The Latecomer Novels & Stories

I blacklisted his number, and my phone immediately went silent. After this, he stopped for a few days. Soon, I managed to find a buyer for the house given the attractive price I put it up at. After I signed the contract and returned to the hotel, I saw Leonard along the corridor. He approached me and kneeled before me, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Honey, give me one more chance. I'm on my knees…" His knees thudded on the floor and his cries echoed down the hallway. Some curious guests poked their heads out of their rooms to see what was going on.

Serena's heart skipped a beat, and she jumped out of his embrace. "What are you doing here so late at night?" "Taking a stroll," Wilson answered. Serena thought speechlessly, "There he goes again, telling bullshit with a straight face." "You showed up here late at night the last time, and this time as well. Mr. Quade, is there nothing happening at work recently to keep you busy?" she asked. "But don't you think that I appear at the perfect timing every time?"

"Callum, it's already so late, and she's still calling you? Doesn't she know how to keep some boundaries between men and women? She's not into you, is she?" Caryn Dudley's hostility was blatant. Callum's tone turned cold. "Diana, maybe don't call me this late anymore. It's easy for people to get the wrong idea. I'm hanging up." He had never spoken to me like that before. By the time I gathered myself, the call had already ended. Long ago. I looked at the clock. It wasn't even eight yet. That wasn't late by any measure. There was a time when I could call Callum at three or four in the morning, and he'd answer right away, asking what was wrong.

He opened his mouth, then closed it and left. At noon, we went to the pack's commercial center to get the last few things for tomorrow's ceremony. As soon as we arrived, I heard arguing from above. I looked up. Of course, it was Selena again.

—quiet, fast with numbers, and able to recite federal subsidy clauses verbatim in under ten minutes. I intentionally kept a ten-foot radius around everyone. When they hit the strip club after work, I went back to my apartment for a cold shower, punched the day’s data into my laptop, and pan-fried a chicken breast. On the first payday, I bought myself a used Tacoma, four-wheel-drive, with a rusty bumper, like a loyal coyote. I split the rest of the cash three ways: rent, emergency, and an anonymous donation back to Palermo—in the name of “The Ghosts from the Fire,” for the nameless families impacted by that bloodbath.

It was normal for him to receive an invitation. When I did not see him at the start of the wedding, I had actually felt relieved. I had not expected him to come after all. "I've been dealing with some things lately, so I came late. "I wanted to find you, but Lucas and Zoe wouldn't tell me where you were. I went to your company, and they said you had quit. "So I figured... if I came today, I'd definitely see you." He took out a ring box and opened it before dropping to one knee.

She carefully flipped it open. "16th August. My stomach's been hurting lately. Classmates took me to the hospital. Apparently, I have late-stage stomach cancer, and I only have three months left to live. I still owe my classmates the consultation fee. I told Mom about it, but she didn't believe me." "3rd September. My stomach's getting worse. Every day's torture. Sometimes I think death might be a release, but I still have the whole world to explore." "20th September. I don't think I can last three months. My body hurts everywhere. I think my release is coming sooner rather than later."

I have been late before but this time I'm not. I mean who would have thought that after all the misfortunes; the heartache, the dramas and the battles could lead to this moment. In the end, the moon goddess still makes sure that the latecomers, like me, would never be left without a Mate, notwithstanding more battles to come in our way. "A Mate for the Latecomer"