Chapter One - PAINFUL MEMORIES

Monday, 19th of September 2016

Five years later, Alexander's Penthouse, Upper East Manhattan.

Wicked, were the sun rays to the brown eyes of Alexander. He awoke grudgingly to the sound of his alarm, his brown hair dishevelled from sleep as he scratched his week-old stubble. His body rocked by a yawn as he sat up on his bed trying to reboot his brain to awareness.

"I hate Monday mornings," he grumbled. Dismissing the alarm from his phone, he tossed it to the bed and stumbled for the bathroom, still a bit disoriented.

He didn't need to look by the other side of the bed to notice his wife's absence, knowing that she was a workaholic like him; just to avoid the hostile tension that amassed when they were in each other's presence.

It took him an hour of grooming before he was ready for work. He walked in his black Italian leather shoes to the terrace for his breakfast. Sitting carefully to avoid wrinkling his grey suit, he placed a napkin over his navy-blue shirt and grey tie just as the maid served him the meal.

With the whole view of Upper East Side in his sight, his thoughts were on the productivity of his life.

'If it's business, it's great but for my marital life, it sucks,' and it did. Alexander had the worse sort of luck when it comes to marriage. Getting married at the age of twenty-two just after finishing university was the highlight of his life.

It was with his high school sweetheart and the love of his life, Aurora Kingston. She was the sweetest, kindest and most honest woman that he thought that he had ever met in his life, even compared to his own mother, Diana.

To describe her in simple terms, she was an angel, his angel. Her hair was blonde, glittering like gold when the sun beamed on them. Her dazzling blue eyes that didn't fail in making his heart skip a beat when she gazed at him and a coy smile that he hoped to wake up to every day by his side.

Alex was happy and doing well with the responsibilities his father, Charles Price gave to him after two years into his marriage. Things changed when Charles started preparing his son for a new role; to be the new CEO of Price Incorporate.

Things turned for the worse due to his sudden obsession with making the company better than it was. Alexander hated when people always compared him to his father, so he wanted to make it better with his own hard work and connections. But it came at a price, the negligence of his marriage, his wife.

He started coming home late and exhausted to properly show her how much he appreciated her and started missing birthdays, anniversaries and important events due to his increased workload. Arguments occurred, half unsolved and she started ignoring him. He pleaded for forgiveness which she sometimes gave to him willingly. Other times, he had to send her flowers and gifts to appease her.

It was a week after their last argument when her half-sister, Natasha, came to his office to ask him some questions. Natasha was quite shy and an introvert, unlike Aurora. She was an attractive brunette and had the typical blue eyes of the Kingston family. Alexander wasn't enticed by her, but he knew she had a crush on him in high school.

Natasha had come to inquire about her sister's change in behaviour. She was worried and came to ask if the couple were having problems and if they could solve it as soon as possible. He was a bit confused as to what she was talking about, and Natasha told him about her sister's hostile attitude.

It worried him because he had perceived a little of it for a while now, but work kept him busy from talking to her. That's what happens when you are given the task of changing your father's multimillion-dollar company into a multi-billion dollar one.

A few days later, he received an email from a friend of his about pictures someone anonymously sent to his publishing company...

...Alexander was attending to some documents handed to him by his secretary when he received a call from an unknown caller.

He answered it, "Hello. Who's this?"

"Is this Alex? It's me, Max, from high school."

It was surprising getting a call from an old friend that he hadn't spoken to in a while. "Max! It's been a long time. What's up? Last time I heard of you, you were now a journalist from the best publishing magazine in the region."

"Yeah, I got that big break. But I'm not here to talk about me. I want to talk about some pictures I received from some of a source."

"What pictures?" Alexander was curious. What could be important that Max had to call me out of the blue.

"It's pictures about your wife."...

...The pictures were sent to his email. It showed his wife passionately kissing another man in front of a café. There were different pictures of the same scene showing them hugging and parting ways.

At first, he was in shock, and then anger settled in. It took everything in him not to tear his office into bits. He sent the photos to his phone because he needed to confront her about it but first, he needed to talk to his parents first.

It didn't take too long for his parents to be aware of the situation and proof Aurora's infidelity. They were outraged that Aurora could do this to their son. They had promptly informed the family lawyer for divorce papers and took copies of the photos to show the lawyer and Aurora's father.

He didn't go home that day. He cancelled all his appointments and paid for a hotel room to spend the night, drinking away my heartbreak. She had called and texted multiple times, but he ignored them, wallowing in grief and self-loathing, contemplating why she would cheat on him.

It wasn't until the following morning he got home. His hangover was at an all-time high, so he was in a foul mood. The lawyer was already at the front gate of his house with the divorce papers in hand. Luckily, the married couple had a pre-nuptial agreement done to separate our assets so all she had to do was sign the damned papers...

..."Alex! You can't just come into the house and act nonchalant about not coming home last night. I called you and texted you but you just waltz in like you don't give a damn."

Alexander tried ignoring her for a while as he walked to the living room, trying to rein in his temper but her nagging was fuelling it.

"Are you cheating on me? You're acting like a goddamn scumbag, you asshole."

That did it for him. Look at her accusing him of cheating. 'She's such a lying bitch.'

"Excuse me!?" Alexander didn't realize that he said that out loud, but it couldn't stop. He said it all out.

"Yes, I called you a lying bitch. You accuse me of infidelity when you are the one cheating. How dare you!?"

Aurora acted confused. Now he knew how good of an actress she was. "How dare I? What the fuck are you talking about? Why are you accusing me of cheating on you?"

He stared at her in disbelief. If he didn't see the photos, he would've believed her lying face. Her words seemed to infuriate more that he finally snapped. Before Alexander could understand what he just did, she was lying on the couch by the force of his hand hitting her face. He was shocked and so was she. He couldn't believe that he did that.

Suppressing the guilt and regret that almost overcame him, Alexander took out his phone and tossed it next to her, "Checked them. Tell me now if you can still act oblivious and pretend that you aren't a lying, cheating whore!!"

That seemed to strike her out of her shock as she grabbed his phone and stared at the pictures. She acted shocked and confused about it, but he wasn't going to play her fake innocent games. "What is this? Alex, these are ...."

"These are what?" he interrupted. "This is the proof of your infidelity, your lies and betrayal!"

He left her to look for a pen in the closest drawer around the room. Grabbing it, He ignored the words that started coming from her mouth, the crocodile tears flowing from her eyes and tossed it along with the divorce papers on coffee table.

"Sign it."

Aurora grabbed the papers to read it. The word divorce finally made her realize that he wanted her to leave. She let go of the papers, letting them fall to the floor as she started to plead with him.

Alexander snapped again, grabbing her by hair and forced her to the floor, her head next to the divorce papers. He forced the pen in her hands once more and said rather harshly, "Sign it!"

Alexander hated the fact that he did this to her, but she pushed him to it. She brought out the angered beast inside of him. He watched her handshake as she signed them before the let go of her and called for a maid. He ordered her to pack up Aurora's things and call a cab.

Before he finally walked away from her, she said to him, "You will regret this for the rest of your life, Alex, as I regret ever knowing you."

Alexander paid no heed to her rants and threats. He had nothing to feel regretful about, but it didn't stop the twinge of guilt rising in his gut...

A day after the incident, Alexander's best friend, James Davis, came to visit him after hearing about the news of the divorce from Alex's parents. He informed Alex that he had managed to convince his parents not to publicize the affair and just let things be much to his gratefulness. Even though he was angry at her, he didn't want her name to be tarnished. He still loved her and felt that it was partially his fault for their failed marriage.

James' biggest concern was how he was going to inform his twin sister, Katherine, because Aurora was her best friend. Alexander had no idea how she was going to handle it. Luckily, she was on her trip to Greece and wasn't coming back until the next couple of months.

He ran himself to the ground with work a week after the divorce. He didn't want to think about her, so he kept himself busy. He didn't want to go home because everything reminded him of Aurora and their memories together, her betrayal, the pain.

When James literally barred Alex from the office, he had to go home. Didn't James consider his state of mind? Alex was close to stepping on his property and lighting it on fire, but it seemed that he had a house guest by the name Natasha...

...Alexander collapsed just as he entered his 'home' and saw Natasha. Seeing her reminded him of Aurora. He couldn't take it anymore as he cried out to her. He was in pain, and it felt like he was suffocating; the walls closing in around me. Alex didn't notice when she came and hugged him. He accepted her embrace, her comfort as she soothed him with her words. He made the unfortunate mistake of looking into her eyes and finding the adoration and love in them that he ignored for years.

In an act of foolishness and desperation to kill the pain in his heart, Alexander pleaded, "Please, make me forget the pain, just for today." He chose to ignore the untold consequences of his request.

Something flashed in her eyes that Alex couldn't decipher, but he didn't care to wonder for she smiled at him in bliss, making him swallow in guilt that he might be using her.

Her answer was unexpected as she initiated the kiss. Any form of guilt and rationality Alex had was forgotten...

The next day came the dawning realization of Alex's impulsive foolishness in sleeping with the sister of his ex-wife. In an awkward silence of shame, they cleaned up and dressed from the scene of their scandalous affair, parting ways. Not before he did another stupid act by holding her hand and giving her a chaste kiss on the lips in gratitude, outside his property, for the whole world to see and see, they did.

It didn't take a day before Alex saw his stupid self on the front-page news. People wondered where Alex's wife was. Why was he kissing her sister? What the fuck was going on? Where is she? It ran for a week, and people figured out that they were divorced. Some speculated that he cheated, others said that Aurora cheated, and he kicked her out and the daring said that he murdered her.

After that last statement, it didn't take his family long to suppress the media and call Alex to tell him that he was an idiot and he agreed with them. James asked Alex if he was going to pursue a relationship with Natasha, but he rejected the idea. It would've remained that way, but things changed when three weeks after the affair, Natasha called to inform him of her pregnancy.

Alexander didn't waste any time to take on his responsibility as the father. Within the next two months, they had a private court marriage with only a few families and friends. It was made a secret until the pregnancy becomes obvious.

Trouble didn't wait too long to find Alex in the form of his viper of a sister. Katherine was not just mad; she was downright furious. The shocking thing was that she was mad at him. He didn't understand why.

Katherine didn't let her brother talk; she didn't let her ex-boyfriend, James, talk. She just cursed at them in the three different languages she knew and walked out of Alex's office. Later, Alex was informed that she went to their parents for the proof of Aurora's infidelity and walked out. He hasn't seen her since then, all he knew was that she took charge of one of their branches in Los Angeles. His mother, Diana, said that she visited often but it seems she wanted to ignore her brother.

Alex couldn't think about his sister anymore for he had an obligation to Natasha. He followed her to her appointments, made sure she had all she needed and pampered her silly. He could see the love and adoration she had for him but all he felt was guilt, for he could not reciprocate.

Everything seemed well until the start of Natasha's second trimester, he got some devastating news...

..."Hello, Martha?" Alexander wondered why the head maid was calling him at this hour.

"Mr. Price! Your wife has been rushed to the hospital. I found her in her room unconscious and bleeding from between her legs."

"What!" He got up from his chair, grabbing his car keys and headed for the door while still on the phone "Which hospital was she sent to?"...

When Alexander got there, it was too late. She lost the baby. From there, it became a nightmare. They were all devastated, most especially Natasha. She was inconsolable. She didn't want to eat, talk, or work. She was a shade of her former self. Alex tried to help but she didn't give him the time of the day. He didn't like that she was punishing herself.

After three months, Alex hired a psychiatrist to help her, and he thanked God that he did because she recovered. She asked if they could try for another child, but that request turned his stomach off.

Alex sucked it up and tried. Well, he first got drunk enough to try but after that one time, she became cold to him. He didn't know what he did until James asked if he might've said something to her. It took Alex a while until he realized that he might've called her Aurora instead of her name during sex. He knew he fucked up.

He had apologized to Natasha, and it took a while for her to forgive him, but she did. It was never the same anymore. They only had sex just to try for a child. There was no more passion. They attacked each other, putting their frustrations and anger during sex. They accepted it as it was, but they were now strangers living in the same house.

Some changes occurred within Price Incorporate and they finally decided to move the main headquarters of the company to New York City. Alex hoped it made Natasha happy because her parents also moved to New York some time ago. He just hoped that she wasn't in New York either but from what he heard, it was unlikely since she didn't have a good relationship with her father and his godfather, Jonathan Kingston.

Alexander's parents got their own condo so that they could visit from time to time but they were also worried about his marriage, but he assured them that it was fine. They didn't believe him.

That was how everything fell in place. Alexander was now a twenty-nine-year-old billionaire tycoon of a company under the transportation logistics and consumer products and services industry.

Natasha had a job as an interior and exterior designer in a well-known company. Their work became their spouses, and they were each other's side dude/chick.

"Oh God, just stop thinking you fool" Alex mumbled harshly to himself.

He drank the last of his juice before heading for the door, grabbing one of his coats from the coat rack. Alexander's driver was already at the exit with his suitcase, waiting for his boss. He needed to drown himself with work again.

He needed to forget how painful today was for him.