Kate momentarily smacked herself, she just behaved like a little child who was excited to finally see her dad."You wish", Kate said clearing her throat, taking a few steps back. "I just wanted to make sure you didn't forget about our.....". "Our deal", Charles completed, "I told you Taylor am a man of my words", he added with a wink.Charles signed in relief when he saw Taylor hadn't left. He had just left a very important meeting to meet her. He had almost forgotten about their meeting today cause he had been busy all day and didn't have time to stop by at the office but luckily remembered at the last minute, and drove back to the office so he could meet her.Even if he'll lose the multi-million dollar deal, he didn't care, Taylor was more important right now. If he wants her to let him in her life again, he had to show her she could trust him."C'mon let's go", Charles ushered Kate out of the office to the elevator.Kate watched as the elevator went down below the building to the
Alexander nodded, "let's go", he said, leading them deeper in the cave, they followed."How do you know Alexander?", Kate whispered to Charles."Why do you ask?", Charles whispered back with a raised eyebrow."Just curious", Kate shrugged."Well me and Alex go a long way back. We are brothers than friends, including Vincent ","Who's Vincent?","A pal of ours, he's not in the city but you'll meet him soon", Charles answered."Oh", Kate nodded, "so you, Alexander and Vincent have known each other for a very long time"."Since high school", Charles answered."Wow, that long"."Hmm", Charles nodded. "They've been with me every step of the way, and if there's anyone I trust with my life it's them".Kate could see how much Charles trusted his friends, and she could sense they were good too. Though she hadn't meant Vincent but if Charles trusted him, it meant he was a good person. Unlike her, she was not lucky when it came to trusting people and making friends. "Alex ran away from home be
She already knew Rose was the one behind her accident, that's why she never bothered to find out what caused her accident in the first place. She also thought it was brake failure but now she thinks about it, she couldn't open her door nor window when she tried to escape. So it was surely more than some brake failure."A brake failure can't just happen in a night except if it was done intentionally", Charles added, ignoring Kate's question."Here's the weird part, when we checked the car engine, the brake fluid reservoir was fine, just burnt", Gracie said, confused."Car engine??"."Yes", Gracie nodded, "Thanks to Mr billionaire here we have the car's original parts, not in a good shape though"."There was no sign of leak of the brake fluid, and at the scene of the accident either", Gracie added."That's strange", Kate nodded, "there was nothing wrong with the brakes then why wasn't it working", she thought confused."Then why did the test and investigation say it was brake failure?"
THURSDAYIN THE MORNING, AT THE ANDINO'S MANSION, Nathaniel sat in the study room with Old Man Andino."You mean she decided to leave the house", Gabriel repeated his son-in-law's words. “No wonder the house seemed quiet today", he added."This is a serious matter Dad, Rose left the house we don't know where she went and Tiff is really worried about her", Nathaniel signed, rubbing his forehead."It's a good thing she left the house, and don't worry about Tiffany she'll be fine, she's my daughter after all", Gabriel said unbothered."At least she still goes to the company"."I don't care whether she goes to the company or not", Gabriel snapped, eyeing his son-in-law. "I made a mistake letting you allow her to work in the company, letting her think she could ever be the heiress of this family, as long as I’m alive it will never happen", Gabriel vowed fiercely."I'm disappointed in you Nathaniel, how could you give your daughter's right to an outsider, a stranger", Gabriel stressed, di
Kate stepped out of the elevator with Stacy, she could already feel Rose's piercing gaze on her."Even I can't wait to meet you Rose, and find out what you have planned", Kate thought, following Stacy.Stacy knocked on the door. "Come in", a voice said shortly after.Stacy opened the door with Kate following closely behind."Ma, Miss Cosgrove", Stacy said, gesturing at Kate.Rose nodded, "leave us", she instructed.Stacy nodded leaving only Kate and Rose in the room."Long time no see Miss Andino", Kate greeted with a fake smile on her face."Indeed Miss Cosgrove, the last time we met was at my engagement party. I didn't get the chance to ask if you enjoyed the party cause you left early", Rose said with a fake smile on her face, sarcasm in her tone.Kate balled her hand into a fist, a frown on her face."Am sure Miss Andino didn't make this appointment to talk about her engagement party", Kate said in a serious tone."Of course not", Rose said, clearing her throat. She didn't fail to
"Kyle? What was he doing here?" Kate wondered, surprised and confused. "Was he really here to see Rose??"."Taylor, surprising to see you. What are you doing here?", Kyle asked nervously, hiding the takeaway bag behind him."I could ask you the same. I'm here for business with Miss Andino, what about you?", Kate asked with a raised eyebrow, eyeing Kyle suspiciously."Well I'm h..ere..be..cause...", Kyle stammered, suddenly feeling nervous.Rose gave Kyle a deadly glare then turned to Kate with a sweet smile. "I'm really sorry Miss Cosgrove, my friend here doesn't know when he's meant to visit", she said, coming to Kyle's rescue, standing up. "No problem, I guess it must be urgent if not, he won't barge in like that"."Yes, It better be", Rose said, annoyed, eyeing Kyle. "She won't spare Kyle for interrupting her meeting", she thought."Please excuse me for a moment '', Rose turned to Kate with an apologetic smile."No worries, take your time", Kate gave her a polite smile in return.
"You're demanding too much Miss Cosgrove, how about we change the profit percent. Instead of fifty fifty, let's make it 51 - 49, what do you say?", Rose asked expectantly.Kate hissed, "wasn't your action too much that day when you lost the chance to finalize this same deal. I don't like to cheat my business partners so leave the profit percent as it is"."I've already told you what I want Miss Andino, is either you fulfill it and I'll sign the contract, no one will find out about this, or.... I don't finalize this contract and no more contracts from us in the future", Kate said with a shrug.Rose gritted her teeth, her hands balled into a fist. "She had to make a difficult choice. Was it really worth sacrificing her shares, her chance in taking over the business to make Taylor sign the contract?", She thought."If you need some more time to think about it, no problem. You'll just have to make another appointment", Kate said, grabbing her handbag about to stand-up."I agree", Rose blu
"Beauty", Kyle said as he walked over to her, stopping Kate in her tracks."What now Kyle?" Kate turned to him with a displeased look."Don't look at me like that Beauty", Kyle said, nervously rubbing the nape of his neck."If it's about me interrupting your meeting, I’m really sorry", he apologized, "Rose had already given him an earful for what he did ''.Kate crossed her arms, she had almost forgotten, Kyle did barge into the office though his presence was a blessing in disguise for her."Why did he even come here in the first place?"Kate thought, eyeing Kyle. Something fishy was going on between Rose and Kyle, she could sense it."So why did you want to see Rose anyway?", Kate voiced out."Well.....I came to see her, just a friendly visit", Kyle lied, feeling nervous under Kate's intense state."Oh! really, don't you have a company to run or something. You must have a lot of time on your sleeves Mr Bruce to come for a 'friendly' visit", Kate teased with a raised eyebrow, putting a
“Charles was going to go against his grandpa for her”. Was he mad? Seemed like it. "And I know you like him too”, Ryn muttered, placing his hand over hers, squeezing it in a supportive manner. “I do!?” Kate uttered, her question coming out as a statement, a blush appearing on her cheek unbeknownst to her, as she stared at their hands. She could feel the fast beating of her heart. “Charles liked her. She liked Charles”. Ryn squeezed her hand one last time, before placing his hand back at his side. “Charles could act tough all he wanted, but he's hurting. He needs you dear, only you can make him feel better”, he said. “How did the Old Man know for sure she could make him feel better, all she had done to Charles was hurt him”, she thought sadly, feeling ashamed. “I'm not meant to tell you this but you aren't the first person Charles had fallen in love with, and she loved him back. We were already planning their wedding, even though they were still in highschool then”. Kate
A NEW DAY. Kate drove her car into the parking lot of Donovan Car Enterprise. Glancing at Charles' spot, no sign of his black Mercedes. Another day and Charles hadn't arrived. Checking the time on her wristwatch, 7:45. "There was still time", she sighed. “He could just be running late”, she told herself. Letting out a frustrated groan, “Why did she even care!?”. Kate walked to the entrance, about entering the building, when an old man walked up to her. “Miss Cosgrove”, the elderly man said. “Yes”, Kate nodded, raising her eyebrows in a polite manner. “How may I help you?”. “Ryn…Old Man Donovan would like to see you”. “See me”, Kate asked, an unconvinced look on her face. “Why would Charles' grandpa want to see her?”. “Where is he?”. “There”, the man pointed to a black SUV not far from them. Kate gave him a weary look. “She didn't trust him”. “He wants to speak to you, it's important”, he added, a stern expression on his face, not bothering to convince her.
“How did he become friends with these two idiots?” Charles wondered, as he watched his two best friends talk about the recent happenings in his life, in his presence!. Alexander did the talking while Vincent listened with rapt attention. “Are you guys done?” Charles asked, his forehead creased in annoyance. They both turned to stare at him, a teasing grin forming on their faces. “I always knew we were going to end up becoming family, but I didn't think you'd have to marry Rose”, Vincent said, displeasure laced in his tone. “Katie’s best friend... It was meant to be her”, he murmured, not saying the last part out loud. “But you love Taylor don't you, why not marry her instead”, he said. “I know we won't be family anymore but I'll always support your choice”, he added, giving Charles a supportive nod. Charles shook his head at Vincy's words. “Too bad he won't be able to do that anymore”, Alexander spoke with a sigh. “Why not?” Vincent asked, confused. “Charles is
Charles glanced at his wristwatch, his back to his car, tapping his foot impatiently on the concrete ground, with his arms crossed. “His flight had landed 15 mins ago, why wasn't he here yet”, he grumbled, staring at the exit door. Glancing at his watch again, it was 1:00 pm now. He had thought about going to the office today but it seemed like he wouldn't make it again. “Sigh!”. He hadn't been able to go to the office because he was preparing for the task his grandfather had given him – he needed to be ready to face them. Replaying his conversation with his grandpa. “You can stop pursuing Miss Cosgrove. I hear she's dating someone now”. And that was how his grandpa decided to start their conversation. “Son of the Bruce family, Kyle. I think he's a nice guy”, he added. Charles worked his jaw, just when he had forgotten about it – not like he did – his grandpa just had to remind him. “Grandpa, you didn't call me here to tell me this, did you?” He asked, an annoy
“Was there a reason why you jumped on me when you walked in, Miss Cosgrove?” Charles asked, trying to sound indifferent. Kate was focused on her entwined fingers; she didn't notice the hopeful look in his eyes. “It's nothing I was just glad you were__ I meant your hand was alright”, Kate stammered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Oh I see”, Charles frowned disappointedly, quickly replacing it with a stoic expression. “I'll be on my way then Miss Cosgrove”, he added, walking past her to the door. “Wait!” Kate exclaimed, stopping him in his tracks. “Where are you going, you just got here?” she asked, surprised. “He was leaving already or was he just ignoring her”. She frowned at the thought. “I have a multimillionaire business to take care of. I can't sit in my office all the time”, Charles answered with a cocky grin. “Is there a reason you don't want me to go?”. “No, it's just__”, Kate shuttered, suddenly feeling nervous. “What did Gracie say, sort out your feelings,
THE NEXT DAY. Kate rolled her eyes at the person on the other end of the phone. Just when she thought yesterday's gossip had ended. Andrew just had to call her to talk about it, on her way to work!. “What are you up to now Kate?” Andrew groaned, questioning, clearly displeased about the post. “Getting back with your ex, really!?”. “Technically Taylor is the one dating Kyle not Kate”, Kate corrected, stopping her car at a red light. She had connected her earbuds to her phone. After her accident she was weary of connecting her phone to her car, and was cautious of the information she stored too, to prevent a virus getting into it. Prevention was better than cure afterall. “I know Kate, still!” Andrew argued. Kate tapped her finger on the steering wheel, waiting for the light to turn green. “I'm just getting my revenge on Kyle, Andrew, nothing to worry about”. The light turned green, she continued driving. “By dating him Kate, is that really necessary”, he tsked. “If
At Charles penthouse Charles stared at his injured palm now wrapped in a bandage. Fred had come over to help clean it up. Running his hand through his hair. Had he read the signs wrongly? Taylor didn't love him like he thought . “He would have accepted it, if it was any other guy but it had to be Kyle”. The world had to be playing some cruel game with him. First Kate and now Taylor. His phone rang, disrupting his thoughts. He eagerly took his phone, a frown appearing on his face seeing it wasn't her – Taylor – placing his phone at his ear. “What now?” He hissed. “Woah dude! Woke up on the wrong side of the bed I see” the other person chuckled. “I don't have all day Vincy”, he hissed again. He knew he was behaving like an ass, a big jerk, but that's what happens when Taylor makes him mad. “Just wanted to remind you, I'm coming home next week, permanently “, Vincent said, ignoring his friend's cocky attitude. “And!?”. “You're picking me up from the airport. Damn! du
Rose eyed Catherine, sitting across from her, making the other weary. “Is there a problem ma?” Catherine asked, seeing as Rose hadn't said a word since she called for her. Rose kept staring at her, her gaze particularly on the two diamond cluster earrings which hung on Catherine's ear. “Why did she lie?” Was the thought on Rose's mind. “Or was she telling the truth?”. “After going through the CCTV footage for the past 2 hours - majorly skipping some parts - she found something interesting”. “Catherine had been to her office last week, when she went out, it was the day Kyle had walked in on her”. She had watched Catherine drop the file, accidentally knocking the stapler over, then bending down to pick it, nothing strange there, except it took her 5 minutes to pick up a stapler - a whole 5 minutes. She didn't miss the way Catherine stood rigid after she stood up, with the stapler in her hand, like someone caught doing something wrong, when Kyle had entered her office. “
At FastTech Limited, Everyone was seated around a conference table. Old Man Andino sat at the head chair, on his left was his secretary when he was the CEO and beside the man was Nathaniel, while on his right was an empty seat, and beside the seat was Rose, as the shareholders and the heads of departments filled the rest of the seats. It was the seasonal meeting held mid month of the start of a new season between the shareholders, and heads of department. Everyone was present, except one person, the seat beside Rose, at Old Man Andino right was empty. Rose wondered who the person was for the Old Man to wait patiently and make every other person wait as well. She had heard the person was going to be the new CFO, and was once an employer, and someone close to the Old Man – courtesy of her gossiping workers. 30 mins later and still no sign of their newcomer. Rose glanced at the wall clock, an annoyed expression on her face. It was time for the meeting to start but the Old Man wasn't