Chapter Forty"We're not a couple, Mr Evans. The engagement is false." Damien uttered coldly.There was stunned silence for a few seconds as those words sank in.Rina had gone pale and her mouth twisted into a grim line as she stared up at Damien, "D..Dami.. how could you?" She uttered in a broken whisper.Damien glanced at her and the icy look he gave her, sent shivers down her spine. Her hands on his arm dropped to her side, and she clutched her dress instead, to keep from trembling."Well, this is... surprising," Pierre uttered, completely flabbergasted with the sudden turn of events."Miss Carter and I are not engaged. That was a false article, Mr Evans and it's been taken down already," Damien continued, glancing at Lana once again "Just to clear the air from any misunderstandings.""Damien, how could you say that?" Vera whispered fiercely as Rina slumped against her, whimpering, her eyes burning with tears of rage. She cast a hateful glance at Lana who met her stare with an impa
Chapter Forty-One"You talk foolishly, Miss Carter. You're in the fashion industry, yet you don't know the top dogs!" Pierre wagged a finger in front of Rina's face angrily, "How dare you talk that way to the CEO of ALLURE?!"Vera drew in a sharp breath, her eyes widening as she looked from Pierre, who was still enraged to Lana, who had a provocative little smirk on her face.Damien just watched Lana with slightly furrowed eyebrows. He was stunned speechless by the fact that Lana was the CEO of ALLURE.True, no one knew the face of the CEO of ALLURE, although it was widely known that it was a woman. However, she stayed away from social events and only few blurry pictures of her were on the internet.On the other hand, why would Pierre lie over something like that? Pierre Evans was definitely someone who'd have met with the CEO of ALLURE.It was no wonder she changed so much. Her Aura, her exuberance, the way she looked...She was no longer the cowering, caregiver who had been married
Chapter Forty-TwoLana walked out of the hall briskly, in the same direction that Zaire did. She held her wrist, rubbing the part where Damien had gripped her. "What a jerk," she muttered under her breath, annoyed at the way her heart was still beating fast. Her face was flushed and she coul not help but think about the spark she'd felt when his huge hand had wrapped around her wrist."Ugh!" Lana groaned in frustration as she came out of the hall and found herself in the swimming pool area. At the sight of the clear, blue water of the pool and the moolight shimmering on the surface of the water, Lana wished they'd had a pool party, instead for the mid-year gala.At least she would get some of the cool night air, which was blowing softly around the pool area, ruffling her soft curls and cooling her heated skin.Lana blew out a breath of frustration, as her eyes scanned the area, looking for Zaire. She walked along the sides of the pool, her reflection shimmering on the surface of th
Chapter Forty-Three"What did you just say to me?!" Lana asked hoarsely, her voice a ragged whisper as she stood rooted to the spot, still reeling in disbelief from Rina's horrid words.Rina approached her with an evil smile on her face. Finally, she had the bitch's attention. She stopped just a few feet away from Lana and sneered."You heard me, Lana. It'd have been better if you'd died with your little bas...Aargh!".Rina screamed in pain as Lana slapped her hard. She stepped backwards in shock, holding her red cheeks with her palm. The imprint of Lana's palm can be seen there, boldly.She gasped in disbelief, staring at Lana who stood looking at her, with murderous rage brewing beneath her eyes."Yo..you dare to hit me?!" Rina was trembling with rage. She charged towards Lana but was stunned when another slap landed on her cheek.Then another, and another...Lana held on to her hair and delivered the slaps onto Rina's face one after the other. She was blinded by rage, her blood bo
Chapter Forty-FourDamien sat in his plush office, brooding. His jaw was tense as he stared at the financial reports on the table in front of him.Behind him, his assistant Liam stood straight, his expression as stony as his boss's own.In front of them, on the elaborate black sofas in the office, sat the members of MAGIC'S financial team, as well as their directors.The directors were all on edge as they watched and waited for any movement from Damien. They fiddled with their thumbs and the documents they held on their laps, not daring to look at him. News of MAGIC going bankrupt had been circulating the company since that morning and the reason was in the office there with them.Rian sat on the sofa, directly across from Damien, watching him and biting her lips worriedly."Those annoying investors! Why do they have to be so nosy?" She thought in anger, not feeling remorseful at all for her action. Some of the Directors were casting resentful looks at her. After all, she was the rea
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 Ninety-seven Rina smiled happily to herself when the call ended. "That was refreshing." She thought as she turned to walk back down the stone bridge. It was really nice to make Zaire speechless for once.Rina detested how pompous he was and how he'd been treating her all along. "We have the same purpose and the same objective," she muttered to herself with a snarl on her lips, "how dare he act like he's the lord of me?"Truth be told, Zaire had not always been like that. They had been really close when they met, and had formed a bond which was only made stronger when they discovered they shared a common enemy. She had just lost Lucas then.To that stupid plague called AIDS.Lucas, her so called brother who had left the orphanage with her when she turned eighteen."I'll protect you, Rina, and I'll make sure they all pay for what they did to us."But big brother Lucas had died barely three years into their plan. Turns out, he found that the lures of the city and sex were muc
Chapter Ninety-SixZaire slammed his phone down on the desk in front of him, as soon as he handed the call. The screen of the phone cracked and left cuts in his hand, which soon started bleeding .Zaire gave no thoughts for the blood which was running down his palm to his desk. He did not even feel the pain. Instead, he still held the phone in a tight grip and seethed with rage. He was breathing hard and trying hard to calm down.The conversation which he just had with Rina kept replaying in his head and Zaire slammed the phone on the desk once more."Damien knows about the Carter Family."This words rang in his head once more and he gritted his teeth. He stood up from behind his desk and went to a small bar in his office.He needed a stiff drink.Taking a bottle of brandy, he poured himself a small glass and downed it in one gulp. He poured another and repeated the action three times. "How much does he know about them? Does he know anything about Lucas?" He thought worriedly as he
Chapter Ninety-FiveWhen the car rolled to a stop in front of the main house, Vera held on to Rina, "Honey, why don't you come over to my place?," she asked, " I don't want you to be all alone here, and it will be easier for me to speak to your father."Rina gave her a tight smile, but slowly shook her head, "No, Mother." She replied, in a lowered voice, "I need some alone time. I want to be by myself for some time."Vera sighed, "Alright then, go on." She saod and Rina climbed out of the car with great relief. As she walked towards the entrance of the house, Vera lowered the window pane and called out to her, "Don't even think about getting funny ideas, dear. I'll call at the house later this evening, okay?"Rina gave her a warm smile and waved her along, "Okay Vera, I'll see you soon." She uttered softly, and as the car drove away with a cloud of dust, Rina's smile slowly faded away, and in its place, came a nasty scowl. "Ugh, she's so annoying, geez." She uttered, shuddering dram
Chapter Ninety-Four"W...what?" Rina stuttered, looking at Vera with eyes wide with terror. She had gone a little pale and did not know how to reply to Vera's request.Vera looked her up and down, her brows furrowed in confusion, "Why are you so shocked?" she asked in a surprised tone.Rina let out a nervous laugh, "oh, it's nothing." She cracked, suddenly apprehensive. She swallowed hard and looked at Vera once more, "It's just that you've never asked about my family, so..."She trailed off, giving Vera a knowing look and Vera laughed lightly, "No dear. I never asked about them because I didn't want you to be uncomfortable." She replied Rina, "And besides, Damien liked you despite your family's influence, that's why I decided to just let things lie low."Rina also laughed nervously and nodded her head, "Oh ok. Well, that's okay, Mother." She said, trying to reassure the older woman, "Just continue to keep things lying low."Vera shook her head to Rina's chagrin, "No dear. Now is
Chapter Ninety-ThreeThe security guards escorted Madam Vera and Rina out of the premises of the company.Vera had stopped struggling and Rina was still playing a dying girl. Soon, the driver brought Vera's car round to the entrance of the lobby, and only then did the security guards let go of the women."Let go of me," Madam Vera struggled one last time, just as they let go of them. She turned to glare at the security guards who still stood behind them, waiting for the woman to get into their cars.Vera stretched back her hands and gave them both slaps across their faces. The men did not flinch and their grave expression remained the same, even with the red welt marks on their cheeks."Please, get into the car, ma'am." A body guard said, giving Vera a serious look. The other glanced at the driver, who came round to open the car door for them."Lowlife bastards," Vera swore under her breath, glaring at the security guards with hate. They gave her a look that said they did not even c
Chapter Ninety-TwoRina walked into her office, and all the employees quickly stood up and bowed in unison, with respect. The fact that she had such influence to the extent that, she'd gotten Rina fired was still mindblowing.No one would dare to cross her from now on, especially now that they knew the CEO was solidly behind her. He even escorted his mother out of the premises for her.Lana sat behind her desk and only then did she ask them to sit with a curt nod of her head. The employees sat down clumsily, shifting uncomfortably under Lana's scrutinizing gaze.Claudia and the rest of Rina's minions felt the most uncomfortable. They could not even raise their heads to look at Lana. Instead, they fiddled with their keyboards or thumbs or bag straps or the pile of papers on their desks.All the while praying that Lana does not call them out. Even though they hated her, they still loved their jobs and wanted to keep it. Rina was gone, so there was no use acting up in front of Lana.L
Chapter Ninety-One"I'll reconsider suing your mother, Damien." Lana uttered, "If Rina is fired from MAGIC!"Rina gasped in outrage, while Vera struggled in the hands of the security men, "Let me go!" She struggled fiercely once more, and managed to wrench herself free from the men, who were a bit surprised by her strength. They had let her go, because it seemed like Vera would hurt herself any moment with the way she was struggling.She stood arms akimbo and faced Lana, "You bitch, what are you saying?! You want Rina fired, after everything she's done for MAGIC?!" She yelled at her, "Do you think I don't know what's going on? You're trying to throw out the rightful owner and take Rina's glory!" She then turned to face Damien, saying fiercely, "How long are you going to believe her? Can't you see how evil she is?!"Damien was silent, ignoring his mother's outburst. He tilted his head and watched Lana with a calculated, narrowed gaze. "You will reconsider, you say?""Damien!" Vera scr
Chapter NinetyLana looked so fierce, that both Vera and Rina were overcome with fear. They shuddered, even as Vera tried to stand firm."I won't let you get away with this, Lana!" she retorted, "I won't!""Oh right!" Lana said suddenly as she walked back to Diego, and examined his face once more. The sight of his bleeding lips made her grit her teeth in anger. She turned back to Vera and said coldly, "I won't let you get away with this too, Vera."Vera eyed her in annoyance, "What?!""This is assault." Lana said, simply, "You dared to hit a person to the extent that you left a mark on their skin." She smiled tightly, "You have to pay for that."Vera scoffed, "You must be out of your mind!" She spat out, unable to believe what she was hearing. She sniffed haughtily and looked down her nose at Lana, "I was only teaching your lowlife assistant a lesson. How dare he speak out of turn to me?!"Lana brought out her cellphone from her bag, and gave Vera a fake smile, "you can explain that t
Chapter Eighty-NineVera raised her hand to strike Diego once more, but then she felt a tight grip on her hand, holding her back. "What the..." she started saying as she turned in anger to look at the person that would dare to hold her hand back. Her eyes widened in shock when her eyes met Lana's face."Y..you.." she retorted, trying to sound firm, "What do you think you're doing?""Are you out of your freaking mind?!" Lana growled, baring her teeth at the older woman, who was stunned at her audacity."Let go of me this instant!" Mada Vera shrieked in a tremulous voice, "Don't you know who you're talking to?!"Lana was trembling with rage. She looked from Diego's reddened cheek and bleeding lips, and it only seemed to add more fuel to the inferno that was raging within her."You nasty old hag, how dare you touch him?!" She said to Vera, fiercely. The employees gathered around, all gasped at Lana's audacity. They wondered if she knew she was talking to the mother of the CEO.Vera's mo