Zack."That's all for today. If you have any additions later on, contact my assistant and she will let me know," I said as I leaned into my chair and stared at the people in front of me.Some nodded and we gathered all of our papers before standing up. Handshakes were exchanged and I smiled to myself as I thought of how this business deal would work in my favour.I walked out of the conference room and made my way to my office. Memories of this morning suddenly rushed into my head and my joy faltered.I didn't want things to turn out the way that they did but it all went out of my hands before I could notice it. The hurt in her voice was still loud in my ears and she failed to look me in the eye. Was I that incompetent to her?My anger rose and I stopped in my steps. I was so irritated! Why couldn't she see that I was worried about her? How could she get angry over me trying to help her? She made me feel like I was troubli
Elaine.I sat in the bathtub with my back leaning on its now warm surface. Zack hadn't said anything since our conversation in the car and I was scared. What was he thinking? How did he feel about what David said?I wasn't proud of the things that I did in the past and now that Zack heard about it, I couldn't help but feel so dirty. It was one thing to be a lowlife and another thing completely when your loved ones find out about it.When I was going to meet David, I thought that I would just drop the money and leave, but to have him try to force himself on me... I was so stupid. I was thankful that I had jeans on but thinking of him touching me sexually made my skin crawl.Of course, we messed around in the past. We were a gang of criminals who went about swindling people. Having no one to trust I had no problem sleeping with him or anyone to blow off some steam. It was just sex. What harm could it bring?That's what I thought then bu
Cassidy."Cut!" The director yelled and everyone on set let out a relieved sigh. "Well done. Take a 15 minutes break and let's get back to work."We were shooting a scene for a popular book that was adopted into a television series near central park. It was a hot day and the director was more intense than usual.Walking to my station, my assistant ran to me with an umbrella and she carried it over my head."That shot came out so cool!" She exclaimed. "It's great to see you back in action."I laughed. "Thank you, Sera. Although I would lose my job if I didn't do anything for a long time.""I doubt that. You're a star!""Thank you. Please get me some water before I lose any more energy.""Already got it." She handed a bottle of cool water to me."Thank you," I said as I got it from her and look a long gulp.She gave me a towel and I used it to wipe off the sweat from my neck and foreh
Elaine. It was a warm afternoon and the sunshine covered the fallen autumn leaves with a beautiful gold hue. I was on my way to get seedlings for my flowers and took this moment to enjoy my Saturday after a busy week. I slowed my steps when I approached the large greenhouse before going in. “Hello, Elaine. It’s been a while,” Mr. Fisher, the owner of the greenhouse, said as I walked towards him. He was currently slightly bended over as he pruned some plants and he glanced at me briefly before getting back to work. “It really has,” I replied with a small smile. “What have you been up to?” He put down the pruning shears before taking off his black gloves. “I almost thought that you gave up on your shop.” I laughed nervously. “Just because I’m not an expert, doesn’t mean that I’ll quit at every problem.” “I know. That’s why I agreed to you getting some flowers in the first place.” Mr. Fisher was an old man who was friends with my late parents. After I started taking care of my litt
Elaine. How did things turn out like this? This question spun around my mind as my grip on my sister’s hand tightened. Audrey was a bright and free spirited girl who loved skateboarding. She’d always tell me how her days at school went and clung to me so much that I wondered if she had made any friends. My sister was my world. Everything I did, I always made sure that she’d benefit too. Seeing her lay here with machines connected to her broke my heart. It’s been almost a month since she was admitted and because I struggled to complete the bills, she gradually got worse and things got more expensive. We didn’t have insurance and the flower shop was the only place I currently worked at. I reached out and brushed some loose, brown strands off her face. The more I saw her like this, the more helpless I felt. Pathetic even. If I had just gone to university and focused on my studies, I might’ve had a better job and would have provided for her easily. Or maybe I should’ve been more creativ
Elaine. I was shaking as I scolded myself for being so stupid. I thought that coming to steal here would earn me so much money and I'd be out of this life for good, but things didn’t seem to be going at my favor. Maybe if I hadn’t been caught, things would’ve been better. I would’ve contacted old colleagues and made a great deal. But then, the guilt still stabbed my chest in ways that I didn’t like to admit. If only I hadn’t involved myself. If only I just found another job. It wasn’t my fault! If I delay any longer my sister could lose her life and that was something I wasn’t even labeling as a possibility. I could hear the guards make fun of me and say how much I’ve ruined my life by messing with “the boss”. Who the heck was this guy anyway? In the files Phoebe brought, it stated that the boss was a woman but the man intimidating me was proving that point wrong. I removed my face from my palms, where it was buried, before looking at the door. He had been gone for a while and I got
Elaine. I looked at the address on the business card I was holding before looking at the tall building in front of me. Noble armor, the jewelry line that Zack owned, was more glamorous than I imagined. I looked at the time on my phone to double-check that I was on time. I walked into the building and made my way to the receptionist’s desk. “Excuse me,” I began and the man looked up at me with a smile. “Welcome,” he said. “Is there something you need help with?” “Ah, I’m looking for Mr. Dobre.” He paused and looked at me mild confusion. “Zack Dobre?” “Yes.” “Do you have an appointment?” “Not really. He told me to meet him before noon today. It’s only past nine so…” He cleared his throat and I felt awkward. “What’s your name?” “Elaine Jones.” “Give me a moment.” He picked up the telephone on the table and dialed some numbers before talking. I used this moment to look around and I still couldn’t believe how cool this place looked. The inside had a golden theme, just like the p
Elaine. “How about this?” I asked Zack as I twirled around in the short black, flared dress I was trying on. He hummed and looked at the pile of clothes he picked for me. “It’s great but you keep avoiding the clothes I chose for you.” I folded my arms. “The stuff you’ve chosen aren’t my style.” “But when you marry me, you’ll need to look classy ninety percent of the time you’re outside.” “My marriage to you shouldn’t be the death of my personality, Mr. Dobre.” “That’s why I’m letting you choose some clothes that you like and I think you’ve chosen enough.” “For someone so rich, you’re quite stingy.” I picked up a suit he chose and went into the changing room. Zack and I decided to go shopping this Saturday because I was supposed to meet his parents some day during the week. As expected of Mr. Blue eyes, we visited expensive stores and he picked most of the stuff, but shopping with him wasn’t as boring as I imagined. He paid attention to all the outfits I wore and gave his opinio