"Ladies and gentlemen let us give a big round of applause for the vice president of the Saxon group, David Saxon." Announced the master of ceremonies who clapped continuously.
These were the words which Phoebe Gabriel a simple red haired beauty had been waiting for five years to hear and to her it was the equivalent of an eternity.
She was David Saxon's wife and the mother of his two sons. Her husband's rise to glory in the Saxon group automatically meant her own rise and that of her sons so her heart was swelling with joy.
"Woo, go David." She cheered loudly as she fought back tears of joy that still made their way down her cheeks, quickly she wiped her wet cheeks with the back of her hand, a smile never leaving her lips.
Standing next to Phoebe was her best friend Ruth, looking completely glamorous as always. She was wearing a tight long golden dress that showed off her cleavage a little too generously.
Although, compared to Phoebe who was wearing a plain brown dress long dress with no shiny jewelry to accompany it, one could easily mistake Ruth for David's wife because she was the extravagantly beautiful one.
Ruth tugged on Phoebe's arm, leaned down and whispered, "Phoebe, don't cheer so loudly in public, it's really embarrassing and most of all it's not proper behavior for the wife of a Saxon."
"You are not a Saxon Ruthie, relax." A tiny chuckle escaped Phoebe's pink lips as she resumed on cheering for her husband who had just achieved one the greatest milestones in his career.
Ruth's stiff face turned ugly and angry for a second. A cold look passed through her eyes but it disappeared before Phoebe could notice.
She was still caught up in the excitement of David's latest victory.
"This win is mine as well, you know how hard I have worked behind closed doors to make this happen. Besides, if I don't cheer my darling husband on, then who will?" she went on to ask.
Ruth did not respond. She lowered her hands that had been clapping repeatedly and clenched them tightly in a fist. She wished she could launch a punch at her friend's smiling face.
Phoebe put a hand over her mouth and called out ecstatically, "You are the best David, you deserve it!" Came her comments of praise that forced Ruth to roll her eyes towards the ceiling.
She didn't care if it wasn't proper Saxon behavior especially at a lavish event of this kind. All she cared about was that their hard work and sacrifices had paid off.
She, the mediocre Phoebe Gabriel from a third class university with no prospects had married David Saxon of the Saxon group and secretly played the largest role in his success propelling him to the top of the company.
David had promised her a surprise after the ceremony and she couldn't wait. He had probably planned something romantic, her mind was running wild with imaginations of what the surprise could be.
It had been a very long time since they did anything romantic, even something simple like going on a date. And when it came to sex, he had barely touched her in the last three years, not since the birth of their sons.
Each time she tried to initiate sex, her husband's manhood failed to salute because he was always exhausted.
She had been worried about the unexplained distance that had taken a hold of their marriage but now, but not anymore.
He had kissed her passionately in the morning and told her everything would change and all she had to do was to wait a little more.
After his inauguration ceremony, David led her into his new office. It had already been prepared, completely set up inside and the door already had his name on it.
It had large windows through which one could see the biggest park in Citrus city. It was a view that many in the company were envious of, especially those who worked in closed offices with a full view of plain walls.
"What is this surprise baby? Am I taking the office next to yours?" she joked as she giggled like an excited little girl waiting to receive a large gift.
She took a small leap and wrapped her arms around his waist. Her head leaned against his sturdy back and she drew in the familiar sandalwood scent of his cologne.
David laughed softly but he didn't answer. Forcefully he tore her hands away from his waist and pushed her away with a little too much force that she stumbled backwards.
"Ouch" Phoebe winced as she rubbed her hip that had come into contact with the sharp edge of the table.
Puzzled by his sudden change of attitude, she frowned and asked him if something was bothering him.
To her surprise, David walked to his work table and searched through the middle drawer. He pulled out a medium sized envelope and handed it to her.
"Sign it." he said to her, so coldly. "That's your surprise, I advise that you do it for your sake and that we do not prolong this issue. This is the last act of mercy i am showing you as your husband." David stormed out and made sure to slam the door behind him leaving his wife more confused that ever before.
Hastily, she opened the envelope and pulled out the set of papers that were inside. Holding her breath as she read the details, a shaky sigh escaped her lips when she read the word 'DIVORCE'.
Phoebe sank into the chair behind her as she perused through the divorce letter over and over again wondering what had gotten into her husband.
The man had given her no explanation whatsoever but rather he had handed her divorce papers and left. What baffled her even more was the fact that he spoke about this being his last act of mercy towards her. Did it mean he planned to be ruthless from now on?
The hot tears that were brimming at the back of her eyes came forward and rolled down her cheeks as she continued to mull things over.
Today was supposed to be one of the happiest days of her life because finally her husband was now the Vice president of Saxon group, meaning that everything was supposed to fall into place. From there, it would be an easy ride to president and finally chairman.
Holding her breath for a second she questioned herself whether this was truly the surprise David had prepared for her. Her hand made its way to her chest which was becoming tighter.
"What about the steamy kiss they had shared that morning? What could have occurred for him to be this way? This cannot be the end, I need answers." Phoebe got up from the chair and made a beeline for the door.
Before she could open it, someone else beat her to it, opening it from the other side. Ruthie stood there with a frown on her face, her face was enveloped with concern.
"Is everything alright? I saw David march out and he seemed very furious. What's going on?" She lowered her face as she covered her sly smile.
Because this was her best friend, Phoebe didn't hold back but upon explaining all that had transpired between her and her husband, her best friend let out a guffaw. The blonde haired woman laughed so hard that she dabbed the tear at the corner of her eyes with a tissue.
"Well, well how does it feel not to be a Saxon anymore Phoebe?" Came her mocking comment that caused blood to drain from Phoebe's face.