On her way inside, Athea spotted a huge glass that showed her whole reflection, making her stop on her tracks. As she stood in front of the glass, she stared at her reflection without blinking. A beautiful woman with pale blue eyes was staring back at her. She was wearing a camel business suit with a white shirt tucked underneath. Her long hair, which she had dyed mushroom brown blonde a few days ago, shone brightly in the sunlight. She always stood out because of her striking appearance, which she inherited from her mother. Even though she had no memories of her mother. She had seen countless pictures of her. They practically looked like twins.
Anthea smiled at her reflection before fixing her hair. She looked almost perfect with the suit and minimal make-up she had on. Her face was flawless even without makeup, except for the small cut under her chin, which she got from that horrible day.
"Why are you standing here?" Anthea turned around to look at Emilia, who was frowning at her.
"I was waiting for you." She lied while smiling at her. Emilia didn’t detect her lie, so she nodded before smiling back.
"Let's go. It's your first day. We need to introduce you to our employees since they are already expecting your presence, the new CEO, Anthea Morin." Emilia pulled on Anthea's arms before giggling excitedly. Anthea, on the other hand, chuckled and shook her head at her excitement, but she still followed her inside to mark her first day after being back in the city, which snatched everything from her. ----------------------------
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After the small introduction and welcome ceremony with the employees were over, Anthea was directed to her office. She also had to meet the shareholders and the board of directors for lunch. When she first entered her office. She was impressed with the way it was set up. Her office was huge and spacious, located on the top floor with a killer view of the city. The room was decorated according to her taste. Everything inside was designed minimally but still with a touch of elegance. The combination of black and white really soothed her. Anthea couldn't help but smile at the view in front of the glass window. As she looked down from the window, her heart didn't beat erratically. Everything looked so tiny from there. She couldn't feel herself getting anxious by looking down, and her palms didn't begin to sweat. She was as calm as before. The phobia of heights was gone. She wasn't afraid of heights anymore. No one could make fun of her or humiliate her just because she couldn't climb or stand high.
Anthea scoffed while shaking her head to get rid of the sudden, unwanted thoughts. She then turned around and began to walk towards her mahogany desk. Five years is a long time to change a person completely. She wasn't the same naive woman who would cry her heart out every time she got hurt or felt lost. That naive woman was already dead five years ago. There's no sign of her. If there's something left, then it's only her vengeance. Her thirst to avenge herself and the precious things she lost because of those people
Anthea stood in front of her desk while her eyes stared at the blue file lying neatly on her desk. She smiled at the title of the file, but there was no sign of happiness in her blue eyes. Instead, they glinted dangerously as she reached her hand down before picking up the file in her hands.
"Rayan Allen," Anthea whispered, the name that was the sole reason behind her nightmares, her wounds, and her thirst for vengeance. There's nothing that could stop a woman who sets her mind to vengeance, and if the woman's name was Anthea Morin, then
all hell would break loose.
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In a spacious, lavishly appointed office, the room's extravagance was only surpassed by the man who occupied it. Tall with chiselled features and an aura of undeniable charisma, he exuded an air of unattainable allure. His flawlessly tailored navy blue suit, undoubtedly of the highest quality, hugged his frame with precision. The suit jacket casually left hanging on the back of a leather chair revealed a crisp, perfectly fitted white dress shirt beneath.
Seated behind a grand, mahogany desk that seemed tailor-made for a figure of his stature, he leaned forward, his sharp ocean-blue eyes fixed intently on the documents splayed out before him. His jet-black hair was styled perfectly on top of his head without a single strand falling out of place. The office, a masterpiece of interior design, featured tasteful, minimalist decor. Pristine white walls with black lines framed with elegant artwork and shelves lined with leather-bound books lent an air of refined sophistication. Two big black couches were placed in the middle of the room, along with a round table.
As he meticulously reviewed each document, his expression remained unfazed, almost icy. The sharp lines of his jaw only accentuated the cold determination in his eyes. Every movement he made seemed calculated, and every decision was measured. In this palatial cover of wealth and power, he was the epitome of success and allure, a commanding presence amidst the grand surroundings. He was none other than Rayan Allen, the aloof and powerful CEO of Allen Enterprises, who took over his father's business seven years ago and brought it to the highest peak of success. His company is now one of the top 10 leading companies in the world.
A sudden knock on the door distracted the man from the work; he was engrossed in making a small frown appear on his face. Without lifting his eyes from the papers, he spoke out in his deep, authoritative voice.
"Come in." The sound of his voice echoed throughout the whole room, and a few seconds later, the black wooden door was pushed open with footsteps approaching. A blonde-haired petite figure walked in while dressed in a black knee-length skirt and beige top, along with a pair of high heels, which kept making a clicking sound on the marbled floor as she walked. She was holding a big flower bouquet in her hand before stopping a few metres away from Rayan's desk.
"I apologise for disturbing you at this moment, Mr. Allen. But someone sent this for you." A gentle, feminine voice reached Rayan's ears, making him finally tear his eyes from the documents he had been holding for quite some time. His eyes first swiftly glanced at his assistant, who had a nervous expression plastered all over her face, before fixing on the big flower bouquet she was holding in her arm. It could have been an ordinary bouquet of roses if not for its colour.
It was a bouquet of black roses.
"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
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