~~~~
After that mind-blowing office sex, Eric stuck to me like glue—kissing, touching, and stealing every opportunity to have his hands on me. It became a routine for me to visit him in his office without an invitation, and he never seemed to mind.
The following week, his father’s will was finally handed over to him. His stepbrother and mother had no say in the matter, and the victory felt odd. Mrs. Nora hugged me countless times, whispering her thanks in my ear, her friendliness kind of surprise me but I didn’t say anything.
For a while, I half-expected a call from her—maybe to remind me of the contract or to end it altogether. But no such call came. Neither Eric nor his mother brought up the topic again, and eventually, I let it slip to the back of my mind. At least for now, I just wanted to enjoy this new love I had found.
But that wasn’t even the issue anymore.
For some reason, Eric had developed a habit of draggin
~~~~But then again… Just imagining how that conversation was going to play out once we got home?Peace was an illusion.I could already hear it in my head—the awkward pauses, the silent judgment, the fake smiles covering up a thousand questions. None of it felt like peace.Not even close.Sighing, I broke the heavy silence hanging between us like fog.“We’re almost there,” I said quietly.“Sure,” Lisa replied, her voice small.I glanced at her through the rearview mirror. “Why? You have something you want to say?”Her face said it all before her lips did.“Well, it’s nothing really…” she started, glancing at Lara like she needed backup.“So say it,” I pressed, eyes still on the road.She hesitated before speaking, “It’s just… Since before, you’ve seemed different. Like, you look and sound so far from the Mary we used to know. It kind of took us by surprise.”At her words, I frowned, raising a brow. “Nothing’s changed about me,” I muttered. “I just grew the hell up.”Then I scoffed, u
~~~~~~God. I totally forgot about that.Why does it always feel like once I solve one problem, another one pops up like an uninvited guest? And here I was, foolishly thinking I’d finally get a moment to breathe.I sighed, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter, and turned my head—only to catch them both staring at me like I’d grown horns.“Alright,” I muttered with a dry chuckle, “I guess I owe you both an explanation.”Neither of them blinked. Not even a twitch. That kind of stare could burn through walls.I glanced at my watch. “But it's already late. If you get home any later than this, Mom and Dad will throw a fit, right?”Lisa let out a long, dramatic sigh. “You’re not wrong.”I leaned back against the seat and gave her a small smile. “Let’s do it this way—Lisa, call Mom. Tell her you and Lara will be spending the night at my p
~~~~Ruth found herself laughing at Rolex’s sudden change in behavior.“Wow… is that really the same Rolex?” she asked, still chuckling as she watched him walk away.“I know, right?” Diana replied with a faint smirk. “I guess this just proves how powerful she’s become. How annoying,” she added with a sigh, and then turned to Ruth. “Take this to the new recruits over there. Have them sign the documents and ask a few questions while you're at it.”“Okay,” Ruth nodded.“Mrs. Black brought them in, so I want you to take proper care of both of them,” Diana instructed, rising to her feet.“Yes, ma’am,” Ruth responded dutifully, before heading over to where Lara and Lisa were quietly seated. Meanwhile, Diana made her way to the modeling session.**I never knew being a model could be this exhausting.Just one outfit alon
~~~~~Seriously!I stared at her, baffled. “Are you stupid? When exactly did I say yes, Diana? If I remember correctly, I said nothing.”“Exactly my point! You kept quiet when I asked, so it’s obvious, right?”“No, it’s not. And even if it was, I don’t see how my private life concerns you,” I shut her down, voice sharp.“You’re right—it’s not my concern,” she said, her tone softening a little. “It just felt weird, I guess. I mean, I could never get pregnant for Eric, so the thought of you possibly carrying his child just… shocked me.”I blinked, trying not to roll my eyes. “Yeah, right. You never got pregnant because you didn’t want to, not because you couldn’t. You and I? We’re two very different women with very different mindsets.”I crossed my legs and leaned back i
~~~~As we stepped into the elevator, I glanced sideways and caught Lisa and Lara whispering to each other. I sighed.Of course, they were whispering. I had just casually dropped a bomb on them—the truth about my marital status. One look at their faces, and it was clear they hadn’t seen that coming.Sorry, Lisa. Sorry, Lara. From here on out, you're about to hear and see more truths about your sister. The kind that’ll shake you. I just hope you’re ready for it.Another sigh slipped out of me.“You’ve been sighing non-stop,” Diana said, punching in her office floor. The elevator responded with a soft ding and began to climb. Ruth stood behind us with Lisa and Lara, still silent.“You’re not still bothered about what happened downstairs, are you?” Diana asked.“Not really,” I replied flatly, refusing to meet her eyes.“Then, what’s with t
Continuations~~~~~“Will that even be possible?” Lisa asked, her voice filled with doubt.I turned to both of them, slightly confused. “What do you mean?”“Well,” Lisa began, “back in Chicago, our teachers said Diana Lockwood is one of the most difficult designers to meet. She doesn’t take meetings and barely speaks on the phone. The one time we heard her voice, our instructor had to beg for a one-minute conversation. She hung up in less than two minutes.”“Ah, I see.” So Diana really has that much influence?“When you said you knew someone, I thought maybe it was a staff member or manager. But if you meant the Lockwood herself... I don’t think she’d have time for people like us,” Lara added, discouraged.I couldn’t help but laugh—a soft, amused chuckle that made both of them blink. Wow… what do thes