Chapter 6

They walked toward the officials when it was their turn. They handed them the certificate and she took it, smiling as she hurriedly filled in her name. When she was done, she tossed it to him. He took the pen and poised it over the paper, pretending to write. She looked at the paper closely, and when she realized he wasn't writing, she looked up at him and saw a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. She nodded at him, assuring him with a smile.

Edward bit his lip and continued writing. When he was finished, he gave the certificate to the official, who stamped it. They were each given copies and she laughed out loud,

"I am finally free!"

She looked at him and saw that he had a confused expression, but she just shrugged and was about to walk away when he stopped her by holding her hand. She looked at her hand in his grasp, then looked up and glared at him. He released her immediately and said in a rude tone,

"Did you forget about the press conference? You promised to confess and apologize to Cece after I gave you the divorce, didn't you?"

Alexia wiped the spot where he had touched her hand and replied,

"I promised, and I am going to stick to it—unlike others who make empty promises."

She ran out of the room and saw the men still waiting for her. Her smile grew wider as she walked toward them. When she reached their side, she said,

"Let's get out of here."

But one of the men shook his head and replied,

"Let's wait for your ex-husband. Your brother has something to give him."

She stared at him and asked, confused,

"What could he possibly give him? He doesn't deserve any praise, and hooting at him would just be a waste of time."

Just as they spoke, he walked by, but heard the man in the shades shout,

"Mr. Edward, we were waiting for you. Do you mind if I talk to you for a moment?"

He looked back and sneered,

"Does he want to tease me about stealing my wife? No matter what, I will find you and you will regret the day you were born."

They shook their heads, and the man in sunglasses moved to approach him, but Edward hurried away and got in his car. In a few seconds, he sped off as if being chased by a swarm of bees. Everyone could see he was very angry, but no one knew the reason for his rage. Alexia watched as his car disappeared and thought,

"Should I take it that he's angry because I divorced him? He even hesitated while signing the papers, and he's never looked me in the eyes since our marriage. But today, he couldn't stop staring at me. Well, whatever it was, it's all over, and I don't need to know anymore."

The man in the sunglasses tapped her shoulder gently and she looked his way, confused, but then he explained that he'd been telling her to get into the car. She nodded, and just as she was about to step in, she asked,

"May I know your names?"

They both nodded and the one in the glasses spoke,

"My name is Eric Rivas and this is Enoch Rivas. We are your brother's guards at home and wherever he goes."

She looked on, confused, and Eric quickly added,

"Miss, don't be confused. Your brother gave us his family name. We were nobodies before we met him, so he gave every worker his surname. Every one of his workers comes from an orphanage."

A huge smile appeared on her face and she laughed,

"What are you waiting for? Let's get going, I need to see my brother now."

…

While driving, Edward kept beating his steering wheel, the horn sounding for miles ahead as cars made way for him. His jaw was clenched, and the veins on his hand bulged from gripping the wheel so tightly. His eyes were full of anger as he breathed harshly in and out. A few minutes later, after running several red lights, he pulled up to a cemetery, stopping abruptly and leaving dust swirling around his car. Edward put his head on the wheel for a while before raising his head to look out at the cemetery, where he sneered and said,

"So, are you satisfied with the results? She's gone now, and my heart hurts but I have no idea why. She's a wicked woman, right? She plotted Cecelia's rape, so I should hate her even more, right? Jacob, I need answers—something isn't right, and I feel it deep down. I might have made the wrong choice but if…"

He nodded to himself and drove away from the cemetery.

…

They drove through the city, passing several huge buildings and businesses, then turned into another part of town. She spoke up,

"Are you taking me to the wrong place? Did you get lost? Look, the land ahead is owned by multimillionaires in this country. We can't go there, or we'll get caught."

Eric smiled at her and shook his head before assuring her they would see when they got there. When they arrived at the gate, it opened on its own. She looked at Eric beside her, her eyes wide with surprise. Eric noticed her expression and smiled. Enoch saw this and grinned too, saying,

"No one ever smiles in front of Sir Eric, but you made him smile as soon as you met him. Miss, you seem to have magical powers."

Eric glared at him and Enoch fell silent at once. Alexia smiled broadly and said to herself,

"Alexia, it seems you're in for a good show that will make your heart pound with excitement."