Kayla had grown up ignored and dismissed in this patriarchal home. Her fiery passion and business acumen meant nothing here - without her brother to speak for her, she may as well not exist in her father's eyes.How many times had she turned to Hamish over the years, forced to hide behind his victories and advocacy to have any chance of realizing her ambitions? It grated at her soul.She had hoped marrying Reynold would finally allow her to grasp some independence. With him as a passive husband, a trophy to legitimize her while staying neatly out of her way, she could finally take center stage and prove her abilities, prove to them that she was better.Or so she had thought. But his outburst tonight had ruined everything. Kayla could feel the fragile control she had managed to get after years of hardwork slipping through her fingers again. She didn't want to support of any man. That would just be the same thing repeating itself. She had strictly married Reynold because she thought
The shrill beep of the alarm clock jarred Reynold awake while the sky was still inky black. He silenced it quickly to avoid waking Kayla, even though her room was quite far.He walked out of his room and to the kitchen, opened a few cupboards with calculative eyes. After checking the row of cupboard, he returned to the first and began to bring out some ingredients as softly as he could manage.He put on the gas cooker and began to boil water. The sky subtly transitioned to orange and shades of blue…by then Reynold walked with tray of covered food, steamy out and a savoring aroma to bless the morning air.He dropped them on the table, gently preparing all she will need down to the spoon and fork.“I hope she enjoys it.” He says with a smile and looked towards her room.Immediately he turned and walked to his own room. Dressing in silence, he slipped out into the chill dawning air for his morning run.A few minutes later, Kayla's eyes gently opened. She had a beautiful morning smile.
Reynold continued down the road, with no destination. He had been running because he wanted to get away from the young lady.‘Was I overreacting?’ He asked himself. But didn't think so, he clearly had sensed something up with the way the lady talked to him. And it was good he dismissed himself quickly, for his own sake - the lady was not as beautiful as his wife but she was beautiful for any man to get tempted, her curves accentuated by her tight pants could make any man momentarily forget his wife.So, he made a run for it.“Hmm, it was a good call.” He mumbled and nodded, coming to a stop as he slowly was running out of breath.He bent down with both his hands resting on his knee then stood up and turned around to search for where he could take a rest.The morning sun was beginning to harshly lick his skin.Squinting through the blinding rays of sunlight, he noticed the faded sign first - "Ren's Self Defense - All Styles Welcome."Odd for a second floor establishment. He looked up pa
Kayla woke to the smell of sizzling onions and garlic. She rolled over, glancing at the clock. 6:14am.Reynolds was already up cooking breakfast. She lay still for a moment, taking in the comforting smells wafting from the kitchen, before dragging herself out of bed and feeling bad afterwards.She stole a glance towards her door before shuffling to the bathroom, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror - messy hair, her oversized pajamas failing to conceal her delicate curves.Kayla turned on the faucet and splashed cool water on her face to wake up. As she patted herself dry with a towel, her mind wandered to the long day ahead at the office. Meetings, emails, presentations to the board - it was all a bit exhausting if she was honest. And it seemed there was always more to do.But this was the kind of life she had dreamt for herself. Nothing right now was out of place and it was going to get even busier in the future.Her mind wandered a bit towards Reynold and she let out a deep
Tate leaned back in the butter-soft leather executive chair, steepling his manicured fingers as he surveyed the sleek minimalist office. Floor-to-ceiling windows displayed a breathtaking panorama of the city skyline while recessed lighting illuminated abstract paintings on raw brick walls."More scotch, Tate?" Sean murmured, pouring three fingers worth from a crystal decanter into an identical glass. Tate accepted it with languid grace, taking a slow sip as he stretched his long frame."I must say, Lloyd's behavior recently has me...concerned, brother." Tate swirled amber liquid meditatively. "All those excuses and awkward pauses. The boy's clearly hiding something."Sean grunted agreement, scrolling irritably through emails on his tablet. "Or lack thereof. He always was spineless. Should never have trusted him to monitor that gold-digging worm Kayla calls a husband." Tate opened his mouth to reply when sudden raised voices and scuffling erupted outside his office. Before he could r
The leather couch creaked as Kayla shifted to pull her phone from her pocket. A notification lit up the screen - a news alert from The Financial Times. She scanned the headline and bolted upright, feet planting on the hardwood floor."Reynold!" Kayla called out, clicking the article to read more. "Reynold, come quick!"Footsteps pounded down the stairs as Reynolds rushed into the living room, still pulling a shirt on over his head. "What is it?"Wordlessly, Kayla handed him her phone. Reynold's eyes grew wide as he read through… at first he had a difficult time understanding what Kayla was showing him because on the phone there was a table of names and a chat to one side, her phone was a foldable type so the screen was split.But as soon as he saw his name somewhere, his eyes widened."I don't understand," Reynolds murmured. "Does this mean I've been accepted into the family?”Kayla leapt up from the couch, heart racing. This changed everything. Not only was Reynold now legally family
The words tinged in his throat and foaster his imagination to roll wide and unfold within his head.In his mind's eye, Hamish unleashed years of pent-up frustration. In that single moment but in reality, nothing but a sweet-nighty silence ensued between the two.“Do you have a problem with my actions towards your sister?”Hamish lowered his gaze, hiding the contempt that formed on his face for a few seconds before responding. “No sir. I trust your decisions and actions. I have no right to question them…”“And so why are you here?” The chairman inquired.“...” Hamish spent a few seconds of silence, his gaze however was unwavering. He stared at his father in those few seconds with a stone cold ferocity.“Nothing sir. I just wanted to confirm it is true.”The chairman smiled and crossed his hand, “Well, you have. It is true.”The heavy oak door swung inward and Kayla strode in, fixing Hamish with an icy stare. "Well, dear sister, congratulations seem to be in order,” Hamish said quietly
Kayla plastered on a smile as yet another subsidiary called to offer stilted congratulations about her ascension. Yes, it was that, everyone sort of knew that the chairman moving that way was he acknowledging her - naturally, the women directors of the company were beginning to move towards her side.Kayla idly doodled curling vines along the margins of a briefing memo, half listening to the Benefit Cosmetics executive prattle on about synergies.Normally she didn’t mind this part of her role heading the luxury beauty division. Schmoozing, strategizing, making connections - it energized her. But today it was just noise, her thoughts continuously circling back to her father and Reynold.What game was her father playing, upending succession plans on a whim? Did he actually intend for her to take over the conglomerate one day instead of the boys? And making Reynold a part of the family- even she couldn’t deny the brilliance of that chess move. Legally her husband now, no one could under