Velon's eyes dimmed, but his countenance remained the same as he signalled for a maidservant. "Get her her things!"
The girl who had been waiting for his order, nodded and walked up the stairs. She grabbed me things from the guest room I stayed in and walked back downstairs.
I stared at my belongings which the maid held in her hands like some little girl's plaything and shook my head.
"I don't think there's any need for that. You can toss them away. The compensation I have will cover my expenses."
After saying that, I cast the couple one last glance, my eyes reddened literally holding back the tears from pouring down.
It was nighttime when I left the house. Velon was rather in a daze as he watched as walk away pitifully.
Seeing his gaze, Alicia's eyes flashed as she walked towards him and hung a hand on his shoulder. "I felt the baby kick just now!"
Just like she thought, he snapped out of his thoughts and turned to look at her.
~Velon~
I directly held her waist tenderly as I looked down on her still flat stomach.
With a nervous smile, I asked. "Is there a way for me to feel him when he kicks?"
Alicia laughed. "I don't know what next he will do, but if he does. I'd surely inform you."
I nodded absentmindedly.
.....
~Queenie~
After I had left Velon's place. I lodged into a hotel unaware of the black Maybach that had been following me.
I held the test reports in my hand as I recalled the doctor's words in the afternoon.
"You almost had a miscarriage ma'am. Since you had an accident in the afternoon I'd advice you to be more careful in the future."
I almost lost my baby. I spent the whole night tearfully planning the life of my baby and myself.
The next morning
I left the hospital as quietly as I could, taking the fastest route to the airport. However, I was stopped by some men in black.
"I'm sorry Ms. Knight, but my boss will like to have a word with you." One of the men said.
I was confused at the confrontation. Three years as Mrs. Aspen brought me no fame as people had no idea who I was.
Even when some saw me, they'd talk down on me knowing I had lost favor with Velon.
"I'm not interested in seeing your boss. Besides, I have something very important to do."
I made to move forward, but got blocked by the second man. "We're really sorry Ms. Knight, but our boss insists on seeing you."
I stared at them for a few seconds and asked. "What if I refuse to go with you?"
"We'd have no choice but to take you to him by force."
I sighed angrily and stomped off towards the Maybach they had pointed at before.
The door opened and a handsome face entered my view. I stared at him speechlessly for a few seconds.
"Who are you and why do you want to see me?"
The man was even more speechless. "Can we talk in the car?"
I was lost in thought. Although I was fully covered, a reporter who might be sent by Alicia might catch up with me and take pictures.
If something like that happens, given that I had just divorced Velon, people would quickly speculate I had been divorced by Velon because of my frivolous lifestyle.
Guessing my thoughts, the man assured me. "I've secured here. No one will be able to leave here after taking a picture."
I nodded and got into his car. The man stared at me for a few seconds before diving into his motive. "Marry me."
I choked on my saliva hearing him. I stared at him with a slight grin. "Would you force me if I tell you I'm not interested?"
"I won't, but I'll convince you to."
I breathed out in relief. "Alright then. Until then, I'd be on my way."
Before I could open the door, I heard the man say. "Don't you want to have your revenge on Alicia and your ex-husband? What about the child in your tummy? Do you want to end up making him fatherless?"
My eyes were no longer gentle as I turned around and shot a killer look at him. "How do you know all these?!"
The man who had always had a stoic expression smiled stiffly. The man on the driver's seat caught on and his breathing hitched.
He took his eyes off the rearview mirror almost immediately.
"Because I'm interested in you." He bluntly replied.
I narrowed my eyes. Next to him in the car, I could peek at a tattoo which ran up to his neck. His deep blue eyes seemed to be drawing me in while his pink, succulent lips seemed to be inviting me to see how soft it was.
The man soon chuckled, his long eyelashes fluttering in the process, casting its shadow on his sharp cheekbone.
"You like a married woman?"
"A divorcee actually..."
The way he said it annoyed me. I turned to the door intending to open it when I heard the latter part of his sentence. "...who had been maltreated by her ex-husband and ex-best friend."
"You know all that? What else do you know?" I shrugged and turned away from the door, making myself comfortable on my seat.
The man appeared harmless, but something about him gave me the impression he was dangerous and not one to be messed with.
"I also know you're pregnant. Ah! I thought I've said that before? My bad!"
The man held out his five fingers, then bent one of his fingers as he counted.
"You're a divorcee, you're poor and you're said to be a gold digger. You're also pregnant. What do you think people would say about your condition?"
"You're more concerned about my condition than I am, why?"
"Your life has been ruined and you're probably going to live in isolation with your son. I on the other hand, I'm in need of someone. Someone to pose as my wife."
The moment I heard 'wife', I shook my head fiercely and resisted the urge to leave the car.
My mind subconsciously flashed back to three years ago when Velon had proposed to me. I had been so excited.
The man had told me he wasn't one to publicize his affairs and hence we'd have a simple wedding. I wasn't worried about such things so I also accepted.
Because of my naivety, I had agreed. Thinking of it now, I felt there was more to why Velon married me.
"You won't just have the title of being Mrs. Verlice, you'd also have the power that comes with it."
My thinking faculty finally shut down. Mrs. Verlice? My heart skipped as I turned to look at the man.
My heart throbbed even further when I pieced all the puzzles together. The tattoos, the masculine handsomeness, the charisma and the weird men in black who dared to stop her in the airport could only be Pierce Verlice!
I had heard a lot about the man. How he was cold-hearted, hardly said a word or ever smiled.
"So you're Pierce Verlice, didn't think i would ever meet you."
"You guessed my identity quite fast. Seems what they say about you is a lie." The man chuckled. "So what do you say about my offer?"
I turned and faced the window, one of my hands encircling my stomach protectively.
What I didn't know was that the man caught sight of my action and a faint streak of light flashed past his eyes.
~General POV~ The next day, which was a Thursday, Velon received a wedding invitation from Verlice. His heart hammered against his chest at the thought Pierce had finally taken interest in him. Although he was a wealthy man, his wealth and influence was like a drop of water into a water filled ocean. In other words, in front of people like Pierce, he was nothing. He quickly tore open the invitation and his chest tightened at the name of the groom. Alicia who was beside him also peeked at the letter. However, unlike Velon, she was quick to wave the thought away. "You really don't think it's Queenie, right?" "I don't know. It's just a speculation I'm having." The man replied with a sigh. "It can't possibly be her. I mean where did she meet him? Besides, Pierce Verlice doesn't seem like someone with a bad taste." She added. Velon wasn't bothered about Queenie, he just thought it was surprising if she was really the bride of Verlice. Turns out he was overthinking it. Saturday, th
Next morningWhen Queenie woke up, she was first astounded with the sight of a new, beautiful ceiling. Just when she began admiring it did she hear a voice beside her. "I've been waiting for you." Startled, she turned slowly to look at Pierce. The scenes from the days before flooded into her head. She was now Mrs. Verlice and the tanned man beside her was her husband, the legendary Pierce Verlice. "Good morning." She greeted, after she regained her senses. The man chuckled and got off the bed. She noticed he was dressed in casual clothes and asked. "Are you going somewhere?" "Yes." The man replied curtly and smiled. "I'm going shopping for the child's clothes and food.""If you do that, what else do I do?" She asked, perplexed. "I don't want you to stress yourself. Just stay at home and keep yourself healthy until you're due." Before she could say more, the man slipped out of the room. She lowered her head while her hands grabbed the bed sheets tightly wondering why the man ca
As soon as Pierce left the supermarket, he was immediately surrounded by a lot of reporters. His brows furrowed tightly and his eyes darkened. Obviously, he was annoyed. Seeing it, some reporters backed off while some new ones who were eager to gain a foothold and get a raise in salary, still questioned him crazily. "Mr. Verlice, a video was released to the general public just a few minutes ago. It was an expectant mothers' instructor, Anna Brendon, is she perhaps, your wife?" Amidst all the numerous questions being hurled at him, that was the only one that captivated his interest. He tapped the bodyguard who was warding the reporters off and gazed straight at the name tag of the lady who asked him. Sucking his teeth, he asked. "Veronica Vendell, did Anna Brendon put you up to this?" The question caught the lady off guard. However, it was not her first time of doing such a thing, hence, she wasn't so flustered. "No, Mr. Verlice. Questions like these are what the netizens are in
When Pierce got home that day, he learnt from the maidservants Queenie had gone to sleep. So as quietly as he could, he slipped into the room, into the bathroom, had his bath and quietly climbed onto the bed. Before he slept, he contemplated on whether to hug her to sleep or not to. With a sigh, he turned to the other side and slept off. Next MorningWhen Queenie woke up, Pierce was long gone. She rubbed her head nervously wondering if her words had upsetted him so much. She heard a knock on the door and got off the bed to answer it. "Good morning, Mrs. Verlice." "Good morning, Mrs. Verlice." The two maids who were outside the door greeted, lowering their heads as they spoke. Queenie was first startled by their behavior before she realized she was no longer in Velon's house where the servants treated her like trash. She smiled at them and said. "Morning. What do you two want?" The two maidservants consisted of two teenage looking girls who didn't seem to be more than 18. One
Queenie decided to go first meet Jessica before going to Glamour Entertainment. When she got outside, she met a man putting on a suit, patiently standing beside a black Bentley. When he saw Queenie, he walked up to her and bowed down a little. "Good morning, Mrs. Verlice. My name is Vincent and I was tasked to take you anywhere you wish to go. In other words, I'm your assigned driver." Queenie looked back at the car and nodded, but she had a complaint to make. "Why does it have to be such an eye-catching model?" Vincent glanced back at the car and grimaced. "Mr. Verlice knew you'd say such, which was why he gave this Bentley. It is, in fact, the lowest model in his garage." Queenie clicked her tongue. "Rich people sure know how to spend money. I'm going to meet a friend in a café." "Okay, ma'am." Said Vincent as he walked back to the car and pulled the door open. "Please." It had been a long time since she was treated in such a respectful way and as such, her cheeks burned
Finn looked towards Queenie and his expression became cold. Truth be told, he didn't really care about Queenie as she was just a used cargo. Although Velon had married her quietly, people like him had still heard the news. When he divorced her, he still heard the news. As expected, he didn't hold any respect towards her. "I'm sorry, Ms. Knight, but because you disturbed the peace of my café, I have no choice than to ask you to apologize to Mrs. Aspen and leave." It took everything in Jessica not to intervene prior to the stern eyes coming from Queenie. Vincent on the other hand couldn't bite down the disrespect and intended to teach Finn a lesson or two, but was held back by Queenie. She smiled and confidently assured him. "It's okay. I can handle this." Then she stepped forward. "Mr. Lei, I was told you were upright and just. I just don't understand why you'll choose to listen to one side and totally neglect the other. It doesn't seem just in my eyes. Instead, it looks as thoug
Queenie stuck her head outside the car's window to see smoke coming up from a place that looked familiar. "I would have suggested that it was a firework, but we both know that isn't." Queenie said, retreating her head. "I have no idea where it is you're going." Jessica gave a small smile. "Rest assured, you'll love it. It'd also bring back some old, cherished memories." Jessica's words made her a little upset, but she said nothing. Long ago, they were best friends. Then she fell in love with the low life scumbag, Velon, and her life became ruined. He literally blocked her access to the outside world, made her life unbearable, beat her and blamed her for her inability to bear a child. Thinking of her child, she held her still flat stomach slightly. Jessica glanced at her stomach briefly before focusing back on the road. "How's the baby?" "The baby is... Wait, how do you know I'm pregnant?" Queenie quickly realized and asked. "How did I get your number?" Jessica retorted,
"What's happening here?" Kira asked as soon as she arrived at the reception. When she saw Queenie and recalled the picture Andrew had shown her, her lips quavered. Almost immediately, another lady in corporate wear. When she saw the situation, her gaze faltered. However, the other receptionist who had embarrassed Queenie disregarded the conflicted look in that receptionist's eyes and went on to complain to Kira. "Kira, this lady suddenly showed up and claimed she was phoned by you to come sign an endorsement contract. However, knowing she was lying, I tried to drive her away as politely as possible, but she was so bitter that she lashed out at me." Everyone around concurred with her. Kira on the other hand could only sigh. Regardless of Queenie's rudeness, the truth was, they were in big trouble for their words towards her. "Everyone return back to your previous places. Indeed, I was the one who called her under the direction of the President." She said with a straight face as s