ANMELDENTHIRD PERSON'S POVThe road blurred in flashes of white and gold streaks of light but Derek didn't slow down.It wasn't just his car that raced, his heart did too.His knuckles that gripped the steering were pale, as though they had been stripped of color because of how tightly he was holding onto the wheel.All he could think of was getting home, to his house, his study, to his desk and the file he had carelessly left lying on it.For him, mistakes like this were rare. He had never ever made this kind of mistake but tonight, and the days before, he had been too focused on the Ford's family gala that he had eventually forgotten something so significant.He replayed what happened earlier today in his head, trying to think back to how he could have forgotten something so important.The memory returned to him, of how he had been in his study after getting dressed for the gala. That was in the afternoon, before he left for Alyssa's home to pick her up.He had brought the file out then and
SARA'S POV My brows furrowed the instant I opened the folder."What's this?" I muttered to no one in particular when my eyes landed on the first page.It was filled with numbers, columns and dates that I couldn't understand.Convincing myself that it was probably one of those corporate reports, I moved to set it down.My hands stilled mid-air again. For some reason, I found that I couldn't just drop the folder like that and this time, it had nothing to do with just curiosity.It was because I realised or rather recollected that I had also worked in the corporate space. For five years, I had managed affairs in Derek's company without any major or irreparable hitches and not once had I ever come across a file quite like this.I knew then that it had nothing to do with business and was probably more personal.That thought pushed me to want to know more and instead of setting it down like I had planned on doing, I flipped the next page open.The first line etched boldly on the page caugh
SARA’S POV“Yes, Mommy!”I immediately dropped to my knees, bending low so our eyes were on the same level. I pulled her in for a hug then pulled away and smiled at her, "Baby, that's incredible."She beamed with pride, showing me a gummy smile. "Mommy, I read really well and I studied really hard. I answered all the questions too."“I can see that.”I brushed a strand of hair behind her ear then smiled again, “I’m very proud of you.”Her smile softened slightly at my words.“Really?”“Of course, I'm very proud of you."She hugged me again then began to recount how she had aced all of her subjects, how someone had failed a subject and how she felt really bad that Clara had gotten a B in one subject."Mommy, Clara was sad but I gave her my chocolate and she cheered up again. Uncle Alaric won't be mad right?"I imagined the scene Danielle had painted then smiled. She really was maturing."Uncle Alaric will be very proud of her too."Danielle exhaled with relief when she heard that, as th
SARA’S POV By the time Alaric’s car pulled up in front of the house, the exhaustion had settled deep into my bones.It felt like I had walked the entire miles here instead of being seated comfortably in a luxury car.Alaric glanced at me when the car pulled to a stop in the driveway, “You’re home.”I nodded slowly and stared at the familiar doors of the house before reaching for the door.It felt strange coming back here and even odder, it felt like tonight had changed something about me.I couldn't point out exactly what yet but my mind knew it.I turned to Alaric with my hold still on the door handle and smiled softly at him, "Thank you for giving me a ride home and...thank you for tonight."There was much more that I wanted to say but I opted to save the rest of my words for later. It was late already and since I was so tired, I thought that he was too.“Thank you for the ride.”He nodded once then his expression softened. “Of course.”“Get some rest.”“I will.”I stepped out of t
SARA'S POV The cold night air hit me the moment I stepped outside the ballroom. It was quieter out here, considering most of the media had taken advantage of the guards absence to rush inside while most of the guests had begun to depart.It wasn't completely quiet though, at least it didn't have the kind of serenity that would exist atop an isolated hill. I could still hear muffled voices that came from inside the ballroom. However, compared to the chaos that the inside was, it felt more peaceful outside.The first thing I did besides looking around and observing my surroundings, was to take a deep breath.Alaric let out a deep breath next to me as well and it wasn't until I turned to him that I realised that he had loosened his tie.Not only that, he has popped open the first couple of buttons on his shirt, exposing a bit of his chest and giving him a more casual look.Although I had been with him all night and had even seen him before anyone else did, he somehow looked even better
THIRD PERSON’S POV Derek’s eyes trailed Sara the exact moment she moved to walk out of the ballroom and he didn’t tear his gaze away from her until she was out so he saw her slip her arms through Alaric’s who guided her out of the chaotic ballroom.She didn’t even hesitate on her way out, and not once did she glance back.It was only when her figure was completely out of sight that he returned his gaze to Alyssa, who was still staring at him with a face rooted in disbelief.Her eyes were still as wide, her face still as pale as someone stuck in the polar region and her jaw was slackened wide enough to fit in a small egg.“You can’t be serious,” She breathed heavily, staggering back as if his words had affected her too much and as though she didn’t have the strength to keep herself upright anymore.“You’re refusing to propose to me…?”She shook her head, negating that question.He wasn’t refusing to propose, he said he had no intention of proposing to her and she just couldn’t wrap he
THIRD PERSON'S POVThe call came while Derek was reviewing the quarterly performance sheets.His phone buzzed loudly on his desk and he glanced at it, setting down the pen in his hand, before reaching to grab it.The number spread out across the screen was one he didn't recognize and he frowned, pon
SARA’S POVAlaric gathered the papers back into his folder. His movements were slowly deliberate and showcased finality. He finished that then glanced at Adrian then Alyssa, "Since Mrs Smith works for you, I will leave you to determine the most appropriate punishment for her. If you would like to ba
SARA’S POVDerek’s street was quiet, the kind of silence that made it feel as though I was the only one left in the world, the kind that would follow an apocalypse that wipes out mankind.It reminded me that I had no business being here but still, my mind refused to just accept it without getting a
SARA’S POVI slipped my hand into my hair, short of pulling the roots as though inflicting pain on myself could somehow help me clear my thoughts.Lena was asking what I was going to do but I had the same question.What could I do? I couldn't march into Adrian's office, pointing fingers for all to s







