The last three days went by faster than I would have liked. It was filled with scheming and feeding my hatred toward Alex. It's been harder than I thought being in the same room with him and not scratching his eyes out. All this has just taught me how to hide my emotions, I think I'm getting good at it.

I tried to make my plan as foolproof as possible: avoid Alex at all costs, ask around and get some dirt on him. I'm that guest who was invited out of pity, no one really cares. I'd just slip out when no one is watching. No one would notice. I'm hoping that this plan works, scheming has never been my thing and I'm not good at it.

I read a text message on my phone from Rafael reminding me to pack some sunblock, it is likely to be hot over there around this time. We finally leave today. I haven't spoken to Rafael in person since, but I've been chatting a lot lately.

Preparing for my trip hasn't been easy, turns out my passport had expired at least a decade ago. The only thing I knew about this trip was that we were travelling to a small town called Lake Como in Bellagio. You can imagine my reaction when I found out we weren't going to Rome. Just to rub it in my face Alex decided to tell me all about his experience and how overrated it was.

I took another look at my list to make sure that I had packed everything. To make matters worse this trip was only for four days, after putting so much effort I couldn't even get a full week.

Alex arrived half an hour later. I had never seen him look this happy.

"Morning," He greeted walking into my apartment. I was starting to feel that Alex now thought of MY house as his, he didn't need to knock anymore. He had talked me into getting a spare key and the only reason I agreed was because I was too tired to argue, as soon as I have the energy, I'll get the key back.

"You look happy today," I commented. Why wouldn't he, he had four days to torture me. I already felt exhausted from the trip.

He didn't answer. He just asked where my bags were and started taking them downstairs by himself. Turns out those muscles weren't just designer muscles; they came in handy too.

I made sure to take my time getting to the car.

"I probably made a million by now," He commented folding his hands.

I just rolled my eyes and continued walking. He should try carrying a baby.

"Everyone is already waiting," he said opening the car door.

That's when it finally hit that it wasn't just going to be Alex and I. Cindy and everybody else was going to be there. I should have never agreed to this trip.

Throughout the car ride, Alex just kept smiling to himself. Something was wrong with him, why else would he be so happy. His whole existence was to make other people feel miserable with his negative energy. Maybe he had rubbed all his negative energy on me and now I was the one trying to make others miserable. I shouldn't be so angry; it was still too early for that.

"Alex," I called out breaking the silence.

"Yes," He answered.

"If you died today, who would get all your money?" I asked. Even I surprised myself with the question. I know he is supposedly the last member of his family and surely, he can't expect an unborn baby to run a company.

He stayed silent for a bit. "Are you planning on murdering me?" He asked.

"No, I'm asking in case you were to die in your sleep," I answered innocently. "After being suffocated by a big fluffy pillow."

He laughed.

If only he knew how many times, I had considered it.

"You'd have to kill me first to find out," He answered instead.

It was a good suggestion. I smiled at the thought of never having to see him again. But I wish I would have gotten a straight answer out of him.

Since he was always the one trying to irritate me, why don't I do the same?

"Alex," I said again.

He didn't answer.

"Can I call you Lexi," I said.

His reaction was priceless. He looked as If he had just choked on air.

"What? No, don't ever say that again. What gave you that idea?" He rumbled.

"I think it would be a really cute nickname for you," I smiled.

"What am I, your pet?" He questioned.

"You could be," I answered.

I could tell he wanted to laugh. "In that case, I'll call you Zoo." He smiled.

"I can leave with that," I answered. It really wasn't that bad. He was starting to become bad at insulting me. Was he going soft?

"Now, that I think about it. It makes sense." He said. "It would explain why you are crazy; you were probably raised in a zoo. Tarzan must have taken inspiration from you." He joked.

Yap, he was back to his usual self.

"I'm perfectly normal," I argued.

"Are you sure," he said. He looked at me then returned his eyes to the road. "If our child ends up crazy that is all on you. Let's just hope my genes are enough to cancel out your kind of madness." He laughed.

How did this end up turning on me? I was supposed to be the one making fun of him.

For a second, I had to remind myself of the harsh reality. I was supposed to hate him, why were we in here laughing as if we were old friends.

Before I knew it, we were driving into a private airport.

I've always known that Alex was rich but the full extent of what that meant had never truly sunk in.

It's nothing like I would have ever imagined. It looked as big as an international airport. I noticed a plane taking off, with a couple on the ground. These planes were unlike anything in my budget, it would most likely cost you a couple of hundreds or even thousands at least.

I was completely speechless, but I couldn't let Alex see that. If I were him, I'd be bragging too.

Two valets opened the doors for both Alex and me.

Alex led the way to the jet. I tried to keep up as fast as I could while trying to explore.

"We need to start discussing how much I'll get paid in child support," I whispered to Alex.

He laughed and held my hand as we walked up the stairs into the jet.

I smiled looking around the jet. That's when Lisha popped up, holding a martini in her hand. That's when I realized the whole band was here. She just had to wicked stepmother my Cinderella moment. Just great!

Even Alex could tell how tense I was.

"If you would like, we could use a separate jet." He whispered over my shoulder.

As good as that sounded, spending more than eight hours on a flight alone with Alex was probably not a good idea. Especially if I was going to succeed in avoiding him. Besides, it would just make me look like a coward.

"I think I'll be able to manage it," I whispered to him.

"Zoe," Lisha exclaimed. "So nice of you to join us," She faked a smile.

She pulled me into a hug and patted me on the back. Surely the alcohol was getting to her.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," I said sarcastically.

She then turned her attention to Alex.

"It's nice of you Alex to invite us on your private jet. I thought my husband was exaggerating when he mentioned how exquisite it was." She was.

I walked past them farther into the jet. I wasn't into that conversation where everyone tries to suck up to Alex. I was just suddenly in a bad mood.

There were white leather seats in groups of four, making it to be about eight of them. There was a small table in the center.

At the far end, there was a bar. Both Cindy and Steven were having a drink. This would have been the best moment to get drank if I weren't pregnant.

Cindy walked towards me holding her glass, "I'm glad you could make it." She pulled me into a hug.

She was already drunk; I wonder what had happened to her.

A guy walked toward Cindy and me.

He was someone I had never met. For a moment I just had to stop and catch my breath. He must have been the piolet or something, either way, my time here just got better. That sadistic voice in my head reminded me that I didn't need to look at any other man when Alex was around. It's hard trying to hate him when my heart just kept bringing him up.

"Zoe, this here is Logan." Cindy introduced us.

"The Logan?" I mouthed to Cindy.

She nodded.

"Nice to meet you," he said shaking my hand.

It's no wonder she was so in love with him. Sure, he wasn't Alex but if the two of them had to compete he would come close, he might even beat Alex if he was a good personality.

I noticed how Cindy looked at him, it wasn't with love as I'd expected. It was with something else, and I had the feeling that Alex and I were not the only ones who had arguments.

The pilot announced that we settled ourselves in and that we were about to take off.

Everyone was just waiting on us.

Lisha quickly pulled Cindy and Alex to their table. I wasn't mad at all, that left Logan and me sitting together and Alexander looking extremely uncomfortable. I planned to sleep through most of the journey. Lisha was just making my job a lot easier.

I took a seat next to Logan who looked a bit anxious.

"Is this your first time going to Italy?" He asked.

"That obvious?" I spoke.

"Not at all," he said. "Now I have someone I can complain about their rich people privileges with." He commented.

I couldn't help but laugh. I could tell we were going to get along.

From where we were sitting, it was opposite where the rest of them were but just a few meters back. We all pretty much still see each other.

I strapped my seatbelt on. As the jet began to move, I noticed how incredibly tense Logan was getting, it took me a while to figure out what was going on. I couldn't believe it. He was afraid of flying.

"You afraid of flying?" I asked.

"Only when we are taking off," He answered. He closed his eyes, his face towards the ceiling.

"Try taking a deep breath," I whispered.

But that didn't help, instead, it bought everyone's attention to us. He looked like he was about to have a panic attack.

Instinctively I did the first thing I thought of when someone is in that position. I held his hand. "Relax," I whispered over to him. He slowly started to calm down.

I could feel Alexander's glare from a distance. I wonder what his problem was. He had a fake relationship he needed to pretend he was interested in.

It took about ten minutes before Logan was ready for me to release his hand.

Everyone soon started having their conversions. I tried digging as much as I could into Cindy and Logan's relationship, but I didn't get much out of it. I noticed Logan is a pretty private guy, which serves as a contrast to Cindy's personality.

The two flight attendants were going their rounds, asking us on the hour if we needed anything.

After two hours in my seat, I needed to get up. I walked to the bar to get myself some water.

To my surprise, Cindy followed me.

I searched the fridge for some bottled water while she poured herself another drink.

"Did he say anything about me?" Cindy asked.

It stopped in my tracks.

"Did Logan say anything about me?" She asked. I had never seen her look this distorted.

"Yeah, he really can't shut up about you." I lied. I couldn't really tell her that her boyfriend, whom everyone doesn't know you are dating was trying really hard to avoid mentioning her name in our conversation. Was I a bad person for this?

She sighed. "I knew it, he isn't even thinking about me while I'm here looking crazy." She spoke.

I took a sip of my water, it sounded like I was going to be here for a long time. If I couldn't watch a telenovela while I was here, I might as well watch one unfold.

"He just doesn't understand me, I'm..." Cindy stopped talking.

That's when I noticed Lisha had just walked in.

I wonder what was going on between them that was so bad she turned herself into an alcoholic.

Lisha began talking about the plans she had for the vacation, she didn't look like she was planning to leave any time soon. I excused myself when returned to my seat.

Logan and I spend some time reading some travel magazines we found in the cabinet, we went on to suggest some places we'd both like to visit. I didn't want to press on the issue of what was going on. Getting myself into more problems was the last thing I needed.

"Do you want me to get you anything," I looked up to see Alexander. I had forgotten about him, almost completely.

"No thanks," I answered returning my attention to the magazine. "Okay, maybe some peanuts," I said changing my mind. I've never been a fan of nuts, but I had this sudden craving.

"I'll get it," Logan said dropping the magazine. "I was about to go in that direction anyway," he then winked.

Before Alex could protest, Logan was gone. I could tell how annoyed he was.

He must have still been looking for a reaction because now he was just standing there staring at me.

"Bye," I said waving him away.

"Right," He whispered. He sounded like he was still trying to get his hand back into reality.

I was doing him a favour; he had a fake relationship he needed to pretend he was in.

"Okay, you can call me if you need anything. Or the flight attended." He said, he then returned to his seat.

I noticed Logan was taking a while. Both he and Cindy were arguing while pretending it was another normal conversation.

Logan returned to his seat whilst Cindy poured another drink for herself. I was starting to feel sorry for her livers. Alex was bad at being a fake fiancé, or even a friend she needed someone to talk to. I don't think I was the person she wanted to confide in.

Logan handed me the peanuts.

"So, you two hah?" I spoke.

He sighed.

"I do love her but sometimes she could just be a bit...." He stopped.

"Insufferable," I finished the sentence. I knew that feeling.

"Yes," he said. We both laughed.

"How do you deal with it?" He asked.

"What?" I confused.

"Come one, anyone can tell Alex and you have something from a mile away." He spoke.

"You don't want any advice coming from me. We mostly just argue a lot, I think that helps. And sometimes we shout too. It helps me get things out there." I answered.

He just looked at me puzzled.

"To falling in love with dysfunctional people." He raised his glass.

"I'll drink to that," I said raising my water bottle.

But I wasn't going to stay in love with Alex, I was going to make sure I got him out of my heart completely.

Throughout the flight I had learnt a few things, Logan knew a bit of Italian from his grandmother's side. Which might make him a key component in executing my revenge in case I ever needed anything translated. I'd just have to trick him into helping me by telling him some other cover story, hopefully, a good lie. The second thing I leant was that Cindy didn't do too well with holding down her liquor, the stress of her failing relationship was taking a toll on her.

Turns out I wasn't the only one with a control freak, except he has the option of walking away, yet he stays. Love has a way of tying you down.

~*~

After everything, we finally arrived in Italy. The last memory I have was falling asleep on the jet, I don't know what happened. I missed the whole car.

Cindy looked a bit better and had sobered up after a few cups of coffee.

Lisha was handing out the keys to our hotel rooms.

She handed one to Logan, Alex, and me.

Logan then walked away from the rest of us.

"Cindy, I figured you wouldn't mind sharing a room with Alex since the two of you will be married soon," Lisha said.

I busted out laughing, I tried masking it with a cough when Steven and Lisha stared at me, completely unaware of the situation.

Both Cindy and Alexander's eyes widened.

"I insist, I'd rather have my own room. We were waiting for marriage." Cindy said.

"We are all adults here, no one really waits for marriage." Steven laughed.

Both Alex and Cindy tried to bargain but Lisha was not having it.

Destiny was already taking revenge on Alex on my behalf, too bad Cindy also had to suffer. Maybe seeing Cindy and Alex together was what I needed to push him completely out of my heart, even if I knew it wasn't real.

Lisha and Steven left for the room.

Logan and Alex were both busy instructing the guides as to where to take our luggage.

I noticed how Cindy looked at Logan.

Maybe I could do something for them. They weren't hopeless cases like Alex and me. They both really did love each other.

"Cindy," I said grabbing her attention. "Maybe you shouldn't try and push him away. He wants you to let him in, to feel more included. Like you are not the only one who is always busy making decisions. " I said trying to explain what I had registered from my conversation with Logan.

She sighed. "I hadn't realized how crazy I was getting. I knew I should have apologized but I let my pride get in the way." She admitted. I wonder what she was supposed to be sorry for.

"Creating all this space between the two of you is only going to drive him away," I spoke.

She returned her attention to Logan, this time she was smiling.

"I have an idea. Why don't we swap rooms?" She spoke.

It took me a while to process what that would imply, I'd have to share a room with Alex while she had mine which is close to Logan's. Why doesn't she just go into Logan's room and leave me out of it?

This time, I was the one choking on air.

"That would be a much better idea," Alex said weighing in.

"No, we can't," I said defensively.

"Come on, you just admitted that Logan and I need to be closer." She begged.

"Why don't you move into Logan's room and stay with him?" I reasoned.

"We clearly need to sort out some issues first, I don't want for us to end up killing each other." She answered.

That was just too close to Alex than I'd be comfortable with. "It would never work out, Lisha would find out and then you would have to explain your fake relationship," I spoke.

"We'd just sneak in and out, no one would find out." She insisted.

At this stage everyone was ganging up on me, I didn't have much of a choice.

All it took was a sigh for Cindy to know she had won.

"Great," she said excitedly.

This is the last time I'm helping someone. I try to get two love birds together and I end up having to share a room with Alex.