The CEO’ s second choice novel Chapter 40

　　Elena

　　It was the Oxford Open Day, and I was a ball of unrepressed nerves. The last month has been extremely hectic in terms of my mental health and I finally realise now that what happened to me was not my fault. Nicholas has been a sexual predator since high school, and after my story hits the news and media outlets, so many other girls have come forward with their own stories, some even with stories that played out while I was still with him.

　　It seems I started a #MeToo movement among the wealthy upper class.

　　As it turns out, there was no video footage of what occurred between Nicholas and I. It had been erased but Sebastian and Elijah’s statements coupled with my torn dress and photos of my bruises were enough to prosecute him. But Anabelle’s statement was what surprised us all; what she had to say cemented Nicholas’ fate, and the Addington's became pariahs in the social circles. Sebastian financially crippled them by causing their stocks to drop. I would like to say that I was sorry for them, but I was not; Mr Addington knew what his son was capable of because they were so much alike.

　　Yes, that is exactly what I mean.

　　My phone was ringing somewhere on my desk and the caller ID told me it was Anabelle calling. Yes, you read that right. We have become quite close over the last month or so, especially after we found out how alike we are. To top it off, she was enrolled in Oxford at Exeter College in the same course I was thinking of applying for! That I could relate to someone on such a deep level astounded me; Sebastian calls us soul sisters because of how alike we were. But, where I’m brunette, she’s a perky blonde with bright green eyes, with a tall, waif-like body. Also, she admitted to me that she was actually a lesbian who had to hide what she was from her family as she needed to produce an heir to continue the line; she was an only child.

　　“Hey, Belle,” I answered my cell phone and perched it in the crook of my neck as I continued to get my things together. “You’re late, babe. The alumni are trickling in and I think you will be most impressed at the outcome.” She says and I mentally curse my tardiness this morning. I was on light anti-anxiety medication and my mind was all over the place now.

　　“I am leaving as we speak! Down the stairs and out the door!” I exclaim and she giggles. I will most definitely be late; it takes about an hour to get to Oxford Uni’s main campus from Kensington, and again I reprimand myself. My scattered mind will have to be brought up at my next appointment with my doctor.

　　“Good, because I am rather lonely here all by myself,” she says.

　　“You shouldn’t even be there, you tart, you’re already enrolled in the course!” I say with a laugh as I get into the Maybach and we leave the estate. Anabelle giggles, “I couldn’t help it! You want to catch the attention of at least one alumnus and I will get nowhere on the Thompson name alone; I need good backing if I want to be a published author. These guys will be brutally honest in their review of me and ignore my family name, that’s all I want.” She says, and this made me smile; Anabelle was as ambitious as I was and really well-read in classic literature; she truly was my soul sister and was steadily becoming my best friend. After the thing with Nicholas, no one wanted to be associated with her, so I approached her and apologized for my role in her loneliness. But she wasn’t bitter at all. She was just relieved that our stories were heard and believed.

　　“Just leave an alumnus for me, please I will be there soon!” I ask her in jest, and we say our goodbyes after that.

　　The last month has been hard, but also enlightening. The two girls I thought were my best friends have completely cut me out of their lives because of the scandal with Nicholas. I thought we were closer than that, but they revealed that they were friends with me because of my name alone. This hurt me deeply, but Sebastian says that it was for the best; actual situations often revealed people’s true intentions.

　　Speaking of Sebastian, our marriage has been steadily improving in all aspects. We still make love almost every evening (and morning if I must be terribly honest) and his mother’s queries of children have been on the increase.