ALEXAThe phone screen burned into my eyes, the moans filling the quiet room like a sick joke. “Oh yes, harder, Mark, please fuck me harder!” My stomach twisted as I watched my husband thrust into another woman, her voice shamelessly calling out his name. The same name I had whispered in the dark when he was unconscious in that hospital bed, clinging to life. The name I had prayed over when I fought to bring him back. And this was my reward? This betrayal—on the night of our fifth anniversary? On my birthday? My fingers trembled as I gripped the phone tighter. A notification popped up, a fresh slap to my face. "Do you like the birthday gift I sent you, dear sis?" I didn’t need to check the sender. I could already see Ivy’s smug face in my mind, could hear the gloating in her voice. "See? Just a flick of my finger and he comes running back. Don’t think your pathetic care ever mattered. To Mark, you’re just a poor nanny." A poor nanny. A mocking smile curled my lips. Tha
ALEXAMark halted mid-step, his broad shoulders tense as he turned to face me. His blue eyes, so sharp and cold, narrowed dangerously as they fixed on my smaller frame. “Excuse me?” His voice was low, quiet, but there was an unmistakable warning in it. I refused to back down. My heart was pounding, but I kept my chin high, my voice steady. “Let’s get a divorce,” I repeated, staring straight at him. For a moment, he just looked at me. Then, a slow scoff left his lips, his expression twisting into something between amusement and disbelief. “Is this your attempt to get back at me?” he asked, tilting his head slightly. His gaze shifted toward the dining table, where the untouched meal sat—an entire evening’s worth of effort wasted. Then, just as quickly, he looked back at me. “Because what?” His voice dripped with condescension. “I didn’t spend your birthday with you? Or is it the anniversary?” There was no remorse, not even a sliver of guilt in his tone, and that hurt mor
MARKThe next morning, as I stepped out of my room, ready for work, I noticed something—something was off. The house felt… empty. Too empty. “Good morning, Mr. Ronaldo,” Jennifer, the housekeeper, greeted as she approached with a cup of coffee. Alexa had sent her away last night for our "special occasion," yet here she was, back in her usual routine. “Your morning coffee, sir.” I took the cup and sipped. The taste was familiar, just the way Alexa always made it when I had a long, exhausting day. Was this her way of asking for an apology? If it was, it wasn’t enough. No one had ever dared to raise their hand against me before. If she wanted forgiveness, she should have the decency to say it to my face. I handed the cup back to Jennifer and glanced around. “Where’s Alexa?” Jennifer flinched at my question. My eyes narrowed. “I asked you a question.” She hesitated before blurting out in a rush, “I apologize, sir, but earlier this morning, the madam packed her bags and l
ALEXAAfter a few hours at the boutique and salon, I barely recognized myself. My hair, once dull and lifeless, was now a vibrant shade of red with golden streaks running through the ends. My nails were perfectly polished, my skin glowed, and the red, figure-hugging dress I wore left little room for self-doubt. It clung to my curves, accentuating everything Mark had once ignored. I looked good—better than I had in years. But as I stared at my reflection, a strange feeling crept over me. Regret. Not for leaving him. But for wasting so much time waiting for love that was never meant for me. For hoping, praying, and breaking myself just to earn scraps of affection from a man who never truly saw me. That ended today. "Well?" Noelle’s voice broke through my thoughts. She stood behind me, arms crossed, watching my reaction closely. "What do you think?" I turned to her, a slow smile spreading across my lips. "I feel…" I paused, then let out a breath. "Like me." Noelle grinn
ALEXA“Let go of her, right now!”That was Noelle’s voice, and it was what brought me back to reality. Everyone present at the club was now looking at us, and Mark’s hand still held onto my wrist possessively…and painfully.“Let her go, Mark,” Noelle ordered again when it seemed as though Mark was deaf to her orders.“Stay out of this,” Mark eventually said, glaring at Noelle. His voice was throaty and husky, and I wondered if it was as a result of what happened between the two of us; if he felt it too, or if it was as a result of his anger.“Why should I?” Noelle asked, facing Mark fearlessly and boldly.She had never liked him, and knowing Noelle the way I did, I knew that she would definitely use this opportunity to get at Mark for what he made me go through. She hardly ever saw him, because she could not stand his presence.“Last time I checked, she was your ex-wife, Mark,” Noelle added.Mark smirked. “You are mistaken, Noelle,” he simply said, leaving Noelle’s eyes to budge out i
MARKI tried to take my eyes off Alexa and the throng of men that were shamelessly dancing with her on her mini-stage, but I just couldn’t, and it was very obvious that she was enjoying it.Frankly, if I didn’t know Alexa well enough, I would have sworn that she wasn’t the woman on that stage; maybe her lookalike, but definitely not her. I had never seen Alexa that sexy and alluring, and as I watched, my jaw clenched in annoyance. How dare those godforsaken paid male prostitutes have the nerves to touch Alexa that way? Worse, her witch of a friend, Noelle, continued to scream and urge her on, and even more annoying that the money Alexa sprayed on them were mine.“Mark,” Vector called. “Mark,” he called again, and when Mark still didn’t answer or even take his eyes away from Alexa and her escapade, Vector decided to snap his fingers.“What?” I asked, turning to Vector, my eyes blazing with anger and rage. “What is it?” I asked him gruffly.“You have been staring over there for too lon
MARKI allowed Ivy to kiss me, and I expected an instant arousal, but it wasn’t forthcoming. Ivy noticed it too.“Mark, what’s wrong?” She asked me as she touched and caressed me. “You are still very soft,” she stated the obvious.I sighed and fell in bed. I knew exactly what was making it hard for me to get a hard-on, but I did not want to tell Ivy about it, and it was very convenient to blame it on the fact that Alexa had pissed me off.“I just have so much on my mind,” I told her, which wasn’t a lie, because my head was filled with those bloody men dancing around Alexa at the club.“Is it the divorce with Alexa?” Ivy asked with concern in her voice.I turned and looked at Ivy, telling myself that she was the woman I loved and the woman that I was really in love with.“Yeah, yeah,” I said. “It is taking a toll on me,” I added.“I know that you cannot wait to be free from her, and I could talk to my mum and our dad to force her into signing the papers since she is trying so hard to c
ALEXAI thought I had thrown up everything in my stomach already, but I woke up and rushed into Noelle’s bathroom and threw up again.Then literally sat on the bathroom floor, because I was already weak and exhausted.Noelle came in with a cup of herbal tea and gave it to me. “Are you going to throw everything you have into the toilet?” She asked. “You have been vomiting since last night, even at the club,” she added.“Because you forced me into dancing with those men and it really got my entire system irritated,” I said.I didn’t know that being around other men would make me feel so disgusted, and even though I only did it to get on Mark’s nerves, I was beginning to regret my actions.“I am never do that ever again,” I said and I meant it.Noelle threw her head back and laughed loudly. “What are you never doing again; aggravating Mark and making him jealous, visiting Dancing Devil, or having fun with male strippers?” Noelle asked.“Going to that stupid club and allowing those freaki
IVYI had been giddy and elated since Mark asked me to be his date to Alexa’s launch, and I could not contain my excitement.“Hello,” I spoke into the phone as soon as the call connected. “Miss Ivy, it is so good to hear from you,” my stylist answered from the other end of the phone.She was one of the most expensive and stylish female stylists in the entire city, and because of who I was, it was only logical that she became my personal stylist as well. If female celebrities and high class women in Paris were making use of her services, then why shouldn’t I? Besides, since I started to hang out with Mark Ronaldo, even before the accident, it was only reasonable to use stylist such as herself.If Alexa had decided to become a female stylist, she would have failed woefully, because she would never have come any close to my stylist, and that was all the consolation I needed.“Yes, it is,” I said happily. “I need a custom-made dress,” I told her, not wanting to waste too much time over t
MARK“How does the invitation make you feel?” Vector asked me.Well, Vector was a friend of mine. My best friend, in fact, but that did not mean that I would tell him everything, or exactly how I felt.I was a man of great pride, and that was because it was a common trait in the Ronaldo lineage.“You are a man, and your ego is all that you have. It is what the men in this family are known for, and it is the only thing you have to hold onto,” my dad had told me several times when he was alive.Every single male in the Ronaldo’s family had been known for their untamable pride and ego, and my dad had ensured that he put it inside of me before he died. There was no room for anything called emotions or sympathy or sentiments.“No one ever owns and runs an empire when they have the heart of a woman,” I had often been told, especially when I told over the family business.And in truth, neither of his words had been wrong for any reason. While some of the CEO sons I had grown up with had allo
ALEXA“All this happened?” Noelle jumped up from the bed, astonished.She could barely believe what I just narrated to her, and I understood her shock, because despite our closeness, I decided to keep this part of it from her.“Yes, it did,” I answered sadly.“And you kept it all away from me?” Noelle asked.“I was too ashamed to tell you,” I told Noelle as fresh wave of tears spilled down my cheeks. “You warned me against marrying Mark and playing maid after Ivy dumped him, besides, it was Ivy he chose and not me, but I didn’t listen. I stubbornly went ahead and married a man in his sick bed without his knowledge and took care of him dutifully, but it was because I loved Mark genuinely,” I added.“You have always loved Mark Ronaldo, and he is the wrong man for you, Alexa, but you still should have told me,” Noelle insisted, feeling sorry for me and angry about what I just told her.“I was just too ashamed, especially when he looked into my eyes and denied me, Noelle. It hurt like hel
ALEXAHow could I have said no to Clara’s demands when her threats were real? How could I not bow to what she and Ivy wanted when everything my dad ever built was hanging on the line?How couldn’t I be considerate?I had agreed painfully, even though it shattered my heart, but I had hoped that Mark would not want Ivy anymore. At least, if he pushed her away, then it would no longer be any fault of mine.“Let’s go to the hospital together and get this over and done with,” Clara had stated firmly.I had swallowed hard and nodded.Maybe I should have been bold enough to tell my dad the kind of woman Clara was, especially the first time I had found out that she was cruel and dangerous, but I just couldn’t. I was too scared and worried about my dad. He had been so lonely and unhappy, and being around Clara drove all that loneliness away.How could I break his heart like that, but now, I was suffering the brunt of my decisions to stay quiet.“I can’t wait to see Mark!” Ivy had squealed in d
ALEXAA few years back, shortly after the doctor announced that Mark had woken up from his coma and I had happily announced to dad and Clara about the good news, I had received a call from Clara.It had been a surprise, because Clara never called me, and the first thought that had come to my mind was that something was wrong with my dad.“Clara?” I had answered the phone with a dreadful anticipation.“Where are you?” Clara had asked, sounding displeased over the phone, which wasn’t new, because she had never masked her dislike towards me, even in the presence of my dad.“At home, fixing the house and making arrangement for Mark’s return home,” I had answered innocently.Indeed, right after Mark woke up, he had demanded to be taken out of the hospital; he had wanted to continue his treatment from the comfort of his mansion, and away from the nosy eyes of bloggers and gossips.Unfortunately, I hadn’t been right there when he had woken up; I had gone for a quick grocery shopping for the
ALEXAThe tears flowed freely, and even when Noelle came over to me and joined me on the floor to console me, I could not stop crying.“He rejected my invitation, Noelle,” I said amidst the tears and bitterness.“You are going to hurt yourself if you continue crying like this,” Noelle said, her voice filled with pity and sympathy towards.I had been skeptical about sending an invitation to him because I was scared and worried about being turned down, but I had no idea that it would hurt me this much. My heart was broken into several tiny pieces, and my throat was tight.“I can’t stop crying,” I told Noelle as more tears flowed. “What if he never forgives me? What if I have lost my dad just because of one reckless night at the club?” I asked, my voice breaking as I cried profusely.Noelle figured that if she continued talking, it would likely fall on deaf ears, because she could feel my pain and brokenness from my tears and the sound of my voice. So instead, Noelle gathered me in her a
ALEXANoelle and I finished from the press office where we went to get my brand name registered and labeled.We had eventually come to the conclusion of “Alexa’s Touch On Men – ATOM” and it was just perfect! I could rarely wait for the launch now as we had been able to achieve a lot over the last couple of days. Almost everything was set. We had been able to book the hall for the launch party and contacted vendors and event planners to help fix the event.“I just want everything to be perfect,” I told Noelle over and over again.“And it will be, Alexa, relax,” she said, chuckling.The day before, Alexa and I arranged the invitation boxes in a grand and stylish way, and according to our guest list, sent them out through a courier service.“If we must get these billionaires to attend and sign me for contracts aside from your dad’s influence in getting them there, then the invitation must be something that would soothe their pride and status,” I had told Noelle.“Of course,” Noelle had
MARKI allowed Vector to drag me to Dancing Devils after several other attempts, because it would be good for me.I had been locked up in my house, trying to bury myself in my job to avoid thinking about the conversation I had with my doctor about my sexual competence.“Well, I hope you are not going to sulk the entire time and bore us to death,” Mickey said as the waitress served our drinks.I was specific about what kind of drinks I took. Luckily, no one was ever suspicious why I now preferred some particular choices of drinks over others since the accident, including Vector. To them, they simply thought I was just being like everyone else placing their orders.“I don’t think we have anything to worry about,” Barry said. “His ex-wife will not be turning up tonight, and even if she does and spoils his mood, we will simply switch tables,” he added.“Has Alexa been here ever since that night?” I couldn’t help but ask.I knew that asking might give some type of impression, but I really
IVYToday seemed to be a great day, because Alexa’s dad managed to come downstairs for lunch. I was wondering how long he would continue sulking over the estrangement with Alexa, which was giving me great joy by the way.Their relationship had always made me jealous from the very beginning.He was so fond of her and it was infuriating to watch. At first, I had admired it and wished that I had a dad who loved and cherished, and even supported me like Mr. Silver did with Alexa, although, he all fairness, he also treated me almost equally, but it was just not the same. Then it transcended to hatred and jealousy when I saw how well it made Alexa bloomed.The first day the jealousy and hatred started was when Alexa was referred to as “Daddy’s little princess,” and I just stood there like I didn’t exist.“Thank goodness you came downstairs, honey. You have emaciated greatly, and I have been worried sick,” Clara said dutifully and lovingly.Then we both shared glances and I smiled, shaking m