MY REVENGE WITH THREE BILLIONAIRES [cheated on by my husband]

CHAPTER NINE

One of the first things you do when you go to war is pick out your battle clothes. And that was the reason why Alisha was going to her friend Manon’s office.

Manon was a world-renowned fashion designer. She had built herself up from art school, gotten a degree in fashion and interned at world fashion big names for five years. Every single big player in the fashion industry wanted her. And they spent years playing a game of tag with Manon. But she didn’t mind.

And the reason for this was simple: every cloth Manon touched turned gold. Her designs sold out on runaways before the show was over, and if she styled a celebrity for any award show, they would land on blogs as the best dressed.

So, when Manon decided that she was done working for others and wanted a place of hers, a business of hers, the fashion world panicked. And they were right to be. The World of Manon broke all the records that could be broken. And within the first year of operation, it got to a billion dollars in valuation.

In interviews when asked what was so different about The World of Manon, Manon boiled it down to how she never compromised on anything. Not even the color of a thread. And it made all the difference.

And so, for Alisha who was about to fight a battle, who better to arm her with her battle clothes than her friend?

The drive to Manon’s office was a fifteen-minute drive from Alisha’s office, so instead of going with a driver, she drove herself. The streets were a cacophony of noises, and Alisha let them pull her in.

The past couple of days had been spent in and out of meetings, both company-wise and personal. She was getting her affairs in order in preparation of what was to come.

Two days ago, she had woken up in the middle of the night looking for Kyle to scratch her back for her and when her head finally caught up with her, the wave of sadness that consumed her had almost been too much. But she held on.

Now, she found joy in whatever she could. A child running down the street pulling a balloon and being chased by their parent, a dog dragging a stick back to its owner, two young teens very obviously in love running after each other on the street.

She drove through the streets with Cassie’s album blasting through her speakers. Alisha loved music, and it always found a way into her soul.

Ten minutes later, she pulled up in front of a high skyscraper. The block of rectangular glass stretched for fifty floors. A valet approached Alisha. He was a man of slight build, and Alisha wondered if he was so slim by virtue of genetics or by choice. With a smile, Alisha gave him her keys.

She walked to the front of the building, nodded greetings at people who saw and recognized her. She approached the elevator and pressed the button going up. The doors slid open, and she pressed the button to the 25th floor. The trip took a few minutes, and soon, the door opened and vomited Alisha out.

The first thing anyone saw when they walked into The World of Manon was the cacophony of staff moving up and around. Clothes in different states of assemble hung on mannequins and fashion designers passed and threw away designs.

Alisha couldn’t help but smile. It was like walking into a large-scale version of Manon’s room when they were in the university. She approached the receptionist, a black woman with tortoise-shelled glasses perched on her nose looked up.

“Hi, I’m here for Manon. Let her know Alisha is here.”

“Is she expecting you?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. Please take a seat right there.” The woman pointed at a reception, and Alisha went there with a smile.

Five minutes later, the woman approached.

“My apologies, Ms. Black. I wasn’t aware that you are her best friend. Please proceed to her office.”

“Oh, no apologies are needed. I’ll see you around.”

Alisha resisted the urge to laugh. If she knew her best friend, she would have given her staff a chewing out. She supposed it was fair. You couldn't really know Manon and not know Alisha, but then, the person could be a new employee. She had certainly never seen her around before.

She walked to Manon’s office. It was the last office on the floor, and it took an entire wing. Alisha pushed the door open and caught Manon on a call.

“... I told you. I am not pushing my new collection on fashion week if Baden is there. She's a f*****g thief, and I refuse to allow that disrespect.”

“... I’ve given you an ultimatum. Figure it out or leave me alone.”

Alisha sat and watched her friend scream away at whoever was on the other side of the phone. She didn’t envy them. Manon and Baden had an ugly history that had cost Manon millions in income. She wasn’t forgetting it anytime soon.

By the time Manon was done, Alisha had fully settled down.

“Don’t f*****g call me again until you have a solution.” She hung up and groaned.

“Ugh Alisha, why did I decide I had to work? Why didn’t I just allow some rich guy snatch me up as his trophy wife?”

“Because you cannot dumb yourself down and give anyone that much power over you, my love.”

“You’re right. Sometimes this job just gets on my nerves.”

Manon stood up and approached Alisha. She was wearing a simple outfit for her: Simple was subjective for Manon. A red jumpsuit with an interesting cut across its bottoms and sleeves, croc print boots that climbed up to her thighs, and accessories that accentuated her features.

“So, what brings the humble Ms. Black to my abode?”

“I kicked Kyle out yesterday.” No preamble. It was best to just get it out of the way.

“Oh my f*****g god? Hell yeah!” Manon laughed. “I was worried. I thought he’d find a way to manipulate you into letting it go in some way.”

Alisha frowned. “Why would you think that?”

“Because there are so many things he did that were f****d up and you let them go because he convinced you to.” Manon shrugged.

Alisha tried to deny it, but she realized her friend was right. So many things she let go in the name of love. Kyle had manipulated her, and she had allowed it because she loved him. She sighed; she just kept discovering new things about her relationship that showed her just how rose colored the glasses she had seen it through was.

But that was why she was here after all. They were now sipping wine that Manon had summoned.

“I will be fighting a war in the coming months. And I want you to don me my battle clothes.”

Manon's eyes sparked to life with a burning fire.

“Oh, my darling. I'll make you look like vengeance on heels.”