Novel-novel oleh Julie Corner

SARA’S POVI yawned lazily, as I was beyond exhausted at this point. I had been at this for hours, ever since the team left, I had buried myself in work.There were a lot of things to be done and I wanted to make sure everything was perfect and we met with the deadline. I knew I was pushing myself too but I believed this was a sacrifice I had to make. My phone buzzed against the desk, distracting me. I picked it up to see who was calling and frowned on seeing who it was, Derek.My hand hovered above the phone, hesitating to pick his call. What does he want from me? Derek rarely called first. For a moment, I considered ignoring it. But didn’t have the energy for another argument.But then, knowing the type of person Derek was, he’ll never put his ego aside and call if it wasn’t for something very important. My first guess was the divorce I pushed forward, he probably wanted his lawyer to reach out to me, so I hoped or it could be something about Danielle. With a reluctant sigh, I

THIRD PERSON POVDerek arrived home from work, late as usual. Getting out of his car, he strolled into the building. He was about to ascend the stairs when he spotted Danielle in the living room.She had her stuffed toy in her arms, her face had a sour look which he noticed from steps away. It startled him because Danielle was never awake this late, plus she had school the next day. “Danielle? “Why aren’t you sleeping? Don't you have school tomorrow?” He asked sternly, walking towards her. Danielle raised her gaze to him, acknowledging his presence but she remained quiet.She sat up with a sour look on her face, and she seemed to be hesitating. “Daddy… will Mommy come home tonight?” She finally asked in a gentle whisper. The question pierced through him. Derek frowned, his expression still unreadable. “Why are you asking??”Danielle lowered her head. “Mommy hasn’t been home a lot. Not at night. She doesn’t come back often…and she promised to spend more time with me.” Derek’s j

THIRD PERSON POVThe sun shone differently that morning, entering the classrooms through the windows. The children were busy chatting, exchanging stickers, and arranging their bags and books for the day. At the back, Danielle sat with her hands folded on the desk, stealing glances at Clara, who was coloring by herself. Clara was always soft-spoken, so different from the other kids that Danielle was used to.Ever since the amusement park incident, Danielle hadn’t bothered Clara again. Now though, she had an ache in her chest, something she couldn’t explain. She remembered her mom's emphasis on how she should be kind, and she couldn't take her eyes off Clara. Danielle wanted to approach her but she hesitated. Gathering courage, Danielle got off her chair and walked towards Clara. Clara looked startled seeing Danielle in front of her. “Can I sit here?” Danielle asked, her tone softer than usual. Clara was obviously surprised hearing this but she nodded timidly, wondering if this was

SARA’S POVThe room fell silent for a while, and as the project lead, I stepped forward with a calm smile, stretching my hands towards Adrian, who stood at the head of Alyssa’s team.“Hello. I’m Sara, the project lead for this collaboration. It’s such a pleasure to meet you, Mr Adrian.”But Adrian didn't take my hand. His gaze swept over me, sharp and calculated, as though he found me lacking. He folded his hands and studied me silently. I could see the uneasy look on my team's faces. I gracefully let my hands fall without flinching, though the rejection stung. I started having second thoughts about whether I was going to be capable of leading this collaboration after all. But I had a lot of people to prove wrong so I had to.Before I could fully compose myself and think of what to say, Jules suddenly stepped out from behind the team with a disdainful look on his face. “Mr Adrian, perhaps you're not aware. Sara here has never pursued further studies after her graduation, and she ha

SARA’S POVI sat across Alaric, my hair tied in a messy bun, a pen still tucked behind my ear from scribbling notes from earlier. Alaric finally looked up from the file in his hands. His countenance was soft yet stern.“I met with executives, and after much consideration, we've decided to move forward with the collaboration project.”I nodded gently yet firmly. I wasn’t surprised. The project was too important to ignore, and I knew this would be his decision. Still, I waited, sensing he had more to say. “I also want you to lead the project.” He continued, with his gaze lingering on me, as though he wanted me to understand the weight of what he just said. My breath slowed for a minute. “Me?”“Yes, you.” He replied directly, a smile creeping onto his face but he rearranged his face before I could take a second look. “You're new here, no doubt but you've proven yourself over these weeks. And this project is about just experience, it’s about vision. And I believe you can handle it.”For

SARA’S POVI almost burst out laughing the moment I turned because I found it almost ironic. He was barely around when I was living here, hardly looked at me twice when all I was trying to do was keep our family together, and now suddenly he sounded concerned?He asked sternly, as though it was well within his rights to ask me about my movements. I held my bag tightly, with a cold glare on my face. “I’m going home,” I replied briefly yet sternly. His eyebrows furrowed, he didn’t even know. He actually didn't realize that I moved out long ago. I stood there for a while, torn between irritation and exhaustion. Of course, he wouldn't know, what does he know? It’s not like I was of any importance to him anyway so my presence and absence were the least of his worries.Although my things were still upstairs, as I saw them today, neatly folded, untouched like they were being preserved. I thought the only reason he kept them there was to refresh some memories. But seeing how lost he was, I w