"And this is where you will be staying." Ronald completed the tour as he opened the door to the guest room. He walked in first and Raina followed suit.
"I hope you like it." He said to her,
The room was big enough, painted in warm colors, decorated with expensive furniture. But it was kind of empty perhaps because no one had occupied the room in a while.
A queen-size bed was in the middle of the room with a nightstand and a lamp at the end of both sides. The room has a Tv and two resting couches.
Raina noticed two doors were attached to the room but she couldn't tell where it led to. 'Perhaps her room was connected to another person's room.' She thought.
"I like it." She mumbled, after accessing the room.
Ronald was extremely happy when Raina accepted his offer to move in with him. But she had insisted that when she had fully recovered, she would go back to her old job or look for another job to earn money to help him with the rent.
Even though she slept late, Raina had always been a morning person; she was used to waking up around 6:30 in the morning.Thankfully, she woke up feeling better which made her wonder where she got the strength from. She sat on the bed and meditated for a few minutes with a new determination to move on and live life with the people she cared about.Raina finished meditating and said her morning prayers. She arranged her bed and made her way to the bathroom to do her morning rituals.Unfortunately, she had no other dress than the one she wore back from the hospital. It wasn't dirty or smelling so she put them on and brushed her hair with the brush already provided in her bathroom after which she put her hair in a bun.She took a look at herself in the mirror and saw that she looked better than yesterday except that her eyes were a little puffy due to the number of times she cried.Raina slipped her feet into the fancy unisex slippers Clarice brought
"Thanks for covering up for me Gabriel, I forgot the meeting was scheduled for this morning," Ronald said to his best friend as they walked side by side out of the glass-walled conference room."Alima should have reminded you.""She did. She told me before leaving the office yesterday but it slipped my mind." Ronald said as he playfully scratched the back of his neck.Truthfully, Alima, Ronald's assistant, reminded him about the meeting before he left work yesterday and she even sent him a reminder via his email which he saw before he fell asleep.Ronald remembered he had a meeting. But Damn, he couldn't say No to Raina when she asked him to stay for breakfast. He would never forget every detail of what happened this morning. Breakfast was something he never had during weekdays. But everything seemed perfect this morning. Him having breakfast with Alexa, Adrie, Raina, and Clarice. They looked like one big and happy family. The way Raina said a prayer befo
Ronald was the only one left in the building. Even Gabriel, his best friend, had gone home. Well, except for the cleaners and security guards who were cleaning and guarding the building respectively.He was trying to finish some work concerning a contract with some foreign investors who would be coming over in a few days.Forty-three minutes later, Ronald decided to call it a day.He found himself very eager to go home. Not only because of his daughter but also because of Adrie and Raina.A small smile crept to his lips at the thought of Raina. Whenever he was around her, he had this weird feeling in his stomach. He knew he was attracted to her but he had no idea if she felt the same way.Ronald stood up from his chair and started arranging his table and at the same time putting some important documents in his briefcase. He picked up his phone, briefcase, then exited his office, shutting the door behind him."Hey, Ronald." A lady's voice cam
"I think you're stressing yourself, Raina. Gabriel and Jemma will be okay with whatever we have." Ronald who was seated across the kitchen counter said and Raina turned to look at him for a second with a frown on her face and hands on her hip."You're not helping." She said, then went back to what she was doing.It was a Saturday, Gabriel and his wife, Jemma, were coming over so Raina took it upon herself to make lunch and now she was currently baking cupcakes.Ronald told her they could go to a restaurant or order some takeout. But Raina refused because she was in the mood to cook. They had all the ingredients at home and to her, it wasn't proper to invite people over without giving them a home-cooked meal."Anything I can do to help?" He teased.Raina rolled her eyes at him.She had asked him for help earlier but he declined, claiming he would mess up everything so he just sat down and watched her do her thing.The food was ready an
"Thanks for inviting your friends over. I had fun chatting with them." Raina said after which she took a sip of her drink.It sort of turned into a tradition for Raina and Ronald. Every night, after they've tucked the girls to bed, they would sit on the sofa in the living room or go to the balcony where they talk about their day or basically anything that was on their mind.They do that almost every night and It was something they both looked forward to.Right now they chose to stay inside; in the living room, instead of the balcony because it was chilly outside."I'm sure they had fun too." He replied."My mom wants to meet you, Raina," Ronald said which made her almost choke on her drink."Your mom?" she replied in shock."Yeah. I told her about you.""You did?" She asked as she could not help but wonder why he told his mother about her."Alexa told her that she has a new sister so I had no choice but to tell her about
"And this is the kitchen." Uncle Rico completed the tour with Raina.The kitchen was very big and was filled with a number of chefs who were busy with various chores."So, we make all types of dishes. Mexican, American, Italian, African and we bake too." Uncle Rico added."I will introduce you to the Head Chef and she will find a spot for you. You can come over to my office during your lunch break so we will discuss your pay."Raina nodded."Maggie." He called and a light brown-skinned lady looked their way. She was of average height and obviously in her chef uniform."Maggie, this is Raina; she will be joining us and Raina, this is Maggie." Uncle Rico introduced the ladies."Nice to meet you," Raina said.Maggie smiled at her. "You too.""That's all, for now, Raina, I have to return to my office. Maggie will show you what to do and if you need anything, you know where to find me." Uncle Rico said after which
Ronald called not long after they had dinner that he would be a little bit late today so Raina tucked the girls to bed alone.As usual, she was sitting in the middle of the girls' bed, her head against the headboard, reading them a bedtime story.Raina turned to her left and saw that Adrie was fast asleep. She turned to her right and saw that Alexa was feeling sleepy as she kept on rubbing the back of her palm against her eyes.A question popped into Raina's head so she thought of asking Alexa about it."Alexa darling" she called."Yes." The little girl answered in her sleepy voice."Why did you introduce Adrie as your sister to everyone?"Everything was silent for a while until Alexa sat up and faced Raina."Are you mad at me for doing that?" The little girl asked."No honey. I'm not mad at you. I'm just curious to know why" Raina said as she stroked the little girl's light brown hair."It's because I love Adrie
Weeks Later......"I will give the phone to her, hold on a sec," Ronald said as he walked out of his home office in search of Raina.He finally found her in the kitchen where she was baking with the girls, Alexa and Adrie.Raina was in some short shorts and a tank top; Her hair was in a messy bun, she also had an apron on her.Alexa and Adrie were matching with her as they were also in their short shorts and a cute little top with the small apron Raina made for them. The girls were sitting on the stool beside the counter mixing the flour.Ronald smiled as he walked towards them. He kissed the girls on their cheek which made them smile and went ahead to do the same to Raina. But this time, he gave her a quick kiss on her lips which made her blush a little. She still hasn't gotten used to him kissing her and she still finds herself a little bit shy around him.Raina agreed to be Ronald's girlfriend a few days after he asked her out. Alexa and
FOUR YEARS LATEREPILOGUELawrence and Madiana's marriage faced trials but their love was able to overcome all obstacles.Some days after Madiana found out she was pregnant, She went for a check-up which revealed she was almost two months pregnant, and in seven months, she gave birth to a baby girl. She was called Luisa Irene Williams. 5 pounds, 6ounces.Luisa's birth brought so much joy to both the extended and immediate family.Lawrence had to find a temporary secretary to fill in for Madiana.Lawrence also spent more time working from home so he could assist Maddie with the kids and be closer to his family.Oh, their wedding! They did it a month after he proposed. It was a very beautiful one.Lawrence and Madiana never saw the need to hire a live-in nanny because Maddie and Lawrence's mother were there to help and they still had Luis's nanny, Kelly.Again they had help from Omo, Lenora, and Luciana. Even Lucas was of
Madiana tried her best to stay awake but she failed miserably.Lawrence had called her early this morning to inform her that he would be returning today but it would be later at night.So she had spent her day with Luis. She took him to the mall and when it was noon, they went to the park together.It was just a few minutes to 10 pm and she had slept off..................................Lawrence could not wait to see Luis and Maddie. He had missed them like crazy. He did all he could to rush the deal so he would be back home tonight instead of tomorrow, Monday.He took a taxi from the airport. It was already late and he didn't want to disturb Dominic, his driver.He paid the Taxi man and proceeded to the apartment with his suitcase. He had his spare key so he didn't bother to press the doorbell. He entered inside and his heart melted at what he saw.Madiana had fallen asleep on the sofa in the living room. The TV was still on
THREE MONTHS AND SOME WEEKS LATER"Maybe I should just cancel the whole thing," Lawrence said. The thought of not seeing Maddie and Luis for a few days was making him go crazy."You should go, honey. We will be fine." Madiana assured as she placed Luis on her chest. The little boy was playing with her hair, trying to put it in his mouth but she was preventing him from doing so.Lawrence was to go on a trip to Paris for some business deal. He was representing his father's company since he was a partner there.When his father informed him about the trip, he was reluctant to go, telling his father to go himself or appoint someone else to represent the company.His father, Liam, chuckled at his reply because he knew his son was reluctant to go because he didn't want to leave Madiana and Luis behind.But he had no choice because this deal was a very important one and he only trusts his son to make the best of it. Besides, he will only be gone for
Madiana slept and woke up with a smile on her face. In all her 25 years of existence, yesterday was the best birthday she ever had. All thanks to Lawrence, her Boss, her Boyfriend.Yes, she had said yes to him. She liked Lawrence since the first day she set her eyes on his picture. That was even before she got the job as his secretary.The last time Madiana dated someone was in College. But she swore that this time around, it was going to be different. She liked Lawrence a lot and she would do all that it took to make him happy and Luis also.Madiana got up from her bed and proceeded to the bathroom to do her morning rituals. She got dressed in a black pencil skirt and a white button-up shirt. She applied some makeup, slipped her feet into her heels, and grabbed her handbag and car keys.She rarely eats breakfast except during the weekend. She hoped Alice, Ethan's Secretary would grab a coffee for her today like always.Madiana got out of the eleva
DAYS LATERMadiana was engrossed with the work she was doing on her laptop. She was distracted when there was a knock on the door.She looked up and saw it was her Boss, Lawrence.He came in and took a seat opposite her."I have to leave for Luis's Doctor's appointment. I will be back as soon as I can.""No problem." She replied and before she could say anything else, they were both interrupted by the door opening and someone entering.It was Ethan. He was holding a gift bag."Hi, buddy." He greeted Lawrence as he took a seat beside him."And here's for the birthday girl," Ethan placed the gift bag on the table and pushed it towards Madiana."It's your birthday?" Lawrence asked, shocked.She nodded."Why didn't you tell me?" He asked slightly upset, which made Maddie nervous."Calm down dude. Do you expect her to start announcing it to everybody?" Ethan chuckled. He could sense that his best friend w
THE FAMILY DINNERLawrence spent Saturday doing some work. He also spent some quality time with Luis, his son.When it was almost evening, he began preparing for their dinner which was to take place at his parents' mansion. He still had to pick Maddie on his way. So Lawrence dressed up in something casual, he arranged Luis's baby bag and got him ready.When Lawrence got to Maddie's apartment, He couldn't go down to knock on her door because Luis was sleeping in his car seat. He couldn't leave him alone in the car.So he called Maddie on the phone saying that they were already outside.Once he saw her walk out of her apartment and approach his car, Lawrence got down and assisted her in opening the door to the front passenger's seat.She blushed a little, thanking him and once She was settled, he went back to the driver's seat."You look beautiful, Maddie. I think black colors fit you best, ''he said."Thanks, Mr. Williams.
"That was emotional. I'm so happy for you guys." Madiana told her Boss with a sad smile on her face.She had accompanied him to the board meeting at his father's company. Lawrence was a partner there so his presence was required and he took Maddie along.After their meeting in the conference room, Liam, Lawrence's father had invited Lawrence into his office while Maddie waited for him outside the office.Both father and son resolved their differences. Not like they actually fought, but Lawrence was very close to every member of his family. They all felt it during the past few days when he distanced himself from them.Lawrence explained the whole situation to his father. Liam comforted his son and gave him the advice he needed and also made it known that he was looking forward to meeting his grandson.And Lawrence promised that he and Luis would be there at the next family dinner.Madiana did not mean to eavesdrop. The two men were just loud
Lawrence was able to get so much work done while Madiana watched Luis and did her work at the same time. He admired her for being an expert in multitasking.When lunchtime came, she still insisted on being with Luis. Saying the little boy was keeping her company. So Alice, Ethan's secretary, brought Lunch to Maddie in her office and they spent lunch together with the two ladies gushing over baby Luis...........................Lawrence sighed as he plopped down on the couch in his living room. He had just put Luis to bed. Since Luis was now in the picture and he cared so much for his son, he had to vacate work early, unlike those days where he would stay in his office and work till almost midnight.Being a single parent was really hard. Especially when he never saw it coming and had no time to prepare.Lawrence remembered Ava today when he was getting Luis ready for bed. He wondered what it would have been like if Luis had his mom around.L
Madiana groaned as she heard the sound of her alarm. She reluctantly sat up and quickly said her morning prayers, committing the day to God's hands. After that, she stood up from her bed and arranged it before heading to the bathroom to get ready for the day.She eventually decided to wear a black dress and moved to the mirror side to apply her makeup.She smiled at herself in the mirror as she was satisfied with her look. She then walked towards her bedside, sat on the edge as she slipped on her heels.Maddie reached for her handbag, laptop bag and car keys and found her way to the exit.Madiana arrived at the office earlier than expected because there was less traffic on the road. She entered the office building then proceeded to the fifth floor. That was where her office was. Well, The Bosses and Secretaries office was located on the fifth floor of the building.Madiana entered her office and saw a cup of coffee on her table. She smiled at that.