No Longer Yours, Secret Boyfriend

It was a party thrown in his honour. He finally hit the jackpot, he signed the contract.

I've been waiting for him to get me for months.

Leo didn't invite me personally, but I thought to show up. I believed he wanted to surprise me. So, I decided to beat him to it.

At the reception, a security man stopped me to confirm my invitation.

This was expected for an event of such standard.

“Your name and invite, please.”

“I'm Mr. Leo's girlfriend,” I replied.

Our relationship had been a secret for the past six years. However, he promised me that he would tell our relationship to everyone on the party to announce this project, or so I thought. Telling the security a few minutes or hours before the time wouldn't ruin anything, would it?

The man laughed. He looked at me like I was insane.

“Girlfriend, come off it. Who are you?”

“Excuse me?” I asked, puzzled.

“Mr. Leo is already inside with his real girlfriend.”

As he said that, he moved aside for me to see the stage. There, under the warm, cozy lights, my Leo was locking lips with another woman in a long, passionate kiss.

He was looking at her and holding her like she was his world. He had never looked at me like that.

I gasped, lost my balance and fell like a pack of cards. I accidentally knocked over the table where the tenlayer cake was placed.

The cake came crashing down to the floor. In no time, the once magnificent cake was a pile of dirt on the floor. Everyone turned to the back in my direction.

Leo's face changed the instant he sighted me.

“Miss Mia, what is wrong with you? You've ruined the cake I set up for my lady.”

After lashing out at me, he turned to the woman, caressed her arms, and promised to get her another cake.

I dashed to the bathroom and dialed my father's number.

“Dad, I've changed my mind. I'll agree to the arranged marriage.”

There was a brief pause on the other end.

“I knew you'd come around and stop being silly. I've been waiting for you to make the right choice. I'll start making the arrangements right away. When can you come home?”

“As soon as possible. I'll leave the company and come home.”

"Leave which company?” Leo's voice interrupted.

“Don’t be such a baby. About earlier, everyone was there, so I had to act cold. They can’t find out about us. I'll make it up to you at home.”

Was that all he could say? How about the girl he was kissing? The tears hung in my eyes, and they stung.

"Come on, love...”

Just then, the door opened, and an elegantly dressed woman entered. In a split second, Leo's expression changed.

“I will not press charges for the damage because you're my employee. Behave yourself next time, Miss Mia.”

"Thank you, sir,” I responded, lowering my gaze to the floor. And he went out without sparing me another glance.

The woman glanced at me and smiled.

“You've got a generous boss. That cake cost a fortune, and he let you go just like that.”

I didn't say anything to her; I just turned and left for home.

I remembered how I found out about the party.

My boyfriend and I were watching a movie on his laptop when he left to receive a phone call. He muttered the word 'work' before leaving. As soon as he left, an email popped up.

'Dear Mr. Leo, we are happy to announce the successful signing of the contract. A party has been fixed in the honor, congratulations.'

I was so happy to see the email. He had been working hard on this project. I tried to be supportive all along, and I was happy now that it paid off.

I waited for him to inform me about the party, but he never did. I figured he wanted to surprise me, so I didn't ask.

On the Dday, I decided to go there and see for myself. After all, I was an employee, and the employees of the company were invited.

That was my greatest mistake. How foolish of me to think that he would show me off to the world after six years. He only thought of me as his employee, nothing more.

He didn't come home that night. When I checked the news coverage of the party, he was all over her, looking at her lovingly in a way that he had never looked at me. He was introducing her to his friends and business partners.

I had waited for this for six years. On the night I was supposed to get it, he gave it to another woman without thinking twice.

In the past six years, each time I asked where we could go public, he brushed it off curtly. Until he promised me that it would be this night; the night of the party for signing the contract. That was why I put my soul into helping him get the contract. But now…

Three days went by, no calls, no texts. Then I got a text from him.

'She has helped me a lot with this project. I'll break up with her as soon as I finalize things. I'm with her for the sake of this contract. You know the value of this contract. It's worth millions of dollars. I can't blow it up for a mere relationship.’

Tears filled my eyes. She wasn't the one helping him; I knew it.

I didn't know what hurt me more. If it was the fact that he didn't show remorse for seeing another woman, or that he referred to what we had as a mere relationship.

I pressed the call button and phoned him before I could stop myself.

“Why are you calling right now? Do you have to be clingy? Didn't you get my message?” His cold voice came.

“Babe, can you help me dry my hair?” I heard Lizzy's voice over the phone.

“Sure, I’ll love to, my love.” He answered before the call ended abruptly. He had answered her sweetly, a contrast from the sharp and cold tone he used for me.

He was with Lizzy at a hotel. He didn’t care about how I felt. He wasn’t bothered. No, I didn’t matter, not enough to make him feel guilty.

That was when reality hit me. He never loved me. He was in a hotel with another woman, flaunting her and not me, whom he had dated for six years.

My phone beeped, and I checked the notification. Leo had updated his profile photo on social media. It was a picture of him and Lizzy, looking like a perfect couple.

I stared at it, and the tears continued to stream down my face. The comment section was filled with a lot of people cheering them on. No one was talking about me. Of course not. I was a secret that the world didn't need to know. Six years of my life wasted.

I looked around the house again. Nothing to show us as a couple was there. No pictures, nothing. Leo had been too keen on the secrecy that we didn’t even take pictures together. Not on our phones, not for one day.

Leo had never used the matching stuffs I bought for us. One time, he had given them out to the less privileged. When I tried to make a fuss, he asked me not to be insensitive.

“We can't be seen as a couple out there. When we go public, we would get matching items and use them.” I had agreed like a fool and waited for a day that was never going to come.

On his profile picture, he was wearing matching outfits with another woman that wasn't me. I had been so blinded in love to see through his actions.

It wasn’t about having a private relationship. Leo had never loved me. He had never seen me as his girlfriend. If he did, he wouldn’t treat me this way. Today was the day the world was supposed to know we were together for goodness sake!

With the tears still rolling down my face, I got up and began to pack my things. I went to trash out some of the things I wouldn't need. I noticed something shiny in the trashcan. It was oddly familiar. I took it out and saw that it was a bangle I had given him when we first met. A symbol of our love. He had discarded it just like he did our six years together.

For the nth time that day, my heart shattered. I fell to the floor and cried myself to sleep. I woke up to see him standing before me.

“I saw your packed suitcase. Don’t tell me you want to leave over something trivial.”

I looked at him, not sure of what to say. I swallowed a thousand questions that tugged at my throat.

He stretched out his hands and helped me up. I saw that there's been a replacement for my bangle.

“Y…your… bangle,” I stuttered.

“Oh, Lizzy got it. She changed the other one,” he answered casually, as if it meant nothing.

"Get dressed, I'll take you out for dinner.”

“Okay,” was all I could say.

“I got you a dress.”

I forced a smile and took the gift box from him. No amount of gifts would erase what he had done to me. I had already made up my mind to leave the relationship. I'll tell him tonight.

I took out the cloth from the gift box. It was a beautiful black dress.

But… this was the gown Lizzy had worn for dinner on the day of the party.

I didn't want to make a scene, and I also didn't want to hear anymore of his excuses.

I put on the dress, but I thought of what to do. I’ll never wear the dress Lizzy had tossed aside! When we are about leaving, I excused myself to take a glass of water.

Intentionally, I spilled the water on the cloth. I pretended to be sorry, and told him I was going to change. Displeasure was written on his face, but he didn't say anything.

The restaurant was well lit. It was a fivestar restaurant. We had never been to a highprofile restaurant because of the nature of our relationship.

Maybe I was wrong, maybe I was too fast to jump into conclusions. He had brought me here today to show me off to everyone. I hoped it happened.

The table was already set and when we got there, the waiter served the food. My eyes widened in horror, and my hands shot up to cover my mouth. The table was filled with seafood, my worst allergy trigger.

“Can you please take this out?” I asked the waiter, trying to stay calm.

Leo's face darkened.

“What? I personally arranged this dinner, why would you want to waste it?”

Leo had totally forgotten that I was allergic to seafood. In the past, he would never order anything that had seafood in it. He even made sure to check some foods and ask the ingredients to be sure it had nothing that could harm me.

I raised my eyes at him.

“Leo…”

“If you will not eat it, then don’t. This is a perfect dish for a dinner. What do you want me to do now?”

This wasn’t the man I fell in love with. This was the right time to say it,

“Let's break...” Before I could finish, a sharp, thrilling voice interrupted.

"Baby,” followed by the clicking of her heels.

“This smells divine. After all these years, you still remember my favorite food.”

I looked up calmly at the woman standing in front of me. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders, and her fitted dress accentuated her curves. Lizzy, the one who my boyfriend chose over me. She smiled brightly at Leo, pulled a seat, and sat beside him.

I noticed that her navy blue dress matched Leo's outfit perfectly. He was wearing a navy blue tailored suit with a white shirt. Lizzy's dress seemed to complement his attire.

“Thanks for the dish, I'm grateful,” she said to him again. She turned in my direction and extended her hand.

“I'm Leo's girlfriend, Lizzy. And you are?”

Leo's face stiffened. He stared nervously at me and swallowed nothing. I laughed inwardly.

“I'm Mia, I work at Mr. Leo's company,” I said softly. He heaved an inward sigh of relief and concurred with my story.

Leo added some food to her plate like a caring husband while she smiled away. I was totally forgotten.

He had obviously prepared this dinner with her mind. Little wonder he had her favourite dish set up. He totally forgot that it was something I couldn't eat.

I couldn't stand her, the same way I couldn't stand the food.

“Errr..” I began awkwardly, to get their attention.

“I just wanted to confirm something about an appointment from Mr. Leo. I was leaving before you came. Ah, I will be leaving now. Excuse me,” I excused myself and hurried to the bathroom.

I resisted the urge to puke from the food. I washed my face and turned to leave. As I turned, I saw Lizzy standing right in front of me. She walked closer and whispered into my ears.

“I know of your relationship with my fiancée. Now that you know your place, stick to it. If you behave as you did earlier, I won't make things difficult for you. I might as well forgive you for daring to think that my man was yours.”

I tucked my hair behind my ear and walked into the company. I was going to put everything behind me and immerse myself in work.

But Leo wasn't done with me yet. He wasn't tired of causing me pain, at least not yet.

Getting to the company, I realized that there had been a new appointment. The position of the investment team manager.

Oh no, that was supposed to be my position. Who did Leo have to give it to? I worked so hard to sign this last contract. It was almost clear to everyone that I was going to be the manager. Why was Leo taking everything away from me?

I walked quietly to my seat and took out my phone. I checked the company news, and then I saw her. Lizzy Morgan was the new manager. Leo had given her everything I ever wanted: him, his love, the publicity, and lastly, my position in the company.

I was tired of fighting. No, I was going to give up now. I could feel the piercing eyes of my colleagues on me. I didn't look up. I didn't want to see them, whether their eyes held disdain, pity, or disrespect. I didn't care. I turned on my computer and began to type my resignation letter.

This was the height of it. I was going to give up here.

I had barely finished typing when Leo showed up with Lizzy. Their arms were linked, and Lizzy wore a sweet smile.

“Hello everyone, this is Lizzy, my fiancée and the new head of this department.”

It was supposed to be my name, not Lizzy's, in that sentence.

It was to have this said about me, that I worked so hard to make this contract work. But Leo was giving it to another person. He went ahead to sing her praises on how she made this project work until I could hear no more.

"Miss Mia,” a colleague, tapped me, and I was startled.

“Miss Mia, are you okay?” Lizzy feigned concern. They had been calling me for a while, but I was zoned out.

“The Felix Group team is here to see the site,” Leo's secretary announced.

All who were involved, including me, stood up and left the office. Felix Group was another company that Leo wanted to partner with.

"Where's the investment plan document?” I heard my colleagues whisper as we got into the office.

In the past, I would have gotten it ready, even though it wasn't my duty to do so. I would do it for Leo's sake, to make sure he gets the contract.

Leo turned to me and fired,

“Miss Mia, where's the document?”

“I'm sorry, sir, it's not part of my duties to get it.” I was done over playing my role.

“You incompetent fool,” he barked.

"Honey, please calm down. I'll have someone get it ready immediately," Lizzy jumped in, pretending to calm the situation.

“Mr. Felix, do you mind if we proceed without it? I'll personally have it sent to your office today,” Lizzy pleaded with the prospective investor.

"Alright,” the man agreed.

They proceeded with the meeting, and it was soon over.

“Miss Lizzy is so great. See how she handled the situation brilliantly.”

“She's super smart and amazing.”

“Miss Mia almost ruined things today.”

“She seemed off lately.”

The other employees gossiped as they filed out of the meeting room.

I waited for everyone to leave before I stepped out. I had only gotten to the staircase when Lizzy stopped me.

“It's a pity to see you wear a sunken face. Were you expecting a low life like you to be the manager too?” Lizzy mocked.

"Lizzy, move,” I said firmly.

“Or what?”

I didn't want to speak with her, or I might end up breaking her neck. She was such a nuisance. I made to move towards the right, but she blocked me. I did the same towards the left, and she repeated her actions.

Before I could say anything, I saw her falling down the stairs.

“Lizzy!” Leo shouted and rushed to help her, but it was already late.

“I... I didn't push her.”

“Lizzy, are you okay?”

By now, some of the employees had come out of their offices because of the noise.

"Mia, how can you be so mean? I only wanted to apologize to her for what happened in there, but she pushed me down the stairs,” Lizzy wailed.

“What? I didn't push you…”

I didn't get to finish what I was saying before a deafening slap cut me short.

The office went deathly silent. Leo had slapped me.

“How dare you lay a hand on her? Apologize to her immediately.”

“Leo…” I muttered .

“I didn't do it and you know it. I'll never do a thing like that,” I pleaded with tears in my eyes.

“Enough!” Leo snapped, and slapped me again.

“Are you saying that she threw herself down? Apologize this instant, or you're fired.”

I stood up from the floor, where the impact of Leo's slap had thrown me. Leo had crossed yet another line.

“I will not apologize for what I did not do. You can check the cameras. I didn't hit her. I won't apologize. I will leave the company.”

I turned and marched down the stairs, caring less about the whispers behind me. I walked straight to my office and took out the letter of resignation I had typed earlier. I signed it and took it to the human resource department.

As soon as I dropped it, I turned and left the company. I didn't care if they approved it or not. I was done here. I would go home now, pack up, and leave for the airport.