CHAPTER 2

**Natalie Jackson:**

"Ah!" Amelia cried out like the doll that she was, and Frank rushed up to meet us.

"What did you do to her?" he growled at me as he gently helped Amelia up.

I hadn't even pushed her with force; I had only wanted to drag her out. And because she saw Frank rushing downstairs to meet us, she faked injury.

"Frank, your wife—I mean, Natalie—bit me just now and pushed me away," Amelia said, holding her arm and sobbing as she got up from the floor.

Frank looked at me angrily and spat, "I cannot believe that you would do this to your only sister. You aren't even the legitimate daughter of Mr. Liam, and yet you cannot treat your sister right. Come on, Amy, let’s go out to eat and leave her to eat her food alone."

Tears welled up in my eyes as I stood watching them. It was Saturday, and Frank definitely didn’t go to work on Saturdays or Sundays.

I sobbed, wanting to stop them, and I went outside just in time to see Frank getting into his car after he had helped Amelia close the door—like the gentleman he never was.

"Frank, where are you going?" I asked him as it was already after 7 p.m. and getting late.

My soup was delicious, yet Frank accused me of making it bitter and perhaps even poisoning it.

I sobbed and watched as Frank ordered the security guard to open the gate. Soon, he drove out of our residence—God knows where—with Amelia.

What did I do wrong now? I wondered as I sobbed.

I went back into the house since I couldn’t follow them. Frank had three cars, while I didn’t have any. He had never even offered to drive me in any of his cars before, let alone open the car door for me like a gentleman.

As I returned to the house, I looked at the dining table and the tray of food.

I decided to sit down and eat, as I didn’t want the food to go to waste. I finished my meal, which Frank had intended for Amelia, and I put Frank’s meal in the microwave to warm it so it wouldn't spoil.

I stored the soup in a small pot and covered it before leaving the kitchen and heading back to the dining room to tidy up.

Once I finished cleaning the table, I wiped my eyes, locked the door, and waited for Frank to return.

---

**Franklin Howard:**

Being married to that local woman was the worst day of my life. I couldn’t believe that she would drug me. It all happened on the day her father was hosting a party to celebrate one of his successful deals, where he had invited my father and some other partners.

That was when I first laid eyes on Natalie. She looked so innocent that I would never have imagined she had drugging me on her mind.

While everyone was enjoying themselves in the party hall, which was the living room where the Jacksons most often welcomed their guests, I had gone ahead to follow Natalie and get to know her. My parents were busy chatting with other families at the event, so I excused myself to follow Natalie.

I had seen her before and knew she was also a daughter of Mr. Liam. Everyone knew the story of how Natalie had come about.

Her mother was a prostitute who wasn’t ready to raise a child, and the rumors had it that her mother had tried to abort her, but Natalie was just stubborn and came out after nine months.

I wanted to speak with her that night to know what kind of person she was.

She was short, with a cute round face and sparkling brown eyes.

She was more beautiful than Amelia then, and I admired her and wanted to get to know her. What irritated me was that Natalie had actually drugged her wine, looking for a hookup that night, just like her mother.

She knew that most of the families who attended her father's party were wealthy, so I was the scapegoat and accepted to drink from her wine.

That was when I awoke and found myself in her bed. We were both naked, and I didn’t know how many hours I had spent in the room with her.

It was when her family came looking for us that they pushed open her room door and caught us together on the bed.

"Natalie! Franklin!" My parents and hers shouted. To cover up our shame, they concluded that Natalie and I must marry, and indeed her sheets had stains, meaning I had slept with her.

I was angry, not wanting to believe Natalie was a cheap woman. I didn’t want to marry her, but my father refused and said I wouldn’t sabotage his friendship with the Jacksons. It was only right that I marry Natalie and pretend that we had been having an affair, which wasn’t the truth.

I couldn’t remember how we slept together, and I didn’t want to sleep with her after we got married. Luckily, Natalie didn’t conceive that night, and now I am planning on divorcing her as I want to be with her sister.

Amelia has class; she's a graduate who speaks fluently, while Natalie is an embarrassment in her own right.

Every time my best friend Michael Austin visits me, I feel embarrassed each time he sees my wife.

I cannot take Natalie to any events with me, and I’m thinking of divorcing her. As a billionaire CEO of H.W. Global, I think it’s best I file for divorce immediately and marry a woman who is of my standard.

If you ask me what I like about Natalie? I don’t think I like anything about her, as she’s no longer beautiful to me. She is only good at cooking, and I will find a replacement for that.

I drove my car to a fancy restaurant, and while I hate to eat out, I had to excuse myself from Natalie to get to know Amelia better.

"I hope your arm isn’t hurting too badly?" I asked Amelia as she claimed Natalie hurt her just when I went indoors to change my clothes.

"No, it’s okay now," Amelia smiled, and I nodded. 

"Okay," I smiled back, as it was already getting late, and I drove my car into one of the pricey restaurants around.

"We are here. Let's grab a bite," I told Amelia with a smile, and she smiled back at me. Her face had minimal makeup, which was something I liked about her.

Not too much makeup, yet she was beautiful.

I got out of my car and took Amelia by the hand as I escorted her into the restaurant. We went to the private section, where I sat down and ordered something nice for both of us.

Amelia smiled as her phone rang just as she settled into her chair across from me.

"Hello, Father," she said while I waved to the waiter to come serve us something nice.

"Yes, I want to see Frank and Natalie. They're fine, Dad. Don’t worry; I will be home on time. You don’t have to worry about me," Amelia said, speaking to her father while smiling flirtatiously at me.

"Okay, Dad. I love you too. Take care," Amelia ended the call, and without me asking her, she said, "My dad wanted to know who I went out to see. You know that I don’t have any boyfriend or lover."

"Oh, that’s nice," I said.

As I was about to ask her what she would like to eat, her phone rang again. She answered the call, "Hey, Felix."

"Yeah, I went out with Frank. I will call you back, or I will be home on time," she told him and soon ended the call.

The same went for her two other brothers. They called to check on her, but since I married Natalie, no one usually checks on her either.

"So what would you like for dinner?" I asked Amelia as she blinked her eyelashes and bit her lower pink lip.

"Anything; you choose, Frank," she said, and I smiled at her.

"That’s fine," I said and chose a simple meal, a plate of chicken pepper soup, as I didn’t want us to waste much time so we could head back home.

"So tell me, Frank, how have you been coping with my ugly sister? I knew that if Natalie hadn’t set you up, you and I were supposed to become a pair," Amelia said as our eyes met, her blue shining eyes shimmering in the dimly lit restaurant.