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Chapter Twenty-Four
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2024-10-29 19:42:56UNDER THE STARS
Sierra’s head was perched against the window, the coolness of the evening was seeping through the glass and settled against her scalp, but it hardly fazed her.
Ken maneuvered through traffic, casting an occasional glance her way, seeming worried by her look of despair, she was mentally counting down the moments till he asked.
“Are you okay?” A small smile tugged at her lips at the words, she knew he would enquire, what she didn’t know, was the answer to his question.
“Today is February 25th.” The date was replaying in her head since she first wrote it in her research journal that mor
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THROUGH A LOOKING GLASSWhen Sierra stepped off the elevator the following day the first thing she saw was a familiar figure leaning against her door.“Roman?” Her voice caused him to stand upright and lock eyes with her, “What are you doing here?” She asked, confused by his presence, as far she knew, he was supposed to work a late shift at the hospital.“Packing buddy?” He held up a roll of tape in one hand and a fat sharpie in another with a hopeful look in his eyes.“Of course, but I thought you had to work tonight?” She wondered, unlocking the door.
The Deal Chapter Twenty-Six
PAYING IT FORWARDSierra looked around the restaurant as she waited for Ken to arrive, usually he would have picked her up, but since it was only a short walk down from the apartment, they agreed to meet there.She was exhausted from the long hours she worked the week before and the weekend-long conference she attended, but her promise to Ken took priority.“Hi, sorry that I’m late, I had to drop something off outside the city and there was a traffic jam on my way back,” Ken explained in fluent English with his usual mandarin tinged accent.“It’s okay, I haven’t been here long, I took the liberty to order your favorite dragon fruit soda.” Sierra found his choice weird,
The Deal Chapter Twenty-Seven
A REMINDER TO REMEMBER“Can I ask you one slightly personal question?” Sierra voiced as they exited the gym, the words had been on her mind since the night before and she only just bucked up the courage to ask it, “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.” She added, knowing it would increase her likeness at getting an answer.Boy did she regret taking that psychology class in college now.“Okay.” He answered steadily, agreeing to her terms.“You don’t seem to have many friends around here, or at least anyone close enough to be more than an acquaintance, why not?” Roman weighed her words, it wasn’t an overly intrusive question, more c
The Deal Chapter Twenty-Eight
GOODBYERoman stood at her door waiting for it to swing open, Ken was waiting for them downstairs ready to take her to the airport even though they were still early.When the door flung open his gaze landed on Sierra’s distracted gaze, she was scrolling through her phone with a frown on her face, seemingly looking for something.“Everything okay?” he asked, closing the door behind him.“Huh, yeah, sorry, I’m just trying to check-in to my flight.” She wandered back into the room, leaving him alone in the living room. The apartment looked empty, like something out of a studio, gone were the little bits of character that made it homely, the little touches of Sierra that brought
The Deal Chapter Twenty-Nine
HOME SWEET SAN FRANCISCOSierra had a wide smile plastered on her face as she sat in the back seat of her Father’s truck, her parents insisted on picking her up from the airport and she was happy to oblige, she’d missed them terribly.“Everyone is so excited to see you, six months without you was too long, Sierra.” Her mother complained, but the happiness in her voice and eyes told Sierra that she had long forgiven her daughter’s long departure, grateful to have her back.“It feels good to be back.” Her smile widened when they pulled into the driveway of her house, oh how she’d missed her beloved home.
The Deal Chapter Thirty
WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE“This is a new era in modern medicine cemented on the basis of ancient home remedies. We have in the past seen that various specimens which were once used to treat ancient ailments have proven themselves as effective against modern diseases. The discovery of the ‘Pokok Penyembuhan’- which directly translates to ‘Tree of Healing’ is a milestone for us in the world of science and internal medicine.“Studying the plant and learning about it has been an enlightening experience, I had the privilege of working with a group of brilliant botanists from our London branch, they helped us to unders
The Deal Chapter Thirty-One
A REALITY JUST AS SWEETRoman led them to the bar after their little endeavor and ordered two shots of tequila, knowing it was exactly what she needed to reset her senses. His ambush threw her off and it showed in her actions, not that he was complaining.Wordlessly they threw back the shots as soon as the bartender set it down and Sierra turned to face him.“Hi…” She breathed out.“Hi.” He smoldered.“I’m sorry, I just don’t know what to say right now.” Sierra covered her face to cool the heat in her cheeks.“You don&rsq
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DRUNK ON LOVEThoughts and memories of Roman ravaged through her mind like never before, in the past, she’d distracted her mind till all thoughts of him left her, but that didn’t seem to be working as she tried to enjoy the rest of her evening knowing he was seated a few feet away.Is he thinking about me too?“Sierra, earth to Sierra!” Macy called with raised eyebrows, “Where are you?” She asked, referring to the faraway look in SIerra’s eyes, but before she could utter a word, Brent stood up at the end of the table.“It’s been lovely, but I think I should go. Have a good evening everybody.” With those words and a tight smile, he scooped up his jac
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EPILOGUE Sierra closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of the wind in her hair while her sun hat both protected her from the colossal heat of the Californian sun and threatened to fly off. Roman and Sierra were enjoying the view of the coast as they drove along the shoreline on their way to his family’s beach house in Malibu. Elijah’s convertible proved to be the best choice of vehicle for the summertime weather, with the music blasting through the speakers and Sierra and Roman singing along at the top of their voices. “Ahh… This is the life.” Roman sighed when the song trickled to an end. “I think we could use one of these.” She ran her hand over the dashboard lovingly, “But like a Bentley convertible.” Roman eyed her with amus
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THE TRUTH A soft thud woke Sierra up from her sleep, she felt a lot stronger than earlier so she decided to check if Roman was okay, pushing open her door, she stopped short when she saw his muscled back facing the door from his position at the window, he had his phone against his ear and a hand in his hair, she wondered if it was a work emergency since he seemed frustrated, but before she could take another step, his harsh voice stopped her. “No. Stop this shit, I’m warning you, Caralynn, if you ever call me again I will make sure you live to regret it. I made myself clear last night, I love Sierra and you have made things difficult enough for me, I won’t tolerate anymore. I’m not the same naive person I used to be. This conversation is over!” He whisper yelled, his voice hard with finality.
The Deal Chapter Sixty-Five
FIXING THINGS “Mom she won’t talk to me, I don’t know what to do.” Roman sighed, pacing the length of Sierra’s kitchen. “What did you do?” His mother asked, he could picture her with her hands on her hips, staring at him knowingly. “We bumped into Cara yesterday. Let’s just say I didn’t handle the situation well.” He cringed at his own words and his mother sighed. “I knew that girl was bad news the day I met her,” Karisa grumbled. “Mom!” Roman groaned.
The Deal Chapter Sixty-Four
IN SICKNESS AND HEALTH The phone buzzed beneath her, making her groan out loud. She called in sick to work early that morning, so it wouldn’t be them looking for her. She didn’t bother peeling her eyes open when she answered the call. “Hello?” She grumbled, suddenly feeling bile rise in her throat. “Sierra, are you okay?” Roman’s concerned voice was clear through the phone, but before she could answer or cut the call, her mouth felt wet. Abandoning the call, she raced to the guest bathroom and threw herself in front of the toilet before the contents of her stomach spewed back out. She felt her head pound and her stomach burned
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HURT AND JEALOUSY Sierra and Roman were seated at their favorite spot at Ghirardelli Chocolate Company drinking milkshakes when Roman suddenly froze. “Cara?” Roman breathed, wide-eyed. Sierra turned to see a drop-dead gorgeous woman standing behind her staring at Roman with a loving look in her eyes and Sierra’s body turned cold. “Roman!” The woman smiled broadly and approached Roman just as Sierra realized he stood up. Long slender arms wrapped themselves around Roman’s neck at the same time his arms tightened around her waist and hi
The Deal Chapter Sixty-Two
THE SURPRISE PARTYSierra and Alexa removed the cake from the box, careful not to touch it and damage the cream.“This looks so delicious,” Alexa commented, Sierra ordered it from a well-known bakery in downtown San Francisco and she too was quite pleased with the outcome.“She’s going to love it.” The blush pink and peach roses were soft in contrast to the shards of white chocolate that stuck out between them, the vanilla sponge was filled with raspberries and white chocolate ganache and covered in a pink ombre ganache.It was exactly as Alexa described, feminine with an edge.
The Deal Chapter Sixty-One
A MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE“Okay, I’m here. Are you ready?” Roman grabbed his bag in his hand and opened it, ready to reveal what he picked in the gift shop.“Yup, we’ll each reveal one item at a time.” Sierra reached into the bag to pull out the first item.Their eyes landed on the items in their hands and both of them smirked, Roman held up a 7-inch vinyl record with Ain’t No Sunshine by Bill Withers written on the cover and Sierra held up a polaroid camera.“You know what this means, don’t you?&rdq
The Deal Chapter Sixty
THE ICE CREAM EXPERIENCESierra keeled over with laughter. A little Indian woman was teaching Roman how to make candy floss, but she scolded him endlessly because he kept eating it. They saw the little cart when they got off the cable car and Roman dragged her over with fascination.“Okay, no more, no more, we finished now.” She lifted the stick and handed it to him, switching off the machine in the process. She looked worse for wear after the experience, but Roman was beaming from ear to ear.“You’re the best Aunty Rashida.” He dropped a kiss on her cheek and handed a dollar bill to her husband with a salute in his direction before he took off towards Sierra. Grabbing her hand he yanked her to
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I LOVE YOUThe weeks passed by in a blur and before they knew it, Roman started his job as head of the ED at Union Medical Centre. The brand new building hosts a variety of specialised clinics such as an Oncology clinic, a Diabetes wing, a pre, and post-hospital care facility, and state-of-the-art maternity care. It has become the best round-the-clock medical facility in San Francisco.“How was your first week at work?” Roman was still dressed in navy blue scrubs and trainers.“It’s been great, getting to know the team and learning to work with everyone. No major cases yet, but the challenge is great.” Roman grinned, popping a fry into his mouth. They were seated on a bench of a popular fi
