**Chapter 9: Michael Russell**
In another building far away from the Moreno Company Head Quarters, a young man in his late twenties sat in his office on the highest floor of the ten-story building.
The air around him was light that didn't affect the dark aura that emanated from him.
He was dressed in a perfectly ironed maroon polo shirt with white collar and black pants, paired with black boots and black socks that were hidden beneath the pants. His thick sleek black hair was combed back with a few strands that came to fall on his face, hovering over his right eye, his right hand raised to push his hair behind revealing his round black eyes that was fixed on the computer screen while his fingers furiously typed on the keyboard.
The young man was none other than the man whom Laila had seen the day she had been discharged from the hospital. Michael Russell.
On the right side of the half circle table, a huge pile of files were stacked and every ten minutes his right hand reached for the files, picking them up before dropping them on the left side of the table with his left hand.
The office, as big as a living room was a lovely mixture of dark red and blue, on the floor was a red rug that covered the ground space of the office, the office walls painted blue. Two doors of the darkest red with gold handles stood on the right side, a long floor-to-ceiling book shelf on the edge of the left side and not too far beside it was a two seater blue couch with a small square table of the same color in front of it.
Two blue swivel chairs in front of the table that was a half circle, curving towards Michael who also sat on a blue chair. Behind him was a glass wall that allowed the view of other skyscrapers.
Michael picked up his black and silver pen on the table when a knock resounded on the door of the office that was also a dark red and gold handle. Without raising his head, Michael called, "come in." His masculine voice was smooth like his fair skin.
A young man in his mid twenties walked into the office, he had short curly black hair and was on a clean green suit, walking forward he held out the files in his hand. "Mr. Russell. Here are the files you asked for." Michael pointed at the table with his pen and the young man dropped the few files he was holding on the table. "I checked Sir. Mr. Robertson has breached the contract and he tried stealing extra profits for himself." He reported.
Michael finally raised his head, making his hair fall back on his face. His hand reached for the files his assistant had brought. Opening them, his eyes skimmed through them before his lips moved to speak,
"Thanks for these Jeffery. Inform Mr. Robertson of the breach of contract and the consequences, we will cut off all cooperation with him." He leaned back in his seat then swiveled his chair, turning to back Jeffery, facing the view through the glass wall. His eyes turned dark. "They all get greedy at some point." His voice held a slight disappointment and he sighed standing up to look at the view of the city and it's busy road.
"Ok Sir." Jeffery replied. "But Sir," he started. "Cutting all of our cooperation with them especially this one, would still make us suffer some minor losses. We need to continue the cooperation with a different company else it would be on hold." He reasoned.
"Mm." Michael hummed before asking, "what is the current situation of the Moreno Company?"
"Well Sir, Laila Moreno was recently in an accident but she seems to have recuperated and is doing well as she has returned to the company." Jeffery replied.
"Oh, has she?" Michael's voice held a certain interest. "Set up a cooperation with them then." He ordered.
Jeffery was slightly surprised since he knew that Michael didn't want to set up a cooperation with them before because of their acting CEO, but it seems like knowing that the original owner of the company was back, he had decided to work with them.
"Ok Sir."
Jeffery left while Michael's thoughts wondered to the young lady he had seen outside the hospital, Laila Moreno, he thought. She was a smart woman just like her father. His already dark eyes narrowed when he remembered her husband, any fellow man could see that he didn't love his wife and he didn't seem trustworthy.
He couldn't shake the image of Laila Moreno from his mind. He had seen the way she carried herself, with a quiet confidence and strength. He had also seen the way her husband looked at her, with a detachment that was almost palpable. Michael's instincts told him that Laila was a woman who deserved better. But then who was he to interfere.
As he stood there, looking out at the city, Michael's thoughts turned to his own past. He had built his empire from scratch, working tirelessly to prove himself. He had faced countless challenges and setbacks, but he had never given up. And now, he was one of the most successful businessmen in the country. But his success had come at a cost, his close relationships had suffered, because they didn't believe he would succeed. But these same people try to suck up to him now.
He was a man who kept his emotions locked away, afraid to let anyone in. The only person who had ever come close to understanding him was his sister, Freya. She had been his rock, his confidante, and his best friend. She had always encouraged him to follow his heart, to trust his instincts. Michael's eyes drifted to the photo on his desk. It was a picture of him and his sister, Freya, taken on a sunny day at the beach.
Michael's eyes softened as he looked at the photo. He missed Freya every day, missed her laughter, her smile, her unwavering support. He had never been able to fill the void she left behind.
His thoughts turned to Laila Moreno again, and he wondered what her story was. What had led her to marry a man who didn't love her? What were her hopes, her dreams, her fears? Michael's curiosity was piqued, and he knew he had to learn more about her.