Two weeks after meeting Frederick and Tristan De Clarion, Vernice was told that she can already move to their villa. However, she was also told that Tristan wouldn’t be staying with her, but he would visit her once in a while.
As soon as Vernice was done packing her stuff, she went downstairs. She then asked a maid to help her bring her luggage down.
“Oh, good that you’re here now,” it was Esme having coffee with Lawrence in their living room. “Dress up, we’re sending your marriage certificate to City Hall,” her Mom told her.
Vernice shook her head, “Not today, I’m flying to Lys after dropping my luggage at the villa,” she told her mother.
Lawrence moved his eyes from the newspaper he was reading and glared at his daughter. “What are you going to do there?” he asked grumpily.
“I need to talk to Hans and explain things to him,” she answered impassively. She didn’t even glance at her father when she responded.
“Let her,” Esme intervened. “When will you come back?”
Vernice took the ticket out of her bag to check her flight schedule. “I’m coming back in two days,” she told Esme, then stood up. “I’m leaving now.”
Not waiting for her parents to respond, she goes straight to the door. She just gestured at the maid to take her luggage out.
As soon as she left her stuff at the villa where she and Tristan were supposed to be staying, she drove out to the airport. Vernice called Hans before boarding to let him know of her arrival time.
When she got to Lys, Hans didn’t even pick her up from the airport. Vernice was so annoyed that she went straight to her boyfriend’s office instead.
“What are you so busy about that you can’t even pick me up?” she sneered.
“I’m swamped here,” he answered with a stoic face while nodding toward the piled-up documents on his table.
Vernice pouted her lips. Although she’s mad at him, she can’t let it take over her as she only has a few days to be with her boyfriend.
Instead of reprimanding him further, she reached out to him for a hug. Hans gladly returned it, even letting her sit on his lap.
“Why are you here?” he asked.
“I wanted to talk to you about this damned marriage,” she told him, and Hans nodded.
He looked at his watch, “Do you want to talk about it over dinner?” he asked sweetly, and Vernice quickly nodded her head in agreement.
While eating, Vernice tells Hans about the prenuptial agreement, the divorce agreement, and the villa they are staying in. She also mentioned what Tristan told him about not staying with her at the villa.
Hans is happy with the setup. “At least you’re not that disadvantaged. He won’t even sleep with you. Now you just do what you have to do.”
“Ah, don’t remind me again. Dad has already done it several times these past weeks. It’s already starting to annoy me.”
Hans chuckled. “By the way, my parents are coming over tomorrow,” he told her.
Vernice was taken aback. It had been a while since she last saw his parents. “Do they know about my marriage with De Clarion?” she asked Hans, who just shook his head.
“We can tell them about it tomorrow,” he told her, reaching out for her hand and giving it a light squeeze. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you explain it to them.”
Vernice nodded in agreement. They continued eating and stopped by the mall before going home afterward. Vernice was surprised when she got to their rented apartment. It was almost empty.
Aside from the couch in the living room, the side tables, lamps, decorations, and cabinets are all gone. The piano gifted to her by her father is nowhere to be seen either. She ran upstairs to check their bedroom.
As soon as she stepped in, she was floored. Her dresser and closet were gone. Her clothes were all piled up on the floor next to the window.
Looking around, she was overwhelmed with grief. No matter how she looked, she couldn’t find her collection of signature bags and shoes.
Vernice was furious. “What the hell happened here?” she asked Hans as soon as she went downstairs.
Hans scratched the back of his head, walking towards her. He reached out for her hand and pulled her towards the couch.
“I’m really sorry babe, I had to sell some pieces of stuff to pay our employees’ salary, plus my living expenses,” he explained, looking diffident. Looking at her reaction, Hans felt a bit relieved as she seemed to have calmed down. “But don’t worry. We already got two clients. Hopefully, more will come. So make sure to prepare your investment.” Hans hinted at what they talked about before.
Vernice nodded before letting out a long sigh. She knew exactly what Hans was trying to imply. He was reminding her of the money she was supposed to ask Tristan.
She was well aware of their agreement regarding her investment in the company. She was actually cognizant of that. It’s the reason why she agreed to marry the young De Clarion in the first place anyway.
“Let’s go upstairs,” he told her while planting small kisses on her shoulder. “I’m going to show you how much I missed you,” then slowly pulled the woman with her as he stood up.
Vernice went along with him. They headed upstairs and into their room. She doesn’t even have the energy to refuse him.
Aside from that, she can’t deny the fact that she missed her boyfriend too. It’s been a while since they shared a sweet night.
After two or more hours, they both felt tired. Despite everything, they indeed missed each other. Vernice couldn’t help but smile while caressing her boyfriend’s cheek. He was still as sweet as she could remember.
However, something suddenly popped into her head. She quickly pushed herself out of bed and went inside the restroom. Opening the medicine cabinet, she took a pill and quickly swallowed it.
With what is going on with the company Hans put up, Vernice decided not to get pregnant until she’s sure that her future is secured. If she cannot secure it with Hans, then she’ll do it with Tristan no matter what.
She can’t live poorly. If Hans fails to succeed, they will both end up on the streets. For sure, his father wouldn’t support her, seeing how she was always indifferent towards him.
Considering all these, she needs to secure her future by herself. She is determined to do that, even if she has to do it on her own, and she has to succeed in doing so, by hook or by crook.