Morning rolled around faster than Noelle would admit, but as the sun crept through the curtains, and casted its light onto her face, Noelle knew she could no longer run away from reality.
With a heavy sigh, she sat up, stretched and made her way to the bathroom. After a quick shower, she slipped into her most expensive and figure flattering dress, and made sure to apply the best makeup she had. As she applied the finishing touches, Elena came out of her room. “Looking good, Noel,” She commented, looking her over with an approving smile. “Ready to make Milan’s richest tycoon fall at your feet?” “More or less,” Noelle muttered, applying the last bit of lipstick. “But, I still don’t think it’s going to be as easy as you make it out to be.” “Oh come on, have a little faith.” Elena nudged her. “Besides, it’s not like you have a choice, you’re already committed and even if you do fail, it’s not going to take anything out of you, but if you succeed, Jason and his bitch are in for a ride. So, you might as well give it your best shot.” Noelle couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. Her best friend certainly knew how to cheer her up. “You’re right,” She replied, turning to face Elena and flashing a heartfelt genuine smile despite all she had been through the past two days. “Thanks, El.” “Hey, what are best friends for.” With one last hug, the girls exited their apartment and headed off to work. Noelle was dropped off in front of the company and as she stood before the towering building, she recited the plan she had created overnight, in her head. First, she was going to meet the mysterious tycoon, and then, she was going to leave an impression, secure the contract, become the leading head and then get closer to him. Once that was done, she could then proceed to the final step, seducing the man and making him fall head over heels for her, and finally, she could then proceed with the revenge. It seemed like a fail-safe plan. She just hoped she could execute it. “Right, here we go.” Taking a deep breath, Noelle marched inside the company. As she walked past the reception, she heard a couple of her coworkers gossiping. “I heard a huge client is coming in today and rumors have it, that he’s a hottie!” “Apparently he’s the head of some big company, so not only is he super rich, he’s also freaking handsome!” Both the girls squealed in delight while Noelle frowned ever so slightly. She knew this big client they spoke of was Wallace Castellano and sincerely, she hoped he was at least as fine as these girls were giving him credit to be. That would make her revenge a lot more easier. “Noelle,” The sound of the receptionist, a pretty red hair with blue eyes and freckles, Amira, calling out to her, snapped her out of her thoughts. “The boss wants to see you.” Although frowning a bit, she didn’t think much of it, after all, he had requested her like this a couple of times. So, with a nod and a quick thank you, she made her way to the boss’ office. Upon reaching, Noelle knocked twice. “Come in.” She walked inside and was greeted by a man in his late forties with brown hair and brown eyes. “Boss?” She called out. “Ah, Noelle, glad you’re here.” The boss looked up from his laptop and smiled. “I assume you got the email last night?” She nodded. “I did.” “Yeah, well change of plans.” Shutting his laptop, he plucked his suit off the hanger. “I have another client in the next few minutes and I have to handle them, I’m leaving you to handle Castellano.” Noelle blinked in surprise. This had not been part of her plan. “Me? Alone?” “Yes, do you have a problem with that? If you do, I can hand it over to Jemma, she’d kill for this opportunity.” At the mention of her colleague, Jemma, who was a notorious back stabber, work bully and a bitch, stealing and messing up her path of revenge, Noelle quickly shook her head. “No, sir. I don’t have a problem. I’ll handle it.” “Good. The meeting is in the next ten minutes, don’t blow this up, because your job can potentially depend on it.” With that, he left, leaving Noelle to stew in her own thoughts. Ten minutes, she thought, it wasn’t enough time. She had expected the meeting to be at least an hour later, that way, she would’ve had the time to prepare herself. Now, she had ten minutes and the fate of her revenge depended on this. Taking a deep breath, Noelle decided not to dwell on things. The best she could do was wing it, and hope that she doesn’t mess up, for the sake of her revenge and Job. So, with that thought, she headed out of the office and down to the lobby, heading for the conference room. However, just around the corner, she was greeted by an familiar and disdainful face. “Well look who it is,” The voice of her Jemma Stone, came, filled with sarcasm. “Jemma, a pleasure.” Noelle returned her greeting, her voice carrying just as much sarcasm as Jemma’s had. “Oh trust me, the feeling is mutual,” Jemma replied, her gaze sweeping over Noelle, taking in her expensive dress and designer purse, before a mocking smile curved along her lips. “What’s with the fancy outfit, huh? Is today the day you finally realize you can’t make a living off sucking our boss’s cock, and you need to suck that of a higher up?” Noelle felt her blood boil at the insult and she was tempted to put the bitch in her place, but she resisted the urge. She didn’t have the time for that. Whatever was wrong with Jemma and her one sided bullying, could go sit in a corner for the time being. Right now, she had a revenge plan to swing into action. With that thought in mind, she fixed Jemma with a harmless smile. “Well, I can see that your ugly and stupid attitude hasn’t changed. Still jealous that a man would rather sleep with me than you?” Jemma’s expression soured and her smile grew. “Jealousy doesn’t suit you, Jemma.” Noelle clicked her tongue, before turning and walking away, not bothering to spare her a glance. She made her way towards the conference room, set everything up and then took a seat at the table, waiting for the meeting to start. As she waited, her mind went over the plan once again, and a wave of anxiety washed over her. What if this failed? What if Wallace Castellano didn’t like her pitch and gave the contract to a different firm, ultimately destroying her path to making Jason and his whore pay? Just thinking about it frizzled Noelle’s nerves to the point that her palms began to sweat, but she reassured herself. As long as she doesn’t mess this pitch up, nothing can stand in the way of this her plan. Taking in a deep breath, she calmed her nerves just as the doors suddenly opened, and a group of people walked in. Noelle quickly stood up to welcome them. “Hello Mr. Castellano, I’m Noelle Hart, head of design. I will be presenting your firm’s pitch.” She greeted with the brightest smile possible as her eyes scanned each and every one of the men present. However, the moment her eyes fell on the person behind, her breath hitched, her words faltered and her entire body froze. Her eyes were met with a familiar shade of blue, and her heart skipped a beat as the memories from the night two days ago flashed in her head. No…it couldn’t be. It just couldn’t be. But the truth was staring her straight in the face, and Noelle couldn’t deny it, especially when he held her gaze for longer than anyone would have liked, before taking several steps forward. Warning bells went off in her head as she watched him approach. “Noelle Hart, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He said, extending his hand towards her, while the corners of his lips tugged upward ever so slightly. “I’m Wallace Castellano.” Noelle felt her heart skip a beat. Shit! Forget her earlier worry about messing her revenge plan up, the man in front of her… supposedly her firms biggest multi billion dollar client and her target, was the very same man she had a freaking one night stand with!If being surprised was a color, then Noelle’s complexion would be black and white, as she stood there, her eyes slightly wide and her brain short circuiting, trying to comprehend how and why the very same man who she had a one night stand with, had introduced himself as Wallace Castellano, her biggest multi-billion dollar client and supposed target! It was almost as if the universe was playing a funny joke on her, one that she wished wasn’t true. But the man standing in front of her and her slow sense of rising panic, told her that this wasn’t a joke and the irony wasn’t funny. The man in front of her, was indeed the person she had spent a night with, left a hundred dollars tip and then fled in the morning. He was also the man who, she had planned to make him fall head over heels for and use to get revenge against Jason and his newest ATM. This was…a mess. But even at that, Noelle knew she had to pull herself together. There was no room for error, and the fact that Wallace’s
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 a
Noelle couldn’t believe her ears. She blinked in confusion, trying to make head of what she had just heard. She, become the wife of Wallace Castellano? How funny; Noelle thought, she must have misheard him. After all, that would be the only logical explanation to the situation. But when her gaze met his, she knew she hadn’t misheard. His expression was dead serious, and the slight raise of his eyebrows indicated that he was waiting for a response. A response that Noelle wasn’t sure she could give. “That’s a joke, right?” She asked, still trying to wrap her head around the absurdity of the situation. “I’m afraid not,” Wallace replied, his tone indicating that this was as real as it could be and this, once again, left Noelle stunned. What a way to start her day! She had believed she was getting fired, and now, she was being proposed to by a billionaire. The very same one she had slept with and supposedly was her target. Life was truly unpredictable. “So,” Wallace
For the second time in a span of a few hours, Noelle found herself questioning the choices she had made in life.As she walked into the bathroom to take a call from the hospital, hoping it would at least be the good news needed to brighten up her day, her mind was plagued by the proposition she had received.It seemed like a golden opportunity, yet something about it seemed…off.Whatever that was, Noelle wasn’t given the chance to thinking through, as the voice of her mother’s doctor, came over the line.“Hello, Mrs. Hart?”“Yes, doctor Melvin. How is my mother?”There was a brief pause, one that caused her heart to skip a beat, and before the doctor spoke again, a million scenarios flashed through her mind.“Well, we’re pleased to inform you, that she is making progress.”At those words, Noelle released a sigh of relief.“Thank goodness.”“But we have a problem. Although she has shown progress, your mother is in dire need of the surgery. And as we’ve discussed in our past c
Never in her life, had Noelle thought she'd be stepping foot in the headquarters of one of the biggest and richest corporations in the entirety of Italy, but here she was, following behind a beautiful receptionist and being led down the halls. "Here you are." The receptionist stopped in front of a large, imposing door and gestured for her to enter. "He's waiting for you." Noelle couldn't help but feel a twinge of nervousness as she stepped forward and reached out to the door knob. Her heart was racing and her palms were sweaty, a clear indication that she was anxious, but even with all the fear, she knew this was something she had to do. This was her only option. She had to marry Wallace Castellano. And if the way the door was pushed open and the man sitting behind the desk looked up, his eyes meeting hers, and his lips curving into a subtle smile, was any indication, then, her fate had already been sealed. "I'm glad you've come to a decision, Noelle." Wallace stoo
After a few minutes of walking down the hallway, they finally stopped and Wallace pulled her into a room, which turned out to be a study.The furniture were expensive, and the decorations were minimal, yet elegant.“Have a seat.”Wallace let go of her hand and gestured towards the chairs in front of his desk, where he took a seat.Noelle hesitated, before walking over and sitting down.“So,” She began, breaking the silence that had settled between them.“Where do we begin?”“Simple,” Wallace responded, pulling open one of the table drawers and digging through it. “We’ll discuss the details of our arrangement, the roles we will play and how we will proceed, among other things.”Noelle couldn’t help but feel curious at the word, ‘roles’.“What exactly are you talking about?”“This,” He said, placing a stack of paper and a folder in front of her.“What is this?” Noelle questioned, reaching out and taking a look at the first page.“Your role as my fiancée,” Wallace replied, hi
Thankfully, the following day was a Saturday, so, first thing the following morning, Noelle had walked into one of the biggest shopping malls in Milan. Her first stop had been a dress shop. As much as she had a few dresses in her wardrobe, none of them seemed to be appropriate enough for the occasion. So, after a few minutes of searching, she finally found the perfect dress; a long sleeved, v neck, black mini dress, that hugged her curves in the most flattering way. Pleased with her choice, she proceeded to pick out a pair of heels, but much to her dismay, was stopped by the store clerk. “What seems to be the problem?” “The dress,” the lady explained, pointing at attire. “It’s already been picked out by a customer.”Noelle frowned. Another customer? But she had just chosen it. “You can’t be serious.” She was about to ask the clerk if there was a mistake, but the latter cut her off. “Yes, the dress is taken.” Before she could respond, a familiar voice spoke from behi
The following day had rolled about faster than Noelle had expected, and much sooner than she would have liked, she found herself, dressed in the not too tacky black dress she had picked up the previous day, and walking out of her house.The car, a sleek, expensive looking one was already parked in front, the driver, Mr. Khalid waiting patiently by its side.“Good morning,” Noelle greeted.“Good morning, Miss Hart,” He responded, opening the door.“Mr. Castellano is waiting,” He said, and the moment those words were out of his mouth, Noelle could feel a nervous energy fill her.This was it, she thought as she climbed into the car.This was the moment where it would all begin. Her revenge on Jason and her contractual marriage to Wallace, as well as the day she would finally meet her in laws.A whole lot was riding on today, and she couldn’t help but feel a little anxious at that.However, the thought that her plan would start rolling, soon enough, was comforting and so, with a s
“If you don't want your nude pictures plastered on that screen,” Ivette repeated, going the extra mile to point at the huge screen at the center of the hall, with a smirk. “I suggest you follow me now.”“You…” Noelle wasn't quite sure what to say, or rather, how to feel. Was she meant to feel baffled over the fact that Jason had leaked the private photos she sent to him, for his eyes only, or, was she meant to feel surprised and panicked, that Ivette had just threatened her with those photos.Whichever two of it she was meant to, Noelle surprisingly, did not feel that way. Rather, she felt assumed. “You…you're threatening me at my own engagement party, with my own nude pictures?” She asked, finding the situation amusing, but did her very best to keep her smile at bay.Ivette nodded boldly, crossing her arms with a smug look on her face. “Exactly. I won't repeat myself again, so come along.”Noelle watched as she turned and began walking off without even waiting for a response. She c
Saturday had breezed by faster than Noelle expected. One second, she was waking up, contemplating if she still wanted to go through with this and the next, she was throwing on the white dress she had picked out, and hopping into the car Wallace had sent to pick her up.The drive to the event center was a silent one, allowing Noelle stew in her growing nerves. It wasn't everyday she did something like this, an engagement ceremony, mostly, with all sorts of influential and rich people surrounding her.She wasn't a social person and the thought of mixing up with many people alone was already tiring her out, but her motivation, the date circled with a red marker, payment date for Adrian Black’s loan, was enough to keep her going.The car soon came to a stop in front of a magnificent event hall. The outside alone, said tons about what the inside was going to be. Castle like structure with highrise and glass finishing. Noelle’s astonishment for the place was clear as Khalid held the door op
Less than forty eight hours had passed when Khalid showed up at the door, carrying with him, a bunch of expensive looking dresses, nearly hung on a rollable hanger.Noelle, standing by the open door, surveyed the dresses with clear surprise written across her face. When Wallace had said he was going to send Khalid with dresses from her to pick from, she didn't think it was going to be This much.“Mr. Castellano sent me,” Khalid stated the obvious, pointing in the direction of the dresses behind afterwards. “He'd like you to pick out a dress. May I come in?”Politely spoken, Noelle noted as she nodded and took a few steps back, granting the assistant entrance into her apartment.Elena wasn't home today, haven woken up in the early hours of the day to get ready for an even Noelle couldn't quite make the name out from all the mumbling and mindless words she said when getting ready, so, letting Khalid in with the dresses wasn't going to to any sort of inconvenience.Once Khalid had rolled
Nearly five minutes has passed since Elena walked in on the rather confusing scene. All three of them were now seated in the living room, with Wallace beside Noelle and Elena sitting across from them, scrutinizing their very being at any given chance.“So,” Elena began at last, breaking the silence. Neither of them had spoken after Noelle promised to explain the situation as soon as they were seated, yet, had said nothing up until this point. “Are you going to start explaining or should I start questioning?”“I…I'll explain.” Noelle said with a sigh. Taking a few seconds, she thought of the best and easiest way to explain this, but realized, there was no way. So, she went straight for it. “This…this is Wallace. Wallace Castellano.” She introduced.The male in question, flashed a friendly smile, accompanied by a nod of acknowledgement and did nothing else. However, he didn't need to. Even when he sat beside Noelle, looking all composed and aristocratic, he still managed to give off a
The first visitor to drop by, although unexpected, wasn't as unpleasant as the second one.With a scowl on her face, Noelle didn't think twice to try and slam the door in the face of her ex, scumbag boyfriend, the moment she opened it and saw he was the one standing there.“Noelle,” Unfortunately, Jason had more strength than she did, and found it fairly easy to pry the door open before it closed shut. With the same strength, he held it open, preventing Noelle from doing the same thing.“Don't you dare slam the door in my face. We have to talk.”“Like hell we do,” Noelle sassed, pulling harder on the door to shut it, despite the obvious fact that her strength couldn't outmatch his. “I have nothing to talk to you about, Jason. Now, while I'm asking nicely, get your fucking hand off my door and do yourself a favor, by never showing up in front of me, ever again!”“That's not going to happen until you answer me. I have questions and you're going to answer them.” Saying this, Jason too
Surprise washed over Noelle's entire expression as she looked at the man in front of her.For a second, she was speechless. “How…why are you here?” She eventually asked.“I heard what happened with my mother,” Wallace started. The sound of his voice was surprisingly smooth and when he stepped forward, Noelle realized that she did not take a step back.Instead, she stared, trying to understand what he had just said…meant. He heard what happened with his mother - the incident at the bridal fit- so he came all the way here.To what, check up on her? The possibility of that made Noelle's stomach do a weird flip that she did not like.Suddenly, the feeling of a cold hand against her cheek pulled her out of her thoughts. Only after blinking a couple of times, did she realize Wallace was now standing in front of her with his hand placed on her cheek.Her reaction was immediate. She flinched and took a few steps back, staring up at him, in surprise.“What-” The question began forming on her
The ‘dinner’ was already in full swing by the time Wallace walked in. The large wooden dining table, the very same one he recalled having enjoyed dinner at when he was younger, was decorated from top to bottom with different varieties of food, and at the head of the table, sat his mother.Composed as usual and dressed in fine and neat material. Her eyes followed him as he entered and took his seat by the other end of the table, as far away from her as possible.Silence settled between them for what felt like the longest time. The staffs at the back of the room, although used to interaction like this from mother and son, couldn't help but feel anxious and misplaced, occasionally glancing at each other, but not daring to speak a word.Thankfully, Wallace was quick to break the silence, relieving them of their silent suffering. “I’m sure we both have better things to do than sitting around a table and pretending to have mother-son time. Let's make this quick, shall we?” His words made
Walking out of her mother's room, Noelle gasped in surprise when she nearly ran into a tall figure standing in front of the room.“C-Caiden,” The name rolled off her lips with relief as she looked up and met the eyes of her close friend, former neighbor and now, her mother's doctor.The male smiles down at her. The gesture highlighted his dimples and made his golden eyes crease ever so slightly.“Did I startle you, Noel?” He asked softly and Noelle shook her head, feeling her heart return to its normal pace at the sound of his soothing and familiar voice.“No, you didn't.” She flashed him a smile of her own before pointing towards her mother's room. “Are you here for a checkup?”Caiden nodded.“How is she?” Noelle asked. Although Jane had told her that her mother's condition was improving, she wanted to hear it directly from the doctor monitoring her.“Compared to her condition last month, she's improved,” Caiden began, but when his brows furrowed, his expression falling a bit, Noell
The walk back to Mrs. Castellano’s car was far too quiet for Bianca's liking. Staring at the older woman's back as they approached the vehicle, she tried to figure out what she was thinking.Had Noelle's words had an impact on her? Impossible! Iris Castellano was not just anyone. Words like that meant nothing and had no effect on her. She had seen worse, been through worse. After all, one does not get into the Castellano family by mouth alone.However, it looked like Noelle was about to do exactly that. The thought made Bianca frown. Noelle wasn't worthy of such a position.She knew nothing about the Castellano family, unlike her. She hasn't been through the hardship and training she has been through. That position should and would be hers.“Mother,” At last, she called out to Mrs. Castellano as the older woman was about to enter her car. The close natured way at which she always calls the woman, seemed to lighten the mood. “You must be surprised.”“Surprise no, disappointed, yes. I