Four years later. An important meeting was going on in the boardroom of Hall Corporations. Several directors spoke up one by one, arguing about the new expansion. Zara watched in silence. "I don't think it's a good idea! Keystone Group and our company are the ones doing well in the stock market right now. For this reason, we should focus on our current services instead of branching out." Hearing that argument, another director hit the table and sprang to his feet. "Business is about risk-taking. How can we make profits if we don't spread our wings for once?" "What if our wings get clipped off before we even reach our destination? Have you forgotten that we only just regained the company's glory a couple of years ago?" the first director fired back. "This isn't the Hall Corporations of yesterday. Our CEO has made sure we won't be worrying about going back to square one ever again." The second director argued and then turned to the woman sitting at the head of the table. "Ms. Hall,
Scott stared at her for what seemed like eternity. The last thing he expected was for Zara to show up now. She had been avoiding him for the past few years. Even after she gave birth, she spared him no chance to see her child, let alone answered his biggest question. What in God's name brought her here today? With Herculean effort, Scott snapped back to reality and said calmly, "This is a closed-door meeting, Zara. I don't think you should be here!""How are you so sure about that, Mr. Brown? Don't you wanna know what happened to two of the shareholders?" Zara asked with a mischievous smile. A look of dread appeared on Scott's face as soon as he heard that. What was this woman up to now?Zara dropped her bag on the table and took her seat. "Well, the men you are waiting for won't be showing up again. I'm taking their place.""What?" Came the exclamations from the shareholders at the table. They looked at each other in confusion and then back at Zara, who relished their astonishment.
Zara burst into tears the second she got into her car. She could feel her heart breaking yet again. No words hurt her more than the ones Scott said to her just now.Although she had always suspected that he blamed her for what happened to their parents, he never said it to her face. As tears streamed down her cheeks, her sinuses were triggered. Zara sniffed hard as phlegm almost found its way to her mouth.She rested her head on the steering wheel and stayed there for an indeterminate amount of time. She had come here to show Scott that she meant business. Little did she know she would be leaving in tears.By the time her eyes were sore, Zara finally wiped the tears on her face and cleaned her snot with a handkerchief. She started the ignition of her car. Just as she was about to drive out of the parking lot, she saw someone familiar.Dressed in a pair of jeans and a shiny blouse, Cora stepped out of a black Maybach. She then helped someone else out of the car. It was a little boy—a t
It had been a busy weekend for Zara. While her son's birthday party was going to be held next Saturday, she made all the major preparations at home before Monday came along. Although she was kind of tired this morning, she didn't fail to drive her son to school as always. She wanted to meet his friend and also invite him officially to Jayden's birthday."Pooh bear, you said that Tommy comes to school early too because his father drops him off, right?" Zara asked, glancing at the baby car monitor to see her son who was in his car seat.The little boy nodded with bright eyes. "Sometimes, we play before classes start.""You like playing, huh?" Zara couldn't help laughing. She could still remember how unwilling Jayden had been after his first day at school. "Mommy, I don't want to go back there. Can't I stay with you every day?" he had said with a pout.For a second, she had considered homeschooling him. But when she remembered that she couldn't shield him from the outside world forever,
In a split second, Scott grabbed his car keys and ran out of his office without another word to Zara. She stood on the spot for a while before she darted in the direction he went."You cannot trick me, Scott! I know you are just putting up an act to get rid of me. No one called you, right?" she shouted, accosting him in the elevator.Scott turned his head sharply and shot her an icy glare that could have frozen hell over. "I don't have time for your nonsense, Zara!"She grabbed his arm just as he walked out of the elevator. "You will have to make out time! I'm tired of you bugging my life. You think I'd just sit back and allow you scare the shit out of me again and again? Enough is enough!""Shut the fuck up, Zara! I have no idea what you are talking about. I can't do this right now. My son's life is in danger. I gotta go. If you have any sympathy in that hardened heart of yours, you will leave me the fuck alone!" Scott roared in her face.Zara shut her eyes in fear. Her hand slipped o
A sense of dread coursed through Scott when he heard the sober tone of the doctor. He sat up on the couch as his palm suddenly became sweaty. "What is it, doc?""I carried out some tests yesterday. Cora said that Tommy had been stooling yesterday morning, so I had to take some of the fecal matter alongside his blood sample. I carried out some tests yesterday and..." the doctor paused."And what?" Scott's patience ran out. "What did you find?""It seems that Tommy has a kidney infection.""I beg your pardon? What the hell did you just say?" Scott felt he had heard wrong. But after the doctor repeated his words, his phone fell from his hand. He crashed back on the couch as tears stung his eyes.He turned his head to look at Tommy's sleeping face. How could this be? Why the hell was this happening? His precious boy was suffering from a kidney infection? This has got to be some kind of a mistake!With great doubt, Scott picked up the phone again and pressed it to his ear. The doctor was y
A strange gust of wind blew into the reception hall after that angry voice. Scott froze when he saw his ex-wife scowling at him as if she was going to rip him apart any moment from now.Still oblivious, he uttered, "Zara, what are you doing here?"Zara tilted her head back in disgusted confusion. "What am I doing here? Did you seriously ask me that? You are holding my son's hand and you are asking me such a silly question!""What?" Scott looked down at Jayden and then back at his ex-wife. "This is your son?""Hey, Mommy!" Jayden squealed and ran to his mother before Scott could get an answer.Zara picked him up and held him tightly. She looked at him all over. "Did he hurt you, baby? I thought I told you not to talk to strangers. What were you doing with him?""He's not a stranger, Mommy. That's Tommy's father. You wanted to meet him on Monday, remember?"It wasn't until then that Zara realized what was going on here. The Tommy her son had spoken about with so much excitement was actu
The grimace Cora had caused visible cracks in her heavy makeup. Her forehead had wrinkles as if she was some old hag. Oblivious to this, she stepped into the room while shooting Zara a hard glare. "Are you deaf? What are you doing here? And who the hell let you in?""I did!" A male voice came from the door before Zara could respond.Cora turned around and saw Scott holding two ice cream cones in his hands. He frowned at her as he walked in. "Have you forgotten that this is a hospital? Keep your voice down, will you?"In a fit of pique, Cora turned to Scott. "You knew about this? How could you allow her to come in? What business does she have with my son? With us!""Hold your horses, Cora." Scott shot her a searing glare. "How can I explain if you can't even keep calm for a second? Don't you know how to behave even in front of kids?"Hearing this, Cora's face flushed with embarrassment. She glanced at the bed and saw that Tommy and Jayden were looking at her with disappointed eyes."I'