Share

Chapter 5.2

Author: Leann Tice
last update Huling Na-update: 2024-10-29 19:42:56

Things We Don't Share

Amidst the hustle and bustle of city life, among the concrete jungle of establishments and IT companies lie West Enterprises.

The towering building that is West Ent. is a dirty-white mass of concrete, glass, and steel. Even though the company is the smallest of its sister companies, it already has a reputable status in other parts of the country.

Their office in the tower is divided into G-8 FL, 10-18 FL, and 20-29 FL. The Lobby to the 8th floor or G-8 is where people under HR, Admin, and Customer Relations have their stations. The 10-18th floor or 10-18 FL is for business intelligence, logistics, and supply chain management workers.

Near the top, 20-29 FL is where the company inventory or archives and the finance office are. The 9th and 19th floors served as locker rooms, sitting areas, and vast meeting rooms. The 30th floor is off-limits to the regular salary employee. Only the CEO, Keanu West, Ms. Lee, and Mr. Lewis, his secretaries, had business saying on that floor.

The 30th floor was quiet, as usual.

Mr. Keanu West has been nicknamed "new blood," the newest member at Alexander West's board meetings. To the bosses, he was a pup, but at West Ent. he was the big dog.

He was known as CEO West, a shadowy figure behind every CCTV camera to the rank and file in their office. They rarely saw him. Still, to their bosses, he was a professional, work-friendly, busy individual with his eyes straight on the money. He and his two executives made the gears turn at West Ent.

---

Today, the same as yesterday was quiet. CEO West had an appointment outside the tower, which meant the main office was uneventful, except for the executives' front desk.

As Dina organized the main office, Kenneth was busy doing his remaining paperwork behind the large mahogany double doors.

The day flew by quicker than expected for Ken, but today was as hectic as yesterday for five years. The routine was the same as five years ago too. Executive Secretary Lewis woke up, ate, took a cab to work, sorted out stacks of paperwork, answered ringing phones, went home, ate and slept, and answered a few phone calls at home. He was a self-proclaimed corporate robot.

At the moment, Kenneth was busy with the day's report while waiting for Sec. Janet at Records to call him back. He was impatiently shifting his gaze from the desktop to the telecom on his right.

"What's up, Ken?" he said mentally to himself.

Kenneth wasn't usually like this; he was more organized, but he couldn't help but have a sinking feeling. His gut was telling him something, but he didn't know what exactly. He took a deep breath, pulled open the desk drawer in front of him, and peeled open a menthol patch for his aching neck.

He was stressed, but he had no complaints because of the extra incentives. It was bad enough that he rarely had time for his wife waiting at home, but Kitty was understanding, so she didn't mind; they were saving for their future after all. Ken looked at the clock; he still had time.

"I still have a minute or two," Ken thought, picking up his phone and speed-dialing Kitty.

Ring. Ring. Ring. She wasn't picking up. Ring. Ring. Ring. She picked up.

"Hello, dad?"

"Hi mom, I'm just calling to tell you that I'll be home a little late today," Kenneth groaned; Kitty could tell he was stretching.

"Oh, for how long?" Kitty tried to mask her nerves.

Ken glanced at the digital clock above the elevator, "Hmm, for about an hour late. I'm eating in the house; leave my portion on the table, please."

"Okay, that works, dad."

"Mom, are you okay? I can tell from your voice that something's up"

"Oh," Kitty laughed.

"Well, dad, you beat me to it. I was going to call and tell you that I'd also be working an extra hour at work." Kitty lied. "The staff needed an extra hand. We sold most of the products on the shelf, and later, we'll be restocking."

"Wow, that sounds great," Ken prompted. "Well, I'll leave you to it then. Take care, please."

"I will, you too," Kitty said, hanging up.

---

Kitty went to touch her mouth with a shaky hand.

I did that? I did that.

Katherine Doe-Lewis, for the first time in her life, lied to her husband. She did it to help a stranger who threatened to blackmail her by telling her boss that she stole from the shop.

Kitty's phone rang again; this time, the caller was labeled "no-name" on her phone.

"Hello," Kitty said skeptically.

"Hi, it's Leah."

"Oh, how was it? Did you manage to get your brother out?"

"Yes, I did!"

"And the crazed lover?"

"He's getting detained for a few days. Luckily he doesn't know my complete address," Leah chuckled.

"Well, that's good news for me," Kitty tried to sound cheerful.

"I'm on my way out. Do you need a lift?"

"No, I can manage, thank you," chimed Kitty.

"Okay, take care now. See you around!" Leah dropped the call.

Kitty felt her eyes well up, a tear dripping down from her face, "I can't do this."

Before the tear reached her chin, one after the other her eyes started to leak. She made her eyes red with all the rubbing as she held her face with her hands.

"You'll be okay. It's going to be okay. It's going to be okay," Kitty chanted to herself.

"Are you alright, miss?" Kitty's eyes widened. Someone was seated in front of her.

"I'm okay." Kitty sniffed.

The handsome stranger smiled at her, "Are you sure?" he asked. He had beautiful brown hair, a strong jaw, and beautiful, beautiful brown eyes. Kitty looked at his mouth, there was a bruise, but it didn't matter; he looked handsome either way.

"Are you okay?" Kitty pointed at her mouth, the same area he had a bruise.

The stranger smiled. "I'm okay now."

Leann Tice

Hello! Leann here, here's part 2! I have a blooper, I'm sorry in advance. I seemed to update with the wrong chapter docs. Yes, if you may have already read this chapter, the ending has a bunch of repeating sentences at the end. I immediately updated it when I saw it. Please, check back on this page when it updates. See you on the next chapter!

| 1

Kaugnay na kabanata

  • The Games We Play   Chapter 6

    The In-Between "Thank God, she answered her damn phone," Leah thought. Kitty just stepped out to answer her phone; Leah suspected that her husband would call at this time. While the young one was outside, she was in signing the civilian logbook at the station. Leah was partly glad the confounded ringing stopped; her head was throbbing. In a minute, Leah had finished writing. Leah checked her watch; it was 4:35 pm. She closed the logbook and handed it to the female officer, who smiled back at her. "Thank you, Mrs. Carlton," the lady cop glanced at her name in the log; Leah smiled. "It worked!" "Officer Miller is in the interrogation room at the moment. Please have a seat over there."She then pointed at one of the vacant metal benches facing each other with the back of her pen. Leah thanked her and sat at the end of the bench, and crossed her legs. With her eyes closed, Leah sat there for a good five minutes. She spent her time tapping her heel on the tiled flooring and rechecked

  • The Games We Play   Chapter 7

    Exposure Aftermath"If this feels right, why do I have to leave?" He hauled her a cab. A few seconds later, a yellow Toyota arrived in their direction; the driver clicked open the lock. Kitty looked back, smiling. Her smile met Kai's as he waved her goodbye. She turned around and locked the cab door, and the driver drove off to her apartment. Kitty leaned back on the cab's cream synthetic leather back seat as she hugged the tote on her lap. She looked out the window; the city lights were starting to come alive. Her gaze was locked out the window. The airconditioning was brushing on her forearm; the cab driver was silent as the radio played a random pop song in She had a lot on her mind with what happened today- today was a lot. She stole a red lipstick that wasn't her shade, and she might not open the packaging or used it. On her way home from work, she took a detour when a complete strange tried to blackmail her into being an accomplice. Being used for her turmoil, she let Leah si

  • The Games We Play   Chapter 8.1

    Reflections "Don't let your husband take charge of you; you mean more to yourself," Kitty never forgot it. Leah's words rang inside her head from the moment Kitty wrapped cling-on plastic to the chopped squash; it lasted up to the end of her shift. As she clocked out of work, it was still in her system until Kitty returned to the apartment. The advice ate at her. It was on Kitty's mind before she dozed off to sleep and woke up the following day. It was like a child swallowing a piece of gum after chewing out its sweetness, unaware of when it would be out of their insides. It's Thursday at 3:30 pm today. Monday was when she met the older woman trying to blackmail her. On Tuesday, they had a little heated spat, and yesterday she wasn't in the shop. Kitty had a while to digest what Leah was telling her. She didn't think about it much when she was at work, but Kitty thought of it whenever she was alone. Kitting turned off the upright vacuum in the middle of cleaning and wiped her

  • The Games We Play   Chapter 8.2

    Indecent Advances Leah locked the sliding door behind her. She proceeded to walk to the laundry room at the end of the hall and left the plastic laundry hamper on the counter. After that, she went downstairs to the kitchen. The underlying scent of marinated pork greeted her. Sitting there, spread out on the marbled kitchen counter, were aluminum trays of skewered pork and poultry liver and innards. The meat lay sprawled, ready for a bbq to celebrate a new book and magazine issue launch. Paul had her do it since he was hosting the barbeque. Leah put her back into preparing, so her attention was entirely on them when the kids got home. There was no maid in the house: no gardener or housekeeper, just a lonely housewife. There was just Leah. There was once, but Paul thought Leah better did the house choirs. "Honey, I know you can do it all. Besides, you'd be bored stupid in a house all by yourself, so make yourself handy. Won't you?" Leah could hear her husband say. She gritted her tee

  • The Games We Play   Chapter 9

    Close Call Bianca went on home; she didn't stay for dinner. Kitty's mother-in-law left them half a liter of orange soda in the chiller and a container full of roast chicken. Kitty, later on, served the chicken for dinner. Ken came home around five that night; they ate together. At dinner, Ken couldn't speak. Kitty could tell that he was tired, but whenever she'd talk, he just nodded. Kenneth looked okay, his clothes were OK too, but the expression on his face expressed something else. There was a hint of redness in his eyes. "Did he cry? No. Did he catch sore eyes, or did he rub his eyes too much?" Kitty thought inwardly. Something might have happened at work. Kitty didn't want to bother asking. As Ken's wife, he should be the one opening it up to her. She knew Ken would open up eventually, so she let it slide. Kitty didn't want to intrude, so she stayed quiet. Even after dinner and they were about to sleep, Ken said no

  • The Games We Play   Chapter 10.1

    Drawing Boundaries The afternoon sun was hot on their faces. Sweat trickled down their exposed foreheads, shins, and arms. Kitty couldn't catch a break. She started off running but wasn't used to it; she ended up jogging after him. The worst part was that he maintained his speed; the gap between them grew wider since she slowed down. John was halfway through the community gates to the suburbs. Once in the suburbs, Kitty looked around; they ran past the complex where her apartment was. Using the building as a gauge, she scouted out Leah's house. She recalled what it looked like from the view from her balcony, and then she found it! She mapped out the location in her head and started walking in the direction she drew in her mind. She was ignoring John, who ran straight without a clue where he was going. To Kitty, John was running to lose her; he had no idea where he was going or if he would reach Leah. Kitty took matters i

  • The Games We Play   Chapter 10.2

    Rash Decisions "Now that bonehead is thoroughly stroked, on to phase two." They sat silently for a few minutes, normalizing their breathing. Mrs. Cameron was the first to move. She cupped her breasts and bent down to look for her scattered clothes. Leah could see John finish drinking the few sips in his water bottle on her peripherals and leave it on a door-mounted cupholder in the backseat. She smiled to herself and continued to change. John followed after her. When they were fully dressed, John began detaching the suctioned window shades while Leah sprayed pine-scented Lysol on the seats. After that, the two returned to the chairs in front. It was as if nothing had happened. Leah made a u-turn around the convenience store to the filling station in front of it. Both parties were silent; Leah discreetly watched John in her peripherals while she shut off the air conditioning and rolled down her window to light a menthol cig. He was in search of something. His gaze was elsewhere out

  • The Games We Play   Chapter 11.1

    Gently Slipping It's 6:50 pm, an hour early. She rolled her neck, stuffing her uniform in a backpack in a designated locker labeled C in the dressing room. Her black heels followed after the bag. Out of uniform, she rolled off her underwear and went to the adjacent room for a long soak. The steam was heavy in the lit communal shower room. Inside was nearly empty since everyone's shift was two hours away. She was there with four, maybe five other ladies. There wasn't anyone she recognized, so she kept to herself. Two were talking; one just got in a stall while the other was about to leave utterly naked with just a towel. She took the stall further from the door. She dropped her bath basket, hooked the towel beside the showerhead, and made the water run. Frigid, hard tap water met her face and chest, gradually running all over her slim body, leaving gooseflesh everywhere. It brought her alive. Feeling completely soaked, she turned one of the shower knobs inward. Steaming hot

Pinakabagong kabanata

  • The Games We Play   Chapter 19

    It Felt Right Kitty felt anxious. Since returning to the unit from Leah's, the pressure had been eating Kitty. She made it clear, in her head, that she didn't like to be on the receiving end. The idea made her angry, impatient, and itching. Breathing was difficult. "...I need to talk about this, but when and with whom?" The sun sunk. Kitty made it back in time to prepare dinner. Chicken soup, for her confusion, was appealing-so she went to make it. She found some elbows, boiled and strained them by the sink. Seasoned chicken breasts were swimming in tomato paste in the saucepan while Kitty severed the vegetables and individually tossed them in. Slowly her anxiety backed up but was still present in her shaky hands. Trembling hands caress and firmly hold the shaved potatoes- dicing them in fours. The knife kissing the wooden chopping board sounded like a donkey walking on smooth gravel. ~Chop. Chop. Chop. Chop. When Kitty was satisfied with the size, she immediately tossed the

  • The Games We Play   Chapter 18

    In Her Hands Now ~ Ring, Ring, Ring. ~ Ring, Ring, Ring. ~ Ring, Ring, Ring. The dial rang thrice before he answered the phone. Leah felt relieved. She's been Pat's attention for days now. Leah Cameron wasn't too dense to know Patrick Sylas was ignoring her. "Hello, handsome. How've you been?" Leah said coyly. "I'm getting tired of your shit, Leah." He spat. She could tell it was a right to piss him off. "Why, aren't you tired of making me your boy toy yet?" Patrick said. He sat in his seat, typing, swamped with research and raw articles to correct. Her timing always pissed him off. "Ouch! What made you say that?" Leah pretended to be hurt. "I see nothing wrong about calling the man I love at 8 in the morning." "I don't know about you, but I think you shouldn't be hitting on your husband's subordinates," Patrick spat sarcastically. "So much for love." "Boo, you're no fun anymore, Patty," Leah played. "What if I want his subordinate more, hmm?" He said nothing. "You

  • The Games We Play   Chapter 17

    Creeping Division As days passed-a void grew between Mr. and Mrs. Lewis in their tiny apartment. It had been a week since Kitty’s mother-in-law told her Ken's secret, and all of Kitty's initiatives were rendered fruitless. At first, she tried opening the topic, which failed, but now, Ken was resistant whenever she expressed her affection. It was pointless talking or hinting alone; her husband kept changing the subject. Kenneth got out of the bath. He stood by the doorway with his pajama pants on, wiping the back of his neck with his towel. "The shower's all yours, dear," Ken said dryly. To Kitty, it did not look like he wanted to talk. Kitty smiled and stood up. Just as she walked past him, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Ken's lip curled up slightly. He didn't flinch or resist but took it as a habit. Her heart stung slightly but hid it from him. She expected his kiss, but Ken didn't kiss back. Not seeing the response she wanted, Kitty left for the bathroom. With a towel in

  • The Games We Play   Chapter 16.2

    Twisting Morals “Last night, Secretary Lewis mailed me his concerns.” West sat behind his desk. His big hands cradled a thick cobalt tri-ring binder, the “Employee Ethics Code” from HR archives. Over the grapevine, Lee heard that the mere sight of said binder meant instant termination. She never imagined the day she'd be in a situation like where she was now—seeing that damn thing now. Let alone being judged. Dina did not recall bringing the folder up from the archives floor. West must have sent Lewis. “Fuck,” Lee thought. “I carried over the request to the utility. As of this morning, your desks are now permanently facing.” Secretary Lee felt confused. CEO West did not look as angry as he expressed on the phone earlier. His relaxed angled brows on his handsome face. However, his emerald eyes scanned, stabbing daggers, not towards Dina but through the folder in his hands. He was reviewing the printed text. West's face was complexly cold and stern, yet Dina swore she could

  • The Games We Play   Chapter 16.1

    Starts and Ending It was thirty minutes before seven, decent. Leah Cameron twisted the key, offing the engine. She was waiting. Even though she stayed a few houses away from Sylas’s apartment, Leah had to ensure no one saw her. Mrs. Cameron’s been to his place before; she's been there before, but not this early. She had to be careful. The apartment where he stayed was in an active community. Who knows if someone she knew lives in the area? It doesn’t hurt to be cautious. The joggers and dog-walkers were already running laps around the streets before returning home to prepare for work. Leah had her car blend in among the others, sleeping. Right after Paul left the house, Leah scrambled upstairs to get ready. Meticulous, she had the outfit planned for another surprise visit. She even packed food for Pat’s fridge. Subsequently reading the note, Leah's thoughts of Patrick Sylas amplified. She was tickled pink. None of her previous hookups made her feel that. She isn’t the type to bea

  • The Games We Play   Chapter 15.2

    Suspicious Thoughts The water stopped. “Why was there a receipt in your archives for revealing underwear?” Paul remembered his tone was aggressive. “I wanted to do something special, but I know how tiring managing Spice can get,” Leah whimpered, lips trembling slightly. “I never got to do it -That’s why I’m sorry I hid it from you, dear.” “You could have told me sooner, love. I’ve been dying to free my schedule,” Paul recalled saying. He was analyzing their conversation in the kitchen minutes ago. Leah, her tone was honest but hid her eyes while in his embrace. His manhood wouldn’t allow it. “Tsk, who is she fooling?” Paul closed his eyes, preventing clear water from getting in. Rubbing both eyes with one hand, he wiped his face, letting the trickles fall on the wet tiles. He finished showering, yet he can't move on from yesterday and this morning’s incidents. He opened the shower's glass door and grabbed his towel from the nearby rack. He proceeded to dry himself on the spot.

  • The Games We Play   Chapter 15.1

    Deceitful Indulgence Patrick Sylas loosely jotted something down. He wasn’t sure if it was gibberish or if he was writing what he saw. Whatever he scribbled, it was beyond the purpose of their meeting. Editor Sylas glanced down, his dark brows furrowed. He managed to write something coherent. Annoyed, he ripped the page clean off and folded it twice. Pat stuffed it in between random areas to forget about it. He was lucky. The staff seated in front and on his side were too busy to watch his movements. The mood changed after their meal. Sylas sat cross-legged at the end of the bench. Every staff member was busy brainstorming to the right and in front of the connected bars near him. Each head seemed caught in an individual bubble, all except him. He wasn’t sure if Cameron told them to continue without him, but everyone was engaged. It seemed convenient. No one cocked their heads up to see the three persons inside. Patrick was alone, observing discreetly. A scene played out between Mr

  • The Games We Play   Chapter 14

    The Reasons Ding~ The automated bell chimed in the metallic elevator box, and the steel doors opened right after. Keanu dropped the call. He knew well enough to behave while still on the clock. Hopefully, Mrs. Lewis’s number is filed in a throw-away sim if things don’t go according to plan. The phone still on hand, CEO West walked to Sec. Lee’s desk. A warm empty mug sat beside a cleared desk. The blond woman had word docs open on her screen, typing away her boss’s schedule for the next day. The day would have been longer if she had been alone. Luckily tasks were divided, leaving her to take care of half the paperwork. Ms. Lee had her day sorted out. All that remained was the CEO’s schedule. The said schedule has almost ready for printing. When Dina glanced up, she found CEO West walking toward her station. He stopped right in front of her. Dina saved the docs before turning to face him. Based on the time on her screen, the meeting didn’t go so well. If it did, Mr. West wouldn’t b

  • The Games We Play   Chapter 13

    Under His Nose "No." "Oh no." "Oh fudge, no!" “You’ve got to be kidding me!” "Think, Kitty, think." Mrs. Lewis stood stiff as a rock. Standing there for a moment, stuck in her internal turmoil, Kitty knew what she needed to do but still figured out the timing. She was also glad John stopped ringing the doorbell. Kitty didn't want to seem rude to Paul; she had just met him and didn't want to make a wrong first impression. If today were only yesterday, Kitty would have barged out the front gate and given John-crazed-stalker-Evans a piece of her mind, but they have people over from Paul's work. Now Kitty was left to think of an excuse to leave abruptly. Kitty was also hoping that Leah would notice too and excuse her, but she was a few feet away in the kitchen. "Kitty, was it?" Kitty jumped after hearing Paul's unexpectedly deep voice. He stood behind her. On instinct, she locked her elbows, turned to face him, and politely smiled. "Yes?" "You enjoying yourself? You look tense.

DMCA.com Protection Status