Lahat ng Kabanata ng Just Before My Wedding: Trapped By My Ruthless Boss: Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 20

KISAREL."Here. Take this," Noella said with that strict look on her face, like I was the one who had made her cancel all her weekend plans just to be here with me shopping for things I didn't need and possibly couldn't afford.Once again, I gulped down the words that were forming in my throat.Of all the places Noella could have taken me, she had to bring me to the kind of stores where one blazer costs $800 and a dress costs $1,500, and nobody blinks. And she's not picking one outfit for me. She's building an entire wardrobe from scratch because Mr Stark said 'appropriate', and Noella takes her instructions seriously."That one," Noella said, pointing to a midnight blue dress on the far rack without breaking her stride. These aren't even my style. But when I asked, she said that's what the boss wanted.The attendant retrieved it. I looked at the tag while her back was turned.$3,200.For one dress that I would wear to work in a building full of people who would probably not even noti

OCEANS.Six hours.Six hours of tracking their location through Noella's phone like a man who had completely lost the plot, watching the pins move from store to store across the Upper East Side while I sat in my home office pretending to review the Henderson files and retaining absolutely nothing from them.Six hours of this woman living rent-free in my head without paying a single thing toward the cost of what she was doing to me.I had tried everything.Work. Scotch. A call with the Singapore office that should have required my full attention but got approximately 40% of it. I had stood at my window and watched the city and given myself the same speech I had been giving myself since DC – about lines and professionalism.There is only so much a man can endure. But the torture of enduring a woman like Kiss was not something even the finest of God's angels could do.No matter how hard I tried to fight it, she kept popping up in every fucking corner of my head, so much so that I could ba

KISAREL.I had woken up to the persistent ringing of my phone.I was so spent that I tried to ignore it, but it wouldn't stop ringing. So, I picked it up, and when I saw who the caller was, I literally jumped out of my sleep.It was Elgin.We hadn't seen each other since he went to further his studies in France. And now, he was back in town.I couldn't even begin to imagine how happy I was. Finally, the shoulder I always visited and cried on whenever the world seemed too cruel was back.We've known each other for just six years, but we've been friends like we were born in the same neighbourhood.I guess some tragic incidents mostly come with a blessing as compensation, because, had Gerald not found me on that night six years ago, I wouldn't have met and become good friends with his grandson, Elgin.It was quite a long call. We had so much to talk about, and I was thankful Mr. Stark wasn't sleeping in the room. Otherwise, all that noise would have woken him up.I couldn't hold it anymo

OCEANS.I tossed the paperwork on the upcoming Venzela project her way, and she picked it up without even looking at me.That frown had been living on her face since last night and had followed her all the way into this morning without any sign of vacating. I didn't particularly mind it. As long as she was here with me... Working.Her phone had been ringing nonstop all night, through this morning.Two calls from Elgin and the rest from Jace.I asked her to turn off the phone and focus on work. On me."Can I please return some calls?" She finally looked up at me, and I took the opportunity to gaze into her eyes. I swear it felt like an addict getting the first taste of their addiction after a long, grinding stretch of starvation.The color of them against my light blue shirt — the one I'd given her to wear after she showered this morning — was complete perfection.Yeah. She was wearing my shirt. Not that it mattered, right? Because what else was she supposed to wear when all she had we

KISAREL."You'll come back for them after the close of work."Oceans' words kept replaying in my head as we drove to the office in his car. We sat in the back seat together, and it was as awkward as it should be - going to the office straight from your boss's house.I wanted to take my purchases with me - even though I didn't really know where I'd have kept all those bags here in the office - but Oceans didn't let me.What bothered me was the fact that he was certain I'd be thrilled to return to his house this evening.I had plans. With Elgin and Jace. I had plans. Elgin. Jace. A life that existed outside of this man's orbit. There was no way I would go to his house tonight.He sat like a wall beside me, his face set in his usual tight, professional frown that made him unapproachable to everyone.After he stepped out of the shower yesterday, he has been wearing this frown, almost like he has a whole war going on in his head that I didn't know of.I'd even slept in the guest room, whic