“Sorry, have you seen Shanon?”
"No. She wasn't in micro-economics class today.”
"Okay, thanks."
Sarah sat restlessly in her chair. She glanced at her watch several times while hoping that Shanon would appear at the door of the classroom. It was supposed to be the third class Shanon had to attend. But, Shanon had not appeared. If Shanon hadn't skipped her first and second classes, Sarah would still be calm. But skipping three classes at once, that wasn't Shanon's habit at all. She was an honor student who preferred coming to class rather than sitting lazily at home. Shanon would not leave class unless there was something urgent to do. And all this time, Shanon always called her if she couldn't come to campus.
Sarah then grabbed her cell phone to call Shanon one more time. There was still no answer from Shanon. She had been trying to call Shanon since yesterday afternoon. She felt bad because she had to leave the sad Shanon to watch the ba
“Mmpppffhh...”"What? I can't hear you.”Calvin grinned seeing his prisoner moving around brutally. With her feet and hands tied to a chair and her mouth gagged with cloth, there wasn't much Shanon could do but growl and hurt herself.“Aren't you tired? You've been doing that all night.”Shanon looked at Calvin who was squatting at her feet with hatred.“Look, you have blisters on your ankles because you keep moving brutally against the rope.”Shanon shuddered in horror when Calvin's fingers caressed her legs and continued to move upwards. She tried to kick Calvin with her tied feet, but that didn't stop Calvin from touching her at all.“I know your marriage to Anthony is fake. You're just a bitch who was paid by him to pretend to be his wife. And coincidentally, I haven't been with a woman for a long time.”Shanon widened her eyes in surprise. Calvin leaned towards her whil
"Are you sure this is the place?""No doubt. We tracked his location through the last signal emitted from his cell phone before he threw it away or destroyed it.”Anthony arrived at Calvin's cabin at exactly six in the morning. He lurked from behind a tree with two men from the security agent. Anthony decided to hire them instead of calling the police because the agents were much more capable than the police, who tended to be lazy. Anthony had proven for himself how badly the police had performed in investigating the case of his grandfather's death. Until now, he had not heard from Jim Peterson. Anthony was getting tired of waiting. He preferred to do it his own way. It was faster and more effective.“Whatever happens, Calvin is mine. I won't kill him, so I'll need you guys to handle him after I free Shanon. Dying was much easier for him. Meanwhile, I want him to feel the punishment slowly. You understand?"“Understood, sir.”
"Good morning, professor."“Hmm... Are those flowers?” Anthony lowered the book he was reading.Shanon had just stepped into Anthony's treatment room with a very beautiful bouquet of white lilies. Shanon smelled the fresh aroma and put them in a vase to replace the wilted red roses.“Of course these are flowers. Are you disoriented?”Shanon giggled softly. She remembered when Anthony first regained consciousness after surgery to remove the bullets in his waist and arm. Anthony became a strange and ridiculous man. His genius brain was still covered in drugs. Anthony looked dazed and lame at that time. He couldn't recognize Shanon clearly and even tried to get acquainted with her. Anthony then praised her as beautiful before he groaned in pain from moving too much. Shanon bet him a hundred dollars that Anthony wouldn't like it if other people saw his lame side, but Shanon had seen it. Shanon wanted to laugh at him at that moment, but
Shanon straightened the blanket covering Anthony's body and sighed softly. Anthony was fast asleep in his bed after eating and taking medicine. Shanon was grateful that Anthony wasn't fussy at all that afternoon. They spent more than an hour in the garden breathing fresh air and watching the people passing by. Anthony looked happy to be back in civilization. It was his first experience of being hospitalized for more than three days with serious injuries that made him almost paralyzed.Shanon rubbed the top of Anthony's head and kissed his forehead gently. She smiled, thinking about the things that had happened in their lives in the last few months. Sometimes Shanon still couldn't believe that she was married to her professor and living with him.This summer break felt different for her because she wouldn't be sitting at home and not working as usual. This summer she would spend her time taking care of Anthony and meeting all his needs.Anthony had not discussed
Shanon let tears roll down her cheeks as everything about Avery and her family started to creep into her mind. She was lost in thought, looking at a pair of birds from the kitchen window. She was so jealous of the birds and hoped that one day she could be like them. She wanted to be free to live her life without having to feel afraid or anxious if one day Anthony found out her secret.“Watch your fingers when using a knife.”Shanon gasped in surprise. The knife she was holding fell and almost hit her leg, while Anthony grabbed her wrist.“You almost cut your own finger.”Shanon looked dazed for a few moments before she pulled her hand from Anthony's grip and bent down to pick up the knife.“Sorry, I must have surprised you.”“I think you're the one surprised, not me.”Anthony followed Shanon's movements, who was washing the knife in the sink. He frowned at the tears streaming down her ch
The trial had started about half an hour ago when Anthony entered the courtroom. Calvin was on the main podium in an orange prison jumpsuit. Everyone, including Calvin, turned towards the door when Anthony stepped into the courtroom accompanied by his lawyer, Dave Hammilton.Anthony grinned slyly at Calvin, who was looking at him with a look full of hatred. He finally succeeded in kicking the man away from his family tree.“I want my grandfather's name removed from his name. He is no longer part of the Bruce family.”“The judge has granted your request. He confessed to all his crimes so far and they are enough to rot him in prison for life.”“Great. That's what I want. He is a parasite in my family.”The judge had just knocked the gavel on his verdict on Calvin. The man lost all his rights in the Bruce family, including the entire inheritance in his name from Jefferson Bruce. All inheritance was returned to Antho
"Ughh... Anthony, let me finish my job cleaning the kitchen."“I can't wait any longer,” Anthony growled. His lips were busy sucking on Shanon's neck, while his palms crept into her loose blouse.“I love that you added a few pounds to your frame.”“Do I look fat?” Shanon tilted her neck and pushed back her hair to give Anthony extra access to suck on her skin."This is sexy. You're not fat. In fact, I like the way you look now."A soft moan escaped Shanon's lips as Anthony squeezed her ass. She sighed between Anthony's growls, which were getting louder and wilder. Shanon was sure they wouldn't last more than five minutes in the kitchen because Anthony would immediately throw her on the nearest sofa to make love.“Are you finished? I want to see you lying naked on my new Persian carpet.”“Ugh, wild as usual. Professor, does your genius brain turn into a perverted brain at night?&rdq
“Mark, check the satellites around my house the day Shanon disappeared.”“Who is Shanon?”Anthony cursed under his breath. He heard smacking sounds, and he could imagine Mark's annoying expression while he was chewing gum in front of his giant computer screen.“The woman I married. Check satellites quickly. Why would someone escape your supervision? That person is here now.”"You sure?"Anthony growled as he clenched his fists on the table. He would have gladly punched Mark in the face if the computer expert had been right in front of him. Unfortunately, Mark was miles away from his house.“With all my confidence, yes. I'm pretty sure that woman was spying on my house.”“Okay, okay. I will check the satellite now.”Waiting and being patient was not part of his nature. Anthony hoped that Mark was actually in front of him so he could immediately check the satellite when
Her marriage was in turmoil. Shanon almost believed her wedding was canceled because Anthony couldn't come to his own wedding. Isn't that crazy? The main character couldn't attend his own wedding!Shanon was stressed about handling all the wedding preparations alone while Anthony was in Singapore to attend a damn conference which he said was very important to him. Anthony delegated all his responsibilities to Shanon and only gave a few short confirmations via telephone every time Shanon called to ask about several things related to their wedding. Anthony then asked Ben to do things that Shanon couldn't do herself because she was pregnant. Anthony promised to arrive in Boston the day before their wedding, and he asked Shanon to calm down.But, the day before their wedding, Anthony didn't show up at the airport at all. Shanon, who had been haunted by worry for weeks, tried to call Anthony to ask for clarity about his return. To her surprise, Anthony gave her some very ba
"Turn right."“No. We still have to walk straight over there.”“But I want to see the baby crib here.”"There is a baby shop that makes the best quality baby cribs there."Shanon folded her arms across her chest. Her eyes narrowed at Anthony.“Well, I keep forgetting the fact that I'm going to marry a man who bathes in a thousand dollar soap. You obviously couldn't possibly buy a baby crib at Ikea.”“Don't be so skeptical about my life, Shanon. I just want the best for my son.”“I know, I know. I'm just not used to your very wow lifestyle."“I don't like you commenting skeptically on my lifestyle. Like it or not, you have to get used to it from now on. You will live under me.”“Oh, really, Anthony. I want equality. What century do you think we live in, huh?”The two of them stood in front of the Ikea entrance and glanced at each other sa
“Deal.”“Nice doing business with you, Mr. Maddock.”Avery held out her hand to shake Tim Maddock's hand. They ended the meeting with satisfied smiles on each of their faces because they managed to reach an agreement on their next project. Tim Maddock then walked away, leaving Avery who still remained in the restaurant to pack up her things.“Avery? What a coincidence, huh?”Avery looked up. She just gathered the documents and put them in the briefcase. Her face lit up when she saw who had just greeted her.“Jordyn. Hey, what are you doing here?”“Umm... Lunch. Actually, it's not really lunch. I only ordered coffee because I was trying to build a good image in front of people I had just met.”“So, do you want to have lunch with me? I haven't eaten anything since just now.”"That is a good idea. You saved me from starvation. Thanks, Ave.”&ldquo
A month after the graduation party, which was full of drama and showers of congratulations from her friends, Shanon still couldn't come out of her euphoria. She welcomed the day with joy and the promise of a better future. Every morning she woke up and realized the fact that she was Anthony's fiancé. Formally. There was no secret. Everyone knew for sure that she belonged to Anthony, and vice versa. Just imagining it, her life became lighter than before. Negative thoughts disappeared in an instant from her brain."Good morning."“Hi, princess. You look really excited.”Shanon kissed her sister's cheek briefly. Avery had been sitting at the dining table since seven o'clock. She was ready in a formal suit, a black bag sat on the empty chair next to her, and she had a cup of coffee on the table.“I'm always excited. What would you like for breakfast?”“You don't need to bother making me breakfast. You prepared me br
I apologize....Shanon turned off her phone before she read the entire message Anthony had just sent her. Just seeing the word at the opening of the message, she could already guess that the message would end badly. Something like, Anthony couldn't be there on her graduation day and couldn't see her throw her cap in the air.“He sucks,” Shanon muttered under her breath.She squeezed her phone before stuffing it into her bag.She and hundreds of students from various departments were gathering in the main hall of the university to celebrate their graduation. Shanon had worn her best dress along with a black robe and academic cap. Avery put on light make-up and put on soft pink lipstick, which made her look even more stunning. Unfortunately, Anthony couldn't come to complete her happiness today. Though she really hoped that Anthony would come to see her go up on stage and make a speech on behalf of the hun
“Cheers.”“Oh man, is this party necessary?”“Of course it is necessary. Let's have a toast.”Shanon lazily clinked her glass with Sarah's. Hers had apple juice, while Sarah's had beer. Her house was very noisy tonight because Sarah and Jordyn threw a party to celebrate her graduation. Shanon officially completed her master's program and graduated with the best grades. They insisted on celebrating with a party because Shanon deserved the best graduation party. An hour ago, they came to her house with three boxes of pizza, several boxes of Thai food and Chinese food. They also ordered fries and burgers. The living room table had turned into a party table with a variety of food that they couldn't possibly finish that night.“I feel like you guys shouldn't throw me a party.”Shanon looked at Anthony with a frown. Anthony had just arrived after Sarah called him to join them. Anthony didn't need to think t
“This is the time.”Shanon released her hug from Sarah. She wiped the tears dripping down her cheeks.“I'm sure you can, Shanon. Show them who you really are.”“Thank you, Sarah. You're my best friend. I wouldn't have been able to get through all of this without you.”“We love you, Shanon.”Shanonh turned to look at Jordyn. She then snuggled into his warm embrace."Wish me luck."Shanon walked into the hall with extremely impressive calm. The campus council and lecturers had gathered in the hall to test her. They were all there, except Anthony. Shanon was sad because she couldn't see Anthony this morning in the hall. But, an hour ago they had spoken on the phone. Anthony regretted that he couldn't be there for her when the campus council chewed her out. Anthony promised to always support her from afar.“Are you ready, Shanon?”“Yes, Mr. Angelo.”
“Jane Heather.”"Who are you?"Jane frowned in annoyance at finding an uninvited guest suddenly entering her room and locking the door, as if she had given her permission to do so."I'll call security to drag you away from here and report your impoliteness to—""Who? Those damn campus councils? They won't hear you. They are busy crushing Anthony and Shanon.”“Where are your manners? Call him Professor Bruce.”"Not anymore. He was no longer a professor since the rusty campus board fired him. They stripped Anthony of all his titles. Now, he is just an ordinary guy. Without any title.”"You must be kidding."“Do I look like I'm kidding now?”Jane studied the woman's face closely and she suddenly snapped her fingers.“I know who you are. You're from the economics department. You're one of Anthony's students. I see you always stick with the other woman."
After disappearing from civilization for two days, Shanon decided it was time for her to face all the problems she had left hanging in limbo.For two whole days she just holed herself up in her room. She removed her cellphone battery and did not want to be exposed to the outside world in any form. Her mind created all kinds of terrible scenarios about her life and future. Avery had tried to persuade her many times to come out of her room, but she ignored her. She used two full days to think. She wanted to blame Anthony for all the problems that happened to her. Before she got involved with Anthony’s life, everything was normal. Her only misfortune was having a very cruel stepmother like Yvone.But, after she got involved with Anthony, things got out of hand. She experienced a series of events that she had never imagined before. Including the problems she was currently facing. She never thought that she would be in danger of failing to get a master's degree just b