CHAPTER 6- EX FIANCE
1035 Words
Victoria slammed her apartment door shut, exhaustion clinging to her skin like sweat. She kicked off her heels, fingers already loosening the buttons of her blouse as she moved toward the kitchen. Her head pounded from the tension at work, from the looming shadow of the mysterious CEO she couldn’t get out of her mind — and the way something about him felt eerily... familiar.
But when she opened her fridge, her heart sank.
Empty.
She checked the pantry. Just dry oats, expired cereal, and a dusty tin of tomato paste.
"Of course," she muttered, grabbing her purse.
The grocery store wasn’t far. A short walk, barely five minutes. She didn’t bother changing out of her work clothes — she didn’t plan on staying long.
What she didn’t expect was to run directly into a nightmare.
She froze at the end of the cereal aisle.
Stella.
And beside her, with a protective arm draped over her shoulder like she was a piece of fragile glass—
Caleb.
Victoria’s breath caught in her throat.
It had been almost a month since she’d seen him. Since he shattered their decade-long relationship like it meant nothing.
Since he left her.
For her.
“Victoria?” Stella’s voice dripped like poison-sugar.
Victoria blinked, swallowed the lump in her throat. “Stella.”
Stella smirked, glancing pointedly at Caleb, who stood silent, his jaw clenched. “Surprised to see us?” she asked, running a manicured hand over her rounded belly.
Victoria's gaze dropped — then flicked back up. Her face remained unreadable.
“I see congratulations are in order,” she said coolly. “A baby. That’s... big news.”
Stella leaned closer, her voice mock-sweet. “You should’ve held onto him tighter. Ten years of loving him, and I still won in four months.”
Victoria gave her a tight smile. “You didn’t win, Stella. You just showed me who he really was.”
That hit a nerve. Stella’s nostrils flared, but she laughed it off. “Still bitter, I see. Don’t worry, Caleb’s over you. Completely. Right, babe?”
Caleb shifted, uncomfortable, then mumbled something about checking the baby formula aisle before walking off.
Stella’s smile vanished the second he was out of sight.
She turned on Victoria, eyes gleaming with venom.
“You think you’re strong, don’t you?” she hissed. “Acting unbothered like a saint. You’re pathetic.”
Victoria tilted her head. “And you’re still jealous. Even when you’re pregnant with his child.”
Stella stepped closer, lowering her voice to a growl. “I took everything from you, Victoria. And I’m still not done.”
Victoria’s fist clenched at her side, her mouth twitching.
“I don’t care what you took,” she said. “But don’t mistake my silence for weakness.”
“Silence?” Stella chuckled darkly. “You mean cowardice? Or maybe it’s shame. Knowing he didn’t want you anymore.”
The slap came so fast, Victoria barely realized her hand had moved until Stella stumbled back — and then deliberately let herself fall, crashing to the tiled floor with a theatrical gasp just as—
“What the hell?!”
Caleb came rushing back, his eyes wide as he saw Stella on the ground, her hand on her stomach.
“Victoria!” he thundered. “What did you do?!”
“She’s faking it—” Victoria tried to explain, but he didn’t hear it.
The slap cracked through the store like a gunshot.
Victoria staggered, one hand flying to her cheek, her head swimming.
Everything stopped.
Even the background noise — the beep of barcodes, the chatter of shoppers — seemed to vanish.
She stared at him, stunned. Her ex. The man she had loved for ten years.
Her legs trembled beneath her.
She wanted to retaliate. Wanted to scream, claw, cry.
But as she took a shaky step toward him—
Her heel twisted.
She lost her balance—
And someone caught her.
A strong hand gripped her waist.
A second later, she was pressed against a solid, warm chest.
Victoria looked up, her breath catching.
Him.
The mysterious CEO from today.
Kelvin.
He was dressed in dark slacks and a fitted black shirt that clung to every inch of his tall, powerful frame. His expression was unreadable — stone-cold. Eyes sharp as a dagger’s edge.
“Are you in the habit of attacking women in public?” he asked Caleb, his voice low and dangerous.
Caleb blinked. “Who the hell are you?”
Kelvin didn’t answer. He looked down at Victoria. “Are you hurt?”
She swallowed. His scent hit her — expensive, clean, yet masculine. His touch was electric against her waist.
She managed to nod.
Stella tried to stand. “That woman attacked a pregnant woman! She should be arrested—”
Kelvin’s eyes snapped to her like lasers. “I didn’t ask you.”
Stella froze.
“Touch her again,” he said to Caleb, “and I will ruin your life in less than twenty-four hours.”
He turned to Victoria. “You shouldn’t be here.”
Victoria stiffened. “Excuse me—?”
“Let’s go.”
He began walking, still holding her by the waist.
Caleb was too stunned to speak. Stella glared in silence, her game unraveling.
Outside, the night air was thick with tension as Kelvin led Victoria to a waiting black Range Rover parked in front of the store.
He opened the passenger door, then turned to her.
His eyes, once cold, now flickered with something unreadable.
“You don’t belong among trash like that,” he said quietly. “Next time, call someone who can clean up the mess for you.”
Victoria stared at him.
“Why did you help me?” she asked.
He raised a brow. “Because I don’t like seeing what’s mine getting humiliated.”
“…Yours?”
Kelvin smirked slightly — but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“You work for me, don’t you?”
He turned and got into the car.
Victoria stood frozen, heart racing.
She didn’t understand what just happened.
"Wait! what just happened?. Did my boss just speak up for me?"
- Writer
