Despite the seeping feeling of cold air into the atmosphere in the office of the CEO of the RINASHONE art gallery, it did nothing to ease the storm that was brewing in Isla's heart, who sat slouched against her chair. Her eyes which had been narrowed by a disdainful glare stared again at the chart that was before her, and she could not help but scrunch up her face the more she read those numbers before her. ‘Ridiculous!’ She almost scoffed, ‘The gallery’s earnings for the month were barely enough. Barely enough!’ her eyes glanced through the pile of invoices again, and then glared at the final figure. “This is not good. Not nearly enough,” she muttered spitefully, the more she thought of her debts which loomed over her like a noose. The ones that had given her sleepless nights because somehow there was nowhere she could have pulled the funds from. Isla leaned back in her chair and gritted her teeth angrily, thinking of how the numbers were still low with the exhibition they
It was late in the night already, and Dylan was just driving Zoe back home. She sat in the back seat and slouched her back comfortably against the leather chair, with her neck hanging sideways against the closed window in the most elegant way ever. Somehow, she was trying not to think of it earlier. She was trying not to think of having to sit before Andre in her office, and talk so casually. It reminded her of Audrey. It reminded her of the woman whose dreams were stolen, and a woman whom somehow no one seemed to remember. It made her heart ache that even her husband seemed to have no ounce of sadness for her death. His expression turned even colder at the mention of her name. As much as Zoe tried to push the thoughts and triggering insinuations that kept creeping into her mind because of the silent investigations she had been doing, she couldn't help but remember what Audrey told her. That someone had threatened her after her encounter with Marcel, and sent an anonymous message
The black car glided softly into the estate as Dylan steered it through the silent, tree-lined road that led to Zoe's mansion, and pulled up smoothly to the front entrance of her house, his movements smooth and controlled, just as they always were. His eyes flashed to the front mirror for a few seconds as he turned the car off, before he reluctantly stepped out, and smartly walked around the car to the right side of the passenger seat. He hesitated for a few seconds before he pulled the door open towards his direction for Zoe, and then waited for her to step out as usual. And for a few seconds, Zoe remained sitting without stirring, as her eyes dimmed into a distant gaze as if her mind had pulled her entirety into an abyss. She was lost somewhere in her never ending thought, and Dylan knew that look. He had studied it more times than he cared to admit. His usual mask of indifference switched that moment for a few seconds as his gaze lingered on her, with a longing mixed with so
But Zoe didn’t move. Instead, she just stood there, staring at the flowers with her mind tangled in a mess of resentment and something she refused to name as she rose to her feet. And somehow, her feet carried her toward the kitchen instead, as her eyes caught sight of the china and teacup. The ones she had planned to return also. ‘Goodness! Just why would he do all this without even asking her first?!’ Zoe screamed in her head even if her tired lips could utter nothing as she began a careful deliberation in her mind concerning how she would return it, knowing that she wanted to have no business stepping into his house.And just right at that moment too, the small green packet next to her microwave caught her eyes exactly where he had left it, and it was the herbal tea he had sent to her. The note he had attached to it lingered in her head and it made her scoff. ‘What business does he have with her insomnia?’And yet, her hands moved on their own, filling her kettle, lighting the
Driving with an aggression and crazy speed, Isla floored on the accelerator of her car just moments as soon as the doors to the Meyers mansion swung open, and swerved in like a maniac under hot pursuit. Stepping out her car and grabbing her bag violently with her face scrunched up into a deep frown, she dropped her car keys on the floor as one of the butlers scrambled unsuccessfully below her to catch it fast. Not minding that her heels grinded on the poor man's hand, she stormed past and made her way into the mansion, the doors automatically opening at the sensing of her presence. With her heels clicking loudly against the polished shining floors as she walked past the huge first living room which had been desolate for quite a while because things were not quite the same with the people living in the mansion anymore, she began to climb the stairs that led to the hallway which was the way to her room. Turning swiftly to the right, Isla's eyes caught sight of her mother who was sta
At the earliest hours of the morning, 5:45 AM, Zoe's eyes suddenly parted open as if some sort of realization hit her from her sleep. Her body felt heavier than usual, like she was sinking into the expensive mattress that had never quite felt like hers as she stared at the white ceilings above her face, which blinked against the pale lights that kicked from the floor-to-ceiling windows of her room. For some reason, as she lay on her bed, trying to grasp an unfamiliar feeling that somehow coursed through her body, she tried to comprehend why she felt a strange sense of relief even if she woke up to the sound of nothing. It was the first time in a long time that she had slept that long. She didn't even realize when she dozed off the previous night after she left the bathroom still lost in thoughts. But for the first time in weeks, she had slept. Straight hours without the endless turning, nightmares and incessant sleep breaks. She sat up slowly, pushing away her silk sheets that
The day Zoe had met with Jasmine and had embraced her with all her might, and drowned in the sweet scent of the body as well as her warm embrace, she left with a few strands of her hair. She felt so terrible doing that with her consent, but she wanted to be sure. She didn't want her life to be a lie again even if everything and traits about Jasmine pointed out that she was no doubt her mother. She just wanted the hope that truly she wasn't just misguided by a few coincidences. But instead of calling her and having nothing to say to her when she was probably bitter towards her thinking she was Emily's daughter, Zoe let herself sink into the memory of the woman she longed to call as the loneliness around her pressed in, and filled every inch of the luxurious, soulless space around her. While she continued to wallow in her deep concern, she scooped a spoonful of cereal that had sodden miserably in her bowl into her mouth, and forced herself to keep chewing, even if she wasn't sure sh
Malcolm sat behind his imposing office desk with his mind a little lost in the thoughts of Zoe, as he equally worried about her, while wondering if she was doing well. He had not seen her at all the previous day, and arrived home later than he usually did because of some things he had to set out at work. He knew she would be probably home by the time he arrived, but he didn't have the guts to go and knock on her door. He just sat on the balcony of the room where he could see the roof of her house until he saw the lights to her house go off. He had been thinking hard and pondering on the excuse that he could use to go and see her again, and he also wondered how she felt concerning the few things he had done. He was curious and wanted to know her reaction to it. If she had angrily trashed everything- The food, tea, china, flask, lamp, and purifier, or she just ignored the fact that it was there and didn't even care, or perhaps, didn't mind that he did and had no strong feelings towar
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