BMOM ➭ 041ꕤꕤꕤARYM ZCHRYNNE “MaiMai” –“Hon? Just wondering—why is your nickname MaiMai? It feels so far off from your full name, Arym Zchrynne.”Jasper asked curiously while still chewing. I looked at him and tried to remember who I’d told that story to before.That’s actually a question I get a lot from people who’ve just met me. They usually assume my name is Mylene because of the nickname MaiMai.Well, it’s a prank!“See, if you read ‘Arym’ backwards, it becomes ‘Myra.’ My or Mai for short.”Jasper’s jaw dropped at my explanation, staring at me in disbelief. I closed his mouth before an insect could fly in.“Oh wow, so that’s all it is,” he said, then continued eating.“And you know how it is in the Philippines—nicknames are either doubled or completely unrelated to your real name. Like our old neighbor, her name was Jonalyn. Her nickname? Tilapia-the fish. Another one was named Jovit, but they called him Betlôg (Men's balls). Where’s the justice in that?” I went on. Jasper bur
BMOM ➭ 040ꕤꕤꕤARYM ZCHRYNNE “MaiMai” –I breathed a sigh of relief when I entered Jasper’s office without anyone seeing me.I went straight to his secret room, carrying the food I’d ordered. I found him fast asleep.I grabbed a basin and filled it with warm water. I was going to wipe him down.I looked for clothes he could change into in the cabinet. I found a t-shirt and shorts, and grabbed a clean towel too.“H-hon?” Jasper called out weakly after I dabbed his forehead with the damp towel.“Yes, hon? I’m right here.”I continued wiping him gently.“You came back.” His eyes were still closed.“Yup! Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you. Just rest.”“Thank you, hon. I wanted to work today, but I couldn’t pass up the chance to be taken care of by you again.”He opened his eyes and gazed at me with sleepy eyes. His gaze dropped from my eyes to my lips, and he bit his lip like he was tempted.“You’re unbelievable. Let me clean you up, change your clothes, then you’ll eat and take your me
BMOM ➭ 039ꕤꕤꕤARYM ZCHRYNNE “MaiMai” –Jasper’s breathing had deepened—he was clearly asleep.I adjusted his blanket with one hand. He was gripping my other hand tightly, and I didn’t want to pull away too quickly and wake him.A few minutes later, my phone rang. When I checked, it was Sven calling.I bit my lip—I’d forgotten I still had work to do for him.“Hello?” I whispered, glancing at Jasper to make sure he didn’t wake up.“Where are you? Architect Lopez said you’re already here.”“I just stepped out for a bit. I’m heading back now. Have you had coffee?”“Not yet. That’s why I’m looking for you. You know I only like it when you make it.”“Alright, I’m on my way. Bye.”I ended the call and gently pulled my hand from Jasper’s grip. Thankfully, I managed without waking him. I’d try to come back later. Jasper never eats alone, especially when he’s sick. I still needed to take care of him—just like I do with our daughter, Zanyca.When I got back to Sven’s office, he was standing w
BMOM ➭ 038ꕤꕤꕤARYM ZCHRYNNE “MaiMai” –I quickly entered the room and locked the door behind me. I’d figure out later what excuse to give for locking it.“Hon?” I called softly. Jasper wasn’t at his desk.His office was beautiful—gray and black tones, very masculine.And it smelled amazing. Like a fab conditioner. Charr! Whatever it was, it smelled good.“Hon?” I called again.“Ah!!!”I screamed, but someone immediately covered my mouth from behind.“Shh… It’s just me, hon.” Jasper whispered.I turned to him and smacked his chest. Good thing I don’t know karate yet, or his bones would’ve been shattered.“Why did you have to hide and whisper? It’s just the two of us here.” I asked, annoyed. He’s such a troublemaker.“No reason, hon. I just wanted to surprise you. Hehe.”He thought he was funny. Doesn’t he know I drink coffee three times a day?“You jerk! I’ve been worried about you and you just wanted to scare me!”I smacked his chest again and rolled my eyes. Honestly, I was just s
BMOM ➭ 037ꕤꕤꕤARYM ZCHRYNNE “MaiMai” –The next day, Jasper and I arrived early, but I didn’t let him drop me off right in front of the building. Even though he didn’t like it, I insisted he let me off near a coffee shop instead. I was trying to avoid being seen with him. I didn’t want to be the subject of gossip. Most people knew I was in a relationship with Sven, so if they saw me getting out of the CEO’s car, it would be a scandal.People like the gossipers think differently—and they’re impossible to explain things to. They only believe what they want to believe. So if you say 1 + 1 equals 2, they won’t buy it. If they want the answer to be 3, then 3 is the only truth.How do I know?Because I’m one of them. A proud member of the club. Charr!Jasper couldn’t do anything about it, so he let me walk ahead into the company while his car slowly followed behind me.Total bodyguard mode.When I got inside, I bumped into Architect Lopez. I wasn’t uncomfortable around him anymore—his ga
BMOM ➭ 036ꕤꕤꕤARYM ZCHRYNNE “MaiMai” –“Just kidding, hon! I was talking about you—you smell good. Like a baby, just like before.”He said sweetly. As if I’d fall for that again. Hmp!“You’re not fooling me anymore, Jasper. What, you think you can still nurse from me? Dream on!”“I’ve been dreaming—and hard—for a while now! And stop calling me ‘Jasper’ like that, hon. I’m sorry, okay? I was just teasing you earlier. Don’t be stingy with your body. It’s mine, isn’t it?”I rolled my eyes at him. I was just being cute.“Come on, let’s make up.” He started kissing me and tickling my neck and waist.I couldn’t help but laugh. Fine, okay.“Alright! You pest.”“Yesss!” Jasper grabbed me by the waist and lifted me onto the countertop. He kissed me passionately, sending shivers down my spine.We kissed for several heated minutes before I pulled away—I was running out of breath.“Enough. I don’t want to die. Eat first. Weren’t you hungry?”“Yes, hon, I’m hungry—but I’m also craving you.” he