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Chapter Forty-Seven
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Behind Closed Doors Chapter One
“Mum, I got the job!” Astrid yelled, going over the email notification on her laptop with a swirl disbelief and happiness.“What job? Did you apply for a job?” Rose, her mother, questioned absent-mindedly as she stirred the vegetable salad she was preparing for dinner.Astrid sighed in exasperation. “I’ve been telling you about this for weeks. Have you not paid any attention? Anyway, I’ll be leaving for work in two days.” Astrid announced, waiting for the happy look on her mother’s face.“Really?!” Rose's face brightened up in response. “My dear daughter, I’m very proud of you! Just wait until I tell your father the good news.”“You're not going to ask me who I’m working for and where?” Astrid raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised that her mother was not as curious as usual, that evening.“Oh, right. Who exactly is your boss? Do I know him or her?” Rose inquired, placing a large turkey in the middle of their dining table, making sure it was strictly placed exactly at the middle of the tab
Behind Closed Doors Chapter Two
Astrid still couldn’t move from where she stood. “Good evening, sir!” The bodyguards greeted, standing upright. The man dismissed them with a wave of his hand. They left without the slightest bit of hesitation.Astrid finally snapped out of her daze, but not fully enough to take her eyes off him. Her breath caught in her throat as she was about to talk, making her cough dryly. “Is anything the matter?” Darius asked, frowning. He never liked delay or awkwardness, and that was just what the lady in front of him was serving to him. “N-no. Good evening.” Astrid stuttered, not knowing what to say. Her knees almost gave, but she managed to maintain her balance. Darius scanned her with a raised eyebrow and frowned even deeper, making Astrid’s heart beat faster. He did not approve of her demeanour, she could tell.She started to suspect that her appearance had something to do with it too. He had never seen her in person, anyway. She had only sent about two pictures of herself, and those were
Behind Closed Doors Chapter Three
Astrid stared at the dangerously ethereal man sitting in front of her in horror. He had made her more speechless in just mere minutes than anyone else in her entire life. “What is it?” Darius asked, his patience starting to wane. He didn’t like it when people stared at him like he had done something abominable. He hadn’t done something to her to warrant the look, in his opinion.“Y-you want to use me?” Her voice came out as a squeak as she bent over to pick up the spoon that had fallen out of her hand. "Yes." Darius answered simply, without an attempt at rephrasing his words. “You see, lots of people have their opinions about me. I wouldn’t say they’re all good, especially regarding my encounter with my female workers—” “Excuse me.” Astrid had had enough. She didn’t like where the discussion was headed. In fact, she had been there to show her mother that Darius was not as bad as people said he was. She was wrong. Even on her first day in his house, he was bringing up something like
Behind Closed Doors Chapter Four
The next morning, Astrid woke up feeling refreshed. She took a good look at the room. The ceiling, instead of being completely white—like most ceilings—was made of glass. It had an illusion made to look like the sea, with large and small different, colourful fishes. The floor was similar to the ceiling. Anywhere her feet touched would shimmer under her, making her feel like an otherworldly creature. The walls were made to look marbled with black and white colours. There was a sixty-inch television mounted above a small fireplace, right opposite the queen-size bed. On the left side of the bed was a balcony that could fit thirty people and gave a good view of the countryside. Why have such a large balcony? She wondered. There was a knock on the door, followed by Thelma’s soft voice. “Miss Astrid, are you awake?” “Yes, come in!” Astrid answered. The door opened, revealing Thelma, Mary and Darius. Astrid fumbled with her wor
Behind Closed Doors Chapter Five
Astrid stiffened as she sat. She didn’t know which one to react to first—the chaste kiss, which set her heart on fire, or the fact that Darius would propose to her earlier than planned. “I don’t get it. You said you would propose when we go out for dinner.” She finally chose which one to talk about. “I know. But after this banquet, I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere else, so let’s get this over with right here.” He gave her a smile. Through the smile, she found out that he had this planned. There was no way he would propose here if he didn't want to. She narrowed her eyes at him. Their food was served at once, filling the table with colourful dishes of seafood, spaghetti, rice, all kinds of salad, and five bottles of wine and champagne. Astrid didn’t get to eat breakfast at the house, so she ate little portions of almost everything on the table. She just drank water, since she was a lightweight with alcohol. She watched different people talk, make t
Behind Closed Doors Chapter Six
By three o’clock that afternoon, Thelma had announced to Astrid that Darius wanted to have lunch with her. Her heart raced fast in her chest as she put on a silk flower-print dress, reaching the middle of her thighs. “I see you’ve started to have your meal.” She said as she was led to the garden at the back of the house. She saw an array of different flowers, even the ones she never thought she could see in real life. Butterflies hovered above them in different colours, along with birds. It gave the place a serene feel. She sat on the picnic bench, beside him. He said nothing as he downed his orange juice. “Why are we having lunch together? It's not really necessary.” She mumbled. “Let’s just go by my rules.” He responded. “I have rules that you need to follow, too.” She turned to look at him. “Oh,” he seemed taken aback by her statement. “And what rules are those?” He asked, suddenly interested. “I should be allowed do whatever I want
Behind Closed Doors Chapter Seven
Astrid couldn’t make it for dinner later that night. Her monthly period would soon visit, so she had early cramps to show for it. Thelma had made herbal tea to help ease the pain. . Darius ate downstairs, worried. Astrid had not told him why she was in so much pain. He just knew her stomach ached, and that she could barely eat. He was considering going to bed early when his phone rang. “What do you want?” He spoke into the phone immediately he picked it up. “You know what I want.” A young woman's voice spoke slowly and seductively to him. “I really don't have time for this right now, Selene.” He sighed tiredly. “Why didn't you tell me you had a woman in your life that you were serious about? What’s so special about this particular woman?” Her voice held anger, this time. “Is that what this is about?” He asked. “Of course, it is! You have no idea how ridiculous I feel right now. If you had marriage in mind all along, why
Behind Closed Doors Chapter Eight
Darius was frozen in place, too deep in his own thoughts to see that Selene had opened the door. At least, she was smart enough to not open it fully and expose her naked body. “Hi, who are you?” Selene asked, acting like she didn't know who Astrid was. “Have you seen Darius around? I need to speak with him.” Astrid said, playing calm. A little too calm for someone who found another woman in her fiancé's room. What could she do, really? Her stomach still had a mild ache. Besides, why would she want to start a random fight over a man? “I think he went out.” Selene lied smoothly. There was silence as the two women stared at each other for a long time. “I'm sorry, do I... know you?” Selene frowned, exerting a form of dominance to intimidate Astrid. “I don't think we've met. Do you work here?” Astrid asked, having every idea how insulted it would make Selene feel. She was no idiot to know that Selene was having an intimate relationship with Darius.
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Behind Closed Doors Chapter Forty-Seven
“Darius…” Astrid’s voice was shaky, coming out in broken bits.“Astrid, I’m not accusing you,” he pointed out.“But you asked me. There’s a part of you that believes I did this.”“Not at all, Astrid. I want you to clear any room for doubts before I even think of having them. Please, answer the question,” he pleaded.“I have nothing to do with it! You should know I would never think of doing such a thing, Darius. How could there be space for doubt? It’s terrible that we should be talking about this, Darius!” Astrid shook her head, covering her face with her hand.Darius did not say anything for a long while after that. His mind was spiralling. Yes, he had not liked the fact that Selene had taken advantage of him and had gotten pregnant in the process. Yes, he would change the outcome if he was given the chance, but he couldn’t.Because he could not change what had happened, he had decided that he would love and support his child no matter what. He would be there in ways he had re
Behind Closed Doors Chapter Forty-Six
Astrid had gone into a frozen state as Selene cried out in pain mingled with terror, the blood trailing down her legs in bursts of extremely dark red clots.“Help me, Astrid! Please! My baby!” Selene’s voice, perhaps because this time it was directed at Astrid, brought Astrid out of her shocked state as she rushed down to get help from the security guards stationed outside.“We need help in getting to the hospital, now!” she screamed as she got out of the house, the men clad in black clothing rushing in to follow her into Selene’s room, where she was sluggishly attempting to get up through the mess that was her blood.With a little bit of hesitation and fear, the security officials managed to carry Selene down and into one of the cars. Astrid instructed Laila, the babysitter, to help look after Dahlia until she returned.Joining Selene in the car as they rushed over to the hospital, Astrid made attempts to relieve Selene as she dialled Darius’ number. Tears were streaming down her
Behind Closed Doors Chapter Forty-Five
Weeks passed by too quickly for Astrid to grasp. She maintained a steady communication with her parents back in London. As the days passed, she was slowly starting to accept that she could run away from her feelings all she wanted, but she would always circle back to Darius Titan. Even at that, she could not brush Selene aside. It was almost impossible to cut her out of the picture, especially now that she was getting more noticeable in the picture with how fast her stomach was starting to show bumps. Astrid knew for a fact that even if she made an attempt at shoving Selene out of the window and dusting her hands at the act, she would only be able to do it in the back of her mind. The bigger Selene’s stomach grew, the more time she weaned out of Darius to spend time with her. Darius, not willing to miss the chance to be the partner of a pregnant woman – like he had done with Astrid – would not pass up on the offer. Watching the slightest bit of affection Darius showed to the bump S
Behind Closed Doors Chapter Forty-Four
“Whatever you think this is, it’s not. Let me explain,” Joaquin stood up, masking his surprise at Astrid’s presence. He had not expected her to take a threat at Darius’ and Dahlia’s life so lightly. What he had miscalculated was the odds of Astrid calling Darius to ask if everything was okay.“You’re the father of Selene’s child. Y-you were in on it this whole time, Joaquin. Darius is your friend, for Christ’s sake!” Astrid was trying as hard as physically possible to stop herself from raising her voice, but it wasn’t working enough as heads turned in their direction and recognition started to brighten some people’s faces at the presence of Darius the infamous’ ex-fiancée.Astrid, noticing the not-so-subtle flashes of cameras in their direction, looked back at Joaquin. “Outside, now. We need to talk about this before I lose my mind and get Darius to come down here.”Astrid walked out of the restaurant, waiting for Joaquin. She didn’t have much to discuss with Selene. Not now, at le
Behind Closed Doors Chapter Forty-Three
“Are you all right? You look like you’ve been chased by an armed killer.” Astrid almost jumped at Darius’ voice from behind her that night. She was too ingrained in her thoughts and theories surrounding the note she had found with Selene to notice anything.“Oh, I’m fine. Just a little tired is all.” She shot him an assuring smile, trying hard to convince herself even more than she was trying to convince him.“Will you at least talk to me if you feel like talking about it?” Astrid was on the verge of breaking down at the weight of it all. It was painfully obvious that Darius was trying to be who he wasn’t the first time she was with him, but she didn’t want him to go back into his cold shell.What was it that she could possibly say? That after being taken advantage of, the child didn’t belong to him? Even if she decided to give Darius a second chance, he was still unpredictable. He could turn around and call her a liar, for all she knew. And she would understand, because she had no
Behind Closed Doors Chapter Forty-Two
“Is something wrong?” Astrid asked, my brows furrowed in a worried frown at how angry Cassia looked. Cassia headed for the bed and placed the branded Tiffany and Co. bag on the bedside table as she sat beside Astrid. “Tell me why I decided to come say hi and give you and Dahlia a little present, and the first person I see in this house is Selene.” “Oh,” Astrid said in realization as she chuckled mirthlessly. “Well, that happened. She got kicked out, or so she said. She doesn’t even want him to find her a new apartment. I guess she lives here now.” “And you’re just going to sit here and take it?” She threw her a questioning stare as Astrid shrugged, an attempt at nonchalance. Cassia turned to fully face Astrid, studying her face. Every line and every facial expression in that moment, she was determined to catch. She wanted to know what was keeping Astrid from opening her arms to Darius, for one last chance. “Do you really not care anymore, Astrid? I need you to be completely honest
Behind Closed Doors Chapter Forty-One
The first thing Astrid heard as she got to the front door of the house was the last thing Selene said.She was moving in.Astrid was torn between throwing a fit over it and accepting her fate. She knew she had to come to terms with the fact that she was never the only woman in Darius’ life, not even now when he wanted to try.“What do you mean you were evicted?” Darius broke the thick silence after he dismissed his security officials. “I made a transfer of your rent to your bank account just weeks ago. We agreed on that.”“Well, unfortunate circumstances came up. I was at the hospital for a while and I had to pay the bills with it.” Selene shrugged with an air of indifference.Astrid did not want to hear the rest of it, but she didn’t know how to leave. She couldn’t just turn on her heels and walk away like she didn’t care, because she did. She cared a lot. She wanted to know what Darius would do about it.“Are you going to let me in? It’s freezing out here. Have some sympathy.”
Behind Closed Doors Chapter Forty
Breakfast went by smoothly and Joaquin had left the house for work. For the rest of the morning, Astrid and Darius stayed out of each other’s way, awkwardness brushing through whenever they met.Astrid paced around in her room, wondering how to break the news to Darius. The last thing she wanted was for complications to arise from a conversation she thought to be simple. Things had changed. Darius had changed. She didn’t know what to expect from him as a reaction.After a long while of keeping her thoughts to herself and getting sick of it, she decided to find Darius and have a talk with him. She found him seated in the movie room. She had barely been there, if she had been there at all.He sat, fully concentrated on the show on the television. She was sure he hadn’t heard her enter the room.She sat beside him on the dark sofa which formed a semicircle facing the television. Darius turned to her and gave her a warm smile. “Is Dahlia asleep?”“Yeah.” Astrid nodded.“Do you want
Behind Closed Doors Chapter Thirty-Nine
Astrid knew trying to get Dahlia out of Darius’ hands would trigger both of them waking up at the same time, and there was only so much she could handle, so she decided to have a few minutes – possibly hours – to herself.She found herself joining the staff in the kitchen to make breakfast, pretending not to hear when any one of them told her not to worry about it.“Good morning, sir!” Her back stiffened as they all chorused loudly in unison just mere minutes after she walked around, finding something to busy herself with.She turned around and found Darius at the entrance to the kitchen, holding Dahlia who was still asleep.Darius nodded at the staff, never taking his eyes off Astrid, whose throat was in knots. She kept swallowing, even when there was nothing in her mouth to swallow.“Good morning,” she greeted, her voice cool and relaxed in its early morning state.“Good morning,” Darius replied as the staff went back to work, each one of them visibly nervous with Darius’ pres
