“How is this happening?” Vernice asked Esme as soon as they stepped inside her bedroom.
“Shh! Your father might hear you,” she scolded her daughter for being careless with her actions. “You need to pretend you’re fine with everything while I come up with a plan.”
“From what I heard, she has already received two billion dollars from the De Clarions alone. Now she’s getting seventy-five percent of what’s supposed to be ours. Isn’t she being too lucky?!” Vernice was furious.
Esme went out of her daughter’s bedroom and headed to their own. She opened her dresser and took something from her wallet before coming back to Vernice’s room.
“Take this,” handing her daughter a bank card. “This has five hundred million, take it to Hans and make sure to work for your company in the meantime. We can’t do anything at the moment or your father will get suspicious. Let’s take a break for now.”
Vernice snatched the card from Esme, “What are you planning to do?” she asked. She’s aware of how vicious her mother is. Whatever she comes up with, one thing is for sure, it will soon be the end of Belle.
“I need to make a plan. I’ll let you know when you should come back. For now, spend time with Hans and your company.”
Vernice nodded. She had no choice but to leave everything to her mother. Although she’s worried as to what awaits them, she’s also happy that she’ll get to spend time with Hans.
It’s been a while since she last saw him. He rarely calls her too, with the excuse that there is so much going on in the company.
As soon as Esme left, Vernice booked a flight to Lys. She wanted to call Hans to let him know she was coming but decided not to. Instead, she chose to surprise him.
However, she was the one who was surprised as soon as she stepped inside their apartment. A pair of shoes that’s not hers sits next to the stairs.
She felt cold from scalp to toe. ‘What is going on? Whose shoes are these?’ She rushed upstairs but no one was there.
To her surprise, there’s a new closet in their bedroom now. She opened it and found clothes she was not familiar with.
There is also a new dresser, replacing the one she used to have. There are sets of make-up properly arranged on it. By the door, a woman’s coat is hung as well.
Looking around, their bedroom suddenly felt strange. Like none of the female pieces of stuff belong to her. Nothing in their room here belongs to her.
Seeing all this, Vernice felt like she was about to break down. She sits down slowly on the bed before taking her phone out.
“Hi, babe! How are you?” Hans greeted her as soon as he answered the call.
“I’m alright, I just got home, I went out shopping with Mom,” she lied, “What are you doing now?”
“I’m in the office, I’m swamped.” Vernice noticed how Hans sounded weird. As if he’s doing something he’s not supposed to do in the office.
Vernice decided to end the call without saying anything else. She snatched her car key from the bed and rushed out of their apartment.
She started the car and drove in the direction of Hans’ company. The receptionist looked surprised when she came to the front desk.
“Don’t you dare touch that phone,” she threatened when she saw that the receptionist was about to pick up the landline, likely to inform Hans that she was there.
She stormed into his office, making a loud banging sound when she opened the door. And as soon as she was in, she saw the horror she never thought she would see in her entire life.
“Babe!” Hans exclaimed upon seeing Vernice standing by the door. Her face was pale and her hands were shaking.
“Who is she Love?” the girl on Hans’ lap asked, as she was almost thrown to the floor when Hans suddenly stood up.
‘Love’.
The damned term of endearment kept ringing inside Vernice’s ear. She was furious and as she looked at Hans, he was looking smaller and smaller.
She rushed towards the girl and pulled her by the hair. “Babe, stop! Don’t hurt Elle!” Hans’ voice was high-pitched. He was frightened that something might happen to her lover.
Vernice didn’t stop despite Hans’ attempts to break them up. She kept dragging the girl, scratching her where she could. Vernice wanted her to feel her rage.
Hans noticed Elle’s arm bleeding. He was enraged. He pulled Vernice away from her and shoved her to the floor. “Are you trying to kill her?!” he shouted.
“Yes!” Vernice shouted back. Her entire body shook in anger. “How dare you cheat on me, Hans?! After everything I did for you?! How dare you, you bastard?!”
She then started attacking Hans instead, throwing punches at him nonstop. Hans tried to defend himself using his arms.
When Vernice kept going, he pushed her hard, making her tumble to the floor. Hans can’t be bothered to worry about her getting hurt, as he is more worried about his lover.
“Elle is pregnant!” he snapped at her.
Vernice felt like puking after hearing what he said. ‘Pregnant? Already? How long has he been cheating on me?’ she wanted to ask, but no voice would come out of her.
“Leave now before I call the police?” Hans ordered, but Vernice didn’t budge. Elle, on the other hand, was quick to pick up the phone and call for security.
Seconds after, two burly men in security uniforms came in to escort Vernice out. While retreating, she does not take her eyes off Hans. She was just glaring at him with razor-sharp eyes. “You will pay for this,” she muttered before the door closed.
The security didn’t let go of her until she was out of the building. She threw both men a dagger-like glare before walking toward her car.
Vernice drove back to their apartment. She then took out her phone to call her mother. “Mom, Hans is cheating on me,” she told her straight out.
“What?” Esme was so surprised at her daughter’s breaking news. She even dropped her glass of water, losing her grip on it. “How did you know? Did you catch him in the act?”
Vernice let out a sigh. She’s too lazy to detail everything. “Do you know anyone here in Lys that I can pay to do something for me? Someone we can trust and won’t let slip on anything,” she asked, instead of answering her mother’s questions.
Esme knew exactly what her daughter was asking her for. She asked her to end the call and wait for someone to contact her.
Esme called Irwin, her trusted accomplice. As soon as Irwin answered her call, she let him know what she needed.
A few minutes later, after her call with Esme, Vernice’s phone rang. It was showing an unknown number, but Vernice was quick to answer it.
She gave out the instructions as to what she needed him to do and the man easily agreed to the tune of fifty thousand dollars. ‘That was easy,’ Vernice thought.
She was assured that the job would be clean as white and no one would find out she was the mastermind. When she was done with her plan for revenge, she lay down on the couch.
As soon as she closed her eyes, tears started streaming. She can’t believe that Hans can cheat on her after everything she has done for him.
Vernice eventually fell asleep. When she woke up, she looked at her watch and was surprised to see the time. It’s almost time for the nightly news.
She quickly found the remote and turned the television on. She only waited for a couple of seconds before a reporter was shown on the screen, ready to deliver the news she was so eager to see.
As per the reporter, a 4-story building in Lys’ business district is currently on fire. According to the report, the fire started in its basement parking lot.
Fortunately, no one is inside the building anymore, as all the employees have already left. The firefighters are still trying to stop the fire from spreading.
A smile slowly crept onto Vernice’s lips. She can already smell the scent of victory. ‘That’s the price you have to pay for cheating on me,’ she mumbled to herself.
After turning the television off, she grabbed her phone and booked herself a plane back to Bree. She immediately prepared herself, as her flight would leave within an hour.
On her way to the airport, she received a call from the same unknown number. Curious as to why her accomplice was calling her, she quickly answered her phone.
“I received the money you sent. I have another gift for you. It’s a bonus! Check the news,” then the call ended.
She immediately checked the news on her phone. She was pleased to hear that an apartment somewhere in Lys was also on fire. Looking closely at the screen, it’s their rented apartment. ‘Bye Hans, it was nice knowing you.’