Divorce To Restart: Vengeful Ex-Wife Strikes Back!

Chapter 17 A GlimpseAll text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

TANIA’S APARTMENT, NEW YORK. Nina winced as the evening sun shined brightly into her eyes. She sat up groggily. The door to the room opened, letting in Tania with a tray of food and Xander behind her. “Thank goodness you are awake,” Tania said, sitting beside her. “Before you say anything, you should take water. You must be thirsty.” She collected the glass of water and drank slowly from it. “What happened?” Xander sighed, pocketing his hands. “One of the customers found you unconscious on the floor and notified Samson. He found out from the CCTV that Andrea came to the store. How did she find the place?” “It was a coincidence. I believe if Andrea had known earlier, she would have come by. She came to get pads. I heard her talking to you on the phone, Tania.” She said. “That witch! I remember now. She was heading out of the house and expected me to be able to tell when her cycle would start. Blaming me for not putting a pad out for her. What did she do to you?” Tania asked. Nina rubbed at the back of her head. “Nothing, I just got overwhelmed, that’s all.” Xander could tell Nina doesn’t want to say much in front of Tania. “Why don’t I take you for a drive? It will make you feel much better.” “That would be nice. Nina needs it.” Tania supported. As they drove through the streets, they remained quiet. Nina turned her head to the window filled with so much thought. She can’t seem to keep her thoughts in a place. Xander stopped at the beach. He got out of the car, hoping Nina would take the hint, and she did. They walked further and sat down on the sand, watching the sunset. “What did she say to you?” Xander finally asked. Nina scoffed. “She admitted all the things she did to my face without any remorse. I have to admit I was beyond shocked. I didn’t want to believe that she would do any of those things even though the evidence was in my face. Hearing her say it and acting proud made me want to strangle her to death on the spot.” Tears formed in her eyes again. It’s becoming a routine for her. “I have never for once thought awfully about her. Even though she had many things that I didn’t, I looked out for Andrea and defended her every time. When her father left her mother because he had fallen in love with someone else, I never left her side the days she fell sick, missing her father. I even went as far as begging him to at least see her. He told me her mother wouldn’t let him. I interceded, and she finally got to see him. Even when everyone thought she was a brat, I never turned against her. Why? Why will she think to harm me?” Xander sighed. “I wish I had an answer to your question, Nina. You just never can tell with humans. We are quite unpredictable.” “Do you know she paid the food companies not to hire me? For a while, I wondered when Asher harbored that much hate towards me. Not knowing his woman is behind it all. Andrea does not just hate me; she detests seeing me happy and living. What did I ever do to deserve something like that?” “She doesn’t need to have a reason. Also, you don’t have to be deserving of her hatred. She is a bad person, and you can’t do anything about it. You must get back on your feet and show them what you can do. You don’t need bad energies around you.” “Do you think I have the strength to?” “Then you underestimate your prowess. You are the most brilliant head researcher in New York.” She chuckled. “Stop flattering me.” Xander kicked the sand to bury his big foot into it. “I would expect that you will know me better by now that I do not say things that I don’t mean. It is the main reason I want you on my team. Asher’s loss is my gain. I want you to stand tall and never let pests like them get to you.” “Do you know what I want?” “You tell me.” “I want to make them pay. But I don’t know how.” “We will get there. But first, you have to prove that you are the master planner. And everything else will fall into place.” “Sure.” She mumbled. They fell quiet again. “I have never really asked you. How are you? Are you married yet? Also, did I miss something when we were dating in college? How did you get to control such a huge company? Is it your dad’s?” Xander laughed, “Easy on the questions. Let me at least answer one of them. I am fine, living. And I am not married yet.” “So you are in a relationship?” “Why are you so interested in my dating life?” Nina chuckled. “Just want to know what you have been up to. At least you know mine.” He nodded, “True. I am not seeing anyone. I am just by myself. And I started up my company by creating apps first. You know how keen I was on programming. I got a company to buy my first creation very robustly. So I decided to expand. I have been running X&J for a while now.” “Oh, that reminds me. Your father has a company, too.” “Yes, he runs a chain of restaurants. Jackson’s.” “I know Jackson’s. They are most popular for their steak. I love going there.” Xander rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right.” “So why didn’t you take over from him? Isn’t that the most common thing to happen?” “I wanted a name for myself, and I got it.” “Is he very pleased with it?” “No. It’s not like I am my father’s only son. Maybe the reason he hates me more is because Jace prefers to work with me than him.” Nina chuckled. “You two are rebelling against your old man; that is wrong.” “We are who we are. My father is the one who should accept it.” She placed a hand on her growing belly. “Someday, I hope my child can live freely and choose whatever path they want.” “Can I ask you something a bit personal?” “Sure.” “Why did you choose to keep the pregnancy? It’s still early, and you can easily get rid of it and move on. I mean no offense.” “I have asked myself that time and time again. The supposed father already denied the child. But then maybe I want to prove to myself and this child that I am not like my parents, who chose to abandon me-leaving me in the cold hands of society to survive all by myself. Suppose I had one of my parents around. I bet they would have seen right through Andrea and protected me from her. I want to take this as a challenge for myself. Maybe it’s selfish, but it’s just how I see it.” Xander nodded. “I understand you perfectly. You are on the right track with your decision.” Nina turned to him and patted his arm. “Thanks, Xander. Thank you.” He stared into her eyes and felt a sense of longing. His hand itched to touch her, but he held back. “You are welcome anytime,” Xander assured her with a smile.