Donald's POV
Rose’s mouth fell open, her eyes as wide. She took one step back, as though what I had just said was too shocking for her to comprehend. “What did you just say?”
“I didn't stutter, Rose.” I held her gaze, not looking away. “It’s quite obvious that you're very unhappy and that doesn't sit very well with me. I'm ready to give you a divorce here and now if you want it.”
She gasped, locating the closest chair so she could sit, still staring at me like I'd groan another head. “Are you serious about that?”
“Why wouldn't I be? It's what you want, isn't it?”
I don't know, I guess I wasn't expecting that from you, is all.”
I snorted, done with her lies. “Right, so you just expected to take the bullshit you throw my way while you fuck around?” That came out much harsher than I'd intended and I could see that my words struck a chord.
Her eyes sparked with anger and she rose from the chair, armed with a retort. “How dare you talk to me like that after everything I've done for you?!”
“I've done things for you too so don't you make it out to be like you didn't get something out of it!” I spat. Realizing that they were going out of context and if things went on like this, they wouldn't come to a conclusion. I wanted my freedom, not just to avoid being around Rose but also so I could find someone who loved and cared about me genuinely. “Do you want this divorce or not, Rose?”
Her lips curled up in a sneer before she answered. “You know what? You're right, I do deserve to be happy so yes, I do want a divorce-”
“Great. I'll have my lawyer draw up the documents.” I let out a relieved sigh.
“Not so fast.” She warned. “It’s just a month left, I can't wait until it's up and then you give my compensation f*e.” Folding her arms over her chest, she grinned like a cat that just got the canary.
A month?!
Staying with her in the same house while she flaunted David in his face was unacceptable. Just one week and he'd be inclined to shoot himself.
“No. “ I rejected the offer, taking her by surprise. “You want the $1 million? I'll give you the money but you'll need to give me something to gather it then wire it to your account.”
At first, she smiled greedily, the thought of having all that money making her giddy but then it slowly faded. “Not so fast, I'm not signing anything yet until I see the cash. You're not going to pull a fast one over me.”
“I have no need to, I want you out of my life as fast you do.” I picked up my laptop bag and my other case, heading in the direction of the study.
It was visible from the living room so Rose was watching me as I wanted to go in. I paused though, one hand on the knob. “Oh, and one more thing, I won't be sleeping in the bedroom anymore.”
Last night was a feat as I was constantly plagued with thoughts of what could have happened on the sheets that I was currently snuggling.
It was unfortunate but I slept quite horribly as a result, from one, only fresh clean sheets would do the trick.
“Oh, come on, Donny! Don't you think you're taking this too far?” She called out exasperatedly. “The bed is wide enough for two people to comfortably roll around in without touching each other, there's no need for you to be dramatic.”
“I'm not.” I looked up at her. ‘I want my privacy and until we're formally divorced, this is the closest I can…besides I'd like to spend my night not imagining what might have happened on the sheets while I was gone.”
For the second time today, Rose's mouth drops open and she takes one angry step in my direction, her hands balled into fists. “Are you calling me a slut in my own house? Really?!” She pointed fingers accusingly. “It’s none of your business what I do with my body or who I sleep with! In fact, if there's anybody that should be called a slut, it should be you!”
“Me?” Now, it was my turn to be taken back.
“Yes, you! You sold your body to me just so you could secure your future!” She took another menacing step toward him. “Before me, you couldn't have dreamed of casually calling fighters like $1 million but here you are…I'd bet that the money you wanted to pay me with was from my father's company, isn't it?!”
My nostrils flared, anger building up with each derogative word slung my way. It wasn't true of course but I wanted to toy with her. “So? What if it is?!”
If I thought it wasn't possible for her to get any more upset, I was wrong.
“You see, I knew it!” She crowed. “The only reason why a lowlife person like you would want to attach themselves to someone like me is due to one reason and one reason only…money. You must think you're so smart, bagging a job at my father's company and making away with enlighten money to buy out your contract.” She let out a mocking laughter. “You must be joking!”
I stood there, stunned that such nasty words could come out of her mouth, surprised that this was what she'd thought of me all this time. Aside from her family wealth, I was drawn to Rose because of her gentle and sweet disposition.
While I knew most divorces could be messy, I tried to keep it minimal so if possible, we might remain cordial to one another after the fact but this…
I guess it was ironic that the person she believed was after her money was actually David and not me.
I saved my breath, not bothering to say a word…it's not like she would believe me anyway.
“Well, aren't you good to say something to defend yourself?!” She walked up to him, her hands turned to fists by her side, demanding an explanation. “You planned all this, didn't you?”
Staring at her, I saw the shell of a woman I thought I knew. I folded my lips shut, swallowing my words. “Maybe I did, maybe I didn't…it's up to you to decide,” I say tiredly, pushing the door open and I walk in, slamming the door in her face.
Unfortunately, my answer wasn't satisfactory enough because she kicked at the door for a while before walking away.
Donald's POV “Okay sir, but what do you think about this?” My secretary, Luna leaned over the table showing a bunch of new files that I had to sort. The templates we used for the last job got rejected, our client insisting that they were outdated as opposed to the recent ones. I sighed, perusing the new templates that she'd created. “They're good, better than anything I could have come up with.”Luna hesitates, peeking at me from the corner of her eyes. “But?”“But nothing.” I push the templates back to her. “I'm being serious, these designs are really good. If the Fowlers don't like it, then it's their problem, not yours.”She beamed, relaxing back on her chair. We kept working in silence as I went through some backlog I'd forgotten to clear out in my haste from the previous months. I hadn't told Lana yet but as soon as the ink was dry on the divorce papers, I was hightailing it out of here.It's not like Rose will want to keep him around so it was best he left, which was why he was
Donald's POV I waited for her to say something but apparently, my words must have been more surprising than it was supposed to be. “Cat got your tongue?”David's mouth moved and he glanced at Rose as if waiting for her to give him a sign before he said something.Rose pressed her lips stubbornly together, not saying a word. David chose to improvise, taking a step backward. “Rose, I thought you said this wouldn't be difficult but now, it sounds like he's unhappy with me being here.”I rolled my eyes heavenward, shaking my head. Oh, so that's how he wants to play huh?Rose shifted on her feet uncomfortably. “It's just a question he asked, David.”I crossed my hand over my chest, watching the both of them with amusement played across my face. “Yes.”David sighed, not looking happy. “Do you not want to hand over the position to me?”“With your inexperience?” I arched a brow. He scrubbed a hand down his face. “I know I'm not experienced but just like I told Rose, I'd be willing to do anyt
Donald's POV You know that bad feeling that you get in your gut before something bad happens, almost like a premonition of sorts?Yeah, it's true.I just confirmed it after Rose confidently sat her down on his very expensive leather chair, her lips raised in a pout as she dialed Mr Warrens, the accounts manager for our banks.To spite me and show me who's the boss, she placed it on speakerphone so I could listen in. Mr Warrens was a very busy man but not to people who paid half of his monthly wages. He picked up on the third ring. “Ms Waters, it's a pleasure to hear from you!” His sugary sweet voice rang out from the phone, sounding as excited as ever.He should be, whenever you hear from your clients, it usually means there's a paycheck involved.“Mr. Warrens, it's a pleasure to hear from you too. I reckon you're a very busy person like myself so I'll go straight to the point and not waste any time.” She peeked at me from beneath her lashes, her victorious smile obvious. “I'd like t
Donald's POV Hector's resounding laugh boomed across the phone. “What the hell are you talking about?” It was clear that my request threw him for a loop momentarily.I need you to listen to me, it's urgent okay? I need your help.” My fingers tightened around my phone. I could almost feel the moose tightening around my neck with each minute I spent married to that witch.Hector became alert, sensing the seriousness in my tone. “Man, I can't really talk where I am…buh are you free to come by the office?”My heart had sank when he began drumming up excuses but they were promptly lifted soon after. “Can I do that today?”“Of course.” He easily agreed. “I'll tell my secretary to pencil you in. See you soon, buddy.”He ended the call soon after, probably attending to business. The same thing I should be doing, instead I'm racking my brain for ideas on how to cut loose from Rose.For some reason, she's seeking for ways to keep me tied down to her.Quite annoying, especially as she's the one
Donald 's POVHer lips were soft under mine, momentarily distracting me from pushing her off. Anna took that for me being interested in her and she sank her fingers into my hair deepening the kiss.My eyes flew open in surprise, wondering how I could push her off without coming off as annoying.She must have realized I stopped kissing her shortly after because she pulled away, her face contrite.“Oh my gosh! I'm such an idiot, I shouldn't have done that. Did it feel like I harassed you?”There were a lot of things that I wanted to say to her but my eyes darted towards the elevator, eager for the doors to open so that I can get the hell out of here. My no response was also answer to her because she pressed her hands to her face looking as though she was about to cry. “Donald, please say something…”“Can we talk about this later…?” I asked. “I have to see Hector and I'm sure he will be expecting me so…”Luckily, the doors dinged open and I was able to get out in the nick of time before
Donald's POV Hector's resounding laugh boomed across the phone. “What the hell are you talking about?” It was clear that my request threw him for a loop momentarily.I need you to listen to me, it's urgent okay? I need your help.” My fingers tightened around my phone. I could almost feel the moose tightening around my neck with each minute I spent married to that witch.Hector became alert, sensing the seriousness in my tone. “Man, I can't really talk where I am…buh are you free to come by the office?”My heart had sank when he began drumming up excuses but they were promptly lifted soon after. “Can I do that today?”“Of course.” He easily agreed. “I'll tell my secretary to pencil you in. See you soon, buddy.”He ended the call soon after, probably attending to business. The same thing I should be doing, instead I'm racking my brain for ideas on how to cut loose from Rose.For some reason, she's seeking for ways to keep me tied down to her.Quite annoying, especially as she's the one
Donald's POV I was practically over the moon with the good news. According to Hector, I would need to get the cheque cashed and then I would have the money transferred directly into my bank account.I was feeling like I had just walked on the moon because the thought of divorcing Rose…. it's put a slight pep in my step.I called back to the office telling them that I would not be available for the rest of the day and to move my schedule till tomorrow.On getting to the bank, I reached out to my account manager handing over the check so that he could cash it and transfer the money to me. He directed me to a lounge to wait while they had all the nitty-gritties I ironed out.Since I was a VIP client it didn't take much time at all and in less than an hour I got the notification on my phone and the man showed up shortly after handing me documentation that the wire was successful. Now that I had more than enough money to get me through this escapade with Rose, I didn't really feel like g
Donald's POV Slightly infuriated, I marched up to the desk angrily confronting the lady.“I was just here a couple of minutes to go and you told me that there were no rooms available yet that man came by and you offered him a room key. Why?!”“Sir… I said that there are no rooms available for you, I didn't say that there were no rooms available in general.” She said tartly.The anger that I was trying to suppress reared its head with a vengeance and I leaned forward, clutching the marble countertop. “Who is your manager? Call me your manager now! I think I need to speak to him because this kind of behavior is not as acceptable. Why would you treat me like that?”It was baffling why they would choose not to offer me a room even after I checked their company page and they treated everybody with respect…why was my case different?“Sir those rooms are for VIP guests. I'm sorry but you clearly are not VIP.” she slid a pointed look my way, focusing on my cheap-looking clothes and shoes. O
Donald's POV The ‘beep beep’ of the monitors woke me up from my deep slumber.I open my eyes slowly to meet the white, sterile ceiling of a hospital. I knew it was a hospital because it had that familiar disinfectant smell to it…also because it makes sense, given the fact that I was shot at three times a couple of hours before and yeah, I remember every bit of that story.It was like a clip of a very bad movie except this happened to me, the distant yet eerily familiar feeling of being shot invaded my senses and I had to inch my hand up to see if I could check out the wound. “I wouldn't advise you to do that.” A pretty blond nurse wearing scrubs walked in, a clipboard in her hand.“Hel…Hello..” I croaked out, realizing that my throat was as dry as a desert.She must have come to the same realization because she walked over to my bedside, reaching for a cup of water and she handed it over to me.I greedily slurped it down like a greedy man dying of thirst, only stopping when I emptie
David's POV Just like I expected, the media circus around Donald's death blew out of proportion.As I'm packing my bags, the entire area in which Donald was shot had been taped off by the police.Apparently they were opening a case into the incident, searching for who shot him.I would like to feel relaxed on that point but it's just my luck that the homeless guy I usye turned out to be something else.For the rest of the day, I kept on trying his number but he never picked up soon enough, the number became unavailable which I took to mean that he had either discarded of it or he doesn't want anything to do with me anymore. When Boone asked me about the progress report, I lied to him stating that I had taken care of the homeless guy but I knew it was just a matter of time before the police found him and he blurted out the truth…which was why I was booking the next available flight and getting the hell out of this cursed city.The moment I left the borders of the city and I was on my
RoseTo think that it was Donald's death that brought me and my family together, it was mind boggling to say the least.I received the call from my sister early the next morning and to say I was surprised, is an understatement.“Hello, Tanya. Wh-hat's going on?”She was breathing heavily which made me worried. “Have you seen the news, Rose?” She asked.My brows furrowed in confusion. “The news?” I repeated. “No. What news? I'm just waking up!” I say, flipping the covers away from my body so I reach for my laptop.Suddenly the speaker went mute as I could only hear muffled words float through. it seems like she was talking to someone else.I ignored her, checking up on the latest news.I quickly scanned through a number of them, realizing that no one stood out to me. “Tanya, I don't know what I'm supposed to be looking at here but nothing is making sense to me. Can you talk to me and tell me what happened? Is it Mom or Dad? Are they okay?”Immediately, my mind jumped into the worst sce
RoseI knew the exact moment I fell for David all over again was when I heard the words, ‘you’re free to go’.That faithful Tuesday morning, I was laying face up on my cot, thinking of new ways to distract myself from a boring and predictable day when the buzzer sounded.Unlike the last time when I ignored the guard, I turned around to look at him but this time he wasn't holding a tray of food in his hands.He had the bunch of keys in his hands and he was walking slowly towards my room, an unpleasant in his eyes.“Hey, you. Get up!” He boomed loudly, startling me.“I was already up…” I grumbled, flipping my legs around the tiny cot. “Where's my food?”He didn't respond, only grunted and shoved me not too gently toward the bars, handcuffing me. “Move!” He ordered and I obeyed, shuffling my feet.We did the same walk routine, similar to when I visited Donald but this time…it seemed different.“Where are we going?” I twisted my head around to ask him but he just shoved my head forward.W
David's POV Contrary to what Donald thought, I was right there behind him the whole time.He was so easy and gullible. Just one mention of Rose and he came running exactly like I thought.All I needed to do was play the pity card and he sucked it up like a starving man drinking water.It was quite hilarious if I was being honest.I wanted the first location, simply because it would be easier to dispose of him when the homeless guy was done with the job but Donald being a hard ass…he insisted we change it, probably suspicious of my actions. Well, at least he was smart… just not too smart to avoid dying though.My phone buzzed with a text.Donald: Where are you?Me: I'm right behind you. I'll be there soon.When I sent the text, I burst into laughter, muffling the sound.I kept checking my watch, waiting for the homeless guy to show up. This was not the agreement. He was supposed to be here a couple of minutes ago, do the job the moment Donald showed up and get out of here.I gritted
Donald's POV I was woken up by my phone buzzing needlessly.Groaning, I twisted around in bed to reach for the phone only to see a name I never thought I'd see flash across my screen.Immediately my eyes flew open, sleep deserting my mind and I nearly jumped out of bed.Wait, why the hell was David calling me?To make matters worse, shortly after the call ended he dropped the text followed by another.David: Hi, I know I'm the last person you want to talk to right now but I need your help. David: Please respond, it's urgent.I debated, responding, wanting to shrug it off but I sat up on the bed so I could think logically.From the little I've known and observed about David, I know that he's a snake and he's very cunning, always thinking three steps ahead of everyone else which is why it bothers me so much that he's texting me.What the hell does he want from me?While I was contemplating on whether to pick up or respond to his text messages, he sent another.David: Please.Because I
David's POV “Hey guys, do you have any news yet?” I asked barging into the basement. All through the night, I could barely sleep a wink as I tossed and turned, my brain producing new ways on how to help Rose.After I went to visit her, I became spurred on to double down on my efforts and for the past two days, my team and I have been up through out the night, working tirelessly on breaking into David firewalls.At this points, I didn't care about whether it was illegal or not, all you wanted to do is to get Rose out of that filthy place.“We don't have any leads yet.” Shawn spoke up. “We still haven't gotten those parts that we needed and decrypting the messages by hand is taking us way longer than it should. At this point, we'll probably get done by the end of the year.”Groaning, I slapped my hands over my face. “That's not going to work. You're sure there's no other way to get this going faster?”If I could get my hands on some incriminating messages that David exchanged with his
David's POV Popping a chewing gum, I sucked it back in, tapping my feet impatiently on the brakes.I decided to make use of Boone's advice, doing the extra work to cement the plan that I have already started and that begins with…A loud honk from a passing car jolted me out of my thoughts and I popped my head out, raising my middle finger as a response.“Fucking asshole!” I muttered under my breath, stealing a glance at my watch. It's been over an hour and this guy is nowhere to be found.He's got to know that he's playing with his life.I am a gentle and mannered man until I was pushed to the wall forced, to do certain things…one of which is to make good on the threats I told him.A couple of days before I decided to meet with the homeless man who placed the tip in the police station for the cops to find, I spent some hours out of my day to watch him and like clockwork he always appeared at the same time every day.It was tad boring and predictable but it saved me time to look for h
RoseThe minutes turned into hours and the hours into days, each day more horrible than the last.My nightmare of being trapped in here was slowly coming to pass and I was too helpless to do anything to stop it.Reaching out to my family wasn't an option and none of the guards agreed to let me use their phone to make one more call to Donald, leaving me stranded.The food was probably the good thing about the place.I don't know who the chef is but he's doing a really good job of keeping me happy…temporarily though.I sighed for probably the hundredth time, staring vacantly at the ceiling.You know, when you first have your freedom taken away from you, you think that the first few hours or days at the worst but it's not. It's actually quite easy because there is a list of ways you can distract yourself but as the day grows longer, that's when reality sets in and the sadness begins.The possibility that this could become your new normal starts to haunt you and in as much as your mind w