MasukThe place felt unusually fancy to Taylah. She had been to places like this before, yet today it felt different, almost enthralling. Nonsense, she told herself. Why should she feel excited? When she arrived, Ivano was already there, waiting. “Am I late?” Her voice trembled, though she masked it with a forced smile. “I’m early.” For a moment, neither of them spoke. Ivano might have been playing a game with her, while Taylah remained completely unaware of how his gaze bore into her. It wasn’t a dirty gaze. He wanted to claim her, to keep her hidden away from the rest of the world. “That—” “Do you—” They both spoke at the same time. “You first,” Ivano said, catching Taylah off guard. His voice, once softer in the past was now deeper, rougher, sending a strange shiver through her. “It’s you… Ivan, right? We met at the market.” A faint smile tugged at his lips. “Finally… you remembered.” Ivano kept staring at her, making her uneasy. She fidgeted with her fingers under his gaze.
Aryan and Taylah reached Credence City early in the morning. Aryan seemed more tired than usual and refused to explain why.They went to the branch office and wrote a letter for the NOC—fucking childish. Even though the HR department at the branch had already been informed about their visit, they still went on about all the procedures required to take the vendor contracts to the headquarters.“NOC, shit… for these useless documents.” Aryan splashed water on his face and wiped it off.“I think they want us to wait. I didn’t bring spare clothes in case we have to stay here.”Aryan glanced at Taylah and nodded.They both settled at an outdoor café and tried to relax. After a brief silence, Taylah decided to bring up what had been bothering her since yesterday.“Did you guys do something… and they’re targeting you?” she asked.Aryan let out a heavy sigh. “It’s a long story.”“And we’ve got plenty of time,” Taylah said, shrugging just as their coffee was served.Coffee and a bit of gossip,
A week had passed, and Taylah pushed herself hard enough to forget Ivano and whatever had happened at the party. “Taylah, you’re called for the meeting.” Charlie handed her a file and walked away. Taylah took a deep breath, picked up the file, and headed to the meeting room. But her thoughts drifted to the Edwards name in the file she had reviewed, it appeared clean, yet something about it felt wrong, as if something big was unfolding beneath the surface. “Since everyone is here, let’s get straight to the point.” Felix began his presentation. “We work in different departments, right? So they’ve assigned us additional work. We have to go to Credence City and Oakport to collect hard copies of previous vendor contracts from our branch offices.” As soon as they heard this, their shoulders slumped. “It’s unfair, how can they do this to us?” Cyrus exclaimed. “We don’t have a choice. The four of you will have to go and collect the contracts in person. Taylah and Aryan will go to Creden
“Do you know Ivano? The guy who talked to me just now?” Taylah asked, glancing at Zane, who was lazily leaning back in his seat. Leon was driving them, and they were already halfway to Taylah’s apartment. “Oh, that e-sports guy? He’s from Credance City. He runs a huge e-sports company, and he’s been a straight eight-year champion. His family also owns a real estate business, they’ve got malls all over the country,” Zane replied casually. That was… a lot to take in. Taylah let out a quiet gasp. He wasn’t just someone, he was a big shot. “By the way, why did he talk to you? Do you know him?” “I… have the same doubt. Do I know him?” Taylah murmured it more to herself than to Zane, but he caught it anyway. He didn’t push. If she wanted him to know, she would say it. That was how Taylah had always been—quiet with her secrets, stubborn with her silence. She turned slightly toward him, about to ask something, but the words died halfway. Zane’s eyes narrowed just a little. “You wanna
Taylah could see it for what it truly was, the gathering of power in one place, disguised as generosity. “Are you bored, Taylah?” Zane asked, balanced his chin, staring at her. “I thought it was obvious at some point… and you just took a moment to realise it.” Taylah frowned. "You know about his decision, didn't you?" Taylah asked straightforward, expecting Zane to answer her. "He never ask opinion to anyone, Taylah. You should have known him better." Zane replied, tilted his head to see Taylah's reaction. "I never know him from the beginning, then how can I know he would take this decision. He was a stranger until he stepped in between me and Arjan." She mumbled the last sentance, eyes turned empty. Before Zane could say anything else, he was interrupted by a girl around his age, an A-list actress, for God’s sake. “Zane, can you join me for a dance later? And yeah, let me introduce you to my friends.” She practically dragged him away. Taylah mouthed for him to explain eve
Taylah genuinely enjoyed the dinner with her coworkers. The trio was lively, and Felix had a hard time keeping them in check. As she spent time with them, she learned they had all studied at the same university, each a year apart. Somehow, their energy felt the same, and that was what kept them together. Felix, she also discovered, was known as the company’s “golden bachelor,” in his early thirties. With a soft sigh, Taylah walked back toward her apartment, her face flushed from the drinks she had. That was when she received a message from Laurence, of course. “Next Saturday, we have a party to attend. The dress will be sent by Leon, and he’ll pick you up.” The message was blunt. Taylah sighed. The cold war between them still lingered, and she wasn’t sure when—or if—it would end anytime soon. As she reached home, she tossed her bag onto the couch and walked into her room, stopping in front of the mirror. For the first time, she found herself wanting to look presentable in front







