Chapter 2

Rachael’s POV

The  next day at work, I saw a lot of colleagues gnawing at me with too many questions racing through their minds as if they knew my marriage was at the verge of wreckage.

Bearing the pain of my broken heart,  I put on a masked smile just to ensure they didn't notice anything.

But it seems like they know something already.

“ Is everything alright, Rachael? Your face looks pale and gloomy” Hana Grace, my  colleague who had spotted me earlier rushed to me.

I forced another fake smile as we continued walking together to the office.

“ I'm fine, Grace. I didn't get enough sleep last night, that's all” I said, increasing my pace.

Without replying a word, Grace locked gaze with me, measuring my speed.

”You can't fake it, girl. I see it all. Just spill it out” Grace replied, her voice lacing with concern and urgency.

I ignored Grace until we arrived at the elevator leading to my office.

“ It just happened… to me” I wanted to lie but didn't even know the right words to use.

“ Huh? What happened?” Grace picked it up from there.  

Blinking, I decided to cover up again, using a fabricated tale.

“ Holden, my son” My voice hitched. “ He almost…”

I was tempted to tell a tale about my four year old son, Holden. To tell Grace how we almost lost him last night  but I held back.

Holden's life was too precious to fabricate lies about.

Grace noticed something sharply and called my attention to it.

“ Rachael, you're crying”  her sharp voice called me back to order.

Quickly, I wiped the tears off my face with the back of my palm.

“Goodness, come here” Grace drew me close and hugged me.

The warmth of the hug made me feel better from the outside. However, my inside remained shattered.

“ Listen Hun, I want you to know that I'm always here for you no matter what you're going through, I love you” Grace said, supporting me emotionally, her voice unwavering.

We hugged again before  we parted to our various offices.

Then, my heart began to flutter again. I thought about her.

Camilla.  

Her irritative and dirty moans and how I would handle her for  the rest of the day at work.

“ Mrs Worthington” A voice male voice startled me.

It was my boss. Mr Hughes Brown.

I  halted, quickly wiping my eyes.

“ Good morning, Mr. Hughes. Trust your night went well .” I greeted courteously, my cheeks arching from the forced smile.

My boss studied my demeanor and pushed his hair from his face slightly.

“ What's wrong, Mrs Worthington? Your face swollen” He said accurately but I quickly brushed the feeling off.

I let out a soft chuckle. “ No, I'm totally fine, sir. I didn't get a bit of good sleep because of my son”

“ I'm sorry about that. That must have been a little challenging”  My boss raised an eyebrow, suggesting he saw through me already but didn't want to meddle.

“ Thanks for your concern” I smiled again and he nodded.

We walked together before he departed to the CEO's while I headed for mine.

I work as a corporate Lawyer in H&T Law firm. My experience in my role has shaped me into becoming the best in my field.

Also , I often showcase my expertise in trial and divorce related issues. That was how versatile I was in my field.

No wonder Camilla, my secretary, often looked at me with a mix of admiration and envy.  

She wanted to be like me.

Camilla wasn't in the office when I arrived. It was her colleague, Rose, who was on duty that morning.

“ Good morning, Mrs Worthington” Rose greeted me and hurried to get my bags.

I halted, my heart bleeding inside upon entering the secretary's office that was attached to mine.

“Camilla isn't in the office?” I asked, my eyes shifting to the secretary seat.

Rose shook her head.  “ No, ma'am. Camilla reached out to  me last night,  sounding really tired. She asked if I could help cover for her shift  instead”

Tears welled up in my eyes. But before I lost my composure in front of Rose, I swiftly retracted to my office. However,  Rose followed me heel-to-heel to my office.

“I’ll call you when I need you, Rose. I just want to be left alone” My voice cracked as I managed to sound serious.

Rose hesitated, her voice lingering with concern before she answered reluctantly.

“ Alright, Mrs Worthington. Call me if you need anything”

Rose handed me my bag and left.

Those ugly thoughts wanted to  resurface in my mind again but  a timely knock on the door shattered them all.

It was one of my colleagues, John.

“ What is it John?” I said, trying to act normal.

John walked towards my desk, handling me a file.

“Mr Hughes has directed this case to you. The client would be coming by noon today” With a detached tone, John walked away leaving his words hanging in the air.

With trembling fingers, I grabbed the file to check the client's name and the case I would be handling.

Then, my gaze fell and everything became blank as I saw the client's name.

Alec Worthington.

Alec is my brother-in-law,  Keaton's younger brother,  a man of discipline.

His demeanor was often unyielding and our conversations over the years were only limited to nods and grief greetings whenever we met in the old Worthington's mansion.

His presence around often sparked a certain reaction in me– something forbidden. So I stayed distant and a mile from him.

My lips parted in stunned silence, and like a flip had been switched, every pain in my heart suddenly vanished and was replaced with something forbidden. Something dark. Something Unappealing.

“Alec Worthington”  The name popped on my lips again as my thoughts traveled to the last time he visited during Holden's fourth year birthday.

Glancing at the file on my desk, I was tempted to decline handling the case. To tell my boss that I wasn't emotionally fit for this.

However, Keaton's cheating affairs with my secretary, Camilla surged deep inside, making me cold–blooded and leaving me with no choice than to act.

Now, the only word that echoed in my mind is: REVENGE.