My Sweet Revenge on Richmond Howell

Octavia sat in front of her vanity, combing her lustrous, wavy blonde locks. She stopped for a while and stared at her reflection in the mirror, the blue eyes staring back at her harboring a mix of sadness and determination.

She had to do it today or she feared she might fall ill with the mental illness of chronic depression.

She looked at her expression again and the blue eyes, once filled with the light of love and happiness, now bore the weight of five years of turmoil in this thing she called marriage.

Octavia gently placed her hands on her stomach, where a new life was growing, lovingly rubbed her stomach and said, "No one has to know about you till I leave this prison, little one, that's my way of protecting you. I will birth you into a world filled with joy and love, not the hellhole I am about to say goodbye to."

She had been pregnant for weeks but kept the secret to herself. Richmond or his family did not deserve this good news because it was a lack of it for years, that made life unbearable for her in her husband's house.

Octavia remembered the early days of her marriage to Richmond, it was pure bliss. Richmond had been her best friend, lover, and confidant. They had been madly in love with each other and couldn't bear to be away from each other for hours.

But as the years flew by and Octavia was unable to conceive and give Richmond and his family the child they desperately wanted, he changed.

The once sweet man had changed into a demon who had exchanged his tongue for a sword as he said so many cruel and hurtful words to her about her inability to conceive that they cut deep within her.

Over the years, she had had many lonely, tearful nights and even days because his cold, cruel and bitter mother, Dame Betty, had not made things easier.

She always reminded Octavia of her failures as a woman and as a wife. Dame Betty always thought Octavia beneath her and always looked at her with disdain. It was soul-crushing.

Octavia had found out about the bundle of joy growing in her stomach about a month ago. She had been feeling feverish and nauseous so she went for a medical checkup to catch the flu before it became serious.

Pregnancy never crossed her mind for the short time she sat waiting for the result, she remembered the conversation.

"Hello, Mrs. Howell. The doctor will see you now." The nurse at the receptionist stand explained.

"Thank you, Theresa," Octavia responded after reading her name from her tag.

Octavia moved slowly into the office, still feeling funny.

The doctor looked at her, smiled and said, "Truly, you are a walking miracle, Mrs. Howell."

She laughed nervously, wondering what her doctor was going on about until he gave her an envelope and said, "Congratulations, Mrs. Howell."

Octavia's hand shook vigorously when she accepted the envelope from the doctor. She opened it and, while checking the content, looked up sharply with immense surprise at her doctor, who was smiling and said, "Yes, you're two weeks pregnant, ma'am."

"What?! How?!" she tried to remember because Richmond had not touched her in a very long time, and even when he did once in a blue moon, it was just quick, rough, and meaningless sex, and then he was off till the next blue moon.

That once-in-a-blue-moon sex happened last month.

Octavia didn't know whether to laugh, cry or scream, but the only response that came was, "Can you do me a favor, Doctor?"

"Sure, Ma'am."

"This news must not get out of this room. My husband is going through a lot now with work and all, so I will wait for my own good time to tell him," she lied.

"Oh, ma'am. Of course, you know that one of the reasons why our clients loyally patronize us is our commitment to confidentiality. We don't mingle in anybody's business unless they ask us to," the doctor assured her.

"Good, thank you, Dr. Michael." she shook his hand and left.

Octavia didn't want to go home for a while, so she booked a hotel room and when she got in, she cried for a long time.

She cried with ache in her heart for all that she had endured with her husband and his family, then she cried with joy for the new life within her, and that was the day she resolved to leave the miserable toxic life she was in, which was sucking life out of her.

She wanted to start life on a fresh slate with her unborn child, who she didn't want anywhere near the Howell family.

While still in the hotel room, she had called her friend, Marietta, who lived in Mexico, as she had not heard from her best friend, Sophia.

Marietta had often urged her to visit, offering a place of safety whenever Octavia recounted her ordeal to her. It was about time she made that visit, although it was a permanent one.

After the call with Marietta, she started carrying out the departure plan and carefully carried it out with the money she had secretly saved for years.

She retained the hotel room she booked and started buying the essentials she would need for her travel and immediately she got there. She didn't carry any items from the Howell house apart from her documents.

She wanted nothing to do, with any Howell property.

She bought the ticket to Mexico too and kept the items in the hotel rooms she booked because her mother-in-law had a maniacal habit of going through her stuff and to date, she had not told Octavia what she sought.

Octavia looked at herself in the mirror in her vanity, took a very deep breath and said, "It's time for a fresh start, Octavia. Are you ready?"

She donned a normal jogging outfit, pretending to go for a morning run.

Good thing Richmond was not at home, as he had traveled for a work conference but she left her departure letter in his home office, where she was sure he would find it.

Octavia jogged down the stairs as quietly as possible, pretending to be in the mood for exercise.

She got to the bottom stairs to see Dame Betty giving the house staff instructions for breakfast and any other business.

She had taken over this duty, deciding that Octavia had failed as a wife and therefore was not fit to run a household, and this decision she took loudly in front of most of the, if not all, the staff.

Dame Betty looked at Octavia and said, "You want to go for a jog? Good. I was wondering when you would stand up and do something meaningful with yourself since all you do is eat, go shopping and spend your money."

"You have no serious plan for your life, Octavia, but how could you? You've failed as a mother, a wife and even a woman, so what exactly are you good at?." She continued nonchalantly as if she were talking about the weather.

" Again, I say it is a good thing you are going for a jog because you have been getting unnecessarily chubby these past weeks and we all know it's not because you carry a child in that womb of yours. It's dried up and that's why my Richmond won't touch you affectionately."

Octavia gasped loudly at her harsh words, which had become her anthem.

She looked around because Dame Betty did not bother to be quiet. She saw the domestic staff, going about their business, pretending they had not heard anything when they had and had been hearing every single word.

One even dared to look at her and shake his head with pity for her.

She looked angrily at her mother-in-law and said "I have just about had it with your hateful, abusive words. You are just an old, bitter woman full of hate; if not, why exactly will you say such hateful words to someone else?"

Octavia saw her mother-in-law turn back to look at her with obvious surprise and she also heard a gasp or two from the staff who also heard what she said.

Octavia continued, "I, Octavia, am not a failed woman or wife. Maybe it's you and your family that need to be checked for failure tags. Excuse me, I am going for a jog this morning."

With that, she left stunned Dame Betty, who still stood at her spot, jogged a few miles and hailed a cab to the hotel.

Octavia's heart pounded with fear and determination but she couldn't let fear stop her now. She had to do this, especially for her unborn child. She placed her hands on her stomach to gain strength.

Hours later, Octavia sat aboard the airplane bound for Mexico, looking forward to a fresh start.

She thought about Marietta and her ever-smiling mother and knew that she would find a haven there. The Howells don't know about them.

Richmond would find her departure letter when he got back from the conference.

*****

Dame Betty, went up to Richmond's home office to find Octavia's departure letter. She dials her son immediately.

"Hi, Mom, how are you doing? Hope everything is fine back home?", Richmond asks from the other end of the line.

"Octavia has fled from the city", she responded with a smirk on her face.

"What?! Where did she go?"

Alejandro Estevez was going to have a business meeting with some foreign business partners from the United States at his residence, and there was a bustle of activities, although it was almost like this every other day as the mansion was grand, with the chief of domestic staff churning out instructions.

"Beulah, these chandeliers still need some shine. How are we doing in the kitchen, done yet? Greg, direct the gardeners to the garden at the east gate...."

"And you...." Marcell, the Chief of Staff called out to a staffer, not remembering her name.

"You will serve coffee at the start of the boss' meeting."

"Alrighty Marcell", the woman acknowledged her duty with a gracious smile.

Marcell admired her poise and thought to himself, "There has to be something about that woman".

****

Alejandro Estevez looked at the faces of his foreign business partners one after the other.

They were all seated in the conference room in his house. Normally, he does not mix business with the privacy of his home but for this particular meeting, he wanted to be very confidential.

Alejandro prided himself on being an accomplished man, he was a beast in the American business market but then there was still one more accomplishment he wanted overall and still didn't know how to, and that was dislodging Howell Energy's top dominance of the American business market which would make him number one.

He asked again "What are the stats, Jerry?"

"Right, sir, although we closed the Alabama and Czech Republic deal on a winning note, We are still nowhere close to Howell Energy." Jerry, his Chief of Operations reported and everyone in the room groaned.

"We have to find a way to take over the market share from Howell Energy." Alejandro boomed authoritatively. "We need the world to know us as number one, the best but their dominance is becoming a major hurdle. "

Alejandro stopped when he heard a soft knock and a beautiful young woman came in with a tray of finely crafted cups and a steaming jar of coffee.

For a brief moment, Alejandro found her a beautiful sight to behold, but what caught his attention was her mannerisms and elegance.

Although dressed in staff clothing, she did not look like or act like a maid; instead, she behaved like the lady in charge of an elite household. Who was she?

When she left, Alejandro saw one of the men still staring after her, his eyes wide with recognition.

"What is it, Hugo?" Alejandro asked, "Why are you staring at the young lady that way?"

"You don't recognize her, sir? What is she doing here, working as a maid?"

"Who is she?" Alejandro queried.

"Uhm, that's Octavia Howell. Wife of the president of our rival company."

"What?!" Alejandro shifted a bit to look at the door Octavia just left through.

"Although it is no news that she left him, I am surprised she is here. What a small world." Jerry interjected.

A eureka came to Alejandro's mind and he leaned back on his chair, smiling.

"She's the wife of Richmond Howell, who is no longer with him. If anyone knows the secret of Howell Energy, it's that beautiful woman who just served us coffee. If anybody can aid our takeover, it's her. " Alejandro reasoned with a determined smile on his face.

"I will have to adjourn this meeting. I need to have a meeting with a certain young lady so if you will excuse me, Remember, everything you have heard here in this room stays in this room," he said, urging the men out. He then called his chief of staff to summon the lady who served the coffee back to the meeting room.

Octavia, now a mother to a beautiful baby boy, had taken up work as a domestic staffer in the mansion of the Mexican billionaire and CEO of Estevez Electric.

Octavia entered the meeting room a little fidgety. Did she do something wrong? Did anyone complain about her services? Why will Mr. Alejandro call for her?

"Are you Octavia Howell?" her boss, Mr. Estevez, asked. He was a man with a domineering aura, and one cannot help but be respectful or fearful when around him.

"I no longer go by that name. I am Octavia Swift now, she replied.

"I heard the rumors. Did you leave him because he maltreated you?" Alejandro queried softly. He could endure any news but the news of a maltreated or abused woman was not welcome to him. He helplessly watched his mother go through the same.

"Yes, sir," Octavia said while looking at the floor.

There was something about this man that would make anyone spill out secrets and memories they had buried in the deepest places.

"Mmmm," he breathed. He stood up, walked over to where she stood, and studied her for a moment, his expression unreadable.

Then he slowly smiled as if he were about to offer her the world. "This right here, could be an incredible opportunity for me and you."

"You see, for years I have worked very hard to overthrow Howell Energy and become the top in the American market but nothing seemed to work, and now here you are," he explained.

"I am afraid I do not understand you, sir. What has that got to do with me?" Octavia asked, confused.

"Beautiful question. My dear Octavia, we both have something to gain here. I want Howell Energy and I believe you would want to get back at them for all that they did to you. If I heard the rumors correctly," he said.

Octavia scratched her temple, wondering what was going on at the moment. She had not expected this turn of events when she made her way to work that morning.

"What are you proposing, Mr. Estevez? What do you want?" she asked, wanting him to get to the point already.

"Marry me," he said with a confident voice. "Through that, you will help me overtake Howell's energy by telling me everything you know about them. In return, I will give you my name, wealth and much more than you can ever ask for. Do as you please. Most importantly, you get to decide what you want done about Howell energy."

"What?! This is the craziest thing I have ever heard. As much as I want the Howells to pay for what they did to me, I will not jump out of one loveless marriage only to jump into another. Excuse me, sir, but I have someplace I need to be right now," she said and left the room. Hopefully the job and Mr. Estevez, now she had to look for another job, she reasoned while heading back to Marietta's house.

Octavia got home to see that Marietta was back from work.

She had gotten back earlier than her close time so she knew Dom Dom would be taking a nap. She checked on him and kissed him. Octavia had always thought about her son, Dominic, as she worked. He was nestled safely in the arms of Marietta's mother when she left for work.

She said hello to Marietta's mom before heading to the balcony where Marietta sat down.

She sighed and slumped tiredly on the chair.

Marietta looked at her and said, "Why do you look like you just fought in a boxing ring?"

Octavia took in a deep breath and said, "Maybe I just fought in a boxing ring. You won't believe what happened to me at work today."

Octavia went ahead to tell Marietta all that happened to her and what she encountered with Mr. Estevez.

"Woww!! I am lost for words, Octavia." Marietta said it with wonder.

"Yeah, I was there too. I mean, the Howells did treat me badly but I want to think, that it's in the past. Richmond cannot possibly hurt me right now so why should I?" Octavia reasoned.

"Uhm, baby girl, I think you may want to rethink that statement," Marietta said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Octavia asked, confusion creasing her forehead.

Marietta slowly switched on her phone and handed it to Octavia. "I am sorry, Octavia."

"Oh no!" Octavia exclaimed as her eyes widened in shock.

Octavia looked at the phone and saw a blog news picture of her estranged husband, Richmond and her best friend Sophia, but it was the news headline that shook her to the core. It read, "President of Howell Energy, Richmond Howell, set to marry social elite, Sophia Gomez."

Tears streamed down Octavia's face as she looked at Marietta's phone. "My best friend? I mean, if he remarries, that's his business, but my best friend? No wonder she didn't take my calls or talk to me these past months."

Octavia looked at Marietta with resolve and said, "I need to pay three people visits, Marietta. I need to see Richmond and officially serve him divorce papers. I need to see Sophia and have her look me in the eyes while she answers questions I have. Then, when I come back, I need to visit Mr. Estevez, as I believe we have a proposal to shake hands on."

****

Octavia took purposeful steps through the all too familiar building while ignoring the surprised glances of employees at Howell Energy. She had come with one mission in mind.

She pushed the door open and said, "You just couldn't wait for me to go away so you could frolic with my best friend, my best friend, Richmond."

"Uhmmm, I am very sorry about this, but uhmm, excuse me, Ladies and Gentlemen. Thank you," Richmond said to the men and women he was in a meeting with.

He gave her a stony glance, and immediately they left. "Well, what the hell, Octavia? Those were freaking partners," he said angrily.

"I don't care if they were your ancestors. How could you do this to me? With my best friend? What did I do to you to make you hate me so much? Her voice broke at the end.

Richmond remained silent and observed her. She looked different, still very beautiful but there was a softness about her that seemed motherly, even though she was a woman scorned right now. He shook his head and said to himself, "Octavia, motherly. Nah, not possible," then tried to focus on the conversation.

"Listen, I am sorry, Octavia. Life happens; people grow apart and that was what happened with us," he reasoned nonchalantly.

"Life happens? Do people grow apart? But why give me such ill-treatment? She asked and shook with anger when she saw him shrug nonchalantly in response.

"Were you sleeping with her when I was in your house as your wife? She asked quietly. "Were you?" she shouted when he didn't reply.

"Yes! Yes! Jeez, I am sorry, Octavia. It is what it is; life happened to us," he tried to reason, having the decency to be a little bit embarrassed.

"It's fine. Please just sign this so we'll finally go our separate ways," she said, throwing the folder containing the divorce papers at him.

He opened the folder, saw what it was and quickly signed it like a drowning individual who was given a lifejacket "I am sorry, Octavia."

She looked at him one last time with hatred and left his office, her destination on the two-time backstabbing bitch she once called best friend.

****

Octavia banged heavily on Sophia's penthouse door. She was not in the mood to do security bells; she wanted to hit something out of anger and the door took the hit.

Sophia opened the door, looking sophisticated as usual in a white crop top, and elegant palazzo pants with in-house clogs.

Her eyes bulged wide when she saw Octavia and it looked so funny. Octavia almost laughed but the situation was not funny.

"Octave!" she whispered.

"You have some nerve calling me that." Octavia spat out, angry that she used her pet name.

"You were sleeping with my husband while I was still in his house. I'd cry to you about the maltreatment and you would get angry and call them all sorts of names but behind my back, when I go back to that miserable house as you called it, the same miserable man as you called him will come back here and you would not only spread your arms with a warm hug for him to come you would also spread your legs. You! My best friend! I called you my sister!" Octavia said it in a slow, rising rhythm until she screamed at the end.

"Octavia," Sophia whispered. She was so guilty she couldn't say anything, she kept opening and closing her mouth. "I am sorry, it just happened."

"Let's see how long you last before you become as miserable as I was. I hope you get the strength to walk away too before they break your spirit completely." Octavia spat.

"I won't end up like you, Octavia. I won't. I...I have what it takes to be the Howell wife; I can give them what they want," she murmured more to reassure herself than Octavia.

"Keep telling yourself that, you greedy bitch." Octavia spat and walked far away from the stench of betrayal.

She went straight to the airport and took the next flight back to Mexico, Once she landed, she went straight to the Estevez estate to see the one person who would help her get revenge on those monstrous lots.

The security guard took her straight to Mr. Alejandro Estevez's study as if he were expecting her to come back.

From the ceiling to the floor-glass window in his study, she saw him deeply engrossed in the files on his desk.

His bodyguard knocked softly on the door and said, "You have a guest, sir."

He looked up and gave a hopeful smile when he saw Octavia "I had hoped-hoped-that you would consider my proposal after seeing the tabloids. I am guessing you have." He concluded with a grim expression at the last part, wondering how Richmond Howell is so good with business but dumb when it comes to his personal affairs.

He was about to bring down his organization with his own hands because hell had no fury like a woman scorned and he was about to make a deal with a very scorned woman.

Octavia ignored his last statement and said, "I accept your proposal, Mr. Estevez, and I will help you take down the Howells but I have to tell you this." She licked her lips and continued, "I have a son and nobody knows about him."

"Oh! Do you intend to tell people about him?" Alejandro asked, referring to the Howells.

"If I wanted to, I would have done so months ago but he is my son and not theirs," she said defiantly.

"That's fine with me, Octavia. I understand that this is purely business and would not interfere in your personal affairs but in the process of taking down the Howells, I will make you a very very powerful woman that no one, absolutely no one, can hurt you," he stated vehemently.

"I look forward to becoming that woman," Octavia said and smiled wickedly.