“Mom, we got married today so I came to tell you and I also need to inform you that I will be moving to his house. I've parked my stuff already.” “I’m really sorry that I’m too sick to accompany you on your wedding,” Isabella said with a sad expression and tears glistening in her eyes. “Mom, come on don’t say that. It is my wedding day, we are supposed to be rejoicing not dwelling on the fact that you are sick,” Ariella felt her chest tightening like someone was squeezing her heart in her chest. She did not like the look on her mother’s gave and she hated the tears in her eyes more. Isabella nodded as she gave a small laugh, “Oh my dear, come close I need to see your ring.” Isabella gushed as she stretched her hands out to beckon Ariella over. With a sigh Ariella moved close to the bed and gave her mother her left hand. “This is so beautiful. It's even more beautiful than the ring my Thomas gave to me when we got married.” Isabella cooed as she caressed the ring on Ariella’s ring
Ariella fell in love with the purple colored room that was redecorated for her the first time Maria led her into it. She was not supposed to like any of it, she was not supposed to get used to the house, but it was hard not too. Everywhere and everything was nice and cozy, she became a little too comfortable for her own good.It's been three weeks since she became Mrs. Patrick and moved into Kelvin's House. She has only seen him thrice when he accompanied her for her regular checkups. She did not understand why she had to go to the hospital every week if there was nothing wrong with her, but Kelvin insisted that she did just that to make sure nothing went wrong, and he was always with her. All her cravings were satisfied. All she had to do was ask Maria, and it would be provided for her. Just two weeks of being in his house and under his care, Ariella was already adding a little flesh, but it was still early so she was not showing yet.She would have become anxious in the past becaus
“Gladys?” Ariella's voice sounded shaky. She was more than shocked to see Gladys standing in Kelvin's house but was quick to put two and two together when Maria came to stand beside Gladys. Gladys was the person that was addressed as Mrs. Patrick just now. Gladys was Kelvin's mother!Gladys smiled widely, “It's lovely to see you again, dear friend. How have you been?”Ariella inhaled a shaky breath as she clutched the side of the long gown she was wearing, “I’m fine, how are you?”“Were you going back to your room? I came just for you.”“Me?” Gladys nodded, still maintaining the perfect smile on her face, “Yes, you. I wanted to see you a long time ago but I got preoccupied with work and I had to travel to oversee the business I have abroad. My workers over there can't do anything right without me. I apologize for not coming to see you sooner.”Ariella did not know what to say in response so she could only nod her head as she slowly began to descend down the stairs, her mind running a
Ariella was almost done with her food when she felt Gladys eyes on her. She lifted her face and met Gladys kind eyes that held a gentle smile. “I'm glad you are well and have a good appetite. The same could not be said for me when I was pregnant with Kelvin. He was stubborn in my belly and still is even as a grown man.”“I'm glad too,” Ariella said with a forced smile.“I hope you haven't had any problems? This is your first trimester, so you need to be very careful.”“I know. The doctor told me the same thing. I'm taking it easy.” That's why she has been lazing about since she moved into Kelvin's comfortable mansion.“I had complications after him, so I could never give birth again after him. All these years I could not wait for him to grow up and have his own child, he just had to pick Hannah who I don't like as his girlfriend. I'm glad Hannah sent you to his bed and he found out that she was not a good person after all.”Ariella calmly dropped her fork and focused all her attentio
First, Gladys made her get in a contracted marriage with her son to not only get rid of Hannah but to also give birth to her grandson. Now she wanted her to keep Hannah away?Hell to the no! Ariella wanted no part in the complicated rich people stuff conspiracy that was going on with Gladys, Kelvin, and Hannah. She would be glad if she did not have to encounter any more rich people, not with what happened with Hannah sending her to Kelvin's bed and the humiliation he received when he found out.If not for the fact that she was already pregnant and has signed that deal with Kelvin she would be running for the hills right now but that was impossible. “I'm sorry, Gladys, but I will rather live quietly until I give birth to this child and then leave. I want no part in any of these, and I will be the happiest person on earth if you'll respect my decision.” Maybe Gladys will get angry now and threaten her and stuff. That's what rich people do when they don't get their way, isn't it?“Leav
“I…” Ariella cleared her throat before she spoke again, “I'm coming. I'm just confused about what to wear.”“Well, you can open the door. I will help you make a choice.”Ariella scratched her head as she thought of what to say, “Don't worry. I've found something comfortable.”“Good. I'll be waiting for you outside. Don't take too long.”Ariella sighed in relief when heard Gladys move away from the door and her receding footsteps as she walked down the stairs. Ariella collapsed weakly on the side of her bed and tried to call Jerome again. She jumped to her feet and tears filled her eyes when he picked immediately.“Mr. Allan, I need you to help me pass an urgent message to Mr. Patrick. His mother is here, and she is demanding that I go shopping with her. According to the contract and my agreement with Mr. Patrick, no one is supposed to know about us. Won't appearing in public with his mother lead to speculations, especially as she has never been seen before with Hannah? Many people mig
“It's not like my mother would be going to a public market or something.” That's what Kelvin said so what was she and Gladys going in a local market right now? The part that surprised Ariella the most was the fact that every woman here in this market knew Gladys and wanted her to buy vegetables and other things from them. These women were practically fighting each other to get her in their shop. It only goes to show that she was a regular patron. Ariella could not believe this: a woman of Gladys status buying things in a local market.Don't rich people see this sort of market as dirty? Were they not neat freaks who hated going close to peasants? Why does Gladys keep surprising her with each turn and now she could not find any reason to hate the woman.They were supposed to go shopping right? Ariella had thought that it was shopping for clothes so why were they in the vegetables section of the market?“It's so good to see you again, Gladys.” One of the older women in the market was s
The room would have been as quiet as a graveyard if not for the clang of cutlery against plate as Ariella ate. She was alone in the dining room and because it was such a big and empty house, every little sound she made echoed back to her.The maids had retired for the day, and she was left alone with Maria, who was bustling about in the kitchen and trying to make her the evil tea she said was good for pregnant women. The thought of drinking the said tea before going to bed made Ariella shudder in disgust and wish she could run away and never return to the house. Being pregnant was already hard enough, why must she drink such tea?Ariella jumped on her seat, the fork she was holding slipped from her hand and made a thumping sound on the plate when she heard a deep and familiar masculine voice coming from the kitchen and Maria greeting him.She whirled around on her seat just in time to see Kelvin walking into the room. Her eyes widened in shock, and she had to blink a few times to make
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