When I stepped out of the taxi, my stomach tightened. This place still carried memories I’d rather forget. Painful ones. It all started here.
I forced a smile at Simon, the guard. He didn’t stop me this time. He must have told Jazper Ray I was coming.
Upstairs, his secretary, Mira, greeted me with a warm “Good afternoon.” I knocked on his glass door before stepping inside.
He was reading, completely absorbed.
“Hi,” I said, keeping my voice steady. I didn’t want him to see how much this visit stirred me.
“Audrey.” His lips curved into a smile. He half-rose from his seat, then froze, as if unsure whether to hug me.
“About the letter…” I began.
“Are you in a hurry?” he cut in.
“Kinda, yes.”
His brow furrowed. “With Fraizer?” There was something in his tone
The sun was already high when I woke up.Crap, I’d slept until noon again. But honestly, I felt so good after these past few days of rest. I stretched and felt light, almost like a weight had been lifted from me.I looked around the familiar room. Wait, was I at Romeo’s house? Posters of his favorite artists covered the walls.“Dad!” Romeo’s shout pierced the quiet.I yawned, “Ow?” and pulled the blanket over myself again.“Hey, dad! Get up! You have a visitor!” Romeo tugged at my blanket.“Who?”“Guess who!” he said happily.“Tell me.” I yawned again, still too sleepy to care.He grabbed my hand to help me up and pulled me out of the room. Even though I was lazy, I followed.I slowly turned to the man sitting on the sofa. “Jake?” I asked, surprised.“Riri,” he greeted me happily. “I’v
When I stepped out of the taxi, my stomach tightened. This place still carried memories I’d rather forget. Painful ones. It all started here.I forced a smile at Simon, the guard. He didn’t stop me this time. He must have told Jazper Ray I was coming.Upstairs, his secretary, Mira, greeted me with a warm “Good afternoon.” I knocked on his glass door before stepping inside.He was reading, completely absorbed.“Hi,” I said, keeping my voice steady. I didn’t want him to see how much this visit stirred me.“Audrey.” His lips curved into a smile. He half-rose from his seat, then froze, as if unsure whether to hug me.“About the letter…” I began.“Are you in a hurry?” he cut in.“Kinda, yes.”His brow furrowed. “With Fraizer?” There was something in his tone
When we got into Ivan's unit, we were surprised to see Sharmaine standing there, still holding a spoon.“What happened to you, Ivan?!” she asked worriedly, eyeing the bruises and cuts on his face.Ivan gave a reassuring smile. “I’m okay. I just fell on the street.” He was joking, but Sharmaine looked serious.“Who did this to you?” she demanded. Then she turned to me. “Don’t tell Jazper Ray, right?”Ivan and I both bit our lips and shyly looked away.The three of us talked it over, no fighting involved, but this was the messy result of our plan. It was really embarrassing, especially for Sharmaine.She frowned and said, “Haven’t we already talked about this, Ivan?”“I’m sorry,” I finally spoke up. “We didn’t mean to drag you into this. Don’t blame Ivan. If I had just followed the plan, none of this would’ve happened.
"Ivan..." I whispered, barely believing he had really caught me. He held me upright, his eyes locked on mine."I'm your knight in shining armor, sleepy head," he teased softly, tilting his head. Then he noticed the tears slipping down my cheeks.Ivan gently wiped them away. "No, not here. Don’t show him you’re hurt.""I can’t..." I bit my lip, trying to hold back the flood of emotions.“Fraizer.”“Ivan.”Jazper Ray and Ericka spoke at the same time from behind me, their surprise clear in their voices and faces.Ivan leaned closer and whispered, "It's showtime, sleepy head."Slowly, I turned to face Jazper Ray and Ericka.“I didn’t realize you two knew each other,” Jazper Ray said coldly. I couldn’t meet his gaze. Ericka looked equally surprised—nice acting from her, I thought bitterly.“Now you do, Gibson,” Ivan replied with a conf
"Romeo! Rose!"My sadness vanished the moment I saw them. My friends.Around us, the other officemates glanced at each other, clearly surprised to see me walk in.“Dad!!”“Audrey!!”They rushed toward me, and I wrapped them in a tight hug.“Dad! What happened to you? We were so worried! I thought you’d… ended up somewhere else,” Romeo said, his voice cracking. “You’ve been worrying us so much! Don’t do that again, okay? Where did you even come from?”I placed the paper on my old desk and sat down, trying to steady myself.“Yes, Audrey! You witch, where have you been? You haven’t let us sleep for days!” Rose chimed in, half-scolding, half-relieved.“True, Dad!” Romeo added.“We broke up,” I said quietly.“Child?” Rose blinked in surprise. “You don’t even have a boyfriend, &rd
I’m sorry again,” she added, tilting her head. “Everything will be okay. Okay?”Then she grabbed a fistful of her own hair and burst into laughter.“Are you crazy?” I snapped, my patience snapping with it.“No. Are you?” she shot back, smiling like the devil.Ah. She’s playing her game.If she weren’t pregnant, I might have dragged her out by the hair and introduced her face to the nearest wall. But there’s a line you don’t cross when there’s a child involved.“Where’s Jazper Ray?” I folded my arms, matching her pose.“Stepped out for a moment.” She slid into the chair by his desk. I took the seat opposite her.She crossed her legs. I did the same.She raised an eyebrow. I matched it.“Why are you copying me?” she asked, voice tight.“Why are you copying me?” I shot back