ALEXAThe day for my fashion brand launch party was finally here!I could hardly stay still as Eva did the final fittings on the most beautiful dress I had ever seen, and even better, I was wearing it. Indeed, I argued with Noelle about being the best dressed female even though it was my own show, but now, I could see that she was right.Noelle was always right about everything.Goodness, with how beautiful I looked just staring at the mirror, and Eva wasn’t even done yet, I wanted to hug and kiss Noelle for being my stone of support, and for not letting my own thoughts get the better part of me.“Please, try and stay still,” Eva said gently and professionally.One thing I noticed about her was how much she had been in her best effort to impress me, and I wondered if it was naturally her work ethic, or she was just doing this because of my perceived new status.“How did Ivy take it when you told her that you couldn’t make her dress?” I had to ask.When Eva had told Noelle and I that s
ALEXAMy whole world crumbled right in my very eyes as I saw the news and the picture of the engagement right.“I have always known that Mark Ronaldo is an asshole,” Noelle was speaking angrily. “How can he just move on with Ivy after everything you did for him? Gosh, he is such a blind bat,” Noelle added.“Noelle, please, I want to be alone,” I said, my voice almost coming out in a whisper, and that was because I was trying not to shed the tears that were threatening to come.“Alexa, this is not the time for you to go all mushy and heartbroken and emotional,” Noelle said motivationally. “I am certain that they wanted you to feel this way, which was why the announced the damn engagement yesterday evening, a day before your big day. You must never allow that to happen. I only showed this to you because you insisted that Mark could bring Ivy along, and knowing that cunning stepsister of yours, I knew that it would eventually come out, and I did not want you to be taken unprepared,” Noel
MARK“You look dashing, honey,” Ivy purred as we met in the living room. “And we look perfect together,” she added with a smile on her face.It was time for Alexa’s party, and although Ivy’s dress looked fabulous and it was fitting for what I was also wearing, especially with the fact that we were a couple again now, I just couldn’t bring myself to feeling happy.The last twenty-four hours had been spent thinking about my choices and decisions.“Are you sure you really want to marry Ivy, especially with the fact that you have a sexual condition, and worse, thoughts of another woman in your head?”I had continued asking myself, but then again, my inheritance and position was at stake. I had already decided that after this party, I would be returning back to work.Mr. Devon was right; if I had paid rapt attention to the company’s policies, I would have known what was at stake, and at such, I would never have allowed that divorce pull through, but then again, it wasn’t until Alexa asked
ALEXAI was about starting my speech on the stage when I caught sight of Mark and Ivy who just entered the hall. Fortunately, I hadn’t already begun, otherwise their entrance would have stalled my speech, and everyone, or most people would have noticed. They were both dressed in matching colors, an obvious indication that they were a couple, and as Ivy clung dearly to Mark’s side, they almost looked like a pair made in heaven.Anyway, I had to quickly remind myself that I was on the stage, and that every prominent man in the hall were here because of me, waiting to address them. Whatever I would say now would determine if all this was worth it or if I was going to sink, and I reminded myself that I didn’t want to sink at all.“Good evening gentlemen and their ladies,” I started after taking a few deep breaths. I had already determined in my heart not to look in Mark and Ivy’s direction so that I wouldn’t lose focus. If I was to do this, I would have to do it well. “Thank you all for
ALEXAI went right into the dressing room, panting like a deer that had just completed a marathon. My heart was thumping really fast and my head was beginning to bang loudly.Noelle came in almost immediately.“Alexa, I am so sorry,” she said instantly. “I tried to prevent the coordinator from allowing her say a single word, but I couldn’t, and also, I did not want to give the crowd a bad impression,” Noelle explained hastily as though it was her fault.Yeah, it was because I didn’t also want to give out a wrong impression that I allowed Ivy mockingly and stylishly bully me. What she asked was a very sensitive question, and that alone was enough to ruin everything that we had both worked for. One thing that was for sure was that people were more than interested in knowing family secrets and stories. If they knew what was going on between my dad and I and why he wasn’t present, half of them might take their leave and never contact me for a business contract.“It is not your fault, Noe
MARK“Why would you do that?” I whispered to Ivy, almost angry.My voice would have been high because of how angry and disappointed I was, but I knew better than to be loud. It would draw attention to us, and it wasn’t good for my reputation. “It was just a question,” Ivy said without remorse.“This isn’t the reason why I allowed you to come with me, Ivy. You shouldn’t have done that,” I scolded her.It had been some minutes since Alexa hurried off the stage, and even though her best friend was doing a very good job with covering up for her, I was worried about the outcome of her disappearance. I know I shouldn’t even be bothered, but I just couldn’t help it.There was something about Alexa Silver now that struck me.She was very different now. Seeing her in that dress and on stage addressing men of power, wealth, and influence intrigued me. She had now become the perfect definition of the woman of my dreams. I never knew that Alexa could be this beautiful and bold, and while she spo
IVYI wanted to scratch Alexa’s face the moment she uttered that trash from her mouth, but Mark prevented me. I did not really care about creating a scene, because I had nothing to lose, but then again, Mark had been warning me off since I asked just one question.“How dare she?” I asked, fuming.“Just behave yourself,” Mark said.He looked and sounded more embarrassed than upset, and I wondered if he was regretting the fact that I picked out our matching colors for this event.“Why do you keep taking her side over me, Mark?” I asked.It was getting on my nerves too much and I hated it. “Since we arrived you have had your eyes glued on her and everything I have done has been disgusting to you,” I complained, because it was the damn truth.“Ivy, the right thing to do at an event is to act formal and cordial, but I doubt you have any knowledge of that, seeing that you barely even attend business functions and events. The only thing you are familiar with is parties and travels,” Mark sa
MARKI thought my heart would explode when the young man appeared right beside Alexa and made that statement.At first, Alexa did not say a word, and I thought it was a silly prank, but I was wrong.“Yes, he is with me,” Alexa nodded in agreement.The other gentleman chuckled uncomfortably. It was obvious that he was lusting after Alexa earlier regardless of the fact that he was standing with another woman, which was very disgusting by the way, but now, he seemed flushed and disappointed. Well, I hoped that my own reaction to his was masked, because I would hate for people to think that I was affected by Alexa being with another man, especially after flaunting another woman.“Great news!” The gentleman said a little too loudly. “Women need men in their lives, especially those who run a business like this one,” he said, almost sounding dumb.I knew men like him; they had wives at home and also mistresses, but they were never enough for them. As many times as possible, they always wante
ALEXA“I cannot believe that you agreed to do this, Alexa!” Noelle had said loudly.It had been the first time that she had agreed to come visit me at the hospital after I told her that I was staying with Mark just to ensure that he was doing okay.And for family obligations, of course.I had chipped that in to make her react less than I expected, but it hadn’t worked. Noelle had been livid and disappointed, and she hadn’t spoken to me for a month. It had been the first time that Noelle and I had stayed apart for that long, but not even her anger could prevent me from staying by Mark.He was in coma, but it felt like he was alive to me.Doctor Jones still hadn’t seen any positive changes in him aside from the fact that he was breathing fine, but I had stayed hopeful. Every single day, without fail, I talked with Mark and read him a book and told him about what was happening in the news.Blogs. Scandals. Gossips.To me, Mark Ronaldo was alive, and I hadn’t let anyone or his reports for
ALEXAI couldn’t have said no to my dad’s request even if I had wanted to. There was no way I could have said no.Mark needed me even though he didn’t know it, and it had been an opportunity for me to actually be close to the man I loved for the very first time. I had always seen him from afar off, even when he came to the house to either pick up Ivy or have a discussion with my dad.“I am hoping that this will not take too long,” Mr. Silver had said as I prepared to go to the hospital to take care of Mark an hour after he told me. “Hopefully, he would be back on his feet. Leaving him alone would spark dirty rumors, and it is not good for us. You will have to step in and look after Mark since Ivy has abandoned her duty, but I promise you, Alexa, that you will get rewarded for this,” Mr. Silver had said.I was almost tempted to tell my dad that I did not need to be rewarded or compensated for taking care of Mark Ronaldo at a time when he needed it most. I loved Mark Ronaldo, and I wou
ALEXAI remember pacing around, worried sick at the hallway while waiting for my dad to give me answers.He had only informed me about Mark’s accident without giving me details of his condition, so I had been deeply worried. Even though he was dating Ivy and already engaged to her, I was still in love with him. It was crazy, I knew, but I could not kill my feelings for him no matter how much I tried.So the thought of Mark Ronaldo being dead crumbled my heart already, and as I paced about, waiting impatiently for my dad to come out of his bedroom, I prayed fervently in my heart that he would not be dead.“How could you be so insensitive, Clara?!” It had been my dad’s scolding voice coming from his bedroom. His room door was ajar, so it gave me the liberty to eavesdrop. I had tried to peep in, but from the angle that they stood, I could not see them, so I merely listened. I hadn’t even known that Clara had gone into his bedroom.“How am I being insensitive?” Clara had asked angrily.“
ALEXA“Alexa, you need to slow down or you will pass out yourself,” Noelle said as I paced around the hallway on Mark’s private ward.I couldn’t slow down, as Noelle was asking me to, because there was so much at stake.“How can you expect me to be calm, Noelle?” I asked, almost barking at her and transferring my aggression to her. “He is not dead, Alexa, and we brought him here discreetly. All we have to do is hold on for a few more minutes to hear the doctor’s report, that’s all, but with the way you are going, you will destroy the floor in no time,” Noelle cautioned.“You have no idea what is at stake, that’s why,” I said, looking at Noelle who was sitting unbothered for a brief moment. I knew she did not like Mark at all, so maybe she shouldn’t have come with me when Mark passed out right in front of all of us without warning, because she looked so relaxed and unbothered, and it infuriated me. “If anything happens to Mark Ronaldo, I am doomed,” I told Noelle.“Stop sounding lik
MARKI hadn’t expected to meet Alexa the mood with which I met her, considering how our last meeting had ended, and more so, with Noelle, her best friend and the one person I knew could not stand the sight of me. The first time I had met Alexa was at Mr. Silver’s birthday party, fully organized by Alexa whom I wasn’t even talking to at that time. Ivy and I had recently gotten engaged, so aside from the relationship I had with Mr. Silver, it only seemed right that I attended.I hadn’t even paid much to Alexa, because frankly, all I had wanted to do was get married to Ivy and have a good life. Her stepsister was not really a concern to me, especially as Ivy had been so bitter against her the one and only time that she had spoken about her.“Oh gosh, I can’t stand her either; always doing the most,” Ivy had hissed and rolled her eyes in disgust.I had thought that she was referring to her stepsister again, but when I looked, it had been someone else who was at the other corner of the li
ALEXAI had been devastated since I read the news. I could not believe that this could be happening after I had helped Mark to get what he wanted.I sat in my desk and tried to fight the impending tears.“It is just one customer, Alexa; do not beat yourself up about it. You still have other customers who wouldn’t be moved by what they read in the news,” I told myself, but the encouragement was not working.I was feeling so sad and dejected, and unsure of what to do. Should I call the client who pulled out personally to explain things or what should I do? I couldn’t even begin to decipher how I would be able to manage the situation. Being a woman who knew exactly how the business world worked from my years of working with my dad, I should have known that scandals are not palatable for businesses, especially ones like mine which was just starting out.My phone rang, and I thought it was Noelle, so I picked up instantly without checking who the caller was.“Thank goodness you called,” I
ALEXAThe day was already filled with a lot of work as I went through new designs and arranged my fashion catalogue. I already had a personal assistant who took care of taking bookings from my clients, so I did not need to worry about my schedule. I had a client coming in at mid noon, so while I arranged my wardrobe, I patiently waited for him.Noelle called at almost twelve; she had been at her parent’s all day. Since our argument the other day, she had simply gone over to her parent’s, because the tension had been too high. I appreciated the space, but I also felt horrible. The only thing that had kept my mind off it was work, but seeing her call now almost devastated me all over again.“Noelle,” I said into the phone. “I want to apologize for…” I started but Noelle interrupted me.“Don’t be silly, Alexa, there is no reason for you to be apologizing!” Noelle said. She sounded happy and bright, and I wondered what had changed. “Really?” I asked.“Of course,” Noelle said. “I shouldn
MARKI had an agreement with Alexa, which she stuck to, and it would only be right to do the same for her, but deep down, I knew that I wanted to stick to the agreement because I wanted to get close to her. If I did something that mattered deeply to Alexa by getting her one of the topmost clients in the city, she might feel indebted to me.So as I sat in my office, I began to make a list of wealthy and powerful men who owed me one or two favors, just for Alexa. However, Mr. Devon’s presence interrupted me.“Are we supposed to be meeting right now?” I asked him. He seemed somewhat taking aback by my question, especially with how it came out. “I just wanted to know, because I am surprised that you are here at my office,” I explained.In truth, I did not like the fact that I had been interrupted, especially at a time like this, so I wanted to know if it was important. My explanation made Mr. Devon at ease as he took his seat.“I have been thinking about our last conversation,” Mr. Devon
ALEXA“Why did you stay back and help his ass?” Noelle asked angrily.She didn’t even let me get into the house and relax before bombarding me with questions. She had been calling me nonstop as soon as I left Mark’s house, and I had to pick up and explain what happened briefly to her so that she would not blow up my phone.And now, I was having this feeling that I had made a terrible mistake.“I am tired, Noelle. Please, can we do this another time? Maybe later after I have rested,” I tried to plead with Noelle, but I already knew that it was futile, being that she was angry as hell at me.“We are having this conversation right now, Alexa!” Noelle said loudly, standing in my way and preventing me from going up the stairs. “Have you forgotten so soon what he put you through?” Noelle asked angrily.“No I haven’t forgotten,” I answered even though it sounded like a rhetorical question.How could I have forgotten what Mark Ronaldo put me through? With him, I went through the worst neglect