“What are you doing here, Martin? I didn't expect to see you,” Zoe gasped softly, her eyes widened in surprise and a sweet smile curving her lips to see him there. “To surprise you,” his left eye winked at her before he stretched his hands out to give her a hug, and then planted a friendly kiss on the cheek. Her delicious scent clung to his nostrils and munched on his mind, that it took him willpower to separate so easily from her after a few seconds. He wanted them to stay longer like that. “Be serious. Are you close to the host or something?” Her questioning eyes were on him, still in awe of suddenly seeing him at the party that she reluctantly attended just to fulfill all righteousness. Seeing him in a white tuxedo which clung to his muscle-toned body that made him look so perfect, was different from the usual plain tees and pants he usually wore. It made her see him in a different light. “Something like that,” he chuckled, as he took her right hand unconsciously in his, which
“Why are you in my skin, Malcolm?! Why are you trying to be rude to my friend?!” Zoe yelled at Malcolm the moment they got to a corner far from the banquet hall which she felt was secure enough. Her eyes took time to look around and study if there was no one coming or no cameras around, before she pulled him into another segregated hallway that led to a private balcony. “That is your friend? The one you have been talking to since all these days?” Malcolm spoke as soon as he saw that she was done checking over and over again to be sure no one had followed them. In a way, it pained his heart to see if that was how badly she wanted no one to know that they were nothing but business partners. Weren't they what they really were?“Yeah? Is that a problem?” She cocked a derisive brow at him, her guts patiently waiting for him to utter any word out of place so she would set a boundary immediately. ‘Trying to pretend like they would always be on good terms was harder than she thought!’ Z
Martin stood in his expansive, eccentric kitchen behind the countertop with an apron neatly tied to his waist, while chopping a big purple onion on a wooden chopping board, his hand moving fast with precision and accuracy even without looking. He had been cutting, dicing, chopping, and shredding vegetables for the past few minutes since he arrived home, and as much as he wanted to keep the badgering thoughts in his head out of mind by suddenly cooking something. However, he could not. His mind was consumed by thoughts of Zoe, who had captured his heart with her effortless grace and charm right from the moment he knew her, and her relationship with Malcolm Meyer, whose collaboration with her company saved her from answering the sudden rumor about her mental state. He couldn't just understand what was going on. Martin had always been so worried about her ever since he knew her, and always wanted to help her even if she seemed to have it all. When he suddenly lost contact with her fo
Seated behind the reserved table in the corner of a five-star hotel’s exclusive restaurant with the best view of the city scenery, was Zoe, sitting calmly with sophistication and poise, flipping through a copy of the RADIANCE magazine, while waiting patiently for her guest to arrive. Soft classical music played in the background filling the air with a great vibrance, one which she hummed to at intervals, without even realizing that she subconsciously knew the lyrics. She was waiting for the guy that she was supposed to meet at the party who didn't show up until it was over because of some silly excuse his brother had given on his behalf. A date was set almost immediately for them to meet properly without any form of interruption, and Zoe had surprisingly agreed to go when Gary informed her without putting up a fight. It was to seal an agreement between both of them. Once she went on a blind date and met the young man, she was not going to others, and was still not coming home eithe
“Did you not do a background check on me before coming here? You should know that much already,” A malicious smirk twisted Marcel's lips as he flashed Zoe a contemptuous look, “Since you came you must have quite an ambition to have come here today, I should at least give you an answer,” he continued, his gorgeous greenish blue eyes gazing at her. “I get that you are a very wealthy heiress, but it does not matter to me because you are still one of those elite women I meet all the time, who need the perfect men to complete their sides. I will not be the one for you though,” he grabbed the champagne that was brought by the waiter in an instant, popped it, and poured the contents into his wine glass aggressively before chugging down the contents. ‘Goodness! This guy was begging to be treated so badly by her. Just how would she end this nicely without having to ruin her agreement with her grandfather? She could not risk going on another date again!’ Zoe groaned inwardly, finding it so h
Zoe was seated in front of her favorite dresser while endlessly staring at her phone, a weary sigh escaping her lips again for the nth time the more she thought of how things had been getting more sluggy. She had been overwhelmed with feelings and emotions that seemed quite too much for her to handle, after a headache and sudden memory hit her after she left her blind date the previous day. The sharp image had pierced through the fog of her lost memories, and she saw herself standing in a dining room that felt strangely familiar. She was staring at Irina's menacing face which was twisted with anger with saddened eyes glistening wet with tears, whose hand reached out and struck her hard across the face with a force that made her stagger, as following harsh words she had heard behind the back of her mind haunted her so much with fear, leaving her insanely disturbed. “You foolish good-for-nothing girl! Your wretched family just wants to feed on my son's wealth while using a worthless
Zoe's heart skipped a beat for a few seconds as soon as her eyes came in contact with the metallic, cold safe staring at her, she stretched her hand slowly to touch its imposing edges, only for it to beep out and display a digital keypad, the numbers faintly illuminated.She took a moment to think through her mind about the most possible combinations, which included the birthdays, anniversaries, and significant dates of the family members that she could think of. The ones she had dutifully learned after losing her memory. She tried Irina's birthday first, but it was with an instant denial as the lock blinked a red light, indicating that it was a wrong code. Then she moved next to Isla's own, then Ivy's, and Malcolm's, and tried everything she could think of, but it was the same. Even if she knew that Irina would definitely not use combinations as predictable as anything regarding her family, Zoe still wanted to give it a shot, considering that the six-digit code gave a hint that it
The mansion's private kitchen was filled with the aroma of perfectly made sauces, sizzling meat on a table-sized griller, and catfish being toasted in the oven, everything coming together to make one's mouth water. Zoe stood in front of one of the kitchen countertops as she carefully poured the finely chopped cabbage in a bowl into the pot of stew she was making, while Audrey, who was standing beside her stirred calmly as she was taught, her heart leaping with joy to see that she was doing something well. However, she didn't notice how absent-minded Zoe had been since she joined her in the kitchen, because she had been too engrossed in her joy of making so many improvements in cooking, to notice the anxiety that was etched upon her company's face. Zoe's head had been a mess ever since she entered the kitchen because she promised to teach Audrey before she started work again, and her thoughts kept drifting back to the unsettling discovery she had made just minutes earlier which she
“How did it feel to see her?” Malcolm, whose eyes were already shutting in weariness brightened at the mention of Zoe, saying she met her mother. “To be honest, I was so glad. I was exhilarated because it felt so surreal to know I still have a family,” a small smile graced her lips as she spoke of it, “She doesn't know yet, but I like seeing her every time. She is a gorgeous woman. Full of dreams, and beautiful. Fun fact, we have similar eyes,” she was so excited to talk about Jasmine to someone. Turning to look at her, Malcolm stared into her eyes with a smile, “Really?”“Yes. She is stunning,” her lips widened in a deeper grin. His heart, suddenly hurting at the thought of his mother again, Malcolm was curious, “You don't resent all the times you spent away from her? Or her?”“If I say I don't, I lie,” a soft sigh escaped Zoe, as she looked up at the beautiful chandelier that was sitting up on the ceiling of the living room, while staring at it dreamily like a new kind of attra
Ding dong! The shrill chime of the doorbell outside the door instantly cut through Jasmine's thoughts and her back to the present from her room. For a moment, she couldn’t move. Her body remained frozen as if her brain had paused, and her heart, hammered. It was when her phone which was by her side sounded with a loud notification, that she fully kicked out of the reset mode her mind had gone into. She grabbed the phone so languidly as if something was sucking life out of her. A message notification from Justine flashed through her face when she swiped the screen up, and it read, ‘I’m outside. Please come get me.’ Turning on the lights in the room, Jasmine rose to her feet and hurried out of her room with light steps, careful not to wake Raine up. When she opened the front door of the house, a silent gasp escaped her as soon as she saw her. Justine was looking like life had chewed her up and spit her out. Her eyes were red with weariness and swollen with tears, and her sho
The bedroom showed no sign of life because the lights there were off, but someone was sitting by the window side, staring out into her uninteresting compound, while lost in thoughts. She sat at the edge of her armchair with her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes fixed on nothing in particular. The air around her felt so thick with tension, and it felt too heavy to pull into her lungs, because it was constricted with pain. It had been almost two hours since Zoe left, but Jasmine’s heart had not known rest because of what she said. The most shocking part of her life was all exposed in just one evening, and she was still trying so hard to process it. Her truths were wrapped in so much pain.She had been trying to keep up with the chaos inside her head, but it was as if Zoe's pain now lived in her lungs.‘She was married?’ Jasmine could not get her mind off that part, because that piece of information was not included in her public biography. There was no news about it. ‘If she was
Zoe adjusted the face cap she was wearing and bent her head, her eyes boring deep into the floor as she entered into the elevator with Malcolm. It was when they entered and the doors shut, that she thought to herself that it would have been better if he had gone up first. ‘What could be worse than the tip-off of where she was staying the night? Meeting up with Malcolm Meyer in his private penthouse? It would look too good on paper. The speculations would be terrifying and suffocating!’“You can remove the cap now,” Malcolm told her as soon as they reached the penthouse of the forty-five floored building, and stepped out of the elevator. “Okay,” she muttered, even if she didn't pull it off immediately. She was still a little bothered that someone might see them. The penthouse was quiet when Zoe stepped in after Malcolm opened the door, and it was the kind of stifling silence that made her heartbeat echo in her own ears. And maybe somehow, because she had seen what his house looked
“Those two must have been planning it since! They must have!” Irina’s flare cut through his thoughts, as she gritted her teeth hard, “I have never even thought of her ever coming back. Mill assured her everything was over, and that she would never have reasons to return anymore!” Her heart continued to beat fast, as a raging headache began to rise within her head. She had been having that for days now, and it had just worsened. “This was his silent comeback?” A bitter scowl escaped her, as she sucked in a shaky breath of fury before taking her seat as she shut her eyes tight because of the terrible headache. “No wonder that bastard wasn't saying anything and just watched us run things behind him. He was planning to bring his mother back to the company,” Irina groaned. “Then we should tell the board. This might change their minds,” Andre blurted out without even thinking. “You stupid fool!” Irina cursed under her trembling breath, “What has that got to do with the shareholders?
Back at the Meyers mansion, the moment of peace shattered the moment the front doors burst open, and Irina stormed into the mansion like a hurricane still pompously dressed in her extravagant ball dress.Her hair was still perfectly curled, but her face, which was shining so beautifully, was scrunched up in anger that made the maids scatter as soon as they saw her coming. They hadn't expected to see her so early and had rejoiced endlessly since the plan was to be gone for five days on a nice trip. It made them so disappointed.“Where is my son?!” she barked, tossing her coat and purse aside as she turned to the terrified ones that remained. One of the maids that worked directly with her hurried forward, as she looked to the floor instantly, “Ma’am, Master Andre is in the….”Irina didn’t wait to hear the rest as she stormed past the lady, only for her heels to hit the huge vase along where she passed, causing her to stumble. However, she was fast enough to catch herself against a gil
Driving away from Jasmine’s beautiful and peaceful neighborhood, Zoe struggled to breathe behind the steering wheel of her car. Her entire body was trembling and she was so tensed up, because of the heated encounter she had with her minutes ago, and she had not yet regained herself even after the short discussion she had with Raine. She didn't even understand why she had ranted uncontrollably and talked about her entire life in just a few minutes. She had screamed about her past, pain, and everything she had buried under fine clothing, and business smiles to no one else but her mother. Of course, in the most bitter way ever. ‘Goodness!’ Zoe screamed in her head, mortified that even if she wanted her to see the good side of her, she had failed. Her hands struggled to steady behind the steering wheel as she drove and gripped it so tightly as if it would help her calm herself down, her breath coming in shallow draws. She was confused. ‘Should she call Jasmine back and apologize for
A bitter smile curved Zoe’s lips, “I am sorry I have made you uncomfortable all this while. To be honest, I just really want somewhere to feel at home,” she shrugged slightly as if it was nothing, even if she was crumbling within her. “Growing up with my granny, I had a very rough life. Was bullied endlessly because I had no Mum, and was dirt poor. I worked my ass trying to get an education, but it didn't pay off because I had too many debts. Then an old man my granny knew agreed to take away my debt if I got married, so I did, hoping to escape my lowly, but it was way worse. I suffered a lot,” Zoe began to recount everything that she had been wanting to let out, at least to the very woman she desperately wanted to tell the truth to. She wanted her to know that even if Emily had been her biological Mum, she had a trashy life in the past either way. She had never truly had a family. “You.. you've been married?” Jasmine's incoherent words stumbled out of her trembling lips, as she st
“What do you mean?” Jasmine, who had been pretending not to listen to their conversation almost asked, her eyes widening in shock at what Zoe had just revealed.But Raine took the words right out of her lips before she could say it. “What? Really?” Her eyes sparked up in curiosity.Zoe shrugged lightly, as if trying to make the conversation as natural as possible, “She told me she is not my Mum.”“How?” Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, “You were adopted?!” Her voice rose in speculation. “No,” Zoe laughed.More confusion crossed Raine's features, making her more puzzled than the last, “Then how? She picked you up?” “Maybe because she has lost her mind or something. She rambles on these days. That was when she told me,” she mumbled. “Lost her mind?” Raine's voice lowered in pity. “Yeah. She did pretty bad things, and I guess maybe that is her reward. She doesn't even recognize me,” Zoe laughed like it was some bad joke. Genuinely, Raine's eyes lowered in worry, as she questione