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Dominance Commander Son-in-law 98
Kevin raised his head as Alessia came inside with Vivian.“I hope the journey here wasn't too tedious. I didn't mean to stress you."Alessia waved her manicured hand in the air. "Come on, it's nothing,” she said as she dropped into the seat beside Amy, her gaze fully on Kevin. Then she shrugged and added smugly, "Besides, I won't deny the fact that I kind of enjoyed the popularity show. Sometimes all you need for a confidence boost is a thousand admiring eyes on you. I could come here twice a day if you want me to.”Kevin threw his head back and laughed. “Oh Alessia.” He shook his head fondly at her. “People adore you all the time."She shook her head. “No. This place is different.”The moment she climbed down from her car and stepped into Print Odd company, she had immediately heard the whispers and felt the adoring stares; the people she had to communicate with before she met the secretary spoke to her with so much adoration in their eyes.Whereas back in her companies, as she was al
Dominance Commander Son-in-law 99
“That was one fun drive,” Alessia laughed as she climbed down from the car.Kevin smiled. “I agree.”During the drive, they had talked about random things, and it just made Alessia feel closer to Kevin.They both made their way into the hospital's building. They were treated with utmost respect because of Alessia.“Good afternoon, ma'am, sir. Do you wish to see the doctor?" One of the nurses on duty at the receptionist recited with glee.“No. We are not here to see the doctor.” Alessia stepped forward. "Lisa Howard is admitted here. We've come to see her.”The nurse nodded. She whipped up Lisa Howard's details from the system before her and gave them her ward number. Afterward, she gave them a brief direction to the wing where the ward would be located so they wouldn't have a hard time finding the ward.“Daddy,” Lisa paused and took another bite of the apple her father had gotten her. “Do you—"Lisa's words broke off as soon as the door slowly creaked open. All of their gazes riveted
Dominance Commander Son-in-law 100
Howard watched as Lisa's chest slightly rose and fell, her eyes closed. He was relieved that she was now better than when she first came here. She looked so peaceful in her sleep, unlike when she was first admitted and her face was always contorted in pain in her sleep. He still vividly remembered the groans of pain as she winced that kept him awake through several nights.He reached forward and gently removed the strands of hair that her soft breath had blown to her face.Just then, the door was gently pushed open and Irene stepped inside. She had gone out to get some apples for Lisa. She had been craving them, and the hospital had run out of them. “She's asleep,” Irene commented as she stepped into the room and carefully closed the door behind her.Howard smiled as he looked at his wife. “We were just talking. I didn't get her response, so I turned to face her. That was when I saw that she had dozed off.” His gaze fell on the apples in the polythene bag that was in her hand. “We'l
Dominance Commander Son-in-law 101
“I'm glad we were able to make this trip," Alessia said as they stepped out of the hospital premises into the open air.“Yeah, now that is out of my schedule. I'm actually very glad that I was able to make it here. I'm happy that Lisa is better now, and Irene seemed to be over the trauma of all that happened.”“Yes,” Alessia answered, a smile on her face as she remembered the vibrant conversation she had with Irene. "She smiled a lot and even laughed while we talked. I know that seeing her daughter and husband doing well made it all easier for her.“Yes.” Kevin voiced.Alessia, who was initially trailing behind Kevin, caught up to him and stopped by his side.“Thank you," she said out of the blue. "Thank you for all that you do," she said sincerely. "Thank you for listening to Irene when she came crying to you. Thank you for being reactive. Thank you so much for putting smiles on the faces of all these people.”Kevin looked at Alessia, a small smile on his face. Alessia occasionally s
Dominance Commander Son-in-law 102
Kevin shook his head as he watched Alessia laugh, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Alessia's laugh was a contagious one. She was such a bubbly person whenever she wasn't in her work mode. “You laugh at every little thing."Alessia giggled again. “You're funny, don't you know that?" Kevin shook his head. He didn't get what was so funny about all the things he said that made her laugh, but he didn't say anything about it.Gradually, Alessia's smile died down, and a comfortable silence descended once again, and they focused on their meals for a while.“I might be going to Landary province next week,” Kevin finally broke the silence when it crossed his mind.“Really?” Alessia glanced up. It was another opportunity to start up another conversation.“Yes,” Kevin nodded, then he took a bite of his meal. "I've seen the place that Lionel recommended. It looks like the perfect spot, but you know it's behind a screen.”Alessia nodded. “Yeah. It can be deceiving sometimes.”“Exactly,
Dominance Commander Son-in-law 103
As Morris chewed on his food, his gaze set outside, he wondered how the video he had taken could be of use.Mia would not want to listen to him, he was sure. But couldn't he make her? He tilted his head to the side, his brows furrowed. “Yes, that's it,” he said to himself. "She does not want to listen to me. What is she? Some god? Nonsense. I will make her listen to me whether she wants to or not.”He chewed on the boulangère potatoes he ordered and nodded his head, impressed by the decision he had come to. “That is it. This video is simply gold. I can't let it waste away. I need to get into action immediately.”He rushed his meal. And hollered out to one of the servers who he'd pay to.He had been so hungry that he did not check the price that was tagged to the meal he ordered.“This amount for just a plate and a bottle of orange juice?” He blurted out."Yes, sir,” the server said politely.Morris grumbled as he brought out his card and begrudgingly handed it to the server.He was s
Dominance Commander Son-in-law 104
“Now wait, will you?" Mia said before Morris could turn the corner and go into his room or, worse, his grandmother’s room. He was an arsehole like that.Morris stopped, his smirk still in place, and it only further infuriated Mia.She really wanted to see the videos that Morris had. What was there? What was Kevin up to with Alessia? Since the intervention by Alessia, Kevin has become less and less present at home. Finally, he had stopped coming home. It's been days now since she last saw him. She had wondered once in a while where he could be what he was up to, but she was not really bothered. She did not care what he did as long as he remained courteous and did not soil the name of the company.And an image like that... worse, a video...If people saw it, what would they think? That I gave my husband to Alessia in return for a partnership? She ran her fingers through her hair. That would be a scandal. A big one.“Oh, Mia. You're usually quick in making the right decisions; why are yo
Dominance Commander Son-in-law 105
Kevin had his hands stuffed in his pocket as he waited for the elevator door to open. When it opened, the other workers in there stood aside for him to enter inside, acting as though he had leprosy or some easily contagious disease.Shortly after he stepped, they began to whisper. Uninterested, Kevin walked out, ignoring them.The elevator doors were about to shut when someone called out, “Please, wait, hold it."Kevin was quick to propel himself forward and put his foot in between the doors. The moron that was closer to the door had only muttered to the others. “It's the new guy; he always comes in at the last minute.”"Thank you,” his breathing was heavy as he rushed in and thanked Kevin.“Good morning, guys,” he said to everyone as he stood by Kevin's left side.“Morning, newbie," they answered sweetly, and Kevin could not help but roll his eyes.The newbie let out a long exhale as the elevator doors closed. “I really need to get an apartment close by,” he muttered to himself.“By
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Kevin had thought it would all end with the divorce, but it didn't. He had placed his phone on the ‘do not disturb’ mode. He had been surprised when he unlocked his phone and saw his ex-wife's number top the list of the calls he had missed. She had called him over a dozen times.At first, he was irked but worried. Why would Mia call so many times? It was unusual. She certainly wasn't the type to call so many times. The highest she'd do was try to reach the person a couple of times before she'd let it go.All this was why he hadn't been able to shake off the thought that something might be wrong. Eventually, he called her back.She didn't really sound like herself. There had been a plea in her voice that Kevin could not just ignore.He sighed again as he got into the taxi that would take him to the address. He opened the location-sharing app where she'd shared her location with him and read it out to the driver, directing him once in a while.Eventually, he got to the place. The bar lo
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Mia wondered how far out she had driven. Did Kevin lie when he said he'd be there? Was he going to ditch her like Donald did too?She turned on her phone's screen to check her call log to see how long it had been since their last call. She blinked when she took in the time displayed on her phone's screen, and her mouth formed an ‘O.’ It's just been three minutes.She sighed. She needed to just chill.Even when Kevin allowed himself to be used as a house boy, he was always unapologetically honest. She knew that if he said he was going to come, then he surely would. She just needed to remain patient.While she waited for Kevin, she sipped her water. Though she still yearned for a drink, maybe something to make her feel bolder, she concluded that it would be better if she was sober when he arrived. She didn't know what turn the conversation would take, or if she'd ever get to see him again; she didn't want to ruin this opportunity.As she sipped her drink, her mind wandering, she vaguely
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Mia heard Kevin let out a long sigh. And she couldn't help but wonder what he thought of her. Clingy? Pathetic? She sure sounded like one. But she didn't care. At that moment, at least. She just wanted to see him, talk things out with him, and have that tranquillity she suddenly believed that she deserved.“Kevin, are you still there?" She bit her lips when he let out another sigh.“What do you want to talk about, Mia? What do we have to talk about?” He still sounded exasperated like he had sounded since he picked up the call, but there was the hint of concern in his tone. And Mia latched onto it like a lifeline.“Don't you think we have to talk? I understand that you already signed the divorce papers, but it can't just end like that. Please, let's meet even if it's the last time.”A brief silence. Then, “Which bar are you at?”Mia frowned. Her gaze went to the entrance and then around the bar, but there was no name or address anywhere inside.“I'm not sure,” she told him, feeling dum
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Mia had always known that her grandmother never cared about her or anyone at all. She uses people for her gain, but, somehow, she fooled herself into thinking and believing that her case might be different. After all, she has given her life to the company she so cherishes, working tirelessly to keep it in the limelight, thus allowing her grandmother to keep her shoulder high… but it meant nothing to her. Perhaps her grandmother thought she was so mighty that everyone had to worship her.But just for once, couldn't she have pretended? Mia thought. Mia had never allowed herself to get this mad or show emotion like this. It was a telltale of how angry and saddened she was, yet her grandmother disregarded it like it was nothing.Mia regarded her grandmother for a while, wondering what would ever make her see anyone other than herself as a human with emotions.“What use are wishes if they don't get granted?” Mia spat at her grandmother, not bothering to keep the anger and distaste from her
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It's only been about ten minutes, but it felt like twenty hours as Mia repeatedly tapped her feet on the floor.The stares had begun to irritate her, and she couldn't stop herself from turning to the restaurant's entranceway, hoping that her date would step in.“Good evening, ma'am,” another table attendant with a practiced smile similar to her colleague's stopped by her table. "What would you like to have?”Mia, despite the growing anger in her, managed to offer her a smile. "Water,” she grinned. "Sparkling water would do," she finished, her smile still intact. She was not interested in anything, but she couldn't allow the fourth attendant to walk up to her again.The lady's eyes fell on the table, and Mia followed her gaze. When she saw the crystal glass pitcher filled with water and the flute glass before her, she muttered, “Of course," and pressed her lips together. That was what she had told the first table attendant that she wanted. It was still untouched.Her cheeks flushed wi
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The voice at the other end hesitated. Then he cleared his throat. “Mia. How are you?"“Fine."Mia felt a bit guilty. Donald wasn't a bad man. At least, compared to all the men her grandmother had tried to pair her with, he was a good man, but she just couldn't help it. He could have refused the date unless he got her consent, but then grandmother could be cunning whenever she wanted to be. But still… she couldn't soothe the raging anger in her. She couldn’t help but be mad at him. All of these were happening because of his presence.“Okay. So, my driver will be at your villa to pick you up."“Okay," she said, and before Donald could utter another word, she ended the call.It was with even more annoyance that she returned to the vanity mirror to continue dressing up.A while later, a knock came on her door. She stared at the door for a while. Could it be grandmother again? She wondered.On the third knock, she walked to the door and unlocked it.Her anger grew when she came face to fac
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After a hectic day at work, Mia usually liked to shut down in every way she could and just have time to herself. Half the time, she's unable to enjoy the rest because her mind would either wander about the ways to make the company better, or something work-related would come up.Today, it wasn't work that was on Mia's mind as she paced her room, nor was it rest.She hissed as she walked back to her chair and dropped into it. The document she had opened on the laptop on the desk before her, a spreadsheet that showcased the employees that were contributing to the company's growth and how they contributed, was the last thing she wanted to deal with right then. She had decided to go through it, hoping she'd get her mind off what happened, but she couldn't get her grandmother's words or Kevin's out of her head.She found it hard to believe that Kevin had been made to sign a divorce paper, and worse, he thinks she was in on it.She couldn't believe she was really divorced. Grandmother had m
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Kevin had begun to clear up his desk, getting ready to retire for the day, when his phone vibrated on his desk.He peeked at it before he crammed the phone between his cheek and shoulder. “Hello, Gideon,"He said as he gathered the scattered files on the desk, stacked them together, and carefully placed them in the top drawer.“Good evening, boss,” Gideon answered.Kevin could hear the soft rustle of papers in the background as he waited for him to speak.“So, boss, I sent out the vacancy post and put it up, and so far, I have about ten people that have indicated their interest for the post.”“Oh wow. That was fast.”“Yes, boss. There are quite a number of Landary Province residents that are in need of a means of income. I'm pretty sure that there will be more interests before the day ends. Should I keep the vacancy up or interview these ones for now?”“Let's interview this one first and see if they'd qualify,” Kevin said as he relaxed in his seat. “Alright then. The interview will c
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Leo began to explain. “This model has adaptive focus technology. Unlike standard cameras, it automatically adjusts its focus depending on the distance of the object or the person it’s capturing, ensuring clarity in every frame. With this model, there would be no blurry images because of distance. It also has a dual power system; we made it battery-operated with a solar charging feature for outdoor use.”Kevin nodded as he spoke. He was beyond impressed. He was certain that they must have worked day and night to achieve this. It was the only way.“And,” Stone took up from there, “we’ve incorporated advanced motion detection. It doesn’t just record when there’s movement; it will distinguish between humans, animals, and objects. This cuts down on unnecessary alerts and saves storage space.”Leo nodded, agreeing with what his colleague said. Then he added, “The feature we want to add now is a cloud-based storage system. We want to ensure that data is secure and accessible from anywhere.”