Chasing Her Discarded Ex-husband

Ms. RELENTLESS

ABEL BLACKWOOD'S POV

Even in the public available data, Jonathan Luis Green background check reveals a ticket for possession of m*******a and other drugs. There is also two police records for s****l harassment. Does he always prey on women half his age?

I click on the images portion next. I'm curious. I need to know if he and Ms. Raven are actually in a relationships or what she told me was acctually the truth. The images are mostly shots of him in political rallies but he also seems to have endless pictures posing with countless women, though there is none with Ms Ravens.

Maybe they are keeping their relationship private.

I type the name Aubrey Raven into the search engine. There are countless articles about her and her rich family and their numerous business ventures. And her family networth which is so high, I wonder why she would be going for senator Jonathan money when her father is this rich.

She also seems to have had a long line of ex-lovers. I can even recognize some of famous men she has dated.

I scroll farther down the images and what comes up is overwhelming, and filled with even more unpleasant surprises than I was prepared for. There is a picture of Ms Raven with my ex-wife in some kind of a red carpet event. I click on it and get a larger view, of a stunning Vanessa sitting next to Ms. Raven in some fashion show after-party. She always looks spectacularly beautiful, regardless of what she is wearing , but I already got a drastically different view of her way before our divorce.

There is a small gossip article at the bottom that says that they are longtime friends and tons more images of them in various events and outside events. How could I have not known they are friends?

I turn on my phone just long enough to send Ms Raven a text.

"You didn't tell me that you and Vanessa sterling are friends."

The front door to my apartment suddenly opens and Wensley comes in. I close my laptop. I had declined to join him at the gym, wanting to just sit down and check out everything about Ms Raven's in relative privacy.

I had clashed at Wesley's place yesterday night after my meeting with Ms. Raven and he suggested that we spend the day together, in my apartment.

"There was this beautiful girl with red hair at the gym asking about you." Wesley says dropping his gym pack by the couch.

Red hair? That must be Sofia. The girl who asked for a selfie yesterday.

"I think she totally has a crush on you! She asked for your number," He teases, heading toward the bathroom.

"Did you give it to her?" I call after him.

"Nope! I didn’t have my phone," He shouts back, splashing water as he fills the tub. "But I gave her your address!" he adds.

"You gave her my address? What the hell? Why would you do that? You can't just give a stranger my address!"

I really hope she doesn't show up here.

Wesley leans against the doorframe and shrugs with a smirk. "Relax. She seemed nice. You'll like her."

I roll my eyes and he goes back into the bathroom.

"And you might get laid!" He calls over the sound of running water.

At the moment my doorbell rings, startling me, " If that's her you’re handling it." I shout to Wesley before getting up from the couch and heading for the door.

I would have expected anyone else to be waiting at the doorstep except a delivery guy holding a gift box wrapped in shiny paper.

"Delivery." The short guy says holding out the box for me to take."You are Abel Blackwood, right?"

"Yah."

I sign having received the delivery and the short guy walks away. Who would have bought me a gift? Probably Ms. Raven. But then I glance at the card attached. It reads From Vanessa Sterling. What the hell? I had made it clear I didn’t want to see or talk to her.

I carry the heavy gift box back inside nevertheless and set it down on the table just as Wensley emerges from the bathroom.

His gaze zeroes in on the box immediately. “What do you have there?"

"I'm not sure," I reply, carefully opening the lid half-dreading what I will find inside.

I open to reveal a shimmering, golden hearts. It's looks like a lifelike heart but a lot more like an artifact.

Light glints off its polished surface and it's intricately designed, with delicate engravings that swirl like vines around its edges.

"What's inside?" Wesley asks, bending down to look before I can answer. He gasps. “Who sent you that?” He snatches the box out of my hand, his face looking shocked.

"Wensley, wait—”

“God, it’s real.” He curses lifting out the golden artifact. He gives me a scathing look, looks at the back of it, and then the sides.. "This... this is the heart of Princess Hellen Hamilton! Holy f*****g shit.”

I look at him, bewildered. "The heart of who?"

He shoots me a disbelieving look, then

quickly explains the strange history behind the artifact. " Princess Hellen was this stunning royal who fell in love with a peasant named Alexander.”

"Haven't you heard that story? She loved him with all her heart, but was forced by her imperial family to be with a rich suitor instead. So she crafted this heart of gold as a promise to Alexander that her heart belongs to him and they shall be together soon."

I can’t help but snort. “So did they end up together?”

"Yes." Wensley nods. " She rose to the throne and... well, let’s just say she killed her husband before marrying Alexander.”

Thats quite an impressive story, but I’m not Alexander, and Vanessa is definitely not Hellen.

"That's the story. But who cares about it's history?" Wesley says, returning his focus to the heart. He turns it over in his hands, admiring it. "You have no idea how much this is worth."

"I don't care how much it's worth." I say. "I will return the damn heart. I am not sure how much it costs, and I'm very certain that it is not something I could have bought for myself but I am not keeping anything of Vanessa's." Especially an expensive artifact with such a history.

“From who?” Wensley asks and glances at me before his eyes widen as he reads the tag on the box. “Billionairess Vanessa Sterling sent you this?”

“She bought you a billion-dollar artifact to get you to work for her?” Wensley’s voice is a mix of shock and skepticism.

I don’t respond to his question. Instead, I grab my phone and head to the kitchen, switching it on.

I quickly text Vanessa, “I’ll send back your gift. I don’t need it.”

I don't bother to read the dozen unread messages above the one I send her.

I also notice a new message from Ms. Raven and open it: “Meet me tomorrow at FKN Resort, 11AM.”

I answer the text before heading back to the living room. Wensley still has the golden heart, still admiring it as though he hasn't looked away since I left.

"She's smitten with you. It's not only about working for her.” He says.