جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 40

Sophie . . I wove my way through the bustling city, holding a cup of mocha coffee. The beautiful warmth of the sun bathed the streets as the horns of passing cars and murmurs of strangers I’d never see again—all brought the city to life. I rummaged through my bag and brought out my keys. Inserting into the lock, I opened the door. I dropped my back on the large burly wood in my studio. The studio hasn’t known fresh air since I haven’t been here for a while. I opened the windows to let the stale smell that inhabited the studio out. I picked up the duster brush and removed the dust on the craftwork that settled on the shelf in the east corner of the studio. After a while, fresh air circulated the space, bringing in the liveliness of the streets. I settled on the seat. Shutting my eyes, I sipped from my coffee; its chocolatey flavor pleasured my taste buds. His cologne—a musky with a thick cedar undertone—flooded the studio. My eyes flew open, and it fell on Alex. He was d

Sophie..My eyelids opened, and I quickly reached out for my phone. Opening it, my fingers ran across the smooth surface as I searched the web, checking the headlines. A thin thread of air escaped my lips; it wasn’t a dream. I raised my knees and pressed my forehead on it as my fingers played with my toes. I’d never felt so stupid in my life. I believed him yesterday. What was he fixing like this? My chest burned so much that tears spilled out of my eyes. The only sounds I could hear in the room were the ones in my head, my raging thoughts making sure my heart never believed his stupid words again. Another bitter sigh left my lips as I found myself drawing different invisible maps on the cotton bedsheets. The cool fabric against my skin offered no solace; instead, it reminded me of comfort I’d never find.I jolted up from my bed and dashed to the bathroom. Clenching the edge of the sink, I retched, relieving the nausea that had been brewing up.My body quivered as silent tears fo

Luca . . From the hospital to the company was like a twenty-minute drive. Ten minutes her excitement was on the verge of exploding. I found myself occasionally smiling at her demeanor. The way her eyes sparkled, the way excitement made her fingers dance on her thighs. In the next ten minutes, we arrived at Howard’s construction firm. It was a company opening a branch here in Manhattan. Although I was handling the hotel, my father had also assigned me to this. So I had to juggle both. We stepped out of the car and headed towards the entrance of the building. I slowed my strides so Sophie could keep up. “Good morning, Mr. Brown." Tina, one of the workers, greeted us as she walked into us. I handed my case over to her. “Good Morning. Are the rest here?” I brushed the tip of my nose with a finger. “Yes sir.” “Alright then.” I turned to Sophie; subconsciously, my gaze softened, and my tone became gentle. “After the meeting, I’ll show you around. Is that fine?” The

Sophie..With an exasperated sigh, I collapsed on the bed. My legs were weak and tired from all the walking around. Although I didn’t walk as much as I usually do—house to car, car to the hospital. The scan room was the second door on the fifth floor of the hospital, so the walk from the elevator was a brief one. Yet it felt like I had walked from Egypt to Canaan.Different thoughts of what I could do today to break the chains that boredom had held me captive. Luca had gone to work—not Howard’s construction but the hotel. I was a jobless pregnant woman, also tired of going to my studio. Paula was at home, but we had never had a conversation. Sometimes I wanted to, but never have I ever seen a smile on her face; her cold demeanor froze me before I could start a conversation. I jolted up as a savior—a thought popped into my mind: I could play a game. Since I couldn’t decorate now, I could decorate one in a game. Settling on the seat, I opened my laptop. A mail popped up, and I click

Sophie..“Come back in,” Alex ordered.“What is wrong with you?” My eyes widened. This was a workplace, and it was highly inappropriate for anyone to see us like this. Not after what had happened in the meeting. “Let me go,” I demanded with a strained voice as I struggled to escape his grip.Alex’s eyes met mine, and he smiled. “Why?” He tightened his grip. Lucy entered like she was treading on a field of hidden land mines. With each step she took to the desk, my body stiffened. I was going to be working with her, and she had caught me in the arms of our boss.“This is inappropriate,” I whispered as Lucy was still in the office, dropping the file on the desk. “She’s a worker here.” Alex chuckled. He was enjoying this. “Let’s put on a show for her then.” A seductive smirk tugged at a corner of his lips. His fingers returned to tracing my face.For a moment, I almost fell back into his hypnotism. But Lucy’s voice snapped me out again.“Sir, I have dropped it.”Alex, noticing my shif