A night with the rival ceo

CHAPTER ONE

RHEA

I should have known something was wrong the moment Darius stopped answering my calls, not because he was always glued to his phone.

He wasn't, but Darius knew me.

He knew that when I called three times in a row, something was wrong, and tonight, I had called him seven times.

Seven fucking times, but still nothing.

I stared at my phone as I sat in the back of the car in disbelief, watching the lights of Sydney blur past the window.

“Maybe he’s busy,” I whispered to myself.

The words sounded stupid even before they left my mouth.

Darius had promised to be home tonight.

I had even cancelled dinner with one of my friends because I wanted to surprise him.

It was our anniversary, well, not the kind of anniversary most couples celebrated, cause it wasn't our wedding anniversary.

It was the anniversary of the day he first told me he loved me.

Three years ago.

I remembered it perfectly.

The stupid little restaurant, and the cheap wine.

I remembered his nervous smile, and the way his hand had trembled when he reached across the table and took mine.

Back then, I had believed I was lucky.

I believed I had found someone who saw me as Rhea, not just as Peter Herrington's stepdaughter, or the heiress to Lancaster Group, or the fucking daughter of the late founder everyone still compared me to.

Just Rhea.

I smiled faintly at the memory, then my phone vibrated, and I immediately looked down, but it wasn't Darius.

It was Ivy instead, my best friend.

**Ivy: Where are you?**

I frowned.

**Me: Heading home. Why?**

The reply came almost instantly.

**Ivy: Call me when you get there. I heard something about Darius.**

My stomach tightened at that, and I literally stared at the message for a few seconds.

What did she possibly know about my boyfriend that I didn’t know myself?

I shrugged it off and typed a quick reply before putting my phone away.

**Me: Okay.**

I said, even though I didn't mean it.

The car stopped in front of my house a few minutes later, and I immediately paid the driver and stepped out.

The moment I reached the front door, something felt strange, cause the house was wayyyy too quiet, in the end, I unlocked the door and stepped inside.

“Darius?”

No answer.

I dropped my handbag on the table.

“Darius?”

Still nothing.

I frowned and walked farther inside, until I finally heard something, it was a sound, soft, muffled noise coming from upstairs.

I froze for a bit, and my heart began beating faster involuntarily, like my heart wanted to escape my ches, but I told myself that maybe he had fallen asleep, or he was watching something, you know, “SOMETHING.”

Cause I always knew my lovely boyfriend to be very active when it came to matters of sex, and today was indeed our anniversary, so he might have been using that to pass time, waiting for me.

I couldn’t believe I really thought myself that highly when, in reality, it was truly another woman's voice.

I stopped breathing.

I mean I forgot how to breathe, cause what made it worse was the fact there was something so familiar about it, that made me forget how to work, but I had to find out no matter how horrible it might be

I haven’t even climbed the tears When I started crying, cause I loved Darius more than myself so all this thoughts were killing me

I knew he could laugh at me, and tease me for actually overthinking all this scene in my head

Heaven knew how I really wanted it to be scenes alone in my head, but when I slowly managed to drag my legs upstairs, I noticed the door was slightly open, and the voice became clearer 

I heard Darius laugh.

He laughed as if he was having the best time of his life.

The same man I was worried sick about, the same man I had called seven good times, even though I didn't want to jump into conclusions, cause I was a good girlfriend 

The laugh grew louder, and I felt my entire body go cold, cause I couldn’t be mistaken that that wasn’t his laugh.

I had heard it thousands of times, cause he had laughed that way to me.TO ME!!!

No.

No, this couldn't be happening.

It felt like I was losing my breath all over again, but I had to just confirm even if it killed me, cause I knew this was all a big misunderstanding right ?!!!!, but my world fell apart immediately I pushed that door open.

Darius was there with my step sister on our fucking bed.

“Ahh fuck.... deeper, Darius, I'm about to cum,” Mira moaned shamelessly as Darius took her from behind.

“You feel so damn good...” Darius laughed again, and groaned, his dick sliding in and out of her rapidly.

“Oh... my God.... Fuck!” Mira screamed in pleasure, and I finally exploded 

“What in the actual fuck is going on here?” I screamed at both of them, and they immediately turned towards me in surprise, cause it was obvious they weren't expecting me. lol 

“Rhea,” Darius called, pulling out of Mira, who frowned.

“What the fuck is going on here?” I screamed louder as tears gathered around my eyes and blurred my vision this time

“Oh please... don't ruin my ears,” Mira rolled her eyes. “You act like you didn't expect this,” she scoffed.

“What do you mean?” I gritted my teeth, my brain foggy at the moment.

“Expect what?” I demanded, and she actually relaxed herself, and scoffed out, as if questioning herself why she was even tensed in the first place 

“All you do is work. We barely had time for sex or even go on dates. I had to find someone to fill in that space since you were so busy,” Darius spoke up, and I honestly couldn't even find the right words to express what I felt at the moment.

My boyfriend.

My boyfriend was standing there with my stepsister, today or all days, and somehow, he was trying to make me feel responsible for it.

“If you love your job so much, why would you care who Darius fucks?” Mira said, leaning on Darius, and I shivered in disgust.

I stared at her.

My own stepsister.

The woman I had trusted enough to let into my home cause she had no where to go, this same woman had been sleeping with my boyfriend, and what hurt more was that this would definitely have not been the first time.

My heart broke, my eyes burnt, and my lips trembled 

“I want both of you out of my house immediately,” I could barely hear my voice, and they broke me even further 

“We haven't finished yet. I'm yet to cum,” Mira replied shamelessly.

I clenched my fist tightly, my eyes burning with rage, and tears

I turned to Darius, who didn't look like he was going to contradict Mira, and something in me snapped.

“You better get your things and leave my house when I get back tomorrow, and if I find even a single piece of your belongings in my house, I would burn them!” I warned, and Darius stared at me

It was only now he finally knew I was serious, cause he had been living off of my hard earn money for three fucking years  

“Rhea, wait—”

He tried to stand up, but I stopped him halfway, so he could stay with his bitch 

“No.”

My voice cracked, cause I didn't want to hear another excuse.

I didn't want to hear another explanation, or wanted to hear him tell me that somehow, this was because I worked too much.

I had loved this man, and I had trusted him, and  he had chosen to betray me with Mira of all people, so this was what ivy was trying to warn me about, and if she knew, that means it would have already gotten to the ears of many how my relationship had already fallen apart

The funniest thing was that I was the last to know. I knew I should have watched them pack their load and leave the house, but seeing the man I had use my hard earn money on, to get this house, so we both live comfortably, i didn’t think I had the kind of heart to spend another second in the same space with them, so I turned around and stomped out of the house, cause I was helpless, and there was nothing I could do.

The moment I stepped outside, the tears I'd been trying so hard to hold back finally fell freely.

Fuck.

How could he do this to me?

How could Mira do this to me?

I hailed a taxi and got inside, leaning against the seat as I wiped furiously at my cheeks, but the tears wouldn't stop.

I actually didn't want the driver to see me crying, so I turned my face toward the window, as the city lights blurred in front of my eyes, cause for three years.

 I had spent three fucking years with Darius, and all this time, I thought I knew him. I thought he loved me, I….

My mind exploded as more tears left my eyes, if they like they should keep fucking all night as they please. 

I wiped my eyes but still more tears let on going, it gave me an headache, cause apparently, I had been nothing more than a woman he could replace the moment he got tired of waiting for me.

I squeezed my eyes shut, cause the pain in my chest became unbearable.

I had gone home expecting to surprise the man I loved, but instead, I had walked in on him with my own stepsister

I was such a fool thinking someone could ever love the real me