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Chapter 30
It was Sunday. A day before Eva's surgery.
I was in my office doing some works that were still remaining. Both of our offices, that is, Eva's and Co. as well as The Stones Inc. were working today since Adrian's company had a similar 'server crash'. Our investigators were looking at the case since these events looked too suspicious to be a pure coincidence. But in the meantime, we had to recover things.
It was a stressful situation. Specially with Eva's surgery the next day. I would be taking leave for a few days so I was trying to complete as much as I could before that.
I was checking the files when I saw that a few of them didn't have Adrian's signature in them. I'd told Leah to send them to his assistant last week but the woman seemed to have a hard time interpreting directions. I looked around for her but she was nowhere to be found. She'd come earlier with my blueberry muffin and coffee when she'd arrived and
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Pride and Promises Chapter 31
"I can't feel my legs."I stumbled backwards hearing this and felt a pair of arms holding me, preventing me from falling down. I didn't have to look back to know who it was. Once again, I was grateful that he was here.It was silent for while, all of us looking at each other. Dr. Marshall scrunched his face in confusion, and repeated the same movements on her legs, giving her simple instructions like lifting her heels, moving her toes. But Eva shook her head at each one, her eyes filled with tears of frustration as she failed each time.I couldn't speak. I was still standing there, frozen, as I watched my sister trying and failing to do a task as simple as shaking her feet. I suddenly felt cold when the arms unwound themselves from me. Adrian moved away after giving my shoulder a little squeeze. Apart of me wanted to call out to him but I stopped myself.Another pair of smaller arms enveloped me into a hug and I looked over to see Allie with t
Pride and Promises Chapter 32
I walked out of the hospital cafeteria with a bag containing burger and fries and two takeaway cups of hot chocolate. My dear sister had shooed me out of her room, not so politely asking me to not enter unless I bring good food to her. I had to sneakily bribe the nice looking waiter to fulfill my sisterly duties.My phone vibrated as I was walking towards Eva's room and I adjusted the bags and the cups on one hand while I searched for my phone. With great difficulty, I took it out of my back pocket and smiled at the contact name. I was starting to feel that I should change his contact name by now but it always managed to make me laugh every time he called so I let it be.I ignored my heart which was once again resuming what seemed to be its job every time the devil was involved in any form and answered the call. Before I could even utter a word, however, Adrian beat me to it."How's Eva? How did it go?"He sounded breathless, as if he was running and soon
Pride and Promises Chapter 33
Over the years, there were quite a lot of times when I wanted to leave my body organs and disappear from the solar system. However, none of those times came even close to what I felt the moment Mr. Stone Senior walked in. This time around, only leaving the solar system didn't seem enough. I wanted to fly out of the Milky Way galaxy and if possible, out of the universe altogether, never to be heard of ever again.I heard Nate's snicker from beside me but couldn't find the energy to glare at him. I was frozen as I looked at the person who was the legend of the business industry. He had turned a medium scale family business toThe Stones Inc.,which was now the biggest business franchise of the world. Adrian had further expanded this business to a whole new level, making it an internationally renowned company.Mr. Stone was handsome even in his fifties. He was tall, just like his son, and had the same black hair, and same facial features. The only featu
Pride and Promises Chapter 34
"Yayy! We're finally returning back! Wow!I'mso happy! I can't wait to see Addie's face when we arrive there! OhmyGod! I bet he'll probably faintfromthe shock!" The seventeen year old girl giggled from the backseat of the car where she was sitting with her younger sister.The young one followed her suit and giggled as well, despite not knowingwhather sister was rambling about. But seeing the older girlmakingfunnyfaces at the painting of a boy withbrightblue eyes, she had a good guess, and almost rolled her eyes atherelder sister. The younger girl wassometimestoo smartfor her ageandliked to think she was smarter than her sister, who wasbehavinglike a child at the moment.The eight year old girl looked at the big paintingthatlay on her sister's lap. It was the painting of a boy. A boy with black hair and blue eyes. She h
Pride and Promises Chapter 35
"Eve?"Gentle arms shook me out of my dark thoughts and I was enveloped in a cocoon of warmth. It was only then that I realized I'd been crying. Soon, my sobs turned hysterical as I remembered the hurt in my sister's eyes that day when I failed to recognize her. The memory gates opened and everything following that incident came crashing down on my brain like sea waves in a storm surge.Adrian was slowly rocking me, murmuring soothing words that I never thought he was capable of speaking in my ears. He held me tightly, so close to him that I could hear the loud thudding of his heartbeat, just as I was sure he could hear mine. I would have pulled away, and a tiny part of my brain said that I should. But the larger portion said to stop thinking and just go with my heart. It was a wonder how the logical voice of my brain was suddenly smaller and almost inaudible.As much as I wanted to forget everything and sleep, I knew that it was now or never. Remembering those
Pride and Promises Chapter 36
I woke up feeling well rested, but at the same time with a faint pounding on my head. Still closing my eyes, I let out a contented sigh and rolled my head, trying to gather my hair because I knew from experience that it would be a mess in the mornings.My head froze in the process of moving as I realized that some of my hair was stuck somewhere. Lying still as dead, I concentrated on my surrounding. Then I heard it. The sound of breathing. Someone was breathing on my bed. I listened more closely. No, breathing wasn't the right word. Someone wassniffingon my bed, or rather, on my hair.With further more concentration, I registered an arm laying over my stomach. Then I felt the tiniest movement from my right, as if some creature was nuzzling my neck.Slowly, cautiously, I opened my eyes and narrowed them at the arm that was still holding me. When the arm didn't move itself from my point of vision, I trailed my eyes up the arm and shifted sligh
Pride and Promises Chapter 37
Jade and Brandon had a baby girl.Apparently Brandon was home when Jade started having contractions and he took her to the hospital without delay with the help of Adrian's parents. The doctors did not take the risk of waiting for normal delivery and immediately went for C-section. Adrian's family had just been given the news of the baby girl when we'd arrived.When we'd finally arrived in what felt like a couple of hours but was in fact only around thirty minutes, there was a doctor in his surgical scrub uniform talking to Brandon, who looked like he was about to pass out anytime. I'd never imagined that I'd see the calm and collected doctor this way- anxious and scared. This just showed how much he loved his wife, the thought igniting a feeling of longing deep inside me. When that feeling started messing up with my brain and an image of a certain someone began to form in my head, I forcefully squashed that thought and commanded my mind to focus on the present.
Pride and Promises Chapter 38
3:03 AM.I was still as wide awake as I'd been three hours ago. As soon as my brain registered the photo, I'd rushed over to my room and hurriedly taken out the shoebox that held my priceless treasures. I'd sighed with relief when I'd found the small t-shirt untouched, still in the same condition like I'd kept it in. It was the only thing I still had to bind me to my Mickey. Then I'd proceeded to examine the evidences that would confirm my suspicions.And that was what I'd been doing since then. Once again, I looked at the photo of the children carefully and back to the t-shirt in my hand, then to the numerous childhood photos of mine scattered all over my bed. But no matter how many times I looked at it, the fact still stood there proudly. The fact that the photo was, indeed, mine. Mine and my Addie's.Closing my eyes, I recalled all the conversations I had with Adrian. Slowly, everything started clearing up. How he'd known about my favorite flower, my favorite
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