Author’s POVThe Ford Mansion lit up in cherry festivities that evening. Hannah sat quietly in front of her dressing mirror, lost in thoughts. The party had already started downstairs in the grand decorated hall of the mansion, and still, she did not know what the occasion was.But one thing she was sure of was that tonight was more than a celebration; it was a stage, and everyone would be watching, especially Ethan.In the midst of everything happening, her mind still lingered on Ethan’s call, trying to figure out who was on the other end of the line.The soft knock on her door suddenly snapped her out of her thoughts, “Who is it?” Hannah asked anxiously, thinking that it could be Ethan.“It’s Reginald, Mrs. Ford.” The man answered softly.“Come in,” Hannah replied and turned to face the door.The door slowly opened and Reginald walked into the room, wearing a neat black tux.As soon as he saw her, he froze in place,“You look quite lovely Mrs. Ford. I’m sure everyone downstairs wi
Author’s POVHannah stared at the lady for some moment, stunned by her beauty.She wore a brown sequin dress that highlighted her curves, accentuating her golden blonde hair and moon-shaped face.“I’m sorry for bursting in here like this, I didn’t think there’d be anyone in here.” The lady quickly apologized.Still, Hannah remained quiet, unsure of what to say.Seeing the perplexed look on Hannah’s face, she quickly strode forward, placing her hand on her chest gently,“I’m Julienne.” She said, looking at Hannah keenly, and slowly her eyes widened in surprise.“You must be Hannah.” Hannah seemed even more confused at this point, and dropped the necklace,“How do you know my name?” She asked with a curious gaze.Julienne smiled and stepped closer to her, her fingers tracing the diamond necklace,“Ethan always goes all out, doesn’t he?” Hannah ignored her questions, creasing her brows impatiently,“Who are you? And what are you doing here?” She asked, her voice more firm.“I’m Julienn
Author’s POVAfter his announcement, Ethan slowly stepped down from the stage, approaching her with slow measured steps, and held her hand endearingly.Everyone in the hall was shocked to see Ethan behaving so caring to her. He was a cold and brute man who was hardly seen with a woman since after his last disastrous engagement party, and now he was suddenly married?Some immediately assumed that their marriage was unreal, but they started to have doubts seeing how Ethan was staring so lovingly at Hannah.He leaned in and whispered in a rather flirtatious, “You look beautiful.”Hannah was so smitten by his words. She could not help but admire how hot he looked right now, and a naughty thought suddenly crossed her mind, for the first time in a long while, a naughty thought suddenly flashed through her mind.She immediately snapped out of the trance Ethan had put her in, and mentally scolded herself for having such a perverted thought.“Why didn’t you tell me?” She asked, maintaining a p
Author’s POVHannah stepped back uncomfortably, trying not to raise any alarm, despite shaking in fear.She took a deep breath, keeping her expression neutral, “Do I know you?” “Not yet,” the man replied, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “But I do know you Hannah, and I know you’ve been looking for someone. I can help you find her.” He said vaguely.Immediately Hannah heard those words, the air left her lungs. She hadn’t expected this, not tonight, especially from a stranger at her own party. However, she could not help but feel she had seen this man somewhere else before. “How do you know my sister?” She asked quietly, glancing around to make sure she wasn’t noticed by Ethan.The man chuckled softly, “That’s not important right now. What matters is that I can help you, but it won’t come cheap.” Hannah’s mind spun. The news all felt so shocking to her right now.After years of hunting, strategizing, and making unlikely connections, she finally had a lead on Lily.But
Author’s POVAs Ethan walked away, Hannah was still conflicted, wondering what to do about the mysterious man’s invitation.A shiver of frustration and anxiety ran down her spine as she scanned the hall, looking for where the man could have gone.However, Hannah quickly noticed a group of girls approaching her and from the looks on their faces, she could tell that they meant trouble.“So you’re Ethan’s latest project,” a girl in a sequin green dress mocked as they approached Hannah.“Look at her, she has no idea what she is in for. Take it from us, darling, today is going to be the last time you’re really happy.” Another girl chimed in, and they broke out laughing.Hannah opened her mouth to speak, but just as quickly stopped. She did not know who these girls were but she decided that they were not worth her time.“Yeah, Ethan’s going to have his fun with this one, don’t you think so Emily?” The third girl, Melinda said, staring at Hannah directly.She seemed like the leader of the gr
Author’s POVAs Hannah slipped away from the crowd, she went to a corner away from the crowd and pulled out her phone, dialing Clint’s number with shaking fingers.She didn’t think she could trust him, but Clint was the only person who could get her the answers and help she needed.As soon as the phone rang, he picked up, his voice urgent and unsteady, “Mrs. Ford? Is everything okay?”Hannah pinched the bridge of her nose, thinking this over again, and then sighed,“I need your help, Clint,” she whispered. “There was a man here tonight at the party. He has information that I need from him, which is why I’m going to need you to find him.” Clint let out a low sigh, his voice edged with frustration. It seemed despite his warning, Hannah was still bent on putting herself into trouble.“Hannah, you're going to have to stop this. Don’t you see how risky all of this is?”Hannah closed her eyes, leaning back against the wall, her mind spinning. Clint was right, this was spiraling out of co
Author’s POVRight at that moment, Hannah caught sight of Ethan on the balcony, and her anger grew. She had found out more about him in the last hour than she had this whole time, and even when she could turn a blind eye to what the girls had said earlier, learning that Ethan was already engaged deeply upset her.She stormed toward him immediately and pulled him away,“What the hell Ethan! Were you planning on ever telling me that you’ve been engaged before?” She snapped, her voice rising.Ethan stared at her deeply, his eyes flashing with anger. It was subtle, barely noticeable but it left her with an uneasy feeling that settled deep in her stomach.However, she was too pissed herself to care about the intensity in his eyes. She held his gaze, her eyes narrowed slightly as if she were trying to see through him.“Say something!” She blurted angrily.Ethan was about to say something, but when he noticed another guest approach them, he broke eye contact, even then, Hannah could still fe
Author’s POVAs Hannah walked away, she stood at a distance and took a deep breath, hardening her resolve. She would find Lily and get the answers she needed, no matter the cost. As she stood there, her phone suddenly vibrated and she quickly retrieved it and checked the message. At a glance, she could tell it was the same psycho from the party. His words sounded ominous,“The truth is closer than you think. Meet me tomorrow night if you want to know what it is.”Her heart leaped with excitement but just as quickly disappeared, replied by an anxious expression. The man knew too much already. And if he could find her, he could likely find her husband, Ethan too. The more she thought about it, the more dangerous and complicated this could get, and the thought terrified her. She had just realized what she was walking into, only that she couldn’t back down now.She took a deep breath and looked around, checking for any sights of Ethan, she didn’t want to run into the man again, especial
Author’s POV“What is a letter doing here?” Hannah wondered, still staring at the letter curiously. After a while, she approached the dress, gently picked it up, and observed the intricate designs, and then her gaze shifted back to the letter. Hannah heaved a deep sigh, glancing at the door. At first, she thought it was Ethan, but they shared a room and Hannah could not imagine what it was he had to say that he just couldn’t say to her. Slowly, she picked up the letter and tore open the seal. However, as soon as she noticed who it was from, she froze in shock and the letter fell right out of her hands. Without thinking, Hannah turned and ran out of the room into the hallway, scanning her eyes around hoping to find the waitress from before, but she was too late, she was already gone. After some more time searching the hallways and trying to describe the waitress from earlier even though she had barely gotten a good look at her, Hannah finally gave up and returned to her room.She pace
Author’s POV“You want me to do what?!” Hannah exclaimed, the weight of the words still hanging in the air.She could feel her heart racing already from the thought of it. Her relationship with Ethan was already rocky enough as it was, the last thing she wanted to do was to complicate that with a kiss. “Come on, Hannah, this shouldn’t be difficult to do. All I’m asking is that you kiss your husband. How difficult could that be?” He replied with a hint of sarcasm.Hannah paced around the room frantically. She was afraid when she came to this party, knowing she’d have to act unnaturally close to Ethan to sell off their act as a real married couple, but she never expected that she’d have to kiss him.Things had just escalated quickly. “I can’t do it. I won’t.” Hannah replied sharply.A deep sigh returned on the other end of the line, and then went silent for a while. “Hannah, look we both have to do things we don’t want to do to get what we want. You of all people should know that. Yo
Author’s POV“You want me to do what?!” Hannah exclaimed, the weight of the words still hanging in the air.She could feel her heart racing already from the thought of it. Her relationship with Ethan was already rocky enough as it was, the last thing she wanted to do was to complicate that with a kiss. “Come on, Hannah, this shouldn’t be difficult to do. All I’m asking is that you kiss your husband. How difficult could that be?” He replied with a hint of sarcasm.Hannah paced around the room frantically. She was afraid when she came to this party, knowing she’d have to act unnaturally close to Ethan to sell off their act as a real married couple, but she never expected that she’d have to kiss him.Things had just escalated quickly. “I can’t do it. I won’t.” Hannah replied sharply.A deep sigh returned on the other end of the line, and then went silent for a while. “Hannah, look we both have to do things we don’t want to do to get what we want. You of all people should know that. Yo
Author’s POV“How do you know Liam?” Hannah repeated, sensing a hidden truth there. Julienne hesitated for a while, and then said, “Liam? He’s just my brother’s annoying old friend.” She replied.Hannah was not convinced but she accepted Julienne’s explanation.“What did you say Ethan was doing?” Julienne asked curiously.“He has been staring at his old friend as if he wants to drill a hole through his head, and he’s not subtle about how he feels about Liam either. I’m afraid he’s going to ruin this deal he’s trying to sign, and spend the rest of the trip making it uncomfortable for everyone, which just so happens to be only me,” Hannah complained.“Can you talk to him, get him to bury this Liam thing before the party? It’s in a couple of hours and I’ll appreciate if Ethan isn’t cranky the whole time.”Julienne remained quiet for a while, as if thinking over it, and then said “Alright. I’ll see how I can help.” But before Hannah could say anything, she quickly added, “Do you know wha
Author’s POV“Okay, what’s this thing with you and Liam?” Hannah asked as soon as they stepped inside.“Can we not talk about it? I’m not really in the mood.” Ethan said dismissively.“We can drop it if you stop acting like a jerk around him.” She sneered.Ethan took one look at her and threw up his arms in frustration, “How do you even know that loser?”“What? Liam? He worked with me at the Nightclub.” Hannah replied.When Ethan heard this, his eyes widened in surprise. “Did you say he worked with you at the nightclub?” He repeated.“Yes, what’s the matter?” “Nothing,” Ethan gave in and went to the room, grabbed another duvet, and brought it back to the living room. “Tomorrow’s going to be a busy day. You should get some rest, Hannah.” Ethan said and laid on the couch. Hannah remained frozen, staring at him for a while, and then sighed and walked away.She returned to the room and looked without checking her phone, she went back to bed.***The next morning, Ethan was awoken by th
Author’s POVHannah stormed out of the room with no hesitation. Her mind was racing uncontrollably, and all she wanted was a little break to just process everything. She strode towards the balcony, overlooking the view of the river behind it. Liam stood at the corner of the hallway, watching her intently, and then summoned a smile, and slowly approached her.Hannah gasped in shock when she suddenly saw him,“Liam,” she exhaled.“What are you doing here?” Liam ignored her and just slowly approached her with a smile on his face,“Sorry, Hannah. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He paused and stared at her deeply as if trying to note something.“Why are you looking at me like that?” Hannah’s brow raised uncomfortably as she looked at him.“Does he know?” Liam asked with curiosity.Hannah shot her gaze away, confused by what Liam was asking. Seeing her perplexed expression, Liam smirked and stepped closer to the balcony, tracing his fingers along the cold metal rail.“Your husband, Ethan. I
Author’s POV“Liam?” Hannah called, still in shock. “What are you doing here?” She added as Liam suddenly stopped in front of her. “It’s nice to see you again Hannah, you didn’t even inform us at the nightclub that you were quitting your job,” Liam said teasingly.Hannah look flustered. She still couldn’t believe that Liam was standing in front of her. How did he even get into an exclusive event like this?‘Liam must have scored a very sweet gig here.’ She thought, looking around the place again.“I’m sorry Liam, it all just kind of happened so fast,” Hannah said and quickly added, changing the conversation, “So are you here on a job?” She asked and a wry smile appeared across Liam’s face. However, just as he was about to say something, Ethan emerged from the other end of the hallway and became instantly furious, “You!” He sneered angrily, approaching Liam.Immediately Hannah saw the stern expression on Ethan’s face she could tell something was wrong. She quickly got out of the way,
Author’s POV“Allow me to show you the inside,” Ethan said and led Hannah into the jet.After they entered the jet, Ethan gestured and the air hostesses brought a bottle of champagne.Ethan shifted his gaze to Hannah again and a smile flashed on his face. He could sense the shift in tension and the ease that was quickly settling in between them.“I know this week has been tense and difficult, but can we try to be relaxed around each other? We might just have a good time if we give it a try.” Ethan said earnestly.Hannah hesitated for a while, unsure what to say. Ethan drove a good bargain – the jet, the expensive wine. If she didn’t know better she would think that he was flirting with her. Hannah decided to temporarily ignore the rift between them, at least for the entirety of their flight. Surprisingly, the atmosphere of the jet suddenly changed. Hannah and Ethan engaged frequently in casual conversations, Hannah occasionally taking notes of certain things she liked about it.The w
Author’s POVThe moment they had both dreaded the whole week had arrived. Today was the departure date for the merger party and contract signing in Vienna. Hannah and Ethan had avoided each other for the rest of the week since Hannah’s bold accusations, which Ethan found too true, and ended up feeling mocked.That morning Clint packed their necessary luggage and pulled the car over to the front entrance, waiting nervously for Ethan and Hannah.Evidence of their tension was visible enough for everybody to see, and no one dared to interfere.Hannah descended the stairs with regular pants and a shirt, looking shabby. When all the maids saw this, they feared that Ethan was going to blow over, however, as they stood around, waiting for his reaction, they were surprised. Ethan just heaved a sigh and ignored Hannah. He already had too much on his mind and did not need another reason just to pick a fight with her. For all he cared, Hannah could wear sweatpants and he wouldn’t mind.The maids