Emma

It was already morning, and I was looking at myself in the bathroom mirror. There were huge dark circles under my gray eyes from having spent the night crying, but I managed with the makeup, determined never to look ugly. Jasper said I was ugly, but in reality, he just despised me. I was actually pretty with my symmetrical face and my long blonde hair. When I was younger, many guys wanted to be with me, but out of all of them, I chose Jasper. I left everything behind for him, not knowing that by marrying him I would be making the worst decision of my life.

I fixed my hair and put red lipstick on my lips, a nice dress and high heels. And after checking my appearance once again, I sighed deeply and pushed my bags, leaving the room. I was already tired of Jasper's abuse, today would be the day that I would put an end to it all.

I walked down the stairs of the Parrish mansion, a place where I had lived and swallowed a lot of frogs for three years, but I wasn't going to do that anymore. It was high time for me to give myself the value I deserved. 

"Are you traveling by chance, daughter-in-law?" My mother-in-law asked as she saw me enter the room, pushing my suitcase with me. She looked at me with her usual mocking look, she loved the way her son treated me, she was no good, just like her son.

I always bowed down and accepted her insults and mistreatment because she was the mother of the man I loved, but today that ended here. I lifted my chin to look her in the eyes. "I'm not traveling, Rosalee. I'm definitely leaving; my marriage to Jasper is over," I told her with determination.

Her eyes widened slightly upon hearing my words, and then she threw her head back, laughing mockingly. "What pathetic thing are you saying, you crazy bitch? My son is rich and handsome, and many women would like to be in your place. And you come here and say that?" She was looking at me with disgust.

"Then ask them to apply because I'm bailing," I said firmly. I had wanted to talk to this despicable woman like she truly deserved for a long time. She was my mother-in-law, she must have been some kind of mother to me, damn. But she always treated me like I was her rival or something. I hated her so much. I wanted so much to wipe that mocking laugh off her face.

"I see this as a release, my son will be getting rid of such a mediocre and worthless woman like you," she said, looking at me with disgust. "I pity you, Emma Weiss. I don't even need to wish you to suffer, because I know you will suffer being a rejected woman with no direction in life. You're going to have to sell your body to support yourself, bitch."

"At least I won't be an unnecessary footlocker like you, who keeps spoiling your son with bad advice and debauchery," I replied to her in kind, being ready to never let this woman degrade me again.

Her lips pursed with fury. "You bitch!" She raised her hand, wanting to slap me, just like every time she did this, but today I firmly grabbed her forearm, making her hand stop in the air. "What? Let me go!" She seemed horrified by my outrage. I was holding her hand very tight in anger.

"Never raise your hand against me again, ridiculous woman. You don't know who I am and what I can do to someone like you," I threatened furiously.

"What...? How dare you...?" she spluttered, her face crumpled into an expression of fear.

But at that moment Jasper entered the room, interrupting us and making me let go of his mother's arm. He was smiling at a woman he was hugging as they both walked into the room. 

It was her, Kaylie Abbott, his despicable lover. My jaw started to lock with anger.

"What is this woman doing here, Jasper?" I asked angrily, wanting to jump on that clueless woman and pull her hair again.

"Oh, I'm glad you two are there," Jasper said, smiling, referring to me and his mother as he approached us with his lover. His arm was always around her waist.

"Jasper, I'm glad you're here, my son. Your wife, that bitch, tried to hit me. Look at my purple arm," she complained, showing off her arm.

"By God, Emma. You really are a savage, aren't you? You're the enemy of the class," Kaylie commented with a smirk. She was tall and slender, but she was far from prettier than me, although with that fancy dress and well-done hair she looked pretty. I knew it was Jasper sponsoring her luxuries, but with me, he couldn't give me anything.

"Why did you do this to my mother, Emma?" Jasper asked in a low voice, still carefully holding his mother's arm. His voice had tones of danger.

"She was the one who tried to hit me, I just defended myself!" I said in my defense, but Jasper didn't let me finish and soon slapped me so hard that he threw me onto the marble floor of the room. Kaylie Abbott's mocking laugh was loud through the pillars of the house. 

"Don't you dare raise your fucking voice!" Jasper shouted at me angrily.

I groaned in pain, holding my burning cheek. "I yell at whoever I want!" I screamed, not wanting it anymore, my eyes full of tears.

"Then get out of this house. I don't want you here anymore!" He was pointing at me authoritatively. I felt my eyes fill with tears, and I cried with the pain of being rejected like that.

"Poor thing, that bitch is nothing more than a fucking reject now," Kaylie sneered with a cynical look. "And don't worry about Jasper anymore, Emma. He will be very happy when he marries me and when our child is born," she said, rubbed her belly, showing off.

"What...?"

"That's exactly what you heard. Kaylie is pregnant, and she will be my new wife. Now get out of here because your presence disgusts me," Jasper added, taking his mother and his new wife, and they went up the stairs like a happy family.

I swallowed hard, getting up from the floor and fixing my clothes and hair. "One day you will bitterly regret doing this to me, Jasper," I stammered to myself and then, I grabbed my suitcase and left that house, never to return.

When I was outside, I picked up my cell phone to make a call. 

"Oliver Hood speaking. Emma, is that you?" He asked on the other end, sounding surprised to receive my call.

"Yes, it's me, Oliver," I replied, moved by his voice, who had been my friend for a long time.

"Wow! It's so good to hear your voice again after so many years! So, are you willing to inherit your family heirloom?" He asked hopefully.

"I'm ready, Olivier. The time has come to show everyone who I am," I told him. "Bring my limousine to take me to my palace."

Emma

What Jasper didn't know was that I came from a wealthy family-one of the richest families in the entire city. In fact, I was an heiress to a great fortune, but I had abandoned this legacy of mine in order to marry Jasper. Since my grandma did not want me to marry him, but I gave up everything, all for the love of him...

I had disappointed my family and my grandma, and I had pretended to be a simple girl with no family to marry him in the name of the love I felt for him, thinking that I would be happy with him, but I only suffered because he never loved me and never respected me, but today was the day to put an end to this story.

It didn't take long for Oliver, my friend, to park a limousine in front of the Parrish mansion, the car had such an eye-catching presence that the Parrish came out of the house to see what was going on.

"What is this here? Who is he, Emma?" Jasper asked me, looking intrigued as Oliver was carrying my bags to the limo.

I chuckled sternly. "You don't need to know that," I replied, heading towards the car, but he grabbed my elbow tightly and pulled me towards him, making me look at him. "Let go of me!" I commanded.

"You were married to me for three years, and I never saw you with that man. Who the fuck is he? Is he by any chance a lover of yours?" He demanded to know.

"What is it, Jasper? Are you already jealous? Too bad for you then, because you've already lost me," I teased.

"Stop your games, Emma," he hissed at me, angry.

"Do you need help, Emma?" Oliver asked, being ready to protect me because, besides being my great friend, he was also my bodyguard. I've known him since I was just a child, but I ran away from my old life all for the love of Jasper. "Is he bothering you by any chance?"

"And who the fuck do you think you are to get involved in this, you son of a bitch?" Jasper raised his voice at him.

I saw Oliver narrowing his eyes threateningly, he was even ready to murder my ex-husband, that bastard. But I didn't want Jasper to die, at least not now, he deserved to suffer a lot first.

Then I raised my hand, containing my bodyguard. "It's okay, Oliver. I'll handle it," I told him, seeing him hold back, but he was still growling lowly and threateningly. I looked at Jasper again as if he were nothing to me. "Since you keep a mistress, does that give you the right to think that everyone is a cheater just like you? I feel sorry for you and that stupid brain of yours, Jasper." I pulled my arm away from him. "You have already divorced me. What more do you want?"

"You owe me respect! I gave you a home all this time, you bitch. Do you think you're just going to leave like that while you owe me everything you have?" He shouted at me. His jaw was locked.

"Don't make me laugh, Jasper. The least you gave me was nothing more than your duties towards me, and on top of that, you made me work for free, not only taking care of this damn house but also your mother, and on top of that, working for free for you in your company!" I exposed.

"You're complaining about a full belly, you ungrateful one. Give back everything I gave you!" He demanded.

"What are you talking about? This here?" I pulled out the suitcase, opening it right there, taking the clothes and throwing them in his face. "Then take back all those mediocre clothes you bought for your maid!" 

"How ridiculous!" Kaylie Abbott laughed, enjoying seeing me humiliated.

Jasper reached out to me. "The jewelry and clothes you're wearing belong to me too, bitch," he demanded.

"Oh, I'll give them to you with great pleasure, you scumbag," I replied with an ironic tone. I took off the pair of cheap jewelry I was wearing and threw it to him. I took off my clothes and shoes, not caring about just stripping down to my underwear right there on the street, even with the neighbors watching. And finally, I took off the ring that was on my finger-the ring that he once placed there with promises to never take off. Today, I was throwing it in his face-never again. "Now are you satisfied, Jasper? Now can I leave?" 

Oliver approached me, covering my body with his coat, and took me away, opening the limo door for me and taking me away from that horrible place.

"So it was for this bastard that you wanted to abandon everything?" He commented while we were in the car.

I just sighed, watching the Parrish mansion slowly move away, Jasper hugging his new wife, and his mother celebrating. "Sometimes we end up making bad decisions in the name of love," I replied wistfully, remembering all the sacrifices I made to please him, all the things I didn't mind going through because I wanted him to stay with me, but in the end everything had come to nothing; I had only gained sadness and a broken heart.

I needed to take care of myself. I needed to hold my head up and fight for myself. "But that's over now, Oliver. I'm putting this behind me," I told him with firmness in my voice. 

I wasn't going to cry anymore.

Three years later

Emma

"I hope lunch is to your liking, Miss Weiss," Killian Armstrong, an attractive gentleman, said to me sympathetically. His gaze was tender, and his roguish smile showed that he was clearly flirting with me.

I smiled at him too, returning the malicious look in equal measure. "Yes, I like it, Mr. Armstrong. You have good taste in food. How did you know Italian food is my favorite?" I asked as if I were a fool.

The man chuckled and raised an eyebrow. "Let's just say I did my homework," he replied, elegantly undoing the button on his coat as he and I sat on a cozy sofa in a private, edgy place with live classical music and only our lawyers and guards back following us.

This was a business meeting-an important meeting with representatives of a competitor to close business between their company and ours. Weiss Corporation was famous and desired by many in the business world. Several companies had the dream of partnering with us, but we only chose those who were at the top to do so, and Armstrong's company was the one at the top of the market. It was a company with huge potential, and with its owner, this attractive and personable man, I could tell it would be a pleasure to work with him.

I smiled at him. "So I must say that I appreciate men who are dedicated to their work," I commented suggestively, leaving the ulterior motives of my words in the air.

The smile he gave me immediately afterward made it clear that the message was well understood by him. "As for that, my beautiful Miss Weiss, rest assured that I know how to do my job masterfully. I'm sure you'll love it when I'm doing it," he said. I smiled mischievously, enjoying hearing that.

Those words of his were loaded with sexual content, not only that, since we had seen each other, there had been a sexual tension hovering between us, and I couldn't deny that I wasn't tempted. It had been a while since I had sex. Between work and taking care of my kid, I didn't have much time left to liven up my sex life, not to mention that guys these days were a joke, but I could see that this man wasn't a jerk, and I bet he would be able to get me there without much effort.

He was young, perhaps in his thirties, elegant, had a seductive smile, was as rich as me, and didn't seem compromised. I thought I could have fun after all.

"To be honest, I see potential in this partnership between my company and yours," I said with a smile. "Just like this lunch, I hope that the projects we have planned will be very successful." Weiss Corporation was already a successful brand in itself, but it was always good to form more million-dollar partnerships.

Lunch and business continued to go well, with the gentleman throwing sips at me whenever there was a chance. He wasn't evasive and always knew how to use the right words to make me imagine him and me in a less-than-decent way.

In the end, he gave me his personal number. "In case you need to call me. Who knows if there is an emergency?" he said, giving me a wink and then leaving with his men.

"Wow, I'm dead!" Robin Lester, my best friend, exclaimed into the earpiece that was plugged into my ear. "That's what I call a man with attitude," she commented, looking pleased.

In addition to being my bestie, Robin has been my assistant for a long time. She was not present at lunch but listened to everything via the audio call so she could do her job as my assistant.

"He really is, isn't he?", I commented as I walked to the restaurant toilet to touch up my makeup. My two security guards stopped outside when I entered, and since I was a very important person, they followed me everywhere. "And I must tell you, girl, he's a bad guy!" I exclaimed in front of the luxury bathroom.

My blonde hair was cut in an attractive bob that reached my shoulders, and some highlights in the hair that highlighted my gray eyes. I touched up my lipstick while talking to Robin. I didn't like to brag, but I could see why Killian, that handsome man, was so into me when he saw me. With my somewhat angelic and somewhat naughty face, it was nothing new to see men losing their heads.

Robin was squealing with happiness on the other end of the line. "Aww, I'm so happy. I'm glad you're finally going to remove the cobwebs that have been in your pussy for years," she laughed, making me roll my eyes.

"Oh, just shut up, you bitch," I told her. "Do you think I'm like you in that you give it to every man that appears in front of you? I know that you've already given that pussy to Oliver. So shameless!"

"Aww, stop scolding me, I'm needy, okay?" she whimpered on the other end of the line. "Please, bestie, tell Oliver to give me a chance. I can't take it anymore!" She made a huge fuss, and I laughed about it. It was true that she had always been in love with Oliver, my bodyguard.

At that moment, while I was fixing my hair in front of the mirror, my cell phone signaled that I was receiving another call. When I checked, I saw that it was my boy calling me. "Stop whining, bitch. I need to hang up the call, my son is calling," I told her.

"Um, I'm just accepting because I like little Matt, okay? Kiss in your ass, your hottie bitch," she said to me.

"Argh, see how you talk to me. Have you forgotten that I'm your boss?" I threatened her, but she ran away, hanging off the call immediately. I laughed. Robin and I had a similar spirit and shared the same kind of humor, one moment we were yelling at each other, and the next we were crying and saying how much we loved each other.

"Hi, my little boy," I said in a cute voice as I answered my baby's call.

'Hi, Mommy," the three-year-old replied in his adorable voice that filled me with love. "Grandma told me that you were going to come and pick me up from school today. Is it true?" The boy asked innocently.

I rolled my eyes. My grandma was a big cheat. She had promised me she would pick Matt up from daycare today, but I bet she ended up scheduling the yoga class with her friends again for today. She was always clumsy at that level.

"Oh, of course, my love. That would be great," I replied, looking at my watch. There was still time to go back to the office, finish some scheduled work, and then pick him up from daycare.

"Yay! Excellent. So we can go get ice cream together," he suggested, all happy.

"Of course we do, baby boy. Whatever you want," I smiled genuinely.

"I love you, Mommy," he said, and my heart warmed with love.

"Mommy loves you too, my treasure," I replied. As soon as he hung up, I stared at the phone with a silly smile, thinking about how precious my son was to me.

Moments later, I was back at the Weiss Corporation offices to fulfill my schedule and ended up noticing a certain commotion on the administrative floor. When I approached the employees, they all stopped arguing and became tense, addressing me with respect.

"What's going on here?" I asked, and one of them promptly answered me.

"It's that the manager of the finance department just had a stroke and was immediately taken to the hospital," he said.

"A stroke? Oh, my goodness!" I was shocked

"Oh, don't worry so much, Miss Weiss. His condition is now stabilized," he said.

"Oh, I'm glad," I thought.

"However, he had an appointment to meet the representatives of a company that submitted Weiss Corporation's investment request months ago. And now, without him here, we are afraid that this could tarnish the image of our firm..."

I nodded, already knowing what I should do. "Right. Send flowers to the CFO, and you can send representatives from that company to my office. I will attend to them," I ordered and then headed towards my office room. There was still time to send these people away and pick up my kid from daycare.

So it didn't take long for the door of my office room to open, and representatives from that company entered. But at first, I didn't even get to look at them properly, as I was looking at some emails in my mailbox.

"Welcome to Weiss Corporation, the right place for you and your firm. Please sit down and tell me your proposal," I said the words of protocol before even looking at them.

"Emma? What are you doing here?" A voice asked me.

I looked up immediately to see Jasper Parrish right in front of me with a shocked face as he looked at me.

"Are you the owner of the Weiss Corporation?" Kaylie Abbott, the woman who destroyed my marriage, asked with a completely surprised expression.