The secretary entered Alex's office."The shareholders are now seated, sir." She announced.His lips curled into a confident grin as he rose from his chair, his posture radiating assurance. He adjusted his suit jacket with a flick of his wrist before striding out of his office.As he entered the meeting room, the murmurs that had filled the air ceased abruptly, all eyes turning to him as if he were a commanding general entering the fray. It was as if he were entering a battlefield, but it didn't faze him. None of them did.Undeterred by the intensity of the gaze upon him, he walked to the centre of the room, flanked by the shareholders on either side.Like a skilled poker player assessing his opponents, he took in the room with a keen eye, deciphering the unspoken intentions and motivations of each shareholder.But he came fully prepared for them.As he cleared his throat, the room fell into a hushed silence, every individual hanging on to his next words. "I was told you all wanted
“Have a look at this.” Alex dropped the files on the lawyer’s table after they had exchanged greetings.The lawyer momentarily looked at him in confusion and finally picked up the files in reluctance, glancing through them.“This is the list and details of the atrocities Santiago committed while he was working for your company. So what do you intend to do with this?” He asked Alex.“I want to nail him with this.” He smiled in confidence.“Okay. If I'm correct, you want to charge him in court, right?”“Drop the professional terms. You already know what I mean, so let's get into business. I have a lot on my plate.” Alex retorted.The lawyer smiled. “Okay. I'm sorry about that.”“This should do it.” He added.But Alex was not satisfied by the response; that is not what he expected.“It should do it?” He furrowed his brows.“Yes.” He shot Alex a quizzical gaze.“What do you mean by that? Isn't this enough?!” Alex was now fuming.“Yes…” he said, smiling briefly.“I’m sure you're aware how
The next morning, Alex vibrated with excitement as he saw Emily's message. A wide grin split his face as he read her apology, his fingers practically itching to type a reply. "Good morning, darling. I apologise for being unreachable yesterday. I'm sure you called. My phone was turned off.”He beamed in smiles upon reading the message.“Good morning, my angel. I hope you dreamt about me.”He added. “I was damn worried yesterday. What is your plan today?Replying to his message that she would be at home all day, he decided to spend the day with her.“Let's spend the day together. What do you say?” “Just admit that you miss me.” She replied, accompanied by an eye-rolling emoji.He beamed with smiles, shaking his head as he muttered instinctively, "She can't just stop pretending that she also does."It wasn't until the word had inadvertently slipped from his mouth that he realised Isabella was fully awake beside him. As he turned to check if she had noticed, their eyes met, and he wa
Time flew by as Alex and Emily lost themselves in each other's company. Emily then decided to prepare for her upcoming exam by reading a book. Meanwhile, Alex, who was lying beside her while stealing a glance at her as she flipped through the pages, grew restless due to the silence that had settled in the room and decided to break the monotony by disturbing her.He noticed a stray strand of hair from her braid brushing against her cheek and saw an opportunity to lighten the mood. Without hesitation, he gently tucked the strand behind her ear, which sent a sudden surge of electricity through her body.She chuckled as their eyes met for a moment, a silent exchange that spoke volumes.“What are you trying to do, Mr Intruder?” A smile, like the first bloom of a rose, spread across her lips, crinkling the corners of her eyes in a way that made them sparkle.“I'm not trying. I'm intruding on your heart.” He blurted, beaming with smiles, prompting another smile to escape her lips.“But yo
While Alex was in his office, he received a notification on his phone about an interview with Santiago.He scoffed. "The media can't simply stop fawning over him." However, that was precisely what they used to do for him when he lacked formidable competition. They were always eager to spread information about him, even distorting some facts to suit their narrative.Yes, he had acknowledged Santiago as a worthy adversary, an unprecedented occurrence. Many had attempted but failed to challenge him. None had managed to get under his skin and affect him the way Santiago did.Santiago recognised that playing the pity card could be effective, and he decided to exploit it, which was working in his favour."I'm not surprised, since most humans are naturally inclined to sympathize and take the side of individuals whose stories depict a fall from grace, regardless of the actions that led them there.” Alex muttered.The interviewer commended him for his recent success and how he felt. "To be h
Since Isabella's father was keen on her marrying Alex, she decided to embark on and execute her second plan about Alex's secret affair with Emily, which was at the night bar where Emily worked.She knew that Emily would be on shift. She had thoroughly researched her schedules at her respective jobs.She walked towards the bar counter as she entered.That would be the perfect spot to carry out her plan.But Emily wasn't at the counter; only Sarah was. When Sarah saw Isabella sitting at the bar stool, she thought Isabella was there because of Emily's secret affair with Alex, her fiancé. "Two rivals meeting in the same place?" She felt gleeful anticipation about how the confrontation would unfold. She was happy that Emily would finally face disgrace for the affair. She believed Emily was fully aware of Isabella's relationship with Alex, which was why she did subtly insult Emily in the past, acting condescendingly because she considered her virtuous behaviour to be just an act—though E
On the day of the court ruling, as Alex entered his car to drive to the courthouse, his phone beeped.On checking the screen, he saw that it was a message from Henry. "Heyy. I think you were pissed by the last conversation we had, but I don't want to believe that it's the reason we haven't seen each other. You know, I've always supported you, and I will continue doing so. That was just what I thought. Regardless, I hope the ruling favours you. Let's meet today." Alex beamed with smiles as he read the message. "He is so expressive." He muttered, which was unlike him.Although the conversation did not go the way he had expected, it was not the reason he had not met with him. Henry was not a person he could stay away from. He couldn't think of what Henry could do that would prompt him to make such a decision.Alex replied to his text. "I wasn't. I have just been busy trying to put things in the right place. I'll call you after the ruling. Let's meet.”As he drove to the courthouse, a
The judge looked down at the papers on his desk, then up at the people once more. "My ruling is..."He paused again as he turned his attention to the individual parties. His steely gaze settled first on Santiago before he shifted it over to Alex. His expression remained unreadable as their eyes met.“It is the ruling of this court that the defendant, Mr. Santiago Hernandez, is acquitted and not guilty on all charges brought against him in this case by Thornton Screen and Stage. This court case is decided and resolved in Mr. Santiago's favor. He is therefore cleared of all the accusations.”The courtroom erupted into pandemonium the moment the judge's verdict sank in. Shouts and congratulatory whispered ricocheted off the walls from Santiago's supporters, celebrating his legal vindication, while they shot Santiago disgusted and mocking gazes.Alex's stomach seemed to drop through the floor as the reality of those words reverberated through his brain.The defendant...Santiago. That m