Zoe stood in the dimly lit hallway of her luxurious suit, and her eyes were fixed on Dylan, who was standing before her, her voice laced with urgency, “Were you able to get the document of authentication?”Dylan nodded, having confirmed it a few minutes ago just right after they both returned from her office, “It is going as planned, ma'am. The lawyer said the papers will be finalized and confirmed by tomorrow. By then, you will have full authority over her assets and her son’s welfare,” he explained. Zoe nodded in satisfaction even if her heart was racing with some underlying hint of dread, feeling the need to take another step since every charge against her had been dissolved, and there was a new search for the person who had tried to murder Audrey. The first step was to make sure that the Meyers would not be able to take control over Aaron and Audrey anymore through legal means. “Good,” she finally said, while trying not to think too much because of the sudden state of anxiety t
The heavy grand doors of the Meyers mansion swung open with a sharp creak as two security men matched in, with grim faces, walking tall and formidable behind Malcolm. “Get Ivy down here!” He ordered in a very cold and authoritative manner, and it caused the maids who were at his call to shudder in fear as they went to get her from her room instantly. Unaware of what the sudden hubbub of her brother wanting to see her was, Ivy, who had gotten home less than five minutes ago, made her way down the grand stairs that led to her room lazily. For the past few weeks, all she had done was go to clubs to dance and drink with her friends, while spending money lavishly as she pleased. She had been unable to get rid of the anger and pain that her head had been drowning, knowing that she lost her ex to Audrey. It bruised her ego non-stop anytime she thought of it. And since she had been unable to talk to anyone about it, she decided to keep it to herself, considering how messy the family ha
After she was dragged away from the mansion by the security guards into the car they came with, Ivy was taken to a small vacation house that they drove to that night, which was miles away from the mansion after making sure they were not being trailed. The room they made her sit in after they arrived was suffocating as well as trepidatory, and all she could do was bury her eyes on the floor while sitting so stiffly, her heart thumping fast as the men that brought her in, left her with Malcolm. She cowered in fear as she refused to meet the eyes of her brother, who stood miles away from her, his gaze hard and unyielding, with his arms crossed against his chest as if barricading himself against any slightest feeling of compassion for her. For some reason, Ivy had no idea why he had chosen not to believe her when she said that Isla was involved too, which had frustrated her more than ever and made fear sink into her stomach because it looked like no one was coming to save her. Not
Zoe stood in front of the dresser in the master bedroom of the private suite she was staying in, her eyes staring conceitedly at her reflection in the reflective glass before her, and her heart swirling with the weight of the big decision she was finally making that night. She had spoken with Marcel two days before, and he had given her a sad reply that his father was unwilling to release his private jet to him because they were still not on good terms, even if he had no idea what she wanted to use it for. However, she told him not to worry anymore because she would still be able to use that of ANCLAIR’s conglomerate in the meantime, till her grandfather would probably decide to finally cut her off from the benefits as the CEO if he found out what she was planning. She finally told him why she had requested that of him. Earlier in the morning, she asked that Aaron be discreetly transported to Zara's house, and asked that the dutiful secretary take care of him till evening, kno
THREE MONTHS LATEROn the last day at the jewelry company, clusters of office workers lingered by their desks and in the hallways, talking in hushed, worried voices. An eerie feeling and a weird hollow quietness settled in the surroundings of each office, as if amplifying the uneasiness everyone was overwhelmed by. Brown boxes that belonged to them lined the floors, filled with items from their desks and cubicles, and the once-glittering display cases where sample pieces of exquisite jewelry sat proudly were now empty. It was not a shock that everything finally came to that, because for the past months the company, Hila Jewelry had been struggling more than it had since the beginning of the year, and a few of them who got a better offer, or even less good offers from other companies, left as fast as they could before they soon became at the mercy of joblessness.While faced with the fear of all of them being laid off since an employee buyout might not happen, their voices rose in co
The presence of the woman that made her way into the boardroom radiated a chilling, and self-assured elegance as she sauntered across the room, her piercing gaze locking onto Isla for a brief, almost taunting second. Dressed in a sharp, immaculately custom-made white suit, her movements were graceful, calculated and classy, like a predator closing in on prey, her stunning white heels clicking ostentatiously on the marble floor. Isla felt the blood drain from her face instantly, as she stared in shock, unable to process the sight before her. “How…?” she barely whispered to herself, too stunned to speak louder, her heart nearly stopping, “How……” She could barely keep herself composed as her eyes narrowed on the woman, who stood confidently before her, with a smug smile settling in the corners of her mouth. Desperately trying to make sense of the unraveling events, Isla's voice trembled as she forced herself to speak, “Zoe?” she called out, her voice trembling with fear, unable to b
The atmosphere in the boardroom was tense as the meeting finally began, and Isla was still reeling from Zoe's revelation, gripping the edges of her chair, forcing herself to sit up straight despite the humiliation twisting inside her. Every eye in the room now focused on the man at Zoe's side, who was the host of the meeting. He was a tall, polished secretary with the most dashing look, and he exuded great appearance. He cleared his throat with a crisp authority as if calling everyone's attention to him, and began to speak, “Ladies and gentlemen,” he greeted politely, “I understand this is a day of difficult transition because of the sudden disruption, but it is necessary to review the reasons the shareholders are being advised not to honor Ms. Isla's requested payout before the transfer of ownership rights is completed,” He glanced down briefly at his papers before him, and then backed up, his eyes locking with each shareholder. Isla felt a pang of dread as he continued, her hear
Sitting in the comfort of his office, which was nothing short of sophistication and opulence, a gorgeous man, calm and composed, his suit impeccable, his perfectly waxed hair neatly in place, had just ended a conference call with the company headquarters in China. His mind was still basking in the serenity of the silence around him while refreshing his email with the hope that he had gotten a reply, when the grand door to his office suddenly flew open without a knock, as a fuming man stormed in, barely able to contain his fury.“What the hell, Malcolm?!” he snapped, voice filled with anger as he crossed the room, his face twisted with fury, and his fists clenched at his sides, “Why did you reject my proposal? Again?" His voice was a low growl, though it trembled with a barely contained rage.Without sparing him a glance, Malcolm remained calm as he switched off his computer, and he settled back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other with practiced ease. When he finally looked
But Zoe didn’t move. Instead, she just stood there, staring at the flowers with her mind tangled in a mess of resentment and something she refused to name as she rose to her feet. And somehow, her feet carried her toward the kitchen instead, as her eyes caught sight of the china and teacup. The ones she had planned to return also. ‘Goodness! Just why would he do all this without even asking her first?!’ Zoe screamed in her head even if her tired lips could utter nothing as she began a careful deliberation in her mind concerning how she would return it, knowing that she wanted to have no business stepping into his house.And just right at that moment too, the small green packet next to her microwave caught her eyes exactly where he had left it, and it was the herbal tea he had sent to her. The note he had attached to it lingered in her head and it made her scoff. ‘What business does he have with her insomnia?’And yet, her hands moved on their own, filling her kettle, lighting the
The black car glided softly into the estate as Dylan steered it through the silent, tree-lined road that led to Zoe's mansion, and pulled up smoothly to the front entrance of her house, his movements smooth and controlled, just as they always were. His eyes flashed to the front mirror for a few seconds as he turned the car off, before he reluctantly stepped out, and smartly walked around the car to the right side of the passenger seat. He hesitated for a few seconds before he pulled the door open towards his direction for Zoe, and then waited for her to step out as usual. And for a few seconds, Zoe remained sitting without stirring, as her eyes dimmed into a distant gaze as if her mind had pulled her entirety into an abyss. She was lost somewhere in her never ending thought, and Dylan knew that look. He had studied it more times than he cared to admit. His usual mask of indifference switched that moment for a few seconds as his gaze lingered on her, with a longing mixed with so
It was late in the night already, and Dylan was just driving Zoe back home. She sat in the back seat and slouched her back comfortably against the leather chair, with her neck hanging sideways against the closed window in the most elegant way ever. Somehow, she was trying not to think of it earlier. She was trying not to think of having to sit before Andre in her office, and talk so casually. It reminded her of Audrey. It reminded her of the woman whose dreams were stolen, and a woman whom somehow no one seemed to remember. It made her heart ache that even her husband seemed to have no ounce of sadness for her death. His expression turned even colder at the mention of her name. As much as Zoe tried to push the thoughts and triggering insinuations that kept creeping into her mind because of the silent investigations she had been doing, she couldn't help but remember what Audrey told her. That someone had threatened her after her encounter with Marcel, and sent an anonymous message
Despite the seeping feeling of cold air into the atmosphere in the office of the CEO of the RINASHONE art gallery, it did nothing to ease the storm that was brewing in Isla's heart, who sat slouched against her chair.Her eyes which had been narrowed by a disdainful glare stared again at the chart that was before her, and she could not help but scrunch up her face the more she read those numbers before her. ‘Ridiculous!’ She almost scoffed, ‘The gallery’s earnings for the month were barely enough. Barely enough!’ her eyes glanced through the pile of invoices again, and then glared at the final figure. “This is not good. Not nearly enough,” she muttered spitefully, the more she thought of her debts which loomed over her like a noose. The ones that had given her sleepless nights because somehow there was nowhere she could have pulled the funds from. Isla leaned back in her chair and gritted her teeth angrily, thinking of how the numbers were still low with the exhibition they held an
The bright lights of the city shone against the tinted windows of the car that drove through the highways of the city, but it didn't do anything to catch the attention of the man who sat back in the backseat of his luxurious car, while rubbing his temples absently with one another.As he remained mute without uttering anything all through the journey back home which was unlike his usual self, his mind momentarily flashed back to the event that happened earlier that day, as he steamed with the remnant of his frustration.It was the second time he had a face-to-face conversation with her. He had stormed into her mall straight from work with his pulse hammering with frustration without even thinking too much about it, the moment he realized that yet again, there was no reply. He was so pissed. For days, she had ignored his email. And when he was told that she asked him to be let inside at once, he was quite taken. He had expected that she would prove so difficult so that he would be ab
Her shortcomings. That had been her concern all afternoon. Not the great news Hepzy went back and forth about. Rather than the joy and excitement that usually came with it, she just felt relieved. Relieved that she was doing well. She wasn't happy about it. There was nothing to be joyful about. As she sat at her desk surrounded by neatly stacked reports and a laptop screen glowing with financial projections before her, the numbers stared back at her. Poor and unproductive in her dictionary. As much as it looked impossible, she had always aimed for every venture she had mapped out in the mall. It wasn't just a mall. It was an empire. The one that billions had been finished off on, and it would end up swallowing more if poured into it. Pulling off something that huge had taken so much willpower and mental strength even if every social psychology quotient of hers was always fluctuating. The ice skating rink and the luxury car exhibition space were doing the lowest. 8% returns was all
The faint aroma of herbal tea lingered in the air of the office, where Zoe sat uprightly behind her table, with her poised demeanor betraying no sign of the turmoil that had lingered over her for the past few days even till the night before.Across from her, Zara, who was holding a notepad clutched to her chest, continued to stare at her so overtly, while wondering what kind of woman she was. “You have been watching me like a hawk,” Zoe, whose gaze was fixated on what she was looking at on the tablet that was before her, “Spill it.”Zara hesitated before speaking, as she stared at her, with a concerned expression, “I don't want you to say I bother too much, but I really cannot help but be so worried. I mean you suddenly made me book a flight after the launching, and then left. You came back and told no one. You came in looking so sick and pale, and now you are doing so much work already. You are asking if things you've never……..”“Can you catch your breath, Zara?” Zoe cut her off ins
It was so dark in the night already, and barely anything could be heard around the estate anymore except the branches of trees moving in the movement of the wind, and the sound of crickets that buzzed amidst the gardens that were around. Malcolm was seen returning to Zoe's house after he had left many minutes ago, with big bags in his hands as he made his way to the front of her mansion. Slipping in through the front door now that he knew its password, he stepped in casually and locked the door behind it. Since he left the other inner door that led to the living room open without closing it when he left earlier, it was easier to just enter on tiptoe without disrupting her. Catching a sight of her still sleeping on the couch in her living room, he dropped the bag he was carrying on the cold, marbled floor, and walked over to her side to feel her temperature. He noticed that she was still burning with a fever. Carefully, Malcolm carried her the same way he had done the previous day,
Malcolm had stood by the window of his mansion all evening after returning from work, with his fingers tapping idly at the corners of it which he had never noticed before, but was as sparkly as ever because the cleaning services that usually cleaned his house were perfect at their job. His eyes had fixed on the road outside as he waited restlessly, with his thoughts sinking into a tangled mess of concern and yearning for the woman he had been bothered about more than ever all day because of the articles that were published. And just at the moment when his eyes caught the sight of a car which rolled into view and drove past his mansion, his heart skipped in relief, before he instantly turned away from the window and hurried out. ‘She was back.’He walked fast, and even almost ran, hoping that he would be able to still meet her outside before she entered her house. In the opposite direction, her car drove past him as he walked, and he didn't even mind anything apart from her. His ey