LOGINRICHARDTwo days later, my driver eased the car into the parking lot of one of the city's most exclusive restaurants.I glanced at my watch.12:15 p.m.Fifteen minutes before my meeting with Raymond.The restaurant stood on a quiet corner overlooking a landscaped boulevard lined with palm trees and ornamental shrubs. The building itself wasn't overly extravagant, but everything about it communicated wealth. From the polished stone exterior to the valet attendants standing neatly at the entrance, the place catered to people who valued privacy as much as luxury.My driver stepped out first and came around to open my door."Thank you," I said as I got out.The afternoon air was pleasantly warm.I adjusted my suit jacket and headed toward the entrance.The hostess recognized me immediately."Good afternoon, Dr. Coleman.""Good afternoon."She smiled professionally."Prof. already reserved a table for two. Right this way."A waiter took over and led me through the restaurant.The lunch cro
FELICIA Richard rested both arms against the edge of his desk and looked at me steadily.“You think suing them will complicate things?” he asked.The irritation I sensed in his voice had softened. “Yes,” I answered honestly. “I think it will.”I paused briefly before adding,“And I’m almost certain your board members won’t encourage it either.”A quiet exhale left him.“Yeah… speaking of the board,” he muttered.He ran a hand through his hair slowly, a gesture I was beginning to notice he did whenever something genuinely frustrated him.“It was actually the board chairman, Raymond, who brought the newspaper to my office four days ago to show me.”“I see,” I said quietly.That explained a lot.Not just his anger but the pressure beneath it.Richard wasn’t merely dealing with gossip.He was dealing with institutional scrutiny; corporate image and board politics.The kind of pressure that turned personal matters into business concerns.For a moment, he said nothing. He simply stared ah
RICHARD “What are you going to do about the City Herald report?”Felicia’s voice cut through the silence of my office just as we finished reviewing the interaction chart displayed on my computer screen.I looked away from the monitor slowly.“Oh…” I said. “You’ve read it?”She stood across from my desk holding a blue research folder against her side, her expression calm but observant.“Who hasn’t?” she replied evenly.Fair point.It had been four days since the article came out, and instead of dying down like most media nonsense, it had spread like gasoline fire.Every gossip blog now has its own version.Some were even in more dramatic versions.Outrightly ridiculous!One headline had actually read:“The Billionaire Scientist With Secrets Too Dangerous to Reveal?”Idiots.I leaned back slightly in my chair, studying Felicia for a brief second.Unlike most people who brought up the issue lately, she didn’t look curious.Or entertained.Just analytical.“What do you think I should do
FELICIA By the time I came out of the clinic, I felt lighter than I had all week.Relieved.The doctor’s words still echoed pleasantly in my head as I walked slowly toward my car.“Your sugar levels are stable now.”I could have hugged the woman.After weeks of careful eating, constant monitoring, and forcing myself into routines I wasn’t naturally patient enough for, hearing that everything remained normal felt like a personal victory.Pregnancy was already unpredictable enough.I didn’t need any complication to join the chaos.I exhaled softly as I reached my car and slipped inside, closing the door behind me.For a brief moment, I just sat there quietly, one hand resting lightly on my stomach.“Good job,” I murmured absentmindedly.Whether I was talking to myself or the baby, I honestly wasn’t sure anymore.I reached into my bag for my phone, unlocked it, and opened the map application. The realtor had already sent the apartment address earlier that morning.I typed it in carefull
RICHARD Hours after I returned home from the office, I still couldn’t settle.The conversation with Raymond replayed endlessly in my head, each word refusing to loosen its grip.You need to get married, Richard.I paced slowly around my office with a glass of whiskey in my hand, the ice clinking softly each time I turned. The room was dim except for the amber glow of the lamp near the bookshelf, shadows stretching long across the floor.Marriage.The word alone exhausted me.I stopped near the edge of my desk and took a slow swallow of the drink. The whiskey burned its way down my throat, but it did nothing to quiet my thoughts.I had never wanted marriage.Not once.Not even when I was younger.And children?That had never been part of the equation either. My life had always revolved around structure, achievement, and control. There had never been room for diapers, school runs, emotional dependency, or the chaos that came with building a family.Then life had decided to mock me.Fel
RICHARD By 8:00 a.m next day I was already seated behind my desk, skimming through the day’s briefing notes with a cup of black coffee cooling untouched at my side as I tried to focus. Or so I thought.A sharp knock cut through the stillness.Before I could respond, the door swung open.Professor Raymond didn’t wait for permission.At sixty-seven, the board chairman carried authority like a second skin; measured, composed, almost surgical in his movements. But today… something was off. His face was drawn tight, the usual calm replaced with something far less controlled.Agitation.“Good morning, Professor…” I greeted him as usual.He didn’t answer.Instead, he strode forward and dropped a folded newspaper on my desk with more force than necessary. It slid across the polished surface, stopping just short of my hands.“Have you seen this?” he asked.His voice was steady but only just.I leaned back slightly, eyeing the paper; City Herald. “Seen what?”“Open to the centre pages.”There







