THE COMEBACK KISS

The air was misty and birds chirped rapidly on the window sill, the smell of cinnamon drifted into the air. White miniature bells were tightly stringed to the trees at the garden and white pearls were littered on the aisle.

Guests had started trooping in to witness the marriage ceremony that had been the talk of the town. To the public eye, it was a wedding between two university lovebirds but people who were close to them knew it was just a mere business contract to rebuild Daniel Jacksons' empire and elevate him on the business ladder.

The first meeting between the couple was orchestrated by Emily's father; Daniel, who was bent on exchanging his daughter for a huge sum of money. Cole, who had always had eyes for Emily, saw this as an opportunity to gain full access into her life.

He was studying law while she followed the footsteps of her father by studying Business Administration which was solely his decision.

It was all for the media; the public dates, public affection and open kisses. None of them were real. Cole seemed to be the only one who was having the best time of his life while Emily was paraded around like a live doll Barbie.

It wasn't her decision to make but she was left with no other option but to succumb to her father's command. Threatened with being thrown out of the house and cut off from her fathers' inheritance, she was convinced by her mother; Emma, to listen to her father and avoid issues.

Emily was sick and tired of her fathers' highly manipulative behavior and wished she wasn't born into the family. Right from childhood, she had always done her fathers' bidding and gave in to his incessant demands. Her mother was weak and naïve to stand up for her daughter; she had submitted to her fate and wished her daughter could do the same.

"You look so beautiful my dear, just like your mother did on our wedding day." Daniel softly said, acting like a loving father but mother and daughter knew it was all a plan to deceive people. He trailed his fingers through her neatly braided hair and settled on her shoulder, leaving a tight squeeze. It was a warning not to mess things up and disgrace him in front of everyone.

Emily rolled her eyes in disgust and held herself back not to spit at him. One look from her mother caused her to swallow back the words she wanted to spew out.

"Thank you, daddy. You don't look bad either." She mocked raised eyebrows. Daniel inhaled a sharp breath and reeled in his brewing anger. He dusted off the invisible dust on his shoulders and made his way towards the door but not before leaving a message to Emma.

"Ensure that your daughter doesn't destroy everything I've worked hard to build or else she's going to find herself on the streets and you're going to pay dearly for her mistakes." He looked at her with so much hate and his face was cold. Emma fidgeted under his stare and was forced to stare at the floor.

Daniel reveled in people's fear, it made him elated and fuelled his ego. His eyes surveyed the room and met the eyes of the bridesmaids and makeup artists. They all looked scared and surprised to witness the ever calm and collected Daniel Jackson act differently.

To the public, he flaunted himself as a loving father and husband while Emily was forced to smile at the camera and act as the submissive and obedient child. He knew if he didn't say or do something to save his face, he would lose the fake image he had built for himself.

"Also, I must commend you all for turning this anticipated day into a reality. Thank you very much, great job!" His words seemed to clear the air and lifted their spirits, they all cheered and thanked him.

With the close of the door, Emily instructed everyone to leave except her mother.

"Mom, I can't do this. I can't go out there and lie to everyone that I'm happily in love with a man that I don't know. I can't spend my whole life with him." She whispered fiercely. Hot tears streamed down her cheeks, she tried to stop them but to no avail.

Rushing towards her, Emma wiped off her cheeks with shaky hands but Emily slapped them off.

"Mom, just stop please. It's enough already." She placed her hands over her face and sobbed uncontrollably.

"Emily, you're going to ruin your make-up. Your father is going to be mad." Her mom breathed out. Her eyes searched the dresser for tissues or anything that could dry up the tears.

"Really? Mom, is that the only thing you care about? What about me, your daughter? Don't I have a say in all these?" Emily was heartbroken that her mom took sides with her father and never listened to her own opinions.

Emma huffed at her daughter's attitude; she wondered why Emily was stubborn as a mule like her father. She assumed that it was the best decision Emily could make to remain on her father's good books.

"You would learn to love him later on. That's how it was for me and your father. We didn't love each other in the beginning but we later fell in love. It would be much easier for you because Cole loves you, do the right thing."

Do the right thing...those words kept ringing in her head as her father walked her down the aisle. Emily was oblivious to the fake smiles and shiny white teeth, not even when her father handed her over to Cole.

Her mothers' words resonated in her head once again. Doing the right thing was going to be a costly decision but she was willing to risk it.

"Emily!" Her mother called out as she ran out of the venue leaving her veil behind.

The huge glass windows and impeccable furniture gave life to the room. The chairs were pure vintage and the desk was made of pure mahogany. Papers were littered all over the table; all marked with red ink. The buzzing sound in the room emanated from the air vent that had a slight fault; so many times, someone had been called to fix it but nothing worked.

It was a beautiful and eccentric office; fit for a CEO. The office chair was occupied and someone was seated there, typing rapidly on a laptop. A huge sigh followed every moment the enter key was pressed.

A broad shoulder and perfectly sculpted legs were visible under the table. Javier knew he was extremely good on the eyes and he flaunted it every single moment that he could. His jet black hair was neatly gelled to the back but from the looks of it; his hands had run severally through it due to frustration.

With another grunt, he flipped the banded papers, littered it with red ink and tossed them aside. He was fed up with the incompetent Pa's that were hired and fired in the span of one week. Mrs Pat, his Personal Assistant, was aged and had planned to retire but she made a promise to get someone who could take up her role effectively.

Unfortunately, the previous ones they hired always had a hidden agenda; to sleep with him or to get closer to him because of his wealth. Now, the PA that was currently working for him was asked to write a proposal for a business deal but it seemed she did a bad job.

"I am already fed up with all these things Mrs Pat hired! I can't work with this!" He exclaimed. Javier loosened his tie and threw his head backward; he expected to return back from his vacation to meet a well-detailed PA but it was unfortunate that things didn't turn out as planned. Santorini was great, Coco even made it fabulous.

The memories and the times they spent together filtered through his mind which caused a smile to form his lips. Coco Palmer, his girlfriend; to him, was one of the greatest things that happened to him. Not only was he drawn by her charisma but he was in love with her brains. She was the perfect woman that would help him to grow his empire and take him to the highest ladder.

A knock on the door halted his thoughts. "Mr Black, are you daydreaming again?" Mrs Pat questioned, bringing in a cup of coffee. He shook his head negatively and sent her a small smile.

"We're definitely firing this new PA, take a look at this. This is absolutely nonsense, I can't do this anymore." He huffed.

She laughed softly and said. "I've always wanted to do that but I waited for a go ahead from you. First thing tomorrow morning and she's gone."

"Thank you." He breathed. She placed a hand on his forehead and clicked her tongue.

"It seems like you're about to have a headache, why don't you take a break for a while? Drive around to clear your mind." Mrs Pat suggested and looked at him with worried eyes. Javier had always pushed himself when it came to his business and so many times, she had chased him to leave his office when other employees had closed for the day.

He worked too much for his age and acted like any moment from now, someone would come out of the shadows and steal all that he had achieved and it made her concerned.

"I just came back from a vacation, I'm perfectly fine and trust me I had a great time and I rested well." He stretched out, giving her a sly smile.

Mrs Pat turned up her nose in disgust, the thought of how he spent his vacation made her uncomfortable.

"What do you even see in that girl? Is it the money, because I know you have tons of them?" She threw her hands up in the air. Coco and Mrs Pat didn't walk on the same path, she despised his girlfriend and the feeling was mutual. Right from day one, she had always had a bad feeling about the girl and she had tried severally to separate them from each other but to no avail.

"Mrs Pat, you need to loosen up a bit. Coco isn't that bad, I just feel that she's easily misunderstood by people. Trust me, if you get to know her, you'd actually like her." He explained.

He already had a permanent picture of Coco in his head and has refused to see past the red flags.

"You of all people are telling me to loosen up, where is the Javier I know?" She queried, looking at him with huge eyes. Javier was known for being stiff and strict; loosening up wasn't in his dictionary.

"I guess Coco is really rubbing off on me. I think I like it." He smiled. She scoffed and rolled her while sipping her coffee; Coco was still on her radar and she wasn't going to give up until she found out what she really wanted from her boss.

"Well at least she was able to do something right with you even if I know it's for her own selfish reasons."

There was a distant look on his face that couldn't be hidden and Mrs Pat noticed that.

"You know; it wasn't your fault that she died. Javier, it's been ten years now, you need to move on and let go." She softly said, touching his cheeks.

He inhaled a sharp breath and forced himself not to relive the memories he had fought so hard to bury. It's been a long time and he didn't want to hear anything about his past.

"I'm going to take that break that you suggested." He hurried out of the room with his keys.

He was haunted by her.

Memories of high school flashed through his eyes severally and he struggled to keep them at bay as he swerved as he drove his car. He thought he was dumb to think that he had forgotten all about her but the pain still felt like it happened yesterday and not years ago. His eyes became wet with tears and he parked his car at a curb and turned off the engine.

The steering wheel was the only available place to pour out his anger and hit punched there repeatedly while shouting that it was all his fault. He could remember that night when Emily's mother told him that she was dead, he wished the ground would swallow him up.

He didn't expect for things to end between them that way, they had huge plans for their future; she would go to college while he stays behind to find greener pastures. Graduating from high school was a major struggle already for him and he worked three jobs to save up money for his fees.

Their family was poor and his father didn't see any use of spending money on school just for him to come out and do nothing with his certificate. Javier's mother thought otherwise; she knew her son had great potential and if invested properly he would grow up to be a successful man. Fortunately, his mother was right; he was more than successful but she wasn't alive to witness everything.

His father wasn't the best out there, they didn't have a good relationship. Right from childhood, his dad always had one thing or the other to say about him; it was either he didn't do enough or he did too much. To his father, Javier was a huge disappointment.

"Why do you keep haunting me Emily even after you left me?" He cried out. This was the pain and emotions he struggled to hide every single day; he wasn't going to let anyone break through his facade and break down his walls. He was Javier Black, the wealthiest and influential bachelor in New York city. A flimsy heartbreak wasn't going to tear him apart.

"Enough is enough. You're not going to torment me anymore, you're dead." He firmly said. Inhaling a sharp breath, he started the car's engine and scrolled through his phone. He came across a blog that had the pictures of Coco with another man at a club, in a very suspicious position. The headline caused him to raise his eyebrows. Was Coco cheating on him?

'Billionaire's Girlfriend, Coco Palmer Spotted with His Rival. Could There Be Trouble in Paradise?' His heartbeat quickened in a second, how could she do this to him? He wondered. Even after everything he did to make her happy, spending millions on her and fulfilling all her desires; she ended up cheating on him and breaking his heart.

"Coco! How dare you do this to me!" He raged and increased his speed.

One way or the other, he was going to make sure she paid for every penny he had spent on her. He couldn't believe that he was played again by a woman whom he thought loved him. First, It was Emily and now Coco. No, he wasn't going to let it slide like that.

It happened so fast, Emily hadn't stopped to see if there was a car approaching and she crossed the street causing a car to slightly hit her if not that the driver was fast enough to step on the brakes.

She was scared that she almost lost her life while trying to save her life by not marrying Cole. A huge crowd had already formed around her and were asking questions. What surprised them was her attire; she was expected to be at the altar getting married to the love of her life but here she was, running away with a huge overflowing ball gown. Emily was a wreck.

"I'm fine, thank you." She hurriedly said, trying to leave the scene. She didn't want them to recognise her and news would definitely get to her dad concerning her location. She made a mental note to discard the gown immediately after she left the scene.

Meanwhile, Javier was beyond shocked that the same person he almost knocked down with his car was his Emily; the one that was supposed to be dead ten years ago was staring at him. It didn't seem like she recognised him because immediately their eyes met, there was no pause before she ran again.

He rubbed his eyes to be sure he wasn't dreaming but it was really happening; he knew that brunette and amber eyes from anywhere even if she looked older and matured. That was his Emily, she was as beautiful as she was in high school. A car's horn brought him back to reality and he moved.

He headed towards Coco's apartment to confront her but he knew he had to clear the thoughts of Emily and focus on his reality. He assumed he was seeing things because he went to her funeral and saw her coffin being lowered to the ground even if he didn't attend. He was very sure of what he saw.

Getting to the apartment he bought for her, he observed that the doors were unlocked and what he saw confirmed his suspicions. Javier thought he could keep Coco with the money he had, he didn't expect her to run into the arms of another man; his rival. Yes, he might have wanted her for her brains and expertise in business but he loved her enough to keep her for long unlike his previous girlfriends.

Firstly, he was haunted by the ghost of Emily on his way and now his supposed faithful girlfriend was cheating on him. The same woman that promised to love him and make him happy.

At that moment, he concluded that women were all the same.

"When you're both done, I want you out of here!" He coldly said.