Love, Lies, and The Price of Desire

Three years ago.....

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome with me to the stage the new CEO of Viva group of companies, Simon Walker!" the master of ceremony announced and the crowd busted into an applauding as the brightly smiling Simon stood up from his seat in the front row where he sat with his most immediate family, his grandparent.

His black tuxedo complemented the pure black shiny shoes that he wore, his midnight black hair was slicked back and his dimples caused the hearts of the single ladies at the party to swoon.

He walked up the small flight of stairs to the stage and shook hands with the announcer before turning to the crowd to give his first speech as the CEO,  the light from the chandeliers that stood above him sparkled down making his tall and muscular build appear more enticing to the ladies, they all admired his looks not hearing a single word of the speech he gave.

"..... I hope together we can move the Viva group of companies to a successful future." He finished and a round of applause resounded in appreciation, everyone standing to their feet. He walked down the platform quickly and went to shake hands with the people who came to congratulate him.

"Congratulations brother." A young man of similar age and resemblance, Josh, clapped him on the shoulders with a smile.

"Thanks, man," Simon said, returning a smile while Josh took a sip of his drink in excitement.

Josh suddenly furrowed his brow and looked around as if looking for someone. "I haven't seen Lana all night, isn't she here to celebrate with you?"  he asked, still looking around.

"She has an emergency meeting in Australia. she couldn't make it," Simon explained with a bright smile at the mention of his fiancee. while Josh nodded in understanding.

"Oh, I see. Uhm...." he looked around and waved his wife, Clarisse, over.

The lady wearing a white strapless knee-length dress walked to him and kissed his cheek.

"Hi Simon," she said.

"How are you Clarisse, hope you're enjoying the party?"

"I am."

"Simon was just telling me why Lana couldn't make it tonight. you're the one who was worried sick about them fighting." Josh explained to his wife just as Simon's phone beeped.

"Oh really?" Clarisse asked as Simon pulled out his phone and looked at the messages which happened to be pictures.

He scrolled through the pictures slowly, no longer hearing what the couples were saying to him, as he got to the end of the picture, his eyes sights an address and he immediately looked up

"Excuse me, I need to attend to something urgently," Simon said and hurried for the exit.

"Where are you going? The party isn't over yet! Simon! Simon!" Josh yelled after him spreading his arms apart but only succeeded in drawing attention to himself, Simon was gone!

……….

Simon rushed into his car and drove out of the parking lot forgetting all about the new appointment he had just received and the fact that his guest would be worried about his absence. His index finger traced his lip line thoughtfully as he stared at the road, a blank expression on his face, sighting the building he sort ahead, he drove into the parking lot then rushed out of his car before the engine completely died.

He ran into the hotel lobby and hurried towards the elevator ignoring the polite greeting from the receptionist. As he stood in the elevator he took a deep breath slightly hoping the message he received was a prank, then he pressed the button that had ‘25th floor’ written on it.

As the elevator door closed and the ride began, Simon stood there dapperly seeming like the CEO he now was but on the inside of him were all sorts of feelings; fear, anger, and pain, but he hoped they were baseless. 

The elevator arrived at its location and the door opened with a ding but Simon was not in a hurry to step out, he hesitated for a second then quickly stepped out before the elevator could close on him again. Walking slowly, he brought out his phone and scrolled through before looking up, room number by room number until he got to the designated room number sent to his phone. 'Room 205'

He rang the bell with shaky fingers, then waited, a few seconds passed, and he rang the bell again, as he was about to do it the third time, the door flew and a man in nothing but a white towel tied around his narrow waist stood in front of him. Realizing he was not the room service, the man frowned.

"Who are you?" The man asked rudely but Simon stared at him silently as he was struck dumb.

He had earlier received an anonymous message showing pictures of this very man and his fiancee, Lana, in very intimate sexual positions, then the location and room number.

"I said, who are you?" the man asked, raising his voice but Simon was still in shock, his muscled chest rising and falling slowly as he stared at the man.

"Baby! What's taking you so long?" Simon heard an all too familiar voice coo from within the room, his face twisted with disbelief but he quickly shook his head to push away the thoughts. He was certainly hearing things, he thought.

But he knew he was not when Lana, his childhood crush and girlfriend turned fiancee, walked into the doorway wrapping her arms around the unknown man’s waist not even sparing him a glance. She was dressed in nothing but a transparent pink robe that gave little to the imagination, she kissed the man’s tanned back and closed her eyes with a satisfied smile on her face.

"Lana," Simon whispered, his face filled with the horror of what he thought was a nightmare he had never imagined he would have, but loud enough for the woman to hear and recognize. She looked at him and her face registered shock, he was the last person she expected to find at the door.

"Simon!" she exclaimed as her arms fell from the waist of the other man, she also stepped away from the man instinctively but her acknowledgment of him told Simon that it was her, she was cheating on him instead of being in Australia on a business trip and of all days she chooses today? today was supposed to be his happiest day. After working hard for so long, he was finally inheriting the company his dead parents left to him.

His eyes drifted to her fingers where his engagement ring should be but found that it was missing. She must have taken it off.

"Have you always been like this?" he asked her.

"Do you know this man?" The other man asked, looking at Lana who only stared at Simon, as she shook her head, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. Seeing she was speechless, Simon got his answer. He left immediately.

"Simon.... wait!" Lana cried, suddenly recovering the use of her tongue she was about to run after Simon but was pulled back by the man. 

“You can’t go out dressed like this.”  He said, eyeing the overly transparent bathrobe.

Simon stormed out of the hotel building into his car and drove out of the hotel in anger leaving a cloud of smoke behind. He knew he had passed the speed limits but he didn't care. He didn't care about anything anymore, the very woman he had known all his life, fallen in love with at a very young age, shared his dreams with, betrayed him without giving it a second thought. She didn’t even care about him or his feelings or what today meant to him, did she even ever love him? Was she only after the money and power? How could she pretend so well? Lie so well?

Simon asked himself, returning his focus to his surroundings just in time to see a truck coming ahead of him. He pressed the brake to bring his car to a stop but nothing seemed to be happening, he did it again and again.

"What the hell!" he shouted as he stomped his feet on the brake continuously watching as he was coming into a head-on collision with the truck whose horns were blaring.

At the last minute he turned the wheels to the right sharply, in response, the car did a violent U-turn that made it somersault before coming to a stop.

A slight smoke rose from the engine of the car and a bloody Simon looked over from inside the car where he hung upside down held in place by his seat belt; at the coming truck seconds before it collided with his car.