As Bernadetta launched a barrage of kicks against the restaurant door, Mrs. Greene summoned 120% of her strength, holding the fort. The older woman had made a living terrorizing others with absurd accusations and downright unreasonable demands, but this time, she had met her match. Bernadetta James put the “man” in the word “woman”—in that she resorted to violence as soon as things escalated. In the end, it took both Mrs. Greene’s apology and a deal to provide Javier and Bernadetta with three days’ meals, all free of charge, to make the young woman stop. Then—“because I actually have a weakness against people sincerely appealing to my better angels,” according to Bernadetta—she amended the peace offer, changing the three days’ free meals to…a week’s worth. Back in the inn, Javier expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Bernadetta for rescuing him. “I can’t thank you enough for standing by my side when I needed it the most, Bern. But I can thank you a bit more if you refrain from using t
“Javier… Let’s get a divorce!”It was to be Javier Kersey’s 24th birthday tomorrow and this was what Selena Lewis was telling him tonight.Even though Selena had been picking fights up and down and digging out flaws in their relationship, it had never crossed Javier’s mind that he would be receiving a “special” gift like this on the night before he turned 24. Seated on the couch in the living room, Javier tried to salvage the relationship after a momentary lapse.“Selena, my birthday’s tomorrow and I wanted to give you a surprise, you know, a special present for—”“No need.” Selena waved dismissively before Javier could finish his sentence.“I can’t bear to see you work so hard—an office worker in the day and part-time food delivery man at night. A surprise gift bought using your hard work and sweat? I don’t need it. That’s too much on you, too exhausting.”Javier looked hopeful, his gaze brimming with delight when he looked up.“I don’t think it’s hard at all. Selena, for you,
Javier and Selena went down from their apartment together around nine the next morning. While they were waiting for a cab by the road, Javier offered her a last chance.“Do you want to reconsider your decision?”Selena did not even spare him a glance. “No.”Right after her prompt decline, her phone rang inside her brand new purse. When she pulled it out, Javier saw that it was a new phone. Judging by the logo on the back, the cellphone was a collaboration model with Porsche. Selena glanced at the name on the screen and walked off to the side. As she picked up the call, her voice dripped with honey and sounded incredibly sweet. That honeyed voice had once belonged only to Javier, but it was now enjoyment for the man on the other end of the line. Since they were over, Javier did not comment as he flagged down a passing cab. Opening the car door, he gestured for Selena who had just ended her call to get in.From when they had known each other, he had always been a gentleman. And now
Terry was intoxicated by Ciara’s beauty but once he heard what she had said, he was infuriated, especially after seeing his beloved car being squashed into a pancake.But before he could say anything, Ciara walked up to him with her long legs which were cladded in a pair of black tights. Stunned, Terry fell under the bewitching gaze of the lady’s eyes. It was as if they were sucking his soul away. When the girl reached him, she said threateningly with a grin on her face, “Keep staring and I’ll dig your eyes out, yeah?”She was smiling but Terry felt chills running down his spine and he unconsciously averted his gaze.No longer bothered with Terry, Ciara went to Selena and pinched the girl’s chin while raising her face like she was teasing the latter. After some scrutiny, Ciara giggled. Her gaze was mocking.“My brother said that you’re beautiful, inside and out, and married you despite our family’s protest. We offended the Soroys because of this and grandpa got so angry that he ban
Ciara went back to Javier’s side after sneering at Selena.When she saw the man’s blank face, she stuck her tongue out at him and hugged him as a peace offering. She burrowed her head in Javier’s embrace and asked softly, “Javy, I was wrong, okay? Save me some pride, don’t scold me in front of outsiders…”Javier was honestly powerless against his younger sister. Ruffling her hair, he slung an arm around her shoulders, and together, they walked toward the Rhino GX.Selena had always thought that Javier did not know how to drive but it was today that she realized the man could drive and he could drive rather smoothly. With a step on the accelerator, Selena watched as the large tank sped off into the distance. For some time, she stood there stunned, her cheeks throbbing from the slaps she had received.Suddenly, she threw herself at Terry, who stood equally stunned beside her, and shook his shoulders fervently. “Terry, he was acting, right? He must’ve emptied his pockets to hire that
They then suddenly heard a folder being slammed against a glass door. The sound was not loud but it immediately quieted the commotion.The noise was followed by the appearance of a woman in a white, short-sleeved, business suit and skirt holding onto a folder. As she walked in, she chided, “Are all of you so free? Good chat huh? All right then, I’ll be withholding your pay for this morning except for Javier’s. We can use that money to organize a tea party next time, so you all can chat as you snack!”It was Jade Odell, a 27-year-old with a pretty face and a rocking body. The tight-fitting business suit somehow looked sexy on her. Nonetheless, no one dared to try anything funny with her because she was the general manager of their company, Beacon Tires.Upon being criticized, the employees promptly ducked their heads and swallowed back the indignation they felt no matter how resentful they were. The most they could do was grumble in their mind, ‘This is all that lowlife Javier’s faul
Javier stayed behind in the office, waiting for Jade to return and to become the company’s biggest shareholder. But before Jade had returned, Selena and Terry walked in first. Once Selena stepped into the office, Sean went up to her all huff.“Just in time, Selena. Pay us back on behalf of Javier. That scum snitched on us to the boss and pointed the finger at us when we were just cracking a harmless joke. Now, we have to take a half-day pay cut because of him. You should be responsible for this! Give us back the money!”Selena was stunned from being shouted at the moment she stepped in. It took her a while before she understood the entire situation from her noisy harping coworkers and her blood boiled. They were already divorced but the impoverished man was still embarrassing her! She yanked open her purse, pulled out her divorce papers, and raised them up high so everyone could see them.“Look here, okay?! I’ve gotten a divorce from Javier and this is the cert. From this today fo
Jade stood in front of the window of her office, shaking in anger as she tried to hold back the tears threatening to spill over her red-rimmed eyes. She was livid. Albert Warnock dared to blackmail her into that kind… that kind of relationship?!Jade would never agree to something like that. She was running an enterprise, she was not selling herself!At the same time, she blamed herself for not being experienced enough and for falling into such a despicable trap. Despite that, after wallowing in self-regret, she still had to face the current predicament she was in…For the later stages of production, she was short of 950 thousand dollars. How was she going to fill the gap? Would she have to watch this tire company go bankrupt?As Jade furrowed her brows in misery, someone knocked on her door and entered the office. She wiped the tears off her face with the back of her hand and took a deep breath to calm herself, trying to conceal as much of her inner turmoil as possible.When she