Alex POV
I clench my fingers tightly around my phone as anger spurs through me. Seeing the comments online criticizing Ariel today made me feel a sting in my heart which I know was because of the love I have for her. How could Alicia do such a thing? I so much want to scream at her and tell her how much I hate her, but I have to keep calm if I don’t want to blow things up. I’m on the verge of getting what I want now, so that shouldn’t be a problem.
Releasing the breath I’ve been holding unknowingly, I slump on the couch and scroll through my phone. It was yesterday since the scandal, and I’ve been scared to call her. I feel this is all my fault, but on second thought, I also feel that I’m doing the right thing. I finally resort to calling her, and she picks up on the first ring, although it took her some time to do.
“Hey, Ariel… It’s me, Alex… Are you ok?” I utter as soon as she answers the call.
“Yeah, I’m fine. What about you?” She asks in return, and I nod my head. How will she feel when she finds out that I knew about this all along? Won’t she feel used and betrayed? Will I have a chance with her again?
“Hmm. I saw what happened. I’m so…”
“It’s fine. I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s talk later,” Her voice sounds a bit dull, and the call finally ends immediately. I turn on my internet connection and check the post again. It’s still trending with different pictures of them together, and people calling her all sorts of names. I want to defend her and tell them that she’s innocent, but then, I can’t. What’s the use of doing that?
I finally spot the picture again that had me confused since yesterday when the incident happened. What were they doing at the marriage registry office? Are they planning to get married or something? Those are the questions I’ve been trying to come up with answers to since yesterday but nothing seems to be coming through.
Pushing all the thoughts to the back of my mind, I stand up from the couch and head to my room, where I have a quick bath and leave the house furthermore. I just need to be away and be in a place where I will be able to free my head from everything happening.
Just when I’m about to hop inside my car, my phone starts ringing and I stop to answer the call which is from my dad.
“I need to see you in my house right away!” His voice sounds through the phone as soon as I answer the call, and I presume Max already got the same call. Without any doubt, I know the man is at his work now. This was his plan, anyway. He planned to force him to give me the company as soon as this escalates. I was looking forward to this, knowing that it’ll make me famous and with that, I will be able to meet my mom, but now I don’t even know what I feel anymore. I don’t know if I want to do this anymore.
“Alright, I will be there,” I nod my head and end the call before I hop inside my car. I wanted to get fresh air and clear my head, but turns out I can’t do that now.
I drive out of my house and head straight to my dad’s house. Arriving at the mansion about thirty-five minutes later, I spot Max’s car at the garage, just as I presumed. I guess dad would be at the drama of scolding him and all that now. I wonder how the man manages to act like that toward him. Doesn’t he have an iota of fatherly love toward Max? I always ask myself, but it seems like it’s pointless.
“How could you do something like that?” I hear him scream at the top of his voice as I approach the entrance door, and I roll my eyes sarcastically. Wow! Anyone would mistake him for a caring father that wants to puts his son through, but who would believe that he’s a hypocrite?
Finally pushing the door open, I walk in elegantly and meet Max standing on his feet and facing dad, while having his hands inside his pockets. He doesn’t look like he regrets his actions, and I don’t even feel surprised about it. He already told me how much he loves Ariel, so it shouldn’t look strange.
“You hired a woman to get pregnant for you and you lied to me?” Dad yells at the top of his voice, and I roll my eyes sarcastically as I sit on the couch. It’s crazy how this man is pretending not to know about anything happening here. He deserves an Oscar for being such a great actor.
“Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? Is this how I raised you?” He thunders at him.
“There’s nothing to be ashamed of… And… You didn’t raise me… You never did,” He slowly shakes his head, and that is all he needed to earn a hot slap from dad.
“What? Do you want to beat me? Go ahead and do it. This was all your fault in the first place… Don’t you think you haven’t been a good dad to me? First, you forced me to marry Alicia, and you pushed me to the wall until I couldn’t take it anymore and had to take the decision I made…”
“And you think cheating on your wife was the best?”
“I never cheated on her, dad. I wouldn’t ever cheat on Alicia. She knew about it all along,” The way he answers dad confidently makes me think that this is all crazy.
“What about me? You betrayed me and deceived me into giving you the company…”
“I didn’t betray you, dad… The company is rightfully mine, and I see no reason why you refused to give everything to me in the first place…”
“Max…”
“Alicia… She lost the baby…” He releases the bombshell, and my eyes slowly widen in shock.
“She did what?” I and dad ask at the same time because this news is shocking.
“She had a miscarriage last night. There’s no need to stay together anymore. I will wait for her to pull herself together, and once she’s fine, we will get a divorce, and everyone will go their separate ways,” He utters daringly, but that is not even my problem right now. Why the hell didn’t she mention it to me when I called her earlier?
“Where is your conscience, Max? You made your wife lose her baby because of that thing? You are going to divorce your wife to be with that gold digger…”
“Stop, dad!!” I spring up to my feet as I speak up with Max at the same time, and he snaps his head to look at me with a confused expression on his face. None of the things he would say here concerns me, but insulting Ariel is what I won’t ever take.
“She’s not a gold digger. She’s my wife now,” My eyes widen at his confession. Of course, I knew something like this would come up since there are pictures of them together at the marriage registry office, but I was still trying to run away from reality.
“What!” Dad exclaims…