Chapter 5 Make Me Your Fiancée

I stood in the familiar building that harbored some part of my past. The past that I tried desperately to forget, but I guess not everything could be easily forgotten and sadly, my past kept haunting me as if my broken state were not enough, and it aimed to break me more until not even a piece of me was left.

And as much as I tried to run away from it, I couldn't seem to hide from it. I was completely exposed to it, and finally, I'd given up. I was tired of running and couldn't run anymore. And so, that brought me here, standing in the building owned by my ex-husband.

After what happened yesterday, I contemplated running with my children again, but I decided against it. I have been running all my life, but this time, I wanted to do something different. You know what they say, if you can't beat them, join them.

Ms. Wilton wanted me to get close to their rival, the Grande. She was worried that they were up to something and Frederick might be at the receiving end. So, I was basically like a spy, but whether I might succeed was yet to be decided.

Turning to my side, I saw a lady approaching me. "Is there something you need help with, miss?" She asked politely.

I shook my head as I glanced around before looking back at her. "I am waiting for someone. Is there a table reserved under the name Grande?" I asked instead.

She smiled and nodded her head. "Ah yes, you must be Miss Lilian. Please follow," she said, then led the way to an empty table. I sat down afterward while she still stood beside me. "Is there anything you'll need?"

I looked at her blankly while thinking of anything to kill the time since I came here earlier than planned. "Umm... Just a glass of water will do," I smiled lightly, and she nodded before walking away.

She came back moments later to pour a glass of water for me. As I sat quietly, I slowly recalled my first visit here.

I was just newly married to Frederick, and he wanted me to accompany him to sign some papers and since that was the whole point of the marriage, I willingly followed him but slowly that continued until he finally didn't need me anymore and then the last day came, and I was being tossed on the floor like something repulsive while I begged for him to listen to me.

The onlookers whispered loudly while the police dragged me away as I cried and begged for him to listen to me, so I could prove my innocence. He never did, he instead asked the hotel manager to make sure the police saw me off. I was sent to court after that, all for nothing. That feeling of being betrayed, that anger and that pain, it was just too much to take at that time. I wished I could die. I thought that was the end, but then I found out that I was pregnant.

In my devastating moment, I was pregnant for the same man that would rather see me rot in prison. Suddenly, I became willing to live, at least for the child I was expecting. I wanted to protect it with all I had, so I ran from the prison during the fire outbreak. I escaped even though I was prosecuted, I just couldn't stay five years in prison for a crime I never committed, that would ruin my chances of being there for my baby.

Because of the Wilton's wealth and influence, I was locked up even before my case was completely judged. The unfairness fueled my desire to leave the prison. I was glad I was able to succeed, though thereafter, the police and even the Wilton searched everywhere for me.

'You are better off dead than alive,' were the exact words I heard when I was chased and shot in a dark alley a few days after my escape. I never got to see who it was, but I could still remember those words clearly...

"A penny for your thoughts." I heard a manly voice amidst my thoughts. I looked up to see who it was.

I was left speechless as I quietly stared at the man in front of me. I took note of his features, his brown hair, his pointed nose, fair skin, thin lips that were raised with a smile as he scanned me as well.

Shifting uncomfortably, I moved my gaze. "You must be Mr. Grande." I simply stated.

He sat down gracefully. "And you must be Miss Liliana."

"Yes, you can call me Lilian," I interjected, not quite comfortable with others calling me that. I was still sensitive to it.

He smiled faintly, and I caught a glimpse of his dimples. He was indeed handsome, even more than the pictures I saw. "And you can call me Alex," he replied calmly.

Alexander Grande. I got a pep talk from Ms. Wilton as she wanted me to remember the plan. He was looking for a wife, or more correctly, his mother was looking for a wife for him as she kept nagging that he was getting old, and his clients recently were pestering him to marry their daughters before they could continue with the partnership.

Grande made quite a big name for themselves and everyone wanted to have a more informal relationship with them as it will definitely secure a position for them in the Grande's company. They wanted to create an alliance between them, especially since Frederick was off the chart and Alexander was the only one left that was second to Frederick. So, they wanted to seize the opportunity.

Unfortunately, Ms. Wilton was a close friend to Ms. Grande, which gave her an opportunity to put me through. If only Ms. Grande knew of her evil scheme and how two-faced she was.

There was a lot to read in the document she sent me, but I took my time in order not to miss anything relevant.

"Am I late? I'm sorry, I had some business to attend to." He apologized, which was impressive because he seemed sincere.

"It's okay, I actually came early, and you're right on time." I waved off.

He was quiet for a while as he watched me in silence. "So, you're the lady my mom recommended. Now I can see why just by merely staring at you." He stated.

I tilted my head to the side. "What do you see?"

"I can see that you don't want to be here either, so I'll cut to the chase. You can go back and act like nothing ever happened and make sure our paths never cross again." He said sternly, expecting to scare me off with his dark look. A far cry from how polite he sounded earlier. I was always quick to judge.

However, I was only amused. If only he knew I had heard worse. He must think that I was just like the other ladies he could scare away with those simple words.

He frowned when he saw the smile on my face. "You think I am joking?" He asked, startled.

"No. In fact, I know that you're serious, but don't you think it's time to end this tiresome event of meeting several ladies just to please your mother? You're old enough to stand up against her." I calmly said, and he raised a brow at me.

He chuckled. "You think I can't do that?" He paused and stared at me for a while, his eyes gleaming with an unfathomable look in his eyes. "You know, I wouldn't be going through the stress if it wasn't for Frederick." He hissed, clearly irritated.

I could sense the anger and hatred. "You don't like him?" I was shocked by this revelation. It made sense since they were rivals after all. "Well, that makes the two of us," I scoffed.

"You don't like him either?" He tilted his head slightly. "How interesting."

Indeed, it was. This was actually not what I expected, but this was great. That way, I could use this to get back at Frederick for everything. I always wanted a sweet revenge for everything they did to me, and now I could also protect my children.

I smiled internally and leaned towards the table with a mischievous look. "What if I tell you that I know more than enough for you to finally take down the Wilton? Would you then agree to accept me as your fiancé?"