Luna

I heard a gentle knock on the door and instantly recognized it as Remedios. As I said 'come in,' she turned the doorknob, the door swinging open to reveal her standing there, balancing a box of my favorite pizza in her hands. Bonnie, my furbaby, followed closely behind her into my room.

"Mr. Treble came to give you this," she said, the scent of melted cheese and fresh dough wafting through the air.

"Thank you, Remedios. Please put it on the coffee table."

"He's worried about you. He asked if you feel better, if you've been eating well..." She paused, a warm smile spreading across her face. "What a charming guy, and how thoughtful of him to bring you this."

"Yeah, Colton is a nice guy," I replied, nodding my head. "He knows I love this pizza, and its tantalizing aroma always tempts me, even in my saddest and most miserable moments."

"That's adorable. How he knew exactly what you needed to cheer you up."

The more time I spent with Colton, the more I found out he's a really nice guy. We also have a lot in common. We shared a love for food, especially pizza and Japanese cuisine, a passion for success, working on the business, studying cultures and beliefs of other countries, books and nature, being around with kids, and love for our family.

"Definitely, he is." I said. "Unlike Barry, who is self-centered."

"Oh..." Her eyes widened in surprise.

I plopped down on the couch and unboxed the Margherita pizza. The beautiful sight of melted mozzarella, juicy tomatoes, and fragrant basil on a golden brown crust was enough to make anyone's mouth water.

"Come, sit with me. Let's share this delicious pizza."

"I'm not a pizza lover, but I'll make an exception today just for you, considering you're feeling sad. I'll have a slice, but just a small one."

I moved to the side to give her space on the couch, and as she sat down beside me, Bonnie jumped between us and settled down.

The cheesy pizza was a culinary delight, with its gooey cheese stretching as I took each delectable bite. The first bite tasted like heaven, a burst of flavor after 24 hours of not eating well.

The more I ate, the more my hunger grew, and my appreciation for Colton's kind gesture deepened. He went out of his way to make me feel valued and demonstrated his genuine care for me, and it meant the world to me.

We paired the pizza with ice-cold cans of diet coke, adding a refreshing touch to the meal. As we continued eating, the conversation shifted towards Barry.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice filled with concern. "What is making you feel sad?"

Having been my nanny for many years, Remedios had a deep understanding of my mood and emotions. I often pour out my heart to her, sharing even my deepest secrets. She was one of the people I felt completely safe and secure with, no matter what.

"Barry betrayed me," I stated, and her reaction was one of complete and utter shock.

"How?"

I shared with her the details of Harvey's accusation.

"I felt extremely nervous the night before the meeting. I had a feeling that something significant was about to happen. I tried to calm down and imagined different scenarios, getting ready for the worst. But I was unprepared for what I was about to discover. He had done far worse things than just embezzlement."

The revelations made by Harvey and his colleagues about Barry during the meeting were so shocking that it felt like a tornado in my brain, leaving me feeling completely overwhelmed. They gave me so much information that hit me like a sledgehammer.

"Such as?" she asked.

"All the crazy stuff. He engaged in various illegal activities such as swindling, fraud, drug use with friends and models, theft, and ultimately ended up spending a week in jail."

"Oh, my goodness. Stay away from that man. He's bad news!" Her expression was a mix of shock and terror, clearly concerned about my well-being.

I nodded, and she sighed with relief.

I also let her know what Colton and his team discovered when they looked at the expenses of Glamour Fashion. The whole fake investment thing and using the company's credit card to buy luxury stuff like bags and clothes for women.

"I knew this would happen. He didn't leave a good first impression on me. It happened right here at home. He was not very polite when he asked me to get him water. First, he's not into the glass, so I gotta switch it up. Then, the water wasn't cold enough for him, so I added some ice. Oh, and he can't stand ice in his water, so I gotta get rid of it. When it was all good, he was like, "Hey, can I have a Perrier instead?" Her lips twisted. "Can you believe it? He doesn't even know my name yet. He keeps calling me, maid."

"You should have told me about it."

"I didn't want to stir up any trouble, Miss Luna. You were into him, and I still respected him as your man, despite anything."

"Yeah, I get your point." I replied, nodding.

"So, what are you going to do now?"

"I'm determined to confront him and make him face the consequences of his actions. I worked my ass off building our clothing company, only to realize he was just using me."

"That's right!"

"He won't be able to ruin me," I declared, determination in my voice. "I'm going to show him I'm not the clueless, naïve, head-over-heels girl he thinks I am. I'm prepared to go all out and make sure he'll get what he deserves."

I made a complete fool of myself by falling head over heels for him, despite all the warning signs. It's going to be a total embarrassment, especially to my family, because I was too stubborn to listen to them when they warned me of Barry. All the gossip mongers would buzz about me. But I have to confront all of it. What is important is that it's not too late - I can still make amends for my mistakes and create a path towards a promising future.

"Thank goodness. I'm glad you found out what he's really like before getting married. I can't even imagine you with that terrible guy. He'd totally use you and your family!"

I let out a grateful "Thank God" under my breath.

***

Later, I was all by myself in my bedroom, just staring at the engagement ring Barry gave me. I pulled it out of my finger as soon as I got home from meeting Harvey.

I totally remembered how happy I was when he put it on my finger. I thought I could have my own happily ever after, just like my family. Turns out, it was all a lie.

I put the ring in the box and stuck it in the drawer. I was going to keep it anyway, cause Barry swiped the company's money to buy the ring.

I walked over to my study table and reviewed the red flags I had noted down about Barry. Last night, the list expanded rapidly, going from a mere five to an overwhelming twenty. Now that I know the real him, I can think of countless warning signs that I missed.

I had a flood of memories from the past, thinking about what Barry did, but I brushed them off. Once, I spotted Nadia in his office. It surprised me how fast she took off when I showed up.

"What's going on? Is she avoiding me?" I asked Barry, and all he did was give me a weird look, like 'what the heck? It's not all about you.'

As I looked at him closer, I couldn't help but notice the subtle shimmer on his lips.

"What's that on your lips?"

"What?" He wiped his lips with the back of his hand, then said. "What are you talking about? There's nothing."

I was pretty sure I saw some glossy lipstick on his lips, reflecting the same shade as Nadia's. Coldness seeped through my body, thinking that they were making out when I walked in.

"I saw..."

"There's nothing, okay?" He insisted and told me he has a meeting in 5 minutes, I have to go.

"Okay." I said, letting it go.

The same thing happened when I saw a photo of him on Instagram; it felt like a wave of nostalgia washed over me. Two stunning models clung to him, their arms draped possessively around him. One girl kissed his neck, while the other on his cheek.

I looked at him, my eyes narrowing in disbelief. "Why did you do this?" I demanded after I showed him the photo, and he suddenly looked angry.

"There's nothing wrong with that?"

"Seriously, Barry? They're all over you. You have a girlfriend."

"C'mon, Luna. That's just for the sake of the photo. Everyone was just having a blast drinking. We weren't making out or anything. Those were friendly kisses. Nothing happened, alright?"

"I don't like you doing that. I'm your girlfriend. Show me some respect."

"Of course, I respect you, sweetie. But you've got to trust me. You're the only woman I love."

Again I let it slide.

I saw other things, but I chose to ignore them and pretend I didn't notice.

How could I be so blind?

He had me fooled right from the start. He effortlessly captivated me with his charm, all for the sake of money. With his persuasive words, he persuaded me to invest my trust fund into our clothing company, believing it would be a potential success. He made grand promises, assuring me he would go to great lengths to support my aspirations of achieving success through my own abilities. But, it became clear his true intentions were to exploit my financial resources for his own gain and boast about his accomplishments to others.

I wouldn't allow Barry to exploit me and my family for personal gain. He had only scratched the surface of me. Now I'm going to make him experience the full force of my anger.