I can't believe I've been running for an hour now, since I couldn't sleep a wink last night. I've been up since 5 am, thinking about the clash with Deborah Melton at my office a few days ago.
 I jogged up to my apartment to see Lillian standing there in all her glory. She smiles immediately she sees me approaching&quot;Hey beauty&quot; she calls sweetly to me. I know what she's trying to do, anytime she uses that tone at me she wants me to do something for her.
 &quot;To what do I owe your presence, her royal majesty Lilian,&quot; I said as I bowed playfully in front of her.
 &quot;Well, well, let me see&quot; She placed her hands and on her chin thinking &quot; Oh yes!, I'm here concerning our discussion yesterday,&quot; She said happily jumping up and down.
 &quot;Yesterday?&quot; I ask her, shocked, as I search my brain for possible discussion

  I woke up to voices screaming down the hall, I groan as I slowly stood up and put on my robe as I walk into the hall. I was shocked as I stood at the step and watch my parents arguing with John. They wanted to come into my room but John stopped them.
  &quot;Good morning, dad,&quot; I said as I descended the stairs, my dad looks up at me frowning.
  &quot;What's so good about this morning, Michael?&quot; My dad screams as he sat down heavily on the couch. My mom looks at me slowly before sitting down too.
  &quot;What's wrong dad?&quot; I asked him confused. The last time we spoke, it was on Mia Walker issue. Is he still annoyed with that?. John and I both sat down as we look at him expectantly.
  &quot;Why did you change the model for Lush Beauty,&quot; My dad asked annoyed as he glared at me.
  I sigh heavily, what Andrea predicted has eventually come to pass &quot;Deborah's contract

I woke up very late this morning after speaking to Nina on the phone yesterday. I rode my chopper to work this morning to see that the reporters instead of reducing were increasing each passing day.
 &quot;Good morning sir, &quot;Aurora greeted me as I stepped into my office &quot; Mr. Andrea Is here to see you&quot;.
 &quot;Send him in right away,&quot; I said as I arranged files on my desk.
 The door opens and Andrea walks in looking as smart as ever &quot;Mon Ami, Michael&quot; He said as he shook my hands and sat down on the chair opposite me.
 &quot;Andrea!&quot; I call smiling&quot;To what do I hold this surprising visit from you&quot;.
 &quot;You're asking as if you don't know why I'm here&quot;.
 &quot;Oh!, the pictures,&quot; I said as I recall, &quot; I thought you said you will mail it over&quot;.
 &quot;Yes, I wanted to do that but when I saw the news, I decided to come over in person,&quot; He said as he handed over the envelope containing Nina's and I pictures from the photoshoot.
 &quot;She's a very beautiful girl and exceptionally natural too,&quot; Andrea said as soon as I started scanning the pictures.
 Andrea wasn't exaggerating when he said she was beautiful and natural. She is exquisite even without makeup. A smile forms on my lips as I remember her mouth on me, the night before.
 &quot;Hmm!&quot; I cleared my throat, I shouldn't be thinking about that right now &quot;You're right, she is really beautiful &quot; I replied as I looked at him smiling.
 &quot;That's why I'm here,&quot; Andrea said. I was confused as I looked at him, my body stiffening. Does he want to date her?. 
 Andrea notices my facial expressions and laughs wholeheartedly&quot; Wow!, Michael you need to see your face right now&quot;.
 I ignored him&quot; What do you mean by that, that's why you are here?&quot; 
 &quot;I mean, when I went through her pictures I discovered that this is exactly what we need at Lush Beauty ' Beautiful and Natural '&quot; He said as he looked at me, shrugging.
 I look at him stunned and glances back at Nina's picture to see exactly what he meant. I smile proudly, happy that she belongs to me and me alone, she's my woman.
 &quot;I see what you mean,&quot; I replied, staring at him&quot; What do you suggest we do?&quot;I asked him.
 He threw his hands up in the air &quot; You are the boss, I'm just an ordinary photographer&quot; He replies shrugging.
 &quot;But if I may put in something, &quot; He continues.
 &quot;Okay, go on&quot; I reply as I sit back on my chair, giving him my rapt attention.
 &quot;Deborah Melton's contract at Lush Beauty is over today, I'll suggest that instead of renewing it, we can sign Nina in,&quot; He said.
 &quot;Wow!, a brilliant idea,&quot; I said smiling&quot; Why didn't I think of that?. Ok, Aurora will get the paperwork done, I will speak with Nina today and probably, the signing will be done tomorrow&quot;
 &quot;But there's one major problem,&quot; Andrea said as he looked at me, holding up one finger.
 &quot;And what's that?&quot; I ask him about to get impatient, as I have a meeting with all the manager of Thompson's Empires.
 &quot;Your Father?&quot; 
 &quot;What happened to my father,&quot; I ask him curiously, 
 &quot;Deborah Melton is your fiancee, your father will be furious if he finds out you didn't renew her contract &quot;.
 &quot;Andrea leave my father out of this. This is business and I don't mix business with pleasure&quot;
 I stood up &quot; I have a meeting in thirty minutes and I want you to be present &quot;.
 He also stood up and shook my hands about to leave&quot; Ok, boss, see you at the meeting&quot; He said as he walked out.
 I sat back down as I stared at Nina's pictures in my hands and compared them to the one I used as my wallpaper. I took a picture of her when she was sleeping soundly in my room.
 &quot;Sir!&quot;, Aurora called, walking inside &quot; The meeting time is set, everyone is already on sit&quot;.
 &quot;Okay&quot; I stood up and grabbed my suit and briefcase. This meeting is just me and all the managers of Thompson's group of companies. Andrea will be present since he's the new manager of Lush Beauty, though he's not aware of it yet.
 I walked into the meeting room with Aurora right behind me, as soon as I entered, everyone became quiet. That's how feared I am among all my employees. 
 They were probably discussing what was on the news. I don't care. I sat down at the head, while Aurora sat beside me, she will be taking down an important point said during the meeting. They were twelve in general, six on my left and right.
 &quot; Now, let's go straight to why you are here&quot; I searched all their faces to see that they were all listening with rapt attention.
 &quot;The media has made our job easier for the past two days now. The focus is on Thompson's Empire and I'll like to take advantage of the situation &quot;They all clap for my business brain and smile to themselves.
 &quot;Mr. Leonardo has been arrested for embezzlement of the company's fund&quot; They started murmuring among themselves with surprise written all over their face.
 &quot;Mr. Alexandro will take over the management of Thompson's Hotel in Italy&quot; I continued as I ignored their murmuring.
 &quot;But sir&hellip;&quot; He stood up&quot; I'm the manager of Lush Beauty&quot; He continued nervously.
 &quot;Not anymore, Andrea will assume the management of Lush Beauty, effective from today,&quot; I said, he sat down still satisfied that he got to manage the hotel. Everyone congratulates Andrea who looks at me shocked.
 I turn to Andrea&quot; By tomorrow, we'll be signing in a new model for Lush Beauty&quot; He nodded happily
 &quot;Aurora will give you a call so you can get the paperwork ready&quot;
 &quot;Yes sir, &quot; He replies happily as he sat down.
 &quot;Aurora!&quot; I said as I looked at her&quot; Hand him the files for Thompson's Hotel in Italy&quot; I said as I pointed to Mr. Alexandro. She searched through my briefcase, when she finally saw the files, she handed them over to him wordlessly.
 &quot; Here, in the files are the area of renovation that the hotel needs, I want it done before next week&quot;
 &quot; But sir&hellip; that's eight days from now. Don't you think it's quite too soon?&quot; He protested rapidly.
 &quot; I don't care. I want to relaunch it by next Saturday. And I want it ready before then if you think you are not capable, I can appoint another person&quot;
 &quot;No, I'm more than capable,&quot; He said as he sat down defeatedly. He knows not to argue with me.
 &quot; That will be all for now,&quot; I said looking at them one after the other, they all bow down their heads afraid of looking me in the eyes.
 &quot;Mr. Jean Eudes&quot; I call immediately saw him sitting in between Andrea and Alexandro.
 &quot;Yes, sir&quot; He whimpers, sweating nervously. He's the manager of a restaurant in France.
 &quot;Well done on your newly launched &quot;La Bite&quot; in France&quot; I congratulate him. He smiles as he bows his head shy to look mine in the eyes.
 &quot;I want you all to learn from him, even just after three years as the manager of 'La Bite' he has opened thirty branches in France,&quot; I said as they all congratulated him and the meeting came to an end.
 I walk back to my office, visibly tired, wondering if Nina will accept the offer to be Lush Beauty's newest model. I doubt she will, due to her clash with Deborah, though I'm not sure she's aware that Deborah was the model before.
 I took out my phone to call the only person she will listen to &quot; Hello!, Michael &quot; She said as soon as the call connected.
 &quot;Hi! Lillian, &quot;I reply &quot; I need your help&quot;
 &quot;You've been needing my help a lot these days&quot; She replies playfully as she laughed.
 &quot;I need you to talk to Nina, we need her as a model for Lush Beauty&quot;
 &quot;Really!. Do you want to sign her as a model?. Wow!!&quot; She screams, genuinely happy for her.
 &quot; Yes, but I don't think she will accept. That's why I need you to talk to her&quot;.
 &quot;Don't worry about it, I will talk some sense into her thin skull&quot; 
 &quot;Okay. I'll need her response by tomorrow. Thanks again and extend my greetings to Danny&quot;
 &quot;Will surely do, take care of yourself and I mean it&quot; She hung up. I smile proudly at myself as I lay back on my chair and stare out of the window.
 &quot;Hmm!, hmm!&quot; Someone cleared his throat as I turned back to look at the person, shocked and happy, visible on my countenance.
 &quot;Wow!, you remember me today. Didn't you?&quot; I called as I stood up to hug him, offering him a seat.
 &quot;Of course, why won't I remember the person that makes me lose a whopping sum of one million dollars,&quot; Danny said as he sat down on the couch crossing his legs.
 I raised my eyebrow at him, confused&quot; One million dollars? How? Why?&quot;.
 &quot; Well, technically it wasn't your fault,&quot; He said as he shrugged &quot; Lilian and I made a bet concerning you and Nina, unfortunately, I lost,&quot; He said.
 &quot;Really!, what was the bet about? and I just spoke to Lillian on phone now and she didn't mention anything about it&quot;
 &quot;And why will you speak with my wife,&quot; Danny asks to pretend to be annoyed.
 &quot;Calm down big boy, I was only asking for her help with Nina and besides, I didn't see any ring on her finger, that means she is still single and ready to mingle,&quot; I said taunting him.
 He jumps up and chases me around my office trying to beat me with a ruler he found on my desk. I avoided him as he ran and ran chasing me. He finally gives up and collapses heavily on the couch, breathing heavily. I've missed this.
 &quot;You haven't changed a bit, Danny,&quot; I said to him as I slump down heavily on my chair too.
 He ignores what I said as he turns to look at me seriously &quot; Now that you and Nina are back together. Do you think we'll have a double wedding&quot; He inquires?
 The smile fell from my face, replaced with a frown as I looked at him &quot; I would have loved that, but there's still the issue with my parents&quot;.
 &quot;Haven't you gathered any solid evidence on Deborah and Austin?&quot; He asked, shocked and confused.
 I sigh heavily&quot; None yet. I'm beginning to think that I might probably end up marrying Deborah Melton in the future &quot;
 &quot;No, don't say that. I'm sure we'll find a way. You both have endured a lot, don't lose hope now&quot; Danny reached out to hold my hands firmly, I smiled sadly at him. I've missed him a lot.
 He raises an eyebrow as he chuckles &quot; So how was it?&quot; He asked. 
 I smile knowingly&quot; As good as it has always been. But wait, how do you know?&quot; I ask him curiously cos I didn't tell him that I had sex with Nina.
 &quot;Well, Lillian told me, &quot; Danny replied, smirking.
 &quot;Hmm!, girls and their gossips&quot; I smile &quot; What's going on with you? How are the wedding plans coming on?&quot; I ask him looking at him seriously.
 &quot;For now, we've decided to pause the wedding preparations&quot;
 &quot;Why,&quot; I asked him stunned, I know how he has always wanted to marry Lilian fast and have kids.
 &quot;Lillian thinks the idea of a double wedding is fun and I also agree with her,&quot; He said looking at me.
 &quot;But..?&quot; I pause as I look at him smiling, &quot; That idea is not bad, I like it too&quot;
 &quot; You see, even you love it, I don't know why Nina doesn't find it appealing,&quot; Danny complained bitterly.
 &quot;She doesn't like it? Why?&quot; Michael asked in shocked
 &quot;Yes, Lillian said when she mentioned it to her, she refused saying, you haven't asked her yet&quot;.
 &quot; I will soon do that right now&quot; I smile as I imagine how she will look wearing a white wedding gown.
 &quot;Okay, lover boy. I need to be going&quot; He said as he stood up.
 &quot;So soon?. I've been thinking maybe we should hang out, just the four of us on weekend. What do you think?&quot;.
 &quot;I like that too. I'll let Lillian know about it, bye, and do take care with your hungry paparazzi &quot; He said as he pointed outside.
 &quot;Oh! that?. They will leave when they grow tired&quot;.
 &quot;How did you come in,&quot; I ask him, surprised he got past the reporters outside without them realizing.
 &quot;I'm the king of disguise,&quot; He said as he took out his wig and fake beard.
 I laugh at his crazy outfits as he walks out. I gathered my stuff and went outside to my chopper that will take me home.

I can't believe I've been running for an hour now, since I couldn't sleep a wink last night. I've been up since 5 am, thinking about the clash with Deborah Melton at my office a few days ago.
 I jogged up to my apartment to see Lillian standing there in all her glory. She smiles immediately she sees me approaching&quot;Hey beauty&quot; she calls sweetly to me. I know what she's trying to do, anytime she uses that tone at me she wants me to do something for her.
 &quot;To what do I owe your presence, her royal majesty Lilian,&quot; I said as I bowed playfully in front of her.
 &quot;Well, well, let me see&quot; She placed her hands and on her chin thinking &quot; Oh yes!, I'm here concerning our discussion yesterday,&quot; She said happily jumping up and down.
 &quot;Yesterday?&quot; I ask her, shocked, as I search my brain for possible discussion but come back empty.
 &quot;Ah!&quot; Lilian exclaims bitterly&quot; Don't tell me you've

20. Nina