His 181St Second (Laverne and Marina) novel Chapter 5

**Winds Carry Lost Promises by Asa Holt Vale**
**Chapter 5**

A full week had slipped by since the arrangements for Alyssa’s funeral had been finalized. The air felt heavy with the weight of loss, and the Finley family now leaned entirely on Elnors for emotional support. The moment the last detail was taken care of, Alyssa’s sister, Marina, hurried back to Vrafiek, her heart racing with a sense of urgency that seemed to propel her forward without pause.

Before she departed, she turned to Marins, her expression serious. “Listen carefully,” she instructed, her voice firm. “You need to stick to the plan. Return on schedule, and make sure to sever any ties completely.”

Marina’s face was pale, a ghost of her former self, but she nodded resolutely, promising to follow through.

Upon her return to the villa, the sight that greeted her was disheartening. The once-vibrant purple roses in the yard, which had been lovingly planted by Lavern when they first bought the property, now drooped sadly, their petals wilted and yellowed from a week’s neglect. The purple roses symbolized a protective love, and their decay felt like a personal affront to Marina.

As she stood there, staring at the flowers that had once brought her joy, a flash of bitterness ignited within her. With a swift determination, she strode over to the plants, yanking them from the ground with force, uprooting them as if they were the very source of her pain. She tossed them into the trash bin with a sense of finality, her heart racing with a mix of anger and liberation.

Pulling out her phone, she dialed a number, her voice steady as she spoke. “Hello,” she began, her tone businesslike. “I’m willing to accept the price you quoted last time. If we can arrange it, I’d like to sign the contract and expedite the Transfer as soon as possible.”

The voice on the other end agreed, and they settled on a time.

Once the call ended, Marina ascended the stairs to pack her belongings. She meticulously gathered her valuables, carefully stowing them away in Alyssa’s quaint little cottage. Anything that bore the mark of Lavern was tossed aside like yesterday’s refuse, a symbolic cleansing of her past life.

When Lavern’s assistant finally arrived, he was met with a trash bin overflowing with discarded items. He raised an eyebrow, puzzled by the sight. Something about those clothes felt oddly familiar, stirring a sense of recognition within him.

As he caught sight of Marina, he called out, “Mrs…”

She raised her hand to halt him mid-sentence. “It’s Ms. Finley,” she corrected, her tone clipped and unyielding.

“Ms. Finley, Mr. Ross has a party tonight,” he continued, his voice tinged with urgency. “He sent me to retrieve a suit. Could you assist me in putting an outfit together?”

Marina’s expression remained impassive, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Why doesn’t he come to get it himself?”

The assistant lowered his gaze, guilt washing over him. “He just returned from a trip to the neighboring city and went straight to the office for urgent work.”

Her voice dripped with sarcasm as she replied, “Oh, really? I thought he was too busy enjoying himself to care.”

The assistant averted his eyes, unable to meet her piercing gaze.

Yet, she wasn’t in the mood to make his life difficult. With a glance towards the overflowing trash bin, she said flatly, “You might want to dig around in there.”

Following her line of sight, he noticed the property crew already hauling away the bin. “What?” He looked bewildered, confusion etched across his face.

Marina added nonchalantly, “Better hurry, or someone else might snatch up the good ones.”

With that, she brushed past him, her mind set on moving forward. Moments later, she ignited the engine of her car and sped off, leaving the assistant fuming in her wake.

Frustration bubbled within him as he realized he had no choice but to chase down the bins that had already been taken away.

At the Ross Group headquarters, he clutched the suit he had wrested from a scavenger’s grasp, stepping into Lavern’s office, his heart heavy with the weight of his encounter.

The clock read 12:26 PM as chaos erupted around him.

Marina had discarded an array of high-end items, and the scavengers had descended upon them like vultures. In the midst of the frenzy, someone elbowed him sharply in the eye, leaving him with a swollen, red socket. “Mr. Ross…” he managed to utter, his voice strained.

As he glanced over, he spotted Lavern and Shawna huddled closely together, their heads nearly touching. Resentment simmered within him. He thought bitterly, *Mr. Ross is the one playing around, yet I’m the one left to bear the brunt of it all.*

When Lavern caught sight of his assistant’s battered appearance, he looked up from his discussion with Shawna, concern flickering across his features. “Did Marina do that to you?” he asked, his voice laced with disbelief.

Shawna’s eyes widened in shock, sympathy flooding her expression. In her mind, she recalled Marina’s erratic behavior at the bridal shop, where she had randomly splashed coffee all over her.

Swinging open the door, she was met with the sight of her friend lounging on the couch, her expression stormy and tense.

“Who got under your skin?” Marina asked, startled by the intensity of her friend’s mood.

The walls were thin, and before she could finish her thought, voices from the neighboring box filtered through, laughter and banter echoing in the air.

“Lavern, you really know how to enjoy life. The wedding’s next month, and here you are with a stunner like Ms. Thornton keeping you company. She’s all sweetness and light, happy to tag along without any strings attached. But tell us, how do you juggle the wife back home? Give your buddies some pointers.”

Lavern remained silent, but the sycophants surrounding him piled on their praise.

“Even if Lavern schooled you, you’d never pull it off without his charisma. Marina’s crazy about him; she’d be devastated if he left her. No chance she’d rock the boat.”

“A guy’s gotta be like Lavern—a solid red flag waving at home, while the rainbow ones fly free outside.”

Kara, Marina’s friend, erupted in anger, jumping to her feet.

Marina instinctively grabbed her arm, her skirt brushing against a coffee cup on the table, sending it clattering to the floor.

Lavern’s low voice cut through the tension. “Cut the crap. Let’s just enjoy the auction pieces.”

Kara was fuming, but one look at Marina’s composed demeanor revealed the truth; Marina had known all along.

With a scowl, Kara demanded, “And you’re okay with just swallowing this?”

Marina responded evenly, her voice steady as she projected it through the wall. “Life serves up shit sandwiches now and then. If you don’t play it cool and handle it swiftly, what are you going to do? Broadcast to everyone that you’ve got a mouthful?”

On the other side, the room fell into a pin-drop silence, the weight of her words hanging in the air like a thick fog.