Strings of loud chirps got me out of bed the next morning, and I forced my eyes to blink open. Pushing forward, I stretched slowly and grabbed my phone, still groggy-eyed and tired from dealing with Cole's drunken words the night before.
I tapped it open, and instantly leaned forward as notifications and messages from different apps scrolled across my eyes.
This could not be happening.
"Cole!" I screamed, rushing over to his study where he was hunched over several papers scattered across his mahogany desk. He raised his head to glare at me, an eyebrow raised.
"Liza, why are you shouting my name? Being married to me doesn't still give you that right," he chided, and resumed working on his papers.
"There's a problem. What do we do?" I ignored the jab and instead showed him the post on my I*******m feed, with over fifty thousand views.
A video dated early last night of Cole, my husband frantically kissing one of his numerous flings.
He stood up and grabbed the phone from my hand, repeatedly playing the thirty second video.
"How did this happen?" He asked me, running his hands through his hair as he paced back and forth.
I shrugged and began to read the comments underneath the post, putting my teeth to work on my fingers as I scrolled further down.
'Less than 48 hours after the wedding. A shame really.'
'I knew it was fake. Elizabeth can't keep a man like that.'
'His wife is such a plain Jane. I can't blame him.'
'Another billionaire marriage bites the dust.'
I closed the phone and sighed loudly. This was damaging for us both, and I held myself from screaming 'I told you so' at his face. We could have gone on the honeymoon like we originally planned, but instead he had to have one last tango. Unfortunately, someone decided to make a lasting memory of it and now my name was being dragged through the mud for being a bad wife with lower class and pres–
"Would you stop that? I can't focus with what you're doing," Cole said suddenly, interrupting my thoughts as he pointed at my feet tapping repeatedly on the floor.
"Sorry sir," I responded instantly, colour rushing to my cheeks as I realized my old habit. I looked at him, wondering if he would launch into another lecture about calling him by his first name but he stood in one spot staring at the floor.
Across me, his phone began to ring. One of the investors was calling.
"Of course they would call now," he muttered, ignoring it as he sat down and faced me.
"We need to manage this situation. I cannot lose that deal, no matter what."
If only you had listened to me, I thought as I watched him pick up his phone. For damage control, damage that could have been prevented if he kept his pants on and his lips to himself.
"Yes, I know. Why else would I be calling you? Get here now," he barked at the person on the other end and ended the call.
"So what next?" I asked, the discriminating video still playing silently on my phone. No matter how non-existent my feelings for him were, my body weakened the longer I thought about it.
No wife, especially a new one, needed to see her husband publicly cheating on her. But, unlike other wives, I could not complain. I signed an agreement that clearly stated our freedom to indulge in romantic external affairs.
To think I cleaned up after him last night. I squinted my eyes at the phone screen again and looked closer, the red-haired girl with a chest too unnatural for her frame looked familiar. One of the old ones then.
"My PR manager is on his way. Shit, this is why I need my freedom," Cole complained, pouring out whisky from the bottle beside him. Of course, that arrogance prevented him from seeing the obvious mistake.
"We could say the video is an old one. It is edited, or release a statement denying being there. Or maybe–"
"I pay someone to figure that out, Liza. I'm sure there are better ideas." He shut me down and shook his head, gulping the whole glass in one go.
I kept silent after that, and distracted myself with TikTok videos of BTS boys showcasing their newest release. Soon, a short woman with beady eyes and thin hair walked into the room.
"Good day Cole. Good day Elizabeth. How's the media taking it? I couldn't check in on my way here," she explained.
"Badly," I responded and showed her the string of comments hurling accusations and insults at us, mostly me.
Shall we get to business then?" She asked immediately, motioning for me to talk first. When I proposed my ideas, Cole's PR manager clasped her hands together and looked at me. "I agree with you. It's quite simple really. Go for your honeymoon."
"I can't do that. There's work to be done," Cole refused, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his chair. "Suggest something else."
"Mr Winston, let me explain. You both travel out, preferably out of the country, to a romantic getaway. Take a few pictures, show the media that you're hopelessly in love. As you do that, I'll do some damage control, make the video appear faked or old. By the time you both come back, you'll be San Francisco's most loved couple again."
"I agree with her," I told Cole, leaning forward at the prospect, "The public thinks we were too hasty to get married, so they are still suspicious of a sham. If we go for a honeymoon, and take pictures for the gram, eventually they will cozy up to us. We play our cards right, and they love us more than before. Everyone is happy." I smiled softly, hopeful his business-minded brain would see the advantages.
"So where do we go?" He conceded, looking between me and the manager.
"I know a place."
In twenty-four hours, exactly three days after my wedding to the billionaire boss, my suitcase was packed and ready to go.I looked at the mirror one last time, and readjusted the black Gucci shades sitting on my face. I struck a pose and took a picture, making sure the flight ticket was visible in the mirror selfie.Uploading it, I walked out to the Mercedes waiting and joined Cole in the passenger seat. Immediately the car started, he turned his phone to me and frowned, "I see you've already started with the pictures."I shrugged an arm in response. "Theearlier, the better. Right?""Good day ma'am. We'll be arriving at the airport in approximately twenty minutes," the chaffeur greeted, looking at me through his front mirror. I nodded my head, and out of habit, signalled for him to put the partitions up. I held my leather jacket tighter against my body, letting out small breaths of air as I rubbed my palms together and placed them on my face.Cole glanced at me with an eyebrow raise
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome onboard Flight 2Y7 with service from San Francisco to Maldives. We are currently second in line for take-off and are expected to be in the air in approximately five minutes time. The approximate time for departure is 10:15am, and we are expected to arrive the Maldives at 16:30pm tomorrow. We ask that you please fasten your seatbelts–""Why didn't you say you felt cold?" Cole asked me immediately I held my jacket and fastened my belt.I raised my head to meet his eyes but even as he waited for my answer, his eyes were glued to the retreating figure of an air hostess. I shook my head and cleared my throat noisily.He glanced back at me, blatantly oblivious to his errors. I gave a soft sigh and answered, "I always say it, but you like setting the temperature low. Also," I gestured at the lady and continued in lower tones, "it would be very advantageous to us if we try to pretend to be in love during this vacation.""Of course, I know that," he responded.Th
In the middle of my third episode, Cole tapped my shoulder and motioned for me to pause the movie."Do you need anything?" I asked, removing the headphones from my ears as I leaned forward. Involuntarily, I grimaced feeling pain settle in my back from sitting in one position for three hours at a stretch."Yes. Did you bring those documents I was working on yesterday?" He questioned, a frown on his face."What documents? I do not know anything about them," I responded, covering my mouth to stifle a yawn. I needed to stretch my body or walk around a bit."Meaning what?" Cole raised his voice, now glaring at me. "How am I supposed to work on the proposal then? Why are you so incompetent?"I stared at him and began to flare up, but when he sighed and ran his hand through his hair, I took in a deep breath and responded,"Cole, you relieved me of my duties as your secretary when we signed the agreement. Besides, you did not inform me about any proposal nor any documents. Also, will there be
"There are a lot of people here," Cole commented immediately we stepped out of the tour car."It is the largest island in all of Greece, so it is expected."I put on the mittens I purchased as soon as we landed at one of the shops located in the airport, and shrugged as I walked forward into the heart of the crowd.The first thing I noticed in Crepe was the contrasting landscapes. Somehow, the scenery combined expansive coastlines and rolling mountains with lush greenery and rocky terrains. I could not resist taking a picture of the beautiful wonder.Like us, most people in the crowd were tourists and most of them stood huddled in separate groups. On one side, a tour guide hurried through his English as he described the exotic parts of the town to a majority to the crowd while on the other side, a family of seven took a picture sitting under a huge tree."Is this the Old Town?" Cole came up beside me and asked, showing me a picture of our location on the internet."Yes, it is. Have yo
I dabbed a tear from my eye, sniffing noisily when another tried to escape. How did him turning into a zombie and then dying make any sense in the storyline?"You should stop watching those Korean dramas of yours, Elizabeth. They give you false illusions about love and make you look silly," Cole complained into my ears just as the episode credits began to roll."Good morning Cole," I responded sourly, the sarcasm evident in my voice as I turned to face him. He shot me a sharp look in response before stalking off into the toilet. By the time he got back, the flight attendant–a middle-aged man this time– was done serving the breakfast and I had begun to dig in.He glanced at me and asked, "Did you make an order for me?"I nodded my head, my mouth full of food, and pointed at his seat where a dish was covered with cutlery and a serviette by the side.I watched as he opened it and raised an eyebrow turning to me, impressed. "How did you guess?""I worked with you directly for years, Si–Co
"Why did you pack so much?" Cole complained, even as he stood watching the driver load our luggage into his boot.I glanced at them and folded my arms as I responded, "They are not plenty, Cole. Besides, we are staying for two whole months. I do not want to run out of clothes."Men never understood our plight. While he could carry one box and fit all of his necessities inside, I had to have one large suitcase for my clothes, a medium sized box for footwear, make-up and jewelry, then a handbag for my body care products."What's the point? You'll still end up buying more anyway," he said and opened the car door for me."Still, you can never be too prepared. Anything could happen," I argued back, seeing the driver glance between us and give a short smile. The man was enjoying our banter, and I could bet he supported Cole."If you say so."I nodded once and looked outside the window as the car started to move forward. Long coconut palms spanned along the sidewalk, swaying from side to sid
"This is not my kind of scene," I shouted into Cole's ear, trying to drown out the thrumming beats of the music. We were squeezed together on the couch, and the unwelcome scents, loud noise and smoke were beginning to give me a headache.Cole laughed out and offered me a glass, shaking his head. "But I'm having fun."I looked around, still surprised by his definition of the word. We were sitting directly behind the blasting sound, numerous people grinding and gyrating to the awful beat as they passed cups filled with alcoholic content to each other. The disco bulbs shone different colours of light into my eyes. The whole scene reminded me of a high school party, and I felt disgusted.One girl stumbled towards us and tried to flirt with Cole, but I shot her a glare and she quickly walked away. He made a face at me and pouted, the dark shades covering his eyes, "Why did you do that?"I shook my head and groaned. Gods, the guy was totally wasted and we had not even been here up to two ho
"I would have handled it," I responded stubbornly, even though I was still shaking. I turned to look behind us, counting my breaths when I saw the assaulter still on the ground."Can we get away from here first?" I asked quietly, and Cole looked at me for a moment before sighing and driving silently towards the hotel.Immediately he parked the car at the front of the hotel, I stepped out and walked straight towards the elevator. As it chimed and moved down, the fact that I could have been raped seeped into my thoughts, and I broke down. If only Cole had not come at that moment–Anger flooded me as I got rid of that particular thought. I would not have been outside if he had chosen another place, or even responded when I complained about being uncomfortable. Instead, he watched me as I walked away to my near doom.By the time Cole got to the suite, I was already in the shower shaking as I furiously scrubbed my body over and over again to get rid of the grime and smell of that man.When