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Skylight clubhouse, the most popular hangout place in the city... the "go to" place for the extremely rich elite and also the middle class. This is also the uniqueness of skylight. The middle open space tables could be booked for a table at 2000 dollars, whereas the private rooms could cost anywhere between 10000- 1 million, depending on how long they were reserved for.Dana, wearing a wine-red top and jeans-colored capri, walked in looking left and right, fidgeting with the handle of her handbag. She hated places like this, the smell of alcohol in the air made her uncomfortable. Normally she would decline catch up invitations from her colleagues to places like this, but Therese was one of her close friends and this was her farewell party. This was the reason she braved her inner demons to be here to celebrate one last time. Spotting Maylin and Angus at the middle table, Dana squeezed past the enthusiastic patrons."OMG! Look who's here" Lara screamed as she rushed over with open arms
After Jeremy left, Frank and Sarah walked into the box. Dana felt it was inappropriate for her to stay; she muttered "Bastard" as she walked out fuming at his insolence.“Give me a call when you have decided on a place for dinner” Ben added, as she reached the door, crossing the stunned Sarah.Ben looked at the departing figure with an amused smile. He picked up his phone "Shadow, I want all the details of the person who just left the box.""Male or female Boss?""What do you think?" Ben retorted with a laugh in his voice."Right away."Ben looked at Frank's and Sarah's imploring gazes without any intention of quelling their curiosity as he disconnected the call."Why do I feel she was annoyed with you although you helped her?" Frank asked tactfully when he could no longer hold it in...Ben didn't take the bait... he flashed one of his 'none of your business' smile, swirling the red wine in his cup. He didn't want to take a sip...he didn't want to lose the sweet taste of the kiss. Thi
Back in the apartment, Dana and Lara settled on their favorite couches with a cup of coco.“Now can we talk about why you are acting weirdly?” Dana looked at Lara with an aura that did not leave room for negotiation.“Actually, I want to tell you but I don’t know how?” Lara hesitated. This was very rare for Lara, who was straightforward and straightforward. She would never hesitate to speak her mind.“What is it about the topic that makes you hesitate?” Dana prompted gently.“I don’t want to hurt you?”“Is it something you did?”“No… ” Lara lowered her head guiltily "maybe unintentionally."“Well, if it’s unintentional, why would I be hurt? Am I unreasonable?"“I mean my involvement is unintentional but not the matter as such, isn't.” Lara explained.Dana thought for a moment before asking “Do you think you would want to know if our roles were reversed?”“Yes”“Then you know the answer” Dana smiled.Lara looked at her peaceful expression and asked carefully “How would you feel if you
A week passed by uneventfully other than Ben’s short fuse, which kept making life hell for people working closely with him.“Lisa, where the hell is the report from the advertising division?” Ben’s stroppy voice came over the intercom.Lisa picked up the phone and replied politely “CEO, Terence will bring the report at 11 am. He has requested an extension and you previously approved it.”“Don’t be long winded. Tell Terence to pack and head to the HR section and give the job to someone who can do it.”“CEO…”“What? If it’s difficult, you can head to the HR section yourself….I am surrounded by incompetence.” Ben snarled before slamming the phone.“Hurry up and get on with your stuff or you can roll. CEO is in a bad mood!” Lisa sighed as she rushed the giggling young secretaries back to their desks. Well, they were younger than her. They had come out of the secretarial office as they heard the CEO’s thunder over the intercom and wanted to watch the show. Ben rarely lost his temper and wa
Lisa sat fidgeting her fingers for half an hour before deciding to take a look. She pressed her ear against the door. The sound proofing in the CEO’s room was good. She gently turned the knob and opened the door leaving a tiny space between the door and the wall, hardly enough for someone to notice that the door was open, but enough to hear the conversation. She saw Shadow standing with his back to her while the other three were sitting as she peeped in; she then leaned against the space with her ears, but could not hear a sound. Lisa could not believe that four grown men could still in a room for an hour without saying a word. ‘What was all this about? Even the major general was here!’ She was too engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't notice the movements in the room.Ed opened the door and Lisa fell in due to inertia, having positioned herself with her ear against the wall. Ed side stepped with a look of disgust and he threw a ‘told you so’ look at Ben before walking out.Fran
They headed to the café opposite the building and sat talking for half an hour before heading back. Ed, Frank and Shadow insisted on following him back. They were all curious about Ben’s certainty. Ed was certain, but he wasn’t sure if she would take the bait in half hour. Common sense would demand that you wait until you have a bigger window of opportunity but Ben argued that she would not wait.“Afternoon CEO, Major General, General, Mr Weldon” Lisa stood up and greeted them as they walked past. Everyone except Ed nodded their heads in acknowledgement before entering Ben’s office.Shadow locked the door as he was at the tail.“She’s good” Ed acknowledged.Ben raised his eyebrows while the other two stared plainly.“The folder hasn’t visibly moved from its spot. I had intentionally placed it at the corner of this table to form an empty space of an acute triangle between the folder and table” Ed explained pointing at the angle the folder rested on the table.Ben came back with the nin
“Ding” Frank’s phone lighted up with a message.Sarah reached out to get the Frank’s phone murmuring “Who doesn’t know today is Saturday”Frank smiled as he got up and kissed her forehead lovingly “Sleep! I’ll get it”.He sat up, reached over, picked his phone and read the message.“Who is it?” Sarah’s sleepy voice came from under the pillow.“Three guesses” Frank smiled“There’s only one person who is sleepless right now, do I need three guesses? Sarah sat up with a twisted smile and half opened eyes.“Bingo!”“What’s it about?”“We are volunteering at the Appleton estate tonight”“Doesn’t he have to check if we are free?” Sarah raised her eyebrows and added with a nonchalant expression “Between the three of you, you probably don’t even know the word ‘politeness’ exists do you?”Frank hugged her from behind “Honey, you knew what you were getting into. Don’t you think you’re complaining 25 years too late?”Sarah “”‘Ding’ Dana’s phone received a message from Mrs Appleton“We have a fe
Ben walked next to Dana and said politely “I have never been in a kitchen, please guide me”“If I were to guide you in the kitchen, it would be blind leading the blind. Luckily Bolognaise is child’s play.” Dana smiled brightly at Ben. It was just like the smile she gave when she told him that he acted brilliantly during their first encounter. Ben stared at her in a daze, but Dana didn’t notice as she was busy unpacking the mincemeat into the mid-size barrel.“I prefer to wash the mince, do you have a different opinion?” Dana looked up at Ben“Eh… um… I’ll do as you say.”“Alright then” Dana went and bought the giant sized mesh cloth and held it over another barrel. “Would you mind pouring that over this?” She pointed at the barrel she previously washed the mince in “Or do you want to hold this”“Not at all” He lifted the barrel and carefully poured it over the mesh.“How are you guys going?” Lara popped over with hands covered in messy dough. She had heard Dana’s question and was walk
“That is not up to you.” Marken, one of the high counsellors disdained. Adalases was not Ben’s to stake at will; There were other Adalases who could refute this stake.Sherman knew Marken’s ambition was no less than Herten, but he also knew that unlike Herten, Marken would never betray his country and was in a good mood for watching a show although he knew what decision he would ultimately make.“That is a fair point.” Sherman nodded thoughtfully before saying “If the entire Adalase can be staked on this man, then I agree.” Sherman chuckled “With resources greater than the reserve bank, it won’t be hard to rebuild our facilities even if we are compromised.”No one could refute this point.“The Weldons won’t shy away from responsibility either.” Frank didn’t know why the commander had changed his colors, but he stood shoulder to shoulder with his brother.Shadow didn’t have anything to offer, but he stood beside Ben. His expression unwavering.Tyrell slowly got up from his chair and wal
Lara delivered a baby girl as her heart’s desire. She only saw her bundle of joy for a minute before her vision blurred. She also saw the joy in her man’s eyes. These were the two things she remembered before she fainted. She didn’t know if she would wake up again or whether this was eternal sleep, but she was gratified.The Evans and Burton elders had just returned when Amy came out holding the bundle of joy. They didn’t have time to process everything before they were handed the little bundle.“She is so sweet.” Megan smiled as looked over Marjorie shoulders.“My daughter-in-law is indeed pretty.” Dana laughed. She knew the minds of the elders were not calm. She was trying to lighten their moods.No one knew when Ben, Frank and Shadow appeared behind their women.“How can it be so easy to snatch my granddaughter?” Marjorie retorted proudly.“Yes…. yes…yes...” Abigail laughed happily as she let the little one hold her finger tightly. Dana’s retort had pulled the elders mind back to th
Ben and Dana’s days were filled with love and tranquility. Ben felt like he was in a dream; his life was everything he dreamed of; his beloved woman was his wife; she would cook and wait for him; his house was filled with the laughter of the precious treasures his wife had given him. He was truly grateful to the heavens.Ed’s days were getting hectic. Between the challenges of his official duty and a pregnant wife, he was almost ready to retire. He wanted to spend more time with his wife and child. Seeing Ben’s cute little babies, he couldn’t wait to have his own little treasure.Frank and Sarah didn’t know whether to laugh or cry; their little Lu would run almost every day to see his little wife, especially now that she was becoming prettier. The babies were becoming chubbier with fair skin and rosy cheeks. Their features were becoming more prominent and dashing, melting the hearts of everyone around them.Dan and Don were like a mother hen defending their younger siblings from everyo
The next day, the Williamses landed and rushed to the hospital. Dana had rested well and regained most of her vigor.Ben was changing nappies while Dana was sleeping peacefully when they arrived.“She can still sleep?” Dana’s younger sister asked in surprise as Ben gestured for them to lower their volume. He handed one baby each to the stunned Mr and Mrs Williams and led all of them to the adjacent room.“Sorry… Dana has just rested.” Ben apologized sincerely for his rudeness.Mrs Williams shook head, her eyes were misty. She was truly grateful to the heavens for her daughter’s fortune to have met such a man. Even though he was rich and powerful, he loved and doted on her without bounds…. This was truly her fortune. It would be a lie to say that they were not worried. On the way back after the wedding they had met a lady who was crying pitifully. Mrs Williams didn’t feel comfortable and lend her a shoulder to lean on; She didn’t know who they were and told them that she was fleeing fro
Ben sat next to Dana urging her to wake up. He was scared out of his wits as he had seen the amount of blood that she lost during the delivery… he feared that she wouldn’t wake up and all his happiness would disappear in the blink of an eye even though Steve repeatedly reassured him that she was fine and just sleeping from exhaustion. He sat next to her telling her how much he missed her.He told her how he felt that a portion of him was missing without her by his side; He told her how much he loved her…. He begged her to wake up… He sat by her side never taking his eyes of her pale face… holding her hand … and begging her to wake up….He started to tell her their story from his perspective. He told her how she disturbed him from their first encounter. How he thought that she had approached him with a purpose, He told her how he shamelessly wanted to see her even if he knew that she had approached him with a purpose.He told her how he used to follow her like a shadow just to feel her
Ben was on edge now that Dana was full term. He kept following her nervously like a shadow. One evening just as they finished dinner and were heading upstairs to retire, Dana stood still on the stairs and called weakly “Ben….”“What is it?” Ben looked affectionately at his wife who had stopped walking and became stiff.“I…. my …. I think my water broke.” Dana barely managed to mumble as she held on tightly to Ben.“You…. you….” Ben froze.Alexa was the first to react. She ran downstairs to alert Shadow and Mrs Bentley before running back upstairs to get the baby bag that Dana had prepared beforehand.“CEO” Alexa called out helplessly as she saw a frozen Ben.“Huh?” Ben looked at the panic-stricken Dana and came to his senses. He carried her and ran downstairs carefully. Alexa informed him that Shadow was waiting downstairs with the car. Shadow had informed Steve as soon as Alexa came running downstairs. Everything at the hospital would be set by Steve.Shadow sped towards the hospital;
Shadow had been getting along fabulously with Ruth and decided that he wanted to get married watching Ben’s bliss. He had decided on Ruth, then what was the point in delaying… but the problem was he had no idea how to…. he was also worried if Ruth didn’t have the same intention… then wouldn’t he be making a fool of himself?Shadow walked around with a constipated expression. He would have asked Dana’s help if his boss wasn’t so petty…. But what could he do… his boss was!“What’s wrong?” Dana finally asked as she couldn’t bear to watch his miserable face.“I …” Shadow suddenly felt tongue tied. He was waiting for Dana to ask…. But when she did, he didn’t know how to vocalize his problem. He lowered his head with a frown on his lips.“He wants to propose to Ruth but doesn’t know how to.” Ben didn’t give Shadow any face when he mercilessly pierced through his wall.“Oh….” Dana nodded perceptively “You are worried that she doesn’t have that intention and she will reject?”Shadow nodded alt
The ladies went shopping happily without realizing that none of their actions were missed by their men.Dana wanted to see how Ruth was going so she decided to stop by her shop. However, she changed her mind when she got to Ruth’s shop and pulled the others and ran. Granger was at the store pestering Ruth. It was most certainly a crime to stop someone’s fortune and she didn’t want her husband to have another enemy…..hehe…hehe… she was quite clever!“What are you laughing like a fool for?” Lara asked looking at Dana’s silly smile.Dana shrugged keeping her silly smile but didn’t enlighten the two.“Sister-in-law...” A sweet sound called from behind as the ladies were immersed in their world of freedom.The three turned in unison but Dana’s face darkened as she saw Lizzie walking towards her smiling like a flower. She had almost forgotten her promise to Bertie.“When did I become your sister-in-law?” Dana folded her hands looking arrogantly at Lizzie.“Soon… soon we will be family.” Lizz
In a condemned cell in B country, Pigle read the news of embezzlement of 10 million in public funds from Pigle enterprises. He begged the prison guards to let him see his son one last time.Jefferson indulged him considering he had inadvertently helped Ben get closure to the mystery that was haunting him for more than 15 years.Pigle junior arrived promptly to see his father once he was granted visitation rights.“Son, this is all Mr Adalase’s doing. You have to become strong and hit him hard.” Charles eyes were red with anger.“Dad, I know all about the cause and effect of this incident.” Pigle junior lowered his head in shame. His father was his pride. He looked up to his father but now…. looking at all the shameful things his father had done, he didn’t want any part in it. He wanted to take his mother and run far from all this shame.“Son…” Charles called; his eyes widened as he lifted in eyebrows.Pigle junior showed the video that was sent to him soon after the incident broke out.