Chapter One Hundred And Twenty-SevenRina sat in her car, tapping long red, manicured nails impatiently on her steering wheel. Her hair was covered with a scarf and she had a pair of huge goggles on her face, which she peered through.The goggles, however, hid her face more than making her see clearly, and in frustration she wrenched it off her face, and threw it on the chair beside her.She did not care if she was recognized.She was already on the verge of storming across the parking lot of the mall, checking out everybody's faces herself in search for Bella.She had arranged to meet Bella in the parking lot of the biggest mall in the city. It was quite packed now with carts, and also a few people milled about, pushing trolleys and placing groceries in their cars.Bella had gotten hold of the box and Rina could not say how pleased she was. She was also very impressed with Bella for getting the box within such notice.Truly, she was reliable. The mall was the perfect spot to meet Be
Chapter One Hundred And Twenty Eight "Did you ever once think that Rina could harm you?"Damien froze, his arm suspended in mid-air as he tried placing a bowl of soup in front of Lana. After a moment, he placed the bowl down in front of her, while she stared at him, expectantly with expressive green eyes.They were seated at the table in the Romero Villa, having dinner. The entire table was filled with mouthwatering dishes- meats, mashed potatoes, salads, bread rolls, stir fries- they were so much that, they could feed an entire village.Lana always wondered why each meal at the Villa was like a banquet, and wondered if Damien always ate like that.She had no idea of his eating pattern or preference, because they've never shared a meal together in their marriage. Except if Laura invited them over to her place for dinner, and they had to endure the strenuous task of being in each other's presence. It was strenuous for Damien because he always acted like it was a chore to have one mea
Chapter One Hundred And Twenty Nine"You were foolish enough to have your room bugged?!"Zaire screamed at Rina, throwing an ashtray viciously over to her direction. Rina flinched, as the tray missed her face by an inch. She scooted to the edge of her seat, and crossed her arms to keep from shaking. She lifted her chin haughtily and tried not to look as rattled as she felt. Infact, she looked ready to bolt but that might not be the wisest of decisions.At the door to Zaire's office, Aryan stood there looking as big and burly as a guide dog. He stared fixedly at her and his icy glare and unreadable expression, sent shivers down her spine and made her avert her gaze quickly. When Rina had reached out to Zaire earlier, asking to meet up, Aryan was the one who had brought her in.He'd been tailing her ever since she left the Romero mansion, and had materialized suddenly in front of her when Zaire gave the order for them to meet in his office.He had not been very nice and Rina seethed i
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
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 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 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-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 Forty Two."There are some things we need to look into before handing the files over to the police."Damien was silent.He had his head in his hands with his eyes closed. He was not fully listening what Liam was saying, with his mind whirling with various thoughts. He was still numb from the fact that his grandmother had been killed. She had been taken away from him. He did not even get a chance to reconcile with her.For months he'd been at loggerheads with her because of Rina. He'd made her cry and frustrated. He'd repeatedly declared his love for Rina, and how he'd choose her over Romero. Damie closed his eyes as pain lodged in his throat. She must have been very heartbroken, yet she still made sure she helped him recover.Yet, she'd been taken away from him?Rage coursed through his body and he shivered with the intensity. At that moment, he swore he was going to crush Zaire's neck.Just the way he'd done to his grandmother. And he'd take extreme pleasure
Chapter One Hundred And Forty OneAs soon as the party arrived home, Lana went straight to her room and locked herself in.She had been quiet throughout the ride home, and refused to say or acknowledge a word anybody said to her."What's wrong with Miss Lana?" Diego asked, looking round at the others who stood at the bottom of the stairs, watching Lana go up.Yvette shrugged, as puzzled as Diego was.Damien and Liam, however, ignored him as well, and went into his study. Damien was brooding, his heart heavy with sadness and anger.Liam stood before him looking downcasted as well. Knowing Damien's temper, it would not be a good idea to say anything unless Damien spoke first.It had not been a good idea to let Lana listen to the recordings with them. That was the one thing Damien regretted. Although, it was supposed to come to her notice one way or the other, but Damien would have loved to keep it buried for life.He hated to see Lana sad, or heartbroken. After listening to the tapes,
Chapter One Hundred And Forty "Miss Lana, pick up already." Mandy muttered to herself, as she called Lana's number for the umpteenth time. As usual, the call rang out, leaving Mandy in despair and on the verge of pulling her hair out.She was pacing up and down the design team's office, the phone pressed to her ear, while the other employees went on with their work. It seemed like the design team was not affected by the crisis which had hit Romero since earlier that day. There was an air of joy, and the employees were working in a frenzy, with a light heart and smile on their faces.But their joy was incomplete somehow, with Lana's absence in the office.Where on earth did their head of design team go at this very crucial moment?At this memorable moment.A smile of joy and disbelief tugged at Mandy's lips, as she tried Lana's number once more. For the first time in years, MAGIC got accepted in the Queen's Glamor And Festival Awards, and it was all because of Miss Lana.She had mad
Chapter One Hundred And Thirty Nine Without another word, Samuel stormed out of the office, followed by Paul and his companion.Lana heaved a sigh of relief, but she could still not ignore the pang of guilt that twisted her stomach. She'd have to call her Dad later on and explain things clearly to him.She was still a bit stunned that he'd actually left with a warning. "Oh God, hope he's not planning something behind my back." She muttered to herself, biting her lower lip in trepidation. If he was, then she deserved it, but she was not leaving Oackcrest without doing what she came here to do, anyway.And with the way things are, it seemed they'd gone back to the root of all squares. Romero was in danger!Before she could comprehend this thought any longer, Damien pulled her in to himself for a crushing hug.He pressed her to his chest, his heart racing from her nearness and his nose filled with the scent of her. He closed his eyes deeply and reveled in the feel of her still in his
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