Chapter 4#
1603 Words
•Andrea•
"Yes Riccardo?"
He looked at me, his face suddenly beaming with elation as he walked onto me and pulled me into his embrace.
"Finally!" Even his tone was laced with excitement. "It's you! I knew it was you! I knew you didn't mean any of that stuff you said earlier. I knew none of that were true about you. It's you, Rosalie. God, I missed you so much." He said, wrapping his arms even tighter around me.
I smiled when all of a sudden, I pushed him away from me.
"You happy now?!" I asked him in fury.
He looked at me in surprise.
I snorted. "I told you what you wanted to hear, didn't I?! Now please, stay the hell away from me." I told him as I turned my back on him and walked away.
The moment I got to my car, I placed my hand on my chest to calm the rapid beating. I wasn't going to let him get to me. Not anymore.
Wasn't he so ecstatic to send me away before? Why on earth is he so happy to see me now?
"What an asshole." I said and snorted.
The days of him ruling over my heart were over. I wasn't the poor naive Rosalie everyone took advantage of.
This new version of me is now Andrea Queen. The sooner he accepts that, the better for all of us.
"Where to ma'am?" Dave, my driver and head guard asked me as I met his gaze in the rear mirror.
"Home. To Elyan." I told him and he nodded as he started the car.
***
•Riccardo•
"I don't understand, what is going on with you?!" Massimo, my bestfriend of over ten years asked me as I barged into the office and quickly turned on my laptop.
He had just returned from Italy and was waiting for me in my office when I came in.
Quickly, I typed 'Andrea Queen' on the search bar and waited.
There were no photos of her, not even a single one, only her biography and it was stated that she was the daughter of Robert Queen and the heiress to all his assets including the billion dollar conglomerate.
I dug my hand through my hair as I searched even further. There was nothing more. It was as if someone singlehandedly took out every detail of her off the Internet and I wondered why.
Why were they trying to keep information about her a secret?
I dug my hand through my hair again as I searched even harder.
"Now you're really scaring me, man. What's up with you?" Massimo asked me again.
"Finally." I heaved a sigh of relief when I finally saw a photo of her. It was just one photo but in it, she looked so different. She was wearing sunglasses, dressed elegantly and her blond hair cascaded arounded her like an halo.
"That's her." I said, pointing at the photo.
"Who?"
"Rosalie."
Sudden shock appeared on his face as he came up around me to stare at the photo. He was looking at the photo so intensely, observing each and every angle properly. "No man, that's impossible. It states here that she is.....Andrea Queen. Hold on a second, Andrea Queen? Isn't that like Robert Queen? The billionaire who fell ill? Nah, this can't be Rosalie. It's not possible."
"I know it, man. This is her. This is the woman I've been looking for. This is my wife. This is Rosalie!"
He snorted. "Check it out, man. Rosalie wasn't this beautiful and sophisticated. This woman is a total opposite of the woman you're claiming her to be. This isn't her man, I would know if it was her."
I shot him a glare. "So you mean to tell me that I don't know my own wife anymore? She may look different, sound different and even act different but she's still Rosalie!"
"Wait, what do you mean by sound and act different?"
I sighed. "Earlier, I had a meeting at Queen Group. With the president of Queen Group. And guess who it was? Rosalie."
His mouth dropped open. "What?"
"I know man, I was shocked too but I can't be mistaken. It is her but... she's become so different. She's changed. She's changed so much."
"She changed or you're just mistaking her for someone else? Look man. I met a guy once. He looked so much like me that people mistook him for a me a few times. Maybe that's what happening here. Maybe, you're mistaking her for Rosalie since they look so much alike. Although, I don't see any resemblance and think about it man. Rosalie isn't capable of pulling a stunt like that. She loves you too much man to ever do something like that to you. And besides, the Rosalie we knew just wanted to run her small bakery shop and live a peaceful and simple life. She's not cut out for the business world. And she's certainly no heiress. We all know that. She's an orphan. There is no way Rosalie and Andrea are the same person. They may lookalike according to you, but they are not the same. It's pretty obvious, you know."
I stood and pondered at his words for a moment.
Maybe he was right. Maybe he wasn't.
But all the same, I can't be wrong.
What if....what if it's her and at the same time, what if she isn't? What if I'm just mistaking her for Rosalie? Or what if she is truly Rosalie?
I have to find out.
***
•Andrea•
I had just tucked Elyan into bed when I saw my aunt approaching the stairs.
I sighed and took her arm as we walked back down the stairs.
"What is it?" She asked me as I pulled her into the kitchen.
"Guess who I met today?"
"Who?"
"Riccardo."
Her mouth dropped open. "What?"
I nodded. "I know right? I had a meeting with him earlier today. He's a major shareholder in Queen Group."
"Did he--did he recognize you?"
I nodded. "He did. But I denied it flatly. He was insisting and even created a scene at the office but I proved him wrong. To be honest with you, I have never seen Riccardo that persistent before. How he wanted me to admit that I was Rosalie so badly. The look on his face when he saw me, when he hugged me. For a moment there, I almost let it slip."
"Oh my God. That's bad. That's really bad."
"I know, Aunt. But you know what even surprised me the most? The fact that he was elated to see me again. The pure look of relief on his face, I don't--I don't get...he was the one who called off our marriage. He was the who gave up on us. He let me go and now he's...excited to see me again? That's impossible." I said and crossed my arms.
"What if he realized his mistake and he wants you back?"
I almost laughed. "That's not possible. The Riccardo I know never attempts second chances. It's crazy but it's the truth. And besides, I cannot forgive him for what he did to me. Ever. Infact," My lips curved into a small smile. "I'm thinking this is even a right opportunity."
"Right opportunity for what?"
"Now that Riccardo's claiming I'm Rosalie and wants to get close to me, I can...under the mask of Andrea Queen exact revenge and make him pay for what he did to me before." I told her with a smile.
"No," Aunt Leslie shook her head as she looked at me in surprise. "No. That's a total terrible idea. He'll see right through your charade."
I smiled. "He won't. Trust me."
"Even though. Andrea, what happened before is all in the past now. You can't use Riccardo's emotions against him because you'd only hurt yourself in the process. And hurt him too."
"Exactly! Just like he hurt me before. This would only be a case of an eye for an eye. I can't let Riccardo get away with what he did to me not after everything I had to go through. And most importantly, not while he's so close to me. I know Riccardo. He's not going to stop insisting I'm his wife. And the sooner I take care of him, the better."
"And you think ruining him would be a great idea? Think about Elyan. What if he finds out about Elyan in the process? What will you do then?"
"Riccardo will never find out about my child, Ever. I won't let him. Elyan is mine and mine alone."
"You can't be so sure of that, Andrea."
"Oh I am sure. And you know what else I'm sure about?"
She looked at me. It was obvious she already knew what I wanted to say.
"Bringing Riccardo to his knees. What good is my power if I can't use it to make the people who hurt me pay for the hurt they caused me?"
"Andrea, look, I know you're hurt. You're just blinded by anger and you're aren't thinking clearly."
"Oh I am thinking clearly. And I won't stop. Not until I make Riccardo pay for what he did to me. He'll regret every inch of what he did to me before." A sly smile appeared on my face. "I will use this face to my own advantage and I will humiliate, embarrass and make this earth a living hell for him. The great, powerful and intimidating billionaire, Riccardo Del Valle will crumble before me, trust me."
*******
- Writer
