" Will you keep calm and stop fidgeting like the coward you are? " The man's cold voice pierced through her eardrums and she raised her head only to meet with his beautiful eyes.
Even though he looked cold, to her ears, his voice sounded bewitching. How could a man have such a deep yet mesmerizing voice? It was Jane's first time of admiring a man this much. She gulped nervously and looked away. ' Did he just refer to me as a coward? ' She thought and the sudden boldness came on her as she turned towards the man whose attention was now back to what he was doing. " Excuse me mister, did you just call me a coward? " Jane asked and Allen raised his head from the file that he was reading. He turned his head to look at the girl who once had her wings dipped into cold water speak back to him. He looked quite amazed within. " Are you going to beat me? " He asked. " What makes you think that I won't be able to? " Jane retorted. " The episode of where a young man was pulling a young woman with him and the young woman seemed helpless. " Allen answered with a cold face and Jane frowned.She looked perplexed about what this man had said and she kept quiet for the whole ride. After driving for a little while, they arrived at the City's hospital and Allen's eyes darkened. What was she doing at a hospital? " Miss Jane, I believe this is your stop? " Bert asked politely. " Yes, thank you. " Jane replied quickly and unlocked the car but before she could step out, Allen grabbed her hand and she flinched at the sudden contact, his hand was so cold and she wondered if it was due to the turned on air conditioner or If it was something else.Jane looked at the man who wasn't willing to let go despite her little struggle. Allen looked at the lady who was now looking scared and he released her hand. He didn't know why he did that at the first impulse but if there was something he knew, it was that a hospital wasn't a good place to be. He had faint memories of it that only jolted back whenever he passed through a hospital. " I am sorry. " He said casually. " It's fine. " She replied and got out of the car, she bowed her head slightly. " Thank you for the ride. " She appreciated but the man didn't reply as the car's window wounded up and sped up, leaving the sudden air initiated from the burst of the engine blowing against Jane's skin.She walked into the hospital and then into a room where rag-like clothes were hung on the wall and some were neatly folded. She changed into one of the clothes, carried a bucket and a mop before heading to one of the wards in the hospital.She opened the door and met a nurse administering treatment to the patient on the bed. " Good evening, Jane. " The nurse smiled at her. " Good evening, Joy. " She replied as she puts down the bucket on the ground before making her way towards the nurse. " How was work today? " Jane asked. " As you can see, I am still in the middle of it but I will soon be off at any moment from now. " Joy said as she kept the syringe on the tray beside her.Jane knew Joy for the past six weeks she had been coming to work here, she was the only nurse that was nice to her and had secured this job for her just to pay her sick brother's medical bills that seemed to be increasing every moment. Joy carried the tray and was about to walk out when she suddenly stopped. " Jane. " She called out to her. " Yes? " " I know that I am not supposed to say this according to the doctor's instruction but I can not help it. I need to tell you this, your brother 's time is almost up and he can't last a week before you…you know what I mean so please find this money as soon as you can because this little treatment he is receiving is nothing as soon as you can before it is too late. " Joy said and left without waiting for her response.Jane felt lifeless after hearing that and rested on the walk with a sad look. She had never been so helpless before until when it all started. She didn't want to borrow money from Joy and even if she wanted to, it wasn't up to the required amount for the surgery, a million dollars. She felt weak suddenly and stared at the patient who was on the bed, snoring. " Life's struggles and problems end only when you close your eyes in peace. " She mumbled.The black Jeep drove into a big compound and soon parked beside the other cars. Bert rushed out and opened the car's door for his boss whose face had turned rigid to come out and he shut the door as Allen walked in, in his icy manner. Bert, in the full mood for gossip, turned to the man beside him who had removed his suit and had it wrapped around his arm. " What do you think happened earlier? Do you think the boss knows her? " He asked eagerly. " What made you formed those questions out of your tiny brain? " The man asked back in a nonchalant manner. " Xander, since I have been working for the boss, he hardly renders assistance to anyone, his behavior is as cold as his legendary face and stature. " Bert replied while Xander shook his head at the man's talkativeness. " I have no idea what you are saying and I hope that you keep that unsealed lips of yours sealed before you get your mouth disengaged from your head. " Xander warned. " Hehe, how is that possible? " Be
Jane stepped out of the ward and closed the door gently. Just as she stepped out, she heard the conversation of someone and she hid behind the wall when she heard the phrase ' money '. The man talking smirked when he saw the shadow behind and continued talking. " Old Madam needs to find a wife for her grandson…of course, I mean she will be getting married to a rich guy, what do you expect? As long as she is elegant and of good behaviour, not from a wealthy family and we'll disciplined then she is good for old Madam. The deadline is tomorrow morning, bye. " The conversation ended and Jane had various thoughts going through her mind. ' Marriage? Money? ' She looked at the ward that she came out from and towards the man who had his back turned to her. " Excuse me sir? " She came out of her hiding spot and the man secretly smiled before turning around. He looked like he was in his early fifties and he had a suit on. ' Who wears a suit this late in the evening? ' " How
Jane got back into the hospital and sat on the bench provided on the hallway. She tore the envelope open and brought out the single file in it. The file contained the contract and nothing more than that. ' Didn't he say everything I needed to know is in this envelope? This just contains only the man's name, his age, his field of study yet no picture. Oh, there are a few hobbies of his here. ' She thought inwardly. ' Name: Ryan Allen. Age: 30 years. Field of Study: Business Major. ' Was this the man she was to sign a contract with? She looked below the paper and saw the already written signature and validity of the contract. " Just two years? Not that long. ' She felt a little bit lifted but then she came down again. Getting married to a stranger wasn't her choice or plan. Jane was more or less the fairy tale type who believed in true love. A charming prince who would one day come to her and ask her hand in marriage even take her away to the fairy home just like
Jane arrived at the address given to her alongside the contract the next morning. She was shocked at how big the building was and also how massive the security was. ' This must be a big house, no, a big house isn't the right word, mansion it is. ' She snapped her fingers. The security man on the post opened the gate after asking a lot of questions. She walked in still in shock at how rich these people were and she began to wonder if coming to this place was a mistake. She was a nobody and she felt like the odd one out and trash. She traced the lane and then ended right at the entrance of the mansion. The security man stationed at the entrance opened the door since they were already informed about her coming. " Good morning, I am here to meet Mister Paul. " She told the maid that she saw. " Right this way, ma'am. " The maid led her in and she was more than shocked, if there was any word to describe that feeling at that moment then it would have been great. The inside was beautifu
Jane was in a cab, her spirit was already lifted after discussing with Old Madam Ryan. The woman was nice to her and she was good as well. When she offered to help her pay the money, it was like a heavy burden was lifted off her shoulder. Ever since this problem started, it seemed the world abandoned her. If their parents were alive, then all these...all these problems would have been solved. It wasn't that her parents were wealthy but the burden would have lessened. " Ma'am, we have arrived. " The driver announced. " Thank you very much. " She paid her fare and quickly got out of the car, trying to fold the scarf tied loosely around her neck as she rushed into the hospital. The first person she saw fortunately was Joy and she called her earnestly. "Joy...Joy."Joy paused in her walk when she heard someone calling her as if the world was about to collapse. Jane got closer to her and pulled her along to the doctor's office, this made Joy very anxious about what was happening to the
Jane paced in front of the theatre anxiously. It had been nine hours since the surgery started and it was already nine pm. How long was this going to take? Forever? Well, no matter how long it took, she was ready to wait. Joy had already gone home because of her husband and children so she was the only one left to be restless. After waiting for what seemed to be eternity, she finally saw the surgeons walk out of the theatre with a tired look. She tried to prep but the door was closed again. One of the surgeons who saw her behavior stopped in front of her. " Calm down, Miss, everything is fine now because the surgery was successful but for now, you need to be patient so they can finish cleaning him up. " It felt like a huge burden was finally lifted off her shoulders. She smiled happily at the man who nodded and left so he could go and rest. " Yes. It's finally over. " She would not feel any desperation any longer, she was going to be happy for the rest of her days, so she thought.
Allen drove into Old Madam Ryan's mansion and parked his car. He got out of it with a normal look and turned around. He always had a warm face whenever he came to visit. The men he assigned to watch over every human and thing in the mansion ran over to meet him. They bowed slightly. " Welcome, young master. " The man who was the leader greeted. " Hmm. Any problem? " He asked. " No sir, everything is fine and the movement of Old Madam is in limit now. " The man responded and Allen nodded. " Good. Dismiss. " Allen ordered and they bowed slightly before leaving. Allen walked into the mansion and surveyed the surrounding. The maids all assembled themselves before him with slight fear in them. Allen looked at the women, his eyes searching for one person in particular. " Where is Mama Coco? '' He asked. " She is with Madam, Young Master. " They replied in unison and he left. As he walked past the visitor's sitting room, his eyes snapped toward the area and he looked at it for
The ray of sunlight that pierced through the light curtains in the room woke Jane from her sleep. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. She looked around and her eyes fell on her brother who had woken up. She smiled at him. " Hey Bruno, how was your night? " She asked while he only gave a sign of replying by blinking his eyes like he always did and she was used to knowing that sign. " That's good. Very soon you will be back on your feet and you will start talking. I am so happy for you, Bruno." Jane's stare was sincere. Bruno looked at his sister with utmost joy in his heart because she wasn't crying or smiling bitterly as she would in the past but where could she have found such a huge amount of money? This served as a mystery to him and he hoped that she had not done something stupid that could ruin both of their lives, mostly hers. " I will go home and prepare beef soup for you. It will have all the appropriate nutrients that will help you recover rapidly, okay? " In the middle o
"I told you not to ask him out but you refused. You went ahead to disgrace yourself in front of him." Isabella chuckled as she styled her hair in front of her room. Babe grabbed the pillow and pouted. "It was such an embarrassment to me." "What did he say was the problem?" "He said that he has someone that he is interested in." Isabella turned to look at her, "Really?"Babe nodded, "Yeah. He seems to be serious with the lady though." "Well, he only said that he is interested in someone not that he is dating someone. How does that make you feel?" Isabella winked and Babe gasped after realizing what she meant. "That is right. I still have the chance to continue asking him out but how can I do so without embarrassing myself again?" "Try to find out what men like maybe he is going to like them," Isabella suggested as she rubbed her lips against each other after applying her lipgloss. She looked beautiful and that was because she was preparing for an outing.She was g
The next morning came and news about Allen having a woman to marry blew across all social media and people who had seen Jane dance to a song as a cover for it finally put the pieces together after they saw the background of the place she was dancing. It was the background of the Ryan MANSION.Calls started coming in from all over the place, not to Allen because hardly did anyone have his number except his family but call from outside to Old Madam Ruth to congratulate her for the success of her most celebrated birthday.Mira and John in school were not left out and were surprised to see this. "I can't believe that she is related to them," John said with his mouth wide open. He had a can of coke in his hand and he quickly sipped it. He was in total shock. They had been mingling with someone as huge as that yet they didn't know? What type of life was that? "I was suspicious of her. I did see huge cars... expensive ones come to pick her up and how she was being treated like a queen
Back at the mansion, everyone was finally leaving after having a healthy talk with the family. As usual, Allen was distant from them and even more distant because of the news that he just received. He was not himself and he felt like leaving quickly but his grandmother prevented him from going and he had no excuse to give her because he already informed her that he had no meeting and he was going to spend the night celebrating with her but seeing as how things are going, he couldn't stand it. "Madam, I am very pleased with what is going on in your family. I am so jealous of you. You got a beautiful lady to marry your grandson." A man said in front of the reporters. Of course, Ruth knew that it was time for her to reveal the truth to everyone. She smiled at the cameras and the reporters closer to her. "Yes, I want to use this moment to appreciate everyone for coming tonight. You are all amazing. Also, yes, I would love to inform everyone that the lady that you are the lady you
Jane rushed out of the car by the time she got to the mansion. With eagerness, she climbed the stairs in her gown, not minding that she might fall. She wasn't even concerned about that. "Jane, take it easy, or else you will fall," Bert called as he followed her carefully from behind. If she was to fall then it would be his fault and her husband would skin him alive. He did not want to die now.Jane pushed the door open forcefully only to meet Drake writing something down on his notepad. She locked eyes with her brother and immediately burst out crying. She pushed Drake aside so she would have enough time with Bruno. "Bruno? Bruno, do you still remember me? You are awake. This is great. I am happy." She bent to hug him. "Hmm. You are going to strangle me to death." Bruno frowned but he was so relieved and happy to see his sister. Recently, Drake had put him to sleep even though he told them that it was for health issues but deep within, Drake knew that it was far from there.
People were still wondering how Jane was related to the family but seeing how close she was to Allen, one could easily guess that something was going on between the two of them. They just needed someone to at least confirm that.Ruth was suddenly in a happy mood and instructed that the event which had paused abruptly due to the arrival of the couple should continue. Jane could feel the angry eyes of the exceptional and jealous ladies on her. It was making her feel uncomfortable yet proud that she was the one sitting next to the big Allen Ryan - someone rumored to be cold to others. At least, he was treating her right and showing her off. She inwardly prayed that he wouldn't misbehave and embarrass her by showing her his cold attitude.It finally got to the time when the children were supposed to start giving their gifts to Old Madam Ruth starting from Ezekiel. Then the gifts of her daughter were presented to her, different shocking items that the guests were not expecting. "Wow."
It was finally D-Day. Lights were everywhere in the mansion. It was a wonderful night as distinguished guests were allowed in with their cards. Only a few recommended and high-class reporters were allowed into the event while the low-based ones were told to stay outside as they didn't want anyone inside among them.It was a thug of war between the ladies too as beauty slashed against beauty, fashion against fashion, and pride against pride. It was such a welcoming event.The grandkids were around as well, as they all dressed in the same color fabric as their grandmother and it was a way to distinguish them from the guests.They went from one group to another... greeting the honorable ladies and gentlemen. The single girls were giggling whenever the men passed by and they sought to have a word with them. "Old Madam Ryan must have done something noteworthy in her past life to deserve such wonderful children and grandchildren. Even at eighty, she is looking energetic and wonderful." T
It seemed as if it was the whole country that was planning on celebrating the old Madam Ryan's birthday as her kids and grandkids including in-laws didn't leave any stone unturned in sending her gifts and well wishes when it was just a few days before her birthday. While some were considering that moment to be a wonderful day, some were planning on ruining someone's life as well on that day. Jane was inside Allen's car as he was taking her out to somewhere that she didn't know yet. On their way, she had a sad face and couldn't say a word unlike the normal Jane that she was.Allen would look at her once in a while and since he could not get her thoughts no matter what he did, he relented and succumbed to asking her what happened. "Why are you frowning?" He asked her.Jane sighed and looked at him, "I don't know what to give Grandmother as a gift. I feel so useless seeing others like Isabella, Babe, the twins, and other people plan something huge. No one is even talking to me except
Charlotte groaned on her bed the next morning. She shivered when a part of her blanket pulled away, causing the cold air to brush through her pale skin. She quickly covered herself up and cuddled the more. Charlotte sneezed so hard repeatedly that she could only pray that she wouldn't die of high fever. Just the night before, she was getting the symptoms but what she wasn't expecting was that the situation was going to worsen before the end of the next day.Who could she have offended? Or was Kyle punishing her in this manner? "Achoo!" She sneezed again and sniffed from the impact. Her phone was ringing on her side table but she couldn't turn around again just to answer it so she had to cover up, ignoring the call instead.Let the worst happen!~~~~~~~~Kyle dialed her number again for the third time. He was in a meeting and whatever he wanted to use for it was with her. She wasn't answering the call and this was getting infuriating.She was never late and even if she was going to
"I can't do this. Why are you so wicked to me tonight? I just want to sleep." Jane cried out like a five-year-old with puffed-up cheeks as she faced Allen who seemed less concerned with her put-up attitude.She didn't know what had entered him as he instructed that she started solving arithmetic! Freaking arithmetic! Something that she had been running away from all her life and here she was...it landed in front of her through her supposed husband.Wasn't he supposed to be caring towards her and show her love just like a husband should? But no! His own was always going to be different.Allen sipped from his drink and flipped the page of his magazine. His eyes read through the lines of the printed material, his long slender fingers kept trailing behind the magazine while his crossed right leg was jiggling along.Jane became frustrated when she was unable to get his attention so she faced her books with hatred in her mind. She felt like stabbing whoever invented these mathematics in th