159 WELCOME LUKE’S POV I walked into the sleek and modern lobby of my company, feeling a mix of emotions. It was as if it has been almost a week since I arrived here. When technically, it’s just been a day. Thanks to that goddamn bullet in my stomach. In fact, thanks to that silly mother of mine. Now as I made my way to the elevators, I had to take my mind back to the event that led me to straight to the hospital. It was just so fucked up. This could just be a regular day at work, or so I thought. Could be boring, could be fantastic, but all I could think about right now was Ariel. I didn’t spend much time with her before I left for work. I remembered this one time when Ariel had not walked into my life. I was in a meeting with my top executives, along with my grandfather, and we were discussing a new project we were working on. Suddenly, we heard loud bangs coming from outside the conference room. Before I knew it, my body was hit with a sharp pain and I fell to the ground. I could vaguely hear the screams and chaos around me as my vision blurred and everything turned to black. That moment was frightening, I thought I was going to die. I wanted to give up, but God saved me. And I had to live up my life till this moment. Here I was, walking back into my company, looking great and well. But being honest with myself, I could still feel this little pain around my stomach. Yes, I was acting like the pang wasn’t still within me. But I got to admit things here, and be honest with myself. So, let’s see how this work was going to be, and today was going to turn out. I stepped out of the elevator and onto the 20th floor, I was greeted with applause and cheers. My workers had thrown me a welcome back party, complete with balloons and a banner that read “Welcome back, Luke!” I was taken aback by the surprise, but I couldn’t help the huge smile that spread across my face. My workers had gone through the effort of throwing me this party, even it was only a day I had missed at the hospital. I literally had no idea they loved me this much. But I was overwhelmed with gratitude and emotion. I made my way through the sea of my workers, bombarding with hugs and well wishes. “We’re so glad you’re back, sir. We heard what happened to you, and we were all worried that you weren’t going to make it. But we’re glad that you’re alright,” one of my workers told me. “Oh really,” I chuckled. “Thanks, I didn’t spend years or weeks at the hospital. It was just a day.” “We know, sir. But still, we wish for only the best.” “That’s nice,” I said with a nod. “But who told you people about it?” “Your wife. We called you yesterday since you weren’t around. She was the one who answered the call and told us everything.” “Ohh, why didn’t she tell me about it?” I whispered to myself. “What is it, sir?” “It’s nothing,” I responded immediately, and looked around. “Thanks for this.” “It is our pleasure.” “Cool,” I said, and walked from him. I finally made it to my office, and there was my assistant, Jack, waiting for me. Welcome back, boss!” He exclaimed as he handed me a stack of papers. “We were holding down the fort for you, but we’re so glad you’ve recovered quickly.” I couldn’t help but chuckle at his use of “we“. No doubt Jack had been my assistant for years, and he was more like a brother than an employee. “Thanks for everything. But I just got to ask one thing.” “What’s that, sir?” “How did you guys know I’ll be arriving at the company today?” “You don’t have to worry about that, sir. We have our ways.” He smirked. I couldn’t help but laugh.“You’re right, I shouldn’t worry about that.” One of my workers stepped foot in the room.” Sir, you have a visitor.” “And who’s that?” I asked, turning around. Who the hell was that person that came to visit me now? ARIEL’S POV Now looking forward to taking a long, relaxing shower before I could step out for work. Yeah maybe I should just take another day off. The moment I stepped into the warm water, I felt the stress and tiredness if last night melting away. But just as I closed my eyes to fully enjoy the moment, my phone started ringing. I could see the bright screen flashing with an incoming call, and it was Mason. But I refused to answer. This was my time, my moment of peace, and I was not going to let that scumbag distract me from it. I took a deep breath and let the water wash over me, blocking out the ringing phone and any other distractions. I didn’t even know how I was going to answer that man. What was I going to tell him now? Cause I was definitely not going on with our plan anymore. Little time left, and I didn’t know what to do. I wouldn’t want Luke to sign those papers, I didn’t want him to get ruined. And on the other hand, I didn’t want my children to get killed. Now how was I going to get out of this one? Well anyway, I continued to stand in the warm, soothing water of my shower, and I could have felt relaxed. But no. That peace was shattered the moment that man began to blow my phone with calls. Letting out a frustrated sigh, I reluctantly turned off the water and stepped out, quickly wrapping a towel around my body. I made my way to the bathroom counter where my phone was incessantly ringing. Extremely annoyed by this nonsense, I picked up my phone and of course, it was the scumbag still calling. Icouldn’t help but roll her eyes, and this made me feel like smashing my phone to the floor. Glad I could control this bedvilment. So despite the annoyance, I answered the call, ready to give that man a piece of my mind. “Ariel, you bitch. Why haven’t you been answering my calls?” He snarled on the phone. ‘Hey, you better be respectful.” “I can tell something’s not right. What are you up to now, Ariel?” “Why are you asking me that? I’m just following the plan.” “I don’t think so.” “To hell with you and your thinking,” I retorted. Mason laughed. “How’s your relationship with Luke going?” “It’s going great, just as you wanted.” “Good. Now all that’s left is for you to get him to sign those papers. Remember, you have two days left.” “I know. You don’t have to remind me.” “I have to. Because I feel you’ve started having a change of mind, or something. “Wow. I have to say, I love your feelings,” I told him sarcastically. “Keep loving it. And I’m going to love sending both of your kids to the grave.” He ended the phone call. I let out a deep sigh after that.
