"Erica... wake up!"Erica opened her eyes, blinking. She faintly heard someone calling her name."Yea," she replied, her energy not back yet.She turned to her left side but didn't see Arnold there. Her heart grew anxious again."Did he not come home last night? Where did he go? A nightclub?" Erica mumbled to herself."Erica!" She realized it was Irene calling."Just come in," Erica replied, her voice still hoarse."How can I come in? The door's locked," Irene said from outside."What? I locked it? Oh no!" Erica jumped up spontaneously and walked to the door."Sorry, Irene. I didn't mean to!" Erica panicked. Arnold was all she could think about."It's fine. But look at him! Poor thing..." Irene gestured with her chin, as her hands were full with a tray of breakfast.Erica turned in the direction Irene was pointing. Her throat tightened when she saw Arnold sleeping on the floor with a thin foam mattress, not far from the bedroom door."Irene, what time did he come home last
"I work at the office every day, ma'am. So I don't have time to cook," Erica replied, her chest tightening. She had never felt so belittled before."Even if you work at the office, you should still know how to cook." Drew retorted, looking Erica up and down.Erica wanted to respond to Drew's words, but Arnold appeared at the stairs with a broad smile. He was already dressed and fresh."Dad, Mom!" Arnold hugged his parents."Are you well? Hey, what's this? Why do you look so pale?" Drew scrutinized Arnold's face intensely, her hand brushing over his face and head."Hey, Erica, haven't you been taking care of your husband? Look at him, his handsome face is so pale," Drew glanced briefly at Erica, then refocused on her son."No, Mom. I'm not sick. Actually, Erica has been sick. She was just recently discharged from the hospital." Arnold moved closer to Erica and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.Erica remained silent. From the beginning, she had been bothered by her mother-in-l
"What do you want to talk about?" Arnold was now sitting in the living room with his parents."Where is your wife?" Drew asked, glancing toward the stairs."Erica is resting, Mom. She was just in the hospital. Coincidentally, my father-in-law is also being treated at the same hospital.""Arnold, explain clearly about this marriage of yours. I can't wrap my head around it. You say you just got married, but your wife was just in the hospital. What's going on?" Freddy looked at his son intently."Yes, Dad, Mom, I apologize for not explaining everything sooner. So, actually, Erica is the only child of Mr. Michael Lewis, the man who helped me when I came to Jaketon and who made me his right-hand man in the company. Recently, Mr. Lewis's condition took a turn for the worse, and he requested that I marry his daughter. As a way of repaying him, I agreed. Besides... um... I've been interested in Erica for a long time," Arnold explained in detail."Since Erica's father fell ill, Erica, who
"Honey, do you want to accompany me to Callista Corp this morning? There are still some documents that need to be signed," Troy said as he put on his jacket, while Sarah was sitting in front of the mirror, doing her makeup. Even though it was just a simple look, Sarah still wanted to appear fresh if she was going to the office."You go ahead. I'm starting to feel tired. I'll just head straight to the office with Joshua or Derrick."Troy approached Sarah and stood behind her. He looked at her reflection in the mirror. Sarah now looked fuller and more adorable. The tall man leaned down and pressed his cheek against Sarah's face."You're getting cuter!" he whispered, then stole a kiss on Sarah's now fuller cheek."It's because you keep forcing me to eat all this food. Now my body looks like this," Sarah said, frowning as she looked at her reflection in the mirror."Hey, why the frown? You're even more beautiful now that you're pregnant. Remember when we met again for the first time?
Troy let out a long sigh as his car came to a stop in front of the famous advertising company's building. He got out of the car and walked confidently toward the main entrance.Everyone he encountered greeted him warmly. Who didn't know Troy Peterson? The handsome actor who had never been rumored to be in a serious relationship with any woman, especially not within the entertainment industry. But recently, there had been talk of his marriage to a widow who was the CEO of a fairly large company. Although the news broke several months ago, it was still widely discussed, especially among his fans who were disappointed by Troy's marriage to Sarah. Many of his fans had hoped Troy would marry someone equally famous."Please, Troy, Don is waiting for you in his office!"Troy nodded and followed the woman who was escorting him, one of the employees at the company."How are you, Troy? Wow, it's a good thing you called us quickly. We were just about to offer this ad to someone else, probab
"Slowly, sir. Let me help you!" Arnold carefully assisted Michael as he sat down in the wheelchair. His father-in-law had grown thinner, but his face was glowing with happiness at the prospect of returning home after a long stay in the hospital. The man had almost lost hope during his extended time in the ICU. Who would have guessed that his health would improve so dramatically?"Arnold, where are your parents?" Michael asked, now comfortably seated in the wheelchair. Erica was organizing her father's belongings, which would be taken home by their driver. Although she was several meters away from Arnold and Michael, she could clearly hear the conversation between the two men."My parents are at my place, sir.""Invite them over tonight. Let's have a dinner party. Invite close relatives and some of our business associates," Michael suggested."No need to invite anyone, Dad! Besides, you're inviting people on such short notice," Erica interjected."Erica... I haven't had the chance
'A beautiful woman? Like an actress? Could it be the same woman I saw at the hospital that time?' Erica wondered to herself."I'll go see who it is," Arnold said, excusing himself to Michael and Erica. Michael nodded, while Erica remained silent. Her chest tightened as if she couldn't bear to let Arnold go meet this beautiful woman alone.Arnold's steps halted at the front terrace when the stunning woman called his name and approached him."Arnold!""Nancy. How did you know I was here?""Yeah, I was invited to sing at this event. Turns out, it is your party."The woman named Nancy hugged Arnold then kissed him on both cheeks."Come in! I want to introduce you to my wife and father-in-law," Arnold said, leading Nancy to the backyard."Mr. Lewis, Erica, this is Nancy, a friend of mine. She's actually part of the event team and was invited to perform tonight.""Well, well, our house is graced by a celebrity. Please, come in!" Michael welcomed her warmly.Nancy smiled broadly,
"Arnold, before it's too late, divorce me!""W-What?" Arnold instinctively stood up, staring at Erica in disbelief."No, Erica, I love you. I'm not going to divorce you." Arnold's strong hand immediately reached for Erica's, gripping it tightly.Drew and Freddy looked shocked. They had been showing their disapproval of Erica as their daughter-in-law, but now they were speechless."I'm tired of all this drama. I want to focus on the company," Erica's voice was hoarse. What she had just said was the opposite of what she felt in her heart, but she thought it was the best thing for her. She wouldn't be burdened by her father's expectations for grandchildren. She could focus on her business abroad. Maybe by keeping herself busy, she could forget all the burdens in her life. That was what she thought at that moment."Erica... Please..." Arnold pulled her hand closer, holding it to his chest."Thank you... for staying by my father's side, even though you were forced to follow his wishes