AGAINST THE FATES

Present Day 2022

Lights flashed along the long red carpet that led up the stairs to the big ballroom. Gradually, young stars and starlets strutted up the red carpet amid the flashing lights of the paparazzi and the fanfare of fans who screamed the names of their favourite celebrities.

A low buzz of excitement seemed to be rushing through the crowd of paparazzi who were enthusiastically clicking away at their cameras. The undercurrent was almost palpable because soon the main guests of the show would be attending the award show that was being hosted tonight by G & H Entertainment.

The nation's three most eligible bachelors were going to be attending the gala together. A first time in the short history of the prestigious music awards

Adi Grenier, the CEO of G&H Entertainment was the first to appear, sending many females and males present there to almost swoon at the sight. Dressed in a custom-made black suit over a double-breasted jacket, the man looked like a model who had just walked off the runway. His dark eyes seemed to not even glance at the audience while the entourage of guards behind him kept even the reporters at bay. His dark hair mussed up and his mouth set stubbornly, Adi Grenier looked every inch the cold businessman he was.

Right after the man had alighted, another equally beautiful specimen of manhood alighted his limousine. Best friend and business partner of Adi Grenier, the one with an ever-ready smile, Andrew Heming. Walking up to his best friend, Andrew Heming cast a smile towards the people who cheered for him as the press once again. In direct contrast to Adi Grenier, Andrew Heming was dressed in a bright red suit and heeled boots that favoured his looks.

The two men, however, escaped the questioning of the paparazzi because of their guards who kept them at bay. As Adi and Andrew stopped inside the ornate doors, Andrew shook his head and told his friend," Adi. Please compose your face so that people don't think that the red carpet leads to the guillotines."

Adi had no intention of humouring his friend and simply continued to walk towards the main venue. And how was he supposed to be happy when he had just discovered his soon-to-be ex-wife's fallacy? Even though he did not love the woman, he did not enjoy being made a fool of and taken for a ride. He had already thought of a way to teach the woman a lesson but until she was punished appropriately, he was not going to be in a 'good' mood.

Soon enough, he saw something that was sure to worsen his mood even further from sheer shock. The shock of seeing a familiar woman after three years. The one that had haunted his dreams for the past three years and lived in his heart a lot longer than that. As the familiar reflection caught his eye, he froze and turned back to look at the red carpet. Seeing the odd reaction from his friend, caused Andrew to turn back as well and soon, he was shocked too.

For now, walking the red carpet was a beautiful woman and a handsome man. The man was dressed sleekly causing his female fans to shriek from excitement as well as disappointment that their idol had his hand on the waist of another woman. But the two men inside the venue had no eyes for the man. It was the woman they were looking at.

Her hair tied up in a simple bun with little curls falling around her face gave her the look of a princess. Dressed in a straight chantilly white lace gown with short puffy sleeves, the woman looked to have descended from the heavens. There was no need for grandeur or extravagance. Her modesty made her glow.

Her sparkling eyes and smile as she leaned closer to the man, posing for a picture had both the men wanting to rip off the man's hands. Of course, they couldn't. After all, the man was their company's biggest singer and star- Ross Kudrow.

While Andrew tried to get over the shock, however, Adi Grenier was not pleased. His eyes seemed to bore holes into the woman, almost forcing her to look in his direction. But of course, she did not. Instead, she placed a hand on Ross' chest in an even more intimate and possessive pose and smiled brightly for the camera.

Adi Grenier clenched his fists and turned back to march into the ballroom, his face even colder than it had been a few minutes ago. It wasn't that he did not want this woman to be present. In fact, he had yearned to see her every day since she had gone... Because this woman was none other than Faith Heming, the ex-wife of Andrew Heming-his best friend and the only woman Adi Grenier had loved in his life.