Free Limits of Destiny (Volume 1) by Sharlyn G. Branson

packets and without any preservatives. Here, try them. Put a drop in each eye and voila—all better. Throw away whatever’s left.”
    “Thanks, Roberto.”
    “For you, always—you know that.” He winked at me, and I gave him a weak smile.
    I took the drops and went into the bathroom to put them in. I caught my reflection in the mirror—I looked terrible. My green eyes were staring back at me, tired and quite red, and my face was as white as a sheet. I put a drop in each eye and felt them working their magic straightaway. Their coolness brought me some relief.
    Thank God I was swamped with work and didn’t have the chance to constantly think about Alexander. I wasn’t in the mood to have lunch in the bank’s cafeteria or in some restaurant, so I decided to pop out quickly and buy a chicken doner kebab. My eyes stopped at two teenage girls who were looking at the free newspaper 20 Minutes and discussing it loudly.
    “See how cute he is and, ugh, that minger he’s with.”
    I smiled at their comments and decided to see who they meant. I felt faint when I saw the picture—Alexander Kraftberg with some dark-haired woman. She had her arm around him and was saying something to him. I read the comment below the photograph.
    Are they just friends or is there something more between multi-millionaire Alexander Kraftberg and Vanessa Gras?
    I dropped the newspaper into the nearest garbage can, as if it were too hot to handle. I sat on a bench in one of the side streets and put my hand on my chest—my heart beating so hard I thought it might explode.
    An old woman approached me. “Are you okay? Are you feeling faint? You’re very pale.”
    I stared into the distance, not really hearing her. Gradually, I came back to reality.
    “I’ll be okay.” I took out a small bottle of water from my handbag and took a few sips. “I feel much better now, thank you.”
    The woman smiled and went on her way. The picture had shattered any hope I had left.
    *     *     *
    No, Alexander, don’t! What are you doing?
    I woke up drenched in sweat, shivering all over, and realized I’d been crying in my sleep. I looked around, alarmed, until I established it had all been a nightmare, in which Alexander was passionately kissing the brunette from the photo and didn’t give a damn I was watching. It was six in the morning. I couldn’t get back to sleep, so I decided to take a bath. I turned on the tap, poured in some bubble bath, and left it to fill up. When it was ready, I slid in, lay down, and closed my eyes. The bubbles gently caressed my skin and the aroma of coconut and Hawaiian flowers gradually relaxed my mind.
    I decided to wear my red-violet silk dress. I liked strong, bright colors because they somehow lifted my mood.
    I’ll look sexy to spite Alexander…
    I backcombed my hair slightly to give it volume and used hair spray to keep it in place. I put on my pearl earrings, then high-heeled black sandals, took my bag, and went down to the parking lot. I pondered whether I was too brightly dressed for a bank employee, but… who cared? The dress was stylish, sleeveless, above the knees, and not too tight around my waist—it fit perfectly.
    Over time, I’d learned to drive in high heels with ease. My car wasn’t just any old banger, but a red Audi TT with a white leather interior. I loved sports cars and high speeds. My father had come over from Boston especially to help me choose this car.
    When I got to work, Roberto hadn’t arrived yet. I logged into my computer and started to read the new emails. I left earlier the previous day, and quite a few emails had accumulated.
    “Alexia, it’s nice to see you looking better.”
    I’d focused on reading my emails so tightly that I hadn’t noticed Roberto had arrived. “Well, I feel much better too. Thanks.”
    “I’m glad to hear that,” he said while sitting on his chair.
    *     *     *
    At noon, I had lunch with Lily in the bank’s cafeteria. As always, it