Hi. This is the end of the story. Thank you for reading!
Epilogue
Carden Thompson’s POV
“And the winner of this competition is….” the drum rolls made my heart thump fast. My eyes were too focused on the contestants that lined up on the stage as I watched how Cadmus Thompson waved his arm while holding a trophy by his hand.
Holding my wife’s hand beside me, I dragged her towards the stage and stood beside my little boy as the official photographer’s camera flashed multiple times. The flashes were shocking, but endurable enough.
We are inside Cadmus’ school in Chicago and he joined a poster making contest. I hadn’t thought about it much, but out of all the talents he could have
"What the heck do you think I am? A child?" With her ballistic voice, Dalmi hurled her bag towards the mattress.She had been out for a night, but her parents called her and told her to go home. After being furious for a halted adventure, she was welcomed by this sudden announcement.Her father walks near her, his hands reaching out to her thin, paper-white skin, but she moved backward and slapped his hand away. Her brows crimped, and her eyes bloodshot."Dalmi, we are just thinking about your future and–" triggered by his father's peeving voice, she interrupted."Thinking about my future, my ass! You're doing it for yourself!"She clamps her fingers into white-knuckled vise-grips, trying to prevent more words from coming out of her lips."Your mouth, Dalmi! That was your dad!" Her Mom stood up and pointed at her."What? You are telling me to get married to a man I don't even know! How come it was alright for you?" Dalmi gritted
"Are you f-cking insane, Jackie? How would I do that?!" Stunned with what just her friend blew, Dalmi forcibly dropped her fruit tea on the bedside table and threw him the pillow she got beside her.The cold night was spend thinking about things to do to stop her unwanted wedding. Jackie was sitting at the edge of the bed, wearing a pair of black anti-radiation glasses as he surfed the internet through his laptop. They were formulating plans for about an hour, and they stumbled upon things like telling Dalmi's father that she is a lesbian or that she will run away and will disown him as her father to stop him from doing this to her–but she knew to herself that she couldn't live without riches so they instead, came up with the last, passable yet impossible idea: To spend a night with Casimir Thompson.Thinking about his name made Dalmi wonder about a few things. How does he look like right now? What if he is already married? Or if he has a girlfriend right now
Most of the time, Dalmi will confidently strut the way towards the man she is attracted to. She always believed that a man can still smile when a beautiful woman talks in front of them, but with Casimir Thompson, she feels the opposite.She rejected her when she professed her feelings for him, and now she is walking to where he is...to make things work for her. She needs to be good. There is no room for rejection right now, and she needs to make it work. This would be her only chance, and although this was just a prank or a dare made by her friends, she knows it would be a help for her to be free. Those words kept on playing on her mind continuously. It was like a chant that she could not forget even for a second.She shook her head and retook a deep, long sigh. She curled her index finger on her hair to make the perm more defined and puckered her lips before finally walking towards the man sitting on a high stool in front of the bar counter.Dalmi made sure tha
Dalmi woke up with a heavy head. How the hell was I able to drink a lot? She asked herself as she tried to move to the left, and then she stopped. Her eyes wide, and lips parted. Heck. Casimir is lying beside him! Their face was just an inch away, and his arms wrapped around her waist. His hand moved and squeezed it a bit. Making her heart flutter and drop her eyes at the gorgeous man in front of her.His brows furrowed, lips pressed in a grim line, and his eyes shut. She smiled. She thought, even in his sleep, he was a snob. Her thoughts halted when she saw that Casimir wasn't wearing anything. And then everything came rushing into her mind.They did it last night! Her plan succeeded! And she had the time to admire him like they were something? Yes, they shared a night, but a man like him wouldn't want anything after it! She needs to save herself out of the probable humiliation she could get once he wakes up. She breathed slowly and lifted his a
Dalmi’s eyes dropped at the man’s clothes. He was now wearing a baby blue polo and a pair of black slacks as his bottoms. His hair done neatly and the same stern look from last night was plastered on his face. Her eyes then slowly shifted to her body.I look like a mess.She told herself when she saw how big her shirt was. It was tucked inside a pair of fitted black pants, but her messy bun told her how inappropriate and embarrassing her clothes compared to the people in front of her.Dalmi cleared her throat and averted her gaze from the man. She knew looking at him for so long would make her remember her vivid memories from last night, and it would take her out of focus. She then took a deep breath and tread to her father’s side, dropping three of her cards that are all suspended.“How can you do this to me? You made me feel like I am a beggar!” Dalmi exploded, not minding even if
Who the heck is Carden Thompson?Dalmi had been maundering about the man’s words to where she couldn’t sleep even for a bit. She shook her head again, tying her robe as she walk towards her door and strode the way to their mini bar. She got herself a bottle of Bafonnero and a wine glass before plodding again to her room’s terrace. Dalmi sat on a rattan Cradle, putting down the bottle of wine on the table in front of it.“Carden...” she trailed the top of the glass with her fingers, thinking about where she heard his name. It was unfamiliar. The only Thompson she knew was Casimir.“What the hell?” She put the glass down and slapped her cheek several times, realizing how messed her situation is. She shared a night with a man she doesn’t even know! Imagining how many times she called him a wrong name that night made her cheeks burn more. She moa
“Yuck! Ew! You do this inside the office on working hours?!” Dalmi’s face contorted as she pick her bag up, slightly acting like she’ll puke.“Dalmi! What are you doing here?” Carden immediately stood up and walk towards her, reaching for her bag but she hid it behind her, refusing his fake act on being a gentleman.“Why? I have something to tell you...” Dalmi looked up on Carden. He was towering over her. “And who is the old woman? I didn’t know you fancy even the grandmothers,” she shamelessly said.Carden reached for her elbow, leaning his face forward and whispered, “She is an investor, don’t be ridiculous...”Dalmi rolled her eyes and removed his hand on her, marching towards the lady with her eyebrows arched. She sat in front of her, crossing her legs as she plaster an arrogant smile on he
“Carden will what?” Dalmi forcibly dropped her spoon on her plate, creating an echoing noise inside their dining room.Minutes before his father’s words, Dalmi was savouring the food served in front. His father was sitting at the aisle with a white cloth on his chest. She wanted to laugh at it at first because he looks like a child, but she knew making fun of her father will only make her fate worse. Her mother was sitting on his left while she was the on the right.She just got home from Carden’s office for a failed mission, and her parents called her for dinner.“Why, suddenly?” Dalmi put all her focus to dad. A line in between her brows appeared, showing how confused she is.“I mean, Dad! Carden probably has this big penthouse or even a mansion! Why would you let him stay inside our house when he has a place to go home?”