"What should I do with it, Mr. Allen?" The woman's soft voice snapped Rayan out of his thoughts.
"Who sent it?" He asked in an icy tone while tearing his eyes away from the black flowers."I have no idea. It didn't have a name on it. Someone came and delivered it a few minutes ago, saying it was ordered by your friend." His assistant cleared her throat before answering nervously."I see. How many days has it been since you began to work here, Ms.Garcia?" Rayan's sudden question sent chills down the woman's bones. She nervously bit her lips while grasping the flower bouquet tightly."Two weeks, sir!" She replied while stuttering because of the way Rayan's cold eyes were gazing at her."And yet you still don't know how to handle things like this?" Rayan questioned her dryly while shooting her a sharp glare. Layla's whole body trembled before her eyes went wide with fear as she quickly apologised."I'm sorry, sir. I will immediately throw this out and be careful next time." She said it in a rushed tone before trying to hurry out of the room. Rayan didn't bother to respond further, as he reached for his hand before grabbing the document he had previously dropped on the floor. Suddenly something crossed through his head, making him swiftly glance up."Stop." He commanded Layla, who was about to walk out of the office, to stop on her track before quickly turning around."Anything wrong,sir?" She asked while swallowing her fear. She really hoped he would not fire her for this small matter. He has already fired two assistants before her in a single month. She couldn't bear to lose this job at this moment, as she was in a really difficult situation."Put the bouquet here." Rayan simply ordered before resuming his papers. His sudden command astonished the poor woman. She almost thought she heard him wrong. But somehow she pulled herself together before nodding her head."Y-yes sir." She quickly replied with a smile before walking forward and carefully putting the bouquet on the corner of his desk. Rayan slightly glanced at the bouquet again before putting on a nonchalant expression."You may leave now." He ordered in a calm tone, making Layla nod quickly."Alright." She replied quickly before walking out of the room and closing the door behind her. Once she was out of the room, Layla heaved the breath she had been holding since the moment she entered the lion's den.However, she couldn't help but wonder who sent him the bouquet of black roses. It's very unusual for someone to send black roses because everyone is well aware of the negative meaning they hold. Hatred and despair!On the other hand, once Layla walked out and closed the door on her way, Rayan once again dropped the documents from his hand on the table. He then slightly pushed his leather chair back before standing up on his feet. His blue eyes were completely focused on the bouquet, which was placed on the other side of his desk. He slowly yet steadily walked to the other side of the desk before stopping a few centimetres away from the bouquet. For some unknown reason, he became intrigued by the black flowers. There were 17 flowers in total. They were all the same size and looked completely fresh. Rayan's eyes caught sight of a small black card placed in the corner of the bouquet. He reached for his hand before taking the bouquet from it first and then slowly taking out the small card from it. There was something beautifully written on the card with golden letters. His cold eyes were sharply fixed on the card as he read the message.
'I know black is your favourite colour, but still, Soyez conscient les épines'Rayan instantly knew what it meant. It was written in French, and he had been fluent in it since he was young. The sentence's meaning was "Be aware of the thorns."Rayan gripped the black card while trying to think of who could send something like that to him. He knew he had a lot of enemies, but it was not something they would usually do. There was something beyond it, and he was sure of it. He thought for a moment before looking down at the bouquet once again. After a few seconds, he put the bouquet down in its previous place before reaching out his hand to grab his phone from the desk. He then quickly opened the search bar on his phone before searching for what the black rose symbolised. It didn't take long for him to go all over the possible answers he got from the internet, but his mind stuck on the three words he found together.Hatred, revenge, and rebirth!------------------------------------------
Anthea was sitting at her desk while going through some documents when she received a sudden call. She reached out to her phone before checking the caller ID. A small smirk curled up on the corner of her lips before she finally picked up the call."Is it done?" She asked in a soft voice while leaning back on the leather chair."Yes, Mam. I made sure his assistant would deliver it directly to him." A man's voice replied from the other side, making Anthea hum in response.Good job, thank you!" She replied faintly before cutting the call and then putting her phone aside. A small smile bloomed on her face as she imagined his reaction after receiving her welcome gift. He must have liked it since black was his favourite colour.Before getting out of the office, Anthea texted Emilia to go back on her own. She then walked out of the office and got in the car before driving directly to the place. She had to mark the first day of her new beginning, and there was only one place and one thing to do to make this day memorable forever. Anthea let out a smile as she reached the place in less than 20 minutes. After carefully checking the streets, she drove towards the parking lot, where a few more cars were parked outside.
After turning off the car's engine, Anthea rolled down the window before peeking outside. Her eyes quickly swept over the signboard of the shop before a small smile broke into her face.
"Etched in Ink." She mumbled the name before grabbing her bag and phone and then pushing open the car's door. She closed the door with a thud before making her way towards the tattoo studio. She was going to mark her new beginning with a perfect new tattoo, which would keep reminding her about her goal every time she looked at it.
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Are you sure you want to go there? There will be a lot of people, including his whole family." Emilia asked the same question for the fourth time in the past hour. A sigh escaped Anthea's soft lips as she put down her iPad before looking up at Emilia. She was looking at her with a worried expression, making Anthea force a smile. "Emi, I will be fine; trust me. You know, I have been waiting for this exact moment for five years. Now it's finally here." Anthea tried her best to ease her cousin's worry while getting up from the sofa and walking towards where Emilia was standing. "I know, Thea. I trust you, but I don't trust that scumbag or his family. What if they do something to hurt you?" Emilia couldn't help but think about the worst possibilities. Her heart felt restless just thinking about the situation Anthea would be in if she really attended that damn New York City's elite society's party. Anthea had already suffered enough throughout her life; she didn't want her to suffer anymo
The first time she met Rayan Allen was when she was only 19 years old. He was three years older than her, 22 at the time. Their first meeting was in the orphanage, where she used to volunteer. It was the same orphanage she grew up in before being adopted. Even after being adopted she frequently visited and volunteered there. Rayan was a freshly graduated student who moved from New York City to Quebec City. At first, he was just a cold, aloof, and introverted boy who occasionally volunteered alongside her and played music with orphan children. He didn't talk or interact with people much. Anthea heard from one of the sisters of the orphanage that his mother also grew up here before being adopted. However, as time went by, she started to get to know him more before ultimately falling for him. He was extremely handsome and smart while she was clumsy, dumb and talked too much. They were the total opposite of each other. She liked to talk, while he liked to listen. But they had a mutual int
She slowly discovered her mother-in-law's real face; her two sweet sister-in-laws began to mock her; her father-in-law began to treat her with nothing but indifference; and then she discovered another shocking thing. Aurelia Jones, the girl she was introduced to as Sarah's best friend, was actually Rayan's fiancee. Former fiancée, to be exact. They were engaged even before Rayan met her. Though the engagement was arranged by their families, Aurelia was in love with him. Anthea's illusions about the people around her slowly began to crumble. She began to see the people's real faces. Her kind mother-in-law did everything she could to humiliate her and break her. Her sweet sister-in-law mocked her and made crude remarks. Anthea's whole life changed once again as she was suddenly thrown into New York City's elite society, where she was nothing but a peasant. She was like meat thrown into a pool filled with hungry creatures. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't match up to their expe
"We have reached Ms Morin." Samuel's gentle words snapped Anthea out of her thoughts as she noticed the open elevator door. She nodded before following him out of the elevator and walking towards the gala room where the 56th birthday party of billionaire Alexander Moore was taking place. He was a famous hotel chain giant in the USA and besides being business partners with her brother Roman Morin, he also had a good relationship with him. But that's not how Anthea knew him. Before knowing him, she knew his wife Megan Moore and daughter Kendall Moore. Megan was one of the close friends of her ex-mother-in-law Camila. They attended a few parties thrown by the Allens. That's where Anthea had met them. Kendall Moore was however friends with her two sister-in-laws and often came to the Allen estate. Anthea wasn't allowed to move around the house whenever a guest came over. She was told to stay in her room by her Camilla or her sister-in-laws because they didn't want to be embarrassed becaus
"You are here. I was looking for you." Megan beamed at her husband as soon as their eyes met. Her eyes then swept over Anthea, who was standing there holding her husband's hand. "And who might this beautiful lady be?" She asked curiously while smiling at Anthea warmly, making her smile back. As expected, she didn't remember Anthea at all. Well, they only met twice in the past but didn't have face-to-face interaction ever. Camila made sure she never came into contact with any of their high-class guests or friend circle. Anthea now knew why. That's because she was already plotting to throw her out and marry Aurelia to Rayan, so she didn't want to taint their names with hers. She made sure no one knew about her existence in Rayan's life, so it would be easier for them in a future so-called perfect love story. "Let me introduce you," Alexander said while pointing at Anthea. "This is Anthea Morin. Do you remember Roman Morin?" Alexander proceeded to introduce Anthea. She could see all the
"This is Benjamin Allen, one of my close friends and business partners. Beside him are his wife, Camila Allen, and their daughter, Sarah Allen. They also have another daughter and a son who are not present at the moment." Alexander introduced the Allens, first making Anthea's eyes casually travel towards them. As their gazes collided, Anthea stared straight at Benjamin, refusing to look away. "Hello. It's nice you met you guys." Anthea greeted them with a sweet smile on her face, completely masking her real emotion. Her expression remained unfazed as Benjamin stared at her, trying to read her. When Anthea didn't back off from the staring contest, he gave up and looked away first. "Likewise, Ms. Morin." Benjamin, as usual, was quick to get a grip on his emotions before greeting her back like a professional. He was a businessman after all. His voice seemed to snap Camila and Sarah back to reality too. Camila put on a fake smile before opening her mouth. "It's nice to meet you too, Ms.
For a moment, everything around the two of them completely froze as they stared at each other. Anthea had imagined this moment countless times since the day she decided on her vengeance; however, none of that imagination could ever compare to the things she was feeling right now. Five years! Five fucking long years later, she was once again standing in front of the man who ruthlessly broke her heart and destroyed her life. All the past memories of betrayals, heartbreaks, and sadness flashed through her, making it almost impossible to stand on her feet. Adrenaline rushed through her veins, making her blood pressure and heartbeat rise. However, Anthea fisted her palm in a tight grip and mentally pushed herself to stay calm and act normal around him. She couldn't let him see her real emotions at any cost. "He doesn't matter to you, Anthea. Don't let his presence affect you. You are stronger than this." She chanted the sentences in her mind like a mantra while forcing herself to stay calm
Anthea slowly shifted her eyes back to Benjamin before letting out a small chuckle. The old man stared at her with a neutral expression, trying his best to mask his real emotion. Even though he was still coping with the shock because of her new identity, he couldn't let it affect his business. Not a project like this. They couldn't lose something like this. He needed to handle this situation here first and then find out what was going on. Why was Lily Wisley pretending to be Anthea Morin? To find his answers, Benjamin needed to stay calm and handle everything here first."It seems like Ms. Jones is already not fond of me. I wonder what did I do to offend her on our first meeting!" She twitched her lips before saying those words with a regretful expression. Her words made Alexander's brow crease as he glanced at Benjamin, trying to tell him to handle the situation. Benjamin got the message clearly, which made him purse his lips."It's not like that. I think there's some kind of misunde