LOGINAthena silently begged for the conversation to end.She didn’t care who gave up first.Blake or Dexter.Either one would do.Because with every passing second, she became more certain that something would go wrong.She adjusted her position on the floor. Her legs were already beginning to ache from squatting for so long. At this rate, she was afraid they would give out before either man walked away.Blake… don’t let him get into your head, she prayed silently.Neither of them looked ready to back down. Each wanted to have the last word.But perhaps the universe finally decided to pity her because the next words that came out of Blake’s mouth filled her with relief.“I would’ve loved to continue this conversation with you,” Blake said smoothly, adjusting the watch on his wrist. “But unlike some people, I’m actually busy.”“So am I,” Dexter replied immediately.“And please…”His gaze drifted toward the woman still crouching on the floor. He pointed directly at Athena.“Advise your little
Today was supposed to be perfect.Athena stood frozen in shock, gripping the shopping bag so tightly that the plastic hurt her fingers.Every instinct screamed at her to run. But her legs refused to move.“Athena,” Blake said in a low voice, keeping his expression calm despite the situation. “I know you’re panicking right now, but I’ll handle this.”She looked up at him, her eyes wide with fear.“How?” she whispered frantically. “Is there a way out of this?”“Just let me handle this,” Blake said to her.But Athena couldn’t concentrate on anything Blake was saying.Every one of Dexter’s footsteps made her heart sink even deeper.Blake watched the panic spread across her face. While she focused on the approaching footsteps, his own mind was already racing, searching for the quickest way to get her out of this disaster before Dexter came close enough to recognize her.“I’m still surprised you exist, Blake,” Dexter said. “I thought you faded off already.”Athena felt like her heart was ab
Blake and I quietly stood up from our seats and slipped away, making sure we didn’t disturb the people around us.The applause from inside gradually faded the farther we walked until it became nothing more than a dull sound in the background.The moment we got into the SUV, I let out a long sigh of relief.“I thought my heart was going to come out of my chest back there.”“Because of Dexter?” Blake asked as he started the engine.“Yes. He wasn’t supposed to be here. He was supposed to be in the office.”Blake looked at me briefly before driving out of the parking space.“Today is Sunday, Athena. Why would he be working on a weekend?”I went on to explain everything to him—how Dexter had called me to work yesterday, how he insisted I come in today, and how I’d lied about having the flu.“Really?” Blake said after I finished.“That means him coming today must’ve been impromptu.”“I guess he didn’t call you because he thought you were still down with the flu.”“That’s a possibility,” I a
“Dexter El Camino is here.”My entire body went cold. For a second, I honestly thought I had imagined it.But the loud applause around me said otherwise.People were still clapping and cheering. Everyone in that venue looked pleased to see him…Except me.Slowly…Almost against my own will…My eyes drifted toward the VIP section.Then I saw him.He stood from his seat, dressed in one of his perfectly tailored black suits.One hand rested casually inside his pocket while the other lifted in a polite wave toward the audience.The applause somehow became even louder.I couldn’t breathe.“Oh my God…” I whispered under my breath.“No…What is he doing here?”I swallowed hard in fear.Without thinking, I grabbed Blake’s arm so tightly my fingers almost dug into his skin.“Blake…” My voice shook. “This is bad.”He held my hands “Athena—”“This is really bad,” I cut in.“Calm down, Athena,” Blake whispered to me.“How can I be calm when Dexter is here? Why is he here of all the places on earth?”B
Blake wasn’t lying when he said it was a long drive.We’d already been driving for close to two hours.I rolled down the window and stuck my head outside, staring at the beautiful trees we drove past.The road wasn't busy, it just had a few cars and cyclists passing by now and then.I hummed along to one of my favorite songs playing through the speakers.Then it suddenly hit me.Blake had been playing almost all my favorite songs from back then.“Blake.”I pulled my head back inside the car.“How do you still have this playlist? Every one of my favorite songs is on here.”He smiled without taking his eyes off the road.“I just figured it would make the trip more fun if you listened to some of your favorite songs.”A big smile appeared on my face.“I’m jealous of your future wife already. She’ll be one lucky woman because you are such a gentleman.”“Who knows?”He finally glanced at me before looking back at the road.“You might be the one.”I burst into laughter.“You and your funny jokes
The alarm on my phone hadn’t even gone off before my eyes opened.A huge smile appeared on my face as I stretched lazily on the bed.It’s the twins’ entrance ceremony today. I’ll finally see my babies today.I threw the blanket aside and got out of bed excited.The time on the wall clock was just 6 a.m.I’d woken up three hours earlier to prepare the food and refreshments before going back to sleep. Looking back now, I was glad I did because there was no way I would’ve had enough time this morning.I walked into the kitchen where everything I’d prepared was neatly arranged.The fried rice had already cooled.I opened the refrigerator to check on the salad and drinks.Everything was still in place.What else was I forgetting? I tapped my chin thoughtfully.Then it clicked.“The grilled chicken.”I quickly opened the oven and carefully pulled it out.“Ouch…”I laughed, quickly switching it to my other hand.“It’s still hot.”I waited a few seconds before packing it properly into one of
The rest of the morning went by slowly.After fixing schedules for the week and working on a few documents, there wasn’t much to do and I was already getting bored.I guess after working almost every hour for the past few years and barely having breaks, my body had adapted to stress so much that re
The door handle moved. It felt like my heart was about to jump out of my chest. What do I do? What do I do? My eyes moved around the office frantically searching for somewhere to hide. But the office was too open. There was nowhere to hide. The handle went lower slowly. Without thinkin
My alarm rang loudly beside my bed. I groaned tiredly and stretched my hand weakly toward the table, my eyes still closed as I kept touching the hard surface blindly. “Where is it?” I grumbled. I slowly opened my eyes and saw the phone at the edge of the table. I quickly turned it off before i
I cleared my throat immediately.“My glasses,” I touched the frame nervously while forcing out a small laugh. “The old ones broke.”“Hmmm.” July narrowed her eyes at me suspiciously. “You’ve never been clumsy before.”“I know, right?” I laughed awkwardly. “I went to the bathroom and didn’t know the







