The event was for the launch of their company's latest achievement; a cutting-edge virtual assistant technology, automated to perfection, was being held in one of the most luxurious venues in Munich known for its high-tech innovations, and the atmosphere was nothing short of awe-inspiring.A sleek, red, newest edition luxury Rolls-Royce glided to a stop in front of the grandeur venue, as its polished surface reflected the multitude of flashing lights from paparazzi, and an able-bodied chauffeur stepped out of the car instantly to the back side of the car. He opened the back door smoothly, and Ivan stepped out, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit that highlighted his tall, athletic frame, as he stood with an effortless allure and sophistication. As the spotlight caught his face, he turned slightly, extending a hand into the car, to Skylar, who was already trying to help herself out. Her heart skipped and she hesitated where the kind gesture was coming from. Still skeptical about t
The sound of Skylar's fall echoed through the event room, drawing the attention of nearby guests, as laughter rippled through the crowd when they all saw her sprawled on the ground. “Clumsy,” someone muttered, and the hateful word stung more than the pain in her ankle. “She doesn't deserve to even be here. Now she just ruins the mood,” another spat maliciously, her eyes rolling disdainfully. “That is what happens when you try so hard to fit in,” A jibe escaped another. “Such lowlife.” “An embarrassment!” Their mean words painted Skylar's ears dirty, and shattered her head mercilessly, so that she almost cried right on that spot, heavily mortified by what had just ensued. “You should watch where you are going,” the lady, whose heels she had tripped on muttered, her eyes rolling contemptuously, “I am sure your dress wouldn't hurt so much to reimburse. It is a knockoff after all,” her words dripped spite. Just as Skylar was about to push herself up and scurry away from the m
The morning light filtered faintly through the floor-to-ceiling windows and shone brightly on her sleeping face, which caused her to stir noticeably, and her eyes slowly fluttered awake as she came to the awareness of her surroundings. As she stretched languidly, her eyes suddenly widened in shock as the memories of the previous day flooded her head in vivid detail. She couldn’t help the awkwardness that settled in her chest as a soft gasp escaped her, and the thoughts of him sleeping behind her made her heart skip. Carefully, she slowly began to turn her head, hoping that he would still be sleeping, so that she might save herself from further embarrassment from seeing his face. However, he was gone when she turned her face. Instantly, emotions swirled within her as she sat up and glanced around the room, half expecting to see him pop out somewhere, even if there was a sort of uncertainty settling in her heart from the hesitation about seeing him already. Nude, Skylar cl
Kali stood behind the counter, her facial expression still in its usual state of indifference as she wiped down the wooden surface carefully, and focused intently on what she was doing, that she had not seen who made their way into the café right at that moment. Casually strolling inside, Leo's eyes briefly scanned the vibrant room, before making his way straight to the counter to order his favorite coffee, with the thought of enjoying the beautiful scenery the café had to offer, while waiting for his friend to finally pick up his call. It was then that he saw her in her usual fierce demeanor as she carefully began to mill fresh coffee beans in the coffee grinder, but with a facial expression that seemed rather softer than the previous night at the bar, and he had never been so shocked. He had not expected to see her in such a place where everything seemed so cozy and beautiful, which was a sharp contrast to where he had last seen her. And he was instantly awed by the realization
The conference room buzzed with excitement as the team gathered for the post-event debrief that morning, to talk about the success of the new product pop-up event that had been completed the previous day. Ivan leaned back in his chair, listening intently as the head of PR began the discussion, while Skylar sat miles away in a corner of the meeting room as usual, intently taking notes. “The event has exceeded all expectations,” the PR lead began, glancing at the digital presentation projected on the wall, “Celebrities and socialites have already been spotted using the new virtual assistant technology automation system, and social media are buzzing with hashtags about the product, as well as the purchasing website. Influencers are posting stories, and even some of the most hard-to-reach tech reviewers are giving it high marks,” he said, with a professional demeanor, even if he struggled to contain his bliss. Ivan fought a satisfied smile that was about to curve his lips, as he lis
“Where has your phone been all day?!” Leo half-yelled at the other side of the phone as soon as Ivan picked up his call.“I didn't see any missed calls,” he had a surprise on his face as he tilted the phone away from his ear as if to check if he had truly missed his call. “You never see them,” A sigh escaped him. “Are you okay?” Ivan was more concerned about that, noticing that his ever-bubbly and energetic friend seemed to sound so languid from the other side, “You don't sound too good.” “Yeah, I am not,” Leo replied lazily. “You finally got kicked out for giving bad therapy?” He teased, a taunting smile dancing on his lips. “Worse!” “What?” Ivan gave a startled gasp, upon realizing that Leo seemed to be in a more bad situation than he thought, “What is up with you?” He couldn't help but ask. “Yeah, so I am in Manchester right now, and I have been shot in the heart,” he revealed plainly, unable to hide his feelings. “You are in Manchester?” Ivan's forehead wrinkled in surpr
“Let me see,” Ivan said, his voice low but firm, as he gently took her hand in his, looking intently at the cut skin with so much concern scribbled on his face, his thumb brushed over the wound with a feather-light touch, his expression darkening with worry. “You should have been careful,” he murmured, his voice a hushed whisper as he chided her as if speaking to himself. The air between them grew thick with a palpable tension that made her pulse quicken, as Skylar watched him intently, feeling the warmth of his hand against hers. The room seemed to shrink, the noise of the world fading away, leaving only the sound of their breathing, as his fingers moved, so tenderly, as if afraid of causing her more pain. Quickly, Ivan sauntered to where the drawers were and grabbed the small first-aid kit that was inside, before he quickly pulled out an antiseptic wipe and began to clean the bloody cut. “Sorry,” he whispered when she inhaled sharply in reaction to the sting, his breath warm a
“We found a donor!”Were the words that continued to ring in Skylar's mind as soon as she received a call from the hospital, and till she got back to Manchester on the plane together with Ivan, she could barely breathe or speak. It felt like a miracle she hadn’t dared to believe could happen. Her knees had weakened, as she struggled with her tears, which radiated the happiness in her heart, that her woman who had always been her pillar, was finally getting a chance at life again. Right after she and Ivan arrived at the HAVAN empire hangar, she was driven to the hospital by one of the company's chauffeurs, and it took a lot of convincing for her to stop him from accompanying her. It was to keep their boundaries and the media straight. They could not have another problem upon their arrival. Skylar scurried toward the ICU after she met with the doctor, her feet moving faster with each step until she was practically running until she got to the front of her mother's ward, where she cou
The lucent rays of sunlight permeating the room bashed the face of the young man sprawled on the bed, prompting him to subconsciously stir out of his sleep and instantly squint his eyes. A soft moan escaped him as his eyelids jumped open simultaneously, causing him to reflexively shut his eyes instantly the moment the rays of light seeping in through the drapes of the floor-to-ceiling windows assaulted his eyes. Instantly, he rolled his body to the other side and turned his face, before a low groan suddenly escaped him the moment a throbbing headache plagued his head. ‘Shit. Why did his head hurt this badly?’ Grayson wondered as he slowly tried to own his eyes again, and instantly brought his hand from his side to massage his temples as tenderly as it could. It was at that moment that he realized. The room he was in smelled of expensive liquor, faint perfume, and the remnants of a reckless night, causing him to compulsively turn to look at the other side where the light had been
Ivan wanted to do something grand, so he took Leo's advice and decided to plan the biggest surprise package ever in a way that would make Skylar's heart move past whatever anger she had toward him. He hadn't even thought of it at all before. With a final tap on the screen of his laptop, he sent her a message that contained information about the luxurious six-star hotel that he wanted her to meet him at for a private rooftop dinner under the stars, and also had a custom-designed dinner dress and heels package sent to her door already.Anticipation of how everything would turn out perfectly at the very end of the date thumped through his heart as he confirmed the last minute appointment he made, which was going to be a drone display that would proclaim his true feelings for her. It was going to be the highlight of the date. And just right at the moment when a satisfied smirk tugged at the side of his lips, his private phone which was sitting on his dresser suddenly began to vibrate, a
The main door of the mansion slammed so hard with a force that threatened to fall off behind Grayson, as he stormed out of the mansion the moment he left his mother's sight with so much anger coursing through his veins. His balled fist trembled with repressed fury and his face scrunched up in a mask of steaming rage, as he made his way toward the sleek black car that he parked outside in front of the mansion. He got behind the driving wheel, ignited it immediately, floored on the accelerator, and drove out of the mansion at a crazy speed, as his mother's words echoed in his head again and again. “Step out of your brother's shadow and prove that you are worthy of the responsibility and her.”“Damn it!” He cussed angrily and hit his steering wheel angrily as he drove, unable to even think of where to go. ‘His mother had given him the worst option ever! How could she toil with his emotions like that?! How could she tell him to take over HAVAN so that he could keep a woman?’ ‘As muc
With a heavy heart, Skylar sat motionless in her chair all day, her gaze fixed on the same spreadsheet she had been pretending to work on for hours, with her mind far away from what was even going on around her. She had expected to see him a few hours later, after she thought that the storm concerning his mother proposing the most ridiculous idea must have passed, because the news that the votes turned against her quickly went like wildfire in the company. She anticipated that he would come back so that she would have the chance to explain herself, but it didn't seem like it at all. He didn't return till she clocked out late at night. The emptiness in her chest grew heavier and sadness seeped into her bones as she walked out of her office, her footsteps heavy on the quiet halls of the building, like her thoughts were drowning out of the world around her. As Skylar sauntered out of the main building, the cool night air kissed her puffy cheeks, but it did little to clear the haze c
Skylar was seated behind her work desk, motionless and absent-minded, as her fingers remained limp against the keyboard. In her heart was a heaviness that she couldn't even speak of, and it ached with the pain of confrontation that she had just endured. She couldn’t focus at all. The memory of Ivan's angry face that flashed at her the moment he entered the room refused to evade her, and his accusatory words that hinted at frustration and disappointment made her heartache. Nothing even hurt more than the fact that he didn't wait to hear her explain herself. He was just mad that she had met Grayson. “I can explain what happened,” she fought with her shaky voice as she tried to explain herself, but he had been too mad to even listen. “So you have been meeting him behind my back?! Since when?! And why?! Is that why you have been giving me an attitude for almost two days now?” He raged at her with words that slammed her heart against a wall with excruciating force, as her eyes watered
A man burst through the double doors of the executive hallway, his shoes thudding against the polished marble floor as he sprinted with a desperation that was fueled by panic, his hair disheveled and dampened with sweat. He barreled into the secretary’s office after an impatient knock, as he entered with the intention of informing Skylar of what was going on, only to come in direct contact with Ivan, who was also standing in the room. His steel-blue eyes flicked up in measured curiosity as the man skidded to a halt, narrowly avoiding slamming into a sleek leather armchair, almost melting as he tried to balance himself, barely catching his breath amid the suffocating tension that settled in the air. “Sir?” the man gasped, struggling to contain both his breath, almost stuttering, “Your…mother. No. I mean,” he shook his head in an attempt to correct himself, “Mrs. Hamilton is here.” Ivan, who still had flickers of rage scribbled over his face, arched a single eyebrow, with the fainte
The restaurant they were seated in crackled with tension as Amelia's sharp gaze locked onto Carlos's, her arms crossed, and her lips pursed in a fiery scowl, “You don’t even call me anymore,” she snapped, her voice slicing through the charged air like a whip. “Is that why you asked to meet me early this morning?” Carlos stared at her in disbelief, wondering if that was all she had to say when she called and asked to see him so urgently at the restaurant that was nearest to his house. “Is that what I am saying, Carlos?! I said that you don't even talk to me anymore! You would have called if I hadn't,” her face scrunched up into a frown, unable to stand the fact that he was disregarding her concern. Carlos met her glare, his jaw tightening in repressed anger, “You said that it was what you wanted,” he countered, his tone calm but strained, as if walking a tightrope over a chasm of resentment. He couldn't even believe she would be asking him that. “You would have called regardless,”
“Why?” Her eyebrows were raised in confusion, as she wondered why he was saying that. “The public announcement will be worth more,” he told her and skipped talking about it quickly, and she nodded slowly as if absorbing in bits what he meant. “Are you okay, though? You don't sound like yourself,” Carlos observed. Skylar pressed her lips together and shut her eyes for a moment, as she smiled again, “Yeah, I am fine,” she lied, “Just... tired. You know how it is.”“I get it,” Carlos sounded so concerned, “But if you need anything, you know I am here at your beck and call. And I mean anything,” he reminded her. Skylar felt a rush of gratitude in her heart because of his unmerited kindness towards her, and she couldn't help but be emotionally thankful at the moment, as she repeated, “Thank you, Carl. Thank you so much. You have been amazing, really. As soon as I am able to, I will take you out to eat. Anywhere you want. It is going to be my treat,” she promised. Carlos chuckled again
In the silent hospital room where nothing but the rhythmic beeping of the machines that monitored her mother’s vitals, Skylar sat again beside the bed, this time properly dressed in a pale-blue disposable safety suit, with her gloved hands gently wrapped around her mother’s frail right hand. She was unable to think properly after she returned from Ivan's house and knew she wouldn't even be able to perform well if she went home immediately. Instead, she returned to the hospital, asked to see her mother again, and was granted the grace to see her properly this time. However, her thoughts were far from at ease or where she was seated, as she stared blankly at her mother's bed, her mind spinning in a relentless tide of worry and self-doubt. Amid her fear for her mother and the fear for herself, her head was blowing up with pain, and her heart was racing with so much angst.She pressed her trembling lips together, struggling to contain the storm brewing inside her, as she tried not to l