LOGINLauren sat comfortably at the head of a polished conference table inside a private room. The curtains remained tightly drawn, shutting out every view from outside. Only three people occupied the room.Lauren and two men.Their expressions carried the confidence of people who had invested too much to tolerate failure. One of the men leaned back in his chair with a satisfied smile. "I have to admit, you've exceeded our expectations." The man said, nodding.Lauren calmly folded her hands together. "I simply did what I was asked to do." She replied with quiet confidence.The second man chuckled softly. "No. You did far more than that." He said as he reached for one of the reports lying on the table. He tapped the document lightly with his finger. "Ecofel's public image has become increasingly unstable. Their investors have started asking questions. Their competitors have become bolder. Even the media is beginning to follow every little controversy surrounding them."Lauren's lips curve
Curtis slowly opened the door, tiptoeing inside and finding his way upstairs through the darkened room. It was about 10:46 p.m. by the time he arrived home, and he was wishing he didn't meet Tessa awake because he knew it was going to be a heavy fight.Before he could reach the staircase, the light quickly turned on."Where are you coming from?"Curtis instantly shivered as he turned sharply toward the voice. He almost lost his footing before quickly steadying himself. His heart skipped violently against his chest. There on the couch was Tessa.She wasn't sitting lazily as though she had been watching television. She sat upright, both hands resting on her knees, her posture stiff from hours of waiting. Her eyes were swollen with exhaustion, yet they remained painfully alert. It was obvious she had been sitting there for a very long time, refusing to leave the living room until he returned.Curtis swallowed quietly.Every excuse he had rehearsed during the drive home suddenly disa
"I... I guess this is where we say goodnight." Curtis said as he reached Lauren's apartment gate."What?" Lauren snapped, turning to his side. "Nah. You wouldn't do that. Remember you promised to have dinner with me the other day.""I know." He said. "I remember, but it's kinda late now for that. Maybe some other time."His hands tightened on the wheel."I refuse." She persisted, her voice sounding like she was going to cry. "Come on, Curtis. At least do this for old times sake. It's just dinner."Curtis stared at her for a moment. The request sounded harmless enough. A simple dinner. Nothing more. Yet he could not explain why a strange feeling continued to linger in the back of his mind. Ever since Lauren returned to the business world, she had appeared different. He had dismissed Tessa's concerns repeatedly, convincing himself that Lauren was simply rebuilding her life after prison.Now, sitting outside her apartment, he wondered if things were truly that simple.He rubbed a hand
One evening, Curtis sat comfortably beside Tessa on the couch while a television program played quietly before them. It had been days neither of them was discussing Ecofel's problems, Crown Aurora's sudden rise, or the growing tension surrounding Lauren's increasingly aggressive competition. The atmosphere inside the living room felt peaceful, something both of them desperately needed after weeks of stress.Tessa rested comfortably against him while scrolling through messages on her phone from several department heads who were still trying to recover from the recent project disaster. Though she was physically present, part of her mind remained occupied with business concerns. Ecofel was gradually stabilizing, but the wounds caused by the leaked information had not completely healed.Curtis, meanwhile, appeared distracted.He had barely paid attention to the television since they sat down.His thoughts had wandered several times throughout the evening.That alone was unusual.Norma
The problems started when one of Ecofel's most anticipated luxury projects collapsed unexpectedly.For months, the company had invested heavily in the project. Designers had worked tirelessly, marketing teams had prepared campaigns worth millions, and investors had confidently predicted another major success for the company. Instead, what should have been a triumphant launch turned into a disaster that sent shockwaves throughout the organization.The designs were no longer unique.The promotional strategy had somehow become familiar to competitors.Several important clients unexpectedly withdrew their support at the last moment.Worst of all, Crown Aurora had released an astonishingly similar project shortly before Ecofel's launch, effectively capturing the market attention Ecofel had spent months preparing to secure.The atmosphere inside Ecofel headquarters quickly became tense.Department heads were summoned into emergency meetings. Executives rushed from one office to another ca
"Did you see that?" Tessa said, pointing at the screen as she stared at Curtis.Curtis released a tired breath and shook his head as though he was already exhausted by the mere mention of Lauren's name. The interview had been replaying repeatedly across several television stations, and every time it appeared, Tessa's irritation seemed to increase."Baby, don't let this woman bother you." He said dismissively. "You're ten times better than her. She can never equate your talent. Never. The market and the investors know that after all. You've proven many times before her imprisonment."Tessa released a breath, her hands folding around her chest as she continued staring at the television screen where Lauren's confident smile was frozen.The situation annoyed her more than she cared to admit.It wasn't simply because Lauren had returned.It wasn't even because she had started another company.What bothered her was how quickly everything had happened.Within an unbelievably short period, L
The atmosphere in the private lounge was calm, refined, and carried the subtle elegance of a place meant for important conversations. Soft lighting reflected off the polished surfaces, while the faint aroma of freshly brewed coffee lingered in the air, creating a setting that was both relaxed and
CURTIS’ POV“Look at what that bitch did!” Rosa barked, slapping the sheet of paper against the glass center table so hard that the sound echoed across the sitting room.I had been seating right beside her, buried in deep, sad thoughts. But the sharp crack of paper against glass pulled me back. I
I stared at Curtis like I was looking at a stranger.The man standing before me was not the same man who once held my hands and promised to protect me from the world. His face was calm, almost indifferent, as he bent slightly toward me.“Tessa, you crashed into the coffee table yourself and had a
I remember the ceiling lights flashing above me.White. Bright. Blinding.Everything smelled of antiseptic and fear. My body felt heavy, like I was sinking into something deep and dark. Voices floated around me, urgent and overlapping, but they sounded far away, as though I was hearing them from u







