Bella"You're late!" He roared when I got to the company three minutes after eight. "This is why your company's struggling. Work starts by eight. What are you teaching your employees?"What the..."It's only a few minutes after—""It doesn't matter. I see you grew lazy when you stopped working for Versa Link. I'll have to teach you discipline, again because I won't have you acting however you want in my company." His company? Isn't it our company? I ignored curious glances from everyone as I walked to the board room for the introductory meeting. I took my seat at the designated area and took a deep breath.I was about to open my laptop when the doors opened and he walked in. He was late by a minute. I squinted my eyes at him but I couldn't afford to let my emotions show so I fixed my face."Good morning everyone. You are all aware that Versa Link now has control over Rivera group. I look forward to working closely with you all."I noticed exaggerated giggles and smiles from some of th
Xander“Hi Xander,” the private investigator I had hired two days ago, said over the phone. “We have found the person who sabotaged your wife’s company. What should we do with her?”A woman, huh? I didn’t think it would be a woman. I pulled the phone away from my ears slowly. “Maybe Beth?” I thought, peering out the window. I thought it was Hardin for sure. I guess I judged too quickly.Whoever it was, I decided that I had to teach her a lesson. Just a small one to teach her and everyone else, to stay away from my woman. “You know what to do. Hand her over to my men and they’ll take it from there."I hung up the phone and dialed another number immediately. “They’ve found her. I want her alive but in a state that will please me. If she can still walk, you’re fired.”I was about to leave the office when Hardin pushed the door open and walked in. He appeared furious but I really didn’t care. “What?” I asked him, grabbing my keys off the desk. I had somewhere to be and I could sense that
Bella“Ma’am?” Rita, Xander’s assistant, called out to me, and it looked like she had been watching me for a while but I was so lost in thought that I didn’t notice. “What are you doing here? You have someone here as well?”Thank goodness she gave me the sweetest lie ever. All I had to do was nod slowly in agreement. Nana was someone to me too so it wasn’t really a lie.I gave off a sigh of relief. I should have known Xander was never one to give away flowers to random women. I gave her a quick smile and turned to leave. I couldn’t face Nana after lying on her grave and I didn’t have any flowers to offer too.“You’re leaving?” Rita called out. She clearly wasn’t someone who knew how to mind the business that paid her and that was to drop off the flowers.“Yeah, I remembered that I left something really important at the office. I’ll need it tomorrow. You know how the boss gets.”I didn’t really forget anything at the office but I wanted space and I didn’t want to go home. Lately, the a
Bella“You pushed me away like you always do, Xander. You make me feel like I’m someone to you, then trash me. I’m a woman and I have needs. I want surprise flowers and a new dress with a note that says, ‘Dinner at nine’. Daniel was there for me. It’s the least I can do.” I said all of that in one breath before dashing out. I made for Daniel’s house, speed walking without taking a single moment to see how Xander reacted. I kept scratching my hair like I had lice. The rain wasn't helping either. I was drenched but it didn’t matter. I didn’t know what I was going to say to him when I found him. I just wanted to look into his eyes and feel them.I didn’t have to walk too far. I stopped at the glass doors to the popular bar. I watched him take a huge gulp of his cheap beer before yelling at the bartender to get him three more. What had I done? I broke him.“Daniel, I didn’t know you drank,” I said in a low voice, standing a little away from where he sat at the bar counter. He didn’t look
Bella“What are you doing here?” My voice came out in a breathless whisper, shock rendering me immobile.Xander was in my apartment, perched on a chair as if he'd been waiting forever. His disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes told a story of their own. He was still wearing the shirt from earlier, now stained with sweat, as if he’d thrown it on in a rush after our... encounter. But if he was in such a hurry, why hadn't he followed me? Why was he here now, looking like someone I barely recognized?He didn’t answer. Instead, he toyed with a loose thread on his sleeve, eyes cast downward.“Answer me, Xander!” I demanded, my voice rising. I wasn’t in the mood for one of his games, but there was something off about him. Something... different.Finally, he spoke, his voice low. “As you were running after David, I asked you something. You never gave me an answer.”My shoulders relaxed, just a little. “His name is Daniel.”“And I don’t give a fuck what his name is,” Xander snapped, his voice sud
Bella I spun around just as the door flew open, and the sight before me made my heart drop. There she was—Lilian—bound and gagged, struggling to speak but only managing muffled, frantic noises. A huge man with a buzzcut was dragging her inside, his muscles bulging as if they could snap her in half. He was trailed by a much smaller, wiry man, nervously shifting his weight from one bony arm to the other, his tank top a strange choice for someone so frail. “Here she is,” Buzzcut announced, tying Lilian to a chair with a roughness that made me wince. Xander slipped his phone back into his pocket, nodding in approval like this was the most normal thing in the world. “What’s... what’s the meaning of this?” I stammered, confusion and horror swirling inside me. “Why is she... Oh my God, is that her bone sticking out of her leg?” I gasped, the sight turning my stomach. “She’s the one who sabotaged my dad’s company,” Xander said, his tone cold. I shot him a glare. “You mean my compa
Daniel I pulled away the moment the car started moving, scrubbing my lips against my sleeve as if it mattered. The woman beside me, who I'd just kissed, was smiling widely, her eyes dancing with amusement."Don't even think about saying anything," I snapped, but I knew she wouldn't care."You really know how to put on a good show," she chuckled, her voice light, teasing."Oh, shut up.""Is that how you treat a woman you just kissed so passionately?" she mocked, her expression exaggerated, almost playful.I didn't respond. Instead, I turned to the window, watching the city blur by in streaks of neon and darkness. It was a Friday night, after all. People were pouring out of office buildings, heading to bars, clubs, wherever they could lose themselves for a few hours.But I couldn't stop thinking about what happened in the office. About that text from Bella.Bella had texted me earlier, asking me to come by. I wasn't planning to—there were more urgent things on my mind. The text above h
Daniel Scarlet Vine loomed before us as we stepped out of the car, its neon sign pulsing in the night like a heartbeat. A club for the elite, it was said that a night with one of its infamous escorts could cost more than a middle-class man earned in six months. Courtney slipped her arm through mine as we approached the entrance, her touch light but possessive.“Please protect me from the men in there, Tom Cruise,” she teased, her voice laced with irony.I ignored her, keeping my eyes ahead. We navigated through the throngs of dancers on the floor. A tall man in dark glasses materialized without uttering a word. He nodded for us to follow, and we did, threading our way through the maze of bodies until he led us to a secluded game room.The room was empty, save for the remnants of someone else's night—a pool table with a triangle of balls still in place, a table tennis setup with the net discarded, and empty cups scattered across the surface, the aftermath of a game of beer pong. Anoth
Daniel Scarlet Vine loomed before us as we stepped out of the car, its neon sign pulsing in the night like a heartbeat. A club for the elite, it was said that a night with one of its infamous escorts could cost more than a middle-class man earned in six months. Courtney slipped her arm through mine as we approached the entrance, her touch light but possessive.“Please protect me from the men in there, Tom Cruise,” she teased, her voice laced with irony.I ignored her, keeping my eyes ahead. We navigated through the throngs of dancers on the floor. A tall man in dark glasses materialized without uttering a word. He nodded for us to follow, and we did, threading our way through the maze of bodies until he led us to a secluded game room.The room was empty, save for the remnants of someone else's night—a pool table with a triangle of balls still in place, a table tennis setup with the net discarded, and empty cups scattered across the surface, the aftermath of a game of beer pong. Anoth
Daniel I pulled away the moment the car started moving, scrubbing my lips against my sleeve as if it mattered. The woman beside me, who I'd just kissed, was smiling widely, her eyes dancing with amusement."Don't even think about saying anything," I snapped, but I knew she wouldn't care."You really know how to put on a good show," she chuckled, her voice light, teasing."Oh, shut up.""Is that how you treat a woman you just kissed so passionately?" she mocked, her expression exaggerated, almost playful.I didn't respond. Instead, I turned to the window, watching the city blur by in streaks of neon and darkness. It was a Friday night, after all. People were pouring out of office buildings, heading to bars, clubs, wherever they could lose themselves for a few hours.But I couldn't stop thinking about what happened in the office. About that text from Bella.Bella had texted me earlier, asking me to come by. I wasn't planning to—there were more urgent things on my mind. The text above h
Bella I spun around just as the door flew open, and the sight before me made my heart drop. There she was—Lilian—bound and gagged, struggling to speak but only managing muffled, frantic noises. A huge man with a buzzcut was dragging her inside, his muscles bulging as if they could snap her in half. He was trailed by a much smaller, wiry man, nervously shifting his weight from one bony arm to the other, his tank top a strange choice for someone so frail. “Here she is,” Buzzcut announced, tying Lilian to a chair with a roughness that made me wince. Xander slipped his phone back into his pocket, nodding in approval like this was the most normal thing in the world. “What’s... what’s the meaning of this?” I stammered, confusion and horror swirling inside me. “Why is she... Oh my God, is that her bone sticking out of her leg?” I gasped, the sight turning my stomach. “She’s the one who sabotaged my dad’s company,” Xander said, his tone cold. I shot him a glare. “You mean my compa
Bella“What are you doing here?” My voice came out in a breathless whisper, shock rendering me immobile.Xander was in my apartment, perched on a chair as if he'd been waiting forever. His disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes told a story of their own. He was still wearing the shirt from earlier, now stained with sweat, as if he’d thrown it on in a rush after our... encounter. But if he was in such a hurry, why hadn't he followed me? Why was he here now, looking like someone I barely recognized?He didn’t answer. Instead, he toyed with a loose thread on his sleeve, eyes cast downward.“Answer me, Xander!” I demanded, my voice rising. I wasn’t in the mood for one of his games, but there was something off about him. Something... different.Finally, he spoke, his voice low. “As you were running after David, I asked you something. You never gave me an answer.”My shoulders relaxed, just a little. “His name is Daniel.”“And I don’t give a fuck what his name is,” Xander snapped, his voice sud
Bella“You pushed me away like you always do, Xander. You make me feel like I’m someone to you, then trash me. I’m a woman and I have needs. I want surprise flowers and a new dress with a note that says, ‘Dinner at nine’. Daniel was there for me. It’s the least I can do.” I said all of that in one breath before dashing out. I made for Daniel’s house, speed walking without taking a single moment to see how Xander reacted. I kept scratching my hair like I had lice. The rain wasn't helping either. I was drenched but it didn’t matter. I didn’t know what I was going to say to him when I found him. I just wanted to look into his eyes and feel them.I didn’t have to walk too far. I stopped at the glass doors to the popular bar. I watched him take a huge gulp of his cheap beer before yelling at the bartender to get him three more. What had I done? I broke him.“Daniel, I didn’t know you drank,” I said in a low voice, standing a little away from where he sat at the bar counter. He didn’t look
Bella“Ma’am?” Rita, Xander’s assistant, called out to me, and it looked like she had been watching me for a while but I was so lost in thought that I didn’t notice. “What are you doing here? You have someone here as well?”Thank goodness she gave me the sweetest lie ever. All I had to do was nod slowly in agreement. Nana was someone to me too so it wasn’t really a lie.I gave off a sigh of relief. I should have known Xander was never one to give away flowers to random women. I gave her a quick smile and turned to leave. I couldn’t face Nana after lying on her grave and I didn’t have any flowers to offer too.“You’re leaving?” Rita called out. She clearly wasn’t someone who knew how to mind the business that paid her and that was to drop off the flowers.“Yeah, I remembered that I left something really important at the office. I’ll need it tomorrow. You know how the boss gets.”I didn’t really forget anything at the office but I wanted space and I didn’t want to go home. Lately, the a
Xander“Hi Xander,” the private investigator I had hired two days ago, said over the phone. “We have found the person who sabotaged your wife’s company. What should we do with her?”A woman, huh? I didn’t think it would be a woman. I pulled the phone away from my ears slowly. “Maybe Beth?” I thought, peering out the window. I thought it was Hardin for sure. I guess I judged too quickly.Whoever it was, I decided that I had to teach her a lesson. Just a small one to teach her and everyone else, to stay away from my woman. “You know what to do. Hand her over to my men and they’ll take it from there."I hung up the phone and dialed another number immediately. “They’ve found her. I want her alive but in a state that will please me. If she can still walk, you’re fired.”I was about to leave the office when Hardin pushed the door open and walked in. He appeared furious but I really didn’t care. “What?” I asked him, grabbing my keys off the desk. I had somewhere to be and I could sense that
Bella"You're late!" He roared when I got to the company three minutes after eight. "This is why your company's struggling. Work starts by eight. What are you teaching your employees?"What the..."It's only a few minutes after—""It doesn't matter. I see you grew lazy when you stopped working for Versa Link. I'll have to teach you discipline, again because I won't have you acting however you want in my company." His company? Isn't it our company? I ignored curious glances from everyone as I walked to the board room for the introductory meeting. I took my seat at the designated area and took a deep breath.I was about to open my laptop when the doors opened and he walked in. He was late by a minute. I squinted my eyes at him but I couldn't afford to let my emotions show so I fixed my face."Good morning everyone. You are all aware that Versa Link now has control over Rivera group. I look forward to working closely with you all."I noticed exaggerated giggles and smiles from some of th
Bella His name is Daniel! I shouted in my mind but that was the least of the current problems. “Unless of course there’s a reason why you can’t?” He continued, leaning towards me. What was he trying to get out of me? “He’s one of the best people on our team.” I really hoped that was going to cut it. “He’s hardworking and intelligent and—” “I have a head of operations myself and as you know, I don’t employ lazy or unintelligent people. Mine will serve excellently.” Damn it! “Unless there’s another reason why—” “I can’t, Xander. He has been loyal to the company. He stuck with us through the good and bad. I can’t just kick him out. That will be utterly unfair.” My palms were already sticky from the sweat I produced in the well ventilated room. This man drove me crazy. How do I tell Daniel that he's fired from the company? I hope Xander changes his mind and there’s some humanity in that broad chest. He stood up and buttoned his suit. “I have a meeting soon so make this quick.”