YVONNE "I guess," I shrugged, feigning nonchalance when I finally found my tongue to speak. "Why do you ask? Do you know them?" I retorted. "Yes. My father has been doing business with them since the eighties," he boasted. I forced myself to smile despite the annoyance growing inside me. Who are these Rogers? Are they some big shots? Probably. I sighed in relief when he finally let the topic go. He must have felt my indifference on the subject. We ate dinner while they casually talked. Unlike this morning, they aren't talking about business anymore, so I can somehow relate. I laugh with them and answer to the best of my ability every time they try to engage me in the conversation. I glanced at my phone to check the time. Can I sneak back to our hotel room? I don't think they will notice my absence anyway. But I have no choice but to endure. I sighed in relief when the dinner was finally over. Just when I thought that we could go back to the comfort of our suite, I heard the
YVONNE I squeezed my eyes shut. I can feel my world spinning around with my overflowing thoughts and the excessive amount of alcohol in my system. I had the urge to throw up all the contents of my stomach. Who could have done this? I wanted to cry. I tried hard to gulp the lump in my throat. I poured another glassful of whiskey. I drank it straight, wishing it would clear my airways. "Are you trying to get drunk?" I heard Jade laugh beside me. I turned to look at her which I immediately regretted. My dizziness worsened because of the sudden movement. I opened my eyes and tried to focus my vision. "How about you?" I said, my words slurring no matter how I try to keep my tongue straight. "I'll just go to the ladies' room," she said instead of answering my question. "Wait. I'm coming with you," I pulled myself up from my seat and took a deep breath while steadying myself. "Where are you going?" Vlad asked when he noticed us. "To the ladies' room," I said. "Are you okay?" he
YVONNE "Okay," Vlad muttered after the blank silence that passed between us. "Bye," I ended the call and pocketed my phone before turning back to Jade who's now staring at her reflection in the mirror. "You look like shit," I blurt out before I could stop myself. I chewed on my bottom lip. Me and my big mouth! "Yeah, right," she chuckled, which surprised me. I thought she would slam my head on the counter after saying that. She must be really drunk. "Here," I handed her the wet wipes. "Take this." "What am I going to do with that?" she cocked up an eyebrow while eyeing the pack as if it was the filthiest thing she had ever seen. She has a lot in common with Vlad more than I thought. There's no doubt he was the one who raised her. "Eat it," I snapped impatiently when she just kept staring at it. I didn't know she could be stupid when drunk. I snatched a folded wipe from the pack and handed it to her. "Wipe your face," I ordered. Should I record this on video? I bet this is
VLADIMIRI was startled when Yvonne suddenly stood up. She told me she needed to go to the ladies' room."Are you okay? Want me to come with you?" I asked, but she refused.That's when I realized that she was going with Jade. I watched her stalk Jade, who obviously looked drunk with the way she walked.I kept glancing in the direction she went in and my wristwatch as minutes passed. What's taking them so long?"Hey man, drink up," Eric said when he noticed that I was distracted."Yeah," I nodded. I grabbed my glass and drank my shot straight before getting my phone to call her."What's taking you so long?" I asked when she finally picked up."Do you need help? I can go there." I offered when she said that Jade was drunk. She must be throwing up or something."No, I don't think she'd like that. I'll just call you if I can't handle it," she hurriedly said."Okay," I answered reluctantly. I didn't want to stop talking to her but she had already ended the call. I reluctantly put the phone
YVONNE I woke up to the feeling of my body lightly swaying as if somebody was cradling me to sleep. My lids felt heavy. and my head is pounding so badly.What happened? Did I fall asleep in the hammock? Because I swear I can feel my body rocking from side to side. It was so dark that I couldn't understand what was going on.I was forced to keep my eyes open, trying to train them to see in the dark but failed. My clothes are the only clear thing I see because they are white."What's going on?" I murmured. I felt my body sprawled on the cold floor. When I tried to sit, I realized that my hands were tightly tied behind my back. Oh god. Fear swiftly crept through my whole body. "What happened?" I muttered, my forehead creased in confusion. I looked around, trying my best to adjust my vision in the dark. Using my elbows, I tried to prop my upper body so that I could sit while still thinking about how I ended up in this dark, creepy place. Slowly, things started to dawn on me until I r
YVONNE "Tell him we're in the sea!" I ordered. She looked at me incredulously. "What?" she asked with disbelief. "Sea?!" "Yes! I'm sure we're on a yacht or another water vehicle of sorts. Can't you feel the motion?" I desperately asked. "Okay, okay! I just want to get out of here!" she retorted before turning back to the phone. "Yvonne assumes we're on a yacht," I heard her tell Vlad. She stopped to listen to whatever he was saying. "Yes! Please hurry!" she cried. "Vlad, I'm scared!" My nostrils flared while looking at her. Why does she have to be with me? But oh well, I won't be able to talk to Vladimir if she isn't here. More importantly, being with her upped the chances of being saved. Now I wouldn't have to worry that Vlad might not pay the ransom or worse, just let me die at the hands of my abductor. Especially now that it's only a matter of time before I get exposed for my real identity. I don't know if he knew about the article I found on the internet. I wasn't able
YVONNE"Hey!" Jade yelled. "Where are you taking her?"My goodness! Why does she have to intervene? It's not like she could do anything against these men!For fuck's sake, we were in the same boat! Literally and figuratively! Does she want to get hurt too? I thought as they dragged me out the door struggling."Yvonne!" she screamed desperately.I kept thrashing, trying to get myself free from their grasp even though I knew it was futile. I was dragged across a narrow hallway until we stopped in front of a door. The other man knocked twice before pushing it open. They rashly threw me in. My legs fumbled, causing me to fall. I winced in pain but I made sure not to make any sound."Get up!" somebody grabbed my hair to pull me up. My teeth sank on my bottom lip in an attempt to stop myself from screaming.It was so painful! I thought my scalp would be peeled off from my head! Damn it!I looked up and saw a man standing in front of a bed. I gasped as my head started to run wild.My eyes w
WARNING. GRAPHIC VIOLENCE AHEAD.YVONNEHe raised his hand to cup one bosom inside it. I shut my lids tightly. I don't want to see what he's going to do to me. He gently cupped my breast, his thumb circling my nipple. I thrashed and tried to move away from him despite being restrained."Stop moving!" he snapped. His hold on my chest tightened."No! You stop this!" I growled. I am so mad. How dare he touch me like that? I want to kill him right now!My jaw clenched when he crouched down and buried his nose against my neck. I wanted to kick him away from me but I couldn't move my legs. Damn it."Aaah!" I screamed so loudly when I felt him moving down, trailing kisses on my skin."Stop!" I growled. He laughed as he took a step back away from me. I sighed in relief until I saw him grip his whip again.Oh no...I watched him raise his hand and snapped it in the air. The leather strap landed on my side, the tip curled and hit my back. I bit my lip to stop myself from making any sound that mi
YVONNEI missed him. God, I missed him.I am so close to jumping on him. My whole body ached for him. I wanted to hug him. Kiss him. But I can't...Riva is just outside, waiting on their table..."If you have nothing else to say, I'd like to leave, please," I told him before I changed my mind.Thankfully, he didn't argue anymore. I have to muster all my strength to force myself to walk away from him. My heart felt like breaking at each step I took.I gasped. My eyes widened when I realized who was in front of me. As if it wasn't torture enough, here comes Riva who must be going to the washroom. This is the first time I'd be seeing her up close.I clenched my jaw to keep a straight face as we walked past each other. I couldn't help but glance at her face.She looked better now than the first time I saw her. Of course, she's with Vladimir now!My heart was beating so fast, I think it could jump out of my ribcage! My knees were buckling when I got back to our table. I drew a long breath,
VLADIMIRTime seemed to stop as I watched her in slow motion. It's as if the whole world ceased to exist. All I could see was her.What the hell is she doing here?!I mean, I know this place is near the shelter but I never thought I would bump into her, let alone eat in the same restaurant!And why the hell is that man's hands all over her? Why is she letting him touch her?!My fingers tightened around the utensils in my hands as I watched him gently guide her in as if she couldn't walk on her own!What is the meaning of this? I glanced at their table where Dave and the other woman sat. Are they out on a double date? Who is the man she's with? Does Dave know him?My jaw clenched as I watch the asshole pull out a chair for Yvonne. How long has it been since the divorce was finalized? One week? Two weeks?It doesn't matter. The point is, it hasn't been long. But she's already here going out on a date looking so fucking beautiful!Fuck. Wait. Did I just compliment her?I scanned her from
YVONNEI was beyond shocked. Who would have thought that I would see him here out of all the places we could have bumped into each other?Every day when I go to work, I always imagine what I would do if he suddenly showed up. I created different scenarios inside my head. I was planning how I would react if ever I saw him again.Damn it. Why can't I remember anything now? I swear I've already prepared myself for this moment. But everything seemed to vanish now that he was here. And with Riva nonetheless.I took in a sharp intake of breath. It's none of my business anymore. I shouldn't let myself get affected by their presence. I should not show it at least."Here!" Selene's voice seemed to echo inside the quiet restaurant.My gosh! I suddenly wanted to tape her mouth or something! Can't she behave for once?!"There they are," Dr. Phil said as if I didn't hear Selene loud enough.We went to our table. I sat beside Selene while Dr. Phil took the remaining seat between me and Dave."This
VLADIMIRI watched Riva as she walked down the stairs. She's wearing a beautiful dress that hugged her body in all the right places. The smooth fabric seemed to move with her in every step.My jaw clenched while staring at her as she came closer. Fuck. Something was amiss, but I tried to brush it off. This night is for her. This is the first time I will take her out for a date after she returned. And it's been more than a month already.I smiled when she stopped in front of me. I held out my arm to her which she happily hooked hers. She looked up and grinned at me excitedly."Where are we going?" she asked."You're still impatient, huh?" I chuckled. She's been asking me that since last night."I already told you it's a surprise," I muttered while looking straight into her eyes."Fine," she smiled. "It doesn't matter anyway. As long as we're together, I don't care even if you take me to the end of the world."Once again, I felt the stupid twisting pain in my chest upon hearing her word
YVONNE"Well, what do we think?" Selene excitedly asked behind me.We were both looking into my reflection in the mirror. She had just finished doing my hair and make-up. I can do it, but she insisted on it. Looking at the result now, I think I made the right decision to leave it in her hands."I like it," I muttered after staring at my face."What? That's it?" she groaned as if she was in pain. What else does she want me to say?"You look so freaking hot! Can't you see?!" she exclaimed.I think she was exaggerating, but yeah. I look good.She turned my new hairdo into messy waves, which added volume and perfectly framed my face. The barely there makeup surprisingly made me look so...Innocent.I never thought I could use the word innocent to describe me. The black dress only complemented the impeccable look. The top has a modest V-neckline and fitted to my body while the flowy skirt seemed to dance with every movement."Dr. Phil's jaw will drop when he sees you," she gushed. "I can b
VLADIMIR"Good morning," Riva chirped when I got into the dining room.I woke up alone in the room but I already guessed I'd find her here so I proceeded to get ready for work.She smiled at me before resuming making coffee in the espresso machine."Why are you doing that?" I asked. "You could have just asked our house helpers."I looked at the food laid on the table. There was French toast, bacon, eggs, and hash browns. I frowned."Did you prepare all of this?" I grumpily asked."Don't worry, Agnes helped me with those," she gestured at the food.Agnes?"Where's Cora?" I asked. She's the one who usually cooks for us."She's busy doing the laundry," Riva shrugged.I guess it's alright. Cora stayed with Yvonne in the penthouse. I don't want her to mention anything to Riva. I knew I could trust her to keep her mouth shut, but her tongue might accidentally slip. As much as possible, I don't want Riva to know any details about my marriage with Yvonne.It's enough that she knew about it. S
VLADIMIR"She rejected everything," my lawyer said as he handed me the finalized divorce papers. "I tried to insist on the money as you ordered, but she was adamant about it."I took it, crumpling the edges when my hands fisted on it. My jaw clenched as I stared at it. That's it. We are no longer bound by a contract. It's over.Why would she refuse to accept the penthouse and the money though? Where the hell does she think she can go? What is she trying to do?I don't understand.I was just trying to put her life on set before I... Before we part ways. It's not like I was asking for anything from her in return. Yes, the penthouse costs a lot, but I can't see myself living there anymore. Especially now that I live with Riva. It feels wrong to bring her there.I can sell it, but..."Didn't she have any demand?" I asked. Perhaps she didn't want to live in the penthouse. Does she like that property in the countryside instead? But that is literally in the middle of nowhere."No," he shook
YVONNEI stared at my reflection in the mirror. My long hair was chopped into a blunt bob that reached just below my chin. "Oh gosh! It suits you!" Selene gasped."Thanks," I muttered. That's what I thought too. "You don't look bad yourself."Her hair is now back to its natural blonde color. Its striking contrast with her blue eyes really complemented her. It also looked more vibrant after the rejuvenating treatment she availed."What should we do next?" she giggled while letting her fingers run through the smooth strands of her hair.Honestly, the massage worked wonders in my body. It soothed my aching limbs and muscles. But I don't think I'm up for something else."Actually, I... want to go home," I said."What?!" her eyes widened as she stared at me as if I'd grown two heads. "How about we go shopping for a while before we go?"I frowned. Shopping? I wanted to ask how she got money to afford these, but I didn't want to offend her. I paid for my haircut and massage though so she mu
YVONNEI gasped and jolted upright from bed. Loud, incessant knocks on the door startled me from my deep sleep. I frowned, my hazy mind still processing what was going on.What the hell is happening?I tried to pry my eyes open to check for the time. It's only eight o'clock in the morning. I glanced at the door when the knocking continued. It even got louder.What in the world?! Did they get the wrong unit? I wasn't expecting anybody. Who would visit me this early in the day?"Ugh," I groaned as I pulled myself to get up.I dragged my feet to the door. My whole body is aching, probably from pushing furniture and cleaning almost the whole day yesterday. I could have used a few more hours of sleep if not for the person trying so hard to disturb me.I swear, I could yell at whoever is trying to knock my door down!"Who's there?""Good morning!" a cheery voice greeted me as soon as I pulled the door open. It took me a few seconds to realize what was going on.Selene was standing right out