“The family business…” Amara muttered, laughing herself bitterly.
Well, a powerful Family Group was awaiting her back to manage yet she kept delaying it for someone who wasn't worthy of her love at all.
What did Tobias call her? A gold digger? If only he knew what family name she was born to have. The Crawford owed business everywhere in this world. If it weren't for the unexpected shipwreck, her fate would never have intersected with Tobias'.
Why should she keep on the wrong way? It was time to back home.
Seating into the black GMC Yukon, Amara picked up the call from her grandfather, Elvis Crawford.
“Grandfather, good evening.” She politely greeted, dipping her head subtly even though the man couldn’t see her.
“Evening Amara,” the old man asked directly. “Have you finally decided to stop playing house?”
"Yes," Amara replied firmly, carrying the tone of an elite who had been trained by the finest tutors.
"I'll divorce Tobias Larsen and back home soon. But I have a request, I want more time to deal with something here first."
The other end of the line was silent after her words, making her palms sweat.
Amara scrunched up her face. She just didn't want to disappear like the wind, making Tobias and Celestine think she was defeated.
“Please respect my decision Grandfather. I’m not coming home now. I don't want to leave like a loser. I want to build my name here before I go back home."
It felt like an eternity passed before Elvis spoke, “You know I especially hate when you disobey me,”
“I’m aware Grandfather. I apologize.” She apologetically bored her head, ready to accept whatever words her grandfather would throw at her. She knew she was being willful again.
“But you're right, there's no coward in our family. I'll give you a year to stay there as the manager of the London branch."
"And in return, you must have raised the company’s profit by thirty percent within a year.”
“What?! Grandfather, thirty percent, that’s three billion!”
“And? Are you incapable of doing so?”
“No.“
“Good. But let me be frank, failure to do so would also have consequences.”
“Like?”
“I have a close friend of mine whose son is interested in you. I’m sure you both would make a wonderful couple.”
Amara’s brows twitched. She understood the meaning in her grandfather’s words perfectly well.
“An arranged marriage.”
“You were fine with the first one, weren’t you? And let me tell you, unlike that bastard, Ah, I should have him castrated,” Amara chuckled lightly at how her grandfather had trailed off topic. “Unlike that bastard, Elijah is a fine man. He’d treat you well and-“
“That won’t be necessary, Grandfather,” Amara interrupted, politely. “I’ll raise the company’s profit by Thirty percent, and then I won't need this marriage anymore.”
“Yes.”
“Alright then, Deal.” Amara agreed.
“I've done that much for granddaughter, so please, decease from disobeying me once all this has come to an end.”
“Yes, grandfather. Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. I have to attend my golf meeting now, rest well.”
“Have a nice time, Grandfather.”
Just like that, the call ended, leaving Amara alone with her thoughts.
One year, thirty percent profit.
Don't see her agreeing lightly, and only she herself knew how much pressure this would bring. During the past six years, Amara had abandoned her identity as well as talents only to be Tobias' wife wholeheartedly. But it all turned out to be a worthless daydream.
Yes, it was time to wake up. And she was not that generous to forgive everything.
"Xavier," she spoke, softly rubbing her temple with her fingers. "Get ready to acquire the cosmetics company of Melanie Woods at once and make sure we're faster than the Larsen."
"Yes, my lady," the man in the front seat replied respectfully. "I'll definitely live up to your trust."
Amara looked out of the car window and a smile curled on her lips. She knew her new life started.
***
“Melanie, what are we doing here?” Staring up at the huge club building in front of her, Amara couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
She glanced to her side, finding Melanie who had just finished checking their attendance with the bodyguard, before she continued.
“You said we were going out…to celebrate.”
Melanie nodded her head. After learning that Amara had decided to divorce Tobias, Melanie couldn't wait to celebrate her best friend being single once again.
Amara agreed because being depressed for days over a dick like Tobias wasn’t her thing. But now, staring at the rather flashy club in front of her, Amara was doubting she had made the right decision.
“Come on Mara,” Melanie spoke as she pulled her by the wrist and into the club. “Where else did you expect us to go while dressed like this?”
The moment Melanie said this, Amara passed by a floor-to-ceiling mirror and caught sight of her dressing for the second time this evening. Knee-length, tight, black leather gown, boots that stopped at her ankle, and a glistening golden necklace that highlighted the curves of her neck exposed by her wavy brown hair which was now pulled up into a tight ponytail.
She looked stunning, felt confident, and unlike the unappealing woman who had been married to Tobias for six awful years. And the stares she got the instant she walked into the club told her every bit of that was true.
“You’re single now, Amara, we gotta celebrate that. Especially when it’s you that’s dumping that asshole.”
Amara chuckled, dryly, while Melanie ordered a third drink. She really admired her friend's hostility towards Tobias. It was on a whole other level, unlike her half-assed one.
“Four shots of whiskey for the two beautiful ladies.” The bartender announced as he came back with the drinks Melanie had ordered. When he placed them down, Amara sent the man an innocent smile that had him blushing like a high school geek.
“Even the bartender has it out for you,” Melanie commented as she picked up the first shot and downed it, soon urging Amara to do the same.
“Just celebrate the single life, Mara!” She cheered after their second shot, immediately hopping off the stool, pulling Amara with her in the process, and rushing into the dance floor.
Amara could only but chuckle at her friend's optimistic attitude. Melanie was clearly determined to see her have fun. And she was having fun, despite her gloomy mood, she had managed to keep a smile on her face the whole night.
But clearly, the universe had other plans for her.
As Amara and Melanie danced and swayed on the dance floor, a tall, lean individual dressed in a suit stepped into the club, beside him was a blonde beauty that quickly caught the eyes of many men in the club.
“Toby, where do you want to seat?” Celestine asked as she wrapped her arms around his upper arm, acting innocent as she pressed her chest against his arm.
“Wherever is fine,” Tobias responded, seemingly not disturbed by her actions.
Celestine didn’t like that, but she knew better than to complain, because the moment she did so, or tried any harder, Tobias was sure to notice the shift in her innocent demeanor.
“How about there?” She pointed to a spot beyond the dance floor.
Tobias followed the direction of her finger, but suddenly, something, no, someone caught his attention.
At the center of the dance floor was a familiar figure, dressed in a provocative black dress, swaying her hips to the rhythm of the music while laughing at the attention her current dance partner, a male in his late twenties, was showering her with.Even though she looked noticeably different, seductive, alluring, and far from the usual humble aura she usually gave, Tobias had no trouble recognizing her. His wife. And the longer Tobias watched HIS wife shower in the attention of another man, the more irritated he grew.“You can go on ahead.” He said without glancing at Celestine as he walked off, leaving her standing on her own.“Tob-,” Celestine was cut short, as Tobias had already walked away, his gaze focused on a particular figure, dancing on the dance floor.He wasn't aware of how fast his strides were or how harshly his fist clenched. He wasn’t aware of any of it until he found himself in front of his wife, and the man who had had his hands all over her for the past two minutes.
Tobias couldn't believe his ears.Amara, the woman who had claimed to love him for the past 6 years and always stuck to him like gum, had filed for a divorce even before he could. This fact kept disturbing him.He was the one meant to file for a divorce! And not the gentle wife he remembered!"You're really testing my patience, Amara." He threatened, eyes cold and voice colder. " you know what I'm capable of.""It's not a test, Tobias. It's a fact that is about to happen," Amara retorted, not at all intimidated by his words and demeanor."So you're sure you want to go against me, is that it?" Tobias said dangerously."What are you gonna do? Destroy me, ruin my reputation, destroy Melanie's business, or something along the lines of that?"Amara laughed coldly. Without waiting for Tobias to speak, Amara warned him."I dare you, Tobias. Try to lay even a finger on the people I hold dare and you'll see just how that'd turn out."Tobias looked at Amara's cold gaze, as if he was looking at a s
It had been several days since Amara sent the divorce paper but there was still no response. Pacing in front of the window, Amara called her attorney Philip."Hasn't Larsen signed it yet?""My apologies, Ms. Crawford," Philip sighed at the other end. "I have urged the side of Mr.Larsen but they just ignored us. I am applying for court procedures for you but we have also encountered resistance. The judge suggests that you should communicate with Mr. Larsen first."Hearing this, Amara chuckled out of anger. What was Tobias doing now? He was the first to ask for a divorce, and now she was giving him what he wanted, yet he started to obstruct her in every possible way. What's wrong with him?!!Taking a deep breath, Amara calmed herself. Since he wanted to play, she could play."I understand, Philip. I'll meet Larsen later." Amara picked up her handbag, heading to Tobias' company, Labyrinth.She had barely walked through the revolving doors when she heard a rather familiar voice ring out fr
"Toby! I need your help! Amara wants to ruin me!" Celeste suddenly called, crying frantically.Tobias immediately instructed his assistant to drive, sitting in the backseat, but the image that surfaced in his mind was of Amara. Who was she really? Why had she changed so drastically?She professed her love for him, yet swiftly moved between different men. Was she truly the vile snake that Celeste described?Whenever he thought about how desperately she wanted to divorce him and be with a sugar daddy, he couldn't help but feel enraged!Each time he thought about how eager she was to divorce him and link up with one of her sugar daddies, he couldn’t help but scoff.How bold of her. First she acted like a love sick puppy, gluing to him like he was the last man on earth, and now, she wanted to get away, ready to live whatever blissful life her sugar daddy could fund.Well, Tobias refused.He wasn’t going to let her get away with it, nor was he going to make the process of their divorce easy
"...All the recent accusations and allegations against me on posts are lies and slander. I hope you, as my esteemed fans, can ignore these malicious and unprofessional accusations and continue to support my future entertainment career. Thank you for your understanding."The next morning, Amara listened as Melanie read out Celestine's response to the intimate photo online. She felt disgusted at how naive and noble Celestine sounded, but she was even more furious at Tobias' attitude. When Melanie first suggested providing the photo of Tobias and Celestine to the gossip papers, she hesitated because she only wanted to divorce Tobias, not ruin his business.But the situation had changed. Since Tobias refused to divorce her, she had to give him a warning."This is all nonsense," Melanie said angrily, looking up from the newspaper. "How can she lie so naively to those people? She's the troublemaker. If anyone is innocent here, it's you, Amara."Amara focused her attention on her computer scr
Half an hour ago。“How long has it been?” The blonde male with brown eyes and similar appearance asked Amara as he led her towards a seating area. Holding a chair open, he added. “Three years?”“Four.” Amara corrected as she sat down, whispering a small ‘Thank you’ towards his gesture. She waited till he had settled down in front of her before asking. “How’s life in Italy been treating you, Lorenzo?”“Wonderful actually. I wouldn’t have left if not for the fact that Grandfather wants me to assist you a little since you’ve come to your senses.”Amara chuckled at his words. Lorenzo, her older brother, always had his ways with words, just like their grandfather. But even at that, she was glad he was here.“I’m really glad you’re here, Lorenzo.” She admitted, earning a smile from her older brother. But the smile quickly faded and he said.“Can I ask a question, Amara?” She nodded. “Why…why did you keep your identity hidden from Tobias for so long?”“Is that…is that really the first thing y
If Amara’s slap was meant to be an action directed towards snapping Tobias back into the right frame of mind, or perhaps a warning, neither of it was working. Rather, it was having the opposite effect.With his cheek stinging, red and bruised from the force Amara had hit him with, Tobias glared at her. The anger he was feeling towards her was indescribable and evident in his eyes.From the moment he had set foot in Sherativinor, the moment he had caught sight of her happily reuniting with that blonde guy, the moment her had heard her talk so freely and intimately with the stranger, his heart had tightened and he could feel himself boiling.How could did she have the nerves to cheat on him after claiming to love him for years? Was it all an act?Of course it was, he knew this from the very first day Amara confessed her love, so why did he feel so angry?And even more, why was he acting so irrationally and not thinking things through, as usual?These questions and more plagued his mind,
The first ever property Tobias acquired with his own hard earned money, was his current residence. Situated in the most affluent and secluded area of the city, building painted with a bright and eye catching cream color, with ten bedrooms, an indoor and outdoor pool, a garden, three kitchens and even a private office, the house was big enough to impress an normal citizen who had lived a mundane life.But for the Larsen family who had always lived their lives above the curve of life, this residence was considered basic.Times without number, they had told Tobias to move out, but he refused, because for some reason, this 'basic' house of his, felt more like home, than any other luxurious estate he had ever lived in.And now, as he carefully walked around the house, eyes scanning each and every area in hopes of finding the littlest trace of the woman he called his wife, Tobias realized why the house which no longer felt familiar had felt so comfortable.It was because of Amara.She had ke