There was silence in the room as Travis furrowed his brows in confusion, wondering just what she was talking about."What letter are you talking about?" He asked, curious to know what she meant.She remained silent, shaking her head. "Of course, you don't know what I am talking about." He knew it was better not to probe further about the past. It would only worsen the situation now.All he needed to do was get her on his side and make her accept his offer.He needed her help so badly that he was ready to do anything to make her accept it.He sighed, "Can we just forget about that, please?" He said, even though he didn't know what 'that' was."Alison," he called out, "I know things have been... complicated between us. But I need your help on this one. You are the most competent lawyer I know."Alison didn't seem to be done with the conversation. Even though she wanted to forget it, somehow, a part of her wanted to have a conversation about it. "Travis, we have been down this road bef
Bruno stormed into the sitting room, throwing his suitcase to the other side. It fell on the tiled floor, causing a sound that shocked both his mother and his wife.He looked angry, as though something had happened. He began to pace the room, taking off his jacket, and loosening his tie.“Bruno! What is wrong? What has gotten into you?” His mother asked, her tone filled with annoyance from the sudden shock.“Alison,” he spat, heaving heavily. “She rejected my offer! She is working for Rodrigo Internationals now. Can you believe that?”“Alison?” Mrs. Francisco scoffed, rolling her eyes. “That girl? I have always said she was not good enough for you. Let her go. Why do you need her?"Bruno turned to his mother, who did not understand what he meant. “This is not about her! This is about the project, Mom. I needed her expertise, and she rejected it blatantly without even thinking about it. She is now working for my competitor; that scumbag!"Rachel cleared her throat, trying to fit into t
It was a beautiful morning. A good one, actually, after putting Bruno in his place last night.Of course, he needed her expertise for his project, but she was long gone, and she would never go back to her vomit.It was time to be the Chief Legal Officer of Rodrigo International.Although it belonged to her Ex-lover, whom she did not want to have anything to do with him, she would rather help him than help the Franciscos.They were not worth her attention at all.It was her first day at work, officially an employee in the company, even though she owned her brand.She wore a pair of black pants, a white long-sleeved shirt, and a black tie, coupled with black stiletto heels and a black handbag.It was giving off the badass lawyer vibe; Queen of Justice!She applied light makeup on her face and packed her up in a ponytail.As she arrived at the company, Oscar was around to welcome her.She could not blame the young man, he was only following orders from his boss."Welcome, Ms. Harper," he
“I am the CEO of this company,” he reminded her. “You are here to help me manage a crisis, not to let personal feelings cloud your judgment.”Alison retorted, refusing to let him win. “I am not letting personal feelings cloud anything. I’m trying to do my job. Stop trying to buy me with your kindness.”"Fine, then. Think whatever you want," he declared.As the words left his mouth, he saw her flinch, as if she was not expecting him to be this harsh.For a brief moment, he felt the urge to apologize for his harsh tone, but he pushed the urge away, reminding himself of the professional boundaries they had set. “Just remember,” he added, “We have a board meeting in an hour, and I expect you to be prepared.”With that, he turned and walked out, leaving Alison standing there, speechless. As he approached his office, Travis wondered what had really happened to her. She had changed so much. This was not the Alison he knew years ago. She was sweet, caring, and loving, full of brightness...
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
Monday morning dawned bright and early, but Alison's mood was far from sunny. The events of the weekend still lingered in her mind, and she couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. She knew she couldn't face Travis at the office, not after their steamy weekend together and what had transpired between them. So, she picked up her phone and dialed Karen's number. "Hey, girl, what's up?" Karen's response was bubbly as she answered on the first ring. “It's Monday again..” "Not much, Karen. I'm just not feeling too well today," Alison said, trying to sound as convincing as possible, although her voice was already betraying her. Karen's tone immediately turned concerned. "Oh no, what's wrong? Do you need me to come over? Have you gone to the hospital?” Alison quickly waved off the offer. "No, no, I'll be fine. Just need to rest a bit, that's all." Karen wasn't buying it, but she promised not to pry. "Okay, if you're sure you're okay... But if you need anything, don't hesitate to ca
Theo looked up at Alison, his innocent eyes filled with a mix of sadness and curiosity. "Mommy, I asked Daddy yesterday why you weren't living with us anymore," he said, his voice trembling."And what did Daddy say?" Alison aske, expecting the worst since she was so sure Bruno hated her."He said it was adult stuff, and that you and him couldn't live together under the same roof again," Theo whispered, knotting the hem of his mother's shirt.Alison took his small hands in hers, and led him to sit down. "Theo, sweetie, Mommy and Daddy love you very much, but sometimes grown-ups can't live together anymore and at that point, the worst thing that can be done is to force things..""Why can't you come back, Mommy?" Theo asked, his voice cracking. “All of my friends have their both parents living in the same room, while I have just dad and granny and Aunt.”"Because, baby, sometimes things don't work out between grown-ups," Alison explained again. “But we all love you and there's no doubt
Alison's eyes scanned the crowded park, her heart racing with fear. She had been searching for what felt like hours, but she couldn't find who she was looking for anywhere."Theo!" she screamed, her voice hoarse from shouting. "Theo, where are you?"But there was no response. Instead, she heard the sound of laughter and chatter from the other people in the park, and the rustling of leaves in the trees.Alison's eyes scanned the playground, her gaze lingering on the swings and the slide. She saw a little boy with curly brown hair climbing up the ladder, but it wasn't Theo.She saw a woman with a stroller walking towards her, but as she got closer, Alison realized it wasn't Theo's stroller.Panic set in, and Alison started to run. She dashed across the playground, her eyes scanning the crowds, but she couldn't see Theo anywhere."Theo!" she screamed again, her voice echoing across the park. "Theo, please answer me! Don't do this to momma, I love you with my life.”Just as she was starti
Bruno walked through the front door, excitement radiating from his very being. He had just had an incredible day, getting back his club on the same day and still getting more people to invest in his empire just when he thought he would go bankrupt was enough to make him go crazy with excitement.But as he entered the living room, he was met with a surprise. His wife Sarah was sitting on the couch, her arms crossed and a scowl on her face, as she tapped her feet against the floor impatiently."Where have you been?" she demanded, her voice dripping with venom. “You step out in the morning and see the time you're just getting back. Is it fair?”Bruno hesitated, unsure of how to respond. He didn't want to get into a fight with Rachel, not when he was feeling so happy, but she was pushing him and he knew that sooner than later he might have to react."I was just out," he said vaguely, trying to brush past her.But Rachel was not having it. She had had enough of just being that wife whose
Travis sat on his couch, staring blankly at the wall as he tried to process the events of the past hour. Alison had left his house in tears, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he had made a terrible mistake…his mum had done what she loved to do best once again.He couldn't think straight, his mind racing with thoughts of Alison and what he could have done differently. He needed someone to talk to, someone who could help him make sense of everything, or at least help him to check on Alison.He pulled out his phone and dialed Karen's number. Karen was the only person who came to his mind, she was one close friend of Alison. He hoped that she could provide some insight into what was going on with Alison."Hey, Karen," Travis said, trying to sound calm. "I need your help. Alison just left my house in tears, and I have no idea what's going on. Can you go check on her?"Karen's voice was sympathetic on the other end of the line. "Of course, boss. I'll go check on her right away. But c
Alison pulled over at the driveway and after getting her stuff, she dragged herself out of her car, heading towards her apartment, her feet heavy with the weight of her emotions. She had just left the most intense and confusing encounter with Travis, and she couldn't shake off the feeling of vulnerability that lingered within her. Was asking him for space too much?And why did it seem like the entire universe was against her union with Travis.As soon as she closed the door behind her, Alison let out a sob, allowing the tears she had been holding back to flow freely. She collapsed onto the couch, burying her face in the pillow as she cried uncontrollably.“You'll scale through, Alison, just like always, and this time you'd be better,” she muttered to herself and wiped the tears that were already slipping out of her eyes. “You've got this..”Just as she thought she was alone in her misery, Alison heard a gentle knock on the door. At first she ignored it, but the knock persisted, and
“Your wife, Rachel, has been seeing someone from the enemy's camp. Be careful, else you'd be a victim sooner than you expect.” The strange woman's voice echoed in Bruno's head. He focused on his target, his fingers steady as he released the arrow. It soared through the air, hitting the bullseye with precision. He smiled to himself, feeling a sense of satisfaction.Since his argument with Rachel, he went into his private lounge to play archery…and as expected, it has done a whole lot in improving his mood.Just as he was about to take another shot, his phone rang, breaking the silence. He hesitated for a moment before answering it."This is Bruno," he said, his voice deep and commanding. “Who is on the line?”"Bruno, it's Enzo. I need to see you at the lounge. It's urgent," the voice on the other end said, sounding excited. “At least in the next one hour, try to be here.”Bruno raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What's going on?" he asked. “You sound quite excited.”"Just get here, Bruno
What other way should a married woman, fighting for her marriage wake up, other than in her husband’s arms, safe and sound…Rachel laid curled in Bruno's arms as they conversed, notwithstanding the fact that it was barely 7 am in the morning.“When we finally start having kids, I want daughters as gorgeous and caring as you are.” Bruno said patting her hair fondly as they lay in bed, her soft breathing, a soothing soundtrack to his morning.“And if they would be sons, I want boys, who would be as handsome as you.” Rachel whispered, and stared in his eyes, he was also staring into her eyes with so much affection.Rachel looked away from his eyes shyly, using her hands to knot the hemp of his shirt as she said. “I want three kids," she paused, her breath filling the quiet room only disturbed by the soft sounds of their breaths and the air conditioner. "Two boys and a girl."Bruno chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "I think we should have four," he said, his voice teasing. "Tw
Alison's nerves were on edge as she stood in the kitchen, holding onto Travis's hands.She did not, in her wildest imagination, think that Mrs. Rodrigo would walk into such scene, now what?“Good Morning, ma'am.” She greeted and while waiting for Travis's mother to acknowledge her, her nervousness heightened. Travis, oblivious to the tension, smiled and greeted his mother warmly."Hey, Mom! What brings you here today?"Mrs. Rodrigo's gaze darted between Travis and Alison, her expression unreadable. Without responding to Alison’s greeting, she turned and walked away, leaving Alison feeling uneasy and Travis looking concerned."Mom, wait up!" Travis called out, following after her.Alison hesitated for a moment, then decided to eavesdrop on the conversation between mother and son. She crept closer to the passage, trying not to be seen."Mother, what's going on?" Travis asked, his voice firm but respectful. "Why are you being so rude to Alison, and what's the disgusted look you have on