Ariel was standing in the garden and was surprised when she heard Dylan's voice behind her:"Do you like the garden?" he asked."Dylan, you're back?" she asked, walking towards him."Yes. How was he?" he asked.Ariel was very relieved that Dylan was finally back home. He'd left the house early this morning with a quick goodbye and hadn't come back till evening. Ariel had taken a week's leave from her office for her honeymoon. Her stingy boss did not want to grant her the leave at first till Dylan had made a mysterious call and her boss offered her a month's leave instead. She did not understand how Dylan had done it but she guessed that being the CEO of Corps had something to do with it. Ariel had been the one who decided she wanted only a week. And rather than a honeymoon, she needed the leave to ensure Paul was settled in and to get used to the house.After dropping her son off at his daycare center today, in a posh jeep with tinted windows, she had returned to the mansion.She had
Ariel kept her eyes focused on her meal till the end of dinner.Soon, it was time for bed. Ariel started to leave for her bedroom when Dylan pulled her back."What?""You are mad at me, right?"Ariel looked away. As much as she wanted to tell him she was not mad so he would leave her alone, she also wanted him to know she was angry with him."Look at me," he said, putting his hand on her chin and shifting it to face him."Dylan, leave me alone.""Why aren't you telling me why you're angry?""Why do you care? After all, I'm just a contract wife, remember?"Dylan placed both hands on her shoulder and drew her closer to him."So it's that? You don't like it when I refer to the contract, do you?"Ariel bit her lip. She didn't want him to know she cared. That it hurt her when he said that, that it reduced all their interactions and all these little things to nothing. How was she supposed to tell him that when he did not feel the same way? How was he to understand?Yet she found herself say
Charity could sense from his tone that he would not tolerate any of her antics today, yet she stayed put and fluttered her eyelashes seductively."I came to play, Daddy.""You know I can call the police and have you arrested for a break-in, right?""But it would not be a break-in if your secretary let me in here.""I can only imagine how much you would have threatened him to get allowed here. So, I'm not surprised. Just get out of here and go back home.""But Daddy, I want to stay here with you," Charity said, crawling on the desk towards him, her exposed buttocks up and in the air.Dylan stared at her, and suddenly it wasn't Charity crawling seductively to him but Ariel.He shook his head."Charity, I want you out of my office this instant. Do you hear me? I'm a married man now! So get out!"Charity was slightly startled by his raised voice but still tried to use her seductive charms on him. Until he couldn't take it an
Ariel returned home that evening and found Dylan sleeping on the couch in the sitting room. She giggled when she saw him, thinking about how cute and helpless he looked at that moment. She held Paul's hand as she walked into the house.She had not gotten used to the house. It still surprised her, how big and endless it was. Never in a million years did she think she would be able to live in a place like this.Paul ran towards Dylan and climbed him."Daddy, why are you sleeping?""Leave Daddy alone, Paul. Let him sleep."Paul pouted but got off Dylan and walked to his playroom."Go take off your clothes and come down for dinner."She could smell the sweet scent of the meal that the maid was setting on the table, even though the dining room was three rooms away. Dylan had called her on the phone on her way back here to ask if she would be eating dinner with him this evening. She had replied to him in the affirmative. He had also asked if she'd met his brother or any other person since h
"Paul! You are already done with changing!" Ariel said, nervously pulling up her shirt."Yes, Mommy!""Good job. You have learned that so fast!"Even Paul looked a bit surprised his mother was praising him for something he normally did.Dylan chuckled at his confused expression. He held his hand out to Paul;"Come on, let's go eat dinner."Paul took his hand happily."Yayy! Dinner!"So the family of three had dinner that night under the yellow lights of the luxury chandelier hanging over them. Dylan and Ariel kept exchanging glances throughout the meal.Ariel could barely concentrate with how he kept staring at her and smirking. This scoundrel. They had only kissed. Why was he acting so immature?They finished their meal soon and Ariel quickly fled to bed with Paul who was already sleeping. He slept in her room, on his little bed because she had argued with Dylan about him sleeping in a different room.Befo
Dylan and Ariel continued sipping their coffee. It was quiet between them for a while, until Dylan decided to break the silence and asked her what she usually did on weekends when she was free."I'm only free one day of the weekend," she said."I thought I told you to drop your weekend shifts. You're married to me now, I don't want you to work as much. I mean, I don't want you to work at all but you're too stubborn.""And I agreed with you. I'll only work Monday to Friday at my usual workplace as you said and I even dropped my evening work. What else do you want?""You'd still be staying a long time in the office. It'll drain you.""And what about you who can't even spend one week away from your office for a honeymoon?""That was only two days.""Oh please. I will work and you will work."Dylan dipped his hand into his pocket and brought out a black card. He then slipped the card to her across the table."What's this?"
Dylan looked at Ariel. Her attention was still on the picture of his late stepmother."Ariel?"She looked back at him with a frown, and he raised his eyebrow."What's the matter?""I don't know. You tell me."Huh? What did she mean with that look and words?"Who's the woman?""I've told you not to worry about her.""Is it one of the whores you fuck?""Excuse me?"Ariel withdrew from him and started to walk away. Dylan had never felt more confused before. He looked at the picture again, trying to decipher what she saw that made her think like that."Ari, wait!"Ariel stopped at the door and looked at him with a hurt look. He drew closer to her and held her hand."Ariel, she's not who you think it is.""Why will you put another woman on your desk when you already have a wife?"Wait, was she jealous?'She's jealous, right?' he thought.If she was jealous, did it mean she had feelings for him? For real?Dylan felt giddy at the thought that Ariel could have feelings for him. Genuine feelin
Dylan kissed her, sliding his tongue into her mouth and touching hers. She welcomed him into her mouth, with Dylan feeling her hands slide to his back, clutching it as the kiss deepened. Dylan placed his hands under her thighs and lifted her so that her legs wrapped around his waist, her shoe sliding off her legs. He carried her to his table, sat her ass down on it, and continued kissing her. He pushed her back slowly upon the table and continued to kiss her. Her soft lips, he wanted to die in it. They held him with her love.Dylan bent his body over hers, his hand under her neck as he kissed all over her body. He felt her hand on his trousers. She was tugging at it. He broke the kiss and looked into her eyes. Her dainty eyes were hazy with lust and desire. It drove him crazy. Her dress had slipped past her shoulders, revealing her fair chest and shoulders and, the best thing, the top of her breasts. He felt himself harden at this sight, the urge to be between her legs stronger than e
Ariel stood at the door of the mansion watching Dylan button up his suits again, his bodyguards waiting patiently for him by my car.He came towards her."How do I look?" he asked, smiling.She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his lips.He chuckled."I don't need you to say any words. Your actions have confirmed to me that you think I do look good."" Yes. Actions speak louder than words."He turned to leave to go, but Ariel held his arm and pulled him back. Then she wrapped her arms around his firm waist and pouted at him.He chuckled again."Baby, I know you don't want me to leave, but this trip is necessary. I have to close a deal with a multinational company. It is for the betterment of the company. I hope you will understand.""I know the trip is necessary, Yet I do not want to let you go."Ariel still held onto him."I don't want you to go. Must you go yourself? Can't you send someone else?""I can't," I said, gently removing her hands from my waist.Dylan took her fa
'I should have brought more,' Ariel thought when she saw how the things she brought were almost finished and how so many others had not collected any food or blankets.She immediately phoned her guards and ordered them to bring more food and clothing.She was also planning to get these homeless people a new building so they would not have to stay on the streets. Dylan on the other hand supported her in the way he could. He told her often that he was proud of her efforts and sometimes showed up at her fundraising events to make more people come and invest as well, given his popularity."Thank you so much!" the homeless people said to Ariel and Maggie.They were all so grateful.One older woman held her hand and prayed for her. Another homeless person, a young boy, gave her a flower she was sure he had seen at the side of the road."A beautiful flower for a beautiful woman," he said, looking at her with awe. He could not have been more than two years older than Paul."Awww. Thank you so
Ariel and Maggie were out in the streets together when she received Dylan's call.They had been in the streets to do some work.Earlier that day, Maggie had come into the house to pick Ariel up.Dylan on the other hand had left to go see his mother."Ariel! Where are you?! Must you be late everywhere?!" Maggie, cried one Wednesday Afternoon."Coming!"Maggie and Ariel had both attended the same high school and even college. Yet, they had never been friends and they had only become friends when they met again at work!The company where Ariel worked, after receiving a lot of investment from Ariel who now had access to her father's wealth, became more successful. Ariel had become a Director of a company. No one saw that coming.Ariel became a shareholder of the company and made her friend Maggie, a manager.The click-clack of Ariel's stiletto heels filled up the hallways as she walked. All the people in the hallways turned their heads to see who was making so much noise."Good morning Dir
Dylan and his mom had coffee together, where they discussed many things."I have breast cancer."The moment she said that his heart burst into pieces.'No, no, I just got her back.'"Are you saying you have cancer, Mom?" Dylan asked.Denise started to cry again."Yes, my son. I have cancer, and the doctor told me I have only a few months to live."His chest felt tight, and he suddenly could not breathe."So why are you here? You should be receiving treatment in the hospital!" he exclaimed, grabbing her hand.She smiled so sweetly at him his heart melted."Dylan, I want to spend my last days with you. That is why I'm here. I don't want to die without at least spending my last months with my son."Tears rose in his eyes. His dad was dead. He could not let his mom die as well."Don't cry, son. Such is life.""Mom, if there's anything I can do. Is there anything that I can do at all? Isn't there any?""Yes, there is something you can do. You can borrow me some money to begin the treatment
The weekend was over, and Dylan was back to work. So it meant double work and more extended hours in the office.Because of the issues with his brother and Charity, he has been away from work for a long time. Now that he was back, he had so much to do.The uproar that the public had had as a result of their discovering the truth about his grandfather and other families involved in the drug trade had begun to die down. Yet it still caused a bit of negative press towards the company. Many partners had even pulled out from the company so as not to be associated with a corporation his grandfather had used to traffic drugs and launder money.Dylan sighed heavily as he realized he had to do it all himself.None of his family members who were even still mad at him for exposing their grandfather helped in running the company.Another thing that was being talked about the most was that Dylan was now the real face of the Grey family. With his grandfather in jail and his brother dead, he was now
Dylan was enraged."I can kill you here and now!" he threatened.Charity laughed in his face."You and I know you can't try it. If you do, you will never see your beloved wench again. So tread carefully."Dylan let her go after that."Goodbye, my love," Charity said mockingly and got into a cab she had flagged down.Dylan watched her drive away, clenching his jaw.When the car was out of sight, Dylan brought out the tracking app his tech friends had installed on his phone. He had attacked Charity simply to put a GPS tracker on her.He watched Charity's location move to a site on the outskirts of town. It seemed that was where she was hiding Ariel. He brought out his second cell phone and called his men."Hello, boys. It's been a long, but I have a job for you."Ariel woke up in a dark place, her throat parched.She sat up, unable to fathom what was going on. It felt like she was in an enclosed space, and she did not know how to get out."How did I get here?" she asked herself.She cou
But if you keep your mouth shut and act like nothing happened, your secret is safe with me. At least for now. Do we have a deal?"Charity nodded. Ariel laughed.Then she pushed Charity back to the floor and left the apartment. Charity sobbed as she left, hoping she would not return. She didn't know Ariel was this crazy.Ariel laughed as she walked out of the house. Charity is stupid enough to think she would just let her go after killing her mother. That is very funny of her.This was just the beginning. She was going to get her revenge on all of them. They made her and her son and husband miserable and she was no longer going to sit back and watch them continue to take. She held out the card Cole had given her and wondered what to do with it.Dylan and Rhodes finally found Marcus. He was hiding in an old office in another city while the police were looking all over for him."I can't believe this fucker is still hiding in the country. Where did he get that many resources to hide so pe
Ariel recalled the sound of her mother's laughter, like a melody that could lift even the heaviest hearts. She described her love for nature, recounting memoriesThe room was filled with tears and bittersweet smiles - a tapestry of emotions woven together by memories of a woman who had touched many lives.As Ariel finished speaking, she looked at the mournful faces before her, each person united in their grief and love for Mom. She saw her mother's friends and a few relatives she had kept in touch with, their tears flowing freely as they nodded in understanding. She noticed her husband's family's slumped shoulders and sad looks, and she was a bit confused about whether they were sincere or just fake.Through it all, she felt the support and presence of the community that had rallied around them throughout their long goodbye.As the memorial service drew to a close, Ariel invited anyone who wished to share their memories of Mom to come forward. One by one, family members and friends st
Not even when Ariel's closest friends- Kira and Maggie wanted to talk did she agree to discuss Mom.Kira encouraged her to speak about her."It will help you in your grief," she said.But Ariel said nothing. It was as if speaking about her dying was admitting that her mother had truly died. That she was truly gone. She could not accept that she'd never see her again.So she said nothing.It was only one rainy morning that she finally spoke of Mom.She was in her kitchen trying to make some breakfast for myself- an omelet.She was cooking the egg with too much force, and it fell to the floor. She hurried to pick it up, but it had some dirt smeared.The omelet falling on the floor reminded her of a scene from years ago when she had wanted to learn how to make an omelet.After making the omelet, Ariel rushed to her mom to show her but slipped and fell. The omelet fell to the ground."Sorry about this," Ariel apologized about the egg."Oh…It is okay," Mom replied, "I don't think you can s