ESMERALDA. Esmeralda snuggled on the meshed bed cover, which hovered around her body. She’s been sleeping for hours since they arrived from Sylvester's burial. "Baby—" a softly tendered palm serenaded her gloomy face, carefully tugging her out of bed. "Wake up; you’ve been sleeping for hours."She snapped her hands off her face, rubbing her itchy eyes intensely and brimming them open as Hailey’s appeared to be the one before her. "Hailey? Why are you here?" she whimpered, wavering her eyes all over the strangely beautiful room she was placed in. "I brought you to my house; do you even remember a thing from last night?" Hailey asked, running her hands through Esmeralda’s hair. "No, my head hurts real bad, and what happened?" she peered inquisitively.Last night, all she could recall was a sharp pain in her neck before the blackout. And Madrigal…."Did he come?" Hailey chuckled lightly, folding her palms to conceal her laughter. "I thought you'd never ask," "Don’t tell, me here onl
MADRIGAL."I and Brandon talked about this; why did she show up?" He pondered in his heart, stealing glances at her as she stood next to Esmeralda in the elevator. His hands were shaking so much that he had to hide them in his pockets, accidentally hitting her on the waist. "Ouch," she whimped softly, holding onto her cold face that showed no expression. "I’m sorry, I didn’t—it wasn’t intentional," he stammered. Deep down, he wanted to hold her hands right there in the elevator and kiss her. He mustered a loud grin that irritated her.‘Ding Dong’ The doors opened, and she stormed out immediately. Everyone at the table was surprised to see her, including Brandon, whose eyes were widening and surprised as his heart stopped beating for some seconds."Wow, look who we have in our midst—an angel. I hope we're save, because the last time she was here, someone fell from here—ha-ha." Andallio hovered, forcing a bland laugh after everyone paid no attention to his awful speech. "Hi Esmeralda
POOL OF SURPRISES.HERVEAUX’S POV.The moon was dazzling, smearing it full light on the glassy glazed table on the terrace. Herveaux was overwhelmed between agreeing to Brandon’s floor sweeping offer and Andallio's self-pushed amount of money. "Can you give us some time to think about it?" Andallio resulted sulking in his pride."How dumb can you sound? When will you stop? Tomorrow is the meeting with the family. The earlier we solve this, the better!!!" Olvido arced, banging the table wildly. "How dare you!" Andallio fired puzzlingly and furiously as he moved to hit Olvido. "Stop it! I am tired of the both of you!" Herveaux rose to his feet, putting both of them at ease."I accept the offer; we get this done!!!" He roared, flaring aside everything on the table. "I agree! Better than have this fool!" Olvido reeked arrogantly.Herveaux didn’t spend a minute turning it into a poll to end the irrefutable discord. "Two votes, who’s in or out?" he surmounted the pressure."I can’t
THE SUCIDE. HERVEAUX’S"You all say I am retarded, but in reality, it’s all of you that are retarded," Andallio snickered. Gripping Herveaux’s hair as he spoke to his face."You won’t get away with this! I’ll make sure you pay!" Herveaux yelled. Andallio handled his walking stick, ready to strike Herveaux, but Fredrick held him back."If you kill him now, not even your heinous RAD identity can save you. A second murder in the glass house—is that what you want?" Fredrick hammered lowly. "You’re right, hey brother, wait, can we talk this out?" Andallio ordered his men to let go and excuse them. Herveaux was confused and afraid of what his brother might do to him. "I won’t go after Olvido anymore. I know you don’t trust me, but can we talk?" Andallio closed in on him like a predator after its prey. Herveaux retraced his steps, moving backwardly until he fell inside the pool."You know you can’t kill me here, right?" Herveaux dived, pushing his fears aside and facing Andallio. He
"Your coat, boss," Madrigal said, hanging it inside the car after collecting it from one of Andallio's masked men. "Thank you—weirdo," Madrigal commented in a lower tone, but Brandon could hear him clearly. "Ha-aha why did you call them weird?" Brandon asked entering the car. "The masks seem shady to me; what’s that scent on your coat?"Brandon unhooked his coat and sniffed the scent. "Oh—it must be Herveaux; he hugged me out of, I don’t know, uncontrollable emotion. Drive me home," he responded, hanging the coat and planting himself on the seat, leaving out a stressed exhaust sigh as he waited for Madrigal to get the car moving. "Hey man, what’s wrong? Hit the brakes, let’s move." Brandon tapped him and moved closer. He saw Esmeralda and Hailey whipping in each other's ears, and Esmeralda was coming in their direction."You came this far; will you be okay?" Brandon whispered into his ears as he stood still, holding the car's steering wheel. "I should be; why is she coming here?
HAILEY’S APARTMENT. Douxed up in a bath suit and her hair tied up in a petty twooel, Hailey took her cellphone, which has been ringing for hours, from her purse. "He’s still sleeping?" She patted Jordan on his legs. She turned on her phone, and it was bombarded with messages about Ramirez’s unbelievably steep rise to the top. They boosted the market and now have the top share. "That spoilt brat didn't tell me anything; how on earth can a meeting in one night do this?" Hailey uttered a thought out loud, not ignoring the fact that she was outright surprised. "Who’ll believe I was there when this happened?" Hailey groaned. "I feel like it has something to do with Bradon; I need to get out on time." She left the bathroom and rubbed some cream on her body. "Arrhh," Jordan Vera-Dona yaened. Getting out of the sofa where he slept last night"That’s too much of a yawn for a man who used to be a cop," she blurted, playfully massaging her legs seductively. Jordan Vera-Dona knelt before
AT THE OFFICE FALL BACK. "What!" The whole crowd began chattering, bringing out their phones, and asking each other questions on the table. Hailey laughed wickedly in her head as she saw all of them immersed in confusion. "Good, that is what I want—you all to be caught unaware!" she muttered lowly. "Boss, did you hear her? What’s going on?" Madrigal asked Brandon mockingly, and it stopped when he saw his face brimming with anger. Brandon stormed out of the board room, with Madrigal and Marcellus catching up to him. "She enjoyed every bit of it? How didn't we see this coming?" Brandon roared, flaring up. "It might be a lie; we can’t trust that woman; we should talk to Esmeralda herself," Marcellus suggested innocently, but was welcomed by a vile, uncanny expression that made him think otherwise. "Maybe we shouldn't," he mused. Brandon and Madrigal had just finished celebrating their limitless success and smooth ride in their revenge plan, and then Hailey and Esmeralda happened
"Thank God he’s gone," Esmeralda breathed. Reversing the car back to the route she was going to take before he offered to drive her there. "Wait for me, Vanessa," she muttered, selecting a cool song on her playlist. She noticed a car following her in the mirror, and she stopped suddenly. He car zoomed off without waiting before she resumed her. "Brandon, you’ll never change!" she snarled. She pulled over at a restaurant in an enclosed and serene area. "Vanessa Silverrio," she mentioned to the waitress at the restaurant so she could get the table they reserved. Vanessa had told her she was waiting for her there, but she was nowhere in view. "Come with me, ma’am. He asked me to bring you here; you must be Esmeralda." The waitress asked courteously, confusing Esmeralda. "Wait—which man? I am here for a woman and not a man; what’s going on here?" Esmeralda alarmed. Hugging her bag more closely to her thighs. "The man said you would come to ask for Lady; she sent him—he’s over