Chapter3 First time
1116 Words
Wila jolted awake, her heart hammering in her chest as if the memory had pulled her back to that moment. For a brief second, she could almost hear Stephan’s desperate cries again, feel the pain he had gone through in those seconds.
Was it worth it? She had asked herself that many times. And now, once again, she had to question the price of the life she had built—the life she had chosen to leave behind.
As she closed her eyes again, the tears she had been holding back finally spilled over. Then, she took her hands to touch her scar, the scar reflecting the cruelty of her stepfather, a man she never ever wanted to see with her bare eyes, the man that ruined her life. If not for him, she would have never been pushed into making such a tragic decision which changed the direction of her life . Because of his constant beating, her mother was severely injured and couldn't work due to PTSD ,chronic pain and social isolation, which brought their family into more misery than they already were. He was her mothers biggest mistake .
. It was Monday morning.
Wila had just dropped her son off at school and was already on her way to her headquarters—her mind a storm of numbers, timelines, flavors, and whispers from the past.
“Good morning, Mrs. Williams. "I hope you had a good weekend—and a happy eight-year anniversary once again,” Lisa, her assistant, greeted as the elevator doors slid open. She stood up quickly, falling into steps behind Wila as she walked down the corridor with silent purpose.
“Morning, Lisa. "Thanks,” Wila replied, her voice calm but distant. “What’s on my schedule after the meeting?”
As she entered her office, she moved toward her desk, instinctively pulling open drawers, searching for something. Her fingers hesitated at the edge of one. She was sure she’d left it there—the pendant.
Lisa, flipping through the tablet in her hands, responded, “Your day’s packed, ma’am. At 10 a.m., you have the Chinese staff in for the vegan recipe tasting. At noon, it’s the African restaurant marketing team—the numbers are down again. Then the sales directors from the Italian and fast-food chains. Their numbers are also shaky.”
She paused, then added with a hint of concern, “It looks like someone’s putting salt in our rice. Fake accounts have been posting bad reviews across all our platforms. We suspect a competitor, but nothing concrete yet. Mr. Williams hired a private investigator—you’re both meeting him at 6 p.m.”
Wila nodded, her hand brushing past some documents in the drawer, but her eyes weren’t reading—they were searching. “Great. Please bring me a coffee. And make sure everything’s in order for the meeting with the foreign share buyers.”
“Yes, Mrs. "Williams,” Lisa said, then disappeared quietly.
The office was vast. Modern. Stylish. Impressive to the outside world.
But Wila felt none of it.
The silence inside those polished walls was echoing. Loud. Suffocating.
She stared at the drawer a moment longer before closing it softly. The pendant Stephan had given her ten years ago… she hadn’t worn it in a while. But today, of all days, it haunted her. She could still picture him holding it in his hand, grinning like a fool, saying, “So you never forget who believes in you, even when you don’t.”
Ten years.
Eight years of marriage.
And still, not a day passed where she didn’t wonder what would’ve happened if she had chosen differently.
Her office was full of success.
But just like her soul, it was… emptyWila leaned back in her chair, the smell of coffee still lingering on her lips. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, but she couldn’t type. Couldn’t think. That pendant… it always brought her back to him.
The past came like a wave—warm and dangerous.
⸻
FLASHBACK – 10 YEARS AGO
She was nineteen. Wide-eyed. Hopeful. Naive in the most beautiful way.
And she was in love.
That morning, Stephan had texted her early:
“Spa day on me. You’re not allowed to say no. Happy birthday, my queen.”
She had giggled, clutching her phone to her chest as she read it again and again.
By the time she got to the spa, everything had already been paid for. Full treatment—massage, facial, mani-pedi. He’d even arranged a hair stylist for her. And a dress. A red dress she never forgot.
Later that evening, she thought they were just going to have dinner with a few friends. But when she arrived, her heart nearly stopped.
He had rented a small apartment, beautifully decorated with candles and fresh roses. Her favorite songs played softly in the background. Her closest friends were there, including some classmates she hadn’t seen in weeks. Everyone cheered as she entered.
Her eyes welled up.
But nothing prepared her for the real surprise.
When the night wound down and people began to leave, Stephan led her into the next room. It was lit with even more candles, soft light dancing on the walls. There, in the middle, spelled out in rose petals:
“Will you be my girlfriend?”
She gasped, hands flying to her mouth. He stood there, holding the pendant—the same one she still looked for every time her soul ached.
"Steph...stephan " She started crying , "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I have loved you for the longest. I thought this day would never happen".
" No, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love you so much, and I can not imagine my life without you. “Please say yes,” he said, half-smiling, half-afraid.
She didn’t speak. She simply threw herself into his arms, kissing him. And that night, they made love for the first time—nervous, gentle, and completely in love.
⸻
PRESENT – HAMBURG
The sound of her assistant knocking on the door pulled her back.
“Mrs. Williams, they’re ready for you in the conference room.”
She blinked. Straightened.
The glow of that night faded, replaced by the polished steel of her present life.
Exactly one year later, during that same week, she began her internship at LEIBERG Grand Hotels, the empire of the man who would become her husband.
She hadn’t met him that first day, but she’d heard whispers about the charming billionaire who always got what he wanted.
And somehow…
She had become one of those things .
- Writer
