“What the hell is all this?” He yelled angrily at his PA Carol who was standing and shaking silently. She had never seen him so riled up like this before, so what is the matter? “I gave you a simple task and even that you can’t do carefully? Then tell me what the bloody hell are you still doing in my office?” He demanded. Getting angry was really not his thing but since the day he met with Emma Newton he was not himself again. The littlest of things makes him so mad that he had already fired a few of his hard working employees already and it already seemed like he was about to fire Carol. “Am sorry sir” was all she could say to him right that moment. All she was told was that he had asked her to prepare all the files that required his signature on his desk before he arrived the next morning and unfortunately for her, he came earlier than expected that morning. But seriously, what was her fault in that? She apologized for the uptheenth time without making eye contact because she wa
She turned around slowly as if she was scared the lion at her back would just jump at her if she made a wrong move. She dropped the cloth she was about to hang on the bed and stood up carefully walking to the young lady standing at her bedroom’s threshold. The young lady, who had brunette colored hair that stopped at her mid waist with an olive skin and rather large black eyes, was already assumed by Emma that she was in her teens. Maybe 13 or 14 years old thereabout. But why does it feel like the girl already hated her guts? With the way she was glaring at Emma, you could already see the hatred dripping off her. “Hi,” Emma said curtly. This girl is giving her goosebumps already. “I asked you a question?” She replied disdainfully. “I am your new nanny,” she answered. The girl made a quick mocking chuckle and let herself in, then sat in the previous space her father sat on. “Our nanny you say?” She asked. Emma already knew that this girl is really going to be a pain in the ass not
She gulped and plastered a small smile on her face before she answered, “I um.. brought you dinner” lord! This girl is really making her lose her mind. Whenever she’s anywhere close to her, she just knows that there will be problems. She wonders why she hates her so much. “I didn’t ask you too, now leave my room. Outsiders are not permitted in here” what…? Outsiders? Is she kidding her? “Look Amelia,” she started calmly but God knows that she so wanted to smack her hard across her face. “Don’t! I don’t want to hear it, so you can just leave me the hell alone. Stop trying to be my mom” is that what she thinks she is doing right now? She was just trying to be nice to her, that's all. Why would he want to be her mom? She has no reason to. “Look Amelia I am not trying to be your mom or something I just wanted to be nice to you and that’s all. I brought dinner for you because I thought you might be a little hungry because you didn’t really have anything earlier. But if you still think
He squinted his eyes a few more times and to his disappointment, she was gone. So it was all an illusion?! He felt… disappointed? But why? Clueless. He hissed and made his way to the bathroom to take a cold shower because his body was too hot for him to have a warm shower. After his bath, he slipped into his nightie and went to his bed to have some sleep and soon enough he slept off. The next morning, as he came down for breakfast, he was greeted by Emma and Abby as they sat together with her nanny feeding her sweetly like she was her actual mother and for a moment, he wished she was. He shook his head and went to sit down and the servant dished his plate to the brim. He noticed how Abby was all smiles as she ate what Emma was feeding her then he glanced around the table and noticed that his other kids were missing. “Where are Julia and Amelia?” He asked “Oh, they are still getting ready,” she answered back. He remembered her face from the previous night and how her voice sounded
He stared at her for at least a few minutes before he finally replied to her “Who is coming over?” She thought he wasn’t going to answer her and she had already given up and was about to leave when she heard his voice.“Someone you don’t know Alex” she replied. His eyes widen at her blunt reply and he chuckled before he walked over to her towering his large frame above her. She gulped and wanted to move backward but her attempt was hindered by the annoying shelf resting majestically on the wall. Why does it have to be there for God’s sake? “I mean a friend of mine that you may not know about” she rephrased her sentence. She doesn’t want to anger him now and lose the only chance of her meeting her friend. “Where is she from miss Newton?” She asked again. Why does he want to know when he doesn’t even know her? Or maybe he was just cautious of his environment; he can't risk her bringing any journalist in here and risk his children’s safety. Well he was right to have ask that. “If yo
“Amelia?” Emma gasped. She felt so embarrassed and ashamed by her attitude. How can a little girl like herself speak to an elder like Elena. What's more wrong is that, the elder she just spoke rudely to was her best friend. “What is wrong with you?” She continued. “I didn’t remember asking for you opinion whenever I say something. And the last time I checked, you were just a miserable person lurking around and my father took pity in you and hired you as his caretaker. Don’t come into my house and boss me around that won’t work okay? Next time do well to remember that” she shot both of them a cold glare and sashayed away. Emma carefully stole a glance at her friend from her peripheral vision and noticed a shock and embarrassed feature embedded on her face. What a degrading encounter. She almost cringed. “Elena, I'm so sorry… I..” she didn’t know what to say to her. Her friend had just been insulted by a little girl and she just sat there like a seal tape had been glued to her mouth
“What?” Abby almost cried. Looking at their angry faces, Emma knew that what Abby said might have upset them more than anything else. But, why? She’s just a little girl. “Julia, Amelia?” Mrs Beena warned. Though Amelia was itching to answer Mrs Beena, she knew the woman was old enough to become her grandmother so she remained tamed. Emma was shocked that Amelia didn’t say anything to Mrs Beena, so she had someone she respected? That’s a first.Feeling the tension in the dining hall rising by each passing minute Emma finally spoke up, “Listen, tomorrow is your birthday right?” She asked Abby who suddenly became happy again. “Yes nanny Emma” she replied excitedly “Are you happy?” Mrs Beena boomed. Abby nodded her head smiling from ear to ear. Everytime she was told her birthday was coming up she tends to be overly excited about it because her friends will be coming over and she would have all kinds of pretty gifts and postcards. That was her best part though, the gifts. Alright let
Emma stood there looking the poor little girl with dismayed eyes just how many times has her father missed her special days? He felt saddened and squatted to her level and gave her hug. “Why is daddy doing this nanny Emma?” She cried out wiping the droplet of tears threatening to escape down her cheeks “Don’t worry Abby dear, he will be here” she assured patting her on the back calmly. She pulled away looking at the poor little girl’s red eyes and stared,“Why don’t we go back to the party and enjoy ourselves till your father arrives?” She asked, Abby meekly nodded and held Emma’s pinky finger then headed down the stairs to attend the ongoing party. Who is that cute lady standing right next to Abby, Amelia? Sara one of Amelia’s friends asked. She was the closet to her because quess what their mindset is the same, sassy and bossy. Amelia rolled her eyes and snorted before she answered, “No one” “Well she doesn’t look like ‘no one’ judging by the way Abby has been clinging into he
It was late, and the house had quieted down for the night. Emma stood in the kitchen, tidying up after dinner. The faint hum of the dishwasher filled the silence, but her thoughts were louder. Matt’s message had lingered in her mind all day, making her stomach churn with unease.Just as she reached to turn off the kitchen lights, she heard footsteps. Turning around, she saw Alex standing in the doorway. His shirt sleeves were rolled up, his tie slightly loosened. He looked tired, but there was something more—a weight in his gaze that she couldn’t quite place.“I didn’t think anyone was still awake,” Emma said, her voice soft.Alex walked in, his hands sliding into his pockets. “I couldn’t sleep. Thought I’d grab some water,” he replied, though the way his eyes lingered on her made it clear she was the reason he’d come downstairs.Emma hesitated. She had been avoiding him since the awkward tension Matt had stirred. But now, with Alex standing so close, his presence felt magnetic.“You
The phone buzzed faintly in his hand, but Alex didn’t dare look at it. His pulse thundered in his ears as he tossed the device onto his desk like it might burn him. Suddenly, the room seemed too quiet, the stillness amplifying the weight of what he had just done.What if she doesn’t reply?The thought lingered, bitter and sharp. He ran a hand through his hair, pacing the room like a caged animal. For someone who made billion-dollar decisions daily, this was unnervingly paralyzing. Business was predictable; people, especially someone like Emma, were not.Alex’s mind spiraled with possibilities, each one more unsettling than the last. Maybe she’d laugh it off. Or worse, maybe she’d ignore it altogether, leaving his carefully constructed message to fester in the void of her inbox.But what if she replied? What if she was honest, and the honesty wasn’t what he wanted to hear?He sat back down heavily, his elbows braced on the desk as he leaned forward, burying his face in his hands. The l
Alex sat in his spacious office, the skyline of Asokoro stretched out before him. It was late into the evening, the city lights casting a soft glow on his face as he stared at the stacks of paperwork in front of him. The glow from his computer screen was the only light, yet it didn’t seem to matter; he wasn’t really seeing the documents or emails in front of him. His mind kept drifting back to Emma, to the quiet, fleeting moments they had shared.The air in the room felt thick, suffocating, like the weight of his own emotions had transformed the space into something unrecognizable. The files in front of him were no different from the thoughts he kept trying to suppress. Everything about his day—from handling business matters to dealing with the children—had been a distraction, a poor attempt at keeping his mind occupied.But the more he tried to focus on his work, the more his thoughts kept circling back to Emma.It had started the moment Matt had appeared, asking Emma to prepare for
The house felt unnervingly quiet. The other kids were downstairs, but Julia found herself holed up in her room, nursing a discomfort she wasn’t quite ready to face. She tossed and turned on her bed, irritated by the odd feeling gnawing at her. She wasn’t sick—she knew what was happening. She just wasn’t ready to deal with it.Her mind kept wandering back to Emma. That girl. Julia had tried to avoid her at all costs, but somehow, she kept slipping in, threading her way into their lives, stealing moments with Abby and Ethan. It was infuriating. Julia liked being in control, and right now, it felt like Emma was taking over, shifting the balance in a way that made her anxious.But today, there was something else. A heaviness in her stomach that wouldn’t go away, making her more irritable than usual. She tossed another pillow against the wall and pulled the blanket over her head, wishing the whole world would just leave her alone.Just then, a knock on her door startled her, followed by a
Later that afternoon, Emma was tending to the garden outside. The sun was warm on her skin, the rhythmic sound of the shears in her hand keeping her thoughts from drifting back to her conversation with Alex.“Hey, stranger.”Emma turned to see Matt leaning against the fence, his usual confident grin in place. He was dressed casually, his jeans slightly dusty as though he’d just come from the ranch.“Matt,” she said, surprised but smiling. “What brings you here?”He shrugged. “Saw your car parked out front and thought I’d drop by. Hope that’s okay.”“Of course,” she said, setting down her shears. “I was just finishing up.”Matt’s eyes softened as he studied her. “You know, I’ve been thinking about our last date. I had a great time.”Emma’s heart skipped a beat. She knew where this was heading, and while Matt was charming and kind, her feelings felt more complicated than ever now.“I’m glad you did,” she said carefully, brushing a stray leaf from her sleeve.“And I was hoping we could d
Later that night, the house was quiet, the kids finally tucked into bed after a long evening of stories and laughter. Emma sat on the porch swing, a blanket draped over her lap and a mug of tea in her hands. She stared out at the darkened yard, her mind spinning with thoughts she couldn’t quite untangle.The sound of the door opening behind her startled her, but she didn’t turn around. She knew it was Alex.“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked, his voice soft.Emma shook her head, taking a sip of her tea. “Too much on my mind, I guess.”Alex stepped out onto the porch, his hands in his pockets. He stood there for a moment, as if debating whether to join her. Finally, he sat down on the swing, leaving a careful distance between them.They sat in silence for a while, the quiet of the night settling around them.“About earlier,” Alex began, his voice low. “I didn’t mean to make things complicated.”Emma glanced at him, her expression guarded. “You didn’t. Not really.”Alex let out a soft laugh, th
The next morning, Emma woke up earlier than usual, her mind clouded by conflicting emotions. She had enjoyed her date with Matt; he was charming and attentive, yet she couldn’t deny the lingering thoughts of Alex that kept creeping in at the most inconvenient moments. She brushed off the feelings as irrational and focused on getting ready for the day.Downstairs, Alex sat at the dining table, his eyes glued to his laptop screen but his mind elsewhere. He hadn't slept much; thoughts of Emma and her date consumed him. Every time he pictured Matt’s smug smile as he escorted Emma out of the mansion, Alex felt an inexplicable pang of jealousy that he refused to acknowledge.As Emma entered the room, the sound of her heels clicking on the marble floor pulled Alex from his thoughts. She looked radiant, her hair tied back in a neat ponytail, her outfit professional yet effortlessly chic. Alex’s gaze lingered on her for a moment longer than he intended, but he quickly masked his thoughts with
“What the hell?” He mouthed, staring at the computer screen with irritation. What had he done now? He shot the screen closed and sat on his bed thinking of a way to approach Emma now that he knew what he had done to her. No wonder she was trying so hard to keep the truth to herself because it was obviously embarrassing to say it out loud. Finally he made his way to the kitchen and still saw her there seated with a mug in her hand sipping something. “You are back” she stated matter of fact. Sensing his uneasiness she asked, “what happened? Why are you so gloomy all of a sudden?” He turned around walking majestically like a king but only he knew the truth behind his composure. His heart was running a marathon just by staring at her beautiful face. “Ms. Newton…” he started, “what ever happened between us yesterday was a mistake, I was drunk and didn’t know what I was doing so don’t get any wrong ideas okay?” His voice as cold as ice vocalized while his stares sent chills down her spi
By the time she could comprehend what he was about to do, it was already too late as he had his arm snakes around her tiny waist pulling her closer to his chest. With his intoxicated breath, he leaned in and pressed his firm but soft lips on her making her shudder slightly. She shifted uncomfortably trying to pry his arms from around her delicate waist but all her attempts were rendered useless, because the more she struggled to free herself, the tighter he held her. “Mr Lightwood…” she started but her voice came out as a sensual moan as he was now kissing his way down her neck. Having a little taste of her made him lose his senses and go wild; he couldn't control himself. His hands skillfully caressed her back pushing her to himself as if it wasn’t enough that their bodies were already too close. Sucking on her earlobe, Emma let out a satisfying moan and wrapped her arms around his shoulder tilting her head to grant him more access. Feeling the heat brewing between them their san