It was a bright morning with the sun kissing her cheeks while she was still resting with her eyes closed in the hospital bed.
With the blazing heat searing her skin, she slowly moved and opened her eyes while rubbing them with her hands.
She glanced at the wall clock, and mumbled in astonishment, "seven a.m." It means she was out all yesterday!
Vanessa nibbled her lips while lifting herself up since the pain in her muscles hadn't subsided yet and it felt as if her body was fractured!
She sighed in disappointment since she was feeling so damn weak and there was nothing she could do to reduce her physical injuries.
By then Fiona had just opened the door and stepped in with a bottle of pomegranate juice and a light porridge.
Eyeing the awake Vanessa, Fiona felt delighted and jumped towards Vanessa in a swift move making her startled and chuckle at the same time.
But Fiona didn't bother about Vanessa's chuckle and asked seriously, "how are feeling now?"
She put her hand on Vanessa's forehead and checked it with her forehead, and released a sigh of relief since it came back to normal temperature.
Seeing Fiona's care, Vanessa mumbled in a soft tone while her lips slightly curved upwards, "I'm feeling better now."
With a knowing nod, Fiona added while pointing her fingers towards the parcel, "here is your favorite porridge and juice. Quickly freshen up and have a bite of them to regain your energy."
Vanessa gave a wink and slowly climbed down the bed and strode to the washroom. Standing in front of the mirror, she eyed her reflection with bruises on her forehead, cheeks, and lips.
Her hands clenched involuntarily and she did her usual routine. After she was back, Fiona observed Vanessa and mumbled, "you will get discharged in a couple of hours. Did you think of doing anything?"
Hearing her words, Vanessa was deep in her thoughts, and Fiona added, "the late autumn was very suitable to travel. Why don't we go to Goa and enjoy ourselves? I also happened to have a party invitation there, so we could go there if you wanted to."
Vanessa shook her head in denial and asked, "where is my phone?"
Vanessa had been searching for it from yesterday when she woke up, but she couldn't find it. She speculated it probably had something to do with Fiona and there might be a reason behind it.
Listening to her, Fiona frowned, "why do you need it now? Just relax. Don't overthink things."
Seeing her reaction, Vanessa sensed how the things on the outside would turn out and muttered, "there was news all over the internet, and I'm the hot topic, right?"
Vanessa knew Fiona well, and she even observed Fiona didn't even ask her of what happened and didn't curse Austin for his negligence like she would usually after she woke up, which means she must have already heard of it!
Vanessa didn't have to presume since she predicted everything before when she decided to leave the Jones family. So, it's not surprising to her that she had gone viral overnight, and she appeared calm. In fact, too calm!
Fiona couldn't remain calm anymore as she felt guilty for hiding it and uttered in a concerned tone, "you don't have to look at it! We know how easily these netizens can be manipulated and fooled. They were just going with the majority to vent their anger!"
After saying that, Vanessa still didn't avert her gaze from her and Fiona reluctantly pulled out Vanessa's phone with a huff and handed it to her while her worry for Vanessa was visible in her eyes.
Understanding it, Vanessa grabbed her phone and fiddled with it, and added before she scrolled through the posts, "since you knew it already, then were you worrying? Is it necessary?"
Eyeing at the flickering emotions in Fiona, she slowly added with trembling eyelashes, "is it new to me? Didn't you know how many times I have been scolded in the Jones family these three years?"
Hearing Vanessa saying it so casually, Fiona felt hurt for her and anger roared in her insides as she remembered how the members of the Jones family treated Vanessa.
With a pout on her lips, Fiona added, "if not for you, I would have seen the end of the Jones family members for treating you like that!"
Vanessa heard her words but chose not to reply since she was eyeing her phone. The most popular post was, 'a deadly quarrel broke in the most reputed Jones family. Vanessa had pushed Isabella down the stairs'
It was shared and commented in millions overnight, and most of the comments were hateful and were directed towards Vanessa.
Well, it's not new for her since she had undergone similar situations in the past when she married Austin.
Back then they criticized her by saying she was trying to climb the upper-class ladder by marrying into a rich and powerful Jones family. And labeled her as a typical Cinderella and shameless woman.
But now the tables had once again turned and she became a malicious woman because of the Jones family.
Alright! She gained a lot of publicity without spending a penny because of her marriage. It seems her sacrifices weren't exactly in vain all these years!
With that thought in mind, Vanessa gave a sly smirk and Fiona was worried for her, "are you okay?"
"Why won't I be?" Vanessa retorted and Fiona gave a knowing look but didn't say anything else.
Fiona scratched her forehead in frustration and put on the food tray on her lap, "come on, eat them now. You need some energy to be sad."
Vanessa remained speechless hearing her and gave a nod since she knew Fiona was indeed correct!
But she had learned how to control her emotions over the years, and it wasn't the first time she was feeling sad!
After failing over and over again, she finally lost all her hope with Austin and her marriage which turned out to be a disaster and had made her life a joke.
She reminisced how Austin forcefully pressed her down to the ground and made her fall on her knees, the pain erupted in her chest made her realize, at that moment, her feelings for Austin were brutally crushed by himself.
With a determined nod, she muttered under her breath, "Nothing had been changed in these three years. It's time to finally say goodbye to this disappointing marriage!"
Clearing her throat, she understood what Fiona had said and took a gulp of porridge into her mouth since she should have the strength to do anything!
Fiona was also having her breakfast in the opposite seat and only the slurping sounds could be heard in the room since the corridor was also empty.
But suddenly they heard the voices of two young women who were speaking in a gentle tone and they could clearly hear what the woman were talking.
"Oh my, I truly feel bad for Isabella Green. How can Vanessa Grant push Isabella Green down the stairs knowing she was pregnant? That Vanessa was too vicious!"
"It's not been long since the eldest young master of the Jones family had died, and now his child has vanished from the earth too!"
"That's why we should marry someone with equal status. Since Vanessa was a commoner and a typical Cinderella who married into a rich family, she might have felt threatened by Isabella since she was giving an heir earlier than her!"
"Yes, that would be the reason. Vanessa wasn't a match to Isabella. How can she even kill her unborn nephew so cruelly? Can't she be satisfied with what she has? She's too malicious!"
Hearing them say those words like they have seen everything with their own eyes made Fiona's blood boil, and she wanted to teach those foolish bitches a lesson but Vanessa held her hand and stopped her.
Fiona glared and added, "don't stop me. they were damaging your reputation by spreading false news!"
Vanessa carelessly glanced at the corridor and waved her hands, "Let them be. It's not a big deal!"
"Are you for real Vanessa? Why are you tolerating their nonsense?"
Vanessa pressed her lips into a thin line, and added with a smirk, "I can turn the tables around. Just chill!"
Fiona squinted in anticipation, "you, can you really do that?"
Vanessa nodded and handed her phone to Fiona to see the contents in it, and for a second, Fiona was beyond stunned!
As the realization dawned on her, Fiona gave a thumbs up to Vanessa and patted her shoulder, "This is the Vanessa I know!"
Vanessa gave a knowing smile, "come on. Let me get discharged first."
"Alright. I'll wrap up the formalities."
Vanessa hummed while her eyes narrowed, "Then it's time to get a divorce!"
Vanessa propped herself up and rested her head on the pillow while a sly smirk danced on her face, but she appeared calm, in fact too calm when she talked about divorce.Eyeing Vanessa talking so nonchalantly about divorce while her lips curled slightly upwards with a flash of coldness in her amber pools made Fiona wonder whether Vanessa was really serious or joking about it.Fiona was worried that if Vanessa had become soft hearted like she was before with Austin, then she would be bullied by Austin again.That thought alone made Fiona’s insides burn and her brows furrowed when she heard Vanessa mumble while fiddling with her fingers leisurely, “Take out the divorce agreement in my suitcase.”Listening to it, Fiona almost jumped in happiness and exclaimed, “you’re really serious!”Thinking back on how Vanessa had suffered all these years in the name of her love for Austin, Fiona had tears swelled in her eyes.Fiona sniffed while glancing at Vanessa and patted her shoulder in encourag
Vanessa entered and left Austin Jones's cabin in a fraction of a twinkle as if she didn't have another second to spare a glance at her husband! Well, he was about to become an ex-husband!Seeing Vanessa's leaving back without a care in the world, his eyes followed her loud footsteps, which reverberated her confidence, while she swayed her hips and his gaze darkened while his fists clenched involuntarily.With scrunched brows, he grabbed the divorce agreement she had placed. Eyeing her clear signature in the black ink, he gritted his teeth and focused on the empty column next to her signature, which was for him to sign.A simple signature could terminate their three years of marriage in the span of a single day.Austin inhaled a chunk of air, and he felt complex emotions swirling in him, but he didn't understand what they were.Shaking his head in disapproval since he was thinking too much about an unworthy Vanessa, Austin again concentrated on the agreement which was just a single pag
After Vanessa calmed down a little bit, she wiped her tears with the back of her hands and took a deep breath with her eyes shut, and muttered, while the grip on her mobile had tightened as if her life had depended on it, "I'll come home soon, Dad."With a small pause, she added while her voice had become raspy due to her crying, but she tried her best to not let her father know, "Once I wrapped everything up here with no loopholes, I would come back to Los Angeles."Though Vanessa had successfully managed to muffle her sobs, she couldn't fool her father, who knew inside and out. Just by hearing her tone, he understood that his assumptions had come true.He didn't know what troubles his daughter had faced, but he was sure she was wronged!As the realization sunk in his mind, his throat felt dry all of a sudden, and his eyes watered, but he quickly get a grip on himself and said in his doting tone, "Alright. Take your time but be quick. Your mother and I would prepare for your arrival!
Vanessa gracefully stepped down from the car and strode to the court with her head held high while the chilly breeze hitting her made her silky hair flow freely, and she brushed it behind her ear with her slender fingers keeping a gentle expression on her face while all the gazes nearby glanced at her in awe with her dazzling beauty.Her every step displayed her confidence and she had an imposing aura lurking in the shadows, although she appeared tender which made her even more attractive.When her steps finally halted in front of the court, she eyed her watch, and a satisfying curve settled on her lips since she was five minutes earlier than her appointed time.By the time she reached the arena where the divorce cases were handled, she was the only one present, but her eyes roamed across the large queue on the other side where marriage certificates would be issued and a panging pain hit her chest as the realization sunk in that she was really going to get a divorce with Austin Jones!
After a really long day, Vanessa got down from the car and moved into Fiona's house while a cold gleam was dancing in her brown orbs.Seeing Vanessa was already back, Fiona, who settled herself on the sofa while watching television, was surprised and couldn't help but take another glance at Vanessa and eyed her watch."Wow, you were awfully fast!" Fiona commented, making Vanessa's eyebrows twitch, but she didn't respond and sat on the opposite chair and grabbed the bottle of water.Quickly, she gulped down as if she was deserted for a week making Fiona chuckle and asked while enthusiasm was lurking in her eyes, "Did you get a divorce?"Hearing it, Vanessa stopped what she was doing and gave a slight nod while her gaze was focused on the television, but Fiona wasn't satisfied as she was eager to hear everything that happened at the court."Show me the divorce certificate!" Fiona demanded while Vanessa was getting a headache with her excitement, but she couldn't do anything to Fiona and
Austin Jones sat on the president's chair with his legs crossed, his hands drumming on the table while his gaze focused on the presentation, and the department heads were eager to satisfy him to get their perks.When he was deep in thoughts, a phone rang, making the people in the conference hall wipe their sweat since they all know Austin would never allow anyone to interrupt a meeting.Their heads turned around to see who was the unlucky fellow, but it again beeped, but from none other than Austin Jones himself!Seeing that, they all relaxed, but a frown was settled on Austin's handsome face because he wouldn't receive any calls in 'do not disturb' mode unless they called repetitively, and no one in his sane mind would call him like crazy unless something happened!With that, he grabbed his mobile from his pocket and eyed numerous missed calls from all of his close friends.He grasped that something must be wrong and decided to call them when a message popped up on his screen from Da
It's been five days since the scandal of the Jones family's second son having a forbidden love affair with his sister-in-law had become a trending search in the city.Austin Jones had tried every means possible to shut the media and delete the news without a trace, but it had become impossible even with the amount of power they possessed.To top it off, the people who once looked down on Vanessa and mocked her for marrying the second son of the Jones family because he was rich had pitied her for her miserable marriage.Frustrated with the result, Master Jones had ordered Austin to get Vanessa and present her before him even if he had to search the entire world.With that, Austin and Theo had utilized all the resources, but couldn't find any trace of Vanessa after she moved from New York as if she had disappeared into thin air after she divorced him!Her social media accounts weren't even active in these past days, and the only post that was present on her account was the ironic apolog
When the dinner party was finally over, Vanessa was still rooted in her place and let the hall turn empty.In a couple of minutes, only Vanessa and Caroline were present in the enormous hall, and she sighed.Inhaling a deep breath, Vanessa stood up and turned around to go to the restroom, and Caroline caught up with her from behind as she was worried for Vanessa.When Vanessa walked out, Austin eyed her leaving silhouette and his gaze turned cold, but his face was detached of any emotion, and he too strode out in his long steps.Theo, who stood silently behind Austin, followed the gloomy man out, but didn't utter a word, too scared to say anything that would trigger Austin's anger!But he was bewildered would be an understatement when he saw Vanessa standing in front of them all safe and sound, because he had scoured for her like crazy all these months, personally checking all the places they thought she could be present at, yet, he couldn't get a single clue of her whereabouts.Howev
Two years laterAustin held her hand and let her climb the steps slowly as she was nine months pregnant. It's been a year and a half since they were married and he couldn't be any more happier.He got his love and they both built a house for themselves, wiping away all the bad memories in their lives and welcomed the joy with their open hands."Ouch." Vanessa exclaimed when Austin paused and quickly tended to her, "what's wrong, Nessa? Shall we go to the hospital?""No, Austin. Our naughty baby was moving and kicked me hard." Vanessa said and chuckled a little.Even though she was bloated and a little plump, his eyes were always on her, making her feel even more beautiful than she already is.The pregnancy glow on her face was clear, showing how happy she was with him, in their love nest, waiting to welcome the fruits of their love.He placed a kiss on her baby bump and lifted her in his arms when she squealed, "let me down, Austin.""No, I'm not letting you walk like this," Austin sa
Vanessa settled herself onto her chair and massaged her temples a little to relieve her stress a little after the long meeting she had.But Catherine came knocking on her door, "Miss Grant. Mr. Jones is waiting for you."As soon as Catherine said that, a sigh escaped her lips and she mumbled, "alright. I'd be out soon."Catherine nodded and went away, while Vanessa didn't know whether to laugh or cry because she underestimated Austin.A few weeks passed by since he declared, "let's start a fresh, Vanessa!"And in these weeks, he was trying his best to come to her and take her out and do all the little things she always wanted him to do for her.Seeing all of that, she didn't know how to reject him, because she couldn't lie to herself and pretend that it was nothing when Austin was changing. For her!She clearly remembered all of their dates they were having almost every other day and he never failed to surprise her with how much effort and consideration he was taking to get her back.
"Vanessa's car is broken, Austin. And you're urging me to start the car and drove away?" David's words echoed in Austin's ears. Nonetheless, he put on an emotionless facade and mumbled coldly, "What business do I have in that?"However, when he uttered those words, the car wasn't moved completely out of sight from Vanessa and Fiona, and his voice wasn't too low.Hearing his words made Vanessa purse her lips tightly, but the smile didn't leave her face even after she listened to every word clearly, and in no time the car passed away as if nothing happened, and in the next moment the smile on Vanessa's face vanished."That arrogant bastard." Fiona cursed as annoyance danced in her tone and Vanessa shook her head while her lips curled upwards ever so slightly, "let it be. I don't want people to think as if you're nuts with how you're looking right now.""Fuck you! I'm seriously angry at that asshole!" Fiona said while taking a heavy breath and added, "Why did he have to be so complacent?
Fiona let out a curse as the last ounce of patience left in her died when the car stopped in the middle of the road, "No fucking way! Why on earth did you have to choose to leave me this late at night?"Vanessa raised her brows and scoffed at Fiona's dramatic gesture. She shook her head, undid her seatbelt, and muttered, "let's go out of the car and take a look."With that said, Vanessa stepped outside and opened the front of the car to find out what was wrong.However, even though Vanessa was lacking knowledge regarding cars, she understood the car needed some urgent repair to get it going.Fiona slowly stood beside Vanessa and mumbled in annoyance, "did it break down for real?" "Vanessa cocked her head and met Fiona's eyes, "Exactly on point. Your prediction had come true."Fiona let out a sigh and pursed her lips together in worry, "what are we going to do now?""You must be kidding me, Fiona. What are we going to do? Is that what you're asking when it's so obvious we need help to
As soon as Fiona said that, Vanessa tilted her head and scoffed while her eyes were focused on Fiona, "I know I'm awesome, but I don't think it makes me compatible with Richard."Fiona couldn't suppress the smile that was threatening to burst from her lips and mumbled with a glint in her eyes, the tease in her tone was clearly visible, "honestly, I thought you both would make a nice match when I saw you both dancing so smoothly earlier."When Vanessa was convinced that Richard was no longer following her, she sighed with relief and moved forward to get a drink.But soon after hearing Fiona's remark, she added, "oh no, I'm not aware of the fact that your vision was significantly compromised these days."Fiona waved her hands and scoffed, "Jeez! My eyesight was alright. However, I must say that Richard is strongly proactive when it comes to you. Isn't he?"Vanessa wasn't concerned about it and carried on with socializing after talking for a bit. Fiona on the other side was bored to deat
"Austin, Do you really want to dance?" David repeated his words as he didn't get any reply from Austin.Although Austin was calm, seeing Vanessa walk with Richard so comfortably, his face turned livid while the coldness in his aura turned so chilling.But Vanessa seemed to be not aware of Austin's heated gaze as she immersed herself in the dance.Richard kept his one hand on her tiny waist, while his other hand held her palm ever so gently, but the grip was firm, keeping her in his hold.While she held his shoulder and kept moving with the beat with ease.As the music turned to high beats, their moves turned more romantic, their steps were more in sync, and the couple looked so pleasing to the eyes.Their genes were certainly top notch was an added advantage.As time passed by, almost all the people's eyes settled on the dancing couple as the atmosphere suddenly turned steamy with Richard twirling her and they ended up coming so close.They were so close that they could feel each othe
Hearing Vanessa's words, Fiona raised her head and stared at Vanessa's solemn expression and understood that she was damn serious.And a sigh escaped her lips as the realization sunk in."Alright then. If that was what you wants." Fiona stated cooly while she nodded her head and she firmly decided to give up mentioning Richard again.Anyhow, Richard was a well known playboy. Getting acquainted with him would only bring Vanessa trouble, and he was barely a romantic prospect, with not much gain or loss!But apparently, Richard didn't think like that it seems.Because his wooing methods improved as days passed, and he was getting bold day by day.His ways were extremely flashy, catching all the unwanted attention. His artificial flowers would perfectly sit on her table right on time, not a minute prior or ahead.He took great lengths in sending flowers which were rare species yet they were so good to the eye.As if that wasn't enough, he was literally bombarding his Feeds with posts, cre
Hearing Silas' words, Vanessa didn't retort them and gave a faint smile as she was well aware of what she was doing and where she was heading.However, she didn't act too arrogantly and exclaimed, "I still need your guidance, Mr. Dixon. After all, I'm still not very experienced!"As soon as Vanessa said that, Silas's lips tugged upwards in a pleasing curl as he was quite content with the way she purposely humbled herself in front of him.And he immediately waved his hands while a light chuckle escaped his lips, "You're very formal, Miss Grant." With a slight pause, he added while glancing at Vanessa, "Let us learn from one another and collaborate to propel Grant Corporation to new heights."Vanessa gave a firm nod, and stated politely, "I agree with you, Mr. Dixon."Soon after Vanessa stepped out of his office, Vanessa's smile faded to oblivion and she muttered coldly under her breath, "such an old fox!"After she was done dealing with Silas, she had become super busy since it was Mon
Vanessa eyed the document lying on her desk for a while and abruptly marched out of her cabin with the file in her hands, leaving Caroline stunned.However, Vanessa went by in a flash and a Caroline shook her head in disbelief.The sound of high heels clanking on the floor is the only thing that could be heard in the empty corridors while she walked forward to Silas Dixon's office.Her face was cold with no trace of warmth, and the determination in her amber orbs was clearly visible.With her head held high, and shoulders squared, every step she took exuded the confidence deeply ingrained in her bones.Eyeing her, Silas's assistant, who was on the side, remained dumbfounded for a while, and queried, "Miss Grant, are you going to meet Mr. Dixon?"Hearing his words, Vanessa gave a faint 'yes' and knocked on the door of Silas's office, while the assistant squinted his eyes baffled.In the next second, a quick 'come in' came from the inside, and Vanessa immediately pushed the door open an