'What am I doing?' 'Why am I doing this?' With each passing floor, the tension mounted, until finally, the elevator came to a stop, and the doors slid open to reveal Aaron Granger's office suite. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Kesha stepped out into the corridor, her pulse racing as she approached the imposing double doors that led to Granger's inner sanctum. As the heavy doors swung open, Kesha's breath caught in her throat as she came face to face with Aaron Granger himself. His presence filled the room, exuding an aura of power and authority that made her heart race. She managed a nod of acknowledgment as he greeted her with a subtle nod. "Mr. Granger," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper, extending her hand tentatively. He accepted it with a firm shake, his grip strong and commanding. "Please, come in," he gestured, holding the doors open as she stepped into his expansive office space. The opulence of the room was overwhelming, with plush furnishings

However, her expectant eyes are still on me. I lift the horrible cookie to my mouth. On one hand, I feel my stomach protest, threatening to give back everything I ate for breakfast. On the other side, I see Elena smiling and clapping her hands. Shit. My gut health or your happiness? What a fucking difficult decision. I bite into another piece, holding my breath to avoid the taste of death. For God's sake, it looks like the devil himself cooked this with his feet. I swallow before I can even chew properly. It's a good thing I don't have neighbors, otherwise prosecution for attempted intoxication would be a certainty. "I'm sure it's just missing sugar. Otherwise, it's great.” "Unbelievable!" she claps more “I’m a cook.” Elena throws her oven mitts on the counter and runs over to me. She throws herself into my lap, and I, fortunately, have to throw the cookie on the floor to catch her. Maybe the radiation will make my entire kitchen uninhabitable. Elena hugs my torso with her legs

Elena's pupils instantly dilated. She didn't know what to say, or didn't want to say what she had in mind. All words seemed to be insufficient.However, the woman dared to continue looking into Granger's eyes, seeing the tourmaline tone darken with a clear mixture of bad feelings.Anger was present between green and blue. The contempt, the breach of trust, the regret.Aaron leaned toward Elena. In that position, she could see his eyes reflecting a sliver of light that infiltrated the car. The blue almost looked red with so much anger it contained."I want to know what they said about me" his tone was almost ironic, as if she already knew the answer and was testing how willing she was to tell the truth."Horrible things" Elena limited herself to saying."And you believed it, I suppose" despite his serious tone, he didn't seem to be upset, as his excellent self-control still allowed him to be focused. Aaron was clearly disappointed, but not to the point of letting it show."What could I

It was almost as if the ground had disappeared from beneath Elena's feet. She remembered all the moments she had with Gordon, her troubled childhood, the attacks, the way she lost her mother. But she also remembered what he was after that: a good man.And suddenly, the past stopped being important. All the pain she felt would be buried with Gordon the next morning."I forgive you, daddy" Elena confessed.She walked away from the coffin slowly, hesitating because she thought this would be her last opportunity to say how sorry she was. The people around waited patiently, as everyone knew how difficult the moment was.And as soon as Elena turned around, her eyes found Aaron standing in front of the white tent. He was outside, holding an umbrella to protect himself from the drizzle.The man's eyes were glued to her, trying to understand how sad Elena could be.Aaron looked dapper yet suited to the occasion. With black tailored pants, a button-down shirt in the same color and a dark brown

With a heavy heart, she resumed her work, the rhythmic snips of the shears punctuating the solemn silence. "When my mother passed away, it felt as though a part of me perished with her. The pain was unbearable, knowing I would be left to navigate the world without her by my side. I clung to life only because of the promise I made to her... to care for our family," she rose from her knees, crossing to the opposite side of the garden where the wilted leaves awaited her attention. "She was everything to me. Beautiful, kind, and endlessly loving. I yearned for her presence every day, for the love that only she could bestow upon me."Aaron remained rooted to the spot, his gaze fixed upon her with unwavering empathy."But with Gordon..." Elena's voice wavered, laden with the weight of sorrow. "He was hardly the father figure I needed most of the time. And by the time he attempted to mend his ways, I had already outgrown the need for his guidance. I mean..." she paused, the weight of her wor