Behind her calm demeanor and facade that didn't show anything suspicious, Aileen was actually in the highest level of tension in her life.
Beside her sat Theodore, staring absentmindedly at the road and paying no attention to her at all, as if he wanted to finish this journey quickly and prove himself right, that Aileen wasn't actually pregnant and that he could avoid the wedding which would take place in less than two weeks.
He didn't know where the infatuation he felt when he had a secret relationship with Aileen behind Hailee's back.
Back then, when they had kept their relationship a secret, Theodore felt his adrenaline rushing and every time he managed to trick Hailee into meeting Aileen, he felt passionate feelings.
However, the happy feeling he used to feel, had now evaporated completely, leaving only an empty feeling that he couldn't understand. It felt like everything he was doing with Aileen now was not as interesting as it used to be.
No.
Being with Aileen no longer excited him, nor did it make him happy…
The only thing in Theodore's head right now was how he could keep Aileen out of his life.
Even though Aileen was George's flesh and blood, which made her one of the members of the Tatum family, but no one knew about this except himself, Aileen and of course George himself, so what was the point?
Okay, at this point, Theodore started to use business calculations in his relationship with Aileen. He started to think about the pros and cons of their marriage later.
And seeing how many shares Aileen had in Tatum Jewelry, of course this didn't please Theodore or his father who had given Aileen a condition to give up all the shares she owned in the company when she entered the Gevano family.
However, given the current state of affairs, nothing seemed to be promising, indicating anything good would happen in the future, especially when Ramon Tordoff had stepped in.
Theodore would be on the losing end. Not only materially, but also for the time that would be wasted if he married Aileen.
It's true what his mother had said, he should be able to get a better partner. A woman who could benefit his business or had a status that was comparable to his.
"What are you thinking about?" Aileen asked. She stretched out her hand to hold Theodore's hand and offered a sweet smile, even though she herself felt uneasy.
George couldn't be reached and Aileen didn't know what the old man was up to to thwart this trip to the hospital, to get her checked out.
Or maybe George gave up and left herself to deal with this on her own?
This thought had crossed Aileen's mind, but she brushed it off because she knew how ambitious George was to make her the daughter- in- law of the Gevano family.
"I am fine," Theodore replied, returning Aileen's smile, a smile that didn't reach his eyes. This was the smile that this man always gave to her recently.
"You seem to be thinking about something… work?" Aileen guessed stupidly, because she knew what was really going on in Theodore's mind right now.
"Yes, I have a lot of work to do," Theodore said casually. He just confirmed what Aileen said without wanting to think of a more plausible reason.
"Yes, I thought so." Aileen then rested her head on Theodore's shoulder, ignoring the man's body which suddenly stiffened as if he wanted to push herself away.
Their relationship turned really too bad to be repaired anymore…
"Did you hear the news this morning? About the Smiths?" Aileen opened a conversation so that the atmosphere wouldnot be too stagnant. This news was broadcasted on all television stations or any mass media.
No wonder, Aileen had had a hard time contacting Aidan lately. It turned out that the man's situation was not much different from her. He also had problems that many others didn't know about.
Seeing this, Aileen wouldn't be surprised if Aidan and Giana finally decided to separate, considering how crazy he was for her cousin.
"Yeah, I heard that too," Theodore responded half- heartedly to this topic of conversation.
"What do you think caused Giana Smith to have an affair with her personal assistant when she had a husband like Aidan Smith?" Aileen asked while joining her fingers with Theodore's.
"I don't know," Theodore said nonchalantly, looking disinterested in the topic. "It's hard to know what women want and think. They can appear weak and defenseless, but can actually stab you in the back, or they can appear completely harmless, but have unexpected manipulating abilities."
Aileen's expression immediately changed when she heard Theodore's statement. Was this man making fun of her in a very subtle way? Trying to say that Aileen was that kind of person?
"Yeah, we don't know what's in a person's heart." Aileen tried to respond wisely, generalizing the word 'woman' with people in general.
"Yes, that's why… even with those closest to you, people you think you already know and know yourself very well, you should always be careful." Theodore said this in a tone that sounded so calm that it could make anyone who heard it feel anxious, as they could guess there were a hidden meaning behind those words.
That was when Aileen lifted her head and found Theodore staring at her through the rearview mirror. Their gazes met and there, Aileen could tell with certainty that Theodore had known something. That the man who once loved her so much that she felt that she could control this man so easily, was gone.
Now there was no longer the love that Aileen had always seen in Theodore's eyes, but a deep emotion, full of mystery, that made Aileen subconsciously shudder when Theodore touched her shoulder and gently rubbed her shoulder.
"You understand, don't you? You can't trust anyone in this world. You can only put your trust one hundred percent in your own self." Theodore looked at Aileen intensely.
"Yes, I understand that." Aileen swallowed hard and tried to avoid eye contact with Theodore, because looking into his eyes now felt terrible.
And before Theodore could say anything, just at that moment, there was the sound of metal squeaking as the brakes were applied with great force, as well as a muffled cursing sound mixed with a tone of fear.
For a moment Aileen still didn't understand what was really going on as their car was sent spinning wildly on the road, out of control.
The honking of the cars around was the only deafening sound after the painful screeching.
And for a moment Aileen felt her heart stop for real when she realized what was really going on, before darkness came over her…
No way! This can't be happen, right?!
================
For a moment Hailee felt fine, but a moment later she didn't feel that way, because every time she thought of the pungent aroma of the coffee she smelled in the cafe when she met Candice, she seemed to be able to see a thick black liquid, espresso, which Candice had drunk earlier and this made her stomach churn again.
Ugh! What's with her really?
The cold air from the car's air conditioner didn't help at all with the nausea that Hailee was feeling right now.
Actually, Hailee had felt that her body wasn't feeling well since a few days ago, but it had never been like this.
Ignoring the air conditioner in the car that was still running, Hailee opened her car window and let the much fresher afternoon air hit her face and this proved to be much better.
Luckily they were not driving on a busy street with cars or other vehicles, so they wouldn't inhale a lot of vehicle fumes which made the air feel better.
The wind ruffled Hailee's hair and she closed her eyes, letting the gust of wind make her nausea decreased significantly and she could enjoy the wind that caressed her face.
"Mrs. Tordoff," Larry, Hailee's personal driver looked at Hailee from the rearview mirror because he was surprised when this woman opened the window. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I am fine," Hailee answered quietly with her eyes still closed.
"Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital? You look pale and not very well," Larry suggested the same thing again when he found Hailee coming out of the cafe with a pale face. Of course he was worried about Hailee's condition, because after all, if anything happened to her, he didn't want to face Ramon Tordoff's wrath.
"No, I will be fine." Hailee refused again. "How long will it take us to get home?" She wanted to prepare dinner for Ramon, because it seemed like she had not cooked something for her husband in a long time.
"About twenty minutes," Larry announced.
"Hm," Hailee just mumbled in response. It seemed like twenty minutes was enough time for Hailee to refresh her mood.
She was sure she would feel much better when she got home.
Or maybe not…
================
"Stocks of the Smith and Dawson family companies have dropped drastically," Lexus reported to Ramon, his eyes skimmed briefly the report in his hands.
The two brothers were in Ramon's office, discussing this morning's issue that shocked the whole community and caused an uproar in the stock market.
The issue regarding Giana's affair with her personal assistant really had a bad impact on both of their families and their respective companies.
And this kind of impact would indeed happen if the affair between them was revealed to the mass media.
Behind her calm demeanor and facade that didn't show anything suspicious, Aileen was actually in the highest level of tension in her life.
Beside her sat Theodore, staring absentmindedly at the road and paying no attention to her at all, as if he wanted to finish this journey quickly and prove himself right, that Aileen wasn't actually pregnant and that he could avoid the wedding which would take place in less than two weeks.
He didn't know where the infatuation he felt when he had a secret relationship with Aileen behind Hailee's back.
Back then, when they had kept their relationship a secret, Theodore felt his adrenaline rushing and every time he managed to trick Hailee into meeting Aileen, he felt passionate feelings.
However, the happy feeling he used to feel, had now evaporated completely, leaving only an empty feeling that he couldn't understand. It felt like everything he was doing with Aileen now was not as interesting as it used to be.
No.
Being with Aileen no longer excited him, nor did it make him happy…
The only thing in Theodore's head right now was how he could keep Aileen out of his life.
Even though Aileen was George's flesh and blood, which made her one of the members of the Tatum family, but no one knew about this except himself, Aileen and of course George himself, so what was the point?
Okay, at this point, Theodore started to use business calculations in his relationship with Aileen. He started to think about the pros and cons of their marriage later.
And seeing how many shares Aileen had in Tatum Jewelry, of course this didn't please Theodore or his father who had given Aileen a condition to give up all the shares she owned in the company when she entered the Gevano family.
However, given the current state of affairs, nothing seemed to be promising, indicating anything good would happen in the future, especially when Ramon Tordoff had stepped in.
Theodore would be on the losing end. Not only materially, but also for the time that would be wasted if he married Aileen.
It's true what his mother had said, he should be able to get a better partner. A woman who could benefit his business or had a status that was comparable to his.
"What are you thinking about?" Aileen asked. She stretched out her hand to hold Theodore's hand and offered a sweet smile, even though she herself felt uneasy.
George couldn't be reached and Aileen didn't know what the old man was up to to thwart this trip to the hospital, to get her checked out.
Or maybe George gave up and left herself to deal with this on her own?
This thought had crossed Aileen's mind, but she brushed it off because she knew how ambitious George was to make her the daughter- in- law of the Gevano family.
"I am fine," Theodore replied, returning Aileen's smile, a smile that didn't reach his eyes. This was the smile that this man always gave to her recently.
"You seem to be thinking about something… work?" Aileen guessed stupidly, because she knew what was really going on in Theodore's mind right now.
"Yes, I have a lot of work to do," Theodore said casually. He just confirmed what Aileen said without wanting to think of a more plausible reason.
"Yes, I thought so." Aileen then rested her head on Theodore's shoulder, ignoring the man's body which suddenly stiffened as if he wanted to push herself away.
Their relationship turned really too bad to be repaired anymore…
"Did you hear the news this morning? About the Smiths?" Aileen opened a conversation so that the atmosphere wouldnot be too stagnant. This news was broadcasted on all television stations or any mass media.
No wonder, Aileen had had a hard time contacting Aidan lately. It turned out that the man's situation was not much different from her. He also had problems that many others didn't know about.
Seeing this, Aileen wouldn't be surprised if Aidan and Giana finally decided to separate, considering how crazy he was for her cousin.
"Yeah, I heard that too," Theodore responded half- heartedly to this topic of conversation.
"What do you think caused Giana Smith to have an affair with her personal assistant when she had a husband like Aidan Smith?" Aileen asked while joining her fingers with Theodore's.
"I don't know," Theodore said nonchalantly, looking disinterested in the topic. "It's hard to know what women want and think. They can appear weak and defenseless, but can actually stab you in the back, or they can appear completely harmless, but have unexpected manipulating abilities."
Aileen's expression immediately changed when she heard Theodore's statement. Was this man making fun of her in a very subtle way? Trying to say that Aileen was that kind of person?
"Yeah, we don't know what's in a person's heart." Aileen tried to respond wisely, generalizing the word 'woman' with people in general.
"Yes, that's why… even with those closest to you, people you think you already know and know yourself very well, you should always be careful." Theodore said this in a tone that sounded so calm that it could make anyone who heard it feel anxious, as they could guess there were a hidden meaning behind those words.
That was when Aileen lifted her head and found Theodore staring at her through the rearview mirror. Their gazes met and there, Aileen could tell with certainty that Theodore had known something. That the man who once loved her so much that she felt that she could control this man so easily, was gone.
Now there was no longer the love that Aileen had always seen in Theodore's eyes, but a deep emotion, full of mystery, that made Aileen subconsciously shudder when Theodore touched her shoulder and gently rubbed her shoulder.
"You understand, don't you? You can't trust anyone in this world. You can only put your trust one hundred percent in your own self." Theodore looked at Aileen intensely.
"Yes, I understand that." Aileen swallowed hard and tried to avoid eye contact with Theodore, because looking into his eyes now felt terrible.
And before Theodore could say anything, just at that moment, there was the sound of metal squeaking as the brakes were applied with great force, as well as a muffled cursing sound mixed with a tone of fear.
For a moment Aileen still didn't understand what was really going on as their car was sent spinning wildly on the road, out of control.
The honking of the cars around was the only deafening sound after the painful screeching.
And for a moment Aileen felt her heart stop for real when she realized what was really going on, before darkness came over her…
No way! This can't be happen, right?!
================
For a moment Hailee felt fine, but a moment later she didn't feel that way, because every time she thought of the pungent aroma of the coffee she smelled in the cafe when she met Candice, she seemed to be able to see a thick black liquid, espresso, which Candice had drunk earlier and this made her stomach churn again.
Ugh! What's with her really?
The cold air from the car's air conditioner didn't help at all with the nausea that Hailee was feeling right now.
Actually, Hailee had felt that her body wasn't feeling well since a few days ago, but it had never been like this.
Ignoring the air conditioner in the car that was still running, Hailee opened her car window and let the much fresher afternoon air hit her face and this proved to be much better.
Luckily they were not driving on a busy street with cars or other vehicles, so they wouldn't inhale a lot of vehicle fumes which made the air feel better.
The wind ruffled Hailee's hair and she closed her eyes, letting the gust of wind make her nausea decreased significantly and she could enjoy the wind that caressed her face.
"Mrs. Tordoff," Larry, Hailee's personal driver looked at Hailee from the rearview mirror because he was surprised when this woman opened the window. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I am fine," Hailee answered quietly with her eyes still closed.
"Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital? You look pale and not very well," Larry suggested the same thing again when he found Hailee coming out of the cafe with a pale face. Of course he was worried about Hailee's condition, because after all, if anything happened to her, he didn't want to face Ramon Tordoff's wrath.
"No, I will be fine." Hailee refused again. "How long will it take us to get home?" She wanted to prepare dinner for Ramon, because it seemed like she had not cooked something for her husband in a long time.
"About twenty minutes," Larry announced.
"Hm," Hailee just mumbled in response. It seemed like twenty minutes was enough time for Hailee to refresh her mood.
She was sure she would feel much better when she got home.
Or maybe not…
================
"Stocks of the Smith and Dawson family companies have dropped drastically," Lexus reported to Ramon, his eyes skimmed briefly the report in his hands.
The two brothers were in Ramon's office, discussing this morning's issue that shocked the whole community and caused an uproar in the stock market.
The issue regarding Giana's affair with her personal assistant really had a bad impact on both of their families and their respective companies.
And this kind of impact would indeed happen if the affair between them was revealed to the mass media.
