'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
"Good morning, ma'am!" Erica turned at the sound of her secretary's greeting."Good morning. Who's in there?" Erica asked before opening the door to her office."Just Arnold, ma'am. His guest just left.""Guest? Who would be visiting this early?" Erica asked, curious."Oh, it was that beautiful actress, Nancy Angeline, ma'am."Erica huffed in annoyance. "What's that flirty actress doing here so early, meeting my husband?" she muttered under her breath. But a moment later, she caught herself.'My husband?' Her throat tightened as she realized what she had just said. She shook her head.Erica took a deep breath before opening the door to her office, trying to calm the emotions that were beginning to flare up. Arnold mustn't know that she disliked seeing him close to that actress.She gently knocked on the door and heard Arnold's deep, resonant voice answer from inside. Arnold's baritone voice made Erica's heart flutter. She had missed that voice all night.Slowly, Erica opened
"Troy! How are you, handsome?" A glamorous woman approached Troy, wrapping her arms around him and giving him a peck on each cheek.Troy, caught off guard by Julia Jackson's sudden arrival, was momentarily flustered. His eyes immediately darted to Sarah, who was sitting among the crew just three meters away. Julia and the other female celebrities had a habit of greeting everyone with hugs and kisses, whether male or female. It was a common practice among them."It's been a while, and you're looking even more handsome," Julia commented. "And... quite irresistible," she whispered.Troy shook his head at Julia's compliment, which only made him more uneasy. The beautiful actress, who would be his co-star in the upcoming commercial, continued chatting with him. Troy tried to listen, but his eyes couldn't help but keep glancing at Sarah from afar. His wife was watching him, but her expression remained neutral, which only made him more nervous. Sarah was very good at hiding her feelings.
"Where have you been?""Troy! You shouldn't be harsh with a woman!" Andy, not pleased with Troy's tone, immediately scolded him.Troy turned to face Andy, his anger rising as he saw Andy standing up for Sarah. Pointing his finger at Andy, Troy's voice grew louder with frustration."What are you implying? I've never been harsh with my wife. The real question is, why were you with my wife?""Troy, what's wrong with you? I can explain. There's no need to shout like this. It's embarrassing with everyone watching!" Sarah glanced around at the onlookers, noticing some even recording the scene on their phones."Sweetheart, I'm not mad at you. I was just panicking because I couldn't find you. My phone died, so I couldn't contact you," Troy said as he cupped Sarah's face, his eyes locking onto hers. He didn't care about the murmurs from the crew and others around them.Sarah, who had been tense moments ago, began to smile as she realized they were becoming the center of attention. She gen
"Why do you keep thanking Andy so much?" Troy asked with annoyance."Look, Troy. He already paid the workshop fees. I wanted to repay him but he didn't want to take it."Troy breathed heavily, frustrated by Sarah's explanation."It seems like he's looking for a fight!" Troy exclaimed while gripping the steering wheel tightly."What's wrong with you? He was just being kind, not looking for a fight!" Sarah looked at Troy, puzzled."But I don't like him being so attentive to you, darling!"Sarah was silent. Although she was annoyed by Troy's behavior, hearing her husband's reasoning just then warmed her heart. She smiled secretly while looking out the window. Then Sarah turned her gaze back to Troy, who was focusing on driving. His face was still tense."Okay, I'm sorry, Troy!" A gentle stroke on his firm back made Troy finally smile. When he was about to pull his hand back, Troy caught it and kissed her slender fingers several times."I don't like seeing you close to other men. It hu
"Have you thought about the condition that we talked about yesterday?" Drew immediately asked Arnold, who had just come down from his room. He was already dressed in his suit, ready to go to the office.Arnold didn't answer right away. He first looked around to see who was in the dining room. After making sure that only his father and mother were there, Arnold sat down in one of the chairs. Before speaking, he took a long, deep breath."What if I refuse that condition?""What? Refuse? I explained this to you yesterday. Your dad and I have already promised Irene's parents that you would marry her. We're indebted to her father. You need to remember that!" Drew started speaking again in a raised tone.Arnold glanced around. He was uneasy about Irene hearing their conversation."Shh, lower your voice a bit! Irene might hear, and that would be hard on her," Freddy tried to caution his wife."But I'm upset with your son." Drew looked at Arnold with frustration."But, Mom, what if I ca
"Do you mean two wives?" Erica asked, her voice beginning to rise."Y-yeah, my mom and dad have their reasons for making that request," Arnold stammered.Erica remained silent, her face clearly showing she was holding back her emotions. In reality, she was waiting for Arnold to explain the reasoning behind his parents' outrageous idea."So... without me knowing, my parents had already promised Irene's late parents that they would make sure we wed. Mom says we're indebted to Irene's father, and this is their way of repaying that debt," Arnold explained carefully. He felt slightly relieved because Erica didn't immediately explode in anger and was at least listening to him."Well, that's convenient for you!" Erica retorted sharply. Although she was deeply hurt, she tried to remain calm. She didn't want Arnold to know that recently, her feelings for him had begun to grow. She wasn't about to beg for his love.Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of the waiters, who delive