The next day at the office, I was going over some paperwork when Julie came in. She looked gloomy, her usual calm demeanor was replaced with a tense expression. "Julie, where have you been?" I was surprised by her sudden appearance. "And why didn't you take any of my calls." She crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing. "I've been busy," she said curtly. I raised an eyebrow, sensing there was something wrong. "What's wrong, Julie?" I asked but got no response. "Talk to me, is it Kyle? Did you guys break up? I swear if he---" "Mason, why did you marry Raven?" Her question caught me off guard. I had expected her to be the one person who would understand the necessity of the arrangement, knowing this was her idea. Why did she seem upset? Her question caught me off guard. I had expected her to be the one person who would understand the necessity of the arrangement, but now she seemed upset. "What do you mean by that? I thought you'd be happy about it," I said, trying to gauge he
Ever since Mason announced his marriage to Raven to his family, Margaret has not been happy about it. She didn't want to be on Lenora’s bad side, especially when she knew what Lenora was capable of. She knew there was no way she could convince Mason to divorce Raven. Lenora had threatened to destroy everything she's worked so hard for all these years. Margaret entered Julie’s room with only one purpose in mind, and that was to ask her to convince Mason to divorce Raven. If there's anyone who can persuade Mason, then it's Julie. She went into Julie's room, but as she looked around the neatly organized room, Julie was nowhere to be found. "Where's that silly girl when I need her?" She mumbled, her face masked with frustration. She was about to leave Julie’s room when her eyes landed on a stack of papers carelessly placed on the desk. Curiosity got the best of her, and she walked over, her fingers itching to uncover the contents of those papers. She picked up the papers, her eyes
Mason's heart skipped a beat. "What? That’s insane!" "You have no choice, Mason," Charles said firmly. "If you fail to do this, the position of CEO goes over to Justin." "Dad, you're taking things too far." Julie tried to reason with her father. Charles turned his attention to Julie. "Too far, you say. You've been given a lot of freedom, that's why you think you can do whatever you like. Starting tomorrow, you'll be enrolled in a business class." "What? No!" Julie yelled. "I told you I don't want to work at the company." Mason, who had been silent, finally spoke. "You can't be serious," he said, his voice shaking with anger. "This isn’t right." At the mention of Justin’s name, Mason’s blood boiled. There was no way he was going to let that snake take over the company he worked hard for. But the thought of forcing Raven into this made him sick. Margaret, who had been watching the exchange with interest, suddenly realized that her plan had backfired. She had wanted Mason
Raven's POV I was finally home, after a long day of lectures, and all I wanted to do now was to eat and collapse on my bed. I pushed the door open, not expecting to find Julie sitting on the couch, nervously. The moment I saw her in the living room, I froze, my heart skipped a beat. I haven't seen her since that night at the party. I tried calling her after, but she ignored my calls. When I learned Mason was a Barrett, I knew I'd see her sooner or later. But I didn't expect it to be today. "Julie," I greeted, unsure of what to say. "I didn't know you were here. Mason’s not back yet." Julie looked up, her expression unreadable. "I know. I'm here to see you." My stomach churned. She's probably mad I married her brother. She only told me she had a brother once but we never really talked about him. Then I found out Blair was engaged to the son of the Barrett family. "Is everything okay?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. Julie sighed, looking down at her hands before meet
We spent the rest of the evening talking, catching up on everything we had missed during our time apart. It felt like the old times again, and I was glad to have my friend back. As we were setting the table, Julie tried to start eating, but I quickly stopped her. "Don't touch the food until Mason comes back." Julie raised an eyebrow, a teasing grin on her face. "See? You're definitely in love with my brother." I rolled my eyes, trying to hide my embarrassment. "I'm not. We just have dinner together, that's all." Before I married Mason, I always ate dinner by myself and I always felt lonely, but now I'm starting to get used to eating with him. Even though it's silent most times. Julie didn't look convinced, but she didn't press the issue. Instead, we sat down and continued chatting until Mason came home. My heart did a little flip when I saw him, but I quickly pushed the feelings aside. ~~~~ The next day after lectures, I went back to my old home to collect some of my belongings,
Mason's POV I arrived home earlier than usual, with some special plans for tonight. I wanted to take Raven out for dinner, more like a date. Don't get me wrong, I don't have feelings for her. That's the last thing I want after my experience with Candice. My only priority was my company, and to do that, I had to find a way into her heart; that's the only way she'd agree to have my child. But when I walked into the apartment, Raven wasn't home. I frowned, glancing at my watch. She usually came back around this time after her classes. I pulled out my phone and dialed her number. She didn't pick up, and I tried 3 more times. It rang for a while before she finally picked up. "Hello?" Her voice was soft and it trembled slightly. "Where are you?" I asked, trying to keep my tone light, a hint of concern crept in. "I've been trying to reach you, are you okay?" There was a pause on the other end of the line, and when she finally spoke, her voice sounded a bit off. "I'm on my way home.
She hesitated, her eyes filled with pain and anger. "I went to my mother's house today to pick up some of my things. But when I got there... I saw Blair burning everything." ~~~~ She finished telling me everything that happened, and I was raging mad. I decided within myself that I was going to visit them. It's high time I make things clear to them. I had no idea Raven loved fashion. I've never heard her talk about her designs before. But then again, I never showed interest in the things she does. "I don't know what I did to make them hate me so much." I had almost forgotten I was still in her bedroom. "They're just jealous of you, Raven," I said, cupping her face in my hands. "Don't let them break you. She destroyed your designs, so what? They're still yours, and if you did it once then you can do it again. Even better this time because you're Raven. Strong and talented Raven." She stared at me for a long time, her eyes searching mine as if looking for something. Then, before
Raven's POV It's been three weeks since that night with Mason, and each day felt like a slow burn. The memory of us together still lingered in my mind, but what hurt me more was his sudden behavior change. He's gone from distant to practically avoiding me altogether. It was as if we didn't live in the same house anymore. After graduating from college a week ago, I threw myself into my designs, trying to start from scratch, and also distract myself from the emotional turmoil going on in my head. I used my savings to get everything a fashion designer needs to create amazing clothes and bags. I spent most of my days sketching and sewing, trying to create something beautiful despite the chaos in my mind. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop thinking about Mason. His indifference was driving me nuts. Every morning, I wake up with no sight of him anywhere. Mason would leave for work before dawn and come back long after midnight, ensuring we never crossed paths. But tonight,