It was around 8:00 a.m. when Paul Costa strode into his office building. It was a huge building, the headquarters of Costa incorporations, in the very Heart of New York. He was wearing an Armani suit and a blue tie, he looked as handsome as always and had a smile etched on his face. The moment his foot touched the marble floor, everyone fell quiet. Nobody was expecting him until 9:00 a.m. and they certainly didn’t expect to see him smiling, it was strange. He never smiled, he was always scowling and frowning. People parted as he made his way to the elevator, they had the notion that his smile was dangerous. He went all the way up,to the top floor. He walked past an empty desk, where the personal assistant should be, and noting her absence he nodded. Immediately he got into his office,he reached for the telephone and stopped after seeing the letter across his desk. “Dear Mr. Costa, You are to sign the documents in the envelope under this letter. You also have a conference call wi
“Work stress?” He asked, noting the worry etched on his friend’s face. Kenneth smith has been Paul’s best friend and close confidante since childhood. He knew all about Paul’s problems and “sexcapades”. Paul nodded his head in disagreement, and Kenneth chuckled lightly. “Ross?” He asked,knowing how Paul felt towards his intended marriage to Victoria. “There is also that,” Paul said with a sigh,dropping his glass on the table. “There’s nothing you can do about that one” Keneth said with a soft smile, “besides,i heard she’s good down there” he added again and that caused Paul to look at him with a murderous glare. Victoria’s adventures weren’t a secret and apparently that did not bother his mother as she was hell bent on him marrying her and acquiring Ross incorporation. “Thought you didn’t care about that,” Keneth said and raised his hands defensively. “But really,why can’t we do anything about it?” Paul asked and Kenneth looked at him puzzled.“Do what?” He questioned,looking co
Paul was furious,he never expected Stephanie to be this difficult. He was stressing himself too much over her issue,he didn’t know what else to do. She outrightly rejected all his offers and what really baffled him was the fact that she had nothing and yet acted like she had everything. She was like a stranger!,perhaps he’s never really known her. After their last conversation where she told him that she’d terminate the pregnancy,he didn’t know what else to do. He doubted the possibility of her actually going through with it,but he knew better than to provoke her any further. He wanted her to terminate the pregnancy at first,but she insisted on keeping it and now that he also wants her to keep it,she’s threatening to terminate it!. What the hell was wrong with this woman!He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Goddamit! Stephanie!”he yelled out aloud and laid on the sofa,trying to clear his head of the events of the past days. He would figure something out,he always do
Stephanie lazily opened her eyes, wincing as the harsh light in the room scorched her eyes. She was trying to remember where she was , what she doing here and more importantly, why she felt so weak. “Steph?” A familiar voice called out and she wrinkled her face in confusion. It was her boss. What was he doing here??. She fully opened her eyes to see her boss looking at her with —concern?. Was that really concern etched on his face? She blinked. “Can you hear me?” an unfamiliar voice said and she realized it was a doctor, she didn’t see him before. Her eyes widened almost instantly when she realized what had happened. She had fainted!!!. Her throat suddenly felt parched and everything came rushing back, her mind only on one thing, her pregnancy. “M.mmy…my bb..bbab..bab..y” she croaked out hoarsely. “Stephanie, listen to me. The baby’s going to be fine and you are going to be too!” Paul stated pulling her hands into his and squeezing it lightly, his eyes reflecting reassurance.
Stephanie sighed as she glanced around the room which was much bigger than her previous apartment entirely. It was beautiful and everything was pink and fresh,with the smell of daises overwhelming her senses. It was either he had decorated the room for her,or this used to be a woman’s room. She was very sure it was the former as she would have known if a woman lived with him. “It’s your room. Make yourself at home” Paul said and turned to leave. “Thanks,I’ll be sure to lock myself in it for the next few months” she quipped sardonically,noting that indeed her things had been arranged in the room. “I brought all your things.And bought a few more” he said before leaving,ignoring her statement. True to his words,she opened the wardrobe to find it filled with all kind of dresses!. They were designer and she gasped in surprise. She found her own dress among them,looking like it belonged anywhere else but this room. She believed that indeed he had arranged the room for her and the cloth
‘You don’t own me!’,she yelled back at him.Stephanie had entered the house and was about to head straight to her room when Paul stopped her and asked her why she spent such a long time outside the house.‘no!,but I own the baby in your stomach,so it could be said that I own you too!. He fired back and soon the house became filled with their yellings as Paul’s voice reverberated.‘I regret seeing you that night’,she spat out bitterly,remembering the night that led to these chain of events.‘same!,’he replied. Out of hundreds of women in the club that night,why didn’t he pick any of them instead of his personal assistant!Why did he even go there that night!!,he mentally questioned himself. Women like Stephanie were only meant to be for fun,not carrying his child!. Stephanie was about to say something when the door opened,followed by a very familiar voice.‘What is going on here?’All eyes turned to the blonde woman that
Paul sat at the counter of the dimly lit bar, fiddling with the drink in his hand. He had been sitting and waiting for Kenneth for almost thirty minutes and was really losing his patience. The two women at his home really bothered him. Victoria had tried to get him to lay with her so many times that he believed she got tired and stopped. He saw the hurt in her face each time he rejected her and it bothered him, leaving him feeling awful about deceiving her, but it had to be done. He had to marry her or risk losing the company to his cousin, whom he absolutely despised. But he was happy that she was making an effort to be close to Stephanie, who has avoided him ever since Victoria showed up.He pulled his phone from his pocket and began to dial Kenneth’s number when he felt a pat on his shoulder.He shoved the phone back into his pocket, sighing as he saw the familiar face. It was Kenneth.‘I thought I was going to grow grey hairs here waiting for
A day before the fundraising event,Stephanie came back from Ciara’s house feeling a bit uneasy. She had told Ciara everything about the incident with Victoria and they decided to find out about the woman named Helena by themselves instead of asking paul. She feared what she would hear. She had never heard that name but it did sound familiar,like she's heard it somewhere before.As soon as she arrived in her room,she plopped down on the bed,trying to rid herself of the gnawing feeling in her belly. She groaned when a knock on her door prevented her from doing so. It was probably Victoria or the cleaning lady. After that incident,Victoria hadn’t even bothered to talk to her at all and frankly,she preferred it like that. She knew Victoria hated her but what was she to do?,she was here against her own volition.‘It's open’ ,she called out,easing herself upwards. The door opened and she sighed upon seeing who it was,she definitely wasn’t expecting him,it was paul.