Prologue
London hadn’t changed at all. I didn’t
miss the cold winter nights or the chilly air of October early mornings. I
never thought I would be coming back to this city again, and yet, here I was.
Everything seemed to be as I remembered. The
tall modern skyscraper buildings of The City making a stark contrast to the
white opulent facades of the town houses in central London. Tower Bridge, Big
Ben, The House of Parliament. All appeared the same. And yet all was different.
I was different.
Six years ago I left this place still as a
student. Or should I say- a drop out. I never even managed to finish my first
year at university. It had become impossible for me to remain or even transfer
to another academic institution. It wasn’t like I didn’t try- I did. But the
applications all returned with the very same answer- not approved. The reasons
given varied, some didn’t even pay me the curtesy of even specifying any.
Not that I needed them to. I knew damn too
well why I got declined from everywhere. The answer had one name- Robert. Or
should I say, Professor Green. Lord Winfield. The heir of a vast fortune,
wealth and unlimited power. His family owned most of the land in central
London. Properties, businesses, you name it. They had their hands on everything
lucrative and prestigious. Including the university I had been studying at, at
the time. This is where I met him. He was one of my professors in Neuroscience.
I didn’t know who he was at the time- he had made sure of it. The plan I guess
was to seduce me and have fun with me for as long as he wanted me- then
discard. Get rid.
The only
problem- I happened to accidentally stumble across the whole truth before he
could carry out his ploy. He hadn’t predicted the possibility of his father
coming to the university building and thus revealing unintentionally the
identity of his son. And what identity it was! No wonder he was hiding
everything from me. From the playboy past, through numerous model-like blond
girlfriends, to multiple affairs and broken promises. The trail of destroyed
lives, hopes and dreams that this man had left in his wake was staggering. I
remember I felt sick as I was going through numerous pages on the internet with
articles on him, with photos upon photos of his smiling arrogant face staring
at me, with a stunningly beautiful woman always on his arm.
He was irresistible, the most wanted bachelor
in London- and he knew it. And played it well. Of course all this had to end
with the accident. The one that got him stuck in a wheelchair. He was driving
his latest toy- some crazily expensive car, when he crashed it. It left him
paralyzed from the waist down. Of course I didn’t know all this when I first
saw him at the lecture hall. All I could remember were the beautiful amber
eyes, the masculine jaw, the perfectly sculpted cheek bones and straight nose. This
man was beautiful. I could only imagine how attractive he must have been to the
women before. The accident had changed him, it was obvious. And therein lay my
most crucial mistake- I believed it. I believed he was a changed man.
Of course it wasn’t difficult as back then I
had no idea who he was, or what his life had been prior to the car crash. All I
saw was a man who was trying to live as best as he could, and to love. Oh, how
much was I mistaken. It all became crystal clear when I discovered his past
along with the man he used to be. A man I could have never fallen in love with.
The familiar face that looked at me from the glossy magazine photos was not the
guy I had grown to know and eventually, love. This person was a stranger. And
not only that- he was the type of character I would generally avoid at all
cost. The arrogance, vanity, egocentric attitude, were all present. He was
clearly used to getting what he wanted- always. And this time around- he wanted
me. For reasons I still find difficult to understand.
The facts is – I didn’t look like the model,
statuesque women he was used to dating. With my brunette hair and medium
height, I wasn’t one to basically stand out from the crowd. Perhaps my only
very attractive feature were my eyes. He complimented me on them often. They
were green, with tiny brown specs scattered throughout the irises. This
combination, along with long lashes and the almond shape, gave me somewhat of
an exotic, cat-like appearance. So I guess this was my misfortune and why I
really hated them every time I looked myself in the mirror ever since. For
maybe if I had just ordinary, brown eyes, that didn’t stand out so much, I
could have avoided altogether the disaster that was Lord Winfield.
Now, six years later, I had returned to the
place I had sworn I would never visit again. Back to the man who had destroyed
my life, my teenage hopes and dreams, my career- with just one word of his. I
knew Robert was behind all the denied applications. He had connections in all
academic institutions in the country and it seemed his influence reached as far
as Scotland. After I received a decline from the University of Edinburgh, I
knew I was done with trying to continue my degree in the UK. Apparently it
wasn’t enough that he managed to destroy my reputation when the truth about our
affair came out.
I don’t know if he managed to keep his
position and title, but I figured since his family practically owned the
university, he most likely was still teaching there. What was my surprise,
therefore, when a month ago I happened to come across an article online, with
his name plastered all over the headlines.
The air stopped in my chest and the familiar
sickly feeling- one that I hadn’t experienced in years, returned with a
vengeance. It was as though no time had passed and I found myself looking again
at those arrogant amber eyes. The expression on his face- although he managed
to hide it within seconds, was still etched vividly in my memory. He was
pleading for me to forgive him. To understand why he had lied and hidden his
identity. Why he had purchased a flat for our meetings, in order to keep up the
illusion of being an average guy, just living off his professor’s salary,
completely obscuring the fact who he really was. Who his family was.
I never gave him the chance to explain. I
walked away from him. in that very same corridor where we had met for the first
time. I didn’t want to hear more lies and I was convinced he would have tried
to manipulate me further, had I given him the opportunity. Robert- I mean Lord
Winfield, was obviously very experienced with getting his own way. Especially
with women. The doubt I felt regarding his intentions vanished immediately when
I caught that expression he had on his face. I would ever forget it. Or the
moment all became crystal clear to me. In that moment I knew this man had never
truly changed deep inside. The veneer of humility, generosity and consideration
for others had been just that- a cover up. Beneath it all he was still the same
arrogant guy, looking at me from the covers of the glossy magazines. He could
no longer have all the best looking models, actresses and socialites – the
crème de la crème of London high society. But he could have me- and at the time
I was convinced he wanted me. I have no idea why- perhaps the thought of
sleeping with a student of his, the thrill of the forbidden love affair,
appeared tempting. Whatever the reason, I was sure he would have dropped me the
moment he had satiated his curiosity. For the kind of men he clearly belonged
to- the spoiled, super rich, high status mega powerful elite members of London
society – would have never been able to see me as anything more than a
plaything.
Clearly he had no intentions of ever
introducing me to his family, or including me in his real life. He had made
sure I was kept in the dark, and actually went as far as creating an entire
separate life for himself. We didn’t go out together and mostly stayed in, in
the evenings. This went on for almost two months. I was practically living at
his place by then, he had insisted it would be easier for us logistically. He
would then drive to work and drop me off just a short distance before the
university campus, so that no one ever knew we were an item. I had fallen hard
for him already, so I didn’t really pay attention as to what was going on
around me. There had been some inconsistencies in his story, some things that
didn’t add up. Had I not been so infatuated, I would have probably been able to
spot those much sooner. And maybe saved me a heartbreak and a total career
collapse in the future.
Unfortunately, I discovered the truth when it
was already too late to salvage anything, not even my dignity. Somehow the
secret had come out and I had no choice but to seek a transfer to a different
academic institution. It soon became clear, however, that rumors had reached
all the bigger universities in England, which drastically reduced my chances of
ever continuing my degree in a reputable, established institute. Scotland was
my last option, but their refusal of my application came in so quickly, I was
certain by then someone was involved. Someone who clearly didn’t want me to
stay and finish my studies here.
So the only choice was to leave. Humiliated
and with no prospects, I took a plane back home. It took me almost two years to
begin regaining some of my old self back. My passion for life slowly but surely
was coming back to me. I ended up travelling across Europe for a year, brushing
up on my French while making new friends all over the continent. I had been
staying with a girl in Nice- someone I met during my travels and who quickly
became one of my closest confidants and companions. It was summer and we had
been enjoying the Mediterranean outdoors, sunbathing and playing in the salty
waters. During one of our breaks, we were drinking cold lattes at a cute local
café near the beach, when with my peripheral vision I suddenly caught a sight
of something familiar.
The TV
was on, they had been playing some showbiz news from St Tropez. I focused on
the presenter, not understanding why I felt like I needed to see what they were
about to show next. My French still wasn’t perfect and I struggled to follow
the quick barrage of words. Suddenly, a name was mentioned- one which I could
recognize anywhere. And one that I wanted desperately to be able to forget forever.
Robert Green, Lord Winfield. The famous
bachelor was visiting. The next thing that followed was a series of photos and
a video of him, accompanied by a tall, devastatingly beautiful woman, exiting
one of the famous 5-star hotels on the Riviere. And he was NOT in a wheelchair.
I squinted, cursing myself for not bringing my glasses along. The screen was
big enough fortunately and there was no way I wasn’t seeing properly. Robert
was walking all on his own. He had a cane which he seemed to be using, putting
some of his weight on it. And his gate seems somewhat abnormal. He was
concentrating on walking, not paying attention to the crowds of paparazzi
waiting outside. The woman who was his companion didn’t seem to have an issue
with the media attention, however, as she smiled broadly and looked straight at
the waiting cameras. She had the polished skills of a professional actress.
They looked perfect together, almost like a Hollywood couple.
I was so entranced by what was unfolding
right in front of me, that I didn’t notice my friend talking. I wanted to see
every detail, to memorize his expression. Unfortunately, their car pulled right
in front of the hotel entrance and Robert and his companion soon disappeared
from view. At this point the video footage ended and I slowly moved my eyes
across the table where my friend was looking at me speculatively. I hadn’t told
her every little detail about my past and the man who had hurt me beyond
repair, but I think she managed to put two and two together.
“Emma? It’s him, isn’t it?”, I looked her directly
in the eye.
“Yes, it is”.
“You are going to London, aren’t you?”
It was more of a statement rather than a
question. “Yes, I am going back to London.”
Chapter 1
The plane
landed with a thud. I grabbed my handbag and prepared myself for the hustle and
bustle that was going to follow next. Terminal 5 at Heathrow brought unpleasant
memories- ones that I would rather forget. Six years ago I was here again, this
time however not arriving but departing. Everything had been a blur, the pain
too much to bear. It’s still unclear to me to this day how I managed to gather
the courage and strength not to fall apart completely.
Of course the
meltdown took place, but much later on, once I was safely in the air, on my way
back home. The period immediately after my return was one of the darkest, most
terrifying experiences in my life. Something I generally avoided talking about
altogether, if I could help it. Today I think of it as a black hole- a gap in
my story which is better left uncovered.
The strength
of the memories and sensations once my feet touched London soil took me by
surprise. Through the ears I had managed to develop some kind of a shield of
self-protection, not many could penetrate. Particularly men. For I had spent
the time not only recovering, but building myself up. I had lost most of the
baby weight I still carried around with me during my student years. The
frequent swims in the Mediterranean along with basking in the sun had given my
skin a bronzed, healthy flow. I was in the best shape of my life and I knew it.
The final
alteration that finished off my complete transformation was my hair- it was now
a golden blond. The darker shades of auburn had fully disappeared. In fact,
this step was the last one and it took some courage to go through with it. At
first I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to go that far and change my look so
drastically. However, after seeing the recent footage on all TV channels, where
Robert was being snapped with a string of Barbie-looking socialites and models,
had solidified my decision. If I wanted my plan to work, I needed to go all the
way. There had to be no compromises, no risks taken. He had to believe I was the person I was going to introduce myself as.
My name was changed, my background story along with all the necessary
documents.
To be honest,
it turned out to be easier than I thought. This part worried me the most- how
was I going to get a job at one of his companies and slowly infiltrate myself
into his life. And heart. But the interview went surprisingly smoothly, and
soon after I received confirmation of my job application being successful.
Leaving my
best friend in France was difficult, but she promised she would pay me a visit
in London as soon as possible. Next, I arranged my flights and the flat I was
going to be renting while here. It was a very nice small apartment in
Knightsbridge. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it, and the landlord was
kind enough to reduce the price for me- which was very odd, I must say. I had
my misgivings and expected something to be majorly wrong with the place, but it
turned out to be even nicer than what I had seen in the photos. So I signed the
lease right away.
My plan was running
so smoothly up to this point, that I almost felt suspicious something was off.
Getting the job turned out way easier than expected, as well as finding a place
that I loved AND within my price range right away- which, for London, is quite
rare, seemed a little bit too good to be true. But when I shared my
reservations with my friend, she suggested perhaps it was a sign fortune was
finally on my side- and my plan was going to work out. The man who destroyed my
life and my future six years ago was going to pay for it. And I fully intended
to make sure he did. Yes, karma is a bitch.
The Kensington
flat was even better in reality than those photos I saw when I signed the
tenant’s contract. It was rather surreal and almost too good to be true. Maybe,
as my friend had said, this was a sign from destiny- that I was indeed supposed
to be here and proceed with my plan.
I settled
into my new routine much sooner than expected. The company I was going to work
for had its headquarters based in the City, however the commute hadn’t been as
bad as I was expected. Not only that, but my first day at my new job went
brilliantly. My colleagues seemed pretty chilled and very helpful. My immediate
supervisor- a girl my age who was the happiest person I have ever seen- made
sure I felt comfortable and had everything I needed.
Everything
just seemed to click in so easily, I had to pinch myself in order to remind me
that this was only a temporary thing and once I managed to accomplish what I
came here to do, I would be leaving this place and everyone along with it. The
thought almost made me sad- all these people seemed so lovely. I had expected
much animosity and hypocrisy. Instead, I got kindness, compassion and genuine
friendliness.
But I knew I
had to keep my eyes firmly on the goal. Which was to make Lord Winfield, future
Viscount Wesley, pay for everything he ever did to me. And so I was going to
buy my time and get familiar with my job and immediate surroundings. I didn’t
want to attract much attention to myself. So I was going to work diligently,
whilst at the same time waiting for the right moment to act. Since this was one
of the companies run by Robert’s family, and by now I knew he had assumed the
head CEO position from his father, sooner or later he was bound to visit the
main office here. And when he did, I was going to be ready. Robert would not be
able to see it even coming- and this time around I was going to be the one to have the last
laugh.
Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this sample, please check out my book here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HL9VNLQ
to be continued...
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