Fernando's POV
"Here are the documents containing the minutes of the last meeting with Bezos construction, sir." My secretary, Miss Kim, said as she placed the heavy pile of paperwork on my desk.
"Thanks," I nodded, giving the paperwork a once over. "You may leave."
Sighing, I grabbed a pen from my locker, dragged the documents closer and began to inscribe my signature on each of them, without perusal.
My temples throbbed with an agonizing migraine that made it seem like my neck was about to snap into two.
I blamed my migraine on my unhealthy consumption of alcohol throughout last night.
I couldn't get a wink as I had stayed up thinking about my failed relationship with Bethany.
If someone had told me five years ago that I would end up regretting divorcing Helen, I would have scoffed at the person.
But now, not only did I regret chasing Helen out of my life, I also regretted reuniting with Bethany.
When she first moved in with me five years ago, we had dwelled harmoniously, to the point where I had started blaming myself for even getting married to Helen, when I could have had a blissful life like that with Bethany.
However, a couple of months later, our relationship seemed to crumble overnight.
I couldn't exactly place a finger on what it was or how it had happened, all I knew was that I mysteriously fell out of love with Bethany and couldn't take my mind off Helen.
I would have hot, sensual dreams of us having mind-blowing sex that would leave me with a raging boner when I woke up.
And when Bethany would try to relieve my hard-on, I would become irate instead of aroused.
I was glad that I didn't go through with my decision to marry her after everything.
It was as if Helen had cast a spell on me before she left, because for the past four years, not a single day went by that I didn't think of her.
Hell, I had even hired some private investigators to help me find her, but our combined efforts hadn't yielded a single fruit.
It was as if Helen had disappeared from earth altogether.
Even if I found her, I had no idea what I would say to her or if she would even want to look at me.
I had put her through hell and back, simply because I didn't want her as my wife.
I had made her feel worthless and useless on numerous occasions, even though it wasn't her fault she was married to me.
Her greedy father had offered her to me as a gift for saving his company from the brink of collapsing, and instead of rejecting his offer, I had accepted it, so that I could make her life a living hell.
And being the gentle person she was, she had bore all my wrongdoings without a squeak.
Fuck it, I missed Helen so much.
I missed those doe brown eyes of hers that sparkled with innocence and sadness whenever she looked at me.
I missed seeing her plump, rosy lips contort into a pout whenever she ate something spicy.
To sum it up, I missed everything about her and I wanted her back in my life as soon as possible.
My thoughts were interrupted by Bethany barging into my office suddenly.
She looked livid as she glared at me.
"Who the hell allowed you in here?" I barked, walking up to her.
Five years ago, I would have been elated to see Bethany in my office but now, her mere presence instilled a great dose of fury inside me.
Rolling her eyes, she retorted. "Why? Am I not allowed in here anymore? Have you forgotten that I'm your girlfriend?"
"What do you want?" I scoffed. "I have to get back to work."
"You are a jerk, Fernando!" She glowered at me. "Do you know how embarrassed I was today because of you?"
"Stop beating around the bush and say whatever it is that you want to say." I spat.
"I was out shopping with Tanya and Kelly today at Versace. And when it was time for me to pay, the cashier told me that my card declined, and I know it was definitely your doing. What the hell is wrong with you, Fernando? You have changed so much, and not in a good way." She rambled out, bunching her hands into fists by her side.
I shrugged, unperturbed as I returned to my seat.
"How much have you spent on shopping in the past four weeks?" I asked, flipping through the paperwork to see if I had left some of them unsigned.
"What are you trying to insinuate?"
"Answer the damn question, woman!" I slammed my hands on the desk as I stood up.
She seemed petrified as her gaze on me faltered.
"W-Well I don't keep tabs on that."
I chortled, nodding. "Of course, you don't. If you must know, you spent three million dollars on shopping last month, and yesterday, you went to a club and also spent two hundred thousand dollars there. Do you think I pluck money from trees?"
One of the many things I loathed about Bethany was the fact that she was a wasteful spender.
How I had failed to realize that when we first got back together was beyond me.
Perhaps, I had been too drunk in love to notice it.
"I won't allow you to speak like that to me, okay? If you are going broke, just say so instead of taking out your anger on me. How much is three million that you can't afford?" She scoffed.
"You are nothing but a leech, Bethany," I hollered. "You are a wasteful spender and I want nothing to do with you from now on."
The anger in her eyes dissolved instantly at my utterance.
"You don't have to blow everything out of proportion, babe." She said, walking up to me and molding herself against my chest.
"Get off me," I muttered, looking past her.
"Let's just settle this amicably, darling. You don't have to get all worked up over a trivial issue like this." She got on her knees and started unbuckling my belt.
The wheels in my head turned as I watched her, but I tried to remain calm.
"What are you doing?"
"Making peace with you." She darted me a seductive wink.
"Get up before I call security to throw you out of my company." I uttered, and her hands instantly slid off my crotch.
Scowling, she yanked herself up from the floor, darted me a glare before exiting my office and slamming the door angrily on her way out.
She would probably go to mother's to report me and as usual, mother would call to reprimand me for treating a lovely girl like Bethany in that manner.
I had resolved to block my mother's number if I saw her call that day.
Then, I finished reviewing the documents and summoned Miss Kim back in to retrieve them.
Sighing for the umpteenth time that day, I retracted my phone, swiped the "photos" app open, and clicked on the only picture that I had saved in the "favorites" folder.
Helen seemed to be smiling at me as I tenderly stroked the picture, while wishing I could somehow extract her out of my phone and apologize to her.
That picture of hers had been taken at our wedding and she looked gorgeous in the strapless white ball gown.
I wonder if my brother knew where she was presently because Roman and her used to have a very tight bond until I forced Roman to stop coming over to my house, after I found out that he had bought her gifts.
Shortly after that, my younger brother had eventually gone on to travel to Italy to pursue his dreams of becoming a renowned painter.
And I hadn't heard from him since then.
Each time I tried calling him, I would be directed to voicemail.
I had read in between the lines that he probably didn't want to have anything to do with me anymore, and had stopped calling him.
Roman was right when he told me that a scumbag like myself didn't deserve Helen.
But I would prove to him that I could make things right again between Helen and I.
And this time, I would never let her go.
FIVE YEARS LATERHelen's POV"Good morning, sir." I bowed to Alexander Ferguson, my boss of three years.After I moved to Australia five years ago, I had continued my college education and had finished successfully with a degree in accounting.Fortunately for me, I had gotten a job as the secretary to the director of VZ firm, which was one of the largest corporate firms in Australia, as soon as I graduated.My job had made it easier for me to move out of Lucy's apartment into mine.However, the only thing that hadn't changed was my hatred for Fernando, which seemed to grow in large bouts as the days went by.The vitriolic hatred that I harbored for him made it difficult for me to date any other man, because I thought they were all manipulative jerks who wanted nothing more than a woman's downfall.Although Lucy had forced me to go on numerous dates, I just couldn't be attracted to any of them.Fernando had truly ruined my standards in men.Hell, I was probably aromantic and asexual at
Fernando's POVAs I shrugged off my coat, a knock came on the door."Come in," I uttered. "The door is open."Miss Kim walked in, looking troubled. "We have a problem, sir."I hung my coat on the rack before motioning her over. "A problem? What is going on exactly?""Information just reached me that the director and assistant director at the Australia branch have both been arrested for embezzlement." She uttered, fiddling with her hands nervously.A mix of fury and perplexion danced within me as I regarded her for some moments without saying anything.Fuck. I shouldn't have listened to mother when she had asked me to make her cousin the director of the Australian branch.Now, his greed and corruption was about to plunge my company into a state of financial crisis.I should have known that he was nothing more than gluttonous old man, who was only after his own pocket and not the well-being of my company."So, what's happening over there right now?" I asked."The police are conducting a
Helen's POV"Excuse us, we are coming through. Please don't close the door." I heard a feminine squeal as I made to shut the elevator doors.Two young women, who I presumed were in their early twenties rushed in, clutching satchel bags."Good morning, miss Helen." They greeted in unison, as the door slid shut and the elevator finally started moving."Morning." I darted them a polite grin, and faced my front.For some reasons, they seemed quite familiar but I couldn't remember where I knew them from."We are currently interning at the sales department," As if she was a mind-reader, one of them spoke. "You gave us the company's handbook two weeks ago, ma'am."Oh, right.I could finally recall where I knew them from; it was at the orientation ceremony for new interns that had taken place two weeks ago."Oh, hi. How have you been enjoying the company so far?" I asked, directing my attention to them.They both exchanged glances before the second lady replied. "Our experience has been nice
Fernando's POV"Any news on the employee who moved the company funds for the assistant director?" I asked, as I strode out of the elevator, with Tim Carson, the team leader of the marketing department trailing behind me.Yesterday, I arrived in Australia late in the evening.I had been too jetlagged to even take a shower and had flopped on the nearest sofa I saw, the moment I stepped into my penthouse."Yes, sir," Tim replied. "They took her into custody yesterday to ask her some questions, and she confessed to creating some foreign accounts for the assistant director under her name.""Very well then," I mumbled.My forehead creased in a frown when I saw a small crowd of people–my employees, chatting idly in front of the director's–well, my new office."And why exactly are you standing aimlessly in front of my office?" I barked, and they instantly hurried back to their jobs.Fucking lazy bones. They really knew how to make a good impression. I scoffed, twisting the door knob."You sho
Helen's POV"So," Lucy said. "What are you going to do now?"I had just finished narrating how I had seen Fernando again that day, and how the sight of him had dampened my mood.Lucy was currently out of town, so I had to settle for calling her because I was desperate to share the latest development with her.And yes, I couldn't wait until she got back.The anxiety rippling through me in vicious waves was bound to make me crazy if I kept everything to myself until I could contact Lucy physically."I'm resigning, what else?" I scoffed. "I can't believe I've been surviving on his money indirectly after making a pact with myself that I was never gonna need his stupid money."The thought caused anger to boil within me as I tightened my grip on Ethan's small hand.We were currently at the mall shopping for groceries and a super mario game set for Ethan."That aunty Lulu?" He asked, eyes glistening with childlike innocence."Yes, baby," I found myself grinning from ear to ear, despite the i
Fernando's POVAs I knotted my tie, a knock came on the door."Is that you, Clara?" I asked, as if I was expecting someone else"It's Clara, sir," The person affirmed. "I wanted to tell you that breakfast is ready.""Okay, I will be done in a few." I said.Afterward, I heard the sound of her feet padding away.Clara was a middle-aged woman who I had hired as my private chef upon my arrival in Australia.The penthouse I had bought to reside in throughout my stay in Australia wasn't as large as my mansion in New York, although it was quite spacious.It had four bedrooms, six bathrooms, a living room, a private gym, a TV room, and three kitchens.I hadn't hired a maid or a butler because I wanted to navigate life on my own.Mother had spoiled me too much since I was born; I had been too accustomed to having people at my beck and call all the time.It was time I knew how to figure stuff out on my own.But because I didn't have the slightest idea of how cooking worked, I had hired Clara.F
Helen's POV"Don't get ahead of yourself. I'm here to tender my resignation letter." I said, outstretching the envelope containing the said letter.Fernando steered his gaze from my face to the letter, without collecting it, causing me to bristle with irritation."How's Ethan doing?" He suddenly asked, to which I scoffed."My son's life is none of your business, Fernando," I said. "I don't see why you're asking me that question like we're close friends when we're not." I spat, sidling past him to place the envelope on his desk."Helen, please let's sort this out. There's no use bearing grudges toward each other forever. Let's iron out this issue with maturity." His husky baritone came out in a rumble, as he grabbed my arm."Let go of me," I glared at him."Oh," He said, withdrawing his hand from my arm. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to do that."Ignoring his apology, I folded my arms across my chest and chortled mirthlessly."You want us to resolve this issue with maturity, huh?" I scoffed
Fernando's POVI watched the confusion on Helen's face morph into trepidation as she began shuddering, even though the heater was on.Had something happened to Ethan?I had heard her ask the person on the other end of the line that same question before panic engulfed her."Oh, God," She whispered, fear conspicuous in her voice. "I-I'll be there soon." She stammered, before ending the call."Is everything alright with Ethan?" I asked, and she darted me look that was set in between hesitation and fear.I knew then that my suspicions were right; something had happened to the boy."I-I need to go now," She uttered, and dashed out of my office. I trailed behind her, ignoring the way people stared at me."Stop following me. I can handle myself." She yelled, as we both walked past the doors of the company."You are clearly not in the right condition to drive. Please let me give you a ride." I offered, watching her unlock her car."I don't need your help," She snapped, as she got in. "Just l