The room went silent. Everyone was surprised. At this point, they knew they were all in trouble if she eventually became the CEO. Kane stared at the broken remains of his phone. He never dreamt of having such a bad day. The employees around him remained silent. They looked scared and surprised. Mr. Barnard, meanwhile, stood smugly to the side. He had his arms crossed as though he had already won. He knew that what she did was bad, but since he wasn't affected, he was satisfied. "First, I don't care who you are. You are going to buy a brand new phone for me. Secondly, I’m not leaving, not until the CEO comes and explains himself. He’s the one who hired me, and only he has the right to kick me out." Kane said but Daniella only smiled. "It won’t change anything, Kane. Don’t you understand? By tomorrow, I will be taking over this company. I will be the new boss, and my decisions will stand. Your days here are already over. You can pick up the pieces of your phone and leave." "That ma
The deputy manager's eyes widened in shock as he realized that Daniella was dead serious about kicking Kane out of the company. He took a step forward and raised his hands in a placating gesture as he tried to reason with her. "Mrs. Daniella, please, you need to reconsider. I thought you were joking, but I can see you are serious. Removing Kane shouldn't be an option at all. It will affect not just the department but the entire company. This is not a decision to be taken lightly." He paused, taking a deep breath, as he tried to think of more reasons so she could understand. "Kane has been with the company for a short time, but he has shown how talented he is. He has a wealth of experience and knowledge in programming that would be difficult to replace. Losing him would be a significant blow to our operations, and I'm not sure we are prepared to deal with the fallout. Your husband, the CEO, hired him by himself. He employed him for a reason, which he has proven enough. We valued his
Meanwhile, Desmond was enjoying his favorite food at home. His mom has cooked his favorite, and they surrounded the table, smiling and eating. "Mom, you have outdone yourself again." Desmond said with a contented sigh as he reached for another piece of chicken. Each bite brought more smiles to his face. "This is exactly what I needed right now. Thank you so much for making this." "Anything for you, my son. Things haven’t been easy for you lately, so I wanted you to have something to lift your spirits. Your favorite food always helps." She said, and Desmond chuckled softly and nodded in agreement. "I’m glad you like it. For Anabel, I'm assuring you that you will have her back." She added. "I trust you." He smiled. "Yeah, I'm ready to do anything that will make you happy. Your happiness is all that matters to me." "What about me? mom." Bella frowned. "You don't care that I'm not yet married." "I do care, my daughter. You are a very beautiful lady. I want a good son-in-law that
"Mrs. Daniella, with all due respect, the CEO’s office is a secure area. I cannot, and will not, grant access without explicit approval from Mr. Desmond himself." "There is no difference between me and the CEO. She's my husband. I am giving you a direct order, and I expect it to be followed without question or hesitation." She said, but that didn't change the deputy manager's mind. "Ma’am, you may be the CEO’s wife, but as of now, Desmond is still in charge. Until I hear otherwise from him directly, I cannot break protocol. My responsibility is to follow the rules, not bend them based on assumptions about the future." The deputy manager said, and Daniella couldn't help but laugh, shaking her head as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. "Assumptions? Do you think this is some kind of joke? Let me tell you, I'm already the owner of the company. Tomorrow is just the day he will complete the signing and hand everything over to me." "I understand what you are saying, Mrs
Her eyes darted to another wall immediately, where a second portrait hung. This one was of her and Desmond in their wedding dress. The image depicted them standing close together, Daniella in her exquisite white gown and Desmond in a sharp black suit. He was smiling warmly at the camera as he had his arm wrapped around her waist. The sight of the wedding photo stirred a mix of emotions within Daniella. She was annoyed and confused. She wasn't expecting to see that. "Why is her portrait still here? Does it mean he still loves her?" Daniella muttered under her breath. She turned sharply to face the deputy manager. "Why did he have the picture of his ex-wife in his office? He forgot to remove them?" she demanded, pointing at the portraits.The deputy manager wasn't surprised at her reaction. Any woman would react that way. He himself didn't know why Desmond left it. All he knew was that Desmond likes it."I don't know why he didn't remove them. All I know is that he's okay with it. I th
The deputy manager complied immediately and led her down a series of hallways to the CFO’s office. When they got to the CFO’s office, the deputy manager gestured toward the door. Daniella pushed it open without hesitation and stepped inside with a kind of confidence as if she already owned the space. Bryan, the chief financial officer, was seated at his desk, reviewing a stack of reports. He looked up in surprise when Daniella entered and stood immediately, offering her a polite smile. "Mrs. Daniella," he greeted warmly. "It’s an honor to see you here. I've been trying to reach your husband but his number was not going through. Anyway, What brings you to our company , and into my office?" Daniella returned the smile with a cool nod. "Point of correction, I’m not here as Mrs. Daniella." She replied. "I’m here as the incoming CEO of this company." Bryan’s smile faltered slightly. "Incoming CEO?" He repeated. "I wasn’t informed about any changes to leadership. When did this happen,
Desmond stormed into the room with a different allure. He looked up and his sharp eyes immediately landed on Daniella. His posture was tense. On his way to the company, he instinctively checked his phone only to see missed calls and a couple of messages from the deputy manager, telling him about Daniella’s disruptive behavior. Daniella didn't even budge at all when he walked in. She have the confidence that nothing will happen. That Desmond's presence will not change anything. "Sir, thank God you are here. You are just in time." The deputy manager said but he ignored him and faced Daniella. "What are you doing here, Daniella?" Desmond demanded. His voice was cold and authoritative. "And who even let you into my company?""Sir, I—" The deputy manger wanted to explain, but Daniella quickly interrupted, raising her hand. "Why the hell do you want to explain to him?You don't have to give any explanation to him." She said to the deputy manager and turned to Desmond. "Listen caref
"How did you get access to my office?" He asked. "Who let you in?" The deputy manager suddenly dropped to his knees, his face pale and his voice trembling, seeing that he was in trouble. "I’m so sorry, sir." He pleaded. "She asked me to show her your office, and I refused. She insisted and threatened to fire me if I didn’t take her to the office. I tried to explain, but she wouldn’t listen. Please forgive me. I was just trying to avoid trouble. Please have mercy on me." Daniella smirked and crossed her arms confidently. "Why are you explaining and begging to him? Don’t bother apologizing," she said, but he kept apologizing. "Anyway, since you so much adore him, you will be out tomorrow along with him. You will not work with me." She said, and Desmond couldn't believe her confidence. She turned to Bryan, the chief financial officer. "Back to you. What are you waiting for? I’ve already told you what I need. Give me the five hundred thousand dollars I asked for. Desmond's presence is
Without wasting any time, the dad asked, “Why did you reject Reuben? You can't tell me you are not ready for marriage because that is what you need now. A man that will take good care of you and your child.” Anabel let out a sigh and leaned back against the headboard. “I don’t like him," she said flatly. “I’m not just interested in him.” She answered, and her father crossed his arms as he gazed at her. “That doesn’t matter much. What matters is that he loves you. Reuben is a good man. Ever since I knew him, he never caused trouble. All you need is a man that will love and take good care of you. You can start loving him after marriage. You think all those successful marriages started with love? No—commitment comes first, and love follows.” Anabel shook her head, standing her ground. “That’s not how it works for me, Dad. My heart isn’t in it.” Sir Orton exhaled slowly as he sensed frustration creeping into him. He wasn’t angry—not yet—but he was growing weary of Anabel's choices.
Her father continued. “I’ve told him everything. About your first marriage and your divorce. I also told her about your pregnancy, and he still accepted.” Anabel’s lips parted slightly in surprise, but she quickly composed herself. Reuben was a very cute guy, but looking at him, she doesn't see herself gisting with someone like him. She shifted in her seat before speaking. “I appreciate you looking out for me, Father. And I thank the Johnsons for coming.” Sir Johnson smiled faintly, observing her with an unreadable expression. Reuben remained unmoved as he continued to watch her with silent interest. Anabel took a breath and continued, “Under normal circumstances, I might have asked for time to think it over because we have never talked about it. But there is no need for that.” Her father leaned forward slightly and asked. “And why is that?” "I don't know how this will sound, but I am not interested in marriage now.” She answered, and the room went silent. No one was expecting
Anabel got back home and stepped out of her car. Her mind was still occupied with thoughts about her hospital visit. The conversation with Desmond had stirred something in her—an unease she had tried to push aside but couldn't fully ignore. As she walked toward her father’s grand villa, she noticed two luxurious cars parked neatly in the driveway. She slowed her pace slightly, and her brows knitted together as she took in the unfamiliar, expensive cars. She tried to recall if they were expecting visitors, but nothing came to mind. She tried to recognize the cars, but she couldn't. One was a gold Bugatti, and the other one was a gray Rolls Royce. The latest and the most expensive car in the country. Even though her father was known to have high-profile associates, these cars weren’t ones she recognized. The insignias, the vip plate number. They belonged to people of significant wealth, people who rarely made unexpected visits. Anabel straightened her posture and entered through
Desmond glanced away, knowing that it wasn't even his problem at the moment. His main problem was that someone was about to extort a big amount of money from her. He couldn't stand it. "Yeah, I know, but that’s not my problem right now." He said with a weak voice. Bella raised an eyebrow in curiosity and asked. "What do you mean it’s not your problem? What’s going on? Which other problem do we have here than winning her back?" Desmond hesitated for a moment before letting out a deep sigh. "There’s a man. Her so-called new boyfriend." "Does she have a boyfriend?' Bella asked. "Yeah, but the problem is that he's deceiving her. He’s about to extort a huge amount of money from her." Mrs. Elizabeth and Bella both stared at him in shock, but Bella was the first to speak. "A huge amount of money?" "How much money are we talking about?" His mom asked with a voice tinged with disbelief. "I know you guys won't believe this, but this man is about to extort three million dollars from her.
Desmond's mom let out a long sigh and let her shoulders sag slightly. "I don’t blame her, though. She has every right to be angry. After everything we did, after how we treated her... I wouldn’t stop to listen either." Bella, who was standing a few steps away, folded her arms tightly across her chest. "But she should at least hear us out," Bella muttered. "Why would she do that? I mean, we are trying to apologize. We are trying to make amends, aren’t we? It’s not like we are asking for much. She could have rolled down the window for a second. Just a second." Mrs. Elizabeth shook her head gently and glanced at her daughter. "Bella, don't say that. She's angry, and she should be. This is not about what we think she should do. We pushed her away. We hurt her. She doesn’t owe us her time, not after the way we treated her." Bella huffed in response and said,. "Yeah, okay, we were wrong. But if she doesn’t let us talk, how are we supposed to make it right? She should have just let us tal
Desmond turned and walked briskly through the hospital corridors. His thoughts were tangled and heavy.As he got closer to his mother’s doctor’s office to collect her medication, he couldn’t stop replaying his encounter with Anabel. Her coldness, her denial, and the sharpness of her words had left a mark he couldn’t shake. She had insisted the child wasn’t his, calling him impotent. A word that hit like a dagger, even though he refused to believe it. Deep down, he was sure the baby was his, but doubt lingered at the edges of his mind. Could she be right? Could there be truth in her statements? The uncertainty gnawed at him as he tried to focus on what he came to do.Meanwhile, Anabel stepped out of the elevator into the bustling hospital lobby. She hasn't stopped thinking about what Desmond said.Desmond’s words about Vanessa’s surgery played on a loop in her head, rattling her confidence in Sylvester and Vanessa’s story. She hated to admit it, but the seed of doubt he had planted w
Her words stung Desmond, but he took a deep breath, refusing to let them dissuade him. He stepped closer and spoke up. "Anabel, everything that happened... everything that came between us... It was because of my mother and my sister. They drove a wedge between us, and I've already admitted that I'm stupid for allowing them. This time, they will treat you differently. They’ll treat you like the precious treasure you are. They regret what they did. They are longing to have you back, Anabel." Anabel’s lips curled into another bitter smile, and she folded her arms tightly across her chest. "I'm not a kid, Desmond. I know exactly why they want me back," she retorted. "It’s not about treating me like a treasure or making amends for their wicked character against me. They want me back because Daniella disappointed them. They want me back because they didn't get what they wanted from Daniella. They want me back because they heard I’m pregnant. Let's say my tummy is still flat, they won't wan
"Hey! Mind your words. Sylvester is not a scumbag, but you are. You are the scumbag here. And...you don't have any right to tell me where to spend my money or ask me how I will get it. Whether I have the money or not is none of your business. And if I decide to borrow, that’s my choice. Stop acting like I'm going to borrow it from you. Stop pretending like you care." Anabel said, even though she was already seeing some signs. She just wanted to get on Desmond's nerves. "I do care, Anabel. I care about you, and I care about the choices you’re making. And if you borrow that kind of money, you will spend the rest of your life paying it back. Is that what you want?" "You really think you know me, don’t you? You really think you can stand here and judge me? But let me tell you something, Desmond—you don’t know me at all. You never did. If you think I can’t handle this, then you’re sorely mistaken." "I know you are now rich, even though you are trying so hard to hide your real identity f
"Anabel, I know you will not believe me. You may say I'm jealous, which I won't deny, but I can boldly tell you that you are actually single. I mean, very single." He said while looking at her in the eyes. She could see how mean he was. "Sylvester is not who you think he is. You are dating yourself, stressing yourself over someone whose only intention was to gain financial assistance from you. You are single." He finished, and Anabel struck him with a sharp glare, then crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "Single?" She echoed with a disdainful voice. "Is that what you think, Desmond? Let me be clear—I am not single. You are the one who is single. Don’t confuse my situation with a pathetic one like yours." Desmond frowned as her words hit him with an unexpected force. He hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "At least I didn't lose anything to her. But you… you are about to lose everything you have. I will still warn you. Sylvester isn’t who he says he is. He’s just usin