Bella The next morning, I went out for a run. I needed some air. I had enough and accepted that there was no point crying over spilled milk. If the dead man was my father, then so be it. When I got back, I made myself a glass of warm milk and took out some cake from the refrigerator. It wasn't the most healthy breakfast but who cared? I went in to have a bath and sat on my bed in my robe, deciding what to do that day. The will reading was slated for later that evening and I had already decided that I wasn't going anywhere even if the world fell. With Xander out of my life— because that was how I chose to look at it to feel better, I couldn't show my face at Versa Link to avoid the embarrassment of a lifetime. I couldn't just stay at home without a source of income either. I had quite a lot of money but it wasn't going to last me a lifetime. I remembered that Versa Link and the Rivera group of companies were rivals. This was the perfect punishment for Xander. I decided that I

BellaI sat at my desk, scanning the financial reports that the man who I later discovered to be Thomas, had given me a few days ago. The numbers were daunting and I was clueless. Xander really did a thing on the company's finances and I didn't think it would be this bad.I rubbed my temples, already exhausted. I realized that I needed to eat before trying to figure out any of these. I heard a knock on my door and a young lady walked in. From her uniform, I figured out that she was a help around. She was holding a bag. "Ma'am," she started. "Mr. Daniel had me bring you some food."She placed the lunch bag on the table in front of me and opened the zipper carefully. It contained small plates of a full course meal. I waited for the lady to leave before devouring it like I hadn't eaten in ages.I picked up the paper that came flying out after I removed the last plate containing the cake slice. "You need a break. I thought you could use some of this. I hope you like it," the note read an

Bella My heart skipped a beat as we locked eyes. No, I never expected him to be there. I looked away quickly, backing him. "He's not here, Bella. Ignore him," I told myself, distracting myself with Daniel. "Excuse me, sir. Can I talk to you for a moment?" A man who had just walked up to us asked Daniel. "I'm an investor and I'm intrigued by your person. You work for Rivera?" The man's approach was sudden and certainly unexpected but we were here to network so I nudged Daniel to go talk with him even though I didn't want him to leave. I was surprised that the investor didn't acknowledge my presence as the CEO of the company but I let that slide. It was still to the same end, which was the growth and progress of the company. I received the little dish in which Daniel had brought me some finger food. I watched them walk together towards the rooftop while I slowly ate. I looked back and Xander wasn't there anymore. "Whew!" I said, relieved. I enjoyed the view of everyone el

BellaI called for the production team. They looked through all the records, searching for the loophole but they found nothing. Daniel frowned, as confused as I was. "Could it be a sabotage?" I said, grabbing a chair to support my weak knees. "I thought— I—""You need to calm down," Daniel said, holding my arm. At this rate, I was probably going to live only half my destined years on earth. Just then, Mika rushed in like I hadn't had enough already. "Our social media is blowing up with complaints about the product quality. It's a nightmare. They're threatening to shut us down."What else? The company is going to catch on fire? Whatever bad news was coming next had better come now while I was in tears so I can take everything in once and for all.My chest area began to hurt as I read the endless flood of negative comments. Daniel grabbed the tablet away from me and flung it to the wall where its screen shattered. "Please leave, Mika." He crouched beside me, trying to look into my ey

Bella"You're late!" He roared when I got to the company three minutes after eight. "This is why your company's struggling. Work starts by eight. What are you teaching your employees?"What the..."It's only a few minutes after—""It doesn't matter. I see you grew lazy when you stopped working for Versa Link. I'll have to teach you discipline, again because I won't have you acting however you want in my company." His company? Isn't it our company? I ignored curious glances from everyone as I walked to the board room for the introductory meeting. I took my seat at the designated area and took a deep breath.I was about to open my laptop when the doors opened and he walked in. He was late by a minute. I squinted my eyes at him but I couldn't afford to let my emotions show so I fixed my face."Good morning everyone. You are all aware that Versa Link now has control over Rivera group. I look forward to working closely with you all."I noticed exaggerated giggles and smiles from some of th