Kate Winterspoon, a young promising graduate, nurses lofty dreams about a happy marriage and about starting a family with her longtime boyfriend after her graduation. But when her boy friend's drug addiction drives him to destroy Kate's cherished ambition, trampling it in the dust, while going ahead to even set her up, in order to push a series of libelous threats against her for financial gain, Kate is then forced to look within to save herself from this dark web. Then later, when fate by some stroke of coincidence connects Kate with one of the most eligible men in the nation, she is forced to look within, she must decide whether to let her past overshadow her future or stand her ground for a chance at true happiness.
Chapter 1 KATE'S POV
I was lying curled up on my twin trundle bed when I began to hear my grandfather's voice echoing from the balcony downstairs.
"Kate, honey, could you come join me for a minute? I've made some yummy pancakes," he announced in his typical playful voice.
I rolled lazily from side to side. Wasn't it ten minutes ago that we had some French fries for breakfast?
"They are really good," his voice reverberated again.
"Okay, grandpa," I responded lazily and knowingly.
"Just give me a moment to change."
"Alright, honey," he said.
Grandfather has always been like this, treating me like his little pet. Since my graduation from the university of California and the subsequent employment letter I received a week ago from Murphy's company, this loving, patronizing attitude of his has worsened or, should I say, become much more affectionate. Either way, it sometimes made me feel precious, while other times it just made me sick.
I let out an indulgent smile. Just yesterday, he had tried serenading me to bed like a little toddler.
"James should be the one doing all these grandpa." I had said laughing but he had continued without a care in the world.
I smiled again to myself before stretching out and getting up from the bed.
I ran my hands over the foolscap sheets and three files laying diagonally on my personal table, my laptop beside them with its backlight popping on and off at intervals, fluctuating my Tiger's face screensaver.
My phone vibrated on the desk the next minute, I leaned forwards to check who it was and smiled when I saw that it was the love of my life James.
"Hello Katie..." James voice pierced through the phone
"Hi darling, on your way back now?"
"Almost, If only the frigging roads weren't so choked up."
I let out a quick laugh and said
"Be patient honey, don't forget the Chicken salad, grandpa is about to render my tongue sour with too many fries over here, hope you took my card with you."
"Yeah, staring at it right now."
" Alright, get for yourself too." I said.
"Of course, I wasn't coming to watch you eat." He replied sarcastically.
I laughed again.
"Outta here, you're so unserious." I teased before finally hanging up.
I smiled to myself for a minute as I allowed my thoughts rest on James for a moment.
It was about two years now since he started living with me. And since then,life at the house have become so much more easier for me and grandpa. He helps us run little errands like this with my car round the city without any complain whatsoever.
I loved men with a healthy self esteem. He did not seem to mind that I was doing relatively better than himself, education wise and more recently, career wise. Immediately after my graduation from California state university, luck had shone on me once again as the first job application I made was to one of the biggest
Corporations in California, The popular Murphy Stone's Group. I had applied as an accountant but I had gotten the job of a secretary. Despite all these breakthroughs James had never shown any atom of envy. Perhaps he was this way because of his background as a billionaire's son.
His family was one of the richest families in California, even the founder and CEO of the company I had applied to had a name that resembled James's family name; the Gudamayers. But he had cleared me up that, according to him, they were not related, perhaps he was a distant relative.
James was not particularly a perfect person he had his issues with drugs alcohol and overspending even his billionaire dad had disowned him and sent him away from the house years ago after he was caught so many times squandering company money to fuel his habit.
So it wasn't as if James and I did not have issues because of this, but they were issues I was ready to forgo because of his other positive qualities, particularly his loyalty and faithfulness to what we shared. He has never cheated on me since the five years we started dating. That wasn't something most men could give. Hence I was ready to overlook his little shortcomings, I believed a lot will change about him after our marriage. James was teachable.
I could totally see a future with him, I
Envisaged a perfect marriage with him. A peaceful isolated life inside a small cozy house surrounded by a white picket fence, a pair of kids, alongside a dog and a cat perhaps.
I rubbed my palms over my face and re-read the acceptance letter I had prepared.
"Still feels like a dream," I whispered to myself. I just couldn't believe that I could get so lucky and so quickly too.
On my employment letter, it was stated that I am to resume on Monday. Today was a Saturday. I would be resuming as the new secretary to the CEO of one of the largest, richest multinational corporations in the whole of San Francisco; The popular Murphy Stone. I had never personally met him, like I said earlier, I even assumed he was related to James, because his name was not new to me. The Stones were renowned as a family of billionaires, and the immense wealth they commanded is as ancient as the city itself, inherited across five generations. It was indeed a family of old money.
I stared at the only photo enlargement in my room. The one I had taken standing in a pink nondescript dress at the orchard, with grandfather standing next to me, his arm over my shoulder, a childlike smile plastered on his wise, wizened face."
"I will miss him so much," I muttered again to myself.
By this time next week, I will have to pack out with James completely into the staff housing block located within the company's estate. That was also part of the necessary bureaucracy associated with the job. If not, I would not have minded going to work from here. I am all he's got, and he is all I've got. That's been the constant since my birth. Raised by my grandfather, I was merely three years old when tragedy struck-losing my parents and grandmother in a plane crash.
Grandpa and my nanny, miss Lancelot, had been the only father and mother I know. It must have been difficult for him. I sensed the hardship for a man as sensitive as grandpa I could tell, but for my sake, he had mastered himself and had conquered the trauma so he could give me a life and a shoulder to lean. Why I was still thinking of grandpa a thought suddenly occurred to me. An idea that would help me cope with the guilt I always felt whenever I thought of leaving.
"Yes." I murmured I nodded vigorously.
Chapter 1 KATE'S POV
05/11/2024
Chapter 2 KATE'S POV
05/11/2024
Chapter 3 Murphy's POV
06/11/2024
Chapter 4 Kate's POV
06/11/2024
Chapter 5 Kate's POV
06/11/2024
Chapter 6 Kate's POV
06/11/2024
Chapter 7 Murphy's POV
06/11/2024
Chapter 8 Murphy's POV
06/11/2024
Chapter 9 Kate's POV
06/11/2024
Chapter 10 Kate's POV
06/11/2024
Chapter 11 Kate's POV
06/11/2024
Chapter 12 Kate's POV
06/11/2024
Chapter 13 General POV
06/11/2024
Chapter 14 General POV
06/11/2024
Chapter 15 Kate's POV
06/11/2024
Chapter 16 Kate's POV
09/11/2024
Chapter 17 General POV
09/11/2024
Chapter 18 Kate's POV
09/11/2024
Chapter 19 Kate's POV
09/11/2024
Chapter 20 Kate's POV
09/11/2024
Chapter 21 Kate's POV
09/11/2024
Chapter 22 Murphy's POV
09/11/2024
Chapter 23 Kate's POV
12/11/2024
Chapter 24 Kate's POV
12/11/2024
Chapter 25 Kate's POV
12/11/2024
Chapter 26 Murphy's POV
12/11/2024
Chapter 27 General POV
12/11/2024
Chapter 28 Murphy's POV
12/11/2024
Chapter 29 Murphy's POV
12/11/2024
Chapter 30 Kate's POV
12/11/2024
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