sure the long line of people standing before her due to rush hour decreased rapidly, her mind wasn't focused on the coffee she made so effortlessly. It was at the door of the café, in which every creak of its hinges and little chime of the bell above it, made her heart jump in her chest as her eyes compulsively darted in false expectations. It had been happening to her for days now, and she admitted that she hated it so much. The way her pulse quickened every time the door swung open made her angry, and how she would glance up, expecting and hoping, which would be followed by a sense of relief or maybe disappointment, when it wasn’t him. Leo Coleman. His name had stuck stubbornly in her mind. He was the one who had been disturbing
Skylar made sure to finish her work earlier than usual, her heart pounding with an anxious excitement that had built up in her chest all day, as she incessantly glanced at her wristwatch, while tapping her foot impatiently waiting for time to pass. As soon as work hours were over at the office, she stopped by Kali's at the café to bid her goodbye for the day, and took a cab straight to the hospital instantly, unable to contain her anxiety about what she would hear the doctor say. She desperately hoped that her world would not crumble before her because of whatever the doctor would say, which would inevitably determine the fate of her mother. “I am glad to tell you, Ms. Bailey. The organ is a perfect match for your mother,” Dr. Derin informed her when she visited her office, and Skylar's world stood still for a few seconds, because the good news was too much for her to process at once. It felt too good to be true. “The transplant is being scheduled, and we will get across to you, a
Ivan’s eyes darkened instantly, as he turned to look at Gwen, “Don’t you dare order my secretary around!” he snapped, his tone sharp and cold, “If you want coffee, go and get it yourself!” ‘This woman even knew her way around Ivan's house enough to know where to get her coffee?’ Skylar could not help but wonder uncomfortably, as she continued to keep her emotions in check, while standing fixated on that spot. Gwen instantly whipped her head toward Ivan with a flash of anger crossing her face when he spoke up, and stood on her feet instantly, “Excuse me?” she retorted, crossing her arms with a frown, “Why can she not get me coffee? She is your secretary, isn't she?” “She is my secretary, not yours. If you want something, you get it yourself!” he defended instantly, while Skylar stood confused about what to do in such a situation, “And I do not think I can spare you enough time for you to have coffee in my house,” he added. “What?!” Gwen demanded incredulously, unable to understan
Grayson paced back and forth in the living room of his penthouse with a flute of champagne nestled in between his fingers, his anger struggling to remain at the borderline between rage and composure. On his other hand was his phone, which was held tightly to his ear, as he listened to his mother who was finally about to call him after trying to reach him the entire day, each word from her, making his patience wear thin in anger. “Regardless of how Ivan acts, he is your brother, and will always be. You shouldn't be so mad!” Adelaide snapped in irritation, frustrated that she had to calm him down again just because Ivan would not stop being so petty. A scoff escaped his lips upon hearing what she said, as he glared furiously while staring at his reflection on the floor-to-ceiling windows that had a perfect view of the city below from that height, “Half-brother!” he corrected sharply, his voice dripping with spite. “You are still his family. There is nothing he can do about it,” s
Standing behind the polished marble countertops of the eccentric kitchen in Ivan's kitchen was Skylar, who stood by the tall cooker with her sleeves rolled up, an apron tied around her waist, and her hair rolled up in a bun. Her hand moved deftly as she cut, with accuracy, speed, and precision, carrots, cucumber, and cabbage in different sizes and shapes, while Ivan stood a few feet away, gazing at her with an amused smile.“What are you planning to cook?” he was curious as he watched her. “You can just sit down and watch,” she gave him a quick response, a grin curving her lips, unwilling to divulge the details of what she had in mind to prepare. “Tell me, I can help,” Ivan wouldn't concede to her idea of him sitting and just watching.“I doubt you can do anything here,” she teased him, as she gently placed her left hand on the pound of meat on the table, and carefully filleted it with the knife on her right. “You don’t think I can cook, do you?” he asked with a teasing tone, fold
“So what do you like doing? Your hobbies and things you enjoy doing,” Ivan was more curious about Skylar as the night wore on, as she lay comfortably on the couch in the living room with her head sitting comfortably on his lap. “Working, I think. I have never really had one,” she answered his question truthfully without thinking too much about it. “Seriously? Why?” Ivan's eyebrows furrowed in surprise as he gazed into her eyes, wondering if it was possible that she didn't have a hobby. “Because I have never had a chance to choose or spend time on something I love doing. I have worked all my life,” she responded blankly again without much thought. “I am sorry about that,” Ivan's face suddenly began to be etched with some sense of guilt, and it made Skylar chuckle so affectionately, seeing how he probably blamed himself for that. Her gaze still struggling to hold his own for a long time, a small beautiful smile curved her lips, “No, it is not your fault. Please do not apologize,”
Through the French window in the room, the soft rays of morning sunlight crept through the curtains, and caused Skylar, who was still sleeping, to stir in reaction to the soft radiation that heated her face. Feeling her bones crack and ache, she stretched lazily under the bed covers, as her eyes flickered awake and fixed on the ceiling above for a few seconds. For a moment, everything felt like a dream, and it seemed like she was hallucinating as her mind momentarily reminded her of the way she had woken up shocked the first time she woke up in Ivan's bed. It was still a thought that lingered in her mind, which caused a chuckle to escape her. Slowly and tactically, she turned her head to the other side of the bed where Ivan slept reposefully, with a faint grin tugging at the corners of his lips, his arm draped loosely around her waist. Skylar stared at him for a few seconds with dreamy affection, her eyes sparkling with fondness as she watched him sleep for a few seconds. Her g
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
“The surgery had just ended and was successful,” the surgeon, who had just come out of the theatre room still dressed in her blue scrub, and had a nose mask hanging below her chin, told Skylar with a reassuring smile that didn't brighten her face.Instantly, the world around her paused for a millisecond as the tension that had been hanging in her body crumbled instantly, and dissipated into the air. Her legs gave way below her body, and before she knew it, she had fallen on her knees, as she felt the hard, cold floor press against her palms that rested against the floor, the weight of the news sinking into her mind. Her right hand which was trembling covered her mouth, as a stifling gasp that felt like it had been locked in her chest for hours escaped her, alongside the tears that trickled down her cheeks. ‘She was alive. Her mother was alive,’ she heaved a sigh of relief, unable to handle the excitement. “Thank you, doctor. Thank you so much,” were the few words her voice could u
“I am sorry, we cannot be together,” those heavy words hung heavily between the two standing across from one another, and the receiver, Leo, blinked hard as he stared at Kali, who had broken the news to him.“What.. What is wrong, Kali?” His lips barely found the right words to utter because his brain was barely functioning coherently. That was the last news he expected her to bring to him, just when he was planning that they would go hiking together since she liked doing that. ‘Things had been going fine between them for the past few days. What went wrong?’ His eyes took a haunted look as if awaiting an explanation from her. “Nothing is,” she looked away from him while resting her back on the railings of the rooftop recreation spot they were standing, because she said she wanted to go there when he asked what she wanted to do. “Kali, meet my eyes,” Leo stared at her, his heart wanting to reach out to her in the most intentional way, as his right hand stretched and caught hers in
Skylar made her way into the five-star restaurant, her eyes glancing briefly through the few people that were seated in the room, until they landed on Grayson, who was seated by the window, his face brightening with a warm, sweet smile the moment he raised his head. She instantly flashed a warm smile at him from where she was standing, and he rose to his feet, as a gesture to welcome her which almost melted away her initial nervousness instantly. It made Skylar's eyes almost roll in shock because she never thought she could see him smile considering their first and second encounter. “Hi, Sky,” he greeted her with a sweet smile, and politely offered her a seat across from him, “You look absolutely gorgeous,” his eyes lingered as he took in her dress, and her smile.“Hi, Gray,” she responded with a nervous smile, “You don't look bad yourself,” she finally settled into her seat. “How have you been these days?” He initiated the conversation, his eyes peering at her. “Been great,” Skyl