REIGN
I walked into SUN INDUSTRIES with a smile on my face and a bouquet of roses to see Lisa, my girlfriend. Our mothers were best friends and had been so since their youth. Both families were so close that Lisa and I practically grew up together.She was the closest person to me and when we both got into college, I confessed my feelings to her and she accepted to be my girlfriend. Our families were so happy about it and our marriage was inevitable.One of the things I loved about Lisa was her drive. She was so passionate about work, yet reserved and hardworking. She took over SUN INDUSTRIES from her blood father, Williams Sun, who was released from prison years ago, and in no time, she took the company to much greater heights.The excitement on my face died when I arrived at her office and learned she wasn't around. We had agreed to meet at three and I was a very punctual person.I dialed her number and when she answered the call, she said, "I am so sorry, Reign. Something important came up and I had to quickly dash out to take care of it.""Is it more important than me?" I asked. "I have been out of the country for a few months and back for a week but haven't seen you. Don't you miss me?"She chuckled, "Come on, Reign, be understanding. I'll be there soon."I had really missed her so I waited for over an hour. However, I had put aside a lot of work to be there and could not wait anymore. I dumped the bouquet in the trash as I walked away.I took the elevator from the twentieth floor down to the ground floor. The moment it opened, I saw a young lady in a blue dress. I could see the fear in her eyes when a man grabbed her arm.She pushed him away and for some reason I could not explain, I pulled her into the elevator and hit the button for the twentieth floor.As the elevator doors closed, I stared at the lady whose height stopped almost at my chest. But then again, I was very tall so she could be considered average. I was tempted to ask her who that man was and what he wanted but we weren't close, so I kept silent.She seemed surprised when she looked up and saw my face. She gasped and called out my name, causing me to say, "You seem to know me. Have we met before?"She shook her head and replied, "Who doesn't know you, Mr. Fletcher? Thank you for helping me just now."I nodded, "You're welcome. I hit the button for the twentieth floor earlier, where would you like to get off so I can send you there?"My question had just left my mouth when some of the elevator wires suddenly snapped and the elevator went into a free fall. The lady screamed and we each held onto a part of the elevator as it plunged down.But the elevator stopped abruptly when we got to the tenth floor and the lights went out. I quickly pressed the buttons to open the door but they had stopped functioning.I tried several times but nothing worked. We were trapped in the elevator and it wasn't how I planned for my day to go. I hit the emergency button to call for help and I had no idea if it worked. Unfortunately, there was no emergency phone, which I also found strange.I turned my attention to the lady with me and noticed she had moved to a corner of the elevator.Her fingers were crossed, her face as white as a sheet as she shivered while muttering, "This can not be happening, no, no, no, why me?"Her teeth began to chatter and I walked closer, took off my jacket, and covered her body with it, "Don't get too frightened. I'm sure help is coming. Everything will be fine soon."I folded the hands of my long-sleeved shirt because the elevator began to get a little hot."I am claustrophobic," She cried. "I won't make it if I remain here. Why me of all people?"I stared at her for a while, as though I was seeing a movie, and suddenly had an idea. I took out my phone to make a call, which was something I ought to have done from the very beginning. However, my phone was out of service, making it impossible for me to speak to anyone on the outside."Try calling someone with your phone," I suggested to her. She nodded and tried to dip her hand into her pocket but could not. I noticed her struggling until her hand finally went to her chest.She held on to her dress at her chest as she gasped for air and struggled to get up but then, she slumped and lost consciousness. It was my first time to experience something like this in an elevator, so I became a little shaken up.Kneeling beside her, I tapped her cheek repeatedly, saying, "Open your eyes, young lady. You have to survive this."However, she remained unconscious. I checked her pulse and realized it was very weak. Deciding to revive her, I began to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on her but did not get any results.I wiped the beads of sweat that had formed on my forehead and continued applying compressions to her chest, however, she still did not wake up.As a measure of last resort, I tilted her head, opened her mouth, and bent over her face as I gave her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. I continued putting air into her mouth until she finally opened her eyes and inhaled.Relief washed over me and I sighed, feeling at ease, but then our eyes met, and she gazed at me as though she was peering into my soul.She had the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen and for a second, I got lost in them. What captivated me the most was the certainty I felt at that moment that it wasn't the first time I was meeting her.I regained my senses and moved my face away, helping her to stand on her feet. She continued to stare at me, her eyes filled with surprise as she said, "You revived me. Thank you, Mr. Fletcher.""Just call me Reign," I replied. "Are you okay?"My question seemed to suddenly make her aware of our plight. She looked around the elevator and shook her head, "No I am not okay."Sitting down once again, she covered her face and began to cry, "I'm going to die. Why am I always unfortunate?A day I thought would be my happiest, turned out to be my worst.""Stay strong, okay? I'm sure help will come soon. Just hang in there." I assured her.She smiled bitterly and stretched out her arm to give me my jacket, "Thanks for this but you can have it. As it is, it's already very hot in here and we're running out of air.""No, we're not," I assured her. "We're over breathing due to anxiety and your claustrophobia makes you think we are losing air. Elevators are not airtight so trust me, we will not be dying due to lack of oxygen here. Try to be calm."She shook her head and I could tell she doubted my words. She lifted her hand and stared at the wedding ring seated on one of her pretty fingers.She took off the ring and let it fall on the floor. Wiping her eyes, she said, "You know, I got married today. I was so happy until I got home and learned I was merely a stand-in bride.My younger sister is the one he loves and they have been dating. He needed to get married to claim his inheritance and my sister is pursuing her dreams in Paris. Everyone came together and said, 'Hey let's ruin Cora's life,' without thinking about my feelings.How could they not have told me? My dad, and everyone else I trusted betrayed me. I resigned from the job I painstakingly got two years ago because I was told doing such a job would be an embarrassment to my husband's family but I was merely a joke in their eyes.How could I not walk away after finding out everything? But no, that became a crime and he sent his goons after me. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for them. I hate them all and I'm so tired of everything. I just want to die...I don't want to live anymore, I'd rather just die."Seeing the lady break down in front of me made me feel sorry for her. I reached out my hand to her and said, "Come on, it's safer to be on your feet."She looked up at me and hesitated. After a minute passed, she wiped her tears and took hold of my hand. Right at that moment, a loud explosion from beneath us shook the elevator, and the part where she was sitting broke open.I quickly grabbed onto a part of the elevator again as I held onto her hand. She screamed in fright as her legs dangled dangerously while she stayed suspended in the air, ten floors above the ground."Please don't let go," she cried. "I don't want to die, I don't want to die. Please save me."CORAWhen I was pulled into the elevator and found out it was by Reign Fletcher, I could not believe my eyes. How could I? The Fletchers were the wealthiest family in London. His mother, Paige Fletcher was a music legend and it was no secret that she was spoiled silly by her husband who loved her more than anything else in the world. Tiffany Fletcher, Reign's sister was a popular singer who was just like her mother. She was presently on tour and I was one of her die-hard fans.Reign was the different one who was believed to be enigmatic, avoided the media, and rarely granted interviews. There were no scandals about him and even though people knew a lot about the other Fletchers, he was the exception. What were the odds that someone like him would be kind enough to value a life like mine?When he gave me mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and I opened my eyes, it was as though I saw the face of an angel sent to me from above. I was awestruck by his kindness and humility.What I was going th
CORAAs we were rescued out of the elevator, Reign requested a stretcher for me. At this point, Lucas' men in black suit who had been chasing me, all rushed towards me, wanting to take me away even in my condition.Reign lost it and punched the first man who touched me. He landed on his back and lost consciousness. All the other men moved back, shocked by his action.I turned and stared at him, surprised at how strong he was. A small crowd had already gathered and they were all staring in surprise. Reign looked disheveled and his shirt was soaked with sweat, completely different from how he looked when I first saw him.I was so weak that I could barely move my body. I could not understand how he could still act as though nothing happened to him. Right before I was wheeled into the van, I mumbled a 'thank you,' to him and he smiled.I didn't know if I would ever see him again and the chances of our paths crossing again were almost zero. I sadly closed my eyes and waited for the van to
CORAAfter Reign walked away, I closed my eyes and acted as though Lucas was invisible. I thought about Reign's words of advice and realized he was right.Running away wasn't the solution because I was legally bound to Lucas, despite how much I now hated that fact. I needed to come up with a plan that would benefit me and also keep Lucas from acting rashly toward me.An idea came to my mind just as Lucas coughed, "Pretending to be asleep now that it's just two of us?"I opened my eyes and stared at him, "What do you want? Is it not enough that you sent your goons after me to send me to my early grave?"He scoffed, "You are one to talk, Cora. Haven't you seen the bandage on my head? It's all thanks to your hard work. I'm letting it go just this once. Never in your life attack me again because It will end badly for you, I can promise you that.By the way, how do you know Reign Fletcher?""He's my bestie," I lied.Lucas stared at me in surprise, "I thought Emily was your bestie, and how
CORA"Excuse you!" Lucas could not believe his ears. "Are you accusing me of theft in my own house?" He snapped. "What card are you even talking about and why the hell would I steal it?"Listening to his response, I realized I had gone overboard because I had no proof. How could I say it was Reign's personal card when I had already bragged that he was my bestie?Without another word, I turned and went back into my room. I sat on the bed and hugged my knees, feeling very sad. I regretted not saving Reign's number the moment I got that card. What if I never got the chance to meet him again? The mere thought of this made me feel like crying.My eyes lit up when it finally occurred to me that I could reach him on social media. However, my bubble was busted when I realized that he was not on social media. How could he live like that?The closest thing to him which I found was FLETCHER CONGLOMERATES, but that was his company's account. It was probably managed by someone else so there was n
REIGN After the elevator accident, I left Cora in the hospital, called my assistant, and said to him, "Someone just tried to kill me in the elevator of SUN INDUSTRIES. I stopped the media from reporting about it because I don't want unnecessary attention but I need you to look into it and get me all the information I need about the culprit."After speaking to my assistant, I decided to go back home and get some rest. The doctor had given me an injection for the pain in my arm and its adverse effects soon kicked in.I threw myself on my bed the second I entered my bedroom and fell into a deep sleep. I had a dream, at first it was beautiful; Cora and I were kissing inside the elevator but suddenly it changed. She was suspended in the air while I held onto her.But her arm became moist and I lost my grip. I watched in horror and helplessness as she slipped off my hold and fell, plunging into the flames with her cries for help piercing my ears.I opened my eyes and quickly got up. I was
CORABeing alone with Reign gave me a pleasant feeling, one that I had never experienced before. But it all changed when she walked in. Once again, I recognized his fiancee as she called out his name, her face frozen in shock.I suddenly felt like the other woman, cheap and guilty but this was in stark contrast with Reign who did not show any guilty expression.He let go of my knees and got up. Turning to stare at Miss Lisa, he smiled, "You're here? I would expect you to be very busy at this time."The expression on Lisa's face changed and she smiled back. I heaved a sigh of relief, seeing that the situation was calm. Lisa walked up to Reign and kissed his cheek, and I took that as my cue to leave. It seemed like her presence made him uncomfortable from the look on his face but that could just be my assumption.Pointing at me, he said to Lisa, "This is Cora, my friend. Cora, meet Lisa; we became friends even before we learned how to walk."I smiled at Lisa and she smiled back. I walk
CORAI drove back home with a sad expression on my face because somewhere inside of me, I believed that Lisa was right.In the eyes of the law and the world, I was a married woman. Despite knowing that Reign was engaged to her, I was harboring romantic feelings for him and daydreaming about him. She had every right to be upset with me.When I got home, I thought deeply about it and decided to take Lisa's warning. It wasn't that I was scared of her. I knew how much Reign hated to be the subject of gossip or negative news, and if Lisa tried to bring me down, his name would be mentioned too. The fact that she pretended to like me in front of him, meant that she would never make good on her threat.However, I did not want to come between a happy couple. Not that I had the ability to, but if my actions were enough to make her feel insecure, then I had to take a step back.I thought about how best to do this and concluded that the best way was to avoid Reign as much as possible. For that to
CORAI briefly thought about what to do. More than anything else, I wanted to be freed from that marriage so I wouldn't have to deal with Lucas and that bratty sister of mine.The opportunity was too good to pass up on but so was having dinner with Reign."I'll get back to you," I replied and hung up.Looking at Reign whose unconcealed gaze was focused on me, I smiled and said, "Thank you for the day off, Reign. If it's okay, I will leave right away.""Take care," he replied before turning his attention back to the files on his table. I walked out of his office slowly, knowing that it would be the last time I would get the privilege of sharing an office with him.I took the stairs, went down, and drove back home.Avery and Lucas were sitting on the patio having drinks and playing with each other. It was obvious he didn't go to work and she was wearing his T-shirt. They looked cute together.Seeing them together made me remember Lucas' words. He had told me that Avery was the one who s