She is Marrying the CEO

The smile on Richelle Cole's face was perfect tonight, and she had prepared a birthday surprise for her lover a week ago. Richelle carried a gift in a circular tote bag on her right wrist, while both palms held a cake box with candles number 30 like Samy's age today.

Before coming to the apartment, Richelle took the time to enter a salon to change her appearance, and she wanted the surprise for Samy–her lover–to be perfect. Although she was tired from working all day at the office, it didn't stop Richelle.

The elevator doors had just opened, and a woman in a white dress wrapped around her slender body emerged. She walked gracefully down the hallway. Richelle already knows this place. She and Samy have been in a relationship for almost three years, and, likely, they will soon have a wedding–considering Richelle's age has turned 28. Samy once promised to be ready to propose to Richelle when she turns 30.

Number 101, the door to Samy's apartment unit.

Richelle held the cake with one hand while the other pressed the entry code on the door.

She smiled widely because soon Samy would see a surprise for her.

Richelle's heart beat faster. She felt goosebumps all over her body but was enthusiastic about doing all this.

She must still think he was working late at the office while she was already walking through the apartment.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you." Richelle sang in a low voice. Samy's room was on the second floor, so Richelle had to climb several stairs.

However, Richelle's steps stopped after stepping onto the top stage, and she found the right heels.

Richelle paused to look at it while thinking.

I don't have heels like that.

She looked in a different direction, and some other unfamiliar objects further confused the woman.

"What's in this place?" Richelle said softly, even as she saw a pair of heels, a purse with a famous brand, and a belt lying on the floor. "Don't scare me, Samy." The woman swallowed.

She resumed her steps, but an inappropriate sight was visible from the half–opened doorway of the room, there, on the bed where Samy was sleeping.

No, now the man was not sleeping alone but with another woman whose face Richelle recognized.

The two of them, Samy and her mistress, were busy doing something hot without knowing that Richelle was standing at the door.

Richelle froze, swallowed, and her hands began to tremble to support the birthday cake longer. The scene there scared Richelle, and she cried, limp, until the cake in her hand fell to the wooden floor just like that.

Samy and Jean turned together, and in this terrible situation, they finally found Richelle as a living witness to a betrayal.

"RICHELLE." Samy glared. She hurried off the bed and put on his clothes while Jean pulled the blanket to cover her naked body.

Richelle was still standing, crying without being able to move, but she needed a lot of strength to run from this place now.

"Richelle. When did you come here?" Samy approached. The man's expression looked frighteningly like a thief caught in the act. He already had his pants on.

"Why did you hurt me?" Richelle was still able to speak, she was staring at Samy using her sad face, and it was agonizing.

When Samy was about to touch Richelle's arm, the woman avoided it and looked at Jean.

"Answer me. Why are you hurting me like this?"

"Richelle, I really–"

"Stop, Samy," Jean spoke up when Richelle expected an explanation. Jean climbed down even though she had to wrap the blanket around her body. She walked and stood behind Samy. "If you can't speak, I'll explain."

"Tell me," Richelle said.

"As you can see, we have." She shrugged. "I'm sure you'll understand."

"Please stop, Jean." Samy held her back. "I need to have a one-on-one talk with Richelle."

"I don't need it." Richelle interrupted. "I've seen, I've seen enough, and how you guys hurt me like this. Aren't you guys so mean? Huh?"

"I couldn't do much because I liked Samy, and he took me for granted," Jean said again. "Samy used to ask me to meet him, and he talked about you, that you–"

"Enough, Jean!" Samy snapped.

"What? I have to tell you everything for any relationship to end because I'm just taking your hand, Samy! You're always asking me to meet, and then you say that Richelle never gave you the things you always wanted, am I right? Then, I gave you all that fulfillment, so we're in this together."

"I want to fix it!"

"What can be fixed when you have stabbed your lover in the back? You hurt Richelle from the start. While I've been broken for a long time, so things like this aren't a big deal." Jean was so easy to talk to. She looked at Richelle, who was only silent without expression. Hearing Jean's every explanation made Richelle's heart hurt even more. "For you, I'm sorry even though I know sorry is just a word, but Richelle, you won't be happy with a man like Samy."

"JEAN!!! WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE!!!" Samy couldn't hold back his emotions any longer, and he dragged Jean back to the room. They argued.

Richelle knew that now she looked like a silly clown being played.

Hearing Jean's words made Richelle conclude that Samy and her close friend's relationship had been going on for a long time, who knows when.

"Two pieces of garbage should merge and rot together," muttered Richelle before dropping the tote bag filled with gifts for Samy. While feeling quite a pain, the woman walked away.

Richelle slammed the door, and she stood in the deserted hallway. Her energy seemed to be drained until she was too weak to walk. In one hand, Richelle felt the surface of the wall beside her. The other hand was busy wiping the tears on her face.

"Stop, Richelle. You don't deserve to cry over those bastard men, and you don't deserve it. They are criminals, and they are deficient. They'll get their comeuppance one day, and you need to keep this in your head."

She staggered towards the elevator. After Richelle entered and the door closed, her cell phone rang. He found the name 'Boss Nichole' gracing the screen.

"Why does that man have to make a video call when I'm in this state? Can't that arrogant man let his secretary enjoy the pain?"

Richelle let the call end, but it turned out that Boss Nichole repeated the call.

"Damn." The woman was forced to pick up the video call. The first image she saw was not Nichole's face but the man's back. Then turned around and brought two rolls of different colored ties. "Good evening, Sir."

Despite being on the receiving end of betrayal, Richelle had to remain professional to face her boss at the office. She smiled bitterly.

"What are you doing? I hope I'm not disturbing you. Which tie do you think goes better with this shirt?" Nichole attached both ties to the maroon shirt on her body. "You know that I have to meet someone tonight."

Richelle nodded. "You can wear the right tie, sir. It fits perfectly there."

"You chose the right tie?" But Nichole just threw it away. "I'll wear the left tie."

"But, Sir. The color of the tie and your shirt don't match."

"For that reason, I want to look like an idiot in front of that woman, you know?"

Richelle closed her lips, and she held back her laughter so as not to explode in front of Nichole.

"Alright, I'm done." Nichole ended it just as the elevator doors opened wide. Richelle made it to the lobby, and then the phone rang again. When the woman found Samy's name there, she immediately turned off the phone.

***