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
A palpable tension hung heavy in the air of ANCLAIR corporation with a sense of unease and apprehension. Whispers of the news that was aired about the new CEO permeated every corner, spreading like wildfire through the corridors as every worker talked about it on their way into the elevators and offices. In the break rooms and hallways, employees huddled in small groups with hushed voices, as they exchanged whispers and speculations. They all wondered if Zoe was indeed fake. As the stocks plummeted, the sharp ring of telephones echoed through the room with each call coming from all directions of worried investors to confirm if the news was true. Executives in their spaces contacted one another with their faces etched with worry, as they strategized on damage control and potential solutions, all while blaming Zoe endlessly. "It is all because of that lady that came from nowhere, barely a week, and her news is all over the internet. That incompetent granddaughter of his!" John Mac sp
It was kind of the biggest five-star restaurant in the city. It has been rated the most luxurious, beautiful, and grand for the past six years, and its unmatched prestige made it one of the hardest spots to book too. MarLingTon. That was the name. Zoe had worked on connections to make a reservation at the place within the shortest time, and somehow she had managed to make it possible before the agreed date for her and Jasmine Carras to meet. The day she waited for with every breath of hers. MarLingTon had the most stunning infrastructure ever, and the CGI stunt of a huge butterfly preparing for its first flight in the grand lobby was the selling spot. Its display superseded every other down-to-earth interior that embodied the place, causing it to outshine the most astounding radiance ever. Sitting on the fourth floor which she had booked extravagantly for two hours was Zoe, who had gotten there thirty minutes earlier than the meeting hour and sat by the window, waiting patiently un
Andre had been enraged all day as he remained in his room and refused to come out, all while throwing objects angrily and scattering everything in his room viciously at any point in time he remembered that yet again, his email to Zoe's office remained unreplied for almost almost two days now. He had stressed and even paid to get her private desk email, and sent a message to her with an explosive heading and subduedly threatening content body that he had thought would leave her panicking and dying to talk to him immediately as soon as she saw it. However, the reverse was the case. It seemed like she didn't even care to check at all. “Damn her!” He cussed angrily the more he refreshed his email and realized that there was still no reply. Still no reply. His son's whereabouts seemed quite difficult to figure out, and it was almost like he wasn't on the surface of every place that had been searched thoroughly. ‘Where was he then? Had she done something to his son?! Was he locked up s
Zoe's fingers trembled against the cup as soon as he dropped the bombshell, and she instantly felt blood draw from her face, as she quickly looked away from his eyes, unable to withstand the heat blazing from them. Forcing herself to meet his gaze after a few seconds of contemplating on how she would placate him, Zoe opened her mouth, and closed it again as bitterness rose in her throat like bile before she grinned sadly.“I never told you because there was no way you would have acted rationally if you knew about the pregnancy, Marcel. Things would be worse by now, and you wouldn't even be a free man. The Meyers would have had you jailed regardless of your father's influence, and would have buried you before you even had a chance to grieve. Worst of all. Try to pin her death on you if they fake evidence against you.” she gave him the most reasonable explanation she had truly thought of when she decided not to tell him months ago. Marcel's fingers pointed accusingly at Zoe's face, as
The fine diner on the tenth floor was empty, and again, it was Zoe using the space. It was now her private haven where she could hold conversations without anyone having to see or hear, and somehow had been in constant use because of the confidential one-on-one meetings she usually hosted there with very important persons. This time, it was Marcel. The man she had not seen months after Audrey's death. The man she had always wondered what he was up to after he suddenly disappeared. She sat across from him with her hands wrapped tightly around a cup of black coffee she had no intention of drinking, as the heat pressed against her cold fingers, but did nothing to ease the heavy ache that sat in her heart. If anything, she was glad. She was glad that he looked better than the last time she had seen him before he left. Or at least, that he looked alive this time. His eyes, which were once sunken and hollowed out by angst and pain when Audrey had died, seemed quite normal now even i
Malcolm returned to his house at dawn after leaving Zoe's when the rain had stopped, and all that was left was a heavy morning mist through the empty silence of the street, as his mind floated with the thought of the state he had left her in. He could remember the vivid recollection of her pale, fevered face which had wet strands of her hair plastered all over when he saw her in the rain, and how she had broken down when she confessed amid her anger and exhaustion that she was about to give up everything. The sight of her had shaken him to his core and shattered his heart painfully, leaving him devoid of the excitement he had imagined if she truly confirmed that she was living there. She had looked so broken, and it broke him too. The words she hurled in anger cut him so deep. They were raw and sentimentally damaging. It made him regret it even more than ever, and made him wish desperately that he could go back to his past to hold her.She had collapsed onto the couch after hours
Shattering the silence that filled the room in the early hours of the morning was the phone that rang from the brown bag that was placed on the dresser, causing Zoe, who was sleeping on the bed to suddenly jerk awake, her eyelids suddenly parting as a soft gasp escaped her. Her heart pounded softly in her heart as her eyes, which were wide open, caught sight of the white ceiling above her, before her head turned to the right to quickly observe where she was. ‘This isn't the living room?’ Zoe realized as her eyes instantly darted to the extravagant curtains in her room which were parted slightly, allowing the rats of sunlight to get in. Confusion held her still for an instant, and her body stiffened the moment she sensed something against her forehead which dropped on the bed as she turned her head, and she instantly rose from the bed and picked up the damp napkin that had rested lightly on her skin just minutes ago. ‘Why was this here?’ She wondered, as her eyes squinted for a fe
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