MILES:
“We have a donor. We found one that matches your heart,” Grenada’s squealing voice boomed loudly over the phone. It was so loud that I almost lost my hearing. She was more excited than I was.
“Good,” I casually said. I mean, wasn’t I paying ridiculously well to move Heaven and Hell to get me one? “When is the procedure?”
“Oh, come on, Miles. You should be grateful. It wasn’t easy, but I guess the universe wants to give you a second chance.”
True. But, I couldn’t come off as weak by showing my emotions. As a matter of fact, I don’t have any emotions to show. All the same, this only proved that my way of life was pure, and I had unfinished business with a lot of people.
“We will need you to come in as soon as possible. I must warn you, this is a fifty-fifty percent procedure. We’ll do our best to take care of you. The rest is up to God."
“The best is what I pay for. Make sure you do everything necessary to make things go well. I wouldn’t want to end up with improper stitches on my chest or other bad news," I complained.
I didn’t give room for her to respond because I already knew that she was going to go religious for the entire moment and there was no time for that. I didn’t need someone to bore me out while I was preparing myself for a battle with life and death.
Grenada has always been an exception. She got away with so many things. Like the way she talked to me, ordered me around, and made me do things I would never do. Yet, I had no choice. Listening to her was what kept me alive for this long.
Fast-forward to the present, I had a successful transplant and was staying home to heal. I handled the majority of my crucial work from home and, for the remaining, I had my assistant take care of them. Staying stuck in a particular confinement was pretty frustrating. Even at that, I wasn’t strong enough to go back to my usual schedule.
“Grenada, can--” a shattering sound interrupted me. It seemed something had broken.
One of my guards hurried to find out what it was and Grenada followed while I strolled behind them. Surely, it was nothing serious, I thought. When I made it to the front door where the sound had come from, I was greeted by an ugly sight that caused me to almost murder someone. But, I restrained myself more than I should’ve. I was short of words. I was beyond irritated.
“Who the fuck let this wild human into my place?” I yelled. My attention wasn’t even on the small figure before me. I didn’t notice it. I was already reaching for a gun to put a bullet in the head of the idiot who destroyed one of my most priced possessions, my true lilies. Who dared to commit such an atrocity?
I wasn't into some shady business or the mafia. Oh, no. But, I was connected. Dealing with people from different ways of life pushed me to learn about ammunition as much as I could. I was a natural at it. Another thing was that it didn't take me time to end a threat. I believe in helping one to quickly go meet their maker. Have I killed before or done anything illegal? Well, you will have to find out. Moreover, we all have skeletons in our cupboards.
To worsen the situation, she wasn’t speaking. She glared at me like a hitman would at his target.
“Who the fuck are you?” I snapped. The only thing that cooled my adrenalin was the fact that she was a woman. If it wasn’t a woman in my presence, the rest would’ve been history.
“I’m sorry about the flowers and vase. I’m Meredith,” she introduced with a smile as if it was going to calm the situation on the ground.
“What in the world am I supposed to do with a Meredith?” I asked, looking at my staff for someone to step forward and explain the situation to me.
“Calm down, Mr. Pierce. Remember your health status,” Grenada whispered into my ears as she moved close to me.
“Not to waste our time, where’s the HR? I’m here for an interview. I saw an advertisement for an opening,” she informed me. Her eyes scanned around, “in this establishment. You must be a cleaner here.”
Astonished, “are you referring to me?”
“Yes. I mean, who else looks like a help here? Yet, you have the nastiest attitude. I wonder how you maintained your position in such a prestigious-looking establishment?”
I almost pulled my own hair out of so much internalized anger. An overweight, short, and unattractive chick was calling me a cleaner? The insult forced me to look at myself and, annoyingly, she wasn’t wrong. I looked like crap.
Turning to Brandon, who was now standing behind the girl, giving me an apologetic look. “Throw this trash out of my property," I instructed.
“Excuse your proud self, sir? You have no right to be so condescending towards another human being, especially not when you look like that,” she ranted. Not giving Brandon the chance to come close to her. “As a sensible being, you could’ve asked if I was alright due to my fall. When you want to act as if the earth is yours, look like it.” Slapping off the excess dust on her skirt, “throw this trash out of my property,” she scoffed. “As if you can afford such a place,” she gestured with her hands, standing upright to squarely face me. “I know your type. Claiming what you’re not.”
Everyone just froze, standing dumbfounded as this girl said whatever she could come up with to my face. This was the first time anyone had looked me in the eyes and wasn’t intimidated by my presence, and it made me want to make her pay so badly. She needed to learn a crushing lesson that would make her go dumb for years and run whenever she heard my name. I wanted my effect to be imprinted in the corners of her existence. She was so going to regret crossing my path.
“Miss, you have to leave. Follow me,” Brandon gently grabbed her hands, trying to lead her out.
“Don’t touch me! I will leave on my own accord. Who the hell does he think he is?” She lashed out, flinging her head so hard that it whipped my face, leaving Grenada pale. This girl didn’t look my way as she swayed her hips with so much confidence as Brandon led her out. She hopped into the worst car I’ve seen in a long run and drove off, leaving me in so much perplexity.
A wave of pain hit my heart, forcing me to place my palm over my chest and whiz in pain.
“Are you okay?” Grenada asked.
“I feel pain,” I managed to inform her.
“Fast! Help me take him in.,” Grenada admonished the closest person to her.
No. This pain was different. It was pricking and excruciating like I had just hurt myself. I felt hands grabbing me and taking me back to the house.
MEREDITH: Things didn't end well for me as I got home. Already the day had been annoying and overwhelming, coupled with the fact that I had to deal with that homeless-robe-wearing guy. My goodness! I wish a bottle of wine would take away the discomfort. Before I even found my keys, trying to reach the source of joy, which was the wine, an envelope caught my eye. The caption didn't fascinate me. It reminded me of the reason I had almost drowned myself in tears today. It read, 'Eviction Notice!!!' boldly written in red. There was no point reading the rest of the content because it wouldn't change a thing. So, I shredded it into pieces and dumped it. I took a deep breath and prepared my mind to get all the sleep I could for tonight because soon, I would be losing a roof over my head. It felt like the alarm started blaring as soon as my aching body found comfort on the bed, but it turned out that I had slept for a long time. I turned the noise off and wrapped a robe around my body to go
MILES:"Mr. Pierce, you need to take it easy on yourself. Stressing out will only weaken your immune system. Take a rest and take your medication later. And consider hiring the assistant we recommended; it will be beneficial in the long run," Grenada advised as I settled down.The dizziness was fading, and I was regaining my composure. "Fire the HR and everyone who gave that girl access. Every single one of them!" I commanded."Yes, sir," Brandon replied promptly.I wasn't upset about being undermined, but rather by the audacity of the girl who dared to challenge me. She was not the type of person I would ever allow to be part of my team. I had specific preferences when it came to my employees, with Grenada being the exception. For women, I preferred tall, slim, model-like figures, blonde or brunettes, not someone with dark hair and curves, lacking in fear."Get me, Michael. Now!" I demanded. He was my lawyer, and with his help, I would make sure that girl regretted crossing me. He had
MEREDITH:My new boss was a constant source of irritation, a thorn in my side that I couldn't wait to be rid of once my debt was settled. Who would have thought that, instead of finding a job, I would end up paying off a debt? It was disheartening.He was impossible to deal with—laying down ridiculous rules, exuding pride, and always cutting me off mid-sentence, which was infuriating. But what could I do? I was stuck with him for the time being. Brandon reappeared to show me around the mansion.The mansion was undeniably beautiful, but it came with a multitude of restrictions. There were numerous areas I wasn't allowed to access. My routine became a familiar pattern: knock but don't enter Mr. Pierce's room, wait in the sitting room, and if, by some chance, I needed to spend the night, it had to be in a tiny room opposite his. And while there, I was to remain out of his sight. Did the man despise my presence that much?He treated me like I was a plague, but I held no ill feelings towar
MILES: The last business meeting ended in Waterloo, and I was forced to reschedule another. Although not pleasant for Grenada to hear, we didn't have much of a choice. Today, she had to come in and administer those tubes that ensured I didn't crash along the line. My strength level has been low recently, and I couldn't even manage a proper ten-minute walk without panting. Good health and a strong heart are underrated, my friend. We kept the knowledge of my condition as private as possible. Only important people knew about it; Brandon, the head of my security team, Isabel, the head maid, my nutritionist, and, of course, Grenada. My business partners and the press only knew that I was taking a break from work, nothing more. That was the key to success. Keep secrets and information at bay, or they will use that information against you later on. If they don't need to know, there's no need to tell. Meanwhile, having free time gave me the opportunity to learn more about how annoying and i
MEREDITH: My heart raced as Isabel prodded about the incident with Mr. Pierce. "You called him a cleaner?" Isabel asked incredulously, setting the scene for the juicy gossip. The girls, except for Britney, were interested in knowing what happened between me and Miles. They said that he came back ranting and so angry that he fired an entire team. While she made the food, I thought of keeping them entertained. The house was so boring and deserted for crying out loud. They were lovely and we rapidly became friends. At least now I have a place to hide and pass the time whenever I am in the house. “I didn't mean to, though. I mean, he came out wearing a robe and looking like a cleaner instead of like Miles Pierce.” Lowering my voice, “and, he was rude,” I whispered. Isabel burst into a belly laugh. “No wonder you've been on his bad side.” Cutting in, “he is always on his bad side. Grumpy and moody all the time,” Lucinda added, smiling. By the time the food was ready, I was salivating
MILES: Why the hell were business functions and meetings invented? It was just an avenue to show off and run into people you despise. Anyway, I got settled in my seat as the function began while I had a mini-meeting with my partner and his wife. We were looking into investing in an agricultural company, which seemed more sensible before they switched and brought up the hydro-electrical project idea. It wasn't a bad one. But, I wasn't looking at expanding my company considering my current state. Starting a new business was like giving birth. The procedures you go through in nurturing a newborn are what you apply to make a new business successful: groom, care, nurture, love, fight for, protect, and believe in it. And, it was best if you oversaw everything. That way, you could guide the path it took. Entrusting it to someone might not give you the satisfaction you crave when you see the result. I bent over the table, the din of the busy restaurant fading into the background as I strugg
MEREDITH: “Please, give me more time. I know that I'm late for the payments, but I promise that I'll clear half of it by the end of the month,” I lied. End of the month? That would only happen by a miracle. I couldn't let him know that. Couldn't let him drop the case because it would be wasted energy and abandoning my brother. I deserved to know what happened to him. To get answers. Whatever it took, I was willing to do. His voice was subtle, although I could hear the strain of him trying to control lashing out. “Miss Tate, I wish things worked like that. I would've been more than happy to help you. But, they don't. I need to facilitate the team and, considering that it's a very private investigation, that's why it's harder. I'm sorry.” My heart ruptured into a billion pieces. Who would I go to? How was I going to turn back now and let go? “How about you give me an extra week? If I don't get back to you, then you can drop the case.” The phone went silent for a while before his voic
MILES: As fate would have it, trouble always seemed to have a way of catching up, no matter how fast you tried to outrun it. They say the world is small, but did it have to be small enough for me to bump into Louis, my ex? Our history together was a whirlwind of emotions. Despite everything, I still harbored feelings for that witch. I gave her my all, only to be betrayed when she found out about the financial troubles in my company and cheated on me with a soccer star. Not only did she betray me, but she also turned me into a media spectacle, painting me as inadequate for her. Her fans rallied behind her, leaving me when I needed her the most. She was my first love, and her departure, coupled with the loss of my mother, shattered my faith in women. After Louis, they meant nothing to me. Caught in the midst of this chaos was Meredith, who seemed unable to stay out of trouble. Dealing with her ex-boyfriend was one thing, but now I had to face my ex-girlfriend too. What a day it turned