Chapter Twelve

For the first time in a long time, Ivy wasn't irritated by the sound of her alarm going off, she was strangely happy even by its sound. She woke up feeling energetic and surprisingly refreshed; that was probably the effect of talking to a big fashion icon...and oh, not only did she talk to him, she may just have secured a collaboration between his company and the one she worked for

"It's a beautiful day" she yawned, as she got up from her bed. Although she wasn't a persistent churchgoer or even a believer, she felt a need to pray the rosary that morning- a weird but good sign, she thought

Once she was done with her prayers, she went to freshen up and get ready for the big day she had ahead of her. She settled for a mustard-coloured double-breasted blazer jacket with a matching pair of well-tailored pants. She had her hair packed in a high bun with tendrils falling in front to frame her face. She originally went for a regular pair of pumps but decided to change into the black pair of Mark and Clark stilettos Beth had gotten her for Christmas - she had been obsessed with the pair....anything to get Mark talking again, she thought.

After looking in the mirror and being satisfied with what she saw, she made her way to the reception; Richard had agreed to meet he there so they could go to the venue for the conference together.

She walked gracefully, placing one leg gingerly before the other, as she stepped out of the elevator

"Good morning ma'am. You look so beautiful today" the young lady at the counter said to her whilst eyeing her shoes

"Thank you! It's a beautiful day. Isn't it?" She said in a cheery voice

"Coffee?" The lady who later identified herself as Kat asked her

"Yes, please. Add some cream and sugar, please" She said

"That'll be fifteen bucks," she said, handing out the receipt to Ivy

"I'll take care of that" A masculine voice said behind her

"Please allow me to do something for myself, Rich-" wait that's not Richard....what the hell is he doing here, she thought

"Hello, Ivy," He said with a smile on his face as she turned to face him

Ivy could feel the bile rise in her throat as a range of emotions flowed through her; from anger to disappointment, and even longing "stop that, Ivy" she scolded herself. She couldn't believe that she was finally seeing Luke after he unceremoniously dumped her without a valid reason; not that any reason would have been valid to dump someone on their wedding day

"What are you doing here and what do you want from me? Are you stalking me now? Cause I swear I would report you to the police without a second thought" she said in a rush as if the words felt too heavy on her tongue

"You're forgetting that I own a marketing firm and I'm supposed to be present here"

"I'm just making sure you're not trying to crawl your way back into my life" She retorted, then feeling the emotions pour in and realizing the weight of what he had done, she went on to add "Why, Luke? Why did you do it?"

"I just didn't feel that things were right between us," He said like it was obvious for everyone to see

Ivy reflected on their time together, things had been fine, they had been crazy in love, swore never to leave each other, and she had always imagined their fairy tale ending together....it now seemed like all Of these were one-sided or she must have been in a world of her own

"So what brings you to Los Angeles? I didn't think you would ever come here considering the memories it holds for your family"

Ivy looked at him closely now, the way he spoke so casually and leisurely with his hands in his pocket, the way his hair was styled to perfection, the way his suit was well ironed and the annoying smile that just didn't seem to leave his face; at that moment, she knew that he was shaken by the breakup and had carried on living his normal life "the audacity" she thought

"Don't come acting like you know me now." She said, anger and disgust evident in her voice

"Hey Ivy! Sorry I kept you waiting. I'm here now, so we can go" Richard said as he made his way toward her

"I see you have moved on," Luke said, with an expression that looked like jealousy on his face

Ivy knew she would give anything to have that look remain on his face....and probably regrets; with this in mind, she made her way toward Richard

"Yes, babe! We should get going. You look extra handsome today by the way" she said in a sickly sweet voice and went on her tiptoes to give him a peck on his cheek- I would probably regret this, but anything to see Luke's mouth hanging open was not so bad

"I guess I'll see you around" Luke finally said, as he stalked out of the reception

"What was that about?" Richard asked, turning towards her with a glare on his face.

"I'm so sorry sir. Deeply sorry. I don't know what came over me" She said in a rush

Richard knew that he was treading on dangerous waters with her. He had promised to keep everything strictly official between them, and here she was giving him a peck that made him feel things he knew he shouldn't feel. "What am I going to do with her," he thought, as he let out a sigh

"It's okay, but please make sure nothing like this ever happens again," He replied to her in her curt voice, his face void of any emotions at all.

"Thank you, sir," Ivy said, as she let out a sigh of relief. She wondered what she was thinking to have done what she did. She shouldn't have let Luke get under her skin so much.....he wasn't worth losing her job over, not after what he did to her