Hazel swallowed hard, not sure how to react to the situation. She couldn’t believe the person she tried so hard to avoid and even ended up kissing Cade and losing her job was now her interviewer. “Cat got your tongue?” Serafina Moore, Hazel’s high school rival, asked mockingly. “I’m surprised! You always have so much to say.” ‘F@ck my luck.’ Her thoughts trailed off. Hazel forced a polite smile, her mind racing with a whirlwind of emotions. How could fate conspire to place her at the mercy of the one person who knew her deepest secrets, her darkest moments of weakness? “Hi, Sera…” She greeted her as awkwardly as possible.Serafina giggled heartily. “F@ck! You were always so stiff back then, how I wish everyone back in high school could see you. You’ve become so funny.” She laughed harder. The fake smile that lingered on Hazel’s face slowly disappeared. She has never been able to pretend around others so she decided to just be herself. “Fancy seeing you own a fashion brand. You h
Cade wasn’t sure what her definition of ‘getaway’ was but he didn’t argue with Hazel as he made a U-turn, driving her to his suite as per her request. He parked the car in the hotel lot, the soft glow of the streetlights illuminating the surroundings. As he turned off the engine, he prepared to open the door when felt something unusual on his thigh. He looked down and saw Hazel’s fingers stroking his thigh, softly yet firmly, sending a shiver of sensation through his body. Her fingers traced a delicate path, moving with a mix of hesitance and desire. The warmth of her touch seeped through the fabric of his pants, leaving a tingling sensation in its wake. As her hand traveled upwards, Cade felt a rush of conflicting emotions– the intimacy of her touch, the surprise of her boldness, and the concern for her state of mind. It brought back memories of five years ago when she first approached him. Once her hand got to his chest, she started to lose his tie. Surprised, he turned to her,
Cade angrily squeezed the money and trashed it along with the note, not bothering to check what was written before dashing into the bathroom. After several minutes inside his white marble shower with the cold jets pulsing water onto his chiseled muscles from every angle, he still couldn’t get his mind off Hazel’s insult of a tip. As he stood in front of the bathroom mirror drying himself up with a towel, he couldn’t help but compliment himself. ‘Sister-in-law confirmed I look better than Cruz and I have a more perfect body, so there is no way on earth I will perform less than him in bed.’ Gabriel knocked on the door to remind him of their meeting, cutting his train of thinking. Even as he sat amid the executive members of the board, discussing a new product launch in the company, Cade found himself connecting every conversation to Hazel.“Synthetic chunky-soled sneakers have become trendy amongst bodybuilders as they resonate with their body type and are also good for working out…”
“Just a bill?” Cade asked curiously. “ Well let me tell you what that bill has done to me in five years. It made me overly conscious of my body. That stupid bill you left in my room five years ago messed with my self-esteem which took me years of effort to get back. That ‘just a bill’ made me visit a psychiatrist for years, worsening my fear of women and intimacy.” By the time Cade finished talking, veins were throbbing around his neck. His anger was justified because Hazel’s habit of leaving a $100 bill after sex did a number on Cade’s mental health, especially since it was his first time being intimate in his whole life.Hazel let out a sinister laugh which confused and infuriated Cade even more. “Is this funny to you?” He asked curiously. Hazel laughed harder until she could see the confusion and fear in Cade’s gaze. Slowly the laughter turned into a monstrous frown, “I see you led a great life after that night. You even had time to work out and keep your health in check. What am
Two days passed and Hazel didn’t find the peace she thought would come with Cade’s distancing. Aside from the fact that she was jobless, Ivy’s constant cry for ‘Daddy’ frustrated her. And the fact that it was a weekend made things worse as she had to listen to Ivy's whining from dusk till dawn. Hazel couldn’t deny not longing for him from time to time. Anytime she heard the honking of cars in her apartment building, she felt her heart skipping a beat and found her legs subconsciously moving to the window to check who it was. ‘You’re just worried he'd barge in and take your child away.’ She often persuaded herself with the belief. While they were watching TV in the living room over some fruits and snacks in the evening, Ivy, who wasn’t allowed to eat whatever she wanted, started to whine.“I miss Daddy. He gave me so much ice cream and a huge bucket of fried chicken. When am I going to see him again?” She asked curiously, fidgeting with her plate of fruits. Hazel intentionally igno
A FEW HOURS EARLIER…“Mr. Westham, I came to remind you of the meeting with the…” Gabriel’s voice trailed off as he pushed open the door to Cade’s room and saw him fully dressed, spraying his cologne. “Gather the files now and make sure none is missing,” Cade ordered, readjusting his necktie once more in front of the mirror. A broad grin crossed Gabriel’s face finally seeing his boss back to being himself. For the past two days, Cade and alcohol were inseparable and he found him most times wallowing in self-pity and neglecting his duty at the office. “Okay, sir.” He responded before going back to the living room.As the car drove off, Cade, who was looking through a business magazine, briefly dropped the book and asked, “How much longer is it going to take us to get there?”“In 40 minutes. Luxe Lounge is close by.” Gabriel replied, his grin still intact. Cade sighed, stomping his fist on the chair, “I hate people like Mr. Garcia. Always mixing business with pleasure.” he mumbled
Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision as panic gripped her. The room seemed to spin around her, the walls closing in, suffocating her with their relentless pressure. “Cade! Cade! Please wake up!” Hazel panicked, hitting his chest furiously. “You can't die on me, okay?” She cried, “I warned you! I f*cking warned you to stay away from me but you won't listen.” she cried harder. Charles gestured to Ava to call the ambulance before trying to comfort crying Hazel. He noticed that even though he was unconscious, Cade’s grip never loosened on the file he was holding and that gave him a little hope. “Hazel, the ambulance will be here soon. I promise he will be fine.” He reassured her but mere words were not enough to console Hazel as she continued to cry. “What am I going to tell Ivy? That I caused your death? Once she grows older she’d never forgive me after trying so hard to separate you from her.” She went on, her face inches away from his face as her tears dripped on his c
Hazel felt her breath cut in her throat upon hearing the voice and the question. She quickly took the phone from Cade and hastily spoke onto it, “Hale, that’s you right? Isn’t my baby supposed to be home?” “Hello…” The call abruptly ended without giving Hazel a response. As Cade finally took back the phone, the Trucaller eventually popped up the name of the screen. “Hale Ricci Sinclair? He was your brother?” Cade asked, surprised. “But what does he mean by that?” He asked again.Hazel quickly pulled out her phone, dialing Hale’s number in haste. It rang for a while but wasn’t answered so she called and called again but she kept getting redirected to voicemail. She knew Hale was intentionally not answering her call so she decided to use the voicemail to send him a warning. “Hale, I swear if you don’t answer this phone I will kill you!” She threatened her voice so raw with anger that Cade was even frightened.“Hazel, what’s going…” His voice trailed off following the ring of Hazel’