Three days passed since the day Anthea had a heated confrontation with Rayan in the conference room. Since then, she hadn't heard anything from him or his company regarding the project. However, only after a day had passed had Anthea begun to realise how foolish she had behaved that day. She literally ruined the plan she had worked so hard on just because of her anger and hatred. Anthea didn't realise her negative feelings for him would overpower her and make her lose her usual calm and composed demeanour. She needed to work with him to trap him and destroy him. She couldn't just walk away and cancel the deal with him. It was a foolish move from her side. What if he didn't agree with her and cancel the deal? Anthea let out a frustrated groan as she threw the papers she had in her hands on the wooden desk before leaning on her chair. “Should I just send someone and tell him that? I’m with his idea." Anthea thought to herself as she tried to think of ways to save the deal. “He wouldn
"Samuel, is everything prepared?" Anthea inquired urgently as she entered the lobby of her floor, already running late for the crucial meeting. “Yes, Ms. Morin. I was waiting for you to arrive,” Samuel replied, rising from his seat, files in hand. “Alright. Give me five minutes, then we will leave."She responded briskly without glancing back, disappearing into her office. Samuel nodded as he checked the files for the last time. The meeting with Rayan Allen loomed in half an hour, the project's finalisation hanging in the balance. The meeting was initially supposed to take place in the morning, but Anthea had some emergencies, which made her postpone the meeting to the afternoon. Inside her office, Anthea wasted no time, heading straight for the attached washroom. She walked in front of the glass mirror before staring at her dishevelled reflection. She couldn’t help but let out a sigh, realising she looked like a total mess. Faded makeup and unruly hair stared back at her, reminding
“Nevaeh! What are you doing here?” Rayan asked, his voice matching the surprise on his face. The little girl hugged his legs while giggling excitedly. Rayan slightly bent down before picking her up in his strong arms with a swift motion. “Surprise, Daddy.” The little girl responded in her cute baby voice while showing her the back of her palm, where the small fake sunflower tattoo was drawn. “She wanted to show you the tattoo Ms. Allen drew on her and had been waiting since noon. But since your meeting was postponed and you couldn't come home, she became really upset and refused to eat her lunch till you came. That's why Ms. Allen instructed me to bring her here to meet you.” The nanny explained quickly when Rayan glanced at her questioningly. Rayan sighed before nodding his head at her. “It’s beautiful, just like you.” Rayan smiled at his daughter before kissing her hand, where the fake tattoo was designed. Nevaeh let out a giggle as she hugged her father’s neck. Her eyes slowly se
Anthea thanked Samuel, who drove her home before getting out of the car. She directly walked into the elevator and pressed the button on the penthouse before taking a step back. The silence in the void of the elevator matched exactly what she was feeling inside. Empty. As the elevator reached the top floor, Anthea slowly got off the elevator while clutching her handbag to her chest in a tight grip. As soon as she reached the entrance of the penthouse, she rang the bell with a shaky hand. In just a few minutes, the door pulled open before Emilia came into her view. “Thea! Is everything alright?” Emilia asked worriedly as soon as she opened the door. Just a glance at Anthea’s face showed she already knew something terrible had happened. The bag in Anthea’s hand fell with a thud on the floor as she looked at Emilia before throwing herself in her arms, catching her completely off guard. Emilia stumbled on her steps slightly while still managing to wrap her arms around Anthea somehow. “Th
“Did you get everything?” Rayan’s deep voice rasped in the room as he leaned back on his leather chair. He was, as usual, dressed in a blue business suit with a white shirt tucked underneath. His soft, luscious hair was pulled back on the top of his head, with a few strands falling out carelessly. His powerful aura and intimidating presence could make anyone weak on their knees, but not his secretary, Asher Parker, who had been with him for almost seven years.“I'm trying to dig as much as possible; however, there's something I can’t break through. All the information regarding her past and the last five years is either modified or completely erased. There's a powerful figure who is protecting her, and I believe it's Roman Morin, her brother.” Asher cleared his throat slightly before beginning to answer Rayan’s question. He tried his best not to be affected by the grim look on Rayan’s face as he clenched his fingers, controlling his anger after hearing his response.“Of course, he wil
Anthea forced herself to stay calm and act neutral, even though her insides were in turmoil. She slowly shifted her eyes from the scene before focusing her gaze on Asher, who was looking at her with guilt too. What's with them and their guilty expression? Did they think she still cared? Or did they really think of her as a porcelain doll who was easiest to break?“It's fine as long as it doesn't affect my work, Mr. Parker.” Anthea forced a smile, trying hard to act normal. She couldn't let those people get her or break through her. She wasn't so easy to break.“Thank you, Ms. Morin. Now please follow me.” Asher sighed out of relief as he smiled at Anthea, who nodded at him. The three of them walked and reached where Rayan, Aurelia, and Nevaeh were.“Look, daddy. It's the pretty lady who called me princess.” As soon as Nevaeh saw Anthea appear, her face bloomed into a beautiful grin as she rushed towards her father, leaving her mother standing there. Rayan smiled down at her before nod
Silas?” Anthea’s voice came out somewhat squeaky as she ran towards him. She quickly reached him before pulling him into a hug.“I didn't know you were coming.” She said, sounding unbelievably Silas let out a chuckle as they broke the hug.“Of course. How could I let you go alone with him?” He responded with a scoff, making Anthea grin. A sudden wave of relief washed over her, seeing Silas there. The thought of having him back was making her feel overwhelmed. Even though she was strong, having someone by her side was something different.“I didn't know you were also joining us, Mr. Harrington.” Rayan, who watched the exchange between them, commented with a cold voice when his eyes met Silas's. Silas looked at him with a neutral expression before his eyes slowly scanned Aurelia and Nevaeh.“I also had no idea you were taking your daughter and fiancee on our business trip, Mr. Allen.” Silas fired back with a mocking smile. The smugness on his face made Rayan’s face harden. The two men s
“Who’s Lily, Daddy?” Nevaeh asked, looking between her father and Anthea innocently as soon as she heard the unfamiliar name. Anthea was the first one to snap out as her face slowly became apathetic while her lips pressed in a thin line. Rayan noticed the change in her emotion, making him take a step back. “What happened, Daddy?” Nevaeh was again questioned innocently as she stared at her father with those innocent blue eyes. Rayan looked down at her before shaking his head slightly. “She’s Lily.” Rayan’s direct and honest tone almost made Anthea choke on her saliva as she snapped her head towards him with a sharp glare. She didn't expect him to answer Nevaeh honestly; however, he surprised her. Anthea took a long breath, trying to refrain from saying anything in front of the child. “Really? I like the name so much.” Nevaeh answered while giggling adorably. Anthea looked at the innocent, smiling face, her heart aching badly. “That’s not my name. My name is Anthea.” She denied Rayan