Joel's eyes scanned the door for a while before he creaked it open. He closed it behind him and took long strides towards the girl lying on the hospital bed with her left hand and leg bandaged. He stared at her for a while before taking his seat, watching her as she breathed softly... the girl looked so fragile and naive.
Back at a certain villa, Little Pumpkin kept walking back and forth, continuously checking through the window as if waiting for someone to drive in. After checking the driveway through the window for the umpteenth time, he climbed down from the chair and walked towards his father."Dad..." he called out."Huh?" Michael looked up at him from the settee he was sitting on."Is Uncle JJ not coming back home tonight?" Little Pumpkin asked keenly as he sat down next to his father."I don't know." his father groaned."How can you not know when you are his brother?" Little Pumpkin pouted."Arghhh, I don't have any supernatural power." his father rolled his eyes."Besides, it's my day off today and I didn't go to the company. There's no way I would have known he wasn't coming back home tonight." Michael explained frustratedly."You should sleep, you're going to school tomorrow." he quickly added."Ani." Little Pumpkin shook his head negatively.(A/N: Ani is one of the shortened forms of "no")"I want to wait till Uncle JJ comes back." he pouted stubbornly."Uwa!" Michael facepalmed himself as he stared at his son.(A/N: Uwa means "wow")There he is, stubbornly waiting for his brother, but he wouldn't wait if it were to be him— his father... Maybe Joel gave birth to the boy.Michael sneered."Dad, why don't you call him?" Pumpkin stared eagerly at his father."Ok..." Michael groaned as he picked up his phone and dialed Joel's number.Joel was still studying the girl on the hospital bed when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He brought it out and checked the caller's ID before swiping up the answer icon."Are you still coming home tonight?" Michael asked as soon as he had placed the phone on his ear.He didn't bother with pleasantries. He knew his younger brother too well. Joel didn't like pleasantries."No," Joel replied."Why?" Michael asked.Joel stared at the girl on the bed for a second before looking away. "Busy.""Ok then, g'night." Michael yawned.The phone went 'beep'. Joel hung up.Michael turned to face his five-year-old son, who, to the best of his knowledge, was too intelligent for his age."So?..." Little Pumpkin stared keenly at his father."He isn't coming." Michael broke the bombshell."Awwwwwwww..." Little Pumpkin pouted in disappointment and sank into the couch."Let me take you to your room. You'll see him when you get back from school tomorrow." Michael stood up, and gently, he carried the fragile boy on his shoulder.He felt sorry for the boy. Ever since the incident happened, Little Pumpkin had grown so fond of Joel since he usually spent so much time with him. He had grown so close to Joel that he shared with Joel a bond he didn't even share with him— his father. Little Pumpkin loved Joel just as much as Joel loved him."I hate school." Pumpkin muttered silently as he rested his head on his father's shoulder.Michael sighed as he headed towards Little Pumpkin's room. As soon as one of the maids opened the door to Little Pumpkin's room for him, he walked in, to the bed, and lay the little boy, who was already fast asleep, on it. He kissed his forehead, switched off the light, and walked out of Little Pumpkin's room.Michael walked into his room and fell flat on his bed, his eyes to the ceiling. He entwined his hands slightly above his head as a tear escaped from his left eye and streamed down onto the pillow.🏥🏥🏥After watching the girl for a little while, Joel picked his phone from his lap and dialed his assistant's number.#BeepNoah yawned into the mouthpiece of his phone. "Hello."It was pretty obvious that he was already fast asleep before he answered his phone."Tomorrow morning, come to the hospital. I'll text you the address now." Joel stated bluntly and hung up, giving no room for Noah to talk.Noah, who was already very sleepy, widened his eyes immediately he heard his boss' voice. The sleep vanished from his eyes, and he hastily digested everything his boss had said. He knew his boss never repeated himself a second time.After a short while, his phone dinged—a message from his boss.Very quickly, Noah opened the message and saw that it was the address of the hospital his boss had mentioned. He stayed awake for a short while, and after confirming his boss wasn't going to call back, he went back to peaceful slumber.🏥🏥🏥After he sent the message to his assistant, Joel returned his phone to his pocket and spent the whole night watching the girl on the hospital bed without blinking an eye.🌄🌄🌄As soon as it was dawn, Noah drove straight to the address his boss had sent him the previous night. Without introducing himself, the nurses already knew who he was and who he came for as soon as they saw him step into the hospital.Who didn't know the CEO's cute personal assistant NOAH WILSON?Immediately, one of the nurses led him to the ward Joel was in.Noah didn't know why his boss was in the hospital."Did he have an accident...""Did one of his enemies attack him..."He wondered worriedly as the nurse led him to the ward. Since his boss was a successful businessman and the richest businessman in the country, and as much as he had a lot of people who loved him, he also had a lot of them who hated him.Noah thought one of his boss' enemies had laid an ambush for him the previous night.The nurse brought him to the ward and opened it for him to enter before closing it after him and leaving for the reception.Noah walked further into the ward and saw a very beautiful lady lying on the bed. Even the blind would know she was beautiful. He stared at the lady before starting at his boss.He walked quickly and stood beside his boss. He bowed to him and turned back to look at the lady, whose left arm and leg were bandaged. He furrowed his brows, trying to figure out what had happened. Since he was a very intelligent person, he easily deduced what had happened— his boss had hit the lady with his car.Noah looked down at his boss and saw that he was staring at the lady on the bed.🌅🌅🌅Around 10 am that morning, Emily opened her eyes slowly. She looked up at the white ceiling.'huh?...when did I repaint my room?' She twitched her lips to a side.She racked her brain but didn't remember repainting her room. Then it occurred to her that the room she was in wasn't hers. Hastily, she turned her head to the left, and lo and behold, an extraordinarily handsome man was sitting next to the bed she was lying on. She raised her head a bit, and a handsome man was standing right next to the handsome man. Although the man wasn't as handsome as the other one, he wasn't bad either.Emily trailed her eyes back to the very gorgeous man and stared at him for a while longer.'There's something about this man, his expression hasn't changed since I opened my eyes...' Emily blinked her eyes rapidly. 'No smile, just a straight static look.' The thought of it sent chills down her spine.She made to sit up and rest her back against the wall when she felt a sharp pain around her hand."Siiiii..." She hissed in pain."Sorry," Noah pouted as he watched the pretty lady hiss in pain.Emily looked up at him and smiled. She then stared back at the handsome man and noticed his face still had the same cold expression as before."Errr, how did I end up here?" She asked, staring intently at the handsome man."You got hit," Noah quickly replied.Emily diverted her eyes from the handsome man and stared at the other man standing nearby.She squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to recollect what had happened. A few moments later, she opened her eyes. She didn't remember a thing."By who?" She asked.Her eyes darted back to the 'man' as if she was expecting him to reply."By..." Noah choked on his words as he sensed his boss's body go stiff beside him. His body was always stiff, but now it got even stiffer."By?" Emily raised her brows and looked up at him, not sensing that the atmosphere in the room had gotten even colder."Errr...," Noah stuttered and pointed his index finger at his boss.Emily followed his hand and stared at Joel."You hit me?" She asked.No reply."Yah... I'm talking to you," she frowned.(A/N: Yah means hey)Still, no reply."Erm, is he deaf and dumb?" She looked up at Noah."Hurgh, hurgh, hurgh," Noah coughed nervously, his whole body suddenly paralyzed in fear.'...if only this lady knew who she is talking to...' he gulped."Yah!" Emily stared back at Joel."Are you really blind?" She waved her right hand over his face."Uwa! Even if you are, are you deaf too?" she stared at him in all seriousness."Errrr, Miss..." Noah called as he stole a glance at her finger, noticing no ring."Mwo?" Emily asked, not looking away from the mute man.(A/N: Mwo means what)"Errr... do you not know us?" Noah asked keenly.Judging from the way the lady was talking, it was either she didn't know them or she was pretending—everyone in the country knew them."I mean...do you not know him?" Noah pointed at his boss.At least, if she didn't know him, she'd know his boss. Everybody knew his boss. Everyone."Anyo." Emily shook her head negatively.(A/N: anyo is another shortened form of no)"Y-yo-you truly don't?" Jude stuttered."Ani." Emily shrugged her shoulders.'Oh my, which planet is she from?' Noah blinked his eyes rapidly."But...." Emily pursed her lips."But?..." Noah stared at her with rapt attention.'Maybe she finally recollects.' he thought."I think I've seen him somewhere before..." Emily narrowed her eyes and placed her right hand on her chin as if thinking deeply."Hmmmmm....." She hummed thoughtfully."Think deep..." Noah cheered her on."Ahhh!...Now I remember!" Emily grinned and snapped her fingers."So?.." Noah grinned at her expectantly."Hmn...I think I've seen him at Quick Wash before." Emily clicked her tongue."Quick Wash?...what is Quick Wash?" Noah stared at her bewilderedly.Joel arched up his brows."It's a laund
Emily worked part-time at five different places: a cafe, a restaurant, a drive-in, a diner, and a bistro.One of the places she worked at in the morning was Hot 'n' Chilly, a cafe where she served as a server. As she slipped open the glass door and entered the restaurant, a smile spread across her face. "Annyeonghaseyo!" she greeted cheerfully."Annyeon Emily!" Madam Ma, the restauranteur, replied without looking up, recognizing Emily's voice.Madam Ma gasped as soon as she looked up at Emily. "Aigoo! What happened?" she exclaimed.Emily pressed her lips together. "Ah, this?" She smiled sheepishly. "I got hit...""Aigoo!" Madam Ma exclaimed. "I've always told you to be careful. You're too clumsy," she scrunched up her face.Emily scratched the back of her head. "I... I was a bit careless.""So, the driver was blind?" Madam Ma frowned.Emily gulped, thinking to herself, 'If that driver were here right now, you wouldn't have said what you just said.'"Um... I came to ask for a few weeks
The Villa:After parking the car, a smirk curled up on the side of Joel's mouth as he stepped out of the car and casually tossed the car key to one of the nearby guards.Emily bit her lip as she opened the door, hopping out of the car on her right foot and reaching for her crutch."Annoying bastard," Emily scrunched up her face and stole a glance at Joel, who was already approaching the door, "with fast legs," she sneered angrily, placing the crutch under her arm.She slammed the door shut in annoyance, muttering to herself, "Too wicked."Suddenly, the car started making alarm sounds, snapping Emily back to her senses. She widened her eyes and flinched away from the car, finding it just as annoying as its owner.Joel stopped in his tracks and turned towards the car's direction, his attention captured by the commotion.The maids around also halted and stared at Emily, their curious gazes fixed upon her.Feeling a sense of guilt, Emily lowered her head, allowing her hair to fall freely o
"Ahhh… See what you caused," Michael sighed, staring at his stained shirt.Little Pumpkin pouted, almost on the verge of tears. "I don't like medicine...""I don't want it," he muttered sadly.Michael sighed as he stared down at his son, realizing he had no choice but to call Joel.Emily, who had stirred awake while the father and son were chasing after each other, spoke softly, breaking Michael's train of thought. "Please let me feed him."Michael and his son looked in her direction."Ahh, komawo. But he doesn't let..." Before Michael could finish his statement, Little Pumpkin picked up his medicine from the stool and walked towards Emily.Michael opened his mouth agape as he watched his son in astonishment.Emily grinned at the cute darling before her. "Good boy.""Bring the spoon and water," she said, ruffling his hair affectionately.As if being controlled by a spell, Little Pumpkin turned around and snatched the spoon from his father's grip. He also carried the bottle of water fro
The next day, Joel decided to take a day off work. He sat on the couch, feeling relaxed as he watched the doctor unwrap the bandage on Emily's arm."Is she alright now?" he asked the doctor."Yes," the doctor replied, bowing as he finished unwrapping the bandage on Emily's left shin."Good," Joel nodded."You may leave," he waved his hand, dismissing the doctor.The doctor bowed, packed his things, and left the villa."Now that you're healed, you should leave," Joel said, turning his gaze to Emily."Yes, I'll pack my things," Emily said, standing up and heading towards her room."Things?" Joel's words stopped her in her tracks."Things, you say?" Joel raised an eyebrow."You didn't bring anything when you came into this house. Leave the way you came," Joel ordered coldly.Tears stung Emily's eyes as she stood still."Yes," she forced out, trying to fight back her tears.She turned and faced Joel, who was sitting comfortably on the couch."Kamsahamnida," she bowed her head and made her
Room 207. He had finally found it.He lightly tapped on the door for some time, but received no response."Is she already asleep?" he muttered, rolling his eyes.Why did she always love to sleep so much? He turned the doorknob, only to find the door locked.He glanced around, ensuring that no one was watching, and skillfully picked the lock.Since he was quite adept, it took him less than a minute to bypass the doorknob's defenses.He pushed open the door and stepped into the cozy studio apartment. On the left, there was a neatly stacked desk with books and a chair.A screen divided the room, and Joel quickly deduced that her bed was located behind it. However, there was no trace of the girl.He sat down on the chair and gently placed Little Pumpkin on his lap, patting his back. Removing their masks, he set them on the desk."Don't worry, kiddo," he whispered, planting a kiss on Little Pumpkin's forehead.🌃🌃🌃Emily skipped happily to her apartment as soon as she stepped off the elev
She observed the attractive man as his cold gaze met hers.Joel kept his hands in his pockets as he stood by the doorway. "Speak," he demanded."Um... I... I can explain," she stammered, her voice trembling.He watched her with a blank expression. "Explain," he repeated.She nervously scratched her head, trying to find the right words. "It's... it's... I mean, I can..." Her thoughts trailed off, leaving her speechless.She felt helpless, not knowing how to express herself."I'll pay you back," she finally managed to blurt out.No response. Joel remained silent.Fear gripped her, and she swallowed hard. "Please..." she pleaded, her voice barely a whisper.She had no idea what the handsome man had in store for her."Tell me what you want... I-I'll do it," she stammered uncontrollably, her words stumbling over each other.A flicker of something crossed Joel's eyes as he observed her. He took a step forward, his gaze fixed on the girl.Emily's heart raced, and she instinctively took a step
"Mm." Joel remained unfazed, not even bothering to bat an eyelid.As they reached the CEO's office, Noah held the door open for Joel, expecting him to enter. However, to Noah's confusion, Joel simply walked past him without acknowledging his gesture.'Does he not recognize his office anymore?' Noah groaned inwardly and hurried after his boss.Dealing with Joel was a constant pain in Noah's neck.Joel strode into the conference room, and the officials stood up, bowing their heads as he leisurely made his way to his seat. They only sat down after he had taken his place.Draping his legs on the long conference table, Joel crossed them and declared, "Let the meeting begin."Noah's jaw dropped in utter surprise as he watched his boss's nonchalant behavior. He couldn't believe his eyes.'Didn't he just tell me to cancel the meeting? This man might drive me insane. Gosh!' Noah facepalmed, trying to gather himself before taking his own seat.Joel smiled to himself, paying little attention to t