The night seems so long for Rebecca, who is restlessly checking her watch while sitting in a five-star restaurant.
Due to the circumstances she's facing now, she couldn't appreciate the breathtaking view of the night city and the elegant vibe of the restaurant.
The pure white tablecloths, candles, and red roses in the center of each table, plus the pleasant sound of the orchestra playing inside of the restaurant, is giving her the romantic date that anyone could ever fantasy.
Fantasy, my ass.
If only it's just Winston and me, I might consider it.
Just why do you need to tag along, Ara?
Anyone who knew us will definitely find it ridiculous.
Sitting at this round table are me, the ex-wife, my ex-husband, and his ex-girlfriend. What a mess.
A man in his forties to fifties, wearing glasses in his jet black suit and white gloves, bowed to Winston, "Mr. Aldine, I present you our restaurant's best-selling menus; may you enjoy the night." The head chef and two waiters came to their table and put the food one by one, while the head chef explained each plate of the food that Winston's ordered.
"Here is your Saffron risotto with forest mushrooms, Tasmanian salmon fillet with Dutch carrot puree, Ravioli Di Erbette and East Lothian beef, braised truffle barley, and Scottish girolles; lastly, we couldn't forget the cherry on top. Please enjoy this food with our finest wine in house, Leroy Domaine d'Auvenay Criots-Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru," he says before one of the waiters pours them a glass of the said wine. "It's an honor to serve you again, Mr. Aldine and Miss Becker," said the old man who approached them upon arrival; it seems he is the manager of the place.
Again?
Out of everything the staff said, the word again made Rebecca choke from the glass of wine she is drinking.
"Are you okay, Miss?" The manager worriedly looked at her. "I-I'm fine," she says while wiping the few stains of wine from her dress. Winston only took a glance at her before nodding to the staff.
"Are the two of you frequent customers here?" She asked while still focusing on the stain in her dress. "Only a few times, you should taste this one; it's the tastiest one," Ara answered her with a smile on her lips.
Rebecca forcefully swallowed the lump in her throat, making her eyes a bit blurry.
She needs to immediately get up in her seat, or else she might give in to the throbbing pain she's feeling in her chest.
Before she could even open her mouth to excuse herself, Ara suddenly broke the silence. "Win, open your mouth; this salmon is much tastier than before," she says with a smile from ear to ear, trying to feed Winston. "Stop it, Love—" "Gosh, stop calling me with my second name now; Rebecca might misunderstand it." "No, it's okay; excuse me for a moment." Rebecca stands up without batting an eye to them. Winston followed her with a gaze, which Ara immediately noticed but feigned ignorance instead by initiating another topic.
"How about we go out and do some ice skating this weekend?"
"I'll check my schedule."
"So cold~ You know I always make time for you...."
Rebecca can clearly hear them while she's making her way to the bathroom, thanks to Winston renting the whole place for them.
Upon entering the bathroom, she immediately locked herself to one of the cubicles, and her tears that she was trying to hold back awhile ago began to fall down her cheeks. A silent sob of hers echoed inside the bathroom; fortunately, no one was there but her.
After calming herself, she decided to go out now and washed her face in the sink, hoping she could hide her puffy face and red eyes. The cold running water woke up every nerve she had.
As she stared blankly in front of the full-cover mirror, she couldn't help but compare herself to Ara.
Ara Love Becker is the woman of your dreams, and I could never be like her.
Ara is a renowned cellist in the industry; a lot of musicians from all over the world know her and greatly respect her talent. Men are naturally drowned in her captivating innocent looks, especially her alluring ocean blue eyes.
How can anatomy explain her slim but curvy, well-proportioned body? It just doesn't make any sense.
She tried to diss Ara in her mind, but she just couldn't find any flaws in her. From head to toe, Ara is just simply much better than her.
It's no surprise that her ex-mother-in-law was greatly regretting the arrangement marriage that she and Winston had afterwards; if they just wait for a year, Winston will probably marry her; after all, they compliment each other.
The Aldines influence will excessively increase if Ara becomes part of their family since she literally has the royal blood running in her veins.
She's a third cousin of the current queen in England and one of the most influential families in Germany that is leading the future of all the luxurious cars in the industry.
Beauty, talent, fame, and a perfect family background could never even be called a tie to Rebecca Ali, since she got nothing on her name but being the ex-wife of Winston.
Of course I understand why Winston would like to take Ara back to his arms. Because who wouldn't want a perfect woman like her?
Rebecca took a deep breath.
"They really match made by heaven..." she mumbled to herself. Looking in her symmetrical angelic face.
Angelic? What a funny term.
Compared to her, this face is nothing but average. Thanks to my Asian ancestors, I still somehow look decent.
"Here, use this to dry your face." A handkerchief with a pink pattern and sweet rose scent is handed in front of her; she stares in it for a few seconds before deciding to use it to dry her face. "Thanks," she says. "We're wondering what's taking you so long. Are you okay?" Her eyes are as beautiful as ever, like the warmth of the first sunray in the early morning and a painting you can stare at all day long.
"I'm good," she nonchalantly answered, trying to put distance between them; after all, she is the rival she never asked for. "I'm sorry about the divorce," Ara blurted out of nowhere.
Rebecca stared at Ara's reflection in the mirror, trying to surpass the rage she's feeling inside, but with no success at all.
"What are you scheming now?" She asked with her eyes showing hostility towards her. "Oh, that's the Rebecca I know, just like ten years ago. Are you done playing good daughter-in-law now?" Ara asked with a smirk in her face. Right, this is who they really are: two fierce women that are always on each other's necks, just different approaches and covers.
"Shut up, b*tch. Your acting is much better now; I applaud you for that. Anyways, do you plan on marrying Winston now?" Rebecca asked. Ara walked slowly in front of her, crossing her arms. "How vulgar. Are you playing the victim card now? Did you forget that we were the lovers before? You just out of nowhere came to the picture and took my spot shamelessly?" She fixed the few strands of hair in Rebecca's face.
"Don't leave the part that the two of you are officially done that time, Ara; don't ever make me the bad guy here." She remained strong despite the sudden sharp throbbing pain in her stomach.
"How obnoxious! If you just didn't appear out of nowhere, Winston will be mine! He always comes back to me, but due to you and your family's greed, he didn't have any choice but to marry the likes of you!" Rebecca couldn't focus on what Ara is saying; the pain she's feeling in her stomach is incredibly increasing each second passed, but she just couldn't throw away the pride that she has.
With her heavy breathing and sweaty forehead. She looked at Ara with confidence and said, "He will never marry you, mark my words—" Before she could ever finish her sentence, a stingy slap landed on her face. "How dare you—" Rebecca exerted the last ounce of her strength to repay Ara with the sudden slap as well before she could even talk back.
They both lost their footing, and Ara slammed in the pearl white marble of the bathroom while, despite Rebecca's blurry vision, she managed to get ahold of the sink counter and remained standing.
"What are you two doing?!" The noise of Ara slamming in the floor alerted the staff that was passing by and eventually informed the only guest they had, Winston Aldine.
"Love, are you okay? What did you do, Rebecca?" worried and angry are both showing in his eyes.