~Rosemary~The phone fell off my hand to the countertop. My heart was beating fast as I looked at the screen and read the message again.There was only one person who called me princess. And that was…Angel.How did he get my number? So he was still alive and he knew where we lived? Did this mean he also knew about Henny?Oh, my God! No!My hands trembled as I picked up the phone. After much hesitation, I typed a reply: Please leave me alone!A few seconds after I hit send, my phone rang. I stared at the phone screen while biting my nails.He was the one calling, right? I shouldn't pick up, right?Against my better judgment, I swiped the screen and hit the speaker icon. I pulled back, holding my breath.“Hello, princess.”A shiver ran down my spine at the sound of his voice. I held the countertop for support.“You know, your husband really outdid himself the other day.”“Stop stalking me! Why don’t you just leave us alone?”Angel chuckled on the phone. “I am afraid that’s not possible.
~Gerald~Angel, again? Why couldn't that bastard just stay dead?Although I knew there was a high possibility that Angel had survived the gunshot wound, I thought that was enough to keep him away from us for a while. I guess I was wrong.“Rose…” I began, looking at her softly. “Have I ever done anything to make you feel like you can't trust me?”She closed her eyes. When she opened them, I saw that they were filled with skepticism.“You told me that there were only two choppers around at the time of the rescue. But there were twelve, weren't they?”I sat up abruptly. “Did Angel tell you that?”“Does it matter?” she asked, the annoyance in her voice apparent. “It's not going to change the fact that you lied to me.”“I hate liars, Gerald.”I stood up and walked over to where she was sitting. Squatting, I took both of her hands in mine.“I am sorry, my love. I didn't tell you the truth about the number of choppers because I didn't want you to feel guilty that I had to go all out. Alrea
~Rosemary~Three hours ago.After dropping Henny off at his grandma’s, I stopped by the hotel to sign some important documents. I had been away for quite some time and my deputy had been holding the reins for me.“Keep up the good work. I am not sure when I will be able to resume fully, but for now, keep me updated on what’s happening, okay?”She nodded.“By the way, go to HR to sort out your new pay.”Her face instantly lit up. “Oh, my God! Thank you so much, ma’am.”“You earned it.”I held up my hand when my phone suddenly rang. “I have to take this. You may leave now.”“Hello?”“Hey, princess!”“You!” I screamed, pulling the phone away from my ear.The number on the screen wasn’t the same one Angel used to call me the other day. Had I known it was him, I wouldn't have answered it.“What do you want!”He laughed. “You really should fire your security guard. All he does is sleep.”“You are here?” I shot to my feet. “Not quite. But if I were a bad person, I would have bypassed that s
~Gerald~The bouquet dropped to my feet. My tongue suddenly went bitter. Nooo! This isn't how it should go. I was just about to—“All these years, you have been lying to me!” She trembled, breathing exasperatedly. “Who the fuck did I marry!”“Rose, I am still me. I am still Gerald, the man you fell in love with!”“No, you are not!” She threw the binder to my feet. “It says here that you are Gerald Clay, CEO of G-Tech and other businesses. You allowed me to make a fool of myself when I recommended the software engineering job to you a year ago!”“Baby, I—”“Don’t call me that!”She stamped her feet. “Everything was a lie! Right from the moment you agreed to marry me. You didn't even need my money. And Armando. You didn't get him out of trouble in Mexico, did you?”I shook my head.She threw her hands in the air. “Is his name even Armando?”I shook my head again. “His real name is Elvis. He's my assistant.”“Hahaha!” She sat on the edge of the desk and laughed out loud. “You guys must
~Rosemary~“How did you find me!” I yelled, the phone in my hand dropping to the floor.The man at the door slowly smiled, then mewed. “I have my sources, princess.”“Wait… did you really think I wasn't going to find you?” he added, slapping his hand on the door.I held on to the door and tried to shut it. “What do you want!”“You!”I cringed when he gave me that sick smile again. “I really can't deal with your disturbance right now. Please, leave!”“Aww! Princess, I actually came here to console you.”“I don't need your consolation. Leave!”Despite my shout, Angel did the exact opposite. He pushed the door farther open, walked in, and reached out his hand.“Don’t touch me!” I yelled, stepping away from him. “I know you must be happy now since everything you said about Gerald was true!”Since I left home, I have been going over what I saw in that binder. Everything that just seemed like luck or the fruit of my hard work was now very questionable.From my ability to buy so many shares
~Rosemary~“I told you to stay away from my wife!” Gerald shouted, punching Angel who had just fallen to the floor with a thud.“Your wife?” Angel chuckled softly. “She’s not going to remain that for long.”“Fuck you!”As soon as Gerald sucker-punched Angel in the face, I heard a cracking sound. It jeered me out of the frozen state I had been in for many seconds.“Stop! Stop fighting!” I shouted.That fell on deaf ears. The two rolled over, knocking off the vase on the table nearby. They wrestled like fighters in an underground wrestling ring.Strangely, Gerald was throwing more of the punches. Before I knew it, Angel’s nose was bloodied.“Guys, stop!” I shouted as they rolled over again, Angel now lying on the broken pieces of the vase.I rushed over and grabbed Gerald’s arm. Pulling him with all my might, I said, “That’s enough! You are going to kill him!”“Then let me!”When Gerald forcefully pulled his arm away, my hands slipped from his arm and I fell backward.“Ow!” I winced, ho
~Gerald~I held on to Rosemary’s face, sucking her soft lips hard. It had barely been twenty hours since our last kiss, but it felt like ages. I didn't want to let go. Not now, not ever.Rosemary kissed me back. And you could guess how that made me feel. She still loved me. She still loved me, but there were some reservations.“Don’t go…please,” I said, staring into her eyes and breathing hard after a long minute.Rosemary closed her eyes. “Why? You seem to be very busy…”“She allowed herself in. I didn't.”“But you didn't send her out.”She opened her eyes. “You allowed her to touch you knowing fully well that she fancies you.”“I guess that makes two of us.”Her eyes instantly slanted. Then she rolled them. “You know what, you are right. I shouldn't have come.”When she turned to get into the car again, I gripped her arm and pulled her. Her bosom crashed into my chest.She writhed. “Let me go. I hate you!”“No, you don't.”She slapped my chest. “You are so full of yourself!”“I’m
~Rosemary~“Look at what I got you, Henny.”Henny jumped excitedly as he took the shopping bag from my hand and tore it open.“Yaay! It’s a Spiderman costume!” he screamed excitedly, holding up the outfit that I had carefully picked out on the way here.I smiled for the first time in the last two days. “Do you love it?”Henny nodded. “I am gonna wear it every day. And when I get the action figure, I will play with it every day too!”“What action figure? Tell me, so I can buy it for you.”He shook his head. “Don’t worry, Mommy. Mr. Gerald already promised to buy it.”At the mention of Gerald’s name, my face fell. It had been forty-eight hours since I returned Gerald’s ring. I had turned off my phone and cried my eyes out. This morning, I woke up looking like a character straight out of a zombie movie. I had to put on a lot of eye makeup before coming to see Henny.Henny held my hand. “When is he coming to play with me? I miss him!”“Forget about that guy. I can play with you.”All of
~Rosemary~A year later.“Are you nervous? Getting cold feet?”I blinked when I heard that voice. Sitting in front of the mirror, I looked at Sabrina who was styling my hair. “No, I am not nervous.”She sighed and stared straight at me. “So why have you zoned out more than three times since I started doing your hair? Something else bothering you?”I shook my head slightly. “I was just...just thinking about how different today would have been if my mom, dad, and Amani were here.”“Ugh!” Sabrina gagged. “How can you think of those fools on such a beautiful day?”My head lowered and I inhaled deeply.“Come on, girl. Forget about those folks. It’s not your fault that they were jerks. You have kept your mom out of your life for a year. Don't allow her into your heart again.”I raised my head. Then nodded. “Okay. I won't.”It had been more than a year since Amani committed suicide with the large dose of fentanyl she had on herself when she was arrested. And it had been seven months since my
~Rosemary~I pricked up my ear after Gerald removed the call from speakerphone and then said a few words. Although I didn't hear anything more, I was fairly certain it had to do with me.“I am coming with you,” I said as soon as he ended the call.Gerald shook his head. “No, you can't. Let me handle this.”“You are not the boss of me.”I took a deep breath, realizing that I was getting worked up. “I’m sorry. I—”“It’s fine. I can only imagine how you must be feeling now. But you don't have to follow me to the station.”“I do. And I want to. I want to look her in the eye and ask her why she did that to me. I also want to see Max and Amani. I want all of them to know that despite everything they did to me, they cannot break me.”Gerald stared at me, and I saw more reluctance in his eyes.“She deserves that much, Gerald,” Elvis chipped in. “After all she has been through recently, she deserves to look at her enemies in the eye.”Gerald said to him, “Stay out of this. Please.”“I know you
~Rosemary~Gerald’s head shot up as soon as I spoke. His eyes lit up and then, I felt his body crushing mine.“You are back!” he said, kissing my face. “What took you so long?”He pulled back and held my face. “Oh, my God! You scared the shit out of me. Don't do that again, okay?”I chuckled. “Okay, Mr. Beckett.”“I was so worried about…” His words trailed off. “Wait, what did you just call me?”I shrugged, “Mr. Beckett?”“You…you remember me?”I nodded. “I remember everything, Gerald. I am sorry that—”Before I could finish speaking, he knocked the breath out of me with a hard kiss. I smiled against his lips and then parted mine.Until now, I didn't know how much I had missed his lips on mine. As always, it felt like heaven. I held his strong arm despite the pain in the back of my hand due to the IV needle.“Catch your breath,” Gerald said, pulling back after like a minute.“What?” I chuckled again.“I’m not done yet. Just breathe.”I did as he said. And the second I was no longer g
~Gerald~“Seize them!” I roared the second I kicked the door open.All six of my men matched in and surrounded Max and Amani. They struggled but were pinned down within seconds.I squatted by the door, seeing Rosemary lying down.“Baby!” I scooped her up.She smiled at me. “You are here.”When she coughed out blood, I held her face. “Shh! Don't say anything. Let’s get you to the hospital.”“Wait!” Rosemary reached out and held my face. “I’m sorry for not believing you. Sorry, I realized too late.”“No! It’s not too late.”“I’m afraid it is.” She smiled again. “If I were to come back to this world again, I’d love to be your woman again. I would love to know love like you love me. To love you and be loved by you, Gerald. Just by reading your words, I realized that you are the man I always dreamed of having as a child.”She rubbed my face. “Promise me that we will meet in another life? Promise me that you will look at me the way you are looking at me right now.”“No! I can't promise you
~Rosemary~It was already past closing hour for most jobs, but my lawyer agreed that I come in to start the process. On the way, my phone dinged.A notification from the doorbell camera had just come in. I opened it and saw the live footage of Amani’s car pulling up in the driveway of Max's house.What’s she doing there? And immediately I just left too.I watched as Amani got out of her car. Max showed up from the inside. They spoke for a while. I thought they were arguing again. But then…“Oh, my God!” I screamed the second Max kissed Amani.“Ma’am,” said the taxi driver. “Are you okay?”I covered my mouth, shaking as Amani and Max made out on the porch. They looked like they wanted to gobble each other up. Max even grabbed her ass and squeezed it. Then they staggered into the house, still not letting each other go.“Ma’am, is anything the matter?”Hearing the taxi driver’s voice again, I raised my head. “Please, can you take my back? I will pay double.”He looked at me through the r
~Rosemary~I couldn't stop thinking of what Gerald said to me about proposing a prenuptial agreement. He sounded so sure that Max wanted me for my money. But Max was a billionaire, right?Right?I took out my phone and searched for the name of Max’s company. A few headlines came up.The first one: Brix Cars to get new CEOThe second: Max Smith resigns from the CEO position. Would this mark the end of the family’s hold on the company?The third: Brix Cars reportedly plunges into 30 billion-dollar debt.My jaw dropped lower with each headline I read. I had no idea that Max’s business was suffering this much, let alone the fact that he was no longer the CEO.Why didn't he tell me? Did this mean Gerald was right?Well… there's only one way to find out.I pulled out my phone and called the number saved under legal. “Erm… I’d like to draft a prenuptial agreement.”*****“What’s this?” Max frowned the second I handed the document to him.I kept my distance, a little scared. “Since we are goi
~Gerald~I slammed the door in his face. Before turning away, I listened as he stormed off, huffing and puffing about how I was making a huge mistake.“Before you say anything…” I began, looking at Elvis. “Get on the phone with the Russian mafia. I’m sure they would be pleased to know that Angel showed up here.”“No!”“What?” I exclaimed on the way to grab a glass of water.Elvis shook his head. “I don't think it’s a good idea to get involved in the battle between Angel and them. Time and time again, this has always ended with a bloodbath. It was hard enough for you to stay alive all these years despite having many enemies. I can't watch you get involved in a mafia war just because you want to take Angel down.”I sighed. “What do you suggest I do then?”“I suggest we wait. We wait for them to locate Angel and take him out. Since he's roaming without a care in the world, that should be pretty easy.”I shook my head with uncertainty. As far as I knew, Angel was much more powerful than m
~Rosemary~“Boss, are you okay? Boss!” Elvis ran to me as soon as the phone dropped from my hand. He made me sit on the sofa and peered down at my face.His tone changed. “Gerald, are you okay? Should I call the doctor?”I shook my head, clutching my chest. It was as if I was going to have a heart attack. But I knew going to the hospital won't help me.“Was that Rosemary on the phone? What did she say? Why are you like this?”I looked at him. “I don't know what to do, man. She’s getting married to Max again.”“What! How…but your divorce hasn't being finalized. You didn't sign the divorce papers, did you?”“I didn't. But now that she doesn't remember me or the love we shared, I’m afraid Max would make her drag me to court for the divorce. He's manipulating her big time.”I went on to tell him about the wedding photo Rosemary found and how she accused me of faking it and planting it in Max’s house.“This is getting out of hand. Should I tell the boys to take him out?”I groaned. “No. T
~Rosemary~“H-how is this… how did this…”I couldn't believe my eyes at all. I stared at the woman standing beside Max. She was wearing a very beautiful wedding dress. Most importantly, she wasn't me!She looked like me, but she wasn't me. She was Amani. I was sure of it!“So it’s true? What that man said is true! Max divorced me so he could be with Amani?”The photo slipped off my hands. Taking a step back, I stared down at it. “They even had a wedding. But why did Max propose to me two days ago? And Amani was so happy for me!”What the fuck is going on? Who's playing me for a freaking fool!All of a sudden, the door opened. I turned and saw Max. His eyes widened at the sight of me. He looked at my feet, and his eyes widened even more.“Care to explain?” I asked, folding my arms.I was trying so hard to keep it together. Heaven knows I wanted to jump at him and scratch his face. Another part of me also wanted to just break down crying. This moment reminded me of the heartbreak I su