ANMELDEN"Smile wider for the camera! Haha!" The MC called out from beside where the media were taking the shots, as he put his two fingers at the corner of his lips and tugged them up in a smile. Diane forced out a wider smile, adjusting the sash draped across her body, the word 'WINNERS' boldly written on it. She stood beside Michael, the stiff air of discomfort surrounding them. The cook-off had ended, and they had won. After Michael's little apology, they had barely spoken to each other and had just concentrated on making the food. Or rather she had concentrated on staying out of Michael's way as he made the food. In other words, avoiding him. She noticed he didn't try to invade her space from then on or speak to her, which she convinced herself was a huge relief. And even as they stood side by side now, the space in between them was pretty distinct, Michael had a blank expression, and his body just looked rigid. Like he couldn't wait for the whole thing to be over. After a couple mor
Diane felt like her heart would jump out of her chest as it pounded loudly, nearly deafening her. She had no idea if she wanted to push Michael away and storm out of the cook-off altogether. But that only meant numerous headlines about them and probably much digging into both their pasts. And their pasts were one thing she didn't ever want the media to uncover, because the fear of what that damage could cause was something she was not even allowing herself to think of. On the other hand, couldn't someone interrupt? Maybe tell Michael he wasn't supposed to be doing this in front of cameras? That this was off limits? For the first time, she looked around at other couples to see they were genuinely getting along. They didn't seem bothered when their partner's hand brushed against theirs or when they invaded each other's personal space. Not that Michael's touch bothered her either. At least not to her knowledge. She was sure she hated it, and anything she felt now was simply because
Michael walked behind Diane as they circled to their table. He had undeniably caught her checking him out earlier that morning, and a part of him did seem pleased at that, a bit more pleased than he cared to admit. After all, apart from the privacy and exclusivity Montclair offered, another reason he had moved there was simply because she was there. And he had made sure to move into the building right next to hers and not that of Mr Martins. Moving into Montclair, however, had been a piece of cake. To him, exclusivity mattered, and it was only then did he deem whatever place comfortable enough to suit his taste. If it didn't meet his standards, it wasn't worth his presence. So he had simply made a phone call to Martins. But the crazy thing was, Martins hadn't accepted his cash or donations and had simply told him to appear in the cook-off to even things out. And when he had asked Martins why, Martins had told him his reputation would be good for the promo shots since he was pr
"Hey baby," Nathan said to Diane, leaning down to press a soft peck on her lips before settling down beside her."Hey.""Eww, get a room, please." Lea grimaced, waving her hand dramatically in front of her face. "Not if we want to put on a free show for you, you know." Diane teased, laughing.Lea shook her head, hissing, "Kill me already."Nathan chuckled at both of them.They were out at the Island's beach, where they were going to have the games and probably the bonfire. The beach was within walking distance since it wasn't too far from the Villa and Montclair. The games and bonfire were optional, though. If Lea had not pulled up to Diane's building in a dramatic hat, a sexy bikini with a scarf tied around her waist, a loud encouraging voice that sounded like it could power the whole island, and large lollipops, she would have honestly just laid in bed for the day. Or continued sightseeing on her own. She had not noticed Michael around, so she figured, as usual, that he had prob
Diane opened her eyes, blinking lazily as the early morning sun crept into her bedroom through the blinds. She yawned, stretching both arms over her head as she lengthened her body. She reached for her phone on the nightstand and checked the time to see it was just a few minutes past seven. There was already a text from Ryan, and she tapped on it, clicking the link he had sent her. It led her to the morning article with the bold headline, 'DEVERAUX HEIRESS DELIVERS AN AWESOME SPEECH DESPITE NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE.'She laughed a bit, seeing it. Her speech last night did go well. After the accident, Lea and Nathan had helped calm her down, and she had stepped up and given the speech even without the brief that had mysteriously disappeared. The crowd had applauded her, especially after she had spoken on the Blue Haven project. And by the time the speeches were over and the partying had started, her partners for the Blue Haven project had come to assure her that the deal was practical
Diane's body trembled with fright, and her heart pounded in her ears, almost deafening her. From nowhere, she heard screeching cars jamming in the traffic and the horns going off, blasting in her ears. The harsh light from the vehicles shone on her face, and she shut her eyes, wanting to make it go away. She heard voices screaming and asking if she was okay, and a tear travelled down her cheek as she pressed her lips together. Her eyes were still tightly shut, and her hands had travelled up to cover her ears as the loud crash happened. Diane?" Michael called out to her, cutting through the chaos."Diane," He shook her softly. "Snap out of it, you are okay. I'm here."Diane's body jerked up in shock, and her eyes flew open. The first thing she saw was Michael. His hand was cradling the back of her head, and his arm was wrapped protectively around her.She blinked rapidly and looked around. She saw that she was in a dimly lit corner with Michael, while the broken LED fixture lay on the
The party was halfway through already. Guests were seated, the waiters doing a perfect job by making sure everyone had everything they needed at their tables. Diane shared a table with Ryan and there were two empty seats which were supposed to be occupied by John and Stella. But Stella had decided
Launch party IIDiane's eyes rested on the very woman whom she despised just as much as she despised Michael. Although Michael was still top of the list.Tiffany Lucks. The same woman who had beautiful blonde hair which Diane couldn't ever tell if she ever used extensions on them or if they were re
The night became beautifully lit just as Diane's car pulled over in front of the company's newly completed second headquarters. And it was going to be soon headed by her in just a few hours.Black luxury cars glided in front of the buildings as well while reporters surrounded the entrance taking pi
*2 and a half years later* "A beer wouldn't be so bad now, don't you think Ryan?" Diane asked as she spun lazily in her swivel chair from the window view in her office back to her office table. Her office table was made out of Teak. It was rich, expensive, refined, and alluring, adding a unique bl







