Marriage of Deception

Last Updated : 2022-05-26

The moment I entered the 30th floor of the Astor empire, I knew I was in deep, deep trouble this time.The previous two times I was late for work by just three seconds, Mr. Astor roared at me as if I was asking for his kidney. That man didn’t back down to punish me for the tardiness for which I worked in this damn office, arranging all the company marketing department files from 1990 to 2022.Moreover, that malicious man demanded I finish the entire work before he came back to the office the next morning. So yeah, I spent an entire 24 hours and more in this office. No sleep and no rest were granted.Sometimes I just wanted to snap this man’s neck out of his body. The sort of inhuman behavior that he did with me and the employees around here. It was clear as water that not a single person in this building liked him. Except for one, Mr. Astor himself.Every time I went to the cafeteria or the break room, I would be able to enjoy the story of the latest victim of Mr. Astor, a.k.a. the so

Last Updated : 2022-05-28

Coming home after a long day at work and finding the place ripped was something that I couldn’t stand. I was a neat freak just like Monica from Friends, perhaps worse than her, so seeing my tiny two-bedroom apartment that easily ended in just a few steps in a mess was something that didn’t sit well with me.I cleaned the entire house at night before going to bed, yet right now it looked like some sort of natural disaster hit this place and took away everything with her."What the hell is this?" I shouted, looking all around from my living room to my dining room.I ran inside the house, but it was ripped apart. Everything was out of place. The cheap couch that came with the apartment was torn in the middle as if someone had used a knife to slash it in half. The cotton was all over the room, flying, resting on the floor while the small wooden coffee table that I bought from a dollar shop was missing its feet, which I found a few inches away.The wreck didn’t stop there. My fruit bowl, w

Last Updated : 2022-05-29

If you asked me 48 hours ago what I was passionate about at the time, I would have said my answer would be simple. Marriage.I was excited about getting married, so much so that I bought a ring, a rose gold princess cut diamond ring, just the way she wanted. Now, who was this woman?One thing, it wasn’t my secretary in the first place. It was my childhood sweetheart and now the world-renowned model Celine. We knew one another from the moment we came into this world. We were neighbors and family friends, which made us friends, and then something more. She was always there for me, witnessed all my successes and achievements, clapped and cheered for me loudly from the crowd, and kissed me every time I came back home with trophies or medals. She was then, even after she got the tag of supermodel, not most of the time, but at least she tried to be with me, but then one day she was nowhere to be found.The little girl with blond hair who promised to marry me when she was seven didn’t want t

Last Updated : 2022-06-10

The world seemed to be playing some cruel game with me. The turn of the events that happened in the past 24 hours made me speechless in a distinctive way. When I kept thinking I had hit the lowest point of my life, fate came back to mock me and slapped me harder than before with the freshly baked nuisance, as if I was born to taste this dish.Everything was hazy. All I could see was a bunch of red lights in the darkness ahead of my eyes, even though it was a lovely sunny morning. Money was gone.Where? no fucking idea. There wasn’t anything I could do in that matter either until my boss plated this ultimate mouth-watering platter ahead of me that I was greedy to take. Mr. Astor would pay every penny. The amount was so huge that at one point; I thought there was no way I could ever manage to provide the treatment for my poor mother. I still worked in the hope that there would be a way or a hope that would help me.There was no hope for me when it came to arranging the amount that count

Last Updated : 2022-06-12

This morning was unusual if you saw the other mornings these past weeks. The summer was on its way out; the warmth, dryness, and heatwave were less than a week, but the rain outside this building was meticulously cleaning up the state as if it had been muddy for a long time.The rain was unexpected if you thought of the atmosphere of the state, but for me, it felt right.The anxiousness that breathed in my heart after seeing the text that Lauren sent me last night, I somehow lost the touch with wisdom. Her answer was short and clear, as if she knew what she was going to sign on to. She sounded confident in those few words of the message, which was unlike her.My past three years of professional experience with her made me believe one thing about her, which was her lack of confidence.Even when she did the job properly, she was always doubtful about her ability. Sometimes, if I asked her about something, she would alter her answer to give me the right answer. It was one of her traits th

Last Updated : 2022-06-14

He didn’t answer any of my questions, rather, he preferred to sit there holding the glass of iced tea. It wasn’t that I asked something related to rocket science that he was thinking about before answering; it was a simple question. Why did you want to marry me?A man like Gavin Astor was born into royalty. The Astors were the royal family of California. They ruled almost half of the state, owed most of the buildings, and banked their accounts in millions every single day. The influence that they had all over California, one of the most expensive states in this country, articulated the dominance that they possessed. It was all due to the money that had been passed from one generation to another.The Astors weren’t new to the game of wealth, as were most of the other families. It was Gavin Astor’s great grandfather who launched this real estate business in the late 70s with the help of his father-in-law. At first, the business wasn’t that stable as people were more interested in food,

Last Updated : 2022-06-15

Judgmental eyes hardly bother me at this age. From a very young age, I was the focus of people’s attention for one or two reasons. I would have gotten annoyed by all these eyes looking at me, whispering and pointing at me, but in my teenage years, I made my peace with this too.The first staring and whispering occurred after it was on every news channel and headline that my father was having an affair with a B-class actress. Some photos of my father and that actress being intimate were spilled on the media, which were on display everywhere and in the mouths of all the people around me.It was the first time anyone in school paid me attention. So many people came to have a conversation with me during lunchtime, so much so that I was on the edge of snapping at someone. Thankfully, I controlled it. More like Dean came to my rescue.The boy, who was known as a bully in the school, stood beside my lunch table when three girls were trying to talk with me. God knew what?“Do you girls have d

Last Updated : 2022-06-16

The day I converted from Ms. to Mrs. was this morning. I put the last touches on the task in the same custom as Mr. Astor instructed me. I signed those papers without giving them a read, which I knew was worse than walking to this marriage, but there wasn’t much time left for me to read those documents. I had already gotten five calls from the clinic telling me I needed to pay the bill before 12 or they were going to send her somewhere else.God knew what those papers were about, but seeing the front, I was sure something related it to legal stuff. I had been working with Mr. Astor for three years now, which means I had acquainted myself with his life quite well by now. I had knowledge of every single person who was working with him directly or indirectly. Seeing his lawyer, who handed me the papers and directed me to sign in the blank spots beside Mr. Astor’s signature, it was pretty clear those papers were important.Who knew better than me? My boss, who was going to be my husband j

Last Updated : 2022-06-17