I put a smile on my face, and with a stiffer movement of the lips, I put on an artificial gesture, hoping this would reassure Adrian that I was alright."I'm good, baby," I said, strained between efforts as my teeth were wide open in a toothy grin. But then again, Adrian's eyes did those almost piercing, see-through kind of eyes that saw right into the mask. He was having none of this and looked at me skeptically."You're not happy, baby," he pronounced with finality, soft, and reached for me. "You're pretending to be me."With these words, my face heated from surprise and embarrassment. How did he know? I thought, trying to look on the floor for the answer it must hold. Slumped shoulders caved in and signaled my defeated stature.These were a bundle of emotions that took me to sea-like depths, but his words would serve as some sort of lifeguard that threatened to expose me at an ungainly posture.But Adrian wasn't buying it; he knew me all too well-knew all of my tricks of the trad
Adrian's calm voice washed over me, and I felt reassured, but the fear and anxiety still lingered, causing my voice to quiver."Why is it threatening you?" Adrian asked in a slow, measured tone, as if trying to cajole the truth out of me. I took a deep breath, feeling like a hostage, trying to find the courage to speak."Talk to me, baby," Adrian repeated, with concern laced in his voice as he stroked my hair with the most delicate care. I felt the worry of my safety from him, his fear; it comforted me, actually. I knew I could trust him; he would do all that was needed to keep me safe."Yesterday, Samuel chatted me up," I started, my voice barely above a whisper. Adrian's eyes narrowed as his intense eyes looked straight into my eyes."He's never chatted with me since I got married to you," I tried to explain the significance of what Samuel did.His expression was calm, but his mind was racing to piece together whatever puzzle he had at hand."All right, continue," he said in that lo
I stepped back and questioned what was going on, my mind continually drawn to my boyfriend's past. His eyes shimmered with mirth as he revealed to me that he had studied Criminology in university."He knew all the tactics of criminals," he continued, dripping with laughter.But I remained unamused. My intense gaze stared into him, as if attempting to find an answer."No, baby, this isn't a laughing matter," I told him as firmly but softly as I could."For him to go to university to study Criminology, it means he had already made up his mind to become a criminal, even as a teenager."To which Adrian nodded, and his face turned sober."Yes, my love, you are right," he said in hushed tones."His dad was some kind of thief too, so he probably taught him everything he knew." Then he took a step closer to me and added, "Adrian decided to modernize his methods by going to university."While he spoke, his face broke out into a wide smile, although it was tempered with a note of sadness. His h
As I looked into Adrian's eyes, I found myself not able to keep the questions to myself."What plan, my love?" I asked in a whisper barely audible. Adrian's gaze grew thought-provoking as he measured his next words."I think you should call him again," he said at last, his voice measured and calm. I felt annoyed by the suggestion, screwing up my face in distaste."What do you mean, call him?" I asked, an edge in my voice. The mere thought of calling Sam already made my skin crawl, and I knew Adrian could see the annoyance etched on my face.Adrian softened his expression to one of compassion and filled his eyes with concern."No, babe, calm down," he said in a soft voice."Breathe in," he instructed, his hands demonstrating the motion of an inhalation. I grinned but did just that, filling my lungs with breath as I moved deeply."Uhhhhh," I breathed, my voice hardly above a whisper. Adrian's eyes didn't waver from mine, steady and reassuring."And breathe out," he said, his hands sweep
And so, I had just stood there, still clutching my phone, the voice of Samuel still clinging to my mind, the words floating around me as some sort of challenge. "Jenny, have you persuaded him?" He demanded, all firm and strong, a general issuing out an order to his men. The moment the phone started speaking, his tone went down the back of my neck, some feeling of fear in them.Reluctant, my smile overran my lips as I glared at Adrian, who seemed to be capturing it on his phone, the glint in his eyes amusingly telling. "No, dad, I can't," I said back, my voice no louder than a whisper, lest I was afraid of being overheard. A sense of trepidation struck me as I knew it was not going to go well with Samuel.But Samuel responded, and his words cut through the air like a hot knife. "Expect bad news, then," he said, his voice cold and dripping with malice. "You have just 7 days to persuade Adrian, or else I will remove your mom from the life savings support she is receiving." And with that,
As I stood there, frozen amidst a sea of uncertainty, Adrian's laughter rumbled through the room, warm and rich, folding around my heart. "Let me leave you, oo," he said, still amused, and went into the bedroom to take his bath. The sound of the running water was music leading my ears to soothing tunes, washing away my doubts and fears.I lay on the bed, my eyes fixed to the screen, and couldn't help the fluttering inside my chest. I think I'm falling in love with Adrian, I whispered to myself, my mind beating it out like a chanted secret. This wasn't the agreement, I reminded myself, yet trying not to feel this strange burn inside my chest. It's just a transactional marriage, I told myself, but it sounded hollow and unconvincing.I had just been sold, was the bitter thought coursing through my veins. My parents had sold me off to Adrian-like some merchandise that one buys, sells, and haggles over, a mere playing piece in my family's strategic game of securing more money and power. Ly
I nodded, breathing in ragged gasps. "Yes, I'm ready."Adrian entered me slowly, his thickness stretching me wide. I gasped at the sensation, my body shaking with pleasure as he moved inside me in soft, deliberated strokes.I wrapped my legs around him and pulled him farther inside. The feel of hardness pressed against the insides was really making me go crazy; it felt really, really nice, and a very low moan spilled from my throat."Harder," I pleaded, my voice no louder than a whisper. "I need for you to fuck me harder."Adrian did so, quickening his strokes and harder. My climax was near, and my body shook with anticipation."I'm going to come," I gasped, my voice barely audible. "Oh god, I'm going to come."Adrian continued thrusting inside of me, movements becoming urgent in his own accord. I felt his orgasm build as his body tensed with pleasure.He suddenly pulled himself out and his hardness was glistening with my juices. He hunched behind and his hands dug into my hips."I'm
"Julian," I breathed, barely audible, even to myself, my mind racing to comprehend his sudden materialization.My face was a picture of shock: my eyebrows arched in question, my lips parted in a silent gasp.What was he doing here? I asked myself as my mind whipped through a thousand questions and worries.I scrambled to cover myself, grasping the nearest garment-a flowing black gown that cascaded down my body like a dark waterfall.I hastily wrapped the gown around me and felt a surge of trepidation. What did Julian want? And why was he here, unannounced? I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the encounter, and flung open the door."Craaaaa!" The door opening seemed to reverberate through the air, the sound echoing my own shock and surprise.I stood there, my eyes locked with Julian's, and said, "What are you doing here?" My voice was gruff and hostile because that was the best way to mask one's vulnerability.But my actions did not faze Julian; instead, my actions had quite the
The message on the phone caused Adrian to stare in horror with bulging eyes. The pang of hurt and disappointment had begun as the mind raced with questions. He answered immediately, smashing his fingers on the keyboard. "Zan, why?? What's this for?" was his message, his eyes glued to the phone, waiting.But there was none from Zan. The silence felt heavy, and the seconds ticked like hours. With his anxiety building, Adrian's mind wandered all over the place. There was a feeling of dread; his insides were churning.Just as he was about to lose all hope, the message popped. "We are going back to already, sir," was an obscure, foreboding message from Zan. Adrian's eyes sharpened, and his mind was racing with questions. "Why?" was again written furiously, with trembling fingers, full of anticipation.The words of Zan were so incisive and quick, like a punch to the gut. "Did you violate any rules?" asked Adrian, but though he had surprised questions, he was mostly involved in important mat
Nested deep in the shrubbery of the guagua bushes along the winding road, shadows loomed long and dark upon the earth as Adrian continued driving. Putting the car to a halt with the engine sputtering to a stop, Adrian sat in silence, staring at the telephone tracker. Somewhere out there, according to the stats by the GPS, Jenny was to be found, yet her exact whereabouts remained clouded in uncertainty. His frustration red-hot beneath the surface, Adrian felt he might explode with anger at any moment. He ripped off his shirt, the fabric tearing against his back, a white singlet visible underneath. He kicked off his shoes, bare feet trembling with rage and ready for the kill. He was a man on a mission, backed by an awesome determination to get Jenny and save her.Adrian sat there, chest heaving, and gathered every ounce of courage for the battle ahead. The path ahead was fraught with dangers: conditions under the guagua bushes kept many secrets and few ever braved them. Yet he was read
Samuel looked at Julian with a mix of concern and confusion as he observed Fidelia's odd behavior. "Maybe she has taken some hard drugs; that's why she's behaving like that," he said in a low, thoughtful voice. Julian narrowed his eyes somewhat, his expression skeptical but then nodded in agreement.Her eyes glowed and her face twisted with a new terror. "Yes, I am mad," she said rather bitterly. Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "Due to the agony my mother went through. I shouted because she was in a state." Her words were poured forth in a flood, raw and unrefined. "No one was able to comprehend, not knowing her monster husband did it all, just so he could extort money.For a moment, Fidelia's eyes were fixed on Julian, boring into him with fierce intensity. "And you, Julian," she shouted at the top of her voice reverberating through the entire room. "You wanted me to have sex with you, right?" Her words hung in challenge and accusation in the air. In that instant, a longer ripple of
Standing there, dumbfounded, my eyes flew back and forth between those two people before me. What are you doing here, Dad?" I softly asked Samuel, turning my head towards him. Then to the other figure, a man whom I never have seen before, yet for all intensive purposes, he seemed familiar. "And you too, what are you doing here?" I added, narrowing my eyes while trying to place him.And then, like someone thrusting a sudden sunbeam into a cloudy day, it came to me and I recognized him, Julian. The name whispered through my mind, and I shivered. The pair exchanged a glance, Samuel and Julian, then both burst into laughter. A cold wind seemed to sweep the room.They laughed heartily and then, with a peal of laughter, fell silent, looking at each other with watery eyes. They turned towards me, then laughed again as they dug their faces in. That sound pierced through the fog of my confusion and terror and left me feeling naked and vulnerable.My throat mounted a steeplechase over my heart-
The darkness weighed on Adrian. Alone, he stared at the smartphone screen, and slowly the worries came and began overshadowing him. He tried calling Jenny for the final time. But this time it was even worse. "BEEP" the dial tone resonated inside his mind as a sad song, tying a heavy string to the future of uncertainty residing in front of him.He was losing within that desperation clutching his heart. His once sharp and focused mind began to wander off aimlessly and could not concentrate on anything apart from those haunting images of Jenny.The incessant maelstrom of questions swirling in his head formed different shapes, and all were more tortuous than the first. "Man, how am I getting through with this thing right now?" He held the phone in a grip that suggested it was the only rope that could hold him alive.His fingers raced across the screen with both urgency and desperation, and though the seconds trickled by in almost a freeze, every second seemed like an eternity as he stared
Minutes turned into hours as Mr. Zan stood by, waiting for Jenny to walk out of the ladies' room. His air conditioning motor started vibrating and soon it was beyond the threshold of audible perception but damps in harmony with the slow rhythm of his heart. For the hundredth time, he looked at the dial as the hands of time crawled across its face. It had been thirty minutes since he had been told to wait, but Jenny was still conspicuously missing.His gaze moved toward the security men, somewhat narrowed, as he put the question out to them- "Are you sure she's in there?" Confident nods came his way. "Yeah, look, she's coming," said one of them, somewhat softly, in a soothing tone. Mr. Zan immediately snapped his eyes toward the door of the ladies' room, with his heart now galloping in its euphoria. A woman walked out looking exactly like Jenny.Their gazes locked; he smiled warmly. "Mrs. Jenny!" he exclaimed, feeling relief. "We've been waiting for you for ages. Our company is next,"
Disgustedly, Adrian sighed; responsibilities lay heavy upon him as if to suffocate. His eyes moved through the room, over the sea of expectation on the faces, fluttering hands, whispering murmurs, crowding the air with tension thick with perfume, cologne, and the smell of freshly printed papers. "It's getting harder," he said softly enough that only he could hear it.With that, the next company was introduced- it sounded as if they were being announced in some long-forgotten imperial court: "A&Z Company Limited!" thundered the speaker from the microphone into the welcoming room. Clapping hands and cheering greeted the representatives of A&Z Company as they strode toward the stage. The applause sounded like relentless waves crashing against the shore, full of zeal.Adrian squinted as he calculated all his strategies and machinations while the watcher observed the present scene. The adrenaline in his system was pounding in his heart like an embargo drum. "Chevron Company, should get rea
The Dubai meeting was in full swing, and the atmosphere was charged. A male and female pair had organized the event and came on stage clad in bright red. The color itself appeared to embrace life with energy, beckoning to the audience. But Adrian's gaze was not on the speakers. He was staring at the door, almost through the gate, willing Jenny to return.Where had she gone? Adrian's mind was a storm of questions. Had she gone for air? Or was it to powder her nose? In Adrian's thoughts, of course, it crossed that she might have gone to relieve herself; however, with time slipping away and still no sign of her appearing, his worries began to build with concern over where she was.He continued watching the stage when the speakers announced the next one in line, and the words 'Diamond Company Limited" reached his ears. The Diamond Company Limited representative went to the podium, adjusting the microphone, commencing his speech. There were murmurs across the crowd, and all of a sudden, Ad
Frantically looking for the woman who just called me, I sat in the vehicle allowing my eyes to scour the space. Instead, however, I was surrounded by ominously faced men; their expressions were dark and foreboding. An unease overtook me, and I could feel an influx of adrenaline passing through my bloodstream."Where am I going?" I asked them, forcing my voice to stay even as terror began to rise inside me. The men did not seem to notice, though, lest be moved by such strident yelling and asking."Somebody talk to me!" I shouted, but before any reply could come, the whine of the engine roared into life, and the vehicle started to move, sending a jolt of panic through me that I was about to be taken somewhere against my will.The men were too strong for me again when I would have tried to open the door to escape. They kept me successfully on the ground, where one tied a black cloth around my mouth and rendered any outcry completely useless. Kicking and struggling did not help, for I had