"Shit! Shit! Shit!” Lily became frantic as she thought of what to do quick and fast.“He cannot see me like this,” Lily said to herself.“Ashley!” Christopher’s enraged voice reached Lily in the room again. This time around, the voice was closer, and for Lily to hear the pounding of his footsteps against the stairs, she knew that he was enraged, and that was when Lily remembered that she had actually stepped out with one of Christopher’s securities who she never came back with.In fact, after Don Grander was done hitting her, threatening her, and ensuring that she never did anything that would jeopardize their chances of getting what they wanted from Christopher, Lily had had to jump a bus to get back to the house. It wasn’t a big deal for her, because all her life, when she wasn’t walking, she was jumping buses. Anyway, Lily had ensured that she bowed her head low enough so that no one would recognize her, because that would be more dangerous. “What do I do now?” Lily asked hersel
After the agreement, Christopher grudgingly left.Lily knew that he was dying to have the discussion of her whereabouts that day, but he could not, because there was nothing he would have said that would have made Lily opened the door for him. Her face was still battered and swollen.Lily took the ice pack and placed it on her face. She sat on the bedroom couch and tried to close her eyes so that the ice pack would be able to work its magic, but then again, her head started banging. She could not tell if Don Grander had done any real damage to her head, especially internally, because she could not feel any blood, but the pain was so excruciating that it caused a dull headache at the center of Lily’s head. Lily used the intercom in the bedroom to ring Maggie.“Get me some painkillers for my banging head,” Lily said into the phone.In less than five minutes, Maggie arrived with some painkillers. Without turning to face her, Lily said, “Just drop it where you are and leave.”But Maggie h
“Excuse me?” Lily asked, stupefied.For a moment, she had lost herself and forgotten whom she was supposed to be impersonating. In fact, she was about to say that they had never met before it booted in Lily’s head that she actually called Ashley, not Lily.The lady cleared her throat and said loudly, “Um, I was complimenting your makeup.”Christopher didn’t hear what she had said the first time, because she had whispered the words into Lily’s ears alone, so when she lied and said she was just paying a compliment, Christopher looked at Lily’s face, and in that moment, Lily felt scrutinized under Christopher’s gaze, almost making her uncomfortable. She feared that he was going to see her bruised cheeks, and even know that she was struggling with a bad headache with the way he stared at her, but instead, he ended his stare with a look of irritation and disgust. Fortunately, he reserved that look for Lily alone, so no one else in the living room knew that he was giving her a bad look. In
Ashley, two nights before your wedding, you were found at a nude club, why?” The words rang in Lily’s ears; she could not believe what she was hearing, neither did she understand fully what was going on. If Rosa said two nights before the wedding, then it meant that it was probably the night that Ashley had been found dea.Christopher had not only been shocked, he was also enraged, so much so that he jolted out of his seat in a rage.“What is the meaning of this?!” Christopher charged at Rosa.Rosa got up in fear and she staggered back, trying to get away from Christopher’s wrath. “That question wasn’t part of the questions Aimee sent to my mail that you were going to be asking, so what is the meaning of the damn question?!” Christopher barked.“I am so sorry, Mr. Bridger,” Rosa apologized. She probably did not expect that Christopher would react angrily to her question, and for a moment, Lily thought that Christopher might know something about it, and if that was the case, then Li
Lily began to shake dreadfully.“Don’t you dare bring that game on me, Ashley, because if I have to choke out the words from you, I will,” Christopher threatened harshly.“I have no idea what she was talking about,” Lily answered.She was being honest, because in truth, she had no idea what happened that night, because she never even knew that that night had existed, but the good thing was that Christopher would not read meaning to her words.Instead, Christopher stared at Lily; a worried expression on his face.Lily was confused, because she could not tell why Christopher was looking at her with such expression. He was supposed to be mad with rage and forcing her to explain as he threatened, but instead, he was more worried than confused.“What is it? Lily had to ask.Christopher stared curiously at Lily for some seconds before he said, “Nothing.”Nothing? Lily could hardly believe it. Now, Christopher was acting all weird and strange, and she could not fathom what was going on. “Yo
It was the weekend and Christopher knew that he shouldn’t be at work, but he just couldn’t help himself. Not that he had work to do, but Ashley Grander kept giving him reasons to doubt her.“Something is not right with her,” Christopher said to himself as he sat on his swivel chair and pondered on everything that had happened.Then recently, after she had mysteriously disappeared and reappeared, she had been wearing this heavy makeup that had made her look funny in a way; it just didn’t sit right on her face. Christopher checked his expensive wristwatch again and waited. When he arrived at the office, he had also called Aimee Landon to show up at the company as well. Aimee arrived just about that time, making Christopher relieved.“Mr. Christopher, I am here,” Aimee said as she entered Christopher’s office.Christopher felt as though he was seeing Aimee in a casual outfit for the first time, but then again, he could not recall seeing her in anything other than her official outfits.
Lily had been feeling sick ever since she got back from the baseball game. She just could not shake off the feeling that not only did she see Don Grander there, but he shook hands with Joe.He shook hands with Joe!If anything happened to Lily’s brother, Lily would die. She literally lived for her brother, because he was all she had got, but now, more than ever, Don Grander had made her understand that he was capable of ending Joe’s life in a second. Lily thought that hitting her and grabbing her hair were all the threat and warning that she was going to get from Don Grander. She had no idea that he was going to get Joe involved. Lily only wished that Grander had left it at a handshake. Lily was restless as she paced about the room. She was supposed to be getting ready to fly off with Christopher, but Lily knew that she would not be at peace until she was certain that Joe was safe. Even though Don Grander already threatened that he would only kill Joe when she went against the plan,
Lily was fully packed up by the time Christopher arrived and said they were jetting off for the business trip. Lily knew that this was an opportunity for her to make good use of her presence in Christopher’s life, and besides, Don Grander depended fully on her to bring back report this time around. Maybe if she hadn’t informed him about the trip, he would not have demanded for a beneficial information, but now that she had, she needed to give a feedback that would make Don Grander smile otherwise risk putting Joe’s life in danger. Lily ensured that she specifically pick clothes that would make her come off as Ashley Grander without doubt or suspicious questions. Even though Christopher hadn’t said anything, Lily knew that he was beginning to suspect that something was off and strange about her. Anyway, Lily meant to go on full character mode during this trip even though she did not know how long they would be staying.“Take my boxes downstairs,” Lily ordered Maggie; that was another
Don, why haven’t I gotten an alert for my spa and shopping apartment?” Emily asked as she stepped into Don’s study without bothering to knock.Don Grander was sipping on his liquor and waiting for Monk. Something had been bothering his mind since their last arrangement, and until he spoke with Monk, he would not be at peace. Monk had left to sort out a few of his personal things, and had promised to be back as soon as possible, but he was taking longer than necessary.“Not now, darling,” Don Grander responded. He sometimes wished that Emily was both understanding and sensitive, especially when it came to money, but that was like wishing that pigs could fly.“What do you mean by that?” Emily asked, her voice getting high, and Don knew that he was in for another bout of whining and nagging. “It has been a week!” Emily complained.“And you can wait another couple of days more; it can’t be that hard,” Don Grander said, his mind wandering back to the worry in his heart.“You know damn well
Time was ticking for Lily, and she was still confused with what to do. She could not go to Mr. Yang and fulfill his desires. Heck, she was a virgin! How was she supposed to just give that to anyone all because she needed to play Ashley’s role to the finish line? Lily sobbed and sobbed until she felt as though she could no longer sob. It was even more hurting that without knowing what Mr. Yang requested of her, Christopher had asked her to do it. Or what if he was just like them? Growing up in a middle-class family, Lily was raised with dignity and morals, which was why while most of her age mates were having boyfriends and getting pregnant, Lily stayed disciplined. She had never even had a boyfriend, and one morning, boom! She woke up with a husband. According to what her mother had taught her, Lily was to wait patiently until she found the love of her life, get married, have kids and raise a family just like the one her mother had raised.She was not about to throw all of that away
For a moment, Aimee froze in shock.Rosa was shivering on the floor and battling to breathe while more blood came out of the spot that Aimee had hit her with. “Help me…help me…” Rosa pleaded in rasped breath, her words coming out as a painful and muffled sound. Aimee was shocked at what she had done, because she never expected it to turn out this way. Granted, she had been very upset that Rosa was trying to play smart with her. If it hadn’t been for her, a woman like Rosa would never have had access to Christopher Bridger’s home. Christopher was not a man who was keen on interviews and blogs, and he was also a very private person. Regardless of how close they were and how long they had been working together, Aimee could literally count the number of times that she had visited Christopher’s mansion, and ever since he married the wild Ashley Grander, he had not made any attempt to invite Aimee over. In fact, Aimee knew that as long as Christopher remained married to Ashley, chances of
As soon as Aimee arrived at Rosa’s apartment, she turned to Derek and said, “Don’t worry, I will handle this myself.”Derek seemed surprised. “I thought we were in this together, and don’t forget that I brought this information to you,” Derek said.“If you wanted to get a pat for a job well done, Derek, you would have gotten the full information, not bring something to me in halves,” Aimee said tightly. “I know Rosa, and I personally hired her to create ruins and damage for Christopher and Ashley’s interview, and trust me, she is going to talk to me faster than she would talk to you, and besides, seeing you might unnerve her,” Aimee added logically.She knew that Derek liked to feel important, especially when it was his area of expertise, but then again, Aimee was too desperate to leave this all to him to handle. All she needed to do was go in there, speak with Rosa and that was all.“Whatever you say,” Derek was not cool with the decision, but he also did not want to push it, because
Aimee Landon waited for Derek in her car that she had parked by the road.“I hope he doesn’t delay much,” Aimee said to herself.Not that she had anything else to do, especially now that Christopher was out of the country, but since Derek told her that he found something about Ashley, she had been eager. She could not wait to get her hands on something that she could use against Ashley.“Christopher is mine, and no one is going to take him away from me,” Aimee told herself firmly.These were the words she continued to say to herself, because they made her believe that they were true, and they also made her fight for him. Aimee already knew that loving a man like Christopher meant competitions, and it was a good thing that she was a good player. She had worked so hard to not also be by Christopher’s side, but to also make him see her. She had been able to maintain her position by his side, and one task had been successfully achieved so far, and all she needed to do was put in a little
Lily had just been placed between the devil and the deep blue sea, and she had no idea what to do, but what Lily knew was that she would not give herself to Mr. Yang for anything in the world.“You always have a way of making things difficult for me,” Lily said angrily under her breath as she hurried to their hotel room.She couldn’t even wait for Christopher to return from the room.As soon as Lily arrived at the room, she barged in like a wild dog, startling Christopher who was going through his documents with ease.“Jeez, Ashley, what is it?!” Christopher asked after recovering from the shock that Lily had just put him through.“We need to leave, right now!” Lily said frantically.Christopher was surprised. “Why are we leaving? What are you talking about?” Christopher asked without standing up from his sitting position; he did not share in Lily’s need for haste.“Can you just listen to me for once and let us leave?” Lily practically pleaded.When she had rushed upstairs, she hadn’t
About two hours later, Christopher and Mr. Yang were done with the meeting.Lily was bored and tired of listening to a conversation that she did not understand at all, and the only thing that kept her from dozing off was watching Christopher Bridger in his element, but then again, she could not deny the fact that Christopher was extremely upset. Lily could not tell if he was upset with her, even though she had said things that she shouldn’t have said, but it did not ruin anything, as Mr. Yang still seemed very much interested in whatever Christopher was saying.“Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Yang,” Christopher said as the two men shook hands.“We are happy to host you, and I know that you were supposed to have this meeting with the full team, but everyone else had other delegations,” Mr. Yang explained. “Anyway, we will put all that you have said into consideration, and since you fit into our requirement, you will be highly considered,” Mr. Yang addedChristopher seemed pleased t
Lily coughed, as though the tea was choking her, but by the time she was done acting up, she realized that the men were still looking at her, and expecting a response, especially Mr. Yang.“Um, her name is…” Lily stuttered and she hoped that her drama would not cost her the biggest mistake of her life, because she did not know why they had shifted from Christopher’s business to Ashley’s family.It would have been better if she had an idea about what she was being asked, but Don Grander never saw it fit to give her all the details regarding Ashley, and now she was left stuttering.“I think my wife is having a difficult time because she had a rough night,” Christopher immediately chipped in.“Oh my, is that so?” Mr. Yang asked, instantly getting worried.“Yes, it is,” Lily quickly answered, grateful that Christopher had come to her rescue. “I had a banging headache, which was why I couldn’t join Christopher for yesterday’s dinner,” Lily answered.Christopher cleared his throat uncomfort
The show is yours, Mrs. Bridger, please regale me,” Mr. Yang said, looking at Lily with an expectant smile.“That’s right, honey,” Christopher added tightly. “Please tell Mr. Yang the beautiful story of how we met,” Christopher said. Then he muttered something that only Lily could hear. “Hell save you from my wrath if you don’t do this well.”Lily began to shiver inside again while struggling to maintain a better appearance; one that did not say that she was shaking and in dread.“Um…” Lily started. She had no idea what Christopher had sent to her, because she did not even get access to it, and at the same time, Lily could not keep the gentlemen waiting, especially Mr. Yang. “Our parents were very good friends,” Lily started.From the corner of her eyes, she saw Christopher’s jaw tighten in anger, and she knew right away that she had said something contradictory to his story, but whatever the case, Lily could not stop now, which only meant that Christopher would have to abandon his ow