Chapter 48Sebastian ~•~After thinking about everything for a while, I decided to cancel on Ivy. I couldn’t miss that business meeting for anything. I was disappointed by her reaction when I told her about the meeting. Normally, Ivy would have been happier than me, but she seemed uninterested. It was just as though she didn’t care about my success anymore. Or maybe she was just upset because I canceled on her. Either way, I shoved the thoughts about her and focused on the meeting. I had already texted my assistant to let her know I would be on my way to the office.I changed my outfit into something more professional, and then I grabbed my car keys and headed out of the house. I was excited but nervous about it at the same time. I prayed silently that everything would work out.This was something I had been wanting for months and I had finally gotten an opportunity. I increased my speed as I drove over to the office. I wanted to get there in time to prepare with my team before
Chapter 49Ivy Chase ~•~Serena wasn’t having it anymore. I tried so hard to convince her that I had everything in control and knew exactly what I was doing. But she still hated the fact that I was still speaking to Sebastian. As soon as he called to say he was coming over, she decided to leave the house. She was meant to spend the night at my place but she changed her mind. Even when I wanted to cancel with Sebastian and ask him to come some other time, she still wasn’t interested in spending the night. She just said she hoped I was making the right decision. To be honest, I also hoped that I was making the right decision. As I walked her to her car, she ignored Sebastian’s existence and couldn’t stop frowning. I didn’t blame her for acting the way she did. I stood outside and watched her as she drove away before turning back to meet Sebastian. I had to apologize on Serena’s behalf because I didn’t want Sebastian to suspect anything. I went ahead to ask him about how his me
Chapter 50Ivy Chase ~•~“Are you sure you want to carry on with this wedding?” Zara asked as we made our way into the wedding dress shop.I nodded. “Yes.” Her face formed into a frown. “Why? Have you forgotten everything I told you? Have you forgotten about the conversation you overheard?”A soft chuckle escaped my lips. “No, Zara. I remember everything vividly.” I replied as a staff member led us to a waiting room. “Then why are you shopping for a wedding dress?” She asked, her voice skeptical. “Sebastian isn’t good for you. I don’t think this is a good idea.” “I gave you a second chance, right?” I asked, staring at her. “I think he also deserves a second chance,” I added, my voice calm. Zara let out a frustrated sigh. “I know but I asked for forgiveness, but Sebastian didn’t. Who knows what else he has planned for you.” I wasn’t sure Zara was genuinely concerned about me. She was probably advising me to leave him because of her own selfish reasons.Maybe she was jealous seei
Chapter 51Ivy Chase ~•~I stood over at the balcony, the cool morning breeze caressing my skin as I gazed out at the serene landscape. My eyes narrowed, my thoughts drifting to Sebastian. It was finally the day of our wedding.I couldn’t help but think about all the different phases of our relationship. At one point, I thought I was the luckiest woman alive with the most perfect boyfriend. But a few months later, I realized I was dating my enemy. I never expected him to switch up on me like that, but life was unpredictable. It was even more unpredictable for him because he had no clue what was coming for him. “Ivy, the makeup artist is here.” Zara’s voice echoed from inside the room. Yes, Zara was my bridesmaid. Letting out a deep sigh, I turned around and made my way into the hotel room. While the makeup artist worked on my face, I was on a call with my parents. “Are you sure you want to go through with this?” My mother’s concerned voice sounded from the other end of the li
Chapter 52Ivy Chase ~•~Everyone rose to their feet as I walked into the venue. My father was beside me and all eyes were on us. Sebastian was standing at the podium, waiting for me.As we walked to the front, my father whispered to me. “It’s not too late to turn around.” His voice was filled with genuine concern. I responded with a soft laugh. “It’s fine, Daddy. I don’t want to turn around.” My father let out a quiet sigh. “I saw Zara outside as your bridesmaids. I also saw the news of how she betrayed you on the Internet.” His voice was a hushed whisper. “Why do you like holding on to terrible people?” I forced a smile because all eyes were on us. I didn’t want them to suspect that anything was wrong. “Can we talk about this after the wedding?” “Fine.” My father wore a fake smile and walked me to the podium without saying anything else. Sebastian also had a wide smile plastered across his face as I arrived. If only the smile was genuine. Everyone sat down and the priest st
Chapter 53Sebastian ~•~At that moment, I wanted the ground to open and swallow me. I never expected something like this to happen on my wedding day. Ivy was good at pretending because she knew about all this information but still managed to act like everything was okay between us. Zara also betrayed me. She fucked up by trusting Ivy. She lied to me and opened up to Ivy but she ended up embarrassing herself for the second time. My world was crumbling right before my eyes and I couldn’t do anything about it. This scene wasn’t a good look for me. There were so many important people present at the wedding and Ivy went ahead to ruin my reputation. I was sure it was already trending on the internet. Ivy had a satisfied smile plastered across her face. There was nothing I could say to defend myself, she had already shown everyone solid proof of what I had done. I couldn’t stand there and feel embarrassed anymore.With my head lowered, I rushed out of the building and went to my car
Chapter 54Ivy Chase ~•~I made sure to apologize to all the guests who were present for wasting their time. It wasn’t fair to invite them to a ceremony that wouldn’t be successful. But I needed them there because I wanted Sebastian to face public humiliation. Most people on the blogs were bashing me for being a terrible person because I embarrassed him publicly. Their words didn’t phase me because I didn’t care what strangers on the internet had to say about my life and choices. Soon enough, everyone had departed from the venue. My parents had also left but they asked me to meet them at the house when I was done. I felt so relieved like a heavy weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I couldn’t help but wonder how Sebastian and his family were feeling. He wanted to play me but I beat him to his game. He would be so devastated and frustrated. “Hey, Stranger.” I heard Parker’s voice from behind. With a smile, I turned around to look at him. “You’re still here?” I asked, gestu
Chapter 55Ivy Chase ~•~I had already made my decision a long time ago. I wasn’t going to press charges. But I knew that my parents would be upset if I told them what I had decided. I hesitated for a while before shrugging my shoulders. “I have no idea. I want to think about it for a little while before making any decision.” My father wasn’t impressed by my answer but he didn’t protest against it. “Fine, but don’t hesitate to speak to me when you finally decide on what to do.”I responded with a small smile. “Sure, I will.” I didn’t want to press charges against Sebastian or Zara. The public humiliation they had faced was enough to ruin their lives. Plus, I still had a soft spot for them and couldn’t bring myself to watch them go to prison. I was trying to be lenient with them. “You can stay at the house for a while, in case you feel sad or lonely at your apartment.” My mother added when we all settled down on the couch. My parents had been wanting me to move back home, and th
Chapter 109Ivy Chase~•~When Parker returned to the room, he saw me holding his phone. “What did you see?” He asked as he took a step closer to me. “They asked you to come back but you refused,” I said as I handed his phone back to him. “What’s going on? Why did you quit and want to throw everything away?” Parker sighed. “They don’t have my best interest at heart.” He replied as he sat down next to me. “They refused to allow me to come back here and ended up giving me an ultimatum.” “And so what? They’ve realized their mistake and they want you back.” After everything that happened, I couldn’t let Parker give up on his dreams just because I needed saving. Parker shook his head, his eyes filled with determination. “I’ve already made up my mind. It’s too late and I’m not interested anymore.” He declared. “What happens next when there’s an emergency and they don’t let me leave? Do I just quit again?” “What would your parents say? It was a great opportunity and I don’t think you sh
Chapter 108Ivy Chase~•~“What do you mean by you’ve quit your job?” I asked with a hint of amusement in my voice. “You’ve worked so hard there and you just want to throw everything down the drain?” Parker sighed. “They gave me an ultimatum.” I raised my eyebrows. “What was the ultimatum?” He closed his eyes briefly, letting out a deep breath. “Let’s get you cleaned up and make sure you eat before talking about it.” I shook my head. “No, let’s talk about it right now.” I declared firmly without hesitation. “What was the ultimatum?” I repeated my question. “We will talk about it when we get home.” Throughout the rest of the ride, a frown was plastered across my face. There was nothing I could say that would convince Parker to change his mind and tell me about what was going on. It didn’t make sense for him to quit just like that. This was something he wanted so badly. It even caused a strain in our relationship at one point. I didn’t believe that he would just wake up one day
Chapter 107Ivy Chase~•~“How is it your fault?” I asked Parker, my brows etched in confusion. “Let’s leave this place first, I’ll explain everything to you in the car,” Parker replied, his voice measured. I was reluctant at first, but I eventually agreed. I didn’t want to spend another second in the house. Parker led me to the car, and I was relieved to know that I was finally free. But I couldn’t stop thinking about how it was Parker’s fault. Soon enough, I settled down in the car and fastened my seatbelt. Then Parker started the car and drove out of the deserted area. “So tell me everything,” I said, staring at him in anticipation. Parker sighed and started explaining. By the time he was done, my eyes grew wide in shock. “What? So they decided to come after me just because of a bad deal that happened years ago?” Parker nodded, his eyes filled with guilt. “Yes, I’m so sorry, Ivy. I couldn’t even tell your parents because I didn’t know how they would react to the news.” I
Chapter 106Parker Wellington~•~Just one bad deal! One fucking bad deal and they decide to go after my girlfriend? I had been blaming Zara when everything was actually my fault. After all these years, they decide to come after me now? I had no idea how I would even break the news to Ivy’s family. They would hate me for making their daughter go through something like that. When we took Zara to the station, she refused to say anything. She wouldn’t even talk with Ivy’s family present. I guess she was scared because there was no way in hell that she was doing it just to protect me. Ivy’s family had to leave before she agreed to talk. I was the only one she wanted to talk to. I was confused at first but I finally understood her reason after she explained everything to me. Zara was approached by a group of businessmen. She gave me a name. They wanted her to get close to Ivy, so they would be able to take her without a hassle. Zara was desperate for money because her life was fall
Chapter 105Ivy Chase ~•~I had no idea how long I had been passed out, but the next time I opened my eyes, I heard a loud noise coming from outside where I had been kept. My body was weak and I felt so dizzy. I tried to stand up but my legs weren’t cooperating. The noises outside were getting louder and it sounded like people were engaged in a heated argument. I managed to crawl closer to the door even though the concrete floor was hard and rough. When I finally got close, their voices were muffled and I couldn’t hear what they were saying. Frustrated, I decided to hit the door multiple times and screamed out for help. Everywhere went silent for a few minutes. But nobody answered me. Then they continued talking. I didn’t give up. I kept on hitting the door, hoping someone would come to my rescue. I had been kept hostage without a reason for so long. I had a life and wanted to get back to it. The worst part was that they didn’t even say what they wanted. Why would they kidna
Chapter 104Parker Wellington ~•~I felt a wave of different emotions - anger, frustration, sadness, disappointment - after I watched the CCTV footage. Why the fuck did Ivy allow Zara inside her home? After everything the girl had done to her, she still let her inside. I couldn’t help but wonder how their conversation went. What could she have possibly said to convince Ivy? A few hours after she let Zara into her house, a group of masked men walked in right after. Then they took Ivy away while she was unconscious. I had no idea what Zara had done to her. The police had already started searching for Zara but she was nowhere to be found. I knew that Ivy wouldn’t just ghost everybody. She was in danger and I couldn’t help but wonder what Zara’s motive was. Why would she do something like that to her best friend? As I returned to my house, I slammed the door behind me, the loud crash echoing my frustration. It was late and I needed to get some rest, so I wouldn’t be exhausted in
Chapter 103Ivy Chase ~•~I shouldn’t have let Zara into my home. I messed up.She always reminded me of why I shouldn’t trust people. Zara had played me multiple times and I still feel for her manipulation. The last thing I remembered was letting her into my house and showing her to the living room. The next time I became conscious, I found myself in the dark room. I didn’t need anybody to tell me that Zara had a hand in it. She was the reason why I had been locked up for days. But I had no idea why she decided to do it. What was her motive? What did she have to gain? How long did she plan on holding me for? I had been thinking about my family all this while. They must’ve been looking for me but had no idea I had been trapped because of Zara. Parker was also on my mind, he would think I had been ignoring him. I mean, we had a little argument and he wouldn’t realize that I was missing. He would just assume that I was giving him the silent treatment because I was still upset.
Chapter 102Parker Wellington ~•~I stared at the email on my screen, my frustration growing with each passing moment. [ We are sorry but you can’t take a break. If you leave, it means that you are ready to terminate the contract.]Were they being serious right now? I just needed a little break, so I could go back home and help Ivy.But they refused, leaving me with an ultimatum. It was unacceptable. They wanted me to make a drastic decision. I didn’t want to abandon the job back in Japan completely, but Ivy was in danger and I needed to fly back there to save her. After finding her, I would return to Japan and continue working for them. But they didn’t agree even though I told them that it was an emergency. I was so frustrated and had no idea what to do. I picked up my phone and called Serena. “Hey, what is the update? Have you guys found anything yet?” I asked, letting out a deep sigh. “No, Parker.” “I’ll be on the next flight to New York.” “What? Are you allowed to do s
Chapter 101Parker Wellington ~•~Two days! It had been two days since I last heard anything from Ivy. The last time we spoke was when I called to apologize about Mika. All my calls went straight to voicemail and she wouldn’t even respond to my texts. I thought we were cool. I thought she had forgiven me and moved past our last issue. But I guess that I was wrong. Ivy was giving me the silent treatment and it was killing me. I had tried my best to reach out to her but it was just a waste of time. Why did she have to punish me like that? I didn’t even do anything wrong. I decided to take a step back and wait for her until she was ready to reach out to me. Maybe she just needed space to process everything that happened. Her silence affected me so badly that I couldn’t even focus properly on work. I had made a few mistakes with some of the figures and even as I tried to correct them, I still couldn’t concentrate. “Are you done?” My assistant’s voice echoed after she knocked gen