"You are a natural, Mr. Hamilton," one of the clients Mathew Roderick praised Leo. He is the CEO of one of the most prestigious companies in the world. They have been supplying raw materials to the Hamilton group for a few years now. Today they met to finalize the details of their new project. Mathew is in his late fifties. He lost his wife and son to an accident fifteen years ago. From then on, he was single and buried himself with work. He never looked at any other woman, until recently.They are playing golf in a popular golf club where the membership is offered only to a limited number of clients who are the richest in the city. Leo Hamilton was one of the very few men who was invited to join this club as a member. Most of the people had to apply for the membership. This meeting was lunch only. But Mathew requested Leo for a golf match, to which the latter agreed. Leo and Mathew swung their golf clubs, and Leo's ball reached near the hole, hence the praise.Ida offered a napki
Ida splashed some water on her face. She clutched the sink in a tight grip. She is hurting. Her pain is still new and raw. Twenty-four hours ago, she didn't know that her life was going to take a turn for the worse. All her dreams of a happy life with Kevin are shattered by his betrayal. She never thought that Clare was hiding so much jealousy and bitterness towards her. Two people whom she trusted dearly slapped her so hard, that she is now left picking up pieces of her life from scratch. She took a deep breath and willed her tears to not fall. She quickly composed herself and left the washroom. She doesn't want to keep her boss waiting. Hurriedly she walked towards their cabin, only to come to an abrupt stop when someone called her name."Ms. Wilson" Sean stopped Ida when she walked past him. "Hey," he greeted her with a small smile.Ida gave him a forced smile in return."I am sorry. It looks like i kept you all waiting. Let's go" She misunderstood his intentions. He shook his h
She froze with shock. Slowly she understood what he meant. It might be her emotional turmoil or the betrayal of the two close people in her life. His question broke the lid she was trying to keep on her emotions.Slowly she approached his desk and flattened her palms on the desk before leaning down towards him. To an onlooker, it looks like she is trying to flirt with him. But only he can see the storm brewing in her grey eyes. She is killing him with one look. And he is feeling like an assh*le for even asking her about Sean. For some reason, he trusts her. He knows she is not like that. But still, he allowed his conflicting feelings to get the better of him.Ida's heart is feeling battered and bruised. His words of comfort and his trust which he showed back in Hamilton mansion gave her heart some solace. It felt like a salve, a comfort blanket. But now, his question is feeling like a stab. Her eyes pooled with unshed tears. Her breathing became choppy and her lower lip wobbled."I kn
The next morning, Ida woke up feeling tired. She couldn't fall asleep the previous night. She couldn't forget the slap on her cheek or the slap on her life. She can never forget or forgive what Claire did. She might even forgive Kevin sometime in the future. Maybe five or ten years down the line. But Claire used to be her best friend and she was like Ida's family. Her betrayal hurts the most. Ida got up and freshened up on autopilot. She quickly got dressed and pulled her hair into a tight bun. She is not much into makeup. But one look at her left cheek made her wince. Her cheek is not as swollen as it was last night. But now, it's not as swollen, but still red and tender. One side of her mouth is also a bit red and swollen. When Claire slapped her yesterday, her lower lip was split, and started bleeding. Now that the bleeding has stopped, it's still an angry red and swollen. Everyone can see this. Today she is forced to apply makeup to hide the abuse from Claire. In the Hamilton bu
"Who did this?" he demanded.Ida is both amazed and shocked. She was not expecting anyone to see past her makeup. Everyone saw how she looked and a few of them even complimented her. But no one knows that she doesn't like attracting attention to herself. She'd rather remain as a wallflower than become popular. She wanted to just work and wanted to be left alone. But still, she is forced to apply makeup and doll herself up today. 'Beauty is deceiving. Put on an expensive dress and cake your face with makeup, and done. No one will bother to look past that mask ' These are the words Kevin once told her when she expressed her apprehension of accompanying him to a party. And his idea worked too. No one bothered to look past her forced smile and the mask she wore. But she knows differently. She knows that beauty is only skin deep. A person who can look past that mask named beauty can never be bad. He is perceptive. "Ida" Leo cupped her cheeks with his fingers and gently pulled her face
One hour ago...As soon as Leo walked inside the meeting hall with Mike and Ida, everyone stood up to show their respect to the most talented and smart president of the Hamilton group. The aloof, cold, and calculating Leo Hamilton is an enigma in the business world. He is a mystery to everyone. No one managed to even scrape the surface of what Leo could do. Leo managed to turn the entire Hamilton group into profits after the demise of his father and brother one after another. People whisper that they were killed. But no one knows what the truth is. "Good morning, President Hamilton" everyone greeted him.Mike distributed the details of the quote from the Hamilton group to the Nelson group, so they can read it and there will be no confusion. While Ida arranged the head of the table for Leo. Even though Leo is ignoring her, and she wants to be anywhere but here, still they mask their emotions well and she arranges everything for him that he might need during the meeting. A few men from
Leo read the surprise that registered on her face. She looked at him with her innocent grey orbs."I can do that?" just like he thought, she asked innocently. He nodded, thinking what made her feel that she shouldn't defend herself. Ida is really surprised. She thought no one would bother about a new assistant like her. And most importantly, she doesn't want to impact the negotiations negatively. The Nelson's group is one of the groups that supply the raw materials for the Hamilton clothing business. The Hamilton clothing brand has both high-end limited edition designer wear and regular affordable wear for everyone. The Nelsons have been supplying raw materials for over ten years now. They have a great rapport with the Hamilton group. She doesn't want to damage that by upsetting them. When she was in foster care, one of her foster brothers tried to touch her forcefully when she was sleeping. But she slapped him. Instead of him, it was she who was thrown out of that foster home. No
"I..." she blushed, unable to answer his question. He is right. He traced her cheek which turned pink with embarrassment. He leaned in and kissed that pink area of her cheek. She sucked a deep breath with surprise. Her eyes were wide as saucers. He wanted to kiss her badly, but he knew he should not. She is his employee. "It's Claire, isn't it?" he guessed. When he noticed the bitterness on her face, he understood that he was right. He did not like Claire at all. "No, no, it's not Claire" she tried to defend her ex-best friend, but he knew that he guessed right. His jaw hardened, and his mouth set into a thin line. "I don't understand why you still insist upon defending her. What she did with you was unforgivable. Then why?" he demanded with a hint of irritation. His touch is still gentle and possessive. He is not supposed to hold her like this. But he is reluctant to leave. There is something about her that is pulling him towards her. Ida is feeling bitter. She doesn't like Cla