"How does it feel being out of that house and Elliot what's-his-face out of your life?" Cherry nudged Wanda. It had been two weeks since Wanda moved out of Elliot's home and into Cherry's, and although she was in no hurry to move yet again, she was house hunting. She needed to give Cherry her privacy and needed to do it soon because she couldn't afford to walk into her and her boyfriend making out on the living room sofa again, the sight was enough once but it wasn't the only reason why, she wanted her own space and she felt bad about using up Cherry's things even though she had told her she didn't mind. Her old apartment was still available but she had never really liked it and since she was richer, she wanted to upgrade her living area. "Earth to Wanda" Cherry clapped in her face this time to get her attention. "I'm sorry." She smiled. "It feels great.""And you don't miss him?" She reached for her glass. Wanda shook her head and scoffed. "Why would I?""If you say so." Wanda exc
Elliot stirred in bed beside Tara, his toned chest exposed. She looked at the man she used to love but now, she wasn't feeling the love she felt for him, she was tired. Tara had fallen out of love. Elliot Cyrus and Tara Lawrence met in college four years ago and they hit it off immediately, she knew his family, friends, secrets, everything. They were young, in love and inseparable but over time she got bored, Elliot didn't really do things to make her unhappy, he was the sweetest and the most romantic man she knew, everyone who knew about them was jealous and wanted to have they had. She always thought he was too good to be true, in fact, he always apologized even when she was wrong but now Tara couldn't really explain why she didn't want him anymore, admitting it to herself was hard, but telling him would be harder. "Good morning" Elliot smiled, his voice was groggy. He reached for her hair and touched it affectionately before sitting up and yawning. "What time is it?" "8:37" she r
It's been seven months since Tara left. Seven months since his heart was broken. Seven months since he decided to move on but couldn't. Elliot was back to being the most eligible bachelor in the city of New York, and once the news spread that he was no longer in a relationship, every woman and their mother tried to catch his eye especially since they knew he needed a woman to be able to get ownership of his grandfather's multi-billion-dollar company SEM Group, which was now run by his father after his grandfather's demise. Elliot couldn't care less about getting into a new relationship, in fact, he strongly believed Tara would be back and he planned on waiting for her but he couldn't wait for her to return before stepping up. He had always been interested in taking over the company since he was younger, following his father to the office, asking him questions, helping him solve problems and even studying business management in college but it seemed like the time to take over was comi
"Wanda are you crazy?" Cherry was yelling. Wanda had told her what had happened with the guy in the bar. "What if he's a psycho?""I know what you're thinking but it's fine. I read through the contract thoroughly." She tried to make her friend sit but Cherry was fighting back. "It's ten thousand dollars a month, why would I give that up?""Ten thousand dollars is more than enough reason to think something is suspicious." She started. "What kind of crazy person pays that amount of money for a fake fiancee?" "He's rich and not crazy." She tried to defend the man she would soon be engaged to. "How do you know that?" "What if he sells body parts for a living?" Wanda went to her room and searched through her bag for the card Elliot had given her. She didn't read it that day but it was the first thing she did the next morning. She appeared in the living room and handed it over to Cherry. "He's Elliot Cyrus, from SEM Group."Cherry's eyes widened. "Is this real?" Wanda nodded in response
Wanda was moving the last of her things from her car into Elliot's house. She was tired and hungry and wanted to nap, Elliot helped her move, doing most of the heavy lifting but she spent the previous night packing and sorting things out. She didn't need to bring a lot of things, she didn't intend to either but by the time she started, she couldn't stop to decide what needed to be taken and what didn't need to. Elliot had laughed when he saw her things, he was surprised at the number of things she brought. "Do you want to live with me forever?" He joked. She felt embarrassed, "I'm sorry, I have a problem with my stuff."He could see she was feeling bad. "It's okay, there's more than enough space for your things."After moving everything, Wanda dusted her hands and closed the car door. "Okay, I'm done.""Oh good. Do you want to get something to eat?"She thought he wouldn't ask. "Yes please, I'm famished." He nodded, "I know a place, let me get my keys." ~~~~~Elliot guided Wanda in
Wanda sat up and looked at the bedside clock, it was a few minutes to three in the morning. She got out of bed and walked quietly to the door, she was thirsty so she needed to go downstairs. Trying not to wake Elliot up, she quietly stepped out of her room and tiptoed past his room door, as she kept walking, she noticed the third room on the left was slightly open. She peered in thinking he was inside but it was dark in there, minding her business, she closed the door gently and went down the stairs and into the kitchen.After two glasses of water, Wanda left the kitchen and was returning to her room when she bumped into Elliot coming out of the room she had just closed. She thought no one was inside or had he gone in when she went downstairs?"Couldn't sleep?" He asked her as he locked the door. She observed him and wondered why he was locking just that room. She was curious, but she didn't let it get the best of her. If she had learnt anything from movies and books it was to never en
Ever since the day Elliot's friends came over, something between them changed. Elliot was like a new person, it was obvious he was avoiding her and trying to set boundaries between them. Wanda couldn't understand what went wrong between them, the way he treated her hurt because she was beginning to like him. She thought she did something wrong but every time she tried to talk about it he would change the subject. He went to work more often than usual and stayed out later than he normally would and although she was dying to confront him about it, she knew she couldn't. He wasn't her real fiancee so he didn't owe her any explanation. It was his house so he could do whatever he wanted. His parent's charity ball was coming up soon and Wanda doubted they would be able to convince people they were a real couple if things were this unsettled between them. Determined to make things work, she told herself she would talk to Elliot about what was going on and try to solve it when he returned hom
It was the day of SEM Group's Charity Ball and the Cyrus home was busy. The program was to kick off by 6:00 pm sharp but as the hosts, every person that lived in the Cyrus mansion was up and about from the people that worked there to Peter Cyrus himself. No one was idle. Sarah Cyrus was put in charge of guests this year, in the last ball, Elliot had been the one in charge. She sat by her computer and went through the guest list again to make sure everything was correct and error-free. She couldn't afford to mess things up. Sarah heard a knock on her door and told the person to come in, it was Maya. "Dad wants to know if you're done cross-checking the guest list." "Yes, I am." She turned her swivel chair to face her sister. "He also said you should forward the list to Mr Tony." She nodded. "Alright. Thanks, Maya.""You're welcome." She said and shut the door. Sarah looked at the time and saw there were four minutes left to four. In another hour, they would all start to get ready. S
"How does it feel being out of that house and Elliot what's-his-face out of your life?" Cherry nudged Wanda. It had been two weeks since Wanda moved out of Elliot's home and into Cherry's, and although she was in no hurry to move yet again, she was house hunting. She needed to give Cherry her privacy and needed to do it soon because she couldn't afford to walk into her and her boyfriend making out on the living room sofa again, the sight was enough once but it wasn't the only reason why, she wanted her own space and she felt bad about using up Cherry's things even though she had told her she didn't mind. Her old apartment was still available but she had never really liked it and since she was richer, she wanted to upgrade her living area. "Earth to Wanda" Cherry clapped in her face this time to get her attention. "I'm sorry." She smiled. "It feels great.""And you don't miss him?" She reached for her glass. Wanda shook her head and scoffed. "Why would I?""If you say so." Wanda exc
Wanda's bags were by the front door and she was seated waiting for Cherry to pick her up. As she sat, she looked around Elliot's house and sighed, she was going to miss it, even though her final days in the house were painful and sad, she didn't start like that, there was laughter and happiness and fun and now that she was finally leaving she was going to miss it all. She stood up and looked at the frames on the wall and smiled, she remembered the day they took all the pictures, they ran around the whole day to look like a real couple for his family and their hard work paid off. She touched one of the framed pictures and wiped a small tear from her eyes, it was her favourite, in the picture, Elliot was giving her a back hug and a kiss on the cheek. They looked beautiful and in love, she was jealous of the Wanda in the picture. She moved away and sat down, and she wondered why Elliot hadn't gotten rid of the pictures yet. She thought of taking one with her but she slapped herself back
It was a cloudy Friday morning and Elliot was fully dressed in his favourite suit, the day had come for his fate to be decided and he was nervous.Was he going to win and inherit SEM Group or was he going to lose it all? He put on his polished shoes and looked into the mirror for the last time before picking up his phone and car keys and exiting his bedroom. He stopped in front of Wanda's room and stared at the door, whether things went well or not their end was very near. They would finally be free, he wouldn't feel guilty towards her anymore and she wouldn't have to cry because of him.He went down the stairs and saw Wanda in the living room, she was eating her breakfast with her apple juice by her side, she looked at him when she caught sight of him and smiled, for the first time in a long time she smiled genuinely at him."You're ready?" She asked him. He nodded. "Good luck Elliot." She told him. "I mean it." He smiled back, "Thank you." He walked out and got into his car, whe
Elliot and Wanda were both in the kitchen doing separate things, ever since their falling out, they became invisible to each other. The new action was intentional on Wanda's end and was out of courtesy on Elliot's end. He understood she was trying to get out of his way and get him out of her way and he respected her decision. The two of them would cook separately, clean separately, do dishes separately and so on. The new routine was stuffy and uncomfortable but they both bared with it because soon everything would change. To Wanda, it had always seemed like the time would take forever to come, soon felt like forever but now soon was in less than a week. Soon she would be out of his home and life forever, it was only a matter of days. Wanda was already packing her things little by little, and although she would be homeless for some time she knew she could stay at Cherry's house until she found a new place. Wanda had completed her last piece and she awaited Elliot's father's call. At f
"What do you mean we have to stop seeing each other?" Tara jumped up in surprise. When Elliot had come over to her place she had assumed he was even going to spend the night but that was not the case, he was coming to draw a line. "I don't want to do this too Tara but I have no choice." He told her. "It's just for some time."She frowned and folded her arms before sitting. "I don't like this Elliot." "Me neither but you know my situation." She wasn't liking what she was hearing and it seemed like her powers weren't working on him. When would she have him all to herself so she could do whatever she wanted and then leave him again? "Is it because of her?" She asked. "Are you falling in love with her?""Of course not Tara." He tried to reassure her. "I'm not.""You didn't have a problem replacing me so." She didn't continue. Elliot grabbed her and kissed her gently. "I love you, Tara. No one else."She smiled and hugged him but in her mind, she was mocking him. He was such a fool. "
Toby raised a brow as he looked at the screen, he could see Elliot standing just outside his door and he looked bad, he ruffled his hair and opened the door slightly. Elliot stood at the entrance and looked at his best friend with sad eyes, he felt cold and confused, he tried to smile but he couldn't. Toby noticed his demeanour and tilted his head to one side before speaking. "What happened?" "Can I come in please?" He replied, his voice breathy. Toby opened the door fully and stepped aside, he motioned for Elliot to enter."Thank you." He walked in and Toby closed the door. Toby didn't say anything and just walked to his coffee machine, knowing Elliot, he would drink coffee all the time even when he wasn't feeling good, both physically and emotionally so before talking he would give him some coffee to calm down but today Elliot didn't want coffee. He looked to the kitchen and saw Toby making coffee, he shook his head and said "Not coffee, alcohol. Give me something strong Toby."
Peter Cyrus sat in a poorly lit room and crossed his legs, he bent forward and glared at the young man kneeling in front of him, bag over his head the man was mumbling. Peter motioned for the men with him to take the bag off his captive's head so he could get a good look at his face and they did, and Peter came face to face with Mike."What the hell do you think you're doing?" Mike yelled still kneeling, he tried to move but his hands were bound behind him. "So you're the mad man who's been following my son and daughter-in-law." Mike froze and looked up at the man seated, then realization hit him, Peter Cyrus had gotten him. On the spot, his heart began to race in fear, he knew he was in deep trouble."I will ask you questions and all you have to do is tell me the truth and then everything will be fine." Peter said. Mike nodded intensely, "I will I promise.""Who hired you?" Mike pursed his lips, he contemplated saying the truth and saving his ass or keeping his client's identity a
Miami was fun while it lasted, and Wanda was back to her reality, back home in Elliot's house where she would have to ignore a man she loved for her heart's sake. A man she loved but a man she won't receive love from because his heart was with another. The incident at the beach scared her, but having him run to her and hold her and ask if she was okay made her feel safe. She liked the thought of having him there, she dreamt of being the only woman he thought of but she knew it was only a dream, a dream that won't come true. Wanda's reality hurt and she wouldn't wish her situation on her enemy because it was painful. Unrequited love hurt. She hated herself for loving Elliot, she wanted to hate him too but she couldn't, it proved to be difficult for her but she wouldn't let him get the best of her, she wouldn't let her feelings take control of her mind, she would finish strong, take her money and leave, never to see or hear about Elliot Cyrus."So how was Miami?" Cherry asked her. "Did y
Wanda was woken up by a knock on the door, she looked to the sofa and saw Elliot was still sleeping. Last night, she didn't even argue, she took the bed like offered and he took the sofa. Yawning and rubbing her eyes, Wanda went to the door and opened it waking Elliot up, at the door was Maya who looked like she had been awake for hours. "Good morning I'm sorry to wake you." Maya said. "It's okay, is there a problem?""We'll be going to the beach later today." She replied. "Mom wanted me to tell you and Elliot." "Oh okay." She replied, using her hand to cover her mouth as she yawned for a second time. "Thanks Maya." She shut the door. "What did she want?" Elliot asked, his voice thick with sleep, it made Wanda feel a certain kind of way."We're going to the beach.""Like now?" Elliot asked still lying down."No, she said later today." He covered himself properly and closed his eyes to continue his sleep. Wanda saw him fold his legs to fit into the sofa, he looked uncomfortable, th