Billionaire's Broken Trust

NATALIE.

Saturday evening.

I had just finished cooking dinner in the kitchen and stepped out into the dining room to serve it. However, when I got there, I saw that 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 the most was the way he got along with her so easily.

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

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

My mother had been a mistress to my father, and because I was the unwanted child, my family never liked me.

I had three older brothers — James, Asher, and Felix — and all of them doted on Amelia.

Amelia and I were age mates, but she was a month older than me, which made her my elder sister.

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

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

It was a bloody mistake that led to Franklin and I’s marriage. A mistake I should never have accepted.

––

Three years ago.

My father and Franklin’s father were best friends. My father had 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 was the one who set us up, but no one believed me. Even Franklin didn’t believe me. He thought I was the one who drugged him and lured him into my room so he would sleep with me.

Our parents forced us to marry to hide the embarrassment, as Franklin’s family was also disappointed.

Everyone knew I'm my father's illegitimate daughter, and they would have wondered why he kept me instead of kicking me out and allowing Amelia to marry Franklin.

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

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

I was 22 years old then — naive, and caught with Franklin 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 didn’t sleep with each other, and I didn’t conceive either, even though it had been my first time.

We lived like neighbours who hated each other, and now that Amelia had graduated, Franklin wanted to divorce me so he could marry her.

How shameless could a sister be, wanting to date her younger sister’s husband?

Amelia was shameless. Franklin was five years older than me. I was 25 now, and he was 30.

––

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

His skin glittered like the sun, and I could see the way Amelia was ogling over him.

Franklin was tall. His arms were big, and so were his thighs. I didn’t even reach his chest. To tell the truth, I was short. Though, I had an hourglass shape. Franklin did not find me attractive in any way.

“How was your studies, Amy?” Franklin ask Amelia. He had switched from calling her Amelia to Amy, her nickname.

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 had no maid in the house, simply because Franklin had mandated that I would not be going to work since I did not have any meaningful certificate.

As my parent's illegitimate child, I did not further my education and I was forced by my stepmother to learn tailoring, while Amelia went to university and graduated as a certified accountant.

I wasn’t even allowed to sew. Franklin said it was a useless profession and that becoming a fashion designer was pointless.

Franklin called me ugly and said I was not fashionable. He did not like taking me out to hang out with his friends. Neither did he give me money for upkeep.

I only managed to get money for myself when he gave me money to restock the house with foodstuffs. Only then could I save something for my personal use.

“It was fine, Frankie,” Amelia replied as she 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, like he never wanted to see me.

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

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

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

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

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

Firstly, I had not invited Amelia to my home. Neither would I serve her any food. She should go back to our father’s house and find her own husband to call pet names with.

Franklin immediately rose from the couch and dashed toward me.

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

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

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

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

“Why? Did I not give you the money you used to prepare the meal? Did you work for the money? Move away and get me a bowl of water to wash my hands, and do not think that I will apologize to you because of the slap. Come, Amy, do not mind your sister. That’s how silly she behaves,” Franklin called out to Amelia.

I watched as she seductively stood up from the black couch in her brown dress that made her look like a model. The 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 knew Amelia was my sister, and I wasn’t supposed to be jealous. But Franklin had never served me any food before, not to mention food I had cooked myself.

Franklin also noticed that I had not served any bowl of water, so he went into the kitchen by himself and brought a bowl of water for Amelia to wash her hands.

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

“Franklin!” I shouted and walked toward the plate of soup I had served out for myself, since that was the portion Franklin had served Amelia as her own plate of soup to eat.

“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 end up going out of our matrimonial home to eat.

“Franklin!” I tried to stop him, and he warned me.

“Stay away from me, Natalie. Just go and eat your food since you don’t want your sister and I to eat it. Who knows if you have 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 had different bedrooms.

I looked back at Amelia and shouted, “You shameless slut, aren’t you ashamed to be dating your sister’s husband? As beautiful as you are, you cannot use your beauty to look for your own husband!” I cussed at her, and she hissed.

“Get out of my house!” I felt enraged, and I remembered that Amelia and her brothers had never liked me. They mostly maltreated me, and while I had thought that getting married would give me my own happiness and family, this same family that did not want my happiness would not let me be.

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