Serena crashed into the past she was trying to escape as soon as she walked into the meeting room. She supposed she should have seen it coming. She had been having nightmares for the past few days. The nightmares consisted of all the painful memories she tried to bury long ago- seven years to be exact. Sure she had the same nightmare once in a while, but it wasn’t a constant thing. Not for the past three years at least.
Yet, there he was sitting on one of the chairs around the conference table. All she wanted to do was erase him from her memory. She couldn’t help but think that her life would have been better off if she hadn’t met him. If only she hadn’t spoken to him. If only she hadn’t fallen in love with him.
He was the only man who would always drive her emotions to the extremes. He never caused her to feel half way happy; He made her extremely happy. He never caused her to be "sort of" upset; He made her deeply depressed. With him it will always be dramatic. It would never be boring. It would always be explosive-- full force.
After all he was Darien Vitale... Her husband; her first and only love.
Was it really love?
She didn’t know. Maybe. She wasn’t sure. She never really experienced what she felt for him with someone else.
No one made her feel like he did. She tried. But she always ended up comparing them to him. They never matched up to him. She supposed she would never be happy with someone if she kept this up.
She was turning twenty- eight soon. Maybe she was meant to stay single forever. The thought made her groan out in frustration. In her head she saw an older version of herself surrounded by many cats. ‘Oh god, not the old cat lady image,’ she thought pulling at her golden hair.
Her thoughts then shifted swiftly to Seiya.
Seiya was her best guy friend since high school. They dated on and off for a while, but nothing too serious. He held a special place in Serena’s heart. They were so alike and so well matched. She thought they would last. She should have known it wouldn’t. They were too alike in many ways.
For instance, they both had a reputation for breaking hearts. They knew it and they lived up to it. The two of them were the most popular people in school. It was only a matter of time before they got together. And of course they did. It worked out so well for both of them. People loved talking about them. They loved the attention. People loved the drama their relationship created. They relished it.
At first it was a game to both of them. They just did it to please everyone. Hell, they did it because they both knew the score. They knew nothing serious would come out of it. After a while though, Serena grew to genuinely like him.
‘Probably because he reminds me of me!’ She thought as she remembered her relationship with her now best friend.
She was devastated when he wanted to break it off completely after they graduated. She was so sure she was in love with him. Now as she thought back, she did love him, but she wasn’t in love with him.
She remained friends with him and painfully watched him date other girls that summer before college. He was a real ladies man and has been ever since high school. Sure he messed around with other girls in high school when they were on breaks, but this time he had other girl friends. He barely had enough time for her. She didn’t have the heart to try and look around for other guys. She was suffering from a broken pride- an extreme case of best friend jealousy.
She spent most of her time with her girl friends- Amy, Lita, Raye, and Mina. Once in a while she would also hang out with Michelle, Trista and Amara. She found them refreshing. They were so much more mature than she was at that age. She looked to them for guidance. She just wished she took their advice- stay away form Darien.
How could she though? She couldn’t. The wolf already caught her. He was the main prize everyone wanted around her. She had him. ‘Or so I thought,’ she reminded herself.
The sad part was that deep within her she had known that she couldn’t. Yet, she pushed herself to remain vulnerable to him. She let herself to be used and he used her hard and cruel. She was innocent and naïve despite her attitude, her mouth, and her looks. He knew it and used it to his liking.
She was a slave for him. Literally. She would have done anything for him. That part really kills her. She was stronger than that. Usually. She didn’t think a man could literally bring her to tears for weeks on end. Seiya had wounded her pride, but Darien destroyed it along and nearly broke her.
If only she stayed away.
Well, it was too late now. The damage was done. Nothing she could do can change it. If only she had a time machine, maybe she could. But, thinking realistically: what has passed is past. It should remain that way. She needed to get on with her life. This was a chance to prove to herself that she was over him. She had to be!
‘I just have too,’ she thought feverishly as she finally decided to make herself noticed by the men in the room by clearing her throat.
As soon as the sound caught everyone’s attention she wished she hadn’t. Dark deep ocean blue eyes collided with her light blue orbs and froze her very core.
Tension filled the room almost immediately. Serena was aware that everyone was staring back and forth between them. ‘If looks could kill,’ she thought almost laughing to herself as she continued to eye him down.
Finally he spoke.
“Let’s stop the nonsense. Is she mine?” he bit out icily.
Whatever she thought would happen she didn’t think this was one of them. And she had many scenes planned out.
After a few moments the shock nearly subsided. “H- how do you know?” She didn’t think about Rini at all. She didn’t think he knew.
“I decided to do some extensive in depth investigation on you,” he explained sounding rather bored.
She avoided his earlier question and asked another herself. “Why? After all these years why?”
She knew she sounded desperately pathetic, but she stood there near the conference table as everyone looked on.
Lawyers.
“Because I’m getting older and I need an heir. So I decided that it was time to legally part ways so I could marry someone worthy this time around.” he said cruelly and smiled when he saw Serena flinch with obvious hurt. He continued, “But let’s just say that I won’t need to remarry if she’s mine. Why should I let myself be the first in my family with a broken marriage, especially if I already have a legitimate daughter?”
Color drained from her face. Thankfully one of the woman lawyers had some sympathy for her and directed her to a chair across from Darien. She wanted to cry out the frustration she was feeling, but she didn’t want to show him her weakness.
“You’re a goddamn bastard,” she whispered vehemently to him as she looked down at her hands that she clenched at her lap. “You fucking Goddamn bastard,” she repeated raising her voice steadily with each word.
The lawyers eyed each other nervously. They really didn’t want to deal with a domestic fight between one of the richest men on earth and his fiery wife. Darien, however, only chuckled at his wife’s anger.
He decided that he was right in remembering that she looked so beautiful when angry. Hell, she looked beautiful at any stage. Even in the mornings. She enchanted him, ever since the beginning.
She had natural golden white hair that flowed around her down to her waist. He used to love using his fingers to brush it at night after making love. He decided he probably would still love to do that. His groin tightened uncomfortably that he had to shift his position. ‘Stop thinking about this! She’s a bitch!’ he reminded himself.
“Well, you’re a lying bitch,” he said mockingly. “Now that we have established our true natures, let’s continue with the important matters. You still haven’t answered my question. Is the girl mine?”
The one million dollar question that seemed so hard to answer and yet so simple. Serena’s anger rose up again. “What makes you think she could be yours?” she snapped at him. She couldn’t believe she actually said that.
Now it was time for Darien’s anger to flare. “You fucking bitch. I know for a fact that she could be mine. She’s six,” he tossed out and then continued, “However, she could also be Seiya’s. You are a slut. You spread your legs for that pussy!”
She slammed her left fist down on the table with such a force that everyone including Darien jumped. “How dare you!? How dare you say that! Seiya is one of my best friends!”
Darien leaned over with a furious look, making Serena hold her breath. “I dare because I’m your husband. You were mine. I married you. Yet, you still went back to your boyfriend.”
“Oh come off it. Seiya’s just a friend. You knew that. I told you!” Serena told him rolling her eyes. If anything, she was used to his jealousy towards Seiya. She thought he had gotten over it after a while. Clearly, he wasn’t. She didn’t need to explain herself anymore. “It doesn’t matter anymore, does it? Nothing’s changed. And if you must know Rini’s your child.”
Silence.
“I see,” Darien replied. “But we really can’t be sure until we have a paternity test.” He motioned for one of his lawyers to bring out the paperwork. The lawyer took them out of a folder as Darien continued. “Hell, there could have been other guys besides Seiya. You’re insatiable,” he sneered.
This time Serena was furious and it reached well over her limit for patience. She reached for the glass of water that was in front of her and threw its contents towards him. The lawyers’ mouths hung open at the sight of Darien. Then they frantically fussed over him with paper towels. Darien meanwhile growled angrily and sent warning signals toward Serena. She wondered if she took it too far, but he deserved it! How dare he suggest anything so utterly ridiculous?
“Perhaps…” one of the lawyers started as soon as they were settled again, but was stopped by Serena and Darien’s “NO!”
“You could do your damn paternity test. But the results aren’t going to change. Rini’s your child,” Serena told him with a matter of fact tone.
“If you knew she was mine, then why didn’t you let me know?” he countered furiously.
He didn’t know why he was so angry. ‘Probably because she didn’t bother to inform me of my child’s existence!’ He thought.
“I don’t have to explain myself to you,” she answered coolly. In fact, she knew she didn’t. He was the one who was at fault. He had cheated on her so she left. When she tried to contact him, she was refused. He was clearly guilty.
“I want to meet the child,” he told her.
“The child’s name is Rini! Use it!” she replied bitterly. He shrugged and turned towards his pack of lawyers, instructing them and then dismissing them.
Once they were alone he spoke up again. “Take me to her now. I want to meet my daughter!”
“Oh, now you choose to believe me,” she said tartly.
He ignored her and in an instant he was hovering above her. He turned her chair to face him and he leaned down. His face was an inch close to her face.
“Don’t mess with me Serena. I’m in no mood to play nice.”
