Lyra entered her own office a few minutes later, like a thief, her movements deliberate and measured.She held her breath as she closed the door softly behind her, the click of the lock echoing in the quiet room. Her heart was heavy with suspicion and curiosity, a gnawing feeling of anxiety. She was finally going to know who the mole in their midst was in a matter of minutes. The past few weeks had been a whirlwind of stress and preparation for the launch, but underneath it all, a shadow of doubt had been growing.She moved to her desk, her fingers trailing over the keypad as she sat down. Her eyes lifted to the corner of the room, where a hidden camera was discreetly positioned. It was a precaution she had taken after the previous incident. Taking a deep breath, she opened her laptop and navigated to the encrypted files. Her mind began to wander, thinking about the faces she might see on the screen. “Who could it be? A disgruntled employee? A rival sneaking in by themselves?” H
Anthony stepped out confidently from his sleek black sedan, his polished shoes stepping on the pavement of Lyra’s company complex. His eyes narrowed with satisfaction as he took in the sight. He wore a sly grin, a display of his inner triumph.“So this is the company of the woman in Dante’s life, huh?”He murmured under his breath, the edge of his smile sharpening. His gaze settled over the entrance, where a few employees hurried in and out, clutching files in their hands as they moved within and without the building.As he strode towards the glass doors, he dipped his hands in his pockets. His movements were deliberate, each step calculated to project the authority and poise of a typical would-be investor.He wore a tailored suit that accentuated his commanding presence, and his demeanor exuded an air of practiced ease. The receptionist, a tall, slender lady, looked up abruptly the moment he stepped into the first air-tight hall, her eyes widening slightly at the sight of him, bu
Lyra fiddled with her pen while standing in her office after the meeting she just finished holding; her movements were brisk and determined.The urgency in her body language was clear; it was time for a drastic and dramatic showdown, the very moment she had been waiting for.She crouched again to scribble down the final details on a piece of paper, then stood abruptly, her chair scraping the floor as she reached for the telephone.Her fingers dialled the numbers with firm and abrupt taps.She deep-sighed to calm herself, the phone still pressing to her ear, each second ticking away like a bomb about to explode.Then, in a second, she heard the beep, followed by the voice of the PR manager.“Hello Madam.” The hoarse voice greeted."Yes, Bob, get the PR team ready immediately," she said, her voice firm."We’re going to release a statement about the stolen designs. But before that, I need you to take note of the following: ""Oh, a statement?" The voice was stressed, sounding a little bi
Mirabel gripped the steering wheel of her Mercedes-Benz as it glided down the motorway. The cityscape of Silver City unfolded around her, and the late afternoon sun hovered above. She drove past numerous towering buildings, and the road junctions bustled with the occasional honk from impatient drivers. Mirabel sighed, her perfectly manicured fingers tapping a rhythm on the steering wheel. She glanced at the digital clock on the dashboard, and it was 4:45 PM. Traffic was only getting worse. She adjusted her sunglasses, reached forward, and turned up the car radio, hoping to find something to distract her from the monotony of traffic. The smooth voice of a radio announcer filled the car. "And in today’s shocking news, there are rumours flying about that Elysium Couture might be suing the Thompsons for intellectual property theft. The fashion industry is abuzz with this scandal, as it is revealed that designs stolen from Elysium Couture were presented as originals by the Thompson
Dante was lying casually on his bed, fresh from a shower after a long day at work. The cool sheets were a welcome relief for his tired body.He closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the peace.“Just what I needed.” He said, spreading out his arms.The door creaked open, and he instinctively jolted, looking tense.“Who's that?” He asked in an almost threatening tone.But his face relaxed when he saw the petite figure of Mirabel standing at the door.“Hey, Dante,” Mirabel greeted with a smile, stepping into the room.Dante sat up, a bit startled but quickly at ease. “Hey, Mirabel. What brings you here?”Mirabel shrugged, leaning against the doorframe. “I just wanted to check on my brother. How was your day?”Dante sighed, running a hand through his damp hair. “Same old, same old. Meetings, paperwork, the usual grind. How about you?”“Just like you... busy as always,” she replied with a smile, moving to sit at the edge of his bed. “But that’s life, right?”Dante chuckled. “Yeah, that’s
Lyra stepped into her apartment, the weight of the busy day at the office pressing heavily on her shoulders.She tossed her keys onto the center table and made her way to the rear of the living room, where the couch was, collapsing on it with a weary sigh. Just as she closed her eyes to savor a moment of rest, her phone beeped, signaling an incoming message.She reached for her phone after pulling her bag off her shoulder tiredly. Her movements were still slow until she saw the message was from an unknown number.The contents instantly made her heart skip.“Lyra, you need to come quickly. It’s an emergency. Dante is in trouble. Please, hurry! Address: 45 Morningside Road.”Her pulse quickened, and a shadow of foreboding dimmed her eyes. She sprang up from the sofa; her fatigue disappeared at once, replaced by sheer panic. She abandoned her handbag on the sofa and dashed for the door, locking it up hastily before sprinting towards the elevator.As the elevator descended from top to
It had been about an hour since the embarrassing reveal by Lyra, and Felix’s office had turned into a closet of chaos since then.The once meticulously organized desk was now covered by scattered documents and crumpled papers.The pieces of the broken tea cup were still all about the floor, and the air was thick with anxiety. Felix’s phone continued to ring and tremble incessantly, from one notification after another on the desk, a reminder of the escalating disaster waiting for him in the outside world. He was still sitting at a corner of the office floor with his knees drawn up, his face pale, and his eyes wide with panic as he listened from a distance at the growing list of missed calls and urgent messages.“I’m finished...totally finished.” He kept saying:.When the silence was becoming unbearable, he became desperate for a brief escape.He sprang to his feet like a stuntsman; he grabbed his phone and turned around, then slowly and clumsily guided his legs one after the other in
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