It was night when Ben returned home from the hospital with Vivian.
Ben paused by the entrance and took a glance around the living room. The house which used to be a cozy home suddenly was shrouded in sadness.“Ben, why aren’t you entering?”Hearing Vivian’s soft voice, he flattened his lips and stepped in.“I’m hungry, get the servants to prepare me something.”Ben glanced at her, “We don’t have servants in the house.”Vivian gasped, “What do you mean? Then who used to prepare everything? You?”“Where do I have the time? All the work in the house was done by Meera.”“Then, get her to prepare something for me. I can’t cook and the doctor said I mustn’t starve.”“Right. Her brother hurt you, so she should take responsibility until you’re well,” he helped her to the couch before adding, “I’ll be right back.”Ben left for the stairs and soon enough, he arrived at their bedroom door. He stood there for a few moments, thinking of how to start a conversation before he turned the knob and entered.Entering the room, he immediately said, “Meera, for the good times, Vivian and I won’t press charges on your brother for wanting my unborn child dead. In return, you should come prepare something for Vivian. She’s not a fan of cooking.”Ben was met with a wall of silence.“Meera, don’t play hard to get. I know I messed up, but I’m ready to compensate you abundantly. You and your brother can leave the country and start a new life. You’re still young and would definitely find yourself another man... After all, you have lots of admirers, even as a married woman, let alone as a divorcee.”“...”He waited a little longer before calling her again, “Meera?” He stepped forward and when he arrived at the bedside, he yanked the covers and to his shock, no one was there, but the divorce papers.With a frown, he picked the papers, “I know her stubbornness won’t make her sign it. She’d rather die than... “ his voice trailed off when he saw her signature on one of the pages.Shocked, he roughly flipped the pages– she had signed all the pages that required her signature. At the last page, there was a small note written:[ I didn’t take anything away from the house but my files. I don’t need the alimony either. And don’t worry about the fans, I won’t tell them anything. Happy fatherhood.]It was Ben’s turn to stare dumbly at the divorce papers, credit cards, and wedding ring that was attached to it.He dashed to her wall-in-closet and was stunned to see everything intact– from her designer bags, to branded clothes, and shoes. Even her favorite cosmetics and hair were not touched.A lump formed at the back of his throat. He almost couldn’t believe his eyes. How could she just leave as though she’d been planning it? She couldn’t even wait and beg him to not leave! Where would she go now that she left him? She has no relatives except her brother.Suddenly, her friends came to mind. He pulled out his phone and was about to call one of them when he heard:“Ben, is she giving you a hard time? Just grab her by the hair and— “ Vivian paused and glanced around the empty room, “where is she?”“She left. Let’s find a restaurant to eat at.”“No!” she suddenly screamed, feeling angry. “What do you think people would say if they saw us together at this time of the night? My reputation is on the line here!”Ben stared at her for a while, then said, “And my reputation? You haven’t stopped thinking only about yourself, have you?” he glared at her.Vivian retorted, “When do men ever get their reputation tarnished? Only the women suffer, so why are you nagging? Besides, you’re the CEO of a reputable company and I’m a celebrity. It’s two different things, Ben.”Ben thought about it and held her hands, “You’re right. I was the selfish one. Meera promised not to reveal our divorce to the fans. So, don’t worry about your reputation.”“She did?” Vivian furrowed her brows. Why? A word from her and her 50 Million fans on I*******m, F******k, TikTok and other platforms combined would eat her and Ben alive, so why Is she choosing not to fight back?Ben handed her the written paper. After reading through it, a scowl formed on her face, “And you believe her?”“Meera always does what she says, so yes, I trust her and you should.” With that said, he turned for the door.Vivian gritted her teeth as she squashed the paper in her hand. ‘Trust her? Of course, I trust her but I have no intention of stopping here.’ She thought while the resentment in her eyes grew strongerThe next day...Meera was seen coiled up in her bed, refusing to eat or drink. Maria looked worried as she paced back and forth, trying all she could to get her friend out of that destructive mood. “Meera, David is worried about you and he wouldn’t eat since you refused to eat. You know he has an ulcer and you don’t want him rolling around, so please eat something.”Meera stayed silent while staring down at her toes. She wouldn’t blink nor utter a word. Maria sighed, “Come on, don’t do this to yourself. This is exactly what they want to see. Get a hold of yourself, Meera. Do you think they’d give a fuck if you die?”“What did I do wrong? He told me he was fine with my body’s situation after what happened six years ago, so why did he try to bring it up yesterday?” Meera lamented in a hushed voice. Her eyes were swollen and red. More tears cascaded down her cheeks as she spoke. Maria sighed again and sat beside her on the bed, “I understand. You were not to blame for what happened si
A few hours later, Maria barged into Meera’s room, yelling in excitement. “Meera, look, yours and Ben’s news is all over the internet and everyone is on your side!” Meera, who just managed to fall asleep after not shutting her eyes since yesterday, moaned as she tried to sit up. She was having a severe headache and her dimmed eyes wouldn’t open wider than it already had. Seeing she was having difficulty sitting up, Maria put the matter aside and got on the bed, “Are you okay?” she touched her forehead and winced, “Oh My God! You’re burning up. We have to go to the hospital.”“I’m fine... What happened on the internet?” “Forget about the internet, you need to see a doctor. You look excessively feeble and dying!” without waiting for her to protest, Maria helped her out of the room while screaming for her brother. “David, we’re going to the hospital, your sister is unwell!”David, who was in the sitting room, impatiently waiting for Mr. Greg’s message while also reading the news abo
Vivian froze and slowly looked up at him. “You have feelings for her...” not hearing a response after a while, she added, “I knew it!” standing up, she pointed at him, “then why did you betray her? Why have you been sleeping with me behind her back?”“Be thankful that I chose you over her. Whatever I do should not be your business– ““You lie! Benjamin, you lie! The earlier you know that I’m not Meera, the better for us all,” she glared at him. “What makes you think you can ever be Meera? If not that I needed a child, would I have accepted you back?”“Excuse me?”“You heard me. You can’t hold a candle to Meera in any way. She doesn’t give me as much trouble like you do.”“Then why did you come running back to me? Was it that she couldn’t satisfy you in bed like I do?”“Don’t delude yourself,” with that, he walked out of the house and slammed the door behind him. He needed something to calm himself. Vivian narrowed her eyes at his disappearing back and a villainous smile crept into h
“What’s wrong with Meera?”“She’s dear to my grandfather. What if she gets some shares from him? Some of the board of directors want my stepsister on the seat. And you know how her mother is. She would do anything to have her daughter on that CEO seat. As it stands now, she and I have the same amount of shares. She’s intelligent and capable, so right now, I need more shares to be victorious. I can’t count on my grandfather’s shares, but I am more inclined to think that he would reserve some shares for Meera.” “Since you have such worries from the start, you should have waited until after the Will was read. How did you manage to ruin your chances so badly?” the other guy couldn’t understand. Ben sighed in frustration, “It was Vivian. She wanted me to give Meera the divorce papers on our anniversary, otherwise she’d abort the pregnancy.”“Wow, Vivian is ruthless and I tell you bro, you have a dim future with that girl around you.”“You’re not helping matters, James.”“Hahahaha... Poki
The frustrated Ben had no idea what to do next. The papers were already with his lawyer– Vivian’s uncle. The man had been pestering him to give Vivian what she deserved after she got pregnant for him and now, trying to take the divorce papers back from him would be impossible. Meera will definitely be enraged if she knew that he already sent the divorce papers to court. A thought crossed his mind and he went for his phone. “Let me call her and explain,” he picked the phone he threw away only to see it was damaged. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” anger and frustration burned in him. He passed a hand over his hair as he paced the room. “I have to go to her, I have to…” he picked up his car keys and dashed out of the room. Meanwhile, at Meera’s home..Maria sighed for the umpteenth time as she looked worriedly at her friend who was lying on the bed with eyes fixed on her phone. Her friend received a court summon from their lawyer a few minutes ago. She agreed to go, but her eyes had been stuck t
“Meera, I saw how much you also wanted to give us a child, so I became desperate to fulfill our dream. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you, I swear, I was going to tell you but Vivian threatened to abort the pregnancy if I didn’t do as she said. I know it will be hard for you to forgive me… I’m not asking for forgiveness right now, but please, I just want us to forget about the divorce and return home.” Maria laughed out of anger. Is this man for real?!Meera who had been quietly watching him as he knelt in front of her, parted her lips and said slowly, “You still haven’t learned to stop blaming others for the mistakes you choose to make.” “Can’t you feel my sincerity?” He looked straight at her face, hoping she would be moved by his tears, “It was a mistake that was committed only once and it was through the influence of alcohol. You can ask James and Ray, they were aware of how and when it happened. The woman I chose to carry our child was not Vivian. I have no idea how I woke
‘Shut your mouth, you fool! I knew you’d be like this. Anyway, I don’t have the time to battle words with you. I came across a scandalous post about your ex-wife, so I decided to get you to see too, maybe then, your eyes will open to the lies she’s been feeding you with. Also, it’s an opportunity to clear your name and turn the table.’ “What is– Beep... Beep... Beep!” Ben stared at the disconnected call with gritted teeth. He hates it when she does that. But that was not the most important thing right now. Vivian wouldn’t act that way if something hadn’t come up. Ben went online and was shocked by what was trending. “Meera, you lying bitch!!” He roared and bolted to the court. ... Meanwhile, in one of the tall buildings in the hearts of the city, Greg was seen in his office, staring at the pictures that were sent to his phone a moment ago. He picked his coat from the hanger and was about to dash out when his assistant barged in. “Greg, the meeting is about to start.” “Postpone
As they screamed on top of their voices, they were throwing her eggs, tomatoes, and even stones. Maria became desperate to get her friend away from the crowd, but all to nought. Seeing that she couldn’t create a path for Meera, Maria hugged her and began to collect all that was thrown at Meera with her body. Ben stopped granting interviews and stood there, watching as Meera and Maria were being attacked, while the reporters took pleasure in taking pictures and videos. Even though he still feels hatred for Meera for what she did to him, he decided to help her, at least for old times sake. Just as he was about to take a step towards her, the appearance of a convoy of black vehicles caught his attention. When the long row of black cars stopped in front of the court, out came an entourage of bodyguards forming two long lines with Greg in the middle. Their momentum commanded respect and the aura shrouding them caused a sense of dread to everyone present. The coldness in their eyes woul