Third-Person POV"Has your daughter come home yet?"Ricky glanced at his wife, who had just entered the living room. She had come from their bedroom, and he assumed she was just checking on him since he was still in the living room."Not yet. And I can't contact her," Ricky replied seriously.It was already midnight, and his daughter, Lexi, still hadn’t returned. He had no idea where she had gone since she left the hospital earlier. He had thought she had gone home, but the maid told him that the young lady had yet to arrive."Your daughter is starting to be a troublemaker," his wife commented, sitting beside him."Minda.""What? Don’t you know that because of what happened to James, the Smith family might pull out their investment from our company?" she said seriously.Ricky sighed deeply. He had to admit that this was one of his concerns too. He had worked for years to court the Smith family to invest in their company. Now, all of that might be gone in an instant due to what happene
LEXI'S POVIt's the weekend, but I woke up early. Actually, I couldn't sleep properly because of what happened. I still can't believe the things Papa said to me last night. I didn't think Aunt Minda and Shiela could manipulate me so easily. But what's done is done. Right now, I don't know what to do."Lexi, hija."I looked toward the door of my room. It was Linda, knocking. So, I got up and opened the door for her."Linda.""Did I wake you? I heard about what happened to James. Your father and aunt are going there. I thought maybe you'd want to go with them," she said calmly.I gave a bitter smile. Linda knows that even though I'm angry at James, my concern for him still outweighs everything else."What about Shiela?" I asked, changing the subject."Shiela left early too. She's all dressed up. Maybe she has a date," Linda answered.I clenched my fists. I knew what my brilliant sister was working on—being the wife of the heir to the TAC Group of Companies."Wait, are you okay? Your eye
LEXI'S POVChase and his family are the owners of the TAC Group of Companies. Fate seems to be playing with me too much. The woman my ex mentioned to me a few days ago is actually my sister. I never imagined that we would need each other because of Shiela's schemes.My current problem is how to talk to Chase. I've been staring at my phone for a while now because I don't know how to approach him. I don't have his number yet, but I can easily ask Chelsea for it. I just don't know how to make the first move with Chase."Are you just going to stare at your phone? I thought you were sure about this," Savina suddenly said, pulling me out of my thoughts.I looked at her. She's with me because it's the weekend, and she doesn't want to leave me alone because I might do something impulsively."How do I start, Sav?" I asked her, confused."Hmm. That's tricky since you haven't seen each other in eight years, and your breakup wasn't exactly good. And what if he’s into your sister? That would make
LEXI'S POV"Why didn't you tell me that my sister was the one they planned to set you up with?" I boldly asked Chase.I sat across from him, and when I glanced at Savina, she was already leaving the restaurant. She gave me a nod, signaling that she was heading home. When I looked back at Trevor, I realized he was staring at me. I quickly turned away, feeling embarrassed."So, you found out. Is that why you suddenly changed your mind?" he asked seriously.I took a deep breath. I wasn’t sure if now was the right time to tell him the truth. But I knew Chase well. He’d sense that there was a heavy reason behind my sudden appearance in front of him. Besides, I didn’t want to hide anything from him. We needed each other, and we both needed to be honest."Grey, it's a long story. Do you have time to talk?" I asked softly.He smiled slightly. "You know, I set aside this day to find a woman who could help me with my problem. And since you turned down that woman, you’ll have to spend the whole
LEXI'S POV"So, are you willing to work with me?" I hesitantly asked Chase.I was just following him as we walked toward the gymnasium. I couldn’t help but reminisce about the last conversation we had. I didn’t know why it was coming back to me now. It no longer mattered because it was in the past. I was here because I needed his help."Are you ready to marry me?" he asked directly.I froze for a moment, but eventually, I just nodded. "Yes," I replied briefly.I had already prepared myself for this kind of scenario because it was necessary to hurt my sister the most. It was the biggest revenge I could take on her."You're not the Lexi I used to know. You're the kindest person I've ever met."His words made my tears fall uncontrollably. "I never thought I’d end up like this. All I wanted was for my father to love me, but even that, they denied me. I’m tired of being kind, Chase. And I don’t want to drag you into my mess, but you’re the only one who can help me against them," I said qui
SHIELA'S POV"Grey, can we talk?"Chase looked at me. He probably didn't expect me to follow him out of the restaurant. He had told his parents that he still had some things to take care of, and since our parents had already come to an agreement, they gave me their blessing to follow him."Could you please stop calling me Grey?" he said, emotionless.He didn't stop walking, so I just kept following him. I wasn't going to waste this chance. It's better to start softening his heart now."Why? I thought we were friends before," I said softly."Friends? You were just a schoolmate to me," he said bluntly.I was slightly hurt. He really hadn't changed at all. The way he pushed me away before was exactly how he is treating me right now. But I wasn't going to give up."Chase, what can I do to make you notice me?" I asked desperately."Nothing," he replied briefly.I took a deep breath. We had already reached the parking lot, and he hadn't even glanced at me. I just kept following him until we
LEXI'S POV"Lexi, don’t be shocked by what I’m going to say. James had a seizure earlier, but he’s stable now."I took a deep breath upon hearing Savina’s words. She had been my eyes at the hospital where James was. He still hadn’t woken up, and I was very worried."I want to see him, Sav," I said, my voice cracking as I started to tear up.I had just arrived home, and Chase was right—Papa wasn’t there. So, at least I was able to breathe a little easier, since I wasn’t ready to face him yet. Just then, Savina called to update me about James."Lexi, right now, what you want is impossible. James' mother has barely been home, and no matter how much I beg them, they won’t let you see him. I’m sorry, Lexi," Savina said sadly.I nodded slowly as the tears that I had been holding back began to fall. I was angry at myself because there was nothing I could do for James."But don’t worry, I’ll keep you updated. Let’s not insist on you seeing him for now, because you know the kind of trouble tha
LEXI'S POVI hurried to Midnight Elixir Bar, where Chase said he needed my help. He didn’t explain what kind of help he required on the phone— he just asked me to meet him there. Since I wanted to talk to him anyway, I didn’t hesitate to go. Luckily, I knew the place because Savina had taken me there once before.“It's the first time I’ve seen a guy waiting in a bar’s parking lot,” I teased when I got into his parked car. He didn’t seem drunk—there was no trace of alcohol on him.“Guess who’s inside the bar,” he said instead of responding.I frowned, not in the mood for riddles. “That’s the help you need? Guessing games?” I asked, barely concealing my irritation.He sighed, clearly unimpressed by my sarcasm. “Shiela is inside.”“So?”“I think I might be the reason she’s drinking herself silly. Even if I don’t want to marry her, my conscience can’t handle something bad happening to her. I'm afraid she might use it also to frame me,” he admitted.“You have a conscience? That’s new,” I s
LEXI'S POV"I will call Grandma Mirasol to inform her about this," Chase said with a smile as we got back into his car."Grey, can we not? At least, not yet?" I asked hesitantly.My husband's smile faded instantly. "Why?"I placed a hand on my stomach and let out a deep sigh. "I didn’t want anyone to know yet. I’m scared that my sister might turn her anger towards our baby. I don’t want our child to get hurt," I said, my voice trembling as tears welled up in my eyes.Chase leaned closer, gently kissing my forehead. "I understand, Lexi. I know it’s selfish, but what if you leave for a while? Go with Grandma abroad. I will handle everything here."I shook my head quickly. "I won’t leave you, Chase. I don’t want to."He stared at me, and after a few moments, he sighed. "Alright, fine. But I think it’s best if you quit your job. I can’t always be there to watch over you, Lexi. And I think it’s safer if we move into the mansion. At least there, I know you’ll be protected," he said firmly.
LEXI'S POVAfter speaking with the investigator, Chase fell into a heavy silence. He drove without a word, heading to an unknown destination. I could feel his confusion and anger, so I chose to remain quiet as well. I was just as lost in my thoughts, unsure of how to process everything I had learned. Was the world really this small for Chase and me?An hour passed, and Chase finally stopped the car. I looked out the window and realized we were by the beach. So absorbed was I in my thoughts that I hadn’t noticed how far we had gone.He got out without a word, and I followed him. He took off his shoes and let the seawater lap at his feet. Then, with all his might, he screamed into the open air.“Grey,” I called softly.He dropped to his knees, overwhelmed, and I quickly approached him.“I don’t know how to feel if I find out my father is truly behind all this,” he said, tears streaming down his face.I shook my head gently. “Grey, don’t think like that yet. Don’t doubt your father unles
LEXI'S POVI opened my eyes as I felt Chase getting up. He headed straight to the bathroom, while I slowly got out of bed. A grimace crossed my face as I felt the heaviness in my body. I lay back down, sensing that something wasn’t quite right. Thankfully, I still had one more day of leave, given that I had just gotten married. As for my husband, I wasn’t sure if he had plans because he seemed to be in a hurry.When he came out of the bathroom, our eyes met.“You’re awake,” he said, looking a bit surprised.I glanced at his outfit. “Are you going out?” I couldn’t help but ask.He gave a small smile and nodded lightly. “I wasn’t sure if I should tell you, but I’m meeting James,” he said directly.“James? Why? I’m coming with you.”I sat up quickly. As I was about to head to the bathroom, Chase grabbed my arm.“Are you ready to hear what he has to say?” he asked seriously.“Ready or not, I need to do this, Grey. We can’t move forward if we don’t start somewhere,” I replied firmly.He si
LEXI'S POV"I love you, Lexi." I was speechless at what Chase said. I don't understand myself because my body's reaction is contrary to what my mind is shouting. My mind really wanted to respond to what he said, but I couldn't even open my mouth. So instead of speaking, I just kissed him.It should be just a quick kiss. But when he held my neck, our kiss deepened even more. His left hand also became restless, caressing my entire body. While he was kissing me, he slowly pushed me back against the bathtub. A small moan escaped my lips as my neck pressed against the cold edge of the bathtub."You're so sexy when moaning, Baby," he said hoarsely to me.I pulled him closer to kiss him again. My hands also became restless, wandering everywhere. And just as I was about to touch him, he immediately stopped my hand."No, Baby. I want our first night to be special."I was about to speak when suddenly the paper bag that had fallen on the floor made a sound. We both turned to look there, and I al
LEXI'S POVIt was already one in the morning when we finally made our way up to one of the rooms at Chase's event place. I couldn’t help but shake my head at the sight of the room—it was still in line with their princess or royal theme. No wonder White Castle is one of the most popular event venues in the entire country.“You’re tired, baby. Want to take a shower? There are clothes in the cabinet,” Chase said seriously while checking something on his phone.I glanced at the paper bag I was holding. Chelsea gave it to me and specifically told me to wear it tonight. I hadn’t looked inside yet, but I had a strong feeling it was nightwear since she even teased that she was excited to have a niece or nephew. Just the thought of it made my face feel warm. She even mentioned that Grandma Mirasol helped her pick it out.Feeling sticky, I decided to head to the bathroom for a shower. I smiled as I saw the bathtub and the array of soaps and scented candles prepared there. I set the paper bag on
LEXI'S POVIt was already 11:00 in the evening when the wedding reception ended, and almost all the guests had left. The only ones remaining were Chase's family and my family. Our families were engaged in a conversation, but it was evident that only my father was actively participating. I also noticed that Chase's stepmother barely spoke. I couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling I had about her—perhaps because I didn’t feel she had fully accepted me as Chase’s wife.“How long do you think they’ll keep talking? I can’t wait to have you all to myself,” Chase whispered to me, sending shivers down my spine.“Stop it; you already had your fill last night,” I whispered back.“That doesn’t count. You weren’t my wife yet then,” he said, pouting.I couldn’t help but laugh softly and shake my head. Truth be told, I was anxious about what would happen now that our wedding celebration was over. I wasn’t sure how to fully embrace my role as Chase’s wife. I had given myself to him completely, over a
LEXI'S POVAfter the wedding ceremony, Chase and I were already seated together in the bridal car. We were on our way to the wedding reception, though I had no idea where it was. Chase held onto me tightly, as if silently promising never to let me go. I couldn’t help but smile at the thought.It all started with my desire to get back at my half-sister and his desire to avoid marrying Shiela. But now, I couldn't understand what I was feeling. I felt like a genuine bride—happy and fulfilled because my long-dreamed wedding had finally come true. If only my mother were here, this moment would be perfect. As I married Chase, I managed to set aside my anger and thirst for revenge. I focused solely on him, just as Chelsea had advised me. It wasn’t an obligation—it came naturally. I didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but Savina seemed to be right all along.“Did you see your sister's reaction?” Chase whispered to me.I shook my head slightly. The truth was, I hadn’t noticed her presence. I w
LEXI'S POVI kept letting out deep sighs as I sat inside the bridal car. Ahead of us was the car carrying Chelsea and Savina, which gave me a sense of reassurance. However, I couldn’t shake off the nervous feeling gnawing at me for reasons I couldn’t explain. To make things worse, my phone was with Savina, and I hadn’t retrieved it before she got in the car with Chelsea. I had been so mesmerized by my wedding gown that I completely forgot to grab it earlier."Ma'am, don't be nervous. You look stunning," the driver remarked, noticing my frequent sighs. He was someone I knew well—Chase’s family driver, who had driven for him countless times."Thank you. Are we still far from the venue?" I couldn’t help but ask.I was startled when he suddenly turned right, while the car carrying the two ladies continued straight. I looked at him with curiosity, my heart beginning to race."Ma’am Lexi, Sir Chase instructed me to take this route to the venue," the driver explained, sounding a bit uneasy.
THIRD POVLexi was awakened by the ringing of her phone. Eyes still closed, she groped for it on the bedside table.“Sav, it’s too early,” she lazily answered her friend's call.“Early? It’s already noon! And isn’t today your wedding day?” her best friend replied.She sat up quickly. Chase was no longer beside her, and she noticed that she was already dressed. Because of what happened between her and Chase the night before, she hadn’t noticed how late it had gotten. Now, she’d overslept.“Get up now. Chelsea and I are on our way to your condo. See you soon.”Savina ended the call, leaving her furrowing her brows. She got up to look for her groom but found only a note pinned in the fridge.Baby,I’ll see you in church, okay? I love you.—ChaseLexi couldn’t help but smile. Today was the day she and Chase would get married. She had successfully outmaneuvered her sister, and she couldn’t wait to see her sister’s face when she walked down the aisle. She also promised herself that after th