Alana picked up the trays filled with food and walked to the table assigned to her. Her colleague had taken the orders on her behalf as she was running late again.
Her legs came to a halt when she finally noticed, who her customers were. Her ex-husband Seemus sat there with a beautiful woman in her late thirties or probably early forties. Alana envied the woman's flawless beauty and branded clothes.
Seemus' eyes held no recognition or acknowledgment as she stood there like a statue.
"What are you doing there? Serve them and get on with the work," the sound of her restaurant manager had her move.
And soon she was back to the kitchen, serving another table. She spied Seemus' table the entire time they dined there. Both of them looked happy and kept brushing each other's hands as they laughed and ate.
She watched them leave in her father's car and her stomach burned with fury. This was all supposed to be hers. He was living her life. She now officially hated her father with all the passion. If that old snail hadn't given everything off to Seemus, she wouldn't be here in the first place.
When no one was looking she downed a glass of wine to put off the fire that was burning deep within her chest. Seemus had obtained a restraining order against her after the divorce as she went back and fought with him, throwing all sorts of insults at him for ruining her life.
Her legs ached from wearing the four-inch heels all day and her back felt as if it was on fire due to her standing all day. She tiredly sauntered through the tables, taking orders and serving the customers as the day progressed.
The restaurant was crowded and the tables were full considering it was the weekend. She served many couples and a few happy families with children. She couldn't wait for the day to get over and hit some club to let loose. She'd consumed at least three glasses of wine while no one was looking and that wasn't enough.
Alana couldn't forget or let go of the life she had lived. Her father tried to fix her by taking her to rehabilitation centers and her hatred only grew. She needed alcohol and sex like she needed a breath.
People who knew about her stayed away from her by all means. These days she'd started hitting random clubs that served people like her and went with anyone, who was ready to take her to their room or somewhere private. Last night she found herself in one of the shady parts of the town with two naked men beside her.
They'd even given her their numbers and she contemplated if she wanted to call them again. The sex was great and not to mention they stacked booze everywhere.
By the end of the day, she'd hurried to her apartment and after a quick shower wore one of her best clothes. She'd managed to keep her clothes and Alicia's when the court cases were over. The clothes came handy when she hit the clubs every night.
After so of thought, she'd called the guys again and she grinned from ear to ear as a red Maserati picked her up a few minutes later, not realizing what she was getting herself into.
∞ ∞ ∞
~Samantha & Axel
Afew years later...
Axel greeted his guests with a huge grin on his face. Flowers, balloons, and lights decorated his mansion. They were celebrating the birthday of his little angel, Hailey Alexis Finlayson, who turned five on this wonderful day.
He looked around him to see the entire garden area lit up and buzzed with joy and energy. His eyes landed on his grandfather Rodriguez, who played with the children as if he was one of them.
Hailey was a ball of energy as she ran around in her new frock with her best friends. Amelia, Gracie, Naina and Andrea's children were of the same age and were always attached to their hips just like their parents. Though they lived in different countries, every year they made it a tradition to take a break from their works for a month and travel to spend time together with their families.
Naina's children were six and four. A daughter she named after Sara and a son, Rowan. Xander was now one of the A-listers in the Hollywood. Andrea's children Waylon and Matias were five and three. She'd become a homemaker after childbirth.
Amelia and Eric had two sons, Zander named after his grandfather and Noël, who were six and four. Gracie too birthed a boy named Devin, who just turned six and was now pregnant with her second baby.
Keith and Gabriela got married three years ago and were now expecting their first baby together. Keith looked after their family business in Spain. Antonio moved to New York so that Gracie could be close to her best friends Amelia and Samantha.
Looking back at his life, not everything was great. They did have to cope with a few losses that devastated the families.
Grandpa Joaquin passed away in his sleep two years ago and Rodriguez moved to New York to spend some time with his first daughter, and to make up for all the years he'd lost with her due to his stubbornness. Their family endured another loss last year when Grandma Vaishali passed away.
Gregory was diagnosed with a heart disease and since retired from the business.
However, Axel did realize that no matter how many hardships they faced, they stuck together and grew strong as a family. Axel didn't think he could be any happier. The newspapers no longer portrayed him as the cold, heartless or arrogant. Those days were just a faded memory. His wife had given him so many good memories to replace them and he didn't look back after their wedding.
Axel took his two-year-old son from his mother and kissed him, making the toddler laugh out loud.
"You shouldn't be doing all this by yourself," he scolded her softly before taking the tray filled with refreshments from her hand.
"Axel, they are not even that heavy." Samantha pouted rubbing her swollen belly. His features softened as his eyes caught the simple gesture of love.
He'd been on cloud nine when he found out that she was expecting and never missed a day of their child's growth. He'd been there at every doctor appointment and during their birth.
Samantha insisted that she wanted another child while he didn't want to put her through all that pain. She wanted a big family just like hers. Sara and Henry spoiled the little children to the core at the same time teaching them about life. His children never once complained if they ate in a small diner or a five-star restaurant. Axel was grateful that he finally had everything he wanted in his life.
Three years ago, they received a letter from Alicia, who asked for his forgiveness for everything she did to him. At first, he didn't want to do anything with her. But, Samantha encouraged him to forgive and let go of the bitter feelings he still harbored to some extent in his heart.
He'd written a simple letter, which held three words.
"I forgive you."
When Samantha learned about Alicia’s situation she started sending her greeting cards and small gifts on her birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas. She'd told him that every person deserved a second chance.
Alicia started writing to Samantha now and then, telling her about her life in prison and about the new friend she'd made. Thanking her for the gifts and kindness, how she didn't deserve them in the first place for every sin she'd committed in the past.
Axel could only feel sorry for Alicia and wished that she'd lived true to her words. Alana got arrested a few months ago for associating with local criminals, for robbery, assault, and murder. He was distracted from his thoughts by the last guest to arrive at the function.
His old principal Seemus Weston. They'd stayed in touch and did several projects together. Axel tried to return the ten percent share he purchased earlier. However, Seemus didn’t agree and thanked Axel for everything he did. Seemus married Genesis Harlow, a cancer survivor and since adopted three children from Africa, who became the closest members in Hailey's friend's circle.
Hailey squealed as her new friends arrived with their parents.
Axel walked hand in hand with Samantha as the families gathered together to celebrate the young ones special day.
Fireworks lit up the sky as Hailey cut the cake and made a wish. She wished that her family always stayed close, safe and happy as t
hey all sung her a very happy birthday in unison.
The End.
Perfect Revenge (Revenge Series Book 1) Page 30
