She should have kept quiet and not go at him like that but Ariella had gone too far to stop now. “Why did you suddenly decide to come back home? Are you here to visit and would be returning to wherever it was that you have been sleeping in the past few weeks?”Kelvin recovered quickly from his shock, “Are you sure that you are okay?”“Yes, I am. Stop trying to gaslight me and just answer my question.” Ariella could not help but snap at him.“Hey,” Kelvin called in concern as he squeezed her hand underneath his but she wiggled the hand, causing him to release her. “Don’t get yourself worked up over nothing. I’m not trying to gaslight you, I’m just making sure that you are okay.”“I’m fine. I just need answers.” Ariella gave a deep sigh, “Your refusal to answer me has already told me what I need to know. You only came back because your mother asked you too.”“Yes, I came back because she marched into my office threatening to have my head if I don’t return home to keep my pregnant wife
“I’m sorry I made suggestions about you leaving the country.” Kelvin told her with a little sigh.Ariella looked surprised, she had not expected Kelvin to apologize to her. She thought he would try to force his opinion on her or even manipulate her into doing exactly as he wanted, the same way he went to meet her mother at the hospital when she refused to sign that contract with him.Ariella caught a movement at the door from the side of her eyes and knew that it was Maria since the other workers in the house had retired for the night. She gave a low groan as she dropped back on her seat with slumped shoulders. “There are many things at stake here so you will find a solution.” Her voice was firm. She was not offering a suggestion but giving a command.She was in this situation because she has been dragged into a stupid lovers game by Hannah. Ariella hoped that this would be the last of them.“I will find a solution soon.” Kelvin agreed with a deep sigh. He was grateful that she was g
“I have a friend of mine who has been looking everywhere for me. I’ve been hiding from her, but I won’t be able to do that forever because once she is free from her current jobs, she could go look for my mother at the hospital and would find out about my marriage to you. It cannot be avoided, and I also want to be the one to break the news to her.” Ariella explained to Kelvin after they were done eating.She needed his permission to tell Mariam about them because she could not avoid her friend forever. Mariam would hate her if her mother was the one to break the news and not her. She would still hate her for hiding everything and sleeping with Kelvin for money, but she knew that Mariam would forgive and support her. She needed a friend at this point in her life and Mariam was the only genuine person left. She would keep her secret for her. Ariella trusted Mariam with her life. They’ve come a long way.“Is she in the industry too?” Kelvin asked as he gracefully wiped his mouth with a
Ariella spent the next few hours watching a movie on her phone, just to keep herself busy, as she waited for Mariam to clear her schedule and send her the location they would meet. When the text message came a few hours later, she quickly dressed up and left the house.She did not want Kelvin’s driver to drive her at first, but she changed her mind. Since Mariam did not know where she was, she picked a place that was far from Kelvin’s house but closer to Ariella’s, thinking that she may be at home and that location would save her some cab money. Ariella was touched at the gesture.Ariella was sure that Mariam would scream and immediately begin to hound her for answers if she were to see her in this car, but she was already going to tell her friend everything, no need to stress herself by taking the train or paying a high fee for a cab.Mariam was just paying a taxi driver when Kelvin’s driver pulled up in front of the small restaurant. Ariella’s thought about Mariam seeing her getting
Ariella's heart immediately began to this fast against her chest. She had not expected Mariam to immediately notice that she's added weight and even say that she was pregnant. She did not bother to make any moves to refute the accusation when she knew that it was true, and she already intended to tell Mariam about it.Just that in the next second, Mariam smiled and took back her words.“I was just joking, you don't have to go pale. I know you are not pregnant since you refused to get a boyfriend and turned down every man that approaches you.” Mariam snorted before she continued, “Maybe you are no longer exercising, and you are eating too much because you left your agency. But you know that it would be difficult for you to get back in shape if you want to join another agency tomorrow, right? You are piling up troubles for yourself.”Seeing that Mariam was already living quickly from the only opening she had to tell her what was going on in her life, Ariella stopped her with a confessio
Thankfully, Mariam did not jump to her feet again, so Ariella was not scared that she would scream out loud and attract attention once more. Mariam just went frozen in shock that after a few seconds, Ariella began to get scared that she had shocked her friend into a frozen state and would need to have her rushed to the hospital.“Mariam,” Ariella leaned across the table to whisper her friend's name while she threw a risky glance around to see if anyone was watching them, and no one was.She knew that the news she had just dropped was too much. She should have explained everything from the beginning to lessen the blow instead of answering her friend’s questions, but it was too late. She had shocked Mariam into becoming an ice block.“Mariam!” She stretched her hand and tall her friend on the face, softly, sighing in relief when Mariam snapped out of the haze she had fallen into.Arielle relaxed back on her seat. “Welcome back to earth.” In another situation, what she said would have b
“Yes, I do now.” Ariel responded with a sigh as she wiggled her fingers together.“What happened that night after the both of you discovered your identities?”“He was furious and accused me of being a gold digger and a bad friend who was trying to snatch her friend’s boyfriend. Nothing I said that night to defend myself got in his head. He ended up throwing some wad of cash at me, and it was funny how it was the exact amount I needed for my mother’s surgery. No matter how much pride I had and the amount of humiliation it brought, I still bent and picked the money then I left. Hannah, who said she did not have money to lend me and that her bank was having issues, sent me money when I got to the hospital.”“You know that you wouldn’t have had to go through all of these if you had just given me a call, right?” Mariam still looked angry.“I already made the mistake, there is no way to go back in the past and correct it. I can only move on.”“So you found out that you were pregnant and we
With any more interruptions from Mariam, Ariella explained the remaining things to her, down to Kelvin coming home. She told her in detail about Kelvin going to meet her mother and then signing the contract and getting married, and how he was always accompanying her to every checkup.“I don’t know, but he sounds like a nice guy who was raised by a good woman. How did he end up with a devil like Hannah?” Mariam asked with a shake of her head.“They met when he was younger and Hannah is gorgeous so it’s not a surprise.”“Well, you are very beautiful yourself, so I think the both of you can go to war over him.”“No way. I’m not doing that. I’m leaving after I give birth to my child.” Kelvin may be nice but he does not want her, and she does not want him either. They both have an agreement to go their separate ways. No way was she going to let his mother and Mariam take her into staying. She could never stay or survive in a loveless marriage, and it would affect the baby too. What if he
Sophia’s POVThey did not know. I could see it in their eyes as they looked at one another and as they whispered. I knew that my mother and father could hear everything they were saying but these people seem to have forgotten as they continued to talk in hushed tones among themselves.It's been three days since my mother walked into my room and found me looking like I was well over thirty five years. She had immediately raised alarm and called my father into the room. He was just as shocked as we were when he saw my appearance. He stopped at the door as his jaw dropped open in shock before he rushed over to me and grabbed my face in his hands, his eyes wide in alarm as he turned my face left and right the same way mother did. Three days later, I looked like I was over forty five to fifty years old. The first day, we kept it a secret among the family as they tried to analyze the situation and check if I was using something that was making my face look old but nothing I had was harmful
Joanne's POVThe sun shone through my window early the next morning, throwing the light across my room. I woke up feeling refreshed but also aware of the chaos from the night before. My head was still buzzing with thoughts about Poppy and Collins. "I need to blend in today," I told myself as I got out of bed.After getting ready, I decided to keep things simple. I pulled on a comfortable outfit and tied my hair back. “Just a quiet day,” I said, nodding at my reflection. “Nothing too dramatic.”I made my way through the halls of the hotel, trying to avoid any unnecessary attention. As I walked, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned to see Mia catching up.“Joanne!” she called out, her face a mix of concern and fear. “I’m so glad I found you! I wanted to talk about what happened last night.”“Hey, Mia!” I replied, forcing a smile. “Don’t worry about it! I’m fine.”“No, I really need to apologize,” she insisted, her hands waving in front of her. “I should have immediately when you saw al
Joanne's POV As the night wore on, I felt energy pulsating around me. The music, the laughter—all of it made me want to keep going. But I noticed Mia and Lila starting to sway a bit on their feet.“Hey, you two,” I said, waving them over. “Are you alright?”Mia yawned dramatically. “I think it’s time for us to call it a night,” she said, stifling another yawn. “I’m so tired!”“Yeah, I’m with you,” Lila agreed, rubbing her eyes. “Tonight was fun, but I can’t keep my eyes open.”“Alright, get some rest!” I replied, grinning. “You both deserve it after a long night of dancing!”Mia smiled back. “Thanks, Joanne. You did amazing tonight!” “Yeah, you really showed Poppy! I can’t wait to hear about all the chaos you plan to cause!” Lila laughed, throwing her arms around me for a quick hug.“Trust me, I have plans for the next two weeks,” I said with a smirk. “Poppy’s going to know exactly who she’s dealing with.”“Good luck with that!” Mia joked. “Just don’t let her drive you crazy!”“Neve
Joanne's POVI sat in the garden, tears pouring down my cheeks. The news about the tournament cancellation hit me hard, and I felt lost. After everything I had hoped for, this moment seemed unbearable. I tried to wipe my eyes, but every thought about the tournament made my heart sink deeper.“Joanne!” I heard Silver call from a distance. I looked up and saw her rushing toward me, worry etched on her face.“What’s wrong?” she asked, kneeling next to me. “You look devastated!”“I am,” I admitted, sniffing. “They canceled the tournament! Everything I prepared for is gone!”“Hey, hey! Don’t cry!” Silver said, her tone soothing. “Wipe those tears away. We need you calm down and see poor Cassian, he is a blubbering mess!”“I don’t even know how to feel,” I said, my voice shaky. “It was everything I wanted. Now it’s all up in flames!”“Maybe it’s not over yet!” Silver said. “You don’t know what might happen next.”“I can’t believe this,” I whispered, struggling to calm down. Silver put her
JOANNE The maids went on to assign us to rooms as they read from their tablets our names and the room we were to be in. “I'm still quite surprised that you followed me all the way here,” I whispered to Amara who stood beside me. “ You make it look like I haven't been here since,” she replied. “ You know, you don't have to accompany me,” I said, genuinely not wanting to burden her. Since this was a contest to select the bride for the Lycan King, we'd be staying at the palace until the contest is over. “ It's a little too much to be saying accompany, though you're not wrong,” she nodded her head not wanting to admit that she was worried. “You make me wonder if I'm weak,” I mumbled. “I heard you by the way and you know that's not the case,” she folded her arms. “I simply need to ensure that you are safe and I mean, knowing how unsociable you are, it would be a lot easier for you if you had your best friend with you,” she gave me a thumbs up and
As Ariella moved from boutique to boutique, buying both the things she wanted and the things she needed, swiping Kelvin’s card here and there, it almost felt like the burden she’s been carrying inside of her was lessening. It was the same as when people cut themselves to bleed out so that they could feel better.Her driver for today was not the one she was familiar with. Anytime she picked something, his eyes would widen but she did not care. She did not know if he was surprised because of the multiple things she was buying or the prices of these things. She was trying hard not to look at the price herself because anytime her eyes went to the price, she could feel her heart beating faster than normal in her chest. He was following her so closely like he was her bodyguard. Maybe Kelvin did care about his child after all. She’s never seen this man before so he might as well be a bodyguard disguised as her driver. This made her relax a whole lot and enjoy her shopping. She ignored Mar
Joanne's POV Silver had already left the room and I was as exhausted as fuck. I wanted to take a walk to clear my head After spending some time in the garden and then at the party, I finally made my way back to my room for probably the 100th time today. I slumped onto my bed, feeling a mix of exhaustion and lingering tension. The events of the day swirled in my mind, and I needed a moment to regroup.“Ugh, what a day,” I muttered to myself, staring up at the ceiling. I rolled over and grabbed my phone from the nightstand. “Maybe talking to Nathan will help me clear my head.”I dialed his number and waited. It rang a couple of times before I heard his familiar voice. “Hey, Joanne! What’s up?”“Nathan! Just checking in,” I said, smiling a little. “How's everything back at home?”“Busy as usual,” he replied, sounding cheerful. “Dad is still buried in those pack reports, you know how he is. But Mom misses you! She keeps asking when you’ll be back.”“I miss her too! I can’t wait to see h
The people around them let out loud gasps of surprise at the same time Kyra did.Her hand slowly lifted to touch her burning cheek as she winced in disbelief. “How dare you suggest that we find a way to clean up my dress? We? Clean? Do you know how much I got this dressed? It was tailored just for me to wear to this party, yet you ruined it by walking around like a blind bat!” The lady yelled, her face creasing with angry lines.Kyra was still dumbfounded by the slap that she just kept on staring at the lady without a word making its way past her lips. “What? Cat got your tongue now?” The lady continued to yell as if oblivious to the fact that all attention was on them or that Anton was now walking down to where she and Kyra were standing. “Just a few days ago you were sold off like a slave because you shamelessly went to get yourself pregnant with Tristan’s child, and today you think you are a princess again because Alpha Anton bought you and brought you to this party? Better think
Ariella fidgeted nervously and wiggled her hands together. She had received a call from the hospital five hours ago that her mother collapsed. Her mother's surgery that was scheduled for five weeks later has been brought forward because of this. The doctor was demanding money for the surgery, and she also had outstanding debt for the drugs her mother's doctor was kind enough to give to her on credit. After her father's death, Ariella's mother fell ill, so she had to drop out of college and look for a job. In the process of looking for a job, she met an agent, who helped her secure a position to become a model. Since Ariella was beautiful and had a good shape for modeling, she was able to get a spot in the company, but she could never go far. She had no connection, she was not willing to sell her body. Most of her resources were snatched by the other models. Even after two years in the modeling industry, she was not making enough money to take care of her mother's medical bills