Billionaire Beauty

The door creaked open as Marie, her hands still stained with the colors of her latest customer, stepped into her home. The scent of lavender and vanilla hung heavy in the air, a familiar perfume that belonged to someone else. She followed the trail of discarded clothes up the stairs, her heart pounding like a hummingbird trapped in her ribcage.

"Please, no," she whispered as she pushed the bedroom door open.

Her breath caught in her throat at the sight before her: Alejandro, her husband, tangled in their sheets with Jessica, her best friend. The betrayal burned like acid in her chest, reducing her world to rubble.

"Marie!" Alejandro scrambled out of bed, desperately clutching the sheet around his waist. "It's not what it looks like, I swear!"

"Save it!" Marie choked back a sob and rushed out of the room.

"Wait! Let me explain!" he called, following her down the stairs.

But Marie was already out the door, leaving only the echo of her pain behind her as she fished out her cellphone to call a number she hasn’t in ages.

“Miss Marie, it is such a pleasant surprise hearing from you, is there something I can help you with?” The male voice came from the opposite side of the cell.

“Roger?” she sniffed, alerting the older man

“Marie, what is the problem?” Roger had always taken Marie like she was his own, hearing her break down over the phone makes him want to kill someone, and it wouldn’t be hard for someone of his past. “You only need to give me a name.” he demanded.

“No Roger, I just need you to prepare the jet, we’re going home.” She couldn’t contain her tears anymore.

“Say no more.” And home, they went.

Marie burst through the front door of her parent's mansion, mascara streaking down her cheeks. Her private pilot lugged in her Louis Vuitton suitcases behind her.

"Mom! Dad!" Marie cried out.

Her mother came rushing into the foyer, immediately embracing Marie in a tight hug.

"What's wrong, sweetie?"

Marie could hardly get the words out between sobs. "I...I caught Alejandro in bed with Jessica!"

Her mother gasped, shooting an 'I told you so' look at Marie's father as he entered the room.

"That no-good son of a--" Marie's father grumbled under his breath.

Marie's mother shushed him, guiding a distraught Marie over to the sofa. "Now, now, let's not say anything we might regret."

Marie collapsed onto the couch, her body shaking. "I just...I don't understand. How could he do this to me?"

Her father sat down beside her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We warned you when you married him that he was no good. We knew he didn't deserve our little girl."

Marie's mother nodded in agreement. "But the important thing is you're home now. We'll take care of everything, don't you worry."

She sobbed like a child in her mother’s arms, “He is not like that, Mum, I just don’t know why he would allow something like that to happen.”

Marie's mother stroked her hair gently. "Oh honey, men like Alejandro don't need a reason to stray. He never appreciated what he had in you."

"Your mother's right," her father chimed in. "That man was out kicking up dust from day one. This was inevitable."

Marie shook her head, tears still flowing. "But I thought he loved me. I thought we had something special."

Her parents shared a knowing look. Her father squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "You did have something special, sweet pea. But Alejandro was too foolish to see that. His loss is someone else's gain."

Marie looked up at her parents through blurry, mascara-streaked eyes. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she knew they were right. "What do I do now?" she whimpered.

Her mother tilted her chin up. "You hold your head high. You remember who you are - a strong, beautiful, intelligent woman who deserves the world. You get everything in order, talk to your lawyer, and you move forward."

“Lawyer? That would mean divorce Mom.” Marie countered, but before her mother could reply, the father interrupted.

“You should let the poor girl get some rest after that long hours of flight, Valerie.” He said in a gentle tone, looking deeply into the weary soul of his daughter.

“Okay fine, but get ready for what I said, someone has to teach the young man a lesson about taking things for granted,” Valerie said through gritted teeth as she led Marie to her room.

“I will take the bags, thank you, Roger.” Reese addressed the private pilot who looked concerned as his client was being guided upstairs by her mother. “What is it?” the father asked.