SEVEN YEARS LATER•••
Dalton sat in the backseat of the car, looking more devastating than usual in a black tuxedo. His dark hair was perfectly styled and his face was clean-shaven. Seated beside him was Carolina who was dressed in a black slitted dress, partly covered by silver stones. Her red hair was beautifully made and her makeup was as heavy as always.
Chad, Dalton's chauffeur, rounded the car and opened the door for him with a bow. He nodded in response and walked over to open the door for Naomi who had finally ditched her phone to pimp herself one last time. She had been taking pictures of herself since they got into the car and had not realized they had arrived.
"All Set!" She announced after adding more powder and lipstick to her face. When she didn't get any response from Dalton, she quietly took the hand he offered and alighted the car. "How do I look?"
"Beautiful!" He replied as they started walking towards the hall. Once the paparazzi spotted them, they started taking pictures from every angle.
Unlike Dalton who never smiled at the camera or paid attention to any of them, Carolina gave it her all. She basked in the moment, smiling, posing, and throwing kisses around as always.
When they finally got into the hall, they circulated the room for some minutes before some business partners and important figures started going to Dalton for obligatory small talks.
After an hour, the event started. It was a fundraising campaign solely for charity and people in need. CEOS from different companies were present, including celebrities, and politicians who made different kinds of donations.
"Hello to you, Mr. Steel!" Justin Martins greeted and went to stand in front of Dalton. He looked around as if searching for someone before turning back to him. "Here alone? How about a certain red-haired?"
Dalton took a languorous sip of his drink and stared at him with whisky-brown eyes. He was no longer in the mood for small talks, especially with Justin whom he considered 𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙-𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑑 to develop his own goals. He was always looking up to those who were more successful than him and made it his life's mission to one-up everything they did.
Dalton was a competition to him while he was an irritation to Dalton.
"Oh... I see you finally got tired of her. I told you!" He smirked and suddenly wiped it off his face, turning dead serious. "I also heard you've not given up the search for your ex-wife. How many years has it been? Five? Six? Seven?"
Dalton curled his hands into a fist and glared hard at him. There were very few people who knew what happened between him and his ex-wife, including the search party that had been going on over the past six years. Justin was one of those who got the accurate information and since then, he wouldn't stop using it to piss him off at any chance he got.
To the whole world, Alora vanished without a trace, and no one, including Dalton, spoke about it or cleared the air about what happened. He had paid the media six years ago to shut down and wipe off every news that had to do with Alora or their marriage. Since then, no one spoke about it, and neither did they ask questions when they started seeing Carolina by his side.
"You know it's so sad how the wealthiest man on the planet can't get everything even if he wanted to" He paused and continued. "Who would've believed the almighty Dalton Steeel would get dumped by his wife? I never thought I'd see the day!"
Dalton watched him laugh and gritted his teeth. He wanted nothing more than to connect his fist to Justin's mouth. To make him lose a few teeth so he'd never open them up throughout the event and to make him bleed.
But he held himself.
Justin Martins was so small compared to him. He still needed someone to guide him while taking baby steps and also needed someone to back him up a ladder because he couldn't do it on his own.
Slowly, he unclenched his fist and picked a fresh glass of champagne from a passing tray. He wasn't going to lose control over the same repeated words made by Justin over the years.
"If you'd ask me, I'm very much glad she dumped you." He smirked and smoothed his hand over his tie. "At least you get to lose something even if it's not in business. Enjoy your evening, Mr. Steel!"
*****
THE NEXT DAY•••
Justin sat in his office, staring at the diamond ring on the table. It had turned into a habit that he couldn't stop no matter how hard he tried. If it did anything, it reminded him of the person he gave it to and how it was returned by his lawyer, along with the divorce papers.
That was seven years ago....
Seven years ago but the memories couldn't be obliterated. He still hated himself for hurting her... For giving her a chance to walk away. Now, he was haunted by their past and the present which made him hate her even more. The feeling seared like acid and burned with fury that consumed him from the inside out.
Justin's words from the previous night resounded in his head and he chuckled dryly. He was finally able to laugh it off his chest after dealing with him the least way he could.
It only took a few phone calls to annihilate the disgrace of a project he had been working on for years. He also made sure all the deals and partnerships he had tried to sign were annulled and the opportunities were given to other business partners who were specifically his rivals.
At the moment, he knew Justin was crying and calling on anyone for help just like he did the previous times he messed up and talked about Grace being dumped. Sadly, he hadn't taken the hint or learned his lessons yet.
There was a soft knock on the door. He allowed the person in and went over to stand in front of the window. "Sir, your mother is here..."
"What does she want this time"He thought.
"Nonsense!" Grace's voice broke in as she made her way into the office. "He doesn't need to be Informed before I can get in here!"
Dalton turned from the window to look at his secretary, Flora who had an apologetic look on her face. He dismissed her with a curt nod and she left the office.
"Mother!"
"Son!" Grace called back with a smile on her face. "I haven't seen you in ages!"
"I am fine."
"And what about the blind dates I've been setting up for you? Your Secretary told me you dismissed all of them!"
"I've been busy!" He replied curtly. "And I am not interested, mother"
"It's been seven years already! Seven years since she took all your money and left you!"
Everything was true except she didn't take any money or anything he had bought for her. She simply packed her things and left for England. Over the past seven years, his team had been there, trying to track her down but they couldn't. She had cut all contacts the moment she left the house and could not be reached by any means.
"Don't tell me you're still thinking about that ungrateful lady!" She paused and looked down at the table. When she saw the diamond ring, she scoffed and added. "You're still thinking about her!"
There was no way she could forget the ring so easily. At first, she used to sit with Alora and tease her about the million-dollar ring being so expensive for her finger but as months passed and she couldn't give birth to a child, it turned into a thing of envy and hatred. How could she keep wearing such an expensive ring when she had nothing to offer in return?
"There are millions of women in the world, Dalton! All the ones I've picked out for you are willing and would be capable of giving you children. They are beautiful!" She paused and sighed. "What about Carolina? Surely you're not just using her to scare away other women at gatherings!"
"Think of me son"She said.
A soft knock halted the session. "I'm sorry sir but the meeting is in five minutes. All the executives are here!"
Thankful for the interruption, he walked over to the table and picked up the ring. Grace watched as he dropped it inside his pocket and sneered. "Get some rest, mother. My driver will take you back home!"
"I came with my driver!"
"He's dismissed!"