We had to return to New York earlier than planned since everything wasn’t working as it should. Alex had refused to apologize to me, and when I asked him about it, his exact words were. “Are you done with your tantrum?"And boy, did I relapse.It was weird. I mean, we came to Paris to have a good time, but it was just going to be ruined by his stupid ego. “Men,” I groaned, getting angrier at the minute, “sometimes you just hate them!” I haven’t even gotten any pictures worthy enough to launch my start on social media.So it was bye-bye, social media. At least for now.“…Alright…” I could see Alex in the corner of my eye, prancing around in his towel, his phone in his ear. “Call me when you land.” And he disconnected the call.I moved closer as he ended the call, wanting to ask him what was wrong. But I remembered that I had sworn not to break the silence treatment, so I remained silent.It didn’t take long before he broke it. “Get dressed; we are going back home.”“Wh-wait, why? The t
"Unlock" was boldly displayed on the screen, and I heaved a sigh of relief. If I had known it had been that easy, I would have inputted it the first time.But I had no time to ponder that thought because the safe opened to reveal a hidden compartment. It was bigger than I had expected and could easily fit a big box.But that was none of my business; I just wanted to know what he was hiding that he didn’t want me to see. I hope he wasn’t a murderer and was hiding a body here. I don’t think I would be able to keep that to myself.I lifted out the first box I could find, dusting off the layer of dust that had gathered on it. “Aaah choo.” I sneezed as some of the particles entered my nose.“Alright. Alex, let us see what skeleton you are hiding. I hope it doesn’t make me start running away from you.” I said to myself and braced myself.I found myself unintentionally holding my breath as I opened the lid. Fortunately for me, Alex hadn’t bothered to put a lock on it. He must have believed t
I pulled out a pen and paper to begin to draft out my massive revenge plan. I mean, what better way to draft a plan than in a moving vehicle when the betrayal is still fresh?I released a wicked laugh at the thought of it, and the driver's head turned sharply to look at me, his eyebrows raised so high in question.“It is alright; I am fine. You can go back to driving.” I tried to reassure him, and he returned his focus back to the road while I tried to draft out a plan.But first off, I had nowhere to stay, and I did not have much money with me.I looked out the window and noticed a bank sign up front. It was the bank that Alex used, and if I was lucky, this could be his brand. I reached over to tap the driver’s back. “You can drop me off at the bank, please.”“Alright.”He stopped me in front of the ATM machine, and I came out, passing a wad of cash to him. “You can keep the change.” I said, waving him off and hurrying to the ATM.Thankfully, there was an unoccupied one, and I was ab
Paris was fun, although not as fun as I had expected it to be, as I had already experienced what it was like with Alex; now that I was here on my own, the experience was watered down.But that didn’t mean I didn’t find it interesting.With my new-found wealth, I was able to lodge in the most expensive hotel and eat only the best food. The room service man was practically tired of me ringing them up.But I didn’t care.It was my money, and I was going to enjoy it.The times I wasn’t lavishing money like I had just stumbled on an oil well, I was laying in bed thinking of how long it would take for Alex to realize I was gone.Or how long he would take to know that I had cashed his money away or even found out the truth.I giggled at the thought. I could imagine his nose flaring in anger and frown lines marring his handsome face as he threatened to rain fire and brimstone on me.I don’t mind him raining his brimstone on me.Gosh! He was so handsome when he was angry, and I would give anyt
“Are you nervous?” Jeremy asked, and I stopped myself from pulling the skin off my fingers. I looked up, and our eyes met each other. His was a fierce brown, the color of coffee, burning bright, while mine was the color of the sky. Nervousness was written all over me.Jeremy was the manager of Elite Dwellings, the real estate business I had founded. I would like to say I was just a figurehead when it came to this, and he put in a lot of work to make this business what it is known as.I had gotten his contact information from Anna; she had recommended him as he was the one who got them their house.I could still remember when I called him and we got talking; it was a lengthy talk that had to be shifted to a physical meeting, and that was how we birthed Elites dwellings.Anna and her husband had been pioneer engineers in the success of this company, and I owe it all to her. She and Charles have helped me in a lot of ways I can’t even count, and I will forever be in their debt.They had
But I had lied.I was more than nervous—in fact, I was quavering in my shoes, my palms were sweating, and tiny beads of sweat clung to my forehead like a teardrop—but I wasn’t going to let anyone know.I patted the sweat drops with my handkerchief and tried to relax.“It will be fine.” Jeremy tried to reassure me, his hands reaching to cover mine.I looked up at him for a moment, and I nodded. If I wasn’t so hooked up with Alex, he would have made the best companion and partner.“Yea.” I replied, believing it.But when the limousine parked in front of the building where the awards were taking place, my throat suddenly became dry, and I was grabbing the bottle of water and chucking it down my throat.“Easy, you don’t want to be running around for bathroom breaks.” Jeremy cautioned me, and I gave him a tight-lipped smile.My door opened before I could process it, and Jeremy was by my side, helping me out of the car. I had to give myself kudos; throughout the walk on the red carpet, I di
“Ruby?”I stilled at his voice, my heart skipping a bit as I heard my name. Even after all this year, that low baritone still had an effect on me. It still made me want to curl up with pleasure and worship him.But no.I would not be swayed by this temptation made flesh, even though everything in me was revolting. I shook my head, trying to clear whatever spell I had been under, and I continued walking.“Ruby, I know it is you, and I know you heard me, so don’t ignore me.”“Shit!” I swore under my breath. How did he know I was the one?Dummy, of course he knows who I am; I have been under him a lot of times, and he would be foolish not to know my body.I closed my eyes, taking in as much air as my lungs could take, and I exhaled slowly. “You can do this.” I said to myself, reassuring my weary heart, and I turned to face him.“Wow!” That was all I could say as my mouth fell open in a mixture of surprise and admiration as I was hit by his beauty.The Alex I just saw wasn’t the man I was
“This is Jeremy, my partner.” I announced a bit cheerfully, loving how Alex's face seemed to lose all color as he heard that.Jeremy turned his head slightly, looking at me pointedly, but I ignored it, my focus on the man in front of me.“Jeremy.” Alex said, even though I knew he was cursing him in his mind. He extended his hands for a handshake, and Jeremy took it, shaking him firmly.If Alex noticed anything about our matching outfit or joint hands, he didn’t say anything.“Glad we could get all the introductions over. I would have loved to stay and chat, but I’m sorry I will have to break up this little party. My brother is already waiting for me, and I don’t think he will appreciate it if I take extra minutes.” Madison announced, easing some of the tension.“It is fine. We will talk later.” Alex replied, although I couldn’t miss the eagerness in his voice, as if he was happy she was going.“Alright. Bye Ruby, it was a pleasure meeting you; you made the award night a little more be
Honestly, this wasn’t how I imagined the book to end. I still had a lot of ideas, but as I gave it some thought, I knew that I was dragging the plot unnecessarily, and I think Alex and Ruby deserve their happy ending after all they had been through, even though it may not be what you wished for.I have learned that sometimes less is more, and that is what I am looking for in this book.Their future is left for you readers to decide, so be creative and leave a message on how you think they should have ended, and I would be happy to contribute and add my own theory.I want to thank everyone that has been reading the book even up to this point; you are the reason I kept this going.Your comments and gems were really appreciated.I do have a tiny favor for you. If you enjoyed reading this book or have read it to this point, you could click on the three lines at the bottom left of the screen, click on book details, and leave a rating for the book.You can also look forward to my future pro
I stood on my tiptoes, and my hands flew up to circle his neck, even as I connected my lips to his. Alex was frozen in place, not expecting my reaction, but the man was quick to recover.I heard a low growl from his belly, and he held my neck, pulling me closer to him. His lips were firm as they pressed against me, the complete opposite of the gentle butterflies that were fluttering in my stomach.Alex pulled back for a split second, his warm breath fanning my skin and sending delicious tingles down my body. He was looking at me with stormy eyes, and I could see nothing but love in his gaze.“Before we go forward, I need your verbal response. I don’t want to have any casual relationships anymore. I am tired of chasing the clouds, and I want something authentic with you. If you are saying yes, that means you are all in.” His eyebrow creased with serious intent as he spoke.I gave it a little thought, even though I already knew what my reply would be. In all honesty, I was tired of this
I looked at my phone, squinting at the mail I had just received, just to be sure that it was actually from Alex.Why couldn’t he tell me if they had accepted or rejected our offer in the mail? Did he have to see me face-to-face so he could gloat at my dejected face?He didn’t even give a specific date, so he had expected me to be omniscient and know when I should come. I looked up at the top left-hand corner of my phone, where the time was reading some minutes before one.A flitting thought crossed my mind about how it was so close to time. It took me some seconds to process the information before I was jumping to my feet.He obviously meant today, and if he did, I needed to be extra fast to make it on time. Thank goodness for the little things. I had already taken my bath, so it was going to make things easier.I padded my wardrobe, which was only seen to be overflowing no matter how much I debunk and declutter. I think I was going to have another yard sale so I could create more spa
“Hmm.” Alex’s lips were in a thin line as he looked at me. He finally allowed our eyes to meet, and I wasn’t sure I liked what I was seeing there.They were unreadable and barely giving anything out, and honestly, I didn’t know how to feel about that. But I could feel the huge divide between us, and I had no idea how I was going to mend it.“Alex? I asked a question.” I reminded him when I got no response again.“Yeah, I heard you the first time; I was just wondering why you decided to come to me.” He folded his arms, and I watched as his muscles bulged, giving him a menacing look. But I wasn’t fazed. “Why are you coming to me? What happened to all the numerous investors that gave you the contract? Are they suddenly backing out of the contract?”I whined with each sentence, each sentence delivering a lash on my back, and I shifted in my seat uncomfortably. Alex sure had a way with words, and he knew how best to make it hurt.“I came to you for a reason, Alex.” I said while I practiced
“Hey, I need your help.” I said into the speaker, and I waited, unconsciously holding my breath, to hear his reply. A few seconds had passed, and I didn’t hear anything from him. I was sure he heard me, but I was going to repeat it again to clarify any doubt. “I need your help.”“Yes, I heard you for the first time. What do you need?” No matter how he tried, he couldn’t hide the hostility in his voice, and I was cringing as I heard it.I deserved it. I had hurt him beyond measure, yet I was the one on his phone, seeking his favor.“Uhm, it is a long story, but I think it is better if we meet in person.” I said, my heart pounding in my chest for no apparent reason.I heard the ruffling of pages and a small pause before he replied. “Alright, tomorrow should be fine with me by 6 p.m. I will send you the location.”“Alright, thank you.” He was disconnecting the call even before I even finished talking, and I looked at the blank screen for a moment, wondering where it had all gone wrong.I
“We need to talk.” I spoke into the speaker, and I didn’t care if he had heard me or not, but I disconnected the call and flung my phone on the bed—only carefully, of course.That particular phone had cost me a ton, and I didn’t think I had the strength to replace it just yet. Plus, all of my important information was there; I couldn’t afford to lose it because of a tantrum.I held my head in my hand, cradling it like I would a baby. I wanted to scream out my frustration, bang my head on the wall, or do something crazy.But I couldn’t find the strength to do so.I have never been one to resort to violence if I didn’t have my way. Okay? I was lying, I used to in the past, but I'm a changed person now, and I don’t do such things now.I sat on my bed, unmoving, while I waited for the person on the other end of the phone to come back home. All this time, I was numb, not allowing myself to feel anything, but my brain was still working on how to come up with a solution.I was snapping out o
Work began in earnest the next day, which means that we were going to be staying in New York for a great deal of time—well, only Jeremy and I.Charles and Anna had gone back to Seattle as they had a lot of things to do and couldn’t always be here for us.However, I understood how much of a sacrifice they had made to make us reach such levels, and I was never taking it for granted. That was why I was eager to make sure this project was a success.It had to beJeremy and I had rented an Airbnb that would accommodate us during our stay in New York. Nothing fancy though; it was a modest house with 3 bedrooms and well-furnished rooms, and it had all the essentials we needed.We had decided on a 3-bedroom in case we had visitors; they could always stay in the guest bedroom without having to inconvenience anyone. I flew back to Seattle during the weekend just to check on how things were going over there while Jeremy was holding out his end in New York.We had no ongoing project anymore in Se
I held my breath as I opened the door, but I realized too late that it wasn’t him. It wasn’t the one that I dreamed of every waking hour, the one that somehow found a way to occupy my thoughts even though I didn’t want him to.Anna was quick to notice the frown on my face, and frown lines were etched on her face. “Are we interrupting something?” She asked in a worrisome tone, and I was quick to shake my head, denying her claim.“No, of course not. It is fine; please come in.” I said, moving out of the door so she could enter inside. “I had just woken up not so long ago, and it wasn’t to good news.”“Yeah, about that.” She began entering the room and taking up the empty space on the sofa while her husband sat on the only chair that was in the room. “We heard, or rather saw, what happened, and we just wanted to check on you.”“Yeah, Jeremy was just telling me about it, but it is pretty much under control.” I said, shrugging my shoulders. There was no need to start remembering the hurtfu
“What have you done?” Jeremy yelled as he entered my room. I was taken aback by the outburst, and my eyebrows rose in question.“I don’t understand. What happened?” I asked, confusion written all over my face. I had just woken up from a sweet, albeit short, nap, and I was still trying to get my bearings.There was no way I would have done something between those times, except I had a Dopplerganger somewhere who was wreaking havoc when I was sleeping.Thinking of it, if I had a dopplerganger somewhere, I would want to meet with her; maybe we could exchange jobs or something.“Don’t try to play ignorant about this; your face is literally plastered all over the internet.” Jeremy barked, cutting into my thoughts.“Ohkayyy…” I dragged out the words as I was still trying to recall what bad I had done. “I mean, it should be a good thing, right? Some exposure means more opportunities.”Jeremy looked at me. His jaw was hanging low, like he couldn’t believe what I had just said, and I was even m