“I want to marry you, Amaliah, and I will,” Rafael said to her one day. Her shift had just ended, and she was heading for the bus stop. As it had become his tradition for the past week, Rafael was walking her to the bus stop. He sauntered beside her, back walked and even skipped. She laughed at his child-like enthusiasm and realized that it was one of the things that had drawn him to her the very first day they had met. He had a kind of inner joy, one that seemed to be unquenchable and she envied him that joy. She loved people who could be happy, no matter the situation they found themselves in. She was not one of such people; she could not keep her joy when she was hurt, disappointed or in any form of pain. She was an emotional person, and could not mask her emotions no matter how hard she tried. “You just like saying a lot of nonsense, don’t you? ” she glared at him playfully. Even as she did, she knew he was right. She would probably marry him and the realization both scared

Anastasia Knight strutted to her boyfriend’s office with a sweet smile on her face even though she was burning with anger. Caesar was fast eluding her and she didn't like it one bit. She wanted to tie him to marriage before he ended things permanently. She had to marry Caesar, she just had to. As usual, she made heads turn in admiration as she walked by. She was dressed in a red power suit trimmed in navy and nothing underneath. Her long black hair was twisted up in a French roll. She usually reveled in the attention but there were heavier things on her mind that morning. She walked straight into the office and was even more angry that Caesar wasn't there. Anastasia required constant admiration and attention. She resented anything, including his business or commitment to helping others, that took his attention away from her. She sat down on the sofa and waited. The office was very wide and tastefully furnished with simple but elegant furniture and artwork. A few seconds later, C

Amaliah didn't encounter Caesar for the rest of the week and she was happy. She was even happier because Mark was a lot more subdued. He brought her bottles of water from his lunch break because she never went out for lunch. He didn't bring up unnecessary conversations and he was efficient at work which made her a lot nicer to him. She had held off from asking for another partner and she hoped things would continue like that. When his mouth was shut, he actually seemed like a likable person. Amaliah worked for the whole of the first week and she would do so for the next two weeks. Miranda wanted her to get used to the workings of the company and how they were all interconnected before she started coming in thrice in a week. During the weekend, she received a dreaded call from Ted Williams. She was in the kitchen spreading avocado on toast for herself and the twins while Sheila cooked lunch and filled her in on the happenings at her workplace. It was almost noon on Saturday and she

Anastasia strutted into the conference room on the fourth floor, ignoring Sarah, who was trying to restrain her. The secretary was mad as a hatter and was glaring at her with obvious contempt. "Hey darling, you need to fire your secretary. She's insolent, arrogant, and has never liked me." She eyed Sarah, who turned on her heel to leave the room, having failed to stop Anastasia from barging into the office. Caesar was in a meeting with Bryan and the other heads of departments when Anastasia walked in. They all looked up at the sound of her voice, and Caesar swore under his breath. She ignored the people seated in front of Caesar and went around the table to drop a kiss on his lips. He scowled at her and stood up. She was dressed in a short red silk dress that showed lots of cleavage and left little to the imagination. She paired it with high heels that made her long legs seem even longer. "Please excuse me." He said to the others, held Anastasia firmly by her arm and pulled her o

Caesar sat in the living room and watched himself on TV as he shook the hands of well-wishers and smiled at everyone that came forward to congratulate him. He stared intently at Anastasia's beautiful face on the TV, raised a wineglass to his lips and drank deeply. He hoped he had not just made the biggest mistake of his life. Bryan and his two other best friends —Jacob (Jake) Kingsley, Everett (Evie) Rosenberg — had disappointed looks on their faces, but they congratulated him and smiled at him all the same. He wasn't sure why he did it. He still didn't know what had prompted him to get down on one knee to propose to Anastasia with the ring she had picked out herself. He could see the scene in his mind's eye even as it was being replayed on the entertainment news on TV. Apart from the pressure from his mother and hers, he and Anastasia had gotten along exceptionally well for the past two weeks since they got back together. She spent most of her time with him, and they had not had a