The room fell into a deep cold silence. There was a gray cloud hanging above their heads while looking at the man in a black suit from the corner of the room.
Mrs. Manning stood up from her chair and shouted angrily, "Mr. Stone! It seems you have chosen an incompetent ex-army to be your butler. May I suggest you get rid of him? I could get you a more educated one."
Mr. Stone squinted his eyes and smiled. "It seems you haven't learned yet the trade we have in this business Mrs. Manning. You see, these positions are not as easy to replace as you think." With that final words, he stood up from the CEO's chair and motioned Daemon from the corner. "Mr. Stone,"
His footsteps were as heavy as the beat of their hearts. Sweat started to trickle down Mrs. Manning's forehead and her mouth twitched. Her face was drained of color as she sank back to her chair wide-eyed and speechless.
Daemon stared at her with a blank gaze. "So, who were you going to replace? Me or my wife?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She was twisting her black hair with her fingers on the sides. She gritted her teeth as she stared at the news flash on the led screen.
"Mr. and Mrs. Stone Revealed"
A picture of her and Daemon during the secretarial party stayed on the screen for minutes while the reporter stated both their mysterious identities.
"Madame, Mr. Stone is on the phone and wants to talk to you."
Maia harshly looked at Farrah, her eyes burning with rage as she grabbed the phone from her assistant's hand.
"You... monster."
"Hello too my wife. We'll have a press conference later on about the new projects your department will be taking on."
"Shush! You did not even consult me for this...this news!"
"I am consulting you right now."
"After the news broke out?!"
"Sorry."
Her words hang on the air. She stopped her train of thoughts and breathed calmly. "Next time, ask me first."
"Ok. Did you have lunch?"
"Not yet."
"Then open the door."
"Huh?"
Knock knock knock. Her office door opened with her secretary outside leading the man on the phone inside her office.
She placed the phone down and looked at the man carrying a bag of food. His strides were as strong as he imposed on the aura inside her office. She may be the head on this whole building but just one look at him makes her another subordinate. Even the workers outside were still looking at his back while he was walking towards her.
"Mr. Stone, good afternoon." Farrah walked aside and let him through.
"Let's eat." He placed the packed food on her table and started opening all the containers in front of her neatly and quietly.
"Are you sure you want the world to know who we are?"
He stared at her. "Let me handle things that I can. Eat."
Maia smiled a little thinking how he can be stubborn about food so much.
"I never like to waste food. And your body needs a little more flesh for the next few months due to the projects you will be handling."
"Thank you for being considerate. I know how to take care of my body."
"That explains the scars, huh?" he grinned at her while chewing his food.
"Don't... I don't want to talk about it." her smile faded slowly as past memories run through her mind.
"Finish what's on your plate. We have to talk about the contracts."
"The ones for abroad?"
"Those... and our marriage."
Her spoon stopped in midair for a second and then she continued eating. The food she was eating now seemed tasteless. Her face went blank.
"Just eat." He commanded her seeing the change in her face.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mrs. Manning bolted out of the office doors with kicks and screams. Everyone around her was scared to ask why. She was one of the board of directors in the entirety of the Stones Inc. yet she was cast aside in an instant. Her face was red with anger, her eyebrows knitted and her fists balled tightly. As she exited the building she phoned her daughter. "Rizza, you can go ahead with your plan. They showed the real couple now. You know what to do." then she quickly ended the call.