Phase one of the plan is done.Now on to phase two, Clement thought, surveying the board where he mapped out his projections.Seeing as his business was doing so well, he wanted to focus all his time on the second part of the project.Bring Medley's down.That is turning out to be quite the chore, seeing as they've been the leading company, winning the highest awards for Fortune 500 companies more times than he could count.To defeat an opponent like Medley's, you have to think outside the box…or better yet, remove the box entirely.This is why Clement managed to score himself an invite to one of Medley's prestigious events.The kind that only allowed their fellow people in.The knock on his door came in at the appropriate time. Clement stopped playing with the stress ball in his hand and got to his feet.Crossing the distance to the door in four easy strides, he jerked it open to reveal the woman he had been waiting for.“Simone…” He greeted them with a smile before snatching her in

“Did you hear?” Rebecca asked Sean, walking up to him as he moved towards the office.“Hear what?” He stopped at the door, trying to unlock it. Truthfully, Sean has been in a daze the past couple of days.Not only has Chloe refused to take his calls but his renovation down at the new building for his company took a little spin, further delaying the work.The only reason he could stand in front of Rebecca this morning is thanks to two pots of coffee and three hours of sleep.“An executive director was kidnapped last night.” Rebecca was eager to tell him.Sean pushed open the door, dumping his briefcase and wallet on his desk. “Why should I know about this?”“Because he's an associate of Medley's!” She says, seeming too agitated for something he didn't quite understand.“Maybe someone got mad and ‘nabbed the guy.” Sean concluded flippantly, needing another pot of coffee. Rebecca didn't say anything which was odd. Turning to look at her, he discovered she had a weird look on her face.Th

Sean sat with Chloe for the next hour and they talked. They laughed, they cried but mostly they sat there talking about things that they wouldn't normally open up about. It's safe to say that they were feeling raw from the events in their life. It wasn't until Sean glanced at the clock that he realized how fast time had flown past. “Come on, let me take you home.” Sean helped Chloe up, lending a hand. She accepted it and they walked hand in hand to his car. The drive to her place was thirty minutes, but Sean felt reluctant to let her go. “Will I see you again?” He turned off the engine. “Aww, is someone missing me?” She pouts, smiling up at him. “I'm serious, Chloe.” He didn't know how it happened or when it did but she had happened to integrate herself into his life. Chloe was the light in his darkness and during this dark time, she shone brightly directing him to the better part. “Soon.” She touched his arm. “I'll call or text as soon as I can. Those shifts are threateni

Sean still felt uncomfortable after that happened.Amber practically plastered herself to the edge of the car seat, her face glued to the windows even though he was sure that she wasn't paying attention to the scenery.Clearing his throat, Sean felt the need to explain himself. “Amber, I'm very sorry for what happened earlier.”She spared him a look. The first one minutes. “I told you, you don't have to apologize. It's my fault.”“Not necessarily,” Sean argued. “I acted as though I was interested and it's not your fault for interpreting it in that manner.”She slapped her forehead with her palm, her face turning red. “You trying to explain why you avoided kissing me is making this situation more mortifying than usual.”Her obvious embarrassment made him chuckle. “Oops.”Removing her hands from her face, Amber stared at him. “You're a great guy, Sean, but if I'm being honest, I don't think I'd want anything except a fling and you seem way too intense for that…so I'm guessing everything

When Sean found out what Clement did to Rebecca, he was livid.On the verge of storming over to his office and bashing his head with a ruler, She tried to hold him back saying he wasn't worth it.At that time, Sean wasn't so sure.Giving Clement a taste of his own medicine would be apt, all things considered.Thankfully, Rebecca managed to convince him to hold back and after a couple of minutes, he realized it wasn't worth it.For both their sakes, Sean avoided telling her anything about Amber, allowing the days to pass by while he plotted his revenge.The best thing would be to show up with the results that he won.Nothing would hurt Clement more than finding out he lost.To Sean, of all people.Time went by quickly, the days blurring into weeks and eventually months.His opening was a success.Thanks to Amber, he managed to secure a bunch of connections which boosted Magnolia's rating.Currently, they are sitting pretty amongst the top 10 hotspots in NY.Almost every customer who us