Chapter 2. A Fake Divorce

She got the impression that she would not be able to communicate with him effectively with that icy eyes. The pleasant expression on his face suddenly disappeared upon seeing her, which was a terrible indication.

But she walked towards the man with her heart pounding and felt the hairs on her arms go up, but a woman stopped her.

"Have you received an invitation yet?"

Rafaella just stopped after that. She realized that those who attended that party had received invitations. How private!

She looked at the woman, and with a friendly voice, she replied, "No, but it won't be long. I need to speak with... Mr. Latimer."

She looked back to where she last saw him. He was heading towards them in the middle of the affluent crowd of people in the gathering area of the exhibition hall.

The woman continued, her silver eyes examining her, "Let me try to assist you. I'm Sandy, his fiancée. You can tell me what you need from him."

The woman did not recognize Rafaella, which surprised her. Maybe the five years she spent abroad changed her a lot. Another reason was that she had a black jacket over a plain t-shirt and a hat that held back her long dark brown hair to escape from whoever was trailing her in the airport. 

She tried lowering her voice, "I'm his long-time friend."

"That's unthinkable because I know most of his friends," the woman retorted, suspiciously eyeing her. The redhead's elegantly aggressive tone made her wince. She moved her hat, partially covering her forehead.

And suddenly, the color of the woman's face changed as she stared at her. Blood seemed drained from her face as it looked like she'd seen a ghost, and she speechlessly stared at her. Undeniably shocked. 

"Rafaella..." she uttered almost in a whisper.

She whispered to Sandy, "Yes, I'm still alive." Then she looked at the man approaching them and said, "As I've said, I don't think I need an invitation since I'm one of his buddies."

As he passed, the slight blink of his blue eyes gave away that he heard what she said.

He casually offered the red-haired beauty one of the drinks before putting his free arm around her, "Ex-wife, to be accurate." He said with a blank expression.

Rafaella faced the person she hadn't seen in five years while trying to ignore the woman beside him. She smirked, "Latimer, I believe we need to chat."

"As you can see, I'm busy. Call my secretary and make an appointment," he replied, thumping his free arm around Sandy's shoulders. "Sandy, my love, don't worry. It won't take long this disturbance."

"I apologize for upsetting your peace, but can you give me at least five minutes?" Rafaella sated. She was trying to control the anger that would erupt in a moment.

"I swear you heard me,' his icy voice said. "You must schedule a meeting by calling my secretary."

"Latimer, I don't have time to chase you. Please tell me where I can find my mother. That's the least you can do, and you won't see me again."

He answered directly, "At my house." 

 That stunned her, but she quickly shrugged it off.

"Alright, this news to me. No wonder I was told to seek your approval, for God knows why. I want to see my mom, but must I phone your office?" She could not help asking him in a sarcastic voice. She finally released the anger she had held back since entering his party. "You must be aware that I have been contacting your secretary nonstop since I arrived at the airport. If you had not avoided me, I would not be here today. We go somewhere and have a private conversation, or we can have one in front of your fiancée and all your close friends. Take your pick now, as I am busy too." Her words stuttered as she admired the woman's stylish red dress. 

He deliberately drank from the glass while keeping his eyes fixed on her from the rim and somewhat playing with time to consider her request.

She erupted and said, "Okay, fine. Bear in mind that you had an option. I have some brief news that I thought you might find interesting. Our divorce that you filed? I wonder why it was not recorded. For whatever reason, we are still married. That means you and your fiancée need to abandon the upcoming pre-marriage ceremony. So much for being a great attorney. Very funny, don’t you think so?" 

She spun around, ready to leave. Her lower leg almost slipped from under the new high heels she thought were comfortable, and she frantically walked towards the door.

And a smile left her lips when she heard the door open again as she came out. She seemed to expect the man to follow her explanation, and she was right. He did it quickly. His long fingers reached out and grabbed her before she could dodge.

He turned to face her while holding her tightly. 

"Why do you think it's not true?"

"You dare to ask me?" She snarled. "You’ve no idea how shocked I was to discover our divorce was not filed in the registry or processed.”

"That can't be done. How did you choose to marry my half-brother? Falsification?" 

Rafaella was surprised to hear what he said, "I wonder where you got that information as I'm not married to Luigi."

He looked stunned and speechless. 

But she continued. "I learned about it when I saw the requested legal documents and my children's birth certificates."

"What, children?" 

When Rafaella realized what she had just uttered, her face turned pale.

"Well..." she took a deep breath through silently cursed herself. "I have children."

"But you're not married?" He asked while he looked around the contours of her body. 

"No. I had no desire to get married once again. Remove your hand from me," she muttered as she pulled his hand away.

They fell silent when every sane head turned to face them. 

"I wasted the entire five minutes I asked you for. The divorce and my mother are all I ask of you." She made a turn to go.

"Rafaella, hold on." 

"I'm done with you. I'll wait for my mom at the Hilton hotel's lounge if you don't mind." 

"No, I'm not finished talking to you." 

She ignored him as she made her way from him, heading to the hotel's main entrance and stepping onto the road.

She frantically considered that he seemed to have his fabulous party, friends, and girlfriend. She stopped a bit and bent to take off her shoes. Leaving them dangling on her hand as she muttered an annoying curse. She would have the opportunity to process their divorce and ensure it was completed in a way that leaves no room for questioning. She could not believe she was still married!

She hailed a passing cab, but it went passed her. As she continued walking, she let out a quiet curse. 

"How often have I told you to speak out loud if you intend to use profanity?" Alexus's voice radiated an arrogant joy that another cab did the same.

She prayed for another cab as she continued to watch the traffic. "Latimer, I’m done with what I wanted to say. Stay away from me."

"I have been, if you remember, spanning five years. You came by this evening." 

"My error. Before it was in front of me, I forgot who I was talking to. It won't happen again, I promise. Give me one more thing, please. My mum should be with me."

"And you're returning to your single life?" He growled. 

She ignored him.

When a different cab ignored her wave, Rafaella whispered an expletive annoyance which she managed to control. " If I can, I'm going to the hotel with my mum, not that it's any of your business." 

Alexus grabbed her hat, which covered her long, lustrous, chocolate-brown hair that fell to her shoulders down her back, rather than responding. 

He was staring at her like he was shocked.

"Stop looking at me like I'm furniture and scrutinizing me!" She glared. 

"Barefoot?" He was oblivious to her outburst. The smile came, and he raised one corner of his moving lips. "Wearing t-shirts & jeans with high-heeled sandals. What happened to you?"

"Latimer, stop commenting on how I dressed. And don't waste your time contacting me. All I want is my mom and the divorce finality.”

"If I'm right, Rafaella, I don't believe you'll enter my home."

She felt compelled to admit it by his eyes. And for a brief second, their eyes met. 

Rafaella broke the awkward silence by saying, "I detest this coldness between us, but you began it when you didn't accept my calls," as if she were in a tight spot. "Why do I think you dislike me? We parted ways amicably."

He was still for a moment and was about to say something, but instead, he shook his head. 

"Latimer, what have I done to make you hostile?" 

"Why is it so formal?" He retaliated in kind. "You sound chilly when you call me by my name even though you are a Latimer and know my name very well. You claim that at that point, our marriage is still intact."