The door to the room slammed open with a crack like thunder, and Andre emerged from his room, his face a storm of furrowed brows and clenched jaws. The sound of his shoes clacked so hard as he strode down the hallway that led to Irina''s room, his breath coming out in uneven huffs, and his hands balling into fists at his sides. There was a wild urgency in his eyes amid a simmering frustration that seemed to radiate off him like heat, as he burst into his mother’s room without knocking. Irina, who was in her dressing room while getting ready to step out for an anniversary event, was visibly startled by the noise of the abrupt entrance in her room, as she rushed out instantly to see what the ruckus was all about. “Mother!” He called sharply, “Who else had been to that room?!” He demanded heavily, his voice heavy with anger and anxiety. “What do you mean?” Irina scrunched her eyebrows up in confusion, as she stared at him with questioning eyes, almost stumbling against the large s
Dressed in a white silk robe that blinked and waved smoothly in the direction of the wind, Irina Meyer lounged on the chaise longue in her private suite at Le AVARSON wellness resort, as she basked in the lights of the sun's rays that seeped in through the wide, floor-to-ceiling windows. On her right was a crystal glass filled with freshly pressed grapefruit juice on the side table, and right before her face was a fashion magazine which she buried her eyes in, as her right hand occasionally flipped to the next page. However, her mind was barely on what she was reading. It was deep in the thoughts of the confrontation with Andre earlier in her room that morning, and the words she hadn't expected that she would say to him. Though she felt a little guilty that she had smacked him hard with the bitter truth, her face scrunched up with the unwillingness to go and appease him as she continued to enjoy the peaceful repose of her environment. Irina was just beginning to let the peace of t
Malcolm Meyer sat on the plush leather armchair in the living room of his new home in a faraway estate from the city that whispered wealth in every detail, from the vaulted ceilings which held huge modern diamond five-tier chandelier whose lights art reflected on the ebony floors of the huge mansion, to the floor-to-ceiling windows and perfect walls that were lined with first editions arts and rare artifacts.For the first time in what felt like an eternity, he allowed himself to sink into the quiet of his living room right after he returned from work and took a warm bath, instead of retiring to his room as usual. As he swirled the colorless wine in the wine glass he was holding and took a slow sip at each unconsciously calculated rhythm, his thoughts could not help but drift to the one person he had seen by chance earlier that day at a conference meeting. And even though they didn't get the chance to talk, and he just got to watch her from afar, he was relieved that she had risen f
The air in Malcolm's office was filled with so much tension the moment he let his sister, who had come to momentarily disrupt his schedule, in. It had been days since they saw each other, ever since the unfortunate incident that almost cost her life. He had been expecting that she would come to see him after the information he had gotten about what she had been up to for the past few days, and unlike before, he didn't even give her the chance to speak first, before he lashed at her. “Do not come and shout in my office like you have been going around doing!” He warned gravely as soon as she stormed into his office, with all of her entirety quivering uncontrollably. “You know well that I should not keep calm at all!” She glared at him, “You of all people, know that I deserve to rant. At least if you treated me like trash, I should have one thing for myself!” “Why, in the name of everything sane, do you keep running back to fight with them?!” he demanded, his words seething with ange
The lonely roads that Dylan drove the car through, which were bordered by the scene of the beautiful sea around now seemed much more familiar now that Zoe was returning there again, than the first time she came there without her memories months ago.The town was covered with gentle hues of late autumn as they arrived at their destination, and the earthly scent of fallen peonies lingered in the air, giving her a nostalgic thrill of the childhood she spent there, living with her grandmother. The one she now remembered. As she stepped out of the car, her eyes caught the first sight of the huge oak tree she had sat beneath the day she came, and the same cobblestone streets she had walked on with confusion in her eyes. They were the moments she felt like a fool and was confused with no one to give her direction or a sense of belonging. The heartbreaking moments when everyone she had once known when she was young, denied remembering her grandmother or her when she asked them.The reason f
Nothing made sense even more after the curiosity that took Zoe back to her home led her to hear new information, and she had to confirm using whatever unnoticeable means she could to get information about the two legendary friends. Her mother, Emily, and her friend, Jasmine. ‘Was Jasmine really pregnant as rumored then?’ She wondered, ‘But the other aged people she asked said Jasmine returned to the countryside after the rumor and lived there for about three more years, but they saw no child with her? What then happened?’ She was restless in her thoughts. Dylan drove the car while she sat at the back, silent and still, her heart aching with even more confusion. She sat back against the car seat and stared blankly outside the car, unable to even think properly if she wanted to. More than anything, she felt so lonely. She felt like she had no family or anyone to turn to. As much as she thrived and was happy at her magnanimous success in the eyes of others, her heart felt no warm
Unable to sleep the entire night, Zoe ran through her whole schedule for the day and the ones for the next few days, as she worked tirelessly with a virtual assistant she also hired remotely. The next morning, Dylan was already waiting outside the house for her together with the chauffeur this time, and they barely said anything to each other except exchange pleasantries. “Thank you, Dylan,” Zoe finally remembered as she sat back in the car, while going through her schedule for the day which Zara had forwarded already. It was almost like she hadn't gone through a mental breakdown the previous day. “For yesterday,” she added after pausing for a few seconds, as if trying to process the remainder of the information she wanted to pass across to him even if she knew what she wanted to say. “It is my pleasure, ma'am,” Dylan answered, unsure if he should be appreciated for that. It wasn't an obligation. He just wanted to do it. “It is Zoe. Just Zoe,” she corrected for the nth time, even
It was RINASHONE’s first art exhibition of the year, and the halls of the grand hall of the huge art gallery which was shining with the beautiful lights that radiated from the crystal chandeliers off the polished marble floors, were abuzz, and filled with A-list socialites that had been invited for the grand event. All perfect preparations had been made in the space of a few weeks after Isla became the new director, and all that was left for the art exhibition was to be a wonderful and satisfying one where both the host's and guests' needs would be met. The walls of the huge art hall were lined with bold splashes of abstract colors, still life paintings, and realistic portraits of serene landscapes by renowned popular artists, which garnered attention from the guests. They were amazed by the beauty of each wonderful painting, while muttering a few words to one another and exchanging pleasantries, only to be interrupted by the host of the exhibition, who had a big smile on her face.
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
“Please can you listen to me first?” Zoe instantly stood up from her seat and stepped forward in desperation, as her fingers curled slightly the moment she stretched her hand in an attempt to reach her, but dared not touch. Upon hearing her voice laced with desperation and a hint of something she couldn't make out, Jasmine halted on her steps, before she turned her face sharply. A sharp, bitter laugh escaped her lips, as she stared at Zoe's face, with a surfeit amount of emotions rushing through her at once, causing her to almost stumble on words, “If you are here to ask me about us, then I have nothing to say,” her voice trembled, “Did she say anything about me? Did she ask you to meet me? Her eyes burned with so much pain.With a heavy heart, Zoe spoke, unable to meet her eyes, “I am more interested in your side of the story, not Emily's,” she clarified.“What?” Jasmine's brow jumped in a high arch of astonishment, as she tried to make out the meaning of what she was saying, “Wha
An unease settled in Malcolm Meyer’s chest as he leaned back in his office chair, with his left fingers idly tapping against the polished wood of his desk, while his right hand incessantly tugged at the collar of his shirt that continued to feel clammy against his skin. He had barely slept the night before because sleep evaded him, and as a result of anxiety which clung to the darkest corners of his mind that were entangled in the thoughts of her.When he arrived home the day before earlier than he usually did because he was bothered, and hoped that Zoe would be home by then already, he noticed that the lights to her mansion had been off. It was not the usual ‘one’ light on, and the rest ‘off’ he usually noticed whenever he was home before he even knew she lived there. This time, it was completely off. There was darkness everywhere around her mansion, and it was unlike her. ‘Had she even come home at all?’ He wondered endlessly in his heart, seriously bothered that he didn't see h