Chapter 6

Morning, in Azure Villa,

Last night, Evelyn fell asleep with a heavy heart, after the argument with Alaric. As soon as her ringing phone woke her up, she groggily answered it, not sure who could be calling her this early morning.

She answered without checking the caller ID. "Hello?" she mumbled, struggling to open her eyes.

To her surprise, it was her father's voice on the other end, seething with anger.

"Evelyn! What the hell is going on between you and Alaric? How could you two make a joke about our families like this?" Her father, Christian Rockefeller's voice was strained with fury.

"Dad?" Evelyn was startled by her father's sudden outburst. "What are you talking about? I don't understand..." she trailed off, her confusion mounting.

"If you want to know what I'm talking about, just check the trending news on the internet! You and Alaric have some explaining to do!" Christian's voice boomed, anger evident in every word.

Saying this Christian hung up in anger.

Evelyn's phone started to buzz with notifications as she scrolled through the news article. The headline read: "Exclusive: CEO of TitanTech, Alaric Pritzker, caught out on a date with model Dianna East." Sinking deeper into her bed sheets, Evelyn clicked on the article, swiping through the images to find the one that had caught her father's attention. 

There they were - Alaric and Dianna, sitting in a cozy ice cream parlor. Her eyes were blazing with fury when she saw the picture of Alaric feeding the ice cream. 

Alaric looked at Dianna with such tender eyes. Evelyn wondered why he never looked at her like that?

Rather than sadness, Evelyn felt a deep sense of betrayal in her heart. Her hands clenched tightly around her phone as she felt a wave of fury wash over her.

She knew about Alaric's affection for Dianna but she expected Alaric to come out in public soon. Moreover, he had made Evelyn a laughing stock in front of everyone.

Seeing the comments of people sympathizing with her because her husband cheated on her, she threw her phone on the ground.

"You went too far, Alaric," she muttered, her voice filled with fury. "You went too far "

Evelyn's relationship with her father has never been that good. Ever since she could remember, she only saw her father treating her as an obligation even though her father was her only family.

As her father's angry voice still rang in her ears, Evelyn knew that she had a lot of explaining to do. But first, she needed to confront her cheating husband.

Evelyn quickly got out of bed, feeling numb and betrayed. She was being the doting wife while Alaric disregarded her feelings, flaunting his mistress in her face.  However, still her heart bled to let Alaric go.

________

Meanwhile, in TitanTech,

As Alaric sat in his cabin, his eyes focused on his computer screen. His expression was stoic, his demeanor cold. Suddenly, the door to his cabin burst open and in walked his friend, Kevin.

Kevin, with his tall and lean figure, his piercing green eyes, and his chiseled jawline, he could easily catch anyone's attention. He had thick, jet black hair that fell effortlessly into a messy yet stylish haircut. His smile was both charming and mischievous, giving him an air of playful mystery. 

His voice was smooth and deep, with a hint of amusement that added to his enigmatic allure. Women were drawn to him like moths to a flame, but he never seemed to commit to any one person.

Although he exuded an air of danger, there was something undeniably alluring about him that kept people coming back for more. No one could quite figure him out, and that was part of his irresistible charm.

The largest fashion clothes business in the Starfall city was Kevin's to inherit. He had a private office of his own. He had already established a solid reputation for himself at the young age of 28.

"Hey man," Kevin said, his voice playful and upbeat.

Alaric looked up from his computer screen, his eyes meeting Kevin's. "Did you do what I asked you to do?" he asked, his voice monotone.

Kevin's smile widened. "Of course I did. I completed my task flawlessly. The news will be taken off the internet in the next ten minutes."

Alaric simply replied with a "Hmm."

The two men stayed in silence for a few moments before Kevin spoke up again. "By the way, are you sure you want to divorce your wife?"

Alaric's frown deepened. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Kevin sighed heavily. "I just think that rather than Dianna, your wife, Evelyn, is a much better match for you."

Alaric paused for a moment, his thoughts drifting to Evelyn. But he quickly pushed those thoughts aside and answered, "I already handed her the divorce papers."

Kevin shook his head. "You should rethink your decision. You won't get a girl like Evelyn again."

"If Evelyn wasn't your wife, then I would have gone after her," Kevin teased.

Alaric's anger flared, he scowled. "If you have time to waste chit-chatting, why don't you go to dad's office and do something productive?"

Kevin rolled his eyes in irritation, but he hit the correct nerve, "If you're this angry just by the mention of another man going after Evelyn, then how are you going to handle your temper when she remarries?" 

Alaric raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Remarry?" he repeated.

"What?" Kevin was taken aback. "Evelyn is just 24. Did you think she was going to stay single for the rest of her life? Sooner or later, she will meet another guy," he explained. "And let's face it, she's beautiful, kind-hearted, and down-to-earth. Which man could resist falling for a woman like that?"

Alaric clenched his fists. Just the thought of Evelyn being with another man made his heart fume with anger. But the next moment, he was confused. Why would he care if Evelyn was with someone else?

"I don't know what you're talking about," Alaric said, his voice cold.

Kevin shot him a knowing look. "Come on, man. I've known you for too long. I can see that you don't want Evelyn to leave you."

Alaric's eyes narrowed. "I don't know what you're trying to imply."

Kevin just shook his head. "You can try to deny it all you want, but the truth is, I think you only want to marry Dianna because you feel obligated to her for the sake of old times," he shrugged.

Alaric was taken aback. "What?" he replied, his voice rising in anger.

"It's been a year since you married Evelyn. If Dianna hadn't returned all of a sudden saying that she left you because your family forced her to leave to make you get married to Evelyn, if Dianna hadn't told you of her incurable cancer and she only has a few years to live, wouldn't you have eventually accepted Evelyn in your heart?" Kevin continued.

"What nonsense!" Alaric stood up and slammed his palms on the table. "I hate Evelyn Rockefeller. Even if Dianna never returned, I still would have divorced her at some point!"

"You sure?" Kevin emphasized his question.

Alaric took a moment to think about it. His mind wandered to Evelyn. He felt a pang of guilt wash over him.

Kevin walked over and stood beside Alaric, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Look buddy, I just want you to be happy, it doesn't matter who you are happy with. But since I know how desperately Evelyn has tried to make this marriage with you work out, I feel like she is the one who can make you truly happy." He continued, "If you still want to divorce her, then it's completely your choice. The reason why I asked you to rethink your choices is only because I don't want you to do anything that you're going to regret for the rest of your life."

Alaric took a deep breath. "I will divorce her," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, but he couldn't shake off the feeling of guilt that lingered in his heart.