He wrapped his arms around her passionately, his breath brushing against her ear as he whispered, "Thanks, babe. I already paid for a two-day vacation - this calls for some rest and a little celebration."Mia gulped. The fact that she hadn't secured the deal only to come and find her fiancé already celebrating was overwhelming. She stood there in his embrace, unsure of what to say or how to break the news to him. Her eyes wandered around the office, taking in the decorations and the small lunch table set with dishes, and a cold chill ran down her spine."Look, babe," he said, pulling her arm towards the lunch table. "Sit down and have lunch with me, my damsel." He smiled seductively, his eyes locked onto hers.Owen's eyes were brimming with pure happiness and affection, while Mia's were pale, her expression grim. It was evident that she was confused and frustrated. Owen walked over and helped her pull out her chair."You may sit, my lady," he mused, gesturing for her to settle into th
Mia's brow furrowed in confusion as she contemplated whether he was truly serious in telling her to leave. "Owen, is this it?" She tried to stop him as he left, but he didn't respond. At that point, her heart shattered, watching Owen walk away after firing her. She couldn't believe that the same Owen she had left Luca for had just terminated her employment, despite her best efforts to secure the deal. In that moment, she regretted everything she had sacrificed for him, from leaving Luca to her unwavering dedication.Suddenly, the door burst open, and four security guards approached her. "Ma'am, you need to leave before Mr. Owen returns," one of them said politely, extending a measure of respect since he knew of her previous relationship with Owen. She nodded and left the N&K company, struggling to hold back the tears streaming down her face.Quickening her steps, Mia reached her Audi A7 and pulled the door open, but a force from behind slammed it shut, startling her. Turning around, s
Three hours earlier. At Apple’s club.The whole place was dark with dim lights shining across the whole room of the club. The male strippers were on the dance floor and the female ones were getting ready to hit the stage as well. The music was loud and quite deafening, with different customers yelling happily as the male strippers danced their hearts out.At the edge of the club stood Sara, her curves accentuated by a sleek black dress that hugged her body in all the right places. Her long, raven hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall of night, and her piercing dark eyes sparkled like emeralds in the dim light - it was only her eyes that could be seen, as she had a mask covering her face. Though it wasn't something new in Apple's club, the majority of the guests used masks so no one would know their identity.Sara was engrossed with her phone when one of the female strippers walked up to her."Madam!" She called out, and Sara turned to her. "We have a little problem.""What pro
Luca stood there; he wasn't sure it was Sara, but from her eyes, he could bet that it was her. He had been with her for months and knew her even in darkness.Blue, Derick and Selena quickly walked up to him."Sir, what is the matter? Do you know who was inside the car?" Blue asked, concern etched across her face.Selena held his arms and asked, "Why did you chase after the car? Do you know them?"Luca slowly pulled his hands away from hers. "I think it is Sara. That looked so much like her; I am very sure that it was her in the passenger side of the car."Selena wasn't convinced. "Sara?" She repeated. "No, that can't be Sara. If she was the one, she would have exited the car and come to see you or perhaps come to see me."Luca sighed inwardly. He knew even if it was Sara, she might not have even stopped to talk to him, but then, why did she zoom off? Is it because she saw Luca with Selena? Luca stood there, contemplating why Sara had to zoom off like that. "She must have thought I cam
Selena and Luca stood in front of a wine display and their eyes wandered around the whole selection with different types and brands of wines. They stood there contemplating which of the wines they should purchase.Luca moved closer for a clearer vision and the first wine he read was: "Petra Zingari Toscana Rosso IGT, NV Champagne M. Brugnon Sélection Brut." He quickly turned to Selena, who was still walking around. "Hey Selena, come check this out," he said.The next minute, she walked over to the counter he was standing at and took a glance at the wines he was pointing at. "Oh no! No, we can't buy these, they are too cheap!" She wrinkled her nose in distaste. "That's $15,000and $45,000? It's too cheap."With that, she turned to Luca and boasted, "You are about to meet the top five richest men in the European business world. These are too cheap. I understand you might not be able to afford their taste, so I will pay for yours as well. Take it as repayment for saving my life this mornin
Some minutes later they were inside Selena's car. She appeared to be too stunned to even talk to Luca after he paid all the money by himself. "Where the hell did he get such an amount of money to pay for all of that? Didn't Sara say he is a pauper or did he win a lottery?" She thought as she revved her car to life and sped up.About a couple minutes later they were in front of the Edward family mansion. Once they parked outside the garage, they were not able to park inside the garage, there were a lot of cars parked ranging from: Rolls Royce, Audi, Wagons, and a lot more. Luca's eyes wandered around each one as he wondered how many of them were inside, didn't Selena say it's just five of them? He thought as he counted the cars parked outside.Total of 18 exotic cars!He gulped before exiting the car and he made his way inside. The atmosphere felt heavy and suffocating, making it hard to breathe. Going inside, he could hear distant chatter and laughter. His breathing amplified as he ma
Luca furrowed his brows. "Is that a threat?""Whichever way you want to take it. If you want it to be a threat, then there you have it, but I will say it's a promise," he said with a sense of pride in his voice.Luca chuckled. "You really think if I should breathe a word, they won't drop you immediately?""Business doesn't work that way. The harshest bid he was going to give me would be a fine, but you will be thrown out of your job immediately if I drop any petition against you.""I would advise you to hold dearly unto that job and keep your mouth shut!" He added. "Besides, you just have less than 72 hours of being the HR of the hotel anymore. Enjoy it now before you lose it all."The whole place went dead silent. Everyone knew Jason to be very rich, and his influence stretched overseas. Meanwhile, Avery mocked, "What now, Luca? Cat got your tongue now?"Grandpa, seeing the tension in the room was escalating, quickly called everyone to order. "That is enough! We should be talking abo
"I think so," she replied, still trying to grasp the sudden turn of events.Jason's shoulders slumped in disappointment as he sat down on the bare floor in defeat. His family didn't only lose a big deal that could have gotten them bankrupt, but he also lost his dream of being CEO for Nexasky, all in one night.Everyone at the dining table kept silent and watched him sit and mourn his loss until he was sober, unlike Luca, who had a satisfactory smirk curl up his lips. He found it amusing that the same Jason who was threatening him was now on the verge of tears simply because he had lost the deal with him.He tried to get on his knees but slumped down again to the floor, his back against the cold wall, and buried his face in his hands. The weight of his disappointment and embarrassment crushed him, making it hard to breathe. He could barely raise his face to look at Luca or even the Edward family.He felt like a deflated balloon, once full of hot air and boasts, now limp and lifeless. T