The day for the meeting came like a flash, and Lily had never been this unprepared before in her entire life.“I am going to give you time to get dressed,” Christopher said.He was dressed in a fitted suit that clung to his body and made him look like the most handsome man on earth. In truth, Christopher Bridger was the most handsome man that Lily had ever set her eyes on. Anyway, Lily shook her head to get rid of the thought; now wasn’t the time, and a man like Christopher Bridger would never belong to a lowlife girl like her.“Have you mastered all that I sent to you?” Christopher asked.“Yes, I have,” Lily lied boldly.Of course she hadn’t gotten the time to try enough to get access to Ashley’s email, and Don Grander wasn’t even helpful at all, so she had no idea what Christopher had sent, but she would have to give this her best shot, even though she would have to do so blindly.“Okay then, hurry up. I don’t want us to keep Mr. Yang waiting,” Christopher said. “When you are ready,
“Hey, Rudney, there is someone here to see you,” one of the staff members of the wine shop informed Rudney who was arranging some bottles of wine on the wine rack.“Alright, I will be out soon,” Rudney responded.It would be his lunch break soon anyway, so he just decided to finish up what he was doing so that when he would attend to that person, he would not have to be in a haste. When Rudney was done, he got out and saw Joe waiting at the reception area.The moment Joe saw Rudney, he broke into a smile.“Did I come at a wrong time?” Joe asked.He was dressed in a pair of faded jean trousers and a jersey shirt from his baseball club, and he also wore the neckpiece that Lily got for him on his last birthday. “There is never a wrong time for you, Joe,” Rudney said and he meant it. “I was just around the corner and I thought to say a quick hello,” Joe said.“Even though Lily is not here anymore,” Rudney mused, but he didn’t know that he was loud enough for Joe to catch his words.Joe
“I am going to get fired when Mr. Christopher gets here,” Trisha said frantically and almost on the verge of tears. She had arrived at the office to see that some changes had been made to the fight tickets that she booked, and she knew that it could only be the handwork of one person alone.Aimee Landon.Aimee Landon gave Trisha a hard stare. She was still begrudged that she did not get to go with Christopher on the trip despite all the efforts that she put into it, and here she was, listening to Trisha whine about her job.“You will simply say it was an error,” Aimee said dismissively.“Miss Aimee, you know that Mr. Christopher thrives on excellence. He will never buy the silly excuse of it being a mistake, knowing that this was an important trip,” Trisha said as tears gathered in her eyes. “I can’t afford to lose this job,” Trisha lamented.Aimee was getting really irritated and infuriated by Trisha’s sulking presence; she had more pressing things to think about, and right now, Tris
“Mr. Yang, please meet my beautiful wife, Ashley,” Christopher introduced as he held Lily firmly yet tenderly by the waist.Lily tried not to be fidgety, but deep inside, she was shaking furiously. She had wanted to pretend to have a serious headache, just like she had done the night before, but then again, they were already here.“Oh, what a beauty,” Mr. Yang said as he took Lily hand and kissed the back of her palm casually. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Bridger,” he said, looking at Lily in a normal way.Instantly, Lily felt as ease. The man seemed friendly and harmless, and more importantly, he seemed as though he did not recognize her, or maybe that staff has just cooked up a nonexistent story to unnerve her. Lily realized that there was nothing to fear after all.“The pleasure is mine, Mr. Yang,” Lily answered with a warm and relaxed smile.“Please, let us settle in,” Mr. Yang said.Then he led them to the table that they had booked. It looked like a mini conference room
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
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
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 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
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