The past days over the weekend were hectic for Zoe, as her late nights and early mornings blurred together in an unwavering dedication to studying everything that was acquainted with the nuances of her role. Considering her level of experience and knowledge, she didn't find it quite easy because of how complex the ANCLAIR corporation was. It was known as the top conglomerate in the city which could never falter from its position. Though it was intended by Francis to lay her off indirectly if she was not able to land them the company buyout project, she had done better than he had expected her to ever be able to do, and was willing to do more regardless. She didn't care whatever his initial intentions were, concerning the skepticism of entrusting his company into her hands, because she had many plans in mind to execute. And to carry them out, she needed power. By Monday of the next week, the stocks of ANCLAIR conglomerate corporation had risen even more than they had done in the past
"You look nervous, Ivy. Do you want to ruin this recital?" Isla muttered irritatedly as she strode into the dressing room, where Ivy was sitting with her head hung down. She was dressed in a beautiful, moonlit white silk dress, which was adorned with intricate laces, embroidery and shiny pearls, which shimmered under the bright light in the room. She looked like a broken celestial being in her seated position, as she raised her eyes, which mirrored deep sadness. "Why wouldn't I be, Isla? You know that I shouldn't be sitting here. I shouldn't! I am not ready for this!" Ivy clamoured angrily to her sister, even when she knew that there was nothing that she could do about it. "Since when have you not been ready?! Since you spent more than one year lazing around while your mates were climbing at the peak of their music careers?!" Ivy glared contemptuously at her with no words to say to her, because she would not have come there in the first place if their mother had not asked her to c
Things had gone crazy just one day after Ivy had been exposed, and was arrested after her recital for fraudulent charges involved in her career. Though she was released in less than two hours after her arrest because of her family's favor, her image had taken the worst turn on the internet as people tore her to pieces with their words. To make everything worse and unbearable, Malcolm and his assistant, who usually took care of messes like that effortlessly, were on a business trip. It made things even worse than they were supposed to be. The incident also caused a lot of losses for them because they had to refund everyone that paid the expensive ticket prices, the hall that was rented for hundreds, and the fine that was paid to bail her out and settle everything. Still, her image had taken a tank on social media, as she became a face for frustrated people to lash at. Especially those that didn't know her before, but heard she was part of a multi-billionaire conglomerate family. "
A stunning young lady alighted from the luxurious white car which pulled in front of the tall, majestic, imposing six-star hotel, with her every move exuding grace and authority. Dressed in a tailored designer suit that accentuated her figure and elegance, Zoe made her way into the building casually, with Gary close to her. No one in the hotel was informed of her presence as wished, and she made her way inside without drawing too much attention to her arrival. As she walked through the hotel's grand lobby, she could not help but draw attention to herself, regardlessly, even if many didn't realize who she was. Zoe took her time to examine and observe everything that was going on in the hotel, as she and Gary took the elevator together, while he explained everything that she needed to know about the hotel as one of their newest subsidiary companies. He showed her everything from the presidential suites, to the fine dining restaurants, spa, gym, private beach and golf course club cent
Zoe tiredly made her way home after a long and hectic day she spent at the hotel, observing every account statement of Pheng Hotel for the past months. It turned out that there was some mismatch of transaction numbers when she singlehandedly did the calculations herself, and the director, Mr. Mark was given an ultimatum of three days to fix everything that had gone wrong in the records. Failure to do that would land him in jail.With all the strength in her, she entered her room and kicked off her heels with a heavy sigh, while rubbing her temples with a circular and gentle motion. It was to seek relief from the persistent ache that throbbed in her eyes and head. Barely stepping out of her dress, she slumped onto the softness of her bed as it made a light dip from her weightless body, and craved the solace of rest beckoning to her weary body. Her mind moved in a daze, which was dulled by the persistent fatigue that clung to her relentlessly, and her mind wandered back to the thoughts
With anxiety and a sense of urgency, Zoe checked the phone number that sent the message to her phone and dialed it instantly. With her fingers trembling unnoticeably, she waited patiently for the person at the other side to pick up the call, while contemplating on what she would say to start the conversation. "I thought you would not call," she heard the obnoxious voice from the other side of the phone, and Zoe could swear that she felt her head spin dizzily at the words of the person she could never mistake for another. She didn't even need to ask how he got her phone number. "You bastard!" Her lips trembled as they shot out words of despise, as the veins of her neck stood out in livid ridges. She stood up from where she was sitting sharply like a controlled marionette, and began to walk to her living room where she could stare at her surroundings through her floor-to-ceiling window. She imagined tilting Malcolm from that point so high with his hands and legs tied, while watching
Ivy had not left the house for days ever since the scandal and all, because she could not risk being seen by any reporter that was still willing to get a direct news scoop from her. Though things had died down in just a few days, her career had taken a plunge, regardless of how hard her mother was trying to help her minimize the damages. The few big commercials that she had featured in through her mother's connection and help, had taken down her images and videos from their advertisement pages to minimize problems for their companies because of her scandal. She also had to pay for the damages for cancelation of contracts due to her misconduct. Following Audrey's call to the school was Aaron's withdrawal instead of expulsion to prevent the issue from escalating more than it had done, and for it not to tarnish the image of the Meyers more than it has been messed with in just a day. However, she didn't have it easy with Irina, who had heard of the news already.The air in the elegant
Zoe's pent-up emotions bubbled to the surface like a volcano that was about to erupt, and her eyes flashed with a mix of pain and anger as she faced Malcolm, when she heard him say those forbidden words yet, the second time again. His arrogance and overconfidence grated on her like it would suffocate her lungs to shock, as she searched frantically in her head for the right words to put together. "Have you lost your mind, Malcolm? Are you sure your mental state is still right?" She asked him with a bitter and hollow expression, as her voice rose with each word with anger intensifying every second she spent with him. However, Malcolm didn't seem to take her words lightly this time, as he didn't like that she had been so rude to him countless times. Though he started to get angry and his eyes flashed with intense maliciousness and darkness, she remained flinty-eyed and composed as she glared at him. 'She had seen all of him. What more can he do?' "You do not get to speak to me in t