Blake studied the shrilling phone for a while and then picked up the receiver. “Hello, Blake Carter on the line,” he said into the mouthpiece and leaned back in his seat. His fingers tapping a soundless rhythm against his polished mahogany desk. "Blake, it's Derek. Check your email. We won!" His voice crackled with excitement, his joy palpable even through the phone. The hotel deal had finally come through.“We are the highest bidder! The hotel is going to be ours, Blake! We actually did it!"“Yes, we did it.” A wave of excitement surged throughout his body. “I told you we would. So what's next now?”“You just check our email box. Everything is there.”“Okay, listen,” he sat upright in his seat. “I will do just that, and call you later at night so we can talk better.”“Great!” Derek replied, his voice brimming with satisfaction. That's fine. I will expect your call.”Blake returned the receiver and closed his eyes, savoring the moment. He closed his eyes, savoring the moment. The y
The crisp air nipped at Tasha's cheeks as she stepped out of her car on Thursday morning. It was after eight. The familiar scent of fallen leaves and damp earth filling her lungs. She had to go to the bank to have a meeting with her bank officer after she dropped Tyson off at school. Now she was almost getting late for the weekly staff meeting. She readjusted her scarf, as she watched for the traffic before she crossed the road. "Good morning, Professor!" a voice called out, and Tasha responded with a warm wave, her smile widening as she recognized the eager face of a student from her Introduction to Business Management class. Tasha crossed the road and started walking towards the departmental building. The corridor buzzed with the energy of a thousand conversations, a symphony of laughter and hurried footsteps. Tasha navigated the throng, her heels clicking rhythmically against the polished floor. She stopped to exchange greetings with Florence, a non-academic staff, sharing a qu
Tasha finished up with her students one hour later and hurried back to her office. She needed to call her parents before she went for her next lecture. Tasha reached for her phone, her heart still pounding with joy. She dialed her mother's phone number and paced the floor of her office as the phone rang. Finally, her mother's cheery voice answered. "Hello, dear! Your father and I were just talking about your visit tomorrow." Her mother was happy to hear her voice and happier that she would see her the next day. She sat on the sofa in the corner of her office. “Mom, I have some amazing news! Tasha's eyes welled up with tears again. “Put the phone on speaker because of Dad.” “Really?” her mother asked. “Yes, the phone is on speaker. Now tell us.”"Mom, Dad, I got promoted to the rank of professorship!" She shouted on top of her voice into her phone.“Oh, my God!” her mother exclaimed, followed by a moment of silence. “Congratulations, honey.”Tasha could hear her father in the backgr
Tuesday night, Blake arrived at his parents' mansion at seven pm on the dot. He climbed out from the back of the car and walked up to the front door. The door opened before he could knock. It was Jolie, his sister who opened the door and welcomed him with her smile. “We've been expecting you,” she scowled up her face, still smiling. “You kept us starving?”“Sorry,” he kissed her on the cheeks. “Vanessa wouldn't let me leave the office until I signed some documents she just remembered they need tomorrow for some distribution.”“Hey man,” Perry, Jolie's husband, came nearer to them. “How is it going man,” Blake greeted back and they hugged.They asked about each other's kids.“You are here,” their father said, emerging from the sunroom with a warm smile on his face. Their mother came out from the kitchen, followed by one of the kitchen staff who placed a big dish on the dining table and returned to the kitchen. Blake exchanged a handshake with his father and went ahead to kiss his
“It's okay,” Mrs. Carter pushed forward on her seat. “I think both of you should talk about this another time.”“No, mom,” Blake insisted, veins throbbing in his neck. “We are going to talk now.”“I think it's too early for him to remarry Dad,” Jolie tried to wade in. “I mean, he just lost his wife.”“Come off it!” Gerald snarled. “He didn't lose his wife. The stupid girl divorced him and left before she died.”“Anyway Dad,” Blake spoke again. “I am not ready to remarry. I will only get married when I find a woman I love. This time around it's going to be on my terms.”“That can't work,” Gerald glared at his son. “I want to retire. You have to take over from me. The board will not approve you as the chairman if you refuse to get married.”“Yeah.” Blake stood up, throwing his hands in the air. “Why do I have to live by the books, by the rules? Why can't I be allowed to do what I want for once?”“That's because you are not ordinary,” came his father's jabbing reply. “You are an heir, an
“It was a pleasure meeting you both," Blake said, his voice warm but measured as he stood up stretching his towards the representatives of the corporate events planning company, who wanted to work with Carter Industries on their forthcoming anniversary. "We'll certainly consider your proposal. And get back to you.”“Thank you, Mr. Carter,” the man nearer to Blake said, shaking his hand. His smile was wide and hopeful. The other person, a lady, shook Blake's hand too.He felt the weight of their eyes on him as he shook their hands, each grip firm and confident. He could sense their eagerness, their belief in their ability to elevate Carter Industries to new heights. "We're confident we can deliver a campaign that will truly resonate with your target audience," one of them said, his voice brimming with enthusiasm."We'll be in touch.” Blake nodded, his gaze unwavering. "You enjoy your day.”After they left, Blake turned to the chief operations officer, who was in the meeting with him,
“You are lagging in your studies, Jamie” Tasha removed her reading glasses and dropped it on her desk. “Talk to me. What is going on?”Jamie's marks had been below forty throughout the semester. Tasha became worried and asked him to see her. "Professor Harrison," Jamie stammered, "I've been struggling with the coursework. I need help.”Tasha set her elbows on the desk. "Of course, Jamie, I am here to help you" she replied. "Tell me more about the areas you're having trouble with."Jamie took a deep breath, and said, “strategic planning, market analysis, and financial management. Those are my problem areas.”Tasha checked the time on her wristwatch and smiled at Jamie. "I understand your concerns, Jamie," Tasha said. "These topics can be overwhelming at first, but they become clearer with practice and a deep understanding of the fundamentals.” Jasmine nodded, listening attentively to all that she was explaining.“I'm going to give you two books to read.” she stood up and walked to he
Tasha opened her eyes slowly on Saturday morning in her childhood bedroom. She felt relaxed and rejuvenated, having slept very early last night. As usual, Tyson had abandoned her immediately when they arrived at Sandville. He had gone home with his cousins, Tasha’s brother's kids. Checking the time, it was 4:16 in the morning. She parted the window blind. The outside was still dark. A bittersweet smile spread across Tasha's lips as she leaned back on her pillows. “Who would have thought that I would still be single…without a man by this time of my life?” Tasha thought, feeling overwhelmed by loneliness like never. She tried to block the thought away as always and returned to sleep. She didn't wake until one hour later. By the time she looked outside, the weather was already changing. She slid out of the bed and went to use the bathroom, after which left the room for the kitchen. As expected, her mother was there with a steaming cup of coffee in front of her. But she was just startin