CORA
When 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 through in the elevator was unexpected. I never imagined it and that's why for a moment, I lost it and wished for death. My behavior was in stark contrast with Reign's who seemed calm and in control even at such a time.As though the universe was more interested in my negative speeches, I suddenly found myself on the brink of death. But more than anyone, I wanted to live. I was only twenty-one, in my prime, and still had many more years ahead.I looked up at Reign, begging him not to let go of my hand. He was barely standing on his two feet as a larger part of the elevator had broken off. If he hadn't been standing on the edge and hadn't reached out his hand to me when he did, I would have been dead already.My entire body was surrounded by heat as everything below me had gone up in flames. Reign was sweating when I looked up at him and when I looked below, all I could see was fire. That explosion....this was definitely not an accident.I wondered if Reign knew this too. The more I looked at the fire below, the more I believed I wouldn't make it. It didn't seem like help was arriving since that should have happened a while ago.I didn't know why my life was filled with so much misfortune. I was sweating profusely, both because of fear and the heat, and in no time, this began to affect Reign's hold on my arm.My arm began to slip slowly from his grip and left with no choice, I finally accepted the inevitable; There was no way I was going to survive. I had to make peace with it.I looked up at a distressed Reign and smiled before saying, "Thank you for everything, Reign. I will always remember you."As I closed my eyes, ready to accept my death, my life flashed before me.I remembered how my mum died when I was just two and my dad remarried immediately because he wanted me to have a mother to look after me.I remembered all the maltreatment and injustice I suffered at the hands of my stepmom and how my dad always stood up for me, even ready to divorce her back then.I remembered when Avery was born and how she became the apple of everyone's eye. She was the beauty princess with long legs like my dad's while I had my mom's height.I remembered how Avery always looked down on me and put me down because she was the favorite child. My dad didn't have much but he still used everything he had to send her to one of the best modelling schools in Paris so she could become an international supermodel.I remembered how I struggled for a job after finishing law school. I went to a lot of firms but they wouldn't hire me because I didn't have a strong background. I also went to SUN INDUSTRIES to join their legal department but I wasn't allowed and now I was going to die because of their elevator.I remembered when my best friend, Emily told me about a job opportunity in a firm and I was so happy about it. When I got there, however, the only available job was that of a secretary. In my desperation, I took it and for two years, it paid my bills until my stepmom asked me to resign because I was getting married to Lucas.At first, seeing her being so nice to me, I thought it was because I was getting married into a wealthy family, but it turned out that she just wanted to ensure I had nothing to fall back on.I recalled the first time I saw Lucas, how my heart had fluttered, and how shocked I had been that he wanted to marry me.I remembered our first date and how he made me feel special, the public proposal, professing his love for me in front of the media, and stealing my first kiss at the altar.I remembered how he kicked me out of his bedroom so disrespectfully earlier in the day and I gritted my teeth. It was the most painful of all my memories.The sound of a painful groan made me open my eyes and I realized I was being pulled up by Reign. The pain in my arm was intense and unbearable but I knew he was in even more pain.However, he did not stop pulling me up with only one hand until I was right in front of him."Quickly hug me," he instructed.He let go of my arm and quickly caught my waist with the same arm while I threw myself at him, hugging his body tightly so I wouldn't fall off.He was breathing very hard and I knew he must have exerted a lot of energy. Everything suddenly felt like a dream. Was I still alive?I looked up at him and saw that he was still holding onto the elevator with his other hand. How could a man like him, go to such an extent to save me?He looked down and our eyes met again, drilling into each other's. He did not look away but I did. I buried my face in his chest and closed my eyes. His scent filled my nose and for the first time, I could swear my body secreted pheromones.It didn't change the fact that I was in a lot of pain in many other parts of my body. My vision soon became blurry and a nagging fear began to eat me up; if I lost consciousness again, this time I would certainly die.However, the lights came on and, the elevator doors swung open at this moment and a renewed sense of joy and hope filled me up. I looked up at him with tears brewing in my eyes and a smile on my face.I could hear the expressions of surprise from those on the other side but our gazes remained fixed on each other until, he said, "We made it, Cora."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
CORAI was almost fifty minutes late for my dinner date with Reign and I felt a knot in my stomach at the thought of him being upset with me.I abruptly got up, to the surprise of everyone, and said, "I'm so sorry, Grandfather. An emergency has come up, can I leave to take care of it?""Of course you can," he replied.I thanked him and bolted out of the house without saying a word to Lucas. On my way out, I heard his grandfather say, "Go after her and make sure she is okay."I thought about calling Reign but I was afraid that he would fire me on the spot for keeping him waiting. I regretted not driving my car. I should never have listened to Lucas.Just as I got to the gate, someone pulled me behind. I turned and saw Lucas.He seemed angry and gritted, "What the hell do you think you are doing, Cora? How dare you lie to my grandfather and ruin my chances of getting my inheritance today? Avery just confirmed that there's no emergency from your family."I couldn't understand why he was s