JUST LIKE many other women in their youthful prime, Doris had believed in fairytale love, in the idea of Prince Charming who would whisk her away from her mundane life. She'd fed herself on a steady diet of romantic comedies and love stories.
Though she'd also been warned about the other side of love, the side where people's hearts get broken and lives get shattered, she in her true hopeless romantic fashion had chosen to ignore them all and push for love and romance. She'd fall in and out of love and had her fair share of broken hearts and bruised egos. But yet, she held out hope that maybe, just maybe, there was someone out there who was meant for her. And, boy, had she been through a lot finding that "someone" meant for her! From the jerk in high school who had left her for the blonde cheerleader only for the reason, she'd been much more curvaceous than she'd been—like, how was it her fault mother nature decided to visit her a little later than others? To the bastard in her first year of college who had promised her the world and then disappeared without a trace. . . and her limited edition sports car. THAT BANDIT! Down to that scum of the earth who had dated her merely for the fact her father was a billionaire tycoon and left her for some other heiress the moment, he realized she had no intention of taking over her father's empire. She'd known it was a risk, that her heart could get broken over and over again but she'd been willing to take the chance. Love was worth the risk, she'd thought. And she could endure about anything to find it. Well, not until she'd met Brad Bruce. When she first met him, she'd been struck by his good looks and charming personality. She'd been swept off her feet by his attentiveness and his ability to make her feel special. They'd quickly fallen into a sexual relationship, but Doris had thought there was more to it than that. Even though he'd made it clear oftentimes that he wasn't capable of love, she'd stupidly let her heart deceive her into believing that he felt the same way she did, that they had a connection beyond the physical. However, she'd been mistaken and led herself to her worst heartbreak ever. After all her horrible experiences, she'd eradicate the illusion she built around love and vow to safeguard her heart from further damage. And so far, she'd been doing a great job of keeping that vow so why the hell was she melting like butter in a hot pan just by the presence of this man? Doris beamed, rolling her shoulders back as she struggled to compose herself and prayed he couldn't hear the sound of her heart hammering against her chest like craze. "Brad, what are you doing in Paris?" "Work," he said casually with a shrug. "And you?" Doris pursed her lips. "Uh. . . well, I. . ." Before she could finish her statement, Brad's phone rang. "Excuse me. . ." He raised a finger before proceeding to converse with whoever it was on the other end of the line. "Yeah. Okay, I'll be there in a short while." When he disconnected the call, he turned his attention to her. "I'm sorry. I'm really in a hurry," he said as he began to move away from her. "Let's do this some other time, okay?" "Okay!" Doris called, waving him off. "Let's do that." A smile lit up her face as she watched him vanish through the crowd. Though their relationship had not ended all blissfully, it had also been the most joyful and fulfilling experience she had ever had. Despite her best efforts, she could not deny the fact that she missed him and looked forward to their next meeting. Doris gasped sharply as it dawned on her. HIS CONTACT! She had forgotten to ask for his contact. How were they supposed to meet each other? UGH! DORIS! She began to push through the crowd again, apologizing as she hurried to the exit but unfortunately, she was just in time to see him get into a cab and zoomed off. "Ugh! Come on," Doris groaned in frustration. "I was just this close." Doris huffed in defeat as she watched the cab disappear in the distance. Perhaps this was for the best. Perhaps the universe was trying to protect her from making another rash decision that would lead to her hurting herself once again. Besides, she had more pressing problems to deal with at the moment and her love life was the very least of them. However, if fate were to be on their side then they were bound to meet each other again. * * *Seething with wrath, Doris walked briskly through the entrance of her agency. D&M Agency was her pride and joy. She'd never believe she would come this far with her dreams all by herself without anyone's help.As a typical Daddy's Girl whose "Daddy" was amongst the top five wealthiest tycoons in the states, she'd grown up having all the options and luxury. She'd been treated like a princess for as long as she could remember, getting anything. . . and everything she wanted at her beck and call. She'd had maids to wait on her every second of the day. Spoilt with expensive gifts and a lavish lifestyle. Most kids got toys, puppies, and other cutie stuff on their fifth birthday but her father had given her a piece of real estate. He'd gifted her a Ferrari at ten which she wasn't even old enough to ride. A yacht with her name inscribed on it at sixteen. A limitless Black Card at eighteen. . . the list went on and on and on. Since her birth mother had died the same day she was born, she never had the chance to meet her. Her father was the only family she had left, so turning to him for help had always felt natural and instinctive. Truth be told, she hadn't needed to reach out to him. He'd always seemed to have a way of knowing when she needed help and often solved her problems before she could even ask. It was as if her father could read her mind. However, at a certain point in her life, she decided to strike out on her own and explore life without his guidance or financial support. She knew it would be risky, but she was determined to make her own way and find her own success. She was ready to take flight and see what she could achieve on her own. And that she'd done when she moved to Paris four years ago, away from family and friends. She'd left her old life behind and start over in Paris. It had been a fresh start, a chance to leave her heartbreak and pain in the past and put her life back together. She had worked hard to establish her modeling agency from the ground up. It had been a struggle at the start but she'd succeeded in making it a thriving business. Now, she had models from all over the world working for her, and she was considered one of the top agencies in Paris in just two years. She was proud of what she'd accomplished. . . and extremely protective of it. That was why she was prepared to raise hell on earth after learning what had happened to one of her models. "GIVE ME THE DEETS!" Doris exploded as she blasted through the door of the meeting room. "What exactly happened when I was away?!" Everyone rose to their feet, their expression glistening with surprise as she stormed in, including Geneviève Moreau, her acting president. When she established her agency, she hadn't been ready to step into the limelight. She'd wanted to remain behind the scenes while running the affairs of the company. After careful consideration, she'd appointed Geneviève Moreau, a woman who exuded not just beauty and poise but also terrific insight, to take on the office of acting president and the public face of the company, while Doris remained the beating heart of the company, hidden from the world's view. Which was quite funny considering the fact Doris had lived constantly in the public eye all her life. She'd been a child model, fell in love with the profession, and decided it was the career path to walk through and she'd smashed it quite excellently but now she was terrified to step into the spotlight. It hadn't always been that way. In fact, it was far from it. She'd walked runways of prominent fashion shows, been on the cover of popular fashion magazines, starred in one or two musical videos and movies, and had over twenty million followers on her social media page. She'd flourished in the industry and cherished all the attention she received but everything had changed on that day four years ago. . .A few months after Doris arrived in Paris, striving to sort out her life as she settled into the new environment, she'd received an anonymous email filled with malicious affronts and abuses. She waved it off and took it less seriously. Those kinds of messages didn't look weird to her. As a celebrity, she was used to getting anonymous messages daily. Most times, some of her enthusiastic fans would create edits of her pictures or videos with themselves in them and send them to her email, declaring how much they loved her. Same way her anti-fans send her all sorts of hateful messages and grotesque edits. But that particular email was extreme and one she shouldn't have taken lightly but Doris, in her carefree manner, brushed it aside as a bitter hater doing what they did best—spread hate. She was unaffected by the situation until she started receiving death threats and photos of herself in various locations, which indicated that whoever was sending her the emails was stalk
"LET ME get this straight," Brad said through clenched teeth, struggling to keep his anger in check. "You made me come all the way from LA on short notice to defend your son for sexual harassment?" The last two words escaped his mouth like explosives. Are these people kidding me right now? He wasn't supposed to be here. He was supposed to be spending time with his daughter today as he'd promised. His little princess was the only person he lived his life for, ever since his ex-wife walked out from their lives. His ex-wife! The thought of that woman fueled his temper. In his eyes, she had been the perfect woman for him. Clever, stunningly pretty, and, best of all, a total Sci-Fi fanatic like himself. They used to talk for hours about the things they both loved, laughing over tall tales from all of the exotic places that they had visited. They had been inseparable. It was hard for him to believe that their beautiful relationship had ended so badly. . . and
DORIS KNEW she was being petty but what could she say? She was wired that way. It was already an hour past the initial time they had agreed on and she was well aware Antoine Baudelaire and his lawyer were already in the meeting room but she deliberately wanted to make them wait. Two days ago, The Baudelaire's lawyer had contacted them, requesting to settle out of court. It was a long, strenuous debate between her, Elena, and the legal team. She was so adamant and wanted nothing more than to see that Baudelaire delinquent sniffing metal rods behind the slammer but Elena didn't want to press charges since they agreed to settle. She knew that taking legal action would be expensive and time-consuming, and she didn't want to waste any more money and time, but Doris was reluctant to let the matter slide. "We have a strong case and I'm confident in our chances," Doris said, her voice inundated with conviction. "Honestly speaking. . . we don't have a strong ca
NO WORDS could begin to depict what Doris was feeling at the moment, seated at one of the tables at Le Bistro Chabots, awaiting anxiously for Brad to walk in. Le Bistro Chabot was a sight to behold, with its high ceilings, ornate chandeliers, and plush velvet upholstery. The dark wood floors and paneling gave the restaurant a timeless elegance, while the large windows overlooking the Parisian streets added a touch of modernity. The tables were adorned with crisp white linens and sparkling crystal, and the waiters bustled about in neat uniforms. The atmosphere was one of sophistication and refinement, with the gentle buzz of conversation and the soft clink of silverware on china adding to the ambiance. But the true beauty of Le Bistro Chabot was in the details. The art on the walls was carefully curated, and the flowers on each table were perfectly arranged. The crystal glasses sparkled in the candlelight, and the wine list was filled with the finest vintages. But perhaps the m
"I THINK it's about time we consider expanding D&M Agency," Geneviève opined with certainty the moment the executive committee meeting started. Doris wasn't in the best state of mind, not after that humiliating and infuriating ordeal yesterday. Everything still felt surreal to her. She still couldn't believe she'd been stood up by that... that... Inhale and exhale, Doris! She mentally instructed herself. There was no point calling him derogatory names. Be the bigger person. But no matter how much she breathed, it still couldn't calm the rage and hurt she was feeling that kept bubbling out of proportion whenever she envisioned him having a laugh in his hotel room while she sat at the restaurant for over four hours waiting for him. ASSHOLE! There she said it. Today wasn't it for her. Particularly not to discuss business matters. Work was the last place she wanted to be at today, she'd just wanted to stay in the comfort of her home, wrapped in her thick duvet cov
SQUEALING, THE little boy climbed onto Doris' lap, giggling mischievously. "Hey, Sweetie!" Doris singsonged, planting a kiss on his forehead. "I'm sorry, Ma'am. I tried to stop him," Annie apologized ruefully. Then she made a face at the kid. "But he's such a naughty boy." "It's okay, Annie," Doris replied chuckling. With a polite nod and one last funny face directed at the boy who, likewise, gave in return a bit of his own display, the petite brunette was out the door. "Hey, Sweetie, what are you doing here?" Doris asked, stroking the little boy's head who was still giggling on her thighs. "Oh my gosh, Mummy! I was like super duper bored, and I begged Nanny Lucy to take me to the playground. And when we got there, I saw all my friends from school, like Johnny and Sarah and Grace and Jacob! We played tag and hide-and-seek and we even got ice cream after. The ice cream shop had chocolate and vanilla and strawberry and even some fancy flavors I've never heard of
"YOU'RE PUTTING that place up for rent?!" Jason asked, a note of surprise in his voice. Even over the video call, Brad could sense the shift in his friend's demeanor, from casual and relaxed to amazed and curious. He sat up a little straighter, his eyes wide and questioning. He seemed to be waiting for an explanation as if he couldn't quite believe what he had just heard. Perhaps it was the suddenness of the announcement or the fact that he hadn't expected him to make such a decision. Either way, it was clear that the news had caught him off-guard. Jason Lyndon was about the only best friend Brad had in the universe that he could trust with his life. They hadn't actually started out as friends. They had begun as mortal enemies. They'd met in the third grade of their elementary school when Brad had just transferred to the school Jason attended. He had been the new kid and didn't know much or cared to. Their animosity had begun when someone broke the overhead proje
THE DINING room was bathed in early morning light, as the sun shone through the large windows. A soft breeze drifted in, carrying with it the sweet scent of flowers. Brad and his daughter, Nora sat at the table, each lost in their own thoughts while Mrs. Hopkins bustled around the kitchen, making sure everyone had what they needed. Brad was so engrossed in reading the morning paper that he barely noticed what was happening around him. As he reached for his coffee to take a sip, his eyes drifted for a second, and caught a glimpse of his daughter with eyes fixed on her breakfast. She absentmindedly poked at her cereal, taking a few half-hearted bites, but leaving most of it untouched. She sat hunched over, her shoulders rounded, a far cry from her usual bubbly self. Something was clearly bothering her, and Brad's parental instincts kicked in. He set his paper down and turned to his daughter, concern etched on his face. "Hey, sweetie," he said, his voice gentle. "Is every