"I've told you many times, never prepare food or touch my things, whatever it is! If you have ears, you should understand what I'm saying!"
The voice echoed thunderously, pounding her heart. The room suddenly filled with tension. It was as if the air had been forcibly taken away, leaving Veronica with a tightness in her chest.This wasn't the first time Darwin had spoken harshly or given her a warning. A month had passed. Yet, not a single kind gesture had Darwin shown to his wife.Like this morning, before leaving for work, once again Veronica took the initiative to prepare breakfast for herself and her husband.But instead of appreciation or even a thank you, he responded rudely. Perhaps he was irritated because Veronica hadn't paid any attention to what he had repeatedly said."You should try this food, Win. You don't need to worry, I didn't put poison in your food.""Why should I try your cooking? Trial and error is reserved for marriages. I don't want to keep making my life miserable."He walked away, leaving Veronica once again sitting in silence. She gazed at the man who hadn't shown her any appreciation up to this point. Want to cry? Veronica's tears had already dried. Want to complain? Unfortunately, Veronica wasn't the type to whine to her parents about the misfortune she experienced.She also didn't want to worry her father. That's why she kept Darwin's bad behavior to herself all this time. Hoping that one day he would realize and start treating her with a little respect."Miss Veronica, should I tidy up the food or leave it as is?"Renata's reminder, one of the household assistants who had worked with her husband for a long time, suddenly brought Veronica out of her reverie. She turned and managed a smile."Just tidy it up, please. I'm done and I need to get ready for work.""Please understand Mr. Darwin's behavior, Miss," Renata said, mustering her courage. As she cleared the dirty plates from the table, she spoke softly. "Actually, Mr. Darwin is a good person. I don't know what's gotten into him to become so temperamental."Veronica nodded. As a long-time employee, Renata was certainly familiar with her employer's behavior and personality.Since moving into Darwin's house, Renata had become close and a friend to Veronica, someone she could confide in. Renata had shared so much with Veronica.From what Darwin liked and disliked, to stories of how before getting married, he used to bring his girlfriend home."Yes, Rena. I understand. Maybe Darwin still isn't willing to accept the reality of being married to me.""Yet you're so much more attractive than Darwin's cold-hearted ex-girlfriend. He doesn't even want to acknowledge me," Renata grumbled, her lips curling in frustration.Veronica smiled again. She got up and got ready to leave. "Well, maybe he's just deeply in love. But it's okay. Slowly, I believe I can make Darwin like me in the end.""I'm 100% behind you, Miss Veronica," Renata said, giving Veronica a thumbs-up."Alright then. I'm off to work. For dinner, you can prepare it, Renata. Cook Mr. Darwin's favorite meal. I'll be coming home a bit late today due to end-of-month overtime."Veronica then headed towards her car. She had been working and leading Carribean, one of her father's subsidiaries in the retail industry.After getting married, she decided to continue her career. Besides, being an independent and successful woman had always been her goal.At the office, Deasy was already waiting outside her office. Holding a folder containing a stack of documents, she followed Veronica as she entered the room."Mrs. Veronica, there are a few things that need revisions. I think you missed some important points," the woman said.Veronica settled into her chair and reached for the folder Deasy handed her. She quickly reviewed the contents to see what her secretary and friend meant."Oh my. This is indeed overlooked. Maybe I wasn't focused yesterday, so I didn't check if anything was missed."Understanding, Deasy smiled. She figured Veronica might be tired or preoccupied. Moreover, it was the end of the month, when work tended to pile up."Let me stay here and I'll leave the documents for you to review again, Mrs. Veronica. If you need any help, just call me."Veronica nodded. Soon after, she heard Deasy sigh deeply. Her slightly tense face indicated she was thinking about something."Ve, are you okay?" Deasy whispered. She leaned in closer."I'm fine, Des. Just a little bit of a headache.""Are you sick?"Veronica shook her head. "No. I'm not sick. It's just that—""Is your husband causing trouble again?"Deasy guessed. It seemed she was beginning to understand what was going on with her boss.As an employee and friend, Deasy often heard Veronica's confessions. The beautiful woman didn't hide anything. Including the harsh behavior and cruel treatment Darwin often displayed.Deasy had been angry about it. She had even suggested to Veronica that she should leave or at least stand up against every rude behavior Darwin exhibited.But due to her kind nature, Veronica dismissed Deasy's advice. She had no intention of retaliating against Darwin's cruel actions."Darwin isn't causing trouble," Veronica replied. She was tired of hearing her friend's lectures so early in the morning."Really? Then why the headache?" "Thinking about end-of-month deadlines, Des. There are several tasks that need to be completed today. That's why I have a terrible headache.""Are you sure it's not because of Darwin?"Deasy probed once again, trying to confirm whether her accusation was true or not."Really. It's work-related," Veronica reiterated, trying to reassure the woman in front of her."Alright then. Let me handle some of my work. After that, I'll help you tackle the deadlines that need to be sent today. But... if Darwin causes trouble again, please promise me you'll stand up to his behavior. Don't stay silent, Ve. Don't let your self-esteem be trampled."Veronica smiled. Not wanting to dwell on the issue, she simply nodded at what Deasy had just said.Darwin massaged his tense neck. Just a few minutes ago, he had just finished attending a meeting with several members of the board of directors.He had just leaned back in his chair when the room door knocked. As he looked up, he found Kennedy and Randy walking towards him, carrying a medium-sized box of unknown contents."You guys rarely stop by without giving a heads-up first," Darwin remarked as both of his cousins pulled chairs in front of him. Kennedy handed over the box she was carrying first before taking her seat."No time, Win. Just finished the meeting, and I was rushed to deliver this to you," the man explained, pointing to the box he had just handed over.Darwin's brow furrowed. Straightening up, he moved the box on the table closer to him, intending to check its contents himself."What is this?""It's a black forest cake," Kennedy responded. She sat down casually, folding her hands in front of her chest. "Luna made it. I told her that you really love black forest cake. It
Darwin seemed to struggle to shift away from Vivian's embrace. Lowering his gaze, he found his lover still peacefully asleep, her arms wrapped around his waist.After Vivian's visit yesterday, Darwin had left his office right away to spend time together in her apartment. Last night, he had finally decided to stay over. After all, today was a holiday, so he didn't need to rush to wake up and head to the office.Adoringly watching the still-sleeping Vivian, Darwin slowly shifted his body. He moved a bit, then propped his head up with one elbow. His free hand gently caressed Vivian's cheek. Occasionally, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead before descending to her lovely cheeks. Eventually, Vivian let out a soft sigh and slowly opened her eyes."Hey, love..." she murmured, her voice husky from just waking up. Darwin had to admit, Vivian was stunning in every moment. Her gentle demeanor only made him more infatuated.Throughout his life, Darwin had only felt this way about Vivian. Not t
Once Darwin stepped out of the room, Veronica immediately walked briskly to her own room. She locked the door tightly while clutching her chest, which was heaving from her rapid heartbeat.This was the first time, after a month of marriage, that she had shown such courage. Veronica had even tried to respond to almost every word spoken by her husband.Growing up with love and care, pampered as an only child, Veronica had never experienced harshness or cruelty from others. Despite coming from an esteemed family and having everything, her parents had never taught her to belittle others or behave rudely.However, recalling Deasy's words, Veronica thought that she shouldn't be too weak or submissive, allowing her self-esteem to be trampled upon. After all, she wasn't at fault here. Her marriage to Darwin was a purely arranged one that couldn't be avoided. That's why Darwin had no right to use her as an outlet for his frustrations.Meanwhile, in his room, Darwin appeared very angry. He had
In front of the mirror, Veronica appeared seated in silence. Her eyes tightly shut. She took a deep breath, trying to dispel the tightness that enveloped her.Since last night, her thoughts had been all over the place. Her heart still felt both sore and melancholic as she recalled the image of Sean, whom she had unintentionally met at the dinner party.Rubbing her chest, Veronica attempted to take several deep breaths. Exhaling softly, yet it still felt futile. Flashes of the past continued to dance in her mind."I'm just going away for a short while, Ve. I promise, once I finish the education I'm pursuing, I'll come back to propose and marry you.""Why do you have to study abroad? Are you intentionally leaving me?" Veronica had asked at the time, unable to accept it.Seeing her lover's eyes welling up with tears, Sean embraced the beautiful woman in front of him. He gently kissed her forehead, accompanied by a soothing smile."Who would want to leave you? I'm going abroad only for a
"Sir, if you take a closer look, our company's sales graph is steadily rising and stabilizing over time. I'm optimistic that within less than a year, everything could bounce back to the way it was before or even surge higher than it is now."Darwin appeared to be attentively listening as the project manager and a few expert staff members presented their work results one by one in today's important meeting. All of them provided positive reports that made Darwin feel increasingly satisfied.In reality, the Infinix Group has been in a stable and normal state since Damian Ashborne extended a helping hand to Magnus. However, Darwin wants his father's company to continue progressing and ideally experience rapid growth.This is in order to swiftly repay all the money and assistance Damian provided, so the Infinix Group wouldn't be considered indebted. That way, he could end his marriage with Veronica as soon as possible without any burden."Well then, keep pushing for further development. Don
Vivian: Darling, happy birthday. May at this age, you become even more successful. May all your wishes and dreams come true soon. Love and cherish me more. And most importantly, I hope we can get married soon. From me, who is loyal and always loves you, Vivian Salim.Darwin's smile brightened as he opened his eyes this morning and found a text message from his beloved, Vivian. Apparently, his sweetheart had sent birthday wishes since midnight.Sitting up, Darwin immediately searched for Vivian's contact on his phone. He called his girlfriend to express his gratitude for the prayers Vivian had offered."Morning, Baby."As the call connected, Darwin heard Vivian respond with a sweet tone. Her gentle voice made Darwin even more captivated this morning."Morning, Love. Have you been up for a long time?""Of course. I've been up since four o'clock."Darwin furrowed his brow. He was curious why his girlfriend had to wake up so early."Why so early? Couldn't you sleep like usual?""No," Vivi
This morning, Veronica enjoyed her breakfast alone. She had been sitting for nearly 30 minutes, but Darwin hadn't emerged from his room. Usually, whenever she finished her breakfast or around 7:30 in the morning, Darwin would always be seen leaving his room. However, it was almost 8 o'clock now, and the man was nowhere to be seen.Curious, Veronica took the initiative to ask. Coincidentally, Renata was in the dining room arranging plates and clean glasses into the drawer partition."Renata, has Darwin come out of his room yet? I haven't seen him all this time."Renata, who had been busy arranging plates, immediately stopped her activity. She decided to approach Veronica and answered her employer's question."Sir left for work very early in the morning, Miss. If I'm not mistaken, he left around 6:30. Seems like he was in a hurry. He didn't even touch his breakfast."Veronica nodded in understanding. She thought that perhaps her husband had a morning meeting or an early morning meeting,
Leaving the Infinix Group building, Veronica decided to leave right away. Along the way, wiping away her tears, she contemplated. She thought about what she should do to retaliate against all the things Darwin had done to her. In her heart, Veronica solidified her determination. She couldn't remain silent, let alone surrender, when her self-esteem was trampled upon like this. That's why, instead of immediately going to the Caribbean building, Veronica asked the driver to take her to meet her father. Fortunately, when she approached, Damian was still in his office. The middle-aged man appeared busy discussing work with his assistant. "Dad, can I talk to you for a moment? There's something important I want to ask and discuss." Damian looked up, clearly startled. He was probably wondering why his daughter had dropped by without giving any prior notice. Damian was convinced that there must be something significant that his beloved daughter wanted to discuss, considering she had come al
Randy glanced at the circular watch on his left wrist, feeling uneasy. He was both hopeful and worried that he might be late to pick up Ghea and then take his wife to a dinner event with the extended Walters family. It required extra persuasion to make his wife agree to attend the dinner tonight. It wasn't because Randy had any issues or objections to what his wife wanted to do. Since Ghea entered the last month of her pregnancy, she became the type of woman who preferred to stay at home, lounging in her room while enjoying snacks and watching Korean dramas. Actually, Randy had no problem with whatever activities Ghea wanted to engage in. As long as Ghea was happy, he was fine with it. It's just that sometimes it became a bit troublesome for him. Due to her extreme laziness, Ghea often refused to go anywhere. "Darling... I'm sorry I'm a bit late. The traffic on the toll road was really bad." Upon arriving at the house to pick up Ghea, and now that his wife was already in the car,
"Ghea, Mom, I beg you, please drop the charges against Giselle's husband. Mom, I know he's wrong, but at least show your compassion." "After trying to live peacefully for days, Clara suddenly visited Ghea at her residence. Despite what her stepmother had been doing all this time, she approached and pleaded with Ghea, asking that her youngest daughter be released or at least given a lenient punishment." "Clara felt Giselle didn't deserve a harsh punishment. Especially after all the things she and Giselle had done, Maxwell also took a firm stand. The man she had been with for thirty years was now filing for divorce. He didn't even want to accept an apology for what he had done to Ghea." "Enough, Mom, suffering from being kicked out and divorced by Dad. Now, Giselle is Mom's only hope because Mario is not willing to help at all. That's why, Mom, I'm asking you, please free Giselle in any way you can." Ghea sat silently in her seat, listening. For a moment, she didn't comment on the r
Ghea has sighed deeply countless times. She feels extremely nervous thinking about Randy's reaction when he meets Giselle in a short while. Ghea is actually angry about what Giselle did. However, her heart still feels afraid and worried that her husband might lose control and be provoked emotionally. Ghea only just found out that Randy can look so terrifying when angry. This is something she really wants to avoid. Then, when the person they've been waiting for finally arrives in the investigation room, Ghea observes and can clearly see that the first thing Randy does is smirk. He tries to control his emotions by remaining calm, but he always appears alert. Randy continues to watch from a distance until the woman they've been waiting for finally speaks up and starts talking. "What's really going on here? Why did the police officer call me all sorts of things to come here?" Giselle asks casually when the woman is seated in front of her. "We deliberately called and asked Miss to come
After receiving the news from Alvin the night before that the suspected person who hit Ghea had been apprehended, Randy decided to go to the police station early in the morning. He intentionally brought Ghea along because the police needed her statement to further investigate the accident that had befallen her some time ago. Exiting the black Range Rover he was driving, Randy tightly held Ghea's hand as they walked together towards the interrogation room. Once inside, they were directed by the officers to check the man who had been successfully detained. There, a man around 35 years old sat on the defendant's chair with his head bowed. Randy then cast a penetrating gaze, assessing the appearance of the man who had caused his wife's accident and might have led to a miscarriage. Randy's jaw seemed to tighten. His calm face slowly turned red. Emotions were clearly evident on the man's face. If there were no police officers present, the narrow-eyed man might have attacked or sought rev
"Ghea, forgive me, Papa couldn't be there to protect you." Maxwell hugged his daughter, who was now sitting on the bed in her room. He was extremely saddened by the recent tragedy that had befallen his daughter. "Why apologize? It's not Papa's fault. It's just a stroke of bad luck. The most important thing is that Ghea is okay." "But, Papa is really sad to hear about your accident. Papa is worried that something bad might happen to you." Ghea smiled, gently stroking her father's hand, trying to reassure and calm him. "Ghea is fine, Papa. No need to worry, let alone think about anything bad happening. I promise not to make Papa sad like this again." After ensuring that his daughter was fine, Maxwell and Mario decided to go down to the first floor while chatting with their son-in-law. "Randy, thank you for keeping Papa and Mario informed about Ghea's condition." Since he arrived, Maxwell appeared anxious and worried. He was undoubtedly shocked by the recent unfortunate events. M
Upon hearing the news that Ghea had been in an accident, Randy felt his heart almost stop beating. Confronted with the reality that his wife's life might be in danger, he suddenly found himself short of breath. He couldn't speak now. Just silent for a moment, until the police finished delivering the news through the phone call he received. "Ran, what's wrong with you?" Darwin wondered when he saw Randy's face, which was once relaxed and playful, now turning pale. His cousin seemed to stand up quickly, getting ready to leave. "Ghea had an accident, Win. She's in the hospital now." Darwin was startled at that moment too. Both equally shocked to hear the news Randy had just conveyed. Without much thought, he offered to accompany Randy, who might be in distress or unable to think clearly. Driving his vehicle at an above-average speed, Darwin and Randy arrived at the hospital in just 10 minutes. Walking briskly, they went straight to the emergency unit. There, several police officers w
Meanwhile, Randy, bombarded with so many questions from Darwin, didn't answer immediately. Adjusting his sitting position, he then slowly began to explain. "The story is quite long, Win." "As long as it takes, I'll listen," Darwin quickly responded. "Don't worry; my schedule is clear today." "Do you remember Agista, right?" "Yeah, your ex who left to marry that sugar daddy?" "Hmm..." Randy sighed lazily. "Yeah, she became the representative for Velfire. Velfire appointed her to oversee the progress of the project in Indonesia. She was placed in Akasia's head office for two months." "And then?" "So, a while ago, I had a business trip to Singapore. It was also for a meeting with Velfire to discuss the collaboration's progress. Initially, everything went smoothly. No problems at all." "Well then, why did you unilaterally cancel the partnership, Ran," Darwin interrupted. Randy hadn't finished telling the story yet. "Listen first," Randy growled. He explained the matter to his cou
"I'm heading to work now. You can relax at home." Randy had just finished his breakfast. Accompanied by Ghea to the door, he prepared to leave for the office. "I'm sure you'll miss being able to peek into Uncle's office or hang out there as usual," Ghea complained with a gloomy face. For almost two months of interning at Randy's office, she had gotten used to spending the whole day meeting and interacting with her husband. "Don't be sad like that. I'll be thinking about you at the office. Or, how about this. What if we have lunch together later?" "Yes!" Ghea replied immediately, nodding her head. The girl responded enthusiastically to her husband's invitation. "Should I pick up Uncle from the office or what? Anyway, I really want to meet Uncle for lunch later." Randy laughed. Fondly, he cupped Ghea's reddened cheeks. He was somewhat surprised to see Ghea acting so spoiled. Her behavior was indeed very different from before. Usually, Ghea often hesitated to express her feelings o
Upon careful consideration, there are many reasons why being with her husband, Randy Walters, is highly enjoyable for Ghea. Aside from her husband's handsome appearance and athletic physique desired by many women, Ghea acknowledges that the youngest of the Walters family is skillful in the bedroom. Every time they are together, Ghea has been charmed and satisfied numerous times. For example, on a night like this, reflecting the intense longing after being apart for two days, Randy clearly doesn't allow Ghea to move an inch from the bed. He continues to caress her, worshiping every inch of Ghea's body with great intensity. Ghea's eyes then close. Sensing vividly how Randy's lips kiss her wet shoulders and the exposed neck, causing her hair to stand on end. Right when he lifts his face, intentionally approaching and parting his lips, Randy then slips his tongue into Ghea's mouth. Playing around there. Deliberately teasing, until eventually, Ghea responds in kind. Meanwhile, Randy's h