JADE I turned and faced Ashton, chasing away the fear of having been caught, from my face. I smiled at him as he repeated, "I asked you a question, where are you going? Are you trying to trick me?" Realizing the implication of his question, I shook my head and quickly approached him, "No, Ashton. I would be crazy to do that." I quickly came up with a lie, "As I tried to tell you before, I have a sister. She can't cope without me. I just need to see her briefly, make sure everything is fine and I'll be back in no time." He scoffed, "That's such a lame excuse. Your sister can't cope without you. Is she a baby? Even if she is, I'm sure you can see her tomorrow. Let's go back to bed." I swallowed as I played the emotional card, "Would you say the same thing if I were going to see your mom?" He drew his brows together, "And what is that supposed to mean?" "I'm saying, just as your mom is important to you, so is my sister to me. I'm not trying to neglect my duties or anything and
JADE When Ash finally let me go, I hurried out of his house and booked a cab to take me back home. "That was close," I told myself on my way home. I hoped Angel would be willing to play along and act like my crippled sister. I had thought that after hearing about my made-up family problems, Ash would be discouraged from asking my supposed family to move into his house with me. Didn't he consider them baggage? I had expected him to just give me the opportunity to visit them once every day. Everything would have been perfect, after all, I only had to pretend for three months. However, Ashton was just full of surprises. Angel could not believe her ears when I arrived home and told her everything. "But I am not crippled," she told me. "I have never been and God forbid that I would pose as a cripple. What if I jinx my life and end up losing my legs?" I sighed, "Come on, Angel. There's no such thing. At the end of everything, I will pay you a million dollars." She stared at me in d
JADEAngel quickly got up from the wheel chair and snatched her phone from me.I immediately locked the door to prevent us from being caught and leaned against it weakly as Angel angrily asked, "What do you think you are doing, Mason? This is not funny in the slightest.""Do I sound like I am joking?" He asked. "You told me yourself, Sia has already received three hundred thousand dollars and since you have given me a hundred thousand, she still has two hundred thousand with her.I'm being very understanding by asking for only a hundred thousand, so why are you guys being greedy?"Angel's eyes brimmed with tears, "What is going on, Mason? You are hurting me by the things you are saying. I know you are not like this so please stop this joke."He scoffed, "You guys have until six in the evening to send me my money. If I don't receive it after six, I will immediately go to Ashton Duke's office and expose everything to him. Remember, I have all the evidence in the world."He hung up afte
JADE"I caused all of this," Angel admitted. "Once you've given him the hundred thousand, count it out of the money you intend to pay me when everything is over.I told Mason about your plans, so, I have to take responsibility for the outcome of my actions."I sent the hundred thousand to Mason and we heard nothing from him after that. However, since that day, Angel's demeanor changed to a constantly sad one. The only times she smiled were the moments she spent playing with my sons.Meanwhile, Ashton treated me very nicely. Of course, I had to spend the night in his room everyday because he wanted me to, even though nothing happened between us again. I kept marking my calendar and counting the days as I could not wait to be out of there before I got caught. I visited his mom often and we made fun memories. I wished growing up, I had enjoyed the love of a mother like her. Thankfully, my deal with Ashton gave me the opportunity to enjoy that.After a month, a man showed up at home one
JADE The next morning, while we were having breakfast, I sat across from Alex and Ashton. I felt a bit uncomfortable, especially because of the way Alex kept staring at me. "Could he have found out the truth?" I wondered. But Angel had told me that she had successfully convinced him, so why was he staring at me like that? I refused to make eye contact with him and focused my attention on my food. Despite repeatedly asking Angel to always join us for breakfast, she had turned down Ashton's request and insisted that she was comfortable eating in her room. This was better for all of us because the less contact she had with Ashton, the fewer chances he had of finding out about all the lies we had told him. "How is Angel's treatment going?" Ashton suddenly asked Alex and I dropped my spoon. As they both turned their attention to me, I smiled. "Sorry, it fell off my hand." I picked up my spoon and tried to eat, but I couldn't. "Well, I have taken a careful look at her leg
JADEExactly three months later, I woke up with so much joy in my heart. I stood in front of Ashton who was ready to go to work and smiled. I was hoping he would have a conversation with me and give me the balance of my money, so I could leave, but he said nothing. He merely smiled back, kissed my cheek, and left for work. I decided to wait, telling myself that if he came back, we would definitely settle everything with me. That evening, Angel and I had a long talk. I thanked her for being by my side. Even though she did it for the money, I was grateful that she did her best to never get caught. "It's okay," she told me. "As long as we all come out of this with something to help us move on in life, I am happy for the both of us." When Ashton got back, however, he still said nothing about our contract coming to an end. At this point, I knew I couldn't wait anymore. The next morning, I woke up early, fed my sons, and approached him in our bedroom, hugging him from behind.
JADE"What the hell?" I heard Max yell as he pulled Ashton away from my body."Get out of here right now!" Max ordered as he shot daggers at Ashton. My mind was still reeling from the shock of Ashton's confession.After everything I did, I expected him to be mad at me. I felt even more embarrassed, knowing how many lies I had told him during the time we were together."And who are you to tell me what to do?" Ashton asked Max as he seemed ready for war. "This is between a husband and a wife, Max Anderson. Stay out of it."I became even more shocked when I realized that Ashton already knew who Max was. Max charged at Ashton, ready to throw a punch at him, but I acted quickly and got in between.I took a risk as I could have gotten hurt but I wanted to protect Ashton for old time's sake. I knew Max had a lot of bodyguards and if it came down to it, he could order them to beat Ashton up. I could never let that happen.Fortunately, Max controlled his movement, the moment he saw me and held
JADEAshton closed his eyes and opened them again. I could perceive his sadness, and for reasons I did not understand, I felt guilty. "Please forgive me for lying to you, back then," I told him. "I didn't have...." "I knew," he replied. I drew my brows together, "You knew what?" "I knew the children were yours," he revealed. "But I couldn't say anything because you went through so much trouble to hide the truth from me. However, I was going to reveal everything to you on the day you left, so we could start afresh. I sighed, "How did you know the children were mine?" He scoffed, "Are you kidding me? Those boys are miniature versions of you. Eyes, nose, and everything else. I would not have doubted you if they had shared a little resemblance with Angel. You said she was your sister but your surnames were different and so were your looks. I remembered how upset you got when I referred to the children as baggage, and everything just pieced together. But I still wanted to know more
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