The two men glanced around and noticed the strange atmosphere. The workers were silent, staring at the newcomers with wide eyes.Feeling uncomfortable and awkward, the two men remembered what their boss had said and pushed aside their uneasy feelings.One of the men, an obese man in his late forties, seemed to take the lead. He spoke up first."Ma'am, we need to leave."Hearing this, Lucy's face paled slightly, but she forced a contorted smile and hurriedly walked over to them."Why are you leaving so soon? Have you been waiting for me? I went to get something. We can continue with the deal now," Lucy said, hoping to salvage the situation. However, the men shook their heads, causing Lucy's face to lose color."No, we can't wait any longer. We have something urgent to attend to, and we can't delay it," the middle-aged man said matter-of-factly.Lucy felt a slight sense of relief. They weren't leaving because of her negligence or unprofessionalism. And they probably hadn't seen the ruin
Ivan arrived home with a gloomy and dark mood. His brows were tightly furrowed, and his shoulders slouched. He looked as if his life lacked any good things.Without raising his lowered head, he walked straight towards the guest room and fell onto the bed with a soft plop.The bed sank under his weight, and he sighed helplessly, remembering what had happened earlier.Whenever he remembered the insults and jeers directed at him, his mood would plummet.He finally realized how much Lucy had changed. There was no future for the two of them, and even if there was, she would be snatched away from him again.The saying that he was a toad lusting after swan's meat seemed to be true. He was tired of trying to prove himself because he knew there was nothing he could prove anyway.He was penniless and jobless, while Lucy had her own company and numerous suitors. He couldn't even compare to the poorest of her suitors.He had resigned himself to fate. Nothing he did would change anything, and it s
Ivan ignored the petty and self-centered Charles before walking into the kitchen, while Lucy's and Charles' voices sounded behind him."He can't do anything, and all he knows is just to stuff his stomach with the food I brought from my hard-earned money. Who could be as shameless as him?" Lucy said with a hint of mockery in her tone."What do you expect from low-status men like him? You should not even be bothered by the likes of him and focus on enjoying yourself even more," Charles replied."You guys didn't forget that I am still here, right? You can't keep feeding me dog food like this. Do you want to blind my eyes? You are making me so envious," Lana said, and Lucy giggled while Charles chuckled.They behaved like one happy family, giving Ivan a melancholy feeling as if he was the outsider there. A heavy sigh escaped his lips, and a profound emptiness opened up inside him.Ivan pushed his thoughts aside and hurriedly walked into the kitchen because his stomach grumbled once again,
The metallic smell of blood permeated the atmosphere, coupled with the loud bang and shatter of glass, startling the people in the sitting room.They were still laughing joyously while waiting for Jasmine to bring the glass cups when they heard a loud shatter and caught a whiff of blood in the air.Lucy was the first one to stand up, as she had already deduced that either her plates or a glass cup had broken with the sound she heard.With anger, she rushed into the kitchen with her assistant and Charles following behind. They hadn't even reached the kitchen when they saw Ivan standing by the entrance and Jasmine on the floor.Lucy stared at the glass shards before speaking up in anger."What the fuck is happening here? How did the glass break, and why is my kitchen like this? Wait, what the hell happened? I can even smell blood. Who is injured?" she questioned in rage, glaring down at Jasmine, who had a bleeding hand.Ivan pursed his lips and opened his mouth to explain what had happe
"You bitch!!!" Ivan yelled at Jasmine, unable to control his anger. Rage pounded in him like a drumbeat, and his irritation crackled.He felt both indignant and frustrated, smoking with rage on the inside as he glared murderously at Jasmine.Jasmine shrank back in fear, her back drenched with cold sweat. After cowering in fear, she came back to her senses and felt disgusted with herself for being scared of Ivan's state.Dramatically, she tried to stand up but fell back on the floor pitifully. Lana, unable to stop herself, helped her up."Ivan, you are too much," she said as she helped Jasmine up.Lucy stood silently by the side, fuming inwardly. She was thinking of a way to punish Ivan and make him suffer without ruining her own image in the process."Scoundrel," she mumbled beneath her voice, but enough for Ivan to hear.Ivan suddenly felt at a loss as the insults hit him like a ton of bricks. He had a mixture of complicated feelings - sadness, anger, hurt, and even self-doubt.His f
Ivan opened his eyes groggily and grunted, feeling disoriented and weak. He squinted his eyes when he was greeted with sudden brightness, unable to adjust to it. Squinting made him realize how heavy his eyelids were.The initial whirlwind of confusion subsided quite quickly, but the grogginess remained for some time. His senses were messed up, and his perception, balance, and reaction were extremely sluggish. He felt extremely befuddled and couldn't recuperate quickly.He could see the to and fro movement of some people, but he couldn't make out their faces.Then his senses started coming back to him one at a time, as if his brain was going through some kind of reset. First, his hearing came back "online," and the buzz of the group started to register in his brain.After that, his mindfulness started to kick in as he began to piece together what happened. Then a numbing sensation surged, and he heard a slight ringing in his ears. He looked beside him and saw the blurry silhouette of a
"Are you also invited?" Lucy asked skeptically, giving Ivan a strange look as she stretched out her neck to peek at his phone.Ivan nodded and replied simply, "Yes."Ivan stared blankly at his phone once again.It turned out that both of them had been invited to a class gathering at the newly built five-star Ashluxe Hotel, which had been trending on the internet recently. The hotel was known for its luxury.Ivan hesitated and contemplated for a while. He didn't want to go because he didn't want his former classmates to know about his situation. He was reluctant for numerous reasons, mainly because he couldn't afford to help with the bills if he attended.Feeling ashamed and embarrassed, Ivan thought about the class monitor who had helped him in the past. His gratitude towards that person made him smile helplessly, and he couldn't forget the support he had received.After hesitating for a while, Ivan finally decided to go, making sure to avoid sensitive topics."Are you going?" Lucy as
After trying to open the door and finding it wouldn't budge, Ivan started knocking. Suddenly, the door was opened."What are you doing here?" Ivan asked furiously.To his surprise, it was Jasmine who opened the door.Ivan was bewildered, and when he remembered what Jasmine had done the other day, he scowled in fury. He had tried to explain that day, but nobody believed him.He knew that Lucy, at least, knew he would never do something like that. But because she was looking for ways to humiliate him, she didn't allow him to explain.He felt indignant, but he didn't plan to explain himself anymore. When he saw Jasmine again, his anger was justified and understandable.Jasmine was unbothered by his anger and stood still with her arms folded. She saw Ivan as nothing more than a pawn and a stepping stone. If she could continue to use him, she believed her time as a maid would soon be over.She also knew that Ivan wouldn't be able to do anything to her, so she was unbothered by his threats
After they finally found a dress that they would wear for the ball, they sent all the designers packing, and the house seemed empty. Isabel and Rachel were both immensely tired.“I'm stressed; I need to go to a spa.”“Well, you can add that to the list of what we have to do tomorrow,” Rachel told her, and she nodded.“I really do not like being stressed out. It messes with my brain,” Isabel complained.“I wonder how your husband is coping. To be very honest, you're lazy. You can't even do any hard work for like three hours straight.”“Now, why would I want to do hard work for three hours? I was not made for stress; it's why I have my very loving husband that understands me,” Isabel said, and Rachel laughed.“Well, that's good because if your husband was not Ivan, I wonder what you'd have shown him. The people around you need to be very patient people,” Rachel told her, and she nodded.“That's why I have you, Chelsea, Elijah, and Richard. You all love me so much that it's suffocating,”
“I'm so stressed out. Let's quickly get today over with,” Isabel moaned as she sat down.“We have only just begun; have you forgotten that we are going to shop for the dresses that we will wear to the ball?” She asked her.“Oh, I totally forgot about that, darn.”“Good that you're here. That's how you'd have forgotten about it. It's important, you know,” Rachel told her.“I'm sorry, I've just been so stressed out, and now you're putting me through a hardcore workout,” she told him.“You need these every morning, you know, so you'll have a clear mind,” Rachel told her.“Clear mind how? I'm so stressed right now, and I can barely think, so please, there's no way I'm having a clear mind with this torture,” she groaned, and Rachel just laughed.“Now come on, it's important to keep fit. Go and take your bath,” Rachel told her, and she nodded.“You don't even have to tell me twice. Can't we just tell the designers to come here?”“Well, my house is too cramped up, right?”“My house? Let's go
“I've done a number on him,” Isabel muttered as she plopped down onto Rachel's bed.“Why do you say that?” Rachel asked as she removed her makeup.“He's now acting like a baby around me, like he's scared what might happen if he does some certain things with me. Ivan used to be so confident; he asked if he could hold me earlier after the panic attack,” she told her, and be nodded.“I understand that bit; you just need to be there for him. He needs you this time; make sure you don't let anything happen to him. It's the time to be there for him,” she told her, and Isabel nodded.“I know, I know. I just hope he gets better soon. The panic attack was so deadly to watch; I've never seen him have one. The way he clawed at his throat, Rachel, I don't think I want to see that again. It seemed like he wanted to die, and it drove me insane. I can't bear to see him die, you know,” Isabel told her, and she nodded.“I understand; don't worry. You guys have each other, and you're strong together, so
“Where the heck have you been, Isabel?” Elijah screamed at her on her way back to the office. Everybody stared at them due to how loud his voice was.“Don't you ever shout at me like that again,” Isabel warned him, and he still looked panicked.“I'm sorry, but everybody has been looking for you.”“Why? I was in Rachel's office; you know that's where I go most of the time.”“Darn it, it's Ivan,” Elijah said as they both got into the elevator.“What's wrong with him?” She asked hurriedly.“He's having those panic attacks again; it's worse this time around. I'm not comfortable leaving him but I was about to go to the announcement room and call your names through the speakers,” Elijah told her, and her own heart dropped.Why was he having these panic attacks? The elevator was not going fast enough; she kept staring at the numbers. She was burning inside, and when the elevator finally opened, she ran out. The people on the floor looked at her, but she didn't care.The man she loved was in
The moment Rachel got to the office, she was greeted by different people, and they complimented her dress. She smiled and felt happy; she liked dressing nicely and being complimented by people. It made her feel good. She quickly made her way to her office to start her work for the day. She had a lot of things to do, and because she didn't come to work yesterday, she knew she had to catch up on a lot of things today.She remembered her night with Dante and smiled as she entered her office. Maybe things were finally starting to be okay for her and Dante. Maybe they could do this after all, but she still didn't know what would happen. She knew that his father was so against the idea, so even if her own parents agreed, she wasn't sure his own father would allow it. She didn't know what to do, and she didn't want to think about it, so she resumed work immediately. She needed to catch up on things. They had a meeting tomorrow where she would have to give her briefing, so she wanted everythi
She opened her eyes but quickly closed them again. She didn't want to leave the bed; it was too comfortable for her. So, she closed her eyes, intending to go back to sleep. She didn't want to think about anything; she just wanted to continue being in the arms of the man she loved. She burrowed into his arms, but it felt empty. She immediately opened her eyes and looked beside her, only to find an empty space."Dante?" she called out, met with eerie silence. She sighed in disappointment, realizing that he was gone. She had expected him to still be there, and perhaps they could have talked some more. But she kept forgetting that he was a busy man and didn't always have time for what she wanted to do. Although she knew that if she told him she wanted him to stay, he would do so without hesitation, without thinking twice. And she loved him for that.She finally admitted to herself that she was in love with him. She thought as she plopped back down on the bed. She should probably have toda
After her conversation with her mom, she plopped down on the bed, contemplating her life and what to do next. She had achieved a lot at her age, and living in a cramped house was simply her choice. She could have easily afforded a penthouse for herself, given her hard work and the trust fund that would set her up for life. However, she wasn't lazy; she wanted to work hard and establish a trust fund for her future children as well. She had already started planning and saving for the children she would have, and the amount of money involved was not insignificant. She had clear goals that she wanted to achieve. For now, she knew that she simply wanted children. She didn't desire much more, just like her parents. Whether they came as twins or individually, she wanted kids. As for a husband, she couldn't envision herself with anyone other than Dante. She thought about it constantly, and he was the only person she could imagine being with. It was a strange feeling, but she just knew it. You
“Mom, come on, tell me. I'm itching to hear about her,” Rachel urged her mother.“Andrea, I don't want to spill your brother's secrets,” she told her, and she pouted.“But he knows all of mine,” she told her, and her mother glared at her.“Mommy.” She gave her that look that she couldn't resist.“Okay, okay.”“Thanks, mommy.”“I'll tell you, but you don't get to use it against him or I'll kill you personally,” her mother told her, and she knew that she took that threat seriously.“So, after you left, you know how your father changes maids in the house every year, except Nora?”“Yes.”“Serena came in as the next batch of maid for the year. It was only supposed to be a year actually. She was assigned to Andre, your brother's chambers. You know the typical boss falls for the maid, whatever. That was exactly what happened, but Serena didn't like him then. She gave him a hard time and she really messed with your brother's mind. He almost went crazy. Anytime they had an argument, he's alway
It was the weekend again and Ivan and Isabel had to sleep in the same bed in the same house, their children were growing rapidly and their wits were also growing with them, those children were smart and they got it from their father probably. Isabel wasn't a nerd so she wasn't exactly smart all the way, but their father was everything so of course, they were smart.They just finished dinner now and Ivan and Isabel just tucked their children to sleep after singing for them. It felt nice to do all these once again, Ivan liked it and Isabel didn't want it to end actually. That was how he wanted things to continue to go, smooth.They were finally back in their room and they both laid down, they have never cuddled after everything that happened then.“Let's talk,” Isabel told him and he pulled his perfect eyebrows together.“About what?” He asked.“About us.”“Okay….” He said carefully not knowing when this will end, he had no idea what she wanted to talk about and it drove him crazy. He w