LOGINEnzo:I couldn’t think about anything else except. My mind was replaying the entire conversation with Hunchley like a tape recorder on a never-ending replay. I knew Tabitha didn’t hit Emily. She had no bruise, no broken injuries, and when she first saw her, she was very reluctant to even talk to her. Emily had to have cornered her in the bathroom, and the fight broke out. A deep sigh escaped my lips, and I ran my fingers through my hair. Why did I have the feeling that Hunchley did this on purpose, that he was the one who sent Emily to the bathroom to assault Tabitha? I mean, what was he going to get out of it anyway? And the NDA? Was I really going to sign it? I had been thinking since he first told me about it, but there was no way around it without hurting my reputation and having almost thirty other business owners and CEOs come after me as well.A light giggle filled the room, and I turned my head. Tabitha was still in bed, but now, Richard was sitting on the edge beside her,
Tabitha:“... Shut up! Bitch!... I… hate… YOU!”My body was stiff. The pain… I could still feel it. And then… it felt like I had stopped breathing. I tried to inhale, but my lungs closed up. The darkness was surrounding me again, like it was snuffing the life out of me. I was… I was going to do…“NO!”I sat up, and heads spun around to look at me. My whole body was on fire; the room was hot and crowded. Figures in white rushed towards me, their lips moving, but I couldn’t hear a thing they were saying. “Tabitha! Move!”Someone pushed through the crowd and knelt by my side, taking my hands in trembling. “E-Enzo?”I had to blink a couple of times before I could see his face clearly. He looked dishevelled: His hair was a mess, his tie was crooked, and his jacket was gone. “Tabitha? Can you hear me? How do you feel? Are you okay?”I wanted to say something, but my words were cut off by a splitting headache. I fell back down on the bed and groaned in pain. “Tabitha!”Enzo leaned closer
Tabitha:Sparks went off in the air between us as we glared at each other. Six against one. They weren’t fair odds, but I didn’t care. Emily was my best friend. I had trusted her with some of my deepest secrets, but for her to turn around and lie about me in the media? She had crossed so many lines. “What do you want, Emily?” I growled, my fists balling at my sides. I saw her sneak a glance at my hands and then turned to her crew. Then right on cue, they all burst out laughing. My face burned, my fists curled tighter till I could feel them tingling. “Can you calm down?” Emily mocked, flipping her hair and placing a hand on her hips as she sized me up. “You look like a little chihuahua in an ugly dress. Ease up.”The laughter rang out again. My heart was beating wildly; I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my body. The urge to sink my fist so hard into her smug face was overwhelming. “Ease? Up?” My voice sounded strained; my eye was twitching hysterically, and I caught one g
Tabitha:I couldn’t even bear to look at him walk away. I couldn’t bear to turn around and see Emily smiling smugly at me.This entire… thing… was all a setup. They knew we would come. Why wouldn’t we? The company had been looking for a deal with Mr. Hunchley for years, and they basically offered us a golden ticket to see him at the expense of our freedom. What the hell did he mean that we couldn’t leave?I downed my drink and grabbed another. I was fuming. I wasn’t sure who I was mad at. All I knew was that I was angry and I just wanted to go home. I had wanted to go home since I saw the face of that conniving bitch. My hands squeezed so hard around that glass that it would have shattered, but I didn’t care. It was taking everything in me not to pounce on her and give her a piece of my mind. “How long are you going to pout and face the other way?”I flinched with rage. She was still standing behind me. I thought she would have gone by now. I didn’t need her to show me around this p
Enzo:The tension in the air thickened. Tabitha wanted to say something, but her mouth clamped shut, and she stepped closer to my side, her eyes not leaving Emily. My face was tight, stealing glances from Hunchley to Emily and back to Hunchley. I had barely recognized Emily when she walked up to us, but that wasn’t even the worst part of it all. My eyes scanned the room, and the disgust I had been fighting to keep at bay was tugging furiously at my facial muscles. It all made sense now: The scandal, the card. Hunchley thought I was just like them, someone who preferred younger girls, someone out for the thrill that Tabitha gave me. Anger bubbled in my throat, and my hands twitched at my sides. He couldn’t have been more wrong. I loved Tabitha. My relationship with her wasn’t a fun moment. It wasn’t a pastime to make me feel better. I wanted her, I wanted to keep her. She was mine in every sense of the word, and I was hers. “I am certain that the two of you know each other,” Hunchl
Tabitha:“Name, and do you have a reservation?”I stared straight ahead as Enzo talked to the security guard, but through the corner of my eyes, I saw him taking double-takes at us. It was little wonder that few people knew what the inside of the hotel looked like. The security was strict. There was no way that anyone would be able to sneak in here.Enzo pulled the card out of his pocket and handed it to the security guard. We waited patiently while he made a call. My heart was racing. It wasn’t like we were sneaking in, but at the moment, being around people made me a little anxious. “Alright, Mr. Ross.” He handed the card back to Enzo. “You are free to go inside. Have a lovely stay at the hotel.”“Thank you.”The windows were rolled up, and we drove into the premises. I held my breath and felt my whole world light up. It was like I had stepped into another realm.The lights were so bright that it looked like the night hadn’t even come. We were directed to the parking lot, and even
Enzo:“Tell me more about this piece of technology.”I smiled and reached for my glass of water. Mr. Bolden was a traditional man. He believed in the environment, and so did I. It was one of the reasons I knew that this was going to be a deal that would benefit both of us. “My company has been doi
Enzo:Mr. Bolden stretched his hand out to shake mine. For a man his age, his grip was strong. He smiled at me and gave a thoughtful nod to Tabitha, who was at my side. “My daughter was the one who set this all up.” His voice was surprisingly clear for a man his age as well. “I’m not really all f
Tabitha:I looked at myself in the mirror and sighed. My dress and my hair didn’t look so perfect anymore. I looked tired and depressed. This was certainly not the look that I wanted to carry into see Nanatsha, but what could I really do about it? My phone sat on the dressing table, the screen was
Enzo:It was almost 6 pm. My phone buzzed; the driver was waiting downstairs. I sighed. I was able to get some work done, but every time I remembered that I was supposed to have dinner with Natasha and her father, my energy was siphoned. If only I could skip this part of my day. The driver was qu







