Chapter 002

Natalie Jackson:

"Ah!" Amelia cried out, pretending to be hurt, and Frank rushed 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 only wanted to drag her out. And because she saw Frank rushing downstairs to meet us, she faked her 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 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 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 and Sundays.

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

"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 claimed I had poisoned it.

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

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

I went back into the house, knowing I couldn’t follow them. Frank has three cars, while I don’t have any. He has never even taken me in any of his cars before, let alone opened 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 the meal that Frank had wanted Amelia to eat, then I put Frank’s meal in the microwave to warm it so it wouldn’t spoil.

I stored the soup in a small pot, covered it, and left the kitchen to go back to the dining room to tidy up.

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

~~~

Franklin Howard:

Being married to that woman was the worst day of my life. I couldn’t believe she would drug me. On the day her father was hosting one of his successful deal parties and invited my father and some partners to celebrate at his home, that was when I first laid eyes on Natalie. She looked so innocent that I wouldn’t have imagined she was planning to drug me.

While everyone was enjoying themselves in the party hall—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 at the event, so I excused myself and followed her.

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

Her mother was a harlot who wasn’t ready to raise a child, and the rumors said her mother had tried to abort her, but Natalie was just stubborn and was born after nine months.

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

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

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

She knew most of the families that attended her father’s party were wealthy, so I was the scapegoat, and I accepted the drink she offered.

That was when I awoke to find myself in bed with her. I didn’t know how many hours I had spent with her in that room.

When our families came looking for us, they pushed open her bedroom door and caught us together in bed.

"Natalie! Franklin!" our parents shouted, and to cover up our shame, they concluded that Natalie and I must get married. 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 to allow me to sabotage his friendship with the Jacksons. He insisted it was only right that I marry Natalie and pretend we had been having an affair, which wasn’t the truth.

I couldn’t remember how it happened, and I didn’t want to sleep with her after we married. Luckily, Natalie didn’t conceive after that night, and I’m planning to divorce her now because I want to move on and maybe marry her sister.

Amelia has class; she graduated and speaks fluently, while Natalie is an embarrassment to me.

When my best friend, Michael, visits, I feel embarrassed each time he sees my wife.

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

If you ask me what I like about Natalie, I don’t think I like anything much about her anymore. She’s 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 you 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 smiled back, as it was already getting late, and I drove my car into one of the upscale restaurants nearby.

"We're here. Let’s grab something to eat," I told Amelia with a smile, and she smiled back at me. Her face had minimal makeup, which I liked.

Not too much makeup, and 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 just as her phone rang, and she answered while settling into her chair across from me.

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

"Yes, I want to see Frank and Natalie. They’re fine, Dad. Don’t worry, I’ll be home on time, or you don’t have to worry about me," Amelia spoke to her father, smiling flirtatiously at me.

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

"Oh, that’s nice," I replied.

As I prepared to ask her what she would like to eat, her phone rang again. She answered, "Hey, Felix," she said.

"Yeah, I went out to see Frank. I’ll call you back, or I’ll be home on time," she told him before ending the call.

The same goes for her two other brothers; they call to check up on her, but since I married Natalie, no one usually calls to check on her either.

"So, what would you like to have for dinner?" I asked Amelia, and she blinked her eyelashes and bit her pink lips.

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

"That’s fine," I replied, choosing a simple meal of chicken pepper soup, as I didn’t want to waste much time so we could go back home.

"So, tell me, Frank, how have you been coping with my half-sister? I knew that if Natalie hadn’t set you up, we would have become a pair," Amelia said, meeting my gaze with her shining blue eyes.