Locked with fury in her eyes, Teresa gripped Benedict's arm tightly with her fingernails digging deep into his skin. He was in the middle of an idle conversation with his friends, and the force of his mother's yank thrust him back into harsh reality. The smile dropped off his face, replaced by irritation.
"Turn around now and go back to Sabrina!" Teresa hissed to his face, her voice low but full of a venom that brought him up short. "This is your wedding! You're supposed to be with your wife, not out here screwing like some irresponsible idiot! Do you have any idea how embarrassing this is? How much shame you're bringing to our family?fix this Now!"
She snapped her eyes to his with a warning so sharp he felt a jolt of anger-cum-tethers him to the moment. She wasn't letting this slide past. She gave one last withering glare to ensure the point had been wholly impressed, then turned and stormed off, heels clicking impatiently on the marble floor.Benedict clenched his teeth, pinioned and suffocating under the unrelenting grasp of his mother's control. He had not asked for anything of this, certainly not the marriage. His heart was pounding with frustration as he stood there, the weight of her words a cage hanging over him.
With a heavy sigh, he shoved his hands into deep pockets and trudged back toward the grand hall where Sabrina sat waiting for him. His steps dragged, as if less of an inclination than any other to continue, each one boiling up into resentful bubbles he could hardly keep from bursting. When he entered, he saw her immediately. Sabrina was sitting alone, her shoulders hunched, tears streaming down her face as she tried to hide her sobs.It irritated him even further. Always crying, he thought with bitterness. It was as if everything in her irritated him: her softness, her vulnerability, and her constant pleading for his affection.Benedict strode toward her, his footsteps echoing in the otherwise silent room. He yanked her hand out, making her raise her eyes up to him. His grip was harsh; his touch in no way gentle.
"You're such a drama queen," he spat, his voice sprinkled with savage sarcasm. "You got my mom to stand for you! Can't even stop crying for one second?Sabrina gazed at him with her wet eyes, hurt etched on her face. But Benedict did not feel anything for that. As anger had flared into a fire in his bosom, he was bent upon letting it out.
"Actually, I hate you," he went on, as sharp as the blade of a knife with his words. "I never want to be around you. It disgusts me to the bone!Sabrina winced at what he said. Her lip was shaking, and she made a valiant effort to contain her sobs.
"B-Benedict, I—""Don't," he cut in, his eyes blazing with wrath. "Don't try to talk your way out of this. You think I didn't notice the way you played my mother? The way you play the victim all of your life?"
"I never—" Sabrina started, her voice little more than a whisper, but Benedict's rage blotted it out."You never what?" he sneered, his breath cold as he pulled in close until their faces were only inches apart.
"You never tried to snare me? Never engineered tears to make everyone pity you? Spare me. I am sick of it. Sick of you."
It was like all he said was a broken vase, and into the million pieces she fell. Sabrina had never in her wildest dreams imagined to ever be the one who could trap him. She wanted all this for nothing: only his love. And yet now the dream took life, it seemed impossible to hold onto.
"I love you, Benedict," she whispered softly, her voice laced with tears."Love?" he sneered, casting her hand away from him as if it burned him.
"That's not love, Sabrina. It's obsession. And I don't want any part of it."Her chest strained beneath her heaving breaths as his words washed over her cruelly. She tried holding back the tears that fell regardless. There was nothing she could do but to sit there, broken and devastated.
"You're pathetic," Benedict whispered, his tone ice-cold, as he looked down at her, offering her no comfort whatsoever. "And nothing in all the crying you do is going to change how I feel.
There was a freeze in his gaze as he stood over Sabrina, arms crossed in disdain. She wiped at the tears streaking down her cheeks, trying to compose herself. Her makeup was smeared and streaked; it said more than any words could that she'd been crying. He let out an irritated sigh."Get yourself together," Benedict snapped, his voice low but dripping with impatience. "Let my mom see you in this condition, and she'll start giving me the side-eye again. I don't need another lecture on how I'm not treating you right either."
She winced at the words but nodded soundlessly, half-supporting herself on her legs as she walked to the rest room. Her hands could shake as she reapplied some makeup in front of the mirror, but no amount of trying would help mask that burning sorrow that poured from behind her eyes.As she exited, Benedict was standing right beside the door, expressionless on his face. No word was spoken to her; he simply stood there until she composed herself enough so she could venture out into the world again. Just as she stretched her hand out towards him, the event coordinator popped out and proceeded with a bright gleam on his face to make some sort of announcement.
"Ladies and gentlemen, let us welcome the newlyweds on to the dance floor!" echoed the coordinator in a cheerful, bantering tone of voice, without paying the slightest attention to the thick tension in the air.
Within this chorus of whispering applause, people looked toward the newlyweds. Sabrina could feel her heart racing. She hated this moment-nearly dreading to once again endure Benedict's icy touch, pretend everything is perfect, and to appear perfectly for the sake of appearances, this perfect bride.Benedict came closer to her. His jaw clenched. He caught her hand, not softly but hard enough to make Sabrina flinch. They moved through to the center of the hall. He leaned in, his warm breath on her ear, hissing out his words for her alone.
"Are you happy now?" he sneered, dripping the venom. "You have everything you wanted, didn't you?"Sabrina's lips tremble but never utter a word. She's in a trap, like a bird trapped with a closed cage. The music played very softly as they move to the center of the dance floor. Everyone around them awaits that romantic moment to come.But there was nothing romantic in the touch of Benedict. His fingers were cold and remote as he pulled her into a slow, practiced dance. Every step was laborious, unfeeling.He leaned in again, speaking in a voice little above a whisper but cruel.
"You will never have my love. Remember that always," he spat, cutting into her like a knife.
"I'll make sure you wish you had never spent a single second on this."While Sabrina's heart bled at his words, she still had her composure to continue following the rhythm of the music. Her legs felt as though they would give way beneath her. Her hands shook so much that she grasped the arms; she knew that every eye in the room was on them.With her eyes brimming with tears she hadn't dared to weep, she lifted her head to his.
"I never wanted it this way, Benedict," she whispered tremulously.He said nothing, but his grip around her waist tightened into a very direct indication that they should continue the farce for the sake of their guests.The song continued: soft and sweet, the opposite to what they had been in each other's throats about. As the music built up, Sabrina's heart broke a little more with every step. To everyone watching them, they appeared as the perfect couple. But beneath all this, there was nothing but a breakdown of heart and hostility.With the ending of the song, Benedict quickly came out from under the disguise. He posed for the crowd with a spurious grin on his face. Sabrina, however could hardly hold the tears leaking once more back.
"Let's give a round of applause for the happy couple!" cried out the event planner, while everyone in the room gave them their accolades, not realizing the storm between them.
The minute the clapping began, Benedict let go of her hand and stepped back as if the very sight of her disgusted him. Without so much as casting a look over his shoulder, he turned and started walking away from Sabrina, leaving her standing alone in the middle of the dance floor-she had no one to respond to amidst the hundreds of people surrounding her.She stood there with the feeling of the crushing weight of the moment. She had dreamed this day for so long, imagining it would be all love and happiness. Now, in reality, it seemed like a nightmare. Every moment dragged on, suffocating her with despair, as if time itself had conspired against her. Her heart ached with the weight of lost hopes, and she wished desperately for it all to be over.
As the applause subsided and guests resumed their own conversations, Benedict didn't hesitate to pull Sabrina aside. The phony smile he'd donned during their dance was gone within an instant, exchanged for a look of icy indifference. They stepped out of the ballroom, away from the crowd, and into a quiet corner of the reception hall. No warning, of course-just leaned and caught her by the arm, his fingers digging into her skin as he turned her to face him."You succeeded," Benedict spat, voice low but full of venom. "You managed to marry me, but don't for one second believe you'll ever have my heart.".She felt her eyes grow wide with the bitterness in his tone. Now she knew that he did not love her. But this was different-he said it all. On their wedding day, too. A sick feeling was in her belly as tears threatened to well up inside her once again. She bit down hard on her lip and kept them from falling."I don't love you," he continued, his eyes dark and unfeeling. "And I will never
Sabrina stood as a statue in the dim lit hall, her heart a racing and tears flowing ceaselessly down her cheeks. His curt words kept ringing in her ear; each syllable in his speech a burning hole reminding her of the schism between them. She slapped her hands on her chest, trying to hold herself inside."I will never have his heart," she whispered to herself, feeling the weight of his rejection settle heavily on her shoulders. "What did I expect? That love would conquer all?"That reality struck her like a chilly wave. The man with whom she had wished to spend all of life had just crushed all those hopes into pieces with a few brutal words. Wiping away tears, she heard the approach of footsteps.It was Teresa-the mother-in-law-whose expression seemed both full of concern and disappointment. "Sabrina? Okay?"Sabrina smiled, though it felt like shards of glass were lodged in her throat. "I'm fine, just. tired."Teresa narrowed her eyes. She didn't believe it. "You don't look fine. Where
And so she'd walked away, his words stabbing her ears as they struck home."You think you can just waltz in here and play like you're good enough to have my love? You'll never have it, Sabrina," he had sneered, the disgust spewing from him like acid that cut into her heart. Every step was hard as she moved through the grand house now that had become a cage of gilded bars and memories bitter with the poison of anger.She was lost in this world he created, full of resentment and anger. "Why even bother?" he had shouted at her, his face distorted in rage as she tried to reach out to him. "You're just a reminder of everything I hate about my life!"Yet still, she gave in . Deep down, there was still some love from her side of his body that seemed mutually less, but still true love between two souls. She had still not given up. Still catching for breath, "I'm not giving up on you," she could still stare at tear-stained mascara and tears, and hurt etched upon her face staring back from the
Morning sun spilled into the expansive dining room as Sabrina set the table for breakfast that took her hours to prepare. She had cooked all his favorites: scrambled eggs with chives, perfectly crispy bacon, and freshly squeezed orange juice. It was her silent way of showing Benedict she cared, despite the poison he threw her way every chance he got. She longed to bridge the distance separating them, compel him to look past his revulsion at her. Stepping back from the stove and the last plate, Benedict had entered the room; and certainly, his face showed no softer countenance for traversing it. He darted his look across the table; and then faced about and settled back in the chair with an irreverent huff of discontent. "This is all you had ready? " he snapped, pushing the plate aside as if it were insulting. "A good breakfast, and this is the best you could do?" Sabrina pulled up a small, tight smile. She clung to the side of the chair she leaned on to balance herself. "I — I prepared
Morning sun spilled into the expansive dining room as Sabrina set the table for breakfast that took her hours to prepare. She had cooked all his favorites: scrambled eggs with chives, perfectly crispy bacon, and freshly squeezed orange juice. It was her silent way of showing Benedict she cared, despite the poison he threw her way every chance he got. She longed to bridge the distance separating them, compel him to look past his revulsion at her. Stepping back from the stove and the last plate, Benedict had entered the room; and certainly, his face showed no softer countenance for traversing it. He darted his look across the table; and then faced about and settled back in the chair with an irreverent huff of discontent. "This is all you had ready? " he snapped, pushing the plate aside as if it were insulting. "A good breakfast, and this is the best you could do?" Sabrina pulled up a small, tight smile. She clung to the side of the chair she leaned on to balance herself. "I — I prepared
Sabrina jolted awake, her heart racing with a raucous laugh echoing down from downstairs. It was 1:00 AM by the clock on her nightstand, and something was creating an unsettling knot in her stomach. That kind of laughter made her skin crawl, an unsettling mix of joy and something darker. She crawled out of bed and rubbed her eyes for the sleep as she took steps one by one, with each one becoming a source of tension leading up to herself.Just as she was turning into the living room, that's when she first saw the sight. This tore apart whatever heart was still left for her. Benedict, her husband, lay sprawled across the sofa, surrounded by two beautiful women who laughed and leaned into him, their faces flushed from what Sabrina could only assume was alcohol. His laughter boomed out, and the warmth he had always kept for her was now being liberally dispensed upon these strangers."Benedict!" she shouted, working at keeping her voice even, though it shivered under the load of fear. "Wha
With newfound resolve, Sabrina brushed away her tears and took a moment to pull herself together. She could not let Benedict's words chip away at her self-esteem anymore. Deep inside, she knew she was better than just being a wife in a loveless marriage. She was a strong woman who could conquer any form of adversity.It made her blood boil as she walked back into the living room to find Benedict stretched out across the couch, laughing and flirting with the two women. She inhaled deep to let anger fuel her determination. "I deserve respect," she thought to herself, pounding in her chest."Benedict," she called, her voice strong and steady. He looked up, a flash of surprise crossing his face before it smoothed out into a smirk."What now, maid?" he returned dismissively, reclining himself, his arm loosely curved over Jenny's shoulder. "I thought you were on drink service."."I'm done being your maid," she said, moving forward on him, her heart pounding. "I'm not going to let you disres
The following morning, Sabrina woke up to a thumping vibration on the bed, by her bedside table-that of her phone. Her rubbing eyes went out looking for and retrieved it. What amazement she found seeing on the screen. 'Teresa Thompson', to whom she had talked once over the phone before entering into the company. For such important events, it required attending by all top rank officers of the firm Benedict owned."Hello, Teresa," Sabrina replied, trying to be as bright as possible, though the sting of last night still lingered in her head."Good morning, Sabrina! Hope I didn't wake you. I wanted to inform you that we are having a company event tomorrow evening at the Grand Ballroom. It's going to be a big deal, and we need everyone there—especially Benedict. It's important for the company image."Hope flared in Sabrina. "Of course, I'll remind him. He wouldn't want to miss it, would he?""He doesn't know how important this is," Teresa said vaguely. "He's been. distracted lately."Sabri
William spat out a bitter laugh. "Luck had nothing to do with it."The doctor hesitated. "You need rest. Pushing yourself—"William's glare cut him off. "I don't have time for rest."The physician huffed but nodded and left the room.William beside him, he placed a call on his phone.A mechanical voice answered. "Yes?"Harper in steel tones. "I want them all killed."There was a man in a suit beside him, tension in his shoulders. His voice even, controlled. "Understood. But. Your son, sir, is Nathaniel."William's fists were fists. Searing pain lightninged across his side, but he didn't care. He'd been shot once. He'd bled before. That wasn't paining him.Betrayal was.His own blood betrayed him.His own son.William's lips twisted into a sneer-grimace. "Not anymore."The man staggered. "Sir—"William's tone was icy. "I do not care how much it costs. I want them dead. All of them."There was silence. Then finally, a gentle, "Understood."The door closed with a crash.William took a sh
Nathaniel Harper stood in the dark of the hospital room, his fists clenched.The doctor had closed them into this small space, forcing them to confront each other in the intimate light of the bedside lamp.Years of their past hanging between them like a gauntlet.Damian spoke the first word softly."Trust you?" His voice was harsh, from pain and anger. "After all your family's done?"Nathaniel didn't blink. "I did not choose my name."Damian snorted with a bitter laugh. "No, but you damn well profited for years on it."Nathaniel's breath came harshly. "And now I'm suffering for defying it."Damian's glacial stare cut through him, searching for deceit.He was seeking to uncover a coward.A traitor.But what he did uncover instead?A man who'd lost everything.Nathaniel's voice lowered, a rough tone edging in. "William won't quit. You know that."Damian's jaw was locked. "Yeah. I know."Nathaniel paused, then moved closer. "Then let me help."Damian laughed. "Help? The last time I trust
There was an awe stricken silence that swept over the room.Sabrina's breathing, too, had ceased. "What?"Eliana's mouth was dry. "He planted the bomb at the convention. And when that didn't work, he tried to kill me. If not for Nathaniel and Damian." she broke off her voice,".I would not be alive."Benedict's expression turned cold. "That abomination."Saben wasn't swallowing it, however. He was cold with anger. "And we're doing this on his word? He's a Harper. His father attempted to kill you. And now we're going to accept his word that he defected from his father?"Nathaniel's voice cut across him, hard but controlled. "I'm not my father."Saben snarled, advancing as if to hit him. "You carry his name, don't you?"Before this was allowed to go further, a third individual appeared in the room.Tap of cane on marble floors.Wendy Taylor.Leslie Auburn, Sabrina's mother, behind her. The two women who managed the families entered the room, their white faces contorted with horror and a
His own son—his own blood and flesh—had betrayed him.The treachery blazed hotter than the fires receding in the horizon."Shut up, Nathaniel," William snarled, striking his fist into the metal belly of the airplane.Seated across from him was one of his most dependable men, Marcus Steele, wiping blood from his mangled lip. "Sir, we should rethink. The Thompson family is not going away. They have money, they have connections—William's glare was toxic. "I don't care what they've got." Dead, deadly tone. "Eliana Thompson stole everything from us. And now my own son has the decency to be standing with her?"He spun on his pilot. "Faster. We have to get out of the city before the authorities surround it."Marcus hesitated before continuing. "Sir… Nathaniel can still be of some use. Maybe we could—"William pulled Marcus by the collar, dragging him towards him, inches from Marcus's face, his breath smelling of rage. "Nathaniel is dead to me. Hear me? DEAD."Marcus gulped hard, wide-eyed,
The centuries' weight—of blood and greed and war—hung heavily in the air.William chuckled, spinning the glass of whiskey in his hands. "You think you're superior to me? Different?"He approached closer, his voice as icy as cold water. "You bear my blood. You can fight it all you can, but you'll never be anything else but my son."Nathaniel's jaw snapped shut. "Then I'll spend the remainder of eternity denying you."William's eyes blazed with something—disappointment? No, anger.He slapped the whiskey glass on the table, and it broke. The sound echoed through the big room. "Then you leave me no choice."Nathaniel stood up. "What do you mean?His father's face hardened, his own face hard and unyielding. "You want to be allied with the Thompsons? You can. But listen to this, Nathaniel… from this moment on, you are not my son."The words cut deeper than a knife.Nathaniel's breath was trapped, but he strained himself up. "Then that makes two of us."For the first time in his life, he did
The drive back to the Thompson estate was tense. Eliana was in the backseat, her thoughts racing with Nathaniel's threat."There's another attack coming. Tonight."Damian was beside her, his face a mask as he checked his gun twice. The atmosphere was tense, heavy.Eliana addressed him. "Do you think he meant it?"Damian didn't look up. "Does it matter?"She frowned. "Of course, it matters."."No, Eliana." He finally met her gaze, his tone tough but soft. "The thing is, we have to assume he's lying. Because if he is, and we don't act, people die."She didn't appreciate that he was right.Eliana breathed in, smoothing out her hair. "If his father is involved, he won't stop until he gets what he is after."Damian leaned into the seat. "Then we don't let him have his way."His determination made her heart pound.For once, she wasn't alone in having to cope with this.Benedict Thompson stood in the security room, watching the live feed of the grounds of the estate. His jaw was clenched as
Nathaniel Harper did not look back when he left his father. Each step he made felt heavier, as though the burden of his family's transgressions was finally coming to catch up with him.He had spent his entire life attempting to validate himself before William Harper. Attempting to meet the standards of a man who regarded emotions as frailty, ethics as folly, and strength as the only concept worthy of consideration.Benedict Thompson stood before the fireplace, his fists gripping behind his back. The instant he discovered about the altercation at the commercial convention, he instructed for heightened security on the estate.He wouldn't let them have another attack.Sabrina sat facing him, her face set. "Are you certain about this, Benedict? Provoking them could create a greater problem."Benedict took a hard breath. "And doing nothing will leave us target practice. I won't sit idly by for that to happen."Wendy Taylor, Eliana's great-grandmother, struck her cane on the floor. "He's co
Damian took position beside her, his presence unbending. His hand was resting uncomfortably close to his gun, and Eliana knew that if she even moved her finger, he'd kill this man dead.But she was not going to let William have the pleasure of watching her lose control.She smirked. “That’s funny, Mr. Harper. Because from where I’m standing, you’ve already lost.”A muscle clenched in William's jaw. "You really believe that, don't you Eliana?""I don't believe. I know Mr.Harper." Eliana crossed her arms, her tone icy. "Your son is losing hold of his own conscience. Your empire is disintegrating. And soon enough, everyone will see you for what you actually are—a desperate old man holding on to whatever power he can still command."The room hung in silence. Everyone stared.Nathaniel sighed beside his father. He wasn't with William, definitely. He wasn't going to get himself caught up in things, though.William smiled, low and threatening. "Always had a quick mind, Miss Thompson. Too bad
The following day,The grand ballroom of Tokyo International Business Convention hummed with marble floors. CEOs, industry leaders, and investors walked around the room, sipping champagne glasses and making high-stakes business deals. Golden lights of chandeliers reflected against shiny marble floors, with a power and richness.Eliana Thompson pushed through the throng, demanding the notice of all present. She dressed in simple but elegant black that complemented her toughness, but under the coarse exterior smoldered fire. She did not come to make deals—she came to fight.She was not looking for this meeting.Nathaniel Harper stood in the middle of the room, talking to foreign investors. Wearing a well-fitted blue suit, he showed careless charm, his trademark smirk etched on his face as he shook hands with foreign investors.Eliana's fists clenched. Her own heart thudded in her ears as she stepped between them.Nathaniel hardly had time to react when she strode up to him, eyes blazing