LISTOWEL’S POV The room fell into another tense silence. From the sides of my eyes, I could see grandma’s shocked face gradually darkening. Disapproval drawn all over her, but my expression remained straight and unbothered. I had been wanting to break the news to everyone for several years now. But I had to stop myself countless times from breaking it because I was afraid. I was afraid grandma might discard me and the company I worked so hard to grow will fall into the hands of my brothers. But now that Melissa was back, I was willing to risk it all. Besides, I’ve made my feelings and intentions clear to Wendy years ago,but she insisted she would win my heart again and forced herself to stay. For the past years, she's been trying to get me laid while she's messing around with other men but I've been acting oblivious. She had managed to get into grandma’s good books so bringing up talks of calling off the engagement would have disrupted my relationship with her. You know, im
MELISSA'S POV I could hear his long deep sigh on the line. “I'm sorry Melissa" For a moment my heart fluttered, but l instantly felt like he was genuine and that he was telling the truth. "Will it be possible for us to meet?" he asked. But the pity I was developing for him immediately got masked with contempt. My lips curled in disgust, an empty laugh echoing through the park as it left my lips. "Meet? You've got to be kidding me! Do you want to see me so you can fill me with your lies? No thanks, darling, I've outgrown your silly games”. Without waiting for his reply, I hung up the phone, my fingers trembling in anger. How dare he lay out such a request? Did he think I needed his comfort? Did he think calling me would unmake the harm done already? I tossed my phone inside my bag as I sprang up to my feet to take a walk. I was still stroking in the park, enjoying the breeze, when I felt a shadow loom over me. I couldn't even check to see who it was when a big muscled a
MELISSA’S POV “Seriously?…, is it my eyes or you really are on your knees right now?! Listowel, I don’t know if anyone has told you this before but you are very pathetic!”. “Does your fiancee know you are here pleading to get your ex-wife back? Is she aware that the man she will be marrying sooner or later is here crying to another woman to be accepted?” I asked, my bloodshot eyes glaring at him in disgust. I stood still, lost in my thoughts, wondering if Listowel had always been like this. A two-timer? “Yes…, she does. She knows you are the only one I love”, he replied as he raised and stood on his feet. Another loud laughter escaped my lips. This time, it was real and humorous. I've seen so many sides of Listowel but never this. “You're really hilarious, Mr. Gordon. I guess you still see me as a gullible teenager, who would believe anything and everything you say. What do you actually want? Huh? When we were together, you were in love with Wendy. You couldn't wait for h
LISTOWEL’S POVI turned back and forth restlessly in bed as I forced myself to sleep. Whenever my eyes closed, my mind was filled with memories of Melissa. The anger and resentment she had in her eyes while we were talking the last time had caused a sudden tightness in my chest. It was as if I was carrying a heavy burden but had no one to help me unload. I’m afraid it might escalate into something more deeper and she might not want to have anything to do with me again. But I wasn’t going to give up, not just like that. Not when I have her under the same roof as me at work. Not when I could still feel the same way I did when we were together six years ago. I just needed a way to make her realize how serious I was about her. Even though she might act distant, I know she still feels something for me. Not hate, not resentment but something else. Something deeper. I might not be certain of whatever feeling it was but one thing I’m certain about is the fact that she's mine. She has alwa
MELISSA’S POVTheir concerned look filled the unspeakable emptiness in my heart. I was still appreciating their wholesome and genuine reaction when Gloria’s voice broke through. “The CEO is really something else. After everything he passed you through…, he still got you working at his company? Woah…” her face contorted into a mischievous one as she let out her view. Yaw glanced at me with a stiffened look, a determined expression drawn all over his face, “Melissa, you don’t have to go through this alone. We’re on your side. We’ve got your back, we will make sure no one misunderstands you again”.Gloria, Collins, and Maxwell nodded in agreement, backing Yaw. Their support and kind words washed a sense of relief over me. Maybe today won’t be as terrible as I had envisioned. *****Soon, it was lunch break, Gloria and the rest had come to call me to join them at the cafeteria. As we settled in our seats, about to dig in, a group of people interrupted us.They threw a few glances at me
WENDY’S POV The morning light passed through the light curtains that manned the windows, hitting me in the eye. A groan escaped my lips as my eyes flared open. My eyes blinked severally, familiarizing itself with the rays. I tried sitting up, but the heavy arm that wrapped around my shoulders bounced me back to the bed. My eyes rolled at his audacity. It’s not as if he wasn't aware of the rules. Sex. Nothing else. No feelings attached. That was the agreement the man lying at my back, Clinton and I went into. He’s a nobody who does bartending for a living. His muscular and handsome physique is what attracted me. Our relationship is solely transactional. I pay him monthly, he gives me pleasure. Yes, pleasure. The man whom I will be boring his last name sooner or later is the one I’m supposed to be lying next but he hasn’t touched me in ages. Not since he found out about…, well…, my lies. I mean… he wasn’t supposed to, but he did anyway. To this day, I still don’t know how Lis
LISTOWEL’S POVThe force with which my door flew open startled me, causing me to look up from the paperwork before me. Anger coursed through me as I fixed my gaze at the door side, ready to descend on whoever left his manners at home for him to barge into my office like that.“What the hell is—” my words caught in my throat as I noticed the familiar figure, smirking at me as he stood by the door. It was Enerst. My best friend. He casually walked in when he noticed the grimace on my face subsiding. Loosening his tie and kicking off his shoes, he threw himself on one of the leather sofas in my office. Without warning, he stood up and turned on the fan before resuming back to the sofa. Lying on his back he stretched out one of his legs to face west while the other faced east. Rolling my eyes at him, I asked in an irritated voice, “Really Enerst? Do you realize this is an office and that not everybody slacks off around like you do?”Enerst just grinned, unbothered at my words. “And do
LISTOWEL’S POV “First of all, No, you're not my best friend. In fact, I don't know you from anywhere,” I teased. “Also, my team found out that videos spread through out the city like wildfire, all thanks to a newbie blogger who wanted to hit the jackpot by publishing a story about me. And about you not knowing of Melissa’s status here, I chose not to tell you.” “Mmm… I see… But do you have to rub it in my face like that?” “Satisfied?” “Look, I’m here to talk some sense into that stubborn head of yours. Turning back to my desk, I ignored his statement and pretended to be scanning through the documents, although my attention was focused on him. For a couple of minutes, he didn't say anything, His gaze was fixated on the ground. I guess he was cracking up his dumb mind to come up with his so-called advice. My mind almost trailed from him when his voice suddenly broke through, “Look man. Melissa might have gone through a lot when you divorced her. If I remember rig
A wave of gasps erupted from the people around me as the liquid drenched my designer dress, turning the white fabric into red.My lips parted widely, my eyes closing shut as the wine dripped from my hair to my face and onto my dress. I froze. For a moment, I couldn’t move or utter a word.Was I just hallucinating or that dang old bat had poured the wine on me?I let out a slow breath, my fingers curling into a fist beside me as I stood properly. “What the hell do you think you’re—“ I yelled, but my statement died on my lips as her palm vehemently clashed against my cheek.My head snapped to the side, my hair flying everywhere as the sting spread through my face. My hands shot up to caress the area she had just slapped, glaring at her with deadly fury. Whispering, the onlookers started inching closer to the scene; their phones shot up in the air as they started recording. I raised my hand, intending to return the favor. These people were recording and I hate to be the one at the m
WENDY’S POV Tonight made it exactly a month since Listowel woke up in my bed. I had sent the photos to Melissa to get a reaction out of her. But to my surprise; she never reached out as I expected. I was even doubting she must have seen the photos until I witnessed Listowel being thrown out of her house by security two weeks ago. Only the heavens know how happy I was that day when I realised my plan had worked. Their so called lovely relationship had crumbled. I had this in mind and was in the process of planning my next move not knowing the blow that hanged in the air, waiting to be served. I was dining at the rooftop restaurant, when the articles of Listowel admitting that Melissa is the lady he’s been going out with circulated the internet. The people around had started murmuring among themselves so I had requested to change to a private dinning room. The music played softly in the background while the symphony of clinking glasses, people conversing over their foods an
MELISSA’S POV My phone buzzed with messages as my colleagues from work texted to inquire if I was really dating the famous ‘Listowel Gordon’. Who the fvck released these images and how the hell did the person get them? My mind raced with thoughts as mixed feelings wrestled to take over me. I couldn't really tell how I was feeling. I didn't know whether to be happy or pissed. Unlike before, people were admiring me now. They were somehow glad that we were a couple and wished that our relationship would prosper. Really? What changed? Why were they happy for us all of a sudden? Well, this and other thoughts swirled in my mind as I tried to connect the dots. The fact that the pictures that were trending were personal ones I took with Listowel baffled me. Unless maybe Listowel got hacked, I’m not sure he will release the photos like that without informing. Even though I wasn't getting immediate answers, I was glad this in some way had cleared rumors. For weeks now, I have
LISTOWEL’S POVI let out a long exhale as I read through the articles about Melissa and I. Surprisingly, all the comments we were receiving are all good and encouraging. Unlike the previous months, the people were complimenting our resilience to have kept our relationship going despite everything. The articles were spammed with people admiring Melissa’s beauty. Even though I didn't like the fact that they were comparing her to Wendy; I was happy either ways that she was getting the good recognition she deserved. With a smile on my face, I scrolled through each comment, liking each compliment. Suddenly, a sharp knock echoed outside of my door. My brows knitted together as I wondered who could have been at the office at this time aside Kevin and I. Glancing at my wrist, I noticed it was a few minutes past eight. I was about signalling Kevin to go check who it was when the door flung open. The audacity! Who enters my office with such disrespect?! My eyes darted the doorway, as I p
LISTOWEL’S POV Listowel, do I look stupid to you?” Lisa’s voice jolted me back to reality, anger flashing across her face as she crossed her arms over. My lips parted, and I was about to tell her that she was the smartest person I've ever known and that I was the stupid one there. Because all this was my fault. I was stupid for failing to see the signs of Wendy’s plot when it was so obvious. I couldn't believe how stupid I was to have ignored the fact that, Webdy had seductively rubbed her shoulders against mine that evening. But before the words could part my lips, she grabbed her bag and stood. “You know what? I don't have time for your little games…” I reached for her hand but once again, she pulled away as though I was a plague. I wanted to follow her but stopped. I was going to give her some distance in the meantime. Now that a major part of the puzzle has been revealed, it will take me no more than a few days to find out the whole truth. ********** With a fo
LISTOWEL’S POV I have faced several challenges in my life, from impossible negotiations to dealing with rival businesses but none of them have taken a toll on me as the one that I have been currently battling. This one was the worst kind of battle. Why? Because I was fighting the one person I loved most. And it looks as if there wasn’t any chance of me winning. For the past few weeks, after the event that happened at Melissa all my attempts to get her to listen to me have proved futile. There have been days that I’ve tried to reach her by waiting at her doorstep, but I couldn’t anymore because she reported me to the landlord and now I’ve been banned from entering her residence till further notice. I tried to catch up with her at work but her goddamn boss, Giovanni has had security chase me away several times. Even though it was humiliating, I was willing to endure it all for her. I could have countered Giovanni’s actions by making my men oppose him but the fact
MELISSA’S POV It's been almost a month since I broke things up with Listowel. That jerk! After chasing me up for a few days, he gradually backed off. I guess he must have finally realized that I am no bvtch to be toyed with. But I must admit, the past few weeks have not been easy for me. Waking up every day to pretend as if I did not know or had anything to do with him has been heartbreaking. I try to convince myself that he's not worth my time and energy but deep within me, I've been hurting. On lonely nights, I cry my eyes out before I’m able to sleep. There have been days that I felt like calling to cry on him, to tell him how much he hurt me, to explain to him why I didn't deserve all that he did to me; but the fact that I had deleted his contact from my phone had saved me from embarrassing myself. Within the first two weeks, I was unable to concentrate at work; but Mr. Giovanni, already aware of the turmoil in my life, helped to keep me distracted from overthinking. H
GIOVANNI’S POV Seeing Melissa cry her heart out the other day in the office made me want to care for her more. I had offered to walk her to the garage because of the tear stains on her dress. I didn’t want her to attract unnecessary attention and questions from the other staff. At the garage, I was about to head back to the office after waving her goodbye when I suddenly heard a consistent click from the soles of heels behind me. Curious, I turned in the direction of the sound only to see Melissa rushing towards the other side of the garage. My eyes trailed to the direction she was heading and an unsettling feeling washed over me as soon as I recognized who it was. Listowel Gordon. The CEO of Gordon Constructions. Even though he might not know me, I know him very well. We’ve not gotten the chance to meet face to face yet but I’ve known him for a long time. He’s a smart business mogul whom most influential people in Aphrodite City admire. And I am no exception. When it
Melissa’s pov I froze for a second, my eyes scanning at his messy appearance. I couldn't really tell if my eyes were deceiving me or if Listowel had actually left his house to come to work dressed like that! His hair looked like it hadn't been washed for a decade. He looked ravished, his coat was crumpled, and his loose tie hung off his untucked shirt. What’s wrong with him? Why would he step out looking so unkempt like that? This was so unlike him. Without a second thought, I turned off the engine and ran in his direction. “Listowel? What’s wrong with you? Why would you come out looking like this?” I whispered, my hands hovering across his suit as I tried to straighten the crumpled lines. Scanning his whole outfit, I unconsciously reached for his tie and started fixing it up, buttoning up the shirt properly after which I tucked it inside his pants. Listowel stood still, he didn't move nor utter a word, it was only his gaze that followed my movements. I was abou