Divorced Heiress
Chapter 18

ALEXANDER

I left with a heavy heart and discomfort in my chest, from that office where all the desire I had to talk to Sarah disappeared.

I was angry with everyone, with my mother, with the pair of men who did nothing but argue on Sarah's behalf, and with this Abby who apparently knew a lot about my family. But above all, I was angry with "Ms. Petit," and I didn't know if it was because I couldn't see her at that moment or because this Vincent Lefevbre seemed very interested in her, as if he didn't care that she had just gotten divorced.

I passed by the vice president's assistant and arrived at the elevator where my mother was waiting for me with a completely red face. She was angry because she didn't get her way, but I was even angrier for acting the way I did in front of those people, when the reason we were here was to apologize personally to Sarah.

It took me some convincing to get my mother to come, and in the end, she agreed without arguing. What I didn't know was that she had other intentions, and when I found out, it was already too late.

"They will pay for this, no one humiliates Amelia Lancaster, especially not those insolent rude people who didn't miss a second to offend me. And you, I can't believe you didn't do anything to defend your own mother." My mother complained as the elevator started descending to the parking lot where the rented car was.

I took a deep breath and looked at Amelia before grabbing her by the arms and giving her a fierce glance. I wasn't very happy that we were still with her. What kind of person had I chosen as my mother? She was so disrespectful, even after I scolded her more than once, she didn't stop until Ms. Dubois put her in her place.

"You know very well why we came all the way here. All you had to do was apologize to my wife, but instead, you earned every single word those people said. Do you know why I didn't defend you? Because you deserved it for being disrespectful. You attacked them as if they had done something to you. Where are your manners? You have embarrassed me." I spat in her face without erasing my stern gaze, as if I were shooting millions of arrows at her with my eyes.

I let go of her, leaving her surprised with her mouth slightly open as she touched the arm where my hands had been. I didn't even grab her forcefully, I just wanted her to look me in the eyes.

"What monster have you become, Alexander Lancaster? How dare you speak to your mother in that way? But of course, surely you have learned the worst from Sarah in those two years of marriage. Your wife? In case you forgot, you are already divorced! She's no longer your wife, she's the wife of half the world. Not only did Mr. Paul fool you, but also Mr. Lefevbre. It's no wonder she got the position..."

My blood boiled as I heard her refer to Sarah in that way, as if she had no respect for her, as if she were just anyone.

"Shut your mouth! It's the last time Sarah's name comes out of your filthy mouth, and even less to tarnish her name. Otherwise, be prepared for the consequences." I shouted, looking at her intently, interrupting any nonsense she was about to say about Sarah. The metal doors opened, and I walked out without waiting for her towards the car. My mother followed me quickly and in silence. After that, she didn't say another word, which I appreciated. I hated raising my voice at her, but she was asking for it by messing with the woman I chose as my wife and failed to value.

I got into the car and started it as Amelia got in the passenger seat.

The drive was silent, the only voice heard was that of the GPS indicating the way to the hotel where we were staying.

My muscles couldn't relax since the moment I left the office that was supposed to be Sarah's and was being occupied by a couple of men who were somehow connected to her. I didn't know how, but it was evident that Mr. Lefevbre was very interested in her. I noticed it from the beginning when he was about to call her... "my prin..."?

"Princess?"

Since when did Sarah have so much confidence in that guy who replaced Mr. Doinel's position?

What made me most angry was that he admitted he was very interested in Sarah. It was evident when he talked about her as the best woman that could exist, with a sparkle in his eyes and the way he defended her against all of Amelia's attacks.

At that moment, I tried to remember if I ever stood up for her when she needed it the most, like Vincent did. But no image came to my mind.

I hit the steering wheel of the car, causing the horn to sound in the middle of the road, and I had to take a deep breath to calm my frustration or I would end up having an accident.

I wasn't angry with Amelia, nor with those people, and certainly not with Sarah. I was angry at myself, for being a damn idiot, for giving her so little, crumbs, when she gave me everything she had.

"I'm afraid the apology should come from your mother, and even then, it doesn't solve anything, so it won't be accepted. The damage has already been done, and Sarah has nothing to talk to you about since divorcing from the Lancaster family. And even though the main reason was your infidelity towards her, I'm starting to realize that it wasn't the only reason. I see that she hasn't been treated as she deserves, like the princess she is, and I won't allow them to keep walking all over her. If you have something to say to her, you can say it to me. She is no longer alone, and the most reasonable thing you can do is to stay away from her definitively."

Vincent's words hit me like a strong slap, generating doubts that I needed to clarify and leaving me with a bitter taste in my mouth just by imagining myself walking away from her without talking first.

Was she capable of enduring my mother's attacks?

Was that another reason why she didn't hesitate to get divorced?

Why didn't she ever tell me?

Why didn't she come to me from the beginning?

I would have put a stop to it from the start.

I stopped the car outside the hotel and looked at Amelia with contempt.

"You always treated Sarah badly when she was still my wife, didn't you?" I asked calmly, although it was becoming very difficult for me. I would never forgive my mother if she had ever mistreated her.

"What? I would never do such a thing. If I'm against her now, it's because of her audacity. She didn't wait even a second to divorce you and get involved with other rich men. Are you so blind for her that you can't see my true intentions?" She replied with seriousness, but I didn't believe a single word.

I always knew she wanted someone of the same status for me, and her dislike for Sarah was more than evident. Still, I ignored all of that when I made her my wife, and my mother seemed to have accepted her after all. She even invited her to have tea at the villa, and she would stay for hours with my mother and sister. When could they have mistreated her? She would have told me, right?

The only person who can clarify all of this was Sarah. I needed her to tell me the truth, even though it was too late to do something about it. But at least I would apologize for everything, for not being the husband she expected.

I couldn't give up on the trip, I couldn't leave without talking to her, even if it was just for a minute.

"Go into the hotel, I'll be back later." I said, opening the passenger door from my seat. My mother looked confused, but she got out of the car without saying a word.

I drove back to Doinel Company at full speed. I didn't want to lose hope that she could see me, this time with peace, without my mother, and I hoped she wouldn't be accompanied by the Dubois and Mr. Lefevbre, so I could talk to her alone without interruptions. I dodged every car that crossed my path, not being able to get the image of Sarah the last time I saw her out of my head when she returned unexpectedly from her trip to Orlando. My heart tightened, and the speed of the car slightly decreased, but I still arrived at the impressive building in record time, parking as close as possible to the elevator.

Not much time had passed since I left Sarah's office, so it didn't seem like a good idea to go back to the office. Instead, I decided to wait here until she appeared because she had to appear at any moment, either to arrive in her executive car, to go to lunch, or to leave.

I didn't care how long I had to wait; I wouldn't move from here until she showed up.One hour, two hours, four hours, and I was already starting to feel uncomfortable in my seat. The clock showed two ten in the afternoon when the elevator doors opened and a group of four people came out, chatting animatedly.

I recognized them immediately. They were the Dubois family. Vincent walked arm in arm with a woman who seemed strangely familiar.

I followed them with my gaze as the Dubois family approached their respective cars. Vincent opened the passenger door of the Mercedes Benz for the woman in the black dress with her hair tied back. It wasn't until Vincent got into the driver's seat that something clicked in my mind.

That woman, the fourth member of the group, was Sarah. Of course it was Sarah. I recognized her legs and her walk, even though I had seen her from a distance without being able to distinguish her face because of Vincent's body blocking her. It was her. I felt inexplicably upset.

Why was she hugging him? Why did she go with him? I started the car's engine when the Mercedes started moving, and I followed them at a safe distance, gripping the steering wheel tightly. My anger was consuming me.

I didn't exactly know where they were going, or what I was going to do when they reached their destination. I was letting anger guide me. The car stopped in the parking lot of an exclusive restaurant, and Vincent quickly got out to open the passenger door and take Sarah's hand as she got out of the car. That was when I could examine her closely.

The black dress fitted her body, accentuating her fair skin, and her long and delicate neck was exposed with her hair pulled back into a high ponytail. She smiled playfully at the idiot in front of her, who chivalrously took her bag and walked with his arm interlaced with hers towards the entrance of the restaurant, where the Dubois siblings were waiting.

My breathing was irregular, the heat rushed to my head, and internally I struggled with the decision of whether to enter the restaurant and separate Sarah from her companion to talk, or to drive back to the hotel, pack my bags, and return to New York, leaving the issue with Sarah behind.

Then, my body moved automatically. I got out of the car and walked to the entrance of the restaurant, determined to intercept Sarah. But a man stopped me.

"Good afternoon, welcome. Do you have a reservation?" Asked the uniformed man, wearing a white shirt and a red vest.

I looked at him, raising an eyebrow at being stopped in such a way, and took a deep breath to calm my frustration. I wasn't going to take it out on the man who was not at fault and was just doing his job.

"Good afternoon. I don't have a reservation. Can you assign me a table near the people who just walked in?" I asked when the man opened his mouth to speak, my gaze fixed on Sarah's back as she climbed the stairs with Vincent.

I didn't like this at all.

"I'm sorry, but due to the restaurant's policies, you cannot enter without a reservation." The man said, and I looked at him with an unfriendly expression.

No, the stupid restaurant policies were not going to prevent me from meeting Sarah.

"Look, Mr. Richard." I said, looking at his name on his uniform as I pulled out my wallet.

"I'm Alexander Lancaster, does that ring a bell? I'll give you a good tip if you let me in and assign me a table near Ms. Sarah Petit. How about a thousand dollars?" I asked as I counted the bills, and I heard the man cough uncomfortably upon hearing my offer. "Uh, Mr. Lancaster, I'm sorry, I can't..." He said.

"If you're right, it's too little. How about five thousand dollars?"

The man coughed uncontrollably at the sound of my offer, and I took out the five thousand dollars intended for Richard, so that he could help me enter without the damn reservation.

"Uh, I'm sorry..." He said after recovering from his sudden cough, and he looked at the bills as if he had never seen that amount in his life.

"Yes, Mr. Lancaster, your reservation is available, but I'm afraid it can't be in the VIP area." He said apologetically, and I knew there was nothing else he could do to assign me a table on the second floor.

Nevertheless, I would be in the same place as Sarah and could sneak away at any moment or wait until she was close.

"You are very kind, Mr. Richard, here's the tip." I handed him the bills and he put them in his pocket without even counting them before guiding me inside the restaurant and assigning me a table at a safe distance from the stairs.

I sat down while looking at the second floor, searching for Sarah's face, and I saw her conversing animatedly with Ms. Dubois, who was showing her a small set of black and yellow striped baby clothes resembling a bee.

"Good afternoon, would you like an appetizer?" A waitress made me look away from the people on the second floor and I looked at the menu with the different appetizers and main courses they offered me.

"For now, just a glass of Pinot Blanc wine. Thank you." I told the waitress, who walked away leaving the menu on the table.

I turned my gaze to the second floor and got angry seeing Vincent's arm on Sarah's shoulders.

This was enough, I would go to the VIP floor even if I had to pay all the restaurant workers.

I stood up from my seat, swallowing my frustration, and calmly and firmly climbed each step that would lead me to my ex-wife.

It was now or never.