Every member of the Meyer family alighted from the luxurious car in front of their mansion after the party in the same way they went, and they all sauntered into the living room silently with so much silence that was stifled with heavy tension, through the grand double doors of their opulent mansion which swung open.
The family's footsteps echoed on the marble floors with their heels and shoes clicking rhythmically, with the force under their feet evident as they made their way in, each stride a confirmation of the restless anger coursing through their veins."Do you all believe what you just witnessed at that banquet?!" Ivy, who never took her time to speak her mind among everyone in the family, suddenly lashed out as soon as they all got to the living room."Is it even possible for someone to suddenly change within two weeks, and go from being a wretched lady from the countryside to the heiress to the Sinclair wealth?! Can you even comprehend the possibility?!" She continued with a huge frown, as she stormed her feet on the ground and held her temples with her hand, which was a way of coping with the headache that was threatening to split her head open."Malcolm, did you have any idea of this? I thought grandfather said she was his childhood friend's grandchild. How is she suddenly a part of the Sinclair family?" Isla turned to question her brother calmly regardless of repressed fury that was threatening to gnaw her from within, because she knew he was the only one that could have an answer to that question.The shocking revelation that unfolded before them at the banquet hall was too much to not talk about.However, Malcolm didn't answer Isla. He said nothing to his family either. He had a lot on his mind and he was contemplating heavily on what to do next."Did you guys see her dress? It cost millions and it is a limited edition. It is freaking expensive that you have to travel to Italy to purchase it only with connections to the brand owner!" Audrey almost lost herself as she marvelled in awe at the dazzling dress, which was the most stunning part of suddenly seeing Zoe stand before them.However, Ivy's scrutinizing eyes which turned to her direction shut her up instantly as she smiled awkwardly. She was talking out of context in the heat of a serious moment, and it could make everyone more mad than they already were."I mean, she walked past us like she wasn't scrubbing our floors just until recently. She acted pridefully like she didn't know us at all. Am I about to lose my mind here in oblivion to this crazy encounter of Zoe as a heiress?!" Irina, the matriarch of the family who was usually poised and composed, finally lashed out angrily, her gaze burning with an intensity that could scorch the earth. It was hard for her to believe no matter how hard she tried to think of it."Calm down, Mum. You shouldn't stress out yourself too much," Isla cautioned her mother when she noticed that she started coughing after her lash-out, because Irina, was on hypertensive pills and could not afford to have something to stress her out."Maybe that was why she rejected the alimony? I mean, how did someone who grew up with her grandmother suddenly become Sinclair's only granddaughter?" Ivy questioned no one in particular again, as she tapped her feet anxiously on the floor at the recollection of how her eyes met directly with Zoe's at the ball, and how she was brutally murdered by her fiery gaze."I said that it could be some kind of action-packed revenge-related series. Do you think she might come back for us? With her grandfather to punish everyone here for making only her do the chores?" Aaron turned to ask his Mum without minding the rage that was flying in the room at that moment, and the jocular Mum was fast enough to clamp her palm over his mouth. She sent him aggressively to his room instantly.A hush settled into the room as everyone seemed to have lashed out all their might even if they had no one to answer, and were all waiting for Malcolm to say something regarding the case. However, he said nothing, and didn't even meet their faces. He just sauntered out of their sight as soon as he took out his phone to make a call, leaving them to their restlessness and cluelessness. That was all for the day.The night ended with the members of the Meyers privy to the truth behind Zoe's sudden rise in power and wealth, and it left them with bloodshot eyes the next morning which told tales of sleep deprivation that left imprints on their faces.They were antsy all night!……•••>>>•••……Malcolm didn't allow his confusion to get the best of him in front of his family, and maintained his usual stoic and cold expression as he walked out of their sight without any answers for them. Immediately he entered his room, he phoned Edward instantly to get him moving that night, on finding the information about how Zoe was related to the Sinclairs.By the next morning, he had his answers."Francis Sinclair is her paternal grandfather?" He asked with a loop that suddenly formed an apprehension against his throat, as he mentioned those unimaginable words even if he was questioning no one in particular.Finding out that the only possibility of what happened at the ball party that he thought of all night was actually true, was rather too much to wrap his head around no matter how positively he tried to think of it.'Never in his life had he been caught unguarded by the news before. Never in his entire life had he been in the dark about something so trivial before.''But since he never cared about the wife that he married for business sake, he would not have the need to know anything about her either. Besides, no one knew Emily, Zoe's mother, had a child for the son of such a powerful man like Francis.'"Is this news confirmed and accurate?" He asked his assistant curtly who nodded instantly."Yes sir. She has been seen going on a few trips with him in his private jet, and the news is all over the press this morning to confirm the legitimization of it. Everyone is totally shocked too by the news, and even his board of shareholders. They didn't expect him to have someone like that as his next-generation inheritor," Edward explained everything to his boss in detail, even though he was also taken aback when he realized the new identity of his boss' ex-wife.He knew things were just about to get crazier with the new turn that had switched Zoe's position, after suffering so much physical, mental, and emotional abuse from the Meyers. He wondered what the illustrious billionaire would do next.Malcolm's lips twisted into her smirk as he began to think calculatively and smartly, of what he could do to make things not as hard as it might seem. Though his family had unprecedented power in the economic and political business, working with the Sinclairs would have gained them more power and territory. Especially, if it became known that he was the husband to the new heiress of the corporation.His position would be unmatched!But sadly, they just divorced two weeks ago."Have our divorce papers been registered?" Malcolm asked Edward instantly as soon as the next possible question occurred to him."We were out of the country throughout last week, so I was only chanced to submit it for processing this week," Edward answered instantly, as he stood so rigidly in front of his boss, trying to think of the possible idea that could be going on in his smart brain.'Maybe something absurd?'"Find out immediately, and stop it if it has not been processed. Now!" Malcolm ordered sharply.In the hushed ambiance of the standard luxurious suite where soft rays of blocked sunlight filtered through the deluxe curtains into the room, Zoe lay in a peaceful repose on the plush bed, sprawled tiredly on every part of the bed. The soft sheets cradled her body into a gentle sensation of warmth and comfort, with her head buried into the huge pillows that decorated the bed in an opulent decor. And for hours since dawn, her eyes had been wide open and staring at the white ceiling. She couldn't sleep further no matter how she tried. The distant hum of the air conditioner was the only thing that she could hear in the deep silence that settled in her room, and it wasn't like the way she had lived her life in the past two years with constant buzziness. She tossed endlessly to the other side of her bed and shut her eyes tightly to find some sleep, but nothing was helping matters even if she tried and wished. Her sleeping pattern had become haphazard ever since she got married to Malco
Though Zoe had planned the day to take a peace check and go out to have fun by herself, Francis Sinclair had called unexpectedly and demanded a brief audience from her as soon as she was about to leave the spa. She strode elegantly out of the spa a few minutes after Audrey and Ivy had seen her, leaving them aghast and battered by intense guilt and fear of the most unexpected thing that could happen to them. The feeling of having to see them shocked beyond their bones at the sight of her, made a satisfactory smirk cross her lips as she sat back in the car that drove her away from the building. But first, that was the most basic because it was an encounter she least expected. Dealing with her grandfather, whom she just got to familiarize with for lunch, was another hassle. The old man was too obnoxious and unnecessary. "You are late," Francis pointed out as Zoe sauntered in and took her seat elegantly in the chair opposite him. "I'm sorry for that. My location was quite far when y
"Are you joking now?! I cannot enter here because someone has booked the mall for two hours?!" Dafne Brown raged angrily, as she stood in front of one of the largest malls in the city to be the first to get the limited edition heels that just came in that afternoon. She couldn't believe that she would be treated in that manner, just because of some simpleton that wanted to show off their wealth. 'Who was the person?!'Zoe was still contemplating what to buy amongst the numerous designer heels that she was looking at, when she heard the loud voice raging from the grand door that led to the section. As soon as she was about to turn her eyes away, she watched some tall lady force her way classlessly into the room. "Who are you and what gives you the right to close up this store as you please?!" She frained imperiously, as her eyes shot out lasers of dagger towards Zoe's direction. Zoe turned her eyes to look at the person talking, and it turned out to be the person who humiliated her
On seeing the most unexpected man about to enter the elevator that Zoe was just coming out of, time seemed to slow down as their gazes met, and at that moment, memories both bitter and sweet flooded her mind. Her eyes, which were once filled with love and vulnerability, held a glint of restrained fury, with every fibre of her yearning to unleash the pent-up frustration and resentment in her. But she remained composed with a stoic expression, hiding the tempest of emotions raging within her as confidence surged from nowhere in her body. Not knowing how to react to such an infuriating situation of suddenly seeing him, she decided to ignore him the same way they always did even when they were living together. 'Afterall. They rarely spoke to one another in the past.' "People are looking around desperately to see you make a mistake and put it out for the whole world to see," she remembered Francis' words to her. She didn't even need the words anyway. She already knew that she could n
A black, sleek car glided to a graceful halt in front of the huge ANCLAIR corporation, and the bustling reporters that were hanging around all day for the entrance immediately swarmed around, their cameras flashing brightly in anticipation to capture the sight of the lady they were waiting for. She was nervous about facing such a spotlight which she had never had the chance to ever be in her life. It felt so overwhelming to know that she, who was always someone of no significance to other people, was being sorted by many. Gary had told her that there had been so many emails being sent to the CEO's seat to those that had private email for the CEO's table, ever since her being named the heiress. The chauffeur that had gone to pick her up that morning in a different car, stepped out of the car, and walked up to the right side of the car where Zoe was sitting. He opened the door to prepare her for what was next. "Ready, ma'am?" He asked her, blocking the bright flashes of the camera fro
"Should we just release the news about how she was treated here? Tell the truth that she's been hired by Francis Sinclair and that her family lives in the poor countryside," Ivy blurted out suddenly, the moment she thought of what they could do to have Zoe wrapped around their fingers. They were eating breakfast at their private dining, and it was just the same old lame food they had to manage after hiring numerous chefs in just two weeks. The taste of the food had never been the same, and the service could never be the same either, if they wanted to have breakfast at their usual early hours. Most times, Audrey had to agree to eat the same food as Ivy, while Irina and Isla ate the same meal. Aaron had no choice but to eat whatever he was served too, and had to wear his clothes regardless of how the maids had ironed them. He didn't like the new way of things, and he missed Zoe's way of doing his things so much, even if he could never speak of it. "We would just say she was a maid, no
Zoe was standing on the balcony of her new-storey apartment leaning against the intricately carved railing, as she stared at the beautiful surroundings of her new home. The gentle morning breeze swirled through her flowing gown and her silky hair, as she tilted a cup of sizzling coffee to her lips and drank from it. A mischievous smirk suddenly tugged at the corners of her lips in satisfaction, as she recalled what happened at the party the previous night, and her mind replayed the events like a well-choreographed play while she revelled in the sweet taste of victory."Do I know you?" She asked Sasha, when she demanded what she was doing at the party, to recognize her as the daughter-in-law in the home of Meyers. Realizing that things might go wrong with her lips, she decided to deny her to the extent that she would question her sanity. "What…. What?" Sasha stuttered confusedly at the lady standing before her, wondering if she had too much champagne to drink and had seen the lady sta
The mood at the Meyers seemed more vibrant than usual, as they arrived to sit around the dining table to have breakfast at their usual hours. However, rather than the normal full table with different varieties of dishes, the food was served with minimalism according to the breakfast theme which was planned by their newest chef. They seemed to be in a good mood regardless of whatever preference they had in mind, because they had also seen the news that aired early that morning, and how it attacked Zoe as the heiress to ANCLAIR corporation. There was anticipation in the air as they all tried to settle down first, before taking time to tear her into pieces with their words. "I'm so glad! Seems like we are not the only ones trying to pull her down, and bring the truth about her to light," Audrey finally broke the silence as soon as she served Irina's food, which had been her job to do ever since Zoe left. "It was the most shocking news that popped into my notification this morning. Tha
What?” his eyes widened in surprise. “You ruined me,” she repeated, her voice breaking the more it felt like someone had physically ripped her heart out, “You don’t even know what you’ve done. You…” She couldn’t finish, the sobs wracking her body too powerful as she fell to her knees again, the sound of her sobs cutting through the stillness of the late evening. “Do you know I can never be happy no matter how hard I try?” She continued, as she shook violently as if her soul had split open.Malcolm's face became frozen with pity and anguish as he watched Zoe break down before him, in a way he had not seen in a very long time. His heart ached so much when he watched her so broken, as he instantly squatted beside her. “What is wrong?” His voice trembled with pain, as he reached out to her tentatively, his hands fearing that she might not like that he touched her, “Please, Zo,” he beckoned, “Talk to me.”Suddenly, as if compelled by those few words, Zoe raised her face to meet his eyes
Zoe returned the same day after the most traumatic news from Emily hit her, and was barely in her mind when she boarded the plane back to California. Instead of calling Zara to meet her at the airport on arrival with a chauffeur as planned, she boarded a cab instead and arrived at the estate very late that evening. As soon as it dropped her off in front of her house and turned back to leave, she stood for a few minutes, her mind blank about what to do or where to go, with those haunting words echoing in her mind. “I am so sorry. I never should have taken you. You do not deserve all of this.” The pain and grief of being told the darkest truth of her life was too much for her to bear. It shattered her heart so much. ‘Goodness! How could… How could this even happen to her? How?’ Zoe couldn't stop thinking about how miserable she had been her entire life. She wondered how things would have turned out if had gone to her real mother and father. Then she would have been showered with so
The rain had just begun as a soft drizzle in the evening, and Malcolm was there when it did. He was sitting on a chair in the balcony of the rooftop room in his house where he hadn't been for the longest time since he moved in, and realized how beautiful the entire estate from that view was. He also realized how palpable the amplified loneliness and unusual serenity of the place was, just from staring at the entire view from where he sat, but couldn't dwell in it as usual because his heart was burdened by the thought of someone. Her. The person he had worried even more about ever since his encounter with Andre. He wished he could call and talk to her. He really wished he could. But at the same time, he wanted to respect what she wanted too. However, it was hard doing that. What Andre had said couldn't evade his heart. He knew he might stop at nothing to get to her just to get back at him. As the drizzle turned to an increased droplet of rain, Malcolm's eyes continued to fix on the
A low, choked sob escaped Emily's lips and she struggled for breath, while tears began to spill down her wrinkled cheeks, as her eyes, watery and unfocused, locked onto the figure in front of her. “I… I am so sorry,” she whispered with a voice strained with pain, as her gaze trailed across Zoe's face as if searching for something. “I didn’t mean to do it, okay?” Emily blurted out again, as her voice trembled with misery, “I was jealous and was so stupid, so I ruined everything. I ruined our years of friendship, and ruined your happiness too. I made you miserable,” she reached out to Zoe with a trembling hand, as her hands cupped her cheeks. “Jasmine,” she choked out again, “I'm sorry for coming between you and Fred. I…..I.. tried to covet him for myself and I agree. But, it was because, I thought… I thought he was everything. And to be honest, he was. He was kind, he was rich, and he was changing your life. And I… I hated it,” she began to confess, her words raw and unfiltered. “I
Her steps were heavy, slow, and hesitant as she walked through the hallway that led to the VIP ward that her mother had been transferred to, with her heart thumping erratically as if it would jump out of her chest anytime soon. “Make her tell you,” her grandfather's words echoed in her ears again, the more the sound of her heartbeat increased its volume in her ears. Zoe continued to move closer to the room, as she swallowed hard, the fear of what she might hear, suffocating her mind the more she continued to conjure thousands of scenarios in her mind. As soon as she got to the door and grabbed the handle, she paused for a moment and closed her eyes tightly, and drew small sips of breath. ‘Whatever she was going to hear, she just hoped and wished it wasn't going to be a cruel twist in her already shattered world.’Pushing the door open, Zoe's eyes caught the sight of Emily, who was sitting upright on the bed with her back facing the wall, with her thin frame swaddled in a hospital
Dressed in a stunning black, corseted lacy dress, that danced around her in a big umbrella of gathered flaring net, Zara stood beautifully at a corner of the party, while subduedly drinking from the flute of champagne she had in the grasp of her fingers. While basking in the beauty of the launching event and carefully observing all that was going on around her, her eyes barely left Zoe, who was on the other side of the open-roof room still holding conversations with people. However, Zara noticed that after she held a conversation with a man that seemed to break the conversation she was having with a group, she picked a glass of champagne and drank from it in a single gulp. ‘Strange. She hadn't been drinking all evening,’ Zara thought to herself, as she looked away, wondering if she was finally loosening up from being so uptight and restless since the day before. But, she could not ignore it when it seemed like she had counted three glasses already, and it seemed like Zoe wasn't go
Languidly, Malcolm made his way into his living room right after he arrived home, and left all the lights in the house off, the same way it usually was, whenever he was having the worst day ever. Today was one of them. He was able to find the stairs because of the dim lighting that hung on the walls in the living room, as he slowly climbed upstairs, and entered the first room on the left, slamming the door shut. Instantly casting away his coat, tie, and briefcase to where they should be, he pulled his suit, socks, and shoes, and walked into the bathroom to stand under the shower to wash the day's stress off him. He stepped out shortly and changed into clean clothes, before he immediately collapsed on his bed, his mind storming endlessly with worry. As Malcolm remained on the spot for a few minutes, his eyes deeply buried into the gold-colored ceilings that were above his face, because he couldn't stop thinking about his encounter with Andre almost an hour ago! He couldn't stop
Unable to book a flight to where Emily was admitted, was the hardest thing for Zoe to do in the past few hours after she left her grandfather's place. There was just a day left until the launching of her newest jewelry collection, and she could not afford to miss the launching party. Not as the CEO. Curiosity had made it difficult for her to focus on work throughout the office the next day, because she just wanted to know the truth about her birth once and for all. The only hypothesis that was ringing in her head after putting so many pieces together as a possibility, was a reality that was enough to drive her insane just at the mere imagination of it. It was too heavy to even accommodate her thoughts. She had asked Zara to plan her entire schedule for the day and next, as well as book a flight for the night after the launching party for her. She planned to get to the root of her confusion once and for all. There were still many answers she had unanswered already. As Zoe che
Marcel struggled against her tight, feisty grip as he grabbed her hands and overpowered her, before jerking himself free from her grip, almost causing her to fall back. His breath came fast, his chest rising and falling with fury, “I have nothing to say to you,” he said calmly, as he began to straighten the creases that formed on his shirt because of the way she had grabbed him. “What?! You have nothing to say to me?!” Isla lashed out angrily, seeing that he was about to enter his room, as she dragged him back from leaving with every ounce of her power and might. “After what you did to me? After you betrayed me and joined forces with my enemy to take over my company?!” she spat with a fireball of fury, her eyes threatening to scorch him on the spot, “You, of all people, knew what that company meant to me. Why would you do it?! I had to travel miles just to come and see you in this rat hole you have pathetically hidden.”“Do what exactly?” he continued to speak with a low, enthusias