Echoes of Hidden Secrets

Andrew sat at his sleek, glass-topped desk in his high-rise office, engrossed in a phone call with his lawyer.

"Andrew, there's something important I need to inform you about." The lawyer's urgent tone matched the gravity of the news he was delivering.

A sudden uproar echoed from the street below the company's building, breaking Andrew's concentration.

"Hello, are you listening to me, Andrew? This is important! The lawyer said he was worried.

But Andrew's attention was fixed on the uproar outside his office window. He glanced out the window to see what was causing the commotion.

A young woman, Lily, narrowly escaped being hit by a speeding car.

"Hey, young woman, watch it!" The driver yelled at her furiously.

But all Lily could manage was a quiet apology before she resumed murmuring to herself, "You will be alright, mother. I can't lose you too."

Andrew's attention was momentarily captivated by Lily's beauty and the aura of determination surrounding her, but his focus snapped back to the phone call as his lawyer continued urgently.

"Andrew, I need you to focus," the lawyer insisted, his tone grave. "Guess who is back in town and heading straight to your company?"

Lily hurriedly walked into the seven-story building and headed towards the elevator. She pressed the elevator button, and it opened. She stepped in, holding tightly to her chest a blue office file containing her credentials.

Her feet grew cold. She kept murmuring something to herself. And just before the elevator's door closes, a red Gucci high-heeled shoe prevents the door from closing.

A tall, curvy figure walked in. "Hello," the woman greeted.

"Hi," Lily answered.

And the elevator gave a beep sound as it moved upwards towards the floor number Lily pressed.

"I will be out of town next week," Andrew said firmly over the phone, but with a sad voice, to his lawyer.

"Well, I think we need to see to discuss this in person," the lawyer said.

"Her presence will cause great trouble for you and your company. You know how dangerous she can be, right?" He added.

A little while ago, there was a little argument right outside Andrew's office.

"Sorry, ma'am, you can't go in." The secretary said to prevent the visitor from opening the door.

"I have every right to go in there," the visitor said, pointing towards Andrew's office.

"Now, if you will excuse me young lady" said the visitor as walk away and move towards Andrew's office.

Andrew's pulse quickened with apprehension as he processed the lawyer's words. He knew all too well the implications of the impending arrival. With a sense of foreboding, he turned towards the door, his eyes widening in disbelief as it swung open to reveal an unexpected visitor.

It wasn't Lily. A lady dressed in a red gown walked into Andrew's office full of confidence.

"What are you doing here, Victoria?" Andrew asked surprisingly, yet his eyes couldn't hide the dislike in his mind.

"Well, aren't you happy to see me?" Victoria replied while smiling mischievously at Andrew.

She added, "It's been a long three years since I set my eyes on you. So. I am back in town to see who is doing well for himself," she concluded, scanning the office with astonishing eyes.

"After all the years of..." He couldn't finish his sentence before he was interrupted.

"Aren't you going to ask me to sit down? Andrew!" Victoria interrupted.

Andrew pointed to the soft, sleek armchair opposite him, indicating Victoria to have a seat.

"We need to talk," Victoria sounded out.

But Andrew doesn't seem interested in whatever she has to say. Right after Andrew sat down on his chair, Victoria lean forward towards him and whisper something to him, which made Andrew open his eyes wide in shocked, his face full of confusion.

Andrew kept looking at Victoria with dislike and thought silently to himself, "How can you be so cruel towards me and your family, yet you have the guts to show your face here?"

Andrew thought of the years of maltreatment and no love from his ex-wife.

"Is she back because I am now a billionaire?" Andrew kept thinking about what Victoria's intentions were for coming back.

"See you around, Andrew," Victoria said as she stood up to walk away.

Victoria walked out of the office and gave Andrew a crook smile.

Andrew picked up his phone and dialed his lawyer's mobile number.

"We need to talk now. Let's meet at the coffee shop by 4 p.m.," Andrew suggested to his lawyer and dropped the call.

A knock echoed through his office again. Andrew's heart skipped a beat as he gave a sharp look towards the door.

"What does she want again?" Andrew muttered saliently.

But this time around, it wasn't Victoria. It was Lily.

"Can I come in?" Lily asked, leaning in a bit into the space of the open door.

"Yes, come in," Andrew permitted, looking surprised to see Lily, whom he had kept his gaze on a few minutes ago outside his office window.

Lily walked in and stood some meters away from the desk. She seems quite cold and worried, but composed.

"Please have a seat," Andrew said to Lily while pointing towards the chair.

"Thank you, sir," Lily gently sat on the chair.

"So what can I do for you, young lady?" Andrew asked.

"My name is Lily, and I am here to apply for a job in your company." Lily pushed forward her credentials towards Andrew for a review.

Andrew glanced through the colored papers and nodded his head in acceptance and agreement.

"I can see you have good qualifications here, but you lack working experience," Andrew said to Lily.

"Actually, sir, I can..."

"That's it; we currently don't have any vacant positions for now," Andrew interrupted Lily.

"Maybe some other time," he added.

"Please, sir, I can do any kind of job, even if it is to clean your desk and serve you coffee every morning," Lily pleaded with a dim voice.

Andrew gave her a gentle smile. He sensed the distress in her and could see the worry all over her face.

"I am sorry, but there's nothing I can do for you. However, I will try as much to keep your contact details. I may likely reach out to you some other time," said Andrew.

Lily sighed heavily and stood up with tears filling her eyes, trying to walk away from the office. The critical condition of her mother's health, who is battling with brain cancer, flashes right in front of her eyes.

She tried to hide her tears and pain from the man who couldn't help her when she was in need of the job now.

At exactly 4 p.m. Andrew and his lawyer met at the coffee shop to have some conversation. They sat inside as the waiter took their order.

"Victoria came to my office today," Andrew said while looking at the bubbling street through the window from the coffee shop.

"Well, I was trying to inform you in the morning," said the lawyer.

"She came by my office this morning and said she wanted to be with her son. Your son," he added.

Andrew's eyebrows rose quickly as he looked at his lawyer, shocked.

"What did you just say?" Andrew asked. "Why, what exactly does she want? After abandoning me and our child and filing for divorce, He fervently spit out his frustration.

"What do you want to do now, Andrew?" the lawyer asked.

"She is threatening to take the case to court to be the right custodian of your child."

"And I believe she has some ulterior motive," the lawyer added.

"However, there is a way to solve this and,... the lawyer said while looking at Andrew with an assuring face.

"Stop her from winning the case."

Andrew leans forward to his lawyer and asks,

"What way is that?"

"Contract marriage," said the lawyer, leaning towards Andrew too.

The waiter returned with their order and dropped the cups of coffee on the table.

"Thank you," the lawyer said, tipping off the waiter.

The waiter walked away while Andrew lean forward to the table like someone who is trying to whisper something secretive to the person in front of him.

"What? No, no, no," Andrew leaned back and rejected the idea instantly.

"Well, do you have any better ideas?" The lawyer asked while sipping his coffee.

Andrew gave his lawyer a blank stare, but his eyes showed signs of approval.

Andrew thought about the future of his child and that of his company. He has to do all he can to be the custodian of his child. And the only way to win the court case over his ex-wife is to have a contract marriage.

But with whom?

At exactly 8:45 p.m., in his penthouse. Andrew picked up his phone and dialed the numbers. It rang, and a female voice answered, "Hello, who is speaking?"

"Be in my office at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow," Andrew said sharply and hung up the phone. Andrew sighed deeply as he sipped his wine, thinking of the new challenge he was about to face the following day.