CHAPTER 18“All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust.”― J

“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.”― Elie WieselHe threw her unconscious body on the sofa, took her bag from her, then locked the door of the apartment with the key and put it in his pocket because he did not trust her. The temperature was minus two and the heating system in his apartment was out of order, making it freezing inside.He sat on the edge of his bed without undressing, only loosening his bow-tie, while rubbing his neck and shoulder, cursing himself for having changed his mind and taking Valentina to his apartment.What should he have done otherwise? He couldn’t have left her alone with Joe, that was out of the question!She was flirting openly with Joe before his bare eyes; what was she going to do if they were all alone then? He couldn’t dare imagine as images started to swirl around his mind, making his blood boil.He was trying to protect his friend, he tried to convince himself. Of

 

"Love never dies a natural death. It dies because we don't know how to replenish its source. It dies of blindness and errors and betrayals. It dies of illness and wounds; it dies of weariness, of witherings, of tarnishings."― Anais Nin The deep voice of the stranger was the first and only thing that greeted her long before her eyelids, which had remained drooping for up to ten hours up until now, pushed open. "Is it possible that you finally woke up, Miss. Lightwood?" His dark blue eyes, which were raging like a windy day's sky, met hers and her heart skipped a beat.

CHAPTER ONE TWO YEARS LATER ~The employees chattered loudly while they enthusiastically awaited the arrival of their new boss. They were very thrilled to meet this new female boss as the rumor has it that the new CEO of this small branch of TO International is in fact the daughter of the former chief executive officer of the company, which meant that the company will finally take care of this small branch and increase its production rate, which simply meant: more money and better salaries.The employees heard the sound of the elevator moving towards them, approaching like a hawk, and their heartbeat began to race as they hit the culmination point of their enthusiasm, and fear for their future. For, this either meant a better future or a worse one. There was nothing in between, and they knew it.