"I'm so thrilled that my favorite daughter is marrying your nephew, Lenore," Dad said with a pleased smile, turning toward Zion’s aunt, Lenore Warren.We were gathered around the dining table, the air thick with unspoken words. I sat beside my sister, Geneva, who had been eerily quiet, her expression laced with confusion. I could tell she was unsettled by Yohan’s sudden presence. She didn’t know him—of course, she didn’t. Geneva never involved herself in business matters.Mom, on the other hand, remained silent beside Dad, making no effort to engage with Madame Lenore. Her usual warmth was absent, replaced by a distant, unreadable expression.And me?I had no idea how I was supposed to react.Even now, I couldn’t wrap my head around it—Yohan had changed his mind.Why?What had suddenly made him agree to marry me?"I'm also excited for the Warren and Allen families to finally become one! Isn’t it amazing, my dear?" Madame Lenore’s voice was filled with delight as she turned to Yohan wi
F*CK HIM!I hate him to the core.Does he really think I’ll break from his threats? That I’ll crumble beneath his words?W-Well… maybe a little.But I won’t let him see it.If there’s truly no escape from Yohan, then fine—I’ll accept my fate. But I refuse to be pathetic. I am Cosette Blanche Allen, President of Allen Company. A strong woman. No matter what he's planning, he won’t destroy me that easily.But right now?Right now, I just want to be alone.I don’t want to leave this room. I don’t want to see anyone. I don’t want them to witness me like this—weak, crying, breaking apart.Because the moment they see my vulnerability, they’ll use it against me.I sit on my bed, leaning against the headboard, my eyes shut.I’ve cried for so long, I think I’ve run out of tears.The silence is heavy, almost comforting—until a knock on my door shatters it.I don’t move.I don’t answer.I meant it when I said I wanted to be alone. I’m drained, empty, and exhausted. Whoever it is, they can wait.
Standing in front of the large mirror, dressed in a simple wedding gown with a small veil atop my head, all I can think is: I'm really getting married. But I am not happy.This is the worst day of my life.I am marrying a man I don't like—someone I've despised my whole life. I want to run away, but I know that if I do, my family will be furious. And Yohan... he will find me and make me pay for the rest of my life."Setta?"I blink, pulled from my thoughts as Geneva steps into the room. Yohan and I are getting married at home, with only our families in attendance—no one else. That’s fine with me because, honestly, I don’t care about this wedding. I haven’t even told Franklyn, yet. When he finds out, I know he’ll be shocked and upset. But I believe he will understand why I didn’t invite him—because I don’t want this wedding at all.Maybe I’ll make it up to him when he gets married. I’ll be there, no matter what."Setta, are you okay with this?"Geneva’s serious gaze meets mine. She know
After our wedding reception, we headed straight to the airport for our flight to Hawaii. I couldn't believe Yohan’s earlier statement to Simon was true—we were actually going on a honeymoon. I hadn't even known we had one planned!Would something happen between us?I assumed we would be taking a regular commercial flight, but I was caught off guard when an airport staff member approached us. Silently, I followed Yohan. As we exited the terminal, a private jet awaited us. My suspicions were confirmed—we would be flying to Hawaii in this. It wasn’t surprising, considering Yohan’s wealth. He might even own the jet. But I didn’t want to ask, and more than that, I didn’t want to talk to him.As we stepped inside, I immediately took in the luxurious interior. A long couch stretched along one side, with a gold-accented table in the middle. On it sat a bottle of wine and two glasses. Wow. Everything in here screamed wealth, and I suddenly felt out of place.Yohan took a seat and arched an eye
I woke up to a loud noise, as if there were cheers and some sort of competition happening. What’s going on?Rubbing my eyes, I glanced to my side, but Yohan was nowhere to be seen. There wasn’t even a trace of him. Hasn’t he come back yet?After swimming in the pool last night to clear my mind, I had gone straight to bed in the villa. I didn’t bother thinking about Yohan anymore, assuming he would take a while outside. But maybe he never came back at all. Where could he have spent the night?Shrugging off the thought, I headed to the shower to freshen up. I wanted to step out of the villa and see what all the commotion was about. Could it be a concert?I hurried through my routine, and since it was a beach resort and I was on vacation, I opted for a two-piece swimsuit. To complete my look, I put on a white crochet cover-up, let my hair down, wore a beach hat and sunglasses, and applied sunscreen before heading out.The moment I stepped outside, I noticed a large crowd gathered near th
Those two women were so damn annoying! They acted like they were the most beautiful women in Hawaii—but they weren’t! Their arrogance was unbearable, and now, because I couldn't control myself, I was stuck in this situation.How the hell do I take back what I said to Yohan?Damn it! Why did I say that to him? I haven’t even… I haven’t even tried giving a blowjob before! What the heck?! I’m so screwed. I need to run."You better keep your promise, my little kitten. Let’s meet later at the villa—get ready for tonight. I just need to finish talking to my friend here," Yohan whispered in my ear before walking away, carrying the surfboard he had used earlier.I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry, and felt sweat forming on my forehead.The two foreign women had walked off earlier while we were kissing, unable to handle their jealousy. Good for them! But after Yohan kissed me, my confidence faded, and nervousness crept in again—especially when I caught his devilish grin as he glanced bac
Yohan pressed me against the wall, his kisses trailing down to my neck. I found myself gripping his hair, tilting my head back as a wave of unfamiliar pleasure overwhelmed me. One of his hands was busy slipping off my top, while the other held my waist firmly, keeping me steady."Oh, Yohan!" I gasped, a soft moan escaping my lips when I felt his tongue teasing my chest.At some point, he had already removed my top, his hands moving swiftly to claim my breasts. He cupped one, kneading it gently, while his mouth and warm tongue played with the other."F*ck," I whispered when he lightly bit my nipple.I glanced down at Yohan, watching as he continued to lavish attention on me, his lips and tongue working their magic. He looked almost like a baby nursing, but the sheer pleasure of it made my thoughts scatter. Running my fingers through his hair, I shuddered when his tongue flicked rapidly against my nipple, making me arch my back in response.He lowered me again, and my legs nearly gave o
Shit. My entire body aches. Did something heavy fall on me? It feels like I’ve been hit all over—especially down there—where the pain and burning sensation are unbearable.F*ck. Something definitely happened between Yohan and me last night. We didn’t stop until early morning, and I eventually passed out from exhaustion."Hmmm..."I felt someone wrap their arms around me from behind, followed by soft kisses trailing along my bare shoulder and back."Y-Yohan, I can’t move… my body hurts," I murmured as his hands began exploring my body again.Does this man never get tired?!I must look like a mess at this ungodly hour with Yohan clinging to me."I know, Cosette. I won’t do that to you again," he whispered, his lips brushing against my ear. "I just want some milk first."I frowned and slowly turned to face him, wincing at the soreness in my body. But as soon as I saw Yohan’s face up close, I momentarily forgot my pain.Why does he look so angelic when he just woke up? His tousled hair, t
Cosette’s POV"Setta, you know that the house isn't in our name anymore, right? Your ex-husband already acquired all our properties."I rubbed my temples as I spoke to Mama on the phone. When Johiel and I got home from work, I immediately called Mama because I couldn't shake off the feeling of unease about her visit, and upon learning her purpose, I couldn't help but feel troubled."Ma, you could buy new properties in Los Angeles if you really want to go back there. You could also ask for help from Gene, or maybe you could just stay with them for a while," I suggested to her.I heard her sigh on the other end of the line. "Setta, our house holds many memories of us. I can't just let that go again," Mom said on the other line.I closed my eyes."Ma! You know that it's not ours anymore, right? I thought you had moved on and wanted to stay in Finland?" I said to her."I have moved on from the pain, Cosette, but that doesn't mean I've forgotten our life together with your father. I want o
Yohan's POV"She has panic attacks again, Zion."I stiffened, glancing at Claudia who was currently asleep in her bed. She's being checked on by her private doctor and nurses. Claudia lost control of herself earlier and almost hurt herself again, but thankfully, Aunt Lenore caught her in time and stopped her from doing anything rash. Aunt Lenore called me quickly, so I hurried over to the house where Claudia is staying."You can't just leave her alone, Zion! Don't you have any pity for her? It's been five years since she woke up from seven years in a coma, but Claudia is still suffering. She's your fiancée!"I couldn't help but bristle at what Aunt Lenore said, but I restrained myself."She was my fiancée, Aunt, not anymore. Claudia and I are no longer together; I'm just doing this out of guilt for what happened to her...because it's my fault that she's like this," I said to her.Five years ago, Claudia finally woke up from the seven-year coma. I was ecstatic at the time because she w
Cosette’s POVHerbert smiled and slightly bowed, greeting me, and I greeted him back."He's also from LA like you, so that's why I called you because I want you to assist him in his new workplace and be his tour guide for a while in the company," our Editor-in-chief, Mr. Nunes, said.I was slightly surprised and looked at Herbert again. He just smiled at me and waved slightly."Okay, Sir."Sir Nunes reminded Herbert of a few things before we left his office."Wow! I can't believe I have a fellow American colleague now, I'm happy," we both said as we left our editor-in-chief's office.Herbert smiled at me, scratching his head slightly. I could see he's shy and not much of a talker. It seems like I'll have a hard time talking to him even though we're both American. "Is that how you really are?" I asked him, raising my eyebrow.His eyes widened as if he had done something wrong to me. "H-Huh? What do you mean?" he asked, stuttering.I couldn't help but laugh. I shook my head and started
Cosette’s POVI'm outside my house right now, facing my laptop while I'm working. Our company allows us to work from home sometimes, and I'm working from home today. While I'm working here outside my house, I can't help but look at the scenery because I can see the mountain I used to hike with my Swiss friends. I haven't been able to hike recently because I'm busy with my job.I paused from my work when I heard my phone ring. I couldn't help but feel excited and eager when I saw who was calling. I quickly answered it and leaned back in my chair. Ah, my angel is calling me."Mommy Cosette!" he exclaimed from the other line as I answered his call.I chuckled softly and replied, "Yes, pretty boy? I missed you! When are you coming home?""I don't know, Mommy Cosette! But Papa Franklyn said we would visit you there on the weekend," he replied from the other line.I closed my eyes and hugged myself while talking to him on the other line. "I miss you so much, Baby. I wish you were with me,"
Yohan’s POV"Sir, Mrs. Cosette has already left, and she's on the plane heading to Switzerland."I closed my eyes and sighed deeply as my secretary delivered the news. I gestured for her to leave my office, and as I heard the door shut, I opened my eyes again, staring blankly.Because of my eagerness to fulfill my revenge plan that I had been plotting for a long time, I lost the person who made me feel complete again. I lost my wife and our angel because of my stupidity. This is the first time I have felt this pain again in my whole life. The last time I felt this pain was when my parents died. I never thought I would fall for the daughter of my enemy, the daughter of the one who betrayed my parents.I took a
Yohan's POVOct. 17, 2000.That's the date my parents were killed by the people they trusted their entire lives. I was there when my parents were killed. I saw how they mercilessly killed my dad and hurt my mom. That was the time that I will never forget in my whole life. I promised myself that the people who killed my parents would pay the price for whatever they did in the past."Zion?"I blinked my eyes and turned when I heard the voice of my Aunt Lenore, my father's sister. Aunt Lenore became my guardian when I lost my parents. I have no siblings, and only Aunt Lenore is the closest family I have here in LA. I have my family on my mother's side in Spain, but
"Cosette, aren't you going home yet?"I blinked my eyes and turned when I heard Franklyn's voice. Mom had already gone home because she felt dizzy and needed some rest. We were at the cemetery, where we buried my child. The doctor showed us our baby, and I couldn't help but cry and feel the pain when I saw how tiny he was. If he were still alive and saved, he would have grown up, and I would have given him everything that would make him happy. But now, my child is gone, leaving me alone."I'll stay here for a while, Frank," I said softly while looking at my child's gravestone. We just labeled it as Baby Warren since we didn't know his gender yet."Are you going to sign the annulment papers with Zion?" he asked.I blinked my eyes and faced him.Right. I still needed to sign those.After Yohan and I talked at the hospital about our separation, I immediately called Alice, and she took care of the annulment papers for Yohan and me. Yohan didn't talk about the annulment, but he had no choi
The doctor who entered my room looked at me with sadness. I blinked my eyes and couldn't help but feel nervous about what the doctor would say to us now. No, please... it can't be, I can't handle this."D-Doc, i-is my baby okay?" I nervously asked while looking at him. Mom also held me tightly, refusing to let go."I'm sorry, Cosette. You lost your baby."I closed my eyes and cried loudly when the doctor told me that. Mom approached me and hugged me tightly. I winced and held my stomach. No! My baby can't be gone; I can still feel them in my womb. It can't be."No! My baby is alive! Please, doc, you can't be right! My child is alive!" I cried while clutching my stomach. Mom hugged me tightly, and I heard her crying too. After I fainted and bled, they quickly took me to the hospital, and when I woke up, I found myself in a hospital room. A doctor approached me and told me that they couldn't save my baby."M-Mommy, my baby can't be gone! He can't leave me!"Mommy was crying now, just li
I quickly retrieved my car keys. As I exited our house, I swiftly got into my car and started it. I saw Yohan coming out of our house, and he quickly approached the window of my car, tapping on it lightly."Cosette! Come out! Let's fix this problem, please! Don't leave me!" Yohan shouted while continuing to knock on my window.I looked at him with a deep gaze, raised one hand, and showed him my middle finger. I don't give a fuck. I've run out of patience with Yohan. I love him, but I can't take it anymore. It hurts. I've listened to him and forgiven him multiple times, but he still doesn't change; he continues to deceive me.Does he love me? Then he should be honest with me."Cosette!" he shouted loudly as I accelerated my car.While driving, I called Alice, my secretary, and had her gather some documents. I'm heading to my parents' house now, carrying the letter Dad gave me before he passed away. I'll read it there, and I know I'll learn more. I sense that Yohan is hiding many more l