Chapter 003
1116 Words
3
Anastasia.
I packed up, shut down my computer for the night. I exhaled a sigh, rolling the stress out of my shoulders. Six days had passed since I’d seen West Wallmore, and I’d succeeded in doing the impossible, stopping Monty & Co. from being taken over. My labor hadn't gone unrecognized either. Today, I was promoted from being a financial analyst to Vice President of Finances & Strategy. But for all my victory, that meeting had still been unnerving in my mind.
West Wallmore was unnerving. Calculating. Too perceptive for ease. And yet, even though we’d been opposing sides of that negotiating table, I’d felt our paths weren't done crossing yet.
Shaking those thoughts from my head, I left the office and headed home. The apartment was quiet when I came in. Freddy would not be coming home tonight, some business dinner, he had told me earlier. That left me to the apartment by myself , and tonight, I was glad for it. I needed the quiet.
After a steaming shower, I changed into an oversized T-shirt, and whipped up a quick dinner. I hadn't eaten a few mouthfuls before I remembered, Freddy had asked me to submit a file for him tonight.
With a huff, I crossed the room, opening his laptop. His password page greeted me. I typed some different things, my birthday, our anniversary, his mother's name. It didn't work.
Then, I tried something that sounded like him.
The screen opened.
I snorted. Of course, it was something narcissistic.
I rushed to submit it, reaching out to shut down the laptop when a notification came up in the bottom right.
Payment received: $12,000.
My fingertips hovered on the trackpad.
Twelve thousand?
I hesitated and opened the message. A report on finance came up, and my stomach dropped as I read through it. Large sums of money, ten to fifty thousand sent into Freddy's account over the last three months.
Another pop-up appeared.
>Seen?
My breath froze. I opened it, and a dialogue with someone called P. F appeared on the screen.
>This is supposed to cover the next round. Let's have the numbers on Monday.
My heart was pounding in my ears as I scrolled further up, finding more messages. Freddy had been selling inside information on Monty & Co.
I jerked my hand away from the laptop as if it had burned me.
Freddy practically was a criminal.
I was still in shock when another alert flashed.
>Card is ready! It's perfect!
Confused, I tapped on it, and a message from a person named Sophia❤️ appeared on the screen.
>Sophia: Our engagement party invitation card is ready! Mom practically monopolized the whole thing, but it turned out gorgeous.
My heart stopped.
Engagement party?!
My eyes leaped back to the picture of the invitation which had been posted.
‘Sophia and Freddy's Engagement Party’
I sat there rigid, my head spinning with shock at what I was seeing.
Freddy was engaged?
To someone other than me?
To another woman?
My hands fisted up.
So he wasn't a thief and a con only, but a liar and a cheater also.
The hurt blazed its way into rage. I didn't think; I stood up, removing my tee for a black sheath dress. I threw on a trench coat and slipped into low heels, wrapping my hair into a claw clip.
I stormed out of the apartment, dinner left on the counter.
——-
The party was in full swing by the time I arrived.
The ambiance was opulent with chandeliers adorned with crystals, tables filled with exquisite wine and appetizers, gentle music wafting through the air. Individuals were conversing nearby, while others wore elegant suits and dresses.
A few of the attendees were staring at me in curiosity, but I didn't notice them at all.
And then I saw him.
Freddy stood near the middle of the room, his arm comfortably around the waist of a blonde lady.
Sophia.
They looked cozy. Comforting. Freddy's wide smile stretched from ear to ear as he bent low to whisper in her ear.
I gritted my teeth.
I grabbed a glass of wine from a waiter who was walking by, downed it in one swallow, and then swooped and snatched a dessert platter.
I strode across the room, heels clicking on marble floor.
Freddy glanced up and his eyes widened."Ana…"
Before he could finish, I lifted the platter and smashed the dessert into his face.
Gasps filled the room.
Sophia flinched back, hand over her mouth in shock.
Freddy swiped frosting off his chin and growled, "What the f**k, Ana?!"
"You're a lying coward," I spat. Then, I turned to Sophia.
"You must be Sophia," I said, my voice laced with venom. "Let me introduce myself. I’m Anastasia. I’m also engaged to this asshole. Have been for three years now."
I ripped the ring off my finger and threw it at Freddy.
Sophia paled. "What?"
"Ana, stop this nonsense," Freddy gritted out.
"Nonsense?" I laughed scornfully. "Oh boy, I've only just begun. He isn't only dedicated to two women at the same time, but I also learned that he has been exchanging company secrets for some money."
Gossip ran around the room.
A middle-aged couple approached. "What's all this about?" the man thundered.
Freddy forced a smile. "This woman must have mistaken me for someone else. She's just…"
"Really, Freddy?" I interrupted, my voice cracking. "Really?"
Tears filled my eyes, but I would not allow them to fall.
"We've been together seven years," I went on, my anger causing my voice to shake. "And you cheated on me behind my back and got engaged to someone else because her family is rich?"
Freddy clenched his teeth."Anastasia…"
"You're a f*****g asshole."
"Security!" the older man yelled.
Two guards approached.
I shrugged them off. "I’ll walk myself out."
I glanced at Freddy one last time, flipped him the bird, and sneered, "Choke on it, asswipe."
I then turned and walked away, leaving silence in my wake.
——-
The bar was dimly lit, tucked away in the farthest corner of the building.
I sat alone, a row of shot glasses in front of me empty.
Fury seethed under the surface, but beneath that lay something nastier; betrayal.
I touched a hand to my chest, trying to ease the throb of pain there.
"Another shot," I instructed the bartender.
I held the next shot up before I had the chance to consume it, stopped by a smooth, comfortable voice
through the fog."Well," the voice drawled. "If this isn’t just miserable."
I lifted my head.
Just as West Wallmore slid into the seat in front of me.
- Writer
