Chloe scanned through her side of the wardrobe as she towel-dried herself and pushed down the pang of pain as she glanced at Kylian's side of the wardrobe, resisting the urge to run her fingers over his neatly pressed suits. It would just make her cry all over again, and she didn't want that.
Just as it has been for a while now, Chloe is rarely in the mood for heavy outfits and makeup. having lost the drive to look good since Kylian stopped looking at her the way he used to.
She slid into comfy jeans and a casual shirt and didn't bother to check out her reflection in the mirror before leaving the walk-in closet. As she headed for the bedroom door, Chloe grabbed her purse and phone and slipped into her sneakers.
She was late, but she didn't care. She was the owner of THE GIRLY LUX. A fashion house that produced one of the best lingerie brands ever sold in New York. While Emma's fashion store, LA BEVA, produced the same things, they have both been successful in their own rights. There is no competition whatsoever. They only strived to make the best out of their brands.
Chloe walked out of the mansion and into the wide compound. The air was cool, but the sun was blazing hot. As she walked down the front steps, a car separated from the fleet of cars parked in the compound and pulled up at the bottom of the stairs.
The driver got out of the car and opened the passenger-side door for her, greeting her with a bow.
Chloe smiled and said, "Good morning, Calvin," before entering the car.
The drive to her fashion store was a long one. Chloe leaned her head on the cool tinted glass and watched the streets of New York blur as her car sped up. She was thinking of ways she could get her marriage back on track.
She hoped it would work.
====
Emma Anderson shoved her phone into the pocket of her lace shorts after her call with Chloe ended. Her face broke into a wry smile.
"Oh, Chloe," She shook her head sadly.
The game of men is for the smart, not the foolish.
Walking quietly from her balcony, Emma entered her room. She had to sneak out to call her cousin, not wanting to wake up her man with annoying talks of Chloe's failed marriage.
Her man...
She couldn't help the excited smile that replaced her wry smile at the thought. Who would have thought that she was ever going to find a man she could call her own?
After all the trash she'd unfortunately met, just when she felt all her hopes had been dashed, Adam cheated on her. She finally got herself a man—one that was willing to stay. All Emma had to do now was keep him.
And she would keep him.
She stared at her man with bliss as he slept peacefully in her bed. He was so cute, even in his sleep. Chloe could go jump over a bridge with her failed marriage; her own life was perfect.
"Time for the next course of action," she muttered under her breath.
The man under her sheets stirred and blinked his beautiful eyes open.
"Good morning, sunshine," Emma greeted brightly as she rounded the bed and sat on the edge.
"Good morning, babe," his rough morning voice said, warmly greeting her.
Oh, how it felt like a dream to Emma that she could snatch such a man. There was one pesky little problem though—he was married. But that wasn't a big issue for Emma; she'd dealt with married men before.
The only thing bothering her was her man's divorce from his slutty bitch of a wife. It was taking longer than expected, and Emma was getting impatient about being his secret mistress.
She wanted to walk with him proudly and take his last name. Her mother would know what to do in regards to hastening the divorce process; after all, she had helped her so much with artful seduction and winning a silent war.
"Wanna shower together?" Emma arched her eyebrow, giving him a playful smirk.
"Not now, babe," came his stressed reply as he moved out from under the sheets and headed to the bathroom.
Emma frowned, but it didn't last. She never took "no" for an answer. Hastily, she undressed and followed him.
====
Kylian Kincaid sat in his white and gray lavish office, which had a floor-to-ceiling window displaying the impeccable view of the city in the afternoon sun. But he couldn't appreciate its beauty; his cold blue eyes were fixed on his assistant, who was shifting from one foot to the other and looking like she wanted to bolt.
"What did you say?" He hoped he had heard wrong. He hoped she wasn't standing there spouting news that made his blood boil.
His assistant visibly gulped. "The Hampton contract got canceled. Mr. Milton said West Construction would do a better job, and they already have high praise.”
Kylian nodded, laced his fingers under his jaw, and fell silent. A thousand and one thoughts were running through his head, echoing the same thing.
West had gotten his contract.
"S-Sir?" The woman, who was no older than twenty-two, had glossy hair and terrified lips.
"Leave," Kylian said quietly. Too quietly. He just wanted a moment to—
"Sir, what's our next plan of action? We need to-"
"I told you to leave, Heather!" Kylian slammed his palms on his oval glass desk, rattling all the objects laid on it and making the woman jump in fright. She disappeared quickly through his office doors, away from his furious gaze.
Kylian leaned forward, grabbed a glass figurine of a horse from his desk, and flung it. The figurine sailed through the air like a missile and exploded on the wall, shattering into pieces on impact.
"Damn West!" Kylian yelled angrily, grabbed his empty coffee mug, and flung it as well. The crash echoed throughout his office, making him want to smash his entire office. But he wasn't about to lose himself in his rage.
His shoulders trembled with contained rage, and he ran a furious hand through his hair. He'd been smashing things lately, and it was starting to bother him. West always made him see red.
Why was West so hell-bent on making his life difficult? Why didn't he just fall down and die? or get crushed by a crane? or get poisoned?
Kylian sighed. He had never liked his crude, intrusive thoughts, but at that moment he wanted to smash everything in his office in the hopes that one of them was West.
He'd worked so hard to get that contract from West, and now he'd lost it. Kylian rubbed his face blearily.
He was tired and had barely slept because his thoughts had gotten too loud.
Work was fucked up. His personal life was even more... He didn't even want to think about Chloe in his state; he was currently not sleeping in his house because of her. He hated her so much; he couldn't stand to see her.
Marrying her had been the biggest mistake of his life. She was a liar, a cheat, and a fucking hypocrite!
Kylian stood from his desk, took his phone, and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. In a smooth move, he dipped his hand in his pocket, tapped his phone, and held it to his ear.
"Good afternoon, sir," a male voice said over the phone.
"Hugo, prepare the papers," Kylian ordered. "And send them to her."
"Yes sir."
Kylian hung up and stared out the window with a frown that creased in between his brows. He didn't feel better, but at least Chloe would get what she deserved for making a fool of him, and once he was done with her, he would make West pay.
Nobody messes with him or his empire.
Kylian walked back to his desk, picked up his work phone, and called his assistant. A nice plan had started taking shape in his head. He took his seat gracefully as she entered.
"Sit," he commanded, opening his laptop. The woman sat stiffly, clutching her pad tightly.
"Our next course of action is simple," he started, long fingers flying over the keyboard as the white screen brightened his eyes, "we are going to make a purchase."
"A purchase?" His assistant asked in confusion.
"You know the NYC daily paper?" Kylian turned his laptop to face her.
"Yeah." She nodded. She looked at Kylian, not able to understand him.
"We're buying it."
"But...Why?"
"The news is a powerful tool, Heather. I can't believe I hadn't thought of it sooner. Do you know the quickest way to destroy a company?"
His assistant shook her head, "no."
Kylian's face broke into a menacing smirk. "You'll know soon enough. Arrange a meeting with my financial analysts and the media department."
The woman stood up, tapping on her pad and nodding.
"Also get in contact with our informants. I'm interested in learning everything they know about the West's business."
"Yes, Sir."
"Good morning, ma'am," Chorused greetings followed Chloe as she pushed through the revolving doors of her fashion store with two cups of coffee in hand.It was a big store. Chloe's sweat and toil. She always felt a sense of pride whenever she walked into it. It was proof of her hard work. She was proof that she was not a quitter.She merely nodded at her workers and made her way to her office at the back. walking past rows of assorted lingerie, pajamas, and bikinis of different colors, sizes, and fabrics, hanging on racks and mannequins for display.A few customers were walking down the aisles of clothing, giggling and whispering, but Chloe wasn't even remotely happy. Though Emma had lifted her spirits and she had made plans to get Kylian back, there was still a sliver of doubt in her gut.a sliver that won't go away.She reached her office, and just before she tried to set the cups she was holding on the floor to reach the key in her bag, brown hands shot out of thin air and took the
Kylian refused to look at the woman he called his wife. From the sound of her voice, he knew she was crying, and while a part of him wanted to go to her and hold her, he stayed put and pinned his eyes on the papers in front of him.She's getting what she deserves, he told himself."Y-you don't mean this," she said, trying to assure herself."Chloe, what part of my wanting a divorce don't you understand?" Kylian asked. He knew he was being mean to her and had never spoken to her that way, but he didn't care.She had lied to him! Made a fool of him!"Why, Kylian? I've never done anything to deserve this."His head whipped up at her statement, and his eyes held daggers. "You deserve much worse. You pretentious cheat!"Chloe took a step back, her lips quivering as his cruel words hit her like bullets. "Don't talk to me like that. You know me, Ky. You love me.""No. No. I don't." He pointed at her as he said each word. "I could never love someone so shallow and filthy... Marrying you, Chlo
Emma left the sitting room and came back a minute later with a bottle of vodka. She plopped down beside her cousin, opened the bottle, drank a mouthful, and passed it to Chloe."You know," Emma started, "I think the divorce is for the best."Beside her, Chloe gulped down the vodka and asked gloomily. "What?""Your marriage was already an unhappy one. You cried every day," Emma said, taking the bottle from Chloe. "There was no way it could've lasted, and even if it did, you would never be happy, Chloe, and you deserve happiness." She took a long swig and passed it back to Chloe.Chloe miserably drank and hiccupped. "I called him a monster, Em.""And that's what he is," Emma agreed. "Don't go thinking you don't deserve happiness simply because you called him a monster."Chloe took another mouthful and passed it to her. "It hurts, Em.""I know, but it won't hurt forever. It'll pass. Get a divorce, take half of his net worth, and travel to someplace nice and...""I didn't sign for alimony
Chloe could see why the girl would think that. She had left her office in a hurry and hadn't returned her calls or texts.What could a seventeen-year-old possibly know about love and heartbreak?"Calm down, Ollie. I'm not in any kind of danger. I'm just dealing with some things right now.""Dealing with what?" Ollie gasped over the phone. "OMG! Are you pregnant?""No, I'm not--" But Ollie no longer heard her; the girl was on a roll."Because that would explain your absence, the way you looked unwell, and you're also ignoring me. Pregnant women tend to need their men to do everything for them.""Ollie, I'm not—" Chloe frowned."Oh my gosh, can I come to visit? You forgot your purse here last week, so I can use that as an excuse. The girls say you live in a mansion and have servants for everything. Oh, can I be the fun aunt? Because I know you wouldn't let me be the godmother while Emma is around. I'm great with kids, so...”"I’m not pregnant, Ollie. I'm going through a divorce!" Chloe
How did it come to this?The question had nagged in Chloe's head, snatching away her attention from all other thoughts as her long, shaky fingers deposited the signed divorce papers on the dark, polished table in Kylian's study—her ex-husband's study.Ex-husband. The finality of it left a bitter taste in her mouth, like charred bread.The scent of him lingered in the study, like he was sitting on his chair, poring over some important document. The stacks of books on high shelves testified to his touch in creases, and the urge to run her fingers along their hard spines filled her. But it was a jilted woman's folly.If I don't get out of here, I'll never leave, she warned herself. Then she turned to go, but as her hand felt the cold knob of the door, she looked over her shoulder, taking one last look at the place she'd frequented many times to bring coffee or call him to the warm confines of their matrimonial bed. She inhaled long and deeply, his scent hovering around her like a blank
CHAPTER 8Kylian had been too impatient to wait for his driver to return from wherever he had strolled out to; it was a matter he would deal with later. Kylian loathed incompetence, and it was an abomination to look away when he perceived it.Presently, his eyebrows remained furrowed, and his blue eyes stared intently at the road ahead as he accelerated, almost driving at a prohibited speed level.Maybe he could make things work. His mother had made a lot of sense, and her visit had got him reshuffling his priorities and recalling the vows he offhandedly declared on the glorified altar when Chloe was adorned so perfectly in her wedding dress, an envy to all spectators.If she was ready to make things work, then he perceived that they could feel the love that once dwelt in their midst.The tires of his Bentley scratched the tarred driveway, and he stopped abruptly in the compound. A quick inspection of the fleet of cars parked under an ornamental shade gave him a false assurance that C
The single unattached button at the top of the gray, sleek shirt exposed a great deal of muscular chest—Max's dedication at the gym was showing off. Not that he hated wearing his suit or loved showing off his muscular body all the time, but the plan before him made him sweat even though the air conditioner was below room temperature. Max loved to make a statement. And he wanted his work to do the same. He peered down at the design the company's architect had dropped on his desk a few minutes ago. There was something he had to do to add the West signature. All over New York, his work was known for its uniqueness and sleek touch. Most importantly, he knew the priority that particular construction carried. It was a proposal he had gotten from one of their biggest clients. Once again, he had beaten the "almighty" Kylian Kincaid in their little rivalry competition. And it had been the reason he dropped one of his credit cards the previous night, giving every worker at West Construction
A feeling of emptiness rose within her, and the house suddenly became distasteful. Emma had been generous enough to welcome her into her apartment, although she was now away. The gentle breeze cascading through the environment pulled the hem of her long evening dress in its direction while Chloe focused on the birds twittering happily on the tree a few yards away. She held the red wine in her hand with little regard for its fragile balance, lost in thought as her restless mind drifted to the unhappy circumstances that had taken over her once joyful and ideal life. She never thought she would be this woman, sitting on a lone bench, mourning her ripped-apart marriage. Nor had she devised the thought that Kylian would toss her out like a useless rag doll. The wine and the cool evening breeze weren't giving her the comfort she desired. If anything, the wind was trying to rob her of her garment. With straining breath, she lifted herself off the garden bench and dropped the wine glass