After so much pleading and prodding, Justin finally agreed to return Seren’s confiscated laptop. He also gave a green light to resume her work with his finance team.
Her eyes shone when she accepted her laptop. She had never realized how much she treasured it until he took it from her. Receiving it back felt like she held the Holy Grail in her hands.
It had been a week since the hotel incident and Justin halted their project’s implementation. Under the guise of wanting her to recover fully, he confiscated her laptop.
Serene could not help but shake her head when she heard it. Recover? She already recovered the moment she got released from the hospital. She did not suffer any injuries, nor did she have psychological trauma. But Justin believed otherwise.
Unable to work for a week, her action items for implementing their expense software for Rain International piled up. Unlike in the past where she would just drop by when they have a meeting, because of her piled up work, she had asked Justin to give her a desk in the Finance department so she could work closely with Arthur and his staff.The idea of having her close thrilled Justin. He agreed to her request immediately. Her desk was strategically in between Leo and Rich.The two were chatting while drinking coffee when she came in. She gave them a curt nod and a smile before sliding into her chair. Going through her email as soon as she settled it had been her routine. She had just opened her first email and had barely read the first sentence when she heard the two men on her either side chuckled.
It’s rush hour. Most employees from the Central Business District get off work around this time thus, the influx of vehicles on the street. They barely left Rain International when they joined the queue of vehicles trying to get out of the CBD.Justin tapped his fingers, holding the steering wheel in rhythm to the music. Serene closed her eyes and rested her head on the window.“What were the two of you talking about?” she heard him say after a while. Serene inwardly rolled her eyes at his question. She thought that he’s finally over his jealousy, but she’s wrong.“I was getting the same errors when we tried to post data even after I made the corrections. So I asked Rich if he can show me your ERP. He was showing me where the posted data s
In a blink of an eye, Friday had come. After work, she and Justin will head straight to the domestic airport to catch their flight to Coast City. If all things flow as scheduled, they will be home before dinnertime. “Mom,” Serene held the phone by her ear to speak to her mother. “I’ve booked a flight back to Coast City later this afternoon.” “That’s great Baby! Dad, and I missed you. Do you have any requests for dinner?” Carol sounded enthusiastic. “Nothing in particular, Mom. Also…” Serene cleared her throat before continuing, “I’m bringing my boyfriend with me.” Her face was burning red as she picked at the invisible dirt of her free hand. She felt like her mother was glaring at her and she simply had to look away. “Who did you say you'll bring over, De
The atmosphere inside the car was light for the rest of their journey. Justin still could not believe that the formidable-looking Conrad was where Serene got her personality from.His warm eyes would shine like hers when he smiled. He had an infectious laughter. Like Serene, he put everyone at ease easily.The wild beating of Justin’s heart has calmed down significantly because of Conrad’s deadpan jokes. He had not laughed so much in such a long time.After a while, their car ascended a hill with two almost identical houses at its peak. Both were facing the ocean. As Conrad’s car approached the house, Justin saw a petite middle-aged woman waiting by the door. By the looks of it, she’s Serene’s mother. She had a thin frame like Serene. Moth
Justin rubbed his eyes and accustomed himself to his surroundings. He woke up not to the warmth of the sunlight kissing his skin, or to the chilly space beside him, rather it was the sound of Serene’s shout coming from the balcony. He scrunched his brows. What’s going on with my woman? Did she go crazy? Why is she shouting this early in the morning? He got out of bed, wearing only his pajama bottom. “Kurosawa!” she shouted, waving her arms in the air. The person whom she called had his yawn caught in his throat. Seeing Serene on the opposite balcony took Dylan by surprise. He knew that the Lewis’s and Ellis’s were neighbors, but he did not know that Mary’s and Serene’s rooms were directly across each other. Serene yelped when she felt a powerful arm hug her waist and sniffed her neck.
Oblivious to Justin’s icy stares, Serene and Mary swam until they reached the edge of the pool. They looked at the calm ocean before them, their backs to the people in the lanai.“Sis, are you sure you are happy with Justin?” Mary asked, cocking her head to the side to look at Serene.“Yes, I am. I have never felt fulfilled in my life before him,” Serene answered with a twinkle in her eyes.“But Shen, he’s Bryan’s ex. Your messy situation will soon catch up with you,” Mary expressed her concerns.“Before agreeing to be with him, we have already discussed that, and we both agreed that all that mess is in the past. Our desire to spend a life together and be happy together outweighs our situation.”
The weekend flew by quicker than Serene and Justin wanted. They had so much fun over the weekend and would love to have stayed longer.Carol and Conrad accompanied them to the airport.“Please visit soon,” Carol said to Justin as she was hugging him.“Yes, Mom,” he promised.“Take care of Serene while she’s at Hyacinth Bay,” Conrad said as he also gave Justin a tight hug.“Don’t worry, Dad, I’ll take care of her.”After saying their goodbyes, they both boarded. It was less than an hour flight, but Serene still slipped in a catnap. Justin read an inflight magazine while holding her hand.
Cough!Serene felt shivers run down her spine at the sound. Oh no, is it Justin? Having experienced Justin’s jealousy when she and Rich were running tests, she developed hyper-awareness of the space between her and members of the male species. Justin could be narrow and closed minded when possessed by the green monster.Her head snapped towards the door expecting a tall, long-haired man standing by the door with a brooding expression. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw Al instead of Justin.“You’re here!” her excitement was evident in her voice.“Yes. Justin and I discussed the next phase of the project. How are you guys doing with the codes?” He walked towards the table where they worked and took a quick glance at her mon