Another Woman

Aubrianne Ivanov

"What's this?" Dropping her bag on a nearby chair, she took the file from Timothy and started to browse.

She believed the conversation about his goals and ambition would be easier than she thought. Aubrianne was gobsmacked about how easy it would be to bring up that conversation.

She was a little on edge, wondering how he might react to the situation and how do you approach someone about ambitions they don't have.

Thank goodness, she thought as she stared at what looked like a business plan, "Ok, ok, so tell me about your goals and ambition before I get into this, so I can get a view of the entire picture."

Aubrianne could pinch herself. She was giddy with how smoothly she got to do this without it being out of place or awkward.

Timothy smirked, he was prepared for this, and it was good practice for Father; he pulled up a chair and made himself comfortable as he began, "To be quite honest, I had no set plans or any goals for a long time," Timothy kept his eyes on Aubrianne.

She closed the folder and sat comfortably on the chair facing him. She crossed her feet with her ankle as she listened.

All she wanted was to offer advice and get him to understand a woman who knew her worth would never settle for a man with no ambition.

She would settle for a poor man with ambition quicker than a rich one with none.

Because all he would do is squander his trust fund without intending to earn an actual dollar. A man with no plan and purpose is like a headless chicken.

Wandering aimlessly through life.

No self-respecting woman of value would settle for such a man; they would never commit their lives to a headless chicken.

And at least a woman can cheer the poor man with ambition on as he works his way up. At least, that was how she viewed the situation.

Or even removing a woman from the equation. Obviously, she simply could not stand a wayward man.

Maybe it was because of her ambitions she simply refused to settle for someone with none and could not imagine it any other way for most women.

She had often wondered if she was too narrow-minded at times.

Nevertheless, Timothy continued informing Aubrianne about his business idea. He wanted to open a service company to major conglomerates.

However, Timothy mentioned that he dropped out of school with no intention of returning, and she asked him if he would return to get his qualification, seeing that he wanted to pursue his business.

Timothy had flat-out said no, he did not need to, and the only way he would go was if it prevented him from moving further with his plans.

And Aubrianne was ready with a few reasons why he might need to do so. However, her first reason was good enough to get Timothy to understand the gravity of the situation.

"Nobody would invest in some college dropout, whether it is the bank or private investors." She paused, ensuring he was grasping, "Once they take one look at your plans and CV and see you have no qualifications when they are looking to make an informed decision. That would be enough to deter them."

"What else can you bring to the table?" Aubrianne enquired, and to Timothy, this was gold.

Yes, his father's money could get him where he needed to be, but he wanted to show his father how he could do it independently if his father did not help.

He was ready to man up, and Aubrianne seemed to be obi wan right now. Showing him the ways of the business world, so he can impress their father.

"No, what would you suggest?" Timothy quickly grabs a pen and paper off his desk.

Aubrianne had a few suggestions. She'd informed him that the type of business he wanted to start worked in his favor. These types of companies mostly rely on their staff's CVs.

To show that educated people would be representing them. However, she still wanted him to attend night school to study business. He needed something, and to her shock, Timothy agreed.

What was a couple of night classes, he'd thought.

Aubrianne had then thoroughly reviewed his plans and adjusted his financial structure and budget while Timothy sat there watching his sister as if she were the Goddess herself.

Timothy was quickly beginning to see why everybody loved her. He was not saying he loved her but was beginning to see why everybody else did.

She was so willing to help him after he shunned her, she handled everything with such care, and Aubrianne genuinely wanted to help him, and most importantly, she did not judge him.

He grimaced at his actions and stupidity.

Sometime later on that late Saturday...

Christen Thornton

*Knock, Knock*.

It was Aubrianne visiting Christen. Aubrianne had wrapped up with Timothy and heard Christen had returned from her evening out with Tobias.

Christen only wanted to question Tobias about what he and Aubrianne discussed in their training time together.

She noticed her youngest had been spending a lot of time with Aubrianne and was beginning to see changes in her baby.

Though for the better, she could not help but boil inside because of the person that elicited such a change in her boys. Christen suspected this sudden change in Timothy's life was also because of Aubrianne.

She could not stand it, and it was not Aubrianne's fault. It is just that Aubrianne reminded her so much of Athalia, the woman her husband loves.

Nevertheless, she was having yet another miserable day in the life of a woman in love with a man who loved another woman.

Christen rubbed her temples and sighed, "Come in." She rose from her bed and sat by her dresser.

Christen had returned home, showered, and was about to brush her hair and get ready to lay her head down.

She grabbed her brush from the dresser and began brushing her hair, stopping mid-brush when she saw it was Aubrianne.

"Hi, Christen, Can I come in?" Aubrianne's eyes slid across the room; when she and Timothy snuck in earlier, they only went to Tobias's room.

This room was lush, with an exquisite white, cream, and gold theme.

Cream walls, with white ceiling and gold moldings. A glorious cream and gold chandelier hung in the middle, and a vast bed with four towering gold bed posts with transparent white material draped over the beams against a wall faced Aubrianne.

On the right is a small bar area. To her left, the frosted door of the bathroom could be seen with a gold frame. The double doors to her walk-in closet are to the right of that.

A beautiful white plush couch set next to the bar area, a cream center table with intricate patterns on the top, and gold trimming on the edges. One single sofa close to where Christen sat, by her beauty dresser, combing her hair.

Christen's grip on the brush tightened as she gathered her wits, and she plastered the sweetest smile she could muster, looking at Aubrianne in the mirror, "Sure, of course, come in."

She waved the brush in her hand, gesturing to a chair close by. "Please have a seat."

She regarded Aubrianne, then resumed brushing her hair, "So what brings you by?"

Aubrianne moved to where Christen directed her and sat on the comfy, luxurious white chair. Settling herself, she shrugged, "I wanted to check in on you and invite you out to lunch sometime."

Her eyes slid to Christen, "Would you be open to that this week?"

Assuming the same position she took with Timothy she would do with Christen, it takes two to tango at the end of the day.

Brushing back her healthy, lustrous short blonde hair, she pulled on her hair Bonnett, then grabbing her chapped lip balm, she dabbed some on her lips and rubbed it together.

Christen shrugged, then sighed as she rested her suddenly trembling hands in her lap after she turned to face Aubrianne.

At the sight of Christen's shaking hands, Aubrianne's eyes dimmed, "Christen, are you alright?" It was clear to Aubrianne that, at that moment, something had to be off.

These days she is hardly her poised self.

And, of course, Aubrianne would not make this about her; not everything was about her. Maybe Christen needed someone to talk to. So Aubrianne opted to be there for Christen.

Aubrianne regarded Christen again. This situation, she believed, had to do with her father. And again, she thought, would this be her when she found her mate?

She pursed her lips and shook her head as if shaking away the thought.