“How are you?” I asked Jenny on the phone. It was currently seven in the morning, and she was preparing to go into court for a trial. Lucas was in the dining room having his breakfast that I helped prepare since I was up before the break of dawn.Kerrington had asked for my review on some articles before they were published the following day, and I figured the earlier I got into it, the better this staycation would be for me.“I am well. I told him about the pregnancy, and he was beyond excited.” She spoke enthusiastically. “He has already painted the extra room in his house... Some mauve colors for now. I will not be surprised if he starts shopping for the child before he buys my wedding dress.”I laughed hysterically.“Stop it, Jen. Anthony loves you a lot. He will buy them all at the same time.” I jested.“You see, that’s where the problem is. This child has eight months to arrive. Our wedding is in three months. I believe that makes me the priority.”“Honey, you will have a glamor
"Have you ever had a chat with Martha?" Charlotte asked. I stared at her quizzically, unsure of who she was referring to."Uhm, does Martha want to have a chat with me?" I asked, not wanting to sound oblivious in case this Martha was someone I ought to know."Do you even know who Martha is?" She asked, clearly noticing the change in my tone.Shit."I don't, actually," I surrendered. Charlotte clearly knew me too well, and every time I thought I could outdo her, my brain miscalculated how well the person I had lived with all my life knew me. "She's your head cook, Lucas!" She mentioned matter-of-factly. "We had an in-depth conversation with her about her hometown. She is such an intriguing soul, and she happens to bear the same wisdom that Aunt May had." She stretched out her legs, swinging with pure joy as we watched the sunset. "You know, you do have interesting staff members." She added.My mind did not wish to think about anyone or anything else at the moment as my day at the off
“Sir, you have a Miss Charlotte for you,” Luce’s voice sounded on the intercom. Lucas pressed the answer button and asked her to let her in. He stood up from his seat and smoothed out his suit which did not require any straightening at all.Lucas walked to the door and opened it even before her beautiful figure appeared in his sight. She was dressed in a black casual dress, and her ebony black hair bounced on her back with every step she took as she approached him.He watched her keenly, his heart beating quicker with every clack of her heels. Her face beamed when their eyes met, clearly equally excited to see him. Luce watched the two lovebirds as their eyes never peeled off each other, and instantly knew that she was the woman who drove her boss romantically insane all along. She had never seen his face light up so brightly before.“Hey,” Lucas greeted her when she stood before him.“Hi,” she responded casually. He welcomed her inside his gigantic office, leaning on the door frame a
“Excuse me?” I said, stopping the fury from seeping out of me. I could not place her face no matter how hard I racked my brain, and it did not make sense why she would ambush me in the bathroom for no reason. Her eyes glittered in purple eyeshadow, and her face portrayed her as a young lady, almost my age.She stood by the sinks, blocking the sight of my purse. This did not look like a burglary at all, and even if it were, the only valuable thing I would lose was the purse itself which was a gift from Lucas.“How dare you!” she cursed loudly, making my head spin in confusion. There was no reason for her anger, and she did not seem mentally incapacitated to be angry at a stranger for no reason.“Excuse me!” I echoed.“Charlotte Manning, right?” she asked. Her question puzzled me more, as the only reason someone would know both of my names is if they were my kin or colleague. I was not a journalist at Kerrington, and publishers were hardly ever recognized outside their places of work. W
“Look who we have here!” Vivian exclaimed loudly. Her presence had garnered more people in the audience, and the social media platforms were flowing with live news of the encounter. “If not the new couple in town,” she laughed deviously.“What the hell is this, Vivian?” Lucas tremored through his clenched teeth. His attempts to hide Charlotte from the limelight were proving futile, and like every wrong thing in his life recently, he had Vivian Kent to blame.“No, no, no, sweetie! You are not the one to get angry here, you hear me? In this situation, I should be the frustrated one. Of all the ways to trample on my dignity and pride, you replace me with her?” She said, gesturing at Charlotte. A group of people gasped in amazement as the cameras turned towards Charlotte who did not even try to hide her face since it was too late.“You know, when you told me you were leaving me, I was ready to forgive you. But now that I know you left me for this cheap bag of shit, I do not know if I can,
“You do know hiding in your duvet won’t negate the fact that you are famous now!” I declared as I tried grabbing the duvet from her face. Charlotte Manning was trending on all social media platforms thanks to her courageous confrontation with Vivian yesterday.Most people were praising her for her ‘pieces of truth’ as they framed them, with a few of Kent's loyal followers still amused by her out-of-the-blues appearance.“No, leave me alone!” Charlotte protested, clinging onto the end of her duvet like it could provide a stronger fort against the crowd. Her phone had been ringing incessantly from different media houses, and she sent them all to voicemail which bore messages asking for wedding dates. The only call she had agreed to pick up was from her assistant Diane, who wanted her permission to publish the story in Kerrington magazines, but she declined.“Baby, you know I can’t do that,” Lucas replied as he struggled to find an entry inside her fort. He snuggled with her, holding her
Like it had been all morning, my phone rang again. Lucas put me back down on the bed and reached out for my phone. The screen displayed Rita’s name which was a change from the different journalists who had contacted me since the break of dawn. “Hello,” I spoke through the phone.“Bitch!” Rita’s voice sounded on the other end of the line in a squeaky tone. “You are trending on social media like a mad piece! YouTube views have hit all the collective views of my videos.” I laughed. I had avoided the online space since the incident, and I was unsure of whether she was exaggerating or not, but I did not let curiosity get the better part of me.“It’s not a big deal,” I shrugged, knowing how big of a deal it actually was.“Oh please, miss humility personified. It is a gigantic deal. Now I have to be cautious of my make-up every time I walk with you as we all know how cruel paparazzi can be in their sudden photos. Would not wish to trend as Mrs. Benjamin’s ugly best friend.”I laughed again
The Wilsons were seated by the time Lucas and Charlotte walked into the Rainbow Room. It was quite sparse unlike most of the nights Lucas had dined there. Abby was wearing a long white dress that flowed all the way to her ankles, covered by a lavender shawl that protected her exposed arms from the slight night breeze.Mark was still in the same grey suit he had in the office earlier on, just like Lucas was in his black suit. Lucas and Charlotte walked arm in arm to the reserved spot in the corner of the hall, hoping not to have anyone interrupt their evening together.“A pleasure to finally meet you, Charlotte,” Mark said as he rose up from his seat to hug Charlotte. a wide grin was plastered on her face as she exchanged pleasantries with him while Lucas walked over to congratulate Abby on the other side of the table.“The pleasure is mine too, darling,” Abby said as she pecked Charlotte on the cheek.Lucas drew a seat for Charlotte right next to Mark as he settled across Abby. The wa