Chapter 1 Heart broken

Agitated, Regina Jones stood at the window of her office that offered a view of the busy road of Metropolis overhead. She had been waiting for her father for over two hours and according to the last conversation she had with his secretary, he would be with her shortly but that didn't seem like the case.

The continuous beep coming from her phone was a reminder that she had a dinner date with her boyfriend, Alex, to celebrate their third anniversary. Just then, she received a call from her dad's secretary, David.

"Your timing is so perfect," she said to him. "Inform my dad that I'm leaving. I have more pressing issues to attend to."

"Duly noted, ma'am. However, Mr. George needs you to secure the new contract deal with D&D Enterprises." She made a stop at the elevator with a slight frown.

"Really? Me? He does know that I currently have three working deed that I'm handling."

"He wants you to focus on D&D Enterprises at the moment. You could assign your team to work on the others"

She walked into the elevator. "Is he there with you? Give him the phone."

"Tell her I will call her back," She heard her father's voice saying on the background. It was clear he didn't want to talk to her.

"He said he will-"

"I heard him," she cut in before ending the call.

On her way back home, she received a call from her assistant, Penelope.

"Hello Pen, I can't talk right now. I am driving."

"Okay, but I just received an email from David, which has to do with D&D Enterprises. Plus, a parcel just got delivered to your office."

"I did not ask for any deliveries. Who is it from?"

"It is..." Pen paused, and the sound of paper ruffling could be heard. "It is from your dad. It's an invite to a businesss party."

"I can't deal with all this right now. You know today is my anniversary. So I won't let business ruin it for me. Get across to David and ask him, because I seriously wasn't aware of any ball."

"Okay, ma'am. Have a lovely night, and don't forget to wear that pink lingerie you bought," Pen teased her.

Regina laughed. "Stop it, Pen. Don't get me started."

Regina got to her apartment, took a quick bath before changing into her outfit for the night. Her hair was cascading in loose waves around her shoulders. She stared at her reflection, satisfied by the effortlessly balanced elegance with a hint of mystery her dress portrayed. She walked out of her apartment, dialing Alex's number the moment she got into her car since he wasn't answering her calls, she sends a text instead, informing him that she was coming over before driving off.

Hey baby, I just left home. Can't wait to mark another 365 days with you. Love you.

*********

It's been over an hour since Regina got to the restaurant, and Alex hasn't shown up. He wasn't picking any of her calls or responding to her texts.

She panicked at the thought that something bad could have happened to him. She poured herself another glass of wine that was brought earlier and drank it in one gulp. Her second attempt to pour another glass made her realize she had finished a whole bottle of wine. She signaled the waitress.

"I need another bottle," she pointed to the wine on her table. The waiter nodded and left. A few minutes later, she came back with another bottle.

"Thank you," Regina spoke softly. There was this unsettling feeling knowing fully well she couldn't reach Alex.

She picked up her phone, and at that moment, a text came in from Alex.

I am sorry, Regina. I won't be coming for our anniversary. I can't continue with this relationship. I hope you understand.

Regina read the text over and over again and laughed hysterically. All eyes were focused on her, but she didn't care. She wanted to believe Alex was playing a huge prank on her. She picked up her things and went to her car.

She got to her boyfriend's apartment, and his favorite red sports car was parked right outside, indicating he was home. She got to the threshold of his house, struggling to get the spare key she had to his apartment. Her clutch slipped and fell to the ground.

"Damn it," she yelled out of frustration. Tears rolled down her face as she checked the floor for the key. She took the key and quickly opened the door. The first thing that caught her eye was a luxurious pink bag. Its handcrafted leather was adorned with intricate gold hardware, and she knew just one person had that design specifically ordered from CK-her sister Olivia.

Regina refused to believe her sister or any other lady was present. The moaning sound from his bedroom upstairs was alarming. She made slow movements to the stairs that led to the room. As soon as she got to the door, she placed her shaking hand on the doorknob and abruptly pushed it open. Her heart stopped, and for a moment, she couldn't breathe. Anger, hurt, and disbelief crashed over her like a tidal wave.

"What are you doing here?" Alex's voice came, a mix of shock and guilt as he scrambled to his feet. Regina watched as Olivia used the duvet to cover up her body, a smirk plastered on her face.

"Why?"

"This isn't the appropriate time to discuss this. I will text you." Alex rushed over to her, and the first thing she did was slap him.

"Text me?" She yelled at him. "You ended our relationship with a text, and here you are with my sister, and all you can say is I will text you."

"Listen, Regina, I am sorry, okay? But I tried-"

"For how long?" Regina cut in.

"Two years. I tried telling you earlier, but you were so excited about the anniversary, so I decided to let you have it."

Regina laughed out loud. "Why didn't I see this all these years?"

Because you were in love with him.

"You disgust me, Alex. And you, Olivia, of all the men on this planet, you just had to."

"Oh come on, Regina. You knew Alex wasn't really into you, but you decided to be delusional."

Regina was stunned to oblivion at her supposed sister's response, but it was enough to pull her out of whatever delusion she had been in. With a heavy sigh and strong determination not to cry, at which she was failing, Regina rushed out of the apartment to her car and drove off, frustrated and heartbroken.