Jake's POVArriving at the office, I headed straight to the conference room. The meeting with the heads of each department lasted almost four hours, during which I was updated on their progress. Tomorrow, we would continue with other departments. Right now, I had an appointment with a client.Logan awaited me in the car at the building entrance where my car was parked. The doorman opened the car door, and I slipped in. Logan started the car and drove me to the destination, parking in the restaurant car lot.Entering the restaurant, I found my reserved table and took a seat. I had a few minutes before my client arrived. Glancing around, I was surprised to see Selena with a lady named Hillary. It had slipped my mind that I hadn't paid her since we got together, but I'd arranged for it to be taken care of.Selena seemed quiet, letting her friend do the talking as she sipped her drink.My thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of my client, a man in his mid-sixties who had lost his whol
Selena's POVI drove aimlessly around town to pass the time before meeting up with Hillary. When it was time, I picked her up from her workplace before heading to the hospital.After my name was called, I went in for the test. Afterwards, we were told to come back the next day."Cheer up, Sel," Hillary said from the passenger seat. "Let's go for some hot chocolate.""Chocolate," I repeated, thinking it might help alleviate this emotional breakdown.I parked in front of a restaurant, and Hillary gave me a confusing look. "Sel, can you afford this place?""I can," I assured her. Jake had credited me; he was also keeping his end of our bargain. I thought he had forgotten, since he hadn't mentioned it, and I hadn't received any money from him. But he had actually paid for the missed months.Our planned contract marriage would not only benefit him; I would get something out of it too. I then parked in the open parking lot, and we got out. After securing my car, we made our way to the resta
Kelvin’s POVI made my way to the VVIP room, shrouded in a dark gloom. He waited on the other side, separated by a thin curtain. This mysterious figure wanted to remain anonymous.As much as I despise answering to anyone, I had to humble myself to extract the vital information he possessed. I often wondered about his identity and the source of his knowledge.All my efforts to track him down were in vain, and the private investigator I hired for Selena's case had yet to report to me. Now, I had to rely on this enigmatic informant. The weight of the case in my hands felt particularly burdensome, considering what I would be staking on it. I sighed and proceeded to take my seat."You are late, Mr. Marino," the cold, young voice emanated from behind the curtain. It seemed he had a long day, as there was a weariness in his tone."Yes, there were things I needed to attend to," I informed him. Whether he believed it or not was up to him. I sensed that he needed me just as much."Do you have i
Selena’s POVWhen Kelvin left us alone, Max was passed out in his car seat, so I decided to sit in the car for a while before leaving.“Your stepbrother-in-law is quite handsome,” Hillary remarked.“Don’t even think about it,” I warned her. “I've seen him with Rose,” I added.“Rose, your friend from high school?” Hillary inquired.“Yeah,” I nodded.“How is she these days? You rarely talk about her,” Hillary noted.“She’s fine,” I replied.“Ah, right. What are you going to do about the reunion? Are you attending?” Hillary asked.I had forgotten about that, or tried to forget about it. It was tomorrow evening, and by then I would have gotten my result. Would I be able to cope with whatever comes after that? “I… I don’t know,” I admitted. I really wanted to attend, to at least feel like I belong to something.“They won’t miss me if I don’t attend,” I said.“Really? But if I’m not wrong, you talked about attending any reunion from your high school because of your first love. Don’t you sti
Jake’s POVI left the apartment early to ensure an early start to my day. After attending the morning meeting, I met with Mr. Walkers, and we finalized our deal. Officially, his company belonged to me, though the name would remain.Back at the office, I had Jeff work on it. He kept me updated on my meetings afterward, for which I was grateful. Returning to my office, I tried to commit faces to memory. I also had images on my phone to assist me. The medication from my doctor wasn't much help; I would be meeting him after this session. We had a lot to discuss. Why wasn't I improving?"Do you need anything for the meeting?" Jeff asked as we sat in the car, with Logan driving."No, I don't think so," I replied."This being the first meeting, I'm surprised she granted it," I remarked."You should have left it for the advertisement team," Jeff suggested."They're facing some difficulties dealing with you. You know this. She wouldn't meet with them.""I think she's been rejecting them just so
Selena's POVI struggled to calm my racing heart. What on earth was he doing here of all places he could be? Did he know? He couldn’t, right? My doctor does not know who I am, or was she pretending back then? Did she call him here?When my heart was under control, I opened the door and stepped out. I guess my body was not under control yet, as my legs gave out on me. I fell forward, and Jake caught me, making me rest on my open door.We were standing just too close, and my hormones were running wild at the moment. A moan escaped my lips as I felt his hand on my bare skin. "Selena! Get yourself under control!" I scolded myself. He must have heard me because he pulled back without letting go.He seemed unsure about how balanced I was on my feet. "Are you okay? Why are you here?" he asked.I blinked several times and refocused on the situation. How could I tell him I was going back to demand an abortion from my doctor? "I... I brought someone here?" I said, but it came out like a questio
Jake's POVI sat in my office, going through my emails, unable to shake off thoughts of the conversation I had earlier with my doctor. The looks he gave me, as if I were a lost case, fueled a mix of fury and worry within me.“Mr. Marino, things do not really look good,” he said, staring at the chart on his computer and then back at me.“What do you mean?” I asked.“Are you taking your drugs regularly?”The answer was no. “I try to keep up taking the drugs,” most times I don't even remember, as I am always occupied with something else.“You should have paid more attention to this, Mr. Marino. Instead of improving, you are... well, rather getting worse, I mean your illness,” he said.“So, what are you saying?”“I will prescribe another drug for you, and I want you to be constant in taking them for a month. We will run another test then,” he said.“Mr. Robert, if I am not getting better, don't you think it is the drugs that are not working?” I asked.Looking at the screen of his computer
Rose’s POVThe restaurant I entered for our reunion buzzed with activity. Back in high school, our class only had 30 students, so booking a larger space was necessary."Over here!" A friend waved me to their table. After greeting people at other tables, I scanned the room, noticing some missing faces."How are you?" Hope, one of my good friends from back then, inquired."I'm good, it's great to see everyone," I replied to the table at large. There were at least five people: two women and three guys, all close friends with Jake back in school. One of them, the one who kept in touch with him during our relationship, was now absent."Do you think Jake will make it?" Justin asked. "I was surprised to hear he married someone else."I forced a smile. "Well, things didn't work out at the last minute," I lied. I couldn't bear the thought of them knowing Jake dumped me for someone I once considered a friend. As I looked around, I saw no sign of her. Did she even receive the invitation? Would s