Chapter Eight "Please, call me Zaire." Zaire placed his right hand in the small of Lana's back she tried to lead her away to his car, and away from the rain. The car was sitting in the rain, a gleaming Bentley, and the driver stood outside, taking shade under a black umbrella while waiting for them to approach, so he can open the door for them. Lana stopped and stared into Zaire's eyes. His green eyes held a light that bespoke kindness, and there was a gentleness behind his touch. He had told her to call him,"Zaire" thereby putting them on a first name basis. Lana stared at him, unsure if she wanted to venture into this new path. Suddenly, something occurred to her, and she looked closely at him, her eyes narrowed with curiosity, "What are you doing here?" She asked, indicating the huge gates behind her which signified the Romero's Reign Estates. "Did you come to call on the family?." Zaire smiled, showing perfect white teeth, "That would be unheard of" he answered, a lazy s
Chapter NineThe party boarded the helicopter, and it took off.Diego was numb with shock. He kept glancing at Lana, but somehow he could not say anything to her.He was especially scared of the dignified man who sat with the pilot in front, and he held his peace.Paul was her father, Samuel Fernandez's chief assistant, which was why he was entrusted the task of bringing the young Miss home.He looked stern, and had a face that screamed no-nonsense but was infacet a very softspoken person.He had not said anything when Lana boarded with Diego. She only said he was her person, and was with her and that reassured Paul.Finally, the helicopter finally landed at an airport, and the party came down.Diego could still not close his mouth, and his eyes widened all the more when he saw the private jet, sitting regally and looking spectacular.The party walked briskly towards it, the bodyguards flanking Lana on both sides, and soon they were ensconced in the private jet which took off into the
Chapter Ten"Miss, the chairman asked if you would honor dinner with your prescence." The maid stood just outside the door to the balcony, and said in a respectful voice."He has a special guest he wishes to introduce to you."Lana stood outside on the balcony of her bedroom, looking down on the vast land of the Fernandez's Estate.It stretched for miles, and there were several other buildings in the Estate, both residential and non residential. At the sound of the maids voice, she turned away from the view to call out her reply."Alright, tell him I'll be down in a short while." She flashed a brilliant smile at the maid, who bowed respectfully at her then exited the room.As the maid left, Lana turned back to the view which she had been enjoying. She lifted her face up into the sky, and inhaled deeply.The morning sun warmed her face and the gentle morning breeze, ruffled her hair, bringing with it the scents of the beautiful flowers, which were planted everywhere across the estate.
Chapter Eleven"I'm going back to Fashion Designing!"Lana looked at her father, her face lit with pleasure ,as she thought about what she had just said.It was time to rediscover herself and, get the old Lana back.She would go back to fashion designing, and make a name for herself just like her mother had done."But Lana, you only just got back! Don't you think you need to rest a while?" Samuel said, worried that she would stress herself.Lana shook her head as she stood up, carrying the box carefully, and placed it back in the walk-in closet."I've made up my mind, Father" she replied, as she walked back to his "its time to go back to my former self, to how I was before I..."She hesitated, reluctant to say anything but the next words her father said startled her."Before you met the Romeros." Her father completed for her grimly, and Lana's eyes went wide with surprise.In the next instant, however, she sighed wearily as she walked to sit back to the vanity table."How did you know
Chapter TwelveFive Years LaterThe sky was blue and the wind soft, as it carried the smell of the clean grass and flowers through the garden.Damien walked through the garden holding Lana, a satisfied and relaxed smile on his face. Lana held a baby in the crook her arms. It was their child. They were together forever. She looked up at him and smiled contentedly, and he had never felt as happy as he did in that moment.But suddenly, the garden was no longer a garden, the blue sky turned dark with gray clouds and lightning raced across the gray storminess, and Lana was no longer by his side.He squinted, looking into the distance, trying to make out her figure standing far away from him, phantom and ethereal."Lana!" He called out, yelled as he desperately tried to move his feet so he can return to her side.But the grasses suddenly grew taller with amazing speed, and around him, blocking his sight and seeming to choke him.The last thing he saw as the grasses closed to round him, wa
Chapter ThirteenDamien walked out of his room with long strides, and directed his steps into his study.Walking towards the desk, he pressed a button and his assistant's voice came loud, and clear over the speakers."Yes sir. Good morning, sir ""Call for Doctor Robert at once." He said in a voice that did not sound so urgent "Miss Carter is in need of medical assistance.""Yes sir" The assistant replied instantly, and the line went dead. Damien sat down in his chair behind the desk, his elbows propped up on the table as he held his head in his hands, relieved to be away from Rina and her demanding self.He was tired of Rina and her sneaky ways.The only reason he was still keeping her close was because he felt responsible for her.For how she had turned out.Rina was the sister of his best friend Lucas, who had sadly passed away ten years earlier.He had been madly in love with her when they had met and Lucas had been glad they were together.But when his grandmother insisted on h
Chapter Fourteen"You wouldn't want a bastard from a gold digger now, would you?!"Rina stepped backward in shock as Damien suddenly lunged at her, his huge hands wrapped around her slender neck."That's my child you're talking about!" He roared, his eyes bulging with anger as he glared down at her "How dare you refer to it as a bastard?!"Rina had gone pale, and she shook like a leaf in Damien's hands."Damien, what are you doing?!" Vera screamed in a shrill voice as she walked into the room.She had heard Damien roar in anger, and had hurried over to see what was happening only to see this.Rina gasped as she tried to ease the pressure of his huge hands around her neck, and Damien finally let go, when he realized he had held her too tightly.He turned away in fury, raking a hand through his golden hair as his breath came out in huffs.His eyes were red and his nostrils flared with the effort to stay calm.Rina sank to the floor, trembling as tears filled her eyes. Reaching up to tou
Chapter Fifteen"Miss Fernandez, the Directors from REGAL called again. They wanted to know if you're ready to meet them now." Diego said hurriedly, as he tried to keep up with Lana.Lana whipped her sunglasses off her face and into her purse, as she walked briskly into the lobby of the tall skyscraper.It was the headquarters of ALLURE, a fashion design company which she had started three years ago, and was well on it's way to being one of the best in the city.She was followed by her team of directors and managers as well as her bodyguards. They formed a formidable group with Lana in front of them, looking every inch like a queen in her long black dress, that shimmered with thousand of well cut diamonds that had been cleverly sewn into the material of the dress.The dress hugged her figure, and accentuated her perfect curves. It had thin straps and was designed to show her delicate and enticing bare back which was covered at the moment with a very stylish custom made suit jacket.Cl
Chapter Two Hundred And ElevenDirector Evans walked briskly out of the hospital and towards his parked car, smiling from ear to ear. His driver swiftly opened the car door for him and he quickly got in, making himself comfortable.The driver quickly went round and took his spot as well, "Should I go to the location, sir?""He must be waiting by now, don't you think?" Director Evans replied, "We'd better get moving then."The driver nodded and immediately placed the car on the road, and was soon speeding down the highway.The Director sat in the back seat looking very pleased with himself. He was still smiling and soon, he burst out into full blown laughter.The driver glanced at him curiously from the rear view mirror and quickly looked away focusing on his driving.He did not know what was making his boss laugh and he was not very curious by the way.Besides, he and his boss were not in a relationship where they could discuss his source of joy.But he could not help, but wonder wha
Chapter Two Hundred And TenDiego stared at him, dumbfounded."Damien Romero is in Emerald City?!" He asked in astonishment. "Might be." Liam said, already moving towards the door, "Just get Fernandez on the phone and explain everything to them. And you..."He nodded at Detective Ryan, who looked confused as to what he was trying to say.Liam was exasperated, "Lets go, dammit!" He bit out, throwing his hands in the air in annoyance, "There is no time for dilly-dallying!"The detective hesitated before he bowed slightly before Lana, then walked out after Liam.Diego was left in the office with Lana."He's alive?!" He asked in disbelief.Lana nodded and a broad grin stretched across the assistant's face, "I always knew you were right, Miss Lana. This is amazing, really!""Yes it is," Lana answered quietly, "Everything will be fine now once he's found.""Arielle will be fine." Diego said softly, in understanding. He knew that Lana was most worried about her daughter and she needed to he
Chapter Two Hundred And NineFor a long moment, Lana and Liam stared at the detective like he'd spoken in an alien language.It was hard for them to comprehend what he was saying not to mention actually believing it.Damien Romero had amnesia?!It totally explained why he had not being able to reach them after four years, even after he was miraculously rescued.He did not even know who he was, how was he supposed to remember them?But still, it was hard to believe and Liam found himself glaring at the detective even harder."You're lying." He stated simply, "That's just bullshit."The detective did not bat an eyelid at Liam's accusation, "Half the town's people in St. Hayes know this from a fact that the golden haired man lost his memories," he replied tersely, "Besides, Mr Romero suffered severe injuries before he fell into the river. Don't you think that might have affected his health one way or the other?"Lana's breath hitched at the mention of that horrible accident four years ag
Chapter Two Hundred And Eight"What?"Lana was standing in front of the floor to ceiling windows in the CEO's office, her office.She held a mug of freshly brewed coffee in her hands, which started rattling badly as her hands trembled. She was staring at the suited man in her office in disbelief.It was one of the men who had been in St. Hayes a few days ago, inquiring about the golden haired man."What did you just say?" Lana asked once more, taking quick steps towards the man, "You found Damien?!"The man, private detective Ryan, looked taken aback. He blinked in surprise and hastened to correct her, "No. No, ma'am. " he said hurriedly, "I said, we were able to get some information on his whereabouts."Lana's hands were trembling really badly by now. She dropped the coffee mug in her desk and clasped her hands together to still the trembling."So he...he's alive?" She whispered the words, afraid it might come back void to her."Yes, it would seem so." Detective Ryan stated simply an
Chapter Two Hundred And Seven"He's staying with me, grandfather.""You mean, he should live with you?" Pa Eugene asked, a frown darkening his brows."Yes." Maya exclaimed incredulously, flipping her hair back in exasperation, as though she was surprised the topic was even been debated, "He's amnesiac and knows nothing about the city. I, on the other hand, have lived here most of my life. He needs me to make it here in the city."The two men stopped and frowned at the obnoxious woman in front of them. Pa Eugene closed his eyes and sighed in frustration at his grand-daughter's behaviour."There's absolutely no reason for him to stay with you, Maya." Pa Eugene said, "He's a grown ass man and you all are nothing to each other, so why would he live with you?"Maya scoffed, "Um, hello, I did get him a job here in the city." She went on, a cheeky smile tugging at her lips, "Without my help, he'd be stranded here. So it goes without saying that he needs me.""I'd rather not impose." Noah sai
Chapter Two Hundred And Six"What?! Its working?!"Pa Eugene exclaimed as the screen of the cellphone turned bright.However, in the next second, it immediately went blank and would not come back on, no matter how many times Noah tried the power button."It needs fixing." Noah said eagerly, "Where can I fix this?""Not in St. Hayes, no sir." Pa Eugene sighed as he relaxed on his chair, "Not many of the people here use cellphones such as this, except the young ones who come for a visit. What on earth would a fisherman need a cellphone for? The payphone is all we need. Convenient too."Noah had shut out the old man's ramblings. His head was spinning with different thoughts, and his heart was beating loudly in his ears.He had this cellphone all along here and Pa Eugene had to wait four years to give it to him?!Inhaling deeply, he tried to calm his erratic nerves. He knew it wasn't the old man's fault and the cellphone was on a bad condition in itself, with the screen cracked and chippe
Chapter Two Hundred And Five"Oakcrest City?"The men stared at her in shock and she nodded quite seriously, giving them a straight look."If you say he's your boss, then why hasn't he contacted y'all yet?" She asked the men, feigning curiosity."That's impossible." One of the men muttered, then raised an eyebrow at Maya, "Are you telling us the truth?""Of course, we can't just keep him here forever." She said, flipping her hair behind her shoulder, "I mean, we took care of him for four years, don't you think that's enough?""How come he was here for four years?" The other man asked, "Did y'all keep him here against his will?"Maya scoffed in disbelief, her mouth twisting with rage, "Why on earth would we do that? What do you take us for, huh, some kind of primitives?" She hissed at them, then smirked, "You are just trying to pass blame because for four freaking years, you were not able to find your so called boss. Incompetent! Get off my stoop!"With that, she slammed the door again
Chapter One Hundred And Four.Maya swallowed hard as the men stared at her, waiting for an answer.She shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other as she tried to make sense of the situation, although she needed no seer to tell her that they were talking about Noah.What did the detective say just now? Our boss?!Was Noah in some kind of gang or Mafia?The men had mentioned Oakcrest.Oakcrest was a mega city on its own and had a lot of powerful people. Maya had never been there herself and she hoped she would soon but Noah was from there?!That explained his regal grace and character. He must be one of those powerful people.A slight smile curved her lips as she thought of these. This smile died down however, as soon as she looked at the men in front of her.They did make her unsettled."Where is the town head?" The man spoke up again, making Maya jerk slightly from her tied up nerves.She inhaled and exhaled deeply, and fixed the detective who spoke with a stern glare, "I alread
Chapter Two Hundred And ThreeMaya hurriedly placed the lunch box, with packed meals on the kitchen counter top, before hurrying over to dish the breakfast they'd be having that morning.She was bubbling with excitement, mostly because of the activities of that day. Finally, after four years of waiting, Noah would be moving with her to the city. She almost did a little twirl as she ladles soup unto a bowl and placed it on a tray.Everything was really going smoothly for her benefit though, and that literally made her want to scream for joy. Its about time Pa Eugene sends him to the city anyways.It was clear the man does not belong in this little fishermen town. She'd take him to the city, have him brush himself up and thereby, have him start a good life altogether.She was sure Noah would be able to fit in well in the city. Once she'd gotten him settled, he'd be so grateful that he had her in his life and then they'd think about their future together. With these delusional thoughts