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 something to complain about, each time I drive your car.""Yeah, because this is my favorite baby. Let me have my keys. Now your mouth is running because you're done using it, but whenever you want to get it, you act as humble as a chicken." Alex said. "Come on, if it wasn't because my car is..." "Your car is what? You always make the same excuses. You think I don't know that your dad has seized all your cards and blocked your accounts? Why are you lying to your friend?"Dass sighed, "I know that you are already aware of my situation. I just borrow your car wherever I want to impress my girl. Just take care of it until next time." After Dass left, Alexander took another look at his car and called one of his servants to clean it up before going into his study.A few minutes later, Luna Salvador arrived. When she got to the gate, she was stopped.The security asked, "What do you want?" "I'm here to see Alex," she replied boldly. "Which Alex?" The security man asked. "Alex Cooper.""Is he expecting you? Because I will go inside and ask him.""Of course, he's expecting me." She replied. "I came after being directed by his PA, Mr. Matthew Poss." "Oh, okay. I'll just go in and inform him. What did you say is your name?"Luna recalled the name she had agreed with her best friend and said, "My name is Hailey Stone."He nodded and said, "Alright, I'll just go in and inform him." After the security man went in, he met Alex in his study, and said, "There's a lady here for you. She said her name is Hailey Stone and that she was sent by Mr. Matthew Poss.""Oh really, that was quick. Send her in," He replied. The security went out and asked her to get in. Just as she got in, she heard a shrill, annoying voice from the balcony upstairs saying, "Hold on, do not dare take another step further."Luna looked up and stared at the woman who had exquisite makeup on her face. She was beautiful, no doubt, but the fact that she had spoken to her in such a tone annoyed the hell out of Luna.She was already upset with Alex, and one look at the girl above told her that she was the one Adrian had spoken about, whom he said was a piece of work.She folded her arms and stared above, waiting to hear what she wanted to say. "What the hell are you doing here?" her voice rang. "Look at your dress, it's so last season. People who are cheaply dressed like you are not welcome here. They're not allowed in this house."Luna scoffed. "Shouldn't you worry more about yourself?""What is that supposed to mean?" the lady asked. "I'm talking about your neck," Luna replied. "It's as long as that of an ostrich. You should think about getting surgery to make your neck shorter and not worry about my clothes."The lady could not believe her ears, "What? Did you just say that to me?" "Oh yes, I did," Luna replied. "And those wolf-like fangs you call teeth should be filed as well. I mean, you have the money for it. I don't see why you let yourself look so ugly." The lady yelled, "How dare you?" Luna began to shake in mockery, "Oh, I'm so scared. The wolf is going to bite me." The lady looked at the security man and said, "Quick, lock the gates and call the police. I'm coming down to teach this wench a lesson she will never forget."The moment the lady upstairs disappeared from her sight, Luna realized what she had done and said, "Oh no, my mouth is going to get me into trouble again. Why did I have to reply to her? Oh no." She turned and began walking out of the gate. The last thing she needed was to end up in the police station. Not only was her lie going to be discovered, but Alexander was also going to figure out that she had given his gateman a fake name, and his PA would deny knowing her. She might end up in jail without accomplishing what she really wanted.Just as she got to the gate to convince the security man to open it, she heard a voice say, "Stop right there."She turned and saw Alexander Cooper. She recognized him from the pictures she had seen everywhere. She was tempted to take off her shoes and throw them at him, but she comported herself and smiled, "Good evening, Mr. Cooper.""Aren't you here to see me?" he asked. "Come right in."Right at that moment, his sister arrived downstairs and said, "No, did I just hear you ask her to come in? She's not allowed in. This bitch had the effrontery to insult me. I'm going to deal with her. She's going to rot in jail...""Calm down!" Alex said. "I don't know what your problem is, but she's my guest.""She's your guest? How would you invite cheap people like this into our home?""Come on, Miriam. Who visits me isn't your business. I think you should worry more about what actually concerns you. Come in, Miss Hailey."Luna heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Thank you."She ignored his sister and walked into the house with him.He sat on the couch, crossed his legs, and said, "Who invited you? My PA, right?""Yes," she answered."Okay, and you said your name is what?""Hailey Stone," she repeated."So, Hailey, why are you here?"She said, "Well, I'm here for the contract. I'm here to apply as your contract wife. I have heard the terms and everything else. Your PA filled me in."He nodded. "Good, you're hired.""What? I am hired just like that? I mean, I was expecting so many questions and all."He smiled. "Listen, anyone who can put my sister in her place is good enough for me. I'm so fed up with that vixen, and seeing you get her so upset made me so happy. You should do that more often.""But she did threaten to throw me in jail.""Oh, c'mon! Who can send you to jail when I'm here? Forget about that. Alright, I will just give you a form to fill out. Hold on, are you married?""No, I'm not." She replied."Do you have any children?""Of course not." She lied."Alright, that is good. Okay, so you are more than perfect for this job. Where do you work?""Haven Logistics." She lied."Really? What is the nature of your job?" he asked."I work as an accountant," she replied."That's really impressive. Of course, my P.A Matthew is so efficient; he doesn't make mistakes. The first candidate he got in touch with turned out to be one of the best. Alright, you'll fill in the information you have given to me here in this form.Quickly do that, but you have to know that once my P.A comes, I will still have him run a background check on you. Yeah, I know he sent you, but I still need to know things about you, your history, and all that. And I do not want them coming directly from you because, hey, I don't trust you hundred percent.But you're still good enough. If Matthew recommended you, it means you're good to some extent. So, as he must have promised, I will give you the initial payment. Here's the cheque. As you can see, I have written the amount, and my signature is there. So what you need to do is fill in your name, cash it, and you will get the remaining seventy percent once I've gotten what I want.""Okay," she nodded. "How long will the contract take?""I can't really say, but it shouldn't be up to a year. I think we should just be married for a few months or thereabout. After that, once I get what I want, you'll be free to go.""Okay, works for me. Thank you very much," Luna said."Leaving so soon? I mean, won't you even have a drink or get to know a few things about me? If you're going to get married to me, we would have a lot of things to talk about, so you know what you'll say when you're in front of my grandfather.""Oh, I know all that, of course, but I thought I was just showing up today. I will be here tomorrow for that. It's already getting late.""Alright then, come back in the morning. Let's say by seven, and then we would go over everything.""That's okay but I will have to stop by my place of work and do a few things so I can be given some time off.""That's fine by me. Just make sure you're here in the morning, and we'll take care of everything else."She said, "Thank you very much once again," before walking out.As she got outside the gate, she looked at the cheque and cleaned her eyes, "Is this a dream? Did this really happen?She moved away from the gate and called Adrian. "Adrian, thank you so much... I'm so happy. I just got the cheque and I need to cash it. I think the bank is going to close so I'm running back home right now. You should get out of there since your shift is over.""C'mon, why should I get out of here?" Adrian asked. "I didn't do anything wrong. As a matter of fact, you do not know me. Do you understand? Do not mention my name in front of Mr. Cooper.""Okay," She said.She kept staring at the cheque as she got a taxi that took her back home."Are the rich really stupid and easy to con? I mean, how could he just give me the cheque just like that? Either way, my daughter is going to get her treatment. Oh, I'm so excited." She kept saying inwardly.When she got back home, she met Allison who was waiting for her, and showed her the cheque. They both screamed and hugged each other."I cannot believe this," Allison said."Yeah, but my only problem is that I need to cash this cheque," Luna said. "Alex said that when his P.A gets back, they're going to run a background check on me or something. If he finds out everything, I might not be able to cash the money. I need to do that...""Don't worry, I've got you covered. I have a friend who works at the bank. Let me just call him."Allison quickly called someone at the bank and explained that her friend's daughter needed surgery and her health condition was very bad.He agreed and asked them to come to the bank. Once they arrived there, he went through the cheque, and a call was put through to Alex. He approved the cheque and told them to go ahead and give her the money.After the call ended, he thought about it and wondered, "Why was she so eager to get the money?"After getting the money, Luna and Allison hurried to the hospital. She paid the money and asked the doctor to perform surgery on her daughter. She sat by her daughter's bed, crying and hoping for the best."Why are you crying?" Allison said. "We finally got the money so you should be happy.""I know, but it's still like a dream," Luna said. "I don't even care if I go to jail. I don't care what happens, My daughter is going to live. My princess, the most important thing I have in this world, she's going to be okay. And I still have some change left. Even if I'm in jail, you can use that money to care for her."Allison smiled. "C'mon, I'm sure we will figure out something. It might not end with you going to jail.""Yeah, I guess so," Luna replied.While he waited for his P.A to get back, Alex thought back to how Luna had insulted his sister and smiled. "Wow, she's such an amazing lady."His sister who had earlier left the house angrily, came in at this moment and asked, "Why are you smiling? What's funny?""Just thinking about what Hailey said. I mean, you do seem to have a long neck." He replied with a smile."What? That good-for-nothing riffraff." His sister hissed."Show some respect because she's going to be my wife.""What? Be your wife? I can't believe this. I mean, I'm seeing her for the first time, and she wants to be your wife... why?""Well, I love her. She's bold, she's beautiful.""I'll never accept such a cheap girl as my sister-in-law." His sister replied.He laughed. "That's not your decision to make but mine. Just get ready, okay? My wedding date has been fixed. It's just around the corner."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
Luna pulled her body away from Alex's hold the moment his grandfather left. She looked at his face as she struggled to breathe, "Why did you do that?" Alex did not answer her question, rather he said, "My grandfather has left now, didn't you say you wanted to use the restroom? Go on, I'll wait right here for you." She glared at him before turning to walk away.As she entered the restroom, she leaned her back against the wall and touched her lips, "No, this wasn't part of what I signed up for. The last thing I need is to let any man stir my emotions. No, I am not going to let this happen. Once bitten, twice shy."Alex remained outside waiting for Luna. She took her sweet time, but eventually, she came out. He sighed in relief, "I almost came into the restroom to get you because I was wondering what you were doing in there.""Well, I'm done, so let's go," she said curtly."Alright." He intertwined their fingers together and led her back to the table where they were sitting earlier.
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