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
From her state of long unconsciousness, Zoe's eyes suddenly blinked apart, as a silent gasp escaped her throat like she had just been awakened from a sudden nightmare. Seeing the white ceilings that her eyes studied for a few seconds after flashing open, made her realize that she had not awakened from her room at home. Confusion clouded her gaze as she tried to sit up and observe where she was, and a slight wave of dizziness washed over her, causing her to falter and grip the edge of the bed for support. The memories of the previous night's near-drowning incident flooded back into her mind, sending a jolt of panic through her veins as she recollected how she had tentatively struggled for life in the pool, and the overwhelming sense of helplessness that she was subjected to as she juggled on the brink of consciousness.'It wasn't a dream,' she realized instantly. Raising her head to look at everything around her again, made her realize that she was nowhere else than a hotel suite wi
"Where are my clothes?!" Zoe asked sharply as she looked around confusedly, when she realized that she was just wearing a white, silky loose dress. "They were wet after I took you out. And it needed changing," he explained to her plainly without putting too much thought in his answer. "You changed them for me?!" She demanded seriously as she glared at him with shock written over her face and her breath hanging in her throat, with the hope that he would not say the answer that would make her lose her mind instantly. "No no. Not at all," Martin defended instantly, with his hands darting forward to gesture that it was not what she thought, "I asked one of the ladies in room service to help with that," he added sharply. "Goodness!" Zoe muttered under her breath in deep mortification, as she tried to picture the scenario where he must have carried her out of the water with her wet clothes, which must have clung tightly to her body. 'Shit, Zoe,' she screamed inwardly. "I'm sorry if th
The air in Malcolm's office was filled with so much tension the moment he let his sister, who had come to momentarily disrupt his schedule, in. It had been days since they saw each other, ever since the unfortunate incident that almost cost her life. He had been expecting that she would come to see him after the information he had gotten about what she had been up to for the past few days, and unlike before, he didn't even give her the chance to speak first, before he lashed at her. “Do not come and shout in my office like you have been going around doing!” He warned gravely as soon as she stormed into his office, with all of her entirety quivering uncontrollably. “You know well that I should not keep calm at all!” She glared at him, “You of all people, know that I deserve to rant. At least if you treated me like trash, I should have one thing for myself!” “Why, in the name of everything sane, do you keep running back to fight with them?!” he demanded, his words seething with ange
Malcolm Meyer sat on the plush leather armchair in the living room of his new home in a faraway estate from the city that whispered wealth in every detail, from the vaulted ceilings which held huge modern diamond five-tier chandelier whose lights art reflected on the ebony floors of the huge mansion, to the floor-to-ceiling windows and perfect walls that were lined with first editions arts and rare artifacts.For the first time in what felt like an eternity, he allowed himself to sink into the quiet of his living room right after he returned from work and took a warm bath, instead of retiring to his room as usual. As he swirled the colorless wine in the wine glass he was holding and took a slow sip at each unconsciously calculated rhythm, his thoughts could not help but drift to the one person he had seen by chance earlier that day at a conference meeting. And even though they didn't get the chance to talk, and he just got to watch her from afar, he was relieved that she had risen f
Dressed in a white silk robe that blinked and waved smoothly in the direction of the wind, Irina Meyer lounged on the chaise longue in her private suite at Le AVARSON wellness resort, as she basked in the lights of the sun's rays that seeped in through the wide, floor-to-ceiling windows. On her right was a crystal glass filled with freshly pressed grapefruit juice on the side table, and right before her face was a fashion magazine which she buried her eyes in, as her right hand occasionally flipped to the next page. However, her mind was barely on what she was reading. It was deep in the thoughts of the confrontation with Andre earlier in her room that morning, and the words she hadn't expected that she would say to him. Though she felt a little guilty that she had smacked him hard with the bitter truth, her face scrunched up with the unwillingness to go and appease him as she continued to enjoy the peaceful repose of her environment. Irina was just beginning to let the peace of t
The door to the room slammed open with a crack like thunder, and Andre emerged from his room, his face a storm of furrowed brows and clenched jaws. The sound of his shoes clacked so hard as he strode down the hallway that led to Irina''s room, his breath coming out in uneven huffs, and his hands balling into fists at his sides. There was a wild urgency in his eyes amid a simmering frustration that seemed to radiate off him like heat, as he burst into his mother’s room without knocking. Irina, who was in her dressing room while getting ready to step out for an anniversary event, was visibly startled by the noise of the abrupt entrance in her room, as she rushed out instantly to see what the ruckus was all about. “Mother!” He called sharply, “Who else had been to that room?!” He demanded heavily, his voice heavy with anger and anxiety. “What do you mean?” Irina scrunched her eyebrows up in confusion, as she stared at him with questioning eyes, almost stumbling against the large s
Sitting slumped in his high-backed chair, with the city skyline stretching out beyond the window behind him, Andre’s hand rested heavily on the armrests of his chair, his chest rising and falling in shallow, controlled breaths, even if the storm that was brewing inside him was anything but calm.He had gotten yet another rejection. Another blow to his pride. He had poured days into crafting the new proposal, painstakingly aligning every detail with the vision he thought Malcolm wanted for their flagship company. And yet, the same words were delivered to him again. “It doesn’t fit our strategy.”The words rang in his ears, colder than the polished marble of the boardroom where they had been uttered, and he swore he almost punched Malcolm right at that moment in his face. He made him feel like a fool again! He effortlessly dismissed his proposal yet again. “You have to be very cautious. Though Malcolm is sitting back, he is watching you with his might! Do not make mistakes. Just wai
“You want to find out the truth too, don't you?” Zoe stared at the cryptic and blunt sentence that flashed in her eyes as soon as she slipped her phone out of her purse, when it sounded with a soft chime signaling the arrival of a new message. She had just stepped out of her car after they arrived at the underground parking lot of the mall, when she received the message that had her pausing on her tracks. Her heart skipped a beat and a cold shiver traveled down her spine immediately she read it, as her head turned sharply to the left and right, to see if the person who sent the message was somewhere around her. ‘Who could have sent this?’ She wondered, her eyebrows furrowing high in worry, as she tapped the screen on her phone, ready to reply to the message and ask who the person was. However, she restricted the urge to do that, cautioning herself that it was not the time for impulsiveness, as she slipped the phone back into her bag, straightened her blazer, and made her way t
Zoe returned home late in the night after a long day at work, had her bath, and changed clothes, before she went to the most quiet place in her house, which was tucked away in the farthest corner of her house, while carrying a bowl of neatly cut fruit in her hands, shortly after she went over some office papers in her study desk. Though feeling tired and stressed out with her entire body extremely sore, she knew she just had to visit the room to do a review of the last discovery she made. Turning on the light in the room, she moved to the wall by her Eastside, and instantly raised the white veil she had pulled over the series of photographs which were pinned in neat rows and newspaper clippings. Each was marked in red. Some had the letter ‘X’ written on it boldly and definitively, while others had circles drawn around faces in the pictures, and were connected with taut strings of thread that crisscrossed like a chaotic spider’s web.Carefully, Zoe sank onto the plush armchair that
Seated in her new office, which was a masterpiece of modern elegance, was Isla, whose aura of calculated grace radiated strongly in every corner of the room. Rather than the usual custom-made suits she usually donned to the office when she was still the CEO of Hila jewelry, she was wearing a stunning turquoise blue dress, with its off-the-shoulder design this time around, revealing her delicate collarbones which were adorned with a simple but exquisite diamond necklace. However, regardless of how stunning she looked, her face was bunched into a disdainful mark, her left fingers tapping rhythmically on the table and her mind momentarily lost in some other place, as her eyes constantly darted to her phone which was before her. Barely a few minutes later, while still seething uncontrollably, her phone began to ring, and she quickly snatched it from the table. Instantly, her lips, which were painted in rich, pepper-red lipstick, curled into a smirk, as a hint of malice instantly flicke
ZOELVA’s luxurious structure, erected tall, reflected the shining bright lights of the afternoon sun from the east, with its luxurious designs radiating across the core and surroundings far and beyond the huge city. Inside, shoppers went from floor to floor, wandering wide corridors that were lined with top-tier brands, with staff moving around to guide and direct everyone in the most orderly manner. Groups of families made their way to food stands, their laughter and shouts mingling with the savory scents of sizzling burgers, crispy pizza, and sweet, sticky treats. On another side, fashion enthusiasts, elites, and socialites were gathered around numerous designer boutiques, their eyes fixed longingly on the glossy displays of haute couture, while others anticipated getting their hands on the most sophisticated top-notch tech devices. Amid the crowd’s awe and excitement and the hubbub of purchasing endlessly and engaging so many sections in the mall, a moment of stillness fell int