The following morning, after exchanging pleasantries, Alex welcomed Emily into the car for their drive to the hospital. As he settled into the driver's seat, he posed an unexpected question."Have you eaten yet?"Her eyebrows lifted in mild surprise. "No, I haven't. Why the question?""I was thinking we could grab a bite to eat," he suggested, turning the key and bringing the engine to life. "I haven't had breakfast either."Her furrowed brows heightened as she rejected his offer defiantly. "No! Why?""If I didn't ask, do you really want to go for a check-up without eating? Come on." He explained to her.But she was not cool with the offer because she was not ready to be seen in public with him.Even if she wanted to be back with him, she perceived that it was so soon and feared people would want to attack her for that.Sensing her hesitation and understanding its source, he offered an alternative. "How about just a cup of coffee, then?"He was committed to following Henry's advice:
Days had passed with Alex trying hard to hear a response from Emily concerning their reconciliation, but her silence was making him worried.He decided to take advantage of the rumours that were already spreading about them by planning to take her to an auction event.However, she had been ignoring his calls and texts. As a result, he went to her house but didn't find her there. He then decided to go meet her at the night bar.Luckily for him, she was there, and when she saw him enter the bar, she furrowed her brows.Her eyes widened in disbelief as she spotted him walking towards the counter."What the hell is he doing here?" she hissed under her breath.The last place she expected—or wanted—to see him was in this buzzing hotspot where gossip spread faster than wildfire. She knew his presence would set tongues wagging, adding fuel to the rumours she had been desperately trying to quash.Alex, meanwhile, was acutely aware of the attention he was drawing. He moved with the confidenc
"Where's your bag? We have to leave." As soon as Alex returned from the owner's office, he sat down and informed Emily."We have to leave?" she scoffed."What do you mean by that?""Apparently, your boss has granted you permission to leave with me early." He told her.Just then, the owner showed up and confirmed that he had indeed granted her permission to leave early.But she was still reluctant to leave there, as she wondered what Alex could have told her boss."What are you waiting for?" He glanced at his wristwatch."We are running late already. We still need to make a stop before reaching our final destination."With reluctance, she grabbed her bags, and they walked out of there together."Where did you say we would be heading to before going to the event?" She asked him.His eyes flicked to her, then back to the road ahead. A mischievous grin played on his lips. "You have to turn some heads tonight, so we need to find you a dress that will leave everyone speechless."She felt w
Isabella surveyed the room, her eyes narrowing on Emily."Hm. What's that smell?" Isabella wrinkled her nose in disgust.As she neared Emily, Isabella's lips curled into a sneer. She then stopped beside Emily."No wonder the whole place reeks," Isabella spat, her voice dripping with disdain. "It reeks of wretchedness. I could smell it from outside."She had not planned on coming tonight, but the constant whispers about Emily and Alex had wormed their way under her skin. Worse were her father's cutting remarks, each one a reminder of her perceived failure. She could still hear his mocking laughter and the disappointment in his eyes when she visited him in his office to apologise for her failure."Beaten by a nobody." He had sneered.She was here to extinguish that flame by any means necessary. This confrontation was just the opening salvo in her campaign to reclaim what she saw as rightfully hers.Hearing whispers that Alex had arrived with Emily made her lurk behind a corner while E
"What Mr. Thornton did shows that he truly loves you." Santiago smiled.After the three of them were left alone, he turned to Emily and mused, "He's really trying to impress you by competing over something so trivial. But don't forget what I told you earlier: don't get involved with a loser."However, Isabella was furious about Santiago's ridiculous pride. Before Alex could intervene, she decided to confront Santiago directly."You are not to tell me what is right and wrong. Besides, I'm always acquainted with a victor, not a loser." She chuckled."I hope that tells you something."Alex could not believe such words could come out of her mouth, as he was amazed and impressed by them."With a woman like this with me forever, I could surely take over the world if I wish to." He thought inwardly as a smile plastered his face while he momentarily stared at her.Santiago's lips curled into a sneer. "You call him a victor?" His eyes narrowed as he leaned closer, his voice dropping to a mena
"Mr. Thornton?" Derek was shocked to see Alex at his doorstep very early in the morning, especially because no one, not even Isabella, knew his location.Alex had decided to treat the reason for the visit urgently because it seemed to be the final piece to defeat Santiago."We need to talk." Alex said, his hands shoved in his pockets with an unreadable expression.For a split second, Derek was taken aback by Alex's utterance as he wondered what could be the reason he wanted to converse with him."What is it about?" Derek inquisitively asked Alex."We should go in." Alex was still maintaining his expression.Derek hesitated for a moment, then grudgingly stepped aside, allowing Alex to enter. The door creaked shut behind them with a dull thud.Alex's eyes swept across the cramped, dingy room. Peeling wallpaper clung desperately to damp walls, while a sagging mattress occupied one corner.Wrinkling his nose at the musty odour, Alex let out a derisive snort. He could not fathom why a pe
"All you need to do is reveal the mission to the public." Alex told Derek."What?! I can't do that." Derek refused. He shook his head. "No, I can't."His blatant rejection despite the control Alex held over him stemmed from a deep-seated fear: if he carried out Alex's plan, Santiago would surely come after him.Alex intentionally stayed silent for some seconds with a smile plastered on his face, much to Derek's surprise."Are you sure you can't?" He scoffed. "I have a question for you...""How long until the agreement expires?" Alex asked, his tone sharp.Derek's eyes dropped to the floor, shame colouring his voice. "Five days," he mumbled.Unexpectedly, Alex let out a dry chuckle. Derek's head snapped up, meeting Alex's gaze with surprise."Five days?" Alex's voice dripped with derision. "And here, I thought you were clever just moments ago."Confusion clouded Derek's face until Alex leaned forward, his eyes boring into Derek's. "The contract, you fool. The original deadline. T
As he drove his car to meet Emily wherever he thought she might be, since she had not been answering his calls or messages, he received a call from his secretary informing him that Mr. Collins was waiting for him.A wry smile crossed his lips. "Okay. Tell him I'm on my way," he replied.Alex had called for this meeting because it was the second step in his plan to bring Santiago to his knees."I'm sorry for keeping you waiting. I was dealing with something very important to pull the company out of this mess." Alex apologised to Mr. Collins as they made their way to Alex's office after they had exchanged greetings. "What was it about?" Mr. Collins inquired. Alex sucked his teeth. "It's nothing. It's not worth telling you because the result is bad news."He lied to Santiago."So, let's get straight to business," Alex announced, looking intently into Mr. Collins' eyes."Tell me, what have your fellow shareholders been plotting recently?" Alex inquired. Much to his surprise, Mr. Collin