Chapter 5 The EX
SIMS GROCERY STORE, NEW YORK.
Xander kept staring like a thunderstorm had hit him. He would never have imagined in a lifetime that Nina would be checking goods at a grocery store. She had bags under her eyes even though she had make-up on. Nonetheless, Nina looked as beautiful as ever. It would have been shocking if she had lost her beauty. And his heart seems to be doing a victory dance at the sight of her.
“How have you been?” He asked, finally breaking the almost consuming silence.
Nina cleared her throat, shifting in the chair awkwardly. “Good. I guess.” It appears the universe has a thing or two against her. She would have preferred Andrea to meet her at the store instead of Xander.
“I’ll check your items in now.” She was grateful for a while that he saw her on duty and wouldn’t have the excuse to talk to her.
But to her shock, he was waiting right outside the store after her shift was over. Which meant that he would have waited longer if she had to stay until late at night. There was no need to be rude to someone who waited so long, which was why they were seated opposite each other now.
They had dated back in college, and he was the first person she ever loved and gave her heart to. Their relationship was more like a fairytale, and Nina had envisioned them getting married and starting a family many times. The relationship has ended sour cause she had caught him cheating. Nina might not be fated to end up with the good man, and love is beginning to seem like an arduous chore for her.
“How are you doing, Nina?”
“Do you care to know?” She asked with a scoff. It annoyed her that he had persistently refused to plead guilty even though she saw him with the girl on his bed naked.
His face fell at her harsh response. What happened between them wasn’t meant to be at all. It had broken him so much that he searched for her face in every woman he had encountered. But no one could hold a candle to Nina. Not even close. “Do you still hate me? It's been so long.”
“Exactly.” Her voice shook. “It's all your fault. You turned me into this. Suppose you had not cheated on me years ago; I wouldn’t have had to experience this nonsense.” Nina fought hard to keep the tears back, but her hormones had no interest in holding back. A tear escaped her right cheek as she bit into her lips.
Xander wanted to defend himself, but he sensed she wanted to talk. “What happened to you? And don’t pretend like you are fine. I know there is something up with you. I can see the bags under your eyes. I know you don’t trust me, especially since we haven’t been in contact all these years. But I want to hear from you.”
Even though Nina was hesitant, she needed someone to express her pain to, even if that person was one of those who had hurt her in the past. Also, the soft look in his eyes makes her feel safe. Safe enough to forget whatever happened between them for a few minutes.
Her eyes became heavy again. “You know how hard I tried to make sure I was kept on scholarship all through college.” She said with a faint smile.
Xander beamed. How can he forget the first thing that made him realize he had found the love of his life? “You were so resilient—a force to reckon with. I couldn’t keep up. And I remember how worried you were about everything paying off in the end. You practically mumble it at every chance you get. Even though I consistently assured you that I got you.”
“Well, you didn’t.” She sniffed. “Turns out I was just worrying for nothing. After graduation, I got an offer at M&M Foods. Professor Scott had recommended me. My life was amazing. I could give back to my community and be happy with myself. And then I met him, my now ex-husband, Asher Taylor.”
“He is the CEO of M&M Foods.” He stated.
Nina raised a brow. “You know him?”
“Yes, I have a business affiliation with the company. I knew Asher was married, but I didn’t know who the wife was.”
She cackled dryly. “Well, I am the wife of his past now. We have been married for four years, and for the past three years, he has been nothing short of an asshole. I often ask myself what went wrong and if I was doing something I shouldn’t.” Nina snickered, wiping the lone tear rolling down her face angrily. “My dumb self didn’t know he was two-timing. That bastard had me fooled. I found out about his affair two weeks ago when I announced my pregnancy to him.”
“You are pregnant?” There was a distant tone of disappointment in his voice.
Her voice broke as she continued speaking. “Yes. I am eight weeks old now.” She sniffed. “You know I don’t regret being pregnant. It's just painful that the man I considered my everything will deny having anything to do with my pregnancy and even going as far as calling me a cheat to satisfy his lover.” Nina hissed.
“Do you happen to know this lover?”
“You will be shocked. My best friend, Andrea. I am sure you remember her.” Xander didn’t look a bit shocked as he sipped his drink. She furrowed her brows in confusion. “Why don’t you look surprised?”
He sighed. “You know, I hoped fervently over the years that something would have happened between you and Andrea. And then you get to see Andrea’s true colors. Remember I told you that I never cheated on you?” Nina only nodded without saying a word. “There was no way I would have slept with that lady and not remember. And I never would have done that to you. Three months after we broke up, I accidentally bumped into a lady at a bar. I was spending most of my free time there at the time. She admitted to me that Andrea had hired her to seduce me. The milkshake you had asked Andrea to help deliver to me that day, someone spiked the drink. I wanted to return to you to tell you everything, but you had already left your apartment. And you already blocked me from every platform I could use to reach you. It was a painful couple of years for me, knowing that you never got to learn about the truth.”
Nina’s face remained frozen for a second as she tried to process what Xander said. She remembered Andrea advising her not to give Xander any listening ear as men like him always lie their way out of situations. Their lease wasn’t over yet, and Andrea insisted they leave the apartment and move into another one a bit farther from school. She didn’t mind paying for their gas then.
“Are you serious?” She managed to say.
“Come on, Nina. It's evident now that if she can do this much harm to you, it's not new to her.”
“B—but why?” She sounded like someone on the brink of tears again.
“I am guessing she covets whatever makes you happy and would do anything to ruin it.” He chose to leave out the part of Andrea trying to seduce him many times. It would only break Nina’s heart the more.
Nina held onto her chest, feeling an immense pain in it. She had no idea she had been dining with the enemy for years. To think Nina shared her innermost secrets with the witch who called herself a friend. Gritting her teeth, Nina gripped her drink cup with all her strength. All of the love she thought she had left seemed to be fading away with speed.
Andrea will go down, and most importantly, Asher will regret toying with her emotions. Every person involved in her pain will know what exactly it feels like to hurt an orphan. She will make them pay, even if it is the last thing she does alive.
Chapter 6 Blocked OffXANDER’S HOME, NEW YORK.“Did you get home safe?” Xander said into the receiver while tapping lightly on the car wheel. Nina made incoherent sounds in the background before making her voice clear again. “Yes, thank you.” “I mean what I said, Nina. We should meet to talk again. I don’t know why you wouldn’t let me drop you off at home, especially in that state you are in.” “I am pregnant, not handicapped, Xander. And I have been doing fine by myself, and I don’t need a knight in shining armor to do so.” Her words sliced through his chest like a knife, but he chose to ignore it. “I just wanted to be of help.” She exhaled, “I understand what happened in the past was a misunderstanding. But I need you to know that times have changed, and I am no longer the Nina you used to know. I would like this to be the end of us seeing one another again. I only gave you my contact to avoid coming off as rude. It's okay if you choose to delete it. Have a good night, Xander.”
Chapter 7 The Interview DDFOODS COMPANY, NEW YORK.Nina stared anxiously at the file in her hand. She was determined not to let herself be pushed to the ground by her supposed fate. Nina applied to all of the job posts in her field. When she got a call to come in for an interview, she was over the moon.DDFoods is also a counterpart of M&M Foods. Even though they arrived later, they have done immensely in the market. Nina has no doubt she will get the job. Her experience is more than enough to get her the head researcher position.“Miss Ruiz?” The secretary called out.“Yes, ma’am,” Nina replied and jumped up too quickly, causing her belly to ache. She winced inwardly, still holding up a warm smile.“Come with me.” She urged, and Nina followed closely.“Ah, Miss Nina. It's quite a delight to see you. Come sit, please; I am Donald Davis, the CEO.”She had expected to have the interview with the Human Resources Department, but then coming directly to the CEO might mean she has the job.
Chapter 8 Family ProblemsJACKSON FAMILY HOME, NEW YORK.Xander walked into the space, feeling exhausted already. The dining had enough food for a feast. Reasons like this are what keeps him away from the house. His mother can be pretty extravagant in whatever it is she does. There was no reason for her to cook this much, but it’s obvious she B really can’t help it.“Finally, you are here. Dad was just about to throw a fit.” Jace whispered to him as he stretched out his arm for a shake. Xander walked past him like he didn’t notice the gesture. “Rude much.” He snickered.“I am only here because Mum was overly dramatic about what she would do.”“You still could have remained adamant. I would have loved to see what trick Mom has up her sleeve and ready to toss towards you.”Xander gave his brother a side-eye. “I can’t wait to round up with the dinner and leave.”Jace furrowed his brows. “Errr, do you have somewhere to go?”“What does it matter? Of course, I have a house to go.”“Oh, my g
Chapter 9 A chanceXANDER’S HOME, NEW YORK.“I am coming,” Xander responded to the person by the door. Hurrying into his shorts, he ran downstairs to get the door. Carla has gone grocery shopping and won’t be back in a while.Checking the intercom, he was surprised to see his brother and mother. He would have expected Jace to press the code in since it is his usual way of dropping by without prior notice.“What’s with the pretense? Why didn’t you let yourself in?” Xander questioned Jace while hugging his mother lightly.Jace made a gesture towards their mother while flaring his nose.“Welcome, mum. Come in.” He invited them.Venus didn’t say much as she entered the house. Carla is indeed doing an excellent job at keeping the house intact. Sometimes, she would prefer to see his home in disarray from a long night party. But Xander’s life is too straightforward, and it worries her.“Do you not have anyone upstairs?” She asked, hoping the answer would be positive.“You want to check?” Xan
Chapter 10 Finding NiaTANIA’S APARTMENT, NEW YORK.“You did what?” Tania bickered, spitting shards of the ice cream in her mouth.Nina sighed in exhaustion. “I just thought it was the best thing to do. The last thing I want right now is any burden.”She swallowed the rest of the content before sharing her opinion. “You shouldn’t have done that. From your description, Xander is not a bad guy and never was actually. So why would you go as far as blocking him when he can help greatly.”Nina stared down at her pale palm, feeling tears in her eyes. “I am just so tired of thinking I can’t do without a man, or a man has to be in place for me to get my life together. It was the same mistake I made with Asher. I don’t want history repeating itself.”“But you never can tell who the good one will be unless you test the waters. How long has it been since you blocked him?”“About two weeks.”“What? Two weeks? Why didn’t you tell me anything?” Tania questioned.She pulled at the tail of her hair.
Chapter 11 Seeing Nina AgainTANIA’S APARTMENT, NEW YORK.Tania was beginning to regret her hasty decision. Nina didn’t look at all pleased that she brought Xander to the house without giving her a fair warning. She looked deflated.“You could have at least texted me,” Nina groaned nervously.“I am sorry, Nina. I thought you might want to see him after feeling bad for how you treated him.”Nina sighed heavily, turning her face away. “I don’t think I am ready to see him yet.”“I can ask him to leave.” She said, making her way to the door.“No! No! I will go to him. Thanks.”“Forgive my nosiness, please,” Tania mumbled.Nina hummed in response, excusing herself. Xander was pacing the hallway when she stepped out. He paused abruptly, staring at her like she was some angel that made his heart melt. The minute he opened his mouth to speak, Xander didn’t take a pause.“It's okay if you don’t want to see me. I will leave. I couldn’t reach you for a few days and thought to check you at the st
Chapter 12 Hating NinaTAYLOR’S HOME, NEW YORK.Andrea stared intensely at her phone as she refreshed the page repeatedly. But nothing seems to change. She cursed under her breath, suddenly anxious even though there was no need to. Nina is gone and will never get to live lavishly again. She made sure of it.A devilish smirk settled as she looked around the main bedroom. The next day, they had succeeded in chasing Nina away; she had the walls repainted and changed the entire design Nina had put in place. It is all hers now, as it should be. As an orphan, Andrea is quite curious about where she ended up. She had advised Asher to block Nina’s account and ensure she had no access to anything that would make her life any easier.They even blocked her to keep Nina from getting a job in any reputable food company. Andrea had the money to do whatever she wanted, and it was easy to convince everyone necessary. With all of this, she had expected to see Nina back at the door, begging for them to
Chapter 13 M&M FoodsX&J EMPIRE, NEW YORK.Xander furrowed his brows as he stared at the file before him. The proposal does not seem too apt to his taste. Reaching for the phone, he dialed his secretary, Lisa.“To my office now.” He ordered, hanging up.Lisa hurried into the office. “You called for me, sir.”“What nonsense is this?” He questioned, pointing at the file. “I thought you all said you scrutinized the file and are confident we could trust this person? So if I didn’t bother checking, this is the nonsense I would have invested millions of dollars on?” As angry as he was, his voice held no spite to it.She looked cornered. “I…I am sorry, sir.”“You know how much I hate those words, Lisa. Don’t tell me sorry for something as costly as this. Call the others and tell them to toss out the proposal right now.” He growled, causing Lisa to scurry off.Jace entered at the same time, looking behind him. “What did my lady do to you to warrant such yelling?” He asked, dumping himself int