SABRINA'S POV
“Hmm…” I slightly groaned when I felt someone pinching my cheeks. I slowly opened my eyes and Hope’s wide smile greeted me.
“Good morning, Mommy!” Hope energetically greeted me and it was followed by many kisses from her to my cheeks.
“Good morning baby,” I greeted back while standing up. I immediately locked her in my arms and hugged her tightly.
“Mommy, did you go home too late last night?” I heard her ask while I was hugging her.
A slight yawn escaped from my mouth before I answered Hope’s question. “Almost 1 in the morning baby. Your auntie Sheryl should be blamed,” I explained.
“That’s too late. Maybe you should get some sleep again,” Hope politely suggested to me.
“I still have work, baby,” I refused after I saw the time on the clock located on my side table.
“Just take the day off, Mommy,” she suggested again and made cute faces in front of me.
I sighed and gently pinched both of her cheeks, “I am sorry young lady but I have a few things that I have to finish in the office today,” I explained.
Hope’s smile faded as she made her lips long, “ you are becoming a workaholic already, Mommy,” she criticized me, which made me laugh.
“It is for your future,” I told her. “How about this? I will be out early in the office so we can have a dinner date,” I suggested to her.
Hope seemed like thinking about what I said. “Fine,” she could not do anything but agree to what I suggested.
“Thank you, baby,” I said while smiling. I also took the opportunity to mess up her hair.
“Come on Mommy. Let’s go downstairs and eat breakfast. I am so hungry,” Hope remarked and held my hand.
“All right…”
***
“Oh, you look so awful today,” Sheryl commented and laughed after she saw me entering my office.
I jokingly rolled my eyes, then I looked at my secretary who was following me and holding some papers in her hands.
“Good morning, Ma’am,” she politely greeted me. “Here is your schedule for today,” she said and handed me the paper she was holding earlier.
“Thanks,” I replied as I accepted the paper.  “Please make me some coffee,” I added.
My secretary nodded before leaving my office. When she left, I started reading the paper she gave me while walking towards my swivel chair. I just sat down when I noticed something weird on my schedule which made me frown.
“What’s with the snack meeting with Mr. Clinton Cuevas?” My eyebrow raised while asking Sheryl.
“I knew it. You totally forgot about it,” Sheryl stated while laughing. Then, she sat down in the chair parallel to mine.
“Cut all the nonsense, Sheryl,” I authoritatively remarked. My head hurts so much and she is adding more pain to it
“Fine, fine,” she said as she was trying her best to stop laughing. She took her phone out. “I know that if I will just tell you what you did, you might not believe me so I record everything,” she informed me.
I was still frowning and puzzled at what she was saying while she put her phone down on my table and played a recording. The confusion in my mind changed and my eyes automatically widened upon hearing my own voice. Myghad! I was so wasted last night! Argh! Now I know why it hurt so bad when I woke up earlier. 
“De-deal. Snack on me tomorrow…”
My lips parted when I clearly heard my own voice while talking with Clinton. I felt like I lost my strength and could not help but lean on my swivel chair. I also held my temple due to the stress that I am feeling right now.
“And you did not bother to stop me last night?” I asked Sheryl while looking at her with disbelief. Is she truly my friend?!
Sheryl stopped the recording first before she looked at me. “Trust me, I did. But still, you were so wasted last night that you did not listen to me. So yeah, you have a scheduled date today,” she mockingly told me.
I sat properly upon hearing what she said, “just send him food and a thank you card for me,” I instructed her.
“Well…” Sheryl hesitantly said. “You actually can’t do that since everything was prepared already. The resto owner where your meeting with Clinton happened called earlier to confirm if you will attend and I said yes.”
“What?!” I shouted with disbelief. Myghad! Sometimes I really doubted why I had this kind of friend.
“Hear me first, okay?” Sheryl said, trying to convince me.
“I doubt anything you say will change my mind,” I told her and leaned on my swivel chair as I was trying to hear my friend first before I kicked her.
“I bet you will get interested in what I will tell you,” She confidently said. I raised my life eyebrow so she continued what she was saying. “I did some research about this Clinton Cuevas guy to see if he will be a deal on our plans. Then it turns out that he is indeed a great deal because I’ve learned that…”
“Just say it, Sheryl,” I irritably stated because she was intentionally making me wait on what she wanted to say.
Sheryl slightly laughed, so I rolled my eyes. My head really hurts and this girl is adding tension to my temple. Since I got a gut feeling that she would tell me nonsense, I decided to not listen to her anymore. I just opened my laptop and started checking my emails. I was busy reading an email when I heard her speak again.
“Well, Tiffany Hudson…” 
I stopped what I was doing and shifted my attention to Sheryl when I heard the name she mentioned. I looked at her and waited for the next words that would come up on her lips.
“Tiffany Hudson and Clinton Cuevas turn out to be cousins,” she informed me.“His full name is Clinton Hudson Cuevas,” Sheryl added and handed me a folder.
I took it from her hand and started reading what was inside the folder. “He owns 30% shares of the Hudson group of companies,” I unbelievably said.
“Yep, 10% lower to the ownership of Tiffany’s dad on the company. The remaining 30% is for minor shareholders which means that if we succeed in getting the shares of them and Clinton, you will take over the Hudson Group of Companies,” Sheryl explained to me.
I put down the folder I was holding and leaned again to my swivel chair, “but I do not want to involve innocent people in this war, Sheryl,” I hesitantly remarked.
“I know that you will say that because your heart is so good. But, even if you do not do what I suggested, having a connection with him will help you be closer to their world. Plus, you really owe him snacks,” Sheryl spitting facts in front of me.
I could only sigh because of what she said. After all, she was right. “Fine,” I said. “Arrange everything, in a formal way. I do not want him to think that I am interested in him,” I told her with emphasis on the last words I told her. I also intently looked at her with a visible threat. I know how my friend’s mind works. I have to prevent her from doing something that will not be good for me.
Sheryl could not help but laugh because of my reaction. “Why? He looks nice," she complimented Clinton. “Maybe it is the right time for Hope to have a father,” she jokingly added.
“Shut up!” I stated. “You know, just leave here because you are getting on my nerves,” I threatened her.
“All right. I will just go back after I prepared everything for your date with Clin—”
Sheryl did not finish what she was saying and hurriedly ran towards the door when I glared at her and acted like I would be throwing my pen at her. After she closed the door, I just decided to continue doing my work.
***
“Come in,” I shouted without looking at the door when I heard someone knocking harshly on my office’s door.
“Ghad! It is already one in the afternoon and yet you are still so focused on doing your workload,” I heard Sheryl comment which made me slightly look at the time display on my laptop. Oh, it turned out that she was right. I did not notice how time went by since I was too focused on my workload.
“Aish, you have not started preparing for your date…” I gave her a death stare upon hearing what she said, “err I mean meeting with Clinton Cuevas,” Sherly awkwardly laughed afterwards.
“Stop teasing me or you will really need to look for a new friend,” I harshly threatened her. “I will prepare in a bit. I just have to finish this paperwork since I will be on leave tomorrow,” I added.
“Haist! My best friend is a really busy person,” she exclaimed and walked towards the sofa in the corner of my room. She sat down and started scrolling through her phone. At last, my office will be quiet again. “OMG!!!”
“What?!” I hysterically asked when she suddenly shouted. Ghad, I just thought a while ago that I wanted a peaceful time here in my office.
“Well. Tiffany, the witch, just released a statement about the similarities of the designs of her gown to yours,” Sheryl informed me which raised my eyebrow. “She even called you low class because you imitate her,” she added with disbelief.
“As expected,” I remarked. “You know what to do,” I said and looked at her. Of course, I prepared myself for all the harsh statements that Tiffany could come up with. Too bad for her, I did not go to this war empty-handed.
“Ma’am…” Sheryl and I looked at where my secretary was when she suddenly spoke.
“Yes?” I asked.
“Ma’am, I apologize for interrupting your conversation with Ma’am Sheryl, but someone is waiting outside to visit you,” she explained.
I frowned because of what she said. “I checked the schedule that you gave me earlier. I did not see any appointment meeting with someone today according to that,” I stated.
“Ahm, yes, Ma’am. He actually doesn't have an appointment but he kept on insisting that he have something to discuss with you,” my secretary politely remarked. Sherly and I exchanged looks with confusion in our eyes. Who could it be?!
“Just let him enter,” I said.
My secretary nodded before she went out of my office. I used that time to hurriedly look at my reflection in the mirror located on the corner of my table. Of course, as a business owner, I should be presentable at all times. After a while, the door opened again and my secretary entered. She was followed by an unexpected visitor.
“Good afternoon…”
TO BE CONTINUED!