Ollie released her held breath as she shut the door behind her. Anthony had his face buried in the screen before him and didn't raise his head when she stepped in.From inside, the view of the office was magnificently beautiful, and the view through the window was breathtaking.Ollie cleared her throat loudly when Anthony didn't notice her standing in his office for almost a minute."Mr. Anthony MacPherson," she said when he didn't raise his head.Anthony lifted his head, and when he saw her, a small smile appeared across the face that had been frowning all day."Olivia. "I thought you weren't going to come."Ollie felt more relieved. He remembered her face. And her name."I'm sorry I couldn't make it until today.""No. No. It's fine. What business proposal were you going to discuss with me?" He pointed to one of the vacant chairs facing him.Ollie moved cautiously, eyeing the table for a means of defense in case the man smiling at her was a prince and a beast all in one. She was pre
Chloe was furious. She paced around the office, muttering incoherent words angrily, while Ollie sat quietly. If she had signed the deal, she would have had a reason to calm Chloe's anger. And she was still too shaken to speak.The memory of her encounter with Anthony MacPherson was still fresh in her mind, and she didn't know what to think about it.Chloe returned to the chair, glaring at her."What if something had happened to you, Ollie?" I don't know what I would do.""I'm sorry, Chloe." "I really wanted to get the business deal.""I was signing the last part of the contract with Alejandro this morning when you ran off, Ollie. I'm terribly angry at you. Did he try to hurt you?"Ollie thought about the look in his eyes when she grabbed the pen at him. She muffled up a sob, and Chloe stood up to her, worried."Tell me what happened, Ollie." "Did he hurt you?"Ollie burst into a convulsing sob. "No…no! I hurt him!" She stood up. "I grabbed a pen when he stood up—we were about to—I was
Emma’s blue Porsche stopped in front of Riggs, and she stepped out dressed in all whites; a see-through top, and a fashionably torn trouser while a gray coat was thrown carelessly over her body. Her blonde hair—after seeing Chloe in blonde wigs, she had decided to give it a try—was tied to a bun, and a pair of dark spectacles complemented her pink-colored lips.She walked on six-inch heels towards the building, enjoying the attention she was getting from the public.Riggs was the best house to fish for classy and expensive wedding dresses. And Emma was settling for nothing but the best for her wedding. Especially the gown she was going to wear.Riggs had designed Chloe’s wedding gown, and it had been the talk of the town for many days, with her pictures appearing in many online and hardcopy publications.She wanted to do more. And since Riggs was the best, she was headed for her.She stepped on the carpeted ground before the glass door, which automatically opened. Emma smiled and walk
"Did you spend a million dollars at Riggs?"Emma realized at that moment that she should have told Kylian about the gown before making the purchase. But she thought his anger was misplaced.Why was a billionaire screaming over a dollar?Greta quietly excused herself from the kitchen, even though she was confident that Kylian's voice had been heard all over the mansion.Emma stopped dicing the vegetable she had been working on before Kylian barged into the kitchen."I'm sorry," she said. "I should have told you—it was urgent, and I didn't know the gown would be that expensive."He watched her as she spoke, burning with rage. It was enough that he had to marry her while Max was hooked on the woman he wanted. Now he had to suffer for her immoderation."Sorry?" he repeated. It was glaringly obvious each day that the decision to marry Emma was a bad idea."First, you invited your mom without informing me, and now you're spending a million dollars in one day. Did you fucking contribute to t
Chloe scrambled across the corridor, searching for Ollie, forgetting her thoughts about the rumored engagement break between Kylian and Emma, and her plans of meeting with Greta.She was worried about Ollie's behavior, and prayed her worst fears weren't true."Where's Olivia?" She threw the question to a group of workers who were paying rapt attention to a design.They raised their heads, and one of them pointed in a direction and said, "She was hurrying towards the washroom."Chloe's feet moved in the direction of the bathroom. Ollie's sobs were audible from the door."Ollie?" she called out concernedly. "We need to talk."Ollie pushed the door of the toilet open. "I'm sorry, Chloe," she apologized."What is going on, Ollie? I have to know. Did he touch you? I swear if he did, I don't care if he's…”"He didn't!" Ollie screamed. Her screaming ended with a grief-burdened sob. "That's the problem," she continued.Chloe was finding it difficult to understand what Ollie meant. Ollie had d
When she called that morning, Chloe hadn't thought Greta would agree to meet with her."Send me your address," Greta had told her. "I'll come by this evening."Chloe was looking forward to her arrival. She knew that Greta had the pieces to the puzzles she couldn't solve.She glanced through the window for the umpteenth time, and Max wrapped his arm around her. "She'll be here. Don't worry.""I'm not worried," Chloe responded. She just couldn't wait to uncover the mysteries. There had been rumors of Kylian's cancellation of the wedding, and the next thing, there was a public release of his intention to marry Emma Anderson still.Yet he sent her an apology letter. She hadn't told Max about the mail, knowing he was very possessive of her and was capable of doing something unreasonable.Kylian's decision to send the letter anonymously was a smart move. She was one step closer to ruining their wedding. She was ready to do it if it meant making Emma feel the pain she deserved. She was prepa
After a long shower, Chloe joined Max in bed with a purple taffeta nightie that perfectly outlined her nipples. She lay over Max, and after an eternal moment of passionate kissing, she fell to his side."Emma was the one who made the fake photos," she said.Max frowned. "It doesn't absolve Kylian of his crime of cheating.""No…no. That's not what I'm talking about. Kylian is equally as guilty as Emma is... but, with this discovery, a lot of things are falling into place."Max admired the radiant aura emanating from her as she lay under the soft glow of the fluorescent light. He found himself captivated by her allure, appreciating the subtle curves of her body and the way her nipples temptingly invited him."It all makes sense," Chloe continued. "The arrest, the near-cancellation—everything makes sense."Max stroked her nipple gently with his finger, hoping he could cast her mind off Kylian and focus on him.Chloe's breath escaped in soft, gentle sighs as her thoughts began to wander,
Emma sat in the undergarment she planned to unveil on the first night of their honeymoon. It was one of the stolen lingerie designs she had kept for herself.She luxuriated in the feel of the delicate lace against her skin, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. Tonight, Kylian would be treated to the sight of her in lingerie that had never graced the shelves of any store.A skilled brush glided smoothly across her face, applying foundation flawlessly. It was her wedding day, a day she had often feared would never come. From the moment she woke up, she had been sporting an unyielding grin, her cheeks aching with joy.Her bridal shower had become the talk of the town, capturing the attention and admiration of the media. To win over the public's affection and admiration, she had organized a fundraiser program, creating ten scholarships for deserving individuals.She eagerly snatched up the magazine she had been engrossed in, relishing the effusive praise lavished upon her, from the ra
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