Chapter 0003

•NOAH•

“You’re always on your damn phone, Noah! Are you cheating on me?” Octavia asked as I looked at the video of sleeping children.

I felt strangely drawn to them, and the shapes of their faces reminded me so much of my father and mother.

I didn’t even know who had sent the video, though Laura was the only person who popped into my mind.

She was the only person who could’ve sent the video to spite me after what happened five years ago before she disappeared.

She probably wanted to make me think she hadn’t done the abortion I had scheduled for her, though Dr. Ashton told me she had aborted her pregnancy.

“I’m talking to you, Noah!” she grunted. “If you’re speaking to some whore or planning to get into her bed, tell her she will meet the disappointment of her life with that small dick of yours!”

I looked at her, shook my head, and stood up from the bed. Not so long ago, she was screaming I was hurting her with my dick, but now she was mocking its length.

“When you’re done with your drama, tell me, but I’ve got to go to work. I’ll have a long day today.” I took my briefcase near the bed and headed to the door, but she quickly blocked my path.

“I’m sorry. I hate when it feels like we are pulling away from each other. You know how draining it has been trying to get pregnant.”

“I told you there’s no pressure, Octavia. I have money for us to adopt or do IVF. You don’t have to put a strain on our marriage because of a baby.”

“I know, and I’m sorry about what I said. Ugh,” she groaned, wrapping her arms around my waist. “What do you say we go out for dinner tonight? I want to make it up to you and revive the spark between us. This whole trying-to-conceive journey has put us under pressure.”

“I’ll make reservations after my meeting at work. We are meeting one of our major investors, and I must be there early to ensure that things run smoothly.” I kissed her cheek.

“Alright. I’ll call you when I’m back from seeing my parents. They promised to get us the new development area tender. It’s worth millions of dollars, and I don’t want us to miss out on it.”

“You see? That’s why I married you. You’re a smart and driven woman.” I smiled at her before I twisted the doorknob and walked out the door.

When I got to my office, I prepared myself for the board meeting with the new investor, and when the time hit 10 on the dot, I walked out and went to the boardroom.

“The investor is probably running late. He will be here soon.”

“Maybe he wants to arrive late on purpose.”

“Or maybe he’s not coming today.”

People were whispering to each other. I leaned back in my chair and looked at the empty chair near me, and wondered where he could be.

“My God, is she the investor?” Someone gasped, causing me to tilt my head toward the door, and when I saw Laura walk in with two men behind her, I stood up from my chair.

“Laura?” I gasped.

I didn’t expect to see her, not in my company, and her being the major investor of my company.

“My apologies for being late. I had forgotten how crazy the traffic can be here. Please sit down.” She looked at me as she sat on the chair beside me.

“My name is Giselle Sullivan, and I am looking forward to working with all of you. Please let’s continue with the meeting.”

I was in shock as I sat down, wishing that someone could pinch me and wake me from the nightmare.

I kept looking at her throughout the meeting. My mind refused to accept that she was the same woman I had left to be with Octavia.

It seemed odd that she appeared in my office the following day after I had received the video of twins sleeping next to each other.

I tried to understand what it could’ve all meant. Could she have returned to mess up my life for what I did to her? Or was it karma coming for me?

“Laura, what are you doing here?” I whispered as I leaned toward her.

She looked at me and scoffed. “I’m not Laura. If you don’t mind, Mr. Blackwood, I would like to focus on the presentation being made by your marketing manager. Since I invested my money in this company, I plan to receive back every cent I’ve put into your establishment.”

“You can lie to everyone here about who you are, but you are my wife—”

“You’re clearly mistaking me for someone else, Mr. Blackwood. If you don’t want me to withdraw my partnership and the money I am investing, you’ll stop pestering me.” She shot me a deadly look before she looked away to the presentation board.

For a moment, I felt I was going insane. Laura — my ex-wife — was clearly the woman sitting next to me. Or maybe I was losing my mind.

When the meeting was over, I waited until she had talked with everyone before seizing an opportunity to talk with her.

She sized me up and rolled her eyes when I approached her.

“What do you want now, Mr. Balckwood?” She sighed, almost as if I were a nuisance.

“I know who you are and that you’re the one who sent me the video last night. You’re trying to mess with my head because of what I did. Investing in my company and waltzing in here late was all your plan to get back at me, Laura. Admit it.”

“I think you’re losing your mind because I don’t know what you’re talking about. Please, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go.” She tried to walk past me, but I blocked her path.

“If you’re trying to ruin my life for what I did, then go ahead, but don’t play with my sanity.”

She chuckled as she folded her arms across her chest. “You’re funny, Noah. You should thank me for investing a billion dollars instead of asking me these dumb questions. Your behavior tells me everything about how your company got where it is today.”

“Are the kids mine, Laura?” I asked, leaning closer to her. I was getting angry because she dared to play in my face.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You sent me a video last night of a girl and a boy sleeping, or did you not?”

“I didn’t.”

“Did you send me the video or not?” I sneered when everyone had left the room, except her bodyguards.

“I did not!”

“Fuck, Laura!” I smacked my fist on the table next to us. “Did you send me the video?!”

“Fine!” she scoffed. “I sent the video. So, what are you going to do about that? You forced me to abort them because you wanted to marry my sister. Well, I hope that worked out for you.” She walked past me and left.