Chereads / Beauty and the Beast [A modern day tale] / Chapter 67 - Getting set (67)

Chapter 67 - Getting set (67)

Zane called Mary Ann when he got home to talk over everything that had happened. She had been by his side always and he knew he could trust her to lay everything out.

"I will do want ever you want." Mary Ann said.

"What will you need to run my company?" He said.

"Can I hire Bert as my Personal Assistant. He is good. I really think he could be an assent to our company. I also feel that Ben could help strengthen the Accounting Department." Mary Ann had done her research on Bella's family and wanted to set things up to help not only Zane but Bella's family too.

"I will leave it up to you. I trust you. So I guess I'm going back to Puissance Entreprise then." Zane said.

"Yes, by the way I have a friend Josh Gillman. He is a young man I came across. He would make a good Assistant for you. I'll set up a meeting tomorrow with him for you." Mary Ann said.

After he hung up he felt better about his decision. He headed up and jumped into the shower.

Bella was already asleep when he climb in to bed. Before he could even get close she snuggled up to him. He could not wait to make this little kitten his wife.

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Zane called his father the next day and told him he would take back over the company at the next board meeting. He would take the time before this to get his company transferred over to Mary Ann as the CEO.

The rest of the day he spent helping her understand what projects the company was into and setting up a board meeting to let everyone know of the changes.

He was tired by the time he headed home.

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Bella spend the morning cleaning the crystal roses. Then she sat in the comfy chair to read a bit.

◇◇◇♡♡♡◇◇◇ THE SIX SWANS

A King was once hunting in a large wood, and pursued his game so hotly that none of his courtiers could follow him. But when evening approached he stopped, and looking around him perceived that he had lost himself.

He sought a path out of the forest but could not find one, and presently he saw an old woman, with a nodding head, who came up to him. "My good woman," said he to her, "can you not show me the way out of the forest?"

"Oh, yes, my lord King," she replied; "I can do that very well, but upon one condition, which if you do not fulfil, you will never again get out of the wood, but will die of hunger."

"What, then, is this condition?" asked the King.

"I have a daughter," said the old woman, "who is as beautiful as any one you can find in die whole world, and well deserves to be your bride. Now, if you will make her your Queen, I will show you your way out of the wood."

In the anxiety of his heart, the King consented, and the old woman led him to her cottage, where the daughter was sitting by the fire.

She received the King as if she had expected him, and he saw at once that she was very beautiful, but yet she did not quite please him, for he could not look at her without a secret shuddering.

However, he took the maiden upon his horse, and the old woman showed him the way, and the King arrived safely at his palace, where the wedding was to be celebrated.

The King had been married once before, and had seven children by his first wife, six boys and a girl, whom he loved above everything else in the world.

He became afraid, soon, that the step-mother might not treat his children very well, and might even do them some great injury, so he took them away to a lonely castle which stood in the midst of a forest.

The castle was so entirely hidden, and the way to it was so difficult to discover, that he himself could not have found it if a wise woman had not given him a ball of cotton which had the wonderful property, when he threw it before him, of unrolling itself and showing him the right path.

The King went, however, so often to see his dear children, that the Queen, noticing his absence, became inquisitive, and wished to know what he went to fetch out of the forest. So she gave his servants a great quantity of money, and they disclosed to her the secret, and also told her of the ball of cotton which alone could show her the way.

She had now no peace until she discovered where this ball was concealed, and then she made some fine silken shirts, and, as she had learnt of her mother, she sewed within each a charm. One day soon after, when the King was gone out hunting, she took the little shirts and went into the forest, and the cotton showed her the path.

The children, seeing some one coming in the distance, thought it was their dear father, and ran out full of joy.

Then she threw over each of them a shirt, that, as it touched their bodies, changed them into Swans, which flew away over the forest.

The Queen then went home quite contented, and thought she was free of her step-children; but the little girl had not met her with the brothers, and the Queen did not know of her. The following day the King went to visit his children, but he found only the Maiden.

"Where are your brothers?" asked he.

"Ah, dear father," she replied, "they are gone away and have left me alone"; and she told him how she had looked out of the window and seen them changed into Swans, which had flown over the forest; and then she showed him the feathers which they had dropped in the courtyard, and which she had collected together.

The King was much grieved, but he did not think that his wife could have done this wicked deed, and, as he feared the girl might also be stolen away, he took her with him.