EXTRA LONG CHAPTER.
NEED LOTS OF COMMENT, THEY MOTIVATE THE WRITERS.
I WILL READ EVERY COMMENT
MAKE SURE YOU VOTE AND COMMENT.
Sophia slammed the file on the counter and groaned. All she could think about was that man and the way he kissed her, it wasn't their first kiss, he had kissed her before in his house but that kiss was not this damn distracting. Now all she could think about was how much the kiss had affected her and how soft his lips were and just how perfect it felt.
''Are you purposely ignoring me?'' She heard a shrill voice coming from towards the door, too bad she knew who it was.
''Shery would you mind knocking?'' Sophia looked up fro, her desk and instantly groaned inwardly. Shery was dressed in a skimpy little dress that barely covered her ass. She was and old woman for godforsaken reputed office! ''What are you wearing?'' Sophia snapped, knowing fully well this was not how an office attire should be. Shery frowned t her but shrugged and entered the cabin, closing the door behind her. ''First of all the office hours are almost over so I'll be heading for my date now. Secondly here is your cold coffee with chocolate ice-cream, seriously grow up. Who eats that shit anymore?'' She walked over to the table and placed the cup and the ice cream mini box right in front of her. Sophia looked at her with her murderous eyes but chose to ignore her comment.
''Very well. If you want to wear such skimpy clothes kindly choose another office-'' But before Sophia could finish she heard a bitter laugh coming from the lady standing in front of her.
''Oh boy. Well, let's get something's clear. I have a contract for four months here, you can not fire me before that'' She walked back towards the door and opened it, ''Let's hope my work finishes before that'' She whispered to herself and walked out, slamming the door shut.
Sophia was fuming. She was going to find the person who recruited this bitch and kill him without mercy. She stood up from her table and grabbed the ice cream box, quickly opening it and taking a big scoop out of it. ''I've had enough of this nonsense. I won't let this woman affect me and my work but she does need a lesson'' Sophia smirked to herself, the same smirk she had when she dumped all her food on her homeroom teacher back in high school.
This will be fun, she thought.
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Sophia gathered her things and stuffed them into her purse. It wasn't just the annoying secretary she had to deal with, her daily reports were becoming a wreck too. Whatever she was supposed to submit was not positive and she knew Conner was not happy with her work.
"Mrs. Morin?" She heard that deep voice and it instantly made her want to run.
She turned around and looked at a very angry looking Conner.
"This is the fifth report this week and it's still negative" He walked inside the cabin and placed a file on her desk. "Explain"
Sophia took a deep breath and picked up the file,"I'm sorry Mr. Manhattan. But to be honest I have no clue what is going on right now. I must sound absurd but the finances just don't match" Sophia gulped and turned the pages of the file, her hazel eyes scanning through them. "I did everything, every report was scanned and matched but it feels like whatever is there on my file is different from the actual one"
Conner looked at Sophia for a moment, she looked so apologetic. Suddenly, hs last nights deed crossed his mind and he cursed himself. He had kissed Sophia without any self-control and that was just plain stupid.
"I see. Well I give you another two weeks to figure out what's wrong" Conner knew he was being harsh but he had a company to run and outside Sophia was just an employee to everyone. He had to treat everyone equally. But considering how he felt for her, he did not fire her on the spot like he would have dome with any other employee. He wanted to give her a chance.
"Yes. Thank you" Sophia looked at him and smiled, a fake on of course. Inside she was dying with humiliation. She had let him down and she felt useless.
Conner nodded and walked out of her cabin. But he knew something was wrong. Sophia was exceptional in her work and no matter what she always gave him positive result. So it was maybe time for him to step in and help her, without her letting know.
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"Mommy!" Serenity ran towards her mother and hugged her legs. Sophia gave her a small smile and kept her purse on the counter and picked her daughter up in her arms. "Hey bub, how was school?"
Serenity told her mother that how she scored a straight A in mathematics but a B in history.
"Oh I don't want to know your grades bub, just make sure you learn something. So tell me if I send you to a shop with 10$ and the thing you want to buy costs 9$ how much will you bring back?"
Serenity looked at her fingers and then up at her mother. "1$?"
Sophia smiled and kissed her forehead. "Yes. Exactly". But when she knew if she was in place of her daughter and her mother asked her how much she would return, the answer would be none. Hell her only income was from the change her mother forgot to take back.
The rest of the evening was spent watching frozen, eating pizza and debating on how scooby doo was better than courage the cowardly dog.
It was around 8 pm when jade knocked on the door of Sophia's study "Mrs. Morin" Jade walked in with a parcel in her hand. "I'm sorry I forgot to give you this. Ceil told me this is something important and I was busy with the garden and then the kitchen I totally forgot. I'm extremely sorry"
Sophia took the package from her hand told her not to worry. Jade excused her and went out while Sophia walked over to her study and sat down.
She tore the top of the parcel and slid her hand inside. She pulled out a bunch of papers and kept the empty parcel on the table.
That's when her world came crashing down. It was time to face the reality she was hiding from so long.
Richard had sent her the divorce papers.
It was finally time to let go of that man. But her mind was full of thoughts. She knew she could raise Serenity without and problem and also that she was a good mother. She knew she had a good friend like Conner and her family would support her in this. She had a decent pay so she could take the custody over serenity easily.
But what had her conflicted the most was, how was she going to break this news to her daughter?
Sophia walked over to her kitchen and picked up her landline. She had just changed her mobile number to escape those calls from that monster and she did not want him to know her new number at any cost.
She dialed Richards number and let it ring for a while.
"Baby girl, I knew you'd call. Miss daddy?" Richard chuckled.
"What can I say, you do look old enough to be a daddy of a 24-year-old woman"
His smile instantly turned into a frown. "What do you want"
"Answers"
Richard chuckled again,"Oh yes. Of course. Go right ahead"
Sophia rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed. "I know you're doing this on purpose"
"Doing what?" He mocked.
"You know it!" Sophia yelled, her eyes brimmed with tears. No matter what kind of man he was she had once loved him wholeheartedly.
Richard smiled. He knew he was getting to her and it satisfied the fire inside him. He knew Conner was regularly visiting his house and it made him furious. Sophia belonged to him and not that man. "No, I don't. Please elaborate "
"The divorce" Sophia whispered. Tears were now falling from her eyes freely. She still couldn't get over the fact that they were no more together.
Richard stopped smiling. Her broken voice was soothing to his ears, but somewhere deep inside his heart, he felt a pang of pain. He remembered when they were 18 and she got pregnant by another man. He remembered how he took the responsibility and promised her the world on their wedding day. H never asked who the man was and Sophia never told him. He remembered how happy the were when serenity was born and on 17th April she spoke her fifth word, "dada". He remembered how he couldn't stop crying the whole time because his daughter called him dad or something near it, he was so happy he marked the date and remembered it even today.
He knew when he got a job in Canada he was thrilled. Both of them were, they would be able to give Serenity a good life.
But the money got into his head and it ruined everything.
Richard shook his head, he had to follow the plan. He could not go weak now. He cleared his throat and proceeded,"What about it. It was bound to happen today or tomorrow so please stop making such a fuss"
"Fuss? Do you know how badly it would affect Serenity? You could've given me some more time!"
Richard chuckled, "Well what can I say. I love surprises"
With that, he hung up.
Richard stood up abruptly, his chair falling on the ground in the process. He walked over to his drawer, his hands were shivering by now. He yelled in pain as he kneeled down and opened his drawer desperately pulling out things and throwing them everywhere. Finally, when he found it he pulled out a bottle of medicine and gulped in the tablets, running over to the table and drinking water straight from the bottle, drenching his clothes in the process. His head was pounding, it felt as if his whole body was on fire. With much effort, he walked over to the couch and settled down with his head in his hand. His medicine was not able to control his pain anymore and that was becoming a big issue. He did not want to go back to the doctor knowing that he would, in an instant tell that Richard stopped taking his daily medicine long ago leading to deteriorating of his health.
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Sophia held the receiver close to her ear, it felt like her heart was broken all over again. Just a year before everything was alright she was happy and so was their family. Now everything has changed
She walked over to the counter and settled down on one of the chairs with her head in her hands, letting silent tears fall.
Divorce was never easy.
Sophia was now terrified, she had no clue as to how she would tell Serenity about the divorce. It was obvious she could not lie now, the court would create an issue for the custody over the child and she knew Richard would do anything to have Serenity snatched away from Sophia. Richard was a successful businessman after all, so it was obvious he would hire the best lawyer and some fake evidence.
Her head was spinning by now, her job was at risk too, if she did not find the reason behind those finance issues, she would lose her job and then there would be no chance of her winning the case.
She sighed, her life was now crumbling. She walked over to her study and settled in her chair. She needed someone to talk to, right now.
She picked up her mobile and dialed her mother's number. After a few rings, she picked up. ''Hey Soph!'' Sophia heard shuffling on the other side like some boxes were being picked up or kept down. ''Hey mom. How are you?'' Sophia hoped the got over the how and when so she could tell her mother how difficult her life was getting. She knew her mother always had the best ideas.
''Good good! Just shifting some stuff from my room to the attic, oh boy it's heavy.'' She chuckled. Sophia smiled, she had missed her so much, her life has been so busy that she hardly got to converse with her.
''I see. Is Philip helping around too?'' Philip was our step-father, he was adorable.
''Oh yes. He just took the box-'' Suddenly I heard a loud crash. My mother gasped, ''Oh god! Philip you dumb shit!'' Her mother yelled. I smiled at her language, this is how we used to speak to each other when I was a rebel and she was trying to control me. All this office language and sweet mother language was not her.
''Sorry Soph. I have to go your fucking father is no good. Bye, I love you I'll call you tonight'' And with that, the phone went dead.
Her smile vanished, at this point, she felt too alone. She looked through her contacts and dialed her sister's number.
After a few rings, she picked up ''Hey there,''
''Hey Erica, I really need to talk to you.-''
''Got cha! I'm sorry I can not come to the phone right now so whoever you are, leave a message. XOXO'' and she heard a beep.
Sophia groaned and hand up, that prank only got her angrier. Who the fuck leaves a voice message like that?
She looked through her contacts again, stopping on a certain someone. He was her last option.
She pressed the call button and waited for him to answer. Her heart was thumping in her chest and her mind was going crazy.
After exactly three rings, he picked up.
''Hello'' His deep voice instantly calmed Sophia, and it scared her. How can he affect her in such a way?
''Conner? Um-I, I need your help'' Her voice came out softer than she had planned. It made her look naive and stupid already.
''What's wrong?''He asked, his voice showed how concerened he was. She felt shuffling on the other side, was he sleeping? She now felt naive, stupid and terrible.
''Did I wake you up? Oh god i'm so sorry'' The phone was silent for a minute, and then he spoke. ''Tell me what's wrong Sophia'' Her name from his mouth felt heavenly.
''Nothing. We can talk tomorrow you know. I'm sorry for waking you up, go back to sleep''
''What's wrong'' He asked again. Sophia wanted to cry, his concern made her feel even weaker.
''I told you nothing'' She faked a laugh. ''Just some office work'' She lied again.
Again there was silence, ''I'm coming over'' With that he hung up without letting Sophia complain. She could not believe he would come over all the way from his house here without even thinking. It made her heart melt. She kept the phone on the table and quickly grabbed the paper from the table, keeping them back in the parcel and walking out of the study closing it behind her.
She walked over to the kitchen and settled down, there were two things on her mind right now. How will she tell Serenity about the divorce and why she felt fluttering in her stomach since Conner told her her was coming over. Maybe his gesture touched her heart.
After another fifteen minutes she heard a loud knock on the door, He was here.
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''So you mean he is doing this on purpose?'' Conner clenched his fists and looked at the divorce papers in front of him. It infuriated him as to how low that man can stoop.
Sophia nodded, her eyes brimming with tears. ''I don't know what to do'' She whispered. ''How will I tell her?''
. He was sitting across from her on the couch, his body stiff and his deep, dark ocean blue eyes were staring at her, anger swirling in them. He wanted to kill Richard, that bastard would not give up so easily. He cheated on her and now he was hell bent on torturing Sophia.
Conner stood up, her eyes following his every move. ''Sophia I think you need to tell Serenity about the divorce as soon as possible.'' Sophia shook her head, ''I can't do that'' She stood up too and walked over to Conner, ''She should not go through something like this. It's like my own childhood all over, I can't let her feel the same pain I did all those years ago!''
Conner looked at Sophia, she looked so fragile right now. He had never seen her like this, it was almost like she was breaking down. ''Divorce is nothing to be afraid of Sophia, but there is one thing which scares me too.'' Conner looked ahead at the window, it was pitch black outside.
Sophia gave him a confused look. ''Sophia, there is a high chance that Richard would do anything to have custody over Serenity. And for that, I'm sure he's going to bring up your past'' He took a step closer, knowing the information he is about to tell her would have an ill effect on her. ''And for that, he will bring up the topic of how he is not her real father. He will,'' Conner paused and looked at Sophia, all color drained from her face. He knew he did not have to speak any longer. She understood.
Richard will bring out the topic about how he was not the real father and still took care of someone else's daughter. And this would lead to the court asking for the real father, which is Conner.
And it might lead to the revelation that Conner is Serenity's real father and if Serenity finds that out, no one knows what would happen.
Sophia stood there, her face pale. Conner looked at her hands which were curled up in fists and very terribly shivering. In an instant, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer.
''I promise you, Sophia I won't let that happen'' He assured her. But deep inside he wanted Serenity to find out about him, so he could have a family. But for Sophia, he would let that pass.
''I promise you'' He whispered as he felt her sobbing in his arms. It felt like home, she felt like home.
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''Sir, coffee'' Salvador's maid purred, dressed in a vey short an skimpy outfit her cleavage on full display. Salvadore smirked at her attempts but shook his head taking the coffee mug, ''Thank you Anna'' He smiled and got up, not even bothering to cover himself fully.
He was just in a pair of boxers, letting Anna have the perfect view she desired. She licked her lips, he was such a fine man to look at. It confused her as to why he did not have any girlfriend or a permanent mistress, not that she complained. She would do anything to have him make love to her.
''You may leave'' He ordered, clearly knowing what was going through her head and did not want to entertain her thoughts anymore.
He walked over to his drawing room and settled down, keeping his coffee mug on the table. He picked up the newspaper and did a quick scan of the heading, when suddenly his phone started ringing. He looked at the caller ID, it was Richard.
Richard chuckled, it must be regarding the divorce he forced Richard to have. It was all part of the plan, Sophia and Richard having a divorce which would lead to a havoc in her life and she would contact her sister, forcing Xavier and Erica to interfere and then get themselves tangled in his web of death.
''Hello'' He greeted.
''TURN ON THE TELEVISION NOW SALVADOR! I WANT YOU TO FIX THAT SHIT!'' Richard screamed, after that the phone went dead.
Salvador froze, what the hell was going on? He quickly got up from his seat and walked over to the television and turned it on, putting up some news channel.
A lady dressed in black was reading something and his companion was nodding his head, ''It seems like Conner Manhattan is ready to take a big step again'' The lady started, ''With the investment in his multi-millionaire investmenT last week, he overnight purchased shares of the Morin industry and in now the rightful co-owner. But the news is, he may now be the only owner to make decisions. He purchased 55% of shares, leaving a good 45% percent for his previous owner Mr. Richard Morin. He is now the new owner which is quite surprising, for this may not be the best dicision, seeing how the Morin industry was suffering loss from the previous three years. But we are not yet clear on his motive of suddenly being so interested in another goods manufactoring industry, we are trying to reach Richard Morin but it seems like he is not taking any calls at the moment. We would-'' With that Salvador threw the remote at the tv, breaking the screen as the glass shattered everywhere.
''THAT BASTARD!'' He screamed. He had underestimated Conner more than he should've. Nobody else but Salavdore knew why had he suddenly shown intrest in that no good industry.
Conner now had the upper hand over Richard and could fire him at any time. So if in court, Richard does anything improper, he would fire him which would lead to him getting unemployed and losing the custody over Serenity. Also, if he lost his job there would be no means for him to take the case further and if the case does not get serious, the media would not know and the revelation of him not being his real father would not be known. Also, he knew Richard would do anything to protect his job, his money, his high class life.
Salvador was frustrated, his pawns were not working like he had imagined them to because the obstacles were too hard.
He has to change his plan and for that he too has to participate in the game. But before he did anything, he had to take care of that Conner Manhattan. Looks like his plan has to wait some more.