Fiona knew it would be hard for Carina to believe her. She moved closer to her, and showed her a mark."I know you won't believe me, but here," she bent her head, "the mark you left me, after hitting my forehead with a stone."Carina shook her head, not wanting to believe her. "It cannot be.""It is true, Marina."That name sent shivers down her spine. It was the combination of Margaret, and Carina. It was given to them in school, after they paired to write a project."It's really you!" She could not hold it anymore, she ran into her embrace. They stayed in each other's arms for what seemed to be till eternity."I was saved by Mr. Fernando, the owner of Fernando's Intl. I'm working as a manager in his company, which is now handled by his son," she said, after they say down. "How about you? Where do you work?"Carina sighed, "I used to work at Meldives Mall.""What do you mean by 'used to'"?"I was fired. Today."Carina told her how they managed to survive, and how hard it was to cope
They saw their mother sitting on the floor with pictures scattered around her. The room reeked alcohol. She had been staring at the old pictures—her two daughters, and husband. She had lost two people at the same time.She was still in deep thoughts when the ladies arrived. They were shocked to see their mother drinking. Carina had been with her mother for years, but she had never seen her drinking alcohol."Mother."The woman turned, and stared at them with wide eyes. She did not expect to see Carina, neither did she think she would drink much. From a sip to a few glasses."Ca… Carina, you are home! Is it already closing hours?" She said, hiding the bottle behind her back."It is almost 10pm, mother!" She walked in, looking around the house, as if there was someone else in, "is this what you do when I'm away? Everyday, I work my ass out, just to provide the bills for you to get well. When did you even start drinking?" Carina half yelled. "I… I am sorry, my child. It was never intent
"Son of a bitch!" Jayden mumbled. He glared at the picture so hard that if eyes could burn, the picture would have been burnt to ashes."Any other information?" He asked, seemingly interested in his rival."Not really. Just the companies investing in his. They are about five of them. Three out of five had withdrew their investment in our company."He smirked, sipping his drink. "Have Alex gather the names of the companies investing in his firm. I need it to carry out my plans. I will take back all of them."The butler looked at him, he was sure that Jayden had changed, overnight. "Alright. Is that all?""For now, yes."He left the documents with him, and went back inside. Taking the last sip of his drink, he took the documents again, and began to read through, searching for anything vital, the company's SWOT—strength, weakness, opportunity, threat. He needed to know everything about The Emirates, if he wanted to remain at the top. Aside topping the chart, he wanted to take his reve
"Did you see how he looked?" She said, resting her elbow on the table, "oh! He looks like my dream guy, so handsome."The other workers stared at her, and bursted into laughter. "Keep dreaming, Tory. He would never spare you a glance."From a statement, it proceeded to a conversation. "But, wait! Did you see the way he looked at her?" Tory said."At who?" The other girl replied, looking around, carelessly."At the receptionist, idiot!""Oh, you're right. Do you think they know each other?"Carina noticed how they stared at her, which made her uncomfortable. It was just her first day at work, and she was already having enemies."Don't mind them, that's what they do—gossip around, like they don't have loads of work to do. Just ignore them."Sonia had noticed how uncomfortable Carina felt when Tory, and her group were boring holes on her, with their eyes.She would get used to their character, soon."But what did I do? I mean, it's my first day, and they are already gossiping about me?
Fiona had a bad feeling about the call. She had just received a call from the CEO. To confirm her instinct, she could not find Carina in her office. She went to his office, immediately. He ushered her in, after she had knocked."Sit."She obeyed, and took a seat. Her fingers were crossed, and her palms, sweaty."You said the new girl is your sister, right?" He asked."Yes, sir. She is.""Why is she here?"The question sounded funny to Fiona, but she dared not to laugh. Of course, she was here to work."She was fired, and since the company needed a receptionist, she applied for the job.""Did she tell you her reasons for being here? Did you tell the rules of the company?""She has not told me anything, sir. And yes, I had informed her about the rules."She didn't understand why he was asking her such questions. "Most importantly, did you tell her that no one talks back at me?" 'Oh, no. What have you done, Carina?' she said, inwardly."I'm sure you did not. If you did, she would not
"Are the documents ready?" Jayden asked over the phone, walking out of his office."Yes, sir. Everything is set." The person replied from the other end."I will be there, shortly."It was his first meeting with Company X—one of the companies he planned to sign a contract with, and make them withdraw their investment from The Emirates.He took his private elevator down, continually checking for updates."They have arrived, boss."It was a text from one of his men. He had ordered him to give him updates on whatever happened at the meeting place."It's just the beginning, Charles."The elevator beeped open, and with both hands in pockets, he walked out."Have a nice day, sir!" Tory yelled. He just turned, and nodded; without saying a word.Carina watched him leave, and enter the car."Hey! Don't you dare think of taking the CEO away from me."She stared at her in disbelief. It was Tory and her drama."When will you learn? Taking him away like he was ever yours," she scoffed, "I would adv
"It is nice to meet you, Mr. Jayden. We have reviewed everything, and have decided to invest in your company. We believe that your company is the best, and we would love to partner with you.""It's a pleasure to partner with your company."He received the documents from them, and read its content, before signing. It took about ten minutes to finalize the agreement, and sign the documents. "Cheers to a new partnership!"He shook hands with Mr. Leo, and the others. "Cheers!""Mr. Charles, we are sorry to inform you that we are withdrawing our investment in your company. We have received a few complaints about your company that can bring a bad reputation to ours. We cannot afford that."Jayden, alongside the two people working for him, made to leave.He stopped right in front of Charles and Stephanie, and smirked, "it's a pleasure to see you, again!"As they left the duo in the room alone, he broke the silence that lasted for a short while in the elevator."Great job, you two. You have
"How did I not know? I am so stupid!" Stephanie said, as she walked in to the house. She had lost Jayden, and now, Charles had dumped her, too.She sat down looking helpless. A few hours ago, she was enjoying the ride to luxury, but now, she was back to the slum."Even if you are poor, once you have self-respect, and regards to other people around you, nothing can stop you from being held in high esteem. No matter what you are in life, never look down on people. Remember the ones who were there for you, when you had nothing. You can't get what you didn't work for, and even if you do, it won't last long."She recalled Jayden's words. Reminiscing about the day she met Jayden, it was at the coffee shop, where she worked back then. He had come to deliver food to someone, and she had mistakenly poured him the coffee. They had gone out a few times, and he had asked her out.Things had taken a new turn, when Stephanie met Charles at a party she attended. She had started to act up, giving Ja