CHAPTER 7
Jane was stirred from sleep by a knock at her door. She stretched, her muscles aching slightly, and glanced around the unfamiliar room, momentarily disoriented. She shut down her laptop beside her, realising she must have fallen asleep while working. The plush surroundings of the room reminded her she was no longer in her modest apartment but in a lavish environment. When had she checked into a hotel like this?
Another knock interrupted her thoughts. Jane pulled herself out of bed, her silk nightgown clinging to her as she made her way to the door. Opening it, she found a maid standing there, a polite smile on her face despite the shock that flickered in her eyes.
"Good morning, Mrs. Lockwood," the maid greeted with a bow.
Jane blinked, her brow arching in confusion. "You must have the wrong person. Call me Jane," she said, still trying to shake off her grogginess.
The maid's smile softened. "Breakfast is ready. Would you like it sent to your bedroom, or would you prefer to have it with Mr. Caleb, your husband?”
At the mention of Caleb's name, Jane's hazy memory cleared. She remembered everything—the court, the marriage certificate, and the overwhelming emotions of the previous day. She asked the maid, "Is this Caleb's house?”
"Yes, ma'am," the maid replied.
So it hadn't been a dream, all the while. It had actually happened and she went by Mrs Lockwood now. Amazing.
Jane requested her breakfast be sent up to her room and thanked the maid, who bowed and left. Jane closed the door and took a deep breath, trying to steady her racing thoughts. She made her way to the mirror and stared at her reflection.
No wonder the maid had a funny look on her face. She looked dishevelled. Forcing herself from the mirror, she picked up her work things from the floor and placed them on the table. As she immersed herself in her work, a knock came at the door again.
"Come in," she called out.
Caleb entered, dressed impeccably in his business attire. He leaned against the doorframe, watching her with a stern expression. "Good morning," he greeted.
"Good morning," Jane replied, taken aback by his casual demeanour. "What brings you here?”
"I wanted to invite you to have breakfast with me. In this house, breakfast is by 8 and no one is allowed to eat in the bedroom except they're sick," Caleb said, his eyes scanning the room before landing back on her.
“I'm sorry, I didn't know that,” Jane said.
“Well now you do.”
“The maid told you I wanted to eat in here, right?”
“She did,” he admitted. “But it's different now. There are rules that need to be adhered to. I want you to have breakfast with me.”
Jane hesitated and glanced at the mess cluttered around her table. "I need to clean up a bit first.”
"Leave it. The maids will take care of it," Caleb suggested.
"I don't want them touching my private things," Jane insisted, her tone firm.
Caleb's eyes drifted to her finger, searching for the ring that wasn't there. A flicker of annoyance crossed his face, but he quickly masked it. "Fine. I'll see you downstairs," he said, turning to leave.
Once Caleb was gone, Jane finished tidying up and changed into a fresh outfit. She couldn't shake off the surreal feeling of her new life as she descended the grand staircase to join Caleb for breakfast.
***
Later, Caleb arrived at his company in a sleek Ferrari. As he stepped out, his presence commanded attention. The company's attendants rushed to take his briefcase and escort him inside. The office fell silent as he walked through, his reputation for being both feared and respected preceding him. They greeted him but he rather waved his hands at them and told them to continue working.
He took the elevator to his office and was surprised to find his uncle, Xavier, waiting there. What irked Caleb the most was seeing Xavier seated in his chair, an impish grin on his face.
"Leave us," Caleb instructed his assistant, who quickly exited the room.
"What are you doing here, Uncle?" Caleb asked, his tone cold.
Xavier chuckled. "Don't you know what time it is? Today marks the third year since your father passed.”
Caleb’s mind was abuzz with thoughts as he processed his uncle's words. For years, Lockwood Enterprises, was currently under the control of his uncle, Xavier, acting as the director and CEO. According to the terms of the will, if Caleb didn’t marry by the end of the fourth year, the company would remain permanently under Xavier’s control. It was a burden that weighed heavily on his mother, Elizabeth Lockwood, who despised Xavier’s tight-fisted management.
Xavier monitored every penny, refusing to let the family spend as they wished. They were living a charade of opulence, maintaining the reputation of the Lockwood name while struggling with internal financial restrictions. The facade was a necessity to keep up appearances, but it was slowly suffocating them.
"Get to the point!” Caleb demanded impatiently
“I'm preparing to take what's rightfully mine. According to the will, if you don't marry within four years, the company reverts to me," Xavier declared, sliding a document across the desk.
Caleb picked up the document, a smirk forming on his lips. "That's what this is about?”
Xavier smiled. “Of course.”
“I'm afraid you wasted your time coming here. I mean it's not even four years and you're impatient.”
“No, son. I'm manifesting it,” he said.
“It's a good thing you're here,” Caleb said. “I'm married. The will is mine.”
Xavier's expression darkened, but he forced a smile. “What are you talking about? How are you married?”
Caleb showed his ring finger to his uncle. “I've been married for days now. I would have informed you, trust me, but I totally forgot.”
"This is impossible. How did you manage to get married without anyone knowing?!" Xavier demanded, unable to contain his rage and shock.
Caleb remained c
alm. "I wanted a private wedding. Not everything is for public consumption.”
"I want to meet your wife," Xavier insisted.
CHAPTER ONE“You need to sign these,” Jane Roberts almost dropped the frying pan she had been carrying across the room in fright. She glared at her husband who was still standing in the doorway, a brown envelope in his outstretched arms. “What is that? You scared me.” He didn’t apologize or respond to her question. He simply walked out of the room.Frowning, Jane walked out of the kitchen, frying pan in hand and followed him into the dining room. “What is that, Marcus?’ Marcus dropped the envelope on the table and sat down on one of the chairs. “Divorcee papers. I had my lawyers draw them up last week so they are ready and all you have to do is sign them.” Jane was stunned. “Did you just say divorce papers?” Marcus raised an eyebrow, an irritated look on his face. “Did I stutter?” He got up from the chair, picked up his briefcase from the ground and walked away without sparing her another glance. The sound of the door slamming jolted Jane out of her reverie and she immediately to
CHAPTER TWOJane knocked twice and waited for a response, leaning on her bag for support. It hadn’t been easy locating this place especially since it had been a long time she had been here. Abigail wasn’t picking up and she knew a hotel was out of the question not because she didn’t have money but because Abby wouldn’t hear of it. She raised her hand to knock again when the door burst open and her cousin Abigail’s form appeared at the doorway. “Hey cuz, I missed your call. I was in the kitchen.” She made a move to hug her and then paused when she spotted the bags close to Jane’s feet. “What’s this? Are you leaving town or what?” She frowned when Jane didn’t laugh at her joke and tugged her arm, pulling her inside before grabbing the bags. Half an hour later, Jane was sitting on the couch with a cup of hot cocoa in her hands. “Thanks for letting me stay here Abby, I can’t thank you enough.” Abigail Warren sighed and stretched her hand out to touch Jane’s shoulders. “I’m so sorry b
CHAPTER THREEJane stared at the familiar office building in front of her and sighed. Somehow, she had ended up here. Abby would have her head if she told her about this, but she needed to confront Marcus once and for all as he seemed to be avoiding her. She eyed the building and spun on her heels, her back to it. “No, I shouldn’t go in,” “Are you coming in?” A woman in a well-ironed suit asked as she brushed past her and Jane just stood there gasping like a fish, her mouth opening and closing repeatedly. “Well don’t just stand there, come on in,” Wordlessly, Jane followed the woman unsure of what was going on. She looked down at the simple yet decent black gown she had slipped on and smiled grateful for her choice. They walked together to the elevator and the woman held the door for her. “Thanks,” Jane said as she got in, moving to the back to lean against the wall. “So what floor are you going to?” She asked, raising her eyes to press a number. She suddenly stopped and turned to
CHAPTER FOURThe driver parked the car close to the house and Jane looked out the window at the house she had regarded as home for two years. Tears pricked her eyes but she held back intent on staying strong. Caleb sighed and reached for her head forcing her to look away from the window and at him. “Whatever you do, never show how much this all affects you in public.” He paused to gauge her reaction before he continued. “You can cry all you want when you come home but never show them how much their actions bother you, ever.” His tone took on a stern, hard quality but Jane nodded understanding what he meant. “I would come with you but I feel you should do this on your own.” Jane smiled gratefully, unshed tears shining in her eyes. “Yes, I need to do this on my own but I must thank you for the support.” She brushed away the tears. “You are right, I can’t let that bastard see me at my weakest.” “Here,” Caleb said, stretching out a brown envelope and Jane smiled accepting it from him.
CHAPTER FIVECaleb held the door for her and she walked into the massive space, her eyes bulging out.“Make yourself comfortable while I go get us drinks. We should be celebrating.” She walked over to the window to look outside and gasped at how high up they were. “You won’t fall if that’s what you are worried about.”She spun around a little too fast and found herself staggering a bit.“ I…” “Take it easy,” Caleb warned, catching her by the hand and dragging her away from the window. “Here,” Jane cleared her throat and pulled away from him, accepting the glass of wine. “Thank you,”. “Let’s talk in my office,” He told her and led the way to the office which was on the other side of the room behind a small door that she hadn’t noticed before. When Jane stepped inside the office, she was amazed. Seeing the small door on the outside, one would think it was similar to what was inside but the office was two times the size of her bedroom, almost the size of the living room area she ha
CHAPTER 6“Thank you,” Jane said shyly, and sullenly as they got to the door of her room.“It's nothing,” he said firmly. “You've said more thank you's than you've actually had a normal conversation with me,” he pointed out.A smile tugged at her lips. But it was a dry, sad and lonely one. “Go on ahead, get some rest. We have a long day tomorrow,” Caleb said. “Goodnight.”She opened her mouth to speak but closed it the moment she saw him walking down but his aura lingered. She slowly turned away and swiped her card. The moment she was in her room, she kicked off her shoes and threw herself on the bed, wondering how people who cut you deeply when you weren't watching were the same ones who treated your wounds. Because they knew just how to break you and fix you.As she took off her clothes, a part of her wished she could be in her fathers arms now and sob in his chest and tell him he was right. She wished she had listened to him back then but the damage had been done. And there is no