As the interview of Alex's grandfather went viral, everyone began making fun of Cyrus. At this point, Sylvia also saw the interview and was surprised. She had thought that Alex had killed Cyrus. If she had known he would make it out alive, she would not have absconded with all his money. She quickly picked up her phone and called him, wanting to know if it was possible for them to continue from where they left off. However, the moment Cyrus answered the call and heard her voice, he said, "Bitch, go to hell.""Calm down Cyrus, listen to my explanation," she said. "I had to run for my life. Alex wanted to kill me.""Are you deaf? I said go to hell!" Cyrus repeated himself before hanging up. He knew that she was useless to him at this point. She couldn't do anything for him. She had already taken all the money he made from Miriam, and what he had left was what he got from selling off Miriam's sex videos. If he let her back into his life, what was the guarantee that she would not steal
While Cyrus was busy complaining about how Tom had betrayed him, Alex angrily walked up to him and slapped him so hard that he fell on his back. The officers rushed to his side and quickly handcuffed his hands. At that moment, Alex recalled the recent conversation he had with Tom. Tom had called him, and when Alex answered, he asked, "What do you want? Should my arch-enemy call me?"Tom laughed, saying, "Come on, Alex. Yes, we hate each other and are rivals, but you know we're the ones keeping each other in business.""You're right about that," Alex replied, "but if you're calling me, something must be happening.""Yes, guess who asked to meet with me today.""I'm not good at guessing. Why not tell me?" Alex replied."Ethan, your cousin.""My cousin? What did he want?" Alex asked."Well, Ethan wants you dead.""Ethan wants me dead?" Alex smiled, asking, "Is this a joke or something?""Come on, Alex. You know I don't joke about serious matters. We're always serious with each other, w
FIFTEEN YEARS LATERClaire gazed at her reflection in the mirror as she prepared for her wedding. Once the makeup artist finished, she smiled and picked up her veil. At that moment, her father, Alex, knocked on the door. He entered the room, and upon seeing her, his eyes welled up with tears as he hugged her."You're so beautiful, princess," he whispered. "This day is one of the happiest days of my life.""Thanks, Dad," Claire replied, her voice filled with gratitude. "Thank you, Dad. None of this would have been possible without you."As those words left her lips, Claire's mind wandered back to a few months earlier. Ever since she had started college, Alex had encouraged her to learn about business, hoping that she would eventually take over from him. Although her younger brother had also shown interest in the family company, Alex believed Claire had greater potential. She had begun working alongside him and had grown into a successful businesswoman. Eventually, Alex had entrusted
After hearing Lucas's words, Claire broke down in tears. She was surprised by the things he had said – that he was threatened to marry her. She had thought her Dad merely spoke to his family, and he agreed because of the benefits he would enjoy as her husband. She knew he didn't love her, and she didn't expect him to act as though they were in love. But she was ready to win his heart and do anything for him. However, hearing his words only broke her heart. She also never knew that there was someone else in his life. If she had known, perhaps she would not have made such a request to her father.She thought about picking up her phone to call him but changed her mind. That wasn't the solution. Her father loved her so much that if she cried, even because of Lucas, He might take out his anger on him."What do I do?" she wondered. "We've only just gotten married today. Everyone was at the wedding, so many people were congratulating me. But it turns out that I'm nothing but a joke."After
ONE YEAR LATERClaire got up from the bed and looked at the time; it was a few minutes past ten. She had waited for Lucas until she eventually slept off. She looked out the window and saw that he had driven in. She was surprised that he was back home.He barely spent a night at home, and each time he did, he stayed in the guest room. This time she was determined to get him to look at her. She had made a lot of plans, even bought his favorite perfume to use on her body. She also wore sexy lingerie, as she had read a lot of blogs and gotten tips on how to get his attention.After this, she walked over to the guest room to meet him. She held the handle of the door, hoping that it wouldn't be locked. When she pushed the door, she realized it was open and smiled. She walked over to the bed and saw him.He was lying down with his back on the bed and his face looking up. She took off the outer part of the lingerie, which covered her body, leaving herself with only the panties and bra top.As
When Claire went to work, she found herself thinking about everything that had happened that morning. She didn't want to go to work on her anniversary.She knew that some of her employees would know about it. Some would be expecting that she would sit it out, spend the day at home, or do whatever she wanted to do with her husband since they always gave off the vibe of a happy and loving couple.If there was a function to attend, Lucas always made sure he went with her. They usually smiled for the camera and acted like the lovey-dovey couple. But only she knew that once they got back home, Lucas always returned to being the cold and uncaring husband whom she had done everything possible to please without success.Everything that had happened in the morning really hurt her. It was one thing to humiliate her when they were alone; she always swallowed it. But doing so in front of his friend?First of all, he brought his friend into the house without telling her. She ended up making a fool
After Claire ran into her room, she went back to her bed, crying until she eventually got tired.Seeing Asher in the house upset her because it was a reminder of how much she had sucked, not only in Lucas's eyes but also in anyone close enough to find out about his marriage.Apart from her hunger, she lay on her bed, not wanting to come out of her room. She had no intention of having a conversation with Asher. But then again, thinking about what he had said, she began to wonder if it was a good idea to speak to him. Yes, the way they had met was humiliating for her, but Asher didn't try to make fun of her for it; he was even willing to hear what she had to say.Was it possible that he could talk to Lucas for her? She didn't know how good their relationship was because she had never seen him with Lucas or heard anything about their relationship, but she was desperate at this point.If telling Asher about what she was going through could help her get through to Lucas, she was willing to
That night, Claire cried herself to sleep. In the morning, however, she told herself she couldn't stay at home. She felt that staying home would only make her more depressed, but she didn't have a close friend with whom she could share her feelings.Growing up, her father had been her closest friend. She was also close to her mom, but her mom was a bit strict. With her father, she could share anything she wanted. She didn't make many friends in school because she was focused on becoming a successful businesswoman like her father, Alex. He was her role model, and she sought to imitate him.However, when she finally realized she could make friends outside, it was too late because she couldn't keep up. Though she had some general friends, there was no one close enough. She eventually preferred it this way because she felt ashamed to share her marital problems, especially after portraying her marriage with Lucas as perfect.While getting ready for work, she heard Lucas arrive and glanced t
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