“Cheryl.” Shawn made to touch her but she stepped backward.
“If there’s nothing else, then I’ll take my leave.” She made to leave when Shawn drew her back
“I still find it hard to believe you’re not mad at me.” Their faces were inches away from each other.
Cheryl's lips curved into a cocky smile. “What reason do I have to be mad at you? boss?”
“Beats me.”
“You’re playing dumb.”
“Was it about the other night?”
“The other night?” Cheryl scoffed. She hated the way he said it casually.
“Oh come on, Cheryl. We had fun and that was it.”
Cheryl couldn’t believe her ears.
She shook her head, picked up her bag, and barged out without looking back. He was crazy. She wanted to hate him badly but she couldn’t. She loved him too much but she was nothing to him. It hurts.
*
*
*
Cheryl stared at the blank computer, her mind wandering back to last night. He didn’t realize Shawn was such a jerk. But she couldn’t blame him. This was how it was with other women. But she doesn’t want to be another woman. She wanted to be his woman. The realization that it was impossible, struck her with so much pain
The telephone rang and she was jolted from her thought.
“Come to my office now.” That was her boss.
She rolled her eyes. She hated seeing him these days more than ever. It will only bring up old feelings that she was trying to kill.
“Good morning boss,” Cheryl said when she got to his office.
“You didn’t submit my schedule for today.”
“It slipped me,” Cheryl said nonchalantly. Just fire me. She thought inwardly. She didn’t have the guts to resign. Shawn raised a brow.
“How? You are always accurate, Cheryl.”
“Well, things happen.” She shrugged.
“Are you sure, you’re Cheryl?” Shawn asked. His secretary has changed. Or was it because of last night? After their sex escapade, things changed. Cheryl was either irritated or impatient. What was she expecting? A gesture from him? She knew better. He wasn’t in for relationships. And if he was to be in one, Cheryl wasn’t the one. They had a no-dating in the workplace policy.
“Are you in love with me?”
“What?” Cheryl gave a nervous chuckle.
“You see, I thought all night about the reason why you’d be so mad after a one-night stand. And I concluded that you’re In love with me.”
“I’m not,” Cheryl replied to the revelation.
She won’t shamelessly open up to him like this.
“Sure?”
“Yes.” She affirmed curtly.
The room was suffocating. She needed to leave. She was getting tired of the drama.
“I need to….”
“Let’s have breakfast together,” Shawn said as he stood as headed for the door.
“Ugh?” Cheryl asked.
“Come on, Cheryl. I will never accept no for an answer. “ Shawn said as Cheryl followed him grudgingly.
*
*
*
“The food here is good. Don’t you think?” Shawn spoke up. They’ve been eating in silence for the past few minutes since they got to the restaurant. It was the closest one to the company but quite fancy.
Cheryl nodded. This was the last place she wanted to be. With this man.
He dropped his cutlery, he was looking at Cheryl now. Cheryl noticed the insistent stares. She looked up at him.
“Are we going to continue like this?” Shawn asked with a frown.
“I don’t understand.”
“Your cold shoulders have been something I have to deal with every day. Sometimes you glare at me like I was some kind of beast.”
Cheryl didn’t say a word.
“Do you hate me that much, Cheryl?”
“I don’t,” Cheryl said curtly. “I just get stressed easily these days.” She completed and drank a cup of water.
“Really?”
“Really,” Cheryl affirmed. They both knew that was a lie. But none of them was ready to face the truth. She loved and wanted this man but couldn’t tell him. And Shawn wasn’t ready for commitments.
“I need to use the restroom,” Cheryl said and made to stand up but it felt like the whole was moving. She was dizzy! And the next minute, she lost consciousness. That was all she could remember.
*
*
*
“Thank you, doctor,” Shawn said as the doctor nodded and walked off the hospital hallway. He brushed his hands through his hair in frustration. Cheryl was pregnant. And that, for him. From his calculations, the time of their sex escapade to now was exactly two weeks.
He opened the door to walk into the room Cheryl was admitted to. She was sleeping peacefully. Like the angel that she was.
Why did this have to happen? And that with Cheryl? She doesn’t deserve this. She doesn’t deserve him. She was too good for him but she wanted him.
Even a blind man could notice. From her first day at AG Holdings. She could see the light sparkle in their eye whenever she see him every morning. From his experience with women, he knew this woman was head over heels in love with him.
Cheryl opened her eye slowly as the throbbing pain made her groan.
“Are you okay?” Shawn rushed towards her and helped her sit up.
Cheryl nodded. “What am I…..”
“You fainted earlier,” Shawn said.
“Oh,” Cheryl said faintly.
“The doctor? What did he say? Have you seen him?”
“What with the question, Cheryl? Go back to sleep if you need to. It’s nothing serious.”
“Ugh?”
“Yeah.” Shawn gave a nervous chuckle.
“How can you tell me to rest when I don’t know what is wrong with me?”
Shawn stared at her. She wasn’t going to give up. Now he has no choice but to tell her.
“You’re pregnant, Cheryl.”
His voice resounded In Cheryl’s head as she tried to process what he just said.
“Preg….nant?”
“Yes. I’m…”
Cheryl raised her hands to interrupt him.
“I don’t understand. There must be a misdiagnosis. I can’t be pregnant. How did I?….”
Then it dawned on her. The one-night stand.
“No.” She breathed as she brushed her hair backward.
“Cheryl, I…..”
“It’s fine,” Cheryl muttered. “You don’t have to take responsibility, I can….”
“There’s no way you’ll shoulder everything on your own.” Shawn had a frown.
“It's my business, Mr. Shawn.”
“That's my child.”
“Yeah, I know!” Cheryl screamed out, she was on the verge of crying.
She hated the fact that the only thing that will connect them now was a child. Or would he even consider them?
“You’ll have to abort it, Cheryl.”
She looked up at him, did she hear wrong? “What?”
Shawn paused then spoke up. This was hard for him. He cared for Cheryl so much. But they were in a dilemma. And this was the only sane solution he could think of.
“That’s the best decision for both of us right since we….”
“For both of us? Or just for you?” Cheryl asked with a disgusted look. She was finding it hard to hate this man but now the hate was growing, uncontrollably.
“I don’t believe in marriage or family.”Shawn started with an apologetic look. “….you know that Cheryl.”
“Right. I do.” Cheryl bit her lips. “ I was stupid to think you’ve changed when you asked me out for breakfast.”
“Simple gestures like that’s doesn’t count Cheryl, that’s why girls like you….”
“Like me what!” Cheryl interrupted rudely.
What was he insinuating? Cheryl thought. She felt like a fool. She just realized how selfish Shawn was.
“Forget it. Let’s talk about our child.”
“He’s no child of yours any longer, boss. You killed him before he was even born.” Cheryl was staring daggers at him.
Shawn stared at Cheryl, feeling the weight of his decision press down on him. He knew what he had to do, but deep down, he wanted to make a different choice, one that would benefit them all. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He sighed and brushed his hands through his hair, feeling the tension build. "Let's talk when you're calm," he said, hoping that they could find a way out of this situation together. But Cheryl wasn't done. "We have nothing to talk about, Boss," she said, her anger palpable. "I will never kill my child. And it's fine if you don't want to take responsibility, we'll do fine without you." Shawn's heart sank. He knew that this was going to be a difficult conversation, but he hadn't expected it to be this hard. He struggled to find the right words to say, to make Cheryl understand that he wasn't shirking his responsibilities. "Cheryl, I..." he started, but she cut him off. "Leave, Boss," Cheryl said, almost in a whisper. Shawn felt his frustration and helpl
Six Years Later As the sun's rays filtered through the curtains and fell on his face, Shawn slowly opened his eyes. His surroundings were unfamiliar and he scanned the room, taking in his nakedness. He was in a hotel room, which could only mean one thing - he had been with someone last night. Shawn let out a sigh and rubbed his temples as a headache throbbed. This had been his routine for the past six years. Sleeping around with women in an attempt to forget about Cheryl and move on, but it never seemed to work. His phone interrupted his thoughts, and Shawn reached for his pants to retrieve it. He answered without checking the caller ID. "Shawn Antonio here," he said. "Boss, where are you? Something came up at the office," his secretary's thick voice echoed from the other end of the line. "What happened, Jeff?" Shawn asked, his voice betraying his concern. "It's over, boss. The Romanos are going to pull out from the deal. I got a call from Mr. Rio's secretary earlier this morning
Shawn sat at his table, eyes fixated on Cheryl as she chatted with an unknown man at the far end of the restaurant. He stood up, intending to walk over to her when his lawyer, Sam, stopped him in his tracks."He's here, boss," Sam said, his voice urgent.Shawn frowned, his attention still on Cheryl. "What?""Boss, his secretary is here," Sam repeated, gesturing to a smartly dressed lady in her twenties who had just walked into the restaurant.Shawn nodded absently, barely registering the woman's presence as he continued to stare at Cheryl. She was engrossed in her conversation, oblivious to his presence. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her."Hi Mr. Antonio," the secretary said, smiling at him.Shawn barely acknowledged her greeting, his mind consumed with thoughts of Cheryl. Their eyes met, and for a moment, time stood still. They stared at each other, lost in their own world.But the moment was fleeting. Sam's urgent voice called out to him again, breaking the spell. Shawn tore h
Shawn knew he was about to receive some unsettling answers, but he braced himself and asked Jeff anyway, “Go ahead, Jeff. Tell me everything you found out about Cheryl.”“She became the owner of Castle Corp just three years ago, months after Mr. Bill died,” Jeff started.“Does that mean he’s her father or something?” Shawn asked.“Yes, boss,” Jeff replied, to which Shawn laughed incredulously. “Cheryl is an orphan,” he countered.“The Cheryl you know is an orphan, boss. This one has a father,” Jeff said, and Shawn's heart tightened. How many more secrets did Cheryl have? Had she been lying to him all this time? He stared at Jeff. “So, you are trying to say Cheryl has been lying to me?”“No,” Jeff replied.“Then what?” Shawn was growing impatient.“Permit me to ask, boss, but is Ms. Cheryl more than a secretary to you?” Jeff asked innocently, and Shawn narrowed his eyes.“Mind your business, Jeff. Just answer the damn question,” Shawn seethed, and Jeff nodded. “So sorry, boss.”“Go ahe
As Shawn approached Andrew and the group of people, he felt a sense of excitement. He had finally found him. After he found out Cheryl had a son, he had wanted nothing but to meet him as soon as possible. “Hey Champ. Where did you run off to? I was looking for you everywhere," Shawn said as he knelt down in front of Andrew, beaming at him.Andrew looked at him with confusion. This man claimed to be his father with such confidence, but Andrew didn't recognize him. Before Andrew could say anything, Shawn placed a finger on his lips and whispered, "I'm trying to help here. Let's pretend you know me, okay?"Although hesitant, Andrew decided to go along with it. "I'm sorry, papa. I ran off because I was so excited to show you to my friends. I guess we missed each other," Andrew said with a cunning smile directed towards Carl."Now, are you happy?" Andrew asked, feeling triumphant. Carl rolled his eyes and scoffed, calling Andrew a loser. He and his father, along with John and his father,
Shawn swiftly turned and crouched down to the little girl's level, his face stern. "Katherine Darling, how many times have I told you not to call me 'daddy' randomly?" He rubbed his cheek, his gaze fixed on her."But I..." Katherine began to protest."Katherine!" Another woman, who had been chasing after her, called out as she reached them."Oh, Shawn," the woman exclaimed upon seeing him.Katherine hurriedly made her way to the woman and hugged her tightly. "Mummy," she cried, holding onto her. The woman glanced at Shawn with a questioning look."Daddy Shawn got mad because I called him 'papa'," Katherine complained, while Amy looked down at Katherine with concern and then back at Shawn. "I'm so sorry, Shawn. She must have inconvenienced you," Amy said, her expression filled with worry.A smile curved on Shawn's lips. "No, not at all. Don't blame her, and it's fine," Shawn reassured, his previous anger dissipating. Cheryl had misunderstood the situation, thinking Katherine longed for
"Castle Corp?" Shawn raised an eyebrow, perplexed by Jeff's statement."That's Cheryl's company, right?" Shawn's secretary nodded in confirmation.Shawn leaned back in his chair, a sigh escaping his lips. It seemed like fate was toying with him."When is the shareholders' meeting scheduled?" he inquired, his mind racing with possibilities."It's on the 10th of next month," Jeff responded, his voice laced with concern.Shawn considered the timeline for a moment, weighing his options."That should give us enough time for..." he trailed off, his thoughts interrupted by a sudden voice at the door."What's enough time for what?" A vibrant brunette entered the room without bothering to knock, holding a file in her hands. It was Amy.Amy glanced between Shawn and Jeff, curiosity etched on her face as she settled into a chair opposite Shawn's desk."What's with the long faces?" she asked, placing the files on the desk and fixing her gaze on the two men.Shawn sighed heavily, feeling the weigh
"Hi!" Andrew's tiny voice cut into their little meeting, and Shawn instinctively turned, recognizing the voice. Slowly freeing Amy, a smile crossed his lips as he looked down to see the most important person in his life."Hi there," Shawn returned with a smile, squatting beside Andrew."We didn't get to talk before, back at school, but Mum said we could say hi," Andrew offered without being asked, while Shawn stared at him lovingly. This was his son. He couldn't believe it. The child he had wanted nothing to do with in the past. But now, as he watched him, he silently thanked Cheryl for keeping him."Shawn?" Amy called out, and Shawn turned to her, standing up. "Who is he?" Amy asked as she cleaned the tears from her face."Ah," Shawn chuckled nervously. "This is my son," he whispered to Amy, whose eyes widened."Your son?" Amy asked, her voice filled with surprise. Shawn turned back to Andrew."Where's your mommy?" he asked.Andrew turned, catching sight of Cheryl walking towards the