The CEO's Vengeful Bride

Have you ever been crushed? Diane felt like a truck had run over her body. Maybe that was why she couldn't move. She was standing by the door of a room she had been quite familiar with for the past five years, and shock had paralysed her at the scene she met.

The man she would walk down the aisle with was intertwined with a female who was not going at it passionately.

It was like time had frozen, and her head was swelling from discombobulation. Her eyes hurt from the sight, and tears like needles were piercing her eyes; her ears twitched at their moans as it felt like a screech to her ears, her tongue tasted bile like something terrible was threatening to roll from her throat, her skin numbed that she could only feel her blood run cold.

Their moans were so brutal and animalistic that she couldn't recognise the voice of the growl as Austin's, but she could swear that the timid and meek moan belonged to someone she had met before. She couldn't place it.

Austin had been a very conservative man. At least that was the font he put up, and Diane found it rather attractive than boring. He was an organised and disciplined person with a relatively stable personality, and stability was precisely what Diane needed. She put up with his trashy family of a nagging mother and a rude and utterly disrespectful sister, with all their tantrums because she was so in love with the man that she grovelled for his family.

Diane's lips quivered, and hot tears ran beautifully down her face, so hot that her eyes and throat hurt so bad. A powerful urge to go to the kitchen, pick the sharpest knife and brandish it on the fine back of this man she loved with her soul suddenly kicked in, but she was a coward, a stupid full-time one at that.

A painful sigh escaped her lips as she staggered back; their voices were too piercing, and her nose couldn't take the stench of their deed.

"I'm about to, ahh ahh, kyaaaaaaaa!" The girl under Austin shook, and he immediately pulled out while kissing her neck and her jade-like jawline. He always felt so relieved with Chloe, and he liked how adorable she was and how she leaned on him dependently.

"You beast!" Chloe slapped Austin softly on his shoulder as her entire face had a cute red shade, his shy little thing.

Austin laughed deeply. Who didn't like being praised for his masculine efficiency?

A crashing sound drew him out of his ecstatic thoughts, and he felt Chloe stiffen in his embrace.

"What's that?" He turned to the direction of the sound, and his body ran chill. His Fiancee was right there at the door looking defeated and shocked. Her bag had slipped off her hand and crashed neatly on the floor, and a soft sob escaped her barely parted lips like she was trying to gasp for air.

His body trembled in guilt, and he immediately detached himself from Chloe like she was a hot potato and shook his head, "I can explain, Annie, it's not what it seems like."

Diane looked at the man, who looked different from everything she had known about him. He was now standing by the bed in his naked glory. Funny enough, she could count how many times in five years she had seen him bare-chested. She always thought she'd be flustered and timid the first time she saw him naked, but disgust shrouded her eyes.

"Chloe-" Her voice hitched in utter surprise as her eyes flicked to the bed.

His Cousin?

His Cousin, for crying out loud!

Her head spun so fast and hard that she leaned on the door panel. It did not make sense at all.

"No, no, it was the devil-" Austin began making giant steps towards her.

"Don't!" She gritted her teeth and wiped the tears that blinded her eyes, but more poured out. She went as far as having an affair with his cousin. That was incest, in a way. Disgust like a huge bile piled up in her throat as disbelief marred her face. Her heart was already drenched in pain, and her mind was determined to understand the situation.

Chloe was Austin's cousin whom he had introduced her to on one of their outings. She was his closest cousin and was like a little sister to him. Diane also liked this cousin of his, and they had bonded, and unlike his sister and mother, this cousin treated her rather well. They even became friends, hanging out and sharing secrets while this cousin was secretly warming his bed.

"Oh please, tell her already; she was bound to know anyway!" Chloe rolled her eyes and pulled the covers protectively around her chest.

Diane had never heard that tone from Chloe before. It was snappy and didn't resonate with Chloe's personality, which was gentle, patient and sweet. It was an eye-opener.

"What is she talking about?" Diane didn't know whether she was afraid of looking at Chloe or couldn't face this girl she almost took as her sister. It was easier to face Austin, who probably wasn't aware of his nakedness.

"Babe..."

"Don't call me that!" Diane's voice had an edge despite the shakiness it came with.

She was trying to be a calm person, not an angry woman. She was rational; she could swear it, but she was on the brink of losing it. Diane could feel it.

"Fine, but this... It's the devil-" He was a fidgeting mess, biting on his words and stuttering.

In her memory, Austin was the Perfect man. He was always confident, had airs of an aristocrat, and carried himself with arrogant poise and in a conventional manner, but today? That image tumbled and crashed mercilessly.

"Oh please, leave the devil out of this. The devil made you f*ck the hell out of me for three years? You've got to be kidding me!" Chloe snapped at Austin, her eyes sharper than razors, and that was when Diane finally looked at Chloe.

Three years? Wow!

Diane heard a burst of maniacal laughter, and she knew it was her. She laughed so hard that tears poured out more, each hotter than the previous one.

Three whole years!

"So you've been sleeping with your Cousin for three years?" No matter how committed Diane wanted to sound, her voice came out as a messy quiver.

Austin shook his head like a dying chicken and opened his mouth to speak, but then Chloe beat him.

"Oh my goodness, could you be any denser?" Chloe scoffed at Diane. She got up from the bed gracefully, with the duvet covering her nakedness. "We aren't cousins", She drawled.

Another big hit.

Diane looked more pale, like lightning had struck her, and she could only watch as Austin looked pleadingly at Chloe.

"What!" Chloe shrugged her shoulders. "She will know either way or how do you plan to explain about this childhood sweetheart and ex turned non-existent cousin to your family on your glamorous wedding day? She was bound to find out unless your family would cover for me. Will they?"

Chloe chuckled and looked at her fingers like they were fascinating things and then back at Diane from the hood of her long fan of lashes, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

She didn't look any but remorseful, "But let me tell you a story." She sat on the bed, her left hand holding the duvet to her chest, and leisurely continued, "When I came back to Arizona, I met him again after we broke up a few years ago. He was, well, way better than he was when I last saw him, all successful and shit like that, so emotions were high, and hormones were definitely higher, so we hooked up."

Austin's face was as a white sheet as he leaned on the wall in defeat.

"He never told me he was now seeing someone else or that Austin was playing the Celebrate card because for the longest time I've known him, he f*cks like a nymphomaniac. Till you saw us hanging out one time and he introduced me as his cousin, I was as shocked and pissed as you are right now, but I loved him, and I still do, so I went with the flow while he two-timed both of us. I didn't have any problem with that. If anything, it fueled my adventurous kink, and clearly, he was good to me on and off the sheets, and he loved me, unlike you, who he was with only for the connection."

"Shut up", Austin growled this time, finally leaning off the wall and glaring furiously at Chloe.

Diane just chuckled self-depreciatingly. She had received so much information that she was surprised she hadn't fainted from disbelief.

She slowly took off the diamond engagement ring Austin had given her. She had previously thought it unique, but now, it felt so heavy and suffocating on her finger. She let the ring fall to the floor with a small 'tiling!' and watched it roll to his bare feet and then slowly stumbled out of the house like a spiritless body.

He didn't stop her, and she had mixed feelings about it; maybe if he did, she would have forgiven him. Perhaps if he did, she would have cried and believed whatever lies he told her. Possibly, she would have screamed at Chloe for being a potential home wrecker maybe...

Just maybe.

A YEAR LATER

The azure sky welcomed Diane as she stepped out, rolling her bag behind her. She sucked in a deep breath and welcomed the clean air that rushed into her lungs.

Oh, it's good to be back, Arizona!" She whisper-yelled.

"Diane!" A crispy voice called out to her from the other side of the Airport, where she saw her friend waving excitedly at her.

Hailey.

She waved back, matching her best friend's energy. She hurried over to her best friend's side, where they hugged deeply.

She burrowed her head into her friend's neck, taking in the Lavender scent that hovered around her. It smelt like home.

"God, I missed your hugs." Diane moaned as she pulled away, very much reluctant.

"Aww, me too!" Hailey pouted.

"Come on", Hailey helped Diane with her luggage as they shuttled through the airport into a friendly black Bentley.

"You drive now; paint me surprised!" Diane gasped as she entered the front seat beside her best friend, who took the wheel.

"Ehh", Hailey replied weakly, desperately trying to hide the proud smirk that was making its way to her face.

"Just spill it" Diane rolled her eyes, allowing her best friend to bask in her accomplishments. Hailey had always been afraid of the wheels and instead went in between chauffeurs to drive her around, but not only was the car deficient key this time around, but instead of some flashy sports car, Hailey Connor was behind the wheel!

"You have a lot of catching on to do!" Hailey drove smoothly while glancing at her friend, who looked way better than she left the country.

"Oh yeah?" Diane's eyes twinkled with mischief.

"Well, let's start with the fact that your mother gave me an earful on how I need to speak to you about your new job, "Hailey began, earning a wince from Diane.

"Care to share? Because I was even more perplexed than she was."

Diane heaved a sigh and looked out of the window. A moment to reminisce– or not. There were no good memories anyway.

Diane had been in a very disastrous state when she found out about the cheating scandal of her ex a few days before their wedding, and with every last shred of embarrassment and anger, she had to call off the wedding; good thing she only kept the news of the wedding to the smallest circle of her immediate family and her best friend. She couldn't even bear to think of the disgrace that came with explaining to everyone the reason behind their abrupt breakup. Had it been, she had invited a ton.

She might or might not have locked herself in her apartment for days, not until her friend broke in- literally and demanded an explanation.

Her family consoled her. If angrily trying to barge in on Austin and beat him to a pulp while planning to ensure his business meets a dead end is part of a consolation method, that is.

She prevented them, of course. He didn't know her true identity, anyway. She had never been more glad of her decision to keep it away from him.

She was a shadow of herself after the call-off. To get away from the country and put her life together, she told her parents that she wanted to complete her studies; a ph.d in business administration and management was what she wanted to do. It was due anyway. She travelled out for an entire year, and now she was done and had returned.

Contrary to what her brother and parents thought, she was not coming back to try her hand at the family business finally; instead, she had come back because she had a job offer to work for the largest conglomerate and some competitor to the family's business!

In her defence, Diane wanted to improve her skills before working for the family business. She felt that they would pamper her as an heiress, but she liked the freedom and strictness that came with unfamiliarity, and that was what K Group had to offer. When she got it right on a platter, she snatched it and returned immediately to resume work.

But maybe she had to sit it out with her family's impending rage for making such a rash decision.

Maybe not.

"Hello?" Hailey's voice brought her back from her reverie.

"What?" Diane had a confused look on her face. She had even forgotten what they had been talking about.

"You got a job, and you didn't care to share?" Hailey piped. But Diane knew better; her friend was a little sad that she had not let her know the information, and she had to hear it from another source. "...not just any job, a Job at the other side!"

Hailey was saying.

Her family called the K group 'the other side like it was beef or bad blood, but insiders knew better. The two colossal businesses weren't really in a competition behind closed doors. She knew that her grandfather and the grandfather of the present CEO were brothers in hand. But that didn't mean that she could spring such a surprise on her family.

"I'm sorry, Hail" Diane eased.

"I know I should have told you earlier. I planned to when I was sure I was going for the job. Dad and Mum must have found out about it somehow. You know how sneaky and nosy they can be."Diane nudged her friend, who had already arrived at the Rodriguez family estate.

"No, don't play that card on me!" Hailey shook her head. She poked her head out the window to indicate to the security men who, upon seeing her face, had let her in immediately. She turned back to her friend, who was batting her lashes miserably at her. If she were a man, maybe she wouldn't have succumbed to such trickery, but she wasn't a man, which was why she snickered;

"Stop blinking your eyes at me. You know it doesn't work anymore. I am immune."

Diane slumped her shoulders in mock defeat.

"Come on, tell me, how do you plan to cope? I hear that the new CEO is quite temperamental..." Hailey trailed as she finally drove into the Rodriguez courtyard.

"Err, I don't know- it couldn't be that bad, I mean." Diane shrugged.

"You, my friend, are something; get ready to be roasted by them. I may have eavesdropped when my mum and yours were discussing while I was back at my house, and dare I say that you toast. "Hailey shook her head pitifully at Diane.

"I'll get my way around it. I always do." Diane retorted with a little unsure quirk on her brow.

"First is escaping to open a business with you-know-who, and now jumping ships to the rival", Hailey chuckled, amused with the situation. "I thought I was the rebellious one among us!"

"You still are" Diane rolled her eyes.

Hailey's wristwatch went off in a tutting sound, which she frowned at, "I have to go, break's over, I have to follow my boss to see this client for lunch." She looked very much apologetic.

"Wait, you will let me walk into that lion's den alone?" Diane threw a tantrum. "I wanted to use you as a shield this time."

"Too bad" Hailey did not look sorry about that one. Diane was sure it was partly because she saw it as the heavens punishing her for not telling her about the news of her new job.

"I'll get out of your hair. Do search for me if you don't hear from me in three hours. Hopefully, Dad won't hit me to death with his support stick." Diane quipped, dragging her friend in for a hug.

"Aye, Aye, Captain! I'm dragging you out for a proper celebration and catching up, just two of us, I've missed your sorry ass." Hailey groaned before letting go.

Diane exited the Car with Hailey, who helped her with her luggage. The Butler and other helpers had already arrived at the scene to welcome her.

Looking at the tall and gigantic house before her as her friend drove away from behind her, throwing a honk her way before speeding off, Diane was sure that she was back for good. She took a deep breath, and two and three and four -

"Young Mistress, what are you gawking at?" James, the Butler, had stopped and looked quizzically at her.

Oh, fu*k it! She flashed an enormous smile at him; "I am just glad to be back!"

"...Can you believe him? Such a prick. I want to punch his handsome face with his suitcase, goddammit! Who cares about being a respectful lawyer when you have to put up with a jackass for a principal?" Hailey was saying.

Hailey picked her up later that evening and took her to a bar. Hailey said she was a VIP member, so they got to stay in a private room.

Diane knew that her friend was drunk. Tipsy and infuriated. It just happened that her boss was a hot and incorrigible person.

It's been an hour since they were in the room, talking about everything and anything, and Diane was basking in the contentment of having her friend by her side.

Her arrival at home was not as bad as she had thought. Yes, her father may have flown in rage, her mother may have been spitfire, and her brother may have rubbed her head like she was a golden retriever, but one thing was sure: they were glad she was back, that she was better, that she was happy.

She knew they still moved around eggshells with her present, but they only did it with concern, which warmed her heart.

When she explained her reason for not joining the company immediately, her father had mellowed down. "Of course, you are our princess; we will treat you as such!" He had grumbled.

But she needed to grow independent. To be capable of the position she would take at their family business before joining the company. Her brother, thankfully, had helped her escape their mother's wrath. She kept looking at Diane with murderous eyes that could kill. But her family had been settled. She had only driven to her apartment when her best friend came around to 'give her a life. '

Getting her a life meant sitting in a room with beer and coke and gossiping all night. Diane filled her friend in on how she spent her last year- the good part, though. While Hailey spilled premium tea on the happenings in their social circle, now Hailey was ranting about her strict boss nonstop.

"...are you even listening?" Hailey called in distress.

"Yes, yes, of course. Your boss is a hottie and should be canceled for that!" Diane replied.

Hailey rolled her eyes, "That too, but that was not what I said; I want to pee."

"Ohhh," Diane grinned sheepishly.

"What to do with you." Hailey snorted.

"Let's go then; I want to ensure you don't hit your head on a sink. You are wasted."

"I'm not, unlike someone, I can hold my liquor."

"Ehhh, whatever." Diane nudged her friend up, and they walked outside their private room only to bump into a couple.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that, my friend is..." Diane's voice trailed as she looked up.

"Diane!" A shrill voice cried before them.

"Oh shit. Was her luck just this bad?

"H-hi, Chloe," Diane forced a smile. "Austin"

Her hand ran cold. She finally looked up at them, and her breath hitched momentarily.

"Fancy seeing you around!" Chloe purred in a high pitch. She never really noticed how loud Chloe was till today.

Her heart for a second had stopped beating; Austin was looking very well, even more refined than before, and for him to frequent this bar, he was more loaded. In his arm was Chloe, who looked rather dainty and delicate. They were quite the couple.

Diane had thought she was over it, but the way her breath hitched, and a forgotten pain pressed down on her chest, blocking her airways, she knew that she wasn't totally over it. But she wouldn't show it, so she plastered a polite smile and turned to leave.

"Anne, what are you doing in this kind of place," Austin asked with concern dripping from his voice, concern that she so wanted to shove back up into his arse. She could see Chloe stiffen at Austin's concern. Maybe she should have felt triumphant, but it felt like dirt being shoved in her face.

"It's none of your business." She replied coldly. She turned to leave with her friend, whom she knew was holding it in from blasting at the couple.

That's progress, Hailey, keep it in.

If Hailey had an outburst, it was going to be over. She was going to raze the entire bar down in anger

"Maybe it is not, but if you are doing this to spite me, you don't have to. It's been a year now, and we all should move on," Austin said with a very self-righteous tone. Diane did not know whether to cry or laugh.

She could see him glancing at the room they were coming out from in suspicion, and Diane knew that all the concern bullshit was to feed his stupid ego.

Diane just scoffed, "I really can't do this. Hailey, let's go."

"Anne, I know you must have snuck or, worse still, followed some uncle to come here to look for Austin, but it's not you, and it's not right; please let us help you. We can get you out of here without the bouncers embarrassing you or the uncle disturbing you anymore." Chloe moved closer to Diane, intercepting her exit.

Diane's lips twitched as her eyes narrowed down on Chloe. Chloe was eying the private room she and her friend had just exited, and it dawned on her.

Austin and Chloe must have thought she wasn't fit to be in such an exquisite establishment, so it was either she sneaked it or she was prostituting an older man.

She was speechless at this. Ha! The audacity.

She looked at Chloe and Austin from the hood of her eyes and opened her mouth, but her friend, who seemed to have had enough, beat her to it.

"If it isn't the Adulterous couple!" Hailey scoffed. "If you don't get out of our way, I promise I will. I'll tear your pretentious face off your head."

Chloe bit her lips like a wronged person and shrunk into Austin's embrace. "Anne, who's this rabid dog?"

"You and your entire family are rabid-"

"Hail, let's just go." Diane held Hailey's hand and pushed her way against Chloe.

"Honey, why is she upset? I just wanted to help!" She heard Chloe cry.

"Do not mind her; she will regret it..." Austin's voice trailed behind her as she dragged Hailey away and into the restroom.

Hailey's face was beet red with anger. "What. Was. That." She bit out.

"That was Chloe," Diane sighed and slumped against a sink.

"That thing? I know, alright? I may or may not have stalked Austin to beat him to a pulp." Hailey snorted. She never met Chloe throughout. She never met Austin's family, just Austin. She didn't bother; she didn't like the man anyway. But after she heard what he did to her friend, she wanted to comfort him in the heat of the moment and had seen him once or twice with the lady in his arms.

Diane let out a breath she did not know she had been holding. She had always imagined meeting those two, but she hadn't imagined feeling pathetic after meeting them. Their pretentious concern was vile,

So disgusting that she bursted into self-deprecating laughter. The picture of the last time she saw those two became fresh. Austin, naked and pleading, and Chloe, waiting to spill whatever was to spill, but now, time had given them audacity.

They were looking down at her with a self-righteous approach. The guts of them. But she could see the guilt, the embarrassment that Austin tried to hide. He didn't look her in the eyes still. She made him!

To whatever he was today, he owed her every single dime.

"Oh, didi." Hailey hugged her when she noticed Diane spiraling. Her laugh had morphed into silent sobs.

"It hurts, you know." Diane sniffed.

"I know, if you'd let me, I would have given them a taste of their medicine and would have thrown them out; the owner of the bar owes me a favor or two." Hailey sighed, exasperated for not scratching the woman's face earlier as she consoled her friend.

"Nah." Diane chuckled amidst her tears and embraced her friend tighter. She felt a little better now. "I thought you wanted to pee."

"Oh, yeah, my bladder!" Hailey exclaimed.

Flushing came from one of the cubicles, and a young, skimpily dressed lady walked out, giving the two friends a weird look before scampering away.

The ladies burst into giggles at the weird look.

"We left the room with our stuff in there, remember? We have to hurry; I don't feel good about it. Diane cleaned her eyes with the back of her palm.

"Aye, Aye, Captain!" Hailey gave a mock salute and hurried inside one of the cubicles while Diane stared at her reflection in the mirrors. There was one thing Diane was very sure of: she knew that she was still not over the betrayal. She was still hurting, but she was sure she no longer loved Austin.