Valerie took everything she cherished away from her since when they were little, but not this time, not her man, no she wonāt give up without a fight. ā©She ignored the warning bells in her head and the obvious red flags that waved at her then, she slapped her cousin and said in her teary voice.
āI wonāt let you take Trey away from me! Heās mine, you took everything away from me, I wonāt let you take him too, he loves me.ā Valerie feigned hurt by holding on to her slapped cheek and said courteously.āLisa.., why are you doing this to me, all I ever did was to love you, but why do you want to take everything I love away from me, you know Trey and I have been in love since we were little, why are you acting like Iām the one who hurt you, when you are the one who has been hurting me?ā Valerie choked out, tears running down her cheeks. ā©Lisa opened her mouth to retort when another slap landed on her cheek causing her to fall.ā©āI told you not to fucking touch her, but you dared me, I donāt love you Lisa, I never did and never will, I love Valerie, I will only love her, in this life and the coming ones.ā He muttered icily through gritted teeth.āI would never love someone who finds pleasure in hurting others, I know how youāve tortured Valerie, I also know how much she despises you, thatās why I married you to spite her when she rejected my proposal. I knew she would come begging the moment I married you and would divorce you the moment we made up.ā ā©Lisa gazed up at the two perplexed, what the hell is Trey talking about, when did she torture Valerie, itās vice versa, she thought angrily, then saidā©.āTreyā¦ itās me you love, why are you protecting Valerie, why are you in love with her?ā Lisa said, her voice hoarse. Tears kept dripping down her cheeks which were red from the slaps sheād received from her husband. ā©Trey passes his hand through his hair in frustration as he stares at the woman shedding fake tears in front of him.āYes I know, Valerie already told me you will claim to be her, I know people like you, you are disgusting,ā Trey uttered coldly.āSince you wonāt leave us to relish ourselvesā¦ā he said emphasizing ā relish ourselvesā āWe will go elsewhere.ā He collected his suit, key, and Valerieās bag, and then held Valerie by the waist as they walked out. Lisa stared after them, every step they took stabbing her heart like a knife. To her surprise, Valerie turned back and smirked at her. ā©Lisa started to laugh like she had gone crazy, she kept laughing till it turned into loud sobs. ā©How pathetic she is. How could she be so stupid, the signs were obvious; loud and clear. ā©When she met Trey at the hospital, he spoke to her formally, like he didnāt want anything to do with her. But when he suddenly came and proposed, she thought she was overthinking too much about it. ā©Turns out she was right all along. ā©She sat on the edge of the bed and cried to her heartās content. ā©After hours of crying, she came to a decision that would change her life forever. ā©Lisa arrives home late. She entered the door and was greeted by Mrs Cooper, their butler seated on the couch in the dimly lit hall, she walked over and sat next to her.ā©āWhy are you still up? It's late, you should be asleep by now?ā Lisa asked. Mrs Cooper smiled and replied.āI was waiting for you so I can heat dinner for you..ā Lisa took Mrs Cooperās hands in her hands as tears welled up her eyes.āOh... Mrs Cooper, thank you for everything youāve done for me since I came to this house. You treated me like a daughter and I felt my mumās presence in you, thank you very much.ā Lisa sniffles with a smile.āI felt the same, my dear, I saw the daughter I never had in you,ā Mrs. Cooper said, a tear falling down her face and drew Lisa into a hug as they both sobbed. They stayed like that for a while before breaking it.ā©āSo what are your plans after yesterdayās event?ā Mrs Cooper asked.āIām signing the agreement,ā Lisa answeredā©.āYou made the right decision, my dear, I support it.ā Mrs Cooper saidā©.āI thought you would talk me out of my decision?ā Lisa askedā©.āI wonāt do that, my dear, I saw the smile on your face when you came to this house, now, you no longer have it, you deserve better, my love,ā She cups Lisaās cheek, āIf he doesnāt need you, donāt force yourself on him, love canāt be forced.ā Mrs Cooper explains.ā©āThank you for talking to me,ā Lisa said, getting up to leave but was stopped by Mrs Cooper.āHave your meal before you sleep.āāNo, thanks, I already had dinner.ā She lied. She lost her appetite after the dayās event. ā©Lisa dropped onto the floor on entering her matrimonial bedroom and getting consumed by the familiar scent of her husband.āTreyā¦Treyā¦ how could you allow Valerie to come between us? Huh? How could you do that?ā She cried.ā I will never forget, and will never forgive you for breaking my heart!!!ā She screams, hitting the grayish porcelain floor repeatedly, as fresh tears fall to the floor.āI hope you never regret it because I wouldnāt want you to get hurt, because as much as I hate you now, my stupid heart still loves you, I hope youāll leave well even if itās with my cousin.ā She says getting up to start packing her bags. She packed all her belongings, making sure not to leave a single thing behind because it would end up getting burned by the new madam of the house, she thought.ā©By the time she was done packing, it was 3: am in the morning. She took the envelope from the nightstand and went through it, she saw there was an alimony of 1 billion dollars. Wow! Thatās huge, she couldnāt believe to get rid of her, Trey is willing to pay her a billion for accepting the divorce. ā©Tears filled her eyes at the thought. She signed the papers with tear-filled eyes making her vision blurry and the tears dropped, wetting the papers. After she was done, she took one last glance at the room, before going down with her bags to her car and leaving for her old apartment. ā©She rented her old apartment a year ago after completing medical school and decided not to live in her uncle's mansion.ā©- /12: 30 pm the next afternoon/- ā©Lisa was awakened by the sun shining on her face. Her sheets and pillow were soaked with her sweat. She tried to get up from the bed but felt weak and dizzy. She could hardly move her legs.ā©With all the strength she could muster, she got down from the bed and went to the bathroom. She stopped in front of the mirror, turned on the tap and splashed some water on her face. ā©She stares at her reflection in the mirror. The woman staring back at her was thin, her collarbone had no flesh, her lips were dry and her eyes were puffy with dark circles under. She sighed heavily and slowly walked to the bathtub, filled it with water and took a relaxing warm bath.ā©After what seemed like hours, Lisa finally came out of the bathroom with a white towel around her chest walking towards the vanity table. She did her makeup to hide the dark circles and puffiness and went to her closet to get dressed. ā©She walked out of the closet fully dressed, took her phone from the nightstand and checked the time. It was 2 in the afternoon, she had been sleeping since 4 at dawn, that must be the reason why she was feeling dizzy and famished, she thought. She walked out her door to the elevator.ā©When the elevator reaches the lobby floor, she goes to the apartment managerās office, informs him about her moving out, and signs the necessary papers, so that she can receive the remaining balance from her rent deposit.ā©Lisa drove to her favorite restaurant to eat. She sat at the seat in the back and ordered her meals, yes meals, she felt she could eat a whole whale.ā©As she waits for the waitress, she starts to plan her future. Now that she has signed the divorce papers, she doesnāt want to stay here, she doesnāt want to be anywhere close to Trey, so she decided to move to another country and start her life all over. But this time, things will have to change, she wonāt let others trample on her anymore, she will stand up for herself. ā©Her train of thought was broken, when she saw a familiar back seated at a table not far from her. She wanted to go find out who it was but felt dizzy the moment she stood up, so she decided against going. ā©Her meals arrived and she dug in, within 20 minutes she was done with all the meals on her table, taking a single gulp of the glass of water. ā©After sitting down for a while to regain her strength, she walked to the counter, paid her bills, and turned to leave but noticed the familiar back again. But this time, she decided to approach, feeling her strength back. ā©As she approached, she realized that she was gonna make a huge mistake, because seated in front of her was Trey and his friends, Kelvin Jones and Nathan Adams. ā©She silently turned to walk away but stopped when her name was called.She silently turned to walk away but stopped when her name was called.ā©āLisaā¦?ā Nathan called. She stopped, sighed, and turned around with an awkward smile.ā©āNathanā¦.. hey,ā she greeted with a wave of her hand.ā©āWere you leaving just now? I mean were you trying to sneak off?ā Nathan asked. ā©āYes, I.. wasā¦..!ā She replied truthfully.ā©āDidnāt you see us?ā He asked gesturing more at Trey, making Lisa frown.ā©āIf I knew it was you guys earlier, I wouldnāt have approached.ā Lisa sneered. The moment she said that Trey turned to look at her, his gaze was dark and icy, and it immediately sent a shiver down Lisaās spine. She shuddered. ā© Nathan frowned in confusion. He turned to Trey for clarification but then noticed Treyās demeanor towards Lisa. He then realized there must be some misunderstanding between them, so he decided to help resolve whatever dispute there was between them.ā©āSit with us, Lisa?ā He asked. However, Lisa shook her head, smiled, then said.ā©āThan
On Treyās twentieth birthday. His family hosted a banquet to celebrate him. However, Trey felt such an occasion was of little significance and decided not to go. ā©Because all he ever accomplishes on occasions like this is going around from one business partner to the other toasting and drinking, the only reason he doesnāt end up drunk by the close of such events is because of how he trained himself to have alcohol tolerance. ā©When he arrived at the banquet an hour later. He was delighted he did. Standing amidst the guests was the face that had been occupying his thoughts for the past 6 years. Valerie Lynn, his childhood sweetheart. She stood there, looking stunning as ever in a strapless evening gown, as her brunette hair fell down her back, complementing her blue eyes. ā©Trey met Valerie when he and his parents were living in Country B before he came back to Country A. Valerie was six years old back then, She was very little but was the most beautiful girl he had ever set eyes on,
The next morning/the old mansionTrey finished his breakfast and left for work. On the way to the office, his cell phone started ringing, he checked the caller ID to see Valerieās name, and a tender smile braced his lips.ā©āValerie, what's wrong?ā He asked.ā©āIāve missed you, I want to see you,ā Valerie said in her sweet gentle voice. Trey smiled and told her heād come and pick her up in half an hour. He asked his driver to change route to Valerieās apartment. After ending the call, he called his private secretary and canceled all his appointments till the afternoon, and asked her to book a suite at the LEISUREQ hotel and send him the details.ā©In 30 minutes, his car was parked inside the parking lot of Valerieās apartment. In a few minutes, she came walking out of the elevator. Treyās bodyguard opened the car for her.ā©āThank you,ā Valerie said entering the car. Trey scowled angrily.ā©āWhat happened?ā Valerie asked, noticing Treyās expression.ā©āNothingā he answered dismissively, ma
ā© -/Country B/-ā©ā©Three weeks later.ā©After standing on her feet for the last 6 hours operating on a patient with a brain tumor, Lisa walked out of the operating door, feeling exhausted and famished. She disposed of her blood-stained gloves and mask into the red infectious bin, then turned to leave.ā©āYou were extraordinary in there Dr Lynn, the surgery was successful.ā Susan, her assistant nurse, said coming out of the operating room.ā©āThanks, you were a good help. But I donāt consider a surgery successful till my patient wakes up.ā Lisa said with a smile.ā©āThank you, Dr Lynn,ā Susan said.ā©āYouāre welcome, call me Lisa, Dr. Lynn makes me feel old, Iām only 21,ā Lisa said.ā©āI will, Lisa..?ā They both laugh. ā©āOur shift ended 2 hours ago so, I will leave first, see you tomorrow,ā Susan said with a wave as she walked away. Lisa waved back with a āSureāā©Lisa walked to her private office and showered. When coming out of the bathroom, she suddenly felt dizzy.She supported herself on
Lisa decided to leave work early, to go home and check on her patient who still hasnāt regained consciousness. She said goodbye to nurse Susan and went down to the lobby to sign out. After signing out, she went to the parking lot for her car and left the hospital. When she arrived at her apartmentās underground parking lot, she noticed 4 black alligator SUVs. She felt there was something suspicious and strange about it, nonetheless, she put it at the back of her mind and walked towards the lobby. ā©āGood afternoon,ā Lisa greeted the elevator attendant the moment she entered the elevator. āGood afternoon Miss Lynn,ā He responded as he pressed the floor number, the elevator closed and started to ascend.As the elevator ascended, Lisa noticed the elevator attendant kept stealing glances at her as if he wanted to say something but was hesitant about it, however, since he was not able to tell her whatever it was, she wouldnāt inquire about it. When the elevator arrived on the fifth flo
-/Country A/-ā© Golden heights corporation ā©Meanwhile, in an office on the hundredth floor of Golden Heights Corporation, Trey Collins stares blankly at the vast ocean view through the glass wall of his enormous office. With a fierce look on his face, if thereās one thing that riled him, itās when things donāt go his way.He turns around to face his three highly skilled efficient bodyguards, who were able to retrieve a needle when dropped into the vast sea, but were standing in front of him, repeating the same bullshit!ā©Baam!! ā©The three men gazed up nervously, then hastily retracted their gaze down, feeling weak in the leg at the sound of a hand slammed on the desk in front of them.ā©āIt been 3 weeks, 3 f*cking weeks and youāre fucking telling me you havenāt found her? Why the hell do I pay you when you can't even find a single, frail womanās whereabouts!? Huh!!ā Trey asked sternly, his expression darkened into a venomous glare. āYou have a week to find out wherever sheās hiding,
āI want to show you something.ā Don Antonio said as he took steady steps towards Lisa, deliberately not to frighten her more than she already was. Considering Lisaās silence and calmed demeanor as an indication to proceed, he started to unbutton his shirt, as he undid the buttons, his eyes remained fixed on Lisaās face, ready to stop if there was a slight form of uneasiness from her. Since there wasnāt any, he opened it to show her his bandage chest.āDid you do this?ā He asked in a gentle tone.āOh my God!.. ā Lisa uttered, her eyes widened as her hand flew to her mouth as realization dawned on her, and then she frowned. āIt was you, no wonder I thought you looked familiar, you bastard!!ā Lisa yelled angrily. Matteo and Timothy who were standing outside the door heard Lisa calling the boss a bastard, they started to feel pity for her, for offending the boss, now there was no way she could escape the bossās wrath.āYou pointed a gun at a person who saved your life!? I knew I should
āIs she alright?ā Don Antonio asked Susan who just walked out of Lisaās room.āYeah.., she has fallen asleep,ā Susan muttered. She approached the sofa to sit but became hesitant, she heard that Don has a disorder, he doesnāt like women around him, not to mention touch him, and it got her wondering how he was able to carry Lisa earlier. She remained standing in front of the sofa, as she fidgeted with her fingers. Antonio who was replying to a message on his phone, realized the space beside him was empty, then looked up at the woman who was standing still, with an expression he couldnāt decipher. āWhy is she standing,ā he thought Susan was approaching to sit, but it had been a few minutes now, but he didnāt feel the sofa dip, and since he was busy with his phone, he just remembered she wasnāt seated beside him. He looked up at Susan.āAre you going to stand there?ā He questioned.āIā¦ um, umm youāre sick.ā She replied, staring down at her feet, still playing with her fingers. āIām sic