It was almost night, and Stacy was just driving back from Ryan's house. She had been bothered ever since she left CARLHILLS neighborhood earlier, that something was wrong with Carlton even if he tried so hard to hide it, ever since he went to check the person at the door. She wondered what was going on with him that he could tell her, but she didn't want to make him uncomfortable by questioning him endlessly like she had done in the past. She also knew he was not the type to open up about his problems so easily, so she was just going to make him comfortable enough to tell his worries to her. As Stacy navigated towards the last turning that led to her home, she saw a message that popped on her phone with an unknown number, and she wondered who it was. She checked it out after she had pulled into the driveway and alighted, just to see that it was a Hi, message from Evelyn. And the moment she typed Hello back and saved Evelyn's contact, she sent another message to Stacy, which read;

In a modern conference room of the gigantic company, the atmosphere crackled with tension as the board of shareholders gathered around the luxurious conference table. Seated among the shareholders was a confident and sophisticated woman, who exuded an air of allure and enigma. Dressed in a tailored designer suit that hugged her curves in all the right places, her beauty was mesmerizing, and her eyes sparkled brilliantly. As she sat poised and composed, her gaze swept across the room with a cool, assessing look, as her lips curved into a subtle smirk that hinted at arrogance. The other board members who had noticed her shifted uneasily in their seats under her penetrating gaze, as a sense of unease settled over the room like a heavy shroud. "Now, we shall commence what we are here for today. It is to vote out the current CEO, Carlton Howard, out of his seat, based on long-term negligence and health issues," a loud voice pierced through the air, drawing everyone's attention to the st

Stacy drove straight to Carlton's neighborhood after dropping Nadia off at the hospital in the afternoon, and she knew that something had been wrong with her for the past few days. Thinking it was still an issue with Liam, she didn't bother to push forward into getting her to talk too much about what was going on with her. However, she still couldn't help but be distressed over her friend's recent demeanor, and suspected that things might have gone wrong than she predicted. Still, she wanted to give her space to make peace with herself and thoughts. She had also been anxious all morning because she had double texted Carlton hours ago in the morning, and he had not replied to any of the messages even up to the moment she drove on her way to his house, She had tried calling him severely too, but his line had been unreachable, and it bothered her so much in fear that something might be wrong. On getting to his house, she was more disappointed. She pressed the password to the main door

Stacy and Carlton left his home less than an hour later after he arrived for their unplanned trip, and they took the Howard conglomerate's private jet to their destination- Bali. They arrived later that evening at a luxurious suite, had a wonderful dinner after a long rest, and ended the day at a bon fire event which was going on near the luxurious villa they reserved. The next morning, they had a sumptuous and top-notch breakfast on the terrace of their lavish villa, overlooking the the ocean stretched out before them as a focal point, ready to enjoy the experience the island had to offer. Carlton took Stacy to one of the top malls in the city, and they shopped for hours buying luxurious items according to her taste and preference till afternoon. They had lunch at a top restaurant before they returned to the villa and had different tasty dishes. Afterward, they were toured to a tourist spot, where they swam in a crystal-clear lagoon of cool water which offered solace for their su

“So, care to enlighten me as to why you felt the need to call me here?” Stacy leaned in slightly, her voice edged with a hint of sarcasm, as she sat poised and elegantly in front of Liam, at the plush restaurant he had asked to meet. “Are you mad too? It has been a while since we have seen one another. Please, don't be like this too. It would make me feel very terrible,” Liam implored to Stacy with pitiful eyes as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, a weary sigh escaping his lips. “You know it is not possible that I wouldn't be like this with what you have done to my friend. What happened between you and Nadia?” Stacy questioned, wanting to hear his side of the story since he had requested an audience anyway. She had been trying to ignore him all this while because she didn't want to get too nosy. “Gosh! I do not even know where to start,” Liam muttered with an exhausted expression on his face. “And you never told me you had a girlfriend?” Stacy cut in sarcastically, giving him