Byron felt partly responsible for breaking the news. Maybe Pam was right about not telling Mike since it seemed like the news of the pregnancy did make him more nervous. On the other hand, maybe if she had told him sooner, it wouldn't have caused so much excitement right before they were about to say their vows.He wasn't sure if the bride was already at the church, so he called Emily. It turned out they were all still at Pam's house getting ready, so he said he would meet them over there."Have you decided to become a bridesmaid instead?" Emily teased."Yeah, something like that. I always thought I'd make a good bridesmaid."He couldn't let her know that he spilled the beans. Somehow, he would have to get Pam alone without anyone knowing what was going on.The house was bustling with people, and Pam's mother greeted Byron as he entered."Come in! The ladies are right upstairs," she said.As Byron climbed the stairs, he heard women's voices and a lot of giggling. One of the voic
The wedding was beautiful, and Emily spent the next morning lazing around the house since the party had gone late into the evening. She was trying to teach her new puppy different commands, though the training devolved into a game of tug-of-war with a chew toy when Byron finally woke up and joined them in the living room. He was even more groggy than she was."No more parties for a while..." he said, settling down on the couch and sipping a cup of espresso."What happened to your healthy morning smoothies?" Emily asked."I need this... There was way too much alcohol last night. I guess I'm getting old."Emily grinned. If he was getting old, he didn't look it with his smooth, glowing skin. "Are you also going to do your workout on the couch?" "Yeah, why not?"He picked up a tablet instead and started going through the financial news and answering emails."What the hell..." he suddenly pronounced.Emily looked up to see the familiar frown lines cross his face as he examined so
They met up in a cafe a block away from the tabloid's main office. Emily finally got a closer look at Fred, a middle-aged man with a greying moustache. Byron only called on him for the most covert operations, and now Fred was excited at the prospect of going undercover. "So, I was abducted by aliens?" Fred clarified. "What happened then? How did I escape?""I don't know." Emily shrugged. "Maybe you found their fatal weakness: they're afraid of water.""That's the wicked witch," Fred said. "Okay, how about they let you go so they can keep observing you?" Emily suggested."The main thing is, try to talk to Megan DeLorme," Byron said. "Find out what she's up to."They watched from the second story of the cafe as Fred crossed the street and entered the office building."There he goes..." Byron said, "I hope he doesn't bungle it this time."They exchanged amused looks."It seems like only yesterday I asked Fred to follow you and keep you safe," Byron said. "But I'm glad we don't
Emily was shocked, not only by seeing Christine again, but also by what she was trying to imply."We didn't cost you your job twice," Emily said. Byron looked at the former journalist with contempt. "I admit, the first time was all me, and I'm proud of it. But don't blame us for losing your job a second time."This was an exclusive event with luxurious decor and the most delicious foods. Emily enjoyed them to a certain extent as she got to attend a few, but sometimes the people at these events were not as high-class as the tone of the event seemed to imply. Christine seemed to worm her way into these things for the sake of appearing elegant and high-faluting. "I don't know how you did it," Christine hissed venomously, "but I'm sure it was you. My magazine got completely shut down.""Maybe it deserves to be shut down for publishing lies," Byron retorted."Let's not get sucked into another mess," Emily said, trying to pull him away."You're right," Byron said, "Nice seeing you,
Emily felt pleasantly dreamy the next morning at breakfast."Well, it's confirmed," Byron said, "My mom admitted to destroying Christine's tabloid. She reported it for health code violations because of how dirty the office was, and they hadn't paid their rent, so it was all too easy to take them down.""Huh," Emily said."Your eyes are unfocused," Byron remarked, "What are you thinking about?""Last night was fun..." she said. Her whole body felt soft and pliable after everything they did the night before and well-rested after sleep. "Reminiscing about it already?" he asked."I guess so.""Why don't we do something to bring it back to the present?" he suggested."Now?" she said, surprised, "Okay.""I don't want us to ever reminisce about the good old days," Byron said, "Some couples give up too easily and lose their passion.""I don't think we're there at all," Emily said."Not if I can help it." Byron lifted her up with ease and placed her on the couch. "Now, what is it th
Emily's clothing company was doing really well. She got a bigger space for her boutique, and her designs were sold in several department stores around the country. She didn't want to tell Byron too much about it yet since he was suffering from the downturn of the economy and the artificial lowering of his stock thanks to Christine's machinations.He got home much later than Emily did, but even in the evenings he would be on his phone talking to brokers and financial advisors.The door to his home office was left half-open, and Emily peeked in after getting a midnight snack. Byron was on the phone, and he sounded desperate."I've got to have some capital hidden away somewhere," he was saying into the phone, which he clutched with a white-knuckled grip. "You already emptied those accounts? All of them? Damn!"Emily couldn't hear what was being said on the other side, but it was clearly not good."We could get another loan from the bank..." Byron was saying. "Well, keep trying. Thank
Emily couldn't stand the thought of Byron losing the business empire he had worked so hard to create and possibly sinking into another depressive bout. He was doing remarkably well and seemed well-balanced, considering the destructive forces working against him. But she was going to make sure he didn't lose his companies.Her meetings with Byron's financial advisors went very well, and she was soon ready to introduce Byron to her new plan.When Byron walked into the office of Julian Markle, his financial advisor, Emily was there waiting for him. Byron looked surprised but happy to see her."I knew you couldn't stay away from helping with my finances," he said, greeting her with a kiss."There's a plan I've been discussing with your financial advisors," Emily said. "They think it's quite reasonable."Byron looked amused. "Are you plotting to take over my company, Miss Danzi?""You may be closer to the truth than you realize," Emily said. "What I have in mind is a merger. My clothi
As spring blossomed into summer, Emily hoped to spend more time with her boyfriend, but all he seemed to think about was work.Merging their two companies had done the trick. The financial crisis was mostly behind him, but he couldn't relax. He was up at all hours, and then wake up at six in the morning and head to work again, his handsome face marred by under-eye puffiness.This had to stop. When they had dinner, one of the few times of the day when Byron was not buried in work, she brought up the issue."Are there some other financial troubles I don't know about?" she asked."Huh?" he said, his mind obviously not focused on the present."I read the reports," Emily said, "I read the business news even though it's really boring. Everything says we're doing well. Why are you working so hard?""I'm not," he objected, "this is how much I normally work."Emily gave him a look to indicate he wasn't fooling anyone. "Are you still worried about the company?""A little bit," he said,