"Do you think it's a good idea?"That was Emily. She had been asking questions since Zoe told her she had agreed to go on a date with Henry. She had even told her she had decided to sign Henry's proposal since she had no other option."It's not a good idea, I agree, but it's the best among the options I have left. You need to understand, Em." Zoe crashed on Emily's bed.Emily was sitting in front of her makeup mirror. She had just arrived from the shower when Zoe had told her of the latest development. She had turned to face Zoe when she had talked about agreeing this was a terrible idea, but she knew she had no better option at the moment. There was a moment of silence.Ever since Emily and Zoe became friends, they had both made lots of crazy decisions, and this to Emily seems to be the craziest. It is crazy and dangerous at the same time. She had read a lot about Henry Arthur, and she knew how ruthless he could be. That dude was a devil!Zoe noticed Emily was still worried. She coul
Zoe signed the documents while Henry watched with keen interest. At last, Zoe belonged to him alone. Victory at last.Zoe signed the last paper and returned the pen to Henry, who collected it with a mischievous smile. She marveled at how much money he would have spent on the pen."You can have it if you want," he returned it to her. "It's just five hundred thousand dollars. I have more than one.""Who cares?!" she said inwardly."Thank you, sir; I don't need it," she replied, even though she knew she would love to have it, knowing what it would fetch her if she sold it."I insist you have it, and that's an order," he said. "Remember you already signed the deal," he added, pointing at the documents on the table.Was that it? Was that the type of life she would live from now on? She was pissed at herself. Life had been unfair to her, and it kept fucking her face.She looked at the pen in Henry's outstretched hand. It was a fortune. She hadn't noticed there were diamonds until now when s
"I can't believe it, Zoe. He told the bodyguard to drive you home by this time?" Emily said with eyes wide open.She was surprised Henry did not take advantage of the time. She had thought he would force her to spend the night with him since it was late, and God knows what would have happened. She knew what would have happened."I was surprised myself. You need to have seen my look; my mouth was practically opened in surprise," Zoe emphasized while cleaning the red lipstick off her lip.Zoe was seated in front of the dressing mirror with Emily behind her, dressed in her silky nightgown. She looked at Emily's reflection in the mirror as she talked, waving her hand dramatically, making one think she was talking to the reflection in the mirror."And what did you say?" Emily asked, resting her hand on Zoe's chair."Say?" said Zoe turning slightly to face Emily. "What do you want me to say? Girl, I said nothing," she added, turning back to face the mirror.She grabbed another handful of a
Zoe woke up feeling light-hearted. She couldn't recall when last she woke up feeling this much freedom of mind. She wasn't wondering what she would tell the loan companies if they called. She wasn't scared that they might take legal action against her. She could look Leo in the eyes confidently and feel like a capable older sister, which she had always wanted to be. Today, she was going to spoil Leo and Emilly silly. They had endured much together, and today, she decided they would enjoy a great deal together.Zoe reached for her phone and opened her account to confirm if the money she had received last night was still there or whether it had been a dream. She blushed as she saw the additional two hundred thousand dollars sitting on top of her measly five hundred dollars which she only had left as a last resort. She overcame the urge to scream, but she did practically dive into the bathroom.She sang in the shower, taking her time to wash as if she was cleansing not just her body but
The stranger lady wrapped her hand around Henry's midriff. She threw her head backward and laughed at something he said or did. Zoe tried to peel her gaze from them; instead, she stared at them more intently. Suddenly, her eyes, like a pair of magnets, attracted Henry's, who looked surprised to see her. She saw him lean towards the lady's ear and whisper animatedly to her. The lady shot Zoe a cold stare, crossed her arms, rolled her shoulders, and paused dramatically.Henry saw Zoe coming towards her."Oh, lord!" Zoe thought."Zoe, what a surprise," Henry said, stopping before her."Hi," Zoe stared at her foot."You want to get out of the line? I could get you a ticket faster, and you can join me."Zoe looked at Emily and her brother standing behind her, and she didn't know if she should introduce them. Neither of them even darted a glance in Henry's direction. Naturally, Leo would've been keen about who was talking with his sister, but Emily had already said the word boss and Leo wou
Zoe had already been on an outing with the billionaire, but this time it was different. She was meeting with him in his penthouse. Thanks to the heads-up she had gotten from Henry, she had spent time with Emily in the boutique to pick out the best dress for the occasion. A car pulled up in front of Emily’s house at 6 p.m., and Zoe peered out the window and groaned, wishing it hadn’t.Her phone rang, and she crossed over to the table where it lay and stared at the caller’s ID. Seeing Henry’s name displayed made her feel like she was staring down the barrel of a gun. Reluctantly she picked up the phone and answered it.“Hello Zoe,” Henry’s voice was deep. “My driver is waiting outside your house to pick you up. I hope you are ready?”“Okay, I’ll be with him shortly,” she replied.She took a look at herself in the mirror and smiled at how perfectly the silver and black gown she wore accentuated her curves. The dress stopped at her knee. She had done her makeup by herself, and it was perf
“Oh, you mean this?” Zoe said, placing the box on the center table. “I don’t want it. It’s beautiful, alright, but I mean, why are you giving it to me? To what end? I don’t need any more favors from you, Mr. Vice President.”“I insist, Zoey,” Henry said, making Zoe groan, rolling her eyes.“You can’t keep forcing me to accept your gifts,” Zoe said, sounding incredulous. “It’s not proper. It’s, it’s like you’re trying to buy my acceptance, but I can never accept you! It’s like you’re pumping me with all these gifts and money, so when you ask for something in return, I won’t be able to deny you that, but you see, that’s the thing, I will never allow myself to be bought with money or gifts.”“Oh, keep quiet; everyone has a price, but listen, that’s not what I’m trying to achieve, okay.”“Okay, so what’s the significance of this gift?” Zoe said, narrowing her gaze. “Yesterday, you gave me a pen worth… I don’t know, five thousand dollars? Then you paid my debts and gave me some extra money
"Thank you, miss, but you shouldn't have done that," Stewart said to Zoe in the elevator."It's nothing," Zoe replied. "That was outrageous and uncalled for.""Ah yes, but I didn't want you getting in trouble with the Vice President because of me," Stewart explained."Don't worry about me." Zoe smiled."I can't believe that after working with the Vice President for years, all it took him to get rid of me was a single mistake.""I'm so sorry, Mr. Stewart.""It's fine; I will look for another job.""I'm sure you'll find a better one.""I sincerely doubt that. I was lucky with this one. I don't think I'll ever see someone who will pay me as much as Mr. Henry does."The elevator doors opened, and they stepped out simultaneously. Zoe followed Mr. Stewart behind, heading to the front door. Before exiting the living room, Zoe glanced back, half expecting to see Henry, thinking she had heard his footsteps, but then there were only giant portraits staring at her.Zoe allowed Mr. Stewart to con