The realization struck hard at Mallory. What the hell?! What did she do?Clam chowder was indeed, his favourite. What she didn't realize was that getting it for him would raise suspicions. She was used to getting him what she knew he liked. It happened effortlessly.But... How did he remember Clam chowder was his favorite? If he'd forgotten her, wasn't he supposed to forget that as well?"Miss Harrington?" Wilder called when she kept mute.She dropped her gaze to the floor immediately, her heart pounding heavily in her chest.God! She wanted to say it to him. She wanted to tell him she was aware it was his favorite because she had learnt how to make it just for him. She wanted to tell him it was a meal they'd walk for hours just to get at Curry-N-Spritz. And oh! Those evenings they'd sit under the moonlight and have naughty discussions while scooping some of it. She'd give anything to go back to those moments.She parted her lips to speak, but the opening of the door interrupted her.
Mallory arrived home to meet Ronan playing with the kids. They were under the shed of the house, the kids giggling as they jumped all around him, putting ribbons on himNoticing her, they stopped."Mummy!" They chorused and scuttled to her for a hug. She gave them that."Hey, darlings. How was school today?" She tousled their hair."It was boring!""Great!"They gave different answers at the same time, making Mallory chuckle.She shifted her gaze to Ronan who was still seated and smiling."Hi." She muttered to him."Mum, Uncle Ronan said we'll all go for dinner when you get home!" Lyra beamed, having to tilt her head back to look into Mallory's face.Mallory's brows furrowed as she shot Ronan a hard stare. She softened her gaze when she looked at the kids."Uh... I'm afraid that cannot happen. Mummy's very tired and still has some work to do," she cooed, playing with Lyra's bristle.A frown crept into the children's faces."But, mum...""Come on. Why don't you go in and wait for me?"
His eyes narrowed, then that deep expression of anger and irritation crawled in.Mallory was befogged. Why was Wilder in that mood?She looked at Ronan and found him equally angry. Both men looked like they'd be throwing punches at each other if they were locked up in a room."Hey," Ronan cocked his head. "Long time no see."Wilder glared without uttering a word. Slowly, he shifted his gaze to Mallory."How're you associated with someone like him, Miss Harrington?" His voice held irritation, it caused Mallory's brows to crease."She's actually my woman." Ronan put his hand around her waist, screaming dominance.Mallory stiffened instantly, her heart beating loudly in her chest. What in God's name?!Guiltily, she looked at Wilder and saw hate in his eyes."Your woman?" He scoffed and nodded. "It's ironic, isn't it? The good ones always meet the bad ones. Or perhaps, she isn't the good one."Mallory nearly gasped at his words. No No No. How could Wilder even say that to her face?Ronan
Mallory managed to fix her hair just before she got into the cab with the kids. She dropped them off at school, then proceeded to the company. The whole time, it had taken her a lot of effort not to shed a tear.She hated Isla for her words that morning. But she wondered if she was feeling so bad because most of them were true. Maybe she really was badluck to the family. Her parents died because of her. For years, Mallory had tried to bury the painful memory of how unfortunate her life had been. How difficult it had been. When she got to the company, she had to force back the tears that rimmed her eyes. She got to her floor and hurried pass their Chloe's station, not being in the mood to laugh with any of them. On her desk, she rested her head and remained that way until she heard footsteps. She lifted her head to find Wilder coming forth, with a man behind him holding his briefcase. In that fleeting moment, the chaos within her stilled. A sense of serenity washed over her, suffus
Mallory assisted Wilder with all he had to do for the day. But it was extremely sad for her that he barely looked her way. She could feel it. He was mad at her. When it was time for her kids to leave school, Mallory hated the fact that she had to call Ronan for help. Her workplace was very far from her kids' school. And since it was still work hours, it was against the rules for her to leave the company. She had no other person to call for help except Ronan who was a boss of his own and could easily send someone off to pick them. When she called and told him, he was glad to help. She knew he'd be. Seated on her desk, she stared at Wilder from the transparent glass. She wondered what his reaction would be if he got to learn of the kids. Would he accept them? Perhaps, he'd go to pick them up from school himself. She closed her eyes and fantasized on how perfect her family would be with Wilder. Hopefully, it becomes a reality. She was going to wait for Amy's feedback before acting o
"What were you saying?" Wilder asked, getting rid of the distraction. Mallory swallowed tersely around the lump in her throat. "Um... I was just... I mean, I wanted to ask if I should include any of the current amendments in your speech." She was so thankful her voice didn't make a crack by the time she finished."You can." He replied. "Okay, sir." Mallory dropped the call as quickly as she could. She didn't know how shs was still breathing, because her lungs felt like they'd stopped working. She took a very deep breath and a moment to calm herself. Then, she forced herself back to work. ....Although Mallory had become hurt and weak, and had to force herself to finish with the speech. As soon as she was done, she retired to the room where her kids were sound asleep. She sat on the edge of the bed and with a wistful smile, watched as they slept peacefully. It hadn't been easy having to bring them up without their father. Two years ago, it had been even more complicated as Cas
Mallory felt like beating herself up.For years, she'd done a good job hiding the pictures from them. How could she be so careless in one night? She had been too overwhelmed the previous night, she didn't realize when she slept off holding them to her chest. How were the kids up before her?She perked up and grabbed the pictures from them. Pain squeezed her heart as she gazed at the pictures.Not knowing what to say, she stood up and went over to the locker to put them away."Mum?" Lyra called."It's... it's nothing. Alright? He's just an old friend of mummy," she forced the words out, lowering her gaze to the floor.An awkward silence stretched between them."Come on, why don't you go in and get your teeth brushed? I'll just hurry to the kitchen." She led them into the bathroom.Al
"Hey," she propped her hands on the table, titling towards Mallory. "You're...?""Miss Harrington," Mallory tried to keep a neutral face as she answered. Did she do something wrong?"No. I meant your first name." Kreeya smiled. Although, the smile looked as fake as a puppet's grin, it got Mallory confused she'd even bother. "Oh. It's... It's Mallory." "I see. How's the job going, Mallory?" The conversation was too unreal, Mallory couldn't conceal the amusement on her face.Kreeya was a mean bossy lady. She had no reason to be kind to Mallory. "Work's going just fine, ma'am. Thanks." She answered, anyway, her gaze beginning to fall. "Oh, it's nothing." She reached for a pen and paper from the table and scribbled down some numbers on it. "I'd really want us to be cool, Mallory. So... what do you think about chatting me up sometime? Let's say... when you have something interesting to tell me? I could be really generous."Right then, her intentions became clear to Mallory. She h