Sam leaned back on her chair as she read through the financial report that she requested that afternoon of the same day. She reached for a highlighter and started marking the figures that she checked.For the next two hours, she reviewed the files Shirley had placed on her table. The last folder she picked up contains the ongoing works at several floors of the building below where Damian's shopping mall will connect.Opening the file, she first read the progress report along with photos attached. She noted the delays and the buffer of works being done to ensure the target percentage."Shirley?" Sam called out, pressing on the intercom and waited for the answer. "Can you please check if Felix's at his office? I need to see him now.""He just came in here, Sam," Shirley responded with a hint of surprise in her voice. "I'll let him in."Sam stood up when the door to her office opened and Felix Conroy came in with a set look on his face. She already has a suspicion in her mind and it's fr
Sam entered her office the following day and abruptly stopped when she saw Felix Conroy standing by her office, obviously waiting for her arrival. She gripped the folder in her hand when he turned towards her expectantly.“Were you able to have the figures revised?” Felix then asked expectantly.Walking towards her desk, Sam placed her bag on the chair and handed him the folder. She watched as Felix opened the file and read through it with his eyes for a long while before finally nodding with satisfaction.“Good to see that you had him agree to this,” he said to her calmly. “The ROI he presented will not be suitable for us. Have this notarized immediately by legal, Sam and then we can put this to rest.”“I had Shirley call them to come here to get the file,” Sam informed patiently.“Well, that’s it then,” Felix said with finality. He looked at her and there was some glint in his eyes but decided not to say it. “As long as you are keeping McLaren in check, we won’t be seeing each other
Damian stared grimly as Sam was tucked into her bed by Ara in the room she had first stayed in at Stratham and watched Gunny immediately jumping up the bed and settled beside her, his head resting on her upper arm.Sam had also taken some pills.At Ara’s firm insistence, when they all decided to take Sam back home, she stepped up and told Damian to let Sam stay in a separate room. He was about to refuse but Oliver Morgan, Sam’s therapist backed her up. He was the unknown man in Sam’s office when he was able to bring Sam out of the toilet.He recalled what Sam said after he informed that he was called in urgently.“I thought I was going to be okay,” Sam only replied. She stood beside Damina silently for a long while. She was breathing slowly before looking back at Oliver. “But I don’t think I ever was, Ollie. I thought I was but I’m not. I don’t know what to do.”“I’m here,” Oliver assured as he walked towards her but stopped when Damian gave him a dark look. He gestured to one of the
Damian was left sitting on the couch as Ara and Vincent escorted Oliver out of his house, talking in lowering voices about Sam’s condition. He leaned back and closed his eyes as the words of her psychiatrist came haunting him back.“Sam said that she is dirty,” Oliver said.“Dirty?” Ara asked, aghast at the word. “How did she ever come up with that description to herself? Why did she even think of that?!”“She refused to expound,” Oliver responded grimly. “I tried to let her expound but stopped because the more I tried, the more she retreats. I cannot have that happened. It was difficult pulling her out from the abyss she drowned in.”Oliver continued to discussed some more about Sam’s condition and apologized that he couldn’t be able to give them more answers. Only questions have remained and he gave his word that he will check on Sam from time to time.“If she decides to go down at her own time, give her the upper hand,” he suggested. “She will for sure look for some affirmation. Ju
Sam entered the lobby of her office the following Monday morning and shook her head at Shirley when she saw her secretary about to ask regarding the two bodyguards, which are following her behind.Pushing the door to her office, she immediately proceeded to her desk and sat down.“Did Damian give instructions for you to stay here?” She questioned tightly when she noted that Noah and Brandon, the other guard assigned to her stood by the door. She frowned when Noah turned to her and nodded briefly. “Pray tell me how I can be able to escape? The only way is through those glass and I have no plans in jumping.”“We will stand by outside your office, Mrs. McLaren,” Noah finally responded and the two of them immediately went out.Sam leaned back on her chair, closing her eyes.Ever since telling Damian that she wanted divorce, she had the two men following her wherever she goes even if she is just at the Stratham mansion. She tried talking to Damian, but her husband seemed to have disappeare
Sam stared at the file on her hand intently while gripping it with her hand tightly.Thoughts of what transpired between her and Damian came flooding back into her mind as the memory of her insisting on the figures for the ROI surfaced. She recalled the lengths she had to go through for Damian to finally agree.“Who the f8ck are you?!” Lucilla shouted at the bodyguards angrily. She turned to Sam. “Oh, so you now have the arrogance to hire bodyguards to protect you, Sam?! Do you really think you have a lot of threats that you need protecting?! It should be the other way around because they are the ones that needs protection from you!”He’s doing this on purpose, Sam thought wildly, not hearing Lucilla’s continuous rant. Is this the hell that he told me?Unable to control her emotions, Sam felt her body trembling, her knees starting to get weak. The file she held in her hand suddenly dropped to the floor and Noah turned towards her when he felt it.“Madam?” He asked in concern.Sam look
Damien took a drink from his glass as he looked at his watch and saw that there’s still ten minutes more before the clock turns six in the evening. He reached for his phone when a message notified.He read the message from his mother, asking him when he will be coming back to Italy.“We just talked a few days ago, mami,” Damien then said when he placed a call and his mother immediately answered. “I told you that I’m just finishing some works here. I’ll try to make them quicker than what I had told you.”“No, Damien,” Aurora insisted firmly. “I am giving you a week more to come here with Mrs. Cameron. She needs a new environment with her current condition.”Gripping his phone tightly, Damien leaned his elbows on the table.“Who told you?”“Does it matter, Damien?” His mother answered casually. She made some tsking sound at the other end of the line. “Why do sons always underestimate their mothers when they come to a certain age? Most of you prefer that we enjoy our retirement.”“As you
Samantha stood quietly beside Damien after he helped her out of the car when they arrived in his hometown, Bassano del Grappa on a sunny Tuesday morning. She listened as Damien gave instructions to his men and the staff that waited at the entrance of the house.Gunny is also being brought down from the second car and he immediately run to Sam, making sure that she is okay. Sam went down on one knee and rubbed Gunny’s face lovingly before she told him to go with Vivian for his meal.“Mami’s inside,” he said to her gently, helping her up and placed a hand on her back and pushed her lightly to walk with him. He looked down at her and noted her calm expression. “You have nothing to be afraid of.”Upon entering the living area, the room is bright due to the windows immersed with the surrounding greenery. The room designed reflected a perfect combination of rustic/historic finishes and latest generation materials.A tall, white-haired woman with striking, blue eyes was sitting on a comforta
Damian handed his bag to one of his bodyguards and a box to one household staff with instructions, as he went out from his car on an early Wednesday night and proceeded towards the entrance at Stratham. He immediately took off his coat, unbutton the top two buttons of his shirt and loosen his tie.“Where’s my wife?” He asked when Winston greeted him while checking his phone. “How is she doing? Has she eaten?”“At the garden by the pool, sir,” Winston replied. “Madam barely ate her lunch but I convinced her to eat the fruit bowl I gave this afternoon.”“We’ll have dinner in an hour with guests. Frederick already coordinated with the chef,” Damian informed, nodding at the butler’s response. He pocketed his phone after answering a message. “Call him as well. I had him do something and needs to coordinate with you.”“Right away, Mr. McLaren,” Winston answered.Damian then headed towards the glass doors and pushed it open, his eyes searching for Sam. He found her sitting by one of the loun
Sam heard her phone ringing as Damian handed his card to the waiter after they are done with their meal. She reached for it inside her purse and saw Vivian calling her, showing it to Damian before answering.“Vivian, is anything wrong?” Sam asked after answering the call.“Madam, we are on our way to the vet right now,” Vivian answered calmly. “There’s something wrong with Gunny. I already informed Mr. McLaren’s driver so he can immediately take you there.”She gripped her phone, her face turning pale.“Everything okay with Gunny?” Damian asked.Sam shook her head, abruptly standing up and grabbing her purse. Tears started to well up around her eyes that her husband immediately noticed that he stood up as well and took her hand, heading out of the dining room.After giving instructions to one of his men to take care of their billing, he quickly ushered Sam to the car, who is already waiting for them.“Here,” Damian offered, handing his handkerchief to her.Sam took it and wipe her eye
Damian watched Sam as she walked ahead of him to check some local goods bazaar being held at downtown. He noted that Noah and Brandon immediately went closer to her for easier access in case of emergency.After their conversation a while ago, his heart felt lighter but also quite heavy.Sam looked at him in confused after he told her that he loves her.“What did you say?” She asked slowly.Damian just stared at her for a while before blinking, realizing he uttered it in Italian and in a low voice. He shook his head before looking at her again, placing a hand on her face and smiled. He didn’t know if she understood him or not but if she did, she asked to make sure that she heard him right.“Did you say-?” Sam started.He cut her off by pulling her face down and pressing his lips on hers in a hungry kiss. He wrapped his other arm tighter around her waist, deepening the kiss when she kissed him back with the same intensity.He didn’t know how long they stayed in that position. All Damian
Sam opened her eyes to a dim room, feeling heavy. Her eyes ached as she cried herself to sleep and also taking her medication, when Damian all of a sudden walked out on her when she begged him not to take Cameron away from her.She looked towards the balcony and saw that the curtains had been closed to prevent the light from coming in. She reached for her phone and saw that it was nine in the evening.Checking her messages, she saw none that came from Damian and her heart dropped and felt heavier. A whimper came out of her mouth.“Are you alright?”Gasping in shock, she turned towards the other side and saw Damian, lying beside her on top of her blanket, looking up at her.He was still in his work clothes and only removed his coat and shoes and unbuttoning his polo at the top.Damian reached for her one arm and pulled her back down. When she is on her side, he then immediately pulled her in his arms, pushing her face into his neck and resting his chin on her head. He let out a long an
Damian gripped Sam’s shoulders tightly as he deepened the kiss, to make her stop struggling away from him. He bit her lower lip to get her to cooperate and when he finally felt her relax, he ran the tip of his tongue to soothe the sting.When they finally pulled away, Sam rested her forehead on his shoulder, breathing heavily. Her hands are clutching at his shirt tightly and suddenly her breath hitched as she started to cry.He only stood, his arms wrapping around her and let her cries out. Her tears soaked his shirt but he didn’t mind and let her continue.“Feeling better?” Damian asked when she finally became silent.Samantha shook her head.“I-I wanted to smashed the glass I’m holding at Omar’s head when he invited me to go up,” she whimpered as she covered her face with her hands. “I feel sick and wanted to throw up when he touched me. I wasn’t entertaining his advances as you claimed.”“Were you also judging me when SJ hugged me that night at the charity gala? Did you think of th
Opening her eyes and removing the blanket over her head, Sam checked the clock and saw it displaying twelve minutes past ten in the morning. Finally deciding to get up, she padded to the bathroom and took a quick shower.After putting on her clothes, she went out of her room, hearing Gunny’s bark from outside, probably from the exercise Vivian is tasked to do.“Good morning, Madam.” Frederick greeted.“Hasn’t Damian come down yet?” Sam asked.Frederick looked at her for a while. “Mr. McLaren left before I arrived and told me to stay here when I called him,” he answered patiently. He followed behind when she proceeded to the dining room, stopping when Sam glanced at him. “He will call me if there are any urgent concerns.”Sam fully turned towards him; her eyebrows raised.“He told you to babysit me, didn’t he?” She questioned tightly. “I don’t need one.”“He told me to tell you that when you will ask of his whereabouts,” he responded calmly. He looked at her for a while, gauging her mo
Sam opened her eyes the following day and stared up at the bedroom ceiling for a long while, her thoughts deep. She turned to one side and saw the clock flashing five in the morning.Instead of getting up to change for her usual run, she remained and only turned her body to face the glass door, leading to the balcony. She pulled her blanket closer to her, gripping it tightly as thoughts of what happened last night filled her mind.When they were ushered back to the party, Damian was separated from her as he was escorted to a table where Omar had joined him. She turned in desperation to find some solace, her eyes spotting Katherine heading towards her direction.However, due to the influx of the guests, she was pushed further from them. Looking around the surroundings, Sam saw a door and immediately headed towards it, discovering it to be a bathroom for guests.Letting out her breath, she went inside and sat on the large settee in the center of the room, calming herself. She looked at
Damian thanked Nino, the waiter that Venuti assigned to him after receiving his drink from him. He downed the drink in one go and requested to get him another one.“You really should take it slow,” Vincent muttered dryly.“Now I know why Venuti insisted that we come here,” Damian said darkly as he nodded at Nino. He lowered his hand that is holding his new drink and scowled when he saw Omar and Vittoria in his line of sight. “Never thought the old man can be quite scheming.”“Thank God that my wife doesn’t like Vittoria,” Vincent commented in a low voice.Damian nodded, thankful that Vincent’s wife, Katherine is with him. She immediately took Sam with her, making sure that their paths won’t crossed with the newly engaged couple.He saw the way Sam’s face clouded with anxiety that Damian was ready to leave the party just to protect her.“You’re not going anywhere, Damian. So’s your wife,” a voice said behind and when he turned, he saw Katherine, wrapping an arm around Vincent’s waist.
Sam leaned back on her chair and closed her eyes, letting out a long sigh after finally finalizing the contract deal of an existing building that Damian had been eyeing and negotiating for quite a while on a Friday afternoon, few hours before office for the day ends. She felt the cool breeze of the AC in one of the vacant offices in his company on the same floor with his, making her sleepy.For the past two weeks, she had been going with Damian to his office, helping him with the files that has something to do with Cameron. Without waiting for his permission, she immediately took the files from Frederick and started on it.By end of the first week, she was able to accomplished more than half of the documents that had been pending for quite a while. Her mind became hungry to work and she started automatically.Sam was more than happy to help, knowing that Damian had been sacrificing some work time to accommodate her since she started getting sick. She also felt a little guilty since he