KATERINA
I composed myself instantly because I didn’t want jade to realise that I was uncomfortable upon the mention of the name. I wanted to look professional even though the name made me feel a little bit uncomfortable. I cleared my throat.“Mr. Thompson?” I asked, making sure I didn’t hear her wrong. I wished she could tell me that she was just joking. If it was some sort of joke, it would be the worst joke in history. However, my heart sank deep in my stomach when she shook her head in denial, her face serious and I could tell that she wasn't joking. My heart pounded wildly when it dawned on me that…“Yes ma’am, Mrs. Thompson.” She confirmed my doubts. I swallowed the lump down my throat but it didn’t budge and I hated the feeling of it. God, someone please remind me again why I came back in Aurelian.“I think you made a wrong appointment.I…don’t recall confirming the appointment. Can you please cancel the appointment? I have something importantKATERINAThe feeling of being in his arms again felt familiar. The feeling that I have been trying so fucking hard to forget…“Are you okay? “Lucas asked in concern, looking down at me, worry written all over his face. Our faces were inches away from each other and I could feel his mint breath on cheeks, warm and gentle, caressing my cheeks.“ Yes, I’m okay.” I said in assurance. I wriggled from his arms, the closeness of our faces making me feel a little bit uncomfortable.Lucas helped me to sit back on the chair, ignoring my actions, being gentle as though I was made of glass. He walked to the sleek, built-in hydration station, fetching a glass of water for me.“ Here, this will help a little bit.” He said, his voice polite. He looked at me with care and I swallowed, taking the glass of water and sipped on it. “ I think you should go see the doctor. We can reschedule the appointment if you want. The appointment can wait, but not your health. Let me take yo
KATERINA What is inside the box? I couldn’t help but question myself, curiosity getting the better of me. Lucas walked to me, my heart pounding wildly against my ribcage with each step that I took. I frowned when he handed me the box. “What is inside?” I inquired, looking at him doubtfully.“What about…you check it for yourself?” He asked, the corner of his lips curving into a smirk. I didn’t like the look on his face, he always wore that look whenever he was up to no good. That look reminded me of how he used to tease me, and every time, I fell for it. I had this feeling that he was playing some twisted game on me, and I would be so stupid if I fall for it. I have fallen for many of his games in the past, not this time. I’m not the same Katerina who could be tricked easily. The corner of my lips curved into a smile when the thought popped in my head. “Thank you. However, I don’t think I’m the one you
KATERINA Touching the necklace on my neck, my lips curved into a smile. I closed my eyes, savouring the precious moment. Still, I couldn't believe that Lucas had brought me the most valuable thing that I have been searching for, for the last four years. It felt like a dream to me. A dream that I didn't want to wake up from. Wearing the necklace made me feel connected to my mother in some twisted way that I couldn't explain. I felt his presence and it gave me the motivation to keep on fighting. It reminded me of what made me come back to Aurelian city. “ Andrew never stopped thinking of you for the past four years.” Luca's words rang in my mind over and over again, like a music put on repeat. Me too. I never forgot about him for the past four years. He crossed my mind every other day, asking the heavens to protect him for me. I might have said that I let the past go. However, the truth was, there are some past that was hard to let go. Like my mother's precious necklace and…Andrew.
KATERINA “What are you doing here? Have you been following me?” she asked through gritted teeth and I couldn’t help it but roll my eyes, finding her question ridiculous. “Come on, don’t think high of yourself, Stephanie. Why in the world would I follow you when I have a thousand things to do?” I asked with a raised eyebrow, the corner of my lips curving into a smirk. “Long time no see, don’t pretend you didn’t miss me.” I said sarcastically, the smirk on my lips broadening. Her jaw twitched when she heard my words, making me feel good. “To be honest, I kind of missed you, mother. You were always on my mind, every single day.” I pretended to be emotional, playing around with her mind. It was true she has been on my mind for the past four years. Stephanie rolled her eyes upon hearing my words, not believing me. The truth is, she crossed my mind often and each time her face flashed in my mind, my heart clenched painfully. Heaving a slow deep sigh, I discarded the thoughts, focusing
KATERINA I laid on my bed, the sheets cold against my skin and the sleep far from my eyes. I have tried all tricks, willing myself to fall asleep but none worked. I was still wide awake in the middle of the night, chain of thoughts buzzing my mind. FLASHBACK The day passed in a blur. However, I didn't enjoy it to the fullest the way I had envisioned it. Well, that is to be expected when that witch Stephanie is around. Despite everything, I tried my best not to let her words get to me. She wanted to slap me like old days but I held her hand mid-air before it came in contact with my cheeks, my grip tightening and she let out a groan in pain. There was no way I was going to allow the witch to have her away. Not this time! My bodyguards stepped between us to protect me from Stephanie but I asked them not to intervene because I wanted to deal with her personally. Even though I didn't want to cause any scene, Stephanie couldn't stop shouting, attracting the attention of the shop a
Chapter 032 LUCAS “ Kate, wait…” She hung up without giving me a chance to speak. It was clear she didn't want to talk to me anymore. Well, at least I heard her voice. That was an assurance that she was doing okay. Even though it hurt a little bit that she had hung up on me and asked me to never call her again. I’m glad that she was doing alright. The memories of how she almost fell on the concrete floor flashed in my mind, making my heart jump in my throat as though it was happening at the moment. I don’t know how it happened but…I found myself on my feet because of the Adrenaline rush, holding her in my arms so tightly and never wanting to let her go. My heart pounded wildly against my ribcage as though it would escape from my chest in the next second. I couldn’t recall when was the last time that I was that scared of losing someone. Watching as Katerina’s life flashed in front of my eyes was far worse than a nightmare. I couldn’t imagine losing her. The mere thought of
KATERINA THREE DAYS LATER It has already been three days since Lucas visited the company and the encounter with Stephanie. I scolded my secretary about giving my number to Lucas and she apologized for it, saying she thought we were best friends because he showed her the pictures of us together and we looked so happy, making her convinced and that is why she gave him the number. I asked her to never repeat the mistake again, telling her I won't be too nice next time. I asked Lucas never to call me ever again and I’m glad that he listened because he never bothered me again, which I was grateful for. For Stephanie, we have never bumped into each other again since the encounter at the mall. My lawyer is still following up on the case, updating me the progress. “Ladies and gentlemen, we have begun our descent in Elysium city. Please turn off all portable electronic devices in preparation for landing, be certain your back is straight up and your seatbelt is fastened,” The plane attenda
KATERINA “Good morning,” my lips curved into a big smile. The five of us ended up sleeping on one bed, in Paula’s room. The triplets wanted to sleep with me in one bed because they had missed me so much. For me, I wanted to sleep with Paula, because of how I was feeling yesterday after the intimate conversation that we had.So, we decided that we’re going to sleep on one bed because it's big enough to fit all of us. “Good morning mother,” Arabella said happily. “Hmmm” Asher said, trying to wake up. “Good morning.” Alexander said lazily, rubbing his eyes. The three little ones looked so cute and I couldn’t help but smile to myself. “shhh…” Grandma is still sleeping. Bella whispered, placing her hand on her lips as she gestured for us to keep quiet. “Let's go back to our room and let grandma have some rest.” I whispered back. She stirred in sleep but thankfully, she didn’t wake up. Paula is usually a light sleeper. However, the medication that sh
KATERINA It was silent inside the courtroom, even a pin-drop could be heard. Both prosecution and defence parties had settled down, patiently waiting for the judge to enter the room so that the hearing could begin. The air was thick with tension, anticipation and hope as the seconds passed by. There were exactly five minutes left before 9am.Katerina released a deep breath , trying her best to calm her racing heart. As though David sensed her discomfort, he touched Kate’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Katerina turned her head momentarily to look at David and flashed him a gentle smile, silently thanking him for his unwavering support.On the other hand, Stephanie looked so relaxed, as though she wasn't the one accused of murder. Her shoulders were relaxed and there was a hint of smile across her face. She turned to look at her lawyer and they exchanged knowing looks.Lucas eyed Kate from the corner of his eyes. He saw how Katerina clung to th
KATERINAIt wasn't easy. I almost gave up the fight but…thanks to the heavens I had people who gave me strength to keep on fighting! David, Paula and my lawyer gave me the strength to keep on going, and the day that we have all been waiting for was finally here.Melissa's death was still a mystery, the person who knocked her with the car is yet to be found. Her mom hates me to the guts, blaming me for her daughter's death. I chose to remain silent, accepting the blame because I know how hard it's for her. It's hard for both of us…Heaving a deep sigh, I stared at my reflection in the mirror and for a second , I didn't recognise the person who was looking right back at me. I looked pale and exhausted. Even though I had applied light make-up, the dark circles on my eyes were still visible. It was hard for me to fall asleep last night.Each time I closed my eyes, I woke up to nightmares. The death of Melissa triggered the memories of my parent’s tragic deaths. My mind jolted back to
KATERINA THE FOLLOWING DAY, SUNDAY I stared at the cold unmoving body, my vision blurry with tears. I was still holding onto that glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe…there was a confusion of names. However, staring at Melissa’s body in a morgue cooler proved otherwise.There was no confusion, not even slightest.She was dead!Her eyes were shut tightly and her lips clumped together. I wished she could blink or…opened her eyes to tell me that it was just a bad nightmare and it would pass. To my disappointment, it was quiet inside the morgue, no traces of life apart from the morgue attendance and the people who had accompanied me to see the body.We followed up with the police first thing in the morning and we were told that she died right after she was hit by the car. It was a hit and run kind of situation. The car that hit her drove away and it didn't have a silence plate for identical. The police are still lo
KATERINA“I just received the news that Melissa is dead…” My lawyer's words echoed in my head over and over again, like bad music which was put on repeat.How? I couldn't help but question myself, trying to make sense of his words. Melissa's happy face flashed in my mind. That bright smile that could light the dark sky and melt away all sadness.She was so happy about the case. She was in good health a few hours ago when we parted ways and agreed that we would meet on my Monday for the court’s hearing. I shook my head, refusing to accept what Evan had just told me a few seconds ago, the words so fresh in my mind.“This can't be…” I shook my head frantically, trying to convince myself that it wasn't true. The corner of my lips curving into a bitter smile. If this was a joke, I swear it's the worst joke that I have ever heard in my entire life. It wasn't funny at all!“She was perfectly
KATERINA A FEW DAYS LATER “Are you sure about the decision that you have made? There is still time for you to reconsider the decision. You don't need to feel obligated if you don't want to.” I asked the young lady who was in her early twenties.She told me that her name is Melissa.“Yes,I’m sure about it ma’am.” She nodded, a subtle smile taking over her features.“That wasn't the first time the woman caused trouble at the shop. There was this time that she harassed me, reporting me to my boss and my salary was deducted. I tried to explain to my boss that she was the one at fault but…she didn't want to listen to me, saying the customer is always right.” Melissa said and I could feel the raw pain in her voice. I could tell that she really dislikes Stephanie and she has been waiting for this chance to make her pay for what she did to her.I turned my head to look at Evan, my lawyer and he nodded, his
KATERINA “You have tried countless times to separate the two of us but it doesn't work. When are you going to realise that our union was a match made in heaven?”Monalisa's words re-played in my head over and over again. Perhaps she was right about what she was saying. Perhaps they were destined to be together.I didn't have a problem with Lucas choosing Monalisa over me because he has the right to choose whoever he wanted to side with without being pushed to make the decision.However, what hurt the most is the fact that Lucas had lied to Monalisa and everyone about his visit to my apartment.My jaw twitched and I gritted my teeth when I gave it a thought. He tainted my name, making me look like some desperate whore. If only I knew opening the door to him would make things more complicated. I wouldn't have opened it in the first place.After the heated conversation with Monalisa in the coffee shop, I headed to my lawyer's office to inform him about Luc
KATERINA “Lucas my love, we’re supposed to visit my mother's lawyer and discuss the case. There's no way we're going to let that bitch Katerina lie about my mother!” I didn't want to believe that voice belonged to Monalisa but it was loud and clear. I would still recognise it even if I'm deep in slumber. It belonged to her. A click pierced through my ear, then followed by silence on the other side of the call. He had hung up on me, just like many other times when Monalisa was around and she needed his full attention. With shaky hands, I pulled the phone from my ear, placing it on the table. Perhaps I would have stick to the decision that I had made with my lawyer yesterday night, this wouldn't be happening. Maybe if I would have gazed through those blue eyes keenly, I would have noticed that he was only playing around with me like a rug doll. How could I be so dumb not to read between th
KATERINA I took a sharp breath when I heard Luca's words, not believing it. I thought that…Maybe he said what he said yesterday because of the alcohol influence. However, it turns out that he meant every single word that he said.Did he just…choose me over Monalisa? I couldn't help it but ask myself. Wondering if I had heard his words right or if I was dreaming. I stared at his hand on top of mine on the table then raised my head to look at him and our eyes locked.“I hope you won't regret the decision that you just made. I don't want to cause any problems to your family so that I can be the reason for it falling apart, again.” I felt the bile raising up in my throat when the words escaped my mouth but I swallowed it back.I remembered how Lucas blamed me for breaking his family four years ago. I recalled the hurt and anger in those blue eyes which were now looking at me with care and concern. I didn't want to be the reason for his breaking. I had made up my mind and decided that I w
AUTHOR'S POV A groan tore from Luca's lips as he tried to flicker his eyes softly to get rid of the blurry vision. His head throbbed, and the whole body ached as though he had been run over by a train or something much heavier than that. ‘What happened?’ He couldn't help but question himself, trying to find out why he was feeling out of place because it doesn't happen that often. A sweet aroma hit his nostrils and he couldn't help it but wonder where he was. Did he die and was in heaven? He couldn't help it but wonder because it was unusual for him to wake up and smell such a mouth-watering scent. Finally opening his blue orbs, he was met by a face that he least expected. He thought that perhaps he would see an angel welcoming him in heaven but…he was met by Katerina's face. Is she one of the angels? “Good morning?” She said, a subtle smile touching her lips. Was he dreaming of Katerina? He questioned himself. Wait, where was he? He looked around and that's when he realised that