It is said that when facing adversaries, it is better to attack than to be defensive. Archer had no intention to be any of that. He wasn’t going to attack or defend. He was simply going to be the CEO of Sterling Group. Confidently striding through the entrance of the large building, his aura commanded attention as he made his way into the building. As he walked past his employees, he couldn’t help but notice their scrutinizing look on him. In fact, the air was unfurling with a subtle tension that he hadn’t noticed before.Archer gave a half-smile as if to say he acknowledged their piercing gazes. He continued into the elevator, ignoring the people who were struck by his assertive dominance. The elevator beeped open, and the metal doors screeched apart, revealing Celestine in the hallway, waiting with a stack of papers in hand.“Good morning, Mr President,” he said.“Call me Archer, please” Archer replied.“I couldn’t even if I wanted to…” Celestine interjected, presenting him with
Being a Dullvan wasn’t as rosy as it seemed, and nobody knew that except the Sullivans themselves. Their family was not one guided by love or emotions. They were simply bound by duty. The duty of upholding the family name and whatever decision was made was for the greater good of the family, just like her engagement to Archer Williams. She raised her head from the table and the room felt claustrophobic.Tangie sprang to her feet and headed for the door.Holding the doorknob replayed the fragments of their embarrassing tea incident and she cringed. “What was I thinking going to pull a door with full hands.”She pulled the door open and came to face with Luke, the kind man who helped her this morning.Tangie stopped as he got closer.“Miss Sullivan, ma’am” Luke greeted, Tangie shot him a soft smile and averted her gaze. “Am I shy or embarrassed?” She wondered. Glancing at him, she noticed the tray in his hand.“What do you have there?” She asked.“Coconut water…” Luke replied, “It’s
In the dimly lit study where Tangie and Archer stood breaths away from each other. Tangie’s gaze flickered to Archer and caught a flare of jealousy etched into his brooding face.Her pulse quickened, and a rush of excitement stirred a thrilling flutter within her, but she quickly dismissed such thoughts."Don't be ridiculous, Tangie" she chided herself softly, attempting to abate her fluttery. "You seem upset, do you want to talk about it?" her voice soft and gentle, echoed like a soothing melody in the dark."I'm not upset," Archer replied tersely."But you left abruptly…”"I lost my appetite" he interjected, trying hard to conceal the turmoil of emotions brewing within him.Tangie stepped backward, and a feeling of disappointment crept over her."I will leave now..." She grumbled, "You can go back to work. I’m sorry I disturbed"Before she could walk away, Archer closed the gap between them, grabbing her arm.Startled by his unexpected action, she tripped and stumbled into his arms
Celestine's calls became Archer's most frequent. He was delving deeper into the affairs of Sterling Groups, reporting the company's day-to-day suspicious activities to him. Despite these, Archer kept the intensifying threats he was getting to himself.In fact, the only person who was aware of the texts was a man named Mr Dunni Freeman, his secret investigator and he was the reason Archer paced the large gardens of his house this late in the evening, awaiting his call.For days, Tangie deliberately avoided him. Even though they were in the same house, he barely saw her. Of course, he had snapped at her because he was jealous but he didn't expect her reaction either. "Why did she cry?!" He asked himself for the nth time.Archer had thought to apologize the next day, but the fact that he received different anonymous messages kept his mind occupied and distorted that one day seemed into two days until he had lost count.Frustratingly, he couldn't tell if the messages were threats or ca
"Tha...that is not what I need," Tangie stammered. Archer's question was unexpected and outrageous."Why would I want you to leave home?" She said in a small hesitant voice.Archer exhaled softly before saying, "I just thought you were uncomfortable...""...since that night" he added.Tangie moved to speak but Archer cut her in, "I'm sorry," he breathed out. "I've been going through a lot at work... And that day, I heard what happened and I raced back home to see you, but you were with Luke..." He paused and slowly glanced at her. "I'm sorry I was rude to ..."He was silenced by soft, wet lips amidst the sentence.Archer widened his eyes in surprise, then gradually, softened. Softened into her lips, he melted in her arms and all his frustrations disappeared. He was completely immersed in that moment of intimacy. Unexpectedly, as if Tangie had just woken up, she startled out of the kiss.Archer's heart sank with disappointment, he wanted more. He was yearning for her.Three years of
The next day, Archer woke up on a table in the study with documents scattered everywhere.He widened his eyes, driving away his drowsiness only to realize that Tangie was no longer with him.The previous night, she offered to help him decipher the list and find more details about Maverick Jr. "I was probably still asleep when she left," he said apologetically.His whole body felt sick from lack of rest, while his upper body ached badly from the bad sleeping position.Archer stood up to stretch. He paused instantly, taken aback by the sight of Tangie on the floor, fast asleep. Her thick brown hair covered most of her face, leaving out her pink lips and her nicely structured jawline.Images of those lips on his flashed through his mind.Archer went still.Then unconsciously, he dropped to his knees and gently brushed off the hair on her face. As he did so, Tangie's full face surface, her long lashes gracefully resting upon her eyelids made him wonder if they were natural.After a while
Inviting Celestine Devant to dinner was not the issue. Cooking, however, was the issue. When Tangie had said to invite him to dinner, Archer had no idea he was going to do the cooking.“But I will help you…” she mumbled, fidgeting under his scrutinizing glare.“You’ve never cooked?” Archer asked curiously.“I have, only for you…” she said lowly. Archer was taken aback, but he couldn’t deny the fuzzy feeling of spending the day with her, so of course he accepted to cook.However, he had one question on his mind.“When did you cook for me? I just can’t seem to remember…” he said softly, Tangie drooped her head to the ground, lushing slightly.“Just say it…” Archer pleaded.“The day I tripped and poured tea on you…” “Oh!” Archer gasped. “And the day you said you weren’t going to be long at work so I made lunch but you didn’t come by then, so I made dinner…”Tangie’s voice fell as she continued, “When you came home, you said you weren’t hungry… and I’d been waiting to eat with you a
Snail Park wasn't as difficult to find as he expected, however, it was dark. Too grim, and small to be called a Park. Archer figured that was the reason Maverick's men chose to attack Celestine here. "Amateurs!" He spat. They didn't stand a fighting chance against him despite their loaded arms.He silently moved through the Park’s blindspots in a shadow, searching for Celestine. Every encounter with Maverick’s men, a silent combat ending in their defeat.Not one thug was able to fight back because they were all caught off guard and made to bow with a silent strike below the belt.As he sneaked around the trails of the small park, listening carefully forCelestine's running steps. He was suddenly stopped by a loud yelp. Archer stopped and looked around. In the grim park area, there was a faint red light pointing in a certain direction."No!" He grunted, hurriedly leaping towards that direction. As he drew closer, he heard Celestine's voice echoing amidst tears and heavy breaths. "