Chapter Ninety-EightRina stared at the guard in horror, "W...what did you say?" She stammered, unable to believe her ears. The guard did not reply, instead he tilted his head slightly and looked behind him. Rina followed his gaze, and was shocked to see the maids bringing her luggage out.They placed it in front of Rina roughly, and gave her a smug look. To the maids, this was like an answer to their prayers. They had always wished for the day that the CEO would realize, Miss Rina was nothing to him and throw her out.Today was that day, and they decided to be smug about it."What do you think you're doing?" Rina screamed at them and tried to grab them, intending to claw them to pieces, but the guards held her back, pushing her away from them.Rina stumbled backwards and almost landed on her butt. She looked furious with her teeth bared and clenched, and her eyes red with anger. She marched angrily toward the guard and raised her hand to strike him, but was shocked to her marrow whe
Chapter Ninety-NineLana let out a huge sigh of relief as soon as the door closed behind the last employee. She sat back on her chair for a little while, trying to get back a little strength before she decided to just go home and rest instead.The day had been a hectic one, with the design team making preparations for the upcoming season and also the queen's awards. The employees were really eager to make an impression on the queen with their designs, and they tried their best to make their designs stand out."Getting a recognition from the queen is one of the dreams of the employees here," Mandy had told her that afternoon, "I hear it comes with a huge money prize, about thirty thousand dollars and also, you get to make the queen's outfits for a whole year!""That's splendid." Lana had replied , as she flipped through the designs of other companies that had actually won the heart of the queen the previous years. She scoffed in disbelief when she discovered that they all bore a simil
Chapter One Hundred Damien sat on the couch in the living room, sipping calmly from a glass of scotch. He had shed his coat and was wearing only his white button down, which had a gash on its left sleeve, and large blood stains.On the table before him, there was a small towel, which he'd been pressing against the wound to stop the bleeding. It was so soaked with blood that it looked like it originally had the red color, whereas it had been white.His face was calm and his expression impassive but he was actually in deep thought, thinking about what had happened in the office earlier that evening.He'd left his office early, intending to pick Lana up, when he'd seen Diego going to her office instead. He took the assistant aside and asked him to go home, that he'd get Lana himself."Sir, it seems like there's a bit of miscommunication between us, "Diego had said, giving Damien a defiant look, "I do not work for you but for Miss Fernandez. You can't be giving me orders, sir."Damien ha
Chapter One Hundred And OneLana blinked in surprise as Diego rushed towards her, crying and looking her all over to see if she was hurt."Uhm..Diego I'm fine." Lana managed to say as Diego engulfed her in a tight hug, "Just let go already."She tried to push at him, but he was much too strong. She realized he must have confused the blood stains on her dress for hers. Lana didn't blame him. It was a lot which made her not believe Damien, who said it was nothing.They were going to the hospital, whether he likes it or not. But first, she had to get this giant man baby off her."Diego!" She called, exasperatedly pushing at his huge shoulder, "That's enough, I'm fine.""No!" He wept, his voice muffled as he pressed his face into her neck, "Are you really okay, Miss Lana?" He pulled back and held her face in his hands, startling her as he said in a voice choked with tears, "I never should have left you alone.""Ahem." Damien said as he pried Lana loose away from Diego and, pulled her to
Chapter One Hundred And TwoRina paced back and forth in her hotel room waiting for Zaire to call her. She was biting her nails feverishly, and glancing at the phone which was lying on the small table a few feet away from her. "Why isn't he calling, jeez?" She muttered to herself in anger, "What the hell is wrong with him?"She groaned and looked up to the ceiling. She immediately screwed up her nose at what she was looking at. The ceiling was just made out of white plaster with some cheap light bulbs installed on it, or so she thought.She missed the ceiling in her room back in the main house of the Romero Estate. That one was arched and had a splendid chandelier hanging from it, shedding its light in golden spirals all around the room.The room had been massive, with its own terrace and walk in closet and bathroom, equipped with state-of-art amenities. This hotel room was quite spacious as well, but it was definitely not to Rina's taste. It boasted of a double bed, a dressing tabl
Chapter one "We're here, Madam" The driver's clear voice, interrupted Lana's thoughts and her eyes snapped open. She had been lost in thoughts and didn't realize they were already home. "Oh thanks Diego" Lana said as she snapped out of her thoughts as the driver went round the side of the car to open the door for her. She gave him a charming smile which slowly faded as she stared at the huge mansion which stood in front of her. Placing her bag on her shoulder, she wearily walked into the house, the full skirts of her white dress, almost sweeping the floor. Maids bowed and greeted her as they held the door open for her. Lana failed to see the concerned looks they gave her and themselves. She wearily made her way up the grand stairs that led to her bedroom. Her head was filled with various thoughts but the one that stood out the most were the words she heard about an hour ago. At the doctor's office. "Congratulations, Mrs Romero. You're pregnant!" The doctor had said
Chapter TwoRina."Y..you?" Her hands shook with rage as she took a step closer to the bed "what's going on? What the hell are you doing in my husband's room?!"Her fists clenched as she glared at Rina and remembered how Laura had admonished her to keep Rina away from her grandson.And now, Damien had gone and brought her into their home. She had failed Laura.Rina stared at Lana mischievously, her rosy pink lips curving into a smirk.Lana's palm itched to wipe that smirk off her face.She looked around the room, taking in the sight, slowly.The room was dimly lit from the chandelier above, which cast a faint glow around the room. Rina's hair looked disheveled and her complexion was flushed. There were clothes strewn about the floor of the room and a faint musty smell hung in the air.As Lana tried to make her brain understand whatever it is that was going on, Damien walked out of the bathroom. His golden locks, was wet and stuck to his forehead.He stopped when he saw Lana and his f
Chapter ThreeWhen Lana opened her eyes again, she was lying on her back on a hard surface.She sat up quickly and fell back to the bed immediately as her head felt like it would split in half.She gasped in pain and grabbed her head with both hands. She realized that it was wrapped round with bandage, and there was a needle on her hand connected to a bag above her.She was at the hospital.What happened?She remembered the crash and her hands immediately went to her stomach"My baby" she breathed frantically just as the curtains were pulled aside and a doctor appeared."I see you're awake, Miss" he smiled at her as he checked he vitals "And you're doing well, I can see.""Doctor, my baby" Lana whispered softly "Is my baby fine?"The doctor's smile faded slowly as he looked down at Lana. Slowly, he shook his head."I'm sorry" he breathed softly, staring deep into her eyes.Lana's eyes burned with tears, but somehow they did not spill over."It's dead?" Her voice was void of emotion an
Chapter One Hundred And TwoRina paced back and forth in her hotel room waiting for Zaire to call her. She was biting her nails feverishly, and glancing at the phone which was lying on the small table a few feet away from her. "Why isn't he calling, jeez?" She muttered to herself in anger, "What the hell is wrong with him?"She groaned and looked up to the ceiling. She immediately screwed up her nose at what she was looking at. The ceiling was just made out of white plaster with some cheap light bulbs installed on it, or so she thought.She missed the ceiling in her room back in the main house of the Romero Estate. That one was arched and had a splendid chandelier hanging from it, shedding its light in golden spirals all around the room.The room had been massive, with its own terrace and walk in closet and bathroom, equipped with state-of-art amenities. This hotel room was quite spacious as well, but it was definitely not to Rina's taste. It boasted of a double bed, a dressing tabl
Chapter One Hundred And OneLana blinked in surprise as Diego rushed towards her, crying and looking her all over to see if she was hurt."Uhm..Diego I'm fine." Lana managed to say as Diego engulfed her in a tight hug, "Just let go already."She tried to push at him, but he was much too strong. She realized he must have confused the blood stains on her dress for hers. Lana didn't blame him. It was a lot which made her not believe Damien, who said it was nothing.They were going to the hospital, whether he likes it or not. But first, she had to get this giant man baby off her."Diego!" She called, exasperatedly pushing at his huge shoulder, "That's enough, I'm fine.""No!" He wept, his voice muffled as he pressed his face into her neck, "Are you really okay, Miss Lana?" He pulled back and held her face in his hands, startling her as he said in a voice choked with tears, "I never should have left you alone.""Ahem." Damien said as he pried Lana loose away from Diego and, pulled her to
Chapter One Hundred Damien sat on the couch in the living room, sipping calmly from a glass of scotch. He had shed his coat and was wearing only his white button down, which had a gash on its left sleeve, and large blood stains.On the table before him, there was a small towel, which he'd been pressing against the wound to stop the bleeding. It was so soaked with blood that it looked like it originally had the red color, whereas it had been white.His face was calm and his expression impassive but he was actually in deep thought, thinking about what had happened in the office earlier that evening.He'd left his office early, intending to pick Lana up, when he'd seen Diego going to her office instead. He took the assistant aside and asked him to go home, that he'd get Lana himself."Sir, it seems like there's a bit of miscommunication between us, "Diego had said, giving Damien a defiant look, "I do not work for you but for Miss Fernandez. You can't be giving me orders, sir."Damien ha
Chapter Ninety-NineLana let out a huge sigh of relief as soon as the door closed behind the last employee. She sat back on her chair for a little while, trying to get back a little strength before she decided to just go home and rest instead.The day had been a hectic one, with the design team making preparations for the upcoming season and also the queen's awards. The employees were really eager to make an impression on the queen with their designs, and they tried their best to make their designs stand out."Getting a recognition from the queen is one of the dreams of the employees here," Mandy had told her that afternoon, "I hear it comes with a huge money prize, about thirty thousand dollars and also, you get to make the queen's outfits for a whole year!""That's splendid." Lana had replied , as she flipped through the designs of other companies that had actually won the heart of the queen the previous years. She scoffed in disbelief when she discovered that they all bore a simil
Chapter Ninety-EightRina stared at the guard in horror, "W...what did you say?" She stammered, unable to believe her ears. The guard did not reply, instead he tilted his head slightly and looked behind him. Rina followed his gaze, and was shocked to see the maids bringing her luggage out.They placed it in front of Rina roughly, and gave her a smug look. To the maids, this was like an answer to their prayers. They had always wished for the day that the CEO would realize, Miss Rina was nothing to him and throw her out.Today was that day, and they decided to be smug about it."What do you think you're doing?" Rina screamed at them and tried to grab them, intending to claw them to pieces, but the guards held her back, pushing her away from them.Rina stumbled backwards and almost landed on her butt. She looked furious with her teeth bared and clenched, and her eyes red with anger. She marched angrily toward the guard and raised her hand to strike him, but was shocked to her marrow whe
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