Chapter 6 Insane Delusions

After leaving the company, Kiera placed a call to Iris and the two of them met up in front of a club.

Stepping into the executive club Styling Royals, a sanctuary for celebrities and the elite, Kiera swept her gaze around, taking in the magnificent designs of the place.

“You like it?” Iris’ voice cut through the music to reach her friend’s ears.

Stunned, Kiera could only nod her head in response.

“Hehhe, how does it feel to finally break from the shackles of your past and experience the thrill of a club for the first time?”

“I don’t know but it sure feels great. You come here all the time?”

“Seldomly but yeah.”

Styling Royals was a club with an invitation-only membership. It ensured that only the most prestigious figures in society could enter its doors, some of which were high-end celebrities.

“Come let’s find a seat.”

As they navigated through the vibrant atmosphere, Kiera couldn't help but feel a sense of liberation. She had finally found herself, breaking free from the suffocating shackles of her failed marriage.

It did not take long for them to find a place to sit and discuss everything, down to his cheating and his last visit.

By the time the conversation was done, Kiera was left feeling uplifted, a glimmer of hope flickering within her.

“I am glad you can finally breathe. You are happy and ready to take back your life, Kiera. You do not know how joyous that leaves me.”

“For real?”

“Yes. You know I always got your back and starting now, it is time to dance your sorrows away and feel alive again.”

“I do not know, Iris.”

“Hey, Kiera,” Iris called out with a stern voice. “I would not take no for an answer. Let’s let loose and celebrate your newfound independence.”

Taking Iris’s hand, Kiera rose to her feet and followed her friend.

It was times like this she was grateful she had someone like Iris to pull her u when she was feeling hesitant about some things and talk her into making good decisions.

Just as they were about to step into the dance floor, their path was abruptly halted by Nicholas's friend, blocking their way with a dismissive sneer.

“Well, well, well. Look who we have here.”

The second those words fell from his lips, Kiera snapped her head in the direction of the voice, her gaze falling upon Nicholas and Cristal, who stood intimately close.

“Isn’t it lovely meeting you here?”

“Can’t say the same for you though,” Kiera retorted.

“Hey, step aside,” Iris called out to the guy blocking their path.

“Or what? Are you Mrs. Relish’s bodyguard now?” He snickered at Iris, eyeing her from head to toe.

Nicholas's circle of friends had always looked down upon her, considering her a mere gold-digger, trading affection for financial gain.

Their disdain for her was palpable as one of them remarked snidely, "Mrs. Reish must have had a day off from her household chores. Quite a rare occasion for full-time housewives, isn't it?"

“Is there any law binding against that, Tori?” Kiera questioned. She placed a hand on her hip and placed a leg forward in a stylish manner.

Immediately, Cristal’s voice rang out wearing a thin veil of false enthusiasm as she greeted Kiera while tightening her grip on Nicholas's hand.

“Hello, Kiera. No one is out to get you. They were just joking. Besides, it is true you rarely come out.”

“So?” Kiera cut in sharply.

“I… You see what I mean. No one wants you behaving like a depraved household wife craving for attention which is why I am trying to calm you down.”

Placing a hand forward to stop Cristal from getting close, Tori cautioned her, “Stop trying to be nice to monkeys Cristal. It will only ruin your good name.”

“Or worse affect you. You do not want to be the household rat, do you?” Clive questioned.

The hostility was evident, and Kiera sensed the judgment radiating from the group. But this time, she refused to let their words penetrate her newfound strength.

“It’s funny how you think she is any better,” Kiera stated with a proud smile. “Sure stay away, I do not want to be tainted by her bitchy whorish mistress self any longer.”

“Why you…” Clive’s words hung in his throat when Kiera sent him a cold glare.

“Besides, when I divorce your friend, I won’t have to be acquainted with the likes of you anymore.”

“Kiera stop this. I know you only came here to talk to me and apologise about mentioning the divorce earlier,” Nicholas chimed in and stepped forward.

At once Iris whipped her head to look at her friend. There was no way what he was saying was true.

“I know you must feel jealous,” he began. “But no need. If you apologise like I said, then…”

“Pfft. I see that slap did not ring enough bell in your head if you think for a second that I, Kiera Campbell, came to apologize to you, retract my divorce statement and I am jealous. You’re very stupid, Nicholas.”

He blinked back in confusion. Reality dawned on him slowly.

He had thought she came to admit her mistake, that the sight of him with Cristal had triggered her while justifying his actions inwardly by claiming to have repaid her tenfold for her contributions to his company.

Nicholas believed Kiera should be grateful to him and have understood his choice, knowing from the beginning that he had no love for her.

Howbeit, Nicholas found himself conflicted. Before he had secretly wanted to divorce Kiera but when she initiated it first, he secretly harboured a subconscious desire to reject Kiera's proposal for a divorce.

The idea of severing their ties unsettled him more than he cared to admit, even to himself.

In the midst of his inner turmoil, Nicholas's mood soured further.

Earlier on, Kiera's transformed demeanour and her daring act of striking him had shaken him to the core. To ease his unease, Cristal suggested they go out for a break, an attempt to distract him from the thoughts that gnawed at his mind.

Happily, he agreed, unaware of the encounter that awaited them. In the past Kiera never complained about his late nights and would always stay awake to welcome him, never once visiting a bar.

Imagine his shock when he saw her here only to be faced with an even daring Kiera, one not afraid to announce their annulment issues publicly and embarrass him.

With shock registered on his face, Cristal decided to take matters into her hands.

She approached Kiera in hopes of pacifying her, her voice soft and gentle.

“Kiera, I know this must be hard for you but Nicholas does love you. Look at him, it hurts him that you want to cut ties. Consider the joy in your marriage and believe in his heart.”

Her eyes brimmed with innocence but the devious smirk on her lips told a different tale. Kiera saw through the veiled words, her eyes burning with unyielding resolve.

“Do you really want to lose his love? Wasn’t that all you were about? How can you bear to see him suffering like this when his heart only goes to you?”

Anger swirled in Kiera’s heart and without hesitation, she slapped Cristal across the face.

She scoffed loudly, her anger radiating in her eyes. “Love? Are those the words you say to him when you are trapped beneath him and he is pounding away inside you?”

“What?”

“Don’t play coy with me, Cristal. I do seem to recall you did not think of that love yesterday when you were screaming for him to go harder inside you in his office.”

Immediately tears filled her eyes as she held her cheek with both hands. “Kiera, how can you slander me like that? I…”

“You’re a deceitful venomous viper, Cristal. Why you may have everybody fooled, you do not have me. This is my warning to you. Never attempt to confuse me with false sentiments. Else, slandering won’t be the only thing I would do to you. Remember, I have proof.”

Sensing the escalating tension, Nicholas rushed out with the intent to confront Kiera. “Kiera that’s enough thrash coming out of you,” Nicholas bellowed.

“Cristal has always been good to you. How dare you say those words about her? I will not let you slander her anymore. You should be grateful to her you conniving woman!”

He lifted his hand, ready to teach Kiera a lesson, hoping to have her cower before him like old times but before his hand could reach her, someone stepped in, intercepting Nicholas's path and caught hold of his hand.

His strong presence halted Nicholas's aggression, leaving him momentarily stunned.

“No man born of a woman should ever lay a hand on one.” His voice rang with authority and calm as he addressed Nicholas but the dark glint in his eyes told a different story.

Looking up, Kiera’s heart pounded with a mix of emotions as she glanced at the back of the stranger before her, a flicker of gratitude and curiosity dancing in her eyes.