Forever & a day

with an enormous mahogany table and plush leather chairs. The innumerable awards and plaques awarded to the company and the previous CEO adorned a display cabinet. The view of the city f

eem to bring down the rising temperature in the magnificent boardroom. The man at the head of the table was expecting answers that th

ty years. James was a ruthless man both professionally and personally. He wanted things done his way. No questions asked. James, although professional and hardworking had a differen

ce was dabbling in jewellery design together with their mum, Jill Aslan. James loved his family and would sacrifice everything for their happiness. James' heart was closed off and relationships were not something he made time for. He never

mily was well known in the business circles with the senior Aslan being an eye-catching man himself. Jill's concern for James stemmed from his previous track record with women and the incident which left James scarred and bitter toward romantic relationships. Luc, the older sibling was mo

ly Mr Aslan, Mrs Parks is on an extended maternity leave which started a few weeks ago and her second in charge is responsible for all license applications therefore she would be the best person to answer you.” before Mr Berns could continue, James yelled at his assistant, “Simone, get that per

to Chicago therefore, he was quite familiar with James' every whim and snort. He had never seen James this angry since that day a few years ago. Simone understood the significance of obtaining approval fro

re rivals ever since however, very few understood the real reason for their rivalry. Alex's success was largely attributed to his father's support and his strong network connections. He heavily relied on so

ngst his friends and all the girls would swoon over him. James however only had eyes for one girl. Alex wasn't into girls however he wanted to be the best without putting the effort into anything. He thought that his rich status and his father's reputation were all that was needed to get ahead. While James was wi

a's

ppy to step in as it will do wonders for my career, and I love Suzie to bits. She is like a big sister to me and since I joined the company as an intern a few years ago, she took me under her wing and taught me everything I know today. I lift my head to find my office empty.

. We first met in the neighborhood where I spent my childhood. We met on a cold, rainy evening when life seemed to have lost its color and Nelia was there to offer a supportive shoulder to lean on.

ere is no need for you to do it. You're welcome so no need to say thank you, but you are not forgiven. Maya Sharma, you are running on empty and heading into a full burnout if you don't slow down.” Nelia said with a stern

nail on the head. James didn't even remember that Grace, his sister, and I had been friends since junior high and all through college. We had met one another at meetings and ran into each other in the elevator and common areas at the office however he didn't seem to

lthough Jill and Grace invited me to the party, I just couldn't shake off the other commitments for that evening and I politely declined," I mutter

someone is going to get fired. “Sorry Nelia, there's a crisis meeting, and I am required urgently so I must love you and leave you. I prom

o did the best they could to give me a proper education with the little income they had. Things got tough when my uncle, my mother's only brother suddenly died leaving my aunt Ria and my cousin, Sheetal devastated. We came together, and our love streng

ed to sift through to find products that the company could develop and penetrate the market with to make them market leaders. There are numerous pharmaceutical companies around the world which dominate the market by being the first to market a

d into the market, they go through a stringent set of approvals and tests to ensure that they are safe for use and meet all health and safety regulations. Mr Aslan Senior didn't afford me any f

those decisions. After his second heart attack, the family decided that he would step down from his CEO functions and act as Chairman until

lan wants you in the meeting room immediately.” He said and turned to walk ahead of me into the elevator towards the meeting room. I walked in and immediately felt

re helps to fly under the radar and not be noticed too much. I walked over to the only empty chair which was in between Mr Berns and Simone Clarke, assistant to the CEO. Simone was a handsome young man, around my age.

pointed his finger at me. “So, this meeting had to be put on hold to accommodate your lunch date and you don

adhere to my instructions by not submitting the product license for approval before the deadline?” He screeched. I picked up the file with as much confidence as I showed when I walked into the meeting room and glanced at the product details before lifting my head to meet his beautiful blue e

ed staring at the man in front of me. “Suzie, excuse me…, Ms Parks handed this file over to me on the day she went on maternity leave, after which, I studied all related material and trials and found this proposed drug to have poor efficacy and inadequate performance when compared with the standard. I took the decision not to submit…” before I could finish, he interrupted me again. “So, Miss Genius decided to ov

ave a degree, which respectfully, you don't, therefore it's my call, not yours. You may be the CEO but it's my responsibility to ensure that our products are safe for use, and that we don't embarrass ourselves

n't be fired for doing her job even if the CEO doesn't agree with her decision.” Mr Ferret Aslan said with his hands in his pockets. James looked away from Maya to his dad with confusion while M

f May

to his father to discuss what just happened. Ferret explained to James that Maya was very experienced and had been working with the company for many years. S

fighting back against his rival and he was humiliated in front of so many people because of a low-level staff member. He must do something to get his revenge on Maya for the insult and humiliation she caused today. Ferret left James' office and wen

for what you did for me in there.” She said to Ferret. “You know Maya, although family is the most important thing in my life, I have always been fair in business. I know my son can be hot-he

out of your home and at numerous functions and gatherings, he still doesn't acknowledge me so why should I expect anything less." Ferret had

to Maya's office, they couldn't see anyone around but piles and piles of boxes and files were scattered all over the place. There wasn't an open space in sight in w

and said, "Oh Milly, I thought that you were turning this office into a storage unit. Well, I won't disturb you further, I just wanted to introduce the new CEO to Maya." Milly's eyes opened wide when she saw the man who was standing

t of a mess." Ferret smiled and said, "Don't worry about it. I wanted you to meet James who will..." Before Ferret could finish his sentence, he was interrupted, "Dad, sorry. I've got to go. I will catch up with you later." James didn't even look up from his mobile phone while talkin

e. Maya immediately got down to reviewing the files on her desk and the next thing she knew; th

ilding unaware that all her movements were being carefully watched by two pairs of eyes from the office foyer. James frowned and said, “I