The sound of idle conversation filled the air and flowed up the stairs as Ava stood on the landing, staring at Daphne with a look of disdain etched on her face."Hello, Daphne," Ava greeted smoothly, stopping in front of her.Daphne's gaze swept over Ava’s dress, her mouth twisted in scorn."Hello to you, too," she muttered, her voice dripping with mockery.Her eyes narrowed as they assessed Ava’s attire, her lips curling in a barely concealed smirk.“Well, Ava,” Daphne drawled slowly, “it looks like you really went all out for just a casual drinks house party.”Ava took a step back, unphased, and replied, "Looks like you did too. You look beautiful, by the way. He is all yours; I'm heading home."Daphne’s brow arched, her gaze frosty as she studied Ava, calculating her next move."Oh, you don’t have to end things because of me," she responded with a smile, adding, "Though, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying a little too hard to impress.”Ava’s smile, a hint of steel
"You did not just..." Emily said, staring at Ava in shock."And I will do it again if you don’t learn your lesson," Ava muttered, her voice low and steely."You wouldn’t dare if..." Emily began, stepping closer to Ava.Noah stepped between them, gently pulling Ava away. "Let's get back to enjoying the party. This is just a misunderstanding," he announced, dispersing the crowd.Ava brushed stray hair from her face, her expression tense. "Let’s go, Bella.""No. What you're doing is coming with me," Noah said firmly, pulling her out the back, away from the growing crowd.He kept walking until they were far enough from the house that the sounds of music and conversation faded into the night."What was that all about?" Noah asked, his voice steady but concerned."I just want to go home," Ava replied, avoiding his gaze."Yes, you will—but not while you’re this upset. You need to calm down first." Noah’s expression softened as he looked at her. "Do you know her from somewhere?"Ava was silen
Everyone looked at Timothy, waiting for him to speak."I want it streamed life this year; let's make the competition bigger than it currently is," Timothy said."What?" Tyler exclaimed, adding, "For a children's competition,""Really, thank you, grandpa," Nora replied, feeling excited."Father, are you sure about that? It's going to be some added expenses, and moreover, the date has already been set," Peter interjected."Well, all Nora needs to do is speak with the head of corporate communications at the office, and they'll handle the rest for her," Timothy replied."I thought you wanted to keep it away from the public that the school belonged to the Crawford group?" Nathan asked.Tiothy was idle for a few minutes before replying, "Yes, I did, but I think it won't be bad if we do now."Nora could not contain her excitement; it could only mean one thing. Timothy Crawford was finally ready to acknowledge Thomas as his grandson."This is going to be really splendid; I'll ensure to make s
Nora looked from Clara to Tyler and asked, "What do you mean by that?""Exactly what the words say," Tyler said."So I suggest you think carefully about what you do; who knows, it just might come to me after all," Tyler muttered.Nora looked from Clara to Tyler again, unable to deduce what those words meant."Are you threatening me?" Nora asked, her voice wavering slightly as she tried to control her composure in front of the two of them."Threatning? Naah, I don't have to do that," Clara replied, adding, "We are only speaking to what possibilities are on the table."Tyler simply smirked in response, leaving Nora feeling a sense of unease lingering in the air."Have a lovely night, 'The Mrs. Crawford'" Clara said mockingly and stood up to leave the room.Nora turned to Tyler and asked, "What the hell are you talking about?""Where did your bravado of just a few minutes go?" Tyelr asked with a laugh, adding, "Seeing how scared you're looking, you probably have something to hide."Nora
Mick gently touched her arm, snapping her back to the room.“Emily, look, I know you’re upset, but maybe you’re misinterpreting things here.”She shook her head, her voice dropping to a whisper.“I’m being serious, Mick; he looked like he would have beaten me up himself,” Emily shouted."Noah can be a lot of things, but he is not that," Mick replied, brushing a hand through his hair."Clearly you don't know him," Emily replied with a smile."Okay, hmm, Elliot is kind of busy right now, but you can wait for him if you like," Mick stated, changing the subject."I'll wait for as long as I have to; clearly, it does not seem like the party is ending anytime soon," Emily replied."No, I'll come back for you in a minute," Mick replied."Okay," Emily muttered, fishing for a phone in her bag.Mick checked the first room, and it was empty. He walked over to the second one and found it empty too.“Where could he be?” Mick wondered as he walked down the hall.He knocked on the door once before ope
“What?” Ava asked, her voice muffled with Bella’s hand over her lips.“Stop,” Bella said, a broad grin on her face as she added, “Your boyfriend is coming.”Ava laughed at her words, shaking her head as she looked back to see Noah walking towards them with a coverable disposable plate in hand.“Looks like you would like to go home with your grill,” Bella teased.Noah winked at her and replied, “You never can tell how handy it’ll come in for me.”As Noah looked away, his eyes went up to the window where Emily was standing, and the smile on his face faded.“That looks good, by the way,” Ava muttered, referring to the grilled meat.Noah’s face transformed as he looked back at Ava and replied, “I told you I’ve got excellent skills with it.”“I can see that; I didn’t think I would still be here to see it,” Ava muttered.“Well, everything seemed to work in my favor, so I can’t complain,” Noah replied.Bella stood grinning at them, at the soft banter they had going on.“Are we ready, ladies?"
"Well, it's not like he said anything; he just..." Nora replied trailing off."If he didn't say anything, how then did he threaten you?" Nathan asked, confused, as he turned to look at her."We were just talking about Thomas, and he mentioned something that..." Nora explained."Why were you talking about Thomas?" Nathan asked, his brow arched in question."I was, hmmm, telling him to..." Nora tried to explain, unsure how she was to tell him.Nathan sat silently staring at her, waiting for her to explain herself."You know what? Let's forget about it; Tyler was probably just being his typical self," Nora stated."Are you sure?" Nathan asked."Yes, I am; moreover, it's not like he and Clara would do anything if Timothy eventually allows Thomas name to be input as your successor," Nora mentioned in joy.Nathan smiled and lay beside her, drawing her into his arms and sighing deeply."Are you good?" Nora asked.Nathan closed his eyes, breathing in her very essence, but instead of seeing No
"What more is there to know?" Nathan asked Mike"I checked, and it seems there was a major accident around her parents house that night, but I'm not sure if she was involved." Mike explained.."So you're saying because there is no record of her, it means she probably was in the accident?" Nathan askedMike nodded his head and replied, "Well, probably.""What are the chances of that happening, Mike? It sounds like a script out of a movie," Nathan replied."I just feel like we should…" Mike started to say."While you keep looking into that, there is something important I want you to do for me," Nathan stated, cutting Mike off."Okay, what is that?" Mike asked."I need you to look through the file of Tyler's contract with the group on being the sole proprietorship for food-related ventures," Nathan stated."Okay, I'm not sure if getting that file would be easy; it's probably with the legal team and your father alone," Mike replied."You're just going to have to find a way; whatever I do
The person walked over to her, holding her gaze as the footsteps echoed in her ears.Amber could see the lips move, the concerned look come into his eyes as he spoke. Then she felt his hand on her shoulder, jerking her back to reality."Are you alright?" Brad asked, his brows etched in concern."Oh, I…I'm sorry, I didn't, um, sorry," Amber stammered.Brad was worried; he didn't know if he had startled her or if she had been lost in thought."You don't really look so good," Brad stated, stepping away from her.Amber coughed, trying to regain her composure. She didn't want to show how flustered she was."Hmm, yeah, I'm not... oh, hmm, I actually meant I am fine; it's a surprise to see you here today," Amber said hurriedly, changing the subject.Brad decided to take her answer at face value, not wanting to push her further."Well, I just have some questions to ask. Is Mrs. Chucks around? or who can I speak with?" He replied with a warm smile."Oh, hummm, what do you want to ask about? Al
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