“Do you want to play games here or can we leave now?” Zoe's brow furrowed with confusion, as she watched Martin, who had asked her to meet, playing a game at an arcade where she had gone in to meet him. She had expected a serious discussion over coffee or wine, and not a detour into this vibrant, chaotic wonderland.“You have not played this game before, right?” Martin turned to her, his eyes sparkling with excitement, her cute expression making him chuckle. “Looks childish to me,” her voice edged with frustration stated, as her pony farm style framed her beautiful face more overtly, highlighting her expressive eyes that incessantly darted around the room, observing that everyone seemed to be having fun. “What?” he laughed even harder, seeing how irked she looked, “It is fun. Try it and see,” he interrupted before she could even answer, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards a combat game console. “You are meant to be working, remember?” she argued sternly, still trying to make
“You cook so well, Zoe. How can you just navigate all these so easily?” Audrey's eyes glistened with admiration as she watched Zoe show her how to prepare the recipe she had chosen for the day. “You flatter me too much,” A warm smile curved Zoe's lips, as she glanced at Audrey teasingly, “We are making roast chicken with herbs and vegetables, as well as pasta too. To make this cooking perfect, we have to use fresh quality ingredients and to season everything well,” she showed Audrey how to do it. Audrey nodded as her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm, ready to learn everything Zoe would be able to teach her. She had been trying to gain Irina's love and attention for as long as possible, so that her life would be much easier even if things went haywire in the long run. And since Zoe was willing to be friends with her, she thought that it was the perfect avenue to weaponize their friendship. Through her perfect cooking. “Since I have prepared the chicken, seasoning it with salt, pepper
The luxurious Maybach pulled up to the entrance of the opulent building, and the tall, able-bodied chauffeur who had driven it stepped out, and scurried to the other side of the back door to open it gracefully. From the vehicle emerged Zoe, who had been invited to the private launching of one of the biggest investment companies in the city, LASGOW.Dressed in a well-fitted floor-length black sleeveless dress intricately embellished with thousands of tiny black diamonds that shimmered under the light of focus which was on her, she exuded timeless elegance and a captivating presence that drew people's collective stare at her. Her subdued beautiful makeup screamed redundancy, which perfected the flawless look she radiated, and her hair, which was cut short to her chin, framed her face like a halo, making her look fiercer than she usually portended. Zoe sauntered into the banquet room, with the blinding lights of the cameras catching all of her perfection, as she carried herself with a
Zoe's heart skipped a breath, and she let out a soft gasp, because she had not expected to see him there. Yes, they were business partners to everyone. But, between both of them, they knew it was more than that. As crazy as it sounded, it was true that they shared the same bedroom. As insane as it was, she was his supposed fianceé whom no one knew about. As normal as it should be, she didn't want to see him at the moment when she was supposed to be away from everyone who knew her so much. ‘Shit! Why was he here?!’ A frown framed her face instantly, knowing what he was definitely capable of if he saw her. She didn't even want to speak to him. The instant plan was to retreat away from where he might see her since he had people still talking about his presence, and she tactically sidled away from those she was sharing light conversations with before he arrived, hoping to blend into the crowd and avoid his gaze or attention at all means. However, it was too late. Malcolm had already s
“What are you doing here, Martin? I didn't expect to see you,” Zoe gasped softly, her eyes widened in surprise and a sweet smile curving her lips to see him there. “To surprise you,” his left eye winked at her before he stretched his hands out to give her a hug, and then planted a friendly kiss on the cheek. Her delicious scent clung to his nostrils and munched on his mind, that it took him willpower to separate so easily from her after a few seconds. He wanted them to stay longer like that. “Be serious. Are you close to the host or something?” Her questioning eyes were on him, still in awe of suddenly seeing him at the party that she reluctantly attended just to fulfill all righteousness. Seeing him in a white tuxedo which clung to his muscle-toned body that made him look so perfect, was different from the usual plain tees and pants he usually wore. It made her see him in a different light. “Something like that,” he chuckled, as he took her right hand unconsciously in his, which
“Why are you in my skin, Malcolm?! Why are you trying to be rude to my friend?!” Zoe yelled at Malcolm the moment they got to a corner far from the banquet hall which she felt was secure enough. Her eyes took time to look around and study if there was no one coming or no cameras around, before she pulled him into another segregated hallway that led to a private balcony. “That is your friend? The one you have been talking to since all these days?” Malcolm spoke as soon as he saw that she was done checking over and over again to be sure no one had followed them. In a way, it pained his heart to see if that was how badly she wanted no one to know that they were nothing but business partners. Weren't they what they really were?“Yeah? Is that a problem?” She cocked a derisive brow at him, her guts patiently waiting for him to utter any word out of place so she would set a boundary immediately. ‘Trying to pretend like they would always be on good terms was harder than she thought!’ Z
Martin stood in his expansive, eccentric kitchen behind the countertop with an apron neatly tied to his waist, while chopping a big purple onion on a wooden chopping board, his hand moving fast with precision and accuracy even without looking. He had been cutting, dicing, chopping, and shredding vegetables for the past few minutes since he arrived home, and as much as he wanted to keep the badgering thoughts in his head out of mind by suddenly cooking something. However, he could not. His mind was consumed by thoughts of Zoe, who had captured his heart with her effortless grace and charm right from the moment he knew her, and her relationship with Malcolm Meyer, whose collaboration with her company saved her from answering the sudden rumor about her mental state. He couldn't just understand what was going on. Martin had always been so worried about her ever since he knew her, and always wanted to help her even if she seemed to have it all. When he suddenly lost contact with her fo
Seated behind the reserved table in the corner of a five-star hotel’s exclusive restaurant with the best view of the city scenery, was Zoe, sitting calmly with sophistication and poise, flipping through a copy of the RADIANCE magazine, while waiting patiently for her guest to arrive. Soft classical music played in the background filling the air with a great vibrance, one which she hummed to at intervals, without even realizing that she subconsciously knew the lyrics. She was waiting for the guy that she was supposed to meet at the party who didn't show up until it was over because of some silly excuse his brother had given on his behalf. A date was set almost immediately for them to meet properly without any form of interruption, and Zoe had surprisingly agreed to go when Gary informed her without putting up a fight. It was to seal an agreement between both of them. Once she went on a blind date and met the young man, she was not going to others, and was still not coming home eithe
Audrey struggled for breath as she began to tap his hand, which was already restricting the airflow from her lungs, and it was as if his eyes burned with more anger because the veins of his hands popped out more visibly.Without thinking too much, she raised the pointed tip of the shoe she was wearing as she positioned her hands firmly, on the railings for support. With a force, while struggling hard to breathe, she sent a kick to the middle of his legs. The pain caused Andre to groan as he instantly snatched his hand from her neck and grabbed his crotch in pain, which made it easy for Audrey to instantly spring forward instead of falling over because of the force he had used to shove her against the railings. Immediately, she dialed Zoe's number as fast as she could on her escape, as she scurried away from where Andre almost choked the life out of her, her ragged breaths uneven, and her heart beating so fast. Momentarily lost for the right words to say as soon as Zoe picked up Aud
SIX MONTHS AGO. Audrey had worn a camel-colored dress that day on Irina's birthday to celebrate freedom, and her imminent moment of final escape from the Meyers. From her ruthless husband's family, her miserable life and family problems- the major reason why she was still stuck in the stupid marriage. Her room back in the mansion had been cleared to an extent of all the things she needed, and arranged perfectly in a way that it might take a while to suspect a thing from just a mede glance. Smuggling her luggage out had been the easiest. It had been tactically towed to a storage company earlier that day, in new garbage bags that didn't even make anyone question. She had executed the plan perfectly, during the busy hours of the day in the mansion, while everyone was trying to make Irina's birthday party a perfect one and were all distracted. She had withdrawn Aaron from school, hidden him in a safe place in the guise of school camp, and had planned everything perfectly. It was only
Andre barely slept a wink all night. He was so restless, and his mind roamed aimlessly. Nothing was working for him. Nothing. And yet, he just continued to fall into more problems and debts. Yes, debts. While he was busy faking his death in the country he was living while his mother sponsored his lifestyle, he spent most of his time gambling in a casino. Returning to California, he continued codely in high-end clubs for elites, and had lost his savings in just a few months after placing a costly bet during one of his usual gambling days. The slush funds that was secretly siphoned from the MEL-CO oil and gas was meant to help him get back on his feet, but Malcolm caught on fast and blocked it mercilessly. Since then, he had been pressed for money and was desperate. He didn't know what was going to work out at the moment, but he needed a large amount of money to settle the private loans he took. Selling his shares was not an option because he would lose everything. Asking his moth
Irina's mind had not known peace for the past few hours, and she hadn't slept a wink the entire night. Dressed in a gorgeous custom-made white suit, she sat stiff and frozen in the back seat of her car, as if she had forgotten how to move.Her driver glanced at her in the mirror once or twice, wondering what was wrong, because it was unlike her to look that dazed. The tension in the car was stifling as he drove, and it was almost suffocating for him. Her fingers continued to flutter nervously, with one hand on her lap, and the other biting at her already wounded nails. Her heart was beating erratically and restlessly, as her eyes remained dark and sunken in misery. She struggled to remain composed as her head pounded fiercely, because the terrible migraine from the previous night had not stopped stabbing into her eyes. But she barely cared. All she could think about was her daughter. Isla. ‘What does she know? What?! What was she talking about?!’ Her heart twisted with fear each ti
The bright lights from the chandelier in the room stirred Zoe awake as her eyes fluttered for a few seconds, before it parted. A gasp escaped her as soon as her eyes met the ceilings above, and her heart skipped immediately, as her eyes darted to the clock by the corner of the expansive room.8:30 AMZoe's hand flew to her temple, and her eyes widened, “No. No. shit!” she muttered, as she moved the bed covers around her body instantly and came down the bed. She was meant to rest for two hours, maybe three at most. Just enough to clear her head. Instead, she had passed out completely while sitting on the couch yesterday. She was wearing the same clothes from yesterday, with her phone off, her body tired, and not a single file prepped for the morning’s board briefing. ‘Malcolm must have brought her here when she fell asleep,’ she realized. Thinking about him, she noticed that the penthouse seemed quieter than usual, as she walked out of the bedroom straight to the dining room. There
“How did it feel to see her?” Malcolm, whose eyes were already shutting in weariness brightened at the mention of Zoe, saying she met her mother. “To be honest, I was so glad. I was exhilarated because it felt so surreal to know I still have a family,” a small smile graced her lips as she spoke of it, “She doesn't know yet, but I like seeing her every time. She is a gorgeous woman. Full of dreams, and beautiful. Fun fact, we have similar eyes,” she was so excited to talk about Jasmine to someone. Turning to look at her, Malcolm stared into her eyes with a smile, “Really?”“Yes. She is stunning,” her lips widened in a deeper grin. His heart, suddenly hurting at the thought of his mother again, Malcolm was curious, “You don't resent all the times you spent away from her? Or her?”“If I say I don't, I lie,” a soft sigh escaped Zoe, as she looked up at the beautiful chandelier that was sitting up on the ceiling of the living room, while staring at it dreamily like a new kind of attra
Ding dong! The shrill chime of the doorbell outside the door instantly cut through Jasmine's thoughts and her back to the present from her room. For a moment, she couldn’t move. Her body remained frozen as if her brain had paused, and her heart, hammered. It was when her phone which was by her side sounded with a loud notification, that she fully kicked out of the reset mode her mind had gone into. She grabbed the phone so languidly as if something was sucking life out of her. A message notification from Justine flashed through her face when she swiped the screen up, and it read, ‘I’m outside. Please come get me.’ Turning on the lights in the room, Jasmine rose to her feet and hurried out of her room with light steps, careful not to wake Raine up. When she opened the front door of the house, a silent gasp escaped her as soon as she saw her. Justine was looking like life had chewed her up and spit her out. Her eyes were red with weariness and swollen with tears, and her sho
The bedroom showed no sign of life because the lights there were off, but someone was sitting by the window side, staring out into her uninteresting compound, while lost in thoughts. She sat at the edge of her armchair with her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes fixed on nothing in particular. The air around her felt so thick with tension, and it felt too heavy to pull into her lungs, because it was constricted with pain. It had been almost two hours since Zoe left, but Jasmine’s heart had not known rest because of what she said. The most shocking part of her life was all exposed in just one evening, and she was still trying so hard to process it. Her truths were wrapped in so much pain.She had been trying to keep up with the chaos inside her head, but it was as if Zoe's pain now lived in her lungs.‘She was married?’ Jasmine could not get her mind off that part, because that piece of information was not included in her public biography. There was no news about it. ‘If she was
Zoe adjusted the face cap she was wearing and bent her head, her eyes boring deep into the floor as she entered into the elevator with Malcolm. It was when they entered and the doors shut, that she thought to herself that it would have been better if he had gone up first. ‘What could be worse than the tip-off of where she was staying the night? Meeting up with Malcolm Meyer in his private penthouse? It would look too good on paper. The speculations would be terrifying and suffocating!’“You can remove the cap now,” Malcolm told her as soon as they reached the penthouse of the forty-five floored building, and stepped out of the elevator. “Okay,” she muttered, even if she didn't pull it off immediately. She was still a little bothered that someone might see them. The penthouse was quiet when Zoe stepped in after Malcolm opened the door, and it was the kind of stifling silence that made her heartbeat echo in her own ears. And maybe somehow, because she had seen what his house looked