SHE glanced around the men's boutique, her curious eyes efficiently trying to find good clothes or anything she could give Ethan as a gift for their year-end party. Ethan already had anything; name it and anyone would find it in his vast walk-in closet. That being said, Michelle was having difficulty deciding on the best gift she could give him—that one thing that would make him smile and surprise him."There are so many designer shoes at that corner. But I don’t know which one is good for Andrew," Megan stated, and it was followed with a sigh of defeat. "God, why is it so hard to find gifts for men?"Michelle laughed a bit. She could relate, as she was having difficulty choosing too. It just so happened that they both married men who had everything, so every year they’d end up cracking their heads trying to get them nice gifts."Are you able to choose anything?" Megan curiously asked her.She shook her head, pouting her lips. "Not yet. I don’t think work suits would be a good gift. H
MICHELLE walked down the stairs with Marcus in her arms. She just finished breastfeeding him and now wanted to hang out with the people in the garden.The Steinfields, her father, and Megan were all out there, preparing for the New Year’s Eve that they would celebrate that night. They all came together to welcome another New Year, and she could not be more thankful that these people came to their house to join them for another chapter of their lives."Look at that little pumpkin. He has gotten bigger, Mich," Gregory commented and immediately took his grandson from her arms.Michelle giggled. "That baby loves to sleep and eat every single time.""He looks definitely like you when you were a baby.""I believe he definitely looks like Ethan. See those marble gray eyes, Dad?"Gregory chuckled. "Well, eyes won’t lie, I guess.""Of course, Dad."She could not help but smile seeing her father try to make Marcus giggle by making faces. It was such an adorable sight, and she felt honored to wi
"THE VICTIMS were sent to the hospital for proper treatment," the cops told her the moment she arrived in the area where the accident happened. Michelle could not stop crying and asked the policeman which hospital her husband had been brought to, driving immediately as soon as she got the answer she needed. She dialed Megan’s phone number and informed her best friend about the name of the hospital so she could follow because she knew that Andrew also needed her. When she arrived in the hospital, she felt nothing but the dreadful feeling coursing through her. She wanted to compose herself, but her mind was already haywire because of all the worry she had for her husband. It felt like the rest of the world stopped revolving, and all she did was run and run... "Two victims of a car accident were sent to this hospital. Where are they?" she managed to ask the front desk officer. "How are you related to the victims, Ma’am?" "I am the wife of one of them," she answered, taking a deep bre
“Dad, stop it, please!” she pleaded. “You wish for this! You should’ve prepared the money I need!” “Dad, no! It hurts!” Her father pulled her hair that made her cry more. A devil-in-disguise as her biological father punched her in the stomach. She could only gasp with pain as she fell to the cold, tiled floor. Whimpering due to the excruciating feeling from her stomach after being punched by her own father, Michelle had no strength to fight anymore. As tears kept shedding on her face, she recalled how her life became miserable after her father turned into a gambler; multiple debts were passed on her to pay, the threatening words from the loan sharks where he borrowed from and paying the high interest that completely ruined the plan she had in life. She was only twenty-two, yet had a handful shits on her plate because of her addict father. She was tired of it! “I’m telling you this, Michelle!” Her father’s voice thundered inside the little apartment where she bunked with her best
Michelle’s mouth fell open seeing a gray limousine that picked her up in the parking lot. She could not help but wonder how rich her client was. So many thoughts started to swirl around her head. Sure, it was a one-time jackpot in her last night being a stripper!When the driver assisted her, she didn't hesitate to get in.But when she saw the familiar orbs of the man sitting comfortably inside the car, she was taken aback and her jaw dropped immediately.It was none other than the man she had glanced throughout her final performance. He looked totally hot as he sipped from his wine glass.Her gut twisted when their eyes met again. Even her heart seemed to have forgotten how to stay calm. His look made her want to swoon, but she knew it would only embarrass her.She cleared her throat, sat next to him, ashamed.“I second-thought you would reject my offer,” he said. His tone of voice echoed in her head. It was deep yet soothing, and enough for her knees to go jelly. “Would you like a d
Life has been hectic for Michelle for the past two weeks. After graduating from college and paying off her father’s debt, she busied herself looking for a decent job. She submitted her application to three companies, but deep within she prayed so hard that her dream company—Steinfield Company—would be the first to contact her.And it was like an answered prayer. Today, she received an email from them, and as she read the letter, she couldn’t help but be in tears.They invited her for an interview this afternoon!Michelle let out a loud shriek, still not believing what she’d just read.She didn’t waste any time and prepared herself for today’s interview. She wore her best formal clothes partnered with her oozing confidence. She reminded herself that she should not fail the interview, or else, she would regret it for the rest of her life.With a joyful feeling inside her chest, she went to the company to be interviewed. Her heart raced so fast when the cab stopped in front of what seeme
“You will be the personal secretary of Mr. Ethan Steinfield, the CEO of this company.”Shocked to hear it from the Human Resource manager, Michelle could only gasp, still looking at the HR manager who briefed her about her position.“Ms. Finley?”She came back to her senses and blinked a few times. “Y-Yes?”“Were you listening?”“I am, I apologize,” she answered, trying to compose her thoughts.Just when she thought she could get away from the man she didn’t want to cross paths with, fate brought her into a nerve wracking situation, again.But what choice did she have? She needed this job more than anything else. Her pride could not provide for her.“His office is located on the 78th floor. You can go up now and wait for the CEO to give you orders.”She went out of the manager’s office and walked her way out of the Human Resource floor. Michelle walked past the group of employees who were having a conversation in one office cubicle.“There she is. I heard she blacked out during the in
“Is that a bruise?”Michelle came back to her senses, and looked at the man in front of her.Even though there was a fiasco that happened in the apartment last night, she still forced herself to go to work as she didn’t want her co-workers, including the CEO, to have a bad impression of her.She tried to cover the bruise on the corner of her lips by using a makeup, but it seemed like she failed to do it perfectly.Ethan looked at her in an intense manner. “Where did you get that?”She covered the bruise using the back of her palm. “This is nothing, Sir.” Then she put the summary report he needed on his desk. “Here’s the report that you asked me to submit. Please let me know if there are revisions I need to do.”“Did someone hurt you?”Michelle breathed in heavily. She didn’t want to recall what happened last night, yet her boss was making her remember the horrible event she wanted to forget.“No, Sir. Please, don’t mind me,” she told firmly. “Is there anything else you need me to do?”