Throughout the ride to the airport, Zade remained silent, staring out the window. Elizabeth said nothing to bother him. She knew he was anxious and nothing she would say would change that. His anxiety increased when they got on the jet. She placed a hand over his and his eyes flickered to hers.She smiled, giving a small nod. Zade rolled his eyes and looked outside the window.Elizabeth chuckled, shutting her eyes."Are you sure this is a good idea?" He asked."Thought you were an expert at rolling your eyes," she retorted, earning a laugh from Zade. She opened her eyes, tilting her head to look at him, "Whether it is good or not, you can't jump off the plane.""Thank you for those kind words. I feel better now," he scoffed. She shut her eyes back, smiling inwardly. After dosing off for a few minutes, she woke up to meet Zade in the same position she left him.She smacked his shoulder in annoyance."Can you cut it out already? You are not going to meet Zachary Delamonte," she groa
"What… What are you doing with a gun?" She stuttered backing away from him. He shot the spot beside her and she screamed."Take one more step and I'm going to blow your brains off," he threatened. Roselia clasped her hands together, pleading even though she couldn't get the words out. Lance sat on the seat, without moving the gun from her. Roselia swallowed thickly, praying her mother or William would walk through the door and save her. Giving it a second thought, she cursed herself for making such a stupid request. There was no guarantee that he wouldn't shoot at them if they showed up."What do you want from me?" She decided to ask the big question."I was wondering when you would ask that. It's quite simple. I don't want anything, I just have a question. A really small question.""What is it?""Where is Zade?"Roselia stopped shivering, annoyance replacing her fear. "Is this a joke? You sit there pointing a gun at me and all you can ask is Zade? How the hell am I supposed to kno
Clad in a three-piece Italian suit, all remnants of Zade Harper were completely shed off. He was now Zade Delamonte, the heir to the Delamonte empire and his first assignment was to convince the biggest tech gurus in the market, Parallax, to invest twenty billion dollars in their latest software, Skytel. A hacking device and tracking system that could hack surveillance systems, car GPS, CCTV, and other security systems within a large area and track people with just a photo scan.With Skytel, missing persons could be found in minutes, security systems could be adjusted, and one could literally find and see anything on the planet with that singular software. Coupled with the device, it would be God's eye. The project held the key to making or unmaking DE Consortia. The funds required to run the project would drive anyone bankrupt, the Delamontes included. However, if it worked and the launch was successfully executed, they would be more than multi-trillionaires.His first assignment
"Mr Delamonte?" Adera called when he hesitated for too long. Zade didn't respond to her question, instead, he got the document from her and fixed it in his briefcase."Is the meeting over?" She asked further."You said we should have lunch. We can't have lunch without putting away the documents." He answered."So you agree to go on a date with me?" Adera asked in a tone devoid of emotions."No. I'm agreeing to eat with you so we can go straight to business. I believe we both have work piled up on our desks. We can't afford to waste any more time," he casually responded.His answer stung Adera, but she forced a smile. She'd never seen any man so uninterested in her. She was usually the one in the spotlight. The one who could walk into the room and pull everyone's attention. Zade was the first man to look at her like she was human. First human even. While the men gazed lustfully at her, the women stared jealously at her, projecting their envy to the way they interacted with her. Zade
Zade cursed himself inwardly. He couldn't understand why he chose to say that and ruin the moment. "I'm sorry. I guess I have not fully put business aside. It still feels weird having an informal lunch with a client. Don't be offended, please," he pleaded. Adera didn't say a word. She continued with her food like nothing happened but Zade could see her change in demeanor. The friendly air was gone, now it seemed like a tense awkward family dinner. She seemed like she just wanted to get it over with and leave. He had to fix it somehow, but he didn't know what to say or how to appease her. Usually, when Roselia was mad at him, he would cook her favorite, but Adera was a totally different woman and he didn't know what she liked."Ummm… Dera?" He called softly, then waited for her to stiffly correct him or even snap, but she simply looked up.He reached for her hands slowly, giving her enough time to flinch or slap them off. Again, she did none of that. While holding her warm hands,
"How was the meeting with Parallax?" Zachary inquired later that evening. "It was quite eventful," Zade responded almost absent-mindedly. "I met with Adera Blake."Zachary watched him carefully, aware that more than business had happened between the two. He knew his grandson was not one to lose focus easily so he tried not to jump to conclusions yet."Anything involving Adera Blake should be eventful. May I know how it went?" Zachary asked. "We didn't discuss business," Zade confessed. "Thank you for your honesty," Zachary's dry reply almost made him laugh. "Since you didn't discuss business, what then caught your interest?"Zade ignored the suggestiveness in his father's tone and went ahead to explain the earlier events. Zachary was surprised she gave him a hard time when he brought up the business proposal, but at the same time, he was impressed that she was bold enough to go for what she wanted. "... she asked us to reschedule the business meeting. We're expected to meet later
The heavy banging on the door startled her, but she didn't dare move. Even though she locked the door, a part of her was afraid he would get in somehow. Blake Anderson wasn't a man to be messed with. Her first instinct was to call her mother, but as the phone shook in her trembling hands, she remembered the man was not just a monster to her but his wife as well.If she got her mother involved, he would beat the woman to near death like he did on a regular. The last Adera wanted was to get her mother thrice in one week especially when it was her fault."Adera!! I'm going to break down this door if you don't get out!" He barked. Adera scrambled off the floor and hurried to her study desk. After much struggle, she pushed it against the wall. She scanned the room desperately for something she could use to block the entrance in case he actually tried to break down the door.The bookshelf seemed perfect but it was very large and she wasn't sure she could move, but desperation pushed her
On the second meeting, Zade was looking forward to meeting Adera again, but it was unexpectedly Blake Anderson. As much as he appreciated the formality, he missed the little distraction of Adera Blake.It became even more depressing when he realized they didn't exchange contacts. All he could do was wait and hope they meet again. Turned out Blake Anderson was not as difficult to convince as they expected. Compared to Adera, the man was a lot calmer, more quieter. He barely argued or interrupted him and only asked a few questions where necessary. After that, he signed the proposal and requested they inform him once they were ready to start the project. Ade expected the man to leave immediately, but he remained in his seat, studying him intensely. At first, Zade assumed he was having second thoughts about their proposal. He was about to convince him a little more when the next words caught him unawares. "Yesterday, my daughter threw herself shamelessly at you."Zade didn't know how