I've successfully been able to give Pat space as much as possible, and I've also been a bit withdrawn."Jordan, please, can I have a word with you?” Patricia says, knocking on my door.For how long will I keep giving Patricia the silent treatment? Every time I think about our last conversation, it makes me nauseous. I know her boyfriend put the ideas in her head, but knowing that she had thought them through pains me so much. It shows how belittlingly she thinks of me. A knock on the door jolts me out of my train of thought.“Come in. I'm very busy. Can it wait?”“Oh ok. I can come back," she says, sadness written all over her face.Arggh.. I hate that I can't even stay mad at her for so long. A day and a half of giving her a cold shoulder, and it's already becoming tiring.“If it’s really important, then out with it.”“Can I sit?” she says, gesturing to the woven chair beside my bed.“Whatever you want to say can be said outside my room.” I say emphasising the last two words.“Ray is
It has been absolutely nothing short of incredible these past few weeks in Seychelles. Walking through verdant forests and visiting beaches has been a few of the many adventures of our days. We couldn't help but think back on the amazing times we had as we got ready to leave this paradise. forests and visiting beaches had been among the many adventures of our days."Remember that snorkelling trip to Anse Lazio, Patricia?" Jordan muses, a wistful smile on his face. "Ray was so excited to see all those colourful fishes."Ray's eyes lit up with excitement as she recalled the underwater wonders she witnessed. "And the giant tortoises on Curieuse Island! They were like ancient dinosaurs, Dad!"I chuckle at the memory. "Yes, Ray, they were quite a sight. And Jordan, remember when we tried the local Creole cuisine? The flavours were incredible.”“And how you wouldn’t try the Octopus?" Ray and Jordan chorus, and I laugh. I was willing to try everything else aside from that.“I loved everythin
What is it that Bryan wants from me specifically? Why is he in such a rush to see me? He was eager to wrap up our talk when I last called him. Regardless, he won't ruin my good mood. Although I really miss Seychelles, it feels wonderful to be back in Manhattan. Neither Jordan nor I wanted to leave, but Rachel had to come get ready for resumption, and Jordan had to take a business trip to China.Not having him around for three days now feels different, especially after we've been in each other's company for weeks now. Ray is spending the week with her grandparents before she resumes school. It’s just me, all alone in this big house. I am thankful to Jordan, who calls from time to time to keep me company; otherwise, I would have passed out from boredom.With the way Bryan's calls keep coming in, if I don’t pick up, my phone will eventually go off from Bryan’s constant calls.“What is it?” I ask angrily as flashbacks from our last conversation replay.“Babe,”“I’m not your baby. Last tim
The bustling city of Shanghai, with its towering skyscrapers, has me firmly positioned for a business meeting. The grandeur of China's financial capital, however, seems a world away from the concerns that now consume my thoughts.We finally concluded our meeting after what felt like forever. I check my watch and realise it's 8 a.m., which simply means it's 9 p.m. of the previous day over there. Time to call Patricia. We are 12 hours ahead of them, so I'm sure she's done for the day. We have been keeping in touch regularly, sharing updates about our respective days even when we are miles apart.I dial Patricia's number, eager to hear her voice and tell her about my progress here in China, but to my surprise and growing unease, the call keeps going straight to voicemail. I redial it again, and once more, it is met with the impersonal voice recording.Panic begins to gnaw at me as I call her several more times. Each attempt met with the same result and was eventually switched off. It is
I got talking with Zoe the other day, and she promised to help sell the dress Jordan got me after I told her how I desperately needed the money to pay for fashion school. I must say, I never knew we would bond so fast in such a short period of time, considering our social class.Apparently, I forgot my phone in the Uber, and Bryan was nice enough to pick it up for me. Every time I recollect how Jordan took a 13-hour flight just to make sure I was okay, it gives me butterflies in my stomach. I want to give Bryan and me another chance, but that spark isn't there anymore. I'm hoping it comes back soon, as I do not want to force what's not there anymore.If anyone ever told me I would be sitting in expensive silk nightwear courtesy of Jordan and sipping champagne in an in-house cinema earlier this year, I would have laughed out loud. I'm not sure why they never make use of it. Well, they do not make use of a lot of things. During one of our recent conversations, he gave me his consent to
I wake up with a banging headache and try to remember the things that happened the night before. After a lot of back and forth with the Chinese, we finally completed everything pertaining to the construction design agreement and were paid upfront.The sleek, black limousine glided through the bustling streets of Shanghai. Inside, I and my team are seated, about to celebrate a major victory at a bar renowned for its exclusive atmosphere.The car pulls up in front of the upscale establishment. As I step out, I couldn't help but feel a surge of pride. I’ve really achieved all the goals I set for myself this year, and the year hasn't even ended yet. My team and I just closed a deal that will be inscribed on the four walls of the architectural industry, a milestone worthy of celebration.Inside the dimly lit bar, I and my team of four share a look of excitement. I raise a glass of champagne in a toast. "To hard work, innovation, and the bright future we've just unlocked," I proclaim.The c
“Bye, baby.”"Bye, Aunt Ricia,” Ray says, kissing my cheeks before storming off to class with her friends.She is so excited to resume school. The summer holiday was indeed a lengthy one. Daniel rushes to open the door of the car as I approach it.“Daniel, this is embarrassing,” I say, looking at the parents currently staring at us.“I'm just being a gentleman,” he says, chuckling."Thanks, but I can get the door myself. I don't want to steer up unnecessary talks.”“Regardless, whatever you do or don't do, people will always have something to say. Besides, you dropped Ray off today, and that's going to have people talking already. Aside from family and Miss Charity, no one picks her up or drops her off.”“Maybe I should print Ray’s nanny, the Bakers’ housekeeper, on a placard to keep everyone’s mouth shut."“That's quite extreme,” Daniel says, shaking off the thought.I notice Jordan’s GLK sitting in the carport, which is strange because it wasn't there this morning.“Is Jordan home?”
All the going back and forth with Patricia and this issue with Mildred kind of has me pissed. What the hell is Mildred playing at coming to my house, knowing fully well that I’m not home,only to come and tell Patricia things that Patricia doesn’t want to disclose? Mildred will be hearing from me soon, and she’s not going to like it.I don’t get why Patricia can’t just make up her mind already. I know she at least feels something towards me, but she’s just restraining herself. I sigh exasperatedly as I walk to my room and collapse on the bed. That run was very much needed.I shower and change into something corporate, but style it casually. I don’t feel like going into the office today; rather, I’ll go say hi to Tony for a bit, come back and work from home so I can spend enough time with Ray when she gets back from school, and maybe even take her out after I surprise her with my little gift. My GLK pulls up in front of Tony’s three-level penthouse. I called him earlier to let him know