Chapter Eleven"I'm going back to Fashion Designing!"Lana looked at her father, her face lit with pleasure ,as she thought about what she had just said.It was time to rediscover herself and, get the old Lana back.She would go back to fashion designing, and make a name for herself just like her mother had done."But Lana, you only just got back! Don't you think you need to rest a while?" Samuel said, worried that she would stress herself.Lana shook her head as she stood up, carrying the box carefully, and placed it back in the walk-in closet."I've made up my mind, Father" she replied, as she walked back to his "its time to go back to my former self, to how I was before I..."She hesitated, reluctant to say anything but the next words her father said startled her."Before you met the Romeros." Her father completed for her grimly, and Lana's eyes went wide with surprise.In the next instant, however, she sighed wearily as she walked to sit back to the vanity table."How did you know
Chapter TwelveFive Years LaterThe sky was blue and the wind soft, as it carried the smell of the clean grass and flowers through the garden.Damien walked through the garden holding Lana, a satisfied and relaxed smile on his face. Lana held a baby in the crook her arms. It was their child. They were together forever. She looked up at him and smiled contentedly, and he had never felt as happy as he did in that moment.But suddenly, the garden was no longer a garden, the blue sky turned dark with gray clouds and lightning raced across the gray storminess, and Lana was no longer by his side.He squinted, looking into the distance, trying to make out her figure standing far away from him, phantom and ethereal."Lana!" He called out, yelled as he desperately tried to move his feet so he can return to her side.But the grasses suddenly grew taller with amazing speed, and around him, blocking his sight and seeming to choke him.The last thing he saw as the grasses closed to round him, wa
Chapter ThirteenDamien walked out of his room with long strides, and directed his steps into his study.Walking towards the desk, he pressed a button and his assistant's voice came loud, and clear over the speakers."Yes sir. Good morning, sir ""Call for Doctor Robert at once." He said in a voice that did not sound so urgent "Miss Carter is in need of medical assistance.""Yes sir" The assistant replied instantly, and the line went dead. Damien sat down in his chair behind the desk, his elbows propped up on the table as he held his head in his hands, relieved to be away from Rina and her demanding self.He was tired of Rina and her sneaky ways.The only reason he was still keeping her close was because he felt responsible for her.For how she had turned out.Rina was the sister of his best friend Lucas, who had sadly passed away ten years earlier.He had been madly in love with her when they had met and Lucas had been glad they were together.But when his grandmother insisted on h
Chapter Fourteen"You wouldn't want a bastard from a gold digger now, would you?!"Rina stepped backward in shock as Damien suddenly lunged at her, his huge hands wrapped around her slender neck."That's my child you're talking about!" He roared, his eyes bulging with anger as he glared down at her "How dare you refer to it as a bastard?!"Rina had gone pale, and she shook like a leaf in Damien's hands."Damien, what are you doing?!" Vera screamed in a shrill voice as she walked into the room.She had heard Damien roar in anger, and had hurried over to see what was happening only to see this.Rina gasped as she tried to ease the pressure of his huge hands around her neck, and Damien finally let go, when he realized he had held her too tightly.He turned away in fury, raking a hand through his golden hair as his breath came out in huffs.His eyes were red and his nostrils flared with the effort to stay calm.Rina sank to the floor, trembling as tears filled her eyes. Reaching up to tou
Chapter Fifteen"Miss Fernandez, the Directors from REGAL called again. They wanted to know if you're ready to meet them now." Diego said hurriedly, as he tried to keep up with Lana.Lana whipped her sunglasses off her face and into her purse, as she walked briskly into the lobby of the tall skyscraper.It was the headquarters of ALLURE, a fashion design company which she had started three years ago, and was well on it's way to being one of the best in the city.She was followed by her team of directors and managers as well as her bodyguards. They formed a formidable group with Lana in front of them, looking every inch like a queen in her long black dress, that shimmered with thousand of well cut diamonds that had been cleverly sewn into the material of the dress.The dress hugged her figure, and accentuated her perfect curves. It had thin straps and was designed to show her delicate and enticing bare back which was covered at the moment with a very stylish custom made suit jacket.Cl
Chapter Sixteen"Lighten up, Lana. I know what you mean." Zaire flashed a goodnatured smile at her and she finally relaxed.She took a sip of her coffee. It had gone a bit cold so it did not scald her tongue as it did for Zaire when he first tasted it.The rich taste of coffee burst in her mouth, giving off the calming and soothing feeling she always felt when she had her morning coffeeAlthough the smile in Zaire's face was light and cheerful, his eyes held a tinge of sadness. He saw that Lana was still wary about him.He watched Lana and smiled at the contented look on her face as she savored her coffee. His eyes roved over her face, half dazed as he admired the beauty of her heart-shaped face. Her red hair which she styled to the side was luscious and tendrils of red curls framed her face.Occasionally, she would raise a well manicured hand to brush a tendril from her face as she sipped from her coffee.Lana looked up and her soft green eyes fell on Zaire's piercing ones which were
Chapter Seventeen"I need your services, Muse."Lana's eyes widened with shock as she heard Zaire's utter those words. Behind her, Diego had been startled from his position and he blinked rapidly, looking from Zaire to Lana.Zaire was very amused at their expressions, that he almost laughed out loud."Come on, did you think I wouldn't know you were Muse, Lana?" He drawled, cocking an eyebrow at them."I don't know what you're talking about." Lana finally found her voice and she said firmly. She picked up her coffee again and took another sip.She kept her eyes defiantly away from Zaire as she denied the Muse title. She had thought she kept the identity really secret, but of course, Zaire was just too smart for her.Actually, Zaire had not been sure if she was Muse and had only said that on a whim. But the expressions of Lana and Diego was enough to confirm his earlier suspicions.It only made sense that Lana was Muse. He had seem her work and knew how spectacular they were. Most of th
Chapter Eighteen"Pierre Evans would be at SERENE'S Fashion show?!" Lana breathed softly, a smile stretching her lips. She looked up at Zaire and added "I'd be honored to wear his dress."Zaire gave her a broad grin, "I thought you would. I'll let Mr Evans know immediately."He stood up as he spoke and Lana did the same too, walking him to the door. Her face was flushed and still lit up in awe. The atmosphere in the room sudden became lighter, happier with the news Zaire brought.She was really grateful to him. Zaire looked at her pleased expression, and gave himself a mental pat for a job well done.He was determined to make her happy all the time. If he continued this way, perhaps she might give him a chance and open up her heart to him.Or so he thought."Let me walk you to your car," Lana offered and he nodded.He straightened his sharp designer suit, and took long strides towards the huge double doors with brass handles.As he reached for the handle, however, the door was suddenl
Chapter Two Hundred And Thirty-SevenNews of Gary's arrest spread like wildfire around the company.People were shocked at his involvement but they were even more surprised at his refusal to give up the names of his partners involved in the criminal act.Everyone felt that was a foolish move.He could reveal his partners names and perhaps have some of his charges dropped."Who do you think his partners must be?""I heard everyone who worked in the bay area were fired. Some of the production team members as well.""Well, its better than being jailed.""That's right. They got off easy, I think. Who knows if they were really oblivious to what was going on.""They must have had some hand in it. They are probably among his partners. Junior sales manager Gary could not have done that without their help.""You mean former junior sales manager. We have a new junior sales manager now, did you forget?"These were the words the employees discussed as they went about their work and in their group
Chapter Two Hundred And Thirty-SixThe door to the sales office creaked loudly as Gary slowly pushed it open.He walked calmly into the office and came to a dead stop, as everyone turned to face him immediately.The Regional Head was standing with his legs apart in the office, and his hands clasped behind him, like some sort of military commander.Flanking him on both sides were the members of the internal audit team, looking as neatly pressed and put together, with not one hair out of place or a rumple in their clothes, as though they had not just finished a grueling three weeks task.A task that could have taken them three months, and had taken the original internal team a couple of years. The other employees in that office stood behind their desks, nervously clutching their hands and giving each other side looks.Their gazes flitted from the Regional Head to Noah and back to each other. The tension in the office was palpable and they could not wait to get past the suffocating mome
Chapter Two Hundred And Thirty FiveGary's eyes widened in alarm and they reddened in the next instant from fury."What the fuck!" He snarled, "Why am I the only one taking the fall? Are you fucking with me right now, Maya?!""Because that's the only way you can save your head! God, are you stupid or something?" She said, throwing up her hands in disgust, "I should have known better than to warn you. I'd have just let your head be blown off in the streets because you deserve it!"Gary scoffed, "That's freaking bullshit." He said, a tiny smirk curving his lips, "You don't scare me and neither does he! I'm calling his bluff."Maya laughed in disbelief, then slowly blinked in confusion as Gary puffed out his chest, tucking his hands deep in his pockets.He was really serious!Her jaw twitching with anger, she jabbed a finger in his shoulder, "Don't say I did not warn you," she snarled, "I'd like to see you so smug when you're six feet under."She stormed off, and Gary watched her, his ey
Chapter Two Hundred And Thirty FourAs the internal audit raged on, everyone in the affected departments was on edge.The air was thick with tension.It clawed up people's throat and pressured them into seeking religion, making preparations in case they turned up unemployed...Everyone was on edge but no one more than Gary and Maya.They had no idea of the contents of the reports that Noah had drafted out for the regional head.But the rumors flying around the company claimed Noah had practically given the Regional Head everything he needed.It was said that the Regional Head already knew who the culprit was and was bidding his time because the culprit was a big fish.Gary knew he was no big fish but those rumors kept him awake for days, tossing and turning in bed with worry.His mind kept going over everything he did with the Deluxe products for the past three years, the precautions he was sure he took, the way he made sure nothing would point back to him..."But were they really eno
Chapter Two Hundred And Thirty-ThreeThe discovery of the siphoned goods and the part Noah played in the big reveal spread like wild fire across the company.Everyone marveled at how he was able to pull it off himself.It was said that the reports he provided made the internal audit to move more smoothly than ever.The audtors knew where to go, who to ask questions, what questions to ask based on what Noah had provided.This earned him considerable respect in his department as well as the company. The golden haired mystery man was not as dumb as every one thought he was.Infact, he was being accorded honor by the regional head, who made sure every thing was done to the letter, following Noah's instructions."We cannot misuse such valuable information. Its time to fish out those perpetrators and clease out Romero Solutions," The regional head had declared before he gave Noah a determined look, "If this turns out successful, headquarters will be really pleased with you, Noah."And that
Chapter Two Hundred And Thirty-TwoThere was stunned silence in the Regional Head's office as Noah made that statement."Wh...what did you say?" The regjonal.head asked in shock and disbelief, "The batches for the deluxe products are being siphoned?! By who?"The regional Head voice was rising by the minute, and his hands curled into fists on his seat."I don't know about that, sir." Noah said, carefully choosing his words else he let something slip.He did not intend to reveal the one behind the crime, mainly because he did not know who the mastermind was.Secondly, he had no evidently of the ones he suspected. These little details will be brought to light when the Regional Manager sets the auditing team to work."When I noticed a pattern of weight discrepancies as well as other inconsistencies in the record, I had to check for myself." He continued but was stopped by Fred."What do you mean, inconsistencies?" The man asked, "What did you discover in the records?,""There were a lot
Chapter Two Hundred And Thirty OneGary quickly rushed after her before she could get to the door and drew her back sharply."Hold on, you little bitch," He snarled as he accidentally grabbed her hair as well and pulled her back.Maya winced in pain as she felt strands of her hair being pulled from the scalp, "Ow!" She cried out in agony, "Let me go. At once!""Not until you explain what you mean by that little statement which you just uttered," Gary fired back heatedly."I meant exactly what I said, you piece of trash, " Maya said as she mustered her energy and stomped on his toe with her heeled foot."Ahh!" Gary cried out in anguish as pain exploded in his foot. He let go of her hair at once and doubled over in pain, trying to hold his throbbing toe but it was much too painful.Maya, seeing as she was free from his hold, turned back and stared at him in disdain, "You think I won't take protective measures for myself? You've got to be joking, Gary." She spat out, "You take care of an
Chapter Two Hundred And Thirty "Something of utmost importance?" The Regional Head repeated in puzzlement, "What could that be?"Maya's heart slammed in her chest as she heard Noah say those words. Franticaly, she glanced at Gary who had also gone a little pale.A look of terror passed between them and they immediately knew what the important news Noah had for the regional head was."Stop him!" Maya seemed to say with her eyes, glaring at Gary and making motions with her head towards Noah.She was so agitated that she could not stand still. She had been so eager to want to leave this place earlier but now she wouldn't leave for all the world.She had to stay to hear what Noah had to say to the Regional Head.Quick as flash, Gary stepped in between the Regional Head and Noah.Smiling nervously, he started speaking, "Regional Head sir, why don't you allow the Senior sales manager to take you to his office, while you wait for the reports on the audit?" He turned and nodded to Fred, who
Chapter Two Hundred And Twenty Nine"Infact, these has got to be the best results I've ever seen in a while."Everyone stared in amazement at the Regional Head.He was giving Noah a warm and approving smile, while patting him heartily on the arm."You say they are the best reports that you've ever seen?" Fred asked as he stepped closer to the Regional Head."But that's inpossible," Gary uttered through gritted teeth, "He has no qualifications. How is he able to prepare the best reports you've ever seen?"Everyone almost groaned in annoyance at Gary's stupidity and shamelessness.Maya rolled her eyes and stomped her foot impatiently on the marble floor.It was bad enough to stand here like some kind of lackey, and watch the regional director do his job but now she had to listen with her heart in her mouth, hoping that Gary does not let any information slip."He talks too much," she thought angrily, biting her lower lip in annoyance, "if he dares to say anything concerning the deluxe pr