"Love The Way You The Lie" by Eminem ft Rihanna

"Maybe that's what happens when a tornado meets a volcano..."

Once my friends and I arrived at the hotel, a wave of tension washed over me.

It was too crowded. The hotel was rambling with people today--all who were in elegant and expensive attire.

I had one goal in mind today and that was to find Henry and patch things up with between us. Like what Nana said, it was never too late and she was never wrong.

We entered the busy conference rooms where people were already seated in their seats, conversing with the people around them.

I scanned the room, but Henry was no where to be found. Where could he be?

Nick spotted us and immediately walked over to where we stood. "Henry's not here yet. I overheard he's in his office."

It was as if he read my mind. "Thank you, Nick. Do you mind if I leave Adam and Lily with you for a while? I need to go find Henry."

Nick nodded his head with a grin.

"Thank you." I smiled back.

I turned on my heels to leave the loud and packed room and headed up the elevator to Henry's office floor. My fingers played with themselves as I prepared myself of what I would say to him.

I exhaled deeply as the elevator opened to his floor and as I stepped off, I cautiously made my way to his office.

I spied the back of him in his room, sitting on his chair in front of his desk. I wondered if he noticed the note I left in their the other day. Probably not, because I tick it so far back into his pencil drawer.

I gently knocked on his glass door which was opened wide and he looked up from his computer to me. "Hi, it's me."

"I didn't know you were going to be here today," he stately, somewhat coldly, but he had a right to be.

"I wouldn't miss it," I replied calmly, padding over to his desk carefully. "Henry, about the other night, I-"

"I understand everything, Ally. You don't have to explain yourself."

"No, you don't." I noticed my voice quivering as I stood in front of him."Henry, let me explain it to you, please."

"There's no need to, Ally," he affirmed without even glancing at me. "You love Nick now. You don't love me anymore."

Henry took out an envelope from his drawer and rose from his chair. He paced from behind the desk over to me and grabbed my hand, placing the envelope into my clutch.

"These are the shares you now own in Cavill Group," he said. "Its not much, but I hoped these will be enough for all the things I did to cause your family the pain and suffering you all went through."

I shook my head. "But I don't want this."

I snatched his hands, placing the envelope back into his but, he wouldn't take it. "Henry..."

"And now," he breathed deeply, finally looking into my eyes with no sense of remorse. He pulled my hands from his. "I am willing to let you go...if that will make you happy."

My hopeful expression faltered by the seconds. The courage and optimism that I had brought with me today slipping away from my reach to the horizon.

"What do you mean?" My voice finally cracked. Now I was really afraid--afraid of what I'd lose because of my own despicable and unforgiving actions.

He broke our eye contact and walked passed me to the door without saying anything more. "I'm sorry for everything, Ally."

My heart shattering to pieces...all over again.

This was what I feared.

I was too late. It was too late for us. Henry had already given up on us. And me as well.

Nana was wrong this time.

Broken-hearted, I left the envelope on his desk and went back downstairs, unsure of where to go or what to do. I stopped at the women's bathroom to grabbed a moment of peace and gathered my consciousness, thinking through about Henry's words.

As I retreated to the conference room to find my friends, I noticed the woman who had been looking for me these days.

She stood down the hall way, cornering me down. But a late grin spread on her face as she paced over to me.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" I asked her once she approached.

After all these years, her face was wrinkly and dark bags formed under her eyes. She no longer retained the same smile she wore years ago--the one I kept in my faint memory of her.

The youth in her gone without any trace.

"Lexi, I'm here to see you." She edged closer and I backed away instinctively. I had been hurt too many times this week.

I cleared my thirst, depressing the urge to lash out, break down, or let my emotions get the best of me. "Why would you want to see me after all these years?"

I remained calm.

The small happiness in her face morphed to a sorrowful one. "Because I miss you."

"You missed me?"

She nodded her head sadly. "I missed you so much. Every day of every moment. I thought of you, of Eve, of Chris...and of your father."

How could she mentioned father in front of me? She was the one who left us stranded to suffered and struggled years ago.

"How did you know I would be here?" My voice becoming colder with each words through anger, pain, and anguish.

"Sweetie, I saw a picture of you in a magazine with your husband...so I knew you were still in Chicago. I went to visit Nancy who refused to tell me where you lived. But then, I met a woman who said she knew you and said you worked at Horizon. She told you'll be here today...Alexandria, you look so beautiful. You've grown so much."

"Why now?" I asked gravely. "Mom, why now after all these years do you decide to show up at this time?

Tears beaded in the corners of her eye. "Lexi, because-"

"Is it because I'm rich?" I finished her statement. I couldn't hold back from spitting out the question nor call myself down. "Is that why--becauseI have money now? Is that the reason you decided to come back?"

"You know that isn't the reason," she countered.

"I certainly think so."

"I never raised you to speak like that to people." Her tone rose with each words.

"Raised me?" I chuckled sarcastically as tears rimmed my eyes now too. "Mom, you never raised me--Papa and Nancy did. You were never there. You weren't there when I got my driver license. You weren't there at my graduation or on my birthdays. You left us--remembered? You left us to fend for ourselves. Papa died waiting for you..."

Talking about my father was the breaking point for me. My voice finally cracked, but I didn't stop there as my mom listened to my endless rant. "...but you never showed up. You never came back for us."

"Lexi, I..." my mother began. "I--"

"Do you know where Chris is right now? That's right, mom. He's in prison right now, rotting away like a picked flower cut by its stem with no food. No water. And Eve, she's far away from here to ever know you came back."

Every ounce of betrayal I felt inside was exploding at this very moment from vulnerability, from aggression. My tears were now pouring uncontrollably from my eyes, but I continued as my mom listened. "And me, do you even know what I've been through? I've been through hell and back. But no--you wouldn't know or understand. Because you were never there! I hate you! I hate-"

Her stepped in front of me, her hand flying rapidly into the air and striking me down on my left cheek. "Enough!"

My fingers felt the numb spot from the blow, shocked by what just happened. I averted my eyes from her, keeping my gaze down on the ground as the dam in my eyes kept on flowing.

"I know what I did was wrong," my mom spoke, her voice trembling. "I know I should have reached out. I know I wasn't there for any events of your life and I'm sorry, Alexandria. I'm very sorry. I'm shouldn't come here today at all. I just want to ask you for your forgiveness, but apparently, I won't be getting any of it."

She spun on her heels and sprinted out of the hotel as I watched her, exhaling deeply.

What did I just do?

I heard clapping from behind me and I turned around to find Annette and Victoria. Trouble was everywhere I went today.

I wiped my tears away and tried to dispel myself from the scene before it escalated.

"Was that your mother, Ally?" Annette taunted. "I thought you said she passed away."

I kept silent as I glared at him. I didn't want to see their faces, especially not now, so I began to walk passed them.

"I see now who you take after," Annette's voice sounded and I halted. She wasn't going to go there, was she? "Are you embarrassed by your mother? Is that why you didn't invite her to go see your husband?"

"Don't speak of my mom like that," I warned through gritted teeth.

"I see." Annette smiled scornfully. "It would have been a lovely sight if this was caught by the press. How bad it would look on Cavill Group. Oh, my!" She placed a hand on her chest.

"So what if it does? It has nothing to do with you. Why should you be concern about Cavill Group so much?" I laughed. "You think you're better than the rest of us who has to make ends meet, madam? You're always putting others down. Maybe you need to stop and take a look at yourself in the mirror. People like you with no compassion are what makes this world ugly."

"How dare you speak to my mother like that?!" Victoria finally spoke.

"How dare she speak about my mom?!" I smirked. "Now you know the taste of your own medicine. How does it feel? Hurt, huh? Just like all the people you put down with your poisonous words."

Victoria lunges in front of my path and her hand lifted in the air, but I caught it before it strike me. She lifted her other hand and I caught it as well.

I gripped tightly on her wrists as hard as I could. "You can slap me once, Victoria, but you will never get the chance to do it again. I swear."

Victoria's hawk eyes beamed past me. "Ally, please."

With my strength, I shoved her off me, releasing her wrists away and she stumbled back towards her mom, toppling both them over on their high heels.

They screeched out as they tumbled onto the hard floor in their luxuries dresses. The delightful sight made me smiled.

"Ally!" a harsh voice cried from behind me and I directly realized it as Henry's.

He rushed over to help the two women and flared his eyes up at me. "Apologize to Annette and Victoria," he sharply ordered.

"No, I'm not," I challenged, noticing that my friends and a couple people from the conference came out to check out the racket.

"I'm going to say it one more time. Apologize to them-now!"

"Make me."

"Fine, if you're not to apologize, then leave. Get. Out. Of. My. Face!"

That was my cue--I knew it.

I looked at him one final time before spinning around and running out of that crowded place I hated.

The way he defined those women, the way his temper was--I understood better than to remain in there under scrutinizing eyes and embarrassment.

Once I was back in my car, I didn't know where to go. I couldn't think or focus.

I found myself back that at that very same place I started.

The pain. Hate. Anguish. This was it. This was the end.

I wasn't going to take this crap anymore.

Eve was right. I shouldn't left when I had the chance, but I didn't. I threw myself into the mess again.

I returned to the house and ran up the stairs to gather my belongings. Nana followed me hurriedly from the kitchen, noticing that I was home.

As she walked into the room, her eyes followed me wherever I went. "Ally, sweetie, what happened? Why are you packing your things. I don't understand."

I stopped gathering my things for a second and glanced over to her. "Nana, I'm sorry. I thought I could do what you asked...but I failed. I really have to go now."

"Why do you have to go?" she pleaded.

"Because he told me to."

"Who did?" she asked, but she probably realized it was her Henry. "Was it Henry?"

I nodded sadly.

"Henry didn't mean it."

"I think he really did this time, Nana. The look on his eyes--it was terrifying. I need to leave now."

I snatched my packed bag and dashed out of the bedroom to find Nick, Lily, and Adam sprinting up the stairs. They must have ran after me from the hotel and know I would be here.

"Ally, what are you doing?" Lily asked, her voice full of concern.

"I don't know. All I know is that I have to leave this house," I responded.

Even if they were all here to persuade me to stay, they won't be able to-not after everything that happened today.

"Ally, please?" Nana's voice cried out for me.

And for the first time, I noticed she was crying. She never cried in front of me before and seeing her breaking down, made my heart cracked even more.

I stopped and walked back to hug her. "Nana, don't cry. Please don't. I don't want you in this state. It hurts me seeing you like this. He says I need to leave. I have to go before he comes back."

"No, I say don't go. You stay here."

I choked on a sob. "I can't."

"You can't go. Not yet."

"Why?" I whispered.

"Come with me," Nana spoke softly. "You need to see this. You need to understand."

"What do you mean?"