Chapter 89 - Broken Soul

Thomas drove out of the underground car park and he glanced at Ivy's appearance. She was dressed formally and looked like a businesswoman, he didn't know where they were heading for the day but he knew he had best keep his eyes open and ready for any situation that would come today. He coughed as he watched Ivy look out her passenger window, he didn't want to disturb her thoughts but he needed to know where he was driving to.

"So where too?" He looked to Ivy then back to the road. It was a mizzly rainy day and Ivy seemed to have a lot on her mind as she stared out the window.

"Sorry I forgot, I actually am not sure of the address as I just to drive to and from there myself daily … here I will just type it into the Satnav." Ivy grabbed the Satnav and entered in the buildings name and then sat back to play with her phone again leaving a very confused Thomas to just follow the red Satnav lines to his destination.

After a half, an hour drive Thomas saw the Hughes Investment building ahead and the red line on the Satnav had disappeared. His mouth slightly curved up and he held back his chuckle. What mischief was she about to create today he wondered?

If he had known he would have brought some popcorn. But with mischief came drama and Ivy might get hurt so he decided to be vigilant, if Ivy got hurt again Noah might really kill him this time.

Ivy took one last drink of her coffee and put her phone away as Thomas had just arrived and parked in the underground car park. A small smirk graced Ivys face as she turned to Thomas, catching his arm and stopping him from getting out of the car.

"Today you will be in for a good show, believe me when I say no matter what they try to throw at me in there I am completely capable of responding and acting rashly. With that said sit back and relax today... Okay?"

Thomas nodded his head, he saw her determination and the fight in her eyes. He knew this was something she had wanted to achieve alone.

Ivy saw that Thomas had agreed with her so she gave him a megawatt smile and got out of the car, preparing for the day ahead.

Thomas followed behind her and opened the doors for her, they went straight in the lift to the top floor. Thomas watched as her smile had disappeared and it was replaced with an icy aura, Ivy became someone he didn't recognise. She stood taller and her posture seemed straighter, she reminded him of Noah at that moment.

Bing

The lift door opened and Ivy strode out into a large room that had connecting office doors. One wall was glass and behind the glass, Ivy could see four secretaries sitting behind their desks. Three women and one male, Ivy recognised them all. Two were her father's secretaries, one was hers and the other was Cole's secretary.

Cole had an office here between hers and her fathers, at the time it seemed like the natural thing to do as she was going to marry Cole and one day this would be their joint company. Cole had his own company though it is slightly smaller than her fathers. Ivy's father had seen potential in him at the time so he suggested a three-year merger to support his company as it grew.

Everything had gone according to her fathers and Cole's wishes, the merger was signed overnight and only after that did Ivy know that along with the three-year merger Ivy also now had a fiancé. Ivy was infuriated she couldn't believe her father would so that to her. They had many many arguments and it was only after a while that Ivy had backed down and she agreed just to meet with Cole a few times. She told herself it was best to get to know Cole at least because they would be in business together for the next three years.

When they met for dinner the first time Ivy thought he was polite, kind and courteous. She saw a young man with a determination the drive to succeed and she thought he would have an outstanding future.

They started to work together and that's when Cole moved into the office between hers and her fathers. Little by little he took over corners of her life without her even being aware. He used her business contacts, moved into her apartment and started to make decisions for her without her permission.

But that was when she saw him change, he morphed into someone she didn't recognise or maybe she had never known him at all. He would go out to drink with clients and host banquets while she stayed in the office late into the small hours of the morning, wasting her youth cooped up as a housewife and a businesswoman. She turned into someone she didn't know and it unsettled her, she was a free spirit and a feisty woman she never would be subservient. Yet here she was.

While he was out drinking and making contacts as he would call them, she was tired and left to carry the workload. It was only when she went home instead of staying late at the office one night when she found Lauren and Cole in bed together, she didn't do anything when she saw them rolling about on her bed. She realised then she didn't love him or even like him that much, she had just gone with the flow. She felt no pain or hurt at seeing them together intertwined on her bed.

Instead, all she felt was disgust so she turned around and walked out, she left her apartment, her job and her whole life behind due to the betrayal she felt. She felt her father hadn't protected her enough and that Cole had used her. Even her best friend Lauren had betrayed her. She felt nothing, just an empty shell. It was then she was embraced and given shelter to by her two childhood friends Pierce and Jamie. Who without them there to pick up her broken soul she wouldn't know where she would be now.