IVYI almost cried my eyes out, and when I thought I couldn’t cry more, the tears flowed some more.“It’s okay, honey,” Clara, my mum, tried to calm me down.“She fucking slept with him!” I howled, hating the sound of that even in my ears. “We already made him hate her and send her out of the house, and you also got your man back,” Clara said soothingly, hoping that it would comfort me, but it didn’t.I couldn’t forget the fact that Mark couldn’t get it up with me and I also overheard him talking about Alexa to his friend. Everything had been going on well until I returned to Paris and heard the most shocking news of my life; Mark and Alexa were married. From there, trying to get Mark back to me had been proving all kinds of difficult.“Do I really have Mark back?” I asked, looking at my mum.“Of course you do,” She said. “You spent the night at his, didn’t you?” Clara asked.“I did, but we didn’t have sex,” I confided in her and her eyes widened in shock. “We didn’t even sleep in th
ALEXAI tried not to think deeply about everything that had happened in the last couple of days as I eventually began to arrange my stuff in the room that Noelle gave me.I had been sulking and gloomy ever since I moved in with her, so I hadn’t even had the energy to arrange my stuff, and thankfully, Noelle was very understanding.“You have to pick yourself up and get your life going, Alexa,” Noelle had told me before leaving to get some groceries, and that was all I needed.So after she left, I got up and began to arrange my things.As I began to arrange my clothes on the wardrobe from my boxes, nostalgia washed over me. In my hurt, I had packed literally everything, including what I had from years back. Even when I got married to Mark and moved out, I did not take them with me, so seeing them now reminded me of how I was years ago before my life changed completely.Especially seeing my old favorite flowery gown…it reminded me of when I first set my eyes on Mark Ronando and fell madl
ALEXA“How did you miss him, Alexa?!” Noelle asked me as we hung out a few days later after the function.“I don’t know, trust me.” I said, trying not to sound as dejected as I had been since the function.I had already vented to Noelle over the phone, and even cried to her. I had thought about him and beaten myself up for days, and that was enough. “One moment he was there and I was keeping close watch on him, and the next, when I read and replied your last message, he was nowhere to be seen,” I had explained.“That is not enough, Alexa,” Noelle said using her scolding tone.When it came to boys, Noelle was always acting like the mother-hen. I didn’t blame her anyway, because she got a boyfriend before me, and she had the boldness of a lion; something that I doubted I would ever have in a million year to come.“What I am supposed to do, Noelle?” I asked, crestfallen.“Jeez, Alexa, you are so slow to learn!” Noelle continued to scold me.I knew that she enjoyed it, so I allowed her.
ALEXAI thought I was going to die right there and there; not just from seeing him, but seeing him and Ivy seated so close to each other.“What…what is going on here?” I muttered, staring like a zombie, hoping that had been like one of the dreams I had been having about him.I had hoped to wake up and realize that it was all a dream, but I had been wrong.Ivy had seemed happy, and I could see her blushing stupidly.“She is back,” Ivy had simply said dully.It had been as though my presence made her bored. Well, we were never friends, so the feeling was nearly mutual. What I had wanted to know instantly was what the man of my dreams was doing in our living room, close to Ivy.I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. My throat had suddenly become dry. Air had suddenly deserted my lungs, and I feared that my knees would give way and I would embarrass myself by fainting.Mark Ronaldo wasn’t even paying much attention to me I had been paying to him. It was as though he was
MARK“Are you going to sign this one?” Vector asked me.“No, I will not,” I simply answered and I meant it. “But why not?” Vector asked, sounding perplexed. “You clearly do not love her, Mark, and you were not even committed to the marriage, so why not just let her go? You burnt the first papers, and now you don’t want to get this one signed?” Vector prodded.“Whose side are you on?” I fired at Vector, glaring at him.He knew I did not like it when people questioned my choices and decisions and yet he always tried to do it.“I am on your side,” Vector said.I shook my head. “No, you are not, because if you were, we would not be having this damn conversation,” I said.“I am on your side, Mark,” Vector insisted. “And that is why I feel like the best thing to do is sign the divorce papers and let her go once and for all. You love Ivy and she is the woman you love, so divorce Alexa and be with Ivy fully,” Vector said.Somehow, his words only aggravated me.“Do you know how insulted I fee
ALEXAAfter we have had something to eat, Noelle dragged me to her living room, and I groaned, because I thought she wanted us to watch something on TV together.Frankly, I wasn’t in the mood for that. I haven’t even been in the mood for anything lately.“Noelle, can I just go to bed?” I asked even though it wasn’t even dark yet.“No, you can’t,” Noelle refused adamantly.Her apartment was large and comfortable; Noelle’s parents were wealthy, and because she insisted on living alone, her dad had bought her the apartment as her birthday gift. As we sat in the living room, I expected her to switch the channels to her favorite, but she didn’t.“I wanted us to discuss about you, Alexa,” Noelle said, making me surprised.“What about me? Are you about to ask me to leave?” I asked.Noelle laughed briefly and shook her head. “You know I would never do that, but you have been beating yourself up since your dad asked you to leave the house, and I have watched you soak yourself in guilt over wha
IVY I patiently waited for the girl I had done the business with at a lounge that I was certain few or no one would even recognize me, and soon enough, she sashayed into the lounge.“You are right on time,” I told her the moment she sat down on the other table that I had paid for us.“I don’t joke with my business,” she said. “Of course you don’t,” I also said.Then I pulled out an envelope from my purse and gave it to her; it was the rest of the payment upon our agreement. If she succeeded in getting the job done, she would be paid in full, but if not, she would forget that we ever met.She had gotten the job easily and perfectly, and if I was such a generous being, I would have given her a hefty tip.“That is what I owe you,” I told her as she glanced into the envelope. “As agreed, our deal is done and sealed, and we owe each other nothing, so I never knew you and you never met me. Understood?” I asked her, wanting to be certain that we were on the same page.“Understood,” she ans
ALEXA“He what?!” Noelle’s voice was pitch high, almost bursting my eardrums. “That asshole has got some balls!” She emphasized.“Yes, he definitely has,” I admitted calmly.“And why are you so calm about it?” Noelle asked, looking at me with both shock and suspicion.“Because two mad girls cannot sail a ship, Noelle,” I simply said.I understood Noelle’s anger, and I know she would not believe that I was more upset than she was; why wouldn’t I be when I was the victim in this situation? But I decided not to even push it. This was the second divorce papers that I was sending to Mark. I never got any response for the first one which he was supposed to have signed peacefully and returned to me, so I had another one sent to him, only for us to get a message from Mark that I would have to go back to the house we both shared together for him to sign it. Noelle had been fuming dangerously, and as a result, I had to suppress my anger so that we would not bring down the roof.“He is a jerk,”
MARK“How is my general health condition?” I asked Doctor Jones who had come in early the next morning for my general checkup.It wasn’t the day for my doctor’s appointment, but being that I would have to return to going to the company every single day, I needed to be certain that I wasn’t putting my health at risk. The last thing I needed was fainting or passing out in the presence of everyone else.It was bad enough to ruin my reputation.“From what I am looking at, we have a little problem with your health,” Doctor Jones said and I looked at him instantly, worried and alert.“Problem? How do you mean?” I asked him, worry etched on my face. This was really the last thing I wanted to hear right now. Mr. Devon had already informed me that the stakeholders would not hold out for me any longer, especially with the fact that I was now unmarried. Besides, I really wanted to fully and completely be whole again, and the last thing I needed right now was to be told of more health challenges
ALEXAThe launch party had actually turned out to be better than I envisioned it to be, especially when Ivy tried to ruin it for me and ridicule me. By the time the party ended and Noelle and I found our way home, half of the men we invited had already booked a contract with me.“ATOM to the world, Alexa!” Noelle yelled in pure delight as we entered the living room.It was almost midnight and I was exhausted as could be, which was why Noelle’s enthusiasm surprised me greatly. I began to walk up the stairs with the intention to get to the bedroom, take a warm bath, and just sleep off the stress until dawn without thinking or worrying about anything else.At least, I still had a couple of days before I officially began working as a brand owner.“Where are you going?” Noelle asked and I managed to stop and turning around.I could not help the look of astonishment that filled my face when I saw Noelle holding a bottle of champagne and two wine glasses.“Gosh, no please,” I literally plea
IVY“Oscar!” I called in a whisper the moment I caught sight of him rounding the corner.It was a good thing that Mark was very engrossed in talking to the gentleman that he did not notice my reaction to seeing Oscar beside Alexa and hearing them both say that they were now together.I could have sworn that my heart exploded in that moment, and since then, I had been looking for every opportunity to talk to Oscar. I could not help it even if I wanted to. Fortunately, Mark had gone to use the restroom, and I hoped that he would stay there longer.Oscar turned and the moment he saw me, he walked to me with a cynical smile on his face.The corner we stood was very private and secluded, so no one would actually notice that we were standing and talking there. More so, these wealthy and influential men had no business sniffing their noses in places like this, and they were all carried away with trying to get a contract with Alexa or just mingling.Damn, I could not have hated Alexa more tha
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
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
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
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
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
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