Farrell and I weren't officially divorced, but why would his grandfather want to see me? Had his grandson said nothing about our divorce? Oh, God. I was becoming more convinced that he was coming to scold me for what I'd done the night before.My heart was beating faster and faster as I got closer to Grandpa's car, which had stopped near the main entrance. I looked worriedly at his assistant as he opened the car door for me. After taking a deep breath, I got in."Camari," Grandpa greeted me as I sat beside him in the car's back seat. He hugged me tightly.That was a relief. It didn't seem like he was angry with me. "Grandpa, why did you come to my office? You could have called me to meet you at home," I said worriedly."I'm not even seventy-five years old. I'm still young and strong. Just sitting in the car to come see you won't make me sick." He let go of his embrace."Where are you taking me?" I watched the car turn left as it exited the gate of my workplace."We haven't had dinner
I sighed with relief after scanning my card on the attendance machine near the entrance to my office. That was close. I didn't want my perfect attendance record ruined by my carelessness today. I was hoping to be named employee of the month.My boss had arrived, but he wasn't angry to see me enter his office. I read his schedule for today, and he nodded slowly. I was grateful he didn't ask to cancel or reschedule any appointments. That was the most challenging task.I was an executive secretary but only focused on administrative matters. The CEO of this company had an assistant who was his right-hand man and went with him wherever he went. Because of this, my working hours were the same as the other employees. I didn't accompany my boss to meet his colleagues."Wow, look at this!" squealed Emily. She brought her phone closer to us. "Bella's full name is Mirabella Thompson. How could we not know this?""Mirabella Thompson?" Jasmine brought her head closer to the screen. "Isn't her full
[Otis] There are many invitations addressed to the CEO of Precious Fund. Should I pick one and attend? People didn't know who I was. Maybe they wouldn't care about my presence, but I could practice being brave in public. Besides, Jasper would never be far from me. His presence could give me a bit of confidence. I didn't have to worry about anyone hurting me. He would protect me from them. That was it. That was a good start. I couldn't rely on my absent mother forever. There was a knock on the door, and I invited him in. Jasper entered with a bag of food. We had lunch together. "Their divorce will take two months at most," Jasper reported. "Do you think Farrell and Bella will wait that long to formalize their relationship?" "I'm suspicious of Father for keeping quiet and doing nothing to prevent it," I muttered. "Why would he urge Farrell to marry Camari if he didn't have a plan to see their relationship through to the end?" "Farrell is a cunning man. He could have manipulated the
Many things happened in the past that I didn't want to recall. That woman was one of them. The person who I thought was my life, soul, and everything wasn’t sincere in her love for me.She knew I wouldn't believe her just like that. Yet she was so persistent in approaching me. She didn't give up until I fell in love and accepted her to be my lover. I was on cloud nine when I discovered she was only playing with me.She betraying me with the person closest to me wasn't her biggest mistake. Her thinking I deserved to be toyed with was a crime I couldn't forgive. I was also a human with a heart who could be devastated when all his dreams and hopes were shattered.Dorothy knew how humiliated I felt by that woman's actions. How dare she open up old wounds I didn't even remember anymore. I should have refused her invitation. She would never be kind to me."I take my leave." I stood up. "You said you wanted to eat with me. If you want to insult me, forty years is enough.""You know why God g
[Camari] I walked out of my boss's office feeling uneasy. Everything felt like a dream. I looked back at the desk and chair I had used for the last three years. I would never be able to return to this place again. I was grateful that my boss's assistant took me via the executive elevator. I didn't have to use the employee elevator. So, I didn't meet any of my coworkers. Only the security and receptionist in the lobby saw me walking towards the exit. With the dignity I had left, I walked upright. I was innocent. Why would I be embarrassed by other employees' suspicious stares? Arriving at the car, I let my tears fall. I didn't know what was wrong with my life. Why didn't I stop being afflicted with misfortune? My phone vibrated, and I sobbed even more. Oh, my God. Is there any other bad news? I frowned when reading Grandpa's assistant's name on the screen. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly to calm myself down. "Hello, Niccolo." I managed to greet him in a cheerful voice.
Farrell sarcastically smiled while holding an envelope in his hand. Mrs. Haworth and Dorothy walked quickly after him. What was so urgent that he was shouting in a place that needed quiet? He haughtily grunted as he stood in front of me. "Here!" He suddenly placed the large envelope on my chest. Unprepared for that action, I took a step back. "What the—" "We're officially divorced!" he continued, cutting off my sentence. "So, don't ever come to see my family again, including my grandpa. Do you understand!?" He pressed the envelope against my chest with his forefinger before groaning in pain. "Touch Miss Gastrell one more time, and I'll break your finger that hurt her," Jasper threatened. He grasped Farrell's forefinger tightly. "Let go of my finger, you fool!" scolded Farrell. The man complied as he saw his two bodyguards approaching. "Come along, Miss. We'd better get going before he opens his foul mouth again." "What did you say!?" protested Farrell. "Farrell, enough," his mo
I approached the sofa and sat down while leaning my back and lifting my legs onto the table. I closed my eyes. Without planning it, the morning events at work filled my head. The accusatory stares from coworkers, Emily's smile, and my boss's nasty words replayed. After eight years of working at the company, holding money was second nature to me. I worked as an employee in the finance division. My achievements were impeccable, and I was repeatedly named the best monthly and annual employee. I sacrificed everything to be the best among everyone. I came early and left later than everyone else. I didn't take time off and even forced myself to work when I wasn't feeling well. However, the pile of money found in my desk drawer ruined everything. I couldn't accept my boss firing me without investigating first. Could it be that he was working with Farrell to get rid of me from my position? Why? My cell phone vibrated again, and I groaned. I purposely ignored her incoming calls because I di
[Otis] I hated that man behind the operating room door. He was the one who had made my life difficult since I was born into this world. I never asked to be born, nor did I choose him to be my parent. His rejection of me made everyone else do the same. I received insults, ridicule, and even physical blows from the people around me. Even the siblings who were supposed to love me hated me. My older brother and sister didn't like being around me. They smoothly denied it if anyone asked about our sibling relationship. Eventually, Father put me in a different school because of their protests. I always got second-rate when they could effortlessly get first-rate. I couldn't be in the same school or college as them, so I was placed in a second-rate educational institution. Dorothy had previously been affectionate and considerate to Camari. I didn't know what kind of poison Farrell spread to change her attitude. However, I never thought she had the heart to be so mean to her. My brief conv