Miguel hurriedly paid the cab driver, eager to move away from the cab and walk into his house. He always tried to avoid coming home early to prove to his in-laws that he was capable of handling the job they gave him at their company.But today was different. He had forgotten his file, so he had to come back at 5:00 PM instead of the usual 8:00 PM. Turning the doorknob and walking into the house, Miguel was surprised at what he saw and froze at the doorstep. "What's going on here?" he asked aloud, seeing his in-laws gathered around with some highly honored guests in a circle and his wife taking a ring from a man dressed expensively in a suit. No one answered him, not even to explain why his wife was taking another man's ring.He repeated his question, more loudly this time, "What is going on here?"Shocked, he rushed towards the man on his knees, who was about to place a ring on Annabelle's finger, and pushed him to the floor. At that moment, Annabelle turned to him furiously and
Miguel was calm as he watched Annabelle. He already knew what she was up to but didn’t care to stop her. Miguel would not give his ex-wife the satisfaction she was looking for by engaging in an exchange of words with her. Instead, Miguel remained quiet, his aura calm and collected as he watched Annabelle make a spectacle of herself."_And so I took pity on him, seeing as how he wouldn’t stop following me around, begging for my attention. I have no idea what came over me, but for some unknown reason, I agreed to marry his broke behind, and guess where that got me? Nowhere!" Annabelle spoke, answering her own question.The men continued to stare at her in confusion as she told them the story of how she met Miguel and who he really was, with the intention of humiliating him in front of them."Miguel lived in our house, ate our food, and worked in my family’s company," Annabelle continued. "The only clothes he had were the ones bought with my father’s money. This man you see here is nothi
"What does he think of himself, the son of a wretch! A nobody! Absolute piece of trash!" Annabelle continued to mutter to herself in anger and rage as she paced around the large space of the room, seeking out her ex-husband, Miguel.Miguel had bitten off more than he could chew this time by daring to mess with her family, and Annabelle was determined to make him pay."That man. I always knew he was bad news. Nothing good ever comes out of men like him!" Annabelle continued to mutter, making sure to keep her voice low enough so that no one else could hear what she was saying. The Adolfo name was already suffering tonight at this gala because of Miguel's stunts, and Annabelle wouldn't want to say or do anything that might worsen the situation. That was the last thing she wanted."I'll never understand what possessed me to marry such a pathetic failure in the first place. What was I thinking?! What on Earth is wrong with me?! Out of all the men in this world I could have chosen to settle
"Such an incredible evening, isn't it?" Annabelle said smoothly as she joined the conversation between a group of women."My family and I are always so proud to support causes like this. You know the Adolfos. You know how absolutely generous we can be when it comes to things that matter. In fact, I'm pretty sure we're the only reason this charity has succeeded so well for so long. We've been major contributors to this charity for years. Without my family and me, I wonder where it would have been. This charity is where it is today mainly because of the Adolfos," Annabelle said, her tone dripping with arrogance and self-pride as she smiled brightly at the other women.The women paused to share a glance with each other at Annabelle's words and attitude but didn't say a word about it."Yes, of course. Very generous," one of the women, whom Annabelle recognized as Miss Williams, said as she glanced at Annabelle with a polite but uninterested smile.It was obvious to anyone watching that Mi
For a split second, the world seemed to stop.Annabelle's ears rang as she stared at the podium, the name hitting her like a punch to the gut.Her vision blurred as she saw Miguel, her ex-husband whom she had belittled and humiliated, rise from the back of the room.The crowd erupted in applause again, this time louder and more enthusiastic than before, as Miguel walked confidently to the stage.As Miguel finally reached the podium, the applause began to die down as he smiled warmly at the audience, waiting for the room to quiet before he spoke."Thank you. I'm truly honored to be here tonight, and even more honored to contribute to a cause that was dear to my mother's heart," Miguel said into the microphone.There was a moment of silence as everyone in the room stayed quiet, intrigued by Miguel's story."My mother believed deeply in giving back to the community. She was a woman of strength, and she always said that true wealth wasn't measured by what you have, but by what you give. T
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the annual charity auction!" the auctioneer began as he took his place at the podium."I hope you are all ready to open your hearts and, more importantly, your wallets. Tonight, we have some truly exquisite items for you, and all proceeds will go directly to charity," the auctioneer said with a wide smile.The guests began to applaud and cheer, excited for the auction to begin."Alright, ladies and gentlemen, we are starting this auction with this one-of-a-kind diamond necklace. Shall we open the bidding at $5,000?" the auctioneer said loudly into the microphone.Several hands shot up immediately, and the auctioneer nodded quickly."Five thousand! Do I hear six thousand?"A woman in a red dress raised her paddle. "Six thousand.""Six thousand to the lady in red," the auctioneer acknowledged her."Do I hear seven thousand?" the auctioneer continued, glancing at the guests.A man in a tailored suit on the other side of the room lifted
THE GALAAnnabelle stepped out of the limousine, smoothing her evening gown. Her eyes scanned the entrance of the gala as she waited for her father, Mr. Adolfo, and her mother, Mrs. Adolfo, to exit the car."Shall we?" Mr. Adolfo asked as he linked both his arms with Annabelle and his wife.As the Adolfos made their way inside, Annabelle's lips curled in arrogant satisfaction."This is my world—the world of the elite, where I belong," Annabelle thought to herself with a smirk on her face.The luxury that greeted her was no surprise; in fact, she felt entirely at home. This is exactly where she belongs."Look at you, my darling," Mr. Adolfo beamed at Annabelle, his chest swelling with pride."You'll be the star of the evening, as always. Make daddy proud, my girl," Mr. Adolfo said, gazing at Annabelle."Of course, she will. Our Annabelle never disappoints," Mrs. Adolfo said, praising her daughter as she gently adjusted the neckline of Annabelle's gown."Remember our goal tonight, darl
ADOLFO MANSIONAnnabelle entered her father's private study, her emerald-green gown sweeping the floor behind her as she walked.She had just finished getting ready for the gala, and she could feel the usual excitement that came with attending these exclusive gatherings."Father," Annabelle called out, trying to get Mr. Adolfo's attention.Mr. Adolfo turned around and smiled at his daughter."You look beautiful as always, my princess. Absolutely stunning," Mr. Adolfo said, pride echoing in his voice as the smile stayed glued to his face."Of course, Father, I sure am. Everyone is going to be looking at me tonight. I'll be the center of attention, just like always," Annabelle said smugly, her words dripping with arrogance."You'll certainly turn heads tonight, and that's exactly what we want," Mr. Adolfo agreed."Is everything ready?" Mr. Adolfo asked as he pushed his chair back and stood, adjusting his perfectly tailored black tuxedo."Yes, Dad, everything is ready," Annabelle replied
Annabelle couldn't believe what she had just heard."What?!" Annabelle exclaimed as her eyes snapped to look at Mr. Davis."What are you talking about? Have you all gone crazy?! Don't you think you're taking this whole pretending thing too far? How can you people allow someone like Miguel to step foot into this company in the first place, let alone put him in charge of making decisions?" Annabelle yelled as she glared angrily at everyone at the table, having finally lost control of her temper.Everyone present exchanged shocked and confused looks before turning back to Annabelle."Young lady, have you no manners? How could you address the CEO of ACE Technologies in such a disrespectful manner?" Mr. Davis asked, staring at Annabelle in shock. But Annabelle merely glared at him before folding her arms with a loud snort."Yeah, right. You all must think I'm stupid, don't you? You must think I'm foolish enough to believe that this wretched pauper, who can't even afford a bottle of water f
Annabelle smiled, although it didn't quite reach her eyes. She was still confused and shocked how Miguel, the ex-husband she belittled and humiliated was there seated and posing as the CEO of ACE Technologies. Annabelle, refused to believe what she was seeing. Annabelle internally convinced herself that Miguel had just found a way to get the others to help him pose as the owner of the company to get her to come back to him. "Heaven knows what he's done or said to them to get them to play along, but it doesn't matter, as I already know the truth and will not be deceived into believing any lies," Annabelle thought to herself as she went ahead with the meeting, pitching her new business ideas to the men and women. She walked to the front of the room as she took her place at the front of the table once more. With confidence Annabelle clicked a button on the remote and the first slide of her presentation appeared on the screen behind her. "Thank you all for your time today. I'm here