Author’s POVJulienne looked flustered seeing Ethan stand there. She was this close to getting Hannah to talk, but Ethan showing up now had ruined everything.Ethan took a step closer, his eyes narrowing as he remembered Julienne’s motives.“What is going on here, Julienne? Are you harassing my wife?” He said, his tone defensive.Hannah’s cheeks flushed when she heard that.She gathered herself, relieved that Ethan had shown up when he did. She wasn’t going to say anything that would put their marriage into perspective for Julienne, but she didn’t know how much longer she could keep lying about it either.Julienne’s persistence was becoming a problem, one that she knew she had to find a lasting solution for, without unraveling any secrets.“Can I talk to you for a moment?” She asked, pulling Ethan away. Ethan heaved a tired sigh and then opened his study and they walked in.“What do you want, Julienne?” She took a deep breath, choosing her words carefully, “I’ve been thinking about
Author’s POVJulienne took a deep breath and pressed off the wall. She knew she couldn’t deny it any longer. “I’m just looking out for you Ethan. I know there are things going on that you aren’t telling me and I know how you crumble when you can’t handle certain pressure.”Ethan’s eyes narrowed as she spoke. He stepped closer, his voice low and dangerous. “Stay out of my business, Julienne. I won’t repeat myself a third time. You have no idea what you are getting into.”Ethan warned and strode past her, towards his desk. He had to go over the merger agreement between him and Liam before meeting with the man again. Ethan pulled his drawer and reached for it, but could not find the document and immediately his brows furrowed furiously. He didn’t have to think to know who was with the papers,“Give them to me, Julienne,” Ethan said coldly and stood up.Julienne stepped back cautiously, her gaze fixed on Ethan’s face, watching him closely, “What are you looking for, Ethan?” She asked pre
Author’s POVAfter she walked out of the house, Julienne wandered the halls of the mansion with an air of pride. She had stood up to Ethan, even though the results were not what she expected. She didn’t bother. She didn’t have to push his temper anymore, she just had to keep a low profile and he out of his way.She spotted Hannah sitting alone in her room with the door slightly ajar, and she stepped forward with a friendly expression.“Hello, Hannah,” she said warmly and slid on the chair in front of her, “I hope I’m not disturbing you.”Hannah looked up, caught off guard but still tried to hide her surprise, “Oh no, not at all,” she replied politely. “You’re not disturbingJulienne feigned a smile and folded her hands on her lap, her gaze trained intently on Hannah, and then her expression changed, “You know, I’ve been thinking,” she began, her voice gentle, but sinister. “Ethan doesn’t often get close to people. He’s always been so guarded. It’s nice to see him with someone who make
Author’s POVA few days went by, and Ethan became incredibly distant from Hannah. The venue for the merger between the Eunuch and his family was set to happen in Venice. This meant that for an entire month, Ethan would have no choice but to spend every day with her. When he informed Hannah about it, she did not know how to react to the news. Once again, she was going to have to spend not just an evening, but a month living in pretense. Grace had called Hannah about a piece of new information about her husband, and because of this trip, Hannah decided to meet earlier for it. If she had to go to this event. She may as well learn a little about her husband.Hannah left the house quickly that morning and headed to Driun Cafe to meet with Grace.The entire ride there was filled with awkwardness. Since their last encounter with Ethan, Clint hadn’t said a word to her. He didn’t want to risk Ethan’s wrath.After a long uncomfortable ride, they finally reached the cafe. Hannah was about to
Author’s POVGrace hurriedly pulled Hannah away, leading her back to their regular seats. “Hannah, sorry you had to run into that irritating woman, I was in the bathroom. Why didn’t you check for me in my seat?” Grace asked, leading Hannah to their seat, “That meathead got in my way.” Hannah replied and they chuckled lightly.“What have you found on Ethan, Grace? I’m supposed to be going away with him on this trip to Vienna and I’m nervous about it. I don’t know anything about him, and Ethan won’t tell me anything either, and now there’s this thing going on about him and Lily.”“Lily?” Grace interjected in surprise, “Your sister, Lily?” Hannah nodded, “Apparently, she knows Ethan but they’re all acting very secretive about it.”“I need to know something about him, Grace. So tell me whatever you know.” Hannah said in a rush.But Grace hesitated for a moment with a look of concern, before sitting down,“I think you should be careful about this Ethan thing.”Hannah’s brows twisted with
Author’s POVThe table remained quiet for a while. Ethan stared daggers at Julienne, just counting down the time till the breakfast was over so that he could tow her away. However, Julienne was not holding back her punches either. It seemed as if she was ready to unravel everything she knew about Ethan and Lily in front of Hannah. She shifted her gaze at Ethan, a wry smirk appearing on her lips, and started, “Ethan, which would you say is better, your time with Hannah or your almost chaotic time with Lily? You must have a favorite.”Ethan almost choked on his drink when he heard those words.“Julienne!” He yelled with a scorching look on his face.“We’re at breakfast, where are your manners?!” Julienne trembled at Ethan’s loud tone, but she did not mind, she was determined to force him to tell Hannah the truth before this whole thing came crashing down in front of them.Hannah on the other hand shifted uncomfortably, her heartbeat rising with a surge of temper. She despised Lily mor
Author’s POV“Ethan?” Hannah called, “What are you doing here?” She asked startled to see him there. Ethan walked slowly towards her, wearing a bland expression, “I’m sorry I startled you, I just came here to get some time away. Julienne has been stressing me out since the time she got here.” Ethan sighed heavily.Hannah approached with caution, a slight frown on her face. Frankly, she could attest to what Ethan was saying, Julienne was becoming a real pain in the ass and needed to go. Hannah reached her hands up, “Why don’t you just throw her out? I got to give it to you Ethan, I thought you were the most annoying person I’ve ever met, but now I’ve seen your sister and I stand corrected. I can understand why you barely talk about her. My God, she’s annoying.” Hannah blurted.“You don’t think I’ve known that?” Ethan replied, and for a brief moment, they chuckled.“I didn’t know you love to read.” Ethan started, changing the conversation. He brushed past Hannah slightly and reached ou
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
Author’s POVHannah's heart raced as she stared at Ethan, her thoughts drifting away. His large arms and ripped back left her in a trance, and slowly as if in a trance, she approached him.Ethan suddenly turned around hearing her footsteps, “Hannah.” He blurted in shock, his face flushing with humiliation.He quickly picked up his shirt and threw it on, “What are you doing here?”“I-uh…” Hannah stammered, her eyes still glued to his toned packs and rounded chest.“I came to check in on you.” She finally said.Ethan quickly dressed up, “I’ll be out in a minute.” He said dismissively.Hannah remained quiet for a while and then replied, “Right. I guess I’ll see you out there.” She turned to leave but then suddenly stopped at the door, turning back. She could not tell what came over her, but everything in her fought the urge to forget the party and throw herself on him right now. And for the first time, the thought of it did not make her uncomfortable. Ethan was buttoning his shirt w
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