Chapter 0002

Natalie's POV,

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

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

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

"Frank, your wife—I mean, Natalie—bite me just now and pushed me away," Amelia held her arm and sobbed as she got up from the floor.

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

Tears welled up in my eyes as I watched them. It was Saturday evening, and Frank definitely didn't go to work on Saturdays and Sundays.

I sobbed, wanting to stop them, and I rushed outside just in time to see Frank getting into his car after he had helped Amelia close the door like the gentleman he pretended to be.

"Frank, where are you going?" I asked him as it was already after 8p.m. and getting late.

My soup was delicious, yet Frank accused me of making it bitter and claimed I’d poisoned it.

I sobbed and watched as Frank ordered the security man to open the gate. Soon, he drove out of our residence, going to God knows where with Amelia. What did I do wrong this time? I wondered as I continued to sob.

I went back into the house, knowing I couldn't follow them. Frank had three cars, while I didn't have any. He had never even carried me in any of his cars before, not to mention opening a 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 went to sit down there and eat it, as I didn’t want the food to go to waste. I finished up my own meal that Frank had wanted Amelia to eat and then went to put his meal in the microwave to warm it so it wouldn't spoil.

I kept the soup in a small pot and covered it as I left the kitchen to tidy up the dining room.

Once I was finished cleaning up the dining table, I wiped my tears away, locked the door, and waited for Frank to return.

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Franklin Howard...

Being married to that local woman was the worst day of my life. I couldn't believe she would drug me. The day her father was hosting one of his successful business parties and invited my father and some other partners to celebrate at his home was when I saw Natalie. She looked so innocent that I couldn't have imagined that what was on her mind was to drug me.

While everyone was enjoying themselves in the party hall—essentially the living room, where the Jacksons mostly welcomed their guests—I had followed Natalie to get to know her that evening. My parents were busy chatting with other families that attended the event, so I excused myself to follow Natalie.

I had seen her before, and I knew she was also a daughter of Mr. Liam Jackson. Everyone knew the story of how Natalie came 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 too stubborn and survived after nine months.

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

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

She was more beautiful than Amelia back then, and I did admire her and wanted to know her better. What irritated me was that Natalie had actually drugged my drink, looking for a hookup that night, just like her mother.

She knew that most of the families attending her father's party were rich, so I was the scapegoat and accepted her drink.

That was when I awoke and found myself in bed with her. 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 upstairs looking for us that they burst open her room door and caught us together on the bed.

"Natalie! Franklin!" Our parents shouted, and to cover up our shame, they concluded that Natalie and I must get married. The evidence of our indiscretion was clear, given the sheets had stains indicating I had slept with her.

I was angry and didn't want to believe that Natalie was a cheap woman. I didn't want to marry her, but my father refused to let me sabotage his friendship with the Jacksons. He insisted it was only right for me to marry Natalie and pretend that we had been having an affair, which wasn't true.

I couldn't remember how it happened, and I didn't want to sleep with her after our marriage. Thankfully, Natalie didn't conceive that night, and I planned to divorce her now so I could move on and maybe marry her sister.

Amelia had class, and she was a graduate who spoke fluently, while Natalie was an embarrassment in her own right.

Whenever my best friend Michael visited me, I felt embarrassed when he saw my wife.

I can't take Natalie to any events, and I'm seriously considering divorcing her. As a billionaire CEO of H.W Global, I think it'd be best to file for divorce immediately and marry a woman who meets my standards.

If you ask me what I like about Natalie, I honestly can't say there’s anything. She no longer seems beautiful to me. She's only good at cooking, and I can easily find a replacement for that.

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

"I hope your arm isn't hurting too much," I asked Amelia as she claimed Natalie had hurt her just when I went indoors to change my clothes.

"No, it's okay now," Amelia smiled, and I nodded. "Okay," I replied as it was already getting late, driving my car into one of the posh restaurants around.

"We're here. Let's grab a bite," I told Amelia with a smile on my face, and she smiled back at me. Her face had minimal makeup, which 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 the two of us.

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

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

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

"Okay, Dad. I love you too, take care," Amelia concluded the call, and without me asking her, she said, "My dad wanted to know who I was out with. You know that I don't have any boyfriend or lover."

"Oh, that's nice," I said.

As I wanted 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’ll call you back, or I'll be home on time," she told him before ending the call.

The same happened with her two other brothers; they called to check up on her. But since I got married to Natalie, no one ever called to check on her either.

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

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

"That's fine," I replied and ordered a simple meal, a plate of chicken pepper soup, as I didn’t want to waste much time so we could get 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 be together," Amelia said, looking into my deep blue eyes with her blue eyes that shimmered in the dim light of the restaurant.