GRACE.“Gracieeee” Jody’s voice rang out from outside my house. She did that all the time, so I wasn’t startled. Considering the sort of mood I was in at the moment, I wasn’t really curious about whatever made her yell my name like that.What I wanted was staying somewhere where no one would see me and cry in silence. I wished with all my heart I could skip work tonight.I was on permanent night shifts for NAs Daily, a small scale newspaper company I managed to secure after rigorous job huntings, so as to garner more funds for Laurel and I, not to mention few other freelancing jobs I was doing here and there. On most days, I took Laurie with me, and on others, she stayed with NK and her kids or Jody helped me babysit her till I returned in the morning. There was nothing I could do. Securing a good job in central London required connection with insiders or a recommendation from top people, especially fro

GRACE.Director Lancelot Howard looked so pleased to see me, I cringed, wishing he could make it less obvious. I bet he was thinking he had finally won me over. The main problem I had with men who were rich and handsome enough to get any woman they wanted, whenever they wanted, however they deemed fit. Lance was one of those kind of men. Alpha Connor Shelby was definitely at the top of the list.There I go again! The same name, the same person I was trying so hard to wipe off my mind. I hated to admit it, but he was the only reason I agreed to let Director Lance drive me to work today. And with the smug look the director was giving me, I wished I could take back saying yes and agreeing to his offer.He made me generally uncomfortable. He was too focused on himself and the impression he would be making on others. I wasn't sure I had met the real him yet, if at all it existed.He rushed to open the door wielding his heavy air of chivalry, smil

GRACEI was done with work before 4am, hence I was able to rush home and catch a short nap before day broke to take Laurel to school. Jody was on bed with her when I got in, so I crashed on the couch, feeling totally exhausted from hours of typing without getting any sleep. Our editor in chief worked with us through the night, thus, none of us could steal naps as we usually did whenever she went home on time as supposed.I remember director Lance calling me up to his office once to ask me to sleep. Come to think of it, he was great to me a lot of times and if I was a normal woman without so much fear or an ugly past or so much responsibility, maybe I might have given him a chance.   The 7am alarm on my phone woke me up. I scrambled to my feet, aroused Laurie and started preparing her for school. But what I really wanted to do was crash and sleep like someone in a coma.Jody was already preparing for work as well. Some of her clothes

GRACE.“Oh my god, Gracie,” NK muttered covering her face with her both hands after I finished narrating to her and Jody what was going on. To NK mostly, because Jody knew pretty much already.  They were the only people I could bare my souls to this way. I knew they had my back, and cared genuinely about my happiness.NK and I sat on the long couch, while Jody leaning forward on the love couch. Laurel was napping peacefully on the bed.“I’m so… I don’t know what to say,” NK exhaled loudly and held my hands in hers, squeezing them gently. “How do you feel about this?” she asked gazing with genuinely worried eyes at me.“Yes, Gracie, what do you plan to do, cuz like you said, he’s not looking like he’s going to back down just cuz you tell him to.” Jody chipped in, hugging herself repeatedly. She still appeared much shaken with what happened with Laurel. I dr

CONNORHer hair was tied up in a ponytail. I wondered if anyone had ever told her she was prettier with her hair down. My hands itched to set them free.Portia came into my office with a glass of water, handed it over to the jumpy Grace who stared at the glass like she didn’t know what to do with it, until she realized I was watching her and she proceeded to gulp the glass’ content at a go. She wiped the back of her hand against her soft, vulnerable-looking lips in a manner that made me crave to suckle them, before handing the glass over to Portia, mouthing a “thank you” to the secretary as she turned and left.  “Are you ready?” she asked once more and placed the recorder on the table with a long white sheet of paper and note pad on her laps. I was ready, as long as she would let us talk. She was trying quite hard to act distant, her way of pushing me farther off from her. &ldqu