Nine months too late: After divorce

'He's

e's awake.'

Just two words. Yet, they tormented Sylvie.

For two days, she tried not think of them. Because he was awake shouldn't mean trouble. But her life has been so perfect for the past four months, she feared Lancelot might finally be the storm in it..

As she walked out of the conference room with the three investors, she willed the thought to go away, into the dark recess of her mind. This deal was important, and she couldn't allow thoughts of Lancelot ruin it. "Thank you for your time, Ms. Price. So far, we're impressed." One of the men said, his tone rough from obvious years of being a grumpy boss. But Sylvie could tell he was truly impressed. "should be Ish I be the one thanking you for giving me the chance to express myself, Mr. Clark," she said with a smile.

She knew she'd be getting a lot of backlash from Kage by the time she got home. Severally, he'd told her not to take further business deals, claiming he needed her to stay home and get as much rest as she could. But the company still needed to be attended to. Besides, she wasn't taking on any stressful deal.

Fortunately, her meeting with the Japanese investors turned out well. Sylvie would be drafting up the contract when she gets back to the office and there! It'll be a signed deal. Kage didn't need to worry.

She was also happy being heavily pregnant didn't affect the partners' decision.

They got into the elevator, chatting lightly about unimportant things. When they reached the ground floor and stepped out, Sylvie was met with an unpleasant sight.

Across from them, Lana stood with her hands crossed, facing the elevator. It was as though, she'd been waiting for them, or maybe someone else. But with the hate Sylvie saw in her eyes, she had a feeling she might have been there for her.

Her throat ran dry i in an an instant.

. She hadn't seen Lana since the past four months, and a part of her had been grateful for it. She was wearing a long dress which was big enough to conceal her growing bump. eed anyone to tell her Lama must've been having one of the worst moments of her life. Kage had been like a trophy to her, and losing him must've been really hard on her. She tore her gaze away and walked out of the elevator with the men.

Sylvie didn't need "Hello, gentlemen!" Lana interrupted, stepping in front of them.

Sylvie's heart skipped a beat. Oh, God. No.

The men stopped walking, exchanging glances with each other. The meeting had been held in a mall, so Sylvie wasn't surprised that Lana could gain entrance. There were a lot of people on the ground floor. "How was the meeting, gentlemen?" wore a clumsy smile.

She

Sylvie noticed her steps faltering slightly as she walked. Was she tipsy?

"Do you need something?" One of the men asked, shooting her

curious stare.

"Oh, not at all!" Lana waved her hand. "It's just that, I know her." She pointed at Sylvie. "And I must tell you, you're making a terrible mistake trying to work with her."

A chill coursed down Sylvie's spine. How did she know she'd be having a meeting with them?

Her grip around her bag tightened into a fist.

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She forced d a smile as she turned to the men. "Please, let's be on our way. You should ignore her."

"And why's that, Sylvie?" Lana crossed her hands, still standing in their path. "Are you trying to hide the truth from them?"

5

5.

Although, the men could easily beat Lana's restriction and walk away if they wanted, but it seemed a part of them wanted to stay behind and listen to what she had to say.

"Do you know what she'll do to you once she gets into your life?" Lana continued, her eyes narrowing. "She'll destroy you; take what you have."

"What're you doing!?" Sylvie stepped in front of her, her eyes blazing with anger.

on the men.

But Lana didn't look away, her gaze still pin shouted. This time around, it drew the attention of some of the people in the mall.

"This woman right here is a home

Sylvie

breaker!" She

cheeks heated up. She could feel the breakfast she had that morning threatening to come out of her throat.

"She got pregnant for my fiance, and on the day of our wedding, she made him abandon me at the altar!"

Sylvie's hands were shaking. She clenched them i into a firmer fist

"That's not true," she turned to the men, shaking her head.

"She's ruined my life Making unge, worthless Lana turned to some of the people that were now watching the scene. "But should I even be surprised? It kind of runs in the blood, you know?" She chuckled. that's One of the of the investors said Lana turned to to him, her eyes blazing. "Her mother was a whore!"

hind.

Audible gasps were heard from the people with red," and her body wemblinghe died? She was found murdered in the hotel room of a married man! A family man!"

it!" Sylvie yelled, her eyes glistening with tears and her body trembling with rage.

But Lana had no intentions of stopping. "Her mother was on the verge of breaking another woman's home, and I'm sorry, but I don't feel sorry she died." She shifted her gaze to Sylvie. "All whores deserve to die." Sylvie couldn't hold it anymore. Her hand reached out, slapping Lana in the face.

Yeah, she knew it was unprofessional and she shouldn't have done that in the presence of potential investors, but she couldn't bring herself to care anymore.

Lana chuckled, touching her cheek.

"Are you satisfied, Sylvie?" She smiled. "You should hit me some more. It's nothing-compared to the torment you've put me through the past months." People mumbled all around. Some were even taking videos.

Sylvie's heart raced in her chest, it was all she could do not to cry there in front of everyone.

No. She would never give Lana that satisfaction.

"Um... Ms. Price, I think you need to fix this. We'll be on our way now," one of the investors said.

214Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

3

Sylvie couldn't even look at them as they walked away. She was filled with so much pain and shame, she felt as though, she was rooted to the spot.

Lana let out a wide smile, although there was a tear streaming down. Only then did it dawn on Sylvie-she had wanted to disgrace her, and Sylvie had fallen right into her trap.

"How does it feel?" Her lips were still twisted as she asked. "Well, I'm glad for one thing-you get to feel a little of what you've put me through."

Settled in her car, Sylvie finally let the tears pour. The b***h.

She hated that she let Lana 'win' this time, but if there was one sensitive topic that always got to her, it was the mention of her mother's death. How could anyone even mock her with that?

Her mother may have not been entirely good when she was alive, bud the woman was dead. Why couldn't they let her be?

Kage was worried when he reached home for the day and couldn't find Sylvie. Before then, he'd been trying to reach her on phone and when she didn't respond, he concluded she was probably sleeping or busy.

Hence, when the maid told him she hadn't been home since she left that morning, his head spun.

He took out his phone to check if she had left him any text, and that was when he noticed an unread message from one of his friends. He had been too busy to check his inbox.

The caption from om the text was what drew his attention:

'Bro, women at it! Someone sent me video.

He opened the message, clicked on the video and a frown creased his brows as he watched the disturbing sight on his screen. The things Lana said...

His anger bubbled up. What in God's name i is wrong with her!

He figured the men with Sylvie were the investors she'd told him about, but the fact that they'd listened to such gibberish about her wasn't what bothered him. It was the fact that Sylvie must be deeply wounded. He knew how much the mention of her mother got to her. He tried calling her-again and again as he headed out. He got into his car, ignoring the questions his guards threw at him. When she still wasn't reachable, he activated the tracker he'd installed in her phone. He promised he was never going to use it unnecessarily as he wanted her to have her privacy. But the situation at hand wasn't 'unnecessary.

Thankfully, her location popped up on his phone and he wasted no time heading to it.

She was at a cemetery. If there was one place Kage hated more than hospitals, it was the cemetery. And it bothered him even more that it was getting dark already, yet she was still there.

He looked around and was half-relieved when he found her. He'd be completely relieved when they were both out of there.

He hurriedly met her. She was seated on the floor, in front of a grave. Even before he looked at the tombstone, he already guessed it was her mother's grave.

For a while, he was silent, simply staring at the tombstone. "Flori Keating" was engraved on it.

O

He didn't need to look at Sylyie's face to tell her eyes must've been sore from too much tears. "Hey," he finally said, his voice gentle.

00000 54%=

But she didn't turn to him, although she knew the very moment he arrived.

A long time passed before she spoke up. "After they divorced, my mother continued answering my father's name. But when she died...he wouldn't let them bury her with his name."

It was then Kage understood why the name on the tombstone was Keating and not Price.

"I was only thirteen when she died. My father didn't let us go to her burial, neither did he. She was buried... shamefully.

"I was still young back then to understand much, but a lot of people thought she wasn't a good woman. But the truth is, I think she was. She loved I and my sisters, was always very kind to others and put their happiness before mine. She taught me to be kind." She sniffled again, wiping her face. "My father divorced her 'cause she was caught cheating. And in the end, she died in the company of a married man.

"I honestly don't know why she cheated with someone's husband, and I know no reason can justify what she did. But sometimes, I wish she was around to explain things to me. She might not have died a good person, but I miss her everyday."

Kage's heart twisted painfully. The pain in her voice was disheartening.

Slowly, he sat next to her, crossing his legs.

"I know what she did was wrong," she whimpered. "But nobody deserves to be treated this way in death. She deserves some peace, doesn't she?"

1

"Yeah, she does." Kage answered. "And you need to stop listening to what people say. What matters is the fact that she's your mother and you loved her."

zp

2p

A lull fell between them, save for Sylvie's soft whimpers that filled the space.

Kage didn't try to stop her from crying. Sometimes, people needed to let it off.

"I don't wanna sound unreasonable, but I might say you're a bit lucky you lost her when you were thirteen and couldn't remember much," It was Kage's turn to speak. "When I lost Marilyn, the pain was deeper."

Sylvie's heart skipped. The sorrow she had been feeling suddenly felt little compared to the fear that now gnawed at her. Oh, God, no. Not Marilyn.

But Kage was oblivious to her reaction, so he continued.

"I still remember everything like it was yesterday. Merilyn, she was..." he took a deep breath. "Beautiful, full of life. She wasn't just my sister, she was my bestfriend. One minute, we were laughing, and the next minute, she was..." His forehead crinkled. "dead. In my arms." He closed his eyes. Memories of handcuffs, paled faces, an ambulance, a police car. They flashed at him, making him dizzy for a moment.