Chapter 2

Annabelle's POV

"Crying like a loser, are you?" The lady said in derision.

She was none other than Samantha. My husband's pesky ex.

Blinking hard, I wiped my eyes not letting her see another tears of mine. "I figure you are done speaking, now can you get out of my way?"

"Oh, not so fast." A vicious voice came behind me and I instantly recognized it. My blood ran cold as I turned to meet the vile faces of the devils who had made my life hell – my father in-law, mother-Inlaw and Travis grandmother as well.

"I just want to let you know that if you dare step into this house ever again, I'll ruin your life. Do you understand me?" Travis's father, Mr Fred grunted and all I did was nod.

"You don't have to worry about me, because I regret ever meeting your son!" I gritted my teeth.

"No sweetheart, It's us who regret letting you marry our son and become nothing other than a liability to us!!!" Mrs. Aurelia, Travis mother flared up and a scoff escaped my lips.

Liability?! this people are such an ingrate!

"It's not like you ever accepted me into your home so save the drama for Hollywood!" I scoffed again, tightened my fist and their face went sour in rage.

"Tame that vile tongue of yours woman! Where are your manners? How dare you speak to us that way?!" Alberta, the old drama queen landed a hot slap on my cheeks, yelling down on me.

I held my stingy cheek, facing down as they were sneering at me. Rage boiled in my guts but I knew I could do nothing.

In fact Travis’ family had done worst things to me in the past and I’ve done nothing other than cry and still continue to please them.

But today, it’s all done!!

I regret everything. I regret that very night I first met Travis at some random club, drinking himself to death.

Granted, I had fallen in love with him at first sight when a picture of him popped up in my news feed several years ago.

I was such a stupid young girl then. I mean who wouldn't be excited to meet the same man she’d loved secretly for years, coincidentally at the same bar where she went to hangout?

Nothing had prepared me for that day seeing him all sober and stinking of liquor. It shredded my heart into pieces and every ounce of pleasure I had felt from finally getting to meet him, flickered into hurt. I didn't want to leave him there for fear of something bad happening to him.

And while I was trying to lift him from the bar seat, some group of boys started harassing me, despite my protests but surprisingly, Travis was able to tell them off, even in his drunken state.

He fought with them and ended up having light bruises on his arms and face, I was so scared that I had quickly rushed him to a pharmacy and booked a hotel nearby afterwards, drove him there and also stayed with him until he finally regained himself.

We ended up having sex and as if that wasn't enough, I agreed to his offer when he suddenly proposed marriage to me.

Even when I eventually found out he just broke up with his fiancée then, Samantha. Because she’d cheated on him and still claimed victim that Travis hadn’t been giving her enough attention.

Everyone including Travis' family blamed him and to spite them all, he decided to marry me and I foolishly obliged. I was ready to become a prodigal daughter as long as I had him by my side.

However, everything turned sour immediately after our first year of marriage and the rest of the years that followed.

Because of him, I lost my family who was never in support of me marrying a stranger. I beared the stigma of being a homeless girl with no family and took all shits Travis family fed me with but they...they...

Well enough! enough of reflecting back on my past now. The mistake has been made already.

Once again, I’d been kicked into the street like trash. The only choice I had now was to go back to my family, it was far better than letting Travis and his cohorts see to it that my life was miserable.

*********

Dread enveloped me as I stood before the tall skyscraper nearly blending into the sky.

SD corporation still looked pretty much the same way as I had left it five years ago. And even now, it was still sitting pretty at the top of the charts.

Finally gathering some courage, I walked into the building.

I was first welcomed by the AC before I went straight to the front desk where I met a lady.

“Uh...how may I help you?” The grumpy lady asked, her eyes sizing me up and down. I was pretty sure I looked every shade of a homeless loner.

But still, I managed a warm smile. “I'm here to see the CEO of the company, Mr Robert Spencer."

Minutes past and she stared at me a hard frown, like I just spoke French.

“And what's that look on your face?” I peered at her.

She scoffed and folded her arms across her chest, “Not to seem rude ma, but not just anyone can see the chairman. This is fucking SD corporation for goodness sake!"

Her voice suddenly took on a hard edge as she leaned on the counter and whispered in my ears.

"I'm not ready to lose my job here, ma'am. Please, don't make me go hard on you. Kindly use the door now!"

I let out a shaky breath. "Hold on. I thought you would have asked if I had an appointment or something?”

"I know you don't." She said. "This is the headquarters of the biggest company in the states. So they don't receive visitors except for very important dignitaries or family, which you obviously are not." Her eyes raked my body from head to toe.

I shifted and dropped my gaze to the floor, tears stung my eyes as I thought of how lowly I had become. It fueled me with a resolve to make sure Travis payed and payed dearly for every single tear I shed on his behalf.

I was desperate and not about to give up, "I fully get that and I'm not trying to make you lose your job, but all I need is a minute. I just need to see–”

I couldn’t finish up when the lady suddenly whipped her gaze to another direction, looking past me. “Sir...” he called out and almost immediately I heard footsteps behind me.

My heart beat skipped a bit but at same time, I hoped the ‘sir’ would be the person I had come here to see but when I twirled round, my heart beat skipped at the person I saw. It was no other than my best friend – Henry

He looks exactly the same since five years ago but this time he’s more brushed up. Clad in a dark sparkling tuxedo, he was looking so rich and charming.

“What!? Annabelle?” He broke the thick silence after recovering from his shock. “What are you doing here?"

"It's so good to see you too, Henry," I swallowed hard, feeling so embarrassed.

"Leave us alone!" He told the desk admin, then faced me with a look of urgency on his face. "Look, Anna. Now is not a good time at all. Your father would be very mad.”

I cocked my head. "That’s right...He's my father. He can't remain mad at me forever."

"Your father is in a bad mood. We are trying to partner with one of the biggest companies in the whole of New York and it isn't exactly going the way he wants it, and you know how he can be. He's pretty upset."

"You can't stop me, Henry. I’m back now. I've come back to apologize and I know I really messed things up back here a few years ago but I'm back to make things right."

Without warning, I walked past him and went into the lobby. I heard him calling urgently behind me but I ignored him.

"And where do you think you're going to?" I came to a halt as I heard the familiar deep baritone voice. It was icy and high-grating. It was the voice of my father.