Her Worst Nightmare

Her whole body was feeling unwell as if she was being engulfed in flames.

Cynthia was in a dazed state. With a blurry vision, she caught hold of a man's arm.

She wanted to cry for help. A strong masculine scent reached her. Her slightly opened lips were blocked off by a strong force.

She instinctively wanted to resist, but the man did not give her any chance to do so. He dove straight in, teasing her mouth open and consumed her whole.

Undoubtedly, towards this strange man's kiss, she should have resisted and felt repulsed by it.

But, why is her body feeling stimulated?

In the next second, she experienced a wrenching pain in her lower body.

A strong pain seized her.

*********

Early morning.....

The golden sunlight shone through the royal style curtain illuminating the furnishings in the luxurious room.

Clothes were strewn all over the white carpet messily. The room carried a faint scent of last night's affair.

On the bed, the slender figure of a lady was partially visible under the gold embroidered quilt.

Small oval face, exquisite and beautiful facial features, skin pale as snow, black hair cascading down her shoulders. Vaguely visible were the red marks on her body, the crude remnants of last night's affair.

Like cherry blossoms blooming all over her body.

In her heavy state of sleep, she heard the door being pushed open. Although she did not want to open her eyes, she consciously roused herself.

Her eyes fluttered open.

Just outside the golden edge doorway, she caught sight of her grim-faced husband, Jude, and the shocked and dismayed expressions of her mother-in-law and sister-in-law by his side.

"Jude... " Cynthia wiped her eyes. Her sight fell on the sheets, quilt, floor, and the furnishings of the room. Her mind turned blank for a moment.

This was not her room. Where was this?

"Jude... Where am I?" She asked the grim-faced man standing at the door.

He sneered. His handsome face was malicious and insidious. "You still have the audacity to ask me where this is? Tell me, who was the adulterer whom you spent the night with?"

Adulterer?

With brows furrowed, Cynthia tried to recall the events that had happened last night, but she couldn't remember a thing. Her last memory was of herself drinking some wine with Jerry at a cafe.

At this time, she saw her sister-in-law and her mother-in-law stepped inside the room from behind Jude. Turning to her daughter, her mother-in-law said, "Queen, take a good picture, make sure to capture the appearance of your sister-in-law having gone to bed with another man."

Gone to bed with another man? Cynthia's brain exploded.

"I... I didn't... " Cynthia shook her head and tried to explain.

At this time, her mother-in-law, Cherry, walked up to the bed and tugged her long hair up. She raised her neck in pain, revealing her chest and throat which were covered in hickeys. It was a ghastly sight.

"Take, take a clear picture." Cherry said to her daughter.

Queen, while taking photos of her neck, laughed derisively at her. "Sister-in-law, it looks like you had a great time last night!"

Cynthia lowered her head painfully looking at the traces on her chest which she had not realized had emerged on her body. Fleeting images of last night's shameful affair came into mind. She had thought it was a dream....

Obviously not.

Alarmed, she turned to look at Jude's handsome face, only to see his face horrifyingly cold, staring at her as if he was staring at a piece of trash, "Very good, Cynthia. Only half a year of marriage, you dare to run off track. I don't care who you were with last night... Get ready for a divorce!"

After saying this, he gave her another disgusted glance, pushed the door open and left.

Cynthia's face turned ghostly pale.

Divorce?

"No, Jude, listen to me... It's not like that... " She was bare-naked. She wrapped the quilt around herself and tried to catch up to him.

Before she could do so, she was ruthlessly pushed back onto the bed by Cherry. Stunned, she looked at her mother-in-law. "Mother..."

"You are not entitled to call me mother. You shameless vixen. How dare you carry on with another man behind my son's back. You're a total disgrace to our family! Let me tell you, my family will absolutely not tolerate your wanton behaviour!"

"Mom, the photos have been taken." Queen said triumphantly while holding her phone.

"Cynthia, her mobile phone already has evidence of your adultery. Be sensible and quickly give my son a divorce. If you're not willing to, I will send the photos to the lawyers to carry out the divorce proceedings."

~

Jude opened the door to his Porsche SUV. An alluring figure was seated on the passenger seat. Seeing him entered, her ruby-red lips lifted into a smile. "Jude, was the plan successful?"

Jude reached out and pulled her into his embrace. With one hand clasped behind her head, he kissed her wildly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and swiftly responded to his kisses.

After a long, hot kiss, he smiled against her delicate forehead.

"Angela, it won't be long till I can marry you."

"I've been waiting for these words for a long time."

After saying that, She held his handsome face and actively kissed him on his thin lips.

~

Cynthia sat on the bed with a pale face, eyes brimming with tears. The hickeys on her body and the unbearable pain at the slightest pull of her lower body caused a panic feeling to well up in her. She had no recollection of the incident last night.

Picking up the clothes on the floor, she rushed into the bathroom, weeping miserably and washing herself vigorously trying to rid her body of the man's scent.

In the afternoon, Cynthia distractedly returned to her matrimonial home. In the well-lit living room, Jude sat there like the devil himself, an angry glower on his face, looking as if he would strangle her to death in the next second.

What happened this morning dealt a fatal and heavy blow to Cynthia. She knew that no explanation could possibly save her.

She looked at her husband seated on the sofa and took a deep breath. "Jude, I agree to a divorce, but I want you to return me 10% of my father's shares. The other 5% take it as my compensation to you."

As soon as he heard what she said, his countenance darkened. He had just secured his position as president of the Leonards Group. If she were to withdraw 10% of the shares, it would not only jeopardize his prestige and status, but also threaten his position as president.

He scoffed. "Cynthia, what qualifications do you have to demand things from me? You betrayed me and put a green hat on me. Can this simply be dismissed with just 5% of the shares?"

"5% of the shares if converted into cash would amount to more than 500 million dollars. Is this not enough to compensate you?" Cynthia argued. Her father owned those shares in the Group during his lifetime. She could not hand those shares over to the Leonards family just like that.

With a glint in his eyes, Jude went up to her and grabbed her by the neck. "Cynthia, listen closely, put the notion that the shares will be returned to you anyway. Even if you don't want to leave this marriage, you have no choice but to do so. If you want to make a fuss of this in court, let me tell you, you will only die of mortification."

Eyes wide open, she struggled to breathe. What hurt even more was the face in front of her. The tender and loving face he had formerly used to gaze at her had disappeared. What remained was the hideousness of a self-serving egomaniac.

However, her father's shares...

"Jude... Those were my father's... Return them back to me." She cried hoarsely.

"Now they're mine. Don't even think of taking them out of my hands. Cynthia, wise up. Sign the papers and scram, or... I will let you disappear from the face of this earth." Jude released her onto the floor, her face ghastly pale, and threw down a draft divorce agreement. "Sign it!"

"I will not sign it... " Cynthia bit her lips, refusing to be forced out of the house.

"If you don't sign it, you won't just be losing 15% of the shares but also your reputation, or even your life."

Cynthia trembled, looking up at the man who had sworn to love her. At this moment, there was nothing but ruthlessness, indifference and cruelty.

She felt suffocated.

Her heart sank into the pit of despair. She looked at the image of this diabolical man driven by self-interests. She knew that it would cost her, her life, if she were to insist on the return of her father's shares.

"Alright, I'll sign it." She clenched her teeth and put down her signature.

Jude held onto the divorce agreement as if he had just received a fortune. He announced coldly, "It is stated in the agreement that you will clean out the house. Move out tomorrow. Except for your personal belongings, nothing else can be taken away."

Cynthia's tears flowed down her cheeks, her whole body was frozen stiff.

That night, she packed up her things and moved out of her matrimonial home. She checked into a hotel and contacted her aunt who was living in a nearby country who advised her to stay with her.

Cynthia was weary of the people and the matters here. However, she just came to the realization that her passport was at the Leonards residence.

She had no choice but to catch a cab back to the residence.

As she rounded the garden, she heard somebody chatting in the grove. By the sound of it, it was her mother-in-law, Cherry, laughing gaily with another. "Are you satisfied now? My son is finally single, you needn't feel wronged any longer."

Cynthia's heart skipped a beat. She approached the thicket and saw that there was a lady opposite her mother-in-law. It was Angela. She was shyly nodding her head seemingly appeased. "Aunt, my father has agreed to become a shareholder of the Leonards group."

"That's great. With your father joining, it will be great for my son, and you will be my favorite daughter-in-law."

"Thank you for your help, aunt."

"Still calling me aunt?"

"Mother..." Angela sweetly uttered.

"That's my good daughter-in-law. I'm very fond of you."

Cynthia's face instantly turned white as a sheet of paper. It seemed like her heart had been severely stabbed with a knife. She exploded in rage.

Everything made sense now. She had been brought to the cafe by Angela! With only two glasses of drink, she then became muddle-headed. After she had woken up, it was already morning at that hotel.

All of this... was a calculated scheme by Angela and her mother-in-law to push for a divorce between her and Jude.

It turned out that Angela's father was planning to invest in the Leonards Group, and her mother-in-law wanted to chase her out and let Angela take her place.

Face filled with resentment, Cynthia suddenly appeared in front of them.

Cherry was shocked and Angela was surprised. Looking at the pale face of Cynthia, she must have heard their conversation. The two of them revealed their true colors.

"You still have the audacity to return?" Cherry gave her a disgusted look.

"You... You set me up. Why did you have to do this?" With eyes red, Cynthia asked hoarsely.

Cherry looked at her without shame. "Cynthia, don't go crazy here."

Angela crossed her arms and smiled disparagingly, "Cynthia, you're so foolish to the point of being pathetic. Do you really think that Jude likes you? Keep your head out of the clouds. You are merely his stepping stone for him to be the president of the Leonards Group. The person he truly loves is me."

"Cynthia, you are now divorced, the papers have been signed. Our family does not welcome you. Get out." Cherry was chasing her out.

"I've returned to retrieve my passport. Hand it over to me." Cynthia glared at her vicious mother-in-law.

It had occurred to Cherry that her passport had been left behind. She let out a scoff, "Wait right here, I'll get it for you. No matter the distance, you can just scram far, far away!"

Naturally Cherry wouldn't hold her back from going abroad. The last person the Leonards family would like to see was Cynthia. Of course, the farther away she went, the better.

As soon as Cherry left, Angela narrowed her eyes while walking up to Cynthia. "The reason Jude married you was because your father held the shares in the Leonards Group. Truthfully speaking, you are not worthy of him at all."

Cynthia looked at the face of her former best friend. Now, there was only disgust and abhorrence towards this two-faced female. Cynthia raised her palm to slap her face. Angela was quick to react as she grabbed her wrist. "You are not qualified to hit me. I'm merely taking back my happiness and my rightful place as Mrs. Leonard. It was never yours to begin with. "

"So, last night... last night, all of you colluded against me? All of you... including Jude?" Cynthia burst into tears. It felt like her heart was being repeatedly stabbed with a knife and was now dripping in blood.

"That's right. Jude and I have long been in agreement with each other. We were having an affair in secret. His car accident was faked. The one who was fulfilling his physical needs every single day was me. However, the papers have already been signed, even if you know about this, what's going to happen?"

Cynthia faltered a few steps back. Although her countenance was pale, she felt the blood thrumming through her veins. Her husband had actually slept at Angela's place every night? All those days Jude was on a business trip, all the various excuses that he came up with for not coming home, were all because of this woman? An intense pain seized her. She felt stifled.

"Who was that man? Who was that bastard you've arranged for me last night?" Eyes brimming with tears, Cynthia glared at her and asked harshly.

Angela looked at her impatiently. "It doesn't matter who the man was last night. What's important is that, last night, you slept with a man."

"Tell me who was it! Hurry and tell me who it was... " Cynthia worked herself into a frenzy, raising her voice as she asked.

Annoyed, Angela answered. "Last night we arranged a male hooker for you. However, the male hooker said that another man had already entered your room. He didn't want to engage in a threesome so he went back. So, whether your man is ugly or old, fat or skinny, no one knows."

"I don't believe this. I want to check the security cameras." Cynthia was quivering in rage.

"Unfortunately, the security cameras of the hotel yesterday were faulty." Angela smiled gleefully, because the hotel belonged to the Leonards family.

Cynthia face turned pale as snow. Their set up was flawless.

At this point, Cherry came over with her passport and tossed it at her. "Here. Quickly be on your way."

Cynthia clutched her passport. She glared at the hateful faces of these people. She was feeling unresigned and was in misery. She felt that this was all detestable to the point where she was unwilling to stay for another second, else she would suffocate and would surely expire on the spot.

"I despise all of you, each and every single one of you." With tears streaming down her face, her slender figure left in despair.

Looking at the figure of Cynthia leaving, Cherry and Angela's eyes met each other's for a moment. At last, they've gotten rid of this insignificant person.

************

(Four years later, the airport.)

A young lady held up a placard at the arrival hall.

On the placard it was written in capital letters, "Cynthia Lawson, Chief Designer." The lady anxiously scanned the crowd, looking for the person stated.

Her gaze landed exclusively on those elegantly-dressed women.

At this time, within the crowd, emerged a leisurely and natural figure pushing a trolley. On the trolley were two large luggage. On top of the luggage, sat a little boy dressed in denim jacket, grey shorts and beige sneakers.

Amongst the crowd, the woman's gorgeous and slender figure, with her hair gathered in a loose bun, looking neat and simple, with a clear face, exquisite facial features and fair skin, was the envy of many.

Looking at the little boy seated on top the luggage, although he was only three or four years old, he was sporting the beginnings of a catastrophic beauty.

With cropped jet-black hair, fringe covering his forehead, finely-shaped eyebrows, a pair of onyx-colored eyes giving off a confident aura, pointed nose, tender, pink lips, a healthy complexion, he was just like a child model right out of the cover of a magazine.

Female passersby who happened to glance at this little boy would exclaim in awe. Too good-looking.

Wishing to carry him off with them.

"Mommy, it looks like that aunt is here to pick us up."

Cynthia's lips lifted into a smile. Although her son may be young, he was able to recognize words.

She let out a breath. Unexpectedly, four years later, she has returned to this city.

Back then, she was filled with resentment when she left. Now she returned with only the feeling of tranquility.

In the past four years, what she had experienced – the trials and hardships, only she alone was aware of them. In the span of four years, she had changed. She had become a strong-minded, single mother.

Fortunately, her drawing talent which she had fostered at a young age, landed her a job which she loved. And through her hard work, she had managed to leap to the position of chief designer.

Three years ago, just after giving birth, she had become a jewelry designer. Her creativity had won her numerous international awards. And the relocation of her company's headquarters had resulted in her transfer.

It had never occurred to her that the ultimate address for her company's relocation would be the city that had beaten her black and blue.

She had initially thought of quitting her job and finding another. However, four years had passed and her resentment had disappeared. She had deliberated over it. Why should she have to give up three years of her hard-earned position because of the past? She had already lost everything to them, and she refused to start from scratch again because of them.

So she came back.

"Where is Chief Designer Cynthia Lawson? Is this not her flight?" The female assistant muttered to herself.

At this time, a clear and attractive voice sounded from beside her, "I am the person you were sent to pick up."

As soon as the female assistant turned her head, she saw a lady around her age looking her way. Staring at her in astonishment she asked, "You are Miss Cynthia Lawson?"

"What's wrong? Do I not look like it?" Cynthia chuckled. It can be difficult to comprehend how a person like her, who only at the age of twenty four, was appointed as chief designer. However, to obtain such a position, it was not dependent on the fact that the older you get, the more sought after you are. But it was all based on one's own capability.

"My bad, my bad. I'm Tania. I'm here to pick you up." Right after saying this, she was enthralled by a pair of the world's most dazzling eyes. She laughed in surprise for a few seconds. "Designer Cynthia, I supposed this is your brother! What a cutie!"

The little boy immediately retorted, "I am not mommy's brother! I'm mommy's baby."

Mommy?

Tania was once again in shock. There was not much difference in their age, that alone was enough to startle her. Now, she even brought along a three or four year old little bean saying it was her son? Tania was dumbfounded.

"This is my son, Zion."

"What a lovely name." Tania beamed with undisguised admiration.

On the ride back to their accommodation, Tania couldn't help but play with Zion enthusiastically. Because he was too adorable she could not resist teasing him.

Cynthia stared out the car window. The cityscape felt familiar to her yet foreign at the same time. Memories from four years ago drifted into her mind. This was the place where she had experienced love and hate. For four years, she had not concerned herself with any news relating to this country. Therefore, she knew nothing about the current situation of the Leonards Group.

Of course, she wasn't all that interested in finding out.

Back then, the circumstances surrounding her pregnancy were strange. At first, she wasn't even aware that she was five-month pregnant. Only when she had felt the movement of the fetus did she visit the hospital with every intention of aborting it.

The doctors in the hospital refused to perform an abortion of her fetus. She went to so many hospitals but she was denied because the fetus was healthy and the body had already been formed.

She had initially felt nothing but anger and disgust, but as the child began to grow in her womb, tossing about daily like a mischievous troublemaker, her resentment gradually wore off.

While she had been arduously giving birth and had been languishing in a state of drowsiness, she had heard the soft whisper of the nurse in her ear, "Your child is quite healthy and very beautiful."

She had not believed her. But when the nurse had finished cleaning up her child and had placed him in her arms, it had seemed like her heart was engulfed in beaming radiance. It was as if a little angel had suddenly appeared at her side.

She had never once imagined that the man who had violated her body could possibly leave behind a beautiful and lovely child.

Ever since then, her life had undergone tremendous changes. She had dug herself out of the pit of depression and had put the resentment for the Leonards family behind her. She had begun to work hard to earn money in order to raise her child. Until an opportunity had arose which had contributed to her success as a jewelry designer, leading up to today.

She had finally achieved success. And her child had become her everything.

As the car was passing through a busy road, she looked up and saw the gilded signboard of the Leonards Group gleaming in the mid-day sun. Resplendent and magnificent. It seemed to cut right through her heart.

She had cursed the Group to fall into a state of bankruptcy. Unbeknownst to her, her curse did not materialize. Instead, the Group had grown rapidly and even had its office set up in a large building.

Thinking of Jude and Angela, and the thought of them holding onto her father's shares which he had once owned during his lifetime, the four years of buried resentment resurged like a tide sweeping over her.

If there ever came a day where she has acquired the means to do so, she would surely take back ownership of her father's shares.

She solemnly made this pledge in her heart.

The accommodation which her company had arranged for her was quite good. It was situated at a high-end residential area. There was also a bilingual kindergarten located here. It was well-suited for family with kids.

The company gave her a week off for her to unwind before resuming work.

She was prepared to spend the week off with her son in the city leisurely going about the city.

However, just after two days, an important client came knocking at her door. Her boss personally called her up, notifying her that a wealthy lady had made a request for her to design a diamond ring for her upcoming wedding anniversary.

Cynthia was a notable figure in the company. She was a designer who was sought after by the rich and famous.

She just came off the phone with her boss and her client was already waiting to meet her back at the company. However, her kid hasn't even been enrolled yet, so she had no choice but to bring him along with her.

"Zion, listen to mommy, I'll be meeting some clients in a while, you stay in mommy's office, don't run about, okay?" Cynthia softly warned the little boy.

"Mommy, don't worry, I am very obedient, I will behave." The little boy blinked his big eyes in earnest and nodded.

Cynthia looked at her son's beautiful, almond-shaped eyes, and his little handsome, refined face. People who have seen him said that his features did not resemble her except for his fair skin.

This made Cynthia's heart bitter. If he did not resemble her, then this must mean that he resembled his father. In her mind, what the man looked like that night, she could not remember.

Whether he was old, ugly, tall or short, she had absolutely no clue.

However, when she saw her son exceeding the average height of that of a three-year-old, and approaching the height of a five-year-old, with good looks that were beyond her expectations, she felt that the Heavens have blessed her.

What's more, the IQ of her child was that of a genius. At a young age, he was adept at everything including conversing in both Mandarin and English. Interestingly enough, her kid had even helped out her aunt's grandson who was already in the third grade of primary school, with his homework.

His IQ was too high.

"Mommy, there you go staring at me again. Am I that good-looking?" The little boy quipped.

She kissed him on the forehead. "Mommy gave birth to you, of course you're good-looking."

"Mommy, everyone says that I don't look like you. So I must look like Daddy."

Cynthia's heart clenched. She felt a twinge of guilt at the absence of a father figure in his life.

"Probably!"

"Does that mean as long as a man resembled me, he could be my father?" The little boy was filled with excitement. "What does he look like? Daddy must be an older version of me."

Cynthia smiled and looked down at her watch. "Alright, I'm going to be late. Let's go!"

Cynthia took a cab to the company. Her office was located in a multi-storied building that could be considered impressive. Cynthia strode to the centre. Looking up, she caught sight of an imposing skyscraper. What was unique about it was that this skyscraper was comprised of three towers, slicing up the skyline, converging to a single point at the pinnacle akin to a colossal pyramid, looming over the surrounding buildings.

Cynthia looked at the Leonards group's company not far away. In front of this building, it seemed like it had lose out on its imposingness.

What corporation was this?

"Wow! How beautiful!" The little boy exclaimed. He already had a sense of appreciation for the finer things in life.

Cynthia's office was right beside this skyscraper. Compared to it, her office was no doubt smaller. However, it was still situated smack dab in the heart of the central business district. Here, an inch of land was an inch of gold.

Even if it was just a small high-rise building, it had to be an established company.