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Lauren
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2024-10-29 19:42:56
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Marriage of Deception Gavin
Celine got the news. This morning, every time my phone rang or beeped or an unknown international number flashed on my screen, it notified me that supermodel Celine was dying to have a chat with me. For the first time in a long time, she called me, chasing after me like a mad dog; otherwise, it was always me looking for her, following her around the world just to have a moment with her. It looked like I had turned the table this time. The game was finally favoring me.I didn’t receive any of her calls as I was under an enormous pile of labor from this morning. The first thing I needed to do was to make a place for Lauren in this “high society circle” so they didn’t eat her alive whenever she went to any of the gatherings, social events, parties, or charities.It wasn’t that everyone who was born with a silver spoon in their mouth did something remarkable that helped the country or the people clapped their hands until they hurt; there was nothing like that. The world’s population’s mos
Marriage of Deception Lauren
The number of parties I attended by the end of my one-month marriage was equal to the number of sleepless nights that I spent in the Astor Empire working my ass off. One thing about marrying Gavin that left a significant mark on my head was the amount of attention I began to receive. Everyone at the parties wanted to talk to me, and reporters and paparazzi went insane just to get a shot of me. Even though I only went for a walk yesterday, some magazines featured me in their fashion section, dubbing me the “new fashion icon of California.”All these were insane. The way people were taking an interest in me was something that I never experienced before in my life neither did I wish to have that in my life.I was a quiet child who had a pretty tranquil life. I lived most of my school life alone with the books, assignments, and the part-time job that paid me well enough not to ask my parents when it came to pocket money. I never had a single friend in my entire teenage life or even after
Marriage of Deception Gavin
“You can tell me if you want to,” I said, breaking the awkward silence between me and Gavin. “There is no force. It’s totally up to you. But if you want, then I’m all ears.” I said nonchalantly, but Gavin didn’t say a word. He was here physically, but also not here. “I am not interested or something. It just feels like you need someone to talk about this or anything. So, I offered a favor, but if you don’t, then let it be.”“Sarah is my sister,” Gavin whispered.“I gathered that a few minutes ago.” I nodded my head, circling the glass that I was holding. The glass was empty, the cocktail inside was over half an hour ago, yet I didn’t let it go as I felt like having something in my hand just to occupy these two hands.“Jonathan was my friend.”“I guessed that too. So, what happened? How did a friendship break and a brother lose his dear sister?““It’s a long story, Lauren.”“Do I look like I have some work to do tonight? Come on, tell me.” He shook his head. “Okay, think of me as your
Marriage of Deception Lauren
After revealing one of our secrets to one another, other people joined us to have a quick chat with me and Gavin. Half an hour turned into three hours without us knowing it. However, we didn’t say a word to one another after that, because of serious family confidentiality. It wasn’t that we weren’t eager to talk to one another; it was more like we didn’t get time to ask the next question. Out of the blue, people came to us to talk. Most of them were pointless. I didn’t care about the clothes or bags that these women were talking about. I was more eager to talk to Gavin.Surely, he wasn’t going to tell me more, but I just wanted to have a conversation with her. He didn’t need to tell me about his family or secrets; random talk would do too. It really had been a long time since I talked with someone this carelessly, although I had Selena in my life yet, I couldn’t discuss my family with her. That would be one big mistake if I carried away and told her the stuff that I shouldn’t.With Ga
Marriage of Deception Gavin
“There is a problem, Mr. Astor,” Lily said to me coming out of the conference room after dealing with some adamant old jerks who succeeded in giving me a headache on this bright morning.This meeting with the board of directors wasn’t on my schedule last evening when Lily read aloud my next day’s to-do list. Out of blue, when I was enjoying my morning sleep, a call came and informed me about this hell that I needed to attend no matter what. The subject didn’t require any discussion as I had already signed the deal with a Chinese company a week ago. This sudden concern and sudden meeting not only messed up my head but also affected my entire day.“What’s the issue now?” I sat on my chair and opened my laptop.“A woman keeps calling the office number from yesterday. She left a lot of messages like “call me back, pick up my call”, etc. I didn’t care until she left a message that said, “She is going to reveal a sex tape of you and her.”“Celine Alonso.” I sighed, closing my eyes, and Lily
Marriage of Deception Lauren
Working as a manager at one of the world’s most famous restaurants was not as terrifying as I had imagined. The moment Gavin declared me the manager of “Fusion”, the restaurant I was working at for a week, the first thought that came across my mind wasn’t something I could say out loud in front of the public, but it turned out I was more comfortable here than all the other jobs I had had before.I worked as a waitress during high school as a part-timer for five years before landing a job in the Astor Empire. Even after getting the secretary post, when I was short of money, I sometimes worked on weekends as a waitress for some extra money. I didn’t like that job, but somehow I didn’t hate it either. I enjoyed bringing food to the people who were waiting at their table and seeing those beautifully decorated dishes inspired me to cook some amazing dinners from time to time.But this time it was different. This was my first time giving orders, or you could say managing a busy area, so eve
Marriage of Deception Gavin
The last time I talked to my little sister was a decade ago, right after she returned home after marrying my former best friend. I didn’t say a word to her or her new husband that night, as I was too angry to even look at her after what she did to me. At that moment, it felt like a betrayal, as if she had stabbed me with a blunt knife right in my heart again and again.Sarah was always like this. Most people would describe her as a selfish, spoiled brat, too busy in her own world to see her surroundings, but I knew my sister long enough from all these people to state she was a different sort of animal who happened to be in the golden cage, which didn’t go well with her nature.After her marriage, there was a simple distance between us that none of us created again. None of us tried to end it. It was there, and we went with it without saying or thinking about it. Every day, I thought about my sister. After a decade, perhaps there was a change in her rebellious manner, or she was still
Marriage of Deception Lauren
These days, Gavin was behaving differently for some unknown reason. The friendship that we created over the month with lots of laughter and mutual understanding somehow disappeared after last night’s dinner. He suddenly walked out of our dinner, didn’t come to our bed to sleep, and got out of the house without saying anything. Also, not eating breakfast at home or with me was out of his daily routine.Over the month, we, husband and wife, came to an understanding about ourselves, whether it was about our personal life or professional life. We both somehow managed to have breakfast and dinner, even if we were under a pile of work. It didn’t matter to us; the pressure of work was a tiny part of our lives that we vowed not to let become our lives even if there were a thousand other things we needed to do. The respect that we had for one another might have been another reason why I enjoyed being with Gavin so much, so much that I missed him when he didn’t come to bed last night. I felt ba
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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
