The Passion of Love & Revenge: A Love Story

By Sherrie Mischer

Tristen Alexander is a rich and handsome young man who was conceived under unusual circumstances. He has everything a young man could hope for, everything except the one thing he longs for the most--true love. One day, he meets the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. Tristen will come to realize that she is the reason for his existence.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 26, 2024
• ISBN: 9798893151114

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The Passion of Love and Revenge

A Love Story

Sherrie Mischer

Copyright © 2024 Sherrie Mischer

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2024

ISBN 979-8-89315-096-4 (pbk)

ISBN 979-8-89315-111-4 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Part 1

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

Part 2

Three months later

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

About the Author

Dedicated to my children Terrence and Tayla.

Tristen Alexander is a rich and handsome young man who was conceived under usual circumstances. He has everything a young man could hope for, everything except the one thing he longs for the most, true love. One day he meets the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. Tristen will come to realize that she is the reason for his existence.

Part 1

1

Tristen Alexander sat in the church, his parents on one side of him and Alyssa's parents on the other side of him. He sat there, staring at the ancient ornaments that decorated the church. He sat there, fighting to hold back the tears; his body was screaming. He had always been a sheltered child, never allowed to show public emotion. He wanted so badly to get up and run out of the church, but how could he leave his wife's memorial service? Tristen wished now that he had not agreed to the memorial service, but her mother insisted that they should have a memorial to give Alyssa's sisters some sort of closure. He wanted to keep searching for his wife. It had only been eight months since she went missing. It was possible that she may still be alive and just unable to call him. The not knowing was eating him up inside. He just wanted people to stop touching him and saying to him, I'm sorry for your loss. Their words all seemed so empty. They all accepted that Alyssa was dead, even though her body was never found. Tristen could not bring himself to believe it. He never should have let Alyssa's mother talk him into this memorial. Tristen had to sit there and suffer through it. No one really knew the emptiness that he felt. Although he knew Alyssa did not love him deeply, she and Sage were the only two people who had shown him any semblance of love. Sage was his English teacher when he was a teenager. He had fallen in love with her as most boys do with their teachers. When he was fifteen, his father sent her away, and he never saw her again. He met and fell in love with Alyssa while they were in college, and he must now attend her memorial service. True love had escaped him all his life.

Tristen Alexander was the only heir to the international oil tycoon Tyler Alexander. Tristen's parents were very wealthy. His father was a cold and ruthless man. His mother was full of hatred and resentment. Tristen's parents consummated their marriage on their wedding night. It was the night that Tristen was conceived. It was also the first and only time his parents were intimate.

Tristen was given the best education; he had every possible resource available to him. Tristen had shown that he was an exceptional child early on. He was actually reading at a six-grade level by the age of five. He developed a deep love for books, history, science fiction, and his favorite romance novels. It didn't matter what he was reading. Tristen would lose himself in the story. By the time he was twelve, he had read every book in his father's library, which was somewhere near five thousand books. Seeing how much Tristen loved reading, his mother suggested to Tyler that they hire someone to enhance the library. Tyler left the decision up to Gabrielle. She hired an English literature major by the name of Sage Parkinson for the job. She and Tristen worked very closely to increase the library's literature. She paid close attention to Tristen's desires. Tristen shared with her his secret love for romance novels and that it was through reading them that he developed his inspiration for what love truly is. She had recognized his longing to be loved. She knew he had a void in his heart. Sage always made sure he had plenty to read. She hoped that the stories he read about would fill that void somehow. Gabrielle seemed to enjoy Sage's presence just as much as Tristen. They would sit in the garden and have tea while Tristen would do his studies. Tristen noticed that it was the only time that his mother seemed happy.

Tristen had developed a special place in his heart for Sage. He had also developed a crush on her. One evening, he got up enough nerves to act on his crush. While Sage was preparing for bed one evening, Tristen charged into her living quarters, grabbed her breast, and kissed her. She gently removed his hand from her breast, sat him down on the bed, and told him that she understood his feelings for her. She knew that oftentimes, young boys would develop a crush on their teachers. She made it very clear to him that she loved him, but only as a student. Tristen felt so rejected and very hurt. He wanted so desperately to be loved. He hoped that when he was older, Sage would realize that she had fallen in love with him as well.

The day before his fifteenth birthday, Tristen heard his mother and father arguing. He could not tell what they were arguing about, but he knew it was something serious because it had gone on for an hour. Later that evening, Tyler informed Tristen that Sage would no longer be his English instructor. Tristen didn't understand. She had been his teacher for three years. He had learned so much from her, and he loved her. He begged his father not to send her away.

Tristen, it is for the best, Tyler told him. Under no circumstances are you to try to see her, Tyler commanded.

Is she the reason why you and mother were arguing, because mother didn't want her to go either? Tristen said in a very defiant tone.

Tristen, it is nothing for you to worry about, Tyler told him.

Gabrielle seemed very hurt by it also. But there was nothing neither of them could do. Tyler's decision was final. Tristen hated his father for sending Sage away, and so did Gabrielle.

2

The ride home from the church seemed long and never-ending. Tristen just wanted to shower and get the smell of the flowers out of his nose. People had already gathered at the house for the repast.

Max, take me to the rear entrance, Tristen had begun to say.

Max had started to do exactly that before Tristen could get the words out. Max had been his driver for several years. Tristen had hired him right after he returned home from college. He could honestly say that Max was the only true friend he had. Max had a lot of respect for Tristen. He saw him as a fair man, an honorable man, a man of his word. Max was always at Tristen's beck and call. There had been many times when Max would get a call from Tristen at one o'clock in the morning because he couldn't sleep and he wanted to drive to the beach or to a dark smoky jazz club where no one would recognize him.

Max never minded, nor did he complain. He knew there had always been a void in Tristen's life, and he hoped that he would someday find a way to fill it. In the meantime, he tried to be a good friend to him. Tristen was aware of Max's loyalty, and he was grateful he had a friend in him.

Tristen was able to enter the house without being noticed, thanks to Max's clever maneuvering. After showering for thirty minutes, he sat on the bed, staring at the floor. Tristen wondered to himself what now. He just had a memorial service for the woman he loved. Where would life take him now?

There was a knock at the door. It was Max just checking on him.

Hey, Max, I'm just sitting here trying to gather my thoughts before I go downstairs to the madness.

Do you want me to stick around? Max asked.

No, Max. I'm okay. You can leave. I won't be needing you anymore tonight.

Call me if you do, Max said with all sincerity in his voice. Max turned to walk out the door and then looked back at Tristen and said, Tristen, you are going to get through this. I promise you.

Tristen looked at Max and smiled. Not really knowing how he would get through this ordeal. However, it was great to have someone like Max as a friend.

Thirty minutes later, Tristen headed downstairs, where everyone was waiting to smother him. He saw his father and went in the opposite direction. He started moving throughout the room, smiling, shaking hands, and hugging people. Tristen thought, I don't even know who the fuck all these people are. He felt like he wanted to throw up.

Then on the other side of the room, he saw her. He couldn't be sure because he had not seen her for several years. Tristen tried to make his way through the crowd, but it was difficult. Everyone was trying to get his attention. He was stopped by Jessica Langston, a woman who had been trying to get into his bed for years, even when Alyssa was alive. She backed off when Alyssa threatened to break her fucking neck if she continued to flirt and throw herself at her husband. Tristen thought that was one of the few times Alyssa showed any concern for him or their marriage. Tristen was sure she was going to try to get her bid in before anyone else did, and that's exactly what she did.

Oh, Tristen, I'm so sorry for your loss. I know it can get lonely in this big house. If you need comforting of any kind, please don't hesitate to call me. You can call me anytime, Jessica said in a very seductive tone. She handed him her card with her number on it. Tristen smiled. The first chance he got, he threw the card away. There was no way in hell he would have anything to do with that woman. He thought.

When he finally got away from her, the woman was gone. He looked everywhere, but he did not see her. He became more agitated. He couldn't breathe, and he knew he had to get out of there. He made his way to his library without being noticed. When he opened the door, there she was, Sage. He rushed over to her and hugged her. He was happy to see her. He had only seen her once in Paris when he and Alyssa had traveled there for their honeymoon.

How are you holding up, Tristen? Sage asked.

I'm doing okay, all things considered. Tristen was so surprised to see her. What are you doing here? How did you hear about what happened to Alyssa? You could hear the anxiousness in his voice.

She smiled and said, Tristen Alexander, you are international news. I read about Alyssa's disappearance months ago. So I started following the story, and then I read that the search was called off and that a memorial service was being held in her memory. I knew you would be devastated.

So why are you here in the States? Tristen asked again.

I've been here taking care of some business. It just happened to be at the same time as Alyssa's memorial service. I felt obligated to pay my respects, Sage replied in a very caring tone. She really did care for Tristen.

Tristen walked up to her, and as their eyes met, Sage knew she would not be able to resist this gorgeous man. Without saying a word, Tristen gently touched her face, slowly moving his hand down her body and finally reaching her breast. He gently caressed her breast. This time it was different. She was standing there, captivated by this beautiful but broken man, and he needed her. He wanted her. Although Sage was twenty-five years his senior, she was a very attractive woman. Tristen was hurting, and he needed comforting. He needed a safe place, and for now, Sage was it. He kissed her gently.

Please, will you stay with me tonight? he asked.

She agreed to stay. Sage looked at him and thought about how handsome Tristen was. He was no longer a teenage boy with a schoolboy crush. He was now a gorgeous, powerful man, and she wanted him. They made plans to discreetly meet later. Sage did not want to have a confrontation with Tyler, so she made sure she stayed out of Tyler's way.

Sage made herself unnoticed. After the guest had left, she went into Tristen's bedroom. He was waiting for her with a bottle of wine. They talked for a while, and then Tristen began to undress her. She felt like a teenage girl. He was a confident lover and very in tune with her body. He knew exactly how to kiss her, where to touch her, and exactly how to satisfy her. After an hour of great sex, they fell asleep. Tristen woke up from a nightmare