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Marriage of Deception Gavin
It was easy. Just two words, “I do,” and I was a married man.Upon waking up this morning, I experienced an enormous amount of anxiety and a loss of confidence about this marriage. You could giggle and say the groom got cold feet as if it was nothing. Most of the people on this planet would say it was normal. You are stepping into a new life with the person you love. It was a huge commitment since you are committing your entire life to that one significant person. It was a big deal. Walking through the route of nervousness was really alright, more normal than anything.Only if it was that easy in my case. In the past two days, I checked everything that could be related to Lauren just to get to know her a little better and stay under the same roof with her. It wasn’t a simple job, though. There was nothing about her to find out, only some specifics that I could tell about her just by giving a glance at her.She didn’t use any social media, which was what bothered me for most of the nig
Marriage of Deception Lauren
There were numerous times I went to Mr. Astor’s house. I sometimes drop him off after he consumed alcohol, picking him up now and even in the morning. In my three years of life as his secretary, I must have gone to his house at least a hundred times, if not more, but I never put my foot inside the house, even for a moment.That place was forbidden for me to visit, as Mr. Astor told me on the first day of my job that he hated it when people touched his stuff. But that wasn’t true. I touched a million of that stuff that he owned for years, from his clothes to shoes, laptop to phone, but he barely reacted to any of that. Just like any other person, he was okay with me arranging his table every morning. Even if I put something inside the cabinet, he would just ask me about that and hardly scold me or anything about that.In my mind, I came to the conclusion after seeing his reaction that he was hiding someone in his apartment. I made a fiction about him being a serial killer, who was kill
Marriage of Deception Gavin
The atmosphere around my parents’ multi-billionaire house was always something that didn’t sit well with me. The first time I felt the cold and distressful clouds around this palace was when I was a child. I was a ten-year-old little boy. This house was enormous. And when I said huge, I meant twenty-three bedrooms, twenty-five bathrooms, two kitchens, four open terraces, a golf course, a swimming pool, a movie theater for 100 people, a sauna, and a spa. This place was beautiful, but it was hilarious to have all these spaces just for three people.Growing up in this house was a unique experience. My parents tried to do their best for their only son, the heir to their abundant wealth. I went to a private school, the one that charged millions of parents for their children to have the same education that others were getting in other schools. I had my own car even before I came to this world. That was an impulsive decision by my father, just like his every decision.They had privileged me
Marriage of Deception Lauren
I was by no means good with people. When it came to making friends with strangers, that was something that I constantly found an uphill battle to accomplish. My family didn’t have that DNA either.My mother tried to be friendly with our neighbors, but behind her smile, there was a lot of anxiety that came over her after the friendly chat. She always had anxiety issues when it came to people or making friends. I still didn’t understand how she kept her job in those people’s houses. Working for them must have taken a lot of courage for her.Mom liked to stay at home. There was a time when she didn’t go out of the house for several days. It happened in the months before we found the cancer that had been nested in her body for a long time. It wasn’t ideal for human beings, but that was how my mother did it. She preferred home more than the outside world.On the other hand, my father was an outgoing person. He mostly stayed out at night, but the reasons were different. My father did only t
Marriage of Deception Gavin
The wedding night was what people anticipated more than the ceremony. For the first time, a lover consumed their relationship as husband and wife. It was a magical night for the newly wedded couple, but for me and Lauren, it was the night that we spent together just laying beside one another.Neither of us had closed our eyes for a second; it felt like we were both awake in case any monster paid a visit to us. I didn’t know about Lauren, but for me, I was sad. Deep in my heart, all I could feel was empty, which shocked me, as I knew there had to be something in that place.No matter how my family was or my relationship with Celine, at a pretty young age, I learned that happiness was all about me. If I wanted to be happy, it was on me to find the path without depending on anyone.The funny thing was, that I had a decent relationship with my dysfunctional family. Over the years, I educated myself on how to behave around my father or the time my parents yelled at one another like two cra
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
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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
