Sherry felt a restlessness rising in her chest. Without realizing it, her lips curled into a smile. She said stoutly, "I may be married to you, but it doesn't mean I have to tolerate your nonsense forever. If you ever dare to—" “I wouldn’t dare." Before she could finish, John hugged her tightly and assured her. “I wouldn’t ever dare, my dear wife.” Sherry smiled coyly. “That’s a smart man.” John chuckled heartily before letting her go. Below the stage, everyone beheld the loving couple with lovestruck eyes. Madam Stockton, Lisa, and the others formed shy smiles. Sylvia laughed along with Odell, the two held each other tenderly. Meanwhile, Isabel and Queenie were doubled over with laughter. Liam had covered Caprice’s eyes, but the girl was still grinning from ear to ear. When Sherry remembered that there were so many people staring at her, she wanted to burrow herself into a hole. She wanted to jump off the stage and flee the scene. She blushed and turne
Positioned in front were Caprice, Isabel, Flint, and Queenie. The four of them had no trouble smiling at all as they flashed their rows of white teeth with pride. Click! The photographer captured the beautiful scene, a memory to be cherished forever. … Time flew. Sixteen years later. Westchester. At a nightclub in a college town. Caprice held a bottle of beer and took occasional sips from it. She wore a neat red dress that accentuated her waistline, her natural locks of curly hair were very eye-catching. Even though she was seated in a remote corner, it did not dissuade flocks of men from coming up to her to strike up a conversation. She did not entertain any of them. Some of the men had a foul temper but knew better than to voice their frustrations since Caprice was with her friends. They retreated, hanging their heads low in defeat. Three of Caprice’s housemates came drinking with her. They were the ones who did her makeup for her. Today was
Lana and Freya were entirely at a loss for what to do. They turned to Piper for help, hoping that she would say something to Caprice. This was the first time Piper had ever seen Caprice in such a state as well. As much as she was overwhelmed by the situation, she tried to say something to Caprice nonetheless, "Caprice, go easy, you’re going to get sick from drinking so much.” Glug. Caprice took one more large swing before stopping. Piper, Lana, and Freya heaved a sigh of relief. Caprice suddenly burped, and her eyes slowly began to turn red. Piper, Lana, and Freya were stunned. Though Caprice had always been very reserved and diligent, they did not take her for the type to bear her feelings outwardly and cry in the presence of others. One time, she fell from her bicycle and tore off flakes of skin from her knee. She winced and barely dared to look in the direction of the wound and yet, she did not shed a tear the entire time. All three of her friends looke
Heather and Liam were a package by this point as they were always seen together. Although Liam had never said anything about her being his girlfriend, the consensus was that they were dating. Caprice was convinced it was true as well. The reason she felt this way was because the boy she had loved since she was a child never reciprocated her feelings. He only treated her like his dear sister. Even if she had thrown herself at him unabashedly, it would only end with him gently shoving her away. Without context, Caprice felt like she was the mistress in this situation. She hung her head low, feeling rather ashamed. She had to admit she was not fond of Heather, the one who stole Liam away from her. She tried to ignore her entirely, pretending as if she did not even exist. Heather stood next to Liam and seemed to be sizing up Caprice. An imperceptible look of jealousy flashed across her eyes. After a while, she smiled and addressed Caprice, “Little Caprice, why are you
Lana and Freya exchanged a look, then Freya crossed her arms across her chest and said with a scoff, "Yeah, besides, we mentioned that Caprice was playing drinking games with us today to celebrate Piper’s birthday. What’s your deal? Why do you keep trying to make it sound like Caprice is an alcoholic? Are you trying to make her look bad in front of Liam?” A look of panic flashed across Heather's face. She searched for something to say but nothing came out. Caprice saw the look on Heather's face, and she turned to her friends and defused the situation. “I might not know her very well, but I’m sure she’s one of Brother Liam's most capable subordinates for a reason. I’m sure she’s giving me advice for my good, let’s stop trying to argue.” Piper made a look. Freya and Lana nearly flipped out as well. They tried to steer the situation back in their favor. “Caprice, it still seems to me like she’s got something against you,” Lana mentioned. Heather's face turned ghost-wh
"What time does your dorm close?" Liam asked. Caprice answered frankly, "Ten-thirty." Liam angled his wrist to look at the time, then he suddenly announced, "I'll send you back to the dorm." “I…that’s okay.” Liam turned to her. "Why not?" Caprice lowered her head, afraid of meeting his sharp gaze head-on. “It’s Piper’s birthday today, we agreed to only go home after twelve.” Liam peered at her, it seemed like he was barely listening at all. He seemed completely indifferent about Piper’s birthday. There was also a certain intensity inside his eyes. Caprice suddenly felt naked and vulnerable as if she was a test subject with a telescopic lens held up against her. "Okay, I...I'll ask them if they will go back to the dorm with me." Liam seemed glad to hear this. “Alright.” Caprice approached her friends. When she told them about Liam’s intention to send them back to the dormitory, they all agreed unanimously. “Alright!” They even seemed excited. Capri
Caprice’s heartbeat spiked in an instant, her cheeks became flushed with red. "I... It wasn’t on purpose," she explained frantically while removing herself from Liam’s lap and throwing herself on the seat, sitting only roughly ten centimeters away from him. Liam glanced at her. Caprice was afraid that he would be upset and lowered her head in shame. A stiff and unnatural silence loomed over the air around them. While Caprice was still reeling back from the awkwardness of the situation, a gray package hovered in front of her eyes. It was Liam who held it in front of her. Caprice asked curiously, "What is this?" Liam said nonchalantly, “It’s for you." "Why are you giving me this?" Caprice was confused. "You'll know why when you get home and open it," Liam spoke in an unsentimental voice, it sounded like he was slightly upset. Caprice promptly took the package. It was heavier than it looked, and she wondered if it contained an iron box inside. She won
However, Caprice was aware that strong-arming Liam into a marriage was no way of winning his affection. When she was a child, she heard her mother tell her stories about how Uncle Odell was once forced to marry Aunt Sylvia. It was the reason they got off to a poor start. It was only later on when they realized that their mutual animosity was all a great misunderstanding that they managed to reconcile their differences and stayed together as long as they did. If she had forced Liam into the same situation his parents once found themselves in, she was sure that their marriage would be a replay of what happened to his parents in the past. This was why she decided against forcing him into a marriage. … Meanwhile, Liam's car made a U-turn at an intersection and went in the opposite direction where they were originally headed. Not only was the car getting farther from the dormitory, but it was also driving away from the direction of that nightclub. Inside the car, Liam s