Chapter 46

Priscilla's POV

"Good morning, Marie. Do you know where Max is?" I asked politely. Marie smiled at me.

"He's getting ready in his room," she replied, coming out of my room. I made my way to Max's room, not bothering to knock. As I entered, I regretted my decision instantly. Max was standing there, undressed and only wearing a towel around his waist. His wet hair dripped water onto his chiseled chest, making me swallow hard. His six-pack was on full display, making him even more attractive. Suddenly, I remembered kissing Max that day when I was drunk and he didn't stop me. I scolded myself for being so foolish.

"Are you checking me out, Priscilla?" Max caught me staring at him and my heart skipped a beat. I cleared my throat, trying to regain my composure.

"Why would I do that? You're not even my type," I retorted, not wanting to think about that night. "Anyway, I've signed the papers. It's your turn now."

"Even if you were, your pride wouldn't allow you to admit it. I know you have feelings for me," Max said, making me feel uncomfortable. "Else you wouldn't have kissed me that day."

"I was drunk, Max. Of course, I don't have feelings for you," I defended myself.

"Yeah, sure," Max looked at me mockingly.

"Why does it sound like you want me to kiss you again?" I teased, trying to take the focus away from my embarrassment. "I mean, you're going to be divorced soon and you have no women in your life. I'm sure you must be starving."

"Do you, by any chance, want to conquer that hunger?" Max leaned closer to me, making me feel nervous. My heart quickened, and I closed my eyes, thinking he was going to kiss me. Instead, I felt his hand brush against mine as he took the paper from my hand.

"You can open your eyes now. I got what I wanted," Max said sarcastically. I felt my face turn red, embarrassed that I had let my mind wander.

Max handed me the signed papers, and our eyes met. "It seems like you are the one who is starving," he commented. "I can't blame you, though. You're still an unripened fruit. Unfortunately, I don't have a thing for young girls. If you weren't so young, I would have gladly conquered your hunger."

Max's words made my blood boil. I raised my right foot and stepped on his with all my might, causing him to groan in pain. "Priscilla, have you lost it?!" Max yelled, taking a step back.

"I just conquered my hunger," I hissed before storming out of his room.

"Priscilla ma'am, your breakfast is ready," Marie said as soon as I reached the sitting room.

"I've lost my appetite. I'll eat something at work," I replied, grabbing my bag from the couch and placing the papers inside. "Just leave it, Marie."

As I left the house, the driver opened the door for me, and I got in.

Max's POV

I wasn't sure if God intended Priscilla to be a girl or a boy, considering her strange behavior of punching guys and kicking toes. However, I must admit she didn't hurt me too badly and she did look attractive. After getting ready for the day, I left the house with a mission to teach Dave an important lesson.

"Good morning Sir, your breakfast is ready," Marie greeted me.

"I'm not hungry, Marie. I'm heading to the office. Where is Nelly?" I asked, scanning the sitting room.

"I'm here," Nelly entered the dining room.

"Good, I'm heading to the office. Don't dare to be late even by a second," I said sternly, giving her a warning glare.

"Am I not coming with you?" Nelly asked anxiously, to which I responded with a sarcastic tone, "I don't ride with my employees."

The driver arrived shortly and took me to M Corporation, where people were bustling around inside the five-story building.

"Good morning Sir, everyone is already waiting for you in the boardroom," Talent said, politely.

"Please notify Mrs. Nelly when she arrives," I requested, heading towards the elevator. After a few minutes, the elevator arrived, so I stepped inside.

As the guards opened the door for me, I walked into the boardroom. The room was almost entirely made of glass, allowing me to see everything happening inside. A long table was situated in the center of the room, with almost ten chairs, all of which were already occupied.

My eyes fell on Dave, who sat on the chairman's chair. I smirked as I said, "Mr. Dave Hale, can you please find another chair to sit on because today I feel like sitting there today."

Dave's face turned red as he quickly rose from the chair and sat on another one. I pulled out a chair and sat down, addressing everyone. "Ladies and gentlemen, as you are aware, my mother passed away shortly after my father, leaving me to take care of both companies by myself. However, I quickly realized that I could not manage both businesses alone, so I appointed my uncle as chairman. But now that I am older and more experienced, I am confident that I can handle the responsibilities of both companies. Therefore, I have decided to take over as chairman of both businesses," I explained, and everyone nodded in agreement.

"I totally agree with Max. He is old enough to take care of both businesses alone," Liz said as I expected from my sister.

"Me too. Uncle Dave should step down as chairman," Mark added in agreement.

"I fully support Max's decision. Dave has been a chairman for a long time, he needs new and young people taking charge now," Mr. Park said, who was also a board member.

"I don't think it's a good idea for Dave to step down. He has worked extremely hard for this company, and Max cannot just come and make him step down, leaving his hard work for nothing," Mr. Will protested, being Dave's friend; it was expected from him to support him.

"Let's put it like this. All those who support Max should raise their hands. Everyone who wants Dave to stay can raise their hands," Mr. Williams suggested. I knew that people would want Dave to hold onto his position, but I wanted to see who was supporting Dave so that I could handle them.

Five individuals raised their hands, leaving the other five, including Mark and Liz, to support me.

"This only means that five people are supporting Dave, and five people are supporting me. Now it's in the board's hands to decide who should be the chairman. After a week, the decision will be made, and we will inform you then," Mr. Park said.

"I hope you will make a wise decision. If you don't, I will make one for myself," I warned them. I rose from my chair and started making my way out of the boardroom. I heard murmurs behind me, but I ignored them. If they favored Dave, then I had no choice but to obtain what I wanted forcibly.

Priscilla's POV

"Priscilla, you've been sulking ever since you got here. What happened?" Linda asked. I looked at her beside me, wondering how to tell her about the incident with Max this morning.

"I'm fine, Linda," I said, still annoyed.

"You don't look fine at all. Did you finish the sketch? We're supposed to submit them to the CEO today," Linda reminded me.

"This time, Mrs. Liana is definitely going to choose my sketch. I won't let a newcomer take my position just like that," Zara announced.

Zara was just a jealous queen. "Admit it, Zara, someone is better than you. I like Priscilla's designs," Pinny said, rubbing salt in Zara's wounds.

"True, Priscilla is truly the best. I mean, did you see that dress she designed? It's in her blood. I'm sure very soon she's going to get her own office," Twinkled added.

"Guys, I think that Zara's dress was better than mine. I believe Mrs. Liana made the wrong decision," I said. Making peace with people like Zara was the wisest decision I could ever make in my life. I knew what a person consumed by jealousy could do.

"Do you think so, Priscilla?" Zara asked with a twinkle in her eyes. I nodded my head.

"Of course, you are better than me in every way. Don't feel threatened by me at all," I said, forcing a small smile. Of course, I knew I was better than her.

"You see, I'm better than Priscilla. She said it herself, didn't you all hear?" Zara announced proudly, and I rolled my eyes.

Twinkled scoffed loudly enough for everyone to hear, "We will see who gets the office first between you and Priscilla," she said from her desk. All the newbie fashion designers, who had no office, worked together in one area with our table a few steps away from each other, enabling us to hear whatever others were saying or see what we were doing.

"Good afternoon, fashion designers. Priscilla, Linda, and Twinkled, please come to my office. I have something very important to discuss with you all," said Ms Liana, a beautiful lady with blonde hair let down over her shoulders. She wore a long dress that hugged her body sweetly.

Zara asked, "Ma'am, why do you need them?" Her expression had changed completely. She must be fuming with anger.

"Because there's a very important project I want to discuss with them. Please come right away," Ms Liana said and walked back upstairs to her office.

"I'm the best fashion designer, someone said!!" Twinkle said sarcastically, gathering her things. I rose from my chair and gathered my things too.

"Of course, Mrs. Liana is going to choose Priscilla every day. After all, she is Mr. Manh's girlfriend. That's why she got this job with no education. Mr. Mark and Mr. Max are good friends, which is why she is getting all the attention," Zara said bitterly.

"Oh, really!" I hissed, trying to hold back my anger. "Did Mr. Mark and Mr. Manh make those clothes I designed? Guys, did you see Mr. Mark and Mr. Manh in the office when I sketched and made those clothes? Maybe I'm blind. Did any of you see them?"

"You think you're better than me, don't you?" Zara asked coldly.

"Of course, I'm better than you. That's why jealousy is eating the hell out of you. I'm sorry to say, once you have the wound of hating me, then I'm sorry to say that you can never heal ever," I said coolly but coldly.

"How dare you insult me, you street kid! You think I don't know that you were once a street kid begging people on the streets, and now you think you're better than me," Zara fumed in anger.

"It's so sad, right? A mere street kid is climbing on a higher ladder, leaving you down. You are more educated than me, but I'm leaving you down while I climb a higher ladder of success. It's painful, I know. It's even more painful when you can't even heal from that pain," I said sarcastically. Grabbing my bags, I started walking to the stairs. I've been patient with her for a long time, and now that I've had it, I can't tolerate it anymore.

"That was a good one, Priscilla," Twinkle mumbled to me.

"She deserves it," Linda added. I let out a sigh.

The three of us walked into Mrs Lana's office, and she closed her laptop with a smile.

"I've been following your designs, and I must say, I'm impressed with your work. That's why I've decided to include you guys in this project. We're hosting a runway fashion show in a few months, and I want you to bring your unique talents to the table. Create something new, fresh, and definitely runway-worthy. Would you like to be a part of the team?" Mrs Lana asked.

My heart raced. I hadn't expected this so soon. I'd only been working here for two months, and people like Zara were still waiting for their own offices.

"I'm so excited, ma'am. Thank you!" Twinkle exclaimed.

"You won't regret this, ma'am. I promise to work even harder," Linda said, beaming with happiness.

Mrs Lana's voice snapped me out of my daze. "Priscilla, aren't you happy?"

I quickly forced a smile. "Yes, ma'am. Thank you for this opportunity."

I still couldn't believe it. Something good was happening in my life, and I was scared it was just a dream.

"You've all worked hard for this, and you deserve it. Don't let Zara's bad vibes bring you down. I've been keeping an eye on you, and I know you're all hard-working girls," Mrs Lana said with a smile.

"Thank you, ma'am," we all said in unison.

"You can all go home now. Your office will be ready by tomorrow," Mrs Lana said.

The three of us left her office with my bag in hand. I decided to leave before I lost my temper and grabbed someone by the hair. The driver was already waiting for me outside, so I quickly opened the door and got into the car before he started driving.

" Where are you going ma'am." The driver asked.

"Take me to Lick and Bite Restaurant," I said while gazing out the window, feeling the wind against my face. I just hope I do well at work. At least I'm earning my own money and won't have to depend on Max's money for the rest of my life. I mean, I'm not his wife, friend, or sister, so I shouldn't be living off his money. It's enough that I'm living in his house, and I don't want to be a burden on him. Soon, I will find an affordable place to rent, and then I can finally live on my own.

"We have arrived ma'am." The driver announced. I stepped out of the car, my eyes fell on a luxurious restaurant in front of me. My mom used to bring me here whenever I was sad or happy. I haven't come here for years because I couldn't afford it but now at least I can afford an ice-cream, which is why I decided to come and spend my first salary here.

As I made my way into the restaurant, everything appeared to be the same - the clean white tiles, the white-painted walls, and the golden chairs and tables. It was a beautiful place indeed. Walking further in, I arrived at an empty table and pulled a chair, settling down.

"Are you ready to place your order, ma'am?" I was startled by a soft voice next to me. Turning to my side, I saw a polite female waitress holding a notepad and pen.

"Vanilla ice cream," I replied curtly.

"Okay, ma'am," the waitress said before leaving.

As I sat alone, I waited for my order. After finishing my ice cream, I decided to head to the beach for some fresh air. It was moments like this that reminded me of my loneliness. I had no one to call my own, and if Max ever decided to chase me out of his house, I would be alone. It would just be me, like always. I missed my mom - she was the only person I had left, and her passing had broken my heart. I wished I had a family of my own.

"I didn't know that you were able to afford this restaurant!" I quickly raised my head, my eyes widened when I saw Dave pulling a chair and sitting in front of me. Him? What did he want from me?

"Sometimes what you think and the truth are different. You thought I couldn't afford this place but the truth is I can. What are you doing here?" I asked him sternly, my eyes glaring at him.

"Relax, I don't bite. I just saw a beautiful girl like you sitting alone looking so lonely, so like a gentleman, I thought I could cheer you up." Dave said with a mischievous smirk as if he thought I was like Nelly.

"That's very kind of you, but unfortunately, I'm not lonely. I came here because I needed some time alone. If you could just excuse me and let me be alone." I said, sarcastically. I could see right through him.

"Come on, why do you have to be so arrogant? I mean, we can have lunch together, don't you think? Don't worry about Max, he won't know that I was with his girlfriend." Dave said, shamelessly. He was a lousy excuse for a human being.

"Uncle, I told you that I wanted to be alone, didn't I? Please excuse me, I want to be alone please." I said, but he smirked instead.

"You know, you might not believe this, but I liked you from the first time I saw you. You are intelligent, wise, and cunning too, just like I want my woman to be. You deserve someone better, someone who can give you all the happiness you need." Max said, and I burst into laughter. I couldn't believe the nerves of this man. He was really too much.

"I'm sorry, but that person is supposed to be you? Forgive me, uncle, but can't you see that you are getting old? Yet, you won't stop chasing after young girls. I mean, seriously, I'm not into older men. I'm very happy with Max." I said, rising from the chair. I was about to walk away, but he held my arm. I threw a deadly glare at him, and he quickly let go of my arm.

"Stay away from me, old man, because I will break all your bones and won't ever walk away. It's hard for old people to recover once they are beaten." I said and finally walked away.