"Are you ready?" George glanced at Rachel who was struggling to zip up the mesh blue straight gown she wore. George walked up to her and zipped the gown properly."Thanks" Rachel smiled nervously"You should have asked me to help instead…" George remarked, fixing his cufflinks."I'm really not into this whole family lunch thing." Rachel furrowed her eyebrows in disapproval. George's mom, Patricia had stated there was a family lunch this afternoon to celebrate the anniversary of Imperial Hub Limited. Rachel sighed, she hated the idea of sitting with the whole family, especially Judith and Morris. They made her want to spit on something."I know. I know" George reached for her hand and patted in gently. "I know you still remember the lunch party after our wedding and how it turned out. I wish I could cancel this one, but it's about the company. Some things have become a tradition."Rachel sighed again. It seems like she was going to be sighing a lot today. "At least, I'm glad we've been
Rachel opened up the package she had ordered. With scissors, she ripped apart the tape that sealed the new painting tools she had bought the previous day. She had recently grown a desire for watercolor painting and wanted to give it a try. A thought from the previous day flashed through her mind and she shook her head, laughing. It was George…. He had ranted about the fact that she hardly bought anything for herself. "What's the point of having so much money if it can't be spent?" He had frowned at her, like she was crazy. "Don't you need new clothes, shoes, bags…you know, all those 'women' stuff?" "I don't need those things yet, really" Rachel had replied "Besides, I'm not the one with so much money, it's you th—" "So what are you waiting for? Spend my money if you need anything important. You can always ask me for my Debit card whenever you want." Rachel had stared, wide-eyed, at him and remained silent. He wanted her to spend his money? It felt weird, maybe it was because she h
"Was there any need for that? The way you acted yesterday at the lunch party?" Morris remarked before gulping down a mouthful of water."I see no problem with what I did. It was useful in knowing if Rachel really plans to stay here beyond one year" Judith answered. She skimmed over the fashion magazine that lay open in front of her. "With how everything turned out at the lunch party, we have the answer we need""What answer are you talking about?" "Based on our last discussion, I can clearly see they have feelings for each other. I am sure she would want to stay married to him for a very long time, beyond the one year contract. And I can't sit back and let that happen" Judith murmured, frowning at him.Morris remained silent. His fingers tapped lightly on the wooden table beside him, something he did whenever he was thinking deeply. Things were not going as smoothly as he had expected, he had been too impulsive all these years and it was costing him now."It's all because you've been
"Are you sure you want to see him?" Rachel asked, glancing at George as he placed his hands on the steering wheel, getting ready for their short trip to the prison where her father stayed."Of course, I am." George turned to look at her. "I'm actually expecting you to scold me for just doing this now. This is something I should have done a long time ago, since we got married. We've been together for almost five months and I have never set my eyes on your father. It doesn't make any sense. Don't try to talk me out of it, I'm going there today"Rachel sighed "I'm not talking you out of it. I understand. I am just wondering if you'll feel comfortable seeing him since it's been a whole five years since you last saw him. But it's alright, let's get going"George turned on the ignition and drove out. Rachel chatted about other things but he was so immersed in his thoughts that he didn't comment much."Are you nervous?" Rachel's voice broke through his thoughts making him look at her for a s
"You— you love me?" George muttered, tracing his thumb softly on her cheek. "I don't irritate you? You know, my scars, my face? You could have a better looking m—""I love you like that. With your scars and all of that. I still love you, George"George still couldn't believe it. "But I'm not the kind of m—"Rachel pulled his head down and pressed her lips to his. She did not need a better looking man, she just wanted him by her side. She didn't know how it happened, but she had fallen in love with him despite how much she didn't want to. She would face reality later, for now she wanted him. She desired him. Rachel moved her tongue, tracing it around the seams of his lips. She smiled when she heard him groan in response, he parted his lips and covered her lips with his mouth, kissing her back. His hand slid down her warm back and he reached for the zipper of her dress. Tugging it forcefully, he pulled it down, wanting to feel her naked breasts against his chest. He pushed the dress d
Spring, 1999Judith paced around her small room, bringing her hands up to rest on her belly. Why was it taking so long for Morris to come and visit her? Had he finally abandoned her? It had been seven years since he married Patricia and she was still here waiting for him to fulfill his promise to her. He told her he would marry her, she was the one he really wanted by his side, not Patricia. Ugh!! That woman made her skin crawl. Who was she to think she could have everything she wanted? Patricia had everything any woman could dream of, she had everything Judith wanted. Her parents were extra rich, like the kind of wealth only a few could dream of. And not just that, they had willed a multimillion dollar company over to her from one of their many companies. And to top it all, Patricia was married to the man to the man she loved….The only problem here was that Morris didn't love Patricia, he loved her and that was the only power she held over her boss, Patricia. Yes!! She used to work
Spring, 1999Morris's head snapped instantly and his blood went cold. "Pregnant? What did you just say?" He chuckled loudly, he was sure he heard the wrong thing.Judith glared at him "I said I am pregnant Morris. I can't hide it any longer, our baby is growing inside of me. If you don't believe me, we can go for a checkup at the hospital."Morris froze, staring into the empty space. Patricia would be mortified, he had almost run her company down and was still trying to sort things out and now what? Judith was carrying his baby. What excuse would he give Patricia? He didn't want to lose control over her company just yet. He still wanted to grow Imperial Hub Limited to the highest level so he could show Patricia's parents and everyone around him who had treated him like 'dirt' that he was capable of great things too.But at the same time, he couldn't tell Judith to abort the baby. He had always wanted to have a child with the woman he loved, Judith. Not Patricia. Morris sighed…. What w
"My friend, Sophia is coming over today" Rachel adjusted George's tie and reached for his cufflinks. "You know how hard it is for outsiders to enter into this villa, so —""You want me to talk to the bodyguards again?" George asked."Yes. And if it's possible, just tell them to always give her easy access anytime she comes by" Rachel fixed his cufflinks, stepped back and smirked at him. "Wow, you look so good this morning…""Really? I guess it's because of your kisses" George winked at her."I guess I should give you more of it, huh?" George chuckled. "Of course, give it to me anytime. I'm always ready"Rachel leaned forward on her toes and kissed him sweetly."Ah, I feel so refreshed right now" George grinned at her. He still couldn't believe that she was actually in love with him. It would take some time for him to adjust to that fact. "I have to get going now, I'm running late.""Alright. Don't forget to remind the guards" Rachel said, waving at him."Sure, I will"A few hours lat
Five months laterRachel wadded slowly across the sitting room, placing a hand on her round waist for support. Her legs felt slightly heavy and she felt like a big whale that was about to push out a whole nation.Yes, a nation! She was absolutely losing it at this point.She rubbed her rounded belly, a frustrated frown on her face. All the baby birth books she read so far said the normal gestation period for babies was nine months. What exactly was this baby still doing inside of her?The baby was already due, why wasn't her water breaking yet? At this point, she could faint from exhaustion.Thank goodness Sophia was coming over today. She needed someone to talk to before she lost it.Has it been just five months since they got married? Ugh! It felt like five years!Because of this pregnancy!After this round, she needed at least four years to get herself back to normal, before deciding if she wanted baby number two.Her favorite food disgusted her, the back aches were almost driving
Rachel stood up from her bed slowly, not sure she heard what Sophia just said clearly.George was here? For what exactly?Did he come to officially announce their divorce to her parents? Or was he here for another reason unknown to her?She wore her slippers and turned to head out to the sitting room. At the same time, George was walking into her room.Rachel paused when she saw him. The atmosphere in the room felt different all of a sudden. How could he even open his mouth to say he wanted a divorce only to look like this a week later?He was a reflection of her right now. It was obvious he was not eating well or sleeping well either. The bags under his eyes were enough proof. And was it just her eyes or was he slimmer than just a week ago?Her normal self would have shut him out in anger by now, telling him to go away for putting her through so much emotional torture in the past week but after hearing Sophia's advice, she felt like she could understand him now….He must have had a
"Rachel told me everything that happened between the both of you…" Arthur Reeves voiced out to George sitting in front of him."Uhm…." George mumbled not knowing what to say in response.Arthur watched George fidgeting in his chair and rubbing his fingers together. George was nervous and uncomfortable around him….It was something he never thought would happen. George had been very close and dear to him in the past. For the most part, he had watched him grow from a lad into a young man. George used to talk to him comfortably more than he talked to his own father, Morris.Watching him sitting across, avoiding his gaze and mumbling words was strange to him.But he couldn't blame him….He could see that George felt guilty on his father's behalf. He felt that somehow he was linked to his father's nasty actions and had to pay a price too. That was why he was being hard on Rachel and cutting her off instantly.Because he believed she deserved a better husband from a 'clean' home….Arthur si
"You are not my son anymore. Don't ever call yourself that again!….." Judith yelled through the transparent shield as she glared at James.James sat in front of the woman who was supposed to be a mother to him….But who had never been. Not even for once.You would think that locking her up in here would break her back but no! She was made of steel.Staring at her fuming angrily, he realized that he didn't have a lot of good memories of her. From a young age, she made his life miserable but he had to take it all because that's what children do, right?They take all the nonsense because they have nowhere else to go.He still remembered everything clearly….How she had frightened him as a child, threatening to kill George if she saw him playing with him again.He had been so afraid of losing his dear brother that he stayed away for so long until they were grown-up and there was no longer any bond between him and George.He remembered the countless slaps and beatings she would give him if
Rachel stood still and gasped in shock. It felt like a cold wind blew past her as she stared in surprise at the man who stood before her.Did she hear him correctly now or was she hallucinating? He wanted a divorce. George wanted to divorce her.If anyone had told her that the moment she came back from the villa this morning after spending some time with her father, she would hear a ridiculous statement like this, she would have just stayed back!Had he been drinking? What nonsense was he saying?Rachel was so shocked she didn't even notice the tears already trickling down her cheeks. As she stood in front of him with the divorce papers in her hand, what even annoyed her more than anything was the fact that he had already signed his part of the divorce papers.So quickly….Did he want to get rid of her so fast? She had already told her parents and Sophia that she was not putting an end to their marriage. She had also made it clear to George that she loved him….Why was he suddenly de
"Are you expecting me to apologize to you? Have you lost your mind, you crippled imbecile?"George rubbed his hands on his forehead as Judith hurled different words at his mother, Patricia who just stared at her.He despised this woman a lot. No, the word was 'hate'. He hated her….Ever since she got arrested five days ago, he had been replaying different scenes from the past in his mind, feeling different emotions….All the nasty things this woman had done to his mother for years and gotten away with. All the times she had made his mother cry behind closed doors. For the moments when she rubbed it in his face as a little boy that he meant nothing to his father and her son, James was loved more than him. For the moments when she never failed to remind his mother that she was an unloved wife….And many other things he didn't want to remember right now.He couldn't for the life of him understand how his mother accepted her into the villa in the first place! That was all the push she nee
5 Days LaterNothing would have prepared him for the way he felt the moment he entered the main villa of Imperial Hub Limited.What used to be Morris's villa….Arthur Reeves walked through the familiar pathway that led to where Morris used to stay. He used to go here to talk to Morris in his personal library. They would laugh, talk and joke around about different things.In the midst of their laughter and conversation, he never suspected for once that Morris despised him and was looking for a way to get rid of him.Till today, he still couldn't understand why Morris didn't just let him go….He knew that Morris felt uncomfortable about all the board members saying he was a better leader and businessman compared to Morris. He decided to leave because it made perfect sense to do so at that moment.He was already packing his things, making it known that he was resigning and would have nothing to do with the company anymore. Was that not enough?What else did Morris want? What else was he
Sophia held out a piece of tissue to Rachel and rubbed her back gently. They stood at an empty section of the toilet. The floor above them was the room where the final court case was to be held. "Everything is going fine. Why are you crying?"Rachel dabbed her face with the tissue and sniffed "Don't worry. They are not sad tears, I'm just so happy. I can't believe that the day I've been waiting for since the last six years is finally here…."Sophia smiled. "That's true. I still remember when you were leaving to get married to George. I thought you were crazy back then. I thought you would be harmed over here or that something huge would go wrong. I couldn't understand why you would choose to take this path but I'm glad that everything turned out for the best.""Yea…I'm so glad nobody died in this process unless it would have made things worse. It wouldn't really feel like a victory after all"Sophia switched on her phone and checked the time. "We have about an hour left before the cou
Rachel sat quietly at the dining table, eating her breakfast of waffles, scrambled eggs and bacon. She peeked at George who was eating at the opposite end of the table.Something was off. Maybe he had a lot on his mind or maybe he just didn't feel like talking. It felt like he was keeping his distance from her, avoiding her.During this period, precisely since the evidence showed Morris was behind her father's case and when Morris also tried harming Sophia, George had been acting strange. He was distant.He didn't treat her poorly or anything like that but he wasn't himself like the way he was when they first got married. He answered all her questions whenever she asked any but he never really 'talked' to her.Most of their conversations so far were either about her father in prison, Mrs Patricia who was receiving treatment privately or Morris and Judith…..They hardly talked about 'each other' these days.Was it because they were in their twelfth month of marriage and they only had