Divorce

Verena

I splashed water on my face— enough to cool the heat of shame that rose on my cheeks but it did little to calm the storm of emotions that crashed within me. 

Dragging my fingers down my face in dread “What have you done Verena? What have you done?” A groan slipped from my mouth, my eyes locked onto the dreadful mess in the mirror. 

This was bad. 

How in the world did he turn out to be Kian’s uncle?

At the same time, I was being too hard on myself. How was I supposed to know that he was even related to Kian when I never heard about him? Slowly, images of me flirting with him and…

Wait for a second, the way he acted earlier showed that he knew me all along. That was why he mentioned that he was going to see me later— it was because he knew that I was married to his nephew. 

At that moment, my heartbeat skipped over the other. If he knew that I was his nephew’s wife, why didn’t he turn me down when I flirted with him, why did he gaze upon me in that manner and why did he promise to never let me go? 

And the way he claimed me before Killian just now. 

What the heck was going on? 

Suddenly, a knock on the door jolted me out of my thoughts, startling me in the process as my hands moved to my pounding chest. For a second, I stilled, thinking it was Daxton until Kian’s voice came from the outside. 

“It is Kian, open the door”

Relief flooded through me because I didn't know what I would do if it turned out to be Daxton. I moved to the door, turning the doorknob. The moment there was a slight opening, Kian slipped through it, shutting the door behind him and turning the lock. 

His fingers curled around my wrist and he pulled me behind him to the far end of the bathroom. He dropped my wrist and that was when I took in his face— his hair was tousled, distraught eyes, his tie was slightly unknotted and tossed over his shoulder. 

He ran a hand through his hair, pulling it back. His eyes settled on me. “Where were you last night?” His voice shook with an edge of fear. 

I rolled my eyes, crossed my arms over my chest. “Why?”

He almost yelled. “I just want to know!”

I shook my head. “At the Vastencarver strip club—”

His face fell, terror replacing the expression in his eyes. “That is my uncle’s club!”

My heart stopped, my hands slamming over my mouth in shock. Could the lore get any deeper?

Kian’s dark eyelashes fluttered continuously and with the way his lips wobbled, it seemed like different emotions warred inside of me. “He called you Miss Kitty ears and you had those ears sitting on your hair”

Despite the obvious turmoil that surged inside of me, my eyes lit up in amusement. “So you noticed and…”

He cut in. “That isn't the issue. Don't tell me that the man you spent the night with was my uncle…” His eyes searched through mine, pleading for me to say the opposite of what he had insinuated. 

My heart thumped harder in my chest but then, memories of Kian telling me to open our marriage and bringing Zita into our home made my blood boil with fury. The urge to spite him suddenly overwhelmed me. 

The corner of my mouth tilted upwards in a smirk and I stepped forward, almost closing the space between us. “What if I told you he is the one, what are you going to do Kian? I only followed your advice”

A growl rumbled from Kian’s chest as he stumbled back, his jaw clenched so hard that a muscle twitched. Then he raised his hands like he was about to wrap them around my throat before they curled into fists and dropped to his side. 

I scoffed, clicking my tongue in my mouth at the pathetic sight of him. 

Kian gulped hard. “You had sex with my uncle”

With a face devoid of emotion, I tilted my head, acting as nonchalant as ever. “How was I supposed to know that he is your uncle? With such vigor, who would have known that he was older?”

Kian’s eyes turned red—a visceral sight of rings of flames flaring from his ears and nostrils. Laughable. 

He sucked in a breath, deep enough to calm the storm inside of him. “I am going to take it as you not knowing he was family. In other words, the whole open marriage thing is over. Our marriage is close!”

Chuckles erupted from my throat before escalating into a full-blown laughter that had me throwing my head back. 

This had to be a joke or he’d clearly lost it. 

Slowly, the smile on my face died and I stepped closer. “What marriage? The moment you brought up the idea of an open marriage, the love I had for you died and our marriage is clearly over”

“Expect divorce papers before next weekend. I am done!”

It’s been two weeks since Kian has been blowing up my phone with incessant calls and messages left unread. And now that I thought about it, was he calling because I had drained most of the money in our joint account, or because of the divorce papers, or the fact that I had sex with his uncle? 

Daxton.

I didn't want to think about him or that night. In fact, I wanted nothing to do with the Cooper family anymore.

All that mattered right now was acing this interview because if I didn’t, things could get really bad for me financially. I had invested the money left in the joint account, thinking the return would be massive.

But overnight, the cryptocurrency platform disappeared—rug-pulled— and now, I was left with a thousand dollars.

It felt like fate made a collaboration with Kian to stick a middle finger to my face because how was this even happening? 

So, I needed this job badly. 

I had applied for the position as the personal assistant to the managing director of the V.R. five-star hotel—a director notorious for firing assistants for the slightest mistakes. 

I didn't care. I just needed something to fall back on financially. 

They had just opened the VR hotel in the city and I thought to apply since other hotels rejected me because of my family’s scandal. 

This new job was my chance to build a fresh start and keep my mind busy from the distracting thoughts of Daxton that had engulfed my being. 

The sound of fingers being drummed on a keyboard filled my ears as I flashed a smile at the secretary whose eyes slid up my face. “Miss Verena?” She returned my smile. 

“Yes,” I responded. 

“Here for the assistant’s position, correct?”

I nodded. “Yes and umm, I am having a hard time finding where the other applicants are seated and…”

She cut in. “You wouldn't be interviewed like the rest of them, the managing director himself will be interviewing you so come with me–”

I froze. 

What did she mean by the managing director would interview me himself when it was supposed to be done by the interview panel? 

As I traipsed behind her, different questions flooded my mind. Was there something with my application that piqued his interest or did he know who I really was and was about to taunt me with my family’s predicament before rejecting me— like the others did? 

Maybe I should have done thorough research on who he was. 

My hands moved to the back of my neck in anxiety as we stopped before a huge mahogany door. “Wait inside, he will be with you shortly” She opened the door while I stepped inside. 

I gaped at the office interior as I settled on the visitor’s seat. Huge chandeliers hung from the lofty ceilings, leather seats, and floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the cityscape.  

It was elegant. 

I sucked in a deep breath, enough to steady my breathing while going through the expected questions that could be asked. 

The door clicked open, my heart almost leaping into my throat as I sprang to my feet, smoothening the non-existent wrinkles on my skirt when a familiar mix of perfume snaked up my nose. Sandalwood and Oud.

Too familiar to ignore. 

Too unforgettable not to recognize. 

Daxton.