Struggling to part her eyelashes open, Zoe's senses awakened by the strong pemeating scent that seemed to taunt her senses even from deep slumber. A gasp escaped her throat the moment her eyes finally opened, and her heart skipped a bit when she realized that, once again, she was nowhere she would have expected herself to be.Her mind flashed to the only person her mind compulsively hoped it was not, because she didn't want to be a burden to him for the nth time. But somewhere in her heart, too, she hoped that it would be him. Even if she didn't know if she could trust him as a stranger, Martin Lincoln made her feel comfortable in some kind of way. "Zoe?" She heard the deep, hoarse voice call her name, and she shut her eyes instantly to be sure that she was not hearing wrongly. More than anything, she wished that it was truly not what she had heard.Opening her eyes again to see the towering figure that was hovering after her, Zoe almost went bonkers on the spot, ignoring the IV tube
"Get out of my fucking face!" Zoe yelled at Malcolm as she head-butted him so hard, and the unexpected blow collectively struck different strange nerves in his body as they all tried to process the intensity of the pain. He took a step back instantly as his body instinctively retreated as a defensive response, and his hand held his nose firmly like it would prevent the pain from spreading. Blood drained from his face as he felt a red liquid trickle down the skin beneath his nose, and his hand caught it just in time before it splashed on the floor. He blinked rapidly as he tried to clear the fog of disbelief that clouded his vision, that Zoe had hit him so hard in that manner. "What?!" His lips found the instant words he could use to express his shock, while alternating touching his nose and looking at his blood-smeared hand, in great disbelief that it actually came from his breathing holes. "What? You've never had a nosebleed?" Zoe remarked with a scowl, when she observed the kind
"Scumbag jerk!" Zoe cursed under her breath, as she scuttled away after signaling to the kid, who helped her out of the bathroom without getting noticed by the nurse. After she had lied about wanting to go to the bathroom, she began to think of possible ways in which she could escape out of the hospital without getting caught. When she thought of the window, she knew she would end her own life if she tried jumping down from the top floor. And just when she thought there was nothing she could do after spying on the nurses for minutes, she saw a young girl that entered the bathroom shortly after she did by herself, who she deemed rude at first sight. "Are you trying to steal something?" She heard the tiny voice behind her which made her turn sharply, only to see a small cute girl with big, round eyes standing before her. "What? Steal?" She scrunched up her face at the little girl, wondering how old she was and who let her into the bathroom without assistance, "Mind your business, l
It had been days since Erin's death was announced, and it seemed like nothing had happened. Zoe had returned to work after a two-day break that was taken under a health rest, and the only person that seemed to know was Zara. Ever since she had gotten the news, she had not been the same person that she was. The pain in her heart grew each day like a relentless tide that pulled her into despair."I am sorry for your loss, Ms Zoe. I really am," Zara said to her apologetically when she appeared at the office earlier than she had expected her to. Maybe those words made her sadder, or they gave her hope that someone cared. Zoe could not even figure it out. She just nodded thankfully and made her way into her office, solemnly and languidly. Gary helped to make arrangements for the burial at a private property, and she was the only one that attended the burial to pay her last respect. Though she was informed by him that Francis Sinclair asked her to take a week's break, she didn't take the
You are still around?" Zoe asked in surprise, as she saw her secretary enter into the office after knocking, when she noticed that she was up. "Yes," Zara answered with a modest smile, while observing Zoe's face closely to check for any lingering signs of fatigue. She was relieved to see that her appearance seemed better than hours ago. "But you are supposed to have clocked out about two hours ago," Zoe mentioned as her eyes darted to the wall clock again to be sure that she had seen the time properly the moment she had just woken up. "Yes. I wanted to make sure you were awake before I left," she answered, offering a polite smile. "Oh my! Oh my! I'm sorry for keeping you waiting," Zoe apologized instantly. She couldn't understand the magnitude of this lady's care for her. 'Was it purely out of duty? Or was something else attached?' Zoe wondered in her heart. "No problem at all. It is my job," Zara added instantly, feeling burdened that Zoe was being so well-mannered and warm, u
"Did you guys hear that Zoe's grandmother is dead?" Audrey broke the silence at the dining table during breakfast. "Who cares that the sickly woman is finally gone anyway?" Ivy replied to her with heavy sarcasm, wondering why Audrey was suddenly choosing to talk about Zoe. For many days, they had not talked about anything particular at the dining table, except having the most chaotic arguments Ivy and Isla usually had. Everyone had pretty much gone back to their lives, even if it had not remained the same as the past. "It is a pity how unfortunate she is. She has no one by her side, and has always been so unlucky. Only her attended the burial. Even her supposed grandfather didn't," Audrey told them again, not minding if they were not interested in replying to her. She had been so interested in everything about Zoe and had been watching the way she acted, so that the crazy wheel of misfortune would not end up stopping at her name again. "Are you stalking her enough to know such a
Zoe had it the same at the office the next day, except with a little change that her afternoon had brought more peace than she ever thought she would find while working. Her secretary, Zara, seemed to have a new joke to tell her which was more fun than the previous ones, and she wanted her to try a new vegetable drink that she learned online too. Though there was barely enough time to make all that happen because of Zoe's busy schedule, she was grateful that someone truly made an effort to make her happy. Towards evening, Zoe soon realized that she would be encumbered with her job at the office till late hours, and called Martin to apologize for her plan to cancel their plans to meet. However, he told her that she could finish whenever she liked and that he would wait for her. Pressured to meet as soon as possible and not waste so much of his time, she had to give up the plan to work through the night and go on with the dinner date. 'It was probably the first time someone had invi
"You should find what makes you happy, Zoe. You deserve that as someone carrying a lot of responsibilities with her," Martin finally said softly, hoping that his words would get to her. "Why are you nice to me, Martin? It is obvious from our meetings that I am a boring person, and I don't have much to offer. Well, except my money," Zoe responded. "That is not all to you, you know. You have your own charms, and I want to be your friend. I'm pretty much a boring man myself too." "I don't think you are," she defended. "Yes, I am. But I am outspoken whenever I am around people I like being with," Martin replied, with his eyes fixated on her. "So, you like being around me?" Zoe speculated with a little doubt in her voice, as cold shivers ran down her spine. The dress she had on was designed with a small sleeve, and cold seemed to be crawling up on her skin and shooting tiny swells. "Are you cold?" Martin asked, observing that she was struggling not to fold her arms around her body. "
Meanwhile, at the MEL-CO headquarters company that morning, every worker scrambled quietly to get to the main building to clock in for the day with their employee’s card, where they could stuff themselves into the elevator and get to their respective offices before their working hours for the day would begin. Inside the private elevator which led instantly to the CEO's office was Malcolm standing without a word, and beside him was Edward, who was shuffling through a neatly organized tablet of notes, completely unaware of the storm awaiting them as the elevator went up with the speed of light. Reaching the top floor of the office building, the elevator doors slid open with a quiet dinger, and Malcolm stepped out, his polished leather shoes blending with a silent click against the marble floor. He was dressed in an impeccable dark navy blue suit, which perfectly complemented the crisp white shirt beneath, and the black tie that knotted his neck. Expecting to see the usual bustling
Amid the hubbub that had filled the city’s media outlets, Isla sat in her office, with her legs crossed elegantly behind her desk. Her lips were curved in a satisfied smirk, as she sipped delicately from the porcelain mug filled with tea that was hanging between her fingers. She drew deep breaths in and out as she closed her eyes to savor the rich aroma of the tea incessantly before each sip, with her eyes glistening in the amusement of the exciting news that filled her ears that morning. The huge television that was always buried within the walls of her office and had always just served for aesthetics, played out its first purpose of displaying the scandal regarding the person, whose downfall she wished for desperately. Her lips curled in a derisive, wicked grin, as she muttered, “So many people want her ruined too,” Isla thought with delight, “It is not just me. How poetic,” she tilted her head as the anchor’s voice droned on about the chaos at the mall. To her, it sounde
Jasmine drove her car along the quite busy street that led to her flower shop in the morning after dropping Raine off at school, while tapping her fingers on the steering wheel absentmindedly, her thoughts still muddled from a restless and sleepless night. She didn't sleep well the entire night. She had too many worries buzzing around in her head, even if no one could tell just by looking at her merely. She looked as radiant as ever, her auburn hair loosely tied into a bun, and lips a perfect curve in the usual alluring manner. The tires of her car glided right across the front of her shop, and she pulled up outside it, the brakes letting out a faint squeak as the car staggered a few miles to the back before it finally came to a halt.Turning to the back to grab her bag from the passenger’s seat, she stepped out of her car and waited a few seconds before shutting the door behind her, as a brief weariness weighed against her heart.Jasmine drew in a deep, sharp breath and shut her ey
The drive to the mall had been a lot for Zoe, who was driving with the intensity that she wanted to solve what was going on in her company, only to be rammed with a memory she wanted to be very sure wasn't hers. She tried to block the absurd drunken memory that flashed through her mind out of her head as she drove and switched lanes aggressively, while jerking her steering wheel left and right. All through her drive, she was calling back a few of those who had called her incessantly to give them an order about what to do. “Come up with the fastest way to mitigate the effect of being sued by the victims, before we get to the bottom of this,” she informed the legal team. “Secure the footage for the past two weeks at the food storage and distribution centers, with the past few days in focus. Contact the heads and receive their logs for the past few days instantly, so that we can know what distribution unit brought it to the mall,” she told Hepzy, her general manager, whom she was sure
“What happened?” Zoe questioned, her voice calm and collected, even if her head was already conjuring up the worst case scenarios. “One of our food products….” Zara exhaled sharply, her head spinning with worry, “It landed three children from different homes in the hospital yesterday night. Severe food poisoning. A mother went public about it, and now it is everywhere on social media, and news outlets. The two other moms joined in too, and now it is a crazy business. The mall is being dragged through the dirt, and people are canceling their orders. Many people are saying a lot of trash, and calling for a boycott. It is crazy!” She narrated without taking a breath. Zoe's head almost tumbled hearing that, but she remained composed regardless, “Which store?”“The gourmet section. It is the new frozen chicken which was just added to the line. They said they all had it for dinner yesterday night, and that was the food they had in common. I truly hope that there will be no more casualtie
The morning sunlight filtered through the floor-length curtains of the living room which were usually barely opened, with its mild rays radiating heat against the body of the lady that was sprawled on the couch, her tightly shut eyes squinting endlessly. Unable to cope with the intensity of the sunrays, Zoe tried to turn to the other side the way she usually did on her bed, when her other hand suddenly landed on an open space causing her heart and eyes to jump open at the same time. ‘Shit. Where was she?’ she wondered, as her eyes which were initially struggling to open parted instantly from the shock that she landed on the floor from the chair. ‘She was sleeping in her living room and not her room?’ Zoe panicked, as she pulled her body up instantly, and looked around, wondering if it was truly morning already. ‘How long did she sleep?’ she wondered, her eyes scanning around as if she could tell just by that. She could tell from how she was feeling in her body that she slept a lot
“You know her?” Jasmine asked reflexively, before she shook her head, realizing what a weird question she asked, “I guess she is so popular that you even know her,” She shook her head again, “It is no news if a child born today knows her.” “Ye…es. Yes. Yes, I do,” Justine answered, almost stuttering, her voice and gaze a little distant as if she was getting lost in the thoughts of something else. Her face suddenly stiffened in a more deepened shock. “She is. She is somehow the daughter of my first love, and friend who betrayed me so terribly. It is crazy how life turns out,” she continued to rant endlessly, deeply bitter because she just couldn't help but wonder how. She ran a thumb along the rim of her glass, staring at the city as if the answers were out there somewhere, and continued to speak, “And I know that it is not the child's fault that all this happened, but I cannot help but be resentful,” she paused again, her head spinning. “Sometimes I get sentimental, which is
Malcolm's face turned pale as soon as she heard her question, and cats got his tongue so bad because he had not even expected her to ask on such a serious note. Words suddenly eluded him and his mind became a blank mark. “I just had to ask you know,” She let out a breathy, humorless laugher, the wine making her bold, or maybe just honest, “I mean my life is still pathetic even if I am rich, and I still cannot be happy. You would never even be happy with me. Just like we never were,” she smiled. Malcolm's heart sank the moment she said that, and his eyes, dark and weighted with things he never said, locked onto hers.“Find another woman,” she murmured as if compelling him, “One you don’t have to share so much guilt with, and have to atone to, for the rest of your life. And maybe I might find someone too someday. Someone I don’t have a love-hate relationship and very bad memories with.” “Love-hate?” Malcolm echoed, his voice less composed, or quiet now, his confusion betraying his co
The balcony doors of the Grand MEL-CO suite were open on the fifteenth floor to the cool night breeze, which carried the faintest scent of the sea not too far away from the beautiful view. Seated there comfortably were two dear friends, who took the evening to meet up and get lost in the reverie of the moment while sharing how their days had gone without seeing one another. A glass of whiskey sat between the fingers of Justine, a stunning woman at forty-nine with beautiful striking features, as she leaned back against the cushioned chair she was sitting on, with two of her legs stretched out to the front, while delicately swirling the stem of her half-empty wine glass. A long, satisfied sigh escaped her, as she stretched her arms overhead, her eyes glistening with admiration of the beautiful sight before her. “You have no idea how much I needed that spa today,” she mused, tilting her head toward her friend, “I swear, Jasmine, it was divine. You would have loved it.” She sighed d