ADRIANNAI ran out of the restaurant as fast as my legs could take me, sobbing uncontrollably. I didn’t mean to walk out on him like that , I just couldn’t take it.When he stood up from his seat and knelt down, I was confused, wondering what was happening. Then he started talking about how he wanted me to be his wife and how he was going to take care of me. I was happy at first, my mind at peace and was loving the moment, not until he brought out a ring.My eyes were lost as the scenes replayed in my head.It was the exact same ring that Raymond had used to propose to me.When Ethan brought out the ring, the smile on my face slowly faded away. My mind drifted to the event at the park, how I was humiliated by Jasmine. The image of her showing me the ring that Raymond gave to her, which was supposed to be mine.I’d wager Jasmine knew that was the same ring Raymond gave me.Raymond had proposed to me with that same ring, promising me our future together, and how he would take care of m
ADRIANNAMorning came quite fast. The morning sun hitting my face from the open-window. I groaned as I sat up on my bed. I woke up with a splitting headache and body pain.I had a lot of things to do today, i was finally able to resume work and i also had to meet Ethan in the evening.I yawned as I stood up from the bed, walking groggily to the bathroom.I quickly brushed my teeth.As I stepped into the shower, the icy water slapped me awake. I gasped, my skin recoiling from the shock. It felt like a thousand tiny needles pricking at me, making me shiver uncontrollably.The water pounded against my skin, a relentless drumbeat that was both soothing and punishing. I felt alive, like every nerve ending was firing at once.For a moment, I forgot everything else. The stress, the worries, the weight of the world. It was just me, the water, and the cold.When I was done, I came out of the bathroom, freezing and shivering from the cold.I walked over to my wardrobe, searching for what to we
ADRIANNAIt was awkward. The ride to the coffee shop was really awkward. It was really silent, like no one said anything at all. The silence was so profound that a pin drop could be heard.I sat in the back seat, while one of the bodyguards sat in the driver's seat and the other sat in the passenger’s seat. He looked like a passenger princess.I laughed at that thought.I didn’t even know how loud I laughed until the bodyguard sitting in the passenger seat turned back to look at me.He looked puzzled.“I’m so sorry” I said as I tried to compose myself.He just looked at me, then turned around to face the road.Well that was rude, he would have at least acknowledged that i apologized.I leaned forward.“So ehm, what are your names?” I asked as I looked at both of them.They looked at each other.The one who was driving spoke first. “My name’s Roland ma’am” he said as he looked forward.I looked over at the other man, awaiting his answer. “Darka ma’am” he finally replied.“Uhh that’s a
ADRIANNA“What do you mean you will be killed if you tell me who did this to you?” I asked as I moved closer to him.I needed to understand what was happening, someone did this to him and threatened him not to disclose who that was?“Yes ma’am, I don’t want to die” he said, his hands shaking and lips trembling.I could feel fear gripping him.“It’s okay, it’s okay” I said as I urged him to calm down.I moved closer and took a seat beside him.I knew I was not supposed to feel pity for him, or guilt, because of what he did to me, but this was just too much.It was hard not to feel pity. His face was badly bruised, his mouth swollen, he could hardly keep his left eye open.“Look,” I said.“You need to tell me who did this to you,” I said.He looked up at me.“I can’t ma’am. I don’t even know who it is” he said.I looked at him puzzled.What did he mean by he didn’t even know who did this to him? He literally just said someone threatened him not to tell me who beat him up like this.“I d
ETHAN“Has he done it?” I said as I placed the phone over my ear with my left hand, my right hand holding the paperwork.“Yes boss” I heard from the other side of the phone.“Good, make sure he doesn’t say anything” i said.“And if he does, end him” I said as i ended the call.I walked over to my desk and took a seat. I placed a call through to my secretary, she came in a few minutes later.“Hand this over to the production team” I said as I handed her the paperwork.“Yes sir” she replied as she took her leave.I watched her as she exited the office, her back disappearing from view.I recline my seat, getting more comfortable. I loosened my tie and adjusted my shirt a little bit for fresh air.Just then, I received a call.I picked up my phone from the table and looked at the caller id.It read Adrianna.I sat upright as I picked the call, placing it close to my ear.“Hi Ethan” I heard her say over the phone, my heart beaming with joy at the sound of her voice.I tried to compose myse
ADRIANNA I couldn’t believe he would do such a thing, that was a low blow, even for someone like him. I had just ended the call on him after he told me that he was the one who ordered his men to beat that man up.This was disheartening.I stood there wondering how in the first place did he find out about the incident and all that had happened. I hadn’t even seen him in the whole two months that I was chased out of the house by Raymond.I needed to talk to his men.I turned around and looked outside, expecting to see his men standing at attention, but they were no longer there. I could see their car, and just at that very moment I heard the car engine start.Wait? Were they leaving? I haven’t asked them about what happened.I quickly removed the apron from my neck, and dropped it on the counter.I hastened my steps as I began to walk out of the coffee shop, but it was too late, the car had started moving.I tried to call their attention, screaming at the top of my lungs.“Hey, come ba
ADRIANNA “What is it Ethan?” I asked as he finally let me go.He had dragged me out of the coffee shop, and we were now standing in front of his car.“Get in,” he said as he opened the car door for me.“Well I don’t want to,” I said as I stood akimbo.He looked up at me, and took a deep long breath.“Get in Adrianna, or I will put you on my shoulders and carry you in myself” he said again, this time walking closer to me.“Okay okay fine” I said, raising my hand up in defeat.I entered the car.I watched as he walked over to the driver’s side and entered, taking a seat.He brought out the key from his pocket, and started the car shortly after.Where exactly was he taking me to?I looked at him, as he began to drive. He looked back at me and I quickly looked away. I was still supposed to be angry at him.I sat there, arms crossed, with a frown on my face as I looked straight at the road.My plan was to not talk to him, no matter what he says. I tried to steal a glance or two at him, a
ADRIANNA Did I just hear him say he did a background check on me?I stood up immediately, moving back, my mouth still left open and shocked.He stood up and moved closer to me, but I stopped him immediately as I held my hand forward signaling for him to stop.“I have to go,” I said as I moved back and turned around.“Adrianna…” I heard him say as I continued walking out.“Please wait” he said as I heard his footsteps trail behind me.“What is it?” I said as I took a pause.“First you beat up a person to the extent that he is not able to speak properly and now i am finding out that you did a background check on me” i said as i turned around to face him, my gaze furious.“What more did you find out?” I asked as I crossed my arms.“At this point I am sure you have heard about how I was chased out of the house right?” I said as pain flashes through my eyes.He looked up at him, his body stiff and eyes holding confusion.“What do you mean chased out of the house” he said as he moved close
ADRIANNA THE NEXT DAYThe gold wristwatch fitted my wrist so perfectly. I stared at myself in the mirror, loving how I looked. I had on a pink sundress, that was free from my belly down to my knee. I wanted something comfy, and stress-free. I packed my hair in a half up half down style and picked up my purse, stepping out of my room.I walked down the stairs to meet Ethan already in the dining room. I walked closer to him, and planted a peck on his cheek. “Good morning” I muttered as I took a seat.“Morning!” He mumbled between his food.Anna came in, and served my food for me. A plate of steak, and mashed potatoes. The sight of it made my mouth water. “Thank you!” I uttered as I thanked Anna.It didn’t take long for me to devour the food that was right in front of me, as I was really hungry. It felt like I hadn't eaten in days, which wasn’t true. I literally ate a heavy plate of food in the middle of the night.“Slow down babe…” Ethan said laughing.I looked up at him, my face cont
ADRIANNA “Stopppp are you serious?” I almost screamed in excitement, then I turned towards him. “I mean if that is okay with you?” He asked, and shrugged, and I rushed to give him a hug.“Are you freaking kidding me?!!! This is the best thing I have heard in a while” I smiled sheepishly, releasing him.“I’m sure Darka, Roland, Anna, and the rest would be excited to know the gender of this little pumpkin” he said, as he placed his hand on my belly, giving it a gentle rub.“I knowwww” I said as I also placed my hand on my belly.“Thank you!” I tiptoed to meet up with his height. I planted a kiss on his lips, and just when I was about to come back down, I felt his hands on my waist.“Hmm feisty!” He groaned as he stared deep into my eyes. “Should we continue from where we stopped right before I went to work?” He said and I could feel my cheeks start to get hot.My mind went back to this morning, and the feeling I felt. It was glorious. “I already told you not to get your hopes up” I s
ADRIANNATheresa handed me a cup of decaf, and we walked to the dining room to take a seat.“So”“What have you been up to lately?” Theresa asked as she took a seat by the edge of the table, and i sat down beside her, placing my cup on the table.“Well” i began as i adjusted my position to properly face her. “You know how I told you the last time I came here, that I was going to get divorced with Raymond in about a week?”“Yes yes I remember!” she slightly nodded, giving me her full attention.“That didn’t happen,” I said, looking down at the cup of coffee, staring hard at it, trying so hard not to remember what happened that day, and the excruciating pain I felt.“What? I don’t understand? What happened? Look at me Adrianna” Theresa said as she took her hand to my chin, lifting it up so that I could look at her.I took a deep breath, before telling her what had happened.“Something happened and I was taken to the hospital,” I told her, letting out a laugh.“I…ehm Jasmine had hit me a
ADRIANNA The shock on my face was as clear as day. Never in my time of staying here did my thoughts ever click to this. Not like I hated it, hell nah, it was rather the opposite, but I was just quite surprised, like really really surprised.Darka and Roland are together? What else did I not know?“I…i…i” I struggled to find words but nothing seemed to want to come out. It felt like there was a lump in my throat, stopping me from actually letting out words.Words totally couldn’t express how shocked I was, and Roland and Darka held the same shocked expression. ‘Should I just walk away?’ I thought inwardly, totally confused on what to do. Yep, that’s exactly what I’m going to do!“I…i’m so sorry!” I finally managed to say, as I immediately turned around, and began to walk away. My legs were shaky, and felt like they would give up within seconds, but I didn't even turn to look, I just kept walking.Roland and Darka chased after me, making me stop abruptly. “I…i didn’t see anything i p
ADRIANNAI just wanted to take a power nap, and i ended up sleeping for four hours straight. I thought power naps were supposed to be for about thirty minutes to an hour? How in the world did I sleep through the morning and into lunch time? Recently i have been sleeping a lot, and i guess it was because of the pregnancy. I didn’t even know if i was to be happy or sad about it.It definitely had its advantages and disadvantages. I mean, I was having enough rest, but…. It was tiring to always wake up feeling more tired than before I slept. And with Ethan back to work, I was constantly almost, always alone, except when Anna came to keep me company. But she also has things to do like taking care of the house, with the other maids. So I spent little time with her. I yawned as I got out of bed, stretching out my arms and whole body. I had to go take a shower. I needed to go see Theresa. We haven’t spoken in a long while, and I was kind of excited to see how she would react when I tell her
ETHANThe room fell silent, as if the air had been sucked out of it. I felt like I'd been punched in the gut."Excuse me?" I asked, trying to process the information.My secretary nodded, her eyes wide with concern. "Yes, sir. It's all over the news. OmniCorp's CEO, Rachel Lee, has announced a merger with NovaTech, our largest competitor."The room erupted into chaos, with shareholders shouting questions and concerns. I slammed my fist on the table, calling for order."Let's not jump to conclusions," I said, trying to regain control of the situation. "We need to understand the implications of this merger and how it affects our proposal."Mr. Johnson stood up, his face red with anger. "This changes everything," he said. "We can't compete with NovaTech's resources and market share."Mrs. Patel nodded in agreement. "We need to reconsider our strategy and prioritize damage control."I nodded, taking a deep breath. "I agree. Let's assemble a team to analyze the situation and come up with a
ETHANI stepped down from the car, straightening up my suit as best as I could. Mary had called me to let me know that the shareholders were now seated, and waiting for me to address them. I walked into my company, waving past the receptionist that had a wide smile on her face. Everything had to be in order, and i dare not fuck it up. I took the elevator up to my office. Immediately I got in, I gathered the rest of the file that I left in the office days ago, and headed to the boardroom. As I stepped into the boardroom, I was met with the piercing eyes of people who had invested their trust and money in me and my company. Ryan was also seated beside an empty chair, which was supposed to be where i would sit. I walked over to him, and took a seat.“Can we have a talk later?” I whispered to him. He looked at me for a few seconds, and then turned to face the other way.I guess that meant yes. I stood up, took a deep breath, and adjusted my tie. Time to deliver. “Ladies and gentlemen”
ETHAN“Damnit Ethan! When did all this happen?”“How could you keep something like this from me?”“I thought we were best friends” Ryan let out all these words, screaming at the top of his lungs. I knew he was seriously angry with me. I kept this away from him for months, without the intention of telling him, and now I was feeling so bad. “Well technically, she isn’t my wife yet, not until after the divorce” I said, clearing my throat.“Divorce???” Ryan said, his tone evident of so much confusion. “Ethan, what are all these about?”“I am so pissed right now”“So this was what you were hiding from me all along? I knew something was off with you, but marriage? Divorce?”“This, I didn’t expect,” he said.The other side of the phone was silent for a while, and when I was about to speak, I was interrupted.“Let’s even leave out the fact that you are married, or about to get married, i don’t care!”“You kept this away from me? Your best friend?”“At this point, I don't even think you take
ETHAN I liked the little effects I had on her. I liked that Adrianna was flushed red in front of me. My little princess. My big baby. She was the air that I breathe. “I’m angry with you” she said, slapping my hand away from her chin. I let out a little smile. “I know that, and I am here to apologize,” I said as I sat down on her bed, my weight pressing down on her soft mattress. “What would you like me to do for you?” “I’ll do anything” I said, and her eyes widened in excitement. “Really?” She asked as she adjusted herself on the bed. “Yes babe” I planted a soft gentle peck on her forehead, making her shiver a little beneath me. “Don’t_don’t call me that” she complained, her voice terribly low, but a little audible enough for me to hear. “Call you what? Babe?” I acted like I didn't know exactly what she was talking about. “I shouldn’t call you babe?” She nodded. “But you are my baby” I planted a kiss on her right hand. “Whatever!” She scoffed and I couldn't help but sm