Standing quietly while lost in thoughts, Zoe stood for a few seconds, watching Audrey, who had slept off on one of the couches in the living room with an ache in her heart. Even in the poor lady's sleep, her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and the pain was etched into her face even in unconsciousness, while wincing painfully in her sleep. Her eyes traced the contours of Audrey's face, which she had never really observed properly, and a soft sigh escaped her lips, when she winced painfully again and again, her body curling slightly as if to protect herself from the invisible wounds that haunted her even in sleep.Slowly, Zoe reached out, her fingers brushing lightly against her hair, as she whispered, “Sleep well,” before she pulled away. With a final glance, she turned and left the room and shut the door behind her, as she made her way to where the car was parked, with her bodyguard, Dylan, already waiting by the car. He opened the door for her as she approached, and zoomed off aft
Malcolm sat in his luxurious study, surrounded by walls of dark mahogany bookshelves filled with an array of leather-bound volumes, his eyes skimming over the contents of a report displayed on his tablet, his fingers lightly tapping the screen as he made some annotation. In one hand, he held his phone, effortlessly multitasking as he engaged in a conversation with Edward, through the small earpods tucked into his ears. “The financial statements for next quarter are ready for review, sir. I will forward them to you now,” Edward said from the other side of the phone, while sitting in the comfort of his home, for the first time in a long while. Ever since Malcolm had returned from his long disappearance, he had been working from home rather than at the office, and it had made things easier for him because he would not have to see his capricious moods switch violently all day. “Make sure the board sees these first things tomorrow, and prepare a draft response for the investors' inquir
Sitting at the extended terrace of her room in her villa was Zoe, who had just ended a video call with an acquaintance, her mind pondering back on what Audrey had told her before she left hours ago, right after she returned from her short meeting with Martin. She had promised to help her fly Aaron out of the country without anyone finding out, which would not require the legal stamp of her husband or the Meyers, which had always been a prerequisite in case the child had to ever travel by public plane. It was how they had kept her in check for years so that they would not lose sight of the child if she tried to sneak him. However, Zoe was staring with confusion and disbelief, her eyes fixed on the picture that she had before her, which she had been curious about after her brief talk with Audrey. The man she was looking at in the picture stared back at her with a striking resemblance which she was certain that she had seen recently, even though she couldn’t place where. The problem w
Sitting at a cozy fine restaurant that same evening on the outskirts of the city was Ivy, whose eyes nervously darted to the entrance of the fine dining countless number of times, as she anticipated the arrival of the man she had given every reason to come earlier that day. Lost in her random thoughts and worries while she sat impatiently, she wondered how she would act if he appeared, what she would say to him at first, and how she would explain what she wanted to tell him. Every minute felt like forever as she waited for him, hoping that he would not ditch her for some last-minute prior engagement if he changed his mind about coming, because there was no way she would be able to summon the courage to meet him anymore. Momentarily, every nerve in her became stiff with the whiff of his familiar cologne that wafted through her senses, her breath sucking into her throat as soon as she raised her eyes instinctively to see him approaching where she was sitting. Nothing about him had c
Zoe's sleek car cruised down the quiet road before her, as her hand gripped the steering wheel of her car tightly, her mind swirling with anxiety as she approached the agreed-upon spot. The rate of her heartbeat quickened for a few seconds, as she sighted a black SUV with tinted windows that came into view right before her while droving slowly. She pulled up just right by the car and rolled down her window just enough to receive the parcel that was being passed through, and the exchange that occurred momentarily was swift and silent, with no exchange of words As soon as she received the package, she drove away instantly, her chest tightening with unease as she tossed the box to the backseat, resisting the urge to open it right there, and instead, drove straight to her villa. Finally, as Zoe reached the gates of the secluded villa, she pulled into the garage and halted the car, as she sat in silence for a moment, and turned to stare at the parcel that had been resting on the ba
A scream threatened to tear through Zoe's throat at the moment, but only a strangled sob escaped her, unable to process the excruciating pain that she had been plunged into, as she gasped for breath, her body convulsing with the overwhelming surge of pain and despair. Her legs gave out beneath her, and she crumpled unceremoniously to the cold floor as the marriage certificate slipped from her trembling fingers, fluttering carefully to the floor in the way her dreams had been shattered. Instinctively, her hands gripped the floor and her clothes for support, the more the reality of the memories came flooding while she fought for air, the world spinning around her and the betrayal of her mind suffocating her.The first memory that she had partially seen as soon as she woke up from her near-death experience at the hospital, was herself in a wedding dress and with a man, whose face she didn't see properly. It scared her so much because it was the first time she had seen it that clearly.
Ivy stared blankly out of her window, a champagne flute perfectly arched between her fingers, her mind lost in disturbing thoughts that refused to stop badgering her head. Her encounter with Marcel played over and over in her head like a broken record stuck on repeat, as she tried to understand why his demeanor changed instantly upon seeing a glance at Audrey’s picture who had called her at the moment. He remained unfazed when she told him of Isla's plans. He had seemed so calm, so collected up until that point, and it was as if the name and the contact photo on her screen had flipped a switch on him, releasing emotions that had been buried in him. He left shortly after without saying much after she told him she was a wife to her brother, and did not even give her a reasonable answer when she asked if he knew her, causing her more confusion than ever. And even if she didn't want to bother about it, her chest couldn't help but tighten with the speculations that occurred to her, h
Standing in front of the dresser was a breathtaking figure of masculine grace and charm who was busy adjusting the lapels of his impeccably tailored suit, his eyes barely noticing the usual perfectness he usually wanted in place regarding his appearance. As he fastened the last button of his crisp white shirt and clasped his watch around his wrist, Malcolm's eyes darted to an almost perfect reflection of himself that also stared at him, betraying his elegance with the deep sadness that was deeply engraved in his eyes. His mind could not help but wander back to Zoe, and he could not help but wonder where she had been since the last time they saw, and what she had been up to. He had tried to bury his emotions under endless work, meetings, and exhausting deadlines, telling himself that it was best that he tried hard to respect her decisions, but no matter how hard he tried, thoughts of her always found a way to sneak into his head. She had that effect on him, like a rippling water ef