02: Your last day...

Following the light knock on the door, walked in a guy who's tidily dressed in workplace attire.

His expression stern as he strode in without missing a beat, "Good morning, sir. This is your schedule for today." Merlin placed the file he was carrying in on the corner of the table infront of his boss. His voice resolute.

"I told you thousand times already... drop the sir when it's just the two of us." An 'I'm so done with this' expression displayed on his face, Warren said, making his voice sound as annoyed as possible.

With his facial expression slightly relaxed yet, still sounding so stern, "If I talk informally with you in private, there's no guarantee that I won't do the same in public. So, let's just be formal inside this building."

"Whatever." Warren swept a quick glance across his schedule file as he spoke, "I'm not gonna argue about this with you anymore. Do-!"

"-as you please." He couldn't finish that part as his pair of deep pitch dark eyes stuck on a certain part in his schedule.

Knowing that he would have this kind of reaction once he look over it, Merlin didn't bother to ask what was wrong as he patiently held his horse until Warren broke the silence, "What's up with this event?!"

"What?" Merlin asked as if he didn't know what he was talking about at all.

Abruptly looking up at Merlin,Warren tilted his head sideways, his face complaining, 'Seriously, dude?!' Warren knew Merlin's ways inside out and he certainly wasn't gonna fall for his Oscar level acting.

Feigning defeat, "It's Ms.Summerfield's new movie promotion event. And there was an after party too." Merlin said in a disdainful manner.

"I know that... It's already been more than three months since I've divorced that woman. Why should I go to her movie's promotion event?" Warren elaborated, "I don't want to. Moreover, that woman wouldn't be comfortable seeing me there either. She was the one who initiated the divorce after all, remember?"

"And, who's fault do you think it is?!!"

Merlin wanted to yell as he strongly believed Warren wronged Vida. Restraining himself, "Things wouldn't have turned out like this if you'd paid her some attention." Merlin reprimanded.

His face contorted more than it ready was at Merlin's words, "She's just a rich second generation woman, Merlin. Women like her, you pay them a little attention and they'll think they own us. Taking credits for others work while spending their time leisurely, looking down on others who are lower than them in status... that's the kind of person that woman is. Also, you too know that I only married her for the sake of our business."

Merlin isn't someone who was fond of arguing just to satisfy his ego or to make other people understand him. He'll lay out his thoughts once. If they don't get it, he wouldn't speak another word on that matter. Having received a heavy paragraph to counter his laid out opinions, "Yeah, whatever." He said offhandedly before his voice turned rigidly serious as he continued with his workaholic mindset turned on, "Ever since your divorce, the rumor that 'Ms.Summerfield divorced because you didn't treat her well' has caused our business and profit to fluctuate a bit too much. You attending the promotion event is to show the public that you two are still getting along well even after divorce. Just attend it to avoid even more loss. I don't wanna be jobless." With that remark, Merlin quickly departed without wasting another second as if his feet were on fire.

...

"Congratulations!"

A wide smile that rarely reached his eyes, Warren said as he gave the bouquet he brought to Vida.

Staring at the bouquet in a daze for a few seconds, Vida quickly gathered herself as she took the bouquet in her hands with her brightest grin on. "Thank you, Mr.Bellinor." To anyone who looked at them, they presented the look of a couple who were in a harmonious friendship even after their divorce. As planned, that was exactly Warren's intention too. Also, it's not like Vida didn't know about it.

Looking at her ex-husband who never really even bothered to spare her a single glance smiling at her, Vida knew his intentions right away. However, maybe because she still possessed some lingering feelings for her ex-husband, Vida went along with his act.

After all, it was her last day anyway.

Retrieving the hand that was tangled in a handshake with Warren's without a hurry, Vida quickly shifted her eyes to Warren's personal assistant Merlin.

"Long time no see, Mr.Hughes!" Unlike her tone towards Warren which is on the formal side, towards Merlin, it was more on the genuine side. No matter how tough her life has been in those six months of her married life, Merlin still was a great guy in Vida's memories. He was a gentleman and if she didn't remember incorrectly, Merlin was also a biggest fan of hers.

"Long time no see, Ms.Summerfield." Merlin took her hand in a shake with the same enthusiasm. "No matter what, I'm always a fan of yours. Hope this film will be a hit."

"Oh that, of course it will be. I was the main lead after all." She said playfully as Merlin laughed along with her.

A light snicker escaping from Warren's mouth, Vida paid no attention as she continued her conversation with Merlin joyfully until a single rose came into her view.

"Congratulations, Ma belle." Came Skylar's ocean deep and bold voice along with that single yellow rose on his hand.

Putting on a 'Why the hell are you here?' expression on her face, "Dude, you're too idle, aren't ya?" Vida asked with an annoyed tone.

Skylar, "Aw! That's so rude of you. I'm here to congratulate my childhood sweetheart and that's how you treat me!?"

Vida, "Yuck!! Stop being so cringey, man!"

It was like a bickering competition they were in as they as conversed. Warren's eyes fixed on the new guy, a look of admiration along with specks of confusion it was.

Skylar Wilson

A 34 year old businessman. Grew up in an orphanage and started his own business at the age of 19, he grew up to be a top businessman and billionaire all on his own.

Of course, for 29 year old Warren who started his business from scratch at the age of 22, Skylar is indeed an admirable figure. Although that admirable person bickering with his former wife was a bit confusing.

Their endless bickering eventually ending with Skylar yielding to Vida, "Alright alright, I'm just here to take you home later. Today was important for you after all since it was your last day." Skylar said.

Just like that, Vida walked away leaving behind an 'I'll be back' remark. Only then did Skylar turn his attention to the other two personals standing in close proximity to him. Warren and Merlin.

"Hi, Mr. Bellinor, right? I heard about you from Vivi." The bright smile on his thin pale lips contradicting his bland and empty tone.

"I see. It's a pleasure to meet you Mr.Wilson." Warren answered as he quickly gathered himself, "I didn't know you two were acquainted!"

"Oh, you mean Vivi. She didn't tell you?" Skylar asked yet he continued without waiting for an answer, "That's odd. She's too talkative that I surely thought that she would've spoke about me to her husband atleast once.... but then again, I guess that she divorced you coz, you two didn't have a close relationship after all, huh?"

His words were undoubtedly prickly like metal arrows yet, all those arrows passed Warren without even grazing him. "Indeed we two were too busy with our careers that we didn't have enough time to sit down and have a proper talk." Warren returned the same prickly way of talking with a warm smile, "But, I think it's quite good that my ex-wife has such a good connection to up her career even more. I was truly worried about her career being ruined since we divorced solely because of our career. I have to say, some people truly have it easy."

'You stab me once and I'll stab you twice, thrice.'

Those words were Warren's motto in life, it seems.

"Oh, seems like I'm getting insulted." Skylar was more calmer than he could ever be with his easygoing outlook. Yet, he wasn't the slightest willing to back away from defending his one true friend.

"How could I? You've misunderstood."

In some ways, Warren wasn't wrong. 'Some people truly have it easy.' Those words really weren't directed towards Skylar. Sparing a glance to Vida who was up on the stage, Skylar also knew to whom those words were directed at. Warren probably thought Vida rose to who she was today not only because of her influential background but also because Skylar was behind her to support her.

With a knowing smile, "It seems Mr.Bellinor still doesn't know the full extent of power his ex-wife holds." Skylar said with a sarcastic tone before walking away to a corner wall to lean on. Observed their duel quietly by the side, Merlin was too annoyed that he gulped down his glass of wine in one go.

Merlin have never in his life admired another woman more than he admired Vida. In his eyes, she was a strong and independent woman which totally fell into Merlin's preference in woman. If one were to say that Merlin held Vida dearly in his heart, it wouldn't be an exaggeration. Surely, he would be annoyed at their conversation. It's just Merlin didn't know if he was annoyed because Warren spoke ill of her or because Skylar was actively defending her like a mother hen protecting her chick. At the end, he decided to drop the confusion as he gulped down another glass of wine.

...

While Warren was caught up in Skylar's words even after minutes passing, soon came the time for Vida to speak a few words.

Her speech were always the same as in every one of her movie releases that no one paid much attention to her words until, "I really hope this movie will be a hit since this will be my last work. Thank you for all your love and support so far." Knowing that she'll get bombarded by the reporters, Vida quickly descended the stages without minding the few minutes silence that fell over the crowd because of the sudden wave of shock.

The hell was that? Warren thought, staring at her, his head was in a jumble for a second as he recalled the reason Vida stated when they got divorced.

I want to fully focus on my acting career.

Freaking hell! It hasn't even been three months since she said so and she was abandoning her so called acting career already.

Meanwhile, Merlin was still in a denial phase. Come on now, in the 29 years of life he lived, he idolized only one actress and she was retiring already. One should rather make him deaf than to spew such nonsense to him.

'Today was important for you after all since it was your last day.'

Only now did Warren and Merlin understood the meaning behind those casual words Skylar spilled out before.

Among the hundreds of people in the party hall, only two people maintained their poise. One was Vida and the other one was, of course, Skylar.

That night when Vida was wailing her heart before falling asleep, Skylar brought her back to his place. Placing the still fast asleep Vida on his bed, he slept on the couch in the living room. Maybe because it took him a long time to fall asleep due to the couch being extremely uncomfortable, it was already evening when he finally managed to wake up.

As soon as waking up, he realised Vida was up already since there was a blanket on him which he didn't have on when he went to sleep. Hearing sounds from his kitchen, wrapping himself in the blanket, Skylar lazily dragged his worn out body to see Vida cooking dinner in the kitchen.

"You've grown up, huh? I remember you setting the kitchen on fire when we were young." He said with a lazy laugh.

Unlike the previous night when her emotions were all over the place, Vida seemed much collected. "You still remember that?" Vida said as she laughed along at her embarrassing past, "When was it, 20 years ago? I'm already 32 and you still think I'm that 12 year old kid. These days, cooking helps to calm my mind a lot."

Despite having the urge to ask her about her next steps, Skylar resorted to teasing, deciding not to stir her up. "Ooh... here comes the old lady..~"

After taking a shower, Skylar quickly began to dig in with enthusiasm as the aromatic smell poked his nose too hard, making him impatient.

"I'm gonna give birth and raise the baby." Vida said offhandedly as she nibbled on the food, making Skylar to pause for a moment. Restraining himself asking any questions, Skylar gave a small nod and an 'Mm' in response, respecting her decision.

Having received a response Vida continued, "And I'm gonna quit acting." That was one hell of a casual way to drop bombs on people.