At Thompson's fashion headquarters, Felix was sitting in his office, with his head bowed and buttocks at the edge of his chair, while his grandmother stood some inches away from his table, with her hands on her waist, fuming and cursing."What the hell was that back there?" She asked, pointing toward the door as though that was where the showcase had been held."Did you see the reaction the crowd gave to these Elysium people? Did you witness the sales they were projected to make compared to us? How can we be losing in and out, Mr. CEO? How dare you bring me so much embarrassment?""But... I couldn't have forced them to show love to our brand." Felix stuttered to defend himself. Looking frustrated too.She stopped for a moment to stare at him disdainfully, dropping her hands from her waist. The look in her eyes this time did not just communicate disappointment but also disgust."Can you just hear yourself? I can't force our customers to show love to our brand,” she mimicked, wagging he
Aria stepped into the hall tentatively; she took a few steps in and then stopped again.Once she was past the entrance, loud music boomed from inside out, so loud that Aria had to screw up her face for a moment to absorb the wind of uncoordinated noise from the speakers. A small crowd was standing at the center stage, and most of them were made up of wild-looking males and skimpily dressed females dancing as partners, hands threw wildly in the air as they dry-humped themselves in the red, bubbly dimness, screaming happily to the sound of the music.Aria kept both hands on her waist as she looked around for traces of Felix.She did not have to look for too long because the moment she switched her face towards the bar area, she indeed found Felix's bowed frame sitting next to a stool with a glass of gin next to him. He was drinking.And his expression was as lost and pathetic as it could ever be.Aria sucked her teeth, not knowing what exactly to feel for him. After all, whatever it wa
"Nice doing business with you, Mr. Dante." Mr. Tommy, the former executive owner of JJ Entertainment, said, shaking hands with Dante as the both of them stood right in front of their head office moments after closing in on the purchase transaction they just concluded.Both of them posed calmly while Dante flaunted the signed agreement in his hand for pictures. About two or three reporters jostled and crouched for the best angle a few spaces away from them, flashing their devices at the industry owners as they tried to capture every moment of the landmark transaction.As the flashbulbs continued to pulse, the atmosphere shifted when suddenly A gray-colored land cruiser vehicle darted through the large, opened gate almost too quickly; it dashed into the sprawling yard of the label facility, followed by the violent screeching of its tires. The entrance made every one of them, including Dante and Tommy, lift their heads impulsively and uniformly toward the direction of the vehicle that
Matthew stopped by at the head office of his record label the next morning. He intended to discuss some of his touring plans with his manager, as he had been too busy attending shows the previous week.The first thing he noticed as he walked towards the sleek lobby of the managerial section was the over-the-board repainting and readjustments being made to the building from the inside out. Even the golden star logo peculiar to the JJ entertainment brand was being replaced all over the walls by a bold single "D" sign. The staff members, too, including the security men at the gate and a few of the cleaners he passed by, wore T-shirts that sported the same logo."What's going on?" He stopped to mutter to himself, wondering how the label owners could have made such a significant change to its logo without informing its biggest artist.He immediately burst into vibrant strides once again, hastening his footsteps as he approached his manager's office, swinging the car keys in his hands.He
Amidst the quiet clinking of cutlery against plates filled with garlic and fresh basil, Lyra and Matthew finally finished up their lunch.After that, they progressed to picking up their glasses almost at the same time sipping water quietly while stealing and watching each other in muffled silence. When Lyra finally dropped her glass she cleared her throat to ask casually. "So about what you said earlier when would you be coming back and if you don't mind me asking what would you be doing there?"Matthew shrugged with half of his shoulder before he answered with a faint smile on his face, he seemed pleased by the question. "At least she was already showing concern." He thought."So it's actually for a movie. A really big one, with so many stars from around the world getting featured. So a project like that would certainly last for months before I return. I can't tell the exact duration but I'm quite sure it's going to run into months." Matthew paused for a moment to stare at Lyra.
Lyra peered curiously at the web page of her browser, which was littered with similar headlines relating to a controversial photo that, according to them, was breaking the internet.The moment she clicked on the first one, her eyes narrowed. She glanced at Aria, who was standing at the other end of the table, and was nodding back knowingly.She suppressed a smile on her face as she went back to looking into the screen; this time she could not help but let out a sarcastic laugh because the image on her screen was that of no one else but Dante himself, but that wasn't just it.The eye-catching thing about the picture was what he was putting on. It was a bespoke suit from her latest collection of designs. Underneath the picture, the headline read thus: "Mr. Snub of the Year goes to Rival CEO Dante Cooper as he picks a competitor's design over a family's own."Lyra let out another laugh, looking genuinely amused. Inwardly, she was wondering why he would go to such lengths to get her atte
Dante was still peering into the dark, small space in confusion after Lyra's question when the sudden jolt of the elevator caused Lyra's figure to stumble forward."Careful, Lyra, keep steady." Dante's voice pierced the dimness. But Lyra, on the other hand, was hardly steady; the extended period in the dark, confined space, coupled with the sudden, unexpected ascension of the elevator, had made her lose stability; she missed a step and, for some weird reason, began to feel her head spinning immediately; she was beginning to lose her consciousness, and she had begun to slip downwards slowly, her legs stretching out."Lyra!" Dante’s voice was louder this time. He rushed towards her uncoordinatedly and in apprehension. It was at that point that the elevator lights came on again, revealing the crumpled body of Lyra on the floor; her head lolled to one side and her hair fanned out in disarray."Lyra." He whispered, fumbling with his hands, blinking repeatedly, and stooping at once to car
"Hey, shhhh." Dante hushed with a finger crossing his mouth, throwing a cautionary glance at Mirabel, who was looking even more stupefied."Don't you ever call her that again, Mira!" He warned before returning his gaze to Lyra.By this time, Lyra was already on her feet."Could you please just take a little more rest?" He pleaded, stretching out his hands towards her.But Lyra held her head up obstinately, barely looking at him as she started to strut towards the door."Lyra, could you please just hold on and..."His voice trailed off as Lyra had already pulled the door to the bedroom open, slamming it right after she was gone.He let out a helpless gasp, looking at the door while Mirabel's puzzled face glared at him with a screen of anger and disbelief covering it up."Wait, are you serious right now? You did not only have the guts to rub shame and scorn on our faces in the media by flaunting a competitor's design; you even brought her into your house. Like, I don't get, For what?"
It was about two days after Lyra had been discharged from the hospital.But instead of returning to the old apartment building, Dante surprised her by driving straight to the towering mansion located inside a secured estate at the heart of town. It was their new home, which he had bought during her time at the hospital.That evening, she had hugged and kissed him so passionately that it filled him with a renewed sense of hope.On this morning, the atmosphere was calm and serene, a contrast to the chaos of the past few days.The room was a testament to their fresh start: moderate yet cozy, decorated with personal touches that told their story.Dante stood by the kitchen counter, carefully arranging a vase of fresh flowers.Lyra entered the room, her steps light and tentative. She was getting used to walking like a baby all over again after being bedridden for close to two weeks.She smiled at Dante, feeling an overwhelming surge of gratitude.“We’ve been through the worst, babe,” Dante
Lyra was lying in the closed space that was her hospital room. By her side were flowers and get-well-soon cards from her staff and members of Dante’s family; the largest were from James and Emily, who had come to see her yesterday, their faces tender and affectionate.Now, though, the room was quiet, except for the soft hum of medical equipment.Lyra lay in the hospital bed, her eyelids moving up and down slowly.She looked around weakly, taking in the sight of the flowers and cards. The pain was still there, but it was duller now, less sharp than before. Dante sat by her side, his eyes filled with concern and love."Hey," Lyra whispered, her voice weak but steady.Dante leaned closer, a smile spreading across his face. "You're doing great, my love. One step at a time."Lyra's eyes filled with tears."James told me... I couldn't have done this without you." She managed to say her eyes were meek and full of meaning.Dante squeezed her hand gently. "We're in this together, Lyra. Alway
The morning after the night of the interception, the grand living room of Cooper’s mansion was filled to the brim with people.The entire family was present, from Grandmother Allesandra to Lucas and Mirabel in their handcuffs, then his dad, Dante, and even James and Emily were around. They had flown in the previous night; others who were also around were the police officials led in by Eric. Everyone had all shown up for the critical meeting after the emergency message from Grandma and Dante, and they face a crude mix of shock, anger, and sorrow.Grandma had insisted yesterday that they be kept in the house until morning so that this meeting could hold.Earlier that day, Detective Eric, Dante, and a team of officers stormed the mansion after Dante reached out to his grandmother. The plan had been executed flawlessly.The gates were shut off and immediately surrounded by policemen. Lucas and Mirabel had been locked up in the room, their faces frozen in shock and apprehension as they tri
After about three hours of waiting, the lead doctor returned from the emergency ward. Dante leaped from the chair.“Yes doctor? How is she doing?”“Calm down, Mr. Dante; we are making progress. She is not fully up yet. But we are making progress. I’m confident she will survive thiss." He tapped on Dante’s shoulder.“Take some rest. This is going to take a few more hours.”Dante was a little relieved by the confident tone of the doctor; at least he wasn’t sounding as tensed as he was when they first came.He decided to use the free time to hunt her attackers.Once he was outside the hospital building, he stood at one spot, mumbling to himself as he tried to piece together the events of the past few hours. The attack on Lyra, the driverless truck—it all felt like a puzzle he couldn’t quite solve. The more he thought, the clearer it became that someone was keeping tabs on them, closely monitoring their every move.“I mean, how did they know I was going to be parking at that exact spot?
Dante stepped out of the gleaming glass doors of his office building. It was past 6 p.m. already, and the late evening sun hovered above the sky, ready to start receding.The usual hum of traffic and distant chatter filled the air, but something felt off. As he approached his car in the open parking lot, he noticed the front tires looked slightly deflated, and fresh scratches marred the previously pristine rims.He stopped a few steps from the car, hanging his hands on his waist.“What the hell?” He muttered, crouching to inspect the damage. Everything had been in perfect shape when he parked this morning. A sense of unease settled in his chest. Who would tamper with his car, and why?He looked around the fenced expanse for a moment but couldn’t find anyone close by.In helpless resignation, he climbed into the car and drove off slowly.In a few minutes, he managed to totter the vehicle to a nearby repair shop, less than five miles away from his office headquarters, carefully maneuve
The good light of the evening filtered through the blinds, casting a pale glow over the sterile hospital room.Lyra stirred on the narrow blue bed, feeling groggy and disoriented. She blinked a few times, her vision blurry, trying to make sense of her surroundings.The faint smell of antiseptic hung in the air, and the gentle beeping of machines created a rhythmic noise in the background.As her vision cleared, she noticed Dante sitting by her side, his eyes heavy with concern.His presence was a reassuring anchor.She took a deep breath, her voice barely a whisper.“You came? Where is…where is…”“Shhhh!” Dante hushed, leaning forward tenderly, his hand gently holding hers. “He’s gone.” He muttered calmly."You fainted a few hours ago, Lyra. Felix called me. He told me everything that happened. We brought you here immediately. After that, I asked him to leave."Lyra's heart thumped as the memories of the restaurant flooded back in that minute. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she tu
Lyra drove towards Philly April’s café with a blank expression, even though her heart was aching with curiosity.Felix had called earlier to promise his sincere apologies, and more importantly, he had claimed that he was ready to make some significant confessions, but she remained skeptical.She wondered if this was another one of his ploys, but that would not be a problem because she was ready to go any length to force the truth out of him, particularly the real truth about Aria's involvement in all of this.As greatly as she would have wished never to see or talk with Felix, her determination to uncover the truth pushed her forward.As she parked her car and approached the café, she steeled herself for the confrontation.The café was quiet, and the afternoon sun cast a golden hue over the cozy interior. Lyra spotted Felix immediately. He sat at a secluded table, his posture slumped, and his head tilted downward. His guilty, cowering look only fueled her anger.“I just hope this isn
Dante stood outside Lyra’s apartment, his heart rumbling with different thoughts, and he ached for her to appear so he could finally get the chance to defend himself.He took a deep breath and knocked on the door about four times, his knuckles rapping sharply against the wood.Inside, he heard the muffled sounds of movement, followed by Lyra’s voice, strained with pain and anger.“Just go away, Dante! I don’t want to see you!”Dante knocked again, louder this time. “Lyra, please, just hear me out!”“I’ve heard enough lies already!” Her voice reverberated through the door, each word a stab at his heart.“I said, just go away. Leave me the heck alone. Is that too much to ask?”The oppressive weight of desperation settled over him.He knocked once more, his voice rising.“Lyra, it’s about Mirabel. You need to know the truth. Just hear me out. Don't tell me you haven't been asking some questions either. Just give me the chance to offer you some answers; that is all I ask.”There was a bri
Dante sat next to his study desk, his eyes fixed on his phone. He dialed Lyra’s number again, waiting anxiously as it rang. Once, twice, and three times, each ring echos in the silent room. After five rings, the call went to voicemail. He let out a frustrated sigh, his mind racing with questions."Please pick up the phone, Lyra." He muttered quietly, pushing the phone aside as he stood up to start pacing the room. The last judgmental image he had of her, coupled with the unanswered calls so far, was only adding to his confusion and frustration.He debated going to her apartment, but the thought of facing her without answers held him back. His mind wandered back to that night. What exactly had happened? His thoughts spiraled, imagining the worst. Had he really slept with Amara? But How?The memory was hazy and fragmented. How had it come to this? He reasoned, his mind a whirlwind of doubt. The last thing he remembered was sitting in a hall with Mirabel. Amara was so much farther a