His Billionaire Ex Wife

The soft ticks of a grandfather clock filled the silent air of a rather huge kitchen. Ariadne was just about done with preparing her anniversary dinner.

Dusting her hands of any food crumbs, she reached for the device when the melodic sound of her ringtone broke the silence.

It was the call she had been waiting for.

Beaming brightly, she answered the phone. "Yeah, hello?"

"Mrs. Ariadne? We've called to inform you that the custom order you made a few weeks ago is now ready. Would you like us to deliver it to you?"

"No!" She instantly objected upon instinct, one could almost call it an everyday routine.

Although she had been married to Lucien Albrecht, a big shot in the business industry, for years- five years. But to be precise, no one in the outside world knew she was his wife.

In other words, she, being his wife, was on papers alone.

After so long of marriage, Lucien had never for once shown her the love she wanted. Not that she expected him to; after all she was just a woman he had married five years ago to meet his mother's last wish.

Ariadne knew their marriage didn't get a perfect start, but she was willing to wait, waiting for the day when Lucien would look back and see her love.

If nothing else, that was her only wish.

Now, after all that time, she had finally gotten her husband to agree on having dinner with her on the night of their wedding anniversary and she absolutely didn't want her efforts to go to waste.

"I'll pick it up right away, so don't bother." She responded, hoping this anniversary night would give their marriage a new start.

On arriving at the watch store, Ariadne took one look at her reflection, adjusting a few stray locks of her brown hair before heading inside. However, when she had just about made it pass the front desk, the conversation of two female workers caught her attention.

". I'm not joking. I saw Mr. Albrecht at the Rose Garden Restaurant, and he was with a very pretty female." The first female, a chubby and short brunette voiced.

'Lucien? With a woman?'

Ariadne' ears perked to a stand, conceiving news about her husband. But last she remembered, Lucien hated interaction with women, herself included.

Surely this employee was just making up a rumor to get attention.

She dusted their conversation aside, about to continue on her way. Yet the other female employee, a prettier brunette, squealed.

"Is this her?" The female had her index finger pointed towards the screen of her friend's phone which held the photo of a beautiful noirette with red eyes, whose features could only be defined with one word.

Celebrity.

"Yes. Wasn't she his lover years ago? Octavia Barrette, the rising star?" The chubby brunette excitedly screamed as soon as she recognized the woman in the photo.

Ariadne felt the ground beneath her feet sway momentarily and the voices became muffled.

'Octavia Barrette?'

No. She refused to believe what these people were saying.

Lucien and Octavia had already split up a while before their marriage due to her so-proclaimed illness.

She remembered how much Lucien suffered from her but Octavia was so determined. There was no way he'd still go back to the woman who had abandoned him all those years ago.

But as much as Ariadne had tried to convince herself otherwise, the next second she found her fingers dialing the number of her so-called husband.

Standing in silence, the brunette listened to the line ring, but no one picked up. She tried calling again, only to have the same fate, and on the third dial, she caught herself and instantly hung up.

'What are you doing, Ariadne Albrecht?' She thought and snickered as she lowered the device.

'Instead of picking up Lucien's present, you're here listening to rumors. Get it together.' She inwardly scolded herself and adjusted her posture the next second.

After convincing herself that the employee must have seen someone similar, she didn't waste another second, and strode towards the main shop, picked up the gift then headed straight back home.

By the time the brunette had arrived home-due to all the traffic, time had flown by and it was pretty late. Seeing this, and realizing Lucien was soon to arrive, Ariadne quickly got about setting up the atmosphere for their anniversary dinner.

She decorated the table with beautiful pedals of red roses, lit aromatic candles around each corner and had the best non-alcoholic wine served.

It was going to be the first time in years since they had celebrated the day of their marriage and the brunette was more than happy as she sat by the table, awaiting the return of her husband.

However, an hour soon turned into two hours, and two hours into three. And after trying to reach Lucien several times, Ariadne was starting to feel dejected.

Once the clock struck twelve, the brunette sighed and buried her face into the center of her palm.

'Of course he forgot. Is there ever a time he remembers?' Tears pricked at her eyes as she thought.

This wasn't the first time Lucien had forgotten about an important engagement of theirs. Be it her birthdays, his birthdays or their anniversaries, the man consistently seemed to put a curtain on each occasion.

And each time, it left Ariadne with a new reason to doubt her love for him.

Was all she had endured over the past five years really worth it?

How much more would she have to endure before it all ended?

The sound of the door clicking open drew the brunette out of her world of self pity and in walked Lucien.

'He's back!' Just seeing him for a glance was enough to eliminate all her previous hesitation and sadness like it all never existed.

"Welcome home." Ariadne greeted as she rose from her seat, trying her best to hide the truth that she had cried for him before.

Lucien hated those crying women, she was well aware of that tiny fact.

Her words, however, fell on deaf ears as Lucien walked. staggered towards the stairs, wanting nothing more than to head to his room.

Ariadne quickly noticed this and rushed to his side, placing an arm on his shoulder to support his movement. The scent of alcohol radiated off his entire being and this caused the brunette to scrunch up her nose.

"Lucien, did you. did you drink?" She asked surprised, remembering clearly that the male didn't like the taste of alcohol.

But midst the scent of alcohol, Ariadne could smell something else.

The feminine scent of a perfume?

It definitely wasn't hers, and Lucien's everyday smell was more of after shower grape smell and expensive sandalwood cologne.

'So who.' The brunette's train of thought was silenced as her gray orbs landed on the fresh red lipstick planted on Lucien's white office shirt.

This took her by surprise and her heart twisted in several wrong ways.

The one thing she was always so sure would never happen, was happening!

How in the world was there a lipstick mark on Lucien Albrecht's shirt? The very man who refused to have contact with women, his very own wife included.

Involuntarily, Ariadne remembered the conversation she had overheard back when picking up Lucien's present.

Her eyes fluttered in disbelief as they stayed trained on the lipstick mark, lips moving unconsciously.

"Lucien did. were you." No matter how hard she tried, the words just couldn't leave her mouth. It was like a painful bile stuck in her throat, one that she wanted to get rid of desperately, but couldn't.

Why? Was it because she was afraid?

But afraid of what? The way Lucien would react to her question? The outcome of her question? Or both?

While Ariadne was in a little world hers, Lucien wriggled out of her hold and stared down at her with icy orbs.

This did not shake Ariadne one bit as soon as she noticed. If after five years of cold marriage she couldn't get used to this much, then she wouldn't be her mothers' daughter.

"Ariadne." Lucien's voice was cold, devoid of any emotion towards her, just like his eyes.

Ariadne held that gaze, feeling her heart twist the more. She saw the way he clenched his jaw before uttering his next words- one that shocked her to the core.

"...I'll send home the documents, so let's get a divorce."

"I'll send home the divorce paper, so let's get divorced."

Huh?

Ariadne stared at Lucien, dumbstruck. Her whole world seemed to have stopped, coming to a stand still as her brain found it hard to process her husband's very words.

'Divorce? Just how much had he drunk to be spilling such nonsense.' The brunette thought and tried to dismiss Lucien's words.

"You're tired and exhausted as of now, how about I take you up and get some rest then we can. talk about this in the morning." She affirmed and forced a smile onto her lips, about to resume her previous mission when Lucien firmly gripped onto her arm.

She suppressed the surprised gasp that was about to leave her lips. Raising her gaze, she was surprised to see Lucien's face so close to hers.

The look of distrust and disdain clear in his blue-ocean like orbs, almost made her core flatten.

"Let me repeat myself once again. I'll send home the divorce documents, so you sign them and don't kick up a fuss."

Ariadne felt her heart sink. Her gray orbs shook as they stared into Lucien's blue once.

Without a doubt, the man in front of her knew exactly what he was saying.

Under the influence of alcohol? Ha, that would just be another silly story Ariadne would tell herself to feel better.

But right now, that story wasn't going to cut it. not with that look in his eyes and that tone. that tone that always seemed to throw icy daggers at her. Never, not one in their entire years of marriage had Lucien spoken nor treated her gently.

To him, she was just some contracted wife that didn't matter to him.

Yet, why was she so insistent on retaining this marriage. A marriage that has only brought her sorrow and pain.

Why? Well the answer was clear to her and her alone.

"No." She objected with a strong voice and hardened her stare on Lucien's gaze. This made a poker appear between the brows of the redhead. Soon, that expression was replaced by one of clear fury.

Lucien scoffed. "You think that's a request? Don't be stupid Ariadne. It was clear from the beginning that this was going to be nothing more than a contractual marriage."

Ariadne felt a pang in her heart at the harsh truth.

To Lucien, sure, this was nothing but a marriage forged solely by a contract, no feeling attached whatsoever.

But to Ariadne, this marriage was her life. Her past, present and future. Her everything.

Or so she tells herself.

Tightening his grip on her arm, Lucien stepped forward, boring his icy eyes into hers more than ever and then in a condescending tone, he uttered.

"Wake up to reality Ariadne. I've never loved you and this marriage. It's bothersome. I'm tired of it and it's high time we end it."

Another needle to her heart. Lucien's words were like sharp needles directed straight for her, making their mark without fail.

It was painful, even for her, someone who had endured humiliation and sorrow for the past five years. Hearing such a thing broke her.

And deep down, her consciousness knew the reason for Lucien's sudden notion. Daring to ask, she breathed out.

"It's because of her. isn't it?" The sad reality portrayed on her face, draining the beautifully tanned skin of any form of liveliness.

Ignoring her question, Lucien released his hold around her arm and retraced his step, not bothering to take a glance at the anniversary dinner as he stepped out, slamming the door heavily to show his discontent.

The sound of his car engine disappeared in the distance as Ariadne stood there, utterly shattered by how her night had turned out.

Yet, she refused to let her tears spill and blinked them back, inhaling deeply.

'How unfortunate am I?' She thought and glanced in the direction of her anniversary dinner. A pained chuckle leaving her lips the moment she realized all her day's worth of effort was once again in vain. This was the same thing she has been through over the years.

Now, she was really starting to regret her decision of abandoning her previous life all for the sake of Lucien's love.

"Ha." She breathed out and used her index finger to wipe off a stray tear that had successfully escaped. "Damn."

That night, Ariadne stayed up later than usual with the hope that Lucien might return. She waited a couple of hours before falling asleep on the couch.

When she woke up the next morning, the brunette had a splitting headache. It was obviously from the fact that she had cried last night and still ended up dozing off on the couch without any form of real body coverage.

Standing up, she headed for the bathroom, about to start her morning routine when she glanced in the mirror and grimaced.

Her appearance looked beyond awful.

Ariadne was a female of top class beauty. With brown lush hair that always hung up in a ponytail, doll like Gray eye, a pair of perfectly thinned pink lips and skin tanned to perfection; the female was sort after by many males, even till date.

However, it was a wonder how her beauty never seemed to work on Lucien. The male always remained cold to her no matter what.

And now, here he was, asking for a divorce.

How had her life turned out this way?

Ariadne's sigh was drowned in the sound of their doorbell ringing. In an instant, she was down the stairs and at the front door, pulling it open to see a strange man-who she quickly recognized as Lucien's official Lawyer, Joshua, standing on their front porch.

"Mrs. Albrecht, Good morning."

"Morning, how may I help you?" The brunette quizzed as she eyed the man, weary of his intentions.

"Mr. Albrecht sent me over. with some documents. I think it would be best if we discussed this inside."

Ariadne glanced back, skeptical at first, but later giving in. "Sure, come in." She stepped back, giving enough way for the lawyer to step in.

After they had made their way into the living area and both persons were seated, Ariadne asked. "Is there anything you would like?"

"This is going to be brief, so no. But thank you."

She nodded and gestured her hand towards the documents direction, somewhat aware of her impending doom.

"This." The lawyer paused as he drew out the documents, passing them on the table for the brunette to see, and when her gaze landed on the letter heading, her heart did a somersault and landed in a damn painful way. "...is the divorce documents Mr. Albrecht has requested to be sent to you for signing."

"It states here, that once signed, fifteen percent of his properties would be transferred to your name and as per bonus, here is a card containing fifty million dollars ..."

The long list of that so-called compensation hadn't raised any of Ariadne's interest, what she could feel was only bitterness and sarcasm as she listened to Joshua talk on.

Mansion? Money? That's all he thought she married him for?

Did he know how much she had foolishly abandoned all for the sake of becoming his wife?

"Mrs. Albrecht, Mrs. Albrecht, can you hear me?" The lawyer's voice brought her back.

She blinked twice before asking. "He wants the divorce for real?" She confirmed again, with an indescribable sadness in her eyes.

"Yes, Mrs." The lawyer lowered his head a bit, and then handed her the pen and the papers, "Mr. Albrecht requests you to sign the divorce papers."

As the word of "Divorce Agreement" appeared before her eyes, her heart was harshly squeezed by someone.

Those cold words lying there, as if laughing at her naivety these years.

That, was all she got after five years of marriage and devotion to a man who never return any of her feelings.

Was he really that stingy, even not wanting to see her for a second more and at least talk things through?

Forcing her tears back, Ariadne had abruptly stood up and stormed out of the house.

Divorce Agreement? What a joke. She refused to accept it.

In an enraged and bitter state, Ariadne drove straight to Albrecht Empire, Lucien's company and stormed inside.

If he wanted her to sign those documents so badly, he needed to tell her to her face. By himself.

She ignored the calls of every employee and stormed straight towards Lucien's office, pushing the door open without so much as a knock.

"Lucien are you really.?"Her speech was silenced as the scene in front of her shook her mental state.

Sitting on the office couch was Lucien and right right beside him. was Octavia, his so-called first crush, cuddling up to him like smudged chocolate .

They were enjoying a freaking happy meal together, as if they were the real couple who's fates have already been predetermined by the universe.

And that scene never happened between Ariadne and Lucien. She could only ever picture it in her daydreams.

Even more hurtful, Lucien's face, which held an emotion akin to blissfulness and inner peace, hardened up to his usual stoic one upon noticing the intruder standing at the door.

She, his real wife, now was more like the villainess who was obstructing the main character's happy moment.

"Hi, Ariadne. Long time no see." Octavia was the first to speak, with that cloying sweet voice. She even leaned closer on Lucien, throwing Ariadne a provocative look.

What a bitch! As shameless as she was before.

Yet, the truth that hurt Ariadne the most, was Lucien didn't push her away. He didn't even bother to explain as he stared on at her with orbs devoid of any emotion towards her.

It hurt more than the usual.

Before she had the chance to speak, the receptionist and a pair of security guards rushed in, almost bumping into her. As they saw their boss, they all dipped their heads in respect and the receptionist apologized.

"Forgive me Mr. Albrecht. I tried stopping her but she kept-"

"That's okay." Lucien interrupted, wearing his usual icy cold tone. "I know her; she's one of my maids."

'Maid?!'

Both the receptionist and Ariadne were stunned to hear that. To the receptionist, the woman before them was too well dressed, and considering the elegant temperament from her, it was hard to believe she was just a maid.

And to Ariadne, no words could tell how ridiculous she was feeling now.

As his real wife, she was called a maid by him; while that woman who was about to ruin his family, was cuddling in his arms, being believed to be his real girlfriend.

How utterly ridiculous was that!

Now, she finally knew how little respect he had given to her; even the title that she deserved, she can not preserve it. How could she be such a failure?

"I'll handle this, you're dismissed." His cold words came again, and the trio bowed with tremble before closing the wooden gate and disappearing.

When the extra crowd had gone, Lucien finally rose from the couch, leaving Octavia on it alone as he approached Ariadne.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, with his voice that didn't harbor any form of concern or guilt.

Fixing her gaze on his handsome facial features, Ariadne felt a new despair rise in her throat. Even now, it was hard for her heart not to bounce for him.

"Those documents. did you really want me to sign them?" She asked, noticing her eyes start welling but trying to hold it back.

Lucien was a little surprised by the sadness and persistence flashed in her eyes, but it was just a very short moment. He stuffed his hands into the pocket of his suit pants and nodded.

"I did, so sign them while I'm still being generous."

His words, were like a scorching hot iron rod which had just pierced Ariadne's heart. Every breath she drew became unbearable.

'Generous? How dare he say that?' Ariadne couldn't help scoffing at his words. 'What part of his act was generous?'

For the first time, Ariadne wanted to argue with him. However, before she could act, Lucien had walked past her, intending to leave.

As always, he would never have any patience to hear her finish her words and would walk out before she could tally her side of the conversation.

It always left her feeling stupid.

Octavia quickly rushed to his side and wrapped his arms, purposefully throwing a successful smile back to Ariadne.

The closing sound of the door leaving Ariadne alone with an aching heart.

***

Once again, like all the other times, the huge mansion was empty and devoid of human existence when Ariadne walked in.

Joshua-Lucien's lawyer had already left, leaving the documents lying on the center table.

Slowly picking up the documents, a self deprecating chuckle left her lips.

50% of his properties would be transferred into her name, as long as she signed it.

What a determination! Did her presence irk him that much? Then why should he agree to marry her then?

Abandoned her real life and identity, only for the sake of marrying a man who never for once reciprocated the love she gave.

She was pitiful yet more funny.

The thought of the whole matter made her body tremble as she broke out laughing, which soon turned to hysteric sobs that allowed tears freely flow down her cheeks.

After a while, a beeping sound emitted from her phone. She wiped her face and reached for the device in her back pocket, surprised to see a message from an unknown number. And she felt anger rushing to her throat as she tapped open it.

A photo of a rather beautiful diamond ring on a female's finger, adding with her shameless words.

'You can try and hug the title of Mrs. Albrecht as much as possible, but ultimately it would always belong to me. Peacefully let go of Lucien while I'm politely asking. Consider this my last warning, bitch.'

No need to think and she could know who sent this. Octavia, that bitch!

How could he accept her so easily after all those horrible things?

And what had she done so bad that she needed to endure such an insult?

Was this what she deserved?

For what, the title of Lucien's wife? Her unrequited love? Or the promise she had made to his late mother?

No! None of them deserved this!

Exiting her message app, Ariadne proceeded to call the man whom she called as her husband. On the second ring, to her surprise, the line was answered.

"What is it?" On hearing the coldness in Lucien's voice, Ariadne bit down on the inside of her lip.

He was always like this, as if she was nothing for his life.

In the process of pursuing Lucien's love, she had been lost so far. If her parents were still alive, she would have received a scolding worth ages.

Now, it's time to come back to the right path.

Closing her eyes, she then inhaled to calm her hurting heart.

"Just one last time to confirm, Lucien..." She paused as her eyes gravitated towards the documents on the table, "This divorce, is it really what you want?"

"Yes." He replied shortly, without any hesitation. A sad smile crept onto Ariadne's lips.

"Okay. Don't regret your decision later, Lucien." And with that, she hung up before he could for the first time.

Once again, it brought the house to silence- something she had now grown to hate.

Rummaging through a nearby drawer, Ariadne pulled out her favorite fountain pen and strode back towards the table.

She spared one last look at her name before signing down on her given space.

Ariadne Albrecht.

She had thought the name would suit her very much, yet it only turned out to be a joke.

Now, let her end such kinds of housewife games, and start something better to do.

Inhaling sharply, Ariadne pulled out her phone and dialed a number. In less than two rings, the line was answered.

"Be outside of Albrecht's villa, in less than ten minutes." Her voice was now firm and cold as she ordered.

And when she got outside, a car was already waiting for her, engines running and ready to go at any moment.

"Hello, Ms. Grey." Michael, the driver in front, greeted the moment she comfortably slid into the back seat. "Welcome back to the single life!"

"Mhm." She dryly answered, taking the tablet he passed her.

Catching her reflection across the screen, she suddenly felt cringing at the color of her hair and its length.

She never really liked the color brown and such long hair. How could she put up with this for so long?

God, she really should be herself once more.

Swiping her palm above the screen as she thought, the tablet came on, showing a special logo.

The Grey Enterprise. Her company.