"Did you guys hear that Zoe's grandmother is dead?" Audrey broke the silence at the dining table during breakfast. "Who cares that the sickly woman is finally gone anyway?" Ivy replied to her with heavy sarcasm, wondering why Audrey was suddenly choosing to talk about Zoe. For many days, they had not talked about anything particular at the dining table, except having the most chaotic arguments Ivy and Isla usually had. Everyone had pretty much gone back to their lives, even if it had not remained the same as the past. "It is a pity how unfortunate she is. She has no one by her side, and has always been so unlucky. Only her attended the burial. Even her supposed grandfather didn't," Audrey told them again, not minding if they were not interested in replying to her. She had been so interested in everything about Zoe and had been watching the way she acted, so that the crazy wheel of misfortune would not end up stopping at her name again. "Are you stalking her enough to know such a
Zoe had it the same at the office the next day, except with a little change that her afternoon had brought more peace than she ever thought she would find while working. Her secretary, Zara, seemed to have a new joke to tell her which was more fun than the previous ones, and she wanted her to try a new vegetable drink that she learned online too. Though there was barely enough time to make all that happen because of Zoe's busy schedule, she was grateful that someone truly made an effort to make her happy. Towards evening, Zoe soon realized that she would be encumbered with her job at the office till late hours, and called Martin to apologize for her plan to cancel their plans to meet. However, he told her that she could finish whenever she liked and that he would wait for her. Pressured to meet as soon as possible and not waste so much of his time, she had to give up the plan to work through the night and go on with the dinner date. 'It was probably the first time someone had invi
"You should find what makes you happy, Zoe. You deserve that as someone carrying a lot of responsibilities with her," Martin finally said softly, hoping that his words would get to her. "Why are you nice to me, Martin? It is obvious from our meetings that I am a boring person, and I don't have much to offer. Well, except my money," Zoe responded. "That is not all to you, you know. You have your own charms, and I want to be your friend. I'm pretty much a boring man myself too." "I don't think you are," she defended. "Yes, I am. But I am outspoken whenever I am around people I like being with," Martin replied, with his eyes fixated on her. "So, you like being around me?" Zoe speculated with a little doubt in her voice, as cold shivers ran down her spine. The dress she had on was designed with a small sleeve, and cold seemed to be crawling up on her skin and shooting tiny swells. "Are you cold?" Martin asked, observing that she was struggling not to fold her arms around her body. "
"Grandfather! How could you ask me to do something like that?!" Zoe demanded viciously from the rigid man that was standing before her, almost choking on her words. Francis' words, which sounded like a cruel joke, hit her like a ton of bricks, and sent shockwaves of pain and disbelief through her entire being. She could not believe what he had just said. She couldn't comprehend the absurdity. "Are you being serious now, or are you just trying to pull my strings?" She asked him, her voice quivering with a mix of pain and disbelief as she gazed at the resolute expression of her grandfather. "It is best for you, and you know it. Swallow your pride and get back with him for great good, since it seems like he wants the same too. You wanted to attain unprecedented power, right? Then you sometimes have to hold hands with your enemies for a greater achievement. That is a compromise. That is how the business world works!" Francis spoke briskly with an impassive impression visibly etched
Three weeks later…… As the lady on the bed slowly blinked her eyes open, the world around her came into focus in a haze of confusion. The sterile white ceiling of the hospital room loomed overhead and flashed at her eyes, as the sounds of machines beeped endlessly in her ears, reminding her that she was still awake. A sense of disorientation washed over her as she tried hard to process what was going on, but a blockage continued to obscure her thoughts and memories, making it hard to figure out anything. As she tried to sit up, a wave of dizziness and weakness forced her back down onto the bed instantly. "Ms Zoe. You are awake," she heard someone say to her, as the figure approached her bedside with a kind smile and gentle eyes. With a confused glint dancing in her eyes which narrowed at the lady talking to her, and she wondered what the lady was talking about. But firstly, 'Who was she?' "Who are you, please?" She asked the nurse in confusion, trying to understand what was goin
It was still so bright on the morning of the weekend at the Meyers mansion, and things were rowdy and noisier than usual, which drew the attention of every member of the family. The workers were busy with their clinking and clanking as they set to work on the meticulous renovations that would transform the mansion, while other servants seemed to be scurrying about, carrying trunks and boxes as directed by Edward. All the boxes that were brought in were being moved to Malcolm's room as directed, making everyone in the mansion puzzled about what was going on. Especially the main members of the family that have not been informed about anything. "What is going on? Who is moving out or in?" Ivy, who was coming down from the side of her stairs, yawned tiredly as she came down to meet Audrey, looking around meticulously. "I said what is happening?" Ivy questioned again as she whispered into Audrey's ears from behind where she stood, making her jump in fear as the cold words blew into her
"What the heck is going on in this house? I think I am about to go crazy!" Ivy yelled frenziedly, as she held her head like her head tightly like her life depended on it, while trying to comprehend what they had just been told by Malcolm's secretary as his message. "Edward said that Malcolm is getting married to Zoe again, and that she's going through a medical situation that has wiped off the memories of people that had caused her trauma in her life, which includes us," Audrey repeated, just in case they didn't grasp it fully, just like she did. Rather than feeling crazily perplexed like the rest of the family, she was just intrigued by what was going on. She didn't even know how to express her emotions, amidst the craziness that everyone was displaying. "Did I say that I was too dumb to hear?!" Ivy lashed angrily at her. "And do you really want to believe the explanation they are giving for this absurdity?! And the part where she agreed to get married to him again, because it
"Who prepared this?!" Those words came flying at the dining table, and every activity was brought to a halt in an instant at the vicious questioning from the dignified lady that had come to join breakfast, making everyone terribly uncomfortable with her presence. "It is I, ma'am," the chef, who had prepared breakfast that morning, came running. "How did you prepare the lasgna?" Zoe questioned him sternly, her beautiful eyes staring at him intently with curiosity. Though the chef had not seen the lady who was questioning him before, he knew that she was someone not to be disrespected by even from her aura alone. "I added shrimps, beef, mozzarella …….""It doesn't suit my taste buds, and I hate the taste of the garlic that was used. Do you have farfalle or rotelle?" She asked him, as her eyes were raised to meet the chef's in query. "Eat whatever you are given and stop whining," Ivy's voice interjected into her discussion with irritation lacing her voice, as she cast upon Zoe a l