LOGINMAD “Kolby,” Linden called him. The couple came, smiling. “Aren’t you everywhere?” Spade chuckled. I knew what he meant. “You were at the masquerade ball and later on, at Sawyer Porter’s party. And the next morning, your face was all over the internet.” “I wish people knew about the ball rather than the birthday party.” I stood up and shook his hand. “How’s Lex?”“Lex is great. We should catch up this weekend. I’ll allow you to win.” He smirked. Lex always won the golf.“I’ll look into my schedule.” “He’s famous,” Robyn said, hugging me. “You should try his omelet.” “Yeah. It’s the best.” Spade looked at Linden. “Make him an omelet and convince him to join the club.” “I’m planning to, without my omelet.” He smiled and kissed Robyn on the cheek. “How are you, Robyn?” “I’m good, thanks.” She took her husband’s hand. “Let’s go, babe. I think they have important matters to talk about.” “See you soon, both of you. Tell your parents I said hi.”Smiling, I nodded at him. Once the c
MAD When Nites informed me that the woman I picked to be my wife had just arrived at my penthouse, I was nervous and excited at the same time. Don’t get me wrong, I was still pissed at my father, but I wouldn’t allow him to win and take over my position, the same position he offered to me three years ago. I wasn’t perfect. I doubted if I was even a good person, but I tried my best to be a good son. In return, all I got was judgment and scrutiny from the people I didn’t know and had never met. But when there was wealth and power in you, and being Vanderford and Shanewood, apparently, everyone had their own opinion about you. The woman talking to Vysper had a soft, calming voice, as if she were used to conversing with a lot of important people. I hadn’t seen her face, yet her voice alone sounded lovely already. And awfully familiar. She was standing, and I could tell she was of average height compared to most of the women I preferred. She had long, wavy caramel hair, cascading dow
TARAI twisted and turned in bed for hours as I couldn’t shake the thought of the threat out of my head. Knowing it came from Alessia, I knew she would do it in a heartbeat. I got up from bed and sat in my kitchen in front of my laptop for two hours, trying to write an outline. Every time I put my fingers on the keys, I came up with nothing. All I could think of was my face flashing over the internet with a horrible headline and vile comments on social media.I still ended up with nothing. I finally grew tired of staring at the black page and yawned at three in the morning. I barely slept and woke up with anxiety. Here, I was back to work, trying to squeeze the idea out of my head for another commentary. As they say, easy peasy lemon squeezy. I finished it within an hour, proofread, and submitted it to my boss. But when it came to my next book, I got nothing. I didn’t even believe in writer’s block, but right now, it felt like it. I checked the time on the screen. The 24-hour ultim
MADAs I scanned the familiar faces in the conference room, landing last at my father, it took me seconds to realize that they had started the meeting without me. I checked the time on my watch. I was five minutes early. Like always, I had never been late to work or a meeting, and it suddenly concerned me. “Glad you’re here now,” my father addressed my presence formally. “Take a seat.” “Why do I feel like I’m a guest here instead of the CEO of this company?” In protest, I remained standing across from my father before the board members. “What’s going on?” “I didn’t know either,” my assistant Ali whispered. “I’m sorry, sir.” “It’s not your fault,” I assured her that her job was safe. My father’s assistant, Vanessa Dylan, placed today’s newspaper issue before me. “That’s why we’re here early,” my father said firmly, staring right into my eyes. I didn’t have to check to know that my face was on the front page and all over the internet again, like I’d been for the last two months.
TARAUgh. Not again. When my boss called my name twice, I knew I had gone overboard with my commentary. My head was still not in the game. I hated Monday, but I hate this day even more. I still had a hangover, not from alcohol, but from a kiss with a stranger. I knew it was nothing, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Maybe this was the effect of having a dry spell longer than any woman could bear. “Yes, Mr. Brown?” I said in an American accent as I ran towards his office door. As I got closer, I could see his nose flaring, his brown eyes narrowing at me behind his eyeglasses. “Are you kidding me?” He shoved the paper before my eyes. “You can’t write something like this and not get backlash online. If you still want this job and your co-workers will have a job tomorrow, just do what I ask you to.” “But, that’s exactly—” I stopped mid-sentence when he glared further. “What did I just say? Express Media will not see the light of day if you post something against the giant corp
TARAWhat the hell am I even doing here? I asked myself a couple of times the moment I walked inside the venue. First, this wasn’t my scene anymore. I left that life eons ago. Second, I felt too exposed even with the mask as everyone turned in my direction. Truth be told, it wasn’t my fault. Apparently, the woman behind me barely covered her chest, exposing her voluptuous, round breasts. I envied her, though, compared to my B-cup size. But you’d do anything for a cause, even if you had to sacrifice something, like leaving my couch and the show I was binge-watching. So here was I, trying to embarrass myself before these strangers. The ballroom was spectacularly decorated in white, gold, and black. The orchestra played classical music in the corner. Some people might find a masquerade ball boring, but the donations could make a difference, considering that climate change was a real threat to human existence. Thinking of the greenhouse gases and ocean heat at record highs, it should







