"Hey bro, finally," Beth said with a smile as she kissed Noah on the lips.Ava's lips formed an oh shape as she noticed the resemblance in their features."Ava, meet Elizabeth, my younger sister," Noah introduced before adding, "Beth, Ava, a friend.""Hmm, that's new," Beth said to Noah before turning to Ava, extending her hand as she said, "Hi Ava, it's nice to meet you.""It's great to meet you too," Ava replied, taking her hand with a smile of her own."He never brings friends to work, well, at least friends who are work-related," Beth said, her brows raised as she looked from her brother to Ava."Well, it was a coincidence; I was actually just walking by," Ava tried to explain."She's playing with you Ava," Noah said, shaking his head at Beth."I like you," Beth said, adding, "You should come by more often.""Thank you," Ava replied with a warm smile."Alright, head out, boss; I've got everything under control," Beth said, shooing Noah out like a mother hen protecting her chick."
As Bella got to the door, it swung open again, and standing there was Ava."Are you okay? Where were you running to?" Ava asked Bella with rasied eyebrows."I was running to you. I forgot to tell you something and to also give this to you," Bella said, dangling a car key in front of Ava's face."Oh, right, that's exactly what I came back for; did you think I was going to walk the kids all the way to the school?" Ava askedBella shrugged as she answered, "Well, you never can say."Ava shook her head and took the key from Bella's hand before saying, "See you later.""Yeah, and humm, most improtantly, I have a meeting today, and I really want you to come with me," Bella stated.Ava looked over her shoulder and said, "We'll see.""Ava, be back on time," Bella called out as Ava got into the car.Brad had gotten a rental car for them, which they could use to convey the kids for their summer classes since he would be at work.Ava winked at Bella, then smiled sweetly as she backed the car out
Ava quickly slammed down on her brakes just as their cars almost collided."Who the h*ll drives like a maniac near a school?" Ava said to herself in a pissed tone.Unbuckling her seat belt, she stepped out of the car, walked to the front, and saw they had avoided collision by a mere inches.The driver of the other vehicle remained in the car, which further pissed Ava off.She walked over to the driver's seat and knocked on the window. The car was tinted, so she could not see anyone inside the car."Scroll down your damm glasses," Ava muttered, trying to keep her voice controlled.Instead of the driver's window going down, Ava saw it was the one at the back that did."Anything the matter?" Ava heard.She moved to the back and saw him sitting there, an unreadable expression on his face."Were you trying to make a statement by what just happened? How can you sit down there looking all smug?" Ava shouted.Nathan had dropped off his son at school and had used another entrance that was rese
As the elevator doors opened, Nathan and Mike stepped out, the soft chime of the bell echoing faintly down the hall."On second thought, Mike, I need you to go to finance and tell them that if I don't have that report in the next twenty minutes, it’s not going to be a very good day for them," Nathan said, stopping abruptly mid-stride.Mike sighed but nodded, checking his wristwatch with a quick glance."Alright, I’ll head over right away," he replied, already turning on his heel."Call me when you have it," Nathan added, before he resumed walking down the hallway."Sure, boss," Mike muttered under his breath, shaking his head slightly.He wasn’t surprised by Nathan’s abruptness, especially with the way the day started.A few minutes later, Nathan entered the office that had once belonged to his grandfather. All traces of vacancy had been scrubbed away, leaving the space feeling vibrant and lived-in once more."Hello, Dad," Nathan said as he stepped inside, nodding toward Peter, who sat
"What was that?" Bella muttered, her head snapping around towards Daphne."Oh, wow," Ava muttered, surprised by Daphne's confidence.All through the exchange, Daphne's head was bent, not in the least bothered by their presence."I'm going to tap her," Ava stated, standing up from her seat."No, don't, let me," Bella replied, grabbing Ava's arm and pulling her back to her seat."Okay, if you say so," Ava stated.Bella stretched out her hand and tapped on Daphne's shoulder, since she was the one sitting close to her.Daphne raised her head slowly, a scrowl appearing on her forehead as she turned in their direction."We were just trying to be friendly," Bella said, meeting Daphne's pissed-off look with a peircing gaze.Daphen shook her head, looking at them like she didn't understand what they were trying to say."I meant, what you said was kind of offensive," Bella added.Daphne raised a hand in the hair, signaling Bella to stop speaking. Then she nodded her head, waited a few seconds,
Bella looked up and gasped in surprise, "Whitney?""Yes, that's me," Whitney replied with a grin."Oh my god," Bella muttered as she stood up and hugged her.Whitney smiled, returning the hug tightly."I didn’t think I was going to see you so soon after the last project," Bella said, pulling back slightly but still holding her arm."Yeah, I’m only here for today, though. I dropped by to see Elliot," Whitney responded as she stepped back."Oh, wow! Then we better catch up," Bella said excitedly, turning toward Ava. "Whitney, meet Ava, my best friend. Ava, this is Whitney, the best PR manager in the industry."Whitney chuckled, waving Bella off,"Bella does a bit of exaggeration sometimes. Nice to meet you," she said, extending her hand toward Ava with a friendly smile.Ava stood up and smiled, taking Whitney’s hand. "Tell me about it. Nice to meet you too," she replied warmly."Are you guys ganging up on me?" Bella teased with a playful grin."Of course not," Whitney and Ava responded i
“Hello everyone, welcome to summer class,” Mrs. Chucks, the head teacher, said, addressing the children.“Psst,” Thomas hissed from where he stood, adding under his breath, “Summer class sucks.”“Shut up!” Another kid warned beside him, glaring at Thomas.Thomas stared the kid down, shooting out his tongue in his direction.“Thank you all for coming. I believe with adequate preparation, this year's competition is going to be a spectacular event, and also, as usual, we have someone from the competing school in LA here with us for summer class this year,” Mrs. Chucks continued with a big smile on her face.“Isn’t that cheating?” One of the senior kids shouted from the crowd.“No, it’s not Evans,” Mrs. Chucks said, squinting her eyes and raising her brow in the direction the boys voice had come from in the hall.All the kids had been summoned to the school hall for an address before lesson commenced.The Imperial College had a reputation to protect, and Mrs. Chucks had to make sure every
Daphne was silent for a few seconds before she said, “Well, it’s personal.”"I thought you said the SPARK designer was coming." Bella said.Daphne's brow rose up, clearly showing how pissed she was, and before she could respond, Elliot stepped in.“Okay then, we best start the meeting then,” Elliot said.“Yes, I’ll get everyone down here and speed up the team,” Mick said and walked away.“We are not supposed to start for another fifteen minutes, right?” Bella asked.“Yes, but we can make do so Daphne can get to her meeting,” Elliot replied.“Would you like to join the meeting?” Elliot asked Whitney“Naah, I’ve seen your face; now I can go rest at my hotel,” Whitney replied.“Okay, I’ll catch you there later,” Elliot replied with a smile."Bella, you too,” Whitney turned back to say, adding, “Nice to meet you, Ava.”“Sure,” Bella replied, waving as Whitney left.“We’ve got a lot to do; are we going to stand here all day?” Daphne askedBella and Ava rolled their eyes and went back to the
Daphne turned to look at Nathan, her brows raised as she asked, "What question?""Would you mind if we took it away from here? It's quite important." Nathan stated."If it's important, I guess it can wait a few more minutes," Daphne stated, turning to face Elliot.Nathan was not surprised by her response, putting into consideration the fact that she was currently really pissed at Elliot."Could you guys give us a minute? We will join you all shortly," Elliot stated, taking Daphne by the hand and walking out of the building.Elliot walked a few feet to the right of the building before turning into a corner. Only then did he let go of Daphne's hand."For god's sake, what the f*ck did you just pull in there?" Elliot asked, totally pissed."Nothing less than the reaction you are supposed to get when you don't consult me before making some certain decision." Daphne shot back at him.Her eyes were hardened, almost blazing with fire as she tried to stare Elliot down.Elliot brushed his left
Nathan stood up and walked a few feet away from the table before turning back to face Elliot."I need to speak with your designer," Nathan stated.Elliot was silent for a few seconds, unsure what Nathan was trying to imply."Okay, would you care to explain? Because I'm aware you already have a designer for your project," Elliot responded."I can't really go into specifics right now," Nathan stated."Okay, who specifically do you want to speak with?" Elliot asked, adding, "Bella or some other fashion house designer, who I know you can meet on your own without coming to me.""I can't explain anything for sure right now; I need to speak with your major partner," Nathan stated."Okay, hold on, what exactly is going on? You don't sound like your usual self," Elliot said, his eyes squinting in concern before adding, "Does this have to do with your grandfather?"Nathan's head snapped to Elliot in surprise at his words."What? I should know there is only one person who has the capacity to mak
"Dad, what do we do?" Emily asked her father.The embarrassment of the day before had been weighing heavily on her mind."What else can we do? She is practically untouchable right now," Amelia stated.Emily raised her eyebrows, an angry look crossing her face as she responded, "Says who, Mom?" She is going to pay for this; I swear she will. How high can she rise again?""Enough, the both of you! We need to come up with a plan," her father snapped at them, his brow furrowed in thought."I really don't think we should go against Ava anymore; she is no longer the girl we used to know. What if she decided to come make us pay for what we did to her all those years ago?" Amelia asked in concern."She won't, because I won't let her," Emily stated firmly."Shut up! Nobody is making anyone pay; we need to find a way to get into her good books right now," Charles stated.Emily's hand clenched into a fist beside her at her father's words."Why do we need to do that?" Emily shot at her father."W
Nathan's eyes narrowed, his hand clenching into a fist, as his jaw tightened.His voice was cold and sharp as he responded, "I have no idea what Tyler is talking about.""I don't think we should do this here," Peter interjected, looking between Timothy and Nathan."I agree," Mike stated, a nervous look coming to his face."Shut the f*ck up; you don't have a say here," Tyler responded to Mike."It's not going to be much of a problem if Tyler just tells us what he knows," Wyat said with a satisfied grin."I don't want that," Peter snapped, shutting Wyatt up."We will have this conversation at the office tomorrow then," Timothy stated, signaling for someone in the crowd."That would be better; we can't have everyone staring at us for having a family spat right now," Peter added."Okay, if that would be all, I guess we are done here, right?" Nathan stated, looking at everyone before adding, "Good night."He walked away from the group and headed to the entrance. Mike followed him closely,
"Hello ma'am, nice to meet you," The staff greeted Ava.Their faces were filled with pleasure at meeting their new CEO. Oliver and Mr. Clark were walking her through the various departments in the building."Thank you all for the good work over the years. I hope to have a splendid time working here with you all," Ava responded with a smile.As they left the office, Ava looked at Oliver and asked, "How many offices do we have to go to?""Not much; I think it's just the human resource department and IT department," Oliver replied."Okay," Ava muttered as they entered an elevator at the end of the hall."After the introductions, we would be heading to your office on the last floor," Mr. Clark interjected."Okay, and what is the last floor?" Ava asked curiously.Mr. Clark only grinned at her and kept mute as Oliver tried not to laugh beside them."What?" Ava asked, but they didn't give her a response.After a few seconds, Oliver stated, "I guess we'll find out soon enough.""Oh, and that
"Really? Who is it?" Someone asked from the group.All eyes were glued to Mick, expecting his answer, wishing it was their own design that won."The winner for the design submission is," Mick replied."I have something to say before that," Daphne stated coldly.Her voice cut through the excitement like a sword as she stood up to face the crowd.Mick turned to look at her, noticing her expression for the first time."Hmm, of course," Mick muttered, stepping aside for her."So, the winner announcement would be put on hold for now," Daphne stated.There were silent murmurs as everyone looked confused, glancing from her to Mick."Okay, hold on, why? Mick just mentioned that he has the winner's name with him." Bella stated.Daphne turned towards her, her gaze freezing as she turned her icy stare at her."I see no reason why I should give you a response here; if Elliot is not around, I'm as good as being in charge." Daphne muttered.A surprised gasp rose up from the crowd as they all stood
"Don't you think we need to go see them at the school?" Bella asked as she packed her bag."Stop running!" Ava shouted to Jenna, who was running after Angel up the stairs."Come on, buddy, the competition is going to happen eventually. Okay, I'm sure they probably have a reason for shifting it forward," Brad said, patting Jordan on the back."I don't think there is any point in going; Nora was probably just messing with me when she called," Ava replied with a shrug."Why would she do that?" Bella asked."If I know her, which I kind of do, she is just trying to rub it in my face," Ava muttered."Well, I guess the joke is on her now, Ms. CEO," Brad teased.Ava smiled, moving over to Jordan as Brad stood up to head out the door."I'll see you guys later," Brad called over his shoulder."Bye, Dad!" Angel shouted from the stairs where she was now sitting with Jenna."Bye, darling," Brad replied, blowing her a kiss before stepping out the door."Hey sweetheart, don't worry; the competition
Monday morning came faster than anticipated after the long weekend with its shock and unexpected turn of events.The Crawford Group head office was abuzz with activity as guests moved through the lobby. The event was taking place at one of the halls located in the building."Looks like it's going to be a big one." A staff member whispered to another as they directed guests through the lobby.There were reporters stationed outside, and a live broadcast of the event was being streamed."Well done, Tyler, that was a good one," Peter stated with a warm smile as Tyler walked up to him.The event had come to an end with a final speech from Tyler. Now the ball was in the court of the guest to actually invest in the project."Thank you, Dad," Tyler said, grabbing a wine glass from a passing waiter.Timothy Crawford was seated in one corner of the hall, silently observing and exchanging pleasantries with guests."Tyler, that was a good one. I guess you took the bull by the horns," Mr. Lee stat
For a few seconds, Nora struggled to find the words with which to respond to Tyler."Didn't mean to get you all scared, you know, just saying how bad it's going to look if Nathan finds out what happened in LA," Tyler muttered."You wouldn't dare!" Nora replied, her voice low and hardened as her eyes darted around the room, a flicker of tension betraying her tough behavior."Oh, you should worry about yourself; I just might tell him when you least expect it. That's why they say karma's a b*tch," Tyler responded, folding his hand on his chest."Then I bet you, you're going to lose all you ever hold dear; hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, Tyler. Thomas is going to get acknowledged as Nathan's heir, and then you're going to be worthless like you are meant to be," Nora spat at him in disdain.The smile on Tyler's face faded away as he took three steps closer to Nora, pushing back against a couch.Tyler leaned close, his lips to her ear as he whispered, "Oh, I would like to see you tr