Later that day, when Lucien returned at night, the first thing he noticed was how quiet and ghost-like the house’s surrounding.
He couldn’t quite place a finger on what felt out of place at first, but the moment his eyes landed on the divorce documents sprawled out across the table, it all clicked.
A certain person was absent.
Strolling over, he picked up the document and gazed at it, an unexplained feeling he couldn’t quite describe played around in his heart, causing the redhead to blink his eyes in confusion.
‘She signed it?’ Lucien thought and looked around the living area, confirming her departure, but yet the scent of her usual lavender perfume still wafted through the air, making him feel her presence even though the female herself was nowhere to be seen.
Lucien finally placed away the documents, a sigh escaping his lips as his fingers reached up and undid his tie.
This was what he wanted, but why…?His train of thought dwindled as his eyes caught sight of a shiny gift box. Lucien popped open the lid, surprised when he spotted a watch lying inside.
It was a rare and custom made Patek Philippe watch. And what was even rarer were the characteristics engraved on the bottom side.
L & A.
Inside the gift box, beside the watch, laid a white piece of paper. The handwriting on the paper was smooth and well worked as if it had been done by an expert.
“Every year with you has been a blessing in its own way. Happy fifth anniversary, Lucien!” The words sank in as if Ariadne herself was the one saying it, and some thoughts started dancing in his mind.
Ariadne had never been one to shop extravagantly, so Lucien never really cared about her expenditure; he never really cared about her in general.
And as he knew, Ariadne was just an orphan kept by his mother.
Also, the butler had never reported any use of high funds.
So, where had she gotten such an amount of money without his knowledge?
Lucien’s gaze darkened and summoned Lucas, his special assistant.
“Place someone to Ariadne and get me her current location.” He commanded in a deep voice, and suddenly added before the assistant nodded about to leave. “And have someone bring me background data of her.”
As Lucas rushed off, Lucien stared at the gift box in his hand again.
Had Ariadne concealed something from him?
If yes, what was it?
***
Somewhere in the western part of Seattle, a shareholder’s meeting was ensuing in the conference room of the Grey Enterprise
Voices bounced around the four walls of the room, growing louder by each passing second as each person wanted their opinion to overpower the other.
“The company’s profit and revenue has been dwindling far too much as of recently, what we need is someone of stable power to control the company..." Ash Williams, a shareholder with eight percent of the company voiced, "...and Benjamin is best suited for that.”
However, right after his suggestion, raised an against voice from a female called Cory Rossi, another shareholder with twelve percent.
“Leave the company to that old geezer? Are you trying to ignore the last will of Miguel Grey, the real founder of the company?”
“So what do you suggest, give the right to run the company to the dead? Wake up, Mrs. Rossi!" Ash mocked her loudly, "Alexandra is already dead, the ownership of Grey Enterprise has to move on, or the company crumbles.”
Cory clenched her palm underneath the table. She hated the way people spoke about the poor girl. Even though the police were still searching, those wicked people already took her death as certain.
God! Please bless her return as soon as possible, otherwise all the hard work of her parents would be stolen by those bloody sucking worms.
At the moment Cory was about to speak up, the door to the conference room bounced open and in walked a figure.
Shock filled the room and voices rose higher than before.
“Alexandra! It’s Alexandra!” Ash Williams pointed out as he nearly fell out of his chair, unbelieving of his eyes.
Liam Gold was in utter confusion, his mouth hung open like a dead fish, staring at the blonde in front of them. Never could he believe that the dead could rise again. So the one standing before them now could only be alive.
The real heiress of the Grey Enterprise had returned!
Cory, the most overjoyed one out of all, just kept silent as tears slid down her cheek.
After viewing the reactions of each one, the blonde strode towards her rightful seat. With her every pace, her heels clicked on the floor rhythmically. Falling in some ears, it was a delightful melody; while for the others, it was an alarm of danger.
Once seated, the blonde leaned back to rest in her chair, and a devilish yet charming smile adorning her beautiful plump pink lips.
“Is it so surprising to see me alive?”
No one would dare to speak, and the room remained silent.
Being satisfied with their expressions that no one would dare to go against, she announced with a serious look.
“As the only rightful heir of my father Miguel Grey, I, Ari-” She instantly corrected herself, inwardly reminding herself that she no longer went by that pitiful name.
"I, Alexandra Grey, am back to take the Grey Enterprise from today."
After successfully taking back the ownership of the company, Alexandra was on the way to somewhere.As her phone beeped, a news poped up before her eyes.The signal of engagement?!It was said that the rising actress Octavia Barrette would get engaged with a mysterious CEO in a week, as someone had witnessed they were picking engagement rings at the shop.Though the photo didn't show the full face of the man, Alexandra could also recognize his identity at once.It was the man who she had called husband for 5 years, Lucien Albrecht.Barely a week after she signed their divorce papers, her so-called ex husband was flaunting his new relationship.‘See, Ariadne. Your marriage really meant nothing to him, didn't it?Her gaze was hurt at first but soon darkened with disdain, a new emotion that she had only recently discovered, an emotion that she never thought she could have for the man who she loved for years before.Well, they were nothing but mere strangers now. She was Alexandra, and no
Sitting in Lucien’s office, Octavia scrolled through her phone to get some social media she usually did.It hadn’t been more than one week since Ariadne had signed their divorce paper and moved out, yet it was said that she was already taking over the Albrecht household as their future new madam.The sound of the study door opening drew the noirette away from her phone. Raising her gaze, her eyes landed on Lucien as he stepped in, looking stressed, she could tell.Lucien was a wrapped walking present, a gift given from God to bless this world, a magnet for women and money, and envy to men.With Auburn long hair, Deep Ocean blue orbs, perfect natural lips, broad shoulders that Octavia found the most attractive, and with a height that towered above most men. A best choice that any women could dream about.Watching him walk towards his work table without sparing a glance her way- probably caught up with producing a new business idea that will most definitely skyrocket Albrecht Empire’s p
The next day at Albrecht Empire, inside the dark exterior of Lucien’s office stood the head manager of the PR team, the woman cowering in her booth under Lucien’s piercing gaze.“My question was simple; under whose order were those posts made?”“M-Ms. Barrette, Sir. She informed us that you were aware and had given full permission to allow it air.”‘Octavia?’ The redhead squinted his eyes.What was her intention by releasing such a post?“Get out.” He ordered and in less than seconds, the manager was scrambling out, happy to be out of the intimidating man's presence.Just as the door closed, Lucien picked up his office phone and dialed the HR number. On the first beep, as expected, the line was answered.Without a second to spare, he commanded. “Fire the PR manager and have someone take over immediately.”After that, he hung up and was back to work, scrambling through letters and files until a certain one caught his attention.He peeled it open and read through what was written, the c
Alexandra had a dream. She couldn’t quite figure out the details as all was blurry, but she remembered the incidents transpiring in her dream.In a flash, her fifteen years of love-filled and peaceful life was destroyed.And In the darkest moment of her life, when everything felt like it was about to end, that’s when he showed up and tore into her dark space, brightening it up.The man who gave her hope once more.Lucien Albrecht.…..At the sound of her alarm, Alexandra’s eyes fluttered open, giving way for a captured tear to slip out.For the first time in a long while, she had dreamed about that day.Gently silenced her alarm, she moved to her bathroom, getting dressed for her work. But among all, certain thoughts lingered in her mind, disrupting the peaceful flow of her day.Why… Why now of all days had she dreamt about her ex husband?That man she had decided to forget.The dream left the pit of her stomach tingling with uneasiness, which somehow kept her foot rooted to the floor
Why was he here?What was he doing here?In the briefest seconds of their encounter, these questions kept playing in Alexandra’s mind.And as quickly as she could react, she pulled away from Lucien’s hold, almost stumbling back as she did so.The action, however, made Lucien’s heart clench, something he was only experiencing for the first time since his knowing her.The woman before him looked exquisite, very little of anything resembling Ariadne.But without a doubt-when he held her in his arms, he could tell the female was his ex wife.Her once brown hair flew freely around her shoulders, instead of her usual meek dressing.The blonde adorned a crimson red one piece suit and a pair of matching heels. Her face had little to no makeup, but her tanned skin looked lovelier than ever. Lucien was genuinely stunned by her glow up.In the short time since she had disappeared, she had glown up like a real life princess. Even Lucien, the man who she had lived with for almost five years, could
“Ariadne!”On hearing his call, Alexandra harshly yanked her arm free, taking cautious steps back, and her assistant Michael taking several forward to serve as a protective shield.How dare he call her that name after all the things? The name he forced her to abandon.However, seeing Michael shrinking under the stern eyes, Alexandra finally waved the innocent assistant away.Why should she avoid it? She is Alexandra Grey, not his wife Ariadne Albrecht anymore.“Mr. Albrecht, please mind the way you behave in public.”Discarding her warning, Lucien charged on, plummeting her with questions. “Ariadne, what sort of a joke are you playing now?”“I wish I could ask you the same question, but sadly I don’t have time to waste now. Leave me, Mr. Albrecht.” Alexandra coldly retorted, once again surprising Lucien.“Answer the question, Ariadne!”“Alexandra.” She deadpanned. “My name is Alexandra not Ariadne. Ms. Grey to you or better, President Grey would suffice, Young Master Albrecht.” She pu
“What happened to living under the radar?” Theodore questioned as he waited for Alexandra to respond to his discovery, the blonde already on her way to explore the forum which she soon came to know was a private one.Only people with given link or access could view the site.“Where did you find this?” She questioned, sending the link to her computer and getting to work. In matter of seconds, the post had disappeared, the page now showing an error message.Theodore huffed out in disappointment as he saw this. “Awn, I was kind of enjoying that.”“Do you want to honestly risk me being doxed for your entertainment?”From the other side, Theodore chuckled before switching the voice call to video. Alexandra accepted without hesitating.The instant she clicked on the button, a model like face occupied the other end of the screen. Long dirty yellow locks which were held up in a messy bun, a pair of ruby red eyes and thin lips similar to that of celebrities.Theodore being the successor of Lan
No sooner than when Alexandra hung up did the troublesome duo walk in, agendas worn clearly on their sleeves and mouths ready for war.Alexandra, who had long awaited their arrival, leaned back in her chair and sized them up, seeing through their plots before it even begun.“Alex,” Daniel began, taking a step further than his brother. “Your uncle and I would like to discus something with you.”Benjamin nodded in agreement as Alexandra’s dull eyes met his.“Go ahead; after all, I too have something to say.”“We’re going to be brief and straight forward. Alex, as an elder and your uncle, we do not appreciate the way you treat us, and would like…” Daniel’s speech was brought to an abrupt end by the sound of his niece snickering.It was exactly as she had predicted.“Alex, your uncle is…” Benjamin began, his voice dying out as the blonde raised her palms, silencing him.“That’s enough. You’ve wasted your given time saying utter rubbish.” She sternly instructed. “My turn. Dear uncles, care
Mazikeen blinked. The girl in front of her with lush blonde hair imitated the same action. She blinked again and so did the reflection.Finally having had enough of the stare off with her reflection, the teen turned away from the mirror and sighed.Her eyes found the luxurious clock hung above the TV and she chewed on her inner check as each passing moment reminded her of her impending torment.It was the last Saturday of the month, and as per the long existing tradition, her family had to go over to the Langer Family Vila for a wholesome picnic time.Sure, any normal person would enjoy such outing, except her situation was different. The reason why she dreaded their usual family picnic was because of a certain noirette boy that always seemed to make her life a living hell each time she encountered him.Vincent Langer, the original ruler of hell. Or so she put him, but for some reason, only she did.Even her own mother thought he was a saint.Bloody hell, the whole Seattle saw him as
~Five years Later.~Alexandra stood in front of her parent's grave- both Cory, Nova and Miguel- dressed in a fashionable black dress that draped down as far as her knee.Her hair- which had now grown back to it's full length- was packed up neatly and rolled into a bun at the end, accompanied by the black net cap she had on her hair.Alexandra stood with a bouquet of white roses in her right hand and daisies from the nearby meadow on the left. Those were not only symbols of peace, love, and hope but also reminders that life was still going on. She looked around slowly as if giving herself a moment to reflect upon how things have changed since then.Five years ago, when she had lost everyone she loved and was shattered to the core after her divorce with Lucien, Alexandra thought her life would never be same again. She had felt helpless and hopeless that time even with all the power and must accomplish goals, but now as she looked at both her adoptive mother and Biological mother grave w
Alexandra rushed off to the location on her screen as soon as she could, even though she wasn't too kin on it. On her way there, she couldn't stop herself from asking all the what ifs, re-running even those possibilities that did not exist in her head as she drove.What if something happened to Darius?What if some enemy of hers got to him?What it Eleanor had sent someone after him?By the time she turned up in front of the given location, her mind was feeling with all sort of possiblities that she didn't even know that the house she had pulled up in front of was one of Darius's.It was only after she had rushed up to the front door and found it open that she took the time to examine her surrounding and this only made her worry all the more.Whoever she was going up against now had been smart enough to bypass Darius and his security and even broke into his house.Alexandra had felt her mind begining to reel once more when she calmed herself and reminded herself that she dealt with El
The next two days after that passed by quietly. Alexandra hd released the tap of her father's black box footage to the police after turning in the driver and after a few days of searching, they found Eleanor passed out on the floor of her house in her paralysed state.Eleanor was admitted into a hospital under sever watch to take care of her and later on admitted into the prison's medical center while her trial was underway.Although she had been saved from the dehydration and over thinking that caused her to pass out, her case of paralysis couldn't be solved and even thought it could be, Alexandra made sure that that option was rendered invalid.Apart from that, the other development that had brought a smile to Alexandra's lips was when Leonardo was suddenly caught at the air port while trying to flee with Eleanor's last fortune under a fake name.He was charged with a few crimes, one of them being his illegal use of a fake identity and the other being his illegal stash of cash.Botto
~Day One Out Of Seven.~Alexandra returned to the Grey Manor that night after her conversation with Eleanor over the phone had ended.The first thing, or rather, the first person she saw as she stepped into the house was Darius. He was pacing around the living room for a while until he noticed Alexandra and quickly rushed to meet her."Alexa... Where were you?" He asked, his voice dripping with concern and worry.Alexandra softly sighed out. "Calm down, Darius." She said while gently stroking his hair. "I'm fine. I just had to take care of something little.""What?""I found out how Eleanor knew about my pregnancy. The waiter back at the cafe was a spy for her and he must have reported our conversation to her that day." Alexandra informed."What?" Darius was angry, but then seconds later, his face crumbled and a tinge of guilt set in.I'd the waiter had only reported their conversation that day and Eleanor found out about their unborn child, then it was his fault. He couldn't stop his
Eleanor pressed the button and imagine in that moment how it all played out.The best part of it all being that Alexandra was finally out of the way and she had emerged victorious after the long battle.No other thought could have made her smile the way she did.Eleanor's train of thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her phone ringing. She frowned, not taking too lightly to the fact that one of her useless henchmen or sons were distrubing her moment of celebration.She reached for her phone and picked it up, ready to lash out brutally in whoever's name was written on her phone screen, but to her utter dismay, it was an unsaved number.Eleanor stared at the digits of numbers across her screen with creased brows.'Who is it this time?' She thought after a while as she answered the call and placed her phone to her ear."Who is this?" She asked sternly.The other end of the line was silent for a while. Eleanor could make out the sound of someone mumbling in the background and then th
Six out of seven of those days bad gone by. Eleanor had been unusually quiet. One would have almost thought that she bailed and ran away.But Alexandra knew better than that. She knew that the woman who had raised her in disguise as the perfect grandmother was more of a deadly predator than her sins gave her credit for.In other words, she isn't one to tuck her tail between her legs and run away. It was just a matter of time until she acted.'A matter of time...' Alexandra pondered those last few words as she watched as the last fragments of oranges, reds and yellows faded into a dark gray. The sunset had gone, and the blanket of night began to cover the world in the darkness of its shadow.After a while, she pulled her gaze away and sighed, focusing on the pile of work that was on her table.Because of Darius's over protectiveness, she had worked less in the last few days and barely ever came to the company. Today, she had escaped by miracle- miracle meaning that she had made more th
For the first time in a long while, Alexandra felt panic shot through her as she read the letter in her hands. She allowed the paper drop to the floor after awhile as her thoughts became more loud than the sound of her heart beat.How was it possible? How could Eleanor have found out that she was pregnant?Alexandra thought, after all she had done everything in her power to make sure that Eleanor did not find out. To make sure that the news of her being pregnant did not reach the ears of any of her foe. Yet, here she was, hyperventilating over the fact that Eleanor had learnt of her child's existence while breathing like some dying cow.'Calm down, Alexandra.' she tried to calm herself as soon as she noticed how ragged her breathing was becoming.She found her way back to her bed and sag down, controlling her breathing and thoughts together. After a while, she picked up her phone and dailed Darius's number. The line rang for a few seconds as usual before Darius picked up."Alexei? Wha
Alexandra arrived at Albrecht Manor an hour later. She was welcomed nice and warmly, remembering her of the days when she once used to be their mistress and was looked down on, snickered at and even laughed at.Memories of the olden days flooding in made the blonde clench her teeth together. She bo longer wanted to think of those days. Her Chapter with the Albrecht family was over and sincerely speaking, she was happy with her life with Darius.Sure, she did get sad at times while thinking of all the grief she has had to endure and all the pain Eleanor has out her through, but Isabella's wonderful food and care, Alistair's headstrong way of supporting her, Darius's unlimited love and affection that grew by each day and her unborn baby made up for all that sadness.So now, she wanted to finally close things with the Albrecht family and return to her content life as soon as possible.Drawing in her breath, Alexandra prepared herself, carrying her shoulders well, before she stepped into