Chapter One: Sour Goodbye.
“ Sssshhh” Ruben sucked in cold air in an attempt to ease the splitting headache threatening to tear his head apart.“Mr Ruben, you have come a long way from being Mr Janssen’s lackey. This is wonderful. I heard your app hit five million downloads within a few hours of its launch.” A crooked politician approached Ruben.“Mmh, thanks. Excuse me.” Ruben took the quickest route to the elevator.“That rude bastard, being the biggest entrepreneur in the Netherlands, must have gotten to his head.” The politician spat on the floor and walked along.The elevator stopped at the highest floor of the world-class hotel. With unstable hands, Ruben searched his pockets hurriedly for his room key card, urging himself to be quick to avoid the nosy reporters capturing him in his current state.Someone had drugged him. Ruben De Vries gritted his teeth at the thought of whoever dared to drug him, the tyrant of the tech industry. They must have lived a thousand lives to gather the guts to openly challenge him. Although drugged, his thoughts were logical, and his mind was calm except for his body, which burned like a furnace. In fact, he already knew from the moment he took that drink and it mutated with his blood, fire burned from within him but he had to put up with it and greeted everyone calmly with a stern but professional face.“Of all days, it had to be when Thomas went on a business trip. Fuck” He cursed his luck under his breath, scanned the card quickly and pushed the door open, closing it behind him hastily as he got in.He took off his jacket, turned up the air conditioner of the stuffy room, and loosened his tie, ripping his shirt off, the buttons scattering in different directions. But this wasn’t enough to quench the fire burning inside him. He downed a jug of water. Clear liquid dripped out of both sides of his luscious lips and his foxy blue eyes burned with lust.“What a pretty sight.” The sweet voice of a woman came from a corner of the room. She swirled a key in her right index finger, and a playful but mocking smile danced on the corner of her lips.Ruben froze for a few seconds. He hadn’t noticed anyone when he walked. “Why are you here?”He tried to remain calm and logical.He pumped his hands into a fist, his fingers burrowed deep into his flesh, blood dripping endlessly from the wound, but he didn’t seem to feel anything.He would never show his weakness to this woman, not now when he feels like pouncing on her and savoring her nectar like a wild butterfly.Her usually ear grating voice sounded comforting like the sound of soft rain at night, her usually sickening scent invaded his nostrils, wrapped around his head, and took over his thoughts, and instead of the thoughts of barfing, he wanted to wrap his arms around her slender waist, burrow his heads in the valley between her neck and shoulder and inhale more of the fresh scent of flowers she exudes.The sexual intensity in the room heightened and his body burnt even more. Cold sweat laced his toned muscular body in the cold room, highlighting the contours of his body.“You wouldn’t even spare me a glance? Eyy, am I that ugly? We didn’t have our moments on our first night after marriage and never since then, but you still managed to look at me until now. What now? You are sick of playing couples?” Tess laughed, but her voice held a tinge of sorrow as she stared at the back of the man she loves wholeheartedly. Her heart ached at the sight of him trying so hard to resist the effect of the drugs due to her presence, so hard he hurt himself.“Tess Janssen, I asked you a question. How did you get into my room?!”“Let me answer your question with a question. How do you feel?” Tess smirked.“Leave now.”“No.”“What do you want?”“Make love to me.” The room assumed silence immediately as her voice dropped.“Leave right now,” Ruben roared.“If it was that person you wouldn’t hesitate to make love to her, right?” Tess’s heart burned with anger at the thought. Without giving him room to reply, she pounced on him, throwing his gigantic frame twice her size on the wide bed.“Get off me, Tess,” Ruben warned. His husky voice sounded deeper than usual and a sweet, warm breath escaped his lips.He was unwilling, but his body was already reacting to her touch. He had enough strength to push her away, but he wasn’t willing to. Truth be told, he looked forward to her unexpected dominating outburst.“Hey there Mr Ruben, scared you cannot control yourself? Then again, all it took was a pinch of ´that´ to render all of your muscles useless.” Tess laughed mockingly, admitting to drug his drink without a tinge of shame.Ruben’s eyes darkened, gun pointed to his head and he could have never thought she was the one that drugged his drink. A light flashed past his eyes as the small woman on top of him started moving, stimulating him erotically. Her cold lips burned against his skin, producing lewd noises as she groped his torso.He took in a deep breath. Thick layers of lust clouded his foxy eyes as he scanned her fully clothed body. Grabbing her thin waist, he switched their position, his heavy weight pressed down against her body.Her face was slightly red, seemingly influenced by the lusty aura emanating from his body. Her liquid misty eyes gazed at him with slight shock, tenderness, and expectations.He lingered on her face for a few seconds before going on a rampage. He tore all of her clothes off, investigating every inch of her pale milky, and succulent skin, leaving his mark everywhere his lips touched.Tess squirmed and moaned in pleasure, enjoying every bit of the first and last intimacy with her first love.They made love until they were both physically drained of all strength and seeped out of consciousness into each other’s arms. Tess woke up a few hours later. She winced in pain after a failed attempt to stretch, a sign that they went hard and intense last night.Taking a few cold breaths to ease the pain, she managed to get out of bed and into the bathroom to wash her sticky body. After a long refreshing bath, Tess got dressed with a spare cloth she brought along. She smiled as her previous wild imagination of Ruben in bed had been turned to a once in a lifetime experience.She walked up to the bed. Ruben was still fast asleep from the effect of the drugs. He looked less scary and domineering while sleeping, like a tame tiger. More like a domestic cat.Tess´’s eyes lingered over the numerous red and purple love bites and nail marks she left on his body from their steamy session. Her eyes held a tinge of longing, love, and…sadness.She wished they turned out differently, wished she didn’t have to use underhanded methods to make love to her husband, and above all, she wished she was the one in his heart, but that is impossible. Using a thick duvet to cover his body from the cold, Tess left her gift to him by the side of the bed, a wrapped envelope.Taking a last glance at him, she relived the memory of them together. In a split second, her eyes turned cold in contrast to the burning affection from earlier. In the end, he was one of those people that used her.She exited the room quietly.…Ruben woke up with a splitting headache. Throwing the sheets off him, he walked into the bathroom to wash his face.After the cold water hit his face, memories of the previous night came down to him like showers of rainfall. He gripped the sides of the water basin until his knuckles turned white, his eyes brimming with bottomless rage and hatred. “How dare that wild and defiled woman touch me?” He thought.He returned to the room to call Thomas when the sharp corner of his eyes sighted a wrapped item. He tore the package open impatiently. Two bold words written at the top of the paper caused his vision to go blurry. They read ´DIVORCE PAPERS´.“Tess Janssen seems to have gotten a little braver than usual. Can I catch a fucking break? Did the death of her father shock her wide awake? Before now, she wouldn’t dare to look me in the eyes, but now what? Drugs my drink, forces herself into my bed, and divorce papers! That woman is asking for it.”Ruben was beyond surprised. He finally got what he wanted, a divorce, but a part of his heart burned furiously from being taken advantage of and dumped in such an embarrassing way. He still yearned to conquer her.This sudden strange feeling could only be interpreted as rage and desire for revenge by the emotionally unavailable Ruben.Tearing the divorce papers into shreds, he called Thomas. “Find Tess’s location and send it to me. You have five minutes.” Authoritative rage was evident in his voice. Without waiting for a response, he hung up, and within five minutes he got a text. “She is out of the country.”Ruben’s grip on the phone tightened. “Tess Janssen.”He placed another call immediately. “Find her even if she’s in the pits of hell, process a fake divorce, and spread the news of my marriage to Brittany to her acquaintances.”On the other end of the phone, Thomas said a silent prayer for Tess. Once the young master has bitten a prey, he never lets go.Ruben’s phone chimed and what seemed like a scheduled message from Tess popped on his message notification. It read; “Young master, did you like my gift?” with a smiley emoji.Ruben’s fury heightened from the provocative tone. He swore to find Tess even if it meant his demise.He could picture a wild smirk on her usually meek and innocent face. Darkness shrouded his heart, and he burned with what seemed like hatred.No one has ever dared to humiliate him in his 27 years alive, no one except Tess.Dark blood flowed endlessly as his wound from the previous night opened from his nails burrowing into his palm, but he seemed to be oblivious to this pain, instead his heart seemed to ache out of what felt like hatred and a flurry of conflicting feelings.Short Poem based on this chapter:Title: Tess’s unsaid words to Ruben; Words untold.“I loved hard,I spent a questionable period of my life fantasizing about our future together, even though it was blurry.I wish things turned out differently,Now I can only carry on with life remembering the taste of your lips mixed with a tinge of liquor.I can’t help but be intoxicated by the overwhelming love I feel within.But I can’t bring myself to wish you a good life on your journey without me.I hope your heart is heavy with thoughts of me and I left a deep scar in your heart.”Chapter 2: "I believe we have something to discuss, Miss Janssen." Six years later… Tess left the High Court after successfully clearing her client of all charges, her eyes brimming with joy and satisfaction at the number of zeros after the client credited her account. “As expected, clearing conglomerates of all the ‘false charges’ against them pays.” She looked behind her to see if anyone was following her before she walked towards the direction of a black van parked in an auspicious area by the court. “Mummyyy” A cheerful voice filled the air as a little boy ran into Tess’s embrace. His peerless blue eyes and rich brown hair is particularly outstanding, at a glance one could tell he is the son of Ruben De vries. Tess smiled widely at the sight of her intelligent son, wrapping him in her embrace, she graced his cheeks and face with wet kisses. “Luuk, my sweetheart.”“ Ugh mother! Stop doing that, I'm not a kid anymore.” Little Luuk protested against his mother's show of affection,
Chapter 3: let go of mummy‘‘I believe we have something to discuss, Miss Janssen’’ Ruben's eyes burned as he watched Tess’s nonchalant countenance, stressing the ‘Miss’ in hopes to get a reaction but she didn't crack. ‘‘Sure Mr Ruben.” Tess laughed. The rest of the people in the room didn't notice anything wrong, they thought of it as normal interaction between an employer and his employee. Ruben dragged Tess all the way to his office, meanwhile a little figure wearing a black hoodie with his face half covered watched all these play out quietly in a corner. As soon as he saw Ruben, a tinge of surprise flashed past his eyes, “ This must be my father.” Luuk thought. The weird interaction between his parents didn't escape his sharp eyes. ‘‘Father is hurting mother, that's not manly.”Ruben shut the door behind them, his eyes brimming in anger as he turned to Tess ‘‘what's the meaning of all these? Why are you here? A lawyer? You?”“ One question at a time, Mr Ruben, I can't keep up w
Chapter 4: Many crave this“Who was it?” Ruben’s eyes grazed past Luke’s tiny frame as he continued to work on his phone. “Just the neighbors, they brought dumplings.”“Dispose it.” Ruben replied sternly. “Why?” Luke protested. “Why? “ Ruben raised his head, his sharp eyes peered into Luke, he felt something change in Luke's eyes but he couldn't phantom the cause.“It was made with love, and motherly affection. She shared dumplings with us without asking for anything in return and without being asked to… Unlike your wife t-that doesn't seem to care at all.” Luke's voice broke with each word he spoke. “Luke, that's no way to speak to your mother.” Ruben corrected. “She's not my mother, she's a stranger...I have never felt motherly love from Brittany. I have had my fair share of abuse from her dad… She's not my MOTHER!“ A streak of tears fell off Luke’s face, his doe eyes made him seem even more pitiful. “Luke.” Ruben's voice softened instantly. He had always been careful with matt
Chapter 5 : "Are you Luke's friend?" “Ok, I will see you tomorrow. '' Luuk hid his inner excitement. A part of him was very happy Luke wanted to stay with Tess so desperately that he agreed instantly when he proposed the idea. Knowing Luke wouldn't back off from the plan, Luuk was rest assured he didn't have to contort a plan to convince him. “Okay! My regards to mother.” Luke replied excitedly. In his mind he already drafted a plan on the joyous days he will spend with his mother. He packed his personal credit card in a wallet and placed an order for a cloth he and Luke had agreed to wear to avoid suspicion. He begged Luke for a photo of mother but the irresponsible lad didn't have a single photo of their mother. Luke's eyes twitched with anger from the recollection. “ If I was the one living with mother, I would take numerous photos of her. Unlike that cold lad.” He clicked his tongue.Luuk sat on his reading desk, working on his computer to place the order for his clothes when he
Chapter 6: "Luke"“You did what?!” Luke’s drowsiness slipped out of his body faster than he would finish a cup of ice cream. It was currently 8am and Ruben broke the “earth shattering” news to him in his bedroom. “F-father you-” “Son, there’s no need to be that surprised haha, father is capable of such. In fact, if you want, I can make sure no one comes 100 feet close to the location of the park,” Ruben boasted heartily. His eyes were clouded with pride. He didn’t see the darkening expression on Luke’s face the more he spoke. “Father, do you realize what you have done?” Luke’s voice trembled. Ruben’s smile faded gradually as he noticed the strange tone contrary to the one he was expecting. The reaction seemed off. “W-what’s wrong Luke, why are you crying?” Ruben panicked. “Father, are you trying to alienate me from other children my age? I just want to enjoy a good time with you, while having interaction with other kids like other young people would. Why won’t you understand me?
chapter 7: "I will, it's mother."“There, I see an ice cream truck .” Tess pointed to a truck parked under a cherry blossom tree. As it's autumn, the flowers have bloomed vibrant pink colored petals. Attracting a crowd to the ice cream truck. The mouthwatering display of various flavors of ice cream contributed to the huge number of children pleading with their parents for ice cream. The ice cream truck attendant was very jovial, he amicably, in a sweet monotone told everyone to form a queue based on the earliest to arrive. Tess stood at a spot in the middle while Luuk lingered by her side. Unlike other kids with their faces full of snot and all kinds of smears from junks , and their tummy bulging, Luuk maintained a calm demeanor, actually he looked bored. He would rather read a book on space ships than waste his time on a queue with an adult for ice cream. Basically sweetened ice which is detrimental to one's health. ‘It's all for the greater course.’ He reminded himself. His eyes
chapter 8: "That was a little? "Luke sat beside Tess quietly. Relishing in the flowery scent and motherly love she emitted. He felt a little strange and nervous. His heart tickled with warmth and he felt like crying. His nose and eye lids grew red from holding back tears. His heart ached for Tess. The underlying sorrow in her aura couldn't be unmasked. Her shoulders shivered slightly and a streak of tears drifted from her eyes, all the way down to her palm. Seemingly unconscious, her eyes stayed glued to the stage without blinking. Luke watched the tears fall in the saddest, lonesome way possible. Her tears looked like a piece of tiny diamond, as it was getting darker from the heavy clouds and the lights from the water fountain manifested on her face for a few seconds. “My love, during the long hesitationI couldn’t find the right words to express my feelingsWith all my heart in those ordinary hellosI just want to ask if you’re doing wellNot knowing what to say nextI put down t
chapter 9: "welcome home Luke"Tess recovered from her trance when the rain started drizzling. She withdrew from the hug, wiped Luke's wet face, and placed a wet kiss on his cheek. "Mother." Luke called with tears and soft tenderness in his eyes that deflected the color of the starry night. Tess's heart softened, It's the first time "Luuk's" voice had ever sounded so soft, like a child. She blamed herself inwardly for that. He caught her in the moment of weakness. Throwing the bad memories to the back of her mind, Tess picked Luke up like a baby and twirled. "Hehe hehe" Luke broke into a laughing fit. His soft voice was still slightly wobbly from crying. "Do you feel better son?" Tess held him tight. She pulled her jacket forward to protect him from the cold wind. " Yes mother, I am fine." Luke couldn't get enough of Tess's affection. His ocean blue eyes twinkled. "Mother has a very beautiful smile. It must be exhausting to look like a goddess all the time, carrying the weight of