"Good morning, sleepyhead." I yawned and looked to my left, where the voice came from. Harlyn was standing in the kitchen with a knife in his hands, an apron around his body and was dancing to "Counting Stars" by One Republic. 

I asked the obvious question, "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" he asked rhetorically. "I'm making breakfast." He swayed across to the refrigerator and opened it, taking out milk and cheese then closing it with one of his foot. 

  "Hmmm...Are you okay? You seem a bit off." I frowned at his unusual behaviour. This was not the Harlyn Hope I was used to. I've never seen him like this before. His current attitude was completely new to me. He was happy, very happy. 

He laughed, "I'm always like this; you just didn't know it."

"Why are you so happy?" I questioned with my eyebrows raised.

"I'm cooking. You can't be sad and cook; the food will never taste good." He answered with a smile. He walked over to his phone and turned down the music. 

There was something about seeing Harlyn happy that was unusual to me. It just didn't fit the profile that I've built around him for the past two years. He was a ruthless and selfish jerk who always had a smirk on his face. Yet, this morning, he was smiling, dancing and cooking. Things that I've never associated with Harlyn Hope. 

 I walked over to the stool around the island and took a seat. This wasn't a scene to miss. 

I watched as he took up eggs and break them in a bowl. 

"How was your sleep?" he asked with his attention on the eggs. 

"It was okay." It was more than okay. The bed sheets were made of rich silk, and the mattress was just as comfy. Last night was the first time in a while that I really enjoyed my sleep. I went to bed not worrying about work, something that I never do. 

"How was your sleep?" I repeated for conversation sake. 

"Amazing." he turned to me with a bowl and a whisk in his hands. "What would you like to do today?"

I frowned at him. "Didn't you say that we're gonna work?" Wasn't the honeymoon just for appearance sake?

He turned from his task and look at me, "We are in Maui for two weeks. We can enjoy the island during the days and work at nights."

  "Don't you still have a company to run? How can you be talking about enjoying the island?" I just didn't make much sense to me. How can you enjoy yourself and run a business at the same time? 

 I worked for my father for three years after college then I left to start my own business two years ago. Ever since I became an entrepreneur, I barely had time for fun, and my business was small compared to Harlyn's. 

"You can't own a business without knowing how to delegate. I've left the necessary persons in charge. If there is an emergency, they have my number. I own a  software company as long as I have my laptop and internet, I'm good. " he turned back to the eggs. "You were excited when I mentioned Maui to you the night of the engagement."

I shrugged, "I've seen pictures. It's a beautiful island. I never really thought much about it beyond that." How could I? My business has always been my main priority. 

He lifted the bowl of eggs, and a whisk then turned to me. "Frankly, you're a great entrepreneur, but I think you work too much. Lighten up; your business won't go up in flames if you're not there for two weeks." He started whisking the eggs. I was tempted to ask him what he was planning on cooking, but I didn't want to stray from the current conversation. I needed to know what his plans were. 

"It's just.." I sighed. "I'm used to being there telling everyone what to do. There were only ten persons on my team, and I trusted them all immensely, but I don't think they can function without me. They might get lost."

"No one likes a commanding boss," he stated as he whisked. 

I frowned, "That's the meaning of being a boss. You tell persons what to, and they do it. Don't tell me you don't command your workers."

"We are a technology company. I listen to my workers rather than tell them what to do. I wouldn't have hired them if they weren't capable of doing their jobs. The only person I command is my assistant, and that's for obvious reasons. I'm a nice boss." he turned his back to me once more, then poured milk in the mixture of eggs.

 I frowned at the combination but responded to his statement.  "If you're a nice boss, then why does everyone think you're ruthless and dislikes you?"

He turned around chuckling while whisking. "The only persons who think that are persons who are influenced by my brother."

I rolled my eyes. "You were mean to me for two years." 

He nodded, "You were my brother's girlfriend for two years."

"Fake girlfriend." I corrected him. "Joesph and I were never really together. It was just business." There was no reason to hide the truth now. Joesph was no longer my friend or business partner. 

"Do you kiss everyone you do business with?"

I rolled my eyes, "The public had to believe we were a great match." The kisses were barely even intimate. Nothing compared to Harlyn's kisses. 

"Hmm.." he murmured unbelievingly. 

I sighed, "Do you really think if we were a real couple, I'd let him cheat constantly?" I wasn't going to have sex with him so he might as well enjoy it with persons who would. 

"Love makes people do crazy things." He turned his back to me again. This time he placed chopped onions, peppers and some other things in the mixture. 

"I've never been in love and definitely not with Joesph. We were friends." I've never been the lovely dove type, and not many persons found me attractive either. Harlyn was the closest thing I've had to a real relationship, and it's because we're not only married, but we've kissed a few times. 

"If you were just good friends, why did you break the fake engagement?" Why was it so hard for Harlyn to believe that Joesph and I were never really a thing?

"I guess I had enough. He was publicly cheating, made me look like a fool. Of course, I ignored it because it never bothered me until he started sleeping with my cousin, Claire" Claire was too young to be mixed up in a relationship with Joesph. It didn't sit well with me that he'd start sleeping with my 20-year-old cousin. "And to put the icing on the cake, the jerk had the audacity to take credit for the successful turnover of Ricken Foundations." 

"He seems pretty upset about you breaking the engagement." Harlyn moved to placed the frying pot on the stove and turned it on. 

I shrugged, "He's upset because he lost the chance to merge two successful business family. The Hopes and The Monas. Why do you think my father never came to the wedding? He wanted me to marry Joesph because he knows that your father will leave most of the shares to him." I really thought that my parents didn't care about how I marry but they did. 

"That's not exactly true."

"Joesph is waiting to take over when your father retires." It was no secret that Joesph is the future CEO of Hope Corporations. 

  "Yes and he will, but he is but doesn't mean he'll get most of the shares in the company. The shares will be divided equally." I figured the shares would have been divided equally among Christopher's two sons, but I also figured that Harlyn might sell out his shares to his brother when the time came.

"You don't want anything to do with your father's business. Isn't that why you started your own?"

  "It's not my type of business. I like making software and programming. I would have never been happy if I took over my father's business, and he knew that. That's why Joesph works so closely with dad. He's like it, and so do you." He was right. Joesph and I love loved buying small businesses and turning them into millionaire companies. That's why we became friends. We loved trading and acquisitions. 

Harlyn continued, "Don't get me wrong, although I have no interest in being a part of the company, it's a good company to have shares in. I've seen the profit markup, and it's amazing." Harlyn had his own business, yet he also manages to have shares in at least twenty other business. I'm not sure how he managed so much pressure, but he did it well. 

Harlyn took up the oil off the container and poured it in the hot frying pan. "I hope you like Omelettes."

I did, but I've never seen anyone make Omelette as he did before. I kind of want to try it, and I kind of don't, at the same time. Since he's made so much effort, I might as well eat it. "Omelette is good, thanks."

Harlyn poured his mixture in the pot and took up a spatula.

"How do you feel about cheese?" he asked. 

"I love cheese," I answered honestly. 

 I watched silently as he gently placed two slices of cheese on the now solid mixture. He separated the mixture into two parts then add love slice of cheese on each. When the cheese was melt, he lightly lifted one side and placed it on the other. He did that for both omelettes; then he flipped them. 

"Coffee, tea or orange juice?"

"Coffee." 

Harlyn moved away from the stove and went over to the coffee maker.  He lifted the brewed coffee and placed it into two cups. He lifted the cups and put one in front of me. 

"Sugar, Milk or Cream?" 

"Sugar and Cream." 

He opened the cupboard, took out the sugar and cream and place them in front of me with a small spoon. He went back to the omelettes turning off the stove. 

He lifted the omelettes and placed each on a plate. He put one plate in front of me and the other beside me. He then walked around the island and took a seat next to me. 

I lifted his eyes to me, "What are you waiting for? Eat!"

Harlyn Hope cooked and served me breakfast!

The world must be coming to an end.

He lifted his fork and took a bit from his omelette. "See. I'm not trying to poison you."

I smiled then lifted my fork. I cut off a small piece then brought it to my mouth. The Omelette was flavoursome. I could taste the seasons, peppers and the cheese. 

Unintentionally, I moaned while chewing. When I noticed what I had done,  I covered my mouth with my free hand ashamed. 

I looked at Harlyn, who had a grin on his face. 

"It tastes great." I admitted, "You're a good cook."

He smirked, "That's not the only thing I'm good at."

......

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