INSATIABLE CRAVINGS
Insatiable Cravings - Episode 93
Subtitle; {Loving You Is A Loosing Game}
TAGS: Age-gap, Mafia, Forbidden Love, Drama, Tragedy and Betrayal.
Settings: United Kingdom, Russia and others.
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
~ Genevieve ~
Oh, this is undoubtedly a dréadful, hórrific idea. I shall have a word with Cora when I return to China for sending me on this perilóus mission.
"It will be fine," she declared. Fine, my foot. This situation is anything but fine. However, panicking is overrated, so I steadied myself and attempted to appear composed in the lift when all I truly wished for at that moment was to give him a sharp slap for nearly ruinÃng my life and simultaneously run my fingers through his now long hair.
I know; it’s complicated.
I was managing well until I laid eyes on her—the girl he kissed four years ago. I wouldn’t have recognised her if not for the sound of her voice.
“Dominic,” she shrieked, her tone reminiscent of an excitable teenager.
It was infuriating to witness the soft smile that unfurled on his face upon seeing her. It was as if she were the very axis upon which his world spun.
She, too, wore an equally bright smile—until she spotted me. Her grin vanished in an instant, and perhaps it was just my imagination, but I detected a fleeting flicker of recognition in her eyes.
Being here, so close to him, was already a thorn in my side. Now, I would have to endure a month of watching these two exchange smiles and glances.
And no, this is not me being bitter.
I am simply bored. If only I could vanish right now, I would be most grateful.
“Love,” I froze at that moment, returning my gaze to him, utterly astonished that he had just addressed her thus. “This is Genevieve.” He paused, then continued moments later, “She’s going to be in charge of the renovations.”
He didn’t even bother to introduce her to me. Not that I wished for the introduction; it’s just common courtesy.
There was a brief silence, and that was because 'Love' was taking her time to scan me from top to bottom. I think she had her fill, as she soon beamed a smile so phoney it could be seen from a hundred feet away. “Oh. That Genevieve.”
I was tempted to ask, “Which Genevieve?” but decided it was futile to prolong this exchange, particularly when I needed it to conclude before I exploded with rà ge.
“Hey.” She added, a disingenuous sweetness lacing her tone.
“Hi,” I replied, hoping the politeness in my voice would be convincing enough to make her believe I was oblivious to how artificial her smile truly was.
“See you later, Love,” he muttered under his breath, as though he intended only for her to hear, and strode into his office.
The same office where we shared so many cherished memories—or at least, I thought they were cherished. I didn’t allow my gaze to wander around the familiar corners of the room; I needed to shield my heart from the onslaught of nostalgia.
It wasn’t easy.
I spent an excruciatingly long time—far too long for my liking—in his presence. Although it was less than ten minutes, it felt like an eternity, and I détested it with a passion that could ignite a firé within me.
At last, I managed to leave, only for 'Love' to clear her throat as I attempted to walk past her. I didn’t want to stop, but my feet seemed to have a mind of their own.
“I never thought I’d see you in person,” she said, her tone laden with implications I would rather remain ignorant of.
I allowed my lips to stretch into a deceÃtful smile and turned to face her. “I don’t recall ever seeing you, either directly or indirectly, nor being mentioned in any conversation.”
She laughed.
Yes, you heard correctly.
She actually laughed as if I had just delivered a brilliant jest. “It’s quite the opposite for me.”
“Is it?”
I couldn’t help but wonder what he had shared with her. Did he mention how terrÃble a jérk he had been for breaking up with me in such a callous manner? Did he tell her how utterly heartless it was for him to toy with my emotions for all those years, or perhaps about the file containing my family’s details on his laptop?
Or maybe he regaled her with tales of how I had been foólish enough to fall for it all and how much he relished playing games with my heart.
“You were spoken of so often that it became rather tiresome. Imagine hearing about someone who isn’t present; it’s infuriatingly annoying. It was ear-biting.”
It truly was, you know, listening to her prattle on.
“Am…” I feigned confusion, adding a slight stutter for effect. “Am I supposed to, I don’t know, apologise?”
“An apology would do no good,” she replied, her tone dismissive, as if the matter were beneath her.
“Then, I wonder why you keep persisting with this conversation,” I retorted, feeling the irritation bubbling just beneath the surface.
A flicker of something crossed her eyes—perhaps a hint of annoyance, or maybe it was just my imagination. I didn’t linger long enough to decipher it; I simply wanted to escape this encounter. “Ah, apologies. I didn’t realise I was monopolising your time,” she said, her voice dripping with faux sweetness.
“Glad you’ve come to that realisation,” I responded, forcing a bright smile as I turned to make my exit, when suddenly a thought struck me. “Oh, shÃt.” A low mutter escaped my lips as I pivoted back towards his office.
I hadn’t gathered his preferences for the designs. I had simply shown him my previous works.
How unprofessional is that, on a scale of one to ten?
He looked half surprised and half amused when I strode back in. “Did you forget something?”
Yes, my ability to think straight.
However, I kept that to myself. Instead, I nodded and said, “Your preferences—I didn’t take them. Are you free at the moment?”
My patience was wearing thin, draining faster than I had anticipated. He glanced down at his laptop, and I rolled my eyes in exasperation. When he looked back up at me, he nodded.
“Yes.”
Splendid!
It was sarcasm, of course; there’s no rule against being sardonic in my head.
We proceeded to discuss everything needed—his likes and dislikes, how he envisioned the renovations. It lasted two entire hours.
Yes, I spent over two hours, in addition to the earlier seven or eight minutes, with my ex; thanks a lot, Cora.
However long it was, I was immensely relieved that he maintained a semblance of professionalism throughout. Although, I noticed far more surprise and shock on his face than any understanding.
We did it, though, and I was ready to go. I rose, elated to leave this place that held so many hauntéd memories I would rather not revisit.
Memories that made my heart ache had no place in my head.
"So, that is all," I said, forcing a smile that I wore only because of the one and only Cora Song, the person I once thought liked me. "Goodbye."
His expression fell, turning pale in an instant. His lips parted as if he was about to say something, but then he changed his mind.
••
The rest of the day passed in a blur—a rather eventful blur, if I may add. I went over to Jules' place, and there, I didn’t have to fake my smiles.
It had been almost two years since we had seen each other face-to-face, and I missed her so, so, so very much.
My best friend, Jules, who now lived with her fiancé, Alessio, squealed loud enough to echo in the hallway when she saw me at the door. Then she proceeded to squeeze the living daylights out of me in a hug that I wholeheartedly returned.
With her, my smiles were genuine. There was absolutely nothing I would hide from her; even if I felt sadness creeping in, she wouldn’t allow it.
"I can't believe you came back without telling me," she said, giving me a playful slap on the shoulder after ushering me inside.
"Hello, that's why it's called a surprise, Mrs Knight." Her cheeks flushed a delightful crimson. "What? You'd best get used to it."
Then, we talked and talked about everything under the moon until Alessio came home. He looked pleasantly surprised to see me, so mission accomplished.
We couldn’t chat much because it was apparently his turn to make dinner, so he disappeared into the kitchen after giving Jules a soft peck on the cheek.
They were the cutest couple ever, I swear.
They insisted I have dinner with them while we chatted about everything under the sun. It was delightful, but I had to leave because I hadn’t planned on sleeping over.
My next stop was Adrianna’s place, where I did plan on staying the night because she was the one I missed the most.
The guards at the estate gate didn’t stop me from driving in, because, well, I am Genevieve King. It might also have something to do with the fact that my sister lives there, but whatever.
After pulling over in their driveway, I practically dashed to the door and pressed my index finger on the doorbell.
My brother-in-law, Xavier, opened the door and immediately enveloped me in a warm embrace. "Look at how big you’ve gotten!" He beamed, but I gently pushed away from his grasp with a playful frown.
"What?"
"You saw me last month."
"And?"
"I didn’t grow big between then and now."
"You didn’t?" By now, I knew he was pulling my leg, as usual.
"No, I didn’t."
"Hmmm." He drew it out so long that I smacked him on the shoulder, and he chuckled. "I missed you, little one."
I faked a gag. "How many times have I told you not to call me that?"
"Many times," he replied through laughter. "That’s why I continue."
I frowned, though I secretly adored his nickname for me.
"Let my sister in, you jerk!" My sister’s voice boomed from inside the house, probably from the living room.
I chuckled. "What have you done?"
"Nothing, just pregnancy mood swings."
"Hey, I heard that!" Adrianna snapped.
"Sorry, darling!" he exclaimed, his head turning towards the inside of the house. Then he faced me again, whispering, "She can be such a baby sometimes."
"You’re to blame," I said, shaking my head.
"Hey, not you too!"
"Yes, me too."
I pushed my way in and rushed to my sister, who stood up to hug me. My lovely sister, who called me every day to check if I was alright, kissed me on the forehead and asked, "How are you doing?"
"Great," I beamed. "And the baby?"
"The baby is doing splendidly, now that his aunt is here."
"Oh, I’m glad."
Then, we talked and laughed the night away. I didn’t tell her that I had returned to work on Dominic’s company because I knew she would freà k out, and freakÃng out was the last thing she needed in her condition.
Hearing and seeing her laugh, I realised how happy I was to be back home.
✷✷✷✷
I was enjoying my beauty sleep when my alarm rang, reminding me of the dreadful day that lay ahead.
I can’t wait.
I showered, brushed my teeth, and applied lotion, taking my sweet time, hoping to delay the inevitable of going back there. I inhaled and exhaled deeply, trying to calm my rising panic before getting dressed. Today, I wore a floral dress—one of the lovely pieces Jules had persuaded me to buy.
It was black with tiny red roses, thin straps resting delicately on my shoulders, and I paired it with my straightened hair from the night before and a pair of black heels that added just the right touch.
Glancing in the mirror, I almost applauded myself for looking so gorgeous, but time wasn’t on my side. So, I dashed out without eating breakfast.
••
You know that feeling you get when you forgo something you wanted to do just to get somewhere, only to find out you are ridiculously early?
If so, then you can understand how I felt when I stepped out of the lift to find Dominic and ‘Love’ laughing together, their mirth echoing down the corridor. And, bloódy héll, I wasn’t even early!
Unsurprisingly, she was the first to notice me standing there, watching them like a fóol while he was too engrossed in his laughter to take his eyes off her. A smile graced her face as she glanced in my direction, and only then did he finally notice me.
"I can come back later if you’re busy," I said, the words tasting heavy and bitter on my tongue, piercing my heart.
"No," he replied sharply. I narrowed my brows at him. "I mean, no." His voice softened. "I’m not busy."
Yay!
We proceeded into his office without exchanging another word. This time, we discussed the prices I had researched the night before for everything he wanted regarding the renovations. I asked him if he would like to make any changes before my team arrived.
His answer was a firm no, and I felt a wave of relief wash over me; any slight alteration would require another round of research, and I couldn’t face that with a smile.
"Alright. I will..." My sentence was abruptly cut off by the shrill ringing of my phone. "Excuse me."
I picked up my phone, stepped out of his office, and headed towards the ladies' bathroom, although I didn't actually enter.
"Hi," I stretched the one word out, my tone brimming with enthusiasm. "What’s up?"
"What’s up is that you’re back home and haven’t come to see your own brother," Everett replied, a slight edge of annoyance in his voice.
"I’m sorry, Ever. I planned to pop over to your place after work."
"You did?"
My brother is a renowned microbiologist who had been based in South Korea and had come down to London three years ago to teach at a university.
I nodded, even though I knew he couldn’t see me. "Yes," I replied, a smile creeping onto my face. "I won’t lie to you."
"Alright. Can’t wait to see you."
"Me too," I chimed back. "I love you."
"I love you more, Dove." The grin on my face grew so wide that it warmed my heart and refused to fade. "Go on, get back to work. I wouldn’t want to hold you up."
"You could never hold me up. Anyway, see you later."
You know that smile I mentioned that refused to fall? Well, it did.
The moment I stepped back into his office, it vanished completely.
He wasn’t alone.
There was the pink-obsessed girl, whom I unfortunately knew too well, and his lips were pressed against her forehead.
And she was holding my bloódy tablet!
After all these years, I thought it wouldn’t hurt this much to see him with another girl. But the only sensation I could feel right now was paÃn—so much paÃn that I thought my lungs were closing up again.
I blinked away any emotions that threà tened to spill from my eyes and cleared my throat.
They jumped apart as if their skin had burnéd upon contact. I didn’t even have time to roll my eyes before a grin spread across Aurora’s face.
Aurora was her name, the pink-obsessed girl.
"Hi," she said, her smile far too wide to be genuine.
"Hey," I forced out, my voice strained.
"It’s been so long..."
"Has it? I don’t recall."
"Right," Aurora drawled, clearly picking up on my reluctance to exchange pleasantries. "Lovely to see you again, though."
A gust of wind blew strands of hair across my face, and I brushed them aside, murmuring, "Thanks." It was drenched in sarcasm and as dry as the Sahara.
She sensed it; her furrowed brows told me so, and I wanted to slap myself for sounding like a jealous ex-girlfriend unable to move on.
Aurora returned to Dominic, who hadn’t taken his gaze off me since I entered. She leaned into him, her lips close to his ear. Whatever she whispered earned a small nod from him before she planted a quick peck on his cheek and exited the office without sparing me a glance.
"How was your call?" His attempt to break the tension was utterly pathetic.
"I don’t think that’s any of your business. But thanks for asking; it was splendid."
TBC📖✍️
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