The important heads of sectors in West Engineering Company held their bi-annual meeting, where they discussed matters of importance to the company's growth, their journey through the successes and "minimal successes," as Max termed their failures, and proffered solutions for a better six months of production.The past six months had been incredible, Max mused.The company had recorded huge conquests, such as establishing a sister branch, expanding its customer base, and surpassing its revenue target.The goal for the West Engineering Company over the next six months was a backbreaking one. They had to complete the 24-storey plaza they had been awarded in just five months.The meeting that morning revolved around this crucial topic, with everyone brainstorming and strategizing to ensure success.Shelly busily took notes as the team engaged in a friendly debate, with Max intently listening to the different views being shared. As he gazed out the window, the colorful blur of the busy st
"Barbie!"The door creaked open as a large bouquet of flowers barged in before the owner of the voice made her way in with a wry smile on her face. The aroma that assaulted her nostrils when she finally made her way into the house let her know the direction to take.Chloe's hair was haphazardly tied in a bun, and a blue plaid apron draped over her crop top and denim shorts.She lifted her eyes from the sausage sizzling in the pan and saw Emma walking into the kitchen, her head hidden behind a large bouquet of blooms.She made a quiet scoff and went back to monitoring the cylindrical-shaped meat."I'm so sorry, Chloe," a voice came from behind the flowers. "Can you forgive me?"Chloe focused on the sizzling pan before her, ignoring Emma's presence in the kitchen. Emma had a habit of throwing in a half-hearted apology whenever she returned home after being away for days, but Chloe wasn't falling for it this time. If anything, Emma should be apologizing to her for the near-humiliation sh
Chloe strode confidently in her stylish silver heels, a perfect match for the dark blush pink robe draped over her black crop top tucked into a pair of high-waisted black Aphrodite trousers. The trouser hugged her perfect curves, adding a touch of elegance to her already stylish outfit.Kayla, her PA, walked behind her with calm strides, keeping Chloe updated on the latest happenings at Girly Lux that occurred overnight. Most of the information would have been leaked by Ollie if she wasn't currently unavailable due to an overdue illness. Ollie had been pushing herself to be at the top of her game in the company, her drive, and ambition unmatched. And her hard work had paid off in less than a year. However, her relentless dedication and pursuit of success had taken a toll on her body, and now she was forced to take a step back and focus on her health."The representative from the reality TV show called, asking if you could make it to the studio this weekend."Chloe bobbed her head and
Chloe's memory teased her with fragments of familiarity as she tried to recall where she had heard the name before. She searched her memory for a face, a place, or even a voice that could help her remember the context in which she heard the name."Let him in," she said.Kayla nodded, and soon the door swung open, revealing a familiar figure draped in a sophisticated gray tuxedo suit that hugged his broad shoulders and tall frame.A charming smile spread slightly across his face.As soon as Chloe caught a glimpse of his face, her memory didn't fail her, as she recognized the man who had saved her from the dark, lonely streets the other night and offered her a bed to sleep in.She had the time to study his face now - that morning, at his beautiful house, she had been too embarrassed to take more than a glimpse of his faceShe observed him intently, taking in every detail of his face like an artist painting a masterpiece. His face was carved with intricate details and chiseled to perfect
A storm brewed in Chloe's eyes as she gazed up at Kylian, her expression a tempest of anger and hurt.Kylian didn't notice the sour expression on her face. All he thought about was that Chloe had come to see him. He began to descend the stairs. "Chl-"Chloe didn't let him finish. "I'm just here to get my things. I'll be gone before you know it."Chloe could tell that Kylian was having a good time without her. The empty bottle and two wine cups resting on the bar were a glaring example. And his hastily buttoned shirt alerted her that his partner was in the room she was heading for.She brushed past him, wounded by how much he was moving on after instigating a lie so he could dissolve their marriage.Chloe deemed herself a strong woman. But she wasn't completely healed from the deep wound Kylian had caused in her heart when he served her divorce papers. As she clambered the stairs, she fought her heart from aching and braced herself for whatever she would meet in the room.Kylian had fo
Chloe felt a flutter in her chest as Max appeared at her doorstep, exuding effortless charm and style. His striped polo shirt seemed to cling to his well-defined chest, hinting at the strength hidden underneath, and his jeans perfectly complemented his casual yet attractive appearance. Despite his informal attire, he looked incredibly dashing, and Chloe couldn't help but feel a warm flutter in her stomach.Chloe, unprepared and initially hesitant to leave the comfort of her home, adorned a simple dress that accentuated her natural beauty, and gathered her hair into a haphazard bun - her signature look for lounging at home.Her eyes shifted from Max’s warm face to the small parcel in his hand. When he saw that she was looking at it, he raised it. "Chocolate ice cream," he said. "It was hard to guess the flavor you’d like, but I know every lady loves chocolate."Chloe wasn’t a lover of chocolate or ice cream, but she smiled her thanks. If ever she wanted a cup of ice cream, she would pi
Upon waking up, Chloe's mind immediately turned to the positive memories of her evening with Max, giving her a small glimmer of hope amidst her shattered dreams.Starting again was not going to be easy, but she was ready to do everything to recreate her designs just in time for the audition, which was a few weeks away.The auditioning was going to be a three-day program aimed at sifting through those who would be qualified to make it into the fashion display. It was going to be Chloe’s first time, and she was optimistic about being selected.It would be the milestone Girly Lux needed to seep further into the international market and win the hearts of investors.Her eyes moved to the brown envelope resting on the stool beside her bed, and she reached for it. When she opened it, she took out the photographs that the envelope carried. She had stumbled upon it the previous day at Kylian’s house. The first time she had seen the pictures, she flung them at Kylian, wishing not to see them ag
The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful as if it had been painted by a master artist. The air was alive with the sweet melody of birds singing in the valley, and the soft breeze caressed Chloe's cheeks. If she closed her eyes and focused, she could hear the gentle murmur of a stream as it flowed between the two towering cliffs.Chloe was dressed for adventure, wearing practical three-quarter khaki shorts and a fitted black tank top that showed off her toned arms. Her brown hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, and she wore a sweatband around her forehead to keep her hair out of her face. She carried a hydration waist pack around her waist, the liter bottle almost empty after just thirty minutes of hiking.Max walked beside her, keeping up with her pace as they silently climbed the summit of the mountain. Ollie was a few meters down and had given up on the quest to get to the summit, attributing her inability to her convalescing state.Chloe stared at the terrain from the highes
Chloe pushed the doorbell of the door where she once lived. It felt like ages she’d been at Emma’s doorstep. The number of calls and the text messages she had gotten at the wedding made it feel like it had been really something urgent.She’d had her doubts about making that visit. The last time she remembered, Emma had wanted her downfall so badly that she had gone to the extent of allying with dangerous criminals, even putting herself in danger in the process.After a while of waiting, she pushed the doorbell yet again. She heard some footsteps trotting steadily in her direction. She held her breath in anticipation as she couldn’t tell why she had been called out there.“Chloe,” Emma said, “You’re here.” She hadn’t expected to see her after all.“Yeah, I’m here.” Chloe’s eyes ran a quick subtle scan through her. Her wandering eyes were caught by the little bump in her belly. She was shocked as she hadn’t been told that part of the story. Max…come on. He had sadly left out that import
“I look stupid!” Ollie exclaimed in a mild tone of disappointment as she looked in the mirror one more time. “I look like a total goof.”“No, Ollie, you don’t,” Chloe protested as it had taken her and the costumier a considerable amount of time and energy to get her in that. “You look elegant.”Chloe looked over at the other girls on the bridal train as they silently complained about Ollie being way too vocal about her own complaints. And her dress too.“Elegant? Are you kidding me right now?” Ollie seemed like she’d never be satisfied, even though she was just a few minutes from walking down the aisle.“I’m not. Besides they’ve put in their best to give you the best, so it’s best that you just…” Chloe was out of words as she walked up to Ollie from behind, her tone becoming more and more hushed as he advanced. “Give them your best reaction. The dress is just perfect, Ollie.”The glistening white wedding gown had a very elegant flay. Maybe just too elegant to the point it puffed proud
Emma was getting uncomfortable in her seat. How had Kylian gotten his hands on all that? It was probably Francis, but how had he gotten to Francis?Her attorney was totally unprepared for that sudden twist in the case. It had been a walkover up until then. That woman’s testimony had them all dumbfounded— she, her mother, and her attorney. They were all thrown in disarray.“Emma, when did this happen?” Her mother, Amelia questioned from behind in a whisper. She had no answer that could appease her mother’s curiosity without implicating her as well. Her lips seemed to shut off their own accord.She knew she was about to face cruel music which she hadn’t rehearsed its dance steps. The look on Kylian’s face when he said, “It’s over,” almost made her lose it in front of the judge. She would be giving herself away before the case was over if she hadn’t gotten her act together.“You could have told me about this,” her attorney whispered faintly in a way that meant that she was really in big
"Don’t worry,” Kylian’s attorney told him not to do the one thing that his mind had been doing subconsciously since he’d set foot in the courtroom. “You’ll be fine.”“Sure I will,” he said, trying not to discourage his attorney before the grueling duel began. Either way, he wouldn’t be that much of a mess. Worst case scenario, he’d have to see Emma at their board meetings.“Kylian,” his mother called out from behind in a whisper. “Keep your composure out there, our fifty percent depends on it.”“Thank you, Mom, you’re doing such a great job at easing me of the pressure of the moment. Very commendable.” He said, harshly sarcastic.“Thank you, Kylian. Just don’t fuck this up for us.”He was a bit taken aback to hear his mom say the ‘f-word’ in public. “It’s really sad you called me just to tell me this.”“Now’s not the time to get in your feelings, young man. Go out there and get our family’s legacy. That’s all the pep talk you need.”As much as he hated it, she was right. He inhaled de
Max had his shades on as he walked through the construction site on the hot sunny afternoon.“The long-awaited upward progress has finally begun.” Mr. Singh mused as he was almost following all of Max’s footsteps throughout the site.“Isn’t it lovely?” Max replied with a smile. “Feels like we started just yesterday.” He was glad that it had been all running smoothly despite him being occupied with all the many personal challenges that he somehow managed to see himself come out on top.“It sure does.” Mr. Singh seemed like he had a default positive response for everything he had to say. It had Max wondering if he’d ever get to see Mr. Singh mad, even just once. He itched to see that moment, except that it didn’t have to be on the job that he was doing for him.Max believed that it was all because of the remarkable presentation that he had put forth. He strongly believed that it was still speaking for him up until then. He hadn’t questioned his moves and followed him with blind trust. H
Ollie picked up her phone and dialed frantically, “Did you hear about Alejandro on the news?” The report on the news seemed untrue, and she assumed that Chloe hadn’t seen it yet. “Alejandro has been arrested on numerous charges?”“Yeah, I heard,” Chloe said, unalarmed like they hadn’t lost one of their biggest potential partners after they had set quite a huge part of their budget plans around him and his cash, especially. “He’s been arrested.”“You know what that means?” Ollie still believed that she wasn’t getting the full scope of the impact of that news in particular. “What’s going to become of our plans and all?”It took Chloe quite some time to get a sigh out from her end of the line. “Well, we are going to figure something out, Ollie.”What? She meant to ask but swallowed it in as she sought a much better response but she couldn’t find any other, that forced her to say it out anyway, but more softly and politely that didn’t make it seem like Chloe had said something unreasonabl
“It’s on the news, Chloe,” Max stared at the TV screen in wild wonder, calling out to Chloe who came running, “They finally got him.”“Businessman known as Alejandro Navarro has been finally apprehended by the forces on charges of illegal drug trades, manslaughter, sex trafficking…” the TV presenter went on and on with his many dirty deeds.“Damn, he’s got quite a lot going for him at the moment.” Max remarked as he reclined on the couch, “Good thing they got him. There could’ve been trouble if they didn’t.”“Yeah,” Chloe said looking on in anticipation, “Nothing on Diego yet?”“Wait for it.”“Alongside the underground drug lord, the notorious gangster, Diego Gutierrez was also found in the building. After much resistance and shots fired, the swat team was able to break in and apprehend the two men and a few other survivors from the heated exchange. Two hostages were found in the basement of the building, a male and a female, suspected to be victims of his trafficking crimes…” The pre
It was the D-Day of the raid. Gray couldn’t deny how nervous he was, but he had to what had to be done. His heartbeat surged forcefully with each stop and turn of the vehicle.Most of all, he hoped the resistance they had predicted would what they’d be faced with. He’d heard stories of how vicious the Mexicans could be, and he didn’t want the mission to be a continuation of that tale.“Alright,” he finally got the courage to speak up amid the men in the large trunk of the van, he was about to attempt to make them not feel what he was feeling. He took out the large tablet that had the blueprint of the building.“The operation is simple.” He didn’t believe it was, but he had to say it anyway. “First, we surround all possible exits of the villa, which include the main gate, the back gate, and one other hidden gate on the Eastern side of the fence…”“Second, we ask Alejandro and his men to come out peaceably. If they don’t, which they most probably wouldn’t, we first hit them hard with so
Kylian tapped on the door, hoping that he’d somehow made it to the right door, following Maya’s directions to her place.The block of flats had way more homes than it appeared to have while viewing it from the outside. One could easily get lost in there. It had him wondering how the inhabitants kept from mistaking another door for theirs.He tapped yet again. He heard some faint footsteps approaching the door and expected to see Maya’s dazzling face. He could hear hands working desperately at the lock and that made him brim with anticipation.Finally, he thought, till the door opened for him to see a tall macho man with overgrown beards and tattoos scattered all over his body. The shock from seeing the stranger made him almost unable to speak. He had heavy rock music pounding in his apartment.“Can I help you mate?” his deep voice could make anybody’s knees buckle with frightful intimidation.“Sorry…I came to the wrong door,” Kylian broke out in an uncoordinated stutter, “I was lookin