20 minutes.I'd never waited so long in the lobby. Right now, I'm sipping my coffee and enjoying a slice of cake.When the private elevator opened, I adjusted my seat. My jaw dropped when I saw her. She still looks like me, the way I used to style myself in the past.She walked out proudly, with some of her bodyguards following. She was all smiles, but I knew her smile hid her wickedness. She must have been thrilled, thinking she had successfully stolen my whole being.I quickly stood up and walked towards her, holding my coffee. I pretended to be engrossed in my phone until I bumped into a blocking bodyguard. I deliberately spilled coffee on Veronica's dress. Too bad, my coffee wasn't very hot anymore. It must be satisfaction to see her skin burn."Oh my goodness!" Veronica screamed."Oops! I’m sorry!" I feigned surprise. The bodyguard nudged me aside, and I stumbled backward, pretending to fall.Now, I'm on the floor, hunched over, with my hair covering my face."What the heck? Can'

"Thank you so much for agreeing to meet with me again, Yasmin. I know you're currently spending time with your son, and I genuinely appreciate this meeting," I expressed my gratitude sincerely.I took a seat across from her and promptly signaled a waiter. "This one's on me. Please, don't hesitate to order whatever you like," I assured her."Um, now that you're not... I mean, how should I address you?" she inquired, struggling with her words and glancing around nervously.I understand Yasmin's hesitation to say my name in a public setting, especially since we were about to discuss a delicate matter. I realized I should have reserved a private room for our conversation.Surveying the restaurant, I recalled hearing that it had private rooms for such occasions. I quickly stopped a passing waiter. "Excuse me! Is there a private room available? Can we move there?""Yes, ma'am. There's one just becoming vacant," he replied, much to my relief.Yasmin and I relocated to the empty room, and our

"I'll take you home," Karious insisted, getting into the car and sitting next to me, signaling his driver to depart."Don’t bother. I still have some work left at the office," I replied."It's more important that I take you home immediately," he insisted."It's only 1 p.m., and I won't be doing much at my condo either," I explained.As we drove back to the office, I couldn't help but reflect on recent events. It dawned on me that strange occurrences had started happening around me since Veronica had seen me. And now that I had informed Yasmin of the truth about her son, why didn’t it occur to me that Veronica might have found out too. And it is no longer difficult to piece together the events. Besides Veronica, she knows that I know that fact too.Looks like Veronica was already doing something…behind my back.We arrived back at the office, and I was about to open the door, but it was already opened by someone outside. Two men dressed in black greeted us and simultaneously bowed.Kari

Wenzell and I entered the executive lounge of a hotel together. I wasn't a member of this exclusive club, but thanks to Wenzell's VIP status, I was able to gain access. I needed to be here because I had learned that rich and influential people frequented this place. It offered amenities and privileges reserved for the wealthy. It wasn't that I couldn't afford such luxuries, but as Empress Chan, I was maintaining a different persona. I was pretending to be Venice's cousin, not my true self, Kassandra. Since Venice wasn't available at the moment, Wenzell had become my frequent companion in my escapades and private investigations. "Now that we're always seen together, you have to take responsibility. You have to hold me accountable," Wenzell said once we were inside the lounge, and people's attention turned towards us. The rest start whispering with each other about our arrival. We were both dressed in formal attire—me in an evening dress and Wenzell in a three-piece suit. Waiters mo

As we stepped into the elevator of Karious' condo building, an irresistible urge took hold of us, and we found ourselves unable to resist the pull of each other's lips. We descended to the parking lot, our hands still intertwined. A tangible symbol of anticipation filled the air. Thoughts of what awaited us in his condo stirred a mixture of excitement and nervousness within me. This was the first time our relationship would progress to such an intimate level without the influence of alcohol and I'm gonna make sure that I will not forget this tomorrow. As we walked hand in hand, lost in each other's presence, we barely registered the curious glances and hushed whispers of the employees around us. They can’t do anything anyway but watch. They can’t oppose us either because it’s our life. I doubt that they have any idea what is happening. When we reached our car, it was a good thing that Karious drove because if we had a driver, we might have done something inside. I might go home with