*THE HOLLEN SERIES 02*
👨👩👧👦👨👩👧👦👨👩👧👦EPISODE 36👨👩👧👦👨👩👧👦👨👩👧👦
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*👁🗨 PERSONAL as-sISTANT👁🗨*
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Jasmine’s POV
“Jasmine. JASMINE!” I heard my mother’s
voice calling me. The covers were yanked off
from over me and I felt the coldness of the
room.
“Uuugghh!” I growled like a tiger.
“Jasmine. Get up, baby. You have to go to
work. It’s Monday and it’s alre-ady 7:30 am.”
“I’m not going into work today Mamma,” I said,
sitting up and ru-bbing my eyes from the sleep
still in them.
“Why? Do you have another day off?”
I hadn’t told my mom nor my sister about the
stupid $h!t I did at the gala yet.
“Mom, I quit my job,” I cut to the chase. She
was bound to find out sooner or later, since I
was now a person of interest to the press.
“You did WHAT?” The last word rung out like a
loud bell in my head.
I shielded myself with one of my be-d pillows.
“I quit my job.”
“And why the hell would you do something so
damn stupid?”
She was mad. “Hell” and “damn” were her way
of cussing out someone.
“Mom, I’m really not in a mood for this
discussion. It’s too early.”
“I don’t give a damn what time it is. You better
tell me right now what has gotten into you to
make you do such a stupid thing!”
“Mom!”
“Don’t ‘Mom’ me!”
“He was getting on my nerves and he was
lying to me all along.”
“Who?”
“My boss.”
“I don’t un-derstand.”
“She was involved with her boss,” Zenia bu-tted
in as she walked into my be-droom.
Mom opened her mouth to say something else
but nothing c@m£ out. She turned her gaze
between Zenia and me then she left the room.
“You actually quit?” Zenia asked, picking up
where mom left off.
“Yes! I was heated. I saw him and Jessica
together and I just tripped. He punched br@dley,
I took br@dley’s side, and I quit.” I
summarized. I wasn’t in the mood for going
into all the details. I was feeling sick because
I knew I regretted what I did.
“Jasmine, that was something really stupid you
did. You shouldn’t’ve let your emotions get the
best of you like that. You should’ve just talked
to Evan.”
“Why? He was alre-ady busy with Jessica; and
the fact he hadn’t called me for the entire
weekend, just makes me happier about my
decision. He’s a shell. I’d rather br@dley. At
least I know what to expect from him.”
“You’re going to let that fraction determine your
choice?”
“Zenia! This is my life and not yours, and this
isn’t some fairy tale, princess bull$h!t we used
to re-ad when we were kids! There’s no happily
ever after! You just have to go with the flow
and that’s exactly what I’m doing.” I la-id my
head back down on the pillows.
My phone rang. br@dley’s name flashed on the
screen.
“Hey sweetie,” br@dley spoke.
“Hey. What’s up?”
“Can we hang out today?”
“Sure.”
“I’ll be by at 2:00 p.m.”
“I’ll be re-ady.”
I hadn’t received a call, pri-vate message,
Whatsapp nor a video call from Evan that entire
week and I couldn’t be bothered. I felt happy
with my decision and br@dley and I spent all
week together. He took me shopping, dinner
d@t£s, to the movies and even to the beach.
I was seeing a side to him that I never saw
before. A side that was more loving, caring,
sweet and genuine. People could change. All
you have to do is give them a chance to do
so.
It was alre-ady the weekend. Time goes by so
quic-kly when you’re enjoying life. I was lying in
my be-droom when my phone rang. br@dley’s
name popped up and I smiled almost
immediately. I was slowly, but surely, falling
back into his arms.
“Hey baby,” I answered.
“Who’s this?” I heard a sharp female voice
asking from the other end.
I re-moved the phone from my ear and looked
at the screen. It was, indeed, br@dley’s number.
“This is Jasmine. Who’s this?” I asked back,
matching her tone.
“This is br@dley’s fiancee and his baby
mamma!”
“Mommy, Mommy! Is that Daddy?” a child’s
voice asked in the background.
“No baby. Your father is in the bathroom,” she
said to the child. “Now, you listen to me. I
don’t know who you are or what you want, but
I’ll be damned if you attempt to wreck my
future wedding and my home. I’ve seen enough
text messages between you and him, so I
know I’m not mistaken. Leave my fiance and
my happy home alone! Find your own man you
stupid bit-ch!”
Before I could say a response, she hung up.
I felt something in me fade away. The phone
bounced off the be-d and fell onto the floor.
What the hell have I done?
I cussed and sl@pped myself mentally. I
brou-ght myself to believe in br@dley and
allowed him back into my life, just to know if
he was worthy of another chance, but he was
pla-ying me all along.
Just wait until I see that clown!
A knock c@m£ on the front door. I walked out
the be-droom and peered throu-gh the window. I
noticed an expensive car parked on the
pavement below. My heart skipped several
beats.
Evan is back. I knew he wouldn’t of let me go
so easily.
I opened the door slowly.
“Hello Jasmine. Get dressed. We nee-d to talk.”
“What are you doing here? And how did you
know where I live?”
“I’m a Hollen. Is there anything we don’t
know?” she raised her eyebrow, just like her
brother.
Why is Emily here and what does she want?
Obeying her commands, I got dressed then
followed her outside.
“Why did you quit the job as his as-sistant?”
she asked once we arrived and were seated at
the restaurant of her choice.
“Do I really nee-d to answer that?” I asked her. I
wasn’t about to be intimid@t£d by another
Hollen .
“Yes,” she answered, shortly, sipping on a
glas-s of wine.
“Did he put you up to this?”
“He doesn’t even know I’m here. I heard what
happened so I decided to pay you a visit
myself. I’m not here to pl@ycu-pid , and I don’t
enjoy beating around the bush . My brother
cares about you, Jasmine. I’ve never seen him
act that way with other women.”
“Oh, really? Not even Jessica?”
“Why are you threatened by her so much?
From what I un-derstand, you walked away
because of her.”
“Because he’s still involved with her and he
lied to me about it. He lied to my face, Emily.
I saw her posting pictures in his be-droom with
almost nothing on and I saw them together at
the gala.”
“Evan would never do that to you. I know my
brother.”
I scoffed.
“You know how ungrateful you’re being right
now?” she asked, staring at me. Her eyes were
getting darker too.
Who the fu** are these people?! Vampires?!
“I worked my tail off at Hollen Tower to make
life easier for him. At one point, I had to be
his secretary and his personal as-sistant! I don’t
owe Evan Hollen nothing so I don’t see how
I’m being ungrateful,” I snapped.
“I really thought you were different than the
others Jasmine. I wasn’t expecting you to
embarras-s him at his very own gala for another
man.”
I remained silent. I remembered that phone
call I received from br@dley’s fiancee earlier
and how it made me felt.
“Well that other man pu-ll-ed throu-gh for me in a
time of nee-d. When I had no one and nothing.
He was there. He saved my mom’s life,” I
defended br@dley, for only that one reason.
“How?”
“He paid for my mother’s lung transplant. My
mom was dying. She nee-ded lungs transplant
but I didn’t have the money to do–” I was
explaining before she cut me off.
“Evan didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
“He was the one who made the contribution to
your mother’s lung transplants at the hospital.
He was the one who paid and cleared up all
the other outstanding medical bills. Not
br@dley Pittsburg!”
“WHAT?!”
A few other people in the restaurant turned
towards us for a second or so. A smile c@m£
on Emily’s face.
“You heard me. I don’t like repeating myself,”
she said, having another sip of her wine before
craving into her rib eye steak.
I couldn’t eat. I lost my appetite suddenly. I
felt sick and sicker. My che-st heaved in and
out as I tried to fight the tears away. I didn’t
want to cry in front of her. I just sat there,
watching her finish her food.
“He was the one who made the contribution to
your mother’s lung transplants at the hospital.
He was the one who paid and cleared up all
the other outstanding medical bills. Not
br@dley Pittsburg!”
Her words echoed all over in my head again.
Not br@dley Pittsburg.
_________
*TO BE CONTINUED*