The board meeting was rescheduled, and they were all gathered again for the meeting.The tension in the air was no different from the previous one, except that it was heavier than before.“Mr. Rodrigo, the stock prices are stagnating,” one of the shareholders, Mr. Caldwell, mouthed, adjusting his glasses. “If this continues, we will be looking at a huge collapse. We need answers, and we need them now. What is going on? What are you doing about this?”Alison sat at the far end of the table, taking a glance at Travis. She had only recently become part of this case, but the stakes seemed extremely high. The accusations against him were baseless, and he needed to clear his name in order to regain the company's legacy and keep it going, or else it would affect not only him but the stakeholders who had invested in the company.She knew she needed to get evidence faster and she had just limited time to do so. If she did not act fast, she was certain that the company would be in total shamb
The boardroom was filled with murmurs from the board members, wondering what story she was making up.Alison knew it was a hard thing to believe, seeing that all the bottles were sealed, and so, how was it that it was poisoned?“Everyone, please,” she called out, trying to calm the atmosphere. “We need to focus. Some are safe, and some are not. This is not a mistake or a random incident, someone is trying to create an internal conflict."“Are you saying we are in danger, as well?” Mr. Caldwell asked in annoyance. “This is madness!”“Who would do such a thing?” Ms. Linda spat. “And why would they target us? This is about Mr. Rodrigo!”"Ms. Linda, you have been targeting the CEO for a while now. Do you know anything about this?" "What? How dare you accuse me?" "Pointing fingers will only make matters worse. We need to figure out who is behind this before we start turning on one another. This is exactly what they are aiming for.”Enough!” Travis’s voice came through, silencing the roo
As Alison stepped out of the boardroom, her mind was filled with thoughts of what had just happened in the boardroom.Poisoned waters?Who would have had the mind to do something as outrageous as that?As she thought hard about it, she walked past the cleaning area. Something in her told her to just check the environment, and as she did, she noticed something different.She walked past a few cleaners, who greeted her, but there was something off about some of them.Particularly, one of them, who had put on a nose mask.She bowed, averting her eyes away from Alison's gaze.She bent her head low and walked away. Alison turned her head to the back, observing her footsteps, and how she acted.Could the suspect be one of the cleaners? If so, then, who sent them?With a sudden urge to find the suspect, she took a left turn and entered the elevator, heading to the control room.As she got there, she met with the head of the department, who stopped her.She took out her ID card and waved it a
Just when everyone thought Alison would slap the lady, they heard her burst into laughter, causing everyone to be shocked and wearing confused expressions.Even the lady in front of her was surprised."Clara, if it's because you didn't get the snacks I shared, don't worry about it, okay? I will treat you someday," Alison said, making Clara more confused."Are you trying to buy me with treats? You already gave me one, so what are you saying?" Camille paused for a moment. Was she not the same person who had arrived last to get her snacks?Could it be another person? Camille became confused, but in order not to show her confusion to them, she shook her head and turned to the others."I'm glad you enjoyed your snacks. I guess it's time to work now. Have a nice day," she said, bidding them goodbye.They waved her goodbye, turning around to begin the day, as some took the mop sticks, while some picked up the buckets.Camille walked out of the hallway and entered the elevator. Her mind was
Alison returned home, after having a stressful day. Well, all her days in Rodrigo International were stressful, because the case she was handling was tasking.Even at that, she still had to attend to other minor issues in her brand.As she got home, she threw her bag on the couch and took her heels, falling on the bed with a loud sigh.There was just so much running in her mind and she tried to place them accurately. Well, she needed to do this. As she thought back to how far she had come, she vowed not to give up.This was not only for her, but for her son. She would do everything in her power to get back her son from the Francisco's family.He was not safe there and she would not be at peace knowing that her son was in the hands of that evil woman, Margaret.With a sigh, she got into the bathroom to have a quick bath before continuing the work.As the water poured down her skin, she felt relaxed. It was as if the water was washing away the tension in her mind.After what seemed to
After Alison rejected his offer to work for him, Bruno had been having difficulty navigating the project he was handling.Since it was something that had illegal dealings involved, he could not properly maneuver it, or else he would get caught.He could not afford to look like a loser in front of his mother or even Alison. He needed to make it work.As he sat behind the table, tapping his hand occasionally on the table, he looked at his lawyer, who had his head bent low."So, what are you saying now? That you cannot handle it...is that it?" He asked, gazing at him.The man, who seemed to be in his early forties, shivered and was unable to look at him in the face.“Mr. Francisco, I really think we should consider our options here,” the man said, swallowing hard.He was afraid. He could not deal with such an affair. He could feel Bruno's gaze on him, and it was like he was about to reap his skin off of him.Bruno leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. He tried not t
Bruno knew his mother was upset, he had to do something to make her calm down.As he went out of his office, he reached out to his mother's office. He pushed it open, and bowed, walking towards her."Mother, how about we go out and eat? Let's focus more on the success of the project, because once I am able to get them to pull this through, then we are guaranteed about the success of the project."Margaret glanced at him, knowing fully when that he was only trying to calm her down."I'm busy, just get a drink from the wine cabinet," she said, waving her hand off.He chuckled, and walked to the cabinet, picking up a wine with less alcoholic percentage.He took the glasses and set them on the table, opening the lid of the bottle.Carefully, he poured the wine into the two glasses and then set it down."Cheers to a successful project," he said, raising his glass for a toast.His mother glanced at him for a couple of seconds, before raising her glass for a toast.The two glasses clicked, m
Margaret sat in the back of her black SUV, scrolling through her phone. She was engrossed in a series of photos from last year's women’s conference, and she wondered what she would wear for this year's women's conference.“Maybe a luxurious yellow dress,” she thought, mentally picturing how it would look on her and how everyone would praise her for her outfit.She glanced up and saw a black Roll-Royce, one car she admired but was only available in limited slots. Her heart skipped a beat, as she kept staring at it, her mind daydreaming out of reality.Suddenly, the car jolted forward, and Margaret was thrown back against the back seat. The driver cursed under his breath, as he turned to her.“Sorry, ma’am! Just a little bump!” he said, looking away immediately.“What do you mean a bump?” Margaret snapped, widening her eyes. “What did you hit?”As the driver reversed a bit, Margaret tilted her head to the side to see the side of the car she was admiring now dented. Even her car had a sc
Alison smiled, feeling a sense of determination and purpose. She was going to take revenge on Bruno and his mother, even if she died trying.The rest of the day passed in a blur, and soon it was getting late and Alison knew that she had to get back to her apartment to prepare for work the following day.“I'd get going now, Aunt,” she said and got off the couch. “It was nice hanging out and thank you so much for hosting me.”“This is your home too, Ally,” Megan said with a soft smile. “Come over whenever you feel like.”“It was nice keeping you company, too Uncle Carlos,” she grinned and the man patted her hair fondly. “See you around kiddo.” He winked and Alison walked out with Aunt Megan, they both shared a hug before Alison got into her car, driving off.***As Alison settled into her apartment, and onto a couch, she couldn't help but feel extremely relaxed and a fresh sense of peace took over her insides.She went to freshen up,before returning back to the living room. She picke
Alison watched as Travis's expression changed, his eyes narrowing as he listened to the person on the other end of the line. She felt a pang of curiosity, wondering who it was and what they wanted.But Travis's conversation was brief, and he ended the call "I'll be right there.""I'm sorry," he said, turning to Alison. "I have to go. But I'll be back soon."Alison nodded, feeling a pang of disappointment. She had been hoping to spend more time with Travis, to do what? She wasn't sure, but she just wanted to be around him…***Alison pulled up at the driveway in Aunt Megan's house, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. She had been feeling quite uneasy after the encounter with Travis earlier, she didn't even bother waiting till he returned before she left.Her last case was a big one, and Aunt Megan and her husband played a major role in the success of its completion, she owed them a lot.As she stepped out of the car and walked towards the front door, she noticed something quite
After approximately ten hours of being shut, Alison's eyes fluttered open, and she was met with an unfamiliar ceiling…the last she remembered, her bedroom didn't have a chandelier light, neither was it painted all white, so where was she?She sat up with a start, looking around the room frantically. The room was elegantly decorated with white walls and dark wood furniture. But it was not her room and she was sure about that.Panic set in as she scrambled out of bed, her eyes scanning the room for something, anything, familiar. But there was nothing. No photos, no mementos, no clothes that she recognized.And then, her eyes landed on her clothes. Or rather, the clothes she was wearing. They were not hers. An involuntary scream escaped her throat as she realized that someone had changed her clothes while she was sleeping.Alison's mind was racing. What had happened the previous night? She had gone to dinner with Travis, and then...and then nothing. She couldn't remember anything.Wait…i
The soft glow of the restaurant's interior cast a warm light on Mrs. Francisco's face, but her expression was far from warm. Her bulgy eyes held a disgusted expression as she gazed at Alison and Travis,eating and joking about something.How dare Alison move on? As though escaping from prison wasn't enough, now she was out here flirting and frolicking with one of the wealthiest young men in the whole country.Exactly what did she think she was? The woman kept glaring until she saw them walk out of the restaurant, accompanied by so many guards.From the look of things, Alison just wanted a fling…it seemed like something else was going on, something more serious.“Snap out of it my darling” the woman seated across Mrs. Francisco said tapping the table. “You seem like you're going to eat us all up.”"Look at that," Mrs. Francisco spat, pointing towards the window, her voice low and venomous. "Alison, the little tramp, leaving with Travis Rodrigo. I'm sure she's sleeping her way to the
The soft glow of the restaurant's interior cast a warm light on Mrs. Francisco's face, but her expression was far from warm. Her bulgy eyes held a disgusted expression as she gazed at Alison and Travis, eating and joking about something.How dare Alison move on? As though escaping from prison wasn't enough, now she was out here flirting and frolicking with one of the wealthiest young men in the whole country.Exactly what did she think she was? The woman kept glaring until she saw them walk out of the restaurant, accompanied by so many guards.From the look of things, Alison just wanted a fling…it seemed like something else was going on, something more serious.“Snap out of it my darling,” the woman seated across Mrs. Francisco said tapping the table. “You seem like you're going to eat us all up.”"Look at that," Mrs. Francisco spat, pointing towards the window, her voice low and venomous. "Alison, the little tramp, leaving with Travis Rodrigo. I'm sure she is sleeping her way to t
The dimly lit room was filled with the sound of clinking glasses, thick smoke in the atmosphere and muted conversations. The Elite men were in Marco's mansion, seated around the classy table in his lounge.The blue disco bulbs illuminated their faces, revealing their worried expression. I mean it was not everyday your business partner gets into trouble and narrowly escapes at the cost of the multimillion dollar investment.Of course, the bakery was more than just a bakery, even the club was more than just a club, a lot of other activities used to go on around there, but now…“Honestly, I never envisaged losing the organization,” Marco whispered, taking a long drag from his cigarette.“Me neither,” Enzo mumbled, his hands clenching tightly against the cup he drank from."I still can't believe he won that case," Bruno growled, hitting his right palm against the table in frustrated annoyance. "That judge was blind, or maybe he was just paid off by Travis."Enzo, his expression calm and
"Honestly, I can't be more glad that you agreed," Travis said to Alison with a broad smile, as he ate slowly from the food before him. "Considering the fact that you were the same person emphasizing on professionalism"Alison's face reddened in embarrassment as she looked away. "This is different Travis, I mean we are only celebrating our victory right?""Goody two shoes," he mocked, "there is always an excuse.”Alison heard him, and, of course, she was not going to let that slide...she was a lawyer for a reason.Alison's eyes widened in amusement as she set down her fork, locking her gaze with Travis's. "Coming from the cold, jerky CEO huh?" She wriggled her eyebrows and returned her gaze back to her food innocently."Oh so now you're playing dirty, huh!" Travis laughed, his deep voice resounding through Alison's head and reminding her of old times."Hey..don't get it twisted alright? Ssomeone has got to keep you on your toes, Mr. CEO," Alison grinned.The banter continued, and unlik
CHAPTER 50"Based on the evidence presented, I find the defendant, Travis Rodrigo, not guilty of all charges," the Judge declared, his voice firm.The Judge's words echoed through the courtroom, as it fell dead silent .“I'll rise,” the judge said and stood to his feet, alongside everyone else in the courtroom, they bowed together too, before the judge headed back to his chamber.Travis let out a whoop of joy and swept Alison into a tight hug. Alison hugged him back, feeling a sense of elation and relief wash over her. She succeeded…once again she'd succeeded and won yet another case for her friend "We did it!" Travis exclaimed, his voice muffled against her shoulder.Alison laughed, feeling tears of joy prick at the corners of her eyes. "We sure did," she replied, her voice shaking with emotion. “I didn't think we could, honestly…Judge Thompson was a hard one.”When they finally broke apart, Alison's eyes widened in surprise as she took in the crowd of people gathered in the hallway
The day of the second trial had finally arrived, and Alison was feeling slightly nervous and confused. She had spent countless hours preparing and gathering evidence, Justice Thompson wasn't an easy one, and he seemed particularly interested in this case.Despite her preparation, Alison just couldn't shake off the feeling of uncertainty that lingered in the pit of her stomach.What if Judge Harold decided to upturn her evidence and rule against Travis?“You can do this, Alison,” she said to herself, staring at her reflection in the mirror, and just then, her aunt, Megan, showed up in her bedroom.Aunt Megan was the exact person she needed to see at that moment, there was just this aura that she carried around, that passed reassurance and peace of mind."Hey, sweetie," Megan waved, and walking fully into the room, she enveloped Alison in a warm hug. “I know this case means a lot to you…but how are you feeling?”Alison took a deep breath, not sure what to reply with. "Although I'm kind