Love, revenge and money

Why did we get married?

What else could happen now?

After a couple of minutes, Alanna returned to the house and looked around carefully.

The house was completely empty. She felt terrible!

—Christina, where exactly did those men tell you they were taking my things?— asked Alanna in surrender to what was about to happen.

—I... I... I don't know exactly. They just told me that— stammered Cristina.

Oh, s**t! Alanna was speechless. She ran quickly to the door and saw that the men had already left. She couldn't even ask for directions to Nick's mansion.

She sat on the front step of the house and held her hands to her face as she thought.

Cristina, who was still there, thought Alanna was just confused, so she patted her on the back and encouraged her.

—You're going to be a Smith. You're Nick Smith's wife! Tell me, why haven't you told me about the two of you?— asked Cristina, still insisting.

Alanna leaned her head against the door frame and looked at Cristina dejectedly. If Cristina hadn't been her friend, her neighbour, Alanna wouldn't be as sane as she was at that moment.

—Cris, maybe one day I'll explain the situation to you better. It's not easy between me and Mr. Smith...— Alanna said with a sigh.

Cristina was even more confused than she was at first. She just watched Alanna get up from the step and walk down the street.

Alanna just wanted to clear her mind, and think about what the f**k exactly was going on with Nick. She wasn't even brave enough in front of Nick to ask him his intentions.

It was as if Nick had a strange aura that blinded Alanna's every thought.

***

Meanwhile, in the Four Golden Bar, a couple of tall, handsome looking men were sitting on a couch in complete silence.

The waiter approached them and placed a bottle of white wine and a couple of glasses on the table.

Among the men was a distinguished looking and f*****g sensual one.

Nick had sat at the head of one of the sofas, a glass of wine in his hands as he waved it back and forth.

He seemed indifferent, even around these men, he had an even more opaque and sinister aura about him. As if he loathed everyone around him.

—Nick. Tell us about that marriage to Miss summer. If it hadn't been for that spectacle at your birthday dinner, we would never have known you were still married to her— said one of the men, Billy, with his glass in his hand as he smiled reassuringly.

—How come you didn't divorce the daughter of the Summer family? You never liked her... Or was it about s*x?— hinted another of the men with intrigue.

Nick listened to his friend and took a sip of wine before answering.

—I haven't had much time for that. There's been a lot going on in the last few days — said Nick seriously.

a third man, patted Nick on the shoulder and smiled tightly. —Stoner, stop picking on Nick. he knows what he's doing. no matter what the Summer's daughter did!—

At those words everyone couldn't help but stare at Nick's reaction. Wilson, the fourth man, was the closest to Nick. He knew Nick wouldn't do anything without a plan in mind.

—Guys, we need to leave Nick alone and not interfere in his business— Wilson announced calmly.

Everyone knew that Wilson knew Nick best, so they tried not to interfere, but Stoner was quick to correct himself.

—I think Miss Summer is a nice girl, or so Bruno said of her— Stoner suddenly sneered.

—Enough! I've invited you to drink, not to discuss my life. OK? If you're not going to drink, you can leave immediately— Nick got angry when he saw that they were still gossiping about Alanna.

Suddenly they all opened their eyes and looked at each other. They started drinking and the calm atmosphere began to return.

The second bottle of wine had come to an end and everyone was quiet, talking about work and unimportant matters. However, in the midst of all this calm, Nick lowered his head and let out a deep sigh.

—I'm divorcing her tonight. There's nothing left to keep. Maybe it was just retaliation— Nick said.

His words startled the four men in front of him. They were immediately struck dumb and frowned,

As he finished speaking, Nick raised his glass and took the last sip of wine before getting up and leaving the bar.

As he left, Billy shook his head and whispered to the others, —Nick seems rational, but is he?—

Everyone was intrigued, saying nothing more. They finished their drinks and went home.

***

Meanwhile, Alanna had been walking for almost two hours, when her legs gave out on her.

Apparently the address of Nick's mansion had been sent to her phone.

She was intrigued, it was the address of a large villa on the outskirts of the city. It was the most exclusive part of the whole place.

Alanna quickly grabbed her bag and hailed a taxi to the mansion.

By the time Alanna got there, Nick had already arrived home. But, he wasn't drunk, on the contrary, he was in a serious state of flux.

Alanna felt scared, being in front of that big mansion. She didn't know what she was doing there, she was only thinking about her belongings.

Seeing Alanna, a servant girl approached her and greeted her charmingly as she led her into the living room where Nick was sitting comfortably on a sofa, a glass of wine in his hands.

—Nick, where are my belongings? Where did you send them?— she asked.

Nick heard Alanna's warm, slightly guarded voice and turned to look at her. His gaze was different than usual. Just for an instant Alanna saw tenderness in his eyes.

Seconds later, however, that sweet and charming look turned dark and terrifying... Alanna could suddenly sense an impending sadness in him.

—Your belongings are in your room,— Nick replied with great indifference.

After saying that little sentence, he looked back to his glass and took a sip of wine.

It was a mansion a thousand times bigger than his rented house, so how was she supposed to know where her so-called room was?

Apparently Nick was reluctant to give a clearer answer. He didn't even instruct the maid to guide Alanna to the room.

Alanna was angry at Nick's indifference.

She had gone straight to him, to have a serious and definite conversation about what was going on between them. But he didn't seem to be very helpful.

In an instant, Alanna was determined to lose her fear.

—Nick, what the hell are you doing? what are you up to?— finally Alanna asked.

She raised her head and folded her hands in front of her chest. She seemed arrogant and overbearing, but it was either that or be left in doubt forever.

Maybe that was the only way Nick would give her the attention she deserved to know all the answers.

Nick lifts his head, stretching those delicate, thin, vinotint-reddened lips into Alanna's view.

He had a cold aura about him, but he still seemed f*****g charming.

—What exactly do you need to know?— he said.

Alanna stopped her gaze on him for a moment. She was angry with herself, for not knowing how to express herself the way she wanted to.

—Tell me, why did you bring my things here? Why should I move in with you?— she said immediately after a slight sigh.

—It's normal, isn't it? We're married, you forget?— said Nick, smiling mischievously.

Alanna frowned quickly and thought for a few minutes. Were they really married?

If Nick said that, it was because that certificate was real, wasn't it?

She was f*****g confused about that. That marriage certificate didn't have the notary's stamp on it, that meant it was fake.

—Nick... that certificate is a fake. Tell me, who was really your wife? Why did you involve me?— she said after thinking about it for a while.

Alanna was absolutely sure that she had nothing to do with Nick. She didn't even know what he looked like now.

But then why did he put on a whole theatre to pretend he was marrying her?

—You still don't remember? You're my wife,— Nick said calmly.

Even with Nick's few words, Alanna couldn't answer her own questions. It was like talking to a robot. The man didn't make sense.

She had tried her best to remember whatever it was he was implying, but she was still puzzled.

—Nick, I don't understand. I don't remember anything about us at all,— Alanna said, sitting down on the couch across from Nick.

When she said those words, Nick quickly changed his calm face. He clutched his wine glass and sighed heavily.

That small change in Nick's mood made Alanna feel even more helpless and confused.

Was it her fault for not remembering something important?

What exactly was she supposed to remember?