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"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
Malcolm went home in his car shortly after Zoe left instead of his private suite, which was the first time he had returned to the house after the entire scandal concerning his family. As he approached the grand entrance of his mansion after he came out of his car, a hushed silence fell over the surroundings the moment the workers saw him. His presence and aura radiated power and dominance like a palpable force, and his cold eyes seemed more thick than usual because of the calculations which were going on in his head. His footsteps echoed through the marble halls as he made his way in, with his shoe clacking noiselessly against the floor, enough to draw attention. His family, who were still having dinner and talking in low whispers, all felt the tension settle into the air as he entered. They were quite surprised to see him come home because he had not informed them, and he didn't join them as usual as he made his way up the stairs that led to his room. "What do you think is wrong w
It was late in the night already, and Dylan was just driving Zoe back home. She sat in the back seat and slouched her back comfortably against the leather chair, with her neck hanging sideways against the closed window in the most elegant way ever. Somehow, she was trying not to think of it earlier. She was trying not to think of having to sit before Andre in her office, and talk so casually. It reminded her of Audrey. It reminded her of the woman whose dreams were stolen, and a woman whom somehow no one seemed to remember. It made her heart ache that even her husband seemed to have no ounce of sadness for her death. His expression turned even colder at the mention of her name. As much as Zoe tried to push the thoughts and triggering insinuations that kept creeping into her mind because of the silent investigations she had been doing, she couldn't help but remember what Audrey told her. That someone had threatened her after her encounter with Marcel, and sent an anonymous message
Despite the seeping feeling of cold air into the atmosphere in the office of the CEO of the RINASHONE art gallery, it did nothing to ease the storm that was brewing in Isla's heart, who sat slouched against her chair.Her eyes which had been narrowed by a disdainful glare stared again at the chart that was before her, and she could not help but scrunch up her face the more she read those numbers before her. ‘Ridiculous!’ She almost scoffed, ‘The gallery’s earnings for the month were barely enough. Barely enough!’ her eyes glanced through the pile of invoices again, and then glared at the final figure. “This is not good. Not nearly enough,” she muttered spitefully, the more she thought of her debts which loomed over her like a noose. The ones that had given her sleepless nights because somehow there was nowhere she could have pulled the funds from. Isla leaned back in her chair and gritted her teeth angrily, thinking of how the numbers were still low with the exhibition they held an
The bright lights of the city shone against the tinted windows of the car that drove through the highways of the city, but it didn't do anything to catch the attention of the man who sat back in the backseat of his luxurious car, while rubbing his temples absently with one another.As he remained mute without uttering anything all through the journey back home which was unlike his usual self, his mind momentarily flashed back to the event that happened earlier that day, as he steamed with the remnant of his frustration.It was the second time he had a face-to-face conversation with her. He had stormed into her mall straight from work with his pulse hammering with frustration without even thinking too much about it, the moment he realized that yet again, there was no reply. He was so pissed. For days, she had ignored his email. And when he was told that she asked him to be let inside at once, he was quite taken. He had expected that she would prove so difficult so that he would be ab
Her shortcomings. That had been her concern all afternoon. Not the great news Hepzy went back and forth about. Rather than the joy and excitement that usually came with it, she just felt relieved. Relieved that she was doing well. She wasn't happy about it. There was nothing to be joyful about. As she sat at her desk surrounded by neatly stacked reports and a laptop screen glowing with financial projections before her, the numbers stared back at her. Poor and unproductive in her dictionary. As much as it looked impossible, she had always aimed for every venture she had mapped out in the mall. It wasn't just a mall. It was an empire. The one that billions had been finished off on, and it would end up swallowing more if poured into it. Pulling off something that huge had taken so much willpower and mental strength even if every social psychology quotient of hers was always fluctuating. The ice skating rink and the luxury car exhibition space were doing the lowest. 8% returns was all
The faint aroma of herbal tea lingered in the air of the office, where Zoe sat uprightly behind her table, with her poised demeanor betraying no sign of the turmoil that had lingered over her for the past few days even till the night before.Across from her, Zara, who was holding a notepad clutched to her chest, continued to stare at her so overtly, while wondering what kind of woman she was. “You have been watching me like a hawk,” Zoe, whose gaze was fixated on what she was looking at on the tablet that was before her, “Spill it.”Zara hesitated before speaking, as she stared at her, with a concerned expression, “I don't want you to say I bother too much, but I really cannot help but be so worried. I mean you suddenly made me book a flight after the launching, and then left. You came back and told no one. You came in looking so sick and pale, and now you are doing so much work already. You are asking if things you've never……..”“Can you catch your breath, Zara?” Zoe cut her off ins
It was so dark in the night already, and barely anything could be heard around the estate anymore except the branches of trees moving in the movement of the wind, and the sound of crickets that buzzed amidst the gardens that were around. Malcolm was seen returning to Zoe's house after he had left many minutes ago, with big bags in his hands as he made his way to the front of her mansion. Slipping in through the front door now that he knew its password, he stepped in casually and locked the door behind it. Since he left the other inner door that led to the living room open without closing it when he left earlier, it was easier to just enter on tiptoe without disrupting her. Catching a sight of her still sleeping on the couch in her living room, he dropped the bag he was carrying on the cold, marbled floor, and walked over to her side to feel her temperature. He noticed that she was still burning with a fever. Carefully, Malcolm carried her the same way he had done the previous day,
Malcolm had stood by the window of his mansion all evening after returning from work, with his fingers tapping idly at the corners of it which he had never noticed before, but was as sparkly as ever because the cleaning services that usually cleaned his house were perfect at their job. His eyes had fixed on the road outside as he waited restlessly, with his thoughts sinking into a tangled mess of concern and yearning for the woman he had been bothered about more than ever all day because of the articles that were published. And just at the moment when his eyes caught the sight of a car which rolled into view and drove past his mansion, his heart skipped in relief, before he instantly turned away from the window and hurried out. ‘She was back.’He walked fast, and even almost ran, hoping that he would be able to still meet her outside before she entered her house. In the opposite direction, her car drove past him as he walked, and he didn't even mind anything apart from her. His ey
“Please can you listen to me first?” Zoe instantly stood up from her seat and stepped forward in desperation, as her fingers curled slightly the moment she stretched her hand in an attempt to reach her, but dared not touch. Upon hearing her voice laced with desperation and a hint of something she couldn't make out, Jasmine halted on her steps, before she turned her face sharply. A sharp, bitter laugh escaped her lips, as she stared at Zoe's face, with a surfeit amount of emotions rushing through her at once, causing her to almost stumble on words, “If you are here to ask me about us, then I have nothing to say,” her voice trembled, “Did she say anything about me? Did she ask you to meet me? Her eyes burned with so much pain.With a heavy heart, Zoe spoke, unable to meet her eyes, “I am more interested in your side of the story, not Emily's,” she clarified.“What?” Jasmine's brow jumped in a high arch of astonishment, as she tried to make out the meaning of what she was saying, “Wha
An unease settled in Malcolm Meyer’s chest as he leaned back in his office chair, with his left fingers idly tapping against the polished wood of his desk, while his right hand incessantly tugged at the collar of his shirt that continued to feel clammy against his skin. He had barely slept the night before because sleep evaded him, and as a result of anxiety which clung to the darkest corners of his mind that were entangled in the thoughts of her.When he arrived home the day before earlier than he usually did because he was bothered, and hoped that Zoe would be home by then already, he noticed that the lights to her mansion had been off. It was not the usual ‘one’ light on, and the rest ‘off’ he usually noticed whenever he was home before he even knew she lived there. This time, it was completely off. There was darkness everywhere around her mansion, and it was unlike her. ‘Had she even come home at all?’ He wondered endlessly in his heart, seriously bothered that he didn't see h