Malcolm's phone buzzed, jolting him from the thoughts that had engulfed him, as he glanced at the screen only to realize that Zoe had replied with three big angry words in capital letters, with numerous exclamation marks after them to lay emphasis. It made his lips curve into a broad grin as he read it again. ‘I AM BUSY!!!!!!’ ‘I will come up to meet you then,’ he texted her back immediately, waiting to see her reaction. ‘Then I will tell the security guards to tell anyone that I am not up, so you can't come in, Malcolm!!!’ She laid further emphasis and even added an angry emoji, but it only made him chuckle more. It was better than her not replying to his messages all day. ‘And I will wait till you come out and meet me,’ he typed back immediately, his fingers grazing his lips, his eyes fixed on his phone, his mind predicting what she would text next. ‘Then you can stay there. I don't give a damn,’ She responded again, and he snickered so much because he had already speculated
Malcolm sat behind his table in the office the next morning, staring blankly at the beautiful scenery of the city from his office through his floor-to-ceiling window, as Zoe's words from last night echoed endlessly in his mind like a storm. He wanted to believe that it was a lie that she was in love with her friend Martin, and that it was an attempt at her end to push him away from her. However, her eyes seemed so stern when she said those words to him. It was hard to tell if she was telling the truth or not. “No,” he muttered to himself, his hands fisting in anger as the veins popped out, “She is lying and is just saying that to break whatever we have,” he tightened his fists restlessly. The thought of Zoe loving another man twisted his insides with jealousy, as his thoughts raced through his memories, trying to think if he truly saw any affection in her eyes for Martin on the day they met at the party. Though he had been so uncomfortable and restless about the kind of rela
Zoe walked into the quiet and elegant café that had a great ocean view, her luxurious flats barely making any sound against the polished floor, the ambiance around filled with the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the faint sound of a piano playing a classic song in the background. Her eyes found Martin at the perfect corner after looking with his back facing her, as she strutted straight to where he was sitting. As she got closer to the table, she could hear his voice, low and intense, speaking to someone on the phone, his right index finger tapping on the table furiously as he spoke, not noticing her arrival yet. “You do not get to decide how I run my affairs or do my things! It is either you calm down and give me time, or give me space!” he muttered furiously. Zoe paused a few steps away as soon as she heard that, not wanting to interrupt his heated conversation, as she watched as Martin ran a hand through his hair frustratedly, and talked in a stern way she had never hea
“Zoe! Wait!” The loud, piercing voice struck Zoe by the ears, as she turned her head sharply to see who was calling her, but her eyes were only met by a crowd of people, walking to and fro through the bustling lobby, the sounds of their footsteps and muted conversation blending into a distant hum. She turned face away instantly with the thought that she had heard wrongly, as she urged Zara, who had asked what the problem was, to keep moving, until she suddenly heard her name again, but at a much closer range this time around. “Zoe,” she heard the familiar voice call her name, and her head turned sharply again to see who it was, her heart sinking in disappointment at the sight of the person that was running after her, the memories of their last encounter flashing through her eyes. “Please, Zoe. I need just a few minutes. I just want to apologize to you,” he finally reached her, slightly befuddled and out of breath, his expression one of earnest desperation. “What the hell, Marcel
Zoe sat by the window of the airplane on the business class flight they were seated on, her focus intensely on the laptop she had placed on the tray table before her, as her fingers worked on the keyboard with speed and precision. She was busy reviewing every document that needed to be acknowledged and corrected from spreadsheets, to presentations and emails as well, as if she were at the office, while sipping from the mug of coffee that was placed beside her at intervals. Beside her, sprawled in a rather unprofessional way was Zara, whose head was lolled to one side of her chair, mouth slightly open, while in a deep sleep, with her blanket barely covering her body properly in the way in which she had slept. Hours passed as Zoe continually stretched her neck and rolled her shoulders to keep herself going, each time she felt her bones ache in fatigue and weariness. And the moment one of the dignified flight attendants came to her with a welcoming smile, presenting her with a be
It was almost three days after Zoe departed without talking to anyone before and during the trip, and she returned on a Saturday evening, back to the house of the Meyers, which she had not been to for almost a week. It kept everyone on their toes, especially the maids when they saw her make her way into the mansion, every one of them rejoicing inwardly because peace could finally reign in the mansion. The ambiance that caused anger and malice was palpable in the mansion during her absence, but was more intense for the past three days with vicious rages flying everywhere. From what they could decode, it seemed like the boss of the house, Malcolm, had been distraught ever since she suddenly disappeared without telling anyone as they all gossiped about the information they all secretly picked from the family's conversations. “I heard she doesn't even love Mr. Meyer,” one of the maids stated as they all gathered briefly to gossip. “What?! Such a gorgeous man? How is that even pos
“How much did you tell her?” Irina sat by her bedside as one of the maids in the mansion oiled her legs smoothly and gave them a soft massage, her posture rigid and her eyes sharp as she scrutinized Audrey. “I told her nothing. I swear,” Audrey, who had been standing before her for what felt like hours after she sent for her, gave a response, her cowering eyes twitching under the weight of her mother-in-law’s scrutiny. Irina's lips curled into a tight sneer, her eyebrows arching high so contemptuously, “How am I supposed to believe you?” her tone dripped with condescension and suppressed disdain. “I promise I didn't,” Audrey raised her eyes to meet Irina's in a convincing way, even if she knew there was no way to move the frigid woman's heart if she chose not to believe her. Irina's eyes narrowed doubtfully, and she tilted her head slightly, studying Audrey with a critical gaze, “You both were seen together in the kitchen, and she talked over your shoulders,” her voice was grave
Zoe drove down the sloppy, lonely road, through the beautiful sea that seemed to bring some kind of happiness that she couldn't quite describe. The beautiful sight of the water made it feel like she could breathe without being under the scrutiny of anyone she knew at that moment, as she moved along the road leading into the small countryside town where she was led to by what was mentioned on the news Martin showed her. She stepped out of the car, her eyes scanning the old, quaint houses that were around, nestled between rolling hills and vast fields of wildflowers. Cobblestone streets meandered through the town, flanked by charming cottages with ivy-clad walls and neatly trimmed gardens arranged in vibrant blooms.The town seemed eerily quiet with quite a few shops along the main street, barely with any customers, the smell of newly baked bread waffling from the small bakery which stood in an open space, while the local café which was a few feet away, seemed to have a few people seat
What?” his eyes widened in surprise. “You ruined me,” she repeated, her voice breaking the more it felt like someone had physically ripped her heart out, “You don’t even know what you’ve done. You…” She couldn’t finish, the sobs wracking her body too powerful as she fell to her knees again, the sound of her sobs cutting through the stillness of the late evening. “Do you know I can never be happy no matter how hard I try?” She continued, as she shook violently as if her soul had split open.Malcolm's face became frozen with pity and anguish as he watched Zoe break down before him, in a way he had not seen in a very long time. His heart ached so much when he watched her so broken, as he instantly squatted beside her. “What is wrong?” His voice trembled with pain, as he reached out to her tentatively, his hands fearing that she might not like that he touched her, “Please, Zo,” he beckoned, “Talk to me.”Suddenly, as if compelled by those few words, Zoe raised her face to meet his eyes
Zoe returned the same day after the most traumatic news from Emily hit her, and was barely in her mind when she boarded the plane back to California. Instead of calling Zara to meet her at the airport on arrival with a chauffeur as planned, she boarded a cab instead and arrived at the estate very late that evening. As soon as it dropped her off in front of her house and turned back to leave, she stood for a few minutes, her mind blank about what to do or where to go, with those haunting words echoing in her mind. “I am so sorry. I never should have taken you. You do not deserve all of this.” The pain and grief of being told the darkest truth of her life was too much for her to bear. It shattered her heart so much. ‘Goodness! How could… How could this even happen to her? How?’ Zoe couldn't stop thinking about how miserable she had been her entire life. She wondered how things would have turned out if had gone to her real mother and father. Then she would have been showered with so
The rain had just begun as a soft drizzle in the evening, and Malcolm was there when it did. He was sitting on a chair in the balcony of the rooftop room in his house where he hadn't been for the longest time since he moved in, and realized how beautiful the entire estate from that view was. He also realized how palpable the amplified loneliness and unusual serenity of the place was, just from staring at the entire view from where he sat, but couldn't dwell in it as usual because his heart was burdened by the thought of someone. Her. The person he had worried even more about ever since his encounter with Andre. He wished he could call and talk to her. He really wished he could. But at the same time, he wanted to respect what she wanted too. However, it was hard doing that. What Andre had said couldn't evade his heart. He knew he might stop at nothing to get to her just to get back at him. As the drizzle turned to an increased droplet of rain, Malcolm's eyes continued to fix on the
A low, choked sob escaped Emily's lips and she struggled for breath, while tears began to spill down her wrinkled cheeks, as her eyes, watery and unfocused, locked onto the figure in front of her. “I… I am so sorry,” she whispered with a voice strained with pain, as her gaze trailed across Zoe's face as if searching for something. “I didn’t mean to do it, okay?” Emily blurted out again, as her voice trembled with misery, “I was jealous and was so stupid, so I ruined everything. I ruined our years of friendship, and ruined your happiness too. I made you miserable,” she reached out to Zoe with a trembling hand, as her hands cupped her cheeks. “Jasmine,” she choked out again, “I'm sorry for coming between you and Fred. I…..I.. tried to covet him for myself and I agree. But, it was because, I thought… I thought he was everything. And to be honest, he was. He was kind, he was rich, and he was changing your life. And I… I hated it,” she began to confess, her words raw and unfiltered
Her steps were heavy, slow, and hesitant as she walked through the hallway that led to the VIP ward that her mother had been transferred to, with her heart thumping erratically as if it would jump out of her chest anytime soon. “Make her tell you,” her grandfather's words echoed in her ears again, the more the sound of her heartbeat increased its volume in her ears. Zoe continued to move closer to the room, as she swallowed hard, the fear of what she might hear, suffocating her mind the more she continued to conjure thousands of scenarios in her mind. As soon as she got to the door and grabbed the handle, she paused for a moment and closed her eyes tightly, and drew small sips of breath. ‘Whatever she was going to hear, she just hoped and wished it wasn't going to be a cruel twist in her already shattered world.’Pushing the door open, Zoe's eyes caught the sight of Emily, who was sitting upright on the bed with her back facing the wall, with her thin frame swaddled in a hospital
Dressed in a stunning black, corseted lacy dress, that danced around her in a big umbrella of gathered flaring net, Zara stood beautifully at a corner of the party, while subduedly drinking from the flute of champagne she had in the grasp of her fingers. While basking in the beauty of the launching event and carefully observing all that was going on around her, her eyes barely left Zoe, who was on the other side of the open-roof room still holding conversations with people. However, Zara noticed that after she held a conversation with a man that seemed to break the conversation she was having with a group, she picked a glass of champagne and drank from it in a single gulp. ‘Strange. She hadn't been drinking all evening,’ Zara thought to herself, as she looked away, wondering if she was finally loosening up from being so uptight and restless since the day before. But, she could not ignore it when it seemed like she had counted three glasses already, and it seemed like Zoe wasn't go
Languidly, Malcolm made his way into his living room right after he arrived home, and left all the lights in the house off, the same way it usually was, whenever he was having the worst day ever. Today was one of them. He was able to find the stairs because of the dim lighting that hung on the walls in the living room, as he slowly climbed upstairs, and entered the first room on the left, slamming the door shut. Instantly casting away his coat, tie, and briefcase to where they should be, he pulled his suit, socks, and shoes, and walked into the bathroom to stand under the shower to wash the day's stress off him. He stepped out shortly and changed into clean clothes, before he immediately collapsed on his bed, his mind storming endlessly with worry. As Malcolm remained on the spot for a few minutes, his eyes deeply buried into the gold-colored ceilings that were above his face, because he couldn't stop thinking about his encounter with Andre almost an hour ago! He couldn't stop
Unable to book a flight to where Emily was admitted, was the hardest thing for Zoe to do in the past few hours after she left her grandfather's place. There was just a day left until the launching of her newest jewelry collection, and she could not afford to miss the launching party. Not as the CEO. Curiosity had made it difficult for her to focus on work throughout the office the next day, because she just wanted to know the truth about her birth once and for all. The only hypothesis that was ringing in her head after putting so many pieces together as a possibility, was a reality that was enough to drive her insane just at the mere imagination of it. It was too heavy to even accommodate her thoughts. She had asked Zara to plan her entire schedule for the day and next, as well as book a flight for the night after the launching party for her. She planned to get to the root of her confusion once and for all. There were still many answers she had unanswered already. As Zoe che
Marcel struggled against her tight, feisty grip as he grabbed her hands and overpowered her, before jerking himself free from her grip, almost causing her to fall back. His breath came fast, his chest rising and falling with fury, “I have nothing to say to you,” he said calmly, as he began to straighten the creases that formed on his shirt because of the way she had grabbed him. “What?! You have nothing to say to me?!” Isla lashed out angrily, seeing that he was about to enter his room, as she dragged him back from leaving with every ounce of her power and might. “After what you did to me? After you betrayed me and joined forces with my enemy to take over my company?!” she spat with a fireball of fury, her eyes threatening to scorch him on the spot, “You, of all people, knew what that company meant to me. Why would you do it?! I had to travel miles just to come and see you in this rat hole you have pathetically hidden.”“Do what exactly?” he continued to speak with a low, enthusias