Anaya’s chest felt heavy, almost like tons of bricks were placed on top of her body for hours. She breathed in, the air around her stiff and sterile. Her limbs were unmovable and it took a lot of effort on her part to open her eyes.She stared at the blank white ceiling for a while, trying to organize her thoughts amidst her aching head. The soft beeping sound coming from a device made her feel as if she were in a dream. Then, she saw someone–Henry.He was seated in a chair beside her bed, slumped and still. His disheveled hair was damp and his clothes were wrinkled like he had taken a shower with them on. His eyes were open but he was staring at the wall across him, far off from reality.She shifted slightly and Henry shot up immediately, his eyes dilating with panic. “Anaya.” Anaya licked her dry lips and forced herself to speak audibly. “What…happened?” Henry released a deep breath, relief flashing across his face like all he ever wished for was to hear her voice. “Y-You fell ove
Anaya blinked her eyes open, squinting as the morning light filtered into the room through the window blinds. She stretched her aching limbs softly and then, she paused. Something felt wrong.Turning to her side, she realized that she was alone in the room. A frown adorned her face. She wondered if Henry sleeping with her on the bed last night had been a dream.Then, she spotted something from the corner of her eye. The note laying next to her pillow confirmed it had been real. She reached for the note and read the sharp but neat handwriting which said.“Something urgent came up and I had to step out of the office. You were sleeping soundlessly and it would have been a crime to wake you up. Get your much needed rest.- H.F”A smile spread onto her lips as she read his rushed words over and over again. Running her fingers over the paper, her heart tightening as she didn’t know why something as tiny as his handwriting made her this happy.Interrupting her thoughts, a soft knock hit the d
“You must be shitting me!” Anaya cursed under her breath as she watched the spectacle on the billboard through her car’s windshield.Her grip on the steering wheel tightened. She was barely able to hold in her anger and confusion.This had to be a prank. A very dangerous prank. Otherwise, why was her boyfriend, soon-to-be fiance, proposing to someone else in front of the entire world? No, she must be seeing things. There is no way Thomas was cheating on her!As if it couldn’t get worse, Anaya squinted her eyes and recognized the lady to be Thomas’s supposed cousin. The same one he introduced to her about a month ago. He had informed her they were both working on a project which was why she never suspected each time he told her he was with his cousin.Now, she realised that there was never a freaking project!“This can’t be happening.” Anaya murmured under her breath, shaking her head slowly. “Wait, he was busying proposing to someone else when I was waiting for him to show up at his b
“She said stop!” Henry gritted his teeth, his grey eyes glaring at the drunk man in front of him.He had been watching the young lady drinking non-stop for the last hour with no intents of approaching her but he was curious to hear her story. She seemed sad and it was clear she had chosen alcohol as the escape route of whatever that was bothering her.He had only planned to watch her from the corner of the bar without letting their paths cross until the pervert started to pester her.“I-I thought she was alone.” The man slurred before backing away slowly.“Get lost!” Henry hissed and the man scrambled off.“And who are you?” The lady with straight brown hair watched him closely with narrowed eyes.“You do know how dangerous it is for a lady to be drinking alone by this time of the night, right?” Henry stared down at her.He had an indifferent look on his face but he found it hard to stop staring at the gorgeous being in front of him. He wanted to commit each of her features to his mem
“M-Mr. Fitzgerald.” The principal stared at Henry with a nervous smile on his lips.“Ryle, are you okay?” Henry strode into the office and walked past the man to reach for his son.“Daddy.” Ryle sniffed, more tears rushing out of his eyes when he saw his father.“Why are you crying? Are you hurt anywhere?” Henry knelt on the floor, assessing his son’s body to ensure he was unhurt. His anger was simmering within but he kept it at bay. Comforting Ryle and ensuring he was fine was the only thing that mattered for now.“Daddy.” Ryle wrapped his tiny arms around his father’s neck and Henry patted his back to calm him down.When Ryle’s sobs died down, Henry got to his feet with Ryle on his arms and he turned towards the insensitive adults in the room. It was the principal and two other women whom he assumed one was the mother of the other child involved in this incident.“A child is crying and instead of you trying to calm him down, you’re busy questioning my parenting methods?” Henry hisse
“Ahh!” Anaya winced at the excruciating headache that hit her as soon as she opened her eyes. Groaning, she patted the bed to search for her phone only for her to pause with trepidation. Something was very, very wrong. Jolting up, Anaya looked around the strange room with fear. “What on earth am I doing here?” She whispered under her breath.To make things worse, Anaya couldn’t recall how she ended up here. She patted her body and sighed with relief when she realised she was still dressed.“What happened?” She asked out loud to no one in particular as she tried to search her memories.The last thing she remembered was drinking about three bottles of whiskey to drown the pain of being cheated on and discarded by her boyfriend of five years. After that, everything was hazy.Anaya heard the door being opened and she looked around for anything she could use as a weapon. Instead, she saw a young lady dressed in black and gold uniform stepping into the room.“Oh, you’re finally awake. How
Anaya arrived at the address sent to her by the matchmaking agent. She had implored for them to set a date as soon as possible and they made sure her request was fulfilled.The restaurant was a cool place with just a few customers having dinner. The romantic music playing in the background added to the sophisticated and classy decor.A gentle smile slipped onto her face as she stepped inside. The agency had already done well by arranging a romantic setting.“Good evening, ma’am. May I know the name of your reservation?” A waiter approached her and asked.“Yeah, Cupid’s Little Assistant. Anaya Robinson.” Anaya informed him and he nodded before opening the tablet in his hand.“Yes, I see your name here. Table 5 is your table.” He led the way to the table and she followed behind him.“Your date hasn’t arrived yet. Should I help you with water or anything before he arrives?” “Just water will do. Thank you.” Anaya settled on the seat, feeling a bit queasy now that she was just a few minu
“You-” She said the same time he spoke. Her memory sharpened as his gaze tightened on her. It all came rushing back–this was the man who saved her two days ago!Chuckling, Anaya got to her feet and placed her hand forward. “We finally get to meet again, Mr. Fitzgerald. Anaya Robinson.” “Henry Fitzgerald.” His large and warm hand covered hers gently. “Nice to meet you, Henry Fitzgerald.” She smiled before settling back on her seat.She didn’t want to assume but the fact that she was here, just two nights after he saved her bothered her beneath her polite smile. How was she to explain that this was a total coincidence?“So, matchmaking? I would have thought that a man like you could get any girl he desired with a flick of his fingers.” Anaya started a conversation with a casual tone.“I am not looking for someone to kiss my feet because of my money or my looks. Which is why I opted for anonymity.” Henry leaned back on the chair, his sharp gaze on her. “And you?”“Well, I need to get m
Anaya blinked her eyes open, squinting as the morning light filtered into the room through the window blinds. She stretched her aching limbs softly and then, she paused. Something felt wrong.Turning to her side, she realized that she was alone in the room. A frown adorned her face. She wondered if Henry sleeping with her on the bed last night had been a dream.Then, she spotted something from the corner of her eye. The note laying next to her pillow confirmed it had been real. She reached for the note and read the sharp but neat handwriting which said.“Something urgent came up and I had to step out of the office. You were sleeping soundlessly and it would have been a crime to wake you up. Get your much needed rest.- H.F”A smile spread onto her lips as she read his rushed words over and over again. Running her fingers over the paper, her heart tightening as she didn’t know why something as tiny as his handwriting made her this happy.Interrupting her thoughts, a soft knock hit the d
Anaya’s chest felt heavy, almost like tons of bricks were placed on top of her body for hours. She breathed in, the air around her stiff and sterile. Her limbs were unmovable and it took a lot of effort on her part to open her eyes.She stared at the blank white ceiling for a while, trying to organize her thoughts amidst her aching head. The soft beeping sound coming from a device made her feel as if she were in a dream. Then, she saw someone–Henry.He was seated in a chair beside her bed, slumped and still. His disheveled hair was damp and his clothes were wrinkled like he had taken a shower with them on. His eyes were open but he was staring at the wall across him, far off from reality.She shifted slightly and Henry shot up immediately, his eyes dilating with panic. “Anaya.” Anaya licked her dry lips and forced herself to speak audibly. “What…happened?” Henry released a deep breath, relief flashing across his face like all he ever wished for was to hear her voice. “Y-You fell ove
Henry rushed down the deck, trying to calm his racing heart. He had just almost overstepped his boundaries with Anaya and he cursed himself for trying to take advantage of the moment. He couldn’t remember the last time he had acted so irrationally but he was grateful he was able to stop himself before actually kissing her. He had to remind himself that their marriage was nothing but a contract of mutual benefits and he couldn’t breach any of their terms and conditions.Still, he found it hard to get the look on Anaya’s face, after he pulled away from her, out of his head. She looked…disappointed–almost like she had been craving for him to kiss her.Or maybe he was mistaken and his brain was just cooking up scenes to mask his guilt. He sighed under his breath. He needed a stronger liquor to drown his thoughts and possibly erase the embarrassment of his mistake. “Where’s Anaya?” Yara asked, stopping him on his way to the bar.Henry gritted his teeth, not wanting to tell Yara what just
Soft lights glittered over the dark water as the yacht swayed under the night tides. Anaya stepped onto the deck, the pulse of the lively music blasting in the air. The atmosphere was electric and it was clear everyone was having a good time already.“I’ve never been to a yacht party before.” She leaned on her tiptoe for Henry to hear her voice over the loud music. “The Yus yacht parties are the best in town. Private and unhinged. Stick close to me.” Henry pulled her closer to him as more people filled into the yacht.Anaya adjusted the mask on her face–a silver piece with black curls swirling over her eyes. It was a mask themed party and Henry had prepared everything even before she had the chance to visit a boutique.She had no idea how he managed to get her perfect size but the flowing satin gown snuggled her body appropriately. She matched the silver dress with strappy heels embedded with crystal accents.Henry’s outfit was simple as well—a black dress shirt, grey pants and a pla
Anaya knew she was in terrible trouble when Ryle broke out in loud chuckles at his father. For a minute, Henry stood by the door, not knowing what to do. Anaya felt the need to apologize so she stepped forward.“Ready or not, here I come!” Henry picked the pack of flour from the floor and raced after Ryle who took off screaming at the top of his lungs.In a matter of seconds, Henry caught Ryle and tackled him while bathing him with flour. Ryle’s giggles and Henry’s sinister laughter made Anaya smile so hard her cheeks were starting to hurt.It was almost surreal to see someone as stoic as Henry being this playful with his child. She realised he always kept this soft and gentle side of him for Ryle. That showed just how much he loved and cared for his son.“Daddy, stop!! Stop!!” Ryle laughed as Henry tickled him.“Say you’re sorry for messing up the house. Apologize now.” Henry doused more flour over Ryle’s head, the huge smile never leaving his face.“Okay, okay, I’m sorry.” Ryle fina
“Alright, thank you very much for your time, Mr. John.” Anaya ended the fruitless call with the investor. Tossing her phone aside, she plopped on the bed face first so her scream could come out muffled.Flipping onto her back, she stared at the blank ceiling, wondering how a miracle was going to fall from the sky to save her company from dying. Maia had put her through a dozen investors but none of them seemed interested in even hearing out her pitch.She was tempted to use the Fitzgerald card on them but she knew how totally degrading that would be to her personality. She had grown her father’s company to where it was today with nothing but wits and sheer will to attain success.She wasn’t going to use someone else’s name to convince the investors who had no interest in partaking in her business. Her ringtone filled the walls of her new bedroom and she checked the caller ID to see it was Daisy calling on video call. With a sigh, she answered the call and her friend’s face showed up
Henry stepped into the cafe as he went through his phone, reading the text from Alex that confirmed his package had been sent to his house. He was satisfied by what Alex had been able to gather in a matter of a few hours. After what Anaya told him yesterday, he couldn’t just sit back and let a scumbag like Thomas go.Even though she had been adamant in him not interfering, he couldn’t get it off his mind until he did something about it. He hated the way Thomas looked at Anaya last night at the party as though they were still together.If he had intervened a second later, Thomas would have had his hand on Anaya. “Henry!” He was brought out of his thoughts when he saw his sister waving at him. It wasn’t hard to find her in the crowd of customers because of her fiery red hair. He walked towards her and sat across from her.“You have absolutely ten minutes to get straight to the point, Hana.” Henry deadpanned, not wanting to beat around the bush.He knew his younger sister had called hi
Anaya rested her elbow on the table, watching the people in the hall. Everyone seemed so put together that she felt out of place without Henry by her side. She loved Yara and Chen. They were both so cheerful and full of life. She also noticed how Henry had been staring at her when she was laughing. She didn’t know why but his gaze always seemed to ignite something within her.A few people turned their eyes towards her and she wished she had gone to the snack buffet with Henry. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw someone staring blatantly at her. Her heart dropped when she realized who it was. It was Thomas!And worse, he was striding towards her with determined steps. Cautiously, she searched for Henry only to see him heading towards her as well. But someone stopped him for a conversation.“Hey there, Anaya.” Thomas’s smile was eerie and she instinctively moved back, putting some distance between her and him.“What do you want, Thomas?” She gritted, keeping her voice low so she w
Henry was inside his car, waiting for Anaya to arrive at the location of the social event. She had texted him that she would meet him here because she would be coming straight from the office.He smiled a little when he remembered how she laughed at his bedtime story last night. She had only been in the house for two days now but Ryle has been smitten with her. And she took care of him so well it was like she had been his mother from birth. He still didn’t know why he invited her tonight. He lied–the invitation was meant for only him. But there was just something about the way she smiled at him last night that made him want to spend more time with her.Henry was uncomfortable with this–his irrational behaviour. He had to remind himself that he had married Anaya simply because of Ryle and nothing else. But he didn’t know how to cancel tonight without seeming like a jerk so he just decided to roll with it.Deep down, he knew he could never fall in love with someone else because Lauren