LOGINMARKI felt like a butterfly on my way back. I kept reminiscing on how I felt when my hand was right there on Alexa’s stomach.It was warm and very peaceful, as though the baby that was still forming was having a peaceful sleep.I was so overjoyed that I couldn’t wait any longer or keep it to myself.I called Vector.“Is there a problem?” Vector asked me as soon as he picked up.“Shouldn’t I be calling you?” I asked him.“It’s late, Mark, and we literally spent the evening together,” Vector reminded me.He sounded a little different.“Are you with someone?” I asked Vector suspiciously.Vector paused for a few seconds before he spoke again.“You sound very joyful, Mark,” Vector said, deflecting.I knew that he was doing it on purpose, but didn’t push with what I had asked him because I was really eager to talk about how I was feeling and what had happened more than the question I asked him.“Yes, I am,” I responded, giddy as a child.Thankfully, Cannon Dexter was driving me tonight, so
IVYI hid by the side of the stairs and watched them as jealousy bubbled inside of me, and for a moment, I thought they were going to kiss.As much as I hated it, they seemed perfect.“That should have been me,” I told myself as I watched them.All day, I had had to hide myself inside the damn room because coming out would mean risking being seen by that new chef that Alexa refused to get rid of. Now that I was certain that she had gone to bed, I sneaked out to get something to eat.I was famished beyond words.My stomach had been rumbling for hours now.Even right now, it was still rumbling. At first, I feared that Alexa and Mark would hear, but they didn’t. They were so engrossed with each other that it seemed impossible for them to hear anything. Even if I fell from the stairs, I doubted that they would see, hear, or notice.They kept staring at each other as Mark’s hand stayed gently placed on Alexa’s stomach.I ground my teeth in annoyance.Again, this should have been me and no
ALEXALori did some good shopping, and when she made dinner, I found myself eating so much than I had done in weeks.“Did you enjoy the food, ma’am?” She asked me.“Yes, Lori, thank you,” I told her after dinner. “And please, call me Alexa,” I added.I already told her before, but I was willing to tell her over and over again until she took the correction. I understood that she wanted to be formal, but being addressed by my name would make me more comfortable.From the outset, I never liked the formalities, not even from domestic workers, unlike Ivy who craved for them.I always preferred to be addressed by my name because it made me feel better.Speaking about Ivy, she hadn’t stepped her feet out of her bedroom since Lori arrived. Even when Lori went to the grocery store, she didn’t dare come out, and I realized that not running into her as frequently made me more relieved.Hopefully, she would get uncomfortable enough to leave.After dinner, I stayed in the living room to catch a sh
MARKVector and I remained at the club, just drinking and talking about random things, and that was because I told Vector that I wanted to talk about something else.Apparently, I would have to speak to Mona again, which I absolutely hated and dreaded, but I didn’t have any choice at the moment.I would have to sort it out before Alexa hears of it.My phone rang. It was Brent.“Hey, Brent,” I said into the phone.I had to speak more loudly because of the noise at the club.“Where are you?” Brent asked.“At the club,” I answered.“Alright then, I am coming over,” Brent told me.“Alright, fine,” I said before ending the call.“What does he want?” Vector asked me as soon as he noticed that I had ended the call.“Brent is coming over,” I responded.“Oh, is there a reason why?” Vector asked.“He didn’t say. He probably just wants to unwind as we are doing,” I answered.“That’s fair. He works just as hard as you do, and I believe that a time here would help him feel better,” Vector said and
ALEXAI went to check who was at the door, and to my confusion, it was a woman who was well into her thirties.“Hello, good day, ma’am,” she greeted with a warm smile.“Good morning,” I responded, still wondering who she was and what she was doing here. “How may I help you?” I asked her.“You must be Miss Alexa Silver, right?” She inquired.“Yes, that’s me,” I responded.“My name is Lora, and I am here because I have been hired as your personal chef and nutritionist,” she responded.I became confused.“Hired? I didn’t…” I started, but she interrupted me respectfully.“Mr. Mark Ronaldo did the hiring, ma’am. I am simply here to start working,” she said.“Oh,” I said, almost speechless. “May I come in?” She requested politely when I didn’t usher her in.“Forgive my manners; of course, you may come in,” I said.And then I ushered her into the living room. “Give me a moment,” I requested.“Of course, ma’am,” Lora responded.I left her and went to the dining table to make a call. Mark w
MARKI found our table easily and slid into the empty seat in front of Vector.“You look upset,” Vector said as he signaled the waiter.“I am upset by a couple of things,” I responded.“What’s wrong?” Vector asked me.“I ran into Donald on my way out. He was on his way in,” I responded tightly. “Was he in here?” I asked even though it was clear that he was.“If he was, I really didn’t see him because I have been engrossed with my phone,” Vector responded.“Does he now come here?” I asked Vector.This was about the third time that I was running into Donald here and it was becoming obvious that he also came here to have a good time.Vector shrugged and said, “It would seem like.”I became more pissed off.“Why on earth should he be coming here? What happened to Dancing Devils? Wasn’t that where he usually went?” I asked Vector.He was one of the reasons I stopped going to that club.When he came back to Paris, Donald made it a point of duty to always visit the club, and I was already ge
ALEXAThe moment I stepped into my apartment, my phone rang, and when I saw that it was Donald Shell, my shoulders sagged.I really didn’t want to speak to him right now.The only thing I wanted to do was to lie down and have a good rest, but then again, it dawned on me quickly that Donald and Noel
MARK“Mark, do you have a minute?” Mr. Devon said as he walked into my office.I was about closing for the day, and I wondered what he could have wanted to talk about at this time. Plus, his presence was really upsetting.“Right now?” I asked, sounding a little bit harsh.A voice in my head reminde
MARK“Pick up, Mark,” Vector encouraged me as I stared at the call.It was what I had been waiting for all day, and now that I was seeing it, I was too worried to even pick up. It was relieving that she was calling; it meant that she was alive, but what if it hadn’t gone well? What if she was calli
ALEXAI tried to get in touch with Noelle after Stacy Bandwit left, but all to no avail. The call kept going to voicemail.“Pick up the damn call, Noelle. This is freaking important, or at least, call me back,” I said and sent the voicemail to her.But I was still restless, and after trying over an







