While Kiera was caught up in the whirlwind of sorting out the design dilemma, Nicholas had his own storm brewing.He had long suspected Cristal's involvement in the rumours swirling around Kiera but chose to monitor things first before calling her out on things.Today, however, he didn't plan on staying silent any longer.Knowing Cristal, he was sure she might point it out to him again. Howbeit, it wasn’t news that he got wind of things quickly when Kiera was involved.And unlike before when he meant her ill, now he was curious enough to want to linger around while figuring out what was going on with him.With determined strides, he navigated the bustling streets until he arrived at a posh city café. His face looked grim, his fingers curling into magnificent fists at his side as he made his way inside.There, he spotted Cristal, lounging in an elegantly designed chair, her crimson nails wrapped around a delicate crystal glass filled with an expensive-looking drink.Nicholas couldn’t b
Not up to two minutes after Cristal left, Nicholas remained rooted at the elegantly adorned table, his thoughts became a fierce storm of frustration and concern.The enormous cityscape beyond the café's large windows seemed to mirror the chaos within him as if nature itself sensed the turmoil that played out within him.Lost in his thoughts, Nicholas absently tapped his fingers against his thigh ignoring every stare sent at him.He couldn't shake off the anger that Cristal's actions had ignited within him. Her calculated manipulation of Kiera's reputation was a vile concoction that went beyond mere revenge.As he contemplated the depth of this predicament, the soft scuff of footsteps approached him only to stop beside him.Taking a glance up, Nicholas found himself staring into the curious eyes of a young waitress. She was dressed in the café's uniform, a fitted black skirt and a lovely cream-coloured long-sleeved blouse with an apron tied around her waist, and a notebook in her hand.
No sooner had they got into the car and were about to leave than a call came into Jace’s phone, alerting him of a business crisis.His immediate attention was needed in discussing things with the investors.According to his secretary, they had agreed to only speak with the CEO and head of the corporation to resolve the problem else they pulled out of the investment.At first Jace’s anger skyrocketed without a doubt and he was ready to ignore the investors and take Kiera to her destination.First of all, as a businessman, he did not believe in the act of threatening someone just to get your goal. Most definitely not one that involved his business.If they chose to pull out, he very much as hell could get new investors. Heck, there were so many companies willing to do business with them.“Jace.” Her soft voice had reached through his cold her and stopped him from making any rash decisions.His grip on the steering wheel tightened some more. “I love you,” Kiera pronounced. “And I know yo
Startled, Kiera turned to see a tall man with deep-set eyes and a warm smile. Her eyes went wide with shock, and her brain was completely stunned by the revelation.At once, she recognised him from one of Iris's old photographs."Carlos?" she inquired, eyebrows raised and lips parted in surprise.He nodded with a hint of amusement in his eyes and said, "In the flesh, Kiera. It is I.""Oh, my goodness. What are…" Her lips fell open once more, her mind concocting and putting things in place.Rather than speak on it, he smiled when her eyes widened some more. "I think you do not need me to speak anymore. You have already figured it out."His smile broadened, and he took a step forward, his eyes away from her and now on the garden. "I see you've met my garden already. What do you think of it? Carlos inquired.He whipped his head to the side to look at her; her face remained awestruck as Kiera blinked several times at him."Kiera, please. It’s just me, Carlos. I bet if Iris saw such an exp
It did not take long for the news of Kiera’s success in solving the design crisis to get to Cristal, leaving the young lady depressed.To Cristal, Kiera always found a way to scale through anything she did, which left her in a dilemma.Seated in her house, Cristal lounged lazily on her couch, her eyes darting about her living room as her mind worked a mile a minute, thinking of a solution to her problem."Arrrgh! Damn it!"She had decided to relax that day and not leave the house for any visits when a call came through from the company she hired for her plans, informing her of what Kiera did.In anger, Cristal ended the call, throwing her phone on the couch as she slumped back on it.It had been two hours since then, and yet she could not feel happy for one second, her mind running a mile just thinking of what to do to best handle the situation.Rising from the couch, Cristal walked over to her dining table, where there was an open bottle of wine chilling inside a bucket filled with i
"What I want," Jace began evenly, his eyes raking over her, his disgust evident, "is for you to stay away from Kiera.""Huh… I’m not close to her," Cristal shrugged, hoping to play it nice."Perhaps you think I am smiling, which is why you have the audacity to do what you are doing."Crisal swallowed hard and fell silent. She knew within herself that there was no way she could make him change his mind."I know about your involvement in the plagiarism scandal, Cristal. The fake designer, the copying, and the leak of the said information to the press..." He scoffed, his eyes narrowing on her face."If you attempt to harm her reputation again, I assure you, the consequences will be dire," Jace promised, making sure she heard his voice loud and clear.Even with all that was going on, Cristal still could not believe the charm Kiera used. She looked at him incredulously and asked, "Why are you defending her? What's she to you, Jace?"What’s she to him?Jace could only shake his head at her
A few days later, the city buzzed with the Campbell Group's latest product launch. Every influencer, tech guru, and industry expert was talking about it.Carlos oversaw the design, but Kiera was the one who championed it. The product was not just a hit—it was revolutionary.As proud as Carlos was, he was even prouder of Kiera.Being the key investors behind Campbell Group and Kiera’s goal, Giant Group decided to celebrate this monumental success with a lavish party.The venue was decked out in glimmering lights, creating an ambience of understated opulence. A soft hum of chatter filled the air as attendees discussed the phenomenal success of the new product.Everyone important in the city graced the occasion, wanting to get a first-hand look at the product and interact with the brain behind Campbell’s new product.Draped in a stunning black dress body con mermaid dress that accentuated her features, Kiera moved through the crowd, accepting congratulations and occasionally sharing a la
Immediately after Cristal’s departure, the mood in the party livened up almost instantly as the couple of the day proceeded with the event.The grand ballroom of the Giant Group's venue buzzed with activity. Crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling cast a soft glow on the guests and the subtle notes of a piano played in the background.Everywhere you looked, men in sharp tuxedos and women in elegant dresses laughed, toasted, and revelled in the success of the Campbell Group's newest product.Although they had walked back in together, it did not take long for Kiera to be pulled along by others, leaving Jace’s side.After some time of letting his girlfriend be sucked in with the high-profile society, Jace’s protective instincts kicked in.Holding two glasses of champagne, Jace made his way through the crowd to where Kiera stood. He wanted to toast her success once more and how well she was handling so many people.She was surrounded by a group of admirers, each vying for her attenti
The Island was a paradise in the truest sense. Something Kiera did not think she would have the pleasure of enjoying.Each moment spent, every second, minute, hour—was like a lifetime compensation for the pain and sad times she experienced in life, both past and present.By the time they returned to the island, the day was already far gone and Kiera wanted nothing more than a good sleep.At dawn, they walked hand in hand along the shore, their footprints getting washed away by the gentle caress of the waves.White sand beaches stretched along the coastline, contrasting the deep blue of the ocean.During their stay, they discovered a hidden lagoon nestled behind the lush green canopy on the island.Slowly, they made their way towards the place while inspecting their surroundings. Once it felt safe enough, Kiera gasped now being in the centre of nature’s beauty."Oh my goodness," she uttered in disbelief.Every place they had been to was different in its way, stealing her breath away an
Taking her by her words, Jace inserted a finger into her wetness. Kiera threw her head back, a loud moan escaping her mouth as she shut her eyes, welcoming the invading feeling of his finger.“Aah, Jace.” Her body trembled underneath him, feeling his dick poke her stomach.“Yes love?”“Faster, please,” Kiera pleaded while stoking his dick faster.Jace obliged but he ignored his need and tried his best to delay his release just so he could bring Kiera over the edge, making her extremely wet and ready to accept his dick.He was painfully erect and knew she might not be ready.He added a finger back in, keeping up the pace and watched as she bucked against his finger, before lowering his body and adding his mouth to bite and suck on her clit then went back down to lap at her entrance.In no time he felt that familiar feeling of her walls tightening again and knew she was ready to come.Rather than stopping, Jace attacked Kiera with punishing speed till he felt her thrash wildly on the be
The pristine beach stretched for miles, but the sight that captivated Kiera the most was the luxurious white yacht anchored a little distance away.Its majestic form cast a striking silhouette against the orange-hued horizon. Up till that moment, her experience at the beach had been nothing short of a surreal time.And now, staring at the yacht face to face, Kiera could only wonder what Jace had planned for her."You know," Jace uttered, drawing her out of her reverie, his hand finding hers, "when I first bought the island, this yacht was the first thing I got. It was the place where I'd imagined sharing some of our most intimate memories,” he hinted.Curious, Kiera gazed up at him, her sapphire eyes shining as she awaited more explanations. "Why the yacht when you have the entire island?"Jace shrugged, the mischievous glint in his eyes revealing more than his words."There’s something incredibly freeing about being out on the open sea. No land in sight, just the two of us and the va
After spending some time outside, Jace led Kiera back into the house for breakfast.Quickly Kiera excused herself to brush her teeth and get prepared for breakfast.By the time she was done, she met Jace in the kitchen and headed over to assist him in carrying their meal to the dining table.“There you go.” She smiled softly. Her gaze locked with his, sharing a moment before they burst into laughter and took their seats.“I made three different types of eggs. Classic French Omelette, fried eggs with veggies, hotdog, foolproof poached eggs and soft-scrambled eggs.”“Huh…” Kiera counted with her fingers. She looked at him, her confusion slowly morphing into a smile. “I think that’s four different kinds of eggs. That is excluding the boiled eggs of course.”Jace let out a laugh at being caught. “I’m sorry love. I did not know which you would want,” Jace explained.“You should know, anything is cool with me. It’s the thought that counts mostly, Jace.” She swept her gaze across the dishes
Carlos and Iris's engagement party was in full swing, a celebration of love that radiated throughout the room. Glistening champagne flutes clinked, laughter and animated conversations filled the air, and the dance floor beckoned to those who wanted to lose themselves in the music.Kiera had bid Cristal a quiet goodbye, their brief encounter filled with unspoken emotions.She knew that healing was a journey that Cristal needed to embark on alone, and as much as she wished to be a source of solace, Kiera understood that some wounds needed to be tended to in solitude.It was time the latter accepted it and moved on just like Nicholas did.Returning to the party, Kiera scanned the room for Jace, her heart buoyed by the love and happiness that enveloped the guests.The swirl of emotions from her earlier conversation with Cristal still lingered, but Kiera was determined to immerse herself in the joy of the evening.Finally, she spotted Jace engaged in a lively conversation with a business p
After the initial shock, Iris and Carlos's parents began to show their support and love.Unlike her father, Maria could not say she did not suspect something was up between the two of them. Before when they were much younger, they’d spend so much time together, even down to sleeping on the same bed in some days, acting all caring and loving but suddenly that union and closeness stopped.She had believed it was a phase in their life and decided to let them be thinking they had outgrown such because of adolescence.Turns out they were struggling with their feelings for each other instead. She was both proud and happy that Carlos was the one Iris chose.Whether or not they had taken things further and became intimate, she did not know but as protective as she should be as a parent, she found it giddy and cute that they would be intimate with each other.In all, her support was massively sensed and appreciated.It was a heartwarming moment, and the tension that had filled the room dissipa
~Iris’ Family House~Standing hand in hand outside the living room, Carlos and Iris’ hearts pounded with a mix of excitement and trepidation.Ever since that day on the street when they shared their feelings, they had taken their relationship to heart.Iris felt they did not need to spend more time getting to know each other considering they have known each other all their lives and practically lived together.Although Carlos tried to make her understand that living as siblings was much different now that they were seeing each other as romantic couples, Iris dissed it.To her, it was one and the same and she loved him equally. There was no need to wait.And when he proposed to her, she eagerly accepted his proposal. Now, their parent's blessings was all they needed.The warm hues of the setting sun streamed into the living room, casting a golden glow over the room.Iris took a deep breath, her fingers intertwined with Carlos's. "Are you ready for this?" she whispered with a soft smile
By the time Kiera managed to resolve all the issues in the company concerning the new eco-park, she realized how wrong she had been and needed to reach out to Nicholas and tender her promised apology.Walking towards his office from hers, Kiera took in a deep breath, trying her best to keep her head up as she prepared her mind for the whole experience.‘Deep breaths, Kiera. It is going to be alright.’ She assured herself inwardly.With that, she placed her hand on the doorknob and opened it.To her surprise, rather than meeting Nicholas in his office, it was empty and cleared out, leaving nothing of his belongings nor work documents behind save for a white envelope sitting on his desk with her name on it.“You have got to be…”She shut her eyes, unclenching her fists as her mind raced to find the right words to use at that moment.When she couldn’t get the best of it, she closed the gap between her and his desk, picking up the letter.“To Kiera,” she read out before scanning around as
In the grand boardroom of Campbell Group, the atmosphere was charged. Massive windows gave a view of the cityscape while the sleek, wooden table reflected the state-of-the-art design of the room.Ever since Nicholas joined the board meeting, Kiera could not hide the fact that she had always been on edge one way or another.Staring at her intently, Nicholas as well as the other members watched as she kick-started the meeting.As Kiera presented her new eco-park idea, murmurs of approval echoed. She had decided to build an eco-park on the land they acquired last time. The concept was groundbreaking—an immersive experience where customers could witness the entire production process of Campbell's products.Several board members were in sync with the whole idea and saw it as an opportunity to do something greater and better.However, Nicholas remained silent all through and when the murmuring had died down, he leaned back in his chair with a sceptical arch to his brow.“Ahem!”Several head