Malcolm’s mind continued to replay Zoe’s voice from last night as he drove, and he could not really help but wonder if it was truly her. He had thought he would see her when he returned by private flight earlier that day, but she was already at work, decided to wait patiently for her to return home, and went to see Justine instead. By the time he walked into the outdoor café, tucked away behind rows of pines and vines, Justine was already there, seated and waiting. She had come almost an hour earlier than the agreed time, and when she saw him walking toward her table, her lips trembled faintly but she quickly forced a smile.“You came,” she whispered, almost disbelieving. When he had contacted her first and asked to meet too, she could not help but be surprised. Seeing him come seemed so surreal. Malcolm sat across from Justine without a word, and for a while, they simply stared at each other, neither willing to speak first.Finally, Justine cleared her throat, adjusting her blazer
It had been three days since Malcolm returned from Singapore, and finally, he managed to reach Zoe. When she answered her phone, her voice sounded much lighter than he expected and it was so casual, and almost playful. Like they had been friends forever. “Noticed you have not been home for two days now,” she began without a hello as soon as she finally picked up his call. “You are home already?” He sounded surprised, the worry that had been lodged in his heart dissipating already. “Where else would I be?” her voice taunted lightly. I thiught…..” he paused, and then decided not to go too deep into it, “How are you? Are you good? Been calling you for days,” his voice was heavily ladened with worry. “Of course, why wouldn't I be?” She chimed, “Been so busy. We just recovered thanks to your help, and we are keeping the momentum, so I have had a lot to take care of,” she said naturally, “Just got home now.” Malcolm played along, seeing that Zoe didn't want to dwell on what had passed
Martin could still see the way she smiled when she said it in a way that was not mocking, or cruel, but with an expression that showed how hurt she was by his deceit. And that made it worse for him. Made him feel the worst way he had never ever felt.His head replayed more memories from the moment Zoe admitted to him that she had known for a while and that she had discovered by chance that he had been sent by Isla to get close to her, gather information from her, and ruin her. She even gave details of the much information she suspected he had given Isla which had somehow ruined her plans, and caused every of her progression to get prolonged this much. “And that is why I have really kept my distance,” she confessed.“You knew?” he had muttered under his breath with a hurt expression, dragging a hand over his face as his heart shattered the more he realized that it was why she had been avoiding him all along. Martin's knees that were about to hit the marble floor for a proposal lande
Isla Meyer sat in her pristine, sunlit office, behind her sleek black desk, a rare Monet sketch framed behind her, and the subtle scent of imported roses drifting from the huge vase near the window. The office itself was an extension of her taste, tall ceilings with muted white walls, huge abstract paintings sprawling across one side from the beginning of the wall to the end, a sculpted huge figurine in the center of the room, and shelves of catalogues lined in perfect order. Her seating posture was elegant, with every detail of her presence as deliberate as the art surrounding her. She was dressed in an emerald green silk dress with one leg crossed over the other with unhurried poise, her phone resting delicately in her hand while scrolling through her phone, her polished nails moving smoothly. While checking for the highlights of top trending news, she seemed quite fixated on something other than the reels she was checking out, like she was waiting for something else. It was Andr
For a long time, far beyond what he could remember, Malcolm felt sickly, like he was soon going to be down with fever or something. He sat in his office, the air around him colder than usual, while staring at nothing in particular. He sat with one hand loosely gripping his fountain pen, the other holding his phone as if he might suddenly come alive, if he instantly got the call he wanted and had been waiting for from the person he wanted to speak to. His mind had roamed endlessly all night, and he was unable to sleep because he kept thinking about how he would execute every of his plans perfectly without getting anything messed up more than they already were. He was still thinking the same at the spot where he remained seated.He had to be on good terms with his mother whether he liked it or not, but he didn't even know how to do that because it seemed more difficult than it should be.He was a smooth talker and was very good with words, but he had no idea how he would naturally m
Jasmine sat behind the counter of her flower shop, the late morning sun spilling through the glass windows in gentle streams. The air which was usually filled with the fragrance of flowers that had a way of soothing her nerves, did nothing to pull her from the suffocation in her heart at that moment. It had been hours since she had dropped Raine at school, and returned to the flower shop to start getting her hands busy with gardening. She had made herself coffee, watered the orchids, rearranged the potted violets, trimmed the roses, and done anything to keep her hands busy. But her mind… her mind would not rest.Every time she stopped moving, the words Justine had told her yesterday came crashing back in her mind. Kept making her restless. That Zoe had been married to Malcolm. That they have been married before and divorced. And that wasn't all. That wasn't even the worst part of it all. Justine then continued by mentioning why they had divorced, when shocked Jasmine couldn't help