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Crystal OduwaA/N: I'm almost grinning at the tension. Cannot waitttt to see what happens next. Comments? Anyone?(◔‿◔)
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LAYLA25/60WEDNESDAY"Consider calling in on a day off at the office. You're in no place to work."My head pulsed in pain, and I swallowed two Advil tablets to relieve it.Bella handed over a cup of coffee to subdue the drowsiness.I'm lying in her bed, relaxed as ever, at seven in the morning. I should be in the office before nine. We don't have days off."I can't. I need to leave. There's so much to do aside from the trip."When I guessed that, my mind joined all the other pieces and concluded: Aiden Smith. Kitchen. Tension.As I skimmed her room, I searched for any signs of life. No one else."Are you looking for something?""Huh?"I savored quietly."Aiden. Is he downstairs?""Huh."She raised one brow."He was here yesterday. He left?""Huh?"She repeated."Are you okay, L? Aiden wasn't here. He would have texted or something."She shrugged, seemingly sure of herself."He was here. I chatted with him before falling asleep. Check the kitchen. You'll find his used cup.""First, Aid
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LAYLA 26/60 THURSDAY DEAN CONSTRUCTIONS Yesterday's actions are still sharp in my mind as I go examine the terms of trade for the three companies. I've probed it twice, and while everything appears in place, I have an aching feeling about this deal. Bella picked a vanilla cake with lemon curd filling and buttercream icing for the wedding cake. Whatever that was, it tasted heavenly. Everyone would like it. Drew's game is today, so I don't have to concern myself with Aiden's business. I have a day free from him. Then we will meet tomorrow and talk about this deal. Speaking of that, Tristan and I haven't seen each other either. Aside from bumping into him after Aiden kissed me, he's been challenging and difficult to reach. I flip through the pages again, then glance at my notebook. I'm supposed to take notes for tomorrow. Ask questions. That's exactly the problem. This deal is airtight. Not a single loophole. Confidentiality. Profit sharing. Getting out. They have dealt with i
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LAYLA 26/60 THURSDAY "I must know how you deduced it." Clipped. Stern. Short. Aiden trails out of the living room and chooses a glass, filling it with water before returning. Then he passed it over to me. Momentarily stunned, I have to blink twice before advancing for it. It'll be a long night. **** After reiterating the sequence of events, starting from my examination of the terms to recalling the shares already bought, then concluding. Throughout, Aiden nods and sometimes utters a few words. "You came to his apartment. I appreciate the element of surprise." I can't tell if that's sarcasm, but I swallow a mouthful of water. Tristan knows we're coming now. "I didn't think sufficiently then." "It's fine. It's done. Now we need to consider something else. Tell me precisely what occurred when you were over there." I take a deep breath and exhale forcefully. Exactly what happened? "I assumed I was warning him. I reasoned maybe my father was trying to trick Thompson and Sm
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LAYLA 27/60 FRIDAY "I guess we won't stop this." My voice was barely a whisper. As soon as I let go of the words, my mind processed their dual meanings. "No, we won't." His tone was gruff and raspy. My chin is dangerously close to his lips. It's so close. Wait, is that related to the head placement on his chest or Thompson Pharmaceutical's impending doom? If I was indirect, he'd be willing to play harder. "What are we going to do?" He took a breath and then lowered his hands in a circle by my side. Disappointment? I can't be mad at him for not putting them around my waist. "I don't know." He whispers back. I nod a bit, but he can't really see me. "Do you think it's wise to see Thompson?" I drifted backward, peeking inside my office to avoid eye contact with him. "It could backfire. Let's say he doesn't believe us. They bought shares. They signed the contract. There's nothing he could do." "At least he'd have a fighting chance?" I met his gaze for the second time. Green
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LAYLA 34/60 THURSDAY I cleared my throat, riding myself of a small itch there. Who was I kidding? A sudden itchy throat. "Obviously, that's code for you to stay here while I go to another hotel." I sounded hoarse, and Aiden's gaze flicked from the receptionist to me. "You had better ideas. First, with our hectic schedule, there isn't enough time. Second, you know we shouldn't be moving willy-nilly." Really? Willy-Nilly "Knowing that you have a problem with words on large screens, I'll speak at grade ten level from now on. I can certainly understand." I returned his offer with a stern glare. Aiden was right, despite his silly last words. And the smug bastard knew it. "Fine." I sighed in resignation, closing my eyes while mumbling heavenly prayers. I heard keys jingling in my face, and I peered in front of me, taken aback by Aiden's face. "We need to rest. Big day tomorrow." He returned, pulling both of our bags before leading the way. I'll regret this. I can already feel i
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LAYLA 34/60 THURSDAY "And you'll hate how much you like it." He's maddening. There was no way in hell he just stood in front of me and uttered those words as though they were nothing. I curled my fists and faced the mirror, twirling a few strands of hair between my palm. Heat pooled between my legs. That is definitely from the hot shower I just had and the burn in my belly. It's a rage. Those are the only explanations I'd accept. The others are not plausible because they imply something I refuse to accept. What I found funny was how Aiden didn't understand how inclined I'd be to prove him wrong if he thought he was right every damn time. Send me to hell's gates before I even kiss him again. It will never happen. Over my rotten corpse. The door's knocking jolted me out of my thoughts. I blame hunger for my impulsive thoughts and actions. Food is here, now I can eat, sleep and not remember Aiden's words. I made my way to the door, unlocked it, and peeked my head out to look.
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AIDEN 35/60 FRIDAY If this were any other city or country, I'd be in an art gallery criticizing silently, and admiring paintings, but this is Hawaii. Father would have cut me off completely if I screwed this trip up which meant being locked inside the hotel room until the meeting starts and finish. I'm on thin ice with the Thompson merger going awry, and I refuse to give him a reason to bite back. Although Grant Smith hits back in the end, I'm delaying the inevitable. Our client called an hour ago, pushing the meeting even further. Layla left. She's not a scandalous face in the city. I stayed back at the hotel, counting the ceilings and groaning as I turned over the bed sides. "The city is so beautiful!" Layla exclaims, barging into the room with a small bag filled with treats. I groan and turn over, covering my head with a pillow. "I'm too excited to be bothered by what's going on with you. I should come to Hawaii more often." She quips, taking a seat on the other side and
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LAYLA 36/60 “The documents look good. In fact we’ve only been holding off because we weren’t sure about other things aside from the company, of course.” Aiden yawned, biting his lower lip. “I’m sorry?" “The PR related to Penelope and Quentin is the only concern.” I quirked my brows. They weren’t sure because of the wedding. But Penelope held back on the wedding because they weren’t sure. Something is wrong. “I’m glad everything’s settled. It’s a pleasure doing business with you.” Aiden got off the chair and shook hands with the investors. I grabbed the files, placed them in the directory, and followed them out. “You have a weird look on your face.” Aiden mused, waiting around the corner for an Uber. “It’s just the investors. They didn’t seem reluctant at all.” “Makes our jobs easier.” He shrugged “Yes. We announced the wedding, so they’re okay with it. But Penelope must have known their reluctance was because of the wedding.” “Now who’s paranoid?” Don’t overthink it. We
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