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15: Honeymoon to Venice (II)
Last Updated:
2025-01-13 21:01:04
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Sunshine and The Beast 16: Honeymoon to Venice (III)
AltheaTo say that Venice was nice was an understatement. Sure, some places weren’t as nice as those mesmerizing photography you’d seen online, but Venice got what I’ve been looking for. In another life, I hoped I was born rich, so that I could go to Venicea thousand times and explore more of its beauty and arts.We have visited 3 museums and one art exhibition in total, and all he did was follow me around without protest. I almost thought I was accompanied by someone that was not Matthias Cox. I did not plan anything, all of those museums were mentioned by him. It’s like we were on a trip and he was my tour guide.Should I start to worry or was it okay for me to relax?“Now, next ….”I stopped him when we were walking out from the exhibition we’ve just seen. “Do you want to go elsewhere?”“Why?” He asked me back. “There were still a few museums left.”So he really had a list with him. SInce when? And why though?I’d love to do that again, sure, but I was not alone here, and even i
Last Updated : 2025-01-14Sunshine and The Beast 17: Honeymoon to Venice (IV)
Matthias“Are you done yet?”My gaze diverted to the bathroom door as Althea went out with a red turtleneck and a black jeans. A towel wrapped her hair, and the bathrobe was in her left arm.“Done,” I said to her as I locked my tab screen. An hour ago, Ren called and asked me to join a Zoom Meeting. CaT–Cox and Tech–had a new investor that offered a big deal, but he wanted to talk to me in person as soon as possible, hence why the sudden meeting.“In the end it’s not really a honeymoon, huh? Some people still nudge you with work.”“It’s not like we’re having a real honeymoon too.” I added, and she rolled her eyes.“But we’re pretending that we do, is it not?” “You need to do better then.” I eyed her ankle. “How is it?”“It’s fine. Thanks to the meds and the doctor.”“How about you thank me too?” I didn’t really need it, actually. “If you need a reminder, you left me yesterday.” Her eyes squinted, giving me that irritating look.“And you chose to keep walking.” I shrugged. “It’s not
Last Updated : 2025-01-16Sunshine and The Beast 18: Sudden (Mis)Fortune
AltheaCalm before the storm, they said.To be honest, my three days in Venice were not that “calm”, but it definitely was nothing compared to what I had to deal with today: business.I could summarize and categorize that in one word, even the fact that it wasn’t simple at all. Our newest beauty product (which was the first product of Erbeauty under me) would be released two weeks from now on, yet before its launch, someone already protested and claimed it as a plagiarized item. The first product that I had been working on was called a mere copy.Way to ruin my effort, anonymous.I knew how it felt like to be copied. As an art student, plagiarizing and getting plagiarized sometimes happened, but it didn’t necessarily mean that it was easy to deal with.In fact, it was not. And this was issued not for me personally, but for my company.“God, how foolish can they be? Their product is the one that looks like a copy.” My new assistant, Rebecca, grumbled as she offered her tab to me. “Who
Last Updated : 2025-01-18Sunshine and The Beast 19: Trial and Error
AltheaI felt like I’ve done something big today.Was it okay for me to be proud of myself? I did not want to be a narcissist, but it sure felt good to get a deal that might help me to solve my current problem. And it was C&D, most of all.I couldn’t clearly remember when was the last time I was proud about something I’ve done. Lately it was only bad decisions one after another, which was not something to be proud of. I had no one to tell me that they were proud of me. Granny, for example, wasn’t someone that would rain me with praises. She would only give me a small nod or tell me to work harder.Granny, if you could see this, would you be proud of me?Lorine Clarks and I had a deal not only for the investment of The Art Palette’s Collection, but also for a possible collaboration in the future. For once in a while, maybe becoming this happy was okay.Or at least that was what I thought, before I went home and found Matthias on the sofa. When I entered the room, he suddenly stood. It
Last Updated : 2025-01-23Sunshine and The Beast 20: Proud Husband
AltheaThankfully, because of a certain someone, my mood this morning was ruined even before I started to do anything.When I checked my phone as I prepared to work, Rebecca had sent me a few article links about the plagiarism case. Rebecca M.They sure are trying to attack you personally this timeI got an instant headache when I looked at the news, seeing a photo of my face blurred, with another incredible headline: CEO of Erbeauty got several plagiarism cases in college.What the hell are they talking about?It was almost like the news and accusations thrown toward me was getting worse each day. The amount of nonsense in those articles was so ridiculous, to the point it wasn't believable. But people love to believe things that were untrue, even if they knew it was a blatant lie. Some people were invested in the drama, not the truth.Althea C.We really need to look for a lawyer, right?Can you look up for the writers of those articles? Give me the list once we meet at the officeW
Last Updated : 2025-01-26Sunshine and The Beast 21: Must Be The Fever
AltheaThe first trial would be held next week.So far, the progress was good on my side. I couldn’t explain how exactly, but Matthias found out the writers of those ugly lies–as he called them–were paid by the owner of Cleoraque, Martha Anastasia, that one brand that claimed my product was only a copycat. “Martha is one of Davos’s nieces,” Matthias informed me. “You know what that means.”Even if I didn’t really like the idea, he was right. I wasn’t sure of what method my father used to get to business. From what I’ve seen, he chose to invest in something rather than creating another product on his own. Erbeauty haven’t released any new products in years. It was only an updated formula or packaging, or special editions. It didn’t matter anyway. My father still got his money running with his investment.The launch of my Art Palette was a good sign for the company, and also a warning for my rivals. I never wanted to have one, but business was a cruel world. When Matthias said it like
Last Updated : 2025-01-27Sunshine and The Beast 22: His Grandmother (I)
AltheaI didn’t know much about marriage. So, I might not be a suitable person to comment on this, but I knew we were skipping steps a lot. Like … A LOT. You would take your spouse or partner to meet your family before you marry them. While Matthias took me to his family once, this was my first time to meet his grandmother. I’ve met his uncles, aunts, cousins, niece, and so on. The meeting didn’t go long, so I wasn’t thinking about it too much. There was no important or meaningful conversation going. But this time, it was different. Despite Matthias kept telling me it wouldn’t be much, I could feel it was different for him. We did not meet in some grand luxurious hotel or fancy restaurant, nor in our penthouse, but in Osman Cox’old house. We stayed there for two days to clean up and prepare the whole house. This was also my first time to visit.“It will be easier for her to be in here rather than ours.” He once told me that. Matthias reasoned it was because of the lift, stairs, a
Last Updated : 2025-01-28Sunshine and The Beast 6B: Before The Deal
(This was before chapter 7, I forgot to add this, so I upload this to minimize plot hole. Sorry for the inconvenience.)-AltheaIt was only two o’clock in the evening, and I already missed my bed.Not because I wanted to sleep that bad, but because I needed it. I barely had any sleep for a few days. I went to my new office yesterday. I haven’t met anyone face to face, but I had a few Zoom meetings about business in the morning until evening, and I got to catch up to learn anything I didn’t understand, which was basically everything. In my free time, I had to do my social activity–at least that's how Josh called it. It was a softer version of “looking for a husband, call if interested”.No one asked me if I was interested in this or not. Free answer: I totally did not.I thought by being rich, one would feel sufficient enough to be alone. Once you got money, what more would you want?Then I knew the answer. Of course, more money. Enough was nothing but a concept, an illusion created
Last Updated : 2025-01-28
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Sunshine and The Beast 91: An Online Tease
AltheaI rarely missed people in my life.Granny was one special case, since I didn't have that many people in my life to begin with. But this time, I couldn't explain what I felt except that I missed Matthias when he appeared on my computer screen.He looked tired, but still handsome as ever—his shirt sleeves rolled to the elbows, the first two buttons undone. His hair was slightly tousled, like he’d run his fingers through it too many times, and there was a shadow under his eyes that hadn’t been there before he left.“Hey,” I greeted softly, adjusting the webcam. “Hey,” he replied. His voice alone made my shoulders drop a little, as if it was a bit of fresh air and I could finally breathe again. “You look... relaxed. That’s good.”I smiled and leaned back just slightly, enough for him to catch the see-through slip I was wearing, the soft, sheer fabric falling off one shoulder. His eyes darkened immediately. “You’re trying to kill me,” he said.“Just trying to keep your focus on m
Sunshine and The Beast 90: What's His, What's Mine
Business was a gamble.Like it or not, that was the fact. High risk, high return. It’s just that this gamble required more planning than just luck, and some who were invited today were all gamblers in business. Including me myself.By the time I reached the conference hall the next day, the sun had barely begun to shine and warm the cobbled streets of Milan. My name was on the program, printed in glossy ink beside the Cox & Tech logo with other invited speakers as well, and the organizers were eager to parade it. “The rising star of innovation,” one of them had said last night over dinner, like I was a brand instead of a person.I didn’t particularly care for the spotlight. But I had learned how to use it.The event was held in a grand, glass-and-stone building that overlooked one of the quieter canals. A few journalists lingered near the entrance, but not many. Most of the press would come later, for the big-name speakers. Right now, it was all murmurs and espresso, greetings between
Sunshine and The Beast 89: The Conference (I)
Matthias“And … yep. You’re ready to go.”Althea nodded slowly after adjusting my tie, her lips curling into a soft smile. “You look good with that tie.”I never really cared about ties, honestly. As long as I looked neat and presentable, that was enough. But I wasn’t about to complain if someone else took notice and made me look even more “put together.” And that person was Althea.“You’re really okay on your own?” I asked her once again.She rolled her eyes. “I didn’t know you like to ask one question a thousand times, Matt. I am okay. The baby too. We’ll be fine. Just … you know, tell me if anything happens over there, okay?”That was supposed to be my line.I was actually reluctant to attend this business conference. But Cox and Tech—my company—needed to be present, especially since I was one of the speakers this time. The Milan conference was a major event, one with strong potential to expand business opportunities through collaborations, investments, and various other deals.
Sunshine and The Beast 88: The Grandmaster
Folded Page.Another plan has been successfully implemented.The man looked at the pile of papers on his desk, saw various contract signatures, letters of agreement, as well as some evidence of handover of asset transfers. It's just as usual sucess, nothing to be proud of. But this time, one contract caught his attention. The one who signed it made his smile grow bigger.Oh, Althea. Sweet Althea, he thought. She was definitely his favorite lamb. The one he wanted to keep at its best condition before it's used as the main course.A special main course, of course.The man then touched the edge of the contract with his fingertip, especially on the name listed. His chest was pounding with enthusiasm and anticipation, even though he already knew what was going to happen next.Oh, of course he did. He planned it. He planned everything.He would continue to take care of this name, to pay attention to it. No scratches, no wounds. At least, not yet. To keep it beautiful. To keep it the way he
Sunshine and The Beast 87: Protecting You in My Way
AltheaThings were changing. A lot.Althea Lewis from the past didn’t like uncertain and quick changes. Well, that was me. It took time to get used to anything, so to had a drastic change all of a sudden was draining.I meant, it took me months to finally be able to get a grasp of my new world, this business thing. And I couldn’t even say that I’d masteredt it.God knew I was far from it.Yet somehow, I didn’t mind the change that happened between Matthias and I. I liked it even, if I could put it that way.It felt like he was an entire different person, yet remained the same. The same Matthias Cox, but better. He brought a kind of stillness that didn’t demand anything from me, which was something I didn’t expect from him. At least me from months ago wouldn’t.He was calm where I was tense. He knew what to do, precise, where I was scattered and needed a lot of guidance. I didn’t need to explain my silences to him—he simply understood them. Vice versa, I didn’t feel the urge to ask abo
Sunshine and The Beast 86: My Wife
MatthiasTristan Kennedy.One name that I didn't really care about before. One name that had lived quietly in the shadows all this time, like a ghost behind a curtain. Everyone knew who Charles Kennedy was. He wasthe filthy rich misogynist who had crazy ideas that almost tanked his own empire.Almost. Underlined that word. Because his company was also one of a kind, an evidence of miracle, some would said.Some said that Charles came to his senses before the fall, miraculously managing to steer the wheel before he succumbed to illness. Others said it was a blessing from God for bad people. The latter sounded like nonsense, if you asked me. That kind of poetic ending sounded dramatic, too clean. I never liked those versions of the story. If God was real, He didn’t run a business portfolio. And companies like K Company didn’t just bounce back from near-collapse on sheer luck.Someone had pulled the strings. And if they could do that, then they were either a genius, or a psycho. The line
Sunshine and The Beast 85: The Boy from The Past
MatthiasEven though people say the crime scene will be the strongest evidence, the reality is often not the case. There would be times where you found nothing but the wind, no trace of a scent.However, again, I didn't have many options.The police station was not helpful, the orphanage that Cyan visited—I didn't have time to go because of the many meetings and the money-crazy people who could only sue instead of thinking and working—didn't give much information, so my option was Staten Junior High.I had gone to Marcus before to ask about Reiley, but I went back to school to ask something else; to see things from a different perspective. Some things was worth it to be checked twice. At least, I hope this one did.I had never thought I would come here once again, and some of the teachers sure shared the same thought, but they welcomed me nevertheless.“Mr. Cox, come in,” said Mrs. Josephine, the new vice head principal. She smiled so brightly, probably because I just told her a few d
Sunshine and The Beast 84: We Missed You
AltheaIt was weird remembering how before I felt like I can’t get used to this world, and a few months later I felt empty because I wasn’t sitting on my working desk.It was strange; how quickly the walls of my office started to feel like home again. The smell of brewed coffee lingering in the air, the faint hum of the overhead lights, the rustling sound of papers and keyboards and footsteps just outside the glass doors.It had only been a few weeks since I last stepped into this space, but it felt longer. Too long. I used to complain about deadlines and office noise, but now that I was here again… I missed it. All of it. Even the chaos.I walked into my office slowly, fingers grazing the edge of my desk like I was reacquainting myself with something lost. It was clean, perfectly arranged. Just the way I left it.“God, finally.”I turned around and found Rebecca, my assistant, standing at the doorway, arms crossed, a wide grin on her face. She looked the same, stylish as always, sharp
Sunshine and The Beast 83: Is This Okay?
Althea“Is everything okay, Matt?”The question slipped out before I could stop myself. I tried to make it sound casual—nonchalant, even—but my voice betrayed me with just the faintest edge of concern.Matthias stood across the room, near the wide living room window, one hand loosely holding his phone while the other hung at his side. The morning light softened the angles of his face, casting a golden glow across the lines of his jaw, but it didn’t do much to hide the tension in his shoulders.He didn’t answer immediately. He just stared down at the screen like he was reading something important. Or pretending to.“Matt?” I called him once again.Finally, he exhaled and looked over his shoulder. “Yeah. Everything’s under control.”It was the kind of answer you gave to stop more questions. The kind meant to reassure without actually offering anything real. I set my coffee cup down on the table a little too loudly.“That’s not really what I asked,” I said, more pointedly this time.Matt
