Joyce was so pissed after Tristan dismissed her just like that. She was about ready to punch the car window when Jacob suddenly came out of it. Acting like she wasn’t up to something, Joyce quickly retracted her fist, faked a smile at Jacob, then walked away.She was cursing under her breath while walking towards the exit of the parking lot. ‘Now he doesn’t even want to look at me,’ she muttered to herself. ‘This is all because of that bitch!’“Joyce!” Vernice called to her. She was in her car with the window rolled down. “Where are you headed to?” she asked.Joyce walked closer to her, “Nowhere,” she quickly answered. Vernice opened the door of her car to let her in.“Come with me, I’m meeting Mom at Zark’s.”Joyce accepted the invitation and in a few minutes, they arrived at the restaurant. Esme was surprised to see her but she welcomed her nonetheless.“I went to De Clarion Empire to see Tristan,” Joyce started, as soon as their drinks and snacks were served. She was smiling when s

Belle leaves the office earlier than usual to prepare for the charity auction. She went home with Nathalie as the stylist she hired would go there to fix her, then Eric would pick her up afterward.“You will surely gather all the attention with this,” her stylist was referring to the gown Nathalie picked for her.It’s a V-neck long dress, with an open back and a high leg slit. Nathalie also picked up a silver ankle strap, high heels, and a silver purse to go with her dress.As she was coming as Eric’s +1, she wanted to look presentable. The Thompsons are well-known in the business arena, so she wanted to look good next to the young man.After almost two hours, she was finally ready for the show. This was the auction where her mother’s gift was donated. That was why she was very eager to go.When her stylist left, Belle sat down on the couch and so did Nathalie. They were busy chatting when the doorbell rang.“Wow!” Eric exclaimed. He was stunned to see Belle, beautifully dressed. Her

“What is wrong with you?” Eric asked Tristan as soon as he stepped inside the VIP lounge. Both boss and assistant looked at him with their foreheads creased. “Why are you always picking on Belle?” he sneered.Instead of answering, Tristan just downed the contents of his glass before putting it down on the table. Eric furrowed his brows at Jacob but he just shrugged at him.“You should stop doing that, man,” he warned, “unless you really want her to hate you.” “I don’t know either!” Tristan finally responded, lightly pulling his hair out of frustration. “When I saw her leaving with you earlier, I suddenly got pissed. I really didn’t mean to say those things to her and I can’t understand myself too!”“What’s so bad about her being with me?” Eric asked, confused. “Belle doesn’t have many friends here, you’re aware of that. She obviously doesn’t want to go with you for some reason. Of course, she’ll ask me. She wanted to attend the auction badly and she wasn’t invited. Who else will she

Vernice stopped on her track after hearing what Joyce said. She slowly turned around and walked back to their table.Looking at her so-called friend, she slowly sat in front of her. “What do you have in mind?” she asked.“Do you happen to know where that little devil lives?”Vernice narrowed her eyes at the woman. She propped a hand under her chin and furrowed her brows, “Not sure, but I can ask around. You want her address?”“Yep! Give it to me by tonight at the latest, we’ll have a little surprise for her.” After saying that, Joyce took her bag and stood up. “Let’s go, I’m bored!”Passing by De Clarion Empire, she asked Vernice to drop her off. Waving goodbye to each other, they went on their separate ways.Joyce walked towards the entrance of the building hurriedly, excited about seeing Tristan again. However, the guard immediately stopped her when she was about to go in.“What are you doing?” she sneered.“Good morning Miss Blake! I’m sorry but you’re not allowed to get in,” the g

Belle felt like her body was doused with ice-cold water after hearing what Nathalie said. She walked closer to the television to hear the news better.“How can this be?” Nathalie muttered, rooted in her place.“Let’s go!” Tristan said.Belle was shocked when someone grabbed her by the elbow, but she quickly recovered when she realized it was Tristan. Not knowing where they were going, she followed anyway.All four of them went straight to the parking lot. Jacob was in the driver's seat, Nathalie took the passenger seat, and Tristan and Belle took the backseat.“How can there be a fire in our neighborhood?” Nathalie whispered as she started sobbing.“Who’s there around this time?” Belle asked, worried about her friend’s relatives.Nathalie shook her head, “I don’t know. Maybe my Aunt is home now? Or my Uncle? I don’t know!” she replied, then her sobbing grew louder.From De Clarion Empire, it would take them thirty to forty-five minutes to reach Nathalie’s neighborhood. But with Jacob’