Time flew. Onward came the night before Easter — a time when some families gather for a lovely, hearty meal. At Arianne’s insistence, Henry the butler and Mary sat around the table for dinner together with her and Mark.It was important to Arianne. They were her family, people who had raised her since childhood.As usual, she also received a sum of money from Helen as a gift and some well-wishes under the backdrop of distant church hymns and occasional fireworks. With a pang, she realized that Easter this year was different from its previous iterations. She could not pinpoint the exact differences, but she wondered if it was because the festival felt homelier than it used to be.After replying to Helen’s text, she looked up and considered Mark. “I wonder how Granny iss doing,” she wondered out loud. “I haven’t been able to contact her for such a long time that I’m starting to worry. There’s no way Zoey and the rest could keep that act for this long, but somehow they pull it off this ti
A short while after Easter, Mark decided to travel overseas. It was a somewhat surprising departure from his typical habit; every overseas business was always handed down to his inferiors if he could help it. This time, however, he was left no choice, so he expected to be separated from his wife for about half a month.The day of his flight began with him reciting a long, drawn-out list of instructions to Mary and Henry, encompassing diverse domains including Arianne’s daily life schedule and dietary plans to her sleeping and workout hours. One would begin to wonder if an apocalyptic event was going to befall him after he left, especially after one looked at the palpable trepidation all over his face. Had Henry not reminded him that the plane was going to take off soon, the man’s incessant nagging might never stop.Arianne sent him off by the gate, where the poor man could not stroll toward the car without looking back every three steps or so.“Okay, there’s enough; just stay there. Ye
The only one who wanted to break up had been her. Her alone.The top notification bar, displaying an incoming call, suddenly slid down and blocked her face from Jackson’s view. A little peeved, he answered the call snippily, “Yes?”A sickly-sweet, coy voice struck his ear. “Hello, Mr. West. Fancy meeting us old friends tonight? News of your recent ‘emancipation’ has been going around, so — tee hee — congrats!”Jackson’s automatic response was a firm no; however, before the word left his tongue, he stopped himself. This was his past catching up to him. When was the last time he had allowed himself to indulge? He almost forgot how liberating his old lifestyle was.“Sure,” he said.The woman did not attempt to hide her excitement. “Oh. My. God! This is great! Don’t keep us waiting, Handsome.”Since Jackson was not the type to enjoy a good night without bringing his best friend along, he texted Eric immediately after the call. ‘You, me, party tonight.’Just the thought of alcohol made Eric
Eric, too, thought it would be a waste not to drink. “Oh, yeah? Then pour me a full one, and I’ll stop when I’m near death!”The corner of Jackson’s lips curled. Despite being surrounded by women doing their best, his eyes reflected a sober mind. “Hey, no dying, please. Don’t make me lug your corpse around.”Eric drank in one finish and placed it down with a look of one not yet satisfied. “I haven’t had alcohol for so long; Lord knows how good it feels! Don’t fret, Jackson, I won’t fall dead. I ate something on my way here, so it’s gotta help mitigate some of this beer. What’s more interesting is you, though! Suddenly struck by the mood to go out and play, are we? And here I thought you were content to be a good boy who doesn’t swing around now.”Jackson said nothing, but the smile on his lips faded.A voluptuous woman with a face that might have undergone a fair bit too much plastic surgery suddenly rose with her phone in hand. “Mr. West, I’ve brought one of my friends for the night!
Sasha’s hands stiffened for a second, shame halting her. Nevertheless, she answered candidly, “Yes, Sir.”Jackson batted her hand away from him. “Take a shower and then lie down on the bed.”A shade of pink rose to Sasha’s nodding face. Obediently, she went for a quick shower before exiting with only a towel around her. She checked Jackson for any response while lying down on the bed as he had instructed her.Jackson watched her movement with a poker face and tidied his tie. “Put on some clothes, please. I’m not doing anything tonight. Just want you sleeping next to me.”Sasha was taken aback. “W-wha—?”Jackson, however, did not repeat himself. What he desired was not sex but sleep — since Tiffany left him, he had not enjoyed the respite of the night.Eric returned home to find Tanya, not in her room sleeping, but waiting in the living room with a tummy-warming soup she had made for him. Knowing Eric could not resist drinking if he went out, she had prepared the soup for his possible s
“The only thing that will ever be appropriate between us is to go out and have fun. There’s no need to come to my office or anything like that from now on. There are too many people around, and there will certainly be gossip, which will affect me, understand? You’re my lover, not my girlfriend. You’re certainly not going to be my wife. That’s not your place.”Sasha was stunned. She simply thought he was different from what Desdemona and everyone else had described him to be. He did not touch her last night, but he gave her money all the same. She thought he was a pretty good guy, that was why she wanted to get to know him. Perhaps, they could start a relationship. She did not expect him to figuratively pour a bucket of cold water on her, revealing the harsh reality. Their relationship had always been a ‘secret’. “I understand. I’ll leave right now… Will you call me?”Jackson did not reply.Sasha was too afraid of lingering. She left very quickly.Aye stopped her when she was at the ele
Eric was surprised. “You… Won’t it be an inconvenience? It’s fine. I can wait for them to send it over… No need to force yourself.”She shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s fine, it’s only a breakup. It’s not like we’ve turned into enemies. Why would this trouble me? I’m not worried. Don’t worry, I guarantee to finish the job. You’re the boss, you make the decision.”Tiffany might have sounded confident when she said those words, but when she arrived at the ground floor of Jackson’s office, she could not help but feel apprehensive. How was she going to face him? She looked at the time on her watch. There was half an hour left until the second half of the working day. Jackson should not be around at this hour so she still had time to mentally prepare herself. She took a deep breath and walked in. Things were not going as smoothly as she liked them to be. The elevator was still on the twenty-fifth floor so she had to wait a while.She pulled out her phone and fiddled with it while waiting for th
Her temper had never been even, and she would not let herself be beaten even if she was upset. She stepped on the sensor of the elevator and put her hands on her hips. “No signature, no meeting. I’m just an employee, I have loads of time.”Jackson looked at her calmly. His eyes glinted with some indecipherable emotion. “Shouldn’t you be begging me? Is this how you ask for a favor? I have the right to refuse to sign that document.”She was rendered momentarily speechless. Before she could figure out a retort, someone pushed her out of the way, and the elevator finally closed.Her temper rose. Since he wanted to be like that, she would oblige. Anything he could do, she could do better!...In the elevator.Jackson’s expression darkened. “Who told you to push her?”The expression of the person who had pushed Tiffany changed. “B-but… We won’t be able to leave if I didn’t push her away…”Jackson fixed his tie in frustration. “Couldn’t you be a little gentler?”The employee was speechless..