My heart thumped louder than Zed’s voice, but I tried my best to conceal my guilt.
“Yes, we’re out to meet a client. Mr. Mori is introducing me to him as the new Asian branches manager,” I said, looking at Kim.
There was a pause, and every second that passed by sounded like a bell banging against my ear.
“Okay, dear. Enjoy your lunch, and don’t stress yourself on the meeting.”
I heaved out a sigh after ending the call. If this situation keeps repeating, I'll soon die of nervousness.
“Okay, let’s have lunch together,” Kim said, his brows knitting closer. What had been the state of bliss we were enjoying a while ago popped out like bubbles in the air.
“But we have no client to meet,” I argued. “We better go back to the office and have lunch there.”
“No.”
I kept my mouth shut. Kim’s mood turned sour, and I knew it wasn&r
I glanced at Kim, and our eyes locked for a moment."What's happening to you, Virgil? Yes, I married Miss Williams five years ago, but you knew what happened then."Mr. Virgil squinted his eyes, moving his eyes from Kim to me."I couldn't go wrong. My memories are -""Let's stop arguing. You're confusing Miss Yen."Mr. Virgil gave me a quick start once more, but a sharp look from Kim made him shut his mouth. And I sighed inwardly, thinking that he did, but I couldn’t dare to look at Zed. Kim’s actions could draw more curiosity than just riding on the tide with him.“Are you done already?” Kim asked, looking at Zed and Mr. Virgil. “We could have another table so you both can have privacy.”Mr. Virgil gestured with his hand to tell us that we could share a table with them.“We’re wrapping up already, so please take your seat.”Zed put his left arm around my should
"We can have more time during our company outing. It's over the weekend so that you may bring Miss Yen as well," Virgil replied, and thankfully, Zed didn't insist.Kim and I ate in silence while Zed and Virgil got engrossed in their discussion. From what I heard, Zed would be facilitating a team-building seminar for his company employees. Mr. Virgil wasn't dumb, after all, because the imprudent and dumb man had planned a way to empower his workers by treating them to a three-day getaway at the beach.When Kim put down his cutleries on his plate, Mr. Virgil shifted his attention to him."Kim, can we move our discussion to some time this week? I ran out of time, and I still have to catch up for a board meeting in thirty minutes."I took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly, relieved at the thought that this crazy moment with this man was soon going to end. He must have realized his folly because he only said a few words to us, then left. After he disap
I stepped out of the car as soon as I turned off the engine. Then, heading to the phone stand, I called the guard. A male voice spoke into the line right away."Guard on duty, good evening!""Guard, why do you allow a madwoman into the subdivision?""Madwoman?" There was a short pause before he spoke again. "Do you mean the woman in her sixties, wearing a black skirt and a brown blouse?""Yes!" I replied angrily. I could still remember how frightened I was when she suddenly knocked on my car's door while Kim and I were in the midst of our heated activity."She looks like one, ma'am, but she is harmless. Her daughter says she is suffering from a nervous breakdown. I don't understand why but her daughter allows her to wander in the streets."I pulled my brows together. What kind of a daughter is she to allow her mother to wander on the streets?"May I know who her family is?""Her daughter is Miss Ma
I wore jogging pants and a racerback top for my morning walk with Ara. Zed also changed into his jogging outfit but went out ahead of me. He knew he had no place whenever I was with Ara. And he's never the jealous type who demanded my attention back to him.Surprisingly, Ara was in a good mood this morning. She was already ready when I stopped by her house. Although wrapped in a sweater, I could still see her slimming structure. She may not tell me, but I could tell she already suspected Tim and Maezy were into a relationship."How's your night?" I asked as soon as we started walking."Lonely. You know what, even if I hate Tim for his many restrictions, I still miss him at night because he never sleeps without cuddling me. That kind of thing makes me feel secured," said Ara. Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes, but she laughed it out -- breaking my heart.I also didn't want to assure her falsely, so I said, "If Tim indeed cheats on
Ara and I started walking again, laughing silently at how Manang Zabeth grumbled as she walked away. At that moment, we had forgotten our own worries. We were instead talking about how painful it would be for Maezy when she would start paying for her debts."Vengeance is not ours but the Lord's. That's why I wouldn't give them the joy of seeing me hurting."I didn't expect Ara would be as strong as this. All these times, I was worried about how to break it to her gently. I was afraid that the pain of knowing the truth would affect her pregnancy. But I realized I was wrong."From today and onward, I will no longer shed a tear for him. Enough were those nights that I went sleepless. I couldn't afford to get sick for them," she scoffed."I admire you, Ar. I couldn't believe you have this strength and an open mind."Ara smiled bitterly. "And by the way, I need your help. I want to send all of Tim's things to Maezy's house."My eyes sparkle
"What?!" I let out a pursed smile. "Yes, Ar. I have forgotten everything that happened to me in Japan, including my marriage with Kim." Ara clutched her heart as she looked at me, her eyes squinting in disbelief. "How did you find it out? Why can't you remember? What happened to you?" "Ar, save your questions later when we have all the time in the world to talk." Ara pinched my waist. "If it were not for Mr. Yuki's invitation, I wouldn't have known." "I'm sorry. I'm still overwhelmed and shocked, that's why I couldn't tell you yet... But please stop asking for now. We're already late for work." Ara rolled her eyes and sighed, disappointed that I had to cut and leave her in a cliffhanger. But I had to go, not because we would be late for work, but because I would be meeting my psychiatrist. Zed had already prepared the table for breakfast when I arrived. He was on his jeans and collared shirt, ready for work at his
I found myself telling the doctor my entire experience in Japan. I even told her my dilemma about having two husbands: my reluctance to let go of Zed and my emotional attachment to Kim."Based on your previous records and your confession now, I conclude that you're into dissociative amnesia. It is a condition in which a person cannot remember important information about their life.""Dissociative amnesia has been linked to overwhelming stress, which may be caused by traumatic events such as war, abuse, accidents, or disasters. The person may have suffered the trauma or just witnessed it.""It could be localized amnesia where you only forget specific areas of knowledge or part of your experiences. Or generalized where the memory affects the major part of your life or identity.""In your case, there must be an incident that happened after you fled from the site. And since Mr. Mori hasn't found proof of any traumatic experience you might have got
"Yes. My company is losing. The employees are slowly leaving, and I feel their dissatisfaction over the management. A friend advised me to correct the situation by addressing the internal issues between the management and the workers. After all, a happy and healthy workforce is a good tool towards productivity.""Sorry to hear that. I guess you also have to investigate the cause of their dissatisfaction. Remove those who are toxic to the environment. Training needs time, and if you keep on hiring new ones and train them, you'll indeed end up on the losing side," Zed replied."That's why I need you to help me change the workers' mindset.""I'll try my best. Now, let's discuss the topics you want me to present."I pulled out a deep sigh. My guilt indeed made me paranoid. But what if Mr. Virgil would eventually spill our secret? I had to remind Kim about this. Feeling the need to see him right away, I left after the attendant served my drink.&nbs