A STRANGE PROMOTIONMatteo decided to do what he hated greatly.He decided that he was going to be patient, he was too traumatized to stay still for a long time, but he knew he had to try. He wanted to get better and move on from his experience, but it was going to take time and effort.He decided to stand back and watch Diana. He refused to pester her like a child. He was ready and willing to see where all her decisions would take her. Provided that she still remained in his company.He couldn't help but wonder if there was more to her departure. Maybe she had found a better opportunity or wanted to pursue further studies. He wanted to see her blossom.He heard Nana's voice echo in his head."Let a lady be herself with you."He had failed to heed that little advice and now he was paying for it. He walked up to the two of them and looked sadly at Diana, yet determinedly at Nicholas.He planned to expose Nicholas and show Diana that he was just as bad if not even worse than she could e
A CALM MATTEOAmanda scoffed as soon as she saw Diana emerge from the lift."Here comes the wife," she bitterly thought to herself. She hated the fact that Diana worked here and she made it obvious with her facial expression. She never even tried to hide it.Diana walked past her without a glance. She was in no mood to exchange words with the secretary. She had deemed her unworthy and a slut since the day she made love to her husband on her coach. She honestly wondered why Matteo had not fired this woman already.Amanda Knowles did not like that. She could not accept being disrespected by her boss's wife. She had expected at least a form of greeting and she wanted to be the one at the controlling end."Do you have an appointment?" Amanda asked coldly.Diana kept on walking and scoffed at Amanda's question. She wanted to ignore Amanda but decided to give her a city reply that would get to her."I do not need an appointment to see Matteo, dearest secretary. You do your job and I'll do
ESCAPE FROM THE REAL WORLDDiana felt very triggered by the casual demand that Matteo's ex just made.It was one crazy demand after another with this woman. She was fed up with all the drama Matteo brought into her life. She still could not believe the guts that the crazy ex had, showing up in her office to make demands.Priscilla sat with her legs crossed and smirked at her rival. This naive wife of Matteo did not know him as she did. She was the only one who knew Matteo and she was not going to let another woman take that status. She wondered why this woman was still in Matteo's life after everything that had happened."This conversation is over," Diana declared angrily as she stood up. She refused to stare at Priscilla again and instead, stared up ahead."You don't even know the man you're married to," Priscilla mocked, her smile grew wider and she did not even make any attempt of getting to her feet.Diana corked her brows at the woman before her. She was tired of hearing this ve
THE FLINGNicholas' kiss was soft and gentle.It was unlike anything Diana had ever felt before. His lips lingered on hers every time he stopped to catch a breath but he never broke away.He tasted better than anything she had anticipated and the hands he ran over her body left tingling sensations behind. This all transferred to her stomach and made the butterflies flutter violently.He sucked on her lower lip and gave her gentle bites that left her hungering for more. It was as if he was kissing her and not kissing her at the same time.Nicholas on the other hand was finally living his dream. He had been promoted and he had finally gotten the girl of his dreams. Everything else might have felt strange, including the way he suddenly got promoted but he sure knew that tonight was going to be a long night as he was going to keep making love to Diana over and over again until the sun would rise.He ran his hands down her butt and grabbed her ass. Diana moaned against his lips before lett
THE STRANGE CALLERNicholas woke up first.He threw a glance at the woman sleeping peacefully beside him. It still felt surreal that he was able to spend the night with Diana. He was grateful for being the one to interview her that day. If he had missed that chance, then he would not be having the time of his life tonight.He gently got off the bed so as not to wake her and quietly left the room. He walked toward the kitchen ignoring some of the clothes strewn across the living room floor. He remembered how they had been pulling each other's clothes off in a frenzy. He chuckled as he vividly remembered it.He poured himself some red wine and enjoyed the silence. He was quite content for tonight. A new promotion at his place of work and a beautiful woman warming up his bed.What more could he ask for? As he sipped his wine, a big smile found its way to his face. He could not seem to contain his excitement. The cold in the atmosphere was seeping into his body.He chuckled as he realized
THE STRANGE CALLER 2Diana woke up first. She looked at Nicholas's sleeping face for a while before his lips moved."That's just creepy, Diana. Your staring," Nicholas muttered,"No. I am gazing at you, there is a difference," Diana playfully protested."Okay, creep," Nicholas joked.Diana laughed and rolled her eyes. Nicholas pulled her close and they snuggled together for a while."Nick?" Diana called him softly."What is it?" Nicholas whispered."Should we call in sick? I don't feel like going to work today, we should just stay in bed all day." Diana wistfully said."We could, but we just got promoted and I don't think we will be setting a good example for future aspiring workers," Nicholas said as he stroked her hair.Diana sighed. She did not want to leave, besides not only had they overslept, but they also had business delegates to meet today."We should get ready," Nicholas said."Great, now I have to repeat yesterday's outfit," Diana complained, wishing she has more time to g
IRRITATION OF A CRAZY EXMatteo did not want to think about what his wife was up to.She did not come home last evening and now she was reporting for work like nothing happened. Yet as much as he did not want to think about it, he found himself doing exactly that.He was in his office, waiting for the business associates of the Jover Anvil conglomerate. The CEO had committed suicide in his presence but that was a secret he was taking to his grave.He was going to merge his family company and the conglomerate to expand the business. The formality was that the board of directors was officially signing over the company.Matteo hoped that the family of the aggrieved were well compensated. The door to his office opened and Priscilla walked in without knocking. She sat abruptly across him and glared.Matteo held back a frustrated groan. He had forgotten that this woman existed. He had no time for her incessant drama today, she was no longer a priority.However, it did not change the fact th
108. DADDY'S GIRLPriscilla was gloomy throughout the car ride to her father's house. She glared straight ahead as Randall was busy tinkering with his phone. She was angry at her father's lack of action."You wasted time, you should have gone straight to the point," Priscilla angrily complained."Tell me dearest daughter, where has gone straight to the point gotten you?" Randall asked his daughter without looking up from his phone."The Consortium has given you enough time to deliver and you haven't," Randall admonished his daughter."Matteo is very stubborn...""I know exactly what he is Priscilla. And since when has that been a problem for you?" Randall asked, unable to keep the disappointment out of his voice.Priscilla looked out of the car window, she saw nothing because the glass was tinted pitch black. All her life, she had wanted to make her father proud but anything she did was never enough.Randall sighed and put his phone away, he faced his daughter."Matteo is a remarkable
147. IS THIS THE END?Suicide and Chrome were both exhausted from their ongoing combat with this huge guy. They had wanted to go after Matteo as he was carrying his wife's unconscious form away.It was the sound of the gunshot that made them realize just how deeply they were fucked. They saw Nicholas, his face already white from blood loss holding his severely bleeding crotch, twitching and jerking involuntarily in pain.Suicide and Chrome realized to their horror that Nicholas was never going to have sex again. They both turned and ran after Matteo only to be blocked by a giant they had not even heard coming.Suicide brought out a wicked-looking jack knife, military-grade, while Chrome had on a pure gold knuckle duster on his right fist and a shining silver one on his left fist.Black Hound knew that both men were a package deal. He had done a quick reading of their bio-data to have a feel for how they both operated.Suicide would attack first with a knife from a flank and Chrome wou
THE RESCUEMasters Randall was neither a superstitious man by nature nor a religious one per se. But today of all days did not feel right. He could not tell what was making him uneasy but he was sure something was amiss.He had not spoken to his daughter in days now and he was worried about what shit show she may have started behind his back. He had failed that daughter of his and there was nothing he could do to change that.This morning when he had called Martha on his phone, there was no answer. That gave him his first reason to be concerned. Martha always answered his call no matter where she was or what she was doing.The second person she answered like that was her grandson. So what was the reason why La Matrona of the Consortium refused to pick up the phone?Had Priscilla run her mouth again? There were so many questions going through his old mind he did not know which one to answer.Masters had spent the night in his study with a cup of scotch and a Cuban cigar, his head tingl
145. END GAME"I hope that I can trust you, Mr. Armani," James Molten said as he was about to get down from the vehicle.Matteo assured him confidently. "Your shares are safe in my hands James and I plan to stay here for a while. I am not going anywhere."James Molten nodded and opened the door to get out without saying another word.Matteo was left alone with his driver as the car sped on."There is something you need to know," Black Hound said as he looked straight ahead. There was a graveness in the way he spoke.Matteo listened with rapt attention."I got some recordings that you will want to hear," Black Hound said. "I want you to listen to it in this vehicle because as of now, it is the only secure place," He finished.Matteo was becoming uneasy. "That bad?" He asked, looking at the rearview mirror to see the eyes of his bodyguard."I think bad is an understatement, it is going to be a shocking revelation," Black Hound said in a solemn tone."Alright, let's hear it," Matteo said
144. THE LAST MOVE~SOME HOURS EARLIERNicholas, tired of standing went back inside after watching the box burn. He still had felt no closure. He wanted nothing but revenge. The phone in his pocket buzzed and he fished it out of his pocket.It was an email from the company. He pushed the notification and read the contents of the message.The iPhone struck the wall with tremendous force and shattered into small pieces, the parts clattering everywhere.Nicholas was fuming and growling, his hands tightened into fists. How dare they fire him? Who the fuck did they think he was? He was not going down without a fight.The pain he was going through fueled his rage. He would make them pay one way or another. He stomped down the stairs blind with fury. He pictured his hands wrapped tightly around Matteo's neck.Then the neck slowly transformed in his head, morphine into a small slender supple neck that belonged to Diana. A sick smile played on his lips.He went into the kitchen and opened the
143. GRANNY TIMESDiana was glad to get out of her lodge. She was happy it was a work day. She was excited to get back to work despite everything that had happened around her.She had also become fast friends with the clerk that was rude to her on the first day she had tried to get a room. There was no point in dragging things out with another woman who was just trying to survive.Her husband had surprised her last night. It threw her off for a minute when she realized just how thoughtful he had become.She was just preparing herself for the next day which was today. The time was seven thirty in the evening when a knock interrupted her preparation. She left what she was doing and walked to the door.As she opened it, she was met with the sight of a familiar face.Nana gazed down warmly at her. She had behind her luggage that was pink in color."Nana? Come in," Diana said waving her hand towards the inviting living room.Nana shuffled into the living room, dragging her luggage with he
142. SHOW DOWNThe silence was deafening, except for the rustling of leaves that got blown around by the wind. It was obvious that all five wealthy people who were sitting together around the dinner table that late Monday morning were enemies.Each figure had his or her agenda at the pit of their dark twisted minds.Priscilla wanted Matteo and everything that came with him.Ashley wanted her father's company and Katie— well, it was not clear what she wanted.Matteo knew that there was no logical way out of this. However, he did have an advantage and he could not wait to use it. He suspected that Priscilla may have figured out his secret plan, but he wasn't too concerned.There was no stopping what was about to happen. Once and for all, he was going to stop all her incessant dealings and manipulation.He could tell that she was worried and she was right to be. This game had gone on long enough. He could also tell that James Molten wanted out.Matteo vividly saw the look of desperation
141. DARK NICKYThe past two days had been rather strange and unpredictable for Nicholas Wilson. First, he woke up with pain on a soft sofa which had dried drool all over his face. Everything hit him all at once. The pain, the hangover, and the nausea.He had no idea where he was or how he had gotten there. It was until a woman with a stark resemblance to Diana approached him with concern, breaking the disorienting haze of his mind. Her gentle yet determined voice pulled him back to reality and into her warm embrace.Then everything had come back to him and he was filled with embarrassment. He quickly shook off the lingering humiliation and focused on the present moment.He was supposed to meet with her for his mental health. His head was pounding. He turned toward her still disoriented only for a glass of water and some oblong white pills were shoved in his hands."It will help with the hangover," Lexi's voice echoed and rang into his ears as he stared at the assortment of pills un
140. THE KING OT CHESSMatteo understood the concern coming from his bodyguard but this was something he had to do alone. He needed the closure."Sir you realize that you are going behind enemy lines," Black Hound voiced out with slight annoyance."I understand but this is something that I have to do alone, it is a personal matter," Matteo casually replied to his bodyguard.Black Hound said nothing else. There was no changing his boss's mind."Besides, I do not want them to know about our business just yet," Matteo further added."That is if Priscilla is going to be present," Black Hound said."She is the mastermind behind this, of course, she will be there," Matteo said with certainty."Is that not more of a reason for me to come along? The stakes are higher than before sir," Black Hound insisted."The more reason for you to stay back. After all, you are my Trump card," Matteo replied as he adjusted his tie."How do I look?" Matteo turned and asked his bodyguard."You look like you a
139. CHAT WITH THE SHRINKNicholas said nothing as he stared ahead with a straight expression on his face. The car was filled with an uneasy silence, creating an oppressive atmosphere. This was mostly because Nicholas was at the center of the matter.He had been bailed by Dr. Amorr and was sitting in her car. He had pretended to be so ashamed of himself when she had come for him but dropped the charade in the car."You can drop me off at home, thank you," Nicholas arrogantly said as he relaxed to rest his eyes.It had been a long day. He opened his eyes and stretched his tired muscles, feeling the tension slowly dissipate. He looked outside the window ignoring the driver who had earlier helped him."Welcome," Dr. Amorr abruptly interrupted his short sightseeing.Nicholas made to get down and hissed in pain. He had felt so relaxed that he had forgotten about his sprained ribs. He slowly got down from the car, wincing from the pain it caused him with every step that he took forward.B