After she returned
1459 Words
Elly planted a soft kiss on Olivia's soft cheek. The four year old was lost in the movie she was seeing on her tablet and didn't bother to look up to see her mother.
"Tell me about our new partners."
Elly said to her secretary, who was holding a tablet and standing at the edge of the living room.
"Mr Jake Marker. A thirty-two-year-old business manager, and the CEO of Lux Enterprise. It's a new business founded just a year and six months ago..."
"I know that." Elly replied quickly, cutting Amy shut, while trying to shut down the sudden fire that was breathing down her neck.
The mention of Jake had sent shivers down her spine, and it made her stomach tremble.
"Continue." She said flatly, trying so hard to hide the tone rise in her voice.
"Okay..."
Amy sounded while scrolling the tab forcefully. Her hands' movements were swift.
Amy was very dutiful, and Elly would always tease her about how she acted so tensely like she was always sitting on fire.
"Well this might interest you."
Amy continued, and grinned.
"His father has a court case with the DEA and this might incur jail time."
She paused, expecting a change of expression on Elly's face, but to her surprise, there was none.
Of course Elly already knew that.
It's been five years now since she left Jake's house, and for those five years she had monitored the Markers, well, and the weavers too.
They were one of the reasons she worked so hard to attain the level she was now in business.
Elly cast a surreptitious glance at Olivia and grimaced.
She couldn't help but notice how tanned her hair was. Her eyes were dark and sharp. And her face? especially now she arched her brows and was lost in the Disney Channel. She reminded Elly of Jake.
Olivier was a copy of his father, Jake.
Elly suddenly became aware that Amy was watching her and she shifted impatiently. Her eyes were determined not to give her out, but her body?
She found it hard to keep it in place as she moved from where she was standing beside the flower vase towards the edge of the wall and faced Amy.
Amy's eyes were far too knowing. She was a smart lady, and she could tell that her boss knew something about the Markers, even though she didn't know how deep their history was.
Elly made a blank expression and said,
"Continue, Amy."
"Currently, he has been serving his wife divorce papers and is engaged to a woman who everyone believes has bipolar."
Amy read out indifferently, almost laughing as a result of what she read.
She had expected Elly to do the same, at least that was what both of them did each time she briefed Elly about their new partners, but she became uneasy when she saw the way Elly's eyebrows rose.
Her amber brown eyes registered the first surprise, before she shook her head, making a careless gesture with her hands.
"Where did you hear that from?"
"Hear what, Ma?"
"The part where she's engaged to a lady with bipolar?"
Elly asked with a spooked gaze.
"Rumor has it that Miss Sane Weaver might have a..."
"Oh come on Amy! I asked a simple question."
Elly scolded. Now she was walking to the garage to get into her black SUV for the meeting, because what Amy read had made her face flame up.
She could get impatient with Amy sometimes. Amy was an overstater, she thought.
She could tell Amy had tagged Sane bipolar as a result of the numerous bad stories she had heard about her.
"Did I blow things out of proportion again this time?"
Amy sounded, while running to catch up with Elly. She was now carrying Olivia, who had gained awareness of her environment and was determined to follow her mother.
Elly had wanted to leave Olivia with her nanny, and now she wondered why the little girl suddenly became distracted from her tablet.
Maybe Olivia knew she was going to see her father, Elly thought.
"You know that already, Amy."
Elly replied.
She lifted Olivia from the ground, and planted a kiss on her cheek, she placed her on her thighs and shut the door.
"You'll have to stay with her in the car. Make sure she doesn't get into the building. I'll go in for the meeting alone. "
Elly said, and her eyes flared darker.
She knew everyone would know Olivia was Jake's daughter at first glance, and she wouldn't want that.
Reasons why she had kept her daughter far away from the town.
The resemblance was so striking and those genes? They must have been too strong to be able to achieve what they did, she thought.
Elly knew Amy would find out at first contact with Jake, and she was prepared to tell her as soon as they got home. But now, it was obvious she wouldn't do that anymore and would wait for him whenever Amy met Jake in person.
And besides, she didn't know if she was still in the mood to reveal such a secret that day.
It would be her first day visiting the orchid valley after five years, and she didn't know what to feel.
The chauffeur drove into the property of Lux ventures and parked in the lot.
Elly stepped out calmly, her eyes surveying the environment. She watched how the tubs of sunflowers tumbled exotically into the tiles, and the beautiful HD designs hadn't gone unnoticed.
Suddenly, a prickling awareness raised goosebumps over her body.
Jake might be watching, she thought.
"But who cares?" She asked inwardly, trying to deny the fact that she was a little bit tense.
She slid her hands down the edge of her dress, and after she got her head together, she began to walk into the building.
Jake was seated at the chief executive chair when Elly walked in, and when he saw her, his eyes narrowed, and his lips compressed into a very hard line.
He couldn't place if he was dreaming or if Elly had come to play a prank on him, but one thing he was sure of, was that his lungs was now begging for oxygen.
"Elly."
Jake struggled to speak, shutting his eyes for the third time in surprise as one of the ushers pulled out a seat for Elly.
Elly felt her heart give a little tremor, and she reached for the seat as if she was just meeting Jake for the first time and wasn't nervous.
Well, Jake had all the reasons to feel lost.
Elly had purchased the company's shares using a different name.
And the name was Luis Ferago.
Jake gulped hard. He adjusted his butt, which seemed to have been glued to the seat.
Now he felt hot and uneasy.
"The name says Luis Ferago!"
Jake whispered uneasily to his secretary, who was standing beside him. He had hoped his tone would hide his fear, but it didn't. He was so nervous and was almost shaking.
"Yes, sir, I'm not sure why she came..."
Elly smiled broadly. She cut their whisper shut, and said,
"It doesn't matter whose name is there. I'm the new shareholder."
Her words made Jake breathless, and running his hands over his hair, he looked like he had died and gone to hell.
Jake's Adam's apple throttled as soon as he noticed that Elly's eyes were drawn to the open neckline of his shirt.
This made him more uneasy.
The figure before him was very irresistible too.
But what happened to her? He thought.
She was now looking daunting and powerful, well, more beautiful too. He hated to admit it.
He ordered his secretary to get the papers immediately for her to sign. He didn't see the need to keep the meeting long, because he might be risking urinating on his pants if he did.
Shortly, Elly was done signing the papers, and immediately stood up to leave, maintaining a cheerful facade.
"See you at the next board meeting, E..Elly."
Jake stuttered.
He offered his hands for a shake, something he wished he hadn't done.
Elly's hands, pressing against his, had sent confusing signals to him.
He could tell she hadn't been in love with this woman, but why was he feeling so helpless?
"It might be her aura!"
He said loudly and let out a sigh of relief after he watched Elly walk out of the room.
He turned to his secretary and said,
"Get me all you can lay your hands on about Elly Weaver, yes...Luis Ferago as well."
He got on his feet immediately and strode to the window to get some fresh air.
- Writer
