“I heard you delegated the conglomerate to a professional management!” The voice from the other side of the phone raged, as soon as Zoe picked up the phone, “What the hell do you think you are doing?! Leaving my conglomerate in the hands of those management professionals? Have you lost your mind?!” he fumed uncontrollably, unable to contain his fury. Remaining unfazed by his exasperation, she remained composed as she sat back in the back seat of her car as Dylan drove, and spoke calmly, “Yeah. Before the scandal. Those dimwits that are busy holding meetings to take me out should have gotten the news now.”“Are you trying to ruin the conglomerate?!” He was so pissed that he didn't allow Gary to speak on his behalf this time around. “I never knew you cared so much about the conglomerate in the first place, Mr. Sinclair. Considering how you have put me through hell for the past months of running it,” her voice dropped heavily with sarcasm, her face contorting to a mask of indignation
For as long as anyone could remember, Malcolm had been a pillar of ice-cold, distant, and apathy, and everyone in the family had learned to live with the silence that followed him wherever he went. He had always had the perfect image of the heir to the conglomerate, his gorgeous face, sharp and handsome, always a blank mark that revealed nothing. He barely spoke unless it was necessary and there was no warmth or comfort in his presence, while forcing himself to suppress every emotion he had ever felt from a young age. He had known since he was a child that his family’s legacy was not built on honor, but on betrayal, manipulation, and lies that stemmed from the first generation, which was his great-grandfather. His father, Mill Meyer, had made sure he understood from a young age what his position meant in the family. His grandfather, Mac Meyer, groomed him to carry the burden of the family name, and made him understand that he was the heir and that he couldn't make mistakes ever si
Like any other day that passed after that fateful day, nothing made sense again. Ever since Malcolm found out that his siblings weren't his, it was the day his life got even more difficult because his father started expecting too much from him. Knowing the reason already, even if he had been better off not finding out, he wouldn't cry, or grumble. He just took whatever he was told and tried so hard to become everything his father wanted. The realization of his life hit him like a punch to the gut, and he felt nothing but disgust and anger, even when he was supposed to feel some twisted sense of relief, maybe even satisfaction, knowing that his place in the family was secure. The truth was bitter and sharp, slicing through him at every meal eaten together, every event attended together, and every family portrait taken together. His father's words couldn't help but echo in his ears, even if he wondered endlessly how he was able to maintain the facade of being indifferent to the truth
Edward intentionally didn't mention Zoe's name straight up, so that it might not end up sparking rage in Malcolm, considering that he still could not figure out what was going on between the two after the hospital incident. Upon hearing that, Malcolm's eyes snapped up the moment he processed and the tension in his body accelerated instantly, as his intense gaze made Edward swallow as he quickly continued. “She is involved in a scandal that is on the verge of ruining her reputation now and is being investigated for attempted murder. Mrs. Audrey Meyer, who she is friends with, was pushed from the mansion's terrace during Mrs. Meyer’s birthday party, and now she is in a coma. The press is all over it, and... your family has been making sure she stays at the center of it. They are pushing for her to be charged for it,” he quickly rushed his words without taking a sip of breath. For a moment, the room fell into an agonizing silence, as if Malcolm went momentarily deaf, as he tried to pr
Instead of going to the Meyers mansion as intended, Zoe thought long and hard about it, and thought of how she could leverage her chance of going back to the mansion to settle things out.With the ongoing case, it would be much more difficult to get by because it would seem as if she had returned to her crime scene, but she was still very much disturbed about Audrey, even if she should be more worried about herself, and wondered who on earth could have pushed her from the terrace. Taking care of Aaron had not been easy either, because she couldn't leave the house with him because of the reporters that were always after her, could not hire a housekeeper because of trust issues, and could not leave the country with him because of the travel ban that had been placed on her. Nothing seemed to be working at all, and she was in a difficult pickle which was so hard to get out of, considering that the investigation had not led to any other clue that might suggest another person was the pe
Irina sat alone in her room in the most terrible state for the first time in a very long time while sipping from a glass of whiskey, her facade crumbling into shambles the more she tried to pick herself together, and her heart pounding louder with each passing second, because of Isla's sudden confrontation that left her cold with fear and unrest. For years, she had carefully guarded so many secrets away from her daughters, and had thought that there was no way they would ever know if she never told them. However, she was overthrown twice in the most shocking way, by her daughter, whom she even thought was most oblivious to what was going on in the house. It made her heart ache so restless, and fear gnawed at her heart, while twisting violently in her stomach. ‘How did she know? What else does she know? How much did she know?! How long had she known all this and kept to herself only to reveal them so casually?!’ Irina almost went crazy with numerous questions in her head, her mind
Ivy had been suffocated and frustrated for days, barely talking to any of the family, and had marginalized herself without giving anyone reasons why she had been like that. And since everything seemed to have turned upside down with the ongoing case with family, no one seemed to care too much because they all had a lot of issues going through their minds and heads. Her mind had been racing through a thousand thoughts, but it had always been revolving back to the same agonizing possibility, which was a truth she feared more than anything. ‘Were they really together? Was it even possible? Did it even make sense?!’ Ivy trembled as she bit at her nails nervously, again and again, the same way she had been doing for days. The thought of Marcel and Audrey being in a relationship was like a poison that wouldn’t leave her mind, and the memories of Audrey’s denials played on her mind endlessly for days. She said she didn't even know him at all! But then, thinking about it, the signs
Martin had been trying so hard to meet Zoe ever since the news of her involvement with an attempted murder came out, but it had been so difficult because she seemed to be busier than ever. She could barely reply to his text messages or come to see him, and he could barely give her an answer concerning what she had asked of him. That day, after she revealed everything about herself that she had been keeping to herself, he found it so overwhelming that he had not expected her to tell him at all. However, when she asked for his help to take her revenge, he chickened out because of fear of the Meyers, knowing that he had much less power compared to them. And ever since he told her he would think about it and reconsider, she has taken his answer for no, and quickly scrapped the part where he helped her by drawing her plan again where he wasn't involved. When he tried to get across to her to tell her that he was willing to give it a trial after days of putting thoughts together, it was
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
“Those two must have been planning it since! They must have!” Irina’s flare cut through his thoughts, as she gritted her teeth hard, “I have never even thought of her ever coming back. Mill assured her everything was over, and that she would never have reasons to return anymore!” Her heart continued to beat fast, as a raging headache began to rise within her head. She had been having that for days now, and it had just worsened. “This was his silent comeback?” A bitter scowl escaped her, as she sucked in a shaky breath of fury before taking her seat as she shut her eyes tight because of the terrible headache. “No wonder that bastard wasn't saying anything and just watched us run things behind him. He was planning to bring his mother back to the company,” Irina groaned. “Then we should tell the board. This might change their minds,” Andre blurted out without even thinking. “You stupid fool!” Irina cursed under her trembling breath, “What has that got to do with the shareholders?
Back at the Meyers mansion, the moment of peace shattered the moment the front doors burst open, and Irina stormed into the mansion like a hurricane still pompously dressed in her extravagant ball dress.Her hair was still perfectly curled, but her face, which was shining so beautifully, was scrunched up in anger that made the maids scatter as soon as they saw her coming. They hadn't expected to see her so early and had rejoiced endlessly since the plan was to be gone for five days on a nice trip. It made them so disappointed.“Where is my son?!” she barked, tossing her coat and purse aside as she turned to the terrified ones that remained. One of the maids that worked directly with her hurried forward, as she looked to the floor instantly, “Ma’am, Master Andre is in the….”Irina didn’t wait to hear the rest as she stormed past the lady, only for her heels to hit the huge vase along where she passed, causing her to stumble. However, she was fast enough to catch herself against a gil