Chapter Forty-five"We are here, CEO," Diego said as he quietly manuevered the sleek Bentley in front of the remarkable skycraper that housed the offices of MAGIC.He turned off the engine, and sat in silence watching Lana who was staring at the building with an impassive expression."Ma'am, if you don't want to do this, there's no need for you to," he said, his words laced with concern.Lana turned her dead eye stare on him. The fact that he thought she was hesitating, because she did not want to work with MAGIC made her bristle with annoyance.He was so far from the truth She was only hesitating, because of the anger coursing through her veins, and also because she wears admiring the building that she knows would come to be hers later.She grabbed her purse on the seat beside her and pushed the car door open, saying tersely, "Come out and stop saying rubbish." Diego nodded, making a mental note to keep his mouth shut concerning matters like this in the future.They moved briskly to
Chapter Forty-SixFrom his desk inside his own station, in Damien's office, Liam could hear the conversation going on between his boss and his Ex-wife. He raised his eyebrows, and whistled quietly, as the words Lana had said floated to him.Fifty percent of MAGIC'S shares?!That was a lot. It was like taking ownership of MAGIC. Although, there was nothing left of MAGIC. If Miss Fernandez was really the CEO of ALLURE, and even recommended by Pierre, then she'd really be able to turn things around for MAGIC.Liam wondered how his boss was going to extricate himself out of this. He wished Damien would call him, so he would be able to go in there and read the room properly, but for now, he waited patiently, straining his ears and watching the intercom for any call.Damien stared at Lana, his brows furrowed slightly, "you've got to be kidding me." He said, tightly."I don't play games, Mr Romero," Lana replied coolly, as she leaned back on her chair, "it's like you don't know the situatio
Chapter Forty-SevenLana frowned as she tilted her head slightly to look at him, "Muse?"Damien stuck his hands in his pockets, squaring his broad shoulders which stretched the material of his jacket. He had a smug expression on his face as he continued, "ALLURE is the only company to have contracted Muse. I'll give you that fifty percent shares if you get her to design for MAGIC too."Lana blinked in amusement. Her lips twitched as laughter bubbled up inside her but she quickly composed herself, trying hard to keep a straight face.She squared her chin, and nodded in agreement, "Fine, you'll also get the services of Muse." Diego snorted in laughter behind her and he quickly started coughing to cover it up, as Lana gave him a quelling look.She cleared her throat, and smiled tightly at Damien, who was watching them, an eyebrow arched suspiciously.He found Diego's behavior odd, and Lana had agreed a bit too fast to his condition. Even though Muse had worked with ALLURE, that was thre
Chapter Forty-EightRina ran onto the circular driveway right in front of the building, just in time to see the Bentley driving away, leaving clouds of dust in its wake."Arrghh!" She screamed in outrage and stomped a heeled foot on the concrete floor in anger. "Lana, you freaking bitch!" She screeched through gritted teeth, watching the car drive further away from her sight, it's tail lights blinking in what seemed like a mockery of her inability to catch up with them.She was trembling visibly with anger as she turned to go back into the building. She paused, then snarled when she saw some of the employees staring out at her, through the glass walls of the building.Their gazes were mocking and she could see them snickering, while whispering to each other."Those brainless idiots! Haven't they got anything better to do?!" Rina thought furiously as she matched right into the building, yelling, "What the hell are you looking at, huh?!" The employees scurried away out of her sight, wh
Chapter Forty-NineWhen the call ended, Rina collapsed to the ground in fear and relief. She gripped the phone tightly, tears of anger burning in her eyes."How dare he treat me like this?!" She muttered bitterly. She felt powerless, like a pawn in his game, and she hated it.She was not supposed to be here, living life like this, driven by revenge and anger. She deserved so much better and she'd been so close.So close that she could feel it, touch it and even taste it. Every calculated step had produced result which pushed them closer to their goals. She'd gotten the man and was so close to getting the Empire too.But it had all crashed down, without her knowing how. Now, she was cowering on a rooftop, afraid of her own partner blowing her brains out from an unknown location."How? How on Earth had things go wrong?!" Rina hit the concrete floor repeatedly in anger, and frustration, until her knuckles bled.She closed her eyes, and drew in a deep breath. "I don't know how things wen
Chapter Fifty"Are you really going to go ahead with the contract sir, if Miss Fernandez gets Muse's approval?," Liam asked a few days later as he drove them to the Romero headquarters.Due to the state of MAGIC, and the investors impatience, any update on any improvement was to be shared with the investors immediately, so as to pacify them.Which was why they were currently on their way to Romero Headquarters for a meeting. Liam manuevered the sleek Maybach through the traffic, keeping his eyes on the road as he waited for Damien's answer.Seeing that the answer was not forthcoming as quickly as he thought, he glanced quickly at Damien through the rearview mirror, then returned his gaze hastily to the road.Damien was sitting very straight backed on the leather seats behind, one hand crossed across his chest. He rested his other elbow on it, and held his head in his hand. His eyes were closed, seemingly in deep thought.Liam wondered if he'd even heard his question, and decided to n
Chapter Fifty-oneThere was a general murmur at these words, as the shareholders all turned to stare at the person who spoke.It was a burly middle aged man, named Mr Alan, who sat to the far end of the table. Mr Alan was one of the very shareholders who was with MAGIC when it started.He was an avid supporter of Laura and was one of the shareholders that was glad MAGIC was in such situation.He relaxed in his chair after speaking. There was a smug expression on his face and a taunting look in his eyes, as he stared at Damien. Many of the other shareholders were amazed at his audacity. Even though he was a loyal supporter of Laura, he had sounded extremely rude, and dared to go against Damien, even with his temper.Damien's temper was not to be trifled with. He was not feared across the city for nothing. His stoic expression and steel grey eyes normally brought wrath on anyone who dared to go against him. Mr Alan must have lost his mind, thinking he could challenge Damien just becaus
Chapter Fifty-twoLana stood and looked around at the startled shareholders, with blazing green eyes. They all had a surprised and puzzled expression on their faces, as they did not know who the young woman was, that she'd strode in so boldly into the boardroom.Without another moments hesitation, Lana turned on her heels and walked down the hall towards where Damien sat.Damien was silent as he watched her approach, mesmerized by the sight before him.Lana was wearing a short black gown which hugged her amazing slim, curvy figure in all the right places. The gown stopped a few inches above her knees, showing just a glimpse of her slim thighs, before this scrumptious sight was caught off by high-heeled boots, which was knee high.Her flaming red hair was let down over her shoulders , a sharp contrast to the black dress she was wearing and she'd only applied minimal makeup, making her as exquisitely beautiful as possible.The shareholders were not just stunned by her beauty only but al
Chapter One Hundred And Thirty Eight Chairman Fernandez sat very straightbacked at the head of the table in Damien's office. Damien and Lana sat in chairs adjacent to him, while Paul stood behind him, whispering something in his ears.Paul finished and straightened up, and the chairman glared at Damien. His presence as well as that of Paul's, dominated the entire office. Samuel Fernandez was a big man, and when he spoke, his voice boomed across the office, bouncing off the walls."You wish to keep my daughter hostage?!" He barked, pointing a stubby finger at Damien, "Just like you did eight years ago?!""Uhm...Dad, we were married. I married him," Lana said in a small voice, "I was not exactly held hostage..." she trailed off and lowered her gaze, when her dad gave her a level look.Damien gave her an appreciative glance, then faced the chairman. "I don't wish to hold Lana hostage, nor have I ever held her hostage." He said firmly, giving the chairman a square look, "I only wish sh
Chapter One Hundred And Thirty SevenRina ran straight to the parking lot using the stairs, with Liam hot on her heels. She was wheezing, almost doubled over, as she made for her camry, digging in her bag for her keys. Suddenly, the screeching of car tires could be heard and Rina held her hand over her eyes, before she was blinded by the headlights of the oncoming vehicle. She jumped out of the way as well, when it seemed as though the van was after her life."Ow!" She cried out as she hit the floor hard.The van swerved to the side and came to a stop with a screech. The driver looked out his window and yelled at her."Get in!"Rina blinked in shock as she realized it was her henchman, Carlos!About time the bitch showed up!Joy lit her face and she winced in pain, trying to get up from the floor. The sound of Liam kicking the door to the parking lot open, gave her the energy and galvanized her into action.Her eyes met with his angry ones and Liam bared his teeth teeth at her, as he
Chapter One Hundred And Thirty Six"We've recovered all the data, sir!"Damien's face lightened with relief as he heard those words.His fingers tightened around the phone in joyous anticipation, "All...the data?""Yes sir, everything was recovered just a few minutes ago!" The head of IT department sounded very excited.After all, a major part of the crisis had just been evaded.Yes!Damien wanted to punch the air in victory, as relief surged through him once again. Relief so powerful that it almost sent him sprawling to his knees. The others noted his change in attitude and stared at him, confused."What? What is it?" Lana asked, her voice tinged with confusion and concern, "Is everything okay?"However, Damien's lighthearted mood faded as his eyes met with that of Paul. Suspicion clouded his brows and he placed the phone back to his ear."Hold on. How did that happen?" He asked tentatively, "How were you able to recover the data?""Well sir, we could suddenly gain access to it." T
Chapter One Hundred And Thirty Five "What? What did you say?"Rina blanched at that question from Damien. She went pale, as she realized she'd probably said more than she was supposed to.Lana stepped forward, her brows arched in suspicion, "You said you won't stop until Romero becomes like your so called Carter family." She asked, then scoffed in disbelief, "Did you have a hand in this attack, Rina?"Everyone faced Rina immediately and the woman felt attacked. She swallowed hard, feeling none of the bravado she'd had felt earlier, when she was giving her passionate speech.She should not have said what she had said, but Vera had so annoyed her, that Rina just let it all out.She sighed inwardly, as her stomach churned with fear.Zaire was going to kill her, when he discovered this."Seriously?" Vera's shrill voice broke the silence, as she pointed an accusing finger at Rina, "you are behind the attack against us?! How dare you do that?!""I..I...I don't know what you're talking abou
Chapter One Hundred And Thirty-Four"Damien!" Vera hissed at him, giving him a flaming look from head to toe, "What are you talking about? Do you wish to see us go down?"She glanced at Lana with a tight smile, then leaned in to whisper fiercely in her son's ears, "Just take it now that the Fernandez Empire are being nice."Damien's face hardened and he glared at Liam, "Get the guards and have them escort Mother home." He ordered grimly, and Vera's eyes widened in alarm."No!" The obnoxious woman yelled, looking prepared to dig her feet into the ground if necessary, than to allow herself dragged out like before."I will not endure such ridicule again!" She thought to herself in despair, then quickly grabbed Lana's hand."Lana dear." She called in a beseeching tone, "Please, do not listen to whatever Damien's saying. You can go ahead and ask your father to send the money."Lana yanked her hand away Vera's hold, irked by by the woman's pleading, "Please, do not touch me." She uttered st
Chapter One Hundred And Thirty Three"Mother, you're not supposed to be here."Damien gritted, shooting a glare at Liam who immediately brought out his phone, and placed a call at the security guards, supposedly stationed outside the office.The guards had been given instructions not to let Vera anywhere in the premises as she repeatedly caused trouble, but one way or the other, she managed to slink her way in.Damien sighed inwardly, as he glared at his mother in frustration and embarrassment. She had to do this just in front of Paul, who was watching them with a curious and amused gleam in his eyes. But Vera didn't seem to care or know the effect she was producing She shook her head vigorously, "There's no way I will just sit and watch our company go down the drain." She cried out, then glared at him, "You can't keep me cooped up forever, Damien!"She broke down then, weeping copiously. Rina rushed over to her side, and gently held her shoulders."Its okay, Mother." She said, soo
Chapter One Hundred And Thirty TwoDamien did not move from his position behind his desk. Instead, his eyes watched every of Paul's movement, as the tall man relaxed fully on the chair, looking right at home. The words Paul had just spoken resounded in his head once more."You want money. We'll give you money.""What do you mean by you'll give us money?" Liam asked tentatively, unsure if he had heard well."It means exactly what it means, Mr Dantes." Paul replied, drily, ignoring the subtle arch of Liam's eyebrow at the mention of his last name. He fixed the assistant a cool look, "Romero is in a tight spot right now, isn't it?"The other man, who had been quiet all along, finally drew out a sheaf of papers from his suitcase, "The Fernandez Empire is willing to give the Romero Empire five trillion dollars to get out of this crisis." He placed the papers on Damien's desk and drew back, a satisfied look on his face, "You can just sign where indicated and its all yours."Liam looked ba
Chapter One Hundred And Thirty One "Keep in mind, Lana, that it pains me greatly to do this." Samuel Fernandez said in a greatly displeased tone, "Why do I have to give my money to something as worthless as Romero?! And you dare to ask it of me?""I know, Dad. I'm sorry." Lana said apologetically, biting her bottom lip but still her face was alight with joy and relief.He was going to do it, she was sure.He would definitely do it.It was the only thing she could do from her end here.Damien had left his breakfast hurriedly that morning after recieving a call from Liam. His face had darkened immediately, and his hands clenched into fists so tight, his knuckles went white."I'm on my way." He said, soon after and stood up from the table, grabbing his suit jacket from off his chair."I have to go, Lana." That was the only answer he gave her, at her insistent questions.When she'd arrived at the office with Damien that morning, she was met with chaos. The entire office was in a frenzy,
Chapter One Hundred And Thirty"Sir, the investors from Mauritania have pulled out from the deal. They are demanding we pay for the breach of contract as well!"Damien slammed his open palm on the top of his desk, and the entire desk rattled violently. He was breathing hard as he raked his hand through his head, trying to process the news Liam had just told him.This was the first real emotion he'd shown since they arrived at the office that morning, and realized they were neck deep in crisis.A series of attack had hit Romero that morning. Hackers had infiltrated their systems and stolen sensitive data, trade secrets, financial records...Some of these data were placed on the dark web, while the others were still inaccessible, with the hackers demanding for a ransom of up to four hundred and fifty billion.Typical ramsomeware, but it had to come at this particular time.Some investors and customers had already gotten wind of what was happening in Romero, and how sensitive information