Marriage was never part of the plan, yet it seemed to be the only way out. Waking up the next morning to battle with the same problem again, Gwendolyn wished to keep lingering in bed forever. Nevertheless, a terrible hangover surged around her head, giving her a splitting headache. She put a hand on her forehead, massaging it tenderly. When a thought flashed across her mind, she sat up purposely then she remembered having a clear schedule for the day. She turned to her left side to check the radio clock, a pair of mariner-blue eyes creepily looking at her. She scooted backward startlingly. “Hey. I didn't find that funny. That was creepy.” She scolded him and she rolled her eyes. She looked down at her body to check the cloth she was putting on, she was still wearing yesterday's dress. She drew the dress down to cover her thighs which he wasn't even looking at. Zayn maintained his dark countenance as he kept staring at her. With a swift gesture, he extended a paper to her. He glanc
“Sir, Gwendolyn Brook is getting married today?” Brandon divulged it immediately after he entered his office.He paused his activities after hearing what he said. He lifted his gaze, his brows furrowed as his eyelashes flickered with curiosity. “Getting married today?” He wondered. The last time he checked he hadn't heard any news about her marriage, if she was indeed getting married, it should be the trending news by now.“Yes, sir. It's a garden wedding and only a few people are invited. One of the guests must have uploaded it on the internet because it has been trending consecutively.After hearing the news Austin considered how to surprise her. It was obvious he wasn't happy about the marriage but he knew he could make her suffer even more after the marriage. After she slapped him and walked out of his mansion freely with no one stopping her, he vowed to make her life miserable, crushing her till he tore her into pieces. He had been a restrained beast for a while because he still
They were supposed to meet up today but Gwendolyn had a tight schedule for the day, so she called Jeffery to inform him she was going to make it up to him someday if not today. As she was about to disconnect the call, he asked if she was going to be part of his guests tonight at a party that was going to be hosting tonight. Gwendolyn glimpsed at the phone screen, looking at Lilith like she was awaiting her approval. Apparently not, Lilith knew she didn't need any gesture or permission for anything. After a few seconds, her voice broke the awkward silence. “I'll be there.”“Okay. Thanks for that. You should bring him along, I want to get to know him.”“Sure.” With that Jeffery ended the call at the other end.She lowered her phone to her lap, looking at Lilith as she was preparing her next words. “Do you think I should attend the party? Everyone will be there? I know Jeff is friends with many celebrities, do you think it's a good idea to say no to him now?”After all the words had bee
For perhaps half an hour she had been waddling in her room, contemplating where to begin. Firstly, she hadn't picked a dress which she knew was going to take long. Every morning Lilith would select different dresses, then ask her to choose one. She thought she had made it easy for Gwendolyn but it never worked the way she thought. She couldn't just choose a dress out of her extravagant walk-in closet when she wished to wear them all. Right now she was having a hard time selecting a party dress. Above all, she was also practicing how to tell Zayn about the party, nothing seemed to pop up in her mind. Her head was completely blank and she found it difficult to find a perfect way to approach him after their last little dispute. At the last minute, she might just call Jeffery and give an excuse again. That was becoming a habit, she surmised. Going to the party alone wouldn't be the call. She was still pondering when her phone beeped, she walked over to the bed and picked up the phone, ch
When she was headed back to the table, she couldn't find him anywhere. Jeffrey had engaged in a solemn conversation with his friends. She looked around for him but there was no sign of him anywhere. She took a deep breath to soothe her nerves, After taking a few steps closer she heard her name being called by someone.“Gwen, you're not running away after what you did.” Spinning around to catch a glimpse, Austin was now standing behind her with a few pairs of eyes staring at her. ‘What was he doing?’ She was praying silently that he wouldn't create a scene at the party. It was going to be a total disaster.She knew hitting him was impulsive and she regretted it, not because of how he would feel but what he was going to do to her. “No,” She shook her head vigorously, hoping he wouldn't do anything crazy.With a grin of mischief, he glanced around. “Even if you badly want me to forgive you, you don't have to force me to take you back out of pity. You're with his child and I'm sorry, I h
Closing the door behind him, he had a bottle of water in his hand as he headed to the living room. That same moment Claudia was stepping out of the kitchen, wearing an apron and a cap on. When she saw him, she lifted her right hand and waved slowly, gesturing to him to come over.“Good morning.” She said, standing by the way that led to the kitchen.“Good morning. I'm heading out.” He didn't bother to start a long conversation with her since he was getting late for his morning walk. She nodded, watching him as he headed out. It had been two days since both of them returned from the party, countless times she had inquired what happened at the party, although Gwendolyn promised to divulge everything to her the next day but when Claudia asked, she kept steering the conversation. A fight, there was a chance that they had a dispute again, without anyone telling her she could conclude that Gwendolyn might be the one at fault.She had gotten used to Zayn's cold demeanor but recently it beca
"I'm going to listen to that later but tell me why you got a new job for yourself. Did Gwendolyn know about it? " She emphasized, and she earned a frown from him. "The answer to your question lies in my discussion. If you listen to what I'm about to tell you, you'll find out the answer to your question," Zayn said, not sounding rude or showing any strictness in his tone. "Alright, I'm listening," Claudia said, not wanting to argue with him. She liked talking to him, just that most times, Zayn didn't like having a long conversation with anyone. Sometimes she presumed that the relationship between him and her sister might have been affecting his actions, but in the next minute, seeing them acting like a true couple drove her mind away from her concerns, towards their marriage. There was no reason for her not to like her brother-in-law as he was charming. The aura that graces his presence whenever he wants to be nice is blissful. One would a
Without sparing him a glance after his apology, she sauntered casually to the bed, she put down her handbag, and while sitting down she also extended her hand to her feet to take off her strap-heels. “It's futile, you know… because I'm not angry.” She raised her gaze, turning her head to her left side to catch a glimpse of his reaction. “I thought you were upset about it since I didn't listen to you.” He stuffed his hands in his side pockets, standing firmly on the floor as he stared back at her. “I was upset but not entirely about what you did at the party. I wanted to punch him if I ever got the chance. Next time, you should listen to me. You would have gotten into trouble with Austin. He's an asshole and I can't handle him.” With honesty, she stated. She ran fingers through her hair, and with her gaze still fixed on him she rose. She raised her hands to her shirt and started unbuttoning. ”How did you convince her to stay? What did you tell Claudia?”“It's nothing important. M
“Your three days are over. Tell me, why should I accept that actress who supposedly used you?” The weight of frustration hung heavily in his mind as he whimpered, his voice laced with desperation. “How many times must I tell you that she didn’t use me? Shouldn’t you be grateful that she’s the reason I’m alive? You’re the one who refuses to accept Gwen, but I’m not marrying anyone other than her. I love her, and that should be all you need to know. Stop being such a stubborn old man.” Though Lucien’s anger had dissipated, a certain stubbornness still clouded his grandfather's acceptance of the woman he adored. He could sense that the unexpected invitation to the office was merely a prelude to their confrontation. “Of course, I'm mostly grateful for that. I would have given her a tower of gold if she was wise enough to report you missing the moment she found you. My great-grandchildren shouldn’t have a mother like her.” He declared, his voice steeped in disdain. “My children don't de
After showering, she sidled across the room to his walk-in closet. She selected a long blue shirt and wore it over her pants, the shirt barely reached her thighs, and her curly hair tumbled over her shoulders. She glanced at the mirror on her way out of the closet, she noticed her nipples were conspicuous, stiffened in the shirt, but she barely cared about that. She stroked a strand of hair behind her ear and dampened her lower lip.She seemed refreshed. Their conversation replayed in her head, echoing in her mind as each word reminded her of a tingling feeling she felt earlier. When he asked if she wanted to get married, she felt the yen to say yes if it was him; remarrying him would be a wish come true, but Gwendolyn still assumed they could be fucking buddies until both of them got tired of each other. After all, she believed it would happen one day. ‘If it's you then I don't mind. ’ She hit her forehead when she recalled what she said. She only said that during the heat of the mom
As the echoes of the conference meeting faded away, leaving behind an air thick with unspoken words, the last few attendees ambled out of the hall, their footsteps becoming feeble. A palpable tension hung in the atmosphere, settling heavily on Jace's mind like a suffocating air. He remained seated, his thoughts a chaotic like a total disaster, knowing all too well that he needed to confront the unyielding silence that stretched between him and Lucien. Every time their eyes locked, a flicker of unquenchable curiosity sparkled in Lucien's gaze, silently pleading for acknowledgment. He despised not talking to his elder brother and he didn't want to be the first person to break the eerie silence.“You look like someone who just lost his first love, Jace. What's the matter? Are you going to stay angry at me forever?” Lucien's voice sliced through the stillness, a sharp voice to the thick awkwardness they had both been sidestepping for days.Jace hardly reacted to the teasing remark. His ex
Immediately the call disconnected, Gwendolyn swerved around to look at him, holding her phone tightly. Her countenance wasn't pleasant, she was still worried despite her father assuring her everything was fine, he just needed her to be at the hospital with her stepmom.“Is everything all right?” His brows furrowed with confusion. Seeing how worried she looked, he couldn't gauge if everything was all right.With a shake of her head, “I’m not sure. I should be heading to the hospital now. He said she needs me there like I'm a doctor. I wonder if everything is fine as he said.” She enunciated impatiently. She stepped away from the chair, and then to the exit. Lucien tagged behind her as both of them ascended the stairs together. ”Hospital? Did something happen? Did he tell you what happened?“Yes. Remember I told you she's pregnant, right? I think it's almost time. She might be feeling uncomfortable. She'll need me there. She's in her third trimester. Fuck, I'm supposed to keep my phone
In the next second, they were back in his bedroom, still engaged in a passionate and lips-devouring smooch. Gwendolyn could scarcely explain how he brought her back to his room, the only thing she knew was when she eventually opened her eyes to look at him, they were both on their feet near the king-size bed. His mouth left hers in a swift motion, grazing her cheek down to her neck with kisses, her body quivering with nervousness. She was feeling nervous, and at the same time, her need was about to make her lose her mind. Every time his tongue brushed on her skin, her stomach always tingled. Suddenly, his hand caressed her back slowly, vaguely searching for a string. There, he found the zip. He zipped down her gown with reluctance. Even though he already felt his erection, hardening below, he was more willing to create room for a change of heart, if she wanted. Nevertheless, she wasn't going to stop him, they had both lost their minds in the pool of lust and love.“Ah, Lucien,” She
“Hi, Gwen.” He grinned winsomely, however, she leveled him a killer look as she contracted her lips into a frown.“You haven't answered my damn question. Are you stalking me now?” She seethed.“I’m not. Why are you avoiding me again? I thought we already talked about this yesterday. You won't answer my call or reply to my text, why are you doing this?” He enquired calmly, with one of his hands stuffed in his pocket.She hissed quietly as she rolled her eyes. “I told you, I don't want trouble. I just hope you'll understand this and leave me alone…because you're making everything hard for me by showing up before me. I can't deal with all of this.” She wagged her hands in the air, whimpering with frustration while trying not to look at him.Hearing that, he skipped a few strides close to her. He extended his hand to touch her so she could look at him but he hesitated. “Making everything hard for you? That's not what I'm trying to do. Do you have some minutes? Let's talk somewhere else, i
“Did you also threaten Mr. Robert the same way you threatened Gwendolyn?” Mr. Redgrave grinned cunningly. He spun around, walked up to a couch in his bedroom, and sat down carefully, holding his walk-stick close. He cupped his chin, staring at his grandson in a calm steady manner. “Did he say I threatened him?” His lips cropped into an indignation frown.“Isn’t that what you always do? Using people's weakness against them.”“Is that what you think of me, Lucien? Would you say that to the man who raised you and your siblings? That aside, Mr. Carey called me. Why are you bringing up a divorce now after two years of your marriage to his daughter?” “It has nothing to do with you.” He retorted.“It has everything to do with your grandfather. Have you forgotten we have a bargain?” He reminded him. If perhaps he had forgotten, he was more willing to remind him about it all.His body pulsed up with anger. Every word his grandfather said kept hitting his nerves. He was at the peak of losing
“I surmise I was worried for nothing.” Immediately after the teleconference ended Margaret puffed out a sigh of relief, shuffling away from him to get seated on the couch in his home office. “It’s late,” He glanced over the wall clock. It was already past midnight and he was tired after a long day. If the project wasn't important to Margaret he wouldn’t have assisted her. His resting time was important to him more than anything else.“Thank you so much. I'm so lucky you're my husband, Lucien.” She muttered, pausing for air before continuing. “There's something I'd like to discuss with you but it seems that you're drained tonight. Maybe tomorrow.” She struggled with words, hoping that wouldn't provoke him.“Yes, I'm tired and I can't listen to anything right now. Also don't get your hopes up,” He shut his laptop, rose from his swirling office chair, then took his phone on his desk and headed toward the door. She watched him until he exited the office. She puffed out a despairing sigh
“I'm not supposed to tell you this.”Perplexed, his brow ceased. “Tell me what? Did my grandfather threaten you?”She groaned with frustration and dampened her lower lip to hide her anxiety but her lips were still trembling. She attained her erect posture, staring deeply into his mariner blue eyes, she breathed out slowly and then turned to the chair. She sat down and gestured to him to do the same. However, he remained on his feet, stuffed his hands in his pockets, impatiently waiting for her to divulge every secret she was holding in.“I was invited to Redgrave mansion, and at first, I thought it was you who sent the invite. It turned out to be your grandfather, Mr. Robert, who approached me. I realize that what I did to you was terrible. However, I want to remind you that I asked for your consent, and you agreed to marry me. I didn't understand why people thought I had forced you into this. If you had refused that day, I would have accepted it, although I might have still tried to