I finally married Zach Gordon.He was a bit drunk when he placed his arms on the bed. The flower on his shirt pocket was very beautiful.I loved Zach so much that it hurt.I grabbed his tie, and he leaned down toward me.During our wedding, Zach kissed me for the first time. It was just a quick peck on my lips through the veil, but I knew that I would never forget how warm his lips felt.He finally kissed me, but it was a gentle kiss on my forehead instead of my lips.My heart fluttered uncontrollably, and I hugged him.Last month, Sophie Freeman asked me what I wished for on my birthday.I told her my wish was to sleep with Zach.She was surprised that I did not aim higher. Anyway, my biggest wish was indeed to sleep with Zach.Today, my wish came true.However, the phone on the bedside table suddenly rang and ruined the mood.Zach’s ringtone was like an alarm; even those far away could hear it.He glanced at his phone and ignored it, but it rang nonstop.He finally pi
Paula called Zach, but he did not pick it up.So, I decided to wait for him at the airport. I figured that something had come up and he would just meet me there.I told him on WhatsApp that I was heading to the airport and added a bunch of cringy kiss and heart emojis. He did not reply, and I grew incredibly anxious.I waited at the airport entrance until 3 p.m., but Zach never answered any of my calls.Time was running out, so I went through security and waited at the boarding gate.I waited until the plane left without us and sighed.Why did he stand me up?The car that dropped me off had already left. But I did not want to call my driver because my mom would find out and ask a lot of questions. On the cab ride home, I kept calling Zach. This time, he had turned off his phone.My husband had gone missing on the night of our wedding.There was still no word from Zach at the end of the day. Late at night, Bailey called to ask if I had arrived in Iceland. I said that I ha
Cecilia had been missing for three years. But she showed up on my wedding night and interrupted my honeymoon with Zach.Even though we had grown up together, we had always been enemies.She was holding onto the railing and swaying. She could fall if she was not careful.Ever since I could remember, Cecilia had been very afraid of death. When she was little, she would even go to the hospital after an ant bite.The wind blew her hair around, and she looked at me through her hair. I looked back at her. All of a sudden, she waved at me. I was hesitant, and I stayed where I was. She laughed and seemed to mock me for being too scared to approach.Cecilia was still just as irritating after three years.I disliked her as much as she disliked me.Her body swayed like a torn flag in the strong wind. When she wobbled, I instinctively ran over and grabbed her arm.Then, I saw her pleased smile. I was still being too kind.She pulled hard on my wrist and tried to drag me toward the raili
He seemed to be in a hurry, as he did not wait for me to reply.“Just sign it and give it to my lawyer before the end of the day.”With that, he turned to leave. I grabbed his sleeve across the desk. “Zach, you…”With my temper, I would have slapped him.I had been helping him for three years. But the moment Cecilia came back, he wanted to get a divorce.I probably did not matter to him at all.He pulled his sleeve away, and the sharp edge of his exquisite cufflink cut into my hurt hand. I gasped in pain.“Cassia, Cecilia’s back. I need to be with her.”“Are you kidding me?” I scoffed. “Where was she when you were struggling and at your worst? Who was there for you then? Now that she’s back, you want to be with her. Who am I to you?”He did not answer, probably because he did not know how.I ran around the desk to stand in front of him, but I had to look up. I usually switched out my high heels for flats in the office, so he was much taller than me.His sad expression surpri
Sophie said she would go out with me for drinks, but I was so down that I did not even feel like drinking.I told her, “We can do that another day. I need to go home and get some sleep.”“I don’t think you can sleep.” She leaned against my car door and looked at me.“I can sleep just fine. I’ll fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.”Sophie opened the car door and pulled me out. “I’ll drive you home. It’s dangerous for you to drive in this state.”“What about your car?”“I’ll get my driver to drive it back later.”I did not argue and got into the back seat.Sophie drove really fast. Even though I was not asleep, I kept my eyes shut.While driving, she suddenly asked, “Have you slept with Zach?”There was no point in asking that after everything that just happened.I turned away and refused to answer.“That jerk! He slept with you while he thought about his ex! I really want to shoot him!”Sophie always walked the talk. If she had a gun, she would actually shoot hi
Zach left. I knew that I could not make him stay.I stood against the wooden handrail on the stairs and heard him drive away.My ankle hurt a lot, and I felt dizzy.I felt like a complete loser before him.Mrs. Hudson, the housekeeper, came downstairs after she heard all the noise. She was still sleepy and unaware of what had happened. She seemed worried when she saw me looking so down. She brought me a pair of slippers and said, “Mrs. Gordon, don’t stand barefoot. It’s cold in the fall.”I did not move, so she crouched to put the slippers on me. When she touched my ankle, I cried out in pain. Startled, she pulled back. “Oh, no! Mrs. Gordon, your ankle is swollen!”She helped me to the couch and started searching the house. “I’ll get the first-aid kit. You need to apply some medicine and massage it. No, you should use ice to reduce the swelling first. Then, you can massage it.”Mrs. Hudson was rushing around like a butterfly, and everything around me looked blurry.Actually
Of course, that was not proof, but I had known Cecilia for many years. Based on the way she looked and her state of mind, I did not believe it.A woman with an incurable illness would not be in the mood to fight another woman over a man. She should be focusing on trying to stay alive.I disliked Cecilia’s smile, and it seemed like we were destined to be enemies.“Send her back.” I waved weakly at Sophie and Oliver.“You’re letting her go just like that?” Oliver shot to his feet. I pulled him back down. “You idiot! Are you trying to make Zach dislike me even more?”“You still care about his feelings?”“Yeah. He’s a jerk.”They kept arguing, and I felt like my head was going to explode.I pointed at Sophie. “You, take her back to the hospital.”Sophie stood up. “I’ll make you a cup of coffee.”“I don’t want coffee! Take her back now!” I shouted, and my voice cracked.They could see how devastated I was. After exchanging glances, they looked down and fell silent.After a
Zach pushed me into his car. By the time Sophie rushed out in anger, he had already driven away.I shook my head to tell her to calm down.Thanks to me and Cecilia, their fight never seemed to end.Zach drove quickly with a furious look. I had never seen him this mad before. Even when our new company was in serious trouble two and a half years ago, he was not this upset.As I fastened my seatbelt, I explained, “Cecilia’s back in the hospital. We didn’t do anything to her. We just talked.”He threw me a piece of paper. I picked it up and saw that it was from Cecilia. [Zach, I’m sorry for leaving. I shouldn’t have come back. I didn’t know you were married to Cassia. I shouldn’t have caused problems in your relationship. I just wanted to see you one last time before I die. Being with you these past few days has been enough. Really, Zach. These three days have meant everything to me. I’ll always love you. Cecilia.]The note was filled with sorrow, and anyone who read it would feel
I switched seats in the hall three times, but Cecilia stuck to me like glue. I could not get rid of her.By the time Zach finished his interview and came over, she was still challenging me. “Cassia, it doesn’t matter how much you do for Zach. Even if you give him everything, including your heart, he’ll come back to me as soon as I smile at him,” she said.Just then, Zach appeared next to our table. Cecilia kept going, as she was completely caught up in her own delusions.I looked up at Zach and said with a smile, “When did you become a butcher who took hearts?”Since he showed up, I took the chance to escape. I stood up and said, “Well, Zach’s here. Cecilia, why don’t you charm him and give him that smile you were talking about?”Then, I quickly slipped away. All evening, she had been annoying me like a fly. It totally ruined my appetite.I found a quiet spot and placed my food on the table. As soon as I sat down, Zach came over and sat across from me. I looked behind him and
When Zach saw Wilson Corporation’s bid, he tossed it aside. This meant that it had been eliminated.Wilson Corporation did not have enough funding, so they would not make it to the next round. If they could not keep up in terms of cash flow, it would delay the whole project.However, it would not be fun to eliminate them in the first round.I picked up Wilson Corporation’s bid again. Austin looked at me and asked, “What are you doing?”“Just having some fun.”Wilson Corporation would not make it to the final round anyway. At least, they could enjoy making it to the next round.When the names of the qualified companies were announced, Cecilia’s expression was strange. She looked both nervous and confident at the same time. It was like she had a split personality.The moment Zach read Wilson Corporation’s name, Cecilia quickly stood up and turned to me.I saw pride, satisfaction, and joy in her gaze.She raised her chin as she walked up to receive the bid from Zach. She was acti
There was nonstop clicking from the cameras, and their flashes were so bright that they almost made my eyes water.Just then, Zach handed me a pair of glasses. I put it on, and another reporter asked, “There’s a rumor that Zach was recently fired from Gordon Corporation’s board? Is it true?”Tyler laughed. He looked at Zach and then at me before he said, “You just said that it was a rumor, right?”I scanned the crowd and quickly spotted Cecilia. Her face was pale, and it looked like she was about to cry.At this point, she should realize that Zach had not been fired. He was not the nobody she thought he was.He was still the same Zach. In fact, he was even better. While he was away from the spotlight, Zach set Yonder Trading up for the next five years. Even without Gordon Corporation, he could still succeed in the business world with Yonder Trading.Cecilia was dumbfounded, but it did not seem like she could cry. It was almost funny.Her attitude had been completely different
Cecilia walked toward me in her high heels. “Cassia, you’re acting like a saint again. When Zach’s career fell apart four years ago, you stayed with him for three years. Now, you’re getting back with him again? You love him that much, huh? I’m telling you that Zach is a lost cause. No matter what you do, he’s not going to make a comeback unless you hand over Freeman Corporation to him. Other people date for fun, but you? You’re ready to risk everything for him.”“Cecilia.” I looked her straight in the eye. “That’s enough. No matter what, Zach used to be completely devoted to you. Not only have you dumped him, but you’re trash-talking him behind his back.”“Behind his back? I’d say the same thing to his face.” Cecilia raised her chin. “Sure, Zach loved me, but I don’t want some lovesick fool. It doesn’t matter that he turned against the Gordon family for me. Did I ask him to? If his life is a mess now, it’s his own fault.”“His fault is falling in love with you.”Cecilia smiled smug
The past few days had been particularly hectic. The signing of the Cameron Hill project was around the corner, and we were going to open for tender on the signing day. Once the project began, we would subcontract to many construction companies. We had a few construction companies under Freeman Corporation. However, it was going to be hard for us to tackle such a big project on our own. Hence, we needed to look for subcontractors. Doing both the signing and the tendering on the same day was a first in the industry. Actually, I did not want to rush things like that, but Austin wanted to be quick. He was afraid that his body would give up on him. Meanwhile, I was afraid that I would accidentally tell Sophie the truth one day. Sophie could not make it to the signing. She could not walk well, and she was basically resting. We had released the news about the tender a few days ago, and I had received tenders from many companies. Wilson Corporation was one of them. I glanced at the
While I was staring at Lucy’s photo, my father called me. He and my mother had been away for a really long trip. They left when it was winter, and it was already spring, but they were still not back. My father said, “The proposal that you sent me regarding Cameron Hill is very detailed. I think it’s a good project. You can sign on my behalf.” “Dad, are you guys not coming back yet?”“You’re good at your job. I feel at ease when you’re in charge.” “Dad, don’t forget that my baby’s due in two months.” “Well, aren’t there two months left, then?” I was speechless. My father was trying to make use of me until the day I gave birth. He seemed to be in a good mood. Yesterday, my mother called and told me that Aunt Lauren and her husband were feeling much better than before. It was especially so after they learned that Sophie had gotten into a relationship. Before I ended the call, my father gave me some encouraging words, “Oscar called me yesterday and praised you for being a
Rachel really liked the pastries that Kingston had bought. “I’ve never had such good food before,” she said.She was always surprised by our food, as she grew up overseas with a different type of cuisine. Zach had promised to finish building the castle with Rachel, so I sent her to Yonder Trading in the morning. I held her hand as we walked into his office. He had just finished laying the game mat on the floor. Rachel ran over to him happily. “Zach!” Zach immediately carried her and lifted her over his head. Rachel giggled. She was usually quite lonely, so she loved to spend time with us adults. After I dropped her off, Zach passed me a folder. “It’s about Lucy.” He was extremely quick in his investigation. I took the folder and only found a few pages inside.Lucy was not originally from West City. Instead, she came from East City. It turned out that she had taken her mother’s last name.Her mother was a lounge singer, and there were a few old photos of her in the
“Hush.” I held my finger up to my lips. “Stop being so noisy. He’s still sleeping.”“Cassia, can you add more people to your list of blacklisted guests? Austin, that dog—” “Shut up,” I chastised her before she could finish her sentence. However, Austin had already woken up and sat up from the sofa bed. He patted his numb arm as he said to Sophie, “At first, Lucy was sleeping here too, but your snores got too loud, so she went to the other room. I’m still here because I fell asleep. I wasn’t interested in staying up to listen to your snoring.” Sophie threw a throw pillow at him. She used too much force, so Austin toppled over after being hit. She laughed. “Austin, you’re such a loser. Are you made out of glass? Why are you falling over after such a light throw?” Austin slowly walked out of the room, and Sophie scowled as he left. Then, she lay down again. I picked up the throw pillow and tossed it back to her. “Can you be gentler next time?”“Why?”“I know you’re athletic
Rachel had already fallen asleep. So, I went downstairs for a glass of lemon water. Kingston happened to walk out of Sophie’s room too. He carefully shut the door, and I asked, “Is Sophie asleep?”“Yes.” Kingston laughed and said, “I was telling her a bedtime story, and she dozed off.”He had such patience to even tell Sophie a bedtime story. I could see how much he liked her. If Austin were not in the picture, I would be very happy to see their relationship progress. However, I was the one who had introduced Kingston to Sophie. Whenever I thought about Austin, I felt bad. “Have a safe drive home.”“Don’t worry. It’s just a short drive.” He kindly helped me down the stairs. “Oh, Sophie wants some pastries for breakfast tomorrow. What would you like to eat? I could buy some for you.” “She’s asking you to buy her breakfast? Don’t waste your energy. I can get the driver to buy it or just order delivery. You don’t have to trouble yourself.”“It’s no trouble at all. Sophie did