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Gavin
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Marriage of Deception Lauren
It had been a week since my married life began. To this point, there was nothing between me and Mr. Astor that a husband and wife shared. We were both sharing the same bedroom, but there was nothing more happening. It was fine, as I didn’t intend to stay in this marriage for long. After meeting my in-law, I got an understanding of the life I had to lead if I stayed in this for too long.That was why one should tie a knot with someone who had the same status as their partner in society. The more I thought about the future that I possibly could have with Mr. Astor, the more nervous I got. The notion of changing myself, turning into someone that I wasn’t, gave me goosebumps.The way Lamie Astor reacted after hearing about my family, it was clear how much he loathed me and my family. The rage in his voice confirmed my suspicion, and trust me, it was nothing but pure humiliation.Mr. Astor was a different person these days, someone I had met by chance. The ruthless CEO I worked for in the
Marriage of Deception Gavin
It had been a hectic day. From the moment I set foot in the office to the few seconds before this party, my wedding party, for which I was almost late. Thanks to Lily, I was able to come home at the right time, even though I needed to sign two more documents before I attended the meeting with my Chinese investor tomorrow morning.I wanted to stay a little longer, but Lily grabbed my hand and kicked me out of the office like a mother who was getting annoyed by her son’s adamant behavior. It was the first time any secretary did this type of etiquette with me.All the other previous assistants who worked for me were timid by nature, including my wife Lauren. The way Lily moved or systematized my work made my life and job easier than before. This woman was an expert in organizing. In one word, every file, document, and even my daily calendar was arranged orderly. I rarely felt this level of tension in my life before. It was all Lily and her obsession with spotless that, fortunately, made
Marriage of Deception Lauren
The only thing I wanted right at that moment was to get out of this house by any means. Standing under the same roof with Camila Astor was pure torture for me, most probably because of the intimidating personality that she didn’t forget to bring with her. This woman was scary, no matter what she did. It wasn’t just her million-dollar net worth that was making me insecure, but also the way she talked, stared, walked, and other things.Every time she got up from her seat and moved to the other side of the room, a hummer smacked into my heart so hard that I stopped breathing. After, the beautiful and eventful day I spent with her yesterday; I was aware of where I stood in her eyes. How could I not after she made it so clear to me? And it was okay for me. It wasn’t that I accepted an open arm from everyone in this family.The lives these people lived dissented from the ones that I used to live. The way I still couldn’t believe I had millions in my bank account, I was sure they couldn’t be
Marriage of Deception Gavin
The party was delightful, going more smoothly than I expected. There were whispers among the sound of the music, which was loud enough to cover that unnecessary stuff. These people and their whispers played a major part in my life till now. Actually, they helped me become the person I was today. The successful billion-dollar empire owner’s route wasn’t that easy for me to conquer.As you were all aware of my father’s reckless nature, it was trouble-free to say he was the puppet of the directors of our company. He did most of the time after getting manipulated by those sons of the bitch bastards, old fat assholes who dreamed of taking over the company from my family but failed because of my grandfather. That man was the rock of self-reliance. It would be easier to climb Mount Everest than convincing my pa to sign some documents that he hadn’t read thoroughly, while my father was more easily deployed. You just needed to offer him a beautiful lady and a bottle of expensive whiskey to swa
Marriage of Deception Lauren
I was nervous. Before this night, or should I say the party began, celebrating my marriage through this grand bash scared the crap out of me. Mostly because now everyone would know my face, which was the last thing I wanted in my life. If I measured the lighting of the camera all around this room, it was easy to calculate. By now, I was on the news feed of every social media with a hashtag. That would be my first time having this celebrity moment, which I mostly dreamed about on my old half-broken bed in the morning, right before my alarm rang.Come on, didn’t you dare roll your eyes at me? I stood on the lowest steps of the staircase when it came to the financial situation of this damn society. Perhaps I was lower than the lowest that people invented over the years, but despite that, I was free to imagine anything I wanted in my dreams.So I dreamed. Every time I appeared at a high-profile party with my boss wearing a dress that was either borrowed from Selena or rented from the stor
Marriage of Deception Gavin
Dean was talking to a bunch of women, drinking as his heart wished, with a smile on his face. He was a charmer. Women always preferred him for his bad-boy personality, flirty attitude, and refined behavior was the reason for his popularity. It worked for him. Every day there was a brand new woman in his bed. He did everything he desired with them and didn’t regret forgetting them the next morning, as if they were some worthless shit that he didn’t deserve.After Celine and I got inter-tangled in a relationship, Dean was the first one to warn me about her. There were several times when he interfered between me and Celine, which one time brought tears to my girlfriend’s eyes. That was a wake-up call for me. That day I drew a fine line between my friend and my girlfriend.The conversation I had with Dean the following night was very straight. We both wouldn’t ask anything about our personal lives until the other one was eager to share that. That was what we have maintained to this date.
Marriage of Deception Lauren
The worst thing about alcohol was the after-effect that we underwent the very next morning. The amount I gulped last night was something that I wouldn’t dare do in my regular life when I had a tremendous acquaintance with this aftermath for a long time. Headache, dryness in my throat, nausea feeling that kept hanging in my mouth, and the morning light that was hurting my eyes were all my friends with whom I had a love-hate relationship.“I hate this,” I said, opening my eyes and using all the energy left in my body. At this moment, if I needed anything, it was food.I assumed that the only person who didn’t eat any of the food that was served throughout the entire night at my grand reception last night was me. The menu was worth more than a million dollars and people devoured it without thinking. Instead of drinking a ton of alcohol, it would be great if I ate a little of everything, especially lobster.It was the first time I was at a party where bisque was served as a welcome drink.
Marriage of Deception Gavin
A family trip was always on my list for a long time. During my elementary school and teen years, whenever any of my classmates came back from a trip with their family, I always wished to do the same thing with my parents, too.Going somewhere together, spending time with one another, talking, playing games, eating, laughing, perhaps could give our family a chance to bond. There were so many times when I told my mother about going on a family trip. It didn’t have to be outside California, somewhere near the state would be fine, too. Just for two days, away from home, this routine life, somewhere peaceful, would be nice to think about our bond.But that never happened. Both of my parents were too busy to fulfill the obligation that their little boy had. My mother was a total badass businesswoman at that time, working long days and nights, doing everything to save the Astor Empire while my father was working hard between the legs of random women.It was fascinating to see how my parents
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Marriage of Deception Epilouge
Five Years LaterLaurenIt was Joy’s seventh birthday. The party that Gavin threw for his dear daughter was supposed to be a kid’s birthday party, but after cutting the cake, this blast turned out to be a boardroom meeting. Gavin was sitting with his friends, clients, investors, and business partners whose children were the same age as my daughter or a little older than her. The chocolate cake was lying on the coffee table ahead of these adult men, but they were more interested in talking about the stock market than the party that was going on.I was sitting with a bunch of the mothers from Joy’s school. It was regular mom-concerned talk, which I was getting used to, but surely needed enough time to get into the gossip that they were passing. Every time I sat with them, the only thing I heard them talking about was a teacher who got pregnant before marriage or a parent who was fighting behind closed doors. The mothers called this get-together “about the children” each time they invite
Marriage of Deception Gavin
I was sitting in my office when Lily informed me that the guest of the day was already waiting for me in our waiting room. On the bright side, Knox accepted my invitation, which I sent to him through a text that Dean and I created last night by wasting thirty minutes of our precious time.“It has to be a minimal text with some unadorned words,” I told Dean when we sat down in my penthouse living room, squeezing the burner phone in our hands.Everything we wrote felt fake until the last text we typed, which somehow sounded formal enough to send to Knox.“Astor Empire’s CEO would like to have a cup of coffee with you tomorrow at his office. Please be in the Astor building at sharp 4.”It was such lame and childish stuff to forward to someone whom you would like to meet. The moment Dean typed this nonsense, the one word that came out of our mouths was the same word Archimedes said upon a significant discovery in the Physis world.“Eureka,” we both said at the same time, reading what was
Marriage of Deception Gavin
“Alright. I understand everything you are saying. But why would Knox go after you? There is no logic behind that. I assumed he felt betrayed when he realized you moved ahead in life while he was serving his sentence for a murder he committed earlier in his life. That wasn’t in your hand. I mean, it was his crime, and the law gave him a suitable punishment, I believe. At present, he is dating your older sister, or more like he is using her to get revenge on you.” I sighed. “My question here is, what revenge? You didn’t do anything wrong with him, right? Then why was he after your life like a mad dog?” I sat on the near couch while Lauren was still standing in the bathroom doorway with her hands together, just like a criminal.“I did play the foul game that night,” she whispered.“How?” I asked. “I don’t see any foul play in your tale.”“Do you know why Knox went to prison?”“Yes, for a murder that he committed.”“Whose murder? Who was that man? Do you know that man?”“No.” I shook my h
Marriage of Deception Lauren
Eleven Years AgoThe environment of our house was never healthy. There was always something happening, and most of the time, it was my father who was screaming at the top of his lungs. After breaking up with Knox, I took another job just so I could come home when every one of the members of this house was deep in sleep. Hearing those arguments every single day was so annoying that sometimes I wandered around the town, just to escape from the ear-piercing competition that my parents loved to do at night.My time at Knox was my pathway to abscond from the toxic atmosphere of my home. If I ever sat down and thought about Knox, including the feelings I had for him, I was pretty sure I had nothing for that guy in my heart. You could say, I toyed with him, using him to get away from home for some time. I was aware of what Knox was thinking all the time, but the feeling that I felt for him was after he threatened me to be with him.Of course, I was missing him. I was thinking about him now a
Marriage of Deception Lauren
I was in the bathroom treating the wound that Knox and my sister caused me yesterday. Everything else was in my body, which I could easily bury with my clothes, but the one punch that Ashlee gifted me right in my face was giving me hell. I tried makeup, foundation, and concealer, but nothing was working. Instead, the redness was turning into brown shades, which was making it obvious. I had a flight to catch in just a few hours, and here I was making my face presentable.When I first saw Ashlee with Knox, I smelled the fishiness there. In which world would there be such a weird coincidence where your older sister was dating your ex-convicted boyfriend without knowing about each other? I doubt this was a plan that they both plotted together to take revenge on me. They both undoubtedly harbored a bitter grudge against me.I was in the corner of the convenience store when Knox grabbed me by the cap of my hoodie and threw me into the dark alley. Before I could realize anything, a hard slap
Marriage of Deception Gavin
“This is the information you asked for.” Jonathan gently slammed the brown file ahead of me.“I asked you for this at least two weeks ago. You are giving me this right now.” I collected the file from the desk, and without opening it, locked it in the drawer. “What happened to your skills? Did it dry out?”“You wish, brother-in-law.” Jonathan smiled as he fell into the chair ahead of us. “I hope you are aware of the fact that I am not a detective or anyone who is with law enforcement. I did my best with what little I had. So be grateful for that.”“Did Sarah know anything about this?”“About what?”“That I called you and asked for help or the favor I asked from you.”It wouldn’t be a great deal if Sarah got the idea that I was reaching out to her husband. Of course, I could ask for help from Jonathan, but if my little sister found out about all this, there would be another drama from her I couldn’t afford at this moment. Sarah lived for drama, which is why she chose Hollywood as her ca
Marriage of Deception Lauren
Eleven Years AgoMy mother never liked Knox. During the time I was dating him, although it started with a threat, however, over time we both became inseparable. My family was aware of the twenty-two-year-old boy I was dating, but they never approved of my choice. While my mother stayed quiet the first few times Knox visited our house for dinner or picked me up, it was my father whose anger flew over the bridge every time he saw Knox. Dad hated him so much that one time he kicked Knox out of our house.It was during Thanksgiving. Knox wanted to spend that time with me alone in his warehouse, but it was my mother who made it clear that if I didn’t stay for Thanksgiving dinner, I wouldn’t be allowed to return home. So, I convinced Knox to spend time with me at my parent’s house, which he refused several times. It was my endless nagging that forced him to change his mind. He didn’t change his damn mind, he just lost the game of a nag that I was playing with him at that moment.The next da
Marriage of Deception Lauren
Twelve Years AgoI blocked Knox from my life with a perfect plan which I thought was solid. I changed the schedules of all the part-time jobs I had at that time. The school was what I began to give importance to more than anything in my life at that point. The main reason for that was to improve my grades. By the next exam, I was back on top, the top girl in the school with 98% marks in all the subjects, which put a smile on my mum’s face, and seeing her being proud felt worth all the sleepless nights I spent studying.Knox didn’t cross his path with me for the next six months. After I left his house and came back to mine, he followed me everywhere I went. From my school to my workplace, he was standing outside every place I went. It was embarrassing when people whispered about seeing the notorious boy of the town waiting for me every single day for a week straight. I was already the weirdo in the eyes of my classmates, and seeing me with Knox, the notorious boy of the town, was only
Marriage of Deception Lauren
Twelve Years LaterOver the next week, Knox and I fell into a routine that wasn’t doing good for any of us. While he didn’t have a job, I was doing whatever I could with the given situation. I was going to school, but there wasn’t a single time when I was doing homework or assignments that I needed to submit to the finals. Even my grades were going down, which was terrifying. My teachers were worried about my future. The straight-A student was getting a B, and a C wasn’t a piece of good news for anyone. The three jobs that I had thankfully stayed with me due to Knox’s constant visits to my workplace painted me red in the eyes of my employer. One evening, Teddy, my convenience store owner, pulled me aside and asked me what I was doing with that boy.“He is a friend,” I replied.“He doesn’t look like someone with whom you spend time,” he said, frowning.“Looks aren’t everything, Teddy. You can’t judge a person based solely on the tattoos on their hands,” I said, smiling.“So, you are
