Luna dragged her friend to a boutique and spent two thousand dollars shopping for expensive clothes and fixing her hair. When she was done, she got ready to leave and said, "Wish me luck." "Of course, you'll do well," Allison said. Adrian went back to Alex's house, and after ensuring that the coast was clear, he informed Luna that this was the best time to arrive because if the PA came back, she would be discovered. She asked him the name of the PA, and he said his name was Matthew Poss. After getting the name of his PA, she thanked him.She took one last look at herself and smiled, "Wow, you look beautiful, Luna, but let's not forget why we're doing this: get the money and scram. He deserves this for ruining my only chance of getting a wonderful job." However, at this time, Alex's friend, Dass who borrowed his car had just returned it. Alex looked at the car and said, "Come on, why does it look so dirty? How were you driving? "Don't be petty," Dass replied. "You always have som
Alex watched as his sister angrily stomped her foot and walked away. He began to think about Luna. Yes, he was impressed with her ability to shut his sister up, but something suddenly did not seem right. Why was she so eager to cash the cheque? It was suspicious. Being someone from a notable family and someone who worked at Haven Logistics, that money shouldn't be such a big deal for her. She could have waited until the following day. Why was she so eager that she had to go to the bank at such an hour just to get the money? It was very suspicious.He took out his phone and called his PA. "Where are you?" "I am still working on the task you gave me, sir," the PA replied. "I will make an arrangement for one or two of the candidates to meet with you tomorrow.""What are you talking about? I already met with one today, and I've finalized the deal. I mean, I like her," Alex said, confused. His PA furrowed his brows, "Who exactly are you talking about, sir? Because as for the girls in qu
Luna noticed that Alex's expression had softened, but he didn't seem convinced by her act. She decided to stop responding to him and placed her head beside Claire on the bed. After staring at her and Claire, Alex said, "Alright, fine. Tell me, what about your husband or your ex-husband?"She replied, "Don't even talk about that idiot. He is a fool, a vagabond, and he has no relation whatsoever to me and my daughter. He's the last person I want to talk about."Alex sighed, "There is just something I don't understand. How did you find out about this deal of mine? I only told my PA, and a few hours later, a con artist like you showed up at my house. Did you tap my phone lines? Are you spying on me? Did you hide cameras in my office?"Luna laughed, "If I had that ability, I would have been working for the president."Alex nodded, "Yeah, you do have a point. But then tell me, how?"Luna knew she could not expose Adrian so she began to lie through her teeth, "Well, I was passing by the roa
As Luna got back home that evening, she felt uncomfortable and worried about going back to Alex Cooper's house the next day. She feared that he might want to take revenge on her or do something worse. "What are you worried about? You yourself said Alex Cooper is a good man, so why are you so afraid? This is so unlike you. You're always brave and strong. What happened to the Luna who would do anything just to get money to save her daughter? Don't forget she's the reason you're doing this," Allison reminded her."I know," Luna replied, "but I'm just so uncomfortable about the whole arrangement. I don't know what will be contained in that contract.""Didn't you sign it before? You should know what it contains.""No, I did not read it," Luna admitted. Allison's mouth fell in surprise, "You didn't read the contract?""Don't give me that look, Al. I didn't think I would do what the contract wanted of me. I was only there to get the whole money and leave. I did that and I did not expect t
Luna stared at Alex and smiled, "Really? Do you want me to show you my results?""Why? Are they worth showing off?" Alex asked.She smiled, "Will I be asking if they weren't? Listen, I graduated with one of the best results, if not the best, in my school."Alex nodded, "Mmmh...I do not doubt that. But, there's something I want to find out. After looking into your background, I noticed you were married for two years and then you got divorced. I wasn't able to find out the reason, so I'm hoping you will tell me."Luna questioned, "Why? Is it necessary for you to know that?" "Yes, it is. I need to know so that if situations come up within the six months or one year of our contract, I will know what to do."Luna sighed, "Okay, well, my ex-husband was the biggest mistake of my life." She smiled sarcastically, "Trust me, that is me saying it so nicely.During the time we were married, he was schooling and I was the breadwinner. I did so many odd jobs trying to keep our family together. And
Alex sighed and massaged his forehead. "I'm sorry, Luna if I said what I ought not to have said. I think my words may have come out wrongly. Let's just forget about it, okay? As for backing out of this, that is not going to happen. You've already signed the contract, so let's go."Luna, who had become all worked up, sighed, "Alright, fine. Let's just get it over with." They went to the marriage court and got married. After signing the document, Alex took it, and they left. "So, are we going to get your stuff right away?" he asked when they were inside the car. Luna shook her head, "No, I cannot do that." "Why not?" he asked. "Well, my daughter. How can I move into your house when she is still at the hospital? I need to spend more time with her, and when she gets discharged, I don't know how I'm going to do it." "It's fine. Where are you going off to for now?" "Just drop me at the hospital. I didn't get the chance to see her this morning because she was still asleep when I left l
Alex and Luna reentered Claire's hospital room and sat in the same place they both sat earlier. Claire immediately expressed her joy at seeing Alex, and asked, "Where have you been Daddy? I've missed you a lot" Alex glanced at Luna, and back at Claire and Luna quickly said, "Honey, actually, Alex is not..."Without letting her finish, Alex interrupted Luna and said, "I'm so sorry, darling. Please forgive me. Now that I'm here, I won't leave you again, I promise. I will take you to my house and buy you whatever you want, once you are discharged, okay?"Claire reached out her small hand to hold Alex's hand, seeking reassurance that he wouldn't leave her. He held her hand and kissed her forehead. Luna's eyes welled up with tears as she observed the scene. She couldn't bear it any longer and walked out of the room."I'll be right back," Alex said to Claire and went out to meet Luna.Once he was outside, Luna snapped at Alex, "What the hell is wrong with you? I asked you not to lie to m
Alex led Luna out of the house to where his car was parked. He opened the door and let her in. Afterward, he drove to his grandfather's house where the dinner party was meant to take place.As he drove into the compound and they got out of the car, Luna looked around and thought to herself, "Wow, this looks like a palace." Suddenly, she began to feel self-conscious, as though she didn't belong there."Let's go in," Alex said. Just before she could take another step, Luna heard another car pull in. She looked to her right and saw Alex's sister, Miriam stepping out. Luna turned her face away and wanted to continue, but she wondered inwardly, "What is she doing here?"Alex's sister was also wondering the same thing. Unable to keep it to herself, she walked up to them and asked, "Alex, what is she doing here in our family gathering? This dinner is meant for family."Alex replied, "Greet her properly because she's your sister-in-law, and she's older than you by a year.""What?" she stare
SIXTEEN MONTHS LATERClaire already closed the files on her desk and got up, about to walk out of her office.At this point, she heard a knock on the door of her office. She walked over to it, opened it, and came out of the office.She was shocked to see her employees standing in front. "Surprise!" they all said, holding balloons, flowers, and cakes."Happy first anniversary," one after the other, they all wished her.She stood, staring at them with a smile plastered on her face. She had barely breezed into the office to sign an important document before coming out; she didn't know her employees were going to surprise her once again.It reminded her of how her last anniversary had gone. However, this time, it was different because she was happy."Thank you all so much," she said. She walked closer, took a bite of the cake, and said, "Wow, this is really delicious. You all should have fun, enjoy yourselves, and take the day off."Her employees all cheered happily while she hurried out o
Lucas sat in his house, waiting for feedback. Although he knew that Claire was eventually going to tell her parents everything, he was hoping that they wouldn't want a divorce since it was going to be a stain on her reputation. Also, the fact that Asher was his friend would make her convince them to give up on Asher.He was waiting for a call from either Alex or Claire. That way, he could properly tender his apology and ask for a second chance.However, the person who called him was none other than his father."Come home right away," his father said.He looked at the time; it was already late. "Is everything okay?" he asked."Mr. Cooper just left the house. Come back right away," his father insisted.The moment he heard that Alex had been to his house, Lucas rushed out of the house and went to see his parents.He walked into the living room and sat down. Seeing the expression on his parents' faces, he asked, "Did something happen? What is the problem?"His father shook his head. "I'm
Luna stared at both Alex and Claire, wiping the tears from her eyes. She still could not understand what was happening."What's going on here?" she asked."Claire, I don't get it. I thought you got married to Lucas because you both were in love with each other. Why would he start treating you so badly from the first day of the marriage? And why did he think you forced yourself into his life? There are some things that sound really strange. Please, I'm lost here," Alex said."Hold on, I'll tell you everything, Luna," he proceeded to tell her how he forced Lucas into marrying Claire, and she screamed."Why would you do that? No, that is wrong. You should not have done that," Luna said."Calm down," Alex said. "It has already happened. It's all in the past. It was a mistake we made, and unfortunately, Claire suffered for it."Luna shook her head. "All this time, you went through so much, Claire, and I didn't even know. I can't believe I slapped you. I can't believe I accused you. Oh no."
After more driving about for a while, Claire finally calmed down. She thought about everything that had happened and made up her mind on what she was going to do. But first of all, she wanted to have a conversation with Asher because she felt that her mom had spoken very rudely to him, whereas he wasn't at fault for everything that had happened.For some reason, she couldn't help but blame herself. Perhaps if she hadn't hidden things from her mom, Asher would not have been yelled at or belittled.She drove back to the house and was surprised when she got in to see the damage that had been done to the door which led to Asher's room.She went into the room and saw Asher sitting on the bed. He quickly got up the moment he saw her and said,"Claire, you're back."She nodded and walked over to where he was."I'm sorry," she said.He held her hand, pulled her closer to his body, and hugged her."No, Claire, don't be sorry for anything. You did nothing wrong. It's just a misunderstanding. Yo
When Luna arrived, she saw Lucas in his car, which was parked right in front of the house.She came out of the car and met with him. "So, this is really not a joke. I mean, the fact that you're here...""It's not a joke," Lucas said, pointing at the door."Okay, alright. Let's go."They walked toward the door, and Luna wanted to knock; however, Lucas said, "No, I... the last time I came here to confront them... I... got one of the keys. So, I think it would be better if we just go in."She looked at him. "Are you sure about this?"He said, "Yeah, in the end, he is still my friend, so it wouldn't be a big deal."She folded her arms and waited for him while he put the key into the key holder and unlocked the door.He pushed the door open, and his eyes instantly caught Asher and Claire on the couch. He turned to look at Luna and said, "Right this way."At this point, though, Asher and Claire were so engrossed in what they were doing that they didn't realize what had happened. Her eyes we
Seeing that his words were not moving Claire, Lucas picked up the divorce papers she had placed on the table and turned them into shreds.She smiled."I thought we were having a peaceful conversation. Why did you have to tear the divorce papers?""Well, this is me telling you that I'm not going to give you that divorce, Claire. I've told you that I want us to work on our marriage. Couples face problems, but the important thing is to find a way to resolve them."She smiled. "Haven't you been listening to everything I said, Lucas? I don't hate you. I don't even think it's possible to hate you. So, everything I say to you does not result from hate. I'm just saying that between the both of us, it's no longer possible. Maybe, just maybe if Asher hadn't come into the picture, I... I may have reconsidered giving this, whatever this is, another chance. But as I told you, once I've given up on something, I don't go back to it.""Just in case you're not observing, I tossed my wedding ring the d
Lucas's words did not surprise Asher. The moment Claire had returned and told him about what Lucas tried to do at home, he suspected that this would be Lucas's next line of action."What exactly are you asking me to do?" Asher asked Lucas."I think you understand exactly what I am asking of you," Lucas replied. "I want my wife back, Asher. You've ruined my relationship with Vivian. You can claim that you didn't know what you were doing, you didn't know she was my girlfriend or whatever it was, but the fact still remains that that relationship is ruined because of you.""Go ahead, I have given up on Vivian. You can have her; she's all yours. But Claire? Leave her alone. Claire is mine; she loves me, and we both know that she has loved me for so long. She doesn't love you, Asher; she's just using you as a rebound. I am telling you this from one man to another. For the sake of our friendship, leave Claire alone. After all, I asked you to go after her, so now I am asking you to give me ba
After leaving Asher's house, Lucas was fuming with anger. He drove straight to Vivian's place of work. Once he arrived there, he called her to come out, and she did. He stood by his car, staring at her - the woman he had loved for so long. She ran up to him and hugged him."Hi baby, you came to see me at work? Meanwhile, what happened? You didn't go to work today?""Cut the act," he said. "How could you do this to me, Vivian? I have loved you for so long. I did everything I could to make you happy, and yet you cheated on me with my friend. As if that is not bad enough, you've been calling him, seeking his attention, and telling him there's nothing going on between the both of us?"She rolled her eyes."Oh, I see you finally found out.""What? That's your reaction?""What do you expect me to do? You have your wife, someone at home. You don't expect me to keep waiting for you until I get old.""How can you say this, Vivian? You know that my relationship with Claire means nothing, and yo
As she heard Asher and Lucas' voices from outside, Claire stood in front of the window, staring at them from inside. Although they couldn't see her, she could see them. She didn't understand why Lucas suddenly seemed so upset. She knew it wasn't about her and kept wondering.Meanwhile, Asher was enjoying this. Initially, he never wanted to rub it in Lucas' face, but after the way Lucas insulted Claire inside the house and kept making sarcastic remarks about her, he couldn't bear it anymore."I didn't want to say anything, Lucas, but why would you say I'm not your friend?" Asher said to him. "This is not fair. I just explained what happened to you. At the time, I was single, and I thought the girl in question...""No! Do not tell me this," Lucas interrupted."Listen to me, Lucas," Asher continued, "what I'm trying to say is..."Lucas charged at Asher this time and punched him in the face."How dare you? Okay, let's forget about everything else. Was there a need for you to bring this up