NICOLE
Putting the last of my signatures to the documents, I hand them to the love of my life, my knight in shining armor, my husband of 4 years, Mason Reyes.“Baby are you sure about this?” he asks me as his eyes slowly scan the documents“I’m one hundred percent certain, everything I have is yours my love” I replyI had just signed over all my assets and shares in my company to Mason, I want to become a full time housewife and try to give us a child.We’ve been trying for four years now and the doctors say nothing is wrong with either of us so it must be because I work too much and my hormones are imbalanced.“Baby this will look like I am taking advantage of you, I don’t want it, giving me your shares is one thing but signing over your assets is another” he says, concern lacing his voice and his expression changing to a gloomy one“Honey, I am nothing without you, everything I have and have been able to achieve is as a result of your unconditional love, it’s hard to find a good man and I found one who’s not only good but sacrificed his dreams so I can chase mine, I hear how people murmur and gossip about you but you pay no heed, you just want me to be happy, this is the least I can do, please don’t break my heart by rejecting it” I say to him as I hold his handMason and I have been together for six years now, married for four.When I first met him, he was aspiring to become the biggest brand manager in all of London but a chance encounter with me and he gave it all up on a whim to help me build my brand and my company.To me, he’s the most selfless individual in all of planet earth and I might add the most handsome as well. It was his blue dreamy eyes that first attracted me to him, they looked like they had all the answers and yet asked burning questions to my soul.It was love at first sight and I just knew he was the one for me and he felt the same way about me too.“But babe, that is why it’s called love, my reward is seeing you happy as a result of my actions, but if you insist, thank you my love” he shrugs and smiles a little“I insist, now shut up and make my tongue dance with yours” I say to him putting my hands across his neckHe drops the documents and grabs my waist, pulling me into him, “so what kind of dance are we talking about? The one where the clothes stay on or where they go missing?” he asks with a mischievous look on his face, his beautiful blue orbs staring lustfully into my soulEven though we’ve been together for six years now, Mason looking at me like this still sends jitters down my spine“Well how about we let the music take control” I say leaning in to kiss him“Sorry to interrupt your little dance love birds but we have to go Nicole” my best friend and personal assistant Claire interrupts our little moment in my office“How long have you been standing there?” I ask her“Enough to know you totally forgot what today is, we have to close the distribution deal with Rico Foods and we’re already late” she replies, grabbing me by the arms and pulling me away from Mason“Hi Claire” Mason greets her“Hello Mason” she replies coldlyClaire and Mason never seem to get along, they are the two most important people in my life but they are almost mortal enemies, I’m the only reason they cross eyes and I’ve tried to soften the relationship between them over the years but it’s no use, they’re just hostile to each other even though they’ve learnt to be more subtle about it in my presence.“Put on your damn shoes Nicole, we need to go” she orders“Hey! you need to remember I’m your boss” I say to her with a stern look as I sit on the couch to wear my heels“And you need to remember that I am your best friend, silly girl” as she bends down to help me into my shoes and we both burst out laughingClaire is like a sister to me, there’s nothing I do without telling her, we’ve been friends since high school and when my parents died in my fourth year of high school, her parents were generous to let me stay with them till we went to collegeWhen I started my business, she was there with me supporting me all the way and covering up all my lapses. People think I’m some superhero but the truth is if I’m Batman,she’s my robin.“I finally did it Claire, I signed it all to him” I say to her as we exit the elevator of my office building“You did what?!!” the look of shock vivid on her face“I told you already Claire, I want to focus on giving us kids, I’m done putting my work over my marriage” I say holding her hand, hoping she agrees with me“I understand, but just remember that if anything goes wrong, I warned you. You cannot fully trust men, everything that comes out of their mouth is a lie” she says as we get into my Rolls Royce cullinan“Not my Mason, he’s the sweetest one ever and you’d know if you didn’t let your sexism blind you” I taunt her and we both laughAs we step into the elevator of Rico food’s building, I close my eyes and quickly run the details of my presentation through my head, making sure I remember every important point.“Hold!” I hear someone cry out, the voice sounded familiarI open my eyes and it’s him, of course his company made the final draft also, the bane of my company’s existence, Chris Bale, the CEO of Strong HavenCHRIS I’ve had this argument with Antonio a dozen times but this old man just won’t budge, I don’t know how someone can be so loyal to the dead“Look I’ve told you Chris, but you’re too stubborn and always want your way, the will clearly says that when you turn 30, you must be married for a minimum of two years before you can get the money” Antonio says looking at me smugly “So I should just go out there, pick a random chick and marry her?” I retorted standing up irritated “How you handle your business is not my concern, I’m a lawyer Chris, not a match maker” Antonio says and shrugs“Cmon Barrister Antonio, take the one percent I’m offering and let’s call this a deal” I say in a more serious tone“Young man, even if you give me fifty percent of your money, I’m doing what your father instructed” he replies“But I haven’t found any one worthy of my love, these ladies all want me for my money”“Then let them have it, this isn’t really a big deal, get someone you think fits the profile
NICOLELater that night, I’m sitting with Claire and Mason in my room going over the documents we have to submit to Rico foods tomorrow to finalize our dealWe had beaten Chris’s Strong Haven to secure the Eight hundred million pound deal with Rico foods.The look on his face when we were declared winners gave me nothing but pleasure, he’s been coming out on top against us recently so it felt real good to win this time around“Shit! Guys I have to quickly run out, I promised the CEO of Rico foods that we’ll be having dinner tonight” I say as I grab my car keys“Babe, do you really have to go?” Mason says giving me puppy eyes and rubbing my hands “Yes baby, just for courtesy’s sake” I smile and kiss him“Tell the old man to keep his hands to himself though” he says and we both laughClaire starts to pack the documents in her bag motioning to leave with me“What are you doing?” I ask visibly irritated “You’re leaving, we’ll finish this tomorrow then, just drop me off at home” she says
Imagine my shock when I woke up in a tiny apartment the next morning. The strong smell of sweat, the filth of clothes loitered everywhere, the hard mattress I was lying on, the noise coming from neighbors could only mean one thing, I wasn’t in my mansion but where was I and what was I doing here?I struggled to my feet and head for what looked like a bathroom and the shock of seeing someone else in the mirror made me scream, I didn't sound or look like myself at all. Was I going mad? Was this some nightmare?I ran back to the room to look for my phone to call Mason, I didn't find it but I saw a book that read Bella's journal on the bed, I toss it aside and kept looking for a phone.I found the remote instead and turned on the television, it was on the news channel.The weather reports were coming in when all of a sudden I see breaking news flash across the screen with a picture of myselfI was shocked to see it but even more shocked as I heard the reporter say"Popular business magna
NICOLE I got to the Strong Haven office a few minutes late. One of the challenges of my new reality is public transportation and it took a while for me to find my way here.“Hi, Good morning, I’m Nicole, sorry Bella, Bella Lawrence, I’m here for an interview” I say to the front desk receptionist“What interview?” She asks smugly, looking at me like I’m a piece of filth that needs to get out of her face.“The interview for the post of Junior secretary” I say trying my best to hold the fake smile on my lips“Ohh, go sit over there, you’re late, you’re lucky the boss isn’t in yet” pointing towards the waiting lounge There’s some other ladies waiting there too, I guess they’re here for the same interview As soon as I take a seat, Chris walks in, he’s even taller than I remember, he’s a rather handsome man and his full beards suit him well, I’ve never looked at his face for more than a second beforeHe has a picturesque smile on his face as he waves good morning to his employeesThe int
NICOLEAfter I agreed to Chris’s proposal, I spent the rest of yesterday with Ben, getting a total body, face and wardrobe makeover, he gave me a black Santander card, he was sparing no expense in making me comfortable in my new roleBen was mostly surprised at how I knew all the shops and acted with so much poise when I was being attended to, not like a poor girl who was being thrown into a world of luxury.The next morning I lay on my bed, taking it all in and planning on what to do next, we were going to the marriage registry to officially sign our marriage certificate later today He had taken a photo with me yesterday and put it on his page to keep the media buzzing with speculations and rumors.Chris was right, I may not like him because he was my business rival but if Bella had waited just a little over 24 hours before downing so much Xanax, her life would have changed, she would have accepted the offer on a whim.When all is said and done, I’ll have fifty million and more for
NICOLEA surge of different emotions course through my veins as I hear Mason’s voice, anger, sadness, hatred and even fearThe picture of the vase hitting my lifeless body while I’m on the floor flashes through my mind and I shudder a bit“I’m truly sorry for your loss Mason, she was a rare gem” Chris turns and says to himI don’t know what annoys me the most, the fact that Mason is standing right behind me or that Chris just blatantly lied, we weren’t close enough for him to even call me that, sorry for your loss was cliché enough I try to walk inside to avoid Chris introducing me to Mason but he pulls me back, holding me by my waist“Meet my fiancé, Bella, we’re getting married soon” he introduces me to Mason“She’s beautiful and shy I might add” Mason remarks Chris looks at me and notices that my head is down, I can tell he’s a bit disappointed as he releases his hold “Hi” I manage to force a smile and reply to mason before making my way inside the church leaving them both to it
NICOLE“It is no secret that Nicole and I were not the best of friends or business partners when she was alive but she was a leader in our industry, at the forefront of innovations that constantly put the rest of us on our toes, she was a woman leading in an industry dominated by men and for that, dead or alive, she will always have my respect. On this note I am donating ten million pounds to her foundation and all the charity organizations that she supports” I hear Chris spill from the podium Did he really mean those words? Did he really see me as a woman leading an industry dominated by men? This is the same man who just days ago said he was going to wipe the floor with me, he couldn’t be serious, he was doing it for the press definitely “We can leave now” he says as he gets to me, stretching his hands for me to take themAs soon as I do, he pulls up and holds me by my waist and we stride out of the church.I turned back to glance at my photo one more time, I was really gone, Nic
NICOLEReading Ben’s text at first made me feel bad that I was losing the contract to Chris but then I remember that I wasn’t losing anything, Mason and Claire were, it hurts me that it’s my company but there’s nothing I can do nowRico foods cannot just pull out of the contract though except Mason and Claire forgot to submit the papers, because we were reviewing it the night they murdered meThe universe is really behind me, I haven’t even figured out a move on them yet and they lost the contract already, first of many blows to comeI don’t know if it’s the joy from the news or Chris’s soft hands on my feet but I’m beginning to feel really really good.I never pictured him to be this sweet, he always puts down women but here he is, diligently massaging my feet, the high and mighty Chris BaleHe’s smiling at me again. I don’t want to get carried away but seeing Mason today made me realize that even though he killed me, I still felt a way about him. I hated him, yes, but I don’t know,