MasukMARK“We look forward to kickstarting the contract with you, Mark Ronaldo,” the head of the company told me as we exchanged handshakes.I nodded.“I do too,” I responded.After signing the contract, we had had to sit down for another two hours to discuss on the next step to take, which was contrary to what I had expected.At first, it had seemed like we were just going to talk about it for five minutes, and then it stretched to thirty minutes, and then to one hour. I kept checking my watch, and when I saw that it was already two hours, I knew that I couldn’t keep staying here.I needed to leave.The flight back was only two hours and some minutes, and if I made it back right now, I would get to Paris before nightfall.Hopefully, I would be able to see Alexa. By then, she might have felt less upset with me.“Expect us Monday morning in your office, okay?” He said. “And after that, you already know that since you won’t be coming here, and we will have to be flying down to Paris every no
ALEXA“Mona is pregnant,” I repeated for the umpteenth time when Noelle and I got to my living room.I couldn’t stop thinking about it.My heart was beating really fast.“Obviously,” Noelle said, acting calm.I sat down, but I just couldn’t get it off my chest. There was only one question in both our minds that we hadn’t asked each other.I knew this because I had known Noelle for years now.Eventually, I decided to ask.I couldn’t hold back any longer. Eventually, we would have to talk about it.“Who is she pregnant for?” I asked Noelle.Noelle looked away.She was also thinking the same thing I was thinking, but I was too scared to voice it out, or maybe she was as well.“Mark told me before the new year that he broke up with her, but I didn’t ask him for how long. They were literally together during the fair, which was just a few weeks ago,” I narrated, my heartbeat racing very fast.As I spoke, my head was doing all the calculations, and so was Noelle.I didn’t see any bump on Mon
ALEXA“How are you feeling now, Alexa?” The doctor asked as he came for another round of checkup.“I feel a lot better,” I told him.And that was the truth.The pain I was feeling in my lower abdomen had disappeared and I could turn freely.“I can see that,” the doctor said with a warm smile.“Is the positioning of the baby better?” Noelle asked worriedly.She stayed back after our conversation, and that meant Shirley had to leave. Noelle told her that she was here to take care of me now and that Shirley was, of course, welcome to come and visit at any time.And now, I felt really guilty.Despite what Noelle was going through, she was already acting all protective and caring of me, and yet, the first chance I got, I was quick to cut her off without even listening to what she had to say.It wasn’t fair.Once again, I had allowed my anger to overrule my emotions, and it made me think of Mark; of how I had also pushed him away without giving him a listening ear.“The baby is doing just f
MARK“Mark Ronaldo, we are so glad that you could make it all the way here,” the head of the company told me.“I was hoping that we would be able to get everything signed in an hour or two,” I responded with a nod.He also nodded.There were other business associates dressed in fine and expensive suits. I arrived a while ago and they had had to run me through their expectations for the project in the next six months and I understood their need for that.“We will have it drafted out immediately,” he said.I was surprised.“It’s not ready yet?” I asked, turning to the business associate that I had kept in touch with for days now.With the explanation he gave over the phone, I thought that it was ready, and that all I had to do was fly in and sign. Getting a private plane to fly me down here wasn’t easy, and if it wasn’t for my influence and money, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve that.I was really hoping that I wouldn’t have to spend more than two hours here so that I could get rig
IVYI couldn’t stop thinking about my visit to my mum. There were two things that basically occupied my mind; running into Detective Kent and what Donald Shell owed my mum.“With how well disguised I was, I doubt he will be able to recognize me,” I said to myself.If he did, he would have acted that way, but from the way he stared at me, it was obvious that he didn’t catch my face. To him, he had simply almost knocked a stranger down.And so I didn’t think much about it.However, the money...One hundred thousand dollars!I wasn’t even thinking of the percentage from the company. Knowing how greedy Donald Shell was, I knew that he would never give anything from the company he stole from Alexa and her father even though it was in a small percentage.“I need that money,” I muttered to myself.My mum was going to rot in jail for the rest of her life. There were no chances of her ever coming out because Alexa would never forgive her for killing her father, and so I wasn’t thinking about h
ALEXAI woke up from my nap, expecting to see Shirley beside me, or no one else, but I was surprised to see Noelle sitting beside me.For a moment, I thought that I was dreaming or seeing a ghost, but she was real as could be.“Noelle,” I called, my breath coming out in a gasp.I was more shocked from seeing her than upset because she was the last person I expected to see. The last time I spoke to Noelle, she was out of the country, but now, here she was, staring at me with gloomy eyes.“Alexa, you are awake,” she said.There was something about Noelle’s voice that expressed nothing but sadness, and she looked very weak and pale.“What are you doing here?” I asked her.Before I took a nap, Shirley and Reyna were here after Reyna gave me the flowers that she had gotten for me.“I had hoped to see you for the first time in the year at your house, but I guess the universe had other plans. Anyway, I am happy that you are fine,” Reyna had said lightly.Then she and Shirley had talked off m
ALEXA“We will keep in touch, Mr. Silver. I am going to have further conversations with Mr. Gregory, and relay all that I need to with you,” Mark had said a few minutes ago before leaving.“I thought we were going to have a private conversation?” My dad had asked him, surprised he was leaving right
ALEXAI was still trying to wrap my head around what Donald just said when the man stretched his hand for a handshake.“Hello, Alexa Silver, it is nice to meet you,” he said.It would be impolite not to take his offer, and so I placed my hand in his and we shook respectfully. His palm was warm, and
MARK“You couldn’t convince her otherwise?” Mr. Silver asked me.“You know that Alexa can be stubborn sometimes,” I said with exasperation. “And she was right,” I added.“Right about what?” Mr. Silver asked.He was both angry and disappointed, but he knew that no matter what, he couldn’t hold the b
MARKMr. Devon left the company before my secretary. He didn’t know that I was still in the parking lot. I contemplated on trailing him the moment he left, but about five minutes later, my secretary also got into her car and drove out.They both had no idea that I was still hanging around.Usually,







