“What are you doing here, Martin? I didn't expect to see you,” Zoe gasped softly, her eyes widened in surprise and a sweet smile curving her lips to see him there. “To surprise you,” his left eye winked at her before he stretched his hands out to give her a hug, and then planted a friendly kiss on the cheek. Her delicious scent clung to his nostrils and munched on his mind, that it took him willpower to separate so easily from her after a few seconds. He wanted them to stay longer like that. “Be serious. Are you close to the host or something?” Her questioning eyes were on him, still in awe of suddenly seeing him at the party that she reluctantly attended just to fulfill all righteousness. Seeing him in a white tuxedo which clung to his muscle-toned body that made him look so perfect, was different from the usual plain tees and pants he usually wore. It made her see him in a different light. “Something like that,” he chuckled, as he took her right hand unconsciously in his, which
“Why are you in my skin, Malcolm?! Why are you trying to be rude to my friend?!” Zoe yelled at Malcolm the moment they got to a corner far from the banquet hall which she felt was secure enough. Her eyes took time to look around and study if there was no one coming or no cameras around, before she pulled him into another segregated hallway that led to a private balcony. “That is your friend? The one you have been talking to since all these days?” Malcolm spoke as soon as he saw that she was done checking over and over again to be sure no one had followed them. In a way, it pained his heart to see if that was how badly she wanted no one to know that they were nothing but business partners. Weren't they what they really were?“Yeah? Is that a problem?” She cocked a derisive brow at him, her guts patiently waiting for him to utter any word out of place so she would set a boundary immediately. ‘Trying to pretend like they would always be on good terms was harder than she thought!’ Z
Martin stood in his expansive, eccentric kitchen behind the countertop with an apron neatly tied to his waist, while chopping a big purple onion on a wooden chopping board, his hand moving fast with precision and accuracy even without looking. He had been cutting, dicing, chopping, and shredding vegetables for the past few minutes since he arrived home, and as much as he wanted to keep the badgering thoughts in his head out of mind by suddenly cooking something. However, he could not. His mind was consumed by thoughts of Zoe, who had captured his heart with her effortless grace and charm right from the moment he knew her, and her relationship with Malcolm Meyer, whose collaboration with her company saved her from answering the sudden rumor about her mental state. He couldn't just understand what was going on. Martin had always been so worried about her ever since he knew her, and always wanted to help her even if she seemed to have it all. When he suddenly lost contact with her fo
Seated behind the reserved table in the corner of a five-star hotel’s exclusive restaurant with the best view of the city scenery, was Zoe, sitting calmly with sophistication and poise, flipping through a copy of the RADIANCE magazine, while waiting patiently for her guest to arrive. Soft classical music played in the background filling the air with a great vibrance, one which she hummed to at intervals, without even realizing that she subconsciously knew the lyrics. She was waiting for the guy that she was supposed to meet at the party who didn't show up until it was over because of some silly excuse his brother had given on his behalf. A date was set almost immediately for them to meet properly without any form of interruption, and Zoe had surprisingly agreed to go when Gary informed her without putting up a fight. It was to seal an agreement between both of them. Once she went on a blind date and met the young man, she was not going to others, and was still not coming home eithe
“Did you not do a background check on me before coming here? You should know that much already,” A malicious smirk twisted Marcel's lips as he flashed Zoe a contemptuous look, “Since you came you must have quite an ambition to have come here today, I should at least give you an answer,” he continued, his gorgeous greenish blue eyes gazing at her. “I get that you are a very wealthy heiress, but it does not matter to me because you are still one of those elite women I meet all the time, who need the perfect men to complete their sides. I will not be the one for you though,” he grabbed the champagne that was brought by the waiter in an instant, popped it, and poured the contents into his wine glass aggressively before chugging down the contents. ‘Goodness! This guy was begging to be treated so badly by her. Just how would she end this nicely without having to ruin her agreement with her grandfather? She could not risk going on another date again!’ Zoe groaned inwardly, finding it so h
Zoe was seated in front of her favorite dresser while endlessly staring at her phone, a weary sigh escaping her lips again for the nth time the more she thought of how things had been getting more sluggy. She had been overwhelmed with feelings and emotions that seemed quite too much for her to handle, after a headache and sudden memory hit her after she left her blind date the previous day. The sharp image had pierced through the fog of her lost memories, and she saw herself standing in a dining room that felt strangely familiar. She was staring at Irina's menacing face which was twisted with anger with saddened eyes glistening wet with tears, whose hand reached out and struck her hard across the face with a force that made her stagger, as following harsh words she had heard behind the back of her mind haunted her so much with fear, leaving her insanely disturbed. “You foolish good-for-nothing girl! Your wretched family just wants to feed on my son's wealth while using a worthless
Zoe's heart skipped a beat for a few seconds as soon as her eyes came in contact with the metallic, cold safe staring at her, she stretched her hand slowly to touch its imposing edges, only for it to beep out and display a digital keypad, the numbers faintly illuminated.She took a moment to think through her mind about the most possible combinations, which included the birthdays, anniversaries, and significant dates of the family members that she could think of. The ones she had dutifully learned after losing her memory. She tried Irina's birthday first, but it was with an instant denial as the lock blinked a red light, indicating that it was a wrong code. Then she moved next to Isla's own, then Ivy's, and Malcolm's, and tried everything she could think of, but it was the same. Even if she knew that Irina would definitely not use combinations as predictable as anything regarding her family, Zoe still wanted to give it a shot, considering that the six-digit code gave a hint that it
The mansion's private kitchen was filled with the aroma of perfectly made sauces, sizzling meat on a table-sized griller, and catfish being toasted in the oven, everything coming together to make one's mouth water. Zoe stood in front of one of the kitchen countertops as she carefully poured the finely chopped cabbage in a bowl into the pot of stew she was making, while Audrey, who was standing beside her stirred calmly as she was taught, her heart leaping with joy to see that she was doing something well. However, she didn't notice how absent-minded Zoe had been since she joined her in the kitchen, because she had been too engrossed in her joy of making so many improvements in cooking, to notice the anxiety that was etched upon her company's face. Zoe's head had been a mess ever since she entered the kitchen because she promised to teach Audrey before she started work again, and her thoughts kept drifting back to the unsettling discovery she had made just minutes earlier which she