On Sunday evening, Amanda walked into the dining room at her family home and instantly wished to turn around and walk away.     Her father and Rebecca were already occupying two of the seats, with Rebecca taking the seat to the right of their father. There was no sign of their brother, Simon.   When Amanda received the call from her father asking her to attend a family dinner that evening, she had hoped Simon would make an appearance.   But, as usual, that proved to have been too much to expect of their brother. Simon rarely did things their father asked of him.   "Nice of you to finally show up," Rebecca snarked, giving a pointed look at the watch on her wrist.   "Sorry," Amanda muttered half-heartedly and occupied the seat that was directly opposite her sister.   "It's alright," Charles assured her. "Now that you're here, let's eat."  

  The Lemaiyan Group Headquarters was a 19-floor steel and glass building that stood out from the rest of the block in terms of grandeur, sheer size, and design.   It was about a decade old, and proof of the upward trajectory the conglomerate had been on for the past twenty years.   Amanda took the elevator to the 17th floor, where her father's expansive office was located. The secretary's face morphed into surprise for a second when she appeared, but the expression was quickly replaced by a smile.   She shot to her feet and greeted formally, "Good morning, Miss."   "Morning, Lucy. I believe I'm on time for my meeting with the chairman, no?"   Lucy looked towards the Chairman's door, then back at Amanda. "Yes, it's time, but--"   "But?"   "Your sister just arrived."   Amanda stiffened. "Rebecca is in the

Lucas wasn't sure which between celebrating their wedding anniversary and reintroducing him to society was the chief intention behind his parents' extravagant party.  But, he was willing to bet on the latter. In his opinion, there wasn't much to celebrate where his parents' matrimony was concerned. Then there was the big tell—his father keeping him glued to his side, reminding everyone who came to offer their congratulations that next to him was his youngest son who had lived in the States for the past ten years. Lucas wanted to ask him not to waste his time. That he wasn't interested in making connections in his corporate world. That he had no intention of taking over a part of his business empire. But his father hadn't bothered to listen in the past. Lucas doubted he would now. So he let him run the show. All the while, he kept his attention elsewhere. While his father tirelessly narrated of his achievements abroad, Lucas's eyes

 With Amanda gone, Lucas disappeared to the other side of the room, heading for the balcony. The restaurant had a wraparound terrace on the first floor, great for getting some fresh air.He was thinking about what he would have to do to get Amanda to open up to him when the sound of sobbing reached him.The lights on the terrace were muted, so he hadn't noticed he had company. He stared into the darkness in the direction the sound was coming from, trying to see who it was.He caught the glimpse of a glint in the night, then his eyes finally adjusted and made out the woman standing several paces away."Hello? What's wrong?" He asked, reaching for his pocket handkerchief as he walked closer. He recognised her. She was the woman who had introduced herself to him in the elevator last week. "Ah, it's you." He pushed the handkerchief towards her. "Here, use this. It's clean."She took the cloth and wiped below her eyes. "Thank you," she whis

 “Welcome to my humble abode.” Amanda’s gaze moved from Lucas to the trawler docked in front of them. “You live on a boat?” Lucas nodded and stepped onto the deck. He reached his hand out and beckoned for her. “Come on.” Amanda went after him as he led the way to the door on the port side. He unlocked it and pulled it open, then stepped aside. “After you.” Amanda looked from him to the open doorway then walked forward. She went through the door and lingered there, her eyes taking in the interior. Everything was neat and in place, and there appeared to be much more space than she had anticipated. She turned back to him. “It’s so nice in here.” Lucas smiled. “Flattered you like it.” Amanda left her shoes at the door and stepped further into the room. A few seconds