The atmosphere was awkward, each staffs of the board meeting seizing their breath anxiously —they were curious to know the reasons for the impromptu board meeting. Aunt Elsie stood at the edge of the long table, meant for the company's head. Her both hands resting on the table, as she stares at the faces of each executive on seat.The room was deathly silent, as everyone waited for Aunt Elsie to speak, with the same questions running through each executives' mind.‘Who is she to have us all assembled like this without formal notice?’‘Why is she here all of a sudden, taking up the seat that was meant for Ms. Fellers?’Aunt Elsie looked around the table, her expression unreadable and her lips curled up in an almost invincible, unfriendly smirk. Finally, she cleared her throat and began to speak.“I'll go straight to the point.” She said, her voice strong and clear. “Today, I'm here to inform you all of an important announcement, and I hope you listen attentively and carefully.”They all
Aunt Elsie was aware that convincing the company's employees to trust her would be a difficult task. They had all worked for the Feller's family for a long time, and were likely to be wary of change. However, she was determined to do her best to keep the company running smoothly —no, to keep onto the company for her personal interest.She decided to begin by explaining that Dwayne's was no longer with them, she knows this was a difficult truth for each member of the company to accept, but it was something they will have to face.Aunt Elsie breathed in slowly before speaking. “Mr. Dwayne can't be here with us in person —any longer.” She enunciated, each member of the board meeting was wearing a questioning look. “...this is because he is dead!”The room was plunged into an eerie silence, as the executives processed Aunt Elsie's words —which were too hard to digest, it was just like a big lump in their throat that's too hard to swallow.“What?” One of them finally gasped, his voice barel
Gerald was on his way to the hospital as usual when he received a call from Milan. He was surprised to see her call; that was the last thing he expected from her —a call out of the blues when they don't even talk, not even for once.“Gerald…" She called out slowly, unsure of her voice. Gerald could feel her anxiety in her voice. “This is Gerald, right?”“Yes!” His reply was blunt and quick. “Why are you calling Milan? Did something go wrong in my absence?”Milan on the other line hesitated for a while as she breathed out sharp, contemplating on what to say or how to say it.“It's okay, Milan.” Gerald was considerate enough to cajole her, her rapid breathing was obvious on the phone. “You can talk to me, whatever it is, I'm all ears and I'll listen. Okay?”“Okay…" She mouthed almost immediately. “Where are you? Can you come to the company as quickly as you can? This is really important!”“I'm on my way to the hospital, but I can make a detour to the company if it's that important.” Gera
Gerald was furious as he barged out of the private office, banging the door heavily behind as it made a reverberating noise afterward —well, he cared less if the company should fall into a flat crumble at the moment because of it.He weaved his way through the same hallway he has gotten familiar with over the years, his face crumpled down in a tight frown and anger boiling with in him; he couldn't just sit and watch or act like nothing happened with what he heard!As he stormed through the hallway, the sound of his footsteps echoing off the walls, Gerald was overwhelmed with emotion. Anger, frustration, and disbelief coursed through his veins as he thought about the conversation he'd just had.How could this be happening? How could someone so close to Lisa betray her like this? He couldn't let it go, he had to do something. But what?As he reached the end of the hallway, he turned the corner and came to a stop, his mind racing. He looked up at the sight before, the glass doors reflecti
Gerald excused himself from Mr. Ezekiel's sight and walked closer towards the door. He tapped on it gently and waited for Aunt Elsie's response.“Come in…" Gerald heard from within after several seconds of silence.He breathed in slowly before placing his hand on the door knob, gently opening the door, and stepped in. He hesitated for a while before closing the door behind him, as he strutted towards aunt Elsie.“Ah, Gerald —it's you…" Aunt Elsie uttered in recognition as well as surprised to see him in her new office, but she did well by offering him a warm smile.“Yes!” Gerald replied to her in a sharp yet blunt tone, taking the seat before the desk —he did not bother to be offered the seat before sitting, he suddenly finds it useless. “I decided to drop by.”Aunt Elsie was offended by Gerald's action; she found it nonchalant and challenging, but she held her anger in, trying not to react rashly towards him.“I see you've made yourself at home without the owner's permission.” Aunt El
Gerald walked out of the office, different thoughts running through his mind. He did not see any of this coming —Ciara's aunt seemed to be, not only one but two steps ahead of them.He couldn't help but marvel at how fast Lisa aunt's brain worked faster; how she managed to turn everything into her favor in a twinkle of an eye.“Had she to be planning all of this beforehand? Or she just decided to make use of the opportunity, why it lasts?” He muttered under his breath, rubbing his temples slowly.On the flip side, Gerald did not want to agree with his theory —even though that's the only possibly way he could think of.“There is no way all of this would have been planned, right?” He asked himself, but couldn't find the answers to his question. Yeah, if Dwayne's death was planned —how about Lisa's predicament?He runs his hand through his head as he felt like he's going nut soon, he couldn't think it through, no matter how hard he tries. Gerald knew that he needed to do something, and fa
The doors of the airplane slowly opened, and a tall, dark-haired man emerged from the cabin. His appearance wasn't so enticing and had reduced much weight compared to how he was a few months earlier. His eyes squinted as he stepped into the bright sunlight, and he took a moment to adjust to the change of light.As he stood there, he stretched his arms over his head and let out a long, deep breath. It had been a long flight, and he was ready to get out of the plane and back on solid ground to relieve his tired limbs after several hours of being in the same spot.He reached down and grabbed his suitcase, slinging it over his shoulder with ease. He was a well-traveled man, used to long flights and layovers, but that moment was different, he looked exhausted and tired —both mentally and physically.His face was gaunt, his eyes sunken in. The dark circles under his eyes were a testament to the sleepless nights he had been experiencing for the past few weeks since he left the States.He had
Alex couldn't figure out where he had seen the woman before. She didn't seem like one of his usual clients, and the restaurant they were in wasn't the kind of place he would expect her to visit. But as she got closer, a memory clicked, and he remembered her name —Sheila. Alex was surprised to see around as he wondered why she was here. “To eat, of course!” His subconscious mind hit him. “Yeah, right!” He admitted. Alex had wanted to dodge to avoid being seen by Sheila, considering his present appearance and environment. But luck ran out on him as he was seen by Sheila before he got the chance to dodge her. “Ah —Mr. Alex…" She vocalized in recognition, hastening her steps towards him. “It's you!” Alex couldn't believe it. He had hoped to escape this embarrassing situation, but his plans were foiled. How would he explain his presence in such a place, especially to Sheila, of all people? And with the state he was in — messy hair, unkempt clothes, an unshaven face… Oh,
As she sat, deep in thought, a sudden buzz broke her concentration. A notification appeared on her phone, with a message from her former fiancé, David."Why is he sending me a message out of the blue?" She muttered within herself as she unlocked her phone to read the message, feeling a mixture of anxiety and curiosity. She read the message, and her breath caught in her throat.Sarah stared at the message sent to her, her curiosity suddenly turned into a mixture of anger and sadness. It reads, 'I can't believe you are such a gold digger, Sarah! This was your plan all along? To ditch me, leave me in disgrace at the altar, and go after the president because he's loaded, isn't he?'Sarah gritted her teeth in fury as she read the message further. 'You are such a cheap slut, but I promise you, Sarah, that I won't go down without a fight! Be on your best guard because tonight, I'm giving you the biggest surprise of your life...!'David's words cut through her like a knife, the fact that he go
Sarah, a name now acknowledged and recognized in the journal of the nation's political context, stood as the center of an exceptional sight, surrounded by glaring lights, loud and noisy voices, and examining eyes from the press, reflecting a model of the public.Amidst the lights and noisy surroundings, the press that managed to get close to her probed her with questions, their eyes gleaming with excitement. She was their new prey - the fact that she was the first Lady made things more interesting for them.For the first time since her marriage with the president, she had only stepped out for a moment to look around and probably get used to her new environment but things did not turn out as she thought would be.As though the press was keeping a close watch on her and monitoring her movement - maybe someone had tipped them off her whereabouts, they hovered around her like flies, trapping her down in the same spot.Microphones and other instruments used by the press were pointed in her
As Sarah stood at the altar to exchange marital vows with the president, she felt a sense of calm wash over her. It was as if time had slowed down, and everything around her was moving in slow motion.The guests, the priest, the groom - they all seemed to be moving at a fraction of the speed she was used to. Everything felt surreal as if she was in a dream. But she knew this was real. This was her wedding day - another wedding she was holding in that same week she ditched the first one.The priest's words drifted through the air as if they were carried by the wind. "Do you, Sarah, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do you part?"As the words of the vow hung in the air, Sarah felt her heart skip a beat. It was like everything had stopped, and it was just her and the president in the world. She looked into his eyes, a
Sarah had never seen him before which made her curiosity piqued, her gaze on the parcel he stretched out to her. Though she was tempted to take the parcel from him, she still hesitated as though she was contemplating taking the parcel from him.His unusual warm smile spread wider, urging her to take it from him. Seeing how much she was hesitating, he squatted down to her height, opened her palms, and placed the parcel on them."For you..." He uttered, still wearing his unusual warm smile. His voice was calm but far from the regular manly voice Sarah had heard."What's in the parcel?" She asked, directing her gaze from the man to the parcel in her palms before raising her gaze to meet the man's. "-and why are you giving it to me?""I can read the curiosity in your eyes, lady." He responded quietly, maintaining his calm tone. "Why don't you feed your curiosity by checking it out yourself?"Sarah said nothing in reply and did as the man had suggested. She opened the parcel and couldn't be
Alone on the serene and deserted beach, Sarah sat on the sandy shore, the waves crashing against the beach as if echoing her inner turmoil. The sunset on the horizon in its warm hue of orange failed to bring comfort to the despair that hung over her like a chute.Her eyes were red and swollen, heavy with the weight of sorrow and betrayal. Tears painted her face, the hurt as vast as the sea itself and heavy as a lead. Yet underneath the sorrow was an underlying sense of trepidation - a thought that wasn't born out of hope but out of fear of continuing to live.Sarah ought to be grateful that she found out about them before the knot was tied between herself and David - how worse would it be if things started to unfold after her wedding?Sarah stood up abruptly and walked closer to the beach, shutting other thoughts off her head and mind. She stared intensely into the raging waves of the waster as thoughts of suicide attempts swirled in her mind, tempting her to end the painful game she f
Divorce is okay.Starting over is okay.Moving on is okay.Being alone is okay.But, what is not okay is staying somewhere "YOU'RE NOT VALUED AND APPRECIATED!"Sarah is betrothed to her highschool lover. A man whom she has dreamt a million dreams to grow into an old age with.What happens on the eve of their wedding day. A betrayal of infidelity struck her path.But the question remains; Will it save her marriage, destroys it or rather changes her fate for a greater good?You and I needs to find out!.....................The sun rose over the town, casting a warm glow on the streets. It was a partially sunny day, and the sky was clear as well. The air was crisp and cool, and the birds were singing happily in the trees.The streets were quiet, and there was a peaceful stillness in the air. It was the perfect morning for a walk in the park, or for sitting under a gazebo with a cup of coffee. The world seemed to be at peace, and everything was just as it should be. It was a morning to be
Gerald was pushed aggressively back into the prison, and the warder locked the gate immediately, throwing the keys into his pocket. Gerald hissed in pain as he forcefully hit his knee on the cold floor, bruising it in the process.“I wonder how long you are going to last here with the nonchalant attitude you are putting on, man!” The warder scowled disapprovingly at him, resting lazily on the gaze. “You won't even last three months here —you will be lucky if you do.”Gerald's eyes widened in shock. Three months…? That's a whole lot of time to be detained in a prison, how is he supposed to cope in this kind of surrounding for that long period of time without even knowing his offense? The thought of spending three months locked up in a cell was terrifying as it made his stomach dropped.It was hard to imagine being stuck in such a small space for so long, with nothing to do and no one to talk to. Gerald tried to think of ways to pass the time, but his mind kept returning to the same thou
Gerald's eyes blazed in fury as he banged his hands dangerously on the table, separating them from each other. “I rather remain in this hole than be at your mercy or listen to your petty orders! You can't make me do your bidding!” He growled at her.“Tsk, tsk!” Aunt Elsie twitched her nose in disappointment, unmoved by his rage or threats. “Then what would happen to Lisa? I told you; that your reaction and obedience will determine Lisa's fate, didn't I?”“What are you going to do to Lisa?” Gerald demanded, his heart beating against his rib cage. He couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to her. “Tell me what you want, and I'll do it. Just don't hurt her.”Aunt Elsie's lips stretched into a thin smile, she was loving the desperation in Gerald's eyes —he's the perfect pawn in the game. “I'm glad to see that you're willing to cooperate.” She said, satisfaction evident in her tone. “You're a smart man, Gerald, I think we can work well together.”Gerald hated the way she was talkin
Aunt Elsie smiled broadly, she was right about him. Only someone like him will be needed —he had managed to read her perfectly without getting close to her. She was impressed, and that will only make her want him more.“I don't bargain, yeah…" She uttered, admitting to his words. “—but I'm ready to do so, if it'll please you.”“What do you mean by that?” he asked, his curiosity piqued. “Why would you change your usual tactics just to please me? What do you want from me?”Aunt Elsie's smile widened, she was glad he didn't bite her head off this time —instead, she loved the curiosity in his eyes; that was what she wanted from him anyway, not otherwise.“I've found myself smitten with you, Gerald.” She replied, her voice taking a different turn. “And I would do anything to get what I want from you —I'm not afraid of bargaining this time because I know what I want, and I want it badly.”Gerald was no in for her twist and turns, he wanted her to say whatever thing she's got for him and let