Kenneth's apartment boasted modern amenities and luxurious furnishings. The sleek kitchen, cozy dining area, and two modern bathrooms added to the overall allure of the space. The living room, in particular, seemed designed to accommodate and entertain numerous guests, exuding an air of opulence.Sabrina couldn't help but feel a mix of awe and discomfort as she took in the lavish surroundings. The bedroom, in particular, spoke of wealth, with its elegant furnishings and tasteful decor. She couldn't deny that the apartment showcased Kenneth's affluence, but beneath the surface, doubts began to creep into her mind.Inside the guestroom, Sabrina found herself reflecting on her decision. She had agreed to come into his apartment for a movie but she wasn’t born yesterday. She knew he had something in mind aside from watching a movie with her, and yet, she agreed. She had been imagining this very moment, to be close to him, so instead of being scared and nervous, Sabrina convinced herself t
Kenneth's body was intertwined with Sabrina's when an unexpected visitor barged into the room without warning. The sight of his grandfather, Gabriel McBride, standing at the doorway left Kenneth in a state of shock, and Sabrina flushed with embarrassment as she quickly tried to cover herself.Frozen in disbelief, Kenneth's mind raced to comprehend the situation. How had his usually reserved and strict grandfather managed to walk in on this intimate moment? He could only imagine the disappointment and disapproval etched on Gabriel's face. Kenneth's heart pounded with anxiety as he frantically searched for words to explain the situation.Sabrina attempted to conceal her nakedness especially when her body was still tangled with his body. Kenneth could tell that she wished for an escape or a place to hide from the piercing gaze of his grandfather.Gabriel McBride, a stoic figure known for his composed demeanor, stood in the doorway, and his expression a blend of surprise and disappointmen
The next day, Sabrina found herself caught in a whirlwind. She felt a mixture of confusion, frustration, and a sense of being powerless as she was led from Kenneth's apartment to the opulent mansion belonging to the McBride family.Inside the mansion, Sabrina was greeted by a flurry of activity. Family members and staff scurried about, preparing for the unexpected turn of events. She felt like a pawn in a game she never wanted to play and was swept away by forces beyond her control.Soon, they were on the move again, this time towards the courthouse. Sabrina's heart pounded in her chest as she realized the purpose of their destination. The weight of the situation bore down on her, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of resentment for being thrust into this predicament against her will. She just spent a night with Kenneth, but the following day, she was getting married into their family. If there was one thing that they allowed her to do, it was to invite her friend to attend and wi
A few months ago...Kenneth McBride sulked in his room because he didn't want to face the woman he was going to marry. Kenneth sat in front of his window looking out at the sea breaking against the rocks and the seagulls that circled catching the winds. Kenneth's room was filled with growing darkness, the shades drawn to keep the light out. His dark hair unkempt, tousled over his eyes. His chin stubble scraped his hand as he ran it over his face.In the other room, he could hear his mother arguing with Gabriel McBride regarding his arranged marriage to Claire Beckham. Kenneth just learned about arranged marriage, and just like usual, it was to further their connection in the business world. His older brother, Daniel, had already accepted his fate to marry a woman he didn't meet yet.Kenneth heard that Claire had just arrived in Azura. The woman studied Business Management in another country, just like him. He just returned to the country to assume the vacant position after his brother
Sabrina's spring-inspired tulle gown covered in Chantilly and guipure lace roses from its neckline through its floor-length skirt floats down the corridor of the courthouse as she walked side by side with her friend.When he glanced at her, she looked like someone has died. Her smile was forced, and he could tell that she was not happy. Well, he wasn't happy either. Everything happened too fast. He was almost engaged with Claire Beckham, but fortunately, Claire Beckham announced that his looks were ordinary and she wanted someone more good-looking. Then, there was Isabelle, Claire's cousin, and Daniel's fiancee."Are you ready?" she asked while faking a smile."I don't know, Sabrina," Kenneth replied.After their wedding, Kenneth assumed they would go home right away but they were required to stay a little bit, to take pictures and signed the documents. When he heard how Sabrina's stomach grumbled, he almost laughed, but he resisted to make himself appear as a happy groom.He felt bad
The door was slightly ajar, and he froze at the doorway when he saw his newlywed wife. Sabrina was naked, and his eyes feasted on her nakedness. He clenched his teeth as soon as he realized what he was doing.Sabrina’s eyes were closed when he entered. She was naked. Totally naked and sprawled in the center of the bed. He just go in and was staring at the beauty in front of him, but an elderly woman suddenly entered. She vowed her head before him.“Leave,” he ordered."Actually, your grandfather asked me to explain to your wife about the things that will happen in bed later,” the woman replied.Kenneth’s temper rose up upon hearing it. His grandfather knew that he and Sabrina already did it in the apartment but the old man dared to embarrass his wife further. He clenched his jaw and shouted at the middle-aged lady.“I said leave!” he shouted at the woman once more, causing Sabrina to wake up. She was flustered at his presence. When she was about to get up, he stopped her from doing so
After the wedding night, Sabrina assumed that everything would be alright especially when Kenneth was so gentle in their lovemaking. Little did Sabrina know that she would be maltreated by Kenneth and his family.Shortly after their wedding, Kenneth's behavior changed dramatically. He began to treat her like a mere servant. He would assign her countless chores, belittle her efforts, and subject her to harsh criticism. He wouldn’t even help her whenever Lorraine ostracize her or overworked her. Sabrina was no different from any other servant in the mansion. She was literally trapped in the nightmare of marrying Kenneth McBride.Actually, she wondered what caused the changes. He has no other woman because it was not allowed. Gabriel McBride was so strict when it comes to that. Since the wedding, Kenneth even hired a new secretary, and she was not allowed to frequently go out to meet her friend. She could talk to Heather on the phone but she could only do it when she was free.From dawn
While she was cleaning the entire house, her mind was preoccupied with finding a way to get back at Kenneth. She couldn’t forgive him for being mean to her! He really thought that he could keep on mistreating her.The only room she hadn't cleaned yet was the man's bedroom, so she felt a bit nervous as she knocked on its door. She knocked several times, but the man still didn't open it. So Sabrina impulsively kicked the door and didn't stop until she heard the sound of the latch turning from the inside. As expected, Kenneth's face scowled as he opened the door for Sabrina."Did I disturb you?" she asked him, sounding a bit foolish.Kenneth let out a sigh of exasperation at her and asked, “Why don’t you ask yourself, Sabrina? After kicking the door, you had to ask me that?” Then, he shook his head in disbelief or annoyance.Sabrina just grinned despite hearing an earful from her husband. Kenneth looked so pissed that he looked like he was about to throttle her or spank her. Still, she d
Despite having consumed a lot, Sabrina's face still lingered in his mind. She had a strong sense of pride, so he knew how much she restrained herself from crying in front of him.During the time they spent together, he had gotten to know her well, and he was certain she was still awake. He glanced at his watch and realized it was almost midnight. Kenneth contemplated as he stared at his cellphone, wanting to call Sabrina since earlier.He wanted to seek advice from friends who had happy love lives but he hesitated. It was already late at night, so he was sure they were asleep. He had tried to convince himself several times that what he did was for the sake of both of them, but he didn't want to hurt Sabrina. When he handed her Scarlet's passbook earlier, she couldn't hide the tremor in her voice from him.Whenever he was with Sabrina, he never felt bored. There were times when she was mischievous, and there were times when she was overly serious. Despite the fluctuations in her mood,
She felt deeply hurt when Kenneth didn't even look at her before leaving without saying goodbye. Was their conversation earlier just a joke? The way he acted, it was as if they didn't even know each other. She stood up and followed him, but suddenly hesitated, so she decided to call him instead. While waiting for Kenneth to answer her call, she felt extremely nervous."So that's it then?" she asked anxiously."Yes," was the only response from him.Sabrina couldn't help but think of going back inside to bid farewell to her assistant. Didn't he know how difficult it was for her to set aside her pride? She waited for a few seconds for his response, but he just said "yes"? My god! She might turn into a criminal on Meghan's resort opening day. She hopped on her scooter and quickly started it. When she arrived home, she rushed inside. Her mother greeted her with a furrowed brow."Mom, where's Scarlet?" She should have been looking for Kenneth, but she felt embarrassed in front of her mother
Kenneth attempted to talk to Sabrina again, but she firmly rejected his plea. He had no choice but to be content with watching her from a distance. He sighed several times as he reflected on his actions towards Sabrina, wincing as he realized that it was unlikely he would be given another chance. Perhaps if he had restrained himself a few days earlier, they wouldn't have reached this point of separation."Excuse me, sir."His reflection on the past was interrupted when a woman suddenly appeared in front of him. Before acknowledging the woman, who probably just wanted to get his number, he glanced back at Sabrina and his jaw dropped when he saw her sweetly smiling at a guest."Sir, this is for you," the woman said.Kenneth accepted what the woman gave him and opened it. His forehead furrowed deeper as he read the contents of the letter, and his expression changed for a brief moment."What's this?" he asked the woman as he approached her."Don't you know how to read? It's clear what I w
TWO MONTHS LATER...It was Valentine's Day and the grand opening of Meghan's resort. The entire staff, especially those from the kitchen and reception, were busy. Meanwhile, Sabrina was sitting calmly near the main entrance of the resort. Her gift shop wasn't officially open yet because she didn't want to coincide with Meghan's opening. However, they decided to set up a small table near the entrance, and every guest of the resort would receive a little gift from her shop.Sabrina wasn't really at a loss because Meghan provided the flowers for free. It was for the resort's opening, after all. She only had to make an effort, and even the supplies came from Meghan. It was also a form of free promotion for her gift shop."Congrats, Meghan," she greeted the woman, who looked bossy in her red dress. The resort had a gold theme like her house, but Meghan chose to wear a red dress, probably to make it easier for her staff to find her."Thank you, Sabrina. Wait, something seems different about
The next morning, Margaret woke up early and approached Meghan and Sabrina. Last night, she was disturbed by their loud noise while she was sleeping. She felt compelled to go downstairs and check what was going on and why Meghan and Sabrina were making so much noise."You're acting like children!" Margaret shouted at the two girls who, if they hadn't surpassed the age on the calendar, wouldn't be so unruly."It's just a game, Mom!" Sabrina replied. "Do you want me to go crazy with sadness?""Stop talking back to me, Sabrina! What do you mean by going crazy with sadness? Fix your life, or I'll be forced to let Brandon straighten you out!""Mom, we're not children anymore for you to scold us like this. We just wanted to have fun, so we played last night. What's wrong with that?"Margaret realized that Sabrina was right. It was just a game, and she shouldn't be worried. But she had read that most people who spend too much time on online games are either bored or deeply depressed."There
Meghan had suggested before that she should try signing up for dating sites to find someone more suitable than Kenneth. She opened her Tinder account and was surprised to see that she was repeatedly asked for a password. She must have entered it incorrectly, even though she used the same password for everything.She took a deep breath before repeating the signing-up process. However, browsing through potential men near her seemed discouraging. Because within six months, she had probably tried all the dating sites and she grew tired of searching for a man who could surpass Kenneth, so she decided to go back to the files related to her business idea."Hello, Meghan," she said when the woman answered on the other line. "Don't you still have vacant space in your resort? If you haven't found a tenant yet, I'll take it. Just prepare the contract of lease and hand it over to the lawyer," she said."Are you sure about that?""Yep! After I eat, I'll go to the city hall to personally process t
Due to Kenneth's departure, Sabrina completely lost herself. She was always in a daze, and in fact, she had neglected Scarlet for several days. Perhaps if she had listened to the man, he wouldn't have left. Maybe if she had immediately believed that he didn't deceive her, their planned marriage would have pushed through."Aren't you going to stop anymore?" Margaret angrily asked Sabrina, who had been crying and worrying for several days.Sabrina burst into even louder sobs because as time went on, she missed Alexander even more. "I can't contact him anymore, Mom.""You pushed his patience to the limit, Sabrina. What if your wedding had pushed through, and you were still like this? You didn't want to listen to him," Margaret blamed Sabrina, but after a moment, she regretted it. "I'm sorry, but you have to endure the pain of losing him.""I can't live without him," Sabrina replied, wiping her tears and slowly making a decision. She would search for Kenneth and bring him to the altar, ev
Upon hearing those words from the woman, it felt like she had killed him and buried him alive. It was far from his imagination that their relationship would be destroyed. If it weren't for Isabelle meddling in his life again, Sabrina's perception of him wouldn't have changed.Kenneth assumed that Sabrina's anger towards him would only be temporary, but he didn't expect that she would also ignore him at home. She moved to a different room, and every time they crossed paths, she wouldn't acknowledge him. One morning, while he was heading to the kitchen to eat, he encountered Sabrina near the staircase, so he blocked her way."Can we talk?""Oh, so you're still here," Sabrina said flatly, and the man was clearly surprised by her words.Kenneth was taken aback by the woman's statement. What did she want him to do? Leave and abandon Scarlet? "Wherever you are, I'm there too," Kenneth said.Sabrina sighed and tried to slip past Kenneth, but when he stood his ground, she kicked his leg. "Get
After Kenneth left, Sabrina wiped away her tears. She didn't like crying in front of other people. Getting angry, yes, but crying where someone could see? She had never done that in her entire life, but earlier she struggled to hold herself back. It was difficult for her to remain brave even though she wanted to just die.As she lay on the bed, her tears continued to flow, and no matter how hard she tried to stop them, she couldn't. She wanted to sleep to forget everything, but sleep seemed elusive for Sabrina. She tried closing her eyes, but she kept seeing images of Kenneth with another woman.Even though he denied it multiple times, she still didn't believe him. It was obvious from the pictures that the two of them were happy together. Kenneth even had his arm around his mistress. He said the pictures were taken a long time ago but she didn’t believe him.If she weren't pregnant, she would have confronted the woman and dragged her on the street. The thought crossed her mind as she