THIRTY-EIGHTNathanThe letters on the document were beginning to dance. I was so freaking tired. Spending the entire day cooped up in the office without stepping out was taking its freaking toll on me. I was being childish. If I could, I would spend the entire damn day; and night; in the office, I would. Anything to avoid the situation at home. My office door opened. Gisele stepped in, her white blouse was a rather tight one with puffy sleeves. Damn it, Nathan, look the hell away. Looking got you in this mess anyway.“Sir, It’s six pm-” She announced, getting on my nerves. “I have eyes, Gisele. And a freaking wristwatch too,” I grumbled.My eyes fixed on the door behind her and I gave myself a mental kick. She wouldn’t come in here. Heck, she hadn’t shown up to work. I had left her in bed and raced down to work for a meeting with Shareholders and when I reached my office, the chief’s accountant desk was empty.I should have called her. If I was a good husband, someone who deeply ca
Thirty-NineChloe"Well, this is me," I told Addy as she pulled up before Nathan's mansion. It was late in the night and I wasn't so surprised that Nathan "Wow, for an asshole, he has a pretty fine house," Addy spat but I could see the awe scribbled all over her face. "And a pretty fine body," I chuckled while she rolled her eyes. "Living with his mistress is just plain crazy Chloe. I'll bet if you leave for like a day, he'll come to his fucking senses. That's just plain insensitive!" I sighed. I didn't have much of a choice. He was all I had aside from my parents. Not everyone was brought up under a free rein like Addison was. "I can't... Addy. I have to think of my baby," I mumbled, staring out the window. The lights of the house were on. Nathan's car was in the driveway too as well. I closed my eyes and leaned against the headrest. "Can I stay in the car for like five minutes? I don't want to see him yet," Addison nodded. "You want me to go in there and give him a good bashin
FortyNathanThere was a loud pounding somewhere in my head. It was fierce and seemed to amplify every second. I groaned, raising my hand to clutch it as I opened my eyes. My vision was quite blurry as I tried to take in where I was and for a while, everything spun in circles. I groaned again, closing my eyes. Someone was laying on my chest. Despite the crazy headache that threatened to pound my brain to mush, a small smile wormed its way to my lips. "Ch..." There was a lump in my throat that made it quite hard to talk. Damn! Just how much did I drink yesterday? This was why I shouldn't hang out with Noah. He was a bad influence when it came to chugging down alcohol. I took a deep breath instead, reaching for Chloe's soft hair. I couldn't open my eyes yet anyways, since everything was still spinning like crazy. But I could hold on to her. "Chloe," I managed to grunt. What happened yesterday? She had been mad at me since the fiasco at the office, so I had thought naturally, that I
Forty-One Chloe"Chloe, table nineteen needs a refill!" Boss Liu's voice rang through the kitchen as he stepped in. He was a rather huge Asian man, spanning over six feet with enough muscles to make Bruce Lee jealous. His eyes were forever slanty, given the impression that he was about the pummel the shit out of you. However, as menacing as he looked, he was the biggest softie I had ever meant. "Sure thang Liu," I said in a faux southern accent. He dislike the Southern drawl and because I was...me, I enjoyed teasing him with it. It was so fucking adorable, seeing his face scrunch up every time he heard the accent. "Chloe," he whispered. Well, he meant to whisper. It sounded more like he was shouting but in a lower tone. "I told you. It's Boss Liu. Everybody," he gestured at the cooks and waiters in the large kitchen. "Says Boss Liu," "Ohh, you want me to call you Boss Liu?" I asked and he nodded quite adorably. I tapped my cheek, pretending to think about it, and said, "No," Laug
Forty-TwoChloe"Mama!" Adele shrieked the minute I stepped into her preschool class. She rose to her feet, toddling towards me as fast as her legs could carry. "Mama!" "Della! Della!" I mimicked, running towards her as well. I picked her up when she reached me and hugged her tightly. Her teacher laughed at the sight and shook her head. "Y'all are too dramatic. You saw each other this morning for Christ's sake." "Mama, I draw bear!" Adele said, pulling away from the hug so she could smile at me. My heart clenched every time she did that. Every time she smiled, she looked a lot like her father. Her hair was blonde. The only similarity she shared with me. The rest of her face was all Nathan's. His dark brown eyes, his pointed nose, and his plump lips. She had his face pasted on and while it had taken a while.to get used to, it still hurt whenever she smiled.Which was every fucking time. Adele's social skills were a hundred times better than mine. And that was saying a lot. She was
Forty-threeNathan"Will that be all gentlemen?" I asked, my face hurting from the fake smile pasted on my face. I would be out of that door as soon as they nodded their heads at me. The meeting had taken longer than expected. Heck, what I had expected was something short, simple, and not a waste of time. Instead, two nincompoops had spent an hour arguing baselessly over what model should be used as the face of the agency.Of all the fucking things in the world! Models! It had taken me threatening to boot their ass out of my company for them to quit yammering over how hot their recommendations were and shut the fuck up. "I believe that will all," one of the directors spoke rising to his feet. He looked tired of the shenanigans that had played out before us all. "Great! Have a nice day gentlemen," I greeted. Gentlemen my ass. I was barely out the door when they resumed arguing. Old fucking men without an ounce of self-respect, arguing over how large or small the bosom of a model wa
Forty-Four Nathan It was late in the evening when my phone rang, drawing my attention away from the files I had been tending to. Mom. Our relationship had suffered a terrible strain after she found out I had sex with my mistress while Chloe was home. She had delivered a hot slap that would have sent me reeling if I was a teenager. I had simply just stood there, listening to her rant about how I and Noah were a disgrace to her. "Nathan?" Her voice filtered through the receiver when I picked up the call. "Hi, Mom," "Hi,..." She paused. "It's been a while,""Yeah," I replied, my voice gravelly, "It has."We stayed silent for some time. I could hear the sound of the deep sighs she took literally every minute. My chest squeezed with each one. I felt like I had caused her so much trouble. Especially with the press wanting to find out every detail about I and Lily's engagement. "Did you want something mom?" I asked, unable to bear the silence anymore. "How about dinner tonight? It h
Forty-FiveChloe"Ohayo!" I sang as I waltzed into the kitchen. It was Monday, and everything was all bright and peachy. I had dropped my baby at school, Addison would be arriving that day and I could already foresee a night filled with a lot of gisting and chugging ice cream. Mahn, I haven't eaten ice cream in a while. I missed it a bit. "Good morning to you too, Chloe. You're in a good mood." Mrs. Mourinho replied, a sweet smile on her face. Her grey hairs were tied in a bun atop her head. She was grilling some chicken in a pan. "Looking spiffy today, Mrs. M," I teased reaching out to grab a small piece of chicken and tossed it in my mouth. Damn it was hot. "No touching the food!" She shouted, slapping my hands away. "Too late!" I cackled wildly, racing to the bathroom to change. A few minutes later, I was out the door, dressed in black pants and a white blouse. I loved our uniform. I always felt so professional, dressed in them and taking orders. Arthur let out a whistle as