JADE
I stood in front of Max Anderson's door and my heart raced uncontrollably. I had many times imagined how special my first time would be with the love of my life, Henry, but now I was about to sell it away.I summoned up the courage I needed and knocked on the door."Come in," a voice replied from inside.I pushed the door and it opened. I walked into the room and saw Max Anderson sitting on the bed with a towel around his waist and empty bottles of wine on the table beside his bed. There had been so many scandals surrounding him but he never seemed to care about them. His most prominent name was 'man whore' and I detested people like him but there I was, in his room, in the club where I worked, ready to give myself to him."I was told you are a virgin," he said without sparing me a glance, as his gaze remained fixed on his phone.I nodded, "Yes I am.He laughed and finally looked at me, scrutinizing me from my head to my toes, "I'm not going to be fooled twice. Hold on, I'll have someone check, to be sure.""What? But I'm not lying to you," I retorted."Just shut the hell up and wait," he ordered.He dialed a number on his phone and said, "Come in now." Shortly after, a young lady entered the room.She stared at me and said, "Take off your clothes and lie on the bed."I felt embarrassed and began to fidget with my fingers without moving. "We haven't got all day," the lady said and pushed me onto the bed.As I fell on my back, she pulled down my pants and I instinctively placed my hands between my legs to cover my ladybits but then, I realized it was futile.I closed my eyes as the lady pried off my hands and I let her have her way. She pushed my panties to the side and checked me using her fingers. I endured the discomfort I felt, hoping it would be over soon."Sir, she is exactly what you want," I heard her say to Max and opened my eyes.I quickly pulled up my jeans but this action seemed to amuse Max who laughed and shook his head while the lady walked away.He finally got up from the bed and locked the door, a predatory smile playing on his lips.I remained on the bed, grabbing the sheets in fear as he made his way toward me. Just as he got close, however, he turned and walked toward the fridge.He took out a bottle of wine and quickly opened it.As he walked toward the table, he said, "You know, when I first made this bet with my friends, I thought I would end up with a loser. I mean, no right-thinking or good-looking girl of this age will still be a virgin so I'm really impressed. You're not so bad... Winny, right?"I sat up and shook my head, "No, I'm Jade."He smiled, "Jade....right...Winny was the first girl who tried to deceive me. Why are you acting so scared? I know this is your first time but by the time I'm done with you, you'll be begging for more. You girls always do."Hearing his words, I felt a deeper sense of unease. I was disgusted by how promiscuous he was and ashamed that I had become the subject of his bet with his sick friends. However, I didn't have any other choice. I had tried everything and eventually jumped on this supposed once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because I refused to lose my Henry to the cold hands of death.He regarded me for a while and asked, "Do you have a boyfriend?"I shook my head, "No, I don't. I'm just doing this to save the life of my relative."He nodded, "So I heard. You know what? I'll pay you double the amount; a hundred thousand dollars. I'm feeling really generous tonight."I stared at him in astonishment and recalled how hard I had struggled to raise fifty thousand dollars for my boyfriend without success. All the money I had saved up for college so far amounted to three thousand dollars and Henry's mom had no money either. The doctors had almost given up on him and now I was being offered double the amount just because I was willing to sell myself."Thank you," I mumbled.He poured me a glass of wine and handed it to me. I shook my head because I had never tasted alcohol before. However, he frowned, "Do you want to ruin my good mood?"I shook my head and took the glass from him. I stared at the glass while he downed several glasses."Let's just get this over with," I said inwardly and emptied the glass of wine. I belched afterward and gave the glass back to him."You can go take a shower now," he told me.I nodded, got up, and entered the bathroom. I spent some minutes inside bathing but my legs had become wobbly and I could barely stand.I knew that the wine I drank was beginning to take effect but there was nothing I could do about it. I reached for the towel and began to slowly wipe my body."Open the door, you can't take your bath forever," Max said as he suddenly knocked on the bathroom door.My eyes widened as I had not yet put on my clothes. I reached for my jeans but there was no way I could put it on without falling on my butt.""Open the door right now, or I'll kick it open," Max threatened.I quickly tied the towel around my body and unlocked the door which I had locked from the inside.When he opened the door and saw me wearing only a towel, his eyes traveled down to my thighs and he smiled. He reached out his hand and pulled off the towel from my body while I gasped in shock.I instinctively tried to cover my breasts with one hand as the other was placed on the wall. He laughed, feeling amused by my behavior, and lifted me, bridal style, out of the bathroom.He gently placed me on the bed and I quickly crossed my legs and closed my eyes. I knew it would have been different if Henry was the one here, I would have been in a state of pure bliss."Open your legs," I heard him say and I opened my eyes instead. He was in his birthday suit at this point, kneeling on the bed in front of me and staring hungrily at me."Open your legs for me, Jade," he repeated and I slowly uncrossed my legs.I lifted my knees but joined my thighs together. He had a predatory gleam in his eyes as he knew there was no escaping for me.He placed both hands on my knees and gently parted my thighs. I tried to close them again but he warned, "Ah ah....you wouldn't want me to tie your legs apart now, would you? Be a good girl and let me in."I closed my eyes and opened my legs as I tried to imagine that Henry was the one in front of me. I felt his fingers gently rub my folds and gasped as a foreign sensation suddenly filled my body.My eyes opened and a moan escaped my lips as his hands briefly fondled my breasts before he buried his face between my legs.JADEWhen I opened my eyes in the morning, I felt sore down there. Last night, Max had gone on and on until I passed out. My head ached and my body felt weak but I knew I had to get the money from Max to the doctors.I got up, put on my clothes, and looked around the room but there was no sign of Max Anderson. Ignoring the pain in my body, I rushed into the bathroom but he wasn't there.I became alarmed, thinking he had left without giving me the money but then I spotted a cheque slip on the table beside the bed. A hundred thousand dollars was written on it along with his signature but there was no name and date on it. I heaved a sigh of relief and quickly left with the cheque slip. When I arrived at the hospital, Henry's mom was by his bedside sitting dejectedly."I got the money," I said, giving the cheque to her.She took it from me and stared at it in shock, "A hundred thousand! Max Anderson? How did you get him to give you this cheque?""I got a job working for him," I replied.
JADE"What? How can you say I disgust you?" I asked. "Henry, it's me, Jade, the one who went above and beyond to save your life.""Yes," he replied. "I know you are the Jade who saved my life, and also the Jade who stabbed me in the back.""I stabbed you in the back?" I asked, puzzled. "What are you talking about, Henry?""Don't pretend before me, Jade." He snapped. "I know how you went about having sex with different men at your place of work."I shook my head, "No, baby, I didn't do such a thing."He scoffed, "You didn't do such a thing? Tell me, how did you get the money you paid for my treatment?""Well, actually," I tried to explain. "Listen, Henry, it's not.....""Don't tell me that," he yelled, interrupting me. "Yes, I am grateful for what you did, but you know I would never have given my consent for you to do that. How could you betray me in such a way?""Henry, you were dying, and your mom told me to do whatever was necessary. I never planned to do such a thing. I went to my
JADEAt the station, Henry appeared but I denied setting fire to his car despite how much he insisted I did it. "Do you have any evidence?" The officer speaking to us asked him."I saw her with my eyes," he replied. "Before I could come out of the house, my car had already gone up in flames. I spent almost fifty thousand dollars on that car and I am yet to insure it. She has to give me back my money, I don't care how she gets it."I scoffed and stared at the officer as I said, "He owes me a hundred thousand dollars and he wants me to pay him? Let him give me back my money."The officer sighed and asked Henry, "Do you owe her a hundred thousand dollars?"He shook his head, "That's a big lie. She gave my mom a hundred thousand dollars out of her own volition. No one asked her for it and there was no agreement to pay it back, so I do not owe her.Even though I had decided not to cry, tears rolled down my cheeks, "Henry, was it not from the hundred thousand dollars your life was saved? W
JADEI suddenly freaked out, "No, doctor! This cannot be! This pregnancy is going to ruin my life. Please help me, I need to get rid of it. I cannot keep it.""You need to calm down," the doctor replied. "If you want to get rid of this pregnancy, it can be done. However, we need the consent of the father.""But I'm not married, and he doesn't even know," I replied."I'm sorry, but that's just it." The doctor responded.As I left the health center and returned to my workplace, I decided that I would hide my pregnancy for the time being and save up enough money. Afterward, I would go to a different hospital where I'd be allowed to get rid of the pregnancy without the consent of the father.I returned to work like nothing had happened but the constant morning sickness made life difficult for me. Nevertheless, I continued to do my best and did whatever I could to get tips.Two months later, after gathering a sufficient amount of money, I planned to visit the hospital the next day for the
JADEMax's father stared at me in surprise at first and then chuckled, "My son impregnated you?"I nodded, "Yes, sir. I am pregnant for Max Anderson."He shook his head, "Max has really outdone himself this time. Couldn't he have found someone better?"Hearing his words made me feel ashamed because I knew I looked horrible in my state.The man stared at me a little more and pointed his finger at me, saying, "Listen, the fact that we're wealthy doesn't mean anyone can take advantage of us. If you insist that Max is responsible for your pregnancy, I will get a test done after speaking to him.However, if it turns out that you're lying to me, I will deal with you severely, regardless of your condition.""No, sir. I would never dare to lie about my child." I assured him."In that case, come inside and wait for him." He instructed the men at the gate to let me in and they immediately did.He drove into the compound and asked me to wait on the patio for Max to arrive while he went into the
JADE"This is not about what you want," Max's father responded. "Yes, you don't want to be a father, but you put the child in there. Who else would take responsibility for it? Me? I'm too old for that!""So what am I supposed to do with her?" Max shot back. "Because she's pregnant, she gets to be my wife and....?""Hey, no one said anything about getting married." His father cut him off."I don't want to marry you, Max" I chipped in. "I have no intention of doing that.""Oh really? Isn't that what a gold digger would say?" Max asked me."She's just like the other girls, Dad. They'll do anything to get their claws into me." He tried to convince his father."Then why did you let them get close enough?" his father questioned."I'm very sorry, Max." I butted in again. "I know that I wasn't supposed to get pregnant."He scoffed, "Oh you knew?"Turning to his father, he said earnestly, "Dad, I gave this girl a hundred thousand dollars. I remember it because I've never paid that much money f
MAXJade began to gasp for air and I realized I was strangling her. I quickly let go while she fell back on the bed.Seeing how she struggled to breathe made me feel guilty. I wasn't someone who would physically assault a pregnant woman or any woman for that matter. But I hated opportunists like Jade and I regretted ever meeting her. I knew my past was messy and it wasn't so long ago but I'd always been careful and fully protected when dealing with girls.Jade was my first and only mistake. At the time, I thought it didn't matter because she was a virgin and looked innocent. Heck, I thought I got value for my money, but in the end, it was all a big trap and she made sure to get pregnant with triplets to rip my gullible father off completely.I looked at her with unconcealed hatred and when I turned to leave, she said, "Hold on, Max.""What is it now?" I snapped."I never intended to come into your life this way or try to turn it upside down. I promise that I'll not interfere with wha
JADEAfter Max angrily left my room, I stood by the window and stared at his car as he drove out of the compound.I didn't like the fact that he was angry with me but what could I do? He seemed different from the man who had spoken to me so calmly the night I lost my virginity. But I guess that's the nature of men. They would say or do anything to get what they wanted, and Henry was the first man who taught me that. I had just three months left before becoming a mother.I didn't know what was going to happen then, but I was sure of one thing; I would get back up. But first, I needed to find out what Max's father's plans for me were.Right at that moment, he knocked on my door. He had bought so many things for me that I didn't even know existed. I watched as they were being delivered into my room and neatly arranged so I would not have to move a muscle.Seeing their grandfather so excited to meet my unborn children filled me with so much hope for the future."Thank you so much, Mr. An
TROY After two years, I was back in the Scandinavia, the place that took everything from me. I had rented the whole beach for the evening because I wanted to be alone. I stood by my once favorite beach in Oslo and closed my eyes as memories from the past flooded my mind; Her beautiful smile, and the warmth of her body, pressed against mine as we stared at the stars together. Aislinn was everything to me until she was snatched away so cruelly. I opened my eyes and stared at the water, hoping its calmness would soothe my turbulent heart. All of a sudden, something caught my attention. Floating and approaching from a distance, I tried to make out what it was. I took a few steps closer, dipping my legs into the water. I gasped when I realized it was a person; a woman, and judging by the way she looked, I knew she was dead. I turned and wanted to leave but a question struck my mind; what if she wasn't dead? What if Aislinn was in a similar situation and needed help? Would I have
MARIANNE If it weren't for the date and time stamp on the video, I would have thought Paula was lying to me. As I watched the video, everything began to piece together in my head. I recalled when Tony had first approached me for a relationship. I had refused his advances, especially since I had just clocked eighteen, but Britney kept encouraging me to give him a chance, claiming we were perfect for each other and would be together forever. Back then, I was amazed at how Tony and I had the same tastes, interests, and even fashion sense. I believed he was truly destined for me. Only after Paula's revelation did I realize that Britney had planted him in my life and told him about my likes and dislikes. No wonder he seemed so perfect in my eyes and I ended up falling in love with him. They deceived me for so long and plotted my downfall. The false testimonies from my secretary and Tony's sister finally made more sense to me. I felt so much anger surge within me and a deep yearn
MARIANNE Everything felt like a dream. Just like that, I had been condemned for something I never did. My only crime was being too kind and trusting the wrong people. As I was being transported by ship along with a few other prisoners, the judge's words echoed in my ears, "This court finds the accused; Mrs. Tony, guilty of first-degree murder and sentences her to life imprisonment with hard labor in the Norwegian Island Prison. I recalled the triumphant look on Britney's face as I was being taken away and could not understand what I ever did wrong to her. When I met her so many years ago, I had just finished high school. Being the daughter of the richest man in the city, I lived in affluence as opposed to her who was struggling to get by. I saw her working as a waiter at a party and took her side when a guest treated her disrespectfully. We got close from that night and I got to find out that she had no family. She was an orphan who had to work from a very young age just to
MARIANNE I sighed in relief as I thanked Britney repeatedly. "There's no need to thank me," she expressed. "You are my best friend and I will do anything for you." The next morning, just as my lawyer had promised, I was arraigned before a judge. I had been restless throughout the night as it was my first time being in a cell. I tried not to cry because I knew it wouldn't help my situation. I convinced myself that I was just unfortunate. I never should have married Tony. After the judge questioned me, I took a plea of not guilty. My attorney didn't seem pleased by that but I didn't care. No one was going to make me admit to something I never did. Since it was my first appearance, I expected that I would be granted bail and allowed to show up in court from the comfort of my home during the preliminary hearings. I planned to get the best lawyer for myself once I was released on bail and got access to my phone. However, nothing like that happened. The judge allowed a ten minut
MARIANNE At the police station, I was cuffed and kept in a dimly lit room with four chairs, one table, and a window. I was exhausted and my eyes were puffy from crying. Even though Tony cheated on me, he was the love of my life and I could not believe he was no more. In a flash, I had become a widow; the youngest I knew because I had just turned twenty, a month ago. The three policemen sat in front of me, questioning me as though I were a common criminal. "Don't you know who I am?" I asked. "I own foundations, charity organizations, and free hospitals. I help people, not hurt them. No matter what, I could never murder a man I loved with my life." "Stop beating around the bush and answer the damn question!" One of the policemen yelled at me, slapping his palms on the table. I didn't have to be a police officer or a lawyer to know that what the men were doing was not standard procedure. They were biased toward me and I had no idea why. "I won't speak any more until my lawye
MARIANNE I stepped on my brake pedal and gave myself a minute to catch my breath. My hands were shivering and I felt chilled to the bone. I still could not believe what I had just seen. I opened my phone and watched for the umpteenth time, the pornographic video that had been sent to me anonymously. My husband of almost two years was in bed, having sex with a woman that wasn't me. His face was revealed in the video, while hers was concealed. The only thing I could make of the woman was her slender wrist and the gold bracelet around it. It seemed oddly familiar but I could not remember where I had seen it. For two years, I believed my marriage was the best in the world because my husband, Tony adored me and worshipped the ground I walked on. I was the richest woman in the city and my company, RAY INDUSTRIES was the number one in the country, yet, my happiest moments were the ones spent with my husband. That was how much I loved him. How could he betray my trust? Hands still
SYNOPSIS "My husband walks about freely, lavishing my fortune, with his mistress by his side, while I am condemned to spend the rest of my life in an island prison for his death. If this is my fate, I will fight it until my last breath."~~~ MARIANNE Betrayed by the ones she trusted most, Marianne finds herself convicted for a crime she did not commit. In a desperate attempt to change her new reality, she ends up at the brink of death but gets a second chance in Troy; An unusually sexy billionaire willing to place the world at her feet. Marianne swears she is done with men and love, and her life's goal is revenge against those who wronged her. But why does her heart race uncontrollably at the sound of his voice? ***His hands reached out, framing my face as his fingers caressed my lips. I closed my eyes when he cupped my breasts and his lips settled on the crook of my neck, lavishing it with kisses until I was breathless and wet beyond control. "Troy," I panted and my eyes flung
In the morning, Ethan woke Cila up from his bed and calmly asked her to leave his bedroom and stay away from it. As she walked out of the room, she stood by the door, staring at Ethan who was watching her leave. She wished she could turn back the hands of time. If she hadn’t tried to take Laura’s place and planned for Laura to catch them in the act, Ethan would still be meeting her behind Laura’s back. She wouldn’t feel so alone. She would still have him—if only she hadn’t been so greedy for more. She had no clue Ethan was secretly seeing Laura again. He came home early, spent most of his free time with her. Little did she know, Ethan had been stealing moments with Laura during their lunch breaks, meeting at the small apartment he had rented temporarily for her. The joy of those stolen hours made time fly for them, but each day weighed heavier on Ethan’s heart. He kept counting down the days, marking them on his calendar, waiting for the moment he could bring Laura back home
"Shh......," Byron shushed Laura as he moved closer to her, cupping her face and attempting to kiss her once more. This time, however, he was met with a sharp slap across his face. The sting of it made him pause, his hand instinctively reaching for his cheek as he glared at her. "So, you’d rather sit here, pining away for a man who’s off fucking your best friend, instead of giving me a chance to make you happy?" he spat, his voice dripping with bitterness. "You know what, Laura? You deserve everything that’s happening to you. You’re foolish, indecisive, and weak. You deserve to be ditched by your husband and betrayed by your so-called best friend." The words cut through Laura like a blade, each one more painful than the last. Byron stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Laura remained standing, her legs suddenly too weak to hold her up. She sank to the floor, the weight of his words pressing down on her. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she sobbed uncontrollably. "Do I reall