Chapter 1

Yellow golden rays of the sun penetrated through the sheath of the alternating black and blue silk curtains, the melodies from birds outside and the fresh air hitting her nostrils woke up Elsie that morning. She slowly opened her eyes, lying on a king sized bed in the lonely fetus position with her elbows bracing her knee caps, under the white sheets with a net stand above it. Her husband was sound asleep behind her back. Between them a barrier of pillows. 

She exhaled lazily. Twenty three years of age and she was already stressed out, visible by the wrinkles and acne on her beautiful face, swelling under her eyelids. 

The Berlin wall of pillows was not always there. There was a time when the two slept cuddling each other. That was before he proposed and she agreed to move in with him. She sat up to have a good look at him. Lewis Woodley was looking handsome as usual, then there was that uncontrollable urge to touch him. Her hand moved but she froze not sure whether it was a good idea. 

"Lewis" she called out politely.

"What's wrong with you? Let me sleep" he said rudely covering himself head to toe.

"You'll be late for work"

"Ooh, thanks" he said and continued sleeping.

She missed the days when they would wake up kissing the breath out of each other. The early morning sex, breakfast in bed and surprise dates. The road trips, watching the sunset together on Westbrook hills. All of it was nothing without him. She loved him so very much and he knew it that's why he was using it against her.

"When did you come back last night?"

"It's none of your business, don't patronize me am twenty five not a kid anymore"

"This can't keep going on Lewis am your wife" she complained her eyes getting watery, "what have I done to you?"

"Maybe your constant nagging behavior, if you're not happy with this just say it instead of looking for petty excuses" he said leaving the bed for the bathroom.

"Look at me Lewis, we haven't had sex in months!" 

"Chose one, you want to know when I came in or you want sex?" He shouted from the bathroom.

Elsie didn't answer that one. While on her way to the bathroom his phone buzzed. She stopped to look at it and dropped it on the bed tears flowing in her eyes. That text was the trigger that opened the flood gates.

"So you were at her place" she said confronting him in the bathroom.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, get out of my way!" Lewis ordered, bare chest with a pair of blue cotton shorts. 

"Am talking about your best friend thanking you for last night" 

"I warned you against poking your nose into my business" he said angrily going past her.

"This is not fair Lewis. Why? Why!" 

She followed him back in the bedroom. He was already dressing up acting as though he couldn't hear her. Lewis could see her crying in the mirror as he adjusted his tie. Brown skin, with black lustrous hair though unkempt she still looked beautiful, milky eyes with a greyish pupil, thin nose bridge between them, fresh heart shaped lips. Firm breasts on her chest, slim but curvaceous figure. He exhaled sharply and turned around looking remorseful. Her tears melted his heart. They always did.

"Hey..."

"Don't touch me!" She hissed pushing him away slapping his chest and screaming like a mad woman. 

"Am sorry let me explain" Lewis tried to calm her down.

"Why are you doing this?" 

He managed to overpower her by grabbing both her hands forcing her back on the wall. Both of them were breathing heavily, looking into each other's eyes. Lewis lost the staring contest out of guilt. 

"You know she is kidding right?"

"Don't try to lie in my face"

"Read the whole thread!" He showed her his phone to show how innocent he was.

After reading the entire thread she gave back his phone with a look of contentment on her face although she was still sad. 

"I'll make it up to you tonight let's go party or something"

"We need to talk about this"

"After we loosen up a little I know I haven't lived up to your expectations it's time I changed"

"Promise?"

"I promise baby I'll be late for work, bye" he said grabbing his bag from the desk in their room, he came back and kissed her on the lips before he dashed out. 

That was not the first time he was promising a fresh start. But she was always clinging to the hope that whenever he did promise he meant it. Elsie made their bed humming an indistinctive tune of sadness. She picked up his clothes, checked through the pockets for any lose change. Instead she came across one of his credit cards and a receipt.

"Son of a bitch!" She cursed reading through the receipt.

As per the receipt, the previous day he had made a stop at a gift shop, florist and the most exquisite fashion shop in Westbrook, and she wanted to know where the gifts were because she couldn't remember the last time he got her any gifts. That interrogation had to wait until evening. She put the receipt on the desk then carried his clothes to the laundry basket in the bathroom. It was also her sanctuary. Elsie undressed and switched on the cold shower.

The cold water making contact with her skin made her shake. Her teeth rattled and goosebumps sprouted all over her body as the water cascaded down her body to her feet. She took some soap and applied on her hair washing it clean, down to her body. She then stood there with her eyes shut to enjoy the kind of peace the cold shower brought. A rough knock on the door cut off the fun.

"Who is it?" She asked switching off the shower. 

"Breakfast is ready mum” a female voice said from behind the door.

"I'm coming" she said. 

She was starting to get used to the billionaire life style of being served, everything done for her. All she did was eat shop and help around with the family business when called upon. Before she had it all she thought that was the best life one could ask for now that she had it at the expense of true love, she hated it all. They say be careful what you wish for.

****

Lewis Woodley, the last born and smartest of the three Woodley brothers was seated in the back seat of his famous golden Rolls Royce flipping through the pages of the Westbrook city daily newspaper. He was the CEO of Woodley and sons’ insurance company, one of the few billion dollar ventures in a fleet of companies and businesses owned by the billionaire family. They owned more than half of that city. 

"Sir we are almost there, do you want to make any stop?"

"No am good. There is something I have been longing to talk to you about" Lewis said busy on the paper.

"Okay" the driver said stealing glances at his boss via the rear view mirror.

He went to a scary silence that gave the driver cold feet. 

"My wife, Fiancée actually has she talked to you about anything?" He asked keeping the paper away.

"No sir we don't talk much"

"I don't want you to talk to her or your job is in jeopardy"

"Okay sir"

"No word about where we go, you hear me?" 

"Yes sir" he said driving them to the company offices. 

The black gate opened to the spectacular four storey edifice, its pillars painted cream and black, made of glass that reflected the rays of the sun back to the atmosphere creating some sort of optical illusion in the air that was a beauty for the eyes. A perimeter wall was surrounding it. On their left was the staff parking lot. Brass plates mounted on every section. The driver opened the door for Lewis before he parked the fuel guzzler in its rightful area. Under the black and gold brass plate encrypted "CEO"

"Get me the bag" he shouted as he walked to the office.

You could notice the employee’s behavior and change at the sight of him in the reception area. Turkish grey suit, no tie. Cotton white as snow shirt, black brogue leather shoes on his feet. He cleared his throat to ask for attention. Being a Friday, it was parade. 

"Thank you all for coming, on behalf of the Woodley’s I appreciate your efforts they make this place what it is. Clap for yourselves!"

They gave themselves a huge round of applause.

"The purpose of this meeting has not changed" he said looking around, "Motivation, we can do better, let's try our best today to end the week at a good place on the financial chart so that next week we have somewhere to start. We can do it" He psyched them up, "Any questions?"

Dozens of eyes roamed the entire block full of professionally dressed ladies and gentlemen hoping to see a hand shot up in the air. 

"Come on guys, nothing? No one? Okay, ask me anything, you from the accidents department" he said pointing to a nicely dressed lady in a purple velvet sheath dress, "not the one behind you, I've said this again and again confidence is key in our line of work. Feel free to ask any questions you have so that we can solve them together. I know the likes of the Gilbert there with his poor handwritings would really love to use the suggestion box" 

He cracked them up relieving the tension in the room. 

"I have a question sir" Gilbert said squeezing himself from the back.

"Personal or work related?"

"Work related sir" Lewis gave him a signal to go on, "it's actually a suggestion I was asking on behalf of everyone the vacancy in the mortgage department should be filled by one of our own sir. There are competent, qualified and loyal employees who have worked for the Woodley’s for more than a decade now..."

"You mean like you?" Lewis said smiling broadly, the other employees laughed at Gilbert trying to blow his own trumpet. 

"Yes like me" he said laughing, "It can be anyone"

"Okay I'll talk to dad about it over the weekend, let's get back to work!" 

As they went back to their different work stations Lewis marched to the lift. By his side his secretary was trying to brief him and at the same time run with her stilettos and a black tight dress slightly above her knee caps with a slit at the back. She was not alone, the driver was also behind them trying to catch up.

"In the afternoon you also have a meeting with the board to discuss the financial report" she said pressing a button on the lift, the door closed immediately the driver entered with the bag.

"Okay and then"

"You have golf with your golf club at three, a meeting with your dad and brothers at four

..."

"Okay anything else?" He asked busy typing on his phone. 

"Your wife called to remind you about the dinner plans I wanted your permission to book a reservation"

"Scratch that I have other plans" he said leaving the lift to his office.

It was directly opposite the lift. A three minute walk but with his striding they were there in a record time of one minute. 

"Keep it there thank you" he said to the driver, "remember what we discussed"

"Okay sir" he said leaving Lewis with his secretary. 

"Come on you know the drill" he said with sinister smile on his face.

She locked the door and got rid of her top on her way back. Lewis was leaning on his big desk smiling. He liked what he was seeing.