Win over her
The whole restaurant was a boozing mess, everyone with their own opinion and already throwing judgments. The internet was packed with posts on different opinions. Obliviously, none held the exact details of what happened. Seeing the scandal cashed by George and the reaction from the crowd, her face flushed with anger as she stood before George. With a swift motion, her hand collided with his cheek in a sharp slap.
Gasps rose from those around them as George stumbled back, shocked by her sudden outburst.
“How dare you, George? How dare you kiss me when you know fully well that I am married, and now you asking me what’s it to me?” She stalked closer angrily, unable to control the load of anger she hadn’t been able to contain.
“Your marriage with Peter hasn’t been real Lotus. Accept that fact and come back with me. I can clear this all up.” He motioned to the watching crowd, a cocky grin that she wanted to wipe away from his face so badly.
“I can’t believe you, George.” She muttered lowly, rubbing her forehead.
His phone pinged, capturing his attention, and he glanced down at the screen. The headlines blared before his eyes, signaling the magnitude of his mistake.Exclusive © material by Nô(/v)elDrama.Org.
Lotus checked her phone, and the headlines made her breath hitch up.
“I can’t believe you, George!” Lotus seethed, her voice filled with righteous fury. “How could you be so cold, so inhuman? Are you truly set on destroying me? After everything you’ve done? Aren’t you still satisfied with the harm you caused earlier? You are still inflicting more?”
George’s eyes widened, t. He reached out toward Lotus, desperation evident in his voice. “Lotus, please, let me explain–” He glanced at his phone again, and genuine shock was made evident on his features, and then the question settled in his mind. How did the paparazzi get to the spot so quickly to capture the moment? “I never meant for this.”
“I don’t know how they got here this minute, and the news already carrying the headlines.”
“Bloody liar!”
“Lotus,”
But she was having none of it. Her eyes blazed with anger as she turned on her heel and forcefully pushed her way through the crowd. Every step she took released her pent-up frustration, causing bystanders to part like a sea around her.
The driver immediately pulled open the car door and sped away immediately. She marched towards her office as soon as they got to her company. She stormed in, determined to shut out the chaos of the day.
Once inside, Lotus slumped into her chair, her heart pounding in her chest. She reached for her phone and dialed Peter’s number, hoping that he might stand by her and help her sail through. However, his voice was cold and distant when he answered, a far cry from the warmth she craved.
“I don’t want anything to do with you right now, Lotus,” Peter curtly replied. Each word pierced through her heart, leaving her feeling shattered and lost. His heart broke more, and she didn’t know when the phone slipped from her hands and fell on the table.
The line went dead, and Lotus hugged her to herself, tears welling up in her eyes. She felt betrayed, her world crumbling around her. With trembling fingers, she opened her news app and began scrolling aimlessly through the headlines, hoping to escape the turmoil of her own life.
“Lotus, the successful businesswoman rumored to be involved in a scandal!” The blaring headline caught her attention, and she bit her lip, her heart sinking further. The article painted her as the villain, twisting her actions and motives into being a prostitute and unfaithful. The comments section was even worse, with people hurling insults and judgment, fueled by the public’s insatiable hunger for drama.
Tears streamed down her face as she scrolled through the vitriol, feeling utterly alone and misunderstood. How could everything have gone so wrong? The weight of the world seemed to crush her, suffocating her.
As the room darkened with the setting sun, Lotus cradled her head in her hands, her body shaking with sobs. Each tear that fell felt like a piece of her soul was being torn away. She missed her life. Her once peaceful life. Now Peter wasn’t even here to stand by her. She hated that he didn’t believe her. She hated that he believed she truly kissed George.
———-
Peter paced back and forth in his dimly lit office, his anger simmering beneath the surface like a dormant volcano ready to explode. The news had reached his ears like a thunderclap: Lotus, his beloved wife, had kissed George right in front of everyone at the restaurant. The image of that betrayal burned in his mind, fueling his rage until he could no longer contain it. He felt really hypodermal. He had not treated her right, and now he was angry that she was kissing someone else in public. Why should he care? He knew the answer to that. He couldn’t believe that she would stoop low so soon.
With a forceful push, Peter burst out of his office and stormed towards the scene of the incident. His face twisted with rage, and he walked towards George, who was standing there, smirking as if he had just won the lottery. Without a moment’s hesitation, Peter launched his fist towards George’s jaw, the impact reverberating through the air as he landed a powerful punch, sending George sprawling to the ground.
“You’ll pay for kissing my wife, you slimy snake!” Peter spat, his voice laced with venomous anger. The onlookers gasped in shock, their eyes widening at the sudden outbreak of violence. Among the crowd was Sheila; she rushed out into the dark and smiled sinisterly.
“Ex-wife, Peter,” Sheila corrected, her voice calm and steady. “You were going to divorce Lotus for causing such a public scandal.”
Peter’s face contorted with rage, his fists clenched tightly. He could feel his temper flaring, threatening to consume him entirely. But instead of saying anything, he turned abruptly on his heel and stormed back to his office, his steps heavy with anger.
As Peter paced back and forth, his mind overwhelmed with a cocktail of fury and anguish, his office door swung open, revealing Elvis. Elvis surveyed the tense atmosphere in the room and cautiously stepped forward, concern etched in his eyes. He heard the news and was there to the little he could.
“Hey, Peter. I heard what happened. Are you okay?” Elvis asked, his voice filled with genuine worry.
Peter shot a piercing glance at his friend, his face etched with pain. “Am I okay? Of course, I’m not okay, Elvis! How can I be after seeing my wife wrapped in another man’s arms?”
Elvis took a deep breath, his voice calm and soothing. “I understand your anger, Peter. It’s a natural response. But you have to calm down and think rationally. It might not be the way it looks like. She can be set up, you know?”
Peter’s eyes narrowed, his anger slowly dissipating as he listened to Elvis’s words. He ran a hand through his disheveled hair, his frustration now tinged with a hint of vulnerability. “I can’t help it, Elvis.”
Elvis placed a comforting hand on Peter’s shoulder. “I know it hurts, my friend. But you need to take some time to process your emotions. Acting out of anger will only make things worse. Take a deep breath, and let’s talk this through. You also need to have a talk with Lotus. You two need to figure things out.”
Peter’s office suddenly felt suffocating, a whirlwind of emotions swirling around him. He waved his hand dismissively, his voice heavy with exhaustion. “Okay, Elvis. …give me some space for now. I need to be alone.”
Understanding his friend’s need for solitude, Elvis nodded and backed towards the door. “Take all the time you need, Peter. I’ll be here whenever you’re ready to talk.”
With a nod of gratitude, Peter watched as Elvis quietly exited the room, leaving him to confront his demons alone. The office fell into an eerie silence, save for the sound of Peter’s heavy footsteps as he continued to pace, his mind consumed by the painful memories of betrayal.
—–
As George nursed his broken jaw, he drove home seething with anger. The plan he so meticulously crafted had been foiled, and his frustration boiled within him like a storm ready to unleash its fury. His mind raced with thoughts of revenge. But on who exactly? He hadn’t expected it to escalate so quickly.
When he finally arrived at his secluded mansion, his jaw throbbing with pain, his phone rang. It was Sheila. She was the only person he thought of who had veered and called the media without his consent. George answered the call, his voice dripping with venomous anger. “Sheila, how dare you go against the plan?! You’ve jeopardized everything!”
There was a sly undertone in Sheila’s voice as she responded, “Oh George, my dear, sometimes we must break the rules to achieve our desires faster. The media attention was necessary to speed things up. Trust me, it will work out in our favor.”
George’s fury intensified. His plan had been tarnished, and now he had to face genuine uncertainty of what would happen. How would Lotus’ father feel? When he sees that he kissed her in public? “You think you can manipulate me?” he spat, his voice laced with venom. “I promise you, Sheila, you will pay for this betrayal.”
Just as George hung up the phone, Davis stormed into the room, his expression contorted with anger. He had witnessed George’s brutal attack on Lotus, the innocent pawn in their twisted game. “Why did you do that to her, George? What could she have possibly done to deserve such cruelty?”
Already raving and consumed by his rage, George clenched his jaw and glared at Davis. “Get out!” he bellowed, his voice echoing through the room.
Davis stood his ground, determined to confront George about his actions. “No, George. I won’t leave until you hear me out. I’ll turn you into Lotus and expose everything to her.”
In a fit of uncontrollable rage, George lashed out at Davis, his fist connecting with the side of his face. “You dare threaten me? I warned you to keep your mouth shut, Davis. If you utter a word to Lotus, I’ll make sure you never speak again.”
Davis, nursing his fresh wound, left the room defeated. George paced around the room helplessly until his phone rang again.
“Hey, George. Forget the rage. Your dear lotus is in a real Jeopardy without support. Don’t you think it’s time to win over her now?”
George felt all his anger dissipate immediately, and his thoughts seemed to go a long way as he thought of the chances of using this to get close to Lotus.
——
A FEW DAYS LATER.
Lotus paced nervously in her office, her mind filled with anxiety and frustration. Ever since the incident, her once thriving business had been plummeting, losing contracts and clients at an alarming rate. It seemed as though everything was slipping through her fingers, and the weight of it all was starting to crush her.
Lost in her thoughts, she was suddenly startled when the office door swung open. Standing there was George and the cause of much of her recent suffering. His presence alone ignited a flame of anger within her, and she couldn’t help but flare at him. Her anger was directed at all men.
“What in the world are you doing here, George?” she demanded, her voice sharp and piercing.
George, with a sly smile on his face, took a step closer to her. “Lotus, I know things haven’t been easy for you lately. But I want to help you. I want to make things right between us.”
Lotus scoffed, disbelief evident in her eyes. “Make things right? By coming here, destroying my business even more? What more do you want from me, George? You destroyed my marriage, George; what do you want again?”
With a calculating gaze, George leaned against the office desk. “Lotus, I have connections, resources. If you agree to marry me, I can help you raise your company again. Together, we can make it stronger than ever.”
Feeling a mixture of anger and disgust, Lotus shot back, “I would rather be jobless for the rest of my life than marry you. Do you think money and power can fix everything, George? Well, they can’t fix what you broke.”
With that, Lotus dismissed him from her office, her heart pounding with indignation. As she walked out, she found herself surrounded by a swarm of photographers and journalists, their cameras flashing and questions flying left and right. A tidal wave of chaos engulfed her, threatening to drown her further.
Just when it all seemed too overwhelming, her driver, Michael, appeared like a guardian angel. With a firm yet gentle presence, he swiftly pulled her away from the paparazzi and led her to the safety of her car.
As they drove away from the madness, the air inside the car was heavy with a mix of relief and tension. Lotus felt her body relax slightly, but her mind was plagued by the events of the day.
“Thank you, Michael,” she finally spoke, breaking the silence. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
Michael glanced at her through the rearview mirror, offering a supportive smile. “It’s my job, Miss Lotus. I’m here to ensure your safety and well-being.”
She nodded, her voice filled with gratitude. “I appreciate it more than words can express. These paparazzi are like vultures, always ready to tear people apart for a story.”
Michael’s eyes flickered with empathy. “Yes, being in the public eye is a difficult part of your life. But remember, their opinions and judgments don’t define who you are.”
Lotus sighed, the weight on her shoulders feeling momentarily lighter. “I know,”
The car rolled to a stop in front of Lotus’ home, and Michael turned off the engine. “I believe you. And if you ever want, we can dig out the source of this for you.”
He opened the car door for her, and Lotus stepped out, feeling a newfound determination within her. She turned back to Michael, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.
” No. I don’t want that. The truth comes out by itself.” She said. She had never suspected that someone might want to set her up, but she contained her new realization. That would be another realization for later.
With a nod of affirmation, Michael closed the car door behind her. As Lotus walked towards her front door, she couldn’t help but feel a spark of sadness, seeing the mansion that once held life and her life for Peter. She had wanted it to continue, but now it was all drained of her. Her future had been stolen from her, and she had no choice.
She felt really helpless.