The city noise was gentle around them as Roxanne stood, facing Ciel, who was still smirking.She smiled at him too after his answer.She knew he was also hesitant to give a direct answer.And although she knew the right answer to all the questions she was asking him, she just wanted him to say it.The evening air was blowing against their body.They had a nice and lovely dinner. It had been warm, and intimate in a way she had not expected. The same feeling goes for Ciel.After the dinner, they had decided to walk around a bit with no particular reason or destination in mind.It was strange to her how everything had felt natural between them for a while now.He looked at her, his hands were inside the pockets of his trousers.He had stopped smirking.“You are quiet.”It was her turn to smirk.“You say that like it's something bad.”“No, no, it's not bad.” He said.“It is just unusual. You always have something to say. But silence does not look good on you.”She scoffed, playfully nudgi
The air around them was cool as they kept on enjoying the moment with each other.The park gave them a chance the enjoy free and cool serene environment.Also, it was a perfect backdrop for the closeness they were feeling at the moment.He placed a hand on hers and the warmth of their skin touching sent tingles up her am.It was a funny and strangely comforting feeling.It had been long she had this some of ease with a man, and now she is getting it with Ciel and not just anyone.Ciel, in his usual manner, kept still and exuded a confidence that tells something about his Status.His crisp shirt was flying around as the air blew it.There was softeness in the way he held her, it was in contrast to the icy demeanor he always carried around whenever he is at work.They decided to leave the park since it was getting late.Even though, neither of them was in a hurry to get home.Roxanne looked at him from the corner of her eye, as she glanced at the streetlights on the alley.They walked s
The next morning, it was a bit late when Roxanne woke up from sleep.Rays of sunlight was already slipping through her curtains into the room.Giving an idea of how long she had slept.She stretched her body, as she felt a sense of lightness Settle in her chest.It felt unfamiliar.She remembered the kiss with Ciel from last night.And she realized she could not push it away no matter how hard she tried.His gentle touch and how it made her tingle kept playing in her mind.Although she had let guard down and gotten intimate with him since they got married, in the back of her mind, she kept reminding herself that their marriage was nothing more than a contract.It was just a means to an end.But now, she wondered if that was really the case as it stands now.She was still thinking when her thoughts was interrupted by a knock on the door of her room.“Come in,” she said, thinking it was one of the domestic staff.But it was Ciel that came inside.He came in and leaned against the frame
Behind Ciel, Roxanne's heart was pounding so fast in her chest.She could not say if it was from when Ciel had confessed his love to her or a reaction to the sudden sound of rustling leaves in the distance.For a moment before the interruption, she was already set to give him an answer. She needed to admit to herself finally what she had understood and known for a while now.Which is the fact that she had also fallen for him completely.But before she could have done that, they heard the rustling sound and Ciel's protective nature had kicked in instinctively.He had shielded her from the possible danger with his body, and from whatever that may be hiding in the woods.“Stay behind me.” He said with a low and firm voice.She nodded, as her fingers gripped his sleeve subconsciously.She was not afraid of whatever that was in the forest, atleast.Her fear was the emotions within her heart, a truth of her life she needed to confront all this while.Some few seconds that appeared like minu
The air around them felt free now.It had changed.It felt lighter.It seems charged with a positive energy that neither of them had ever felt before in their lives in awhile.All the weight of the marriage contract and legal obligations attached to it had just melted away.There was only one thing now.It was their love for each other.And it was very real.They could feel and experience it.Ciel could not help himself.He kept smiling as he walked beside Roxanne.Same goes for Roxanne too.Both of them were smiling like two young teenagers in love.It was strange.It felt surreal.To be this happy.To feel completely lost in the moment.They had been together for a while now, living as husband and wife.But they were against each other.Living against their emotions.Against the world.But now, in the woods, walking, hands in hands together, it felt like they have truly won in life.It was still morning as they kept hiking.The morning sun cast a golden glow over the landscape of th
She sat across from her in the living room.She was visibly frustrated.Anger seething beneath her skin.The nice touch and beauty of the living room could not abate her anger.It was a huge rage, bubbling insider her.Obviously, given the recent situation, no other person could make her feel anger like that other than Roxanne.Who has been a thorn in her flesh.Hissing, she raised her voice and said.“You know, mother, it is a bit frustrating that everyt single trap we have set for her before, she just walked past them like they were nothing. It is so infuriating. She had been able to avoid every single one of them.”Her mother made a hmmm sound and leaned back in her chair.Her teacup in her hand was held delicately as she tapped against it with her perfectly manicured fingers.“Well, to be honest, I have no idea why you sound surprised, dear. Your sister has changed. She is no longer that timid and naive girl that lived with us and we could easily intimidate.”Reina scowled loudly.
At Bellamy Couture, people were gathered in the boardroom, looking so stern.It was like they wanted to pass judgement on someone.Roxanne was at the table, sitting with her back straight.She was calm and composed.But she was troubled inside.She had just been accused again.And she could feel the weight of the moment weighing on her mind heavily.Sitting across from her was a group of executives, who were talking in low voices among themselves.They have a doubtful look on their faces.Some of them looked in Roxanne's direction warily.While some of them showed their disapproval openly.It was an open secret that a lot of them did not want her to be a part of the company from the beginning.But they had no choice when she was promoted to her current position.They had to accept her.Now, another accusation is now against her again.It was a perfect time to show their annoyance, hoping this incompetence of hers would help deal with her, and possibly remove her from her position.At
As powerful and wealthy Ciel is, he had never been the type to indulge in big gestures.He considers his wealth, power, and influence as a tool.It is all a means to an end for him.From childhood, he had spent a lot of time trying to master the art of control, in order to ensure that every aspect of his life was carefully planned out.And Tonight, it didn't feel like he was in control.Because tonight, he was the happiest man in the world.The woman standing beside him tonight, Roxanne, was his.Not because they were bound together by a legal marriage contract, not because of her circumstance, but because she had chosen to be with him.And that was something that should be celebrated on a grand scale.He had thrown a banquet.Which was nothing short of magnificent.It was held in one of the most luxurious private estates that he owned.The event was the talk to the town before it even started tonight.The guest list tonight had been an exclusive one.Every one who had been invited ma
She just sat there, looking at Ciel in silence.She was angry Reina had tried to make another attempt to seduce her husband.It was quite pathetic.She wondered what she was trying to achieve with the seduction.Was she trying to get back at her?If that is the case, is that not a weak attempt?Or could there be a deeper conspiracy at play?A target at her career, maybe?Or she was just hell bent on ruining her public image by getting involved in a scandal with her husband?That was still weak and predictable.But the fact she did made an attempt to steal her husband was something she would not forgive her for.Ciel could see the anger in her eyes.He had seen her angry before but that was something else.The look on her face was of something he could not decipher.It was not not anger.It was a cold one that could tear down Reina if she was with them at that moment.She then breathed out slowly, as her chest rose and fell in controlled breaths.“I promise. I am going to destroy her.”
As Ciel left her on the green, Reina felt indignation run through her.She stomped her feet on the green grass as heavily as possible.She was furious.She had been trying to hold the anger in.But she had to let it out now that he had left.Her perfectly done and styled hair that she had spent a considerable amount of time to get done, now felt heavy and kind of pointless.Her confidence had been at an all time high when she got here had actually shattered the moment she realized Ciel had seen through her schemes but she had kept a straight face.She could not believe it.She had been subtly mocked again.Her advances had been rejected.Ciel had not even shown any signs that whatever she did had gotten to him.He had not considered entertaining the idea of her advances.She thought she was making progress when he agreed to play a game with her.Only to realize he had agreed only to make it clear to her that she disgusted him.Her fingers clenched around the gold club as she bent down
As Ciel gathered his things in a bid to move away, his mind thought about many things.He had never been the one to indulge in meaningless conversations, but the way Reina was pursuing the conversation with him in a relentless manner was becoming amusing to him.As he turned to away, he hesitated and looked back to Reina.His lips then curled into a smirk.“You know, I heard an interesting rumor, Reina.”Raising an eyebrow, she asked with some interest.“Oh really? What kind of rumor could that be?”He calmly set his things down with an effortless grace that only added to his aura.He then tilted his head a bit, looking at her in a way that seems to be weakening every single one of her defenses.Still smirking, he said.“I heard you were pregnant.”The words came unexpectedly to Reina.It felt like a slap to her face, but she managed to keep her expression neutral.Regardless of how she tried to compose herself, she could feel her pulse quicken as she heard what he said.With a scoff,
Reina had always been a girl who got what she wanted from childhood.And it transcends into her adolescence, up till her present age.And it translated into how she relates with men.To her, she believes men are predictable in nature, and if you can offer them the right temptation, they would lose their composure and fall.It has worked a lot of times and will continue to work.She thought her dad's idea was great, but before her dad finalized his plan, she decided to try something on her own.She believes Ciel may see through what her dad was planning.He was not stupid.That she knows too well.He was a different breed of man.Therefore, she decided a one on one meeting with him first would help do the trick.The private golf club in the city was a place that is exclusively for the elites.It's a place where businessmen meet and make deals, while playing games leisurely.It's also an opportunity to waste money on drinks worth thousands of dollars.They do not hesitate to make such t
“It's cold out there. I need to get warm.”Derek told his wife as he proceeded to the living room.His mind was reeling with the fact that what he came to do had been unexpectedly easy to carry out.Reina had broken up with Devian.He had not expected that.He was here to try to convince her to temporarily abandon Devian in pursuit of what he wants her to do for him.Because he knew how stubborn she could be when she was being persuaded.But she had already left him on her own.The revelation made him smile as he walked to a seat.This was really perfect.At Least the burden of being a manipulative father, trying to pressurize his daughter into making a difficult choice she may not want to make is off his chest.The choice had already been made before he came around.And now, it aligns perfectly with his plans.She was free, and will be unbothered by the distraction of a lover who may want to get in the way of his plans.That said, this means she would be able to use her charms to the
Derek went to his mansion after he left Bellamy Couture.He stared at the big iron gates in front of his house.It symbolizes dominance to him, which was why he had it then.This house has always been his pride and his fortress.Where he had made many of the plans that were meant to progress the family's legacy.Now, it felt like a foreign place to him as he stood outside the gates.But it was his.He had to go in.He adjusted his cap on his head, pulling it lower over his face.He was not sure if his wife would recognize him like this.But he does not care at this point.He just wanted to see them.He felt like he had been left behind and the world moved on without him since he was in the police cell.He was beginning to think why he bothered with a disguise when he came.But he had always been cautious.It was a habit he could not shake off.Not especially now that he had a plan.The humiliation he had suffered at his late wife's company was not something he could easily erase from
He looked at himself from head to toe using the glass of the building.He felt sorry for himself.Adjusting himself, he started to move slowly.He had no clear destination in mind but he could not continue to stay here.It was one thing to be humiliated by his daughter.It was another thing for others to think he was an imposter.As he did not clearly look like the Derek Renwick they once knew.And given everything the receptionist said, it was obvious no one believes he could have a chance in his daughter's life again after all he did to her.As he moved, the cold wind did not help matters.It bit him sharply.The humiliation still burns him like a red fire.He had come here to at least, make peace, but was not expecting it to be easy, however the hostility he got was something he never planned for.Roxanne had dismissed him utterly and nonchalantly.His own daughter.She was contemptuous with the way she looked at him.It was like he was nothing more than a dirt on the floor under h
And for the first time in a long while, Derek felt nervous.He had not felt this way before now.All his business life, he had walked into buildings with his head high, because he knew everyone around him would bow to his authority.He had always commanded respect whenever he went effortlessly, and used power like a tool.But today, as he stood before the big entrance of his late wife's company, the mother of Roxanne, Bellamy Couture, he felt like he had never been there before.He felt like a beggar coming to beg for alms.He was dressed in an old, nondescript coat.He had a cap pulled over his face very low.He does not look like the man who had been the largest shareholder of this company.He was, however, not here as Derek Renwick, former largest shareholder.He was here under disguise as a father, one who was desperately hoping to seek an audience with his daughter he had once thrown aside.He looked at the glass doors, looking so large before him.It shone under the midmorning s
He sat on the sofa and turned on the TV.Luck was on his side.It was just about time for the broadcast of the latest business news in town.He was glued to the TV, waiting to see what was going to happen.His eyes rolled as he saw what was happening.His hands trembled as he tried to steady it against his thighs.“And in today's news, we bring to you the recent updates from Bellamy Couture, the company has been on a steady rise since its newly appointed CEO, Roxanne Sebastien, resumed office. The company had already secured high profile partnership deals, leveraging on the star power of the CEO, which also proves her capability in the highly competitive fashion industry.”She paused before she continued.“Experts predict that this new change in the company, under the new leadership will bring about numerous progress and soon enough, the company will surpass its previous records. This is not thanks to the CEO, who is also one of the sought after women in the industry, and her position