Meeting The Homewrecker.

The apology that had been on the tip of Noelle’s tongue immediately died off and she felt anger rise within her as she stared at the couple in front of her.

Of all the people in the world, she had to bump into her cheating ex and his newest fling.

And not only had she spilled her coffee on the blonde, but the bitch had the audacity to look pissed about it.

“You idiot!” The girl shrieked, voice loud and squeaky like the bratty freeloader she was. “Do you know how much this dress cost? It’s an original Chanel!”

Her outburst had caused a few people to look in their direction, curiously watching and some even pulled out their phones to record.

Noelle could feel her eye twitching in irritation at this. Was the bitch for real?

She opened her mouth to speak, but before words could even come out, Ivette had flung herself into Jason’s arms, shamelessly clinging onto him while putting on a show.

“Baby bear, this rude thing spilled her hot coffee on me and she doesn’t even want to apologize.”

Hot coffee? Noelle glanced down at her cup of iced coffee, then at Ivette and scoffed.

So, not only was she a homewrecker, but she was also a dramatic bitch who knew how to act pretty well.

“Noel,” The sound of Jason’s voice had her attention snapping back to him.

When she met his gaze, she nearly flinched from how emotionless and cold it seemed, as if he was looking at an ant or a pest far below him.

It had her heart clenching despite her will not to feel a thing for the bastard who had taken her for granted.

“What are you doing?” He asked, his tone carrying a condescending edge. “Apologies to Ivette this very moment.”

It was an order, plain and simple, and if they had been in the past, she would have followed without question.

But, the circumstances had changed and now, Noelle felt her blood boil and her anger surge.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said, unable to believe what she was hearing. The first thing he was saying to her, after breaking up with her and leaving her near penniless, was an for her to apologize to the woman who had freaking wrecked her relationship?

She’d be damned if she opened her mouth and spat out those words.

“I’m not apologizing to her.” Noelle said, standing her ground.

Jason’s eyes narrowed and he looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

“Noel,” his voice held a warning, one that he had never used with her before. “Don’t be stupid. Apologize while I’m asking you nicely.”

Nicely? Noelle wanted to laugh. Jason wasn’t being nice, not even close. But, instead, she met his gaze with her own steely one and crossed her arms.

“Make me.” She challenged, taking a step forward and closing the gap between them.

Jason’s jaw clenched and his expression hardened, a look of disgust and detest evident in his eyes.

“Don’t be unreasonable,” he hissed. “You’re acting like a child.”

Noelle’s fists clenched, her nails digging into her palms.

“Me, a child?” She shook her head. “You’ve got some nerve.”

She was about to continue, but was stopped by Jason raising a hand and cutting her off.

“Enough, Noel. You spilled hot coffee on her, so it’s only natural that-“

“The coffee isn’t even hot, you fucking bastard.” She cut him off this time, her voice laced with a mixture of anger and frustration.

“Look,” Noelle pointed at the cup. “It’s an iced coffee, not hot, not even lukewarm. But, I guess the past two years that you’ve spent fooling around with your new ATM, made you forget that I don’t drink hot coffee.”

Jason slightly flinched. His reaction was a dead giveaway that he had not expected Noelle to discover his cheating.

Ivette however, after watching the interaction, couldn’t stop her expression from twisting in offense. “How dare you talk to Jason like that!” She hissed, clearly not appreciating the nickname.

Noelle couldn’t care less about her, though.

“I’ll talk to him however I please, and there’s nothing you can do about it.” She spat, before turning her attention back to Jason.

“If you think I’m going to apologize to this homewrecker, then you’ve got another thing coming. The only thing I regret, is not being able to dump coffee on you too.”

With that, she brushed past the stunned couple and walked out of the café, leaving them both shocked and speechless.

The anger that had been boiling within her slowly dissipated as she stepped outside, the cool afternoon air hitting her face and cooling her flushed cheeks.

Her encounter with Jason and Ivette had left her feeling a myriad of emotions, and it had taken everything in her not to lose her cool and punch the bastard.

She had always known he was a dick, but she hadn’t expected him to be such a piece of shit.

To think, he had the audacity to demand an apology from her for that whore of a homewrecker, and in public no less.

And then, the way he had spoken to her, the condescension and contempt in his voice. It was clear that Jason was no longer the same man she had loved, or perhaps, this was just him showing his true colors.

Noelle sighed, trying to ignore the pang of sadness in her chest, after all, there was no use dwelling on the past.

She had a present to focus on. But even, when she thought about the future, a frown marred her face, with only one thought in mind.

Why the hell has she thought it was a good idea to get drunk and have a one night stand?

~•~

After yet another day of stressful work, Noelle returned home and flopped down on the couch.

She let out a frustrated sigh as she stared at the ceiling, thinking all about the things that had happened today.

Upon recalling the encounter with Jason and his homewrecker, her heart tinged with sadness and anger.

But those feelings seem to simmer down the moment she recalled her interaction with Wallace.

The way he had looked at her, the intensity of his gaze, the way his voice sent shivers down her spine.

It was like her body was hyperaware of him.

But it was probably because she had slept with him and had some sort of sexual attraction with him, which was the only logical explanation as to why her body reacted the way it did.

Which wasn’t totally bad, seeing as if she was to go through with her plan of Seducing and making him fall for her, then, this attraction would certainly be an advantage.

The main question In this case was, did ‘The’ Wallace Castellano, feel this same attraction towards her, or did he just see her as one of the many girls he had slept with?

The more Noelle thought about it, the more complicated the situation seemed to be in her head.

With a groan, she buried her face into one of the throw pillows.

Perhaps she should stop with this whole ‘Revenge’ thing and just go back to her boring ol’ life.

It’s not like anything would change, right?

As soon as those thoughts passed her mind, her phone buzzed, signaling a notification.

Pulling out her phone, Noelle’s eyes scanned the message and her frown deepened.

It was a message from the hospital, reminding her that her mom’s medical bill was due soon and the date for her surgery was drawing nearer, and if missed, she’d have to wait an extra year.

And between her and them, Noelle knew her mother didn’t have that long to live if she missed this window.

And let’s say she does survive that long, with the little money that Noelle had, there was no way she would be able to pay hospital bills that far out.

This was her reality.

Jason had broken up with her for someone wealthier, her mother was still sick, and her father was long gone.

She couldn’t count on anyone but herself, and even then, it wasn’t enough.

Feeling tears prick at the corners of her eyes, Noelle once again buried her face into one of the throw pillows and let out a loud frustrated scream.

She wanted to cry, but she knew crying wouldn’t solve her problems.

So, all she could do at that moment was thinking about how to proceed with life, and maybe, just maybe, her luck will change.

~•~

Noelle dreaded another shitty day at work, knowing fully well that Declan, her boss, was going to rip her a new one for messing up the pitch.

She hadn’t heard from him yet, but she knew it was only a matter of time before the inevitable happened.

And as if on queue with her thoughts, Jemma showed up at her desk and delivered the bad news.

“Hey Noel,” her voice was sugary sweet, and her smile was enough of a fortune teller for Noelle to know that she was about to be screwed over.

“The boss wants to see you in his office,” She said.

Noelle sighed, feeling a wave of anxiety wash over her. This was it, she thought. This was the moment she’d lose her job, won’t be able to afford the house rent and become homeless.

All because of the stupid choices she made under alcohol’s influence…all because of Jason.

Well, at least she was going to serve as am example to children.

Don’t make decisions after drinking five glasses of tequila! And most definitely don’t get into a relationship with scumbags!

Taking a deep breath, she stood up and made her way to the boss’s office.

When she arrived, she paused for a moment, her hand hovering over the doorknob, bracing herself for the inevitable, before she knocked.

“Come in.”

With one last breath, Noelle prepared a speech and walked into, only to stop short and freeze in place when her eyes landed on the person occupying the chair.

The man who sat there was not her boss.

Instead, it was Wallace Castellano.

Her heart did a weird flip and skipped a beat, before it proceeded to sink to the pits of her stomach.

What…what was he doing here?

She took a step back, but in that very moment, Wallace’s voice cut through the air, his tone commanding and authoritative, as he said.

“If you walk out that door, I can assure you that you’re getting fired. So, for the benefit of yourself, step back in, and close the door.”

The words had Noelle halting in her step and whatever thought to retrace her step immediately flew out the window.

Because not only did she not want to become homeless, she wanted to be able to pay her mother’s hospital bill to some extent.

So, all Noelle could do was close the door behind her and face the music.

“Please, take a seat.” Wallace instructed and although hesitant, Noelle complied, taking a seat in front of him, feeling like a deer in the headlights.

Wallace’s eyes scanned her appearance for a few moments before his lips curved into a subtle smirk.

“Relax,” he said, sensing the tension rolling off of her. “You’re not in trouble.”

“Then what am I doing here?” Noelle asked, her tone betraying her anxiety and nervousness despite how composed she tried to seem.

“It’s simple, really.” Wallace’s eyes met hers, and she couldn’t help but suck in a breath at the intensity of his gaze.

But after a few seconds, she was reminded of her night of impulsive decision and looked away.

This earned a chuckle from Wallace as he continued on. “I came to make you an offer.”

Noelle blinked in confusion. An offer? What sort of offer?

Before she could ask, Wallace spoke again.

“My family is quite traditional, and they have certain expectations of me, which includes me getting married and having a family of my own."

His voice was matter of fact, as if he were talking about the weather and not something so important and serious.

“But, I’m not interested in marriage, or starting a family.” He continued, interlacing his fingers and allowing them to rest on his knee as he leaned back into the chair. “So, here’s a deal for you; become my wife for the next year, in exchange for whatsoever your heart desires.”