Chapter 48 LISA, LISA, LISA, YOU SLY!

Chapter 48 LISA, LISA, LISA, YOU SLY!
Five Months Later

Althea’s POV

It’s actually insane how fast life can switch up on you.

Like one minute you think you’re in control — career steady, money right, emotions managed — and the next minute, boom. Life slaps you so hard your soul leaves your body for a second.

Because tell me why I organised a whole luxury work vacation, paid with my money, smiling like a generous CEO… only for betrayal to stare me in the face the moment we landed.

I should’ve known. They say when things feel too calm, something is about to go wrong.

We’re in Fiji. White sand. Clear blue water. Five-star everything. The kind of place people come to fix their marriages or ruin them. I planned this trip because we hit our yearly target early. Big win. And honestly? You only live once. What’s the point of working like robots if you don’t celebrate?

Plus, I had a reason. I’m giving Rowan his company back next year. That was always the plan.

After the vacation. I wasn’t about to return an empire with an empty account balance. I wanted everything clean. Profitable. Solid. No room for accusations. No room for “she mismanaged it.” So yes, I paid for the trip myself.

Flights. Hotel. Activities. Everything. CEO behaviour.

What I didn’t pay for? The nonsense I’m currently witnessing. Because tell me why Lisa — my personal assistant, my so-called friend, the same girl I confided in — is following Rowan around like a lost puppy.

No. Scratch that. Like a loose dog. She’s everywhere. Laughing too loud. Standing too close. Touching his arm when she talks. Acting like she didn’t spend nights on my couch pretending to be on my side. And the craziest part?

She’s been like this since the plane. Since. The. Plane. I saw it then. I clocked it. I just didn’t want to believe it. I thought I was paranoid. I was not. Now we’re at the resort pool, sun blazing, music low, everyone in vacation mode. And Lisa is right there. Again. Walking beside Rowan like she belongs there.

And me? I’m standing there in a two-piece I spent too much money on, holding a drink I don’t even want, watching my life replay in my head like a bad montage.

Because tell me something. What exactly did the seven minutes at the back of his car mean then? Nothing? Because that happened. Two days ago. Two days ago, Rowan was not acting like a man who had moved on. I remember it too clearly.

Everyone had gone home. I didn’t bring my car that day. I rushed out after him because I needed to confirm some important client details before a deadline. He was already in his car when I knocked on the window.

He looked surprised to see me. Still let me in. Still listened. Still offered to drop me home. On the way, rain started falling. Heavy. The dramatic kind. We joked about it. Decided to park somewhere quiet and let it pass. Silence filled the car.

The kind of silence that isn’t awkward — just loaded. One look turned into another. We moved to the backseat without even talking about it. No planning. No promises. Just tension snapping. We kissed. Soft at first. Then desperate.

Then like two people who had been pretending for too long. Seven minutes. That’s all it was. Seven minutes of forgetting everything else. Seven minutes of him holding my face like he remembered it. Seven minutes of me thinking… maybe we’re not done.

So imagine my shock when the same man is now smiling with another woman on a beach. And not just any woman. Lisa. I actually laugh. Out loud. Men. They will always stain your white. Or in my case, your expensive two-piece swimsuit.

Because while I’m standing there spiraling, some rich-looking man across the pool keeps staring at me like he wants to eat me alive. Tall. Well-built. Confident. The kind of man who looks like he owns yachts casually. Normally, I’d enjoy the attention.

Right now? It just irritates me. Because why is Rowan acting unbothered? Why is Lisa so bold? And why do I feel stupid again?

I catch Lisa’s eye. She looks away. That’s when I know. If it was innocent, she would’ve smiled. I walk back to my room before I embarrass myself. The moment I shut the door, I drop my bag and sit on the bed. Breathe in.

Breathe out. Okay. Let’s think logically. Rowan and I are not together. Technically. He doesn’t owe me loyalty. Technically. But Lisa? Lisa owes me respect. And that’s what hurts.

Because she knew. She knew I still liked him. She knew I wasn’t sure how he felt. She knew I was planning to give the company back. She knew everything. And still chose to move mad.

I replay her words in my head. “So you won’t be upset if I move on to him?” She joked. I laughed. I thought it was a joke. Clearly, she was testing the waters. And I failed. I feel anger rising in my chest. Not just anger. Disappointment.

Because betrayal from strangers hurts. Betrayal from people you let close? That one hits different. Later that evening, we all gather for dinner. Long table. Candlelight. Ocean breeze. Lisa sits two seats away from Rowan. Of course she does.

She laughs at everything he says. Of course she does. Rowan looks relaxed. Too relaxed. Like someone who doesn’t feel guilty. And that hurts more than anything. Because if he felt even a little bad, at least I’d know I mattered. I sip my drink slowly. I refuse to react. I refuse to look wounded.

Because if there’s one thing I will never be, it’s weak in public. But inside? I’m breaking. I keep thinking — was I stupid to assume seven minutes meant something? Was I stupid to think he still cared?

Was I stupid to trust Lisa?

Again?

After dinner, I walk along the beach alone.

Barefoot.

The sand is cool. The waves are calm. Everything looks peaceful. My chest is not.

I remind myself why I’m here. I remind myself that I’m still in control. I remind myself that I’m still the woman who runs the company. Still the woman who decides when power is given back. Still the woman who survived worse. But it’s hard.

Because love makes you soft in places you didn’t plan for. And tonight, I feel exposed. I feel like I played myself. Again. I stop walking and stare at the ocean. Maybe Rowan moved on.

Maybe those seven minutes were just muscle memory. Maybe Lisa never cared about me the way I cared about her. Maybe this is life teaching me another lesson. One thing is clear though. I won’t confront anyone. Not here. Not now. I won’t give them the satisfaction.

I’ll finish this vacation with my head high. I’ll laugh. I’ll swim. I’ll smile for photos. And when the time comes… I’ll still give Rowan his company back. But emotions? Those are officially off the table.

Because if there’s one thing I’m learning the hard way — You can love deeply.

You can trust fully. But never assume anyone will protect your heart the way you protect theirs. Not even the ones sleeping on your couch. Not even the ones kissing you in the rain.

Life didn’t just shock me. It embarrassed me. And I hate that more.