The gentle morning breeze was what woke Anna up the next day: the sound of bird chirping and leaves rustling in the quiet morning breeze.Usually, the kids would be up and about in her room by now, but seeing as they were nowhere near, they must have found a new prey in Loveth.“Good morning, sunshine, you look well rested,” Loveth said as Anna came down the stairs about an hour later.“Yes, it was a long night,” Anna replied as she kissed her kids on the head.“Morning, Mom,” they all chorused.“How was your first night with grandma?” Anna asked them.“It was cool,” James responded.“It was great!” Jayden shouted“I liked it,” Jasmine said“Nice,” Anna muttered as she took a sit to the right of Loveth, opposite her children.“I assumed you guys had gone off to a meeting again. Funny, Clayton is not down at this time,” Loveth muttered.Anna could hear the slight concern in her voice, so she placed a hand on her arm and said, “I’m sure he would be down shortly, probably a lot tired tha
“Stop that!!”That was the scream that woke Simon up the next day. He sat up suddenly in bed, lost for a few seconds as to where he was.Then he remembered he was at his house, and the last time he checked, his neighbor didn’t have children.“I am going to catch you!!”Another scream pierced his ears, coming over the wall at the back of his house. He had slept off with the terrace door wide open last night.“F*ck!” He muttered under his breath, knowing full well he would not be able to go back to bed.He rose out of bed, clad in nothing but his shorts; he walked over to the large glass wall, which spanned a major part of his bedroom wall.“There goes my peace and quiet,” Simon muttered under his breath as he padded on bare feet to his kitchen to get a cup of coffee.His mind was clouded; he had fallen asleep with one thought in his mind—Why now?“Such a good time; everyone has chosen to be back in town,” Simon muttered, rolling his eyes in irritation.He closed his eyes, savoring the
“Clayton?” Anna called out again.“Over here,” Clayton responded.“What are you doing? What was that sound?” Anna called out.“Sorry, that came from there, and we are just trying to make sense of some of the things we will be doing for the next few weeks,” Clayton responded with his nose buried in some documents.Anna walked around a shelf of books before she finally saw the table. Beside it, a trolley with a pile of books had fallen to the floor. Behind him was a large window that looked out at the back of the house.Clayton bent down, trying to raise the trolley with the books that had fallen, and after a few grunts, he succeeded.“Hi Anna, where did you go so early?” Nat asked, scanning through a book with her.“I went to see my mom,” Anna replied, totally engrossed with the view through the window.Nat looked up, her brows raised as she glanced over at Anna and asked, “Your mom? You went to see her without the kids?”“Yes, I went to the cemetery, Nat,” Anna replied, finally lookin
When Simon walked through the Parker Group head office on Monday, there was a new gait to his movement.“Good morning, Mr. Parker,” several employees greeted as they passed.Simon nodded his head in response as William hurried to catch up with him.“Did something happen over the weekend?” William asked, eyeing him curiously.“No, why do you say that?” Simon asked.“You have that look you usually have when you are about to defeat a competitor," William replied as they stepped into the elevator.“You think so?” Simon asked with a shrug.“Yes,” William replied.“It’s that time of the year, William; there are a lot of competitions coming soon. It's always a rat race at this time of the year,” Simon stated.“Of course,” William responded with a nod.If there was anything that could make Simon smile, it was the satisfaction of winning over a competitor.“Like the Kids and Comms program that we are about to kickstart,” Simon stated.“Well, it’s good to see we are starting off the week on a g
Anna turned to Clayton as they drove into Gary's head office, stopping him in his seat with a hand on his arm as he tried to get out of the car.“Remember what we discussed yesterday,” Anna stated, narrowing her eyes at him.“Yes, Anna, I do, for God's sake; Mom is hypertensive, and adding all this would not be a good idea,” Clayton muttered."Just wanted to make sure we are on the same page," Anna muttered, letting go of his arm,.Loveth’s words layed in her mind again: “The scan showed there might be a little bit of an issue with my heart, although it’s not serious,”“I’m not going to let Simon push the last family I have to the grave,” Anna muttered under her breath as she got out of the car.They walked into the building and headed to the reception, where Natasha was already waiting for them.“Someone is coming down to get us,” Nat informed them.“Okay,” Anna muttered.Just then, someone called from behind them, “Mr. Fisher?”Clayton turned back and replied, “Yes, I’m Fisher.”“Ok
The whole room was silent as they turned to Anna. Nancy had a scowl on her face while Michael looked puzzled.“Please go ahead; what might this condition be?” Michael asked.“I would like to get the chance to pick my own team members, permanent members,” Anna stated.“But you already have those who…” Michael said.“I only work with those who I decide are competent enough,” Anna said, cutting him off.“Are you insinuating that we do not know what we are doing? Or that we are incompetent?” Nancy asked, scoffing in anger.“I mean, considering the competence of the team lead, it is only right for me to have my reservations,” Anna responded with a smile of amusement.Nancy’s hand balled into a fist as she stared at Anna with so much contempt.“How do you intend to do that? I mean, choose your own team members,” Michael asked.“I will get back to you on that; for now, I would like to see my workstation,” Anna said, standing up.Michael was taken aback for a few seconds as he realized she ha
Jasmine walked into her mother’s room, with James and Jayden right behind her.“Are you sure you saw it in Mom’s room?” James asked.“Yes, I did,” Jayden told them for the hundredth time.They didn’t believe him, which was why they were there to prove him wrong.“It was a picture,” Jayden insisted.“Where did you see it?” Jasmine asked.“In a box, Mom likes to keep it away from us,” Jayden replied.“How then did you see it?” James asked, rolling his eyes.“I saw Mom crying that day with the box open. You and Jasmine were sleeping,” Jayden explained.“What if the box is at home?” Jasmine asked.“I don’t think we can find Daddy like that,” James stated.“We can, if we see the picture Jayden is talking about, we can use that…” Jasmine said, trailing off.“Shhh, you said not to say it,” James said, placing a hand on his lips as his small eyes rounded in surprise.“Okay, okay, I’m not going to say it,” Jasmine said, her eyes filled with amusement.“See!” Jayden shouted suddenly.“What?” Ja
Anna smiled at Clayton and Natasha as she asked, “Let’s see who can provide a solution to our need.”“Okay,” Nat muttered, still confused as to what she meant.“We have an investor's bid coming up in two weeks; I need a list of some of the organizations that would be at that bid.” Anna instructed.“Okay, I’ll get right to it,” Nat responded.“No, why would you do that? I’ve got more important things I need you to handle. Instead, have everyone interested in working for me gather here in the next ten minutes,” Anna stated.“Okay,” Nat said as she typed the mail.“Also, let’s not restrict it to just Nancy’s department; anyone who is competent enough within the firm is free to come try,” Anna said, smiling, a mischievous glint in her eyes.Clayton shook his head and muttered under his breath, “Oh god save us.”In ten minutes, they had a total of ten people in the room already, including Evelynn and Felix, who had brought them up earlier.“I see you are all interested in joining my team.
"What is it?" Alex asked, noticing the hesitation on her face.Anna looked at Shelly, patting her hand as she said, "If I am going to do this, you need to follow my lead.""You don't want to help us?" Adam asked, his eyes clouded with confusion."Ms. Howard, I know you must have reservations, but this is a murder case, and we need to take extra caution." Alex responded.Anna sighed, placed her elbow on the desk as she explained, "No, that's not what I mean. I know that you need my testimony to make sense of what happened that night. I know who might be behind this, but I need to know that you will follow my lead."Alex's face cleared in understanding at her words as he asked, "Why do you want us to follow your lead?"Anna stood up, walked over to the window in the room, and turned her back to them as she stared out at the city."We know how difficult this must be for you, Anna, but we need to know." Adam encouraged.Alex sighed deeply and stated, "Ms. Howard, this case is critical. If
Anna wriggled her hand, uncomfortable, but she knew there was no turning back from this. She had made a promise to herself to face this head-on, no matter how difficult it may be. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply before looking at Shelly.“Anna?” Shelly asked, stepping closer to her.Anna nodded and replied, “Yes,"“Anna!” Shelly exclaimed in shock, covering her mouth with her right palm.“Who is it, dear?”Anna looked up and saw him, Adam Turker, his head filled with trickles of gray hair. He looked almost the same as he did five years ago.“Hunnie, it’s Anna, Anna,” Shelly called out in disbelief.Adam got to them, his eyes filled with questions as he asked, “Anna? Is that you?”Anna nodded, forcing a smile as she tried to clear her voice, which was clogged with tears.“Oh my god,” Shelly exclaimed softly as she pulled Anna into her arms.Anna felt the softness of her hands around her as she finally let herself cry, releasing all the pent-up emotions she
“Did something else happen?” Noah asked, watching Simon.His eye that had been close to calm was now storming with fury as he cursed under his breath.“Gideon is flying back to the country! For f*ck's sake, did he learn nothing about business diplomacy? He is leaving all that sh*t there and flying back?” Simon stated, his voice hardened in anger.“What do you mean he learned nothing? There is probably nothing else he could do about the situation.” Paul defended.“You know that’s not true; we all bloody know that is not f*king true!” Simon snapped.“Don’t you dare curse at me, Simon!” Paul shouted at him.“For the life of me, how dense can Gideon be? I should have known better than to send him on that trip.” Angrily, Simon brushed back his hair in frustration.“What do you mean by you should have known better? Were you expecting him to bungle this up from the get-go?” Paul asked, his eyes narrowed.Simon didn’t answer, and Noah had picked up his phone to reach out to key directors over
Anna stared at the picture and at the date, a reminder of what happened. Lily's picture was displayed on her phone, her face all smiles as her phone alerted her to the fact that Lily had lost her life in her place five years ago."Anna?" Are you alright?" Nat leaned close to ask.She noticed the pale look on her face and was concerned about her.Anna was silent for a moment before finally admitting, "I think I need to go home.""What? Why? When are we celebrating your win?" Nat asked.Anna pulled out her phone and placed it face down on the table, trying to control herself. She felt a wave of sadness wash over her as she recalled that night."Please excuse me, I need to make use of the restroom," Anna said with a forced smile before standing up.Her walk to the restroom was slow and deliberate, her mind consumed with memories she had been trying to forget.Once in the restroom, she splashed cold water on her face, took a deep breath, and stared at her reflection in the mirror."I'm so
"Oh, my god! When did you guys plan this?" Anna asked, smiling at the grin on their faces.The small restaurant had a cozy atmosphere, with dim lighting and soft music playing in the background. It had been decorated and was only occupied by her team members.The tables were adorned with colorful balloons, and a "Congratulations" banner hung on the wall."Congratulations, Ms. Howard," they chorused.Anna felt filled with gratitude as she looked at their faces, glad they had actually won the bid."Thought you said none of them were going to show up?" Nat whispered to Clayton."Me? I thought that was you." Clayton asked."Thank you," Anna replied as they took their seat."Looks like Michael rented out the whole restaurant."Yes, he did. We got here and met the decor already in place." Evelynn stated, beaming."Looks like he is a thoughtful person after all," Clayton remarked, impressed."I guess I misunderstood him," Nat admitted with a chuckle.Anna smiled as a waiter walked up to them
"…Stay away from Simon, Anna," Charlotte said, her voice low and dangerous, before she stepped back.The lobby was filled with chatter as people made their way to the several elevators in the room. Some glanced over at Anna and Charlotte, wondering what the subject of their conversation was.Others assumed they were probably sharing ideas about their presentations.Anna's eyes were blank as she stared at Charlotte, unable to place her words with the thoughts in her head.Anna's lips curled up in a smile as she tilted her head to the right, her eyes locked on Charlotte."Do you think I just made a joke?" Charlotte asked in frustration.Charlotte's personal assistant walked up to her and said, "Ms. Hawthorne, the sponsor would like…""I'm not done here," Charlotte snapped at him, not even bothering to glance at him.She turned back to Anna, who still had a smirk on her face, and said, "Anna Howard, return to whatever hole you crawled out of. Simon was always mine, and I am taking him."
The whole room became silent as they all looked at Alicia. Her face was unreadable, her eyes darting around the room. The tension in the air was palpable as everyone waited for her to break the silence."And the winner is The Gary group!" Alicia announced at last.The room erupted into cheers and applause, with Nat and Clayton embracing each other in excitement. Alicia's expression softened as she smiled, glad at the reaction to the announcement."What just happened?" Charlotte stated in shock as she kept staring at the stage."The right thing," Simon whispered to her, standing up.Charlotte's face was a mix of confusion and disbelief as she tried to process the unexpected turn of events."Congratulations, Anna!" Nat screamed, hugging her."Please welcome Mr. Michael Gary, the CEO of the Gary Group," Alicia announced.Michael gripped Anna's hand and pulled her up with him as he said, "Come, this is as much your win as it is the company's."Simon felt irritated by the sight as he watch
For a split second she considered not sitting there, but every other seat in the room was already occupied.“It won’t be so bad if you just turn around and walk away,” Charlotte said, a wicked glint in her eyes.Anna’s lips curled up in a smile, accepting the challenge as she took her seat.“And miss this delicious food? Of course not,” Anna replied.Nat coughed, slightly uncomfortable as she leaned close to Clayton and whispered, “I don’t like this at all.”“I don’t either, but we do not have a choice,” Clayton whispered back to her.Simon sat there, his face neutral and unreadable as he stared at Anna. William was sitting to Anna’s right, with Nat on her left. Leaving Simon sitting right in front of her.“Why don’t we enjoy the food while we wait to hear the verdict? I’m sure it won’t take so long,” Nat stated, laughing nervously.The tension at the table was so thick you could cut it with a knife. The other tables felt like a lifetime away from them, as every other thing paled in c
“Mia, over here,” some kids called as Mia approached with Jasmine by her side and the boys right behind them.“Those are my friends too; come, let’s go play with them,” Mia stated.They got to the group where three girls were standing with two boys all around the same age.“You are the one who pointed at Uncle Simon’s face,” one of the girls said.“Yes, Ella, she is,” Mia replied, adding, “She is my friend now.”“Okay, hi, I’m Ella, and this is Bridget, Jade, Ben, and Dave,” Ella introduced.“Nice to meet you. I’m Jasmine, and my brothers are James and Jayden,” Jasmine replied.“You look so alike,” Dave said, pushing up the little glasses on his face.“Yes, they are triplets, duhh,” Jade replied, folding her small hands on her chest.“You mean like twins with one more in the belly?” Ben asked.“Yes,” Jade stated.“How did you guys stay there together?” Dave asked.“How will they know that?” Ella asked.“I’m sure they know,” Jade muttered.Jasmine stared at them, wondering why they had