Too Busy Being a Widow
Kendall’s delicate eyebrows twitched at the audacity echoing from the phone speaker. *Worthless?* She balanced the device between her ear and shoulder, pausing her frantic attempt to change out of her wrinkled clothes. The hypocrisy tasted bitter on her tongue as she calculated the sheer imbalance of it all. He possessed boundless hours to lazily accompany his mistress, Chloe, for tedious wedding dress fittings right in the middle of a workday. Yet, waiting a mere twenty minutes to legally finalize their divorce settlement was treated as an unbearable, monumental annoyance.
She dragged in a deep breath, forcing her erratic heartbeat to steady. She kicked her discarded garments aside and prepared to swallow her pride, ready to apologize once more just to get the paperwork signed. However, right as she opened her mouth, a distinct sound filtered through the receiver.
*Knock, knock.*
It was the sharp rap of knuckles against a solid wooden door.
Her eyes narrowed. The noisy, echoing halls of City Hall didn't sound like a quiet executive suite. The realization clicked into place, sharp and cold.
"Declan, you didn't go to the City Hall at all, did you?" she challenged, her voice dropping the pleading, apologetic edge and cutting straight to the core of his bluff.
Caught off guard, he deflected with immediate aggression. "Do you honestly think everyone has the habit of going back on their words like you?" he scoffed, the chill in his tone an obvious attempt to regain the upper hand.
Kendall pressed on, certain she had caught him red-handed in a blatant lie. "Okay then. Take a picture of the City Hall front entrance right now and send it to me—"
*Click.*
The line went dead. He hung up before she could even finish the sentence.
"Scumbag!" Kendall cursed aloud, tossing her phone onto the plush cushions of the nearby sofa.
Across the messy studio space, Tessa looked up from a rack of half-sorted garments. "What undignified, ridiculous thing did the billionaire CEO do this time?"
"God knows!" Kendall snapped, pacing the hardwood floorboards. "I admitted it was my fault I was running late. I practically begged him to wait. Turns out, he isn't even physically there, yet he has the nerve to lose his temper and insult my worth!"
Right on cue, Tessa’s phone chimed with a priority email notification. Tessa tapped the glowing screen, read the contents, and rolled her eyes in deep contempt. Without a single word, she walked over and handed the device to Kendall.
It was a formal business inquiry. Declan's office was attempting to pay an exorbitant sum of money to strictly reserve a private design appointment with Celine for the day after tomorrow.
The irony suffocated her. Declan couldn't spare twenty measly minutes for his legal wife to finalize their divorce, but he possessed endless hours and bottomless financial resources to eagerly chase down the elusive genius designer, Celine.
Kendall’s gaze turned glacial. Her jaw locked in sheer disgust. "Tell them I'm busy with widowhood!" she snapped.
Tessa's fingers flew across the virtual keyboard, enthusiastically typing out the harsh rejection and relaying it to their studio assistant to handle. Once the satisfying email zoomed through cyberspace, Tessa sat down at the wooden work table to analyze the broader picture.
"Declan probably wants you to custom-make a new dress for Chloe," Tessa deduced, crossing her arms. "Nova Zenith Talent—the massive entertainment agency—is holding an exclusive, elite fashion gala next month. He must have spent a fortune and pulled major strings just getting her name on the guest list."
Hearing the extensive lengths her husband went to for his mistress sparked no heartache this time. Her chest remained hollow, unaffected by the betrayal that would have crushed her mere days ago. Only a disdainful, mocking twitch touched her lips.
Tessa, however, possessed no such restraint. Enraged by the blatant disrespect, she slammed her hand down hard on the tabletop. The impact rattled a stray box of pins. "Are you for real?! You're actually just allowing his mistress to openly bully you and parade around?!"
"If you have a brilliant idea to make Declan go bankrupt, I don't mind joining in," Kendall replied, her face terrifyingly expressionless.
Declan single-handedly destroyed the foundation of their marriage. She refused to downgrade her own dignity by engaging in a petty, public quarrel with a mistress who didn't even know her true identity.
Eager to permanently change the depressing subject, Kendall forced her posture straight and smoothed out her fresh clothes. "Didn't you mention a VIP client inquiry earlier? What was that about?"
Tessa exhaled, her shoulders dropping as she shifted gears. "The client is actually the boss of Nova Zenith Talent. He happens to be located right here in Bridgton today and urgently wants to discuss details for a massive, potential long-term partnership. I haven't replied to confirm yet."
A spark ignited in Kendall’s chest, chasing away the sour remnants of her morning. Nova Zenith Talent housed A-list actresses who practically lived on the red carpet. An elite entertainment agency of that scale brought a lucrative, continuous demand for dress rentals. Snagging this deal would elevate K.Moon Studio into an untouchable tier.
Her previously sour spirits soared with pure ambition. She clapped her hands together. "What are we waiting for?" she cheered. "Only an idiot would let go of an opportunity to earn more money! Come! Let's go right now!"
They scrambled out of the studio, wasting no time on further complaints about broken marriages. By two o'clock in the afternoon, Tessa navigated her modest Volkswagen through the bustling downtown traffic, eventually arriving at the towering, glass-fronted structure of the Nova Zenith Talent building. The skyscraper loomed overhead, a monument to the massive wealth and influence housed within its walls.
The busy parking lot downstairs was a concrete labyrinth packed tight with luxury sedans, sleek sports cars, and executive transport vehicles. Tessa crept down the lanes, her eyes scanning the rows for any available slot.
"There!" Tessa pointed, spotting a perfect empty parking space sandwiched between two massive SUVs.
She swung the steering wheel, lining up the Volkswagen to slide right in. She was just beginning the maneuver when a blindingly dashing, bright blue supercar drifted diagonally from the lane directly behind them. The sports car roared, tires screeching against the pavement as it aimed to steal the exact same spot right out from under her nose.
The sudden, massive roar of the custom engine echoed directly in Tessa's ears. Sheer panic seized her body. Her mind blanked out as the bright blue metal flashed in her peripheral vision.
Instead of hitting the brake, her foot instinctively stomped down hard on the gas pedal.
Like a bullet leaving a chamber, the modest Volkswagen surged forward. The bright blue supercar continued its aggressive drift into the lane. The two vehicles met at the apex of the parking space.
They smashed into each other with a deafening, metallic bang. The sickening crunch of crumpling fenders and shattered headlight glass echoed across the concrete lot, bringing the chaotic afternoon to a jarring halt.