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2021-10-19 15:27:16When Tyra got back from the party, she found her mother waiting in her apartment. Elizabeth Okello was a tall woman in her early fifties.
There was a resemblance between mother and daughter, but the lines lining the older woman's face make it harder to notice. There was always a frown on her face, or a sneer.
Elizabeth was standing at the windows, looking at the city skyline beyond. Tyra's apartment was on the twelfth floor of a high-rise residential building in one of the most affluent neighborhoods in the city.
"Mother?" Tyra called as she placed her keys on the side table near the door and walked into the room.
Elizabeth turned, and Tyra noticed the lit cigarette in her hand. She wished
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The CEO's Love 12
On Sunday evening, Amanda walked into the dining room at her family home and instantly wished to turn around and walk away. Her father and Rebecca were already occupying two of the seats, with Rebecca taking the seat to the right of their father. There was no sign of their brother, Simon. When Amanda received the call from her father asking her to attend a family dinner that evening, she had hoped Simon would make an appearance. But, as usual, that proved to have been too much to expect of their brother. Simon rarely did things their father asked of him. "Nice of you to finally show up," Rebecca snarked, giving a pointed look at the watch on her wrist. "Sorry," Amanda muttered half-heartedly and occupied the seat that was directly opposite her sister. "It's alright," Charles assured her. "Now that you're here, let's eat."
Last Updated : 2021-10-24The CEO's Love 13
The moment Amanda walked out of the elevator in the office building on Monday morning, Cara appeared, tablet in hand. "You have a meeting with the CEO in five." Amanda already knew that. She had taken time the previous evening to pore over her schedule. That's something she always did, but this time, the motivation behind the habit was different. It was her first day back to work after a month's absence. More importantly, she was going to meet Lucas at work for the first time. Studying her schedule allowed her to plan in her mind how she would carry through the day as smoothly as possible. Over and over, she had drummed into her mind that this was just another day at work. The two walked into Amanda's office, where she placed her bag and coat aside. Cara handed her a file. "You'll need this."
Last Updated : 2021-10-24The CEO's Love 14
The Lemaiyan Group Headquarters was a 19-floor steel and glass building that stood out from the rest of the block in terms of grandeur, sheer size, and design. It was about a decade old, and proof of the upward trajectory the conglomerate had been on for the past twenty years. Amanda took the elevator to the 17th floor, where her father's expansive office was located. The secretary's face morphed into surprise for a second when she appeared, but the expression was quickly replaced by a smile. She shot to her feet and greeted formally, "Good morning, Miss." "Morning, Lucy. I believe I'm on time for my meeting with the chairman, no?" Lucy looked towards the Chairman's door, then back at Amanda. "Yes, it's time, but--" "But?" "Your sister just arrived." Amanda stiffened. "Rebecca is in the
Last Updated : 2021-10-25The CEO's Love 15
On Wednesday morning, Amanda received a call from Rebecca. "Katherine said she's ready to work with you," Rebecca informed her. "Consult with her people on when she'll be available." "That's great. I'll reach out today." She was about to hang up when her sister said, "There's one condition, though." Of course. "What is it?" "Work on a high fashion collection." This wasn't the first time Amanda had heard this suggestion. She didn't need to think twice about it. "No." Rebecca's sigh came across the phone. "Think about it. Can you imagine Katherine Wells wearing one of the cheap outfits you make?" "Yes, I can. That's exactly what she wears on an everyday basis." "This is your chance to command attention from the entire world. Nobody wants to see how chea
Last Updated : 2021-10-25The CEO's Love 16
Lucas wasn't sure which between celebrating their wedding anniversary and reintroducing him to society was the chief intention behind his parents' extravagant party. But, he was willing to bet on the latter. In his opinion, there wasn't much to celebrate where his parents' matrimony was concerned. Then there was the big tell—his father keeping him glued to his side, reminding everyone who came to offer their congratulations that next to him was his youngest son who had lived in the States for the past ten years. Lucas wanted to ask him not to waste his time. That he wasn't interested in making connections in his corporate world. That he had no intention of taking over a part of his business empire. But his father hadn't bothered to listen in the past. Lucas doubted he would now. So he let him run the show. All the while, he kept his attention elsewhere. While his father tirelessly narrated of his achievements abroad, Lucas's eyes
Last Updated : 2021-10-26The CEO's Love 17
"What do you want from me, Keith?" Amanda demanded, whirling on him when he followed her to the terrace on the west side of the room."Calm down, I just wanted to see how you're doing.""I'm doing fine. It's really none of your business."He sighed. "I know Rebecca has been giving you a hard time with the company. I tried to talk to her but--"Amanda couldn't stop the chuckle that left her lips. "You what?""Amanda, I want to help.""I don't want your help, Keith." She walked to the railing and stared at the ground below. "And please stop following me.""I can't help it. I find myself worrying too much about you of late, Mandy."She gritted her teeth. There he went with the Mandy thing again.What exactly did he want?"Worry about your wife.""I admit. I was wrong. I made a mistake back then." He stepped closer to her. "I pretended to not know how you felt. I wasn't looking for somethi
Last Updated : 2021-10-27The CEO's Love 18
With Amanda gone, Lucas disappeared to the other side of the room, heading for the balcony. The restaurant had a wraparound terrace on the first floor, great for getting some fresh air.He was thinking about what he would have to do to get Amanda to open up to him when the sound of sobbing reached him.The lights on the terrace were muted, so he hadn't noticed he had company. He stared into the darkness in the direction the sound was coming from, trying to see who it was.He caught the glimpse of a glint in the night, then his eyes finally adjusted and made out the woman standing several paces away."Hello? What's wrong?" He asked, reaching for his pocket handkerchief as he walked closer. He recognised her. She was the woman who had introduced herself to him in the elevator last week. "Ah, it's you." He pushed the handkerchief towards her. "Here, use this. It's clean."She took the cloth and wiped below her eyes. "Thank you," she whis
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On Sunday afternoon, Amanda walked out of her family home, feeling dejected.Half an hour ago, she had walked into the house, feeling optimistic.Thanks to a call from Rachel, the housekeeper, she was finally able to catch her father alone, outside work. She had hoped to make a last plea and hope that he backed off where Lemaiyan Fits was concerned."I know you feel as if you have no control over anything at the moment," he had told her, pouring her a cup of tea. "But it's only for a moment.""Why? Why now? Do you also believe that I'm not capable of running the company?"He had shaken his head. "No, of course not, dear. Amanda, you checked the reports. The board is concerned about the profit margin.""The profit margin is pretty satisfying, Dad.""It is, but it's not on par with the other companies. It could be better if you tapped into the market we're targeting with the new collection.""Dad. We a
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The CEO's Love 44
One Month Later “A Crumbling Empire? What Next for Lemaiyan Group After Amanda's Exit and Erika Lemaiyan’s Entry? Also Read: Never Seen Before Couple Photos of Amanda Lemaiyan and Lucas Erikson” Amanda pushed the notification away and made a mental note to unsubscribe from that and all the other news outlets that tended to push celebrity gossip to her inbox. She wasn’t interesting in keeping up with what the internet thought about her. She was even less interested in keeping up with gossip about the Lemaiyans. “We are here,” the driver said, bringing the car to a stop. Amanda’s gaze shifted to the outside. They had arrived at the docks. She put her phone into her bag and got out when the driver opened the door for her. Closing the door, he went to the back to retrieve her suitcase. “I’ll help you bring it to the boat,” he said, leading the way down the dock. “Thank you, David,” she told him, going after him. She saw Lucas the moment his boat came into sight. He stepped off the
The CEO's Love 43
“This is none of your fault, Amanda. He used you, just as he planned to use my daughter. So don’t apologise to me. Also, you heard from your mother. Adeline helped her after the accident, even when she herself was in a bad condition. She chose to save you. That was just like her, always prioritising others. And you know what’s amazing? Even if you’re not her blood, you grew up to be just like her. You were passionate about honouring her memory, and you lived every day for both her and you. You were the best thing that happened to me after she was gone. So you’ll always be my granddaughter. You’re my family, do you understand?”A tear rolled down Amanda’s face as she recalled Helena’s words after they had told her everything. She wiped her face and took a deep breath.She was standing outside the mansion, in the backyard. It was late, around eleven o’clock. The day had been a rollercoaster. Finally, everything was done. Helena had promised to make Charles pay for all the pain he had ca
The CEO's Love 42
Amanda was planning to make the drive to her parent’s place alone. She could no longer use Tom. He was on the company’s payroll, and she was no longer a part of that. After he had dropped her at the headquarters, she had instructed him to park the car in the parking basement so she could have an easier time leaving when she was done. If any reporters had already made it outside, the most they would get was sight of her speeding away. When she left Charles’s office, she took the elevator down to the parking basement. When she got there, instead of Tom waiting beside her car to hand over the keys, it was Lucas. Why was he there? She wasn’t ready to talk to him yet. She needed to go looking for her parents before settling things with him. “We can’t talk right now,” she told him when she got closer. Looking around, she asked, “Have you seen Tom around?”Lucas flashed a car key. “I’ll drive you.”Amanda shook her head instantly. “I’m going alone.”He shook his head. “You just drove four
The CEO's Love 41
When Amanda had opened the door to her cabin and found Lucas on the other side, her first instinct had been to throw herself into his arms. Ever since he told her the truth about her father, she had constantly craved one thing. His comfort. She felt… No, she knew that if he held her, everything would seem better. Just like back then when they first met. He had been there for her every time things went awry since that time, and never had he given her a reason to doubt his intentions towards her. But it was so hard, so hard to let go and give in to her need for him. Not when her mind kept reminding her of every time she trusted someone only to get betrayed at the end. First, it was Keith. Then Samuel. Tyra. And now, the last person she would have ever expected to betray her. Not to mention that her birth parents gave her away for money. It was as if every person she allowed to got close to would eventually hurt her. As if nobody ever cared enough to want to keep her around.Why should
The CEO's Love 40
“I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t disclose the personal details of our guests.” Lucas cursed softly and turned away, grabbing his hair in one hand. He should have known this would happen. But he wasn’t going to let his trip down here go to waste. “Are there any available cabins? I’d like to book one.” If she wasn’t going to tell him whether Amanda was at the resort, he would get in and look for her himself. The receptionist adopted an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, sir. All cabins are fully booked at the moment.” Why was his luck suddenly so rotten? “But, if you’d like, you can get a day ticket. If not, I can check when a cabin will be avail—” “The day ticket,” he interrupted her. “I’ll take a day ticket, please.” “Got it,” she said, turning to her computer monitor. “Would you like to rent any gear?” “No, I’m good.” Thank heaven
The CEO's Love 39
When Lucas showed up at Amanda’s building the next morning, she didn’t buzz him up. He was already worried because his calls hadn’t gone through when he called her after he woke up. Apprehensive, he punched in her code, which he was familiar with, but he quickly realised she had changed it. It was after a couple more unsuccessful calls that he thought to check her car in the parking basement. After a couple minutes of checking and double checking, he realised it wasn’t there. Which meant she wasn’t at the apartment. Where could she have gone? The office? To see her father? A quick call to the office revealed she hadn’t showed up there. He drove straight to the headquarters, meaning to go check whether she was at her father’s office. But when he got there, Charles’s secretary informed him that Charles was in a meeting, and no, Amanda hadn’t showed up there either. He called up people he never thought he
The CEO's Love 38
“What’s wrong?” Amanda asked, noticing how agitated Lucas seemed. She had just told him about her grandmother’s offer, and how she had met Bolton Group’s lawyer that morning. He had given her some documents to review, and informed her that Helena wanted everything done by New Year’s. After New Year’s Day, she was supposed to have her inaugural meeting with the company’s board of directors. She had thought Lucas would be happy to hear the news. Instead, he looked worried. He stood up from the couch and paced, shoving a hand through his dark hair. Finally, he looked at her, his gaze earnest. “Don’t accept the company.” Amanda frowned. “What?” “It’ll put your life in danger.” Amanda’s frown deepened. “What are you talking about?” Lucas sat back down and took her hand in his. “If something happened to you right now, who would get what you have?”
The CEO's Love 37
When Lucas got to Tyra’s apartment building, he recognized Amanda’s car in the basement parking lot right away.As he got closer with his car, he saw that she was in the driver’s seat. Parking his car next to hers, he alighted and walked over to hers.Through the window, he could see that she was crying, sniffling into a tissue. He gunned straight for the passenger side and tried to open the door. It gave way and he slid into the seat, eyes on her distressed face.“Amanda, what’s wrong?” he asked, cradling one side of her face with his hand and turning her to face him. His other hand lifted to wipe away wetness beneath her left eye.She dropped her eyes and shook her head, crumpling the tissue in her hand and dumping it in a mini trash bin placed in the cup holder.“You said you got the video, right?” he asked.
The CEO's Love 36
On the evening of the day after Christmas, Amanda’s doorbell rang. When she went over to check the monitor, she was surprised to find Keith standing outside the building, awaiting her clearance. Sighing, she pressed the intercom button. “What do you want?” “Let me up, Amanda. I have something important for you.” She rubbed her fingers on her temple. “Look, Keith. This is a bad time.” No time would have been a good time for him to show up at her apartment, but she had no energy to get into that. The day was drawing to a close, and she had just negotiated with the blackmailer to accept just half of what they were asking, then give her another day to put it together. Their parting shot had been—‘If I don’t get the money by tomorrow afternoon, I’ll release the video.’ “Trust me, there couldn’t be a better time,” Keith said. Then he lifted his hand. He
