Billionaire's Broken Trust

NATALIE:

On Saturday evening, I finished cooking dinner in the kitchen and stepped out to the dining room to serve it. However, I saw my half-sister, Amelia Jackson, had arrived.

I watched my husband, Franklin Howard, laughing so hard with my sister in the living room.

What pained me most was seeing how well he got along with her.

Franklin had never laughed like this with me before, and here he was, laughing happily with my older sister in the living room.

Amelia Jackson was my half-sister. We have the same father but different mothers.

My mother was my father’s mistress, and because I was the unwanted child, my family didn’t like me.

I had three older brothers—James, Asher, and Felix—all doting on Amelia.

Amelia and I were the same age, but she was only a month older than me, so that made her my elder sister.

We were both fair in complexion, but while she was tall, I was short and chubby.

Franklin is a billionaire in this part of the city where we live, and he never liked me, his wife.

Our marriage was all a mistake—one I shouldn’t have accepted.

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Three years ago. My father and Franklin’s father were best friends. My father hosted a business party at home and invited many tycoons.

One thing led to another, and Franklin and I were caught in my room.

I knew Amelia had set us up, but no one believed me. Even Frank didn’t believe me. He thought I had drugged him and lured him to my room so he would sleep with me.

We were forced to become a couple to hide the embarrassment, as Franklin’s family was also disappointed.

Everyone knew I was my father’s illegitimate daughter, and they wondered why he had kept me instead of kicking me out and allowing Amelia to marry Franklin.

After my wedding to Franklin, I discovered that Amelia had a hidden crush on him. She regretted drugging my drink—because that was what I had served Franklin when he came to speak to me that eventful night.

Many guests had brought their adult children, but none of them came to speak to me.

I was twenty-two then. Naïve. When Franklin and I were caught in a compromising position on the bed, we got married, while Amelia wept that Franklin was supposed to be her husband.

Franklin didn’t like me. After that night, we never slept together, and I didn’t conceive, even though it was my first time.

We lived like neighbors who hated each other. Now that Amelia had graduated, Franklin wanted to divorce me to marry her.

How shameless of a sister to want to date her younger sister’s husband!

Amelia is so shameless. Franklin is five years older than me. Since I’m twenty-five now, he’s thirty.

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I watched Franklin wearing a white singlet that revealed his masculine abs—he loved to gym. He was fair in complexion, more handsome than any other man I had seen.

His skin glittered like the sun, and I saw how Amelia ogled over him.

Franklin is very tall. His arms are big, and so are his thighs. I don’t even reach his chest—to tell you, I’m a shorty. Although I have an hourglass shape, Franklin doesn’t find me attractive in any way.

“How were your studies, Amy?” I heard Franklin ask Amelia. He had switched from calling her Amelia to Amy as her abbreviated name.

Amelia blushed as she picked up the glass cup of red wine that Franklin had refilled, while I sat at the dining table setting up our dinner.

We have no maid at home, simply because Franklin mandated that I wouldn’t go to work since I don’t have any meaningful certificate.

As the illegitimate child of my parents, I didn’t further my education. My stepmother forced me to learn tailoring while Amelia went to university and became a certified accountant.

I wasn’t even allowed to sew, because Franklin felt it was a useless profession—becoming a fashion designer.

Franklin calls me ugly and says I’m not fashionable. He doesn’t like to take me out to hang out with his friends, nor does he give me money for upkeep.

I only manage to get money for my personal use when he gives me money to restock the house with foodstuffs. Only then can I save a little for myself.

“It was fine, Frankie,” Amelia replied.

I hated how Amelia and my husband called each other pet names.

This was my matrimonial home, and Franklin only called me, “Natalie!”

In short, he shouted my name with so much rage, as if he didn’t want to see me.

“Natalie! Is the dinner ready?” Franklin asked me, just as he settled across from Amelia on the next black couch in our exquisite living room.

I had finished preparing the delicious African delicacy of pounded yam and vegetable soup.

I looked at the food I had prepared, then at my husband and my half-sister.

“Natalie! I’m talking to you!” Franklin shouted at me again.

“Hmm, no food for you both,” I replied and covered the food I had already served.

First of all, I didn’t invite Amelia to my home. Neither would I serve her any food. She should get out and return to our father’s house and find her own husband to call pet names with.

Franklin immediately rose from the couch and dashed up to me.

“Where are you taking that tray of food? Have you lost your mind?” Franklin slapped me as he approached and took the tray from my hand.

I looked at him irritably, and at Amelia, who smiled and rolled her eyes. I knew her target—she wanted to take my husband.

Amelia had sent me a text message the previous month, telling me she was coming back to take everything she claimed I had stolen from her, including my husband.

“Franklin, you slapped me because of what? I cooked this food, and you cannot eat it,” I said.

“Why? Didn’t I give you the money you used to prepare the meal? Did you work for that money? Move away and get me a bowl of water to wash my hands. And don’t think I will apologize to you for that slap. Come, Amy, don’t mind your sister. That’s how silly she behaves,” Franklin called out to Amelia, and I watched as she seductively rose from the couch in her brown dress that made her look like a model. The brown dress accentuated her hips and bosom.

Amelia walked up to the dining table, and I stood there watching as Franklin served her the delicious plate of pounded yam and vegetable soup that I had suffered to cook.

I know Amelia is my sister, and I shouldn’t be jealous. But Franklin has never served me any food before, not to mention the one I cooked myself.

Franklin also noticed that I hadn’t served any bowl of water, so he went to the kitchen himself and brought a bowl for Amelia to wash her hands.

Franklin sat across from Amelia, and she blushed, not caring to ask me to join them in eating.

“Franklin!” I shouted and walked toward the plate of soup I had served for myself—the same portion that Franklin had given to Amelia as her own.

“What’s wrong with you, Natalie? Should we leave this food for you to eat? Come, Amy, let’s go out to get something more palatable to eat,” Franklin said, standing up from the dining table.

I hated it whenever I suffered to cook and my husband would have to go out of our matrimonial home to eat.

“Franklin!” I tried to stop him, and he warned, “Stay away from me, Natalie. Just go and eat your food since you don’t want your sister and me to eat it. Who knows if you poisoned it.”

“What?” I frowned, as Franklin's words broke my heart. He quickly took the stairs in our living room and dashed upstairs to his bedroom.

Yes, Franklin and I have separate bedrooms. I looked back at Amelia and shouted at her, “You shameless slut! Aren’t you ashamed to be dating your sister’s husband? As beautiful as you are, can’t you use your beauty to find your own husband?” I cussed at her, and she hissed.

“Get out of my house!” I felt enraged, remembering that Amelia and her brothers never liked me. They mostly mistreated me, and I had thought that by getting married, I would have my own happiness and family. Yet this very same family, which doesn’t want my happiness, wouldn’t let me be.

As I rushed to push Amelia out of our house, she fell down and pretended to be hurt.