Chapter 27 Is It Nina? XANDER’S HOME, NEW YORK.Dawn entered Xander’s house by pressing the code. She chose not to use the doorbell, considering herself a part of the house already. Carla was the first to see her, and the older woman didn’t hesitate to show her displeasure. Dawn sneered at her before gliding toward the study where she was sure Xander would be. “Hey, baby.” She cooed from the door, making her way in. Xander raised his head from the book in his hand. He checked the time, and it was past nine. “What are you doing here this late, Dawn?”She scoffed. “When have I not been at your place at whatever time? It never bothers you.” “It always bothers me. I do not like people coming around my house without prior notice.” “But I am not people. I am your favorite person.” She said, making a cute face. Xander didn’t look a bit impressed by it. “I am still not pleased with it, Dawn. You have a fucking phone. Let me know when you want to come again. What if I had someone over?”
Chapter 28 Her New HomeNINA’S NEW HOME, NEW YORK.Nina was awed by the simplicity of the four-bedroom house. The interior had simple, warm, elegant touches that made it feel welcoming, just like the owner of X&J Empire. She wondered if it was the first house Xander had lived in when he started the company. It had too much of his aura.“You like what you see?” Xander asked behind her with the last of the boxes in hand.She giggled. “It’s beautiful. Isn’t this too much for a mere staff, though?”He couldn’t respond yet as he went into one of the rooms to drop the box before joining her again. “It's not too much, and I can assure you there is nothing like a mere staff in my company. Everyone is considered important.”It seemed like the couch was calling out to her, and Nina gladly received the invitation as she sat in it, heaving a sigh of relief. “This feels so good. I bet I have to attest to the beautiful treatment for both high and low-level staff. That is so thoughtful of you.”Xand
Chapter 29 Date HerXANDER’S HOME, NEW YORK.“Oh, God, no!” Xander exclaimed as he stopped his car halfway into the house, just when he hoped to end his day with a good book to read after spending a fantastic time with Nina. Only to find his mother’s car parked on his premises.A wide smile tugged at his lips as an idea popped. He was looking behind him to escape. He realized someone had blocked the car from behind. His heart raced fast like he was about to be kidnapped. Getting out of the vehicle, he hurried to see who the intruder was.“What the fuck, Jace?” He bellowed.Jace stepped out looking like a not-so-innocent child. “Mum asked me to make sure the minute you step in, you never get to leave again.”He clenched his fist hard. “Now? Have I turned into a prisoner in my own house? You know what? You all can have a car. I have my legs to use.” Xander returned to his car and grabbed his phone and wallet.“You know she would come back again. Please, see her this one time. And I am s
Chapter 30 Blissful NightXANDER’S HOME, NEW YORK.Rolling to the side of the bed, Xander stiffened when he felt a body next to him. Opening his eyes properly to see who it was, he was almost shocked to see Dawn. However, Xander remembered all that happened the night before and felt quite relieved. Dawn had drunk on the sweet wine his mother brought, and Venus insisted he let Dawn spend the night.After putting her to sleep in the guest room, Dawn still went to his room while sleepwalking, refusing to return to hers. Yawning, he got up and headed downstairs, still feeling quite sleepy. Only Carla’s coffee can wake him up. And just as expected, she was already by the kitchen brewing the coffee.Xander hugged her from behind, kissing her cheek. “Hey there, Carla. How was your night?”“Beautiful. I am guessing you had a blissful night. I saw her in your bed.” Carla teased.He waved a dismissive finger, settling himself on a stool. “Get your mind out of the gutter. Nothing happened betwee
Chapter 31 Above the markX&J EMPIRE, NEW YORK.“I can’t believe this! How did we get here in barely three weeks?” Xander asked as he stared at the sales report in awe.Jace had a full-blown smile on his face. “I am just as shocked as you are. Not only did we top the market, but we also went above our mark. You would think someone jazzed them in some way. Everyone is going really into it in the market. We have to make more production. There is so much traffic on the website because of those ordering online. I must say, Nina is a walking money machine.”Xander held up a complete, proud grin. “Believe me whenever I say I know what I am doing. Give me a moment.” He said, picking up the table phone. “Yes, Lisa. Get me the head researcher for the food department, Miss Ruiz.”“Right away, sir,” Lisa replied.“This is the first time I have seen you look this happy,” Jace commented.He shrugged. “I can’t help it. Nina is making me proud.”Nina’s entry brought their conversation to a halt. “Hi
Chapter 32 The Heiress M&M FOOD, NEW YORK.“What the fuck are you all doing with your goddamn time? How are we getting lower sales each passing day?” Asher yelled, throwing the sales report at the wall. The papers were scattered all over the floor. Everyone on the staff had their heads bowed, not knowing what to say. The entire week has been wavy for everyone in the company. Not only did their sales drop, but they were getting bad reviews on the newly produced product. The current head researcher altered some changes that Asher had approved unquestioningly without seeking the marketing team's review. The amount of money lost is beginning to drive Asher crazy. He keeps wondering how Nina handled everything without having him do too much. The banks are already on his neck, and it's either they make sales to pay back the money or the company gets sold out at a cheap rate. “Why is anyone not saying anything? Do you not have solutions to proffer? Are you saying I hired dullheads?” He b
Chapter 33 The InsiderNina walked stealthily down the stairs of the hospital. She would have taken the elevator, but for some reasons known to her alone, she intentionally took the stairs. Most importantly, it serves as an exercise for her legs. Her phone rang the moment she touched the ground floor.“Are you nearby?” She said to the person on the other end.“I am at the cafe opposite the hospital. There is an empty table behind me. Please hurry to prevent anyone else from taking it.” The response came.“Alright,” Nina mumbled and hurried out of the hospital.She should go home to rest after receiving her usual injection dose. But then, some things shouldn’t wait until later, and one of them is what she is about to do now.Nina knows she might and would get into trouble for the journey she had embarked on in an irritable state. Her good deeds had somewhat served as the only thing she could rely on. There happened to be a mutual friend of Andrea and hers that Nina had enabled a job in
Chapter 34 Caring for herBRICKS BAR, NEW YORK.“She is so stubborn. I don’t think I have met anyone like her before. Always acting like she doesn’t need help.” Xander whined, almost choking on his drink.Jace grinned in amusement. “She probably doesn’t need help.”He cut his brother a distasteful glare. “Of course, she needs help. Who doesn’t?”“Maybe you, you have your head stuck up in your ass and you still haven’t asked for help to get it out.”“I am going to have you strangled to death if you keep talking trash.”He laughed, unperturbed by the threat. “Come on, don’t be like this. You know the kind of person Nina is from the beginning. It would be best if you were thankful at least that she allowed Carla to work for her. If you are worried, call Carla to ask how she is doing.”“Maybe I should let her be. She doesn’t want me in her business.”“Are you giving up so soon?” There was taunt in his voice.Xander flared his nose. “I won’t repeat myself. That is a promise.” He hissed, s