Love Behind Closed Doors

CHAPTER 6

Cynthia was being tormented and consumed by an intense jealousy that she couldn't take off her mind. It has been some weeks since she witnessed the secret encounter between Victoria and Alexander at the beautiful garden. She really believed she was the one who deserved the billionaire CEO's love, not Victoria, and the sight of Victoria having the CEO love all to herself, drove her into frustration and desperation. The more she couldn't have him, the more she wanted him badly.

Cynthia's attempts to seduce Alexander began to involve increasingly suggestive tactics.

One sunny afternoon Cynthia approached Alexander Thornwood office, she made sure to wear an outfit that revealed her cleavage. She carried an unneeded stack of papers that was not meant to be signed that day and knocked gently on his open door. "Mr. Thornwood, I've brought these files for your review. They need your expert eye."

Alexander, who was deeply engrossed in his work, looked up without making eye contact. "Leave them on the desk; I'll get to them and call you when I am done.

On another occasion, she played a little trick in the company's parking lot. When she spotted Alexander's car approaching, she acted as if her car had broken down. Casually, she requested a lift from him. Surprisingly, Alexander didn't refuse and offered to drive her to her destination. During the ride, Cynthia was trying to be seductive, doing her best to catch his attention but to her amazement her efforts yielded no response from the CEO. As Alexander remained stern and uninterested, as he was entirely focused on his driving.

As Cynthia knew her seduction plan had failed on the CEO, her determination to break their union only began to grow stronger every day. She went berserk because she couldn't understand why her advances were falling flat. She truly believed that her appeal was undeniable because this wasn't her first time in seducing a man to get what she wanted, but it seemed that Alexander's attention was unwaveringly directed elsewhere and she already knew it was in Victoria's direction that his attention was focused on.

Cynthia's jealousy and obsession began to drive her into a darker place. As she embarked on a mission to uncover any secrets or vulnerabilities that Victoria might have. So she began to dig into Victoria's past day by day looking for the tiniest clue she was going to use against her. One faithful day, while still digging up Victoria's past, Cynthia stumbled upon a heart-wrenching discovery that made her happy that her plot was going to work out. She discovered that Victoria's mother was gravely ill, and she had been diagnosed with a brain tumor which required an expensive surgery that Victoria couldn't afford yet.

Quickly In Cynthia's perspective, she knew this was the revelation she needed to know and Alexander Thornwood will hear about it. She jumped to the conclusion that Victoria had only fallen for the CEO because of his wealth. In her mind, she believed Victoria was toying with Alexander's feelings just to secure the financial support she needed to save her ailing mother's life. This discovery fueled her jealousy, turning it into a deep-seated resentment.

Armed with this newfound knowledge, Cynthia believed she had gained a weapon to use against her rival. She believed that by exposing Victoria's ulterior motives, she could manipulate the situation to her advantage and finally make Alexander hers. Her resentment and motives became a driving force that kept urging her to tear the budding romance between Victoria and the CEO.

Unknown to Victoria and Alexander, Cynthia was down to do whatever it takes to get closer to Alexander and win his heart and with her devious plan getting ready to be staged, they didn't know they were about to be caught up in a whirlwind of jealousy, secrets, and betrayal.

It was an early morning at the office signaling the start of another workday. Victoria arrived at her desk with her usual smile that was always contagious, she greeted her co-workers and prepared herself for the tasks ahead. Little did she know that this day would take a dramatic turn.

It has been over thirty minutes since she had settled down into her work, a message popped on her computer screen, summoning her to Alexander's office. With a sense of curiosity and a hint of nervousness, hurriedly Victoria made her way to the CEO's office.

As she entered the office, she offered a friendly smile to Alexander as usual, but his stern expression halted her. Then she quickly knew something was amiss, and her confusion deepened when she saw Cynthia, who had always resented her for no reason.

She was Intrigued yet anxious, finally after some minutes Victoria voiced out. "Is there something wrong, Mr. Thornwood?"

Alexander looked straight to her eyes and didn't mince any words; he got straight to the heart of the matter. "Victoria, I need to know if what Cynthia told me is true."

Confusion washed over Victoria. "I'm not sure what you're referring to, sir."

Alexander motioned to Cynthia, urging her to convey the information she had shared with him earlier about Victoria's mother. As Cynthia spoke, her sinister plan began to unravel. "I informed Mr. Thornwood that your intention was to be with him solely because of his wealth, "that you're plotting to use him to support your ailing mother, who is suffering from a brain tumor in Oklahoma." This revelation left Victoria shocked and vulnerable, as Cynthia's aim to tarnish her intentions took shape.

For some moments a deafening silence filled the room as Cynthia's deceitful revelation hung in the air like a dark cloud. Victoria, who had been seen as a meek and mild person, was about to undergo a remarkable transformation. Fueled by love, determination, and commitment to the truth, she found the strength to break the silence..

With sincerity in her tone, Victoria began to speak. "Mr. Thornwood, it is true that my mother is unwell, but she's already in the advanced stages of cancer. We don't require additional funds for her treatment. The reason I didn't share this with you earlier is that I didn't want to burden you with my problems. That's why I kept it from you. My feelings for you are genuine, and I truly love you."

Alexander looked surprised as he absorbed Victoria's confession about her mother's advanced-stage cancer. Because her confession had contradicted what Cynthia had told him, which was that Victoria's mother was suffering from a brain tumor. In that very moment, the truth was dawn on Alexander.

A dramatic confrontation transpired in Alexander's office, one that would reveal the unveiling of truth and the downfall of deceit

When it dawned on Cynthia that she had been caught up in her web of lies. Cynthia began to confess her wrongdoing. She started stammering, "I might have misunderstood something. I thought... I thought her mother had a brain tumor."

Victoria's eyes were filled with tears as she spoke about her father. "Mr. Thornwood, my father passed away due to a brain tumor, not my mother. Cynthia didn't verify the information correctly."

The moment had come when the undeniable truth about Cynthia's manipulations was exposed. With a firm tone, Alexander confronted Cynthia, saying, "Cynthia, you will face the consequences of your manipulation. Leave my office." Cynthia, overwhelmed with shame and disgrace, left the office, and was promptly dismissed from the company. The co-workers were astonished at the deceitful extent of Cynthia's actions, aimed at disrupting the relationship between Alexander and Victoria.

The evil plan of Cynthia, who was up to no good, finally fell apart. Her mean intentions to ruin the new romance between Victoria and Alexander were revealed. The truth came to light, and this time, Alexander was determined to address it seriously as he vowed to express his love for Victoria openly and wouldn't allow anyone to question her true feelings