Chapter 40 

“Evelyn has kids, and she’s with me 24/7. What time does she get to be a mother to her kids?” 

“Well, you should try her; actually, Evelyn is my cousin. She married a man my uncle never liked. They arranged a marriage for her, but she married the man she liked. One of the reasons no one knows we are related.” 

“I think I love Evelyn even more.” 

Our refreshments arrived, and Mason started telling me about his childhood. It was fun hearing about his and June’s childhood. At least I didn’t get to talk about Dante and me. When our food arrived, Mason laughed as I ordered a bowl of noodles. As we were about to dig in, June arrived, and she started looking at my plate with eyes 

wide open. 

“What?” I asked, and she shook her head. 

“I had a meeting with a client from New York. While we ordered all the fancy dishes, she only ordered noodles, and she ate exactly the same way as you are right now. So, being a nosy person, I asked him why he was eating noodles, and he said he and his wife would always talk over a bowl of noodles. He looked sad when he talked about his wife.” For a moment, I thought she was talking about my husband, Dante, but it was not possible. Dante is in New York, and I am here in Ozark. 

“You finally got a client for that huge hotel?” Mason asked. 

“Yep, a very loaded client. If I hadn’t seen a ring on his finger, I could have jumped on his boner.” I choked on my noodles. 

“June!” Mason exclaimed. 

“He kept going on and on about his wife, so I stopped hitting on him. If not, trust me, it’s been a long since I had some.” I coughed uncontrollably. 

“Is she always like this?” I asked, and Mason laughed. 

“Oh honey, she is worse. With a broken filter.” For some reason, June kept looking at me as though she was suspecting something. After our meeting, I headed home. Then Mason continued, “It’s going to be a long process, 

huh?” 

“Trust me, it might take years as the current owner needs to fix the hotel, but guess what? Mr. Monroe offered the current owner money for all the costs, so even though they haven’t signed, it seems pretty much like a done deal.” 

“Oh wow, this buyer seems to be loaded.” 

“Loaded, is an understatement. He is a God walking on the face of the earth. You should see the car he’s driving. Damn, the man is so hot with no broken pocket.” We laughed. Having June and Mason makes my life easier. 

~DANTE~ 

29.3% 

Chapter 40 

My search for Lola has been going on for more than six months now. I have refused to allow Candice to visit my house for nearly three months. I broke things off with Candice, but the girl seemed not to get the message. I don’t want her; I only want Lola, my wife. Candice suggested that we become friends. She kept me company and knew when not to cross the line. I will never forget what I promised my wife. I promised her that I would be her prince as long as she remained the princess, but I fell short. I had let her down. I took her innocence and told her we couldn’t work. She was the woman I married, the love of my life, but I failed our love. I didn’t have sex with some fucking girl. I slept with my wife! However, like an idiot, I offended her sentiments for Candice, her girlfriend. While she was my wife, she watched me share a room with my girlfriend. She made numerous sacrifices for me, and what did I give her in return? I treated my wife as if she were a side dish, despite the fact that she was supposed to be my main course. I’ll never be able to forgive myself. My office door burst open with a thud! 

“Hey, darling, have you found Lola?” Candice asked. 

“No, I haven’t tracked down my wife. Why are you asking?” 

“When are you going to stop treating me as if I’m to blame for Lola’s departure? I am your girlfriend, and Lola is your fr…” I had to cut her off. 

“You’re my girlfriend, and Lola’s my wife, according to the law. You were having an affair with your best friend’s husband right in front of her. As though you were a harlot!” 

“Dante!” she screamed. 

“What is the harm in telling the truth? My girlfriend is you, and my wife is Lola. Is that something new? When we were due to go to public events together, you always had an excuse. You never showed up at any of our weddings. Do you know who was there each time you failed to appear? My wife! My wife was there for me and you at all times. Then I failed her.” 

“She is not your wife; she is merely your friend, to put it mildly. I am going to marry you. The divorce papers were signed by you!” 

“Even in your dreams, you will never be Mrs. Monroe. You could be Mrs. Chan, Mrs. Yang, or whatever the fuck you want to call yourself, but you will never be my wife! Get the hell out!” How the fuck didn’t I see through her? She said she was fine being a friend, but that was clearly a lie. She still had hope that I would marry her. I scoffed at her dreams. 

Chapter 41 

Chapter 41