CHAPTER FOUR: Boss Lady

A burning sensation suffused Zara's chest. It traveled to her stomach and soon caused it to ache badly. Her face twisted in a frown as she processed what she had just heard.

Relishing the sad look on Zara's face, Cora rubbed her slightly bulged belly and added, "It has been a long time coming. Scott and I are meant for each other. We have been in love since we were kids. Soon, we will be together against all odds."

Those words added salt to Zara's injury. She was at a loss for a few seconds. But once she got back herself, she pulled Mia's arm and dragged her out. "Let's go!"

"Zara, let's catch up some other time. I'll send you an invitation to the wedding. Ciao!" Cora called out from behind.

Tears had clouded Zara's vision by the time she was out of the store. She swallowed hard and blinked while repeating an admonishment in her head. Don't cry over a man, Zara! 

"You okay, Zee?" Mia asked with worry after they got into her car. She read her expression and then gave her shoulder a squeeze. "That wench was just trying to get on your nerves. Don't let it get to you."

Zara struggled to blink back the tears. "I'm fine. I am way past caring what Scott does with his life."

The next second, conflicting emotions clouded her face. "But it still hurts, Mia. It hurts so so much. I can't believe that after all I did to make Scott love me, he still chose Cora. When we were kids, he always favored her. He took her side even though we were all supposed to be friends. Worse still, his nonchalance towards me turned to dislike after that accident ten years ago. It's as if he blames me for what happened. During our marriage, he never made love to me. Scott treated me like a plague..."

Mia, whose heart was breaking, patted Zara's back without saying a word. This was the first time Zara was pouring out her heart in a long time.

"Why does Scott hate me so much, Mia? Don't I deserve to be loved?" Zara asked, her face wet with tears.

"Of course, you do! You are a beautiful, strong, and sweet young lady. You deserve all the love in the world. Scott is a fool. I'm sure that one day, you will meet a man who will treat you right. Cheer up, Zee." Mia pulled her into a hug.

Hearing this, Zara sniffed hard and nodded her head. Minutes later, she wiped her tears. A look of determination replaced her misery. She then said, "Please take me to my company."

"Why?" Mia asked in surprise. "I thought you won't be resuming until a few days later?"

"Yeah, but I need to act as fast as possible. The company isn't at its best now. I need to revive it. Also, I need all the power and money now. Since Scott is busy toying with my feelings while also refusing to sign the divorce papers, I'll drag him to court!"

*****

Zara worked round the clock at Hall Corporations. The company was in a much worse state than she thought. As soon as she assumed office as the CEO, she spent hours looking at past records and trying to figure out how to get the company out of the mess it was in.

"It's already past ten, Zara. I think we should call it a day," Dan Stanford, the director who had been running the company, piped up as he looked at the clock. 

With a pile of files on her desk, Zara finally looked up and said, "You can go. Sorry for keeping you this long."

"No, problem." Dan shot to his feet immediately.

Just as he was about to walk out the door, Zara stopped him. She held up a file. "Are these all the projects up for grabs currently? Why aren't there any big ones?"

Dan spun on his heels. After scratching the back of his head, he replied, "We just made a list of the projects we are likely to get. There's a multi-million dollar project up now, but most of the top companies are vying to get it, so—"

"You don't think we stand a chance?" Zara asked with a slight frown. When he scratched his head again instead of answering, she uttered, "Tell me about this multi-million dollar project. I don't care how many top companies want it. It's ours for the taking."

*****

Two weeks later.

The skyscraper that housed Keystone Group was bustling with life more than ever this morning. Dozens of men and women in suits arrived in their luxury cars and walked straight to the conference room.

In there, they discussed with their colleagues, went over their briefs, and exchanged mean glances with their rivals. The tension was brewing even before the main event started. 

Suddenly, Scott walked in with a domineering aura. He brought a whole new level of panic into the hall. The confidence of everyone else in the room dwindled as he walked to the second row of the seats and sat down majestically.

The new project on the table was a huge one. Any company that got awarded the contract was sure going to become more successful. Being that Brown & Co. was one of the top five companies in the country, it had an upper-hand.

Andrew sat next to Scott and leaned to the side excitedly. "Boss, we are sure taking the contract home. Even our rivals can feel—"

"Shhh!" Scott shut him up with his eyes closed. "Remember what I said."

In the next few hours, the representatives of different top companies went to the stage and did their presentations with the projector provided. In particular, everyone was impressed with Scott's presentation. The directors of Keystone Group nodded their heads for a long time. 

A complacent smirk sat on Scott's face as he walked down the platform. He was just about to take his seat again when the side doors swung open. All heads in the room, including Scott's, turned in that direction.

The face Scott saw the next second made his jaw drop. He blinked twice and then stared blankly.

The woman walked in elegantly. She had on a black gown that hugged her curves and a plaid jacket. Her hair was up in a ponytail, bringing out her beautiful face. On her nose bridge was a gold-rimmed glasses that gave her the look of a genius. Most importantly, she had a beautiful prototype in her hands.

"Good day, everyone!" the gorgeous woman said, walking to the platform and carefully setting down the prototype on the pulpit.

All the while, Scott's eyes followed her slowly. He stared for a few more seconds before spitting, "Why are you here?"

"Why do you think, Mr. Brown?" Zara responded, finally sparing him a glance.