THIRD PARTY DISRUPTOR

Chapter One

NEW YEAR’S DAY

3:32 AM

Brie marched angrily into the living room.

Brie: I CANNOT DEAL WITH YOU ANYMORE!!!

She shouted, her voice echoing through the room.

Adrian: Can you just hear me out, please?

Brie: WHY WOULD I IF YOU NEVER TAKE MY FEELINGS INTO CONSIDERATION!!!

She shouted again, her frustration boiling over.

Adrian: Do you listen to yourself? What is so bad about wanting to start a family—WITH MY DAMN WIFE?!

Adrian raised his voice at his wife.

Brie: I DO NOT WANT TO BE A WIFE YET!!!

Brie cried out.

Brie: BUT MAYBE IF YOU TOOK THE TIME TO BE A DECENT HUSBAND—I WOULD CONSIDER HAVING YOUR STUPID BABIES!!!

Adrian stared at her in stunned disbelief, unable to process what he had just heard, while Brie remained visibly consumed by anger.

Brie: THAT STUNT YOU PULLED TONIGHT WITH YOUR PARENTS WAS THE LAST STRAW!!!

Brie stormed out.

Adrian: Baby, wait!

Brie walked straight toward the balcony. She could no longer control the tears streaming down her cheeks, and soon she was crying uncontrollably, her body trembling with emotion.

Adrian hurried after her.

Adrian: Baby, wait!

He repeated himself, his voice softer now as regret settled over him for the way he had spoken to his wife.

Adrian: Baby, I—I love you, and I want to take our marriage to the next level. My parents are just excited for us to have our own kids, and I know they don’t mean to pressure you.

Brie stopped crying and stood there, her expression still hardened with anger as she listened to Adrian.

Adrian: But I’m their only son. You know that.

Brie turned toward Adrian.

Brie: You and your parents think that having a child is all rainbows and roses. But it is MY body that is going to endure a pregnancy.

Her anger intensified.

Brie: IT IS MY MIND AND SOUL THAT IS GOING TO CARRY THE WEIGHT OF LIFE GROWING IN ME! Do you think my uterus is some baby-making machine?!

Adrian: Don’t you think I know that? I’ll be with you every step of the way.

Adrian tried to reassure his angry wife.

Adrian: We’re in this together, and I’d be by your side through it all. We’re a married couple, and you know how badly I want a baby.

Adrian’s expression softened with sadness.

Brie: All you think about is yourself.

She said, her anger still evident in her voice.

Brie: Well, why don’t you find yourself—A B*TCH TO GIVE YOU A BABY THEN?!

She roared the words before turning and walking away.

Adrian stared after her in disbelief, disappointment settling heavily across his face.

Adrian: ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?! THREE YEARS!!!

He shouted after her, pointing toward the direction she had walked.

Adrian: WE’VE BEEN MARRIED FOR 3 F***ING YEARS!!!

His voice reverberated through the room.

Adrian: AND YOU CAN’T DO ONE THING TO MAKE YOUR DAMN HUSBAND HAPPY?!

Brie stopped and turned around, her anger reigniting.

Brie: WELL THEN DIVORCE ME!!! AND TAKE ALL YOUR MILLIONS OF DOLLARS YOU HAVE!! I DON’T CARE. I GOT MY OWN!!

Adrian’s expression tightened.

Adrian: Brie, don’t say things you will regret later.

He stood there with his hands folded together, visibly struggling to contain his emotions.

Brie: I have no regrets.

She said with a straight face.

Brie: I speak my truth. If you want a baby so badly—get yourself one of those trashy assistants that work at OUR company. I’m sure one of them wouldn’t mind getting pregnant by their rich boss.

They stared at each other angrily, neither willing to back down.

LATER…

Imani: Girl, you alright?

She asked, concern evident in her expression.

Imani: You know you don’t have anything to worry about.

Bianca: I’ve got six months trying to get a damn job since graduating college.

Bianca spoke with exhaustion, her handbag hanging across her shoulder.

Bianca: Six months!!!

She screamed.

Bianca: For the first time since getting a degree, I managed to land one stinking interview.

Imani stared at her sympathetically, remaining quiet.

Bianca: At a law firm?!

She said with obvious disgust.

Bianca: I studied finance.

Imani: You can always work your way up there. You’re a smart girl. I know you can do it.

Imani tried to reassure Bianca.

Bianca: You and I graduated at the same time—and you got a position as a financial analyst at MacMahon Enterprises a month after graduation.

Imani: Bianca, you know that if it wasn’t for my dad having worked there all his life, I’d be in the same position as you.

Imani rolled her eyes.

Imani: Hell, I don’t think I’d even get an interview at the movies had my dad not put in a word for me. Just be grateful you even got offered a chance at a decent company.

Bianca sighed.

Bianca: Well, I guess I’ma get going. Watch me fail miserably.

She laughed, jokingly mocking herself.

Imani’s expression fell at her words.

Imani: You need to give yourself credit. You will get this job, you hear me?!

Bianca rolled her eyes, her confidence barely holding together.

Bianca: Sure. Whatever you say.

Bianca walked out of the house, exhausted, while Imani called after her.

Imani: YOU GOT THIS, BABE!!!

Imani silently prayed.

Imani’s thought: “Lord, please give her this job!”

NEW YORK CITY

Bianca walked down the street from her apartment, exhaustion weighing heavily on her.

Bianca’s thought: “Life as a young adult in this modern world isn’t as easy as we all thought it would be as a child. It’s a lesson I’m still learning each day. It’s a battle between survival and happiness. What makes you happy doesn’t always have the ability to keep you alive. In fact, for me, the things that typically make me happy are the things that will kill me within. But nonetheless, I strive for happiness. Stubbornness runs in my blood with everything I do. I graduated with a finance degree in hopes of working with the best companies in the country. And that is what I plan to do.”

BACK TO REALITY…

Bianca didn’t realize she had walked all the way to the law firm.

Bianca: Snap out of it, Bianca.

She said angrily to herself outside the law firm’s premises.

Bianca: I can do this!!

She walked inside, and the receptionist directed her to an office.