The Blind CEO

“Hey, Jade. Have you heard the news?” Mireia asked.Jade smiled. Her friend really had a unique way of saying good morning.“Good morning to you too, Reia.”“Geez,” Mireia smiled sheepishly. “I’m just excited to tell you what I overheard in the elevator today. Guess what?”“The CEO is getting engaged this weekend,” Jade answered.“You already know?”“Apparently.”“Argh! When will I ever tell you something you don't already know?” Mireia slumped in her chair.Jade stuck out her tongue at Mireia.But actually, her heart was aching.It had taken her five years and a lot of sacrifice to finally enter Z’s world. Although she had never intended to make herself known to him, it still hurt to hear he was getting engaged.Because Z was the CEO of the company she worked for. He was Zane Frost. A man too powerful in the business world. A man completely out of Jade’s league.Jade had promised herself before that she wouldn’t try to find out who Z really was. But after admitting she had fallen for

Jade had recovered from her shock earlier and went about her daily tasks as she should.On a chair between her and Mireia sat Zia, minding her own business with her coloring books. Zia had always been well-behaved, and Jade was a proud mama.“Hey, when you’re hungry, Aunt Reia has a lot of snacks here,” Mireia said, trying to bribe Zia in exchange for tiny pecks on her cheek.“Thank you, Aunt Reia!” Zia chirped happily.Jade smiled warmly.“Jade,” their manager suddenly called her. “Bring this document to the CEO’s office and have it signed by Mr. Frost.”To say she was shocked was an understatement. She had been working at FII for a year now, and as far as she knew, staff of her rank were not allowed to have direct encounters with the CEO.“What are you still standing there for? We’re in a rush, and everyone else is occupied!”She absentmindedly looked around her workstation. There were five of them in that room, and no one seemed particularly busy like Ms. Stewart claimed.“Jade, I’

It was already the weekend. Jade stared sadly at Zane’s broken watch, the only thing she had kept from him over the past five years. It was all she had as a remembrance of him. She thought she could watch his engagement and feel nothing. She thought she had prepared herself enough to accept that he now belonged to someone else. But after yesterday’s encounter, Jade realized she was not completely immune to the pain.The engagement, though limited to the elite, had been open to FII’s employees. Mireia had attended. Almost all her colleagues had attended. But not Jade. She had chosen to stay away, unwilling to hurt herself even more. Still, deep inside, she was truly happy for Zane. She bore no bitterness over his engagement. She didn’t have the right to feel otherwise anyway. Even so, her tears still found their way down her cheeks. It was a good thing Zia had gone to bed early. She didn’t have to explain to her daughter why she was crying.Jade was about to sleep herself when she h

"And for looking after me as well," Zane had wanted to add.But he decided against it. Even when there was a possibility that he might take Zia away from Jade, she had never once used the favor she had done for him in the past as leverage to escape her situation.That’s why he couldn’t bear to separate her from the child she had treated and loved as her own. Zaira was gone, and he knew it was only right to let Jade continue being Zia’s mommy — at least until his niece was old enough to decide for herself whether she wanted Jade to stay in her life.As for his grandmother, he was confident she would understand."Mr. Frost, I can’t thank you enough," Jade said, drying her tears. "Pardon me for crying. I’m just so happy. I promise I won’t be a burden. If, in the future, my presence causes any trouble, just tell me, and I’ll leave without complaint."Zane couldn’t help but wonder. Had she disappeared back then because she thought she would be a burden to him, too?He shook his head slight

“Jade, let’s swim together,” Catherine invited warmly.Zane had volunteered to walk Betty out, while Grandma said she would take care of Zia. So it was just Jade and Catherine left by the pool.“Ms. White, I don’t know how to swim,” Jade admitted.Earlier, it had been painful to watch Zane and Catherine being sweet with each other in the water. But what could Jade do? This was her destiny — to silently watch the man she loved in the arms of the woman he liked.“Then I’ll teach you! Come on!” Catherine said brightly.“Ms. White!” Jade cried out when, all of a sudden, she fell into the water.Catherine had jumped in with her.“Jade, don’t panic! Jade!” she could hear Catherine’s voice urging her.How could she not panic? She struggled helplessly, her limbs flailing in the deep water. Catherine had pushed her into the deeper end of the pool — and she truly didn't know how to swim.“I’ve got you, okay? Stop moving!” Catherine shouted.Jade heard her voice, but it already sounded distant.