Although she had talked to her mother and confirmed that she was fine, sleep left her eyes for the night. She kept thinking about who could be responsible for the incident that had happened to her mom but couldn’t pinpoint anyone, she finally had to rule it out as a coincidence when Josie’s call came through.
“Hello Amber, is something going on with you? Someone is going around gathering information about you from the secretary forum. They said they are your old classmate but it seemed suspicious because they could easily contact you at Shellhouse, I just wanted to inform you in case something is indeed wrong” she revealed and it dawned on her that there was no way the incident was a coincidence, someone is surely involved but who exactly it was is the puzzle she couldn’t put together.
***
Amber’s mother was still confused about Tom’s presence but was more confused when he revealed himself to be her boss from work. He had always heard her talk about her boss once in a while but she had never seen him and he coming over in place of Amber was something she didn’t get.
“Where is Amber? Why is she not here?” she questioned, trying not to ask him why he was there directly. “She’s on an official business and I am here in her place. You don’t need to be afraid” he responded and she sighed in relief.
“She will be back tomorrow so she will come over then” he added and she nodded before resting her back. “What of the room? This is too expensive for us, I will like to go back to my former ward” she protested but he only smiled.
“You don’t need to worry about the bills, it has been settled. Miss Amber has been of great help to me and the company so this is a way to compensate for her hard work. You should comfortably enjoy it without any fear or worries” he explained sweetly.
She could not believe that she was getting an upgraded treatment thanks to her daughter’s boss. She was sure Amber was not the only staff working hard, the CEO wouldn’t be going around helping everyone so there is definitely more to this but she just kept quiet, it would be rude to question him nonstop.
“Thank you for your help” she finally said with tears moving to her eyes, she was definitely thankful to him for saving her life, he had intervened and made it possible for her to live comfortably in the hospital too.
The general ward was like a headache to her health but who was she to complain? Her daughter was already strained thanks to the hefty bill and she would only be a devilish mother if she were to complain because she knew Amber would do everything to move her to a ward like this.
“Since I am fine, you can take your leave. It is late already” she motioned to him and he took his leave after confirming from the nurse that she was indeed fine.
****
Amber flew in to Chicago the next day and found Tom waiting for her at the airport. She was not expecting him to be there to pick her up but she happily hopped into the car.
“Thank you for representing us well” he complimented her and she wondered why he used that choice of words.
“Us? Or you?” she questioned.
“I already told you that you are me and I am you. We are now together so it is no longer one person. We have a long way to go because this is just the first step, we should be on the same page now” he explained and her heart fluttered. The words were sweet and assuring to her ears, making her blush uncontrollably.
“This is heartwarming to hear” she remarked before telling him that she would like to drop by at the hospital before heading home.
He gladly drove her to the hospital where she ran to meet her mother in her new room. She burst into tears as she hugged her but her mother petted her to calm down instead of crying like a baby.
“I am fine, why are you crying again?” she scolded her playfully but she only enveloped her into a tight hug until she released a groan to signify pain. “Are you okay?” she asked with a scared face and her mother clutched her hand to chest, “I will continue to be okay if you don’t kill me with your hug first” she remarked and they all laughed at her statement.
She only noticed the change of room and all when she calmed down. She was not sure why her mother was transferred to a room that was expensive. “There must be a mix up somewhere, I will tell the nurses to move you back to the former ward. We cannot afford this place” she stated and was about going out when he stopped her from going.
“You don’t need to change the room, I was the one that ordered for her to be transferred here” he revealed to her surprise.
“Why? I cannot let you spend so much money, I will be in debt” she countered and he held unto her shoulders.
“You seems to be taking what I told you lightly. When I told you that it has turned to “us”, I meant we are one in everything now. We will be one in every situation so what debt are you talking about? This is me fulfilling my own part” he argued but she was not sure if she should receive such a huge offer.
He could sense the feeling of doubts and fear of the favor being too grand for her in her eyes so he pulled her into a sudden hug. “It is okay to lean on people, we have a relationship for a reason. You have been a source of strength to me so it is time for me to be a source of strength too. I really want you to accept my gesture” he slowly whispered to her ears and she could feel her cheeks soak in tears.
It was unexpected!
No one have ever extended their hands to her no matter what she was going through. She had always maintained her coolheaded nature in order to avoid being a subject of pity but she was actually hurting all these while.
In just a span of months, many things had happened to her. She had her up and down moments. Was it how she was deceived by her roommate and boyfriend? She also lost her job due to a slight mistake but thankfully she got it back. It felt as if her life is now back on track but she still couldn’t escape the feeling of guilt that she will be caught one day posing as someone else.
She just decided to enjoy the moment and tackle whatever comes on after, she will live in this moment to recover all the joys she had lost. She rested her head in submission on his shoulder and he gave her a few pat while her mother only grinned at the lovely site in front of her.
She was right after all, there is something special going on.
Amber stayed with her for a little while and eventually left when her mother kept complaining about how her presence was inconveniencing her even though the sole reason she was being that way because she wanted them to both spend time together instead of being in the room with her.
He drove her home and told her to have a lot of rest before coming to work the next day because she insisted on coming when he suggested that she should take a day off. She didn’t want to get people talking about the preferential treatment or badmouthing him.
She got home to see that Emily had packed away from home, she got slightly worried about where she could be but when she got a text from Jessica telling her that she was with her, she stopped worrying and just decided to forget about it.
“It is for the better” she muttered to herself as she slept off.
****
A cab pulled off in front of a classy restaurant and Eddy alighted to see Joseph’s secretary waiting for him at the entrance. He followed him to a room where Joseph was waiting for him and he was ushered in.
He was contacted by Joseph beforehand and the meeting between them was scheduled when he agreed to meet with him. He knew who he was and knew he’s a brother Tom so there was no need for another round of introduction.
“Welcome Mr. Eddy, thank you for honoring my invitation” he greeted with a smile and extended his hand for a shake which Eddy took immediately. He pointed to the empty seat in front of him, “Have your seat please” he ushered and Eddy took his seat.
The table was filled with delicacies of different types, the aroma of the food was already making him salivate but it would be rude of him to just dig in.
“Why do you ask to see me? Is there any problem?” he questioned and Joseph laughed. “There is no problem, I just wanted to meet with the man my brother’s secretary left in order to date him and here you are” he answered and Eddy slammed his hand on the table in anger.
“I said it! That bitch was dating her boss! And she had the audacity to get angry at me? What a joke” he growled and Joseph gave an evil smirk, he had successfully got him agitated.