Vanessa
The light was blinding when I woke up, and I squeeze my eyes tightly while swearing because it felt like my head was about to explode.
What the fuck…
As I managed to sit up, the sheets rolled off my chest and with a startled gasp, I realized that I was naked. I looked around the room, noting the unfamiliarity of the exquisite design. This is definitely not my bedroom.
I looked over the room and noticed my red dress on the ground, rumpled beside my shoes, and my face flushed as memories of last night returned into my mind with a full force.
Oh god.
I really had sex with a stranger last night.
A literal stranger!
Seraphina, this is what your life has turned into? I demanded from myself as I rolled out of the bed and quickly shimmered into my dress, feeling embarrassed as hell, but also a little proud over this new feat. It felt like I'd broken a rule for the first time, and I liked it. All my life I always had to sit still and act right, and despite that, it was never enough. So, who cares if I fucked a stranger anyway? It was my life after all, wasn't it?
And besides, last night was so perfect. As the memories shrugged through me even more, I remembered how hot last night had felt, so hot and intense and so… so perfect. That stranger, he certainly knew what he was doing, the ache between my legs right now was proof. He handled my body like it was an instrument, and I think I passed out after the fifth or sixth orgasm.
Which is crazy now that I was thinking about it, cause with Heathen, I didn't get to orgasm most times when we made love in the dark.
I looked around for my panties but couldn't find it anywhere, then my cheeks flushed again as I wondered if the stranger took it with him.
Not wanting to waste more time here, I got my shoes on and was out of the room in the next minute. It was a hotel room, a very expensive one, and I wondered just who that stranger was and if I'd ever see him again.
Do I want to see him again? I wasn't sure. For all I know, last night might be one of the most mediocre nights he's ever had, and should he tell me he regretted bedding me last night, it would undoubtedly break me.
When I arrived at Blair's apartment and recounted all that happened with her, instead of reprimanding me for doing something that crazy, she cheered and insisted that I deserved it after the years I wasted on Heathen.
"Seriously! This is good! Finally, you're letting the wild side out! I know you had it in you this whole time!" She gushed excitedly and I huffed, rolling my eyes cause if only she knew that last night was a one time thing. I wasn't gonna make that a habit just because I was no longer married. Besides, my biggest concern now was planning my future on moving forward.
Despite the fact that Heathen threatened to have me killed last night, I was still gonna get revenge on him, my twin and my parents. They think they could just use and discard me? The new gaming company I developed with Heathen after we got married was solely my idea. Merging it together with my parents' dwelling gaming company was also thanks to the vision I birthed and developed myself.
I hated that I let them convince me to let all the credits go to Alina.
Now, I wasn't sure of how I was gonna go about it, but I was gonna get my revenge no matter what.
If I had all my money and properties now, I'd just start up my own company, but I had nothing on me right now. Nothing at all.
Which means I'd need someone powerful if I want to destroy all my enemies. Someone powerful enough to stand against them and shield me from them. Someone who hates them as much as I do now, or even more than I hate them.
Their rival. Their nemesis.
That's what I need right now. Someone to help me ruin them completely.
That afternoon, I signed the divorce papers and sent it over to Heathen's, then I sat down and drew out a detailed tree of all the company's enemies. Because I was basically the one running the company from behind the scenes, I knew everything about it, down to their weakness, their dirty secrets which the media mustn't get a wind of, and lastly, their rivals.
After arranging their enemies names from weakest to strongest, that left only a name at the very top.
Zen Gaming Inc.
That was our strongest rival for the past five years. No one even knew who ran the company for the past five years after the founder died. Everyone believed one of his kids took over, but which one? All of his children stayed out of the media's faces, so no one knew what they all looked like.
Zen used to dominate the Internet until I came into the picture, making Zen go down the ranking and subjecting it to second position for the past five years, while Vanden was always at the top. Now that I've been discarded by my family and husband, I was gonna make their nightmare come true by getting Zen to surpass them for the first time since I started running things.
But how was I gonna do that anyway? I wasn't so sure yet.
Zen's creator, Mr Everest, has a long time feud with my family, and they equally hated each other. I could vividly remember that my parents once asked me to get married to the eldest son Mr. Everest many years ago, in exchange for a huge debt they owed the company, and to end the long rivalry between them. Of course, I vehemently refused because back then, I was in love with Heathen, and also because there were some rumors about how all the kids of that company owner were all psychopaths.
Right now, I don't even care if those rumors were true. All I really cared about was exerting revenge on those who have wronged me.
After two days, news of Heathen having divorced his wife and getting engaged to Alina was all over the net. Not a lot of people knew he was married to me cause it was never on the internet, so my name was thankfully left out of the entire mess. But seeing all of this was the strong encouragement I needed to get back at all of them.
Because I still had the contact of a lot of important people from running a company for five years, it didn't take me a lot to call in favors here and there, and somehow, I managed to get the direct contact of the eldest child of Zen Gaming Company. I texted him like I was still affiliated with Vanden gaming company, and managed to secure an appointment with him.
Which is why I'm presently dressed in my luckiest outfit right now. A white suit dress— for luck. I'd need a lot of that, because I planned to propose marriage to this man today.
I didn't care what he looked like, after confirming that he wasn't married, I decided last night that I was gonna ask him to get into a contract marriage with me, one that would benefit us both. I wasn't the most confident out there, but I was good at negotiations or striking a deal; thanks to so much practice from running a company for years.
With a quick prayer to the heavens for luck, I exited Blair's house for the location the man I'd be meeting today had asked me to meet him at. It was a high class restaurant, one which I certainly couldn't afford presently, which is why I wouldn't order more than a bottle of water.
After alighting the cab I took here, I smoothened my hand down my dress and held my head high, ignoring the prickling gazes of everyone who were doing double takes at me. I might be used to people always staring at me like a freak, but it didn't mean I liked it. I hated it so much, but there was nothing I could do about it.
As I stepped into the restaurant, I checked my phone. The man I was meeting here had already texted, saying he was sitting by the left window. As my eyes quickly panned in that direction, I wore a polite grin at the sight of a man sitting by the described window. He looked middle aged, and my stomach twisted at the thought of proposing marriage to someone that looked like he was in his mid fifties, but I quickly reminded myself that none of that matters because it was just gonna be a marriage on paper and nothing more anyway.
"Hello, good morning." I greeted after arriving by the table. The man stood up and accepted my hand with a polite smile on. "You're Seraphina, right?" He asked and I nodded as we both sat down.
"I reached out to you cause I have a proposal to make, because it's clear our desires are most definitely aligned." I began just like I've practiced, voice unwavering and firm. The man nodded and I continued.
"Your family and mine are enemies, have been enemies… and I know you'd like your company to surpass and trample over Vanden. As the person who ran my parents Vanden for years from behind the scenes— with proof, I'm offering to offer my brains to your company. I'll develop new strategies, new visions and help your company achieve greater heights, which would undoubtedly make you rise to the very top, and in return, I'm expecting…"
I was still speaking when the man sitting in front of me suddenly rose to his feet. I blinked at the man in confusion, wondering what was happening or if he wasn't interested in listening to me anymore.
"What's going on?" I asked just as the man stepped out of his seat and held it out, head bowed in respect. I blinked in confusion, then I followed his line of sight—- he was staring in the direction I was backing, and I whirled around to see what he was looking at.
That was when I noticed him.
I flinched from shock, dropping my phone and gasping from utter disbelief, cause walking right towards from the transparent doors which were held open by two people who regarded him which so much respect like he owned this place, was the stranger from the club two nights ago, the one who now haunted my thoughts and dreams.
My mouth opened and closed but no sound came out. His eyes raked over me slowly as he finally came to a stop beside where I sat, staring down at me with eyes which made me want to disappear into thin air right now.
"W- what are you doing here?" I whispered, unable to believe my eyes right now. My heart was pounding hard and my head was spinning.
Instead of responding to me, the stranger did the complete opposite. "Do you have all my meetings scheduled properly today, Martin?" The stranger said to the Middle aged man I was speaking to minutes ago, and my eyes widened even more as I watched the middle aged man nod without hesitations, while still holding out the seat he was previously in.
"This is your first appointment for the day, Sir. As usual, I stepped in for you till you arrived." The middle aged man continued just as the hot stranger from two nights ago sank into the seat right in front of me.
My eyes almost fell out of their sockets as it suddenly clicked.
Wait. Wait. Wait.
The eldest son I came here to have a meeting with, wasn't the middle aged man this whole time.
It was… the stranger from the club two nights ago?
Oh god…
The stranger clicked his tongue loudly, pulling me back to the present. His lips were twitching in clear amusement as he regarded me from his seat.
"Hello, gorgeous,"
That voice made me shudder hard, as it took me back to that night…
"Please tell me this is s- some sort of mix-up…" I whispered, my eyes falling close as my head spinned.
He shrugged carelessly as he spoke. "Well, I'm the eldest son of Mr. Everest, and I presently run Zen. Does that sound like a mix up to you?"
He leaned forward after that. "And I heard you have a proposal for me?"