“Dring….Dring…Dring”“Hello” Ben picked up the phone with a smile looking at the caller id.“’Cuz, got a minute?”“Would you hang up if I said no?”“Has it worked when you’ve tried in the past?”“Didn’t think so… tell me… what do you want me to do?”“Do you have a meeting? Can we catch up at our normal place in 10 mins?”“Why are you so free today?”“Can’t I miss you out of brotherly love?”“I am too lazy to argue you… I’ll see you in 10, usual place!” Ben didn’t want to stay and watch Lisa acting pitiful. Any reason to get out was good enough.Both of them hung up.Ben walked out of the office “I won’t be available till 2pm. For emergencies or anything that can’t wait till 2, contact Shadow. Pass the memo to all the departments"Lisa blinked ‘Was he really going to hang her out to dry?’“CEO, do you need me to follow?”“Did I ask you to?” Ben looked sternly at Lisa ‘Was she this annoying before? How did he not notice?’Shadow “”Shadow followed Ben to the elevator, once the door clos
Frank walked to his cabinet and got one of the champagnes from his collection.“This calls for a drink”He filled the flutes and passed it to them. They clinked glasses and sat back. Ben told Tael everything that happened between him and Dana starting from their first meeting at Skylight up until yesterday’s dinner.“Wow!” Tael’s face was colourful. At a while he finally managed “I am truly impressed”.He sat back reminiscing all the details Ben just said and sighed “I don’t envy you anymore”“Ha…ha…ha” Frank and Shadow couldn’t hold it any longer. They had been watching Tael face from the moment Ben began recounting his interaction with Dana. His face went from shock to cynical to surprise to finally settle on a ‘deflated balloon’ look.“After Samantha, everyone had been worried about you… did you really have to find Dana?” Tael mumbled distractedly.“Don’t compare her to Dana!” Ben knitted his brows “there is no comparison” his tone had an irrefutable buzz!“I agree… I was comparing
“Dring …. Dring…. Dring”Ben’s phone rang. Ben looked at the clock and showing a gesture to be silent he picked up the phone.Ed mimed him to put the phone on speaker.Ben put the phone on speaker and muted the line.Tael’s laughter came from the other end.“Hur … hur… hur… everyone seems to be in good spirits. Of course it’s my department that’s under scrutiny, so why wouldn’t you all be?? Hur…hur…hur…” Tael walked in mocking his colleagues and sat in his usual spot.“Director Harrison, don’t take this personally. If they interfere with your department today, tomorrow it will be us. We are not fools not to recognize this. I will support you, just tell me what you need” A middle- aged tall man with springy hair and rimless glasses came up to Tael and sat beside him speaking in a soft voice.“Is Director
Lester nodded to indicate acquiescence. “Having looked at the presentation, I do feel guilty as the director for one of the department for not evenly distributing the workload. But I also feel outraged at myself for pointing fingers before the start of the meeting. I will take my time here to apologize to my colleague Director Harrison”He bowed towards Tael and then turned in the direction for Dana’s team “I will also apologize to this team for wrongly accusing your efficiency”He bowed towards them and then turned towards Dana “This will be a loss to our organization and I hope you will reconsider”.He then turned to face Lester and Thomas “Mr President, Mr Vice President, my performance is definitely not on par with this young lady and I would like to apologize to both of you and render my resignation effective immediately” Mark sat down humbly.
The waitresses were dressed in Belle dancer costumes. Food was ordered and served smoothly.“This is really a different experience. How come we’ve never heard of this place?” Sarah exclaimed as she looked around.Ben was lost in his own world staring at Dana. Frank served Sarah as he nodded acknowledging Sarah’s enthusiasm.“Look…. look they are starting” Phoebe pulled Dana’s arm excitedly.The lights dimmed and dancers gracefully entertained the dinners. The dancers held everyone except Ben mesmerized during their performance. Ben watched the excitement through Dana’s eyes.Halfway through, the dancers walked to different tables and pulled guests to join in. At Dana’s table, they pulled Richard. He hesitated with pursed lips as the rest of the team cheered him. Richard was not flamboyant but he was definitely not a shy person. Under peer pressure, he decided to take the challenge and walked to the center with the girls.After mucking around for a bit, Richard returned to his seat. Th
Dana was back to her old self the next day and sat chatting with Lara nibbling on her breakfast.“What are your plans for today?”“Nothing much. I have a shoot in at 11”“Remember to dress up before you go out. We don’t know when that scum is leaving today!”“Um” Lara looked up at Dana “What about you?”“The usual” Dana shrugged. After a minute she raised her head “Don’t wait up for me I just remembered, I have an appointment with Ms Parker”“Ms. Who?” Lara raised her eyebrows curiously“It’s one of my counselling clients- Eleanor Parker”“That’s good! I will pick you up from Dorsen Public Hospital. Would you finish by 6:30?”“I am driving, why would I need you to pick me up?” Dana scrunched her forehead and squinted her eyes.“I want your opinion on choosing my outfit for the bitch’s engagement party next month” Lara pursed her lips in displeasure.“Are you sure you want to go?”“Um… I don’t want them to think I am in pain or jealous”“That’s good. Do you have a plus one option?”“Ye
“Who is your target?”Jack scoffed as he looked around at the people in the room. He wasn’t scared anymore. He was about to meet his maker. This question was not the integral part of their mission. ‘Answering this might prevent them from looking deeper’ Jack calculated mentally. How could the Triad miss this calculating glint that flashed past Jack’s eyes? They pretended not to notice and indulged him. Ben signaled Shadow to continue.Shadow pressed on his pressure points on his forehead and Jack groaned from excruciating pain. His face paled and breathing became heavier yet he stubbornly pursed his lips. Shadow repeated the process; the third time he raised his hand, Jack mumbled “Major General”“Ha…. Ha… Ha…” Archer laughed and shook his head “You are either ill-informed or too big a fool.”Jack raised his head with difficulty to look at Archer. He was in too mu
The atmosphere in the study was heavy.Mrs. Bentley served tea and coffee as per their preference and withdrew from the study.Everyone in the room had their minds weighed down with their own thoughts. Danton fidgeted with the cup holder, sweating trickling down his spine as he waited… he couldn’t hold the pressure anymore…“Ahem… Mr Adalase, I know I was wrong to not follow protocol and insist on Ed taking on my man. But I swear on my forefathers, Jack is the son of my most honorable comrade who lost his life defending this country and he was no less a soldier than his father … I … I really don’t know how he got involved in this twisted business. I will take full responsibility and resign”“Danton, we have fought shoulder to shoulder, you can call be Ben. There are no outsiders here!” Ben loosened his aura once the haze in his mind regarding Danton was resolved.“Ben, I s