She could not seem to stop crying. Vicky was back and her husband spent the night with his ex. How could he do that?
Vicky used to be her best friend and had a die-hard crush on Aiden. Elara also had a secret crush, but she could never find the courage to tell Aiden about her feelings.
Aiden was one year senior to them. After a lot of effort and temptations, Vicky at last succeeded and they started dating. For some reason, Aiden’s grandfather never liked Vicky.
Though Vicky had a strong financial background. Unlike Elara who was the chubby daughter of a gardener in Aiden’s neighborhood.
One year back, Aiden’s grandfather passed away and Elara always thought Aiden was still grieving. But no. He was not grieving but was trying to reverse the wrong decision taken by his old man.
And that was to divorce Elara.
He wasn’t in love with Elara. His first love had always been Vicky. But his grandfather forced him to marry a plus-size girl. He even threatened to take away all the companies that belonged to the family and snatch away the title of CEO.
Aiden was the youngest CEO according to Star magazine and the hottest man on earth by several tabloids and fashion mags.
He was a package and Elara was the one who won the lottery. Right after their wedding, Vicky got heartbroken and left the country without a word. Never to return.
And tonight?
The scene of them getting intimate in a hotel room was flashing in her mind repeatedly. And then she remembered about the divorce papers.
‘Oh, no. He wants a divorce so that he can marry Vicky?’ she couldn’t sleep. Aiden stayed out the whole night. He even didn’t bother to return in the morning.
***
Aiden Lockwood sat up in bed with a throbbing pain in his head,“Urgh. Today this pain has gotten intense.” He muttered to himself.
When Vicky saw him getting up, she quickly tightened the sheet around her and turned to the other side, shaking her shoulders dramatically. She wanted to give him the impression that she was crying.
Last night the pill worked well as always. Still, he was calling Elara’s name when she was trying to get intimate with him. Thank God Elara didn't hear him.
“Doesn’t matter, baby boy. Next time, I will make sure you scream my name during intimacy,” she promised herself silently. She could still remember Elara’s face in the doorway. The way she felt hurt, Vicky felt victorious.“Vic-Vicky!” she heard Aiden’s voice and tried to wipe her nonexistent tears from her face, “How did we end up here?”
He asked in a dizzy voice. This was the second time. Two months back he found himself waking up beside her in a very indecent condition in her hotel room.
“I don’t know, Aiden,” she tried to act all innocent, “I don’t know what got into you last night. You did the same thing two months ago when I told you, I was back in town. You came to meet me, and we ended up here in my bed. In this hotel.”
He could feel her quivering voice.
Two glasses of alcohol never made him that dizzy. He never got that drunk. He swallowed hard when he realized he was not dressed.
Just then his phone started ringing.
“Hello,” He took the call on speaker and looked around for his clothes.
“Hey, Aiden? I am sorry. Were you sleeping? You never slept that late, man.” His best friend Dr. Leonardo said in a curious voice.
“Yeah. I-I don’t know, Leo. What is it?”
“Aiden. I just checked your reports. You are being given slow poison,” Dr. Leo dropped the bomb.
“I am given what? Are you nuts, Leo? Who would do that?” Aiden’s mind was so boggled that he missed the look on Vicky’s face. Her face had gone pale in a matter of seconds.
“Someone is feeding it to you daily. That might be the reason that you are sleeping a lot. That’s the reason for your weakness too.” Aiden disconnected the call. His mind was still a mess. He couldn’t think straight.
“Aiden!” Vicky placed her delicate hand on his bare shoulder, “Is Elara feeding you anything? Like is she persistent to make you eat something …?” Vicky badly wanted to shift his focus to someone else. Who could be a better option than Elara?
Without uttering a word, Aiden got out of bed trying to look for his clothes, but his mind was filled with Elara’s constant nagging.
“I baked these cupcakes for you, Aiden.”
“I made these tarts just for you,”
“Look what I made for you today. Pecan caramel tarts!”
Elara? She is poisoning me? Is that the reason I can’t seem to remember my intimate nights with Vicky?
***
At last, Aiden came home at noon and saw Elara sitting on the couch in her sleeping suit. He wanted to ignore her but couldn’t.“So, that was the reason you used to feed me with all those baked treats? I can’t believe it, Elara. I am disgusted by your presence.”
Elara couldn’t understand why he was lashing out at her.
Her married life was already in shambles and all he could think of was blaming her for baking his favorite stuff. She wanted to hold his collar and shake him. Her gaze kept following him until he vanished into his room.
However, it was when the door to the living room opened again, and Vicky Barone walked inside, Elara felt her control snapping.
“Hello, Elara. How are you?” the audacity of this girl. She spent the night with my husband and now standing here as if she achieved a trophy.
“What are you doing here?” Elara looked into Vicky’s eyes and demanded. She was fuming with anger. She would not give up on her husband without a fight.
“Oh, well well!” Vicky had a sarcastic smirk on her face, “Look at the mouse who is talking to me so confidently.”
“I asked you, what are you doing here, Vicky? This is my house!”
“Listen Elara. Aiden was just…”
“Hold your tongue, Vicky. This is my husband you are talking about.” Elara spat and Vicky was stunned for a minute.
She wasn’t the same innocent Elara she had left three years ago. This woman was now aware of how to show her dislike.
Vicky didn’t give up and brought a forced smile to her face, “You know very well about Aiden’s feelings for me. He never loved you. I was the one who always owned his heart. And I should be the one who deserves to be his wife.”
“If you were the deserving candidate then why you left?” Elara raised a brow, “Was that your true love for him?”
Vicky was in for a shock. Who taught Elara to speak back? Where was that sweet innocent girl who used to bow down to everyone’s wishes?
“Can you please lower your voice, Elara? Aiden must be getting his sleep.” She tried to act all sweet and innocent.
“Aiden never sleeps in the daytime.” Elara retorted in disgust. She lifted her chin with a proud smile however that smile was short-lived when a mocking smirk appeared on Vicky’s lips.
“He never slept during the day because nobody tried to make him stay awake throughout the night,” she winked, “But last night we both got tired. Let him sleep so that he can visit me tonight again.”
Elara wanted to kill her. Why was Vicky doing that?
“Vicky. You can leave now. I will let him know that you were here. Please leave.”
“Yeah. I know. I hope he has handed the divorce decree to you. Please sign it soon.”
“I am not doing any such thing, Vicky,” she tried to gulp down those sudden tears, “I made this place a home for the last three years and you cannot take it away from me.”
“Oh darling,” Vicky walked to her until she was close enough, “Have a look at yourself in the mirror. Don’t tell me you never did that. Tell me, do you really deserve Aiden Lockwood? I don’t think so.”
Vicky twisted her hourglass figure and stretched her arms and after such a long time Elara felt jealous.
“Looks are not everything!” Elara tried to hold on to the last string of hope.
“Correct!” she then brought her mouth closer to her ear, “But a baby is!” she whispered and then giggled, “How many babies have you given him in the last three years?”
By now Elara was tongue tied. Vicky spoke again, “Zero!” she smiled, “You gave him nothing. While me…” she smiled meaningfully and rubbed her palm over her flat tummy.
“Wh…what do you mean?” Elara felt like someone was choking her to death.
Vicky shrugged and rolled her eyes, “Gosh! You are still a dumb witted lady, Elara. Of course, I am carrying his baby.” An evil smile graced her lips, “I conceived the baby two months ago when I was back in town. Aiden couldn’t control himself as soon as he met me.”
“So, sweetheart. This house! Aiden Lockwood! And this baby! All of it belongs to me.” Vicky narrowed her eyes and eyed her collarbone, “This heart-shaped diamond pendant will also be mine. He bought it for me but later decided to give it to you. Ha-ha.”
Elara Smith after three years felt like her world came down crashing. She wanted to puke on Vicky’s face.
She looked at the handsome face of Aiden Lockwood and wanted to cry. How would I live without him? Soon you and Vicky will have a baby. and I will be left alone without anyone.Just because she was plus size and could not give him the baby, he had decided to go to his Ex and bang her.‘Why, Aiden?’ she asked his sleeping figure, ‘Wasn’t I enough for you? You hated my figure or my inability to have kids?’She wiped the tears from her face and picked up the file that had the divorce papers.‘I will not fight for a man who decided to leave me just because I couldn’t give him a baby. He didn’t respect me, nor he respected the sanctity of marriage.’She silently picked up the pen and signed the papers.***“What are you doing here?” her friend Thalia looked at her from head to toe, “You never visited me during my duty hours.”Thalia was a nurse in a famous hospital and became her friend when Elara used to visit the hospital for fertility treatments.“And why are you so pale, Elara?”“I … I
She reached the council office at nine sharp. As always Aiden was right on time. Elara could not ignore the fact that he looked drop-dead gorgeous despite his cheating on her.He was a gym freak. His t-shirt was snuggling his chest muscles like a lover.As expected, Vicky accompanied him glued to his side. For some reason, Elara wanted to weep but she chose not to. She wanted to maintain this strong façade in front of those losers. Looking at Vicky was making her sick. She wanted to puke.She quietly signed the papers. Aiden handed over a file to her.“I am giving you my apartment located on the main street of Akbir.” With a frown, she flipped the papers and tossed them back on his chest,“Not interested. Give it to her.” Then she again took up her sweet mode, “Vicky. You can keep the apartment. The house. All the furniture. Even my clothes. For now, they might be ill-fitted for you, but I am sure you can use them during your pregnancy when you will become a balloon, like me. Ha-ha.”
“We need to leave Ambarjon as soon as possible.” Elara was licking her fingers after eating a cupcake when she heard Thalia.“But we are supposed to leave after one month.” Thalia had gotten the job in Kanderton. She not only accepted the offer but also asked Elara to join her.Elara could not stay here any longer as they needed to hide the pregnancy from Aiden Lockwood. She had already started applying for different jobs online in Kanderton.“I know. But now we need to move within two days.”Elara sat up straight in the bed, “Why so sudden? You look worried. Is everything alright, Thalia?”“Today I saw Vicky in the hospital. That day she had a miscarriage and now she was at Dr. Natasha’s clinic for her treatment.”“Oh? So, what does it have to do with me? Though I am sorry for her baby.”“Silly! Dr. Natasha was your gynecologist too. Today Vicky was alone. But soon Aiden would be visiting Dr. Natasha along with her. What if Natasha tells him about your babies?”Elara's heart raced in
“Elara please stop crying,” Ever since Thalia returned from her job, Elara had been crying nonstop. “Thalia. I always thought that one day when he’ll be back in my life, I’ll show him what a strong woman I have become. I don’t need him in my life anymore. I wanted to get admission to this college because I wanted to secure an executive job. But I have been denied admission. I couldn’t clear the test.” Elara said between hiccups. “Elara. My beautiful friend! Listen. Do you want to show him what you are? Then go for something where you can put your heart and soul. Maybe executive jobs are not for you.” Elara wiped her face and looked at Thalia, “I know nothing except baking. I enjoy nothing except baking. I am a useless woman. Even Aiden never liked a wife who was always busy baking.” “Silly. Forget about Aiden. It's not about him. It’s about YOU, Elara. You love baking? Then start baking!” Thalia shook her a little. “What?” “Yes.” Thalia nodded her head in excitement, “Start bakin
“What do you mean by that, Thalia” Elara had shock on her face, “presentation in front of their administration staff?”Elara had never heard of it. Thalia just informed her that she will be called for a presentation about her baked goods. The corporate people wanted to make sure that their elite guests were satisfied with the services.“Hey, love. This is our first elite corporate order. You just have to tell them how you make your stuff. Ask about their preferences. Try to offer them a variety if by any chance any of their guests is allergic to something.”Elara felt her feet getting cold. A presentation in front of a bunch of people. She swallowed her spit when her dear friend held her by her shoulders,“Elara Smith. Remember? You wanted to do an MBA and failed the admission test. That degree also required presentations. Do it! So that you can give a flying fu*ck to that university. This presentation will not be for those corporate people. It will be for that university. You don’t n
“What are you doing sweetheart?” Mimi took a seat beside Sebastian who was typing something on his tab.“I am sending the location to someone.” He replied busily and got back to typing. Mimi frowned and tried to have a peek at the tab screen.“I hope you are not attracting kidnappers, boy.” There was a tinge of concern in her eyes.“Oh, Mimi,” Sebastian placed the tab and circled his small chubby arms around the elderly lady, “I am doing something for Mama’s happiness. Can’t you see? She is busy in running a bakery. But she is not happy.”“Oh, young boy,” Mimi clutched him to her bosom, “How thoughtful of you. Do you need my help?” The kid shook his head. When Mimi left there was a naughty grin on his face,“I will guide you to my mom, Mr. Lockwood. But not so easily.” He said and clicked the link, “Enjoy the ride, dear Daddy.”***Aiden Lockwood and Dr. Leonardo were getting off from the private jet owned by Lockwood companies.“I think we should go to our hotel rooms and get fresh.
Hello Readers. This is your author Lisa Salman. I just want to clear few misunderstandings. It seems that a few of you are not able to read the short author's note at the end of a chapter. My lovelies. My ML and FL are never weak. They might show a human side that's why they will make mistakes. But my ML is not weak. Why? You need to read further to find that. This month, I have another ongoing book 'Gosh! The CEO's Assistant is NOT a boy.' Hence you will get slower updates on this book. BUT... But just for this month(September 2023). From next month you will get daily updates except Sundays or if God forbid in case of an emergency. As I am a wife and a mom. If you want to read my complete work then here it is: 1) Oops! I Married A CEO By Mistake (Billionaire/Romance) 2) Ouch! My Fiance fell for his Maid. (Billionaire/ Romance) 3) Gosh! The CEO's Assistant is NOT a Boy. (Billionaire/Romance will be finished during this month) 4) Alpha Ezequiel's Fated Mate (Werewolf genre)
“Yes?” Elara gave a questioning look to the fine-looking man who was there standing in the bakery amidst all the customers. “Are you Elara Smith?” the man asked her with a pleasant smile. His smile deepened when she nodded, “I am George Kernel, Ms. Smith. Nice meeting you.” He extended his hand for a handshake. Thalia who was standing beside Elara was looking at the man from head to toe, “Nice!” she whispered close to Elara’s ear, but Elara ignored her and gave an enthusiastic smile to George while shaking his hand. “Hello, Mr. Kernel. I am sorry, I wasn’t expecting this visit,” she looked down when George didn’t show any intention to leave her hand. “I am here to ask you about your presentation idea.” If Elara found it odd, she didn’t show him. “Please come inside, Mr. Kernel.” She gestured for him to follow her and tried to free her hand from his grip. However, he didn’t seem to take the hint and started heading towards the door with her hand still in his grip. Elara tried to t