“Now, where we’re we?” Owen asked and smiled. Maria’s heart began to beat faster at the sinister smile Owen had on. “Ladies and gentlemen, I have gone through all the proposals and just like my colleague had said earlier, they were all good but I couldn’t take all so I have chosen the two best among them.” He paused a little and stared at the crowd before commencing.“After much deliberation, I have come to the conclusion that the two most worthy contracts are the ones from the Steeles and Mrs Tamara here” He paused for a while as the whole crowd grumbled about his decision. Many felt he had selected them because they were his relatives. Because it was no coincidence that he had chosen his former family’s business and his wife’s family business. Maria was happy beyond comprehension. The joy she felt in her heart at that moment was the most she had felt in her entire lifetime. She had always known that Owen was a fool but she didn’t know that it was up to this extent. But

CHAPTER THIRTEEN Chris paced up and down in his office, his emotions were all over the place as he thought of the incident that had happened earlier. He knew he would surely be punished for it but above all, he wished he wouldn’t end uo losing his job. That blood sucking whore Kate he cursed under his breath. For some Time now, he had been asking her out and she choose today of all days to accept him. “C**t” he cursed under his breath. He was still in his thought when a knock came on his door “who is that motherf***er” he cursed out loud and the voice he heard next sacred the living shit out of him “it’s me Owen” he heard the voice from the other side and immediately, he rushed to the door. He heaved a sigh before turning the door knob. “Forgive my inappropriate words Mr Owen” he said admidst a bow and thrust out his hand for a handshake. Owen accepted his hands and they both shared eye contact for a while before Chris lowered his gaze “Won’t you invite me in? Or is

CHAPTER FIFTEEN They were still in the middle of the party and Maria had just finished giving her speech which has touched the whole crowd. She had explained how her family had gone through hell before they were finally able to eat three square meals a day. The crowd listened attentively as she narrated her life story and many were touched by her past but became happy when she informed them of the latest developments. Few were sincerely happy for them while others were faking their smiles. A toast was raised in honor of the Steele family and Maria had just come down from the podium when she saw the two women that Kate had been talking to before she arrived earlier. One of the women looked a little bit old, maybe in her early seventies or late sixties while the other looked younger. Maybe in her early fourties or so She walked up to them in her ground flowing gown and when she was close enough, she greeted. The women were unaware of her presence and her greeting was what i

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Tamara had been concerned about the partnership with Echelon. Ever since the day she signed the contract, she had been on tenter hooks. She felt he was trying to play some sick game but she couldn’t counter his attacks when she didn’t even know what the game was. She felt disturbed with the fact that Owen had chosen his two enemies out of all the eligible candidates. She knew that Owen still had her in mind so it came as a surprise to her when he choosed her company for the partnership. She had thought that he would refuse her contract immediately but he ended up accepting it. She was well aware that their companies were not the ones with the best deals but he had accepted theirs anyways. She was also surprised with the fact that he was the CEO of Echelon. She remembered clearly when she had collected the company from Owen after his father, her husband’s death. He had been devastated, depressed even. It felt as though his whole life had been collected

CHAPTER NINETEEN It tasted good she had to admit. She didn’t know that Owen was a good cook. But somehow, she felt like he had made the food for her and she appreciated it. She had not eaten since yesterday and she was very hungry. Owen saw that she liked it even without her saying anything so he adde more to the plate. Mia took a seat close to the counter and dug into the food without a second thought. She ate until she was full and Owen took a bottle of water from the fridge and handed it to her as she downed it in one go. Mia opted to do the dishes but Owen blatantly refused so she just watched with him while he washed them, with some silly jokes in between. In no time, Owen was through with the dishes and they had to go back to the living room. Mia walked in front while Owen walked behind her. They sat in silence for a while, each person to their thoughts even though they had a lot in mind to say to the other. Owen was thinking of a way to ask her to work for him without sou