DAVE'S POV
Throughout the journey, I was preparing myself for the argument I was going to be having with my parents over the same topic for the last three years.The car stopped in front of Styles Company, the Fashion company owned by my parents. I stepped out to see that the white-colored concrete building has been replaced with royal blue glass with the company's name calligraphed boldly at the top.The men in suits ushered me inside and I covered my head with my hood as the door opened. I walked toward the elevator with five men surrounding me and I could hear the whispers of people asking who I was.Over the years, I had managed to keep myself away from anything related to the company except the money I get from it though. My parents didn't mind because my brother was ready to take up the responsibility of succeeding after them which made me relax but little did I know that things would take a different turn and I would be pressured to take the responsibility I have been running away from. But I promised myself that I wouldn't give in to that pressure no matter what.We stepped into a private elevator that took us to the top floor. The reactions of the employees there were the same as the ones I came across on the first floor. Everyone knew the name Dave Mendez but they didn't know what he looks like. I had been living a low-profile life not wanting to live with the power and pressure that came with my family's name, and I planned to keep it that way.I was greeted by my mother's voice the moment I stepped into my dad's office, "Thank God, you're finally here." She stood up and pulled me into a hug, kissing me on both cheeks. "Why didn't you come home yesterday?""I didn't feel like it." I moved out of her embrace and sat on the couch.The door opened again and a slim tall lady with long raven hair walked in with a suit. "Here's the suit you asked for, Mrs. Mendez.""Thank you, Lena. What would I do without you?" She took the suit from her."How is it going in the meeting room?""The shareholders are getting restless and demanding when the meeting is going to begin but Mr. Garret is trying to calm down," Lena replied.My best friend, Nixon Garret was the directing manager of the company and from what I've heard from him, the lady standing before me was the New Head designer, Lena Fernandez. For some reason, he wouldn't stop talking about her whenever we spoke on the phone since she started working in the company last year."We don't have much time." My dad stood from his chair and approached me. "Change into the suit and let's go.""Yes, hurry up." My mom removed the bag covering the suit. "We arranged the meeting for 8:30 and it's already past nine." She took my hand and tried to pull me up."Mom, I'm not attending the meeting." I removed my hand from her grab."What do you mean you are not attending the meeting? It was arranged just for you," my dad voiced out."That's exactly why I'm not going.""Don't start this again, Dave. We let you be for good two years, it's time to step up on your responsibility. You can't keep running away forever," Mom added."Sir, the shareholders are leaving." Nixon barged into the office."Do something to stop them," my father yelled at him."Just let them go, it would be a waste of time if they stayed." I leaned back into my seat with my hands folded."Dave, what is wrong with you?! How long do plan to keep this up?" Dad raised his voice as my mother sat on the single couch in defeat."Till you give up on trying to make me your successor." I shrugged.Nixon and Lena noticed that the conversation was getting heated so they excused themselves from the room."You are our only child, If you don't succeed us who are we supposed to leave all my fortune to?" Mom asked in a low voice with tiredness written all over her face."I don't know. You can adopt a child or something.""Listen to yourself. Your brother worked night and day for the growth of this company and you want me to hand it over to someone who doesn't have the blood of the Mendez family running in his vein." He moved closer and towered over me. "Do you think your brother will be happy with that decision? Daniel would have wanted you to continue from where he left off and keep the family legacy going.""Enough!!!" I stood up to match his height. "Stop trying to use my brother against me. Daniel worked his butt off for this company and what did he get in return? I'm not planning to end up like my brother, so please just let me be."I hated it when they tried to play my brother's card on me. "Your brother would have wanted this, your brother wouldn't be happy with this," they always say just to let me do what they want.My brother was the person who understood me more than anyone else. When my parents tried to make me join the company, he convinced them to let me do what I want because he knew very well that I didn't like the fame and power that came with being a Mendez. He promised to help my parents with the company and he did a great job which made my parents relaxed that the company would be just fine when my brother took over.But everything took a drastic turn when the cold hands of death took my brother away three years ago. Three months after he left, I was mad at him because his death could have been prevented if only he paid more attention to himself."Dave, this is a responsibility you must take, you don't have a choice." Dad glared at me."I have a choice. I won't do it and that's final." I walked past my father toward the door. Holding the doorknob, I turned to look at them. "I hope you don't bring up the conversation ever again." I opened the door and walked out.I knew that they wouldn't give like that and would try to look for other means to make me change my mind, but I would be ready for them when they come.ARIA'S POVThat Saturday morning, Xavier dragged my suitcase down the stairs as Savannah and I walked behind him."The place won't be the same without you but we can't stop you from leaving." Savannah sighed for the tenth time that morning. "I will miss you guys too except Xavier though." Xavier scoffed. "We both know that's a big lie." I rolled my eyes but I knew he was right. There was no way I wouldn't miss his bossiness and his annoying personality."I can't believe my baby is finally going out to the city." My mom sniffed when we got to the bottom of the stairs. She pulled me into a hug. "I'm going to miss you." "I'll miss you too, Mom." I wrapped my hands around her. "Always remember that I'm just a phone call away." I pulled away and wiped her tears. "Be careful out there, dear." Dad caressed my hair. "As much as it bothers me to let you go into that big city alone, I know I can't keep you under my wings forever. You need to go out there and find your path."It was expecte
ARIA'S POVMy first day in Chicago was pretty adventurous. Lena and I spent the entire day sightseeing, eating different food and snacks, and watching movies. She took me to places that I needed to know, so I would be able to find my around whenever she wasn't around. Lena took me to Styles company and my jaw dropped to the ground at the sight of the magnificent building that was covered in Royal blue glass. The place was closed since it was Sunday, so she promised to show me around the company the next day when I resume work.I rose from bed earlier that morning as I couldn't sleep out of nervousness. As I took my bath and got ready, millions of butterflies were having a party in my stomach and I kept doing the breathing exercise to calm down."Breakfast is ready," Lena said in front of my door followed by her footsteps walking toward the living room.Lena's apartment was spacious with a living room and two bedrooms which were directly opposite each other. The kitchen and dining roo
DAVE'S POVParking my car outside Nixon's apartment building, I picked up my phone and sent him a text to meet me in his place, knowing that he was on lunch break. I climbed down from the car and went up to his apartment on the fifth floor of the building, ignoring the group of men watching me from the black Sedan parked a few blocks away from my car.When I got to the door, I punched in the password on the keypad to unlock the door. I slumped on the couch and turned on the TV while I wait for him to arrive. A few minutes later, the door opened followed by Nixon's voice, "I can have you arrested for breaking into my apartment." He stood in front of me with his hands shoved in his pants pocket."It's not breaking in if you were the one who gave me the password." I rolled my eyes at him."Why did you make me come here? My lunch break will soon be over, do you want me to get fired for slacking off at work?" He perched on the edge of the couch adjacent to me."You can't get fired. You ar
ARIA'S POV"So Nixon, huh?" I asked as Lena and I cooked dinner together."There's nothing between us." She glared at me."I never said there was," I smirked. "But I can tell he likes you.""I know that, but the company has a rule so it's never going to happen between us." She filled her plate with spaghetti and meatballs before taking it out of the kitchen.I did the same and joined her at the dining table. "What if there was no such rule? Or what if you guys met under different circumstances? Would you have considered it?""Yeah, I might." She shrugged, putting her spaghetti-filled fork in her mouth."So you like him." I beamed. "Yeah, a bit." She pinched the edge of her finger to show me how small a bit she was talking about."Lena?" I raised my eyebrows at her.She dropped her fork on the plate. "Okay, fine. I like him, but the company has its rules so I'm never going to act on my feelings. I won't risk my career over a man and besides, getting rid of whatever feelings I have for
DAVE'S POVAdrenaline pumped in my vein as I dashed through the woods, letting the dirt under my shoes fly behind me. The music playing from my headphone gave me the drive to continue jogging for more than thirty minutes before I stopped at the edge of the waterfall at the end of the woods.My chest heaved up and down as I stared at the water pouring down, making me remember the times that my brother and I spent together. FOUR YEARS AGO"Dave, come on," Daniel shouted as he ran ahead of him with the wind blowing his shoulder-length raven hair behind him.I picked up my pace to catch up with him but he was too fast. He stopped at the edge of the with his back turned to me while I caught up with him, squatting beside him. His amber eyes looked at me with a smile on his face and his breathing regulated while I was still struggling to catch my breath."How are you not out of breath?" I raised my eyebrows at him."Because I'm not a weakling like you," he spat.Rolling my eyes at him, I st
DAVE'S POVThe beeping monitor and my Dad's raged breathing were all that could be heard in the hospital room as I sat on the chair in front of the bed staring at him. My mother sat beside him, holding his hand with her head resting on it fast asleep. I remembered the last time I was in the position, it was when my brother dropped me off at my penthouse after our little vacation. A few hours later, I got a call from my dad that my brother was in the hospital. It was when I got there that I found out that my brother was dying from Liver cancer and it has already developed beyond control before he found out.It came as I surprise to me that I didn't notice that he was dying after spending the whole month with me. I only understood why he did that through the video, but that didn't stop me from getting mad at him. He passed away in the hospital the following day after saying his last words to me, "I'm sorry." I remembered that moment like it was better which was why I got more scared w
ARIA'S POVThe company was in disarray at the news of the President collapsing but the Assistant managing director managed to calm everyone down and assured us that the President was fine.Everyone went back to work but we could hardly concentrate because Lena and Nixon who went with the ambulance that took the President were not back to give us any news of his condition.I hadn't gotten the chance to meet the President but according to Summer, he was a very nice person but strict at the same time which explained why everyone was sad because of what happened to him.The paper I was sketching on was long forgotten as I kept staring at the door, waiting for Celestine to come back with some sort of information concerning the President. Everyone else was either listening to music or sleeping at their desk because none of our brains were settled to continue working on our project.As the door opened, everyone shot up their desk and approached Celestine who walked in and closed the door beh
ARIA'S POVThat night, I was up way past my bedtime talking to Savannah about how I was adapting to my workplace and things that I have occurred in the few days I'd been here. We got off the call by one in the morning when I told her that I had to go to work early the next morning. "Ari, wake up. We are going to be late," I heard Lena's voice in my sleep before the quilt got yanked off my body. "Five more minutes." I groaned as I curled on the bed."Do you know what time is it? It's 6:40." She yelled and I shot up the bed with wide eyes."Why didn't you wake me up earlier?" I climbed down the bed and rushed into the bathroom. "That is because I wasn't expecting you to still be sleeping by this time," she shouted after me. "Hurry up and meet me in the living room, we have to stop by the hospital before going to work." "Okay." I stood in front of the bathroom mirror to brush my teeth. It was all Savannah's fault that I was getting late for work. If only she hadn't kept me awake til