After Divorce, She Bloomed

"Hello, beautiful Mrs." The Handsome Stranger Casually waves his hand at her.

Vanessa narrowed her eyes, not liking the tone of his voice, nor the fact that he was casually seated across her office table like she was the only doctor in town he could visit.

Was he perhaps...stalking her?

Putting a professional smile on her lips and choosing to act like the doctor she is towards one of her patients.

"Hello, Sir. How are you feeling today?"

The patient, whatever his name was, watched her with narrowed eyes and a faint smile on his lips before replying.

"I'm feeling quite okay, Doc." Vanessa nodded her head.

"That's good." She said and took her seat, her eyes trained on the file Kathleen had provided her.

The first thing she noticed was the fact that he had been checked in under the guise of insomnia.

"Insomnia, huh?" She asked and gestured towards the examining equipment in the corner of her office while waiting for her patient's answer.

"You drink a lot of coffee? Energy drink? Has work perhaps put you under a lot of stress as of late?"

"I take morning Coffee on a regular basis. No energy drinks, not as of late, and my work isn't the source of my insomnia."

"I see" Vanessa wrote it down and turned it back to him.

"I'll have to perform a physical examination. Is that alright?"

"Go ahead, doc." He allowed and Vanessa stood up to get her stethoscope.

"Take off your coat and roll up your sleeves please, Sir."

The patient did as instructed and removed his coat. He was left with his black turtle neck, which was a little too tight, considering his large frame, showing off a set of muscles underneath the fabric.

Vanessa, trying her best not to stare at him, focused her gaze on his chest as she took his vitals. His breathing was normal, his heart rate was stable, and he showed no signs of irregularity.

"Are you allergic to any medicines you might have taken recently?" She asked and the patient shook his head.

"No, doc."

"Any traumatic experience in the past few weeks?" "Not at all."

After a few more questions, Vanessa concluded that his self-diagnosed insomnia did in fact, not exist.

"Everything looks quite fine to me, Sir. As a matter of fact, you're not showing any signs of insomnia, but if you still insist that your sleeping pattern has been irregular lately, l'd advise you to take a vacation."

The man chuckled, a deep, rich, chuckle that sent an unknown tingle down her spine.

"A vacation, really? What about sleeping pills, Doc?"

Sleeping pills? He came all the way here for that? Something he could easily get at a pharmacy?

Now Vanessa was definitely beginning to think there was a hidden agenda behind his visit. Maybe he was indeed a stalker.

"If you insist, a small sum would be provided, but please keep in mind that Sleeping pills are meant to be used in more demanding situations, Sir. l'd advise that you use them as little as possible, as they could become addictive if used excessively."

"And for now, l expertly advise a vacation, a week or two." She said and tore a piece of paper, writing a few things on it before handing it to him.

"If that's all, please feel free to leave. This is a prescription for the sleeping pills. I trust you're familiar with the pharmacist at the front?"

The man accepted the prescription, folding it neatly and stuffing it in his pocket but didn't show any sign of standing up.

"Sir? You may leave now."

Vanessa pointed towards the door with her hand, which his eyes seemed to linger on, and after a few seconds, he asked.

"Your wedding ring, you didn't wear it today, why?"

Vanessa's eyes narrowed. "That is none of your business, Sir."

The handsome man, ignoring her words, probed on.

"Why's that? Is your husband giving you problems?"

"That, Sir, is none of your business." She said more sternly, believing that she had finally shut the topic down, but he responded confidently.

"Oh, but it is," Smiling, he added.

"Especially when it's your husband messing around with my ex-wife."

Vanessa's brows furrowed at his words. Did he just say…ex-wife?

As in Serene Vans?

Then that makes him...

Her eyes scanned his face, studying his features, and suddenly, the answer she was searching for clicked in her mind.

Michael Hayes!

"You're Michael Hayes." She muttered and Michael's lips curved into a satisfied smile.

"Heard of me?"

"Who hasn't." She replied. "But that's not the main question, what is the reason why you're here? It's obvious you didn't just come for a bottle of sleeping pills."

Michael chuckled once again.

"Smart girl," He praised.

Vanessa somehow felt her cheeks warm at his praise.

Was it his choice of wording? Or his voice? Or perhaps both?

Definitely the latter. With his looks, it seemed like an illegal combination. 'Head in the game, Vanessa.' She schooled her thoughts, focusing on Michael's next words.

"I'm sure you're familiar with who my ex-wife is to your husband, yes?"

She stayed still and the bitter fact she had tried ignoring for weeks wrapped around her again. Michael's eyes darkened, a shadow casting over them.

"Then, I'm sure you'll be more than delighted to bring them down. How about an alliance with me?"

Ah, so that was why he came here? Vanessa thought, realizing that he also might have approached her at the restaurant because of this. A cunning man, but had he forgotten one thing?

Nowadays, reputation was it all, and his reputation right now, wasn't looking the prettiest.

"Your offer is quite tempting, Mr. Hayes, but I must ask, what made you believe that l'll trust you, a man who lost in his divorce case?"

Michael chuckled at her straightforward approach. Not many had the guts to question him each time he placed a sweet offer, such as this one, on the table.

But he liked that, her guts to question and challenge him. It added more to her already present appeal.

"You seem to know quite a bit about me, but you got your information, it's lacking."

Vanessa raised a questioning brow at his statement. "The divorce Case between Vans and I hasn't been settled yet. And as a matter of fact, it's still too early to say l've lost."

He added, but wasn't quite done with talking yet. "Now, since you're pointing out quite a few things about myself, why don't I point out a thing or two."

A thing or two? Vanessa thought in confusion, watching as Michael leaned in on the table in between them to speak. "One, you're lacking experience.

Two," He paused and smiled, a smile that told Vanessa he knew something she had tried hiding.

"You don't want your identity as the precious Heiress of Reeds Cooperative Group to be exposed."

If the look of surprise on Vanessa's face wasn't a dead give away, then the way her lips parted, as if she had just been slapped across the face, was Reed Cooperation's heiress, how did he find out?

She had been extremely careful, keeping her identity hidden for the past decade and a half, even her own husband knew nothing of this, so how did he, a total outsider, come to know of this? "...

" She hesitated with her words, not sure how to proceed after the feeling of cold ice water running down her body washed over her.

"I don't know what you mean." She finally said, hoping she sounded more confident than her voice gave her credit for. Michael chuckled, seemingly finding her denial funny.

"You must have mistaken my with someone else, Mr. Hayes." She added. "My maiden name is Sylvester, not...not Reeds."

"Is that so?" Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out a small paper to go with his claims.

"Then how come this says otherwise?"

When Vanessa took a look at the paper placed on the table, her eyes widened.

It was a copy of her freaking birth certificate!

"How...how did you get this?" She quickly snatched it off the table, looking

it over once more before she said.

"This is invasion of privacy, I can have you sued for this Mr. Hayes."

But instead of cowering under the threat, Michael's smile grew.

"So you are admitting that birth certificate belongs to you."

Shit, Vanessa cursed inwardly. She had accidentally walked into his trap, not only that, she had given him the evidence he needed.

"So Ms. Reeds," He leaned in closer and Vanessa found herself leaning back, a sign of submission to a man like Michael.

"Have I proven to be a competent man worthy of your alliance?"

Vanessa tightened her jaws, not liking the fact that Michael had found a way to outsmart her and also found out the secret she had kept for years.

"What do you really want Mr. Hayes?" She asked at last.

"An alliance, I said that before, didn't I?"

He responded curtly, but the look on Vanessa's face told him that he'd have to let off more than that to have her even consider joining hands with him.

"Serene and I were married for a year. She cheated with your husband as we know it,"

He pointed out and Vanessa winced at his words, resulting in him momentarily scolding himself.

This is just as hard on her as it is me, he reminded him, taking on a softer tone the next time he spoke.

"She screwed me over in court and won half of my fortune because I didn't have enough evidence to prove that she was the cheating party."

"Enough evidence?" Vanessa asked with folded arms, but the look on her face screamed; "you had means to get my birth certificate, but not enough evidence to prove your scummy ex wife had cheated.