MARKMr. Devon arrived some few minutes later and I was relieved to see him, because his presence drove away thoughts of Alexa and what I wanted to do with her.“Did I keep you waiting?” Mr. Devon asked as he took his seat.“Not for long,” I answered. “I have already called for a meeting which should commence soon, but I wanted to speak to you and get clarifications on some things before we proceed to the meeting. Being that I haven’t been here physically, I do not want to go in there and embarrass myself,” I confided with Mr. Devon.He was not just the company’s advocate, he had also been a friend of the Ronaldo family for years now, so it was safe to say that he was a trusted man.“I am relieved that you heeded to my advice,” Mr. Devon said, sounding as though I should be worried or scared about something, which was just ridiculous, considering the fact that the company belonged to my family, and by extension, me.“I don’t understand why this has to be like this,” I said. “I am the
MARKMr. Devon’s tone was warning and dangerous, but I was a Ronaldo, and born in us was a stronger and more dangerous blood. The company, regardless of their share and input in it, which I considered a mistake on the past after Mr. Devon explained everything to me, was still legally mine, and I would do anything possible to ensure that they never got their greedy hands on it.By the time Mr. Devon and I arrived at the conference room, the three men who were the stakeholders, Mr. Tom Hardy, Mr. Gerald, and Mr. Glazer, were already seated and waiting for me. The moment we entered, they all stood up in reference and acknowledgement to my presence. I was almost impressed at their courtesy when I remembered Mr. Devon’s words loud and clear in my head.“Don’t be fooled by their gestures, Mark. They act respectful and nice, but beneath that façade is their readiness to pounce on you and take everything that belongs to you.”When those words rang in my head, I maintained a stern face, refu
IVYI waited for Oscar to arrive at the restaurant that I paid for. He wouldn’t meet up at a hotel, so I decided to opt for a restaurant, and it did take a whole lot of convincing to be able to drag him out here.Well, it had been twenty minutes, and there was still no sign of Oscar.For the first time since Oscar and I got together, I became worried that he would stand me up. Oscar usually ran to me instantly, but ever since he met Alexa, he had been acting like a tough nut.“If it wasn’t for me, he would never have gotten anywhere close to Alexa,” I sulked angrily.A part of me was already feeling embarrassed that he might not show, but when I was almost giving up, I caught sight of Oscar strolling into the restaurant. Then I waved for me to notice where I was seated. It as a risky thing to meet up here, which was why I intentionally got dressed in a formal outfit, so that I could easily tell a lie if anyone saw us together.Things were looking good between Mark and I, and soon enou
ALEXAI wasn’t sure that this was the right thing to do, and I swallowed hard as I stood right in front of the home I grew up as a child.The week had started well enough and things were going on just fine, especially with Noelle’s help, but I just couldn’t shake off the feeling of my dad off me. I did not mean to hide it away from Noelle, but I feared that she might dissuade me from trying out my luck again.I knew that she was only looking out for me, but then again, I just couldn’t sit by and not do anything.This was the very first time that my dad and I were having such misunderstandings. We had never fought before, talk more of getting thrown out of the house, so there was no way I could just wait for him to come around. What if he never did?So I had told Noelle that I was going out on a lunch date with Oscar.It was true, because I actually sent him a text message, but I left earlier than the time I scheduled to see Oscar because I wanted to try another shot at gaining my fath
ALEXA“I am sorry, I shouldn’t have just jump on you like that,” I quickly untangled myself from the hug, feeing flushed with embarrassment.“It’s okay,” Oscar said. His voice sounded calm and it made me relieved. However, he was still a stranger whom I had agreed to meet with last minute just as curtsey, and because Noelle would not have let me have peace until I accepted to have lunch with him.“Please, sit,” he offered a seat to me and I sat down almost immediately.The brunt of my encounter with my dad and Clara was still weighing heavily on my head, and just being here made me feel less sad. Also, there was something soothing about Oscar’s presence that just made me feel less horrible about everything that had happened.“Thank you,” I said.“You have been crying,” Oscar said.It was not a question but a statement of fact, one that showed that he was very observant of me, because right before I came into the restaurant, I had dried my tears. “What happened?” Oscar asked, his voi
MARKOnly one day at the company and one minute with the stakeholders had made me realize the depth of risk I was into. They were truly nothing but greedy and hungry men, seeking to take the company away from me.However, the fact that I was now engaged would put them on hold for now.“You should get married soon, because they would always look for ways to ensure that they get what they want, which is the company. The company’s clause is that the CEO must stay married otherwise he would be declared unfit to run the company. You have already breached that twice now. I would not advise you to do it again,” Mr. Devon had warned.“But what sort of clause is that? Why should it ever be there in the first place? What are they bloody stakeholders doing in the company?” I had asked Mr. Devon.“Now is not the time to start questioning what you cannot change,” Mr. Devon had answered tightly. “What you should be concerned about is ensuring that they have no reason to pull you out,” Mr. Devon had
ALEXAThe phone screen burned into my eyes, the moans filling the quiet room like a sick joke. “Oh yes, harder, Mark, please fuck me harder!” My stomach twisted as I watched my husband thrust into another woman, her voice shamelessly calling out his name. The same name I had whispered in the dark when he was unconscious in that hospital bed, clinging to life. The name I had prayed over when I fought to bring him back. And this was my reward? This betrayal—on the night of our fifth anniversary? On my birthday? My fingers trembled as I gripped the phone tighter. A notification popped up, a fresh slap to my face. "Do you like the birthday gift I sent you, dear sis?" I didn’t need to check the sender. I could already see Ivy’s smug face in my mind, could hear the gloating in her voice. "See? Just a flick of my finger and he comes running back. Don’t think your pathetic care ever mattered. To Mark, you’re just a poor nanny." A poor nanny. A mocking smile curled my lips. Tha
ALEXAMark halted mid-step, his broad shoulders tense as he turned to face me. His blue eyes, so sharp and cold, narrowed dangerously as they fixed on my smaller frame. “Excuse me?” His voice was low, quiet, but there was an unmistakable warning in it. I refused to back down. My heart was pounding, but I kept my chin high, my voice steady. “Let’s get a divorce,” I repeated, staring straight at him. For a moment, he just looked at me. Then, a slow scoff left his lips, his expression twisting into something between amusement and disbelief. “Is this your attempt to get back at me?” he asked, tilting his head slightly. His gaze shifted toward the dining table, where the untouched meal sat—an entire evening’s worth of effort wasted. Then, just as quickly, he looked back at me. “Because what?” His voice dripped with condescension. “I didn’t spend your birthday with you? Or is it the anniversary?” There was no remorse, not even a sliver of guilt in his tone, and that hurt mor
MARKOnly one day at the company and one minute with the stakeholders had made me realize the depth of risk I was into. They were truly nothing but greedy and hungry men, seeking to take the company away from me.However, the fact that I was now engaged would put them on hold for now.“You should get married soon, because they would always look for ways to ensure that they get what they want, which is the company. The company’s clause is that the CEO must stay married otherwise he would be declared unfit to run the company. You have already breached that twice now. I would not advise you to do it again,” Mr. Devon had warned.“But what sort of clause is that? Why should it ever be there in the first place? What are they bloody stakeholders doing in the company?” I had asked Mr. Devon.“Now is not the time to start questioning what you cannot change,” Mr. Devon had answered tightly. “What you should be concerned about is ensuring that they have no reason to pull you out,” Mr. Devon had
ALEXA“I am sorry, I shouldn’t have just jump on you like that,” I quickly untangled myself from the hug, feeing flushed with embarrassment.“It’s okay,” Oscar said. His voice sounded calm and it made me relieved. However, he was still a stranger whom I had agreed to meet with last minute just as curtsey, and because Noelle would not have let me have peace until I accepted to have lunch with him.“Please, sit,” he offered a seat to me and I sat down almost immediately.The brunt of my encounter with my dad and Clara was still weighing heavily on my head, and just being here made me feel less sad. Also, there was something soothing about Oscar’s presence that just made me feel less horrible about everything that had happened.“Thank you,” I said.“You have been crying,” Oscar said.It was not a question but a statement of fact, one that showed that he was very observant of me, because right before I came into the restaurant, I had dried my tears. “What happened?” Oscar asked, his voi
ALEXAI wasn’t sure that this was the right thing to do, and I swallowed hard as I stood right in front of the home I grew up as a child.The week had started well enough and things were going on just fine, especially with Noelle’s help, but I just couldn’t shake off the feeling of my dad off me. I did not mean to hide it away from Noelle, but I feared that she might dissuade me from trying out my luck again.I knew that she was only looking out for me, but then again, I just couldn’t sit by and not do anything.This was the very first time that my dad and I were having such misunderstandings. We had never fought before, talk more of getting thrown out of the house, so there was no way I could just wait for him to come around. What if he never did?So I had told Noelle that I was going out on a lunch date with Oscar.It was true, because I actually sent him a text message, but I left earlier than the time I scheduled to see Oscar because I wanted to try another shot at gaining my fath
IVYI waited for Oscar to arrive at the restaurant that I paid for. He wouldn’t meet up at a hotel, so I decided to opt for a restaurant, and it did take a whole lot of convincing to be able to drag him out here.Well, it had been twenty minutes, and there was still no sign of Oscar.For the first time since Oscar and I got together, I became worried that he would stand me up. Oscar usually ran to me instantly, but ever since he met Alexa, he had been acting like a tough nut.“If it wasn’t for me, he would never have gotten anywhere close to Alexa,” I sulked angrily.A part of me was already feeling embarrassed that he might not show, but when I was almost giving up, I caught sight of Oscar strolling into the restaurant. Then I waved for me to notice where I was seated. It as a risky thing to meet up here, which was why I intentionally got dressed in a formal outfit, so that I could easily tell a lie if anyone saw us together.Things were looking good between Mark and I, and soon enou
MARKMr. Devon’s tone was warning and dangerous, but I was a Ronaldo, and born in us was a stronger and more dangerous blood. The company, regardless of their share and input in it, which I considered a mistake on the past after Mr. Devon explained everything to me, was still legally mine, and I would do anything possible to ensure that they never got their greedy hands on it.By the time Mr. Devon and I arrived at the conference room, the three men who were the stakeholders, Mr. Tom Hardy, Mr. Gerald, and Mr. Glazer, were already seated and waiting for me. The moment we entered, they all stood up in reference and acknowledgement to my presence. I was almost impressed at their courtesy when I remembered Mr. Devon’s words loud and clear in my head.“Don’t be fooled by their gestures, Mark. They act respectful and nice, but beneath that façade is their readiness to pounce on you and take everything that belongs to you.”When those words rang in my head, I maintained a stern face, refu
MARKMr. Devon arrived some few minutes later and I was relieved to see him, because his presence drove away thoughts of Alexa and what I wanted to do with her.“Did I keep you waiting?” Mr. Devon asked as he took his seat.“Not for long,” I answered. “I have already called for a meeting which should commence soon, but I wanted to speak to you and get clarifications on some things before we proceed to the meeting. Being that I haven’t been here physically, I do not want to go in there and embarrass myself,” I confided with Mr. Devon.He was not just the company’s advocate, he had also been a friend of the Ronaldo family for years now, so it was safe to say that he was a trusted man.“I am relieved that you heeded to my advice,” Mr. Devon said, sounding as though I should be worried or scared about something, which was just ridiculous, considering the fact that the company belonged to my family, and by extension, me.“I don’t understand why this has to be like this,” I said. “I am the
MARK“Impossible.”That was the word that kept coming to my head as thoughts of Doctor Jones’s ridiculous suggestion kept swimming back into my head. As much as I tried to dismiss it, it just wasn’t happening. The thought was taking control of my mind, especially with the dream I had about Alexa over the night.In the dream, I had been able to persuade Alexa into coming to the house. Then I had made a special dinner with flowers and candle lights, and she had been pleased. “You have never done anything like this for me before, Mark,” Alexa had said in the dream, and her voice had been soft and tender, just like I had always known it to be, but somehow, it sounded pleasantly better in my ears.“Henceforth, I am going to be doing this and a lot more,” I had promised Alexa deeply.Then we had gone ahead and talked while we ate. It had been completely different, and it had felt too real.“I tried to make our home into something like this, but you squashed my efforts the entire time,” Ale
ALEXANoelle continued to pester me about Oscar, the stranger I met at my launch party until I had no choice but to tell her everything that happened.“So from mistakenly entering into your waiting room to rescuing you from being ridiculed?’’ Noelle asked, fascinated.“And in all honesty, he helped me gain more courage and confidence to come back on stage. We just stayed back in the waiting room and talked. Noelle, he is effortlessly a good companion that took me right out of my mood,” I told Noelle.Her eyes lit up almost immediately.“Does that mean that you have met your prince charming?” Noelle asked, sounding excited.O shook her head furiously even before she could finish the question. “Don’t be ridiculous, Noelle,” I said. “I barely even know him,” I added.“Yet he made you feel better and sent you flowers,” Noelle said. “That is something that you have never received from any man before, including that ex-husband of yours who is already even engaged to someone else,” she added
MARK“How is my general health condition?” I asked Doctor Jones who had come in early the next morning for my general checkup.It wasn’t the day for my doctor’s appointment, but being that I would have to return to going to the company every single day, I needed to be certain that I wasn’t putting my health at risk. The last thing I needed was fainting or passing out in the presence of everyone else.It was bad enough to ruin my reputation.“From what I am looking at, we have a little problem with your health,” Doctor Jones said and I looked at him instantly, worried and alert.“Problem? How do you mean?” I asked him, worry etched on my face. This was really the last thing I wanted to hear right now. Mr. Devon had already informed me that the stakeholders would not hold out for me any longer, especially with the fact that I was now unmarried. Besides, I really wanted to fully and completely be whole again, and the last thing I needed right now was to be told of more health challenges