A commodious and furnished mansion was seen in front of Daphne's viewpoint, a cozy one she had desired when she was juvenile. The tinted glass door had slid open, making way for her. She entered and saw the bifurcated stairs on the right side, which had a glass handrail. Her gaze lingered as she saw Chuck and Nathan standing at the landing.Smile plastered on Daphne's face as she moved forward and stood in the living room, where she had noticed the presence of Elliot, sitting on the black sectional sofa that could accommodate six people. A black corporate attire was what he had worn, which perfectly matched what Nathan had worn.Daphne had looked back at Chuck and Nathan and saw how they moved down the stairs fast, and as she blinked, they already had in front of her.Chuck's white polo uniform had been tucked on his black pants, with the school logo on the left side printed in blue, matched with his black leather shoes and a white sock that almost reached his knees. He had a black ba
Cirrocumulus clouds formed above the city's skyline. An elevator tone was heeded as Daphne reached the top floor. She faced the door as it slid open, seeing a group of employees standing in front, waiting for her to be out.All were in corporate attire, and their eyes concentrated on her, starting from head to foot, which provoked a chuckle on their faces, a judgment of her clothing inside the ravished office.Daphne stepped into the Carrara marble hallway, about to head towards the lobby a few steps next to the elevator, yet she heard the gossip and how all the ten employees conversed about her."The guard had been reminded not to let any homeless enter the office. Gosh! Look at her clothes!" said the woman whom Daphne had passed.Another woman had covered her mouth and nose using her palms as she smelled something—a mixture of sweat and some seasonings in the kitchen that became a stain on Daphne's precious shirt."Move! Your smell has reached us!" said the other. "What were you doi
Bundles of files and plenty of paperwork were what Daphne worked inside Nathan's office for the whole week, stayed at Nathan's side, and sat in on important meetings that somewhat felt sleepy hearing that business jargon. Her interest was not in that field, yet as a sophisticated girlfriend, she needed to be there, pretending to be an active listener, as she could catch up with every business topic, those growth charts displayed on the screen, their project growth development, and conflicts with the primary office from its local partners and domestic branch.It all gave her a headache, and she somewhat enjoyed the roller coaster challenge inside the company as other employees started hating and laughing. In contrast, others still managed to respect and like her.'They were always that weird. Nothing was wrong with me. I respected them, but that bullshit could not do the same. And that's pretty normal.' Daphne thought. 'I made sure to enter the office elegantly and formally."An estima
The next balmy day came after Daphne left, yet Nathan sat on his swivel chair silently. He was staring at the air, his mind was hovering, and an image of Daphne appeared. Yesterday's scenario kept on flashing and made him worried like hell. Negativity surrounded him, and he could not focus on the duties and paperwork he should have done. A tic-tac sound of the cloud made noise in a grave, silent office, and shrieking noise on the air conditioner at the side made him feel cold.He shook his head and concentrated on working, as he reckoned she might be late or, worse, would come later this afternoon. Many hours had passed by, he had drunk two coffees, but no Daphne appeared. Marveling what was wrong with her, he opened his cell phone as he leaned back into his swivel chair, relaxed for a bit from office work, and texted Daphne.'Hi! May I know why you did not show up? Or why didn't you notify me what happened?' texted Nathan.'Do you face problems again? Tell me, and I might help you so
The tree danced as the air blew, as well as it brushed Daphne's soft skin and made her hair a bit messy. Her eyes were stunned as the familiar voice continued to echo. At first, she thought she was hallucinating, but as time passed, a voice was still heard behind her. Daphne swerved to face it and yet recognized she was not awry."Nathan," she muttered, lingering as her eyes and brows broadened narrowly.Nathan moved forward and stopped before Daphne, panting heavily with a relieved snicker."Thank God! I've been looking for you everywhere!" Nathan said, who went close to Daphne as his eyes stared at her. "No one told me to do such, but I did it for you!"Daphne's jaw dropped, and her heart almost ceased from breathing as Nathan's mixed signals were too visible. An unusual feeling wandered into her nerve, tingling her with those actions she had seen. She blinked a few times, and a smile painted on her lips as no words went out. She did not mind it, despite how it affected her whole sy
“I expected the Kelly Holdings overseas branch to be suspended. It seemed you were not concentrating on your duties, Mr. CEO,” Casper said sarcastically.The temperature had risen, and despite how cold the foyer was, somewhat, Nathan’s heart jumped in resentment. His fingers wrapped around his cell phone’s corner, almost breaking it, as he held it too tight. It formed a manly jawline on Nathan’s face, as well as he gritted his teeth.Casper’s movement was unreadable. If Nathan had noticed it earlier, it would not have reached that far.“I knew what I was doing, Mr. Smith. You were insulting me.” Nathan couldn’t make his voice calm, as it sounded furious. He moved five steps and reached the glass steel railing. Two escalators going up and down, seen in front, and a big ceiling fan, above it, as it slowly turned, to cool the area.The sound of being defeated in the arcade car racing section was heard on Nathan’s standing, as well as the shout of kids playing with it. Also, include the s
It was Saturday. A memo notified Daphne about the scheduled tutorial session with Chuck. She almost had forgotten such; thankfully, she read the notifications. She had prepared all the things needed. From the learning materials and including herself to look presentable. Chuck might have changed his mind and didn't do the session with her. She still had three hours to prepare, so she was not in a rush and could do her morning routine slowly until she was finished taking a bath and ended up standing in front of the mirror to look at herself.Every session was a challenge for Daphne, as she wasn't sure if Chuck would cooperate or not. There were times Chuck chose not to. Thus, she would do her best to get his interest.She wore comfortable yet formal attire, then combed her hair. Admittedly, it gave her a brilliant smile, thinking she could see him again."Nah. I should not have messed with him romantically. I would be there for a tutorial session, not with that shit," she muttered and c
"We're finally here!" Nathan said.An expensive boutique was in front of Daphne, staring at the logo, and a commercial banner on the top, with their lady ambassador, was being printed there. Daphne couldn't stop Nathan from bringing her there, as Nathan wanted her to have a style. Despite how she said she was pleased with her comfortable and not-so-expensive clothing, Nathan insisted on making her more fashionable and a deserving woman for a successful tycoon—Nathan.With no words said, Daphne, followed Nathan inside as they had discussed it back from the mansion with a famous stylist, Ava Alesna, a known stylist in the showbiz industry, as she was one of the sponsors of celebrity clothing and pageants. Daphne's heart started to jump as she bit her lower lips, seeing a woman in her early forties standing from sitting on a sofa as the woman witnessed the arrival of Nathan and Daphne."Was she the woman you had told me?" asked the woman. Nathan nodded and responded, "Yeah. She's Daphne
One month after the traumatic incident, Maverick and Deanna were put on trial for attempted murder, rape, homicide, and other related allegations that were charged to them. Meanwhile, Daphne’s mother, Linda Collins, was also convicted of the crime of conspiring with the suspects and was sentenced by the court to five years of imprisonment. Before going to jail, Linda begged for her daughter’s forgiveness, but she failed to do so when Daphne had already wanted nothing to do with her, cutting her off completely in her life. The feat in their lives continued to flourish after the trial. Nathan was successful in acquiring back the rights in his father’s corporation and kept his executive manager title both overseas and in the main branch. The following month of having full control of the business, he was triumphant in increasing their sales by a whooping margin of twenty percent. Because of that, the board of members was satisfied with his management and wanted the company to venture int
As the two men take on to exchange blows, neither of them wanted to back out. Maverick threw Nathan a punch on his ribs, while Nathan hit him on his shins. Both of them knew how to play physically along with wit, and despite their airtight attacks, none of them were knocked out in a single smash. Maverick stood up from his fall, wiping the blood on his nose, and said, “Since back then, you’re always a pussy, Nathan.” He smirked, showing his bloody teeth. “At least not like you who is a goddamn fucking maniac.”Nathan rushed toward him, pushing all his strength to Maverick, locking his arms around his waist and slamming his back to the wall. They both fell to the ground, hitting each other with all their willpower as they rolled through the wide pathway of the kitchen while plates, condiments, and other necessities were falling from the cupboard. Meanwhile, as their fight continued in lock horns and a thug of wars, Clara, who was knocked down to the ground, gained consciousness when
Nathan surveyed the entire residence of the beach house. While Clara and Chuck were behind him, he sifted through the location and found out that aside from Maverick, Daphne, and possibly Deanna, no one was there to secure the front lawn.The front door didn’t have any operative on the lookout, even at the side and the back of the abode. He then climbed into a nearby willow and pored over the area. There was a faint shadow in the room to the left on the second floor and an open window by the side of the house. Consequently, on the east, he scaled around to check for the other entrances where he could snitch inside. “He might be there—look at your seven,” Nathan commented to Clara and mounted down to the ground. Clara looked up to where his eyes were pointing. “What if we wait for the police first before we sneak in? Just to make sure that this won’t go wrong.” He rubbed his palms together, wiping the dirt he got from the bark of three. “Nah, we can’t. They may arrive late and we mi
“Is she fucking telling the truth, Maverick? Goddamn it, answer me?!” she shouted, blaring at him with her utter resentment. Maverick’s shoulder jostled in shock that in reflex his mouth parted to say, “Yes. Fuck, that’s right, Daphne! If I didn’t do that, you wouldn’t come to me! And if I didn’t accept Casper’s help, that fucking son-of-a-bitch will have what is mine!” He bent forward, grabbing her shoulders rigidly as he continued, “You’re mine, Daphne! And he can’t take you away from me!” Daphne was flabbergasted by his statement. Her body became frozen in the bed as she gazed at him in wonder and shuddering. Meanwhile, Deanna found Maverick’s concession hilarious that her high-pitched voice soared throughout the room like alarming sirens. “This is so good! Oh, God, Daphne, you never fail to amaze me, dear. You’re just too fucking sweet that all I want to do is to tear you into pieces.” She arched her body forward and gave her a condescending smile. “This is also the reason why
The crack of the dawn settled on the horizon as Daphne’s senses rouse from unconsciousness. A drumming throb in her head kindled when she struggled to get up from the wide silk mattress of the bed. She perched her palms on the soft cushion and looked around the room, surmising the familiar interiors of the spacious chateau. Her eyes scooted to the open window by the bedside and were sleeted by the overlooking view of the ocean. The tides were calm; the air was moderately breezy, and the skies flourished with an auburn, unruffled-tone array of billows. Daphne quite remembered this place as though she had been here before with the Brenners when they went for a vacation. Furrowing her eyebrows in bewilderment, she roamed to the right side of the room and was welcomed by Maverick’s collected yet lecherous expression. Daphne juddered up from the bed, realizing that her arms and feet were chained to the four corners of the bed. She pulled the cuffs away and tried to escape from it—from t
The time had idled in Chuck’s room while they were waiting for Nathan’s arrival. Chuck was on his desk, encrusting his chin with his palm elbowed on the desk, while Clara was pacing back and forth in the middle of the room, raking her fingers through her hair as the time ticked another minute. Her eyes shot at the movement of the long hand on Chuck’s white clock and flailed her arms in the air out of frustration. “Oh my God! What’s taking him so long? We’ve called his phone millions of times and yet we still can’t reach him.” She gave the kid an eye and ranted, “I’m getting disappointed with your uncle every minute that has passed by."Chuck’s eyes tilted up to the hood and exhaled. “Why do you have to wait for him, anyway? I told you I could help you. I know how to read maps.” Clara looked at him and was about to say something when Mrs. Willis chimed in, “We don’t have to rush. Rushing won’t do us any good and it might even make the situation worse. She placed the tray on the tabl
Daphne’s eyes fluttered ajar when she felt herself moving at a constant speed while her body was in inert motion. She was plagued by the plodding movement of the car as she felt the tight manacles on her ankles and wrists. As she felt the crack of dizziness on the back of her head, she blinked her eyes twice until her vision became clearer.Cocking her head to the stained-glass window, she peeked through it, sifting at the blurry sight of the road by her side. She didn’t know where she was, but the passing trees and secluded road gave her a hint that she was somewhere in a provincial location.Drifting her head to the front, her eyes darted at a muscular-looking man in his late twenties. His back was broad under an Oxford shirt, and his arms had a fine sliver of body hair that was noticeable in the bright cast of the afternoon sunlight.Her nose crinkled in contempt as she tried to fix her fetal position in the narrow space of the seat. Daphne wanted to collect her inflating with Lind
A clear blue indigo sky slightly turned yellow-orange on the east side. The sun slowly rose, matched with busy streets, and people rushed to work and other destinations. At the same time, Nathan only relaxed on the balcony and sat on the chair while there was an empty cup of coffee on the table. Seeing an incredible masterpiece and scenery somewhat calmed his morning and made him smile to prepare for a long day and another problem he might encounter."What a beautiful sky. I hoped it was beautiful as my day," muttered Nathan. "But I knew it would not be."In his silence, Nathan heard the car’s horn and a shout of a fellow citizen. Minutes after that, a vibration of his cell phone in his pocket made him blink twice, then look at who was calling him. A police officer he had coordinated was calling him, which gave him an idea it was good or worse, unwelcome news regarding Deanna's whereabouts."Hey, officer, how are you doing?" Nathan's opening spiel."Stressed, but still fine," retorted
“I recalled that damn woman flying near the gutter as my car ran over her….”A familiar woman Nathan saw in his side mirror would never be forgotten. Yes, he felt worried, even when he recalled it. Until now, he didn’t know that woman’s name if he had met her before or had not. The run-over incident brought him fear.‘Shit.’He had reason to be told and announced if it would be brought as another issue. It was from the past, but enemies were found digging it to destroy his name for personal interest, maybe because they wanted to own a company.Sitting on a smooth swivel chair on the top floor of the Kelly Building branch, he turned it, facing the door as his secretary entered. Elliot had a confused face when he went near Nathan. Elliot turned his gaze around and saw it was just the two inside the office, then looked back at him.“What was it, Mr. Kelly?” asked Elliot. He was worried it would be another problem. “Was it about Deanna?”“Nah,” responded Nathan and exhaled. “It was about