Was it a mere coincidence? Or did fate just really enjoy messing with her? Adelynn couldn't tell. She stood amongst her colleague watching Ric Jefferson, Jensen's dad as he introduced his son to them.
How could she not have noticed the resemblance between Ric and her exboyfriend? Maybe it was because all through the period she'd dated Jensen, she'd only seen one member of his family and that was his mother."Just like I told you few days ago, I will be resigning and my capable son, Jensen, will become your new CEO. You all should cooperate with him to help everyone of us make progress" Ric said and Adelynn's colleagues gave him a round of applause.
Most of the female employees could hardly be discreet about the fact that they were checking out the new CEO. Of course, this was not new to Jensen because he was quite used to getting attention from women.
Adelynn on the other hand, realized that she was getting annoyed with the way her colleagues were checking him out and she felt embarrassed when she realized it. She wasn't supposed to be annoyed, especially because she was married now. Jensen was more or less, no longer her business. She watched him as he gave a little speech, his eyes on her, the whole time.
Adelynn hoped that he was just doing all that to tease her. Four years is enough to move on, right? She thought, feeling terribly disturbed.
After the brief meeting, she went back to her office and fortunately for her, Jensen neither called for her nor made his way into her office.When it was time to go home, she grabbed her things and began to rush out of the office in order to avoid the new CEO. But as soon as she stepped into the elevator and let out a breathy sigh, someone cleared his throat behind her. She flinched and turned around with a start. Leaning in the far corner of the elevator with his arms folded across his chest, stood Jensen Jefferson, looking as formidable as ever.
"Did I scare you, Mrs Suarez?" Jensen asked with a teasing smile on his face.
"What are you doing in here with me?!" She whisper-yelled and he clutching his chest, feigning a pained expression."You wound me, Addie. Just because you're married, it doesn't mean I'm toxic to you"She gritted her teeth and turned away from him, her back to him.
"Why are you so desperate to avoid me?" He asked and she squeezed her eyes shut."Why are you here? Why did you suddenly move to Detroit?" she asked and he sighed, unfolding his arms."Duty calls, remember?""Jensen, you need to understand-""That you're married. Of course, I get the message. I am not asking you out on a date, Addie. I am just asking..."The elevator slid open with a ping and they both stepped out of the elevator, Adelynn walking as fast as her legs could carry her.
"Come on, Addie. Stop it" Jensen said, finding the fact that she was trying to move as fast as she could go, amusing. Obviously, he was much taller and could easily catch up with her if he wanted to. When they both stepped out of the premises of the company, Jensen stopped and watched her fumble with her car keys as she tried to open the door to her car in a hurry. She finally succeeded and hopped in. Without paying attention to Jensen, she slammed the door shut and turned on the ignition."You can't keep running forever!" Jensen yelled as soon as she hit the gas, the wind carrying his message along with it. Addie was restless even as his words replayed themselves over and over again in her mind.
All of a sudden, her car skid to a stop and her eyes went wide. "No, no! Not now!" She cried and tried to restart the car but the engine only let out a weird sound that sounded like a mixture of loud groans and sputtering. She tried again and again but the car wouldn't start.Letting out a cry of frustration, she slammed her hands against the steering wheel and rested her head against it. It was at this point that the sound of heavy rain reached her ears. She sat up with a gasp, her eyes widening with horror at the sight of the rain that was pouring heavily. With shaky fingers, she took out her phone and dialled her husband's phone number, hoping and praying that he would do something right for once. She let out the breath she didn't know she was holding when she finally heard her husband's husky voice. "Adelynn?"
"My car broke down. Can you please send someone to pick me up?" She said and he let out a sigh.
"This is one of the reasons I told you to ask one of my driver's to take you wherever you want to go. But, no, you just won't listen. I'll send someone to you. Where are you?""A little distance from my working place"In the background, Adelynn could hear a woman's voice but she could barely make out what was being said."Fine" Dominic said with a gruff voice. Just before the line went dead, she heard the woman's voice clearly."Come on, Dom! Don't keep me waiting!"Adelynn swallowed hard, angry tears filling her hazel eyes. This wasn't new to her but it still hurt her every time. She knew who her husband was and as far as
she could tell, he was a married Playboy.Dominic Suarez was the kind of man most ladies coveted for. He was gorgeous in every sense, he had quite the charisma and he was filthy rich. He could charm hearts and change the minds of many with his manipulative words but he was also very cynical.
Moreso, even though he was married, his actions showed that he wanted no feelings attached. So according to rumours, he would give his wife and side chicks anything they wanted but he would never give them his heart. Adelynn had tried to warm up to him for the past six months of their marriage but nothing seemed to be going well.
Sixty minutes soon bound by with no sign of the person Dominic was supposed to send. She dialled his number again but this time, it went straight to voicemail. She tried it for the second time and the same thing happened. She closed her eyes, feeling utterly miserable. The loud honking of a car caught her attention and her eyes snapped open. She looked out the window only to find Jensen grinning at her from the rolled down window of his car.
"Stranded?!" He yelled because of the noise caused by the pounding rain. Adelynn lowered her gaze, worried. What was she supposed to do now? Remain in her car and wait for the person who might never show up or accept Jensen's lift and risk opening old wounds? "Do I have to carry you out of your car?!" Jensen yelled and she let out a sigh.She grabbed her coat and her handbag. Then, she got out of the car and locked the door. Ignoring the rain beating down on her, she straightened her shoulders and made her way towards Jensen's car. He opened the door like the gentleman he was and beamed at her as she settled down on the seat beside the driver's seat. "Don't worry, I won't make you more uncomfortable than I already have" he said to her as he hit the gas."Where are you headed?" He asked her, an unreasonable expression on his handsome face. "Home""Where exactly is it?" He asked and she gave him the directions.They remained silent after a while until Jensen decided to break the heavy tension that hung over them."I'm sorry" he breathed and her eyes widened in surprise."Sorry for what?""I realized I came on too strong and for that, I'm sorry" he said and Adelynn stared at her wellmanicured fingers, guilt-ridden.She realized that he hadn't changed at all. He was still a gentleman at heart, just like he'd always been. The truth was that, she didn't deserve an apology from him, especially not after everything she'd put him through. If anything, he was the one who deserved an apology from her.She fisted her hands and exhaled slowly."You don't have to apologise, Jen. I'm the one-""Don't" he rasped and she frowned."You must've had a reason for turning down my proposal four years ago. Whatever it was, I don't want to hear it right now. We can talk about that some other time" he said and she stiffened."How about coffee on Saturday?" He asked and she forced out a smile."Sure""I'll text you"Right, it seems you don't know about my new number, she thought. She caught a glimpse of the phone number she'd written on his palm and she mentally scolded herself.'Good heavens, I'm so stupid' she thought with a sour look on her face."Are you alright?" Jensen asked her and she gave him a counterfeit smile."It's either you give me a real smile or you don't smile at all, Addie. Stop faking that smile" Jensen said, stunning her. She blinked, shocked by how well he'd managed to see right through her facade.He let out a sigh, clutching the steering wheel a little harder. "You can't do that with me, remember? I know you. So, if there's one favor you should do for me, it's for you to just be yourself around me"She nodded stiffly and stared straight ahead, trying not to have a mental breakdown. She desperately wanted him to do something..... anything at all that would give her an excuse to despise him.
"We're here" he said, parking the car in front of the huge property that belonged to Adelynn's husband. He shrugged, not taking his eyes off the property."Not bad, I must say. But, he's got nothing on me" He commented and Adelynn couldn't help but smile. He was of course, still as confident as always."Does he treat you right?" He asked as she unbuckled her seatbelt.She paused for a moment, her mind screaming the word 'No!'"Yes, he treats me right" she said, a lump lodging itself in her throat.He opened the door and watched her as she stepped out of his car. The longing in his eyes was hard to miss and Adelynn felt like she was really going to have a mental breakdown. Was he still in love with her? After four years? Especially after how she'd broken his heart?The loud pitter-patter of the heavy downpour could be heard as Adelynn sat on her matrimonial bed, wearing a black night dress with her silky, red night robe over it. She stared at empty space, a glass of white wine in her light grip. Her face was completely devoid of make-up but she was still such a beauty. Without the makeup on, one could easily tell how much she was struggling, because her aura kept emitting melancholy. There was one person on her mind today and his name was Jensen. Adelynn tried to understand what it was that he saw in her, because someone like her didn't deserve someone as amazing, as perfect as he was. She knew that she was letting her insecurity get the best of her, but she just couldn't help it. A sad smile curved her lips when she recalled how she'd met him. Jensen had been just as amazing back then when they were still teens. Whereas, she had been as s
"....Addie? Addie?" Sue said as she waved her hand just in front of Adelynn's face. She was staring at empty space and her mind seemed to be clouded by several thoughts."Earth to Addie!" Sue whispered, finally snapping her friend out of the whirlwind of thoughts that had encased her mind."What exactly were you thinking about? I'm really feeling bad right now, Addie. What's wrong? You've been so out of it lately"Adelynn forced out a smile and looked away, gazing beyond the window. "I'm fine, Sue""You're anything but fine" Adelynn let out a sigh, absentmindedly fiddling with her wedding ring. Things would have been a lot different if she'd accepted Jensen's proposal. Maybe, she truly deserved what she was getting now. As she gazed outside the window, her eyes went wide when she noticed the sleek limo that had just pulled up into the company's parking lot. She rose to her feet, her heart rate accelerating.
'I'm so screwed', Adelynn thought as soon her gaze locked with Dominic's. Without a doubt, he looked pissed. Worried, she quickly mumbled an "I'll see you later" to Jensen and started to make her way towards her husband. When she finally got to him, he stared at her with something akin to fire in his eyes. "Did I interrupt something?" He asked, his eyes narrowed."Come on, Dominic. Don't be like this" she breathed. "Oh, really? Why the hell didn't you tell me that your boss is your exboyfriend?" He demanded in an icy tone. Adelynn sucked in a sharp breath when he made that statement. "I don't understand why you're being like this. It's not like you care about me or have feelings for me. Besides, I am not like you" she said, avoiding his eyes. When she finally looked up and saw his expression, she realized that she'd just made a very big mistake. "You know nothing about me, Adelynn. You t
Jensen stared at the woman sitting in front of him, with mixed emotions. He felt both frustrated and worried. He blamed himself for giving up on her so easily four years ago. Maybe if he'd not given up then, he would've discovered what she'd desperately tried to hide from him. Perhaps, he would have been able to prevent her marriage with Dominic Suarez. "Who threatened you, Addie?" He asked for the second time when he didn't get any answer from her. "Addie, please tell me. I won't-" he exhaled sharply and balled his hands into fists. "I won't try anything to correct things. Just let me know who threatened you" he said to her and she lowered her gaze, nervously fiddling with her well manicured fingers."It was Dom-"Adelynn barely finished her statement before she was interrupted by a lady with Auburn curls and blue eyes. She seemed vaguely familiar to Adelynn, but she couldn't exactly recall where she'd seen the lady. "Ex
The next morning, Adelynn awoke to prepare for work and carry out her daily routine. She was surprised to see that Dominic was still asleep. For a moment, she thought about everything he'd said to her the previous night and quickly shrugged it off. She wasn't ready to start her day with negativities. She got out of her bed and began to prepare for work. Fourty five minutes later, she was sitting in front of the mirror, applying her make-up. But, Dominic still hadn't stirred. Sighing, she rose to her feet and walked up to his side of the bed. Then, she tapped him on the arm. He opened his eyes immediately, startling Adelynn. "What is it?" He demanded in a gruff voice. "Are you planning on sleeping in?" She asked and he blinked. Slowly, he turned to look at the clock.He let out a sigh and stumbled out of bed, looking pale. "Why didn't you wake me up earlier?" He asked in a hoarse voice. She rolled her eyes and went ba
Adelynn was frozen to the spot. At this point, she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her. She couldn't stand the intensity of hatred and malice in Mrs Jefferson's eyes. This woman used to be so kind to her.They would go shopping together, attend social events and even go to beauty spas together. Obviously, Mrs Jefferson did not take the news of her refusal to Jensen's proposal well.There was no way she could explain the truth surrounding her refusal and she knew that she probably deserved the hatred she was receiving now. If only she could turn back the hands of the clock."Cat got your tongue?" Mrs Jefferson spat."I work here" Adelynn responded, lowering her gaze. "You what?!"Adelynn recoiled, her eyes already filling up with tears. She hated being vulnerable. It was one of the things she hated the most."Did you just say you work here?!""I-""Mother"Both
Jensen clenched his jaw when Adelynn slapped him hard on the face, with hatred and anger reflecting in her eyes. He parted his lips to say something but was stunned to silence when she slapped him again; this time, harder. He swallowed hard, realizing that he'd lost. This was exactly what Dominic had wanted. He'd manipulated him into exposing the truth about himself.Clearly, he had underestimated Dominic. "How could you?! How could you stoop so low?!" Adelynn cried, angry tears filling her eyes."Addie-""Don't!" She hissed, clenching her fist. "And to think that I was going to divorce Dominic because of someone as despicable as you are!""And here I thought that Dominic was the manipulative one. I had no idea that you are the devil himself!""I had to get rid of him, Addie!. I love you so much and I should be your husband, not him! But, he always finds a way to ruin things.""So, you tried to kill him?! Not once but thrice! You were
Lying on her matrimonial bed, Adelynn stared at her husband's sleeping figure. He was within arm's length and was lying on the other side of their king sized bed. This was practically the first time he was sleeping on the same bed with her. Adelynn was starting to get worried and as she watched him sleep, her mind swam with overwhelming thoughts. She couldn't understand why he'd started to act different. She almost felt that he was an imposter. She just didn't know how to deal with the new changes. She was finally seeing a different side of him and she should be happy right?Wasn't this what she'd wanted all along? She stared at Dominic's sleeping figure, noticing how innocent he looked when he wasn't awake. She reached out to caress his hair and froze.What am I doing? She thought and pulled away. Then she stared at her wedding ring, quietly.She had a feeling that things were about to change. Her phon