5.Chapter 5 My Wife
The butler Lloyd Lopez was waiting by the car. As he gave Yvonne a tour of the mansion, she quickly realized that Todd residence was nothing compared to Lorenzo’s estate. It was like comparing a candle to the sun.
The property seemed endless. Every little carving screamed luxury, and any painting or vase in the hall could fetch a fortune at auction. People weren’t kidding when they said Lorenzo was loaded.
After showing her to the bedroom, Lloyd left. Yvonne stared at the cool-toned room, feeling a little dazed. From now on, this was her home—shared with a guy she’d known for all of a day.
A text from Zell snapped Yvonne out of it. She washed her face, applied a bit of makeup, and looked flawless.
*****
At the office, people gave Yvonne weird looks and whispered behind her back. She ignored them and went straight to Zell’s office.
Yolanda was already there, tears in her eyes. “Yvonne, I really had a car accident and asked you to cover for me. I didn’t mean to cause trouble.”
Watching Yolanda’s tearful act, Yvonne thought it was ridiculous.
But Zell felt bad. “It’s not your fault, Yolanda. Car accidents happen. Don’t blame yourself.”
“You’re wrong, Zell. It was my fault,” Yolanda cried. “Having the accident at that time caused this. I’ve ruined Yvonne’s career.”
Yolanda kept blaming herself, making Zell think Yvonne was petty and selfish.
“Stop crying, Yolanda. We all know it’s not your fault. You shouldn’t have rushed out of the hospital after the shock,” Zell said, giving Yvonne a dirty look.
Yvonne thought it was funny.
Yolanda insisted, “Zell. I want a press conference. I need to confess publicly.”
“Great idea. After all, this is your mess to clean up,” Yvonne snapped, glaring at Yolanda.
“Enough!” Zell glared at Yvonne. “Yolanda just had a near-death experience, and you’re being mean? How can you be so heartless?”
Even though Yvonne was over Zell, her heart still ached when he called her heartless. “Heartless? This is the best solution. You call that heartless?”
“Zell, Yvonne, stop it. This is all my fault. I’ll hold a press conference and apologize.” Yolanda suddenly stood up, looking unsteady.
Zell immediately reached out to steady Yolanda, the gesture intimate and quick.
Yvonne smiled, “Fine. I’ll be waiting for that apology.”
“You’re being a jerk,” Zell shouted at Yvonne. Then he softened his voice and told Yolanda, “I’ll have Jerome take you to the hospital.”
Yolanda cried hysterically. Not wanting her to stay longer, Zell quickly had Jerome take her away.
Yvonne watched the drama with a cold smile.
Zell seethed. “Happy now?”
“Not until she admits her mistakes publicly,” Yvonne said coolly, waving her hand.
Zell snapped, “Forget it! I’ve talked to Mr. Luther. You need to take the blame to protect the company.”
“Why don’t you take the blame? You want all the credit but none of the blame. What kind of guy are you?” Yvonne shot back.
Zell was stunned by Yvonne’s words. After all, he was the one who’d sent her there in the first place.
Before Zell could respond, his secretary, Zack Davis, burst in, casting a strange glance at Yvonne. “Mr. Lampard, the production team is adamant about casting Yvonne for the supporting role. They’re ready to offer it to her right now and won’t question the audition switch.”
“What?!” Zell snapped. “Don’t they know Yvonne is retired? That role was supposed to go to Yolanda.”
“But… they specifically want Yvonne,” Zack said nervously, glancing at Yvonne. “They said she already agreed.”
“Agreed? When?” Zell glared at Yvonne. “What does that even mean?”
“Exactly what it sounds like,” Yvonne replied calmly. “The director and investors loved my audition. I’m willing to do it for free. They’ll waive all the audition requirements. It’s a win-win for everyone.
“This role involves complex wire dance sequences. Yolanda has no dance background. Even if she got the role, could she handle it? Radiant Entertainment is funding this. Do you really want to cross them?”
Yvonne had been even more determined to get the role after finding out about Yolanda’s pregnancy. Zell had wanted a child for years, and he’d mentioned it plenty of times, but Yvonne had always said no.
Now that Yolanda was pregnant, Zell would be overly protective. There was no way he’d let her take on such a risky role, where any accident could lead to a miscarriage. Yvonne was sure of it.
Just as she’d expected, Zell fell silent after her words. “But you retired,” he finally said, looking confused after a long pause.
“People can make comebacks after retiring,” Yvonne replied. “This has always been my dream.”
“But this was Yolanda’s role,” Zell hesitated.
“Do you really think she can shine without me?” Yvonne shot back, hitting the nail on the head.
Her quick response left Zell speechless. He sighed deeply, remembering the doctor’s warning about avoiding intense movements during the first trimester.
Yvonne knew she’d won.
“Fine, we’ll go with Yvonne. Tell the production team we’ll follow their schedule,” Zell finally conceded.
After Zack left, Zell stared at Yvonne. “You’ve changed. You used to be so nice. Why are you doing this to Yolanda?”
Yvonne sneered, “It works both ways, Zell. You’re pushing me, too.”
“I’m doing this for our future. You should focus on running the company,” Zell snapped, his brow furrowing in frustration.
If things had been different, Yvonne would’ve gladly slapped Zell right across the face.
“Let’s talk about marriage registration after I finish filming. The company’s doing just fine without me. But if you want, I can handle the finances instead,” she retorted, giving him a cold, hard stare.
Zell’s body tensed at the mention of money. “We’ll talk about it after your shoot’s done.”
Yvonne smirked, pretending she hadn’t noticed his discomfort. She couldn’t stand being around this two-faced guy for another second. His fake act made her want to gag.
As Yvonne stepped out of the office building and tried to hail a taxi, a sleek black Rolls-Royce pulled up beside her. The window rolled down halfway, revealing Lorenzo’s handsome face.
“Get in,” Lorenzo said, his voice clear and commanding.
Without hesitation, Yvonne slid into the car. “Thanks for today but you really shouldn’t have done that. I let the veil slip on purpose,” she admitted as the car began to move.
Lorenzo’s unexpected help had surprised her. But with just one sentence, he’d easily secured her the role.
“I know,” Lorenzo said calmly, glancing at Yvonne.
Yvonne stared at him, confusion clouding her eyes. She thought, ‘Did he really come today… for me?’
Lorenzo said coldly, “You’re my wife in name.”
Yvonne’s lips twitched.
“But you didn’t really need my help today,” he said. Her acting had already convinced everyone. That surprised him.
Yvonne stayed quiet. “Where are we going?” she asked, changing the subject.
“Home.”
At the word “home,” Yvonne froze. Then she remembered that they’d just gotten married today.
“Tonight’s our wedding night…” Lorenzo’s voice broke the silence.
