Author’s POV The car door swung open and Clint stood by, waiting for Hannah. Hannah stared at the building for some moments, and then her lips curled into a sinister smile. Turning toward Clint, her expression suddenly turned stern. The last thing she wanted was for him to blow her cover before she even had a chance to get her revenge on the store manager. “I know Ethan sent you to look over me, but I’m going to need you to do as I say now, or we can forget about all of this.” Hannah declared. Immediately, Clint’s gaze turned cold. He could tell that whatever Hannah was planning, she was up to no good. However, seeing the stern look on her face and knowing that time was running out, he heaved a defeated sigh and gave in, “What are you going to do?” Clint asked with concern. Hannah’s face tinged with excitement, and she just turned and walked toward the entrance of the boutique wordlessly. Entering the store, she walked humbly toward the luxury department, checking through d
Author’s POV“What's going on here?” The store manager, Victoria asked with a stern look.“Ma'am this customer came in here asking to browse around the luxurious section of the boutique. I asked her to leave, but she wouldn't, insisting that she wanted to see our most expensive clothes in the store.” Lydia replied, her voice wavering, unable to look at Victoria directly in the face.“I was just about to call security to throw her out,” she quickly added, hoping to exonerate herself, but Victoria just ignored her with a wave of her hand. Her eyes shifted slowly towards the woman across the floor and slowly widened in shock when she realized who it was.“You!” The words escaped her lips.Immediately, a smirk tugged at the corner of her lips, and her former furious gaze softened into a malicious look.“Ma'am, what do you want to do?” Lydia's voice echoed softly, noticing the familiar look between the two.“Don't worry about it,” Victoria said, walking confidently toward Hannah. “I'll ha
Author’s POVVictoria chuckled lightly, thinking this was some sort of ridiculous game, but when she saw the seriousness on Hannah's face, her smile faded slowly. “Have you gone mad?” Victoria hissed, her voice rising in anger, “Do you think you can come in here and just act so shamelessly? You think we're running a circus for lunatics like you?!” “You can't just–”“Why not?” Hannah shot back calmly.“You were so kind to let me stay here. Seems only fair that you'll treat me to a little something too. As a no good scum with no shame, consider it a favor to an old friend.” She said loud for everyone to hear and gave Victoria a wink.Clint shifted uncomfortably behind Hannah, sensing the tension that was brewing between the two women. He had seen enough to know that this was going to get messy, but he stayed away, unsure where this would be.Hannah was ready for a fight, and she was playing it smart, which he was intrigued to see.Victoria seethed now, storming around in anger, lookin
Author’s POVHannah’s eyes narrowed, and for a moment, something darker flashed across her face. She remained quiet for a while, almost as if contemplating her next words carefully.“Well, what is it? It sure must be important if you are willing to risk annoying Ethan for it.” Clint asked curiously.A small smile stretched Hannah’s lips, she shook her head softly, deciding that she still couldn’t trust Clint or anyone connected to Ethan with her secret.“This isn’t just about Victoria,” she said quietly. “It’s about getting my dignity back from everyone who stole it from me. Every opportunity I lost because they took one look at me and decided that I wasn’t worth it, I wasn’t qualified.” Hannah lied, yet her fists still clenched in anger. This wasn’t the main reason she was doing it. It was to find Lily, but still, recounting every moment of her life when she was denied an opportunity just because she wasn’t wealthy or had a good status made her anger grow.Clint blinked, confused. He
Author’s POVSeeing the sinister grin on her face, Clint was puzzled. “Something about this situation seems funny to you?” He asked as he backed out of the driveway. Hannah swallowed hard, her resolve tightening.“I need to talk to him. Face to face.”Clint suddenly shot her a stern look, “Are you sure that’s a good idea? If he knows what you are doing, he’s not going to be happy.” “I don’t care,” Hannah said firmly.“This ends now. I need to know where he stands with this marriage. If he’s just going to keep abusing my privacy, then I might just have to return the favor a different way.” Without saying, Clint could see that Hannah was furious and meant every single word of what she said.He heaved a deep sigh, tired of arguing with her. Tonight had been too much trouble already and right now he just wanted to get her back home in time for the party.He tactically drove away from the store, occasionally glancing at the rearview mirror to ensure they were still not followed.After a
Author’s POV“So how are the party plans coming along? Anything I need to know before it starts?” Hannah asked, quickly changing the subject.Ethan’s expression softened as he heaved a sigh and started, “The party’s all set,” he said, tapping a guest list, and then his eyes narrowed into a stern gaze.“I need you to be prepared, Hannah. There will be people from my world – business associates, family, important people. Not the kind of people you should mess with. They’ll all be watching us very closely tonight, and if there’s any sign of slip up, someone might notice. So we’ll have to be very careful tonight.” He warned, looking at her intently.He paused, seeing the anxious look on Hannah’s face. Ethan knew just how much pressure this was on her. For someone who hadn’t ever been to any party with the elites, attending one where she would be the center of attention could be overwhelming.He strode toward her, stopping just inches in front of her. “This engagement…it’s as much a partne
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 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 POVThe hallway speakers suddenly sounded, breaking the festive atmosphere in the room.Curious to find out what was going on, Hannah approached Ethan hastily with a glass of wine and handed it to him, her face filled with confusion.At this time, a middle aged man strode towards the stage with a glass of wine in his hand,“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for showing up tonight. I must say you all look very lovely. Tonight is the beginning of a very important partnership, one that will change the future of two of the biggest companies in the country.”“With that, please join me as I welcome the man who made all of this possible to the stage to tell us briefly about what they have in future for us. I believe most of us here already know him.” As he spoke, the reporters among the crowd started looking around for Ethan, and just then, the announcers voice went off again,“Please welcome Ethan Ford to the stage.” As soon as Ethan’s name was announced, the crowd started applaudin
Author’s POV“Chairman Eunuch?” Ethan asked, seeking clarification. The chauffeur looked a little puzzled, but answered, “Yes, he’s excited to meet with you.”Ethan nodded, thinking it was Liam’s father. Finally, he wouldn’t have to deal with Liam anymore, he thought.The chauffeur opened the car door and after they entered, drove to the country club.The Eunuchs owned one of the largest real estate enterprises in the country and this country cafe was the largest in the country with a large reception and entertainment hall for events.After a short drive, Ethan and Hannah arrived at the venue and right from the entrance, they could tell this was a large event.The reception hall was luxuriously decorated, and outside stood a live media coverage. However, when Hannah saw this, her nerves felt like they were set on fire. Ethan noticed the anxious look on her face and gently held her hand, “It’s going to be okay. I’ll be right there with you the whole time.” He said in a calm tone.Stra
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