A nervous giggle escaped Belinda's mouth. She had been trying to avoid talking to Zane's wife because it wasn't appropriate. But now, Emma was acting very friendly, and honestly, Belinda couldn't help but feel a slight sense of intimidation and guilt.“I am being way too nosy, am I?” Emma laughed as a feeling of embarrassment weighed down on her chest. “Sorry...”“No, not at all... You don't need to be sorry,” Belinda said in a soothing tone. “Yoko and I met through… somewhat of a mutual friend. He got excited about me, and that kinda made me feel... special, I guess... He was the first to make me feel like that... So of course I said yes to a date with him.”“Oh...” “Don’t tell him that I said this.”Chuckling at Belinda's nervous tone Emma nodded in agreement, smiling at her as she mumbled, “Of course, I won't tell him! Your secret is safe with me.”When they were a bit further in the hallway, Zane stopped and turned around to face Yoko as he said, “What did you want to discuss w
Walking past Zane with a plate of fried plantains and eggs, Emma set it on the table and mumbled, “Dad said that he wants us to have lunch at his place.”“Sure,” Zane mumbled, his attention on the papers before him.But after a moment of total silence, he raised his gaze to see Emma staring at him with one of her brows raised.Immediately, Zane dropped the pen, closed the files, and then pushed them aside.“Thank you,” Emma murmured as she picked up the plate and put it in front of him along with a glass of orange juice. “Enjoy,”For a second, Zane stared blankly at her for a moment before picking up the fork. His appetite was still nonexistent after finding out that Mr. Clark is a disgusting freak, and now he had like three days to make a final decision on how to handle things with him.But he knew Emma woke up early to make this, so he pushed his thoughts aside for a while and started eating, enjoying it a little more than usual. “Sooo... I was thinking, once everything is over, you
The New Era building had never been so tense as when Deborah and Austin met in the first-floor lobby.Since he received the news that Zane wasn't dead, he had been lying to her to calm her rage, but now that she was glaring into his eyes with what appeared to be genuine anger, his stomach turned over with nerves. His hands were shaking, and he tightened them into fists as she marched toward him, and when Deborah was a foot away from him, she whispered through gritted teeth, saying, “I just found out that Zane put your little punk into a hospital a couple of days ago.”“What are you talking about?” Austin asked, trying to maintain some control over the situation. “The one you plan to kill Zane was Vance, right?... How could I be stupid to trust men with such a delicate situation!”“Yes, Vance failed. But trust me, Deborah. I can-” “Shut it, Austin. You are an incompetent, sluggish, lazy idiot with only two brain cells and no backbone!”Without holding back, Austin raised his hand and
Standing at the rack, staring at his suit, Zane spaced out until he felt Emma's hands wrapped around his bicep. The soft pressure of her fingers against his skin made him feel warm inside, and goosebumps prickled his arms as her cheek rested on his back, breathing in deeply. "What's wrong?” Emma whispered.Her voice drew him from his thoughts, and then he turned to meet her worried expression with a smile, mumbling, “I am about to piss off some powerful, grumpy old men, and I am just contemplating on if I should...”“Do you really want to piss off this grumpy old dudes?” Emma asked quietly, her eyes searching his face. There was a hint of worry hidden beneath her concern, but she seemed to be trying not to show it.“I have to,” Zane said, gently brushing away a flyaway strand of hair. “I can’t just stand by and let them ruin me.”Holding his gaze, Emma beamed at him as her palm rested against his chest for another brief moment before her fingertips slipped between his arm and his
Although Mr. Clark was hesitant and a little bit pissed at Zane, he thought of Mr. Bardot, and even though he hated the thought of obeying anyone, Arthur was someone he feared to double-cross because they both could lose so much.“Mr. Clark, honestly I have no interest in working with you,” Zane said honestly. “What?!” Mr. Clark shouted in outrage, and Zane shrugged in response.“From now on, I wouldn't be going after Aerospace co. Anymore and from today onward, whatever issue has gotten quenched.” “What are you saying now?” “Well, Mr. Arthur has paid his debt to me, and for that reason, I am at peace with him, and hopefully, Arthur and I can work together in the future as partners.”Not believing that Zane was praising Arthur Bardot, Mr. Clark narrowed his eyebrows at Zane and questioned in a snarky tone, “What are you saying? Do you mean—you're going to leave him alone?”“Yes. Arthur doesn't owe me anything... at least not anymore.” Zane replied simply.Stunned, Mr. Clark paused,
The concern in doctor Lyle's voice made Zane immediately tense, caring enough to ask, “Did something happen to him?”“Can we have this discussion face to face?” Doctor Lyle asked.Now Zane was getting worked up, and after hesitating for a few moments, he said, “Alright. I am on my way.”Just then, a text popped up on his screen as Zane was ending the call, and he noticed Emma’s message, “How’s the meeting going?”Immediately, he dialed her number, putting the phone next to his ear, and he waited until she picked up.“Hey, Em,” Zane said.“Hey, babe. How did it go?” Emma's soft voice came through.“Mr. Clark got arrested as planned... But It’s Damion. Doctor Lyle called me... something must have happened to him. But he won't say what.”“You should pick me up from campus, and we can go together. Whatever it is, we will deal with it together. You shouldn’t have to do it alone.”“Alright… I will be there in ten minutes. See you then.” The building grew cold as the police marched into Ae
When doctor Lyle raised his head to meet Zane's gaze, he said calmly, “You can come out. He's here.” Just then, the door in the doctor's office slowly opened, and Zane's hand folded into a fist immediately. He was really to strike when he realized it was Damion, walking out of the room. “As I said, I am sorry to drag you from your busy schedule, but your father was desperate to see you, and since you refused to talk to him, he begged me to pull this stun on you.” A feeling of relief washed over him, and Zane dropped back in his seat, taking deep breaths. His heart was still beating fast in his chest from the feeling that they were about to get attacked, but after he had calmed down, a sense of annoyance started to rise in him. With a frown, he glared at Damion, who seemed to be healing just fine and looked better than in the past. “If he is well, why play with me like that?” Zane asked, clearly agitated. “Your father said that you will only show up if you think he's dying or some
When the ambulance finally arrived, Austin was still laying on the floor, unmoving. When he heard a scream that sent chills down his spine, he tried to raise himself, but his head felt like spinning in circles, and it was difficult for him to sniff normally.His breathing became irregular, and his pupils started to shrink rapidly. He couldn't tell if it was the pain making his vision blurry."Oh, my… I think the driver is dead.” When Austin heard those words his body went limp and his eyes closed, “That would have been me.”“Sir, Sir, can you hear me.” A guy's voice echoed in his ear, forcing Austin’s eyes to open, and he saw a paramedic standing over him.The guy then looked back and called out to the others, “He’s alive.”Just then, Austin tried to raise himself, but the EMTs warned, “You have a head injury. Don't do any movement. They are bringing the stretcher.”“My driver, is he really dead?” Austin whispered shakily as the stretcher got closer to him.Even though the guy didn