C H A P T E R 5 6 : W H E N L O Y A L T Y W I N S
E L L A S T A N F O R D
Ella barely remembered getting blood drawn. The nurse had been chatting away as she had done her job, smiling and laughing at her own jokes. However, for her, it felt like she existed inside a bubble at this moment. The outside world was not penetrating the fog over her mind, and the numbness only increased as she stopped at the drugstore and purchased a pregnancy test.
Was she pregnant? The question swirled around and around inside her head. She wondered if it was even possible. Unfortunately for her, it was possible. She and Javier had unprotected sex that morning, and now they might be facing the consequences of it. Ella took a deep breath and closed her eyes briefly.
What would she do if it turned out that she was truly pregnant? Javier would have to know. The baby would de
C H A P T E R 5 7 : W H E N H E F I N A L L Y F I N D S O U T E L L A S T A N F O R D The rest of the day, Ella tried not to think about her situation with Javier. She was just going to live in the moment. It would last as long as it lasted. Yet, in a small corner of her heart, she hoped that everything would work out somehow. That they would find some way to be together, but in her head, she knew that was not realistic. This relationship was doomed to end in heartache, but perhaps if she was careful, maybe she would not lose her whole heart to him. If she was careful, maybe she could guard one last piece. But deep down in her heart, she knew that she had not been careful at all or else she would not end up pregnant. Later that afternoon, a package arrived at her mother’s house that stole any remaining piece of her heart that did
C H A P T E R 5 8 : W H E N Y O U L O V E S O M E O N E J A V I E R S U M M E R S Javier swallowed and thought about the hell she had put him through on his drive home. The truth about Maria and the photos had almost been a relief compared to what he had been left to presume on his own. His imagination had ranged from a mysterious illness to her boredom with him to her involvement with another man. There was not another woman on the planet who had ever made him feel things like Ella. Who made him feel as if his life was better with her in it. Who made him look for her in a room filled with people. Who made him feel like smiling just because she smiled. There was no other woman on the planet who had ever twisted him in knots like her. For two days, when she had not returned any of his calls or texts, he had told himself to forget about her. That he was better off withou
C H A P T E R 5 9 : S L O W L Y E V E R Y T H I N G C O M E S D O W N T O T H I S E L L A S T A N F O R D Damon had come over and helped her do her hair and makeup. It appeared that he somehow managed to do better than she ever would. “Good luck, Ella Mia Bella,” he said as his arms enveloped her into an embrace. “And if you see that monstrous bitch at the party, would you accidentally not so accidentally dump your drink on top of her head pretty please?” He clasped both hands in the front of his chest and gave her a puppy look. Ella laughed, shaking her head seeing her best friend. “It would not be an accident if I dump it on her head, you know.” “Well, she is shorter than you but you can always aim for her back seeing that she stabbed you on the back.” Damon folded his arms and fro
C H A P T E R 6 0 : W H E N I T A L L C O M E S D O W N E L L A S T A N F O R D After the meeting with Javier’s mother, Ella finally made her way to the ballroom where the party was being held. Albeit the conversation was pleasant, she felt a little tense the second she stepped inside, knowing that Maria must be here and sooner or later she would have to face her. Taking a deep breath, she approached one of the waiters who carried a tray full of drinks, and took a glass of soda. She let the drink calmed her down as she made her way towards the long serving table full of varied appetizers. She was about to grab a mini sandwich when someone knocked her back from behind. It did not take a genius to figure out who it was because the next thing she heard from just behind her was “What do you think you are doing here, bitch?”
B O N U S C H A P T E R 1 : A F T E R T H E H A P P I L Y E V E R A F T E R E L L A S T A N F O R D Ella dropped her bag on the desk then dragged the chair towards her before slumping down on it and heavily sighed. All morning, she had been troubled by the paparazzi. They camped in front of the building where she lived, and some even went up the fire escape stairs that were mounted to the outside of the building. She could no longer sit on her balcony without getting photographed and bombarded with questions. Honestly, people did not respect others’ privacy sometimes. She had called the building manager and some of the security could shoo those people away from the fire escape stairs but they were still crowding the front door. This had been happening since last week when Javier had proposed to her in front of all of her colleagues, his family, and
B O N U S C H A P T E R 2 : T H E B L A S T E D L O V E L E T T E R S C A N D A L E L L A S T A N F O R D Ella could not help but grin. “Okay, I should not have said yes. That is too much information to be shared in the workplace. Speaking of work, where is Roberto? Did he leave without saying goodbye?” Her boss opened his drawer and pulled out a yellow post it note. “He wrote this and put it on your table.” “And you took it because?” Javier narrowed his eyes infinitesimally. “Because I will personally hand it to you. Anyone else who goes to your office and reads this will begin to have negative thoughts about you. That is the last thing I want.” She took the troublesome post-it note and began to read. Dear Ella Darling,
B O N U S C H A P T E R 3 : W I N D B E F O R E T H E S T O R M J A V I E R S U M M E R S Javier walked towards one of the convenience stores at the side of the road and entered as the glass doors of Seven Eleven slid open. He went straight to the line of display refrigerators at the back of the store and opened the glass door to pick up a carton of milk then headed to the cashier. He was checking his phone while waiting in the line when someone called him from behind. Upon turning, he realized that it was none other than Maria Gonzales, the secretary he had once fired for threatening Ella and causing ruckus surrounding his relationship with Ella. “Well, hello, Javier. How has life been treating you?” Maria tossed her hair to one side and combed it using her free hand while her other hand was carrying her purse. Her nails were long and paint
B O N U S C H A P T E R 4 : T H E U N E X P E C T E D E N C O U N T E R E L L A S T A N F O R D By the time Javier had arrived at his office, Ella had done preparing all the necessities for their meeting with Summers Tech Inc —Thornton’s company and Phoenix Orientem Plc. She had booked the meeting room beforehand and had arranged for everything. From the devices being used during the presentation and discussion to the beverages being served during and after the meeting. Carefully she placed her hand on her belly and rubbed it gently. Even though she had drunk a lot of water, her stomach still felt uneasy. She heard his footsteps and quickly rose to her feet, ready to greet him. “Good afternoon, Sir.” “Miss Stanford,” Javier greeted back as he put the cart of milk and an empty glass next to it. He opened the cart and