On hearing her voice, Axel turned. There was a big blotch on her blouse, where the coffee had poured, but even that slight imperfection made her look so beautiful. She took his breath away, so he turned back to the window. She walked up to them but spoke to Donald."Hey! You stayed out late. Did she keep you?" Claire wiggled her brows suggestively.Donald blushed. "Maybe," then winked. "The details will make you run from this room with your hands over your ears."Claire giggled. "Ew! You must have no work ethic, going off like that for a ride.""Ooohhhhh," it was Donald's turn to wiggle his brows. "Do you go on rides often?" Axel had not been paying attention to anything except the sound of her voice for a while, but his ears perked up when they heard Donald's question. Claire didn't know it yet, but whatever she said determined if she would still be found interesting in his eyes or not.Claire sighed. "Sadly, in my case, men prefer to run me over than take me on a ride."Donald didn
Lisa stood by the hanger, trying to squelch her anxiety at the thought of facing Axel. She couldn't help it. Hearing that the file she had given up so much for was actually a fake had sent her teetering off the edge. On getting to the office and seeing Claire there after all her efforts to stop her, she just lost it.Lisa knew the only reason she still had her limbs intact was because she and Axel go way back. By now, his anger would have wiped her off the surface of the earth. Her hands began trembling when his car pulled up beside the private jet.Axel stepped out and halted when he saw her. His lips turned south."Hey." She called tentatively. He didn't smile. "Lisa. You have proven to be quite an inconvenience lately." She hung her head. "I'm so sorry, Ax. It's just been a tough time for me lately." She shot her head up and grabbed his hands. "One more chance. That's all I'm asking for. Please. Just give me one last chance."Axel gave her a long look. "One last chance?"She nodd
"Call her." Donald said the second they landed. "Call her, or I'll toss you out of this plane window."The pilot was leaving his cabin when he heard the threat, and he gave Donald a plain look."Won't that be fun to watch. And even more fun to report."Donald narrowed his eyes at him. A thought had suddenly formed in his head, but he shook it to clear it. Still, the thought lingered and grew in his mind."Let's get going." Donald slapped Axel's shoulder. "We need some rest for tomorrow."Axel was smart enough to say nothing until they reached the car."Is there a particular reason you're acting strange, Donald?""Shut up, Ax."Axel raised a brow, but to his credit, he seemed to know something was going on, and he didn't say another word. Donald popped the trunk and slung in his luggage. He opened Axel's bag and took out the bug detecting device he always kept hidden in the suitcase's lining.Now Axel had both brows raised high enough, but Donald just ignored him and waited for the pil
Lisa whistled as she drove all the way to work. She felt as if Christmas had come early, because she had a lot planned for Claire and she couldn't wait to dish out the treatment. She left for the office super early, about the time she usually woke up. She was pumped for the day and in very high spirits.When she arrived, she was surprised to see everyone already at their work stations. When did they all wake up? It was barely 9 am. She never got out of bed until sometime after 10 am. She would have to do better from today.Claire was already seated behind her desk, sorting through the mail. Lisa had to admit, she was a quick study. She had even gotten a hang of their filing system, as was obvious by the way she put everything in their place."Hey!" She yelled as soon as she was behind her and Claire jumped. "You should have been done with sorting mail by now!"Claire gave her a look but said nothing. Lisa desperately wanted to get a rise out of her, so she would have something to say
When she got home that day, Claire thought she had conquered. Not speaking to Lisa was immature, but it had saved her from a fight she knew she couldn't have avoided with her running mouth. She even managed to cover a lot on the language textbook.Myla dropped her off as usual. In front of her apartment, she found a note slipped in beneath her door. She picked up the note gingerly and opened it as she crossed the threshold. The words stopped her cold."Found you, little sis."She dropped the note like one would burning coal, as though it scorched her fingers, but she couldn't unsee the message. The words were there, burned into her mind. How? How had she managed to find her so quickly?Her hands shook as she slid the deadbolt home and peeped outside through the half open curtains, one hand dialing Danielle's line. Her friend picked up immediately."You're home early." Her cheery voice came on the phone."Danielle."Claire knew she sounded frantic, and that Danielle would probably go in
Claire couldn't have been happier to hear the familiar voice."Donald!"She sounded so relieved, that he picked up on it."Are you okay?"She shook her head, even as she responded with a quiet "yes". He snorted in disbelief."Sure. Anyway, I just really missed hearing that adorable voice of yours, and seeing that ugly mug of a face you got."Claire laughed. "And here I thought I was the prettier one."She switched the call to video and he immediately accepted the prompt."You didn't ask if I was dressed," Donald grinned into the camera.Claire rolled her eyes. "Why would you call me without clothes on?""Cause I'm hot?" He winked.Claire giggled. "I wonder what our boss would have to say about that if it happens.""Oh, I know." Donald shuddered. "I'll be impaled and my entire generation will be sentenced to life in the Arctic."Claire raised a brow. "Really?"Donald nodded and leaned in. "You're pale. Are you sure you're okay?"Claire nodded. "I just had a little scare when I got home
Lisa knew gold when she found it. Claire's sister was turning out even better than expected."She's a delinquent," her investigator was saying, "and would probably do anything if you offer her the right amount.""Where does she stay?"He sighed. "No where. She's been sleeping at different places everyday. I've tried searching if she's on the run, but I've found nothing yet. If you want to meet her, I can track down her location for you.""Please do."Lisa was too excited to sit still. Anything for a fee? This was only getting better and better. She hung up and left the bathroom quietly. Claire was at her desk, looking like a rat that had just been made to run through the drainage. Her lips curled up in a smile.Most people usually assumed she was not intelligent, so they underestimated her, but Lisa knew she was a genius. She didn't even know how the idea came up, but it had been pretty easy to make Claire start working for all the directors in the company.Most of them were pigs, and
When she woke up in the morning, Claire couldn't be so sure last night had happened. It was only the number in her call logs that told her it was all real. Axel had been there for her the previous night. Slowly, he was putting a dent on the very strong opinions she had formed of him.It didn't take her long to dress up and leave the apartment. Myla was late, so she walked down slowly. Her head still pounded harshly, and she was sure her eyes were red and swollen. As she usually did now when she was walking alone, her awareness of her surroundings increased, and she noticed the packed vehicles.There were four of them, each facing different directions. The windows were dark and rolled up. She had taken the time to learn every car driven by those who lived in the neighboring apartments, and none of them had any cars like this. The tiredness she was experiencing made her care less. Honestly, she even wished for one of the cars to succeed in running her over, if that was their aim. Myla