"Babe!" The curvaceous woman with rich earthy skin and large chocolate eyes called to him, her smile so bright and inviting that it was almost impossible not to feel her joy and share it. Unfortunately, Zandre couldn't, not one bit. Her slightly ditzy and sanguine nature, coupled with the fact that she only ever seemed to hear and see what she wished to, had caused heavy damage to a relationship that he himself had also stupidly sabotaged. Now in order to win back his Omega, crawling over hot coals and broken glass might not be enough, but he was willing to try. "Or should I say, fiancé!" She giggled as she wiggled her fingers, the sparkle of the diamond catching the light of the street lamp as she did so. Her eyes were once more captured by its splendour and she smiled once more. When she had received his call, she had suggested they meet at her favourite restaurant, an exquisite little place serving french cuisine. But she'd been too excited to wait for him inside and had hurried over in her kitten heels to greet him the moment he appeared from the dark street this moonless night and into the glow of the streetlight. "'Lani..." he began wanting to end the relationship that only remained in her mind quickly. "Oh, by the way, I booked us a table inside Chez Jean's," she interrupted him in the next breath reaching for his hand, "so we can celebrate! Have you told your parents yet?" "'Lani..." he avoided her touch. "I phoned mine, but the connection was awful," she continued, unheeded, believing what she would of his reactions, "I'm not sure that she heard the good news at all!" "Elani, stop!" He growled out, angrily. Had he really considered her a great match for him back then? Or was it because everyone else would compliment them as a 'perfect' pairing as they attended parties or events together? He'd had his doubts, but it took meeting his fated pair to act upon them finally. He complained inwardly at the self that allowed the relationship between himself and 'Lani to drag on so long and in end allow her such false hopes. She paused, finally. Her large brown eyes framed with thick sumptuous lashes blinked a few times in surprise, but she finally remained quiet long enough for Zandre to speak. "'Lani, when I said that I wanted to break up with you," he began firmly, trying to make sure that the words penetrated the happy bubble surrounding her enough for it to burst, "I did not mean that I wanted us to 'take a break'. I realised at that point that the relationship was going no where and it was time to stop dragging things along as they were." Her brow furrowed as she tried to figure out just what he was trying to say. In all honesty, it wasn't that she had no intelligence, just that it could be said she truly wore rose-coloured glasses when she liked someone, be that a friend, a family member or in this case, Zandre, her (former) lover. As far as she was concerned, everything was perfect between Zandre and herself. He had just needed a short time away from her to see that as well... that's what she'd thought. And he'd come back to her, hadn't he? He'd phoned, they'd arranged a date, he even bought her the ring... "I don't understand," she admitted, glancing once more at the diamond on her ring finger. "Aren't we moving forward now, by getting engaged? How is that 'going no where?'" "This ring, I did not intend on giving you," Zandre's tone was cold as he admitted this truth. The ring was for his fiancée, he'd had a plan after all, just after purchasing it he believed he instinctively must have realised that 'Lani was not the one. Otherwise, he would have given the ring to her sooner and their breakup would have been even more messy that it had already had become. "In fact if you hadn't entered my house without permission and found it on my bedside cabinet, you never would have seen the ring at all." "But it fits... you must have bought it for me!" The water filling her eyes began to spill down her cheeks and once the first drop trailed down her face, more followed without pause. "You must have planned to propose to me! We're supposed to get married!" "I'm sorry," Zandre softened his tone subconsciously at the sight of her tears. "I never meant to give you hope, but I cannot marry you. I don't love you." "I can't accept this!" She continued, his apology gone to waste. She wiped away the tears upon her damp cheeks with her hands. "We've been together for three years! Three whole years! And now you say that you don't love me?! That's not possible!" Zandre frowned, unable to understand the woman's thoughts. Increasingly he felt that fate really knew what it was doing when they made his Omega a man! But then, 'Lani always had been one of a kind. "Is there someone else?" She watched as his expression eased and his eyes became gentle and slightly distant. "There is, isn't there! You're having an affair?!" "What are you on about!?" Zandre's mind was dragged back from the picturesque scene that had popped into his mind the moment 'Lani's accusation called Ichiro into it. "What affair? We'd split up! I ended it! It's you who has been refusing to let this go!" "You're having an affair and what, she gave you an ultimatum?" She refused to accept that Zandre didn't want her, didn't love her, such was not possible in their perfect relationship in her own perfect world! So his words became mute, unheard by her ears as she continued to fathom imagined reasons for Zandre's actions towards her. "Is it blackmail? Zandre, you can't allow her to do this to us! We can work things out! I forgive you!" "'Lani, just stop," he sighed feeling overly exhausted. He shouldn't have come over, he lacked sleep, lacked energy and all he really wanted was to lie in bed, preferably with a tall, exotic man in his arms... if he could ever worm his way back into Ichiro's graces... "I won't lie to you. I did end the relationship with you after I met someone else, someone impossible to forget. I did not have an affair with that person, only a bastard would string two lovers along at the same time. But between resuming a relationship with you or continuing to chase after that person, there's no contest. It's over between you and I, Elani. I don't want you, I don't love you." Reality became a wrecking ball, demolishing finally the pretence she had enveloped around herself and she reacted without thought. A loud slap echoed down the street, silencing those passing by, most of which had ducked their heads down ignoring the scene of the two this past ten minutes. Naturally there was those instead that whipped out their phones and pressed the record button, but the light was a little on the dim side, the yellow of the spread out streetlights could not reveal the features this fighting couple clear enough in the camera view. However, it didn't mean that there was no one who hadn't figured out the identities of the pair. Elani burst once more into tears, even falling to her knees upon the cold, concrete floor, but this time Zandre calcified his heart towards her. However, he was not so cruel as to leave her here in the streets alone and vulnerable. He dialled the number of her agent and asked the woman to come and collect his ex-girlfriend. Fortunately that woman was a responsible one, she also happened to work at the same company as Zandre's manager, thus she had been somewhat expecting this phone call. She kept her thoughts to herself as she bundled the weeping mess that was Elani into the car, some ten minutes later, giving Zandre a curt nod, before driving off and depriving the small crowds of their spectacle. Zandre rubbed his sore eyes, blinking rapidly to ease the dryness. He vaguely wondered what time it was... had Ichiro's class now ended? Could he go and see him now? Would he even allow him to come near? "Um, Mr Kotze?" There are people with thin, sensitive skins and there were people with thick, impenetrable ones. The person who approached him, was definitely of the latter type. If only he could be so tough towards Ichiro, he thought wryly. "Could I have your autograph?" After signing the rugby fan's notebook, he hurried away, ignoring the varying eyes of the remnant crowds and the odd light emanating from a couple of phones pointing in his direction. A few shared the blurry image they captured of him, while others posted gossip on social media that wouldn't be easily subdued. However, the stars of the show were just small celebrities, these people would have something else to gossip about tomorrow involving a well known politician perhaps or better yet, a royal personage! Speculation and rumour was entertaining, only becoming the lifeblood of reporters and journalists when there was some sort of evidence, however flimsy. The picture on the camera the paparazzi held was clear enough to identify the two people, but he hadn't heard all of the argument, most of their words had not travelled to his ears. Still he'd heard Elani Van Zyl accuse Zandre Kotze of having an affair and while the latter denied the affair, he had not denied being in a new relationship. Curiosity piqued, the paparazzi quickly turned the key in the ignition of his car, as the Rugby star got into his own car to leave this place.