Hey awesome readers 😍! Feeling the good vibes today and sending them all your way! ✨ This chapter's dedicated to each and every one of you – especially those who've already shared their thoughts on my book (THANK YOU! ) and those who will stumble upon this gem later and add it to their library 📚 (welcome aboard! 🥳) Please continue to SHARE... COMMENT.... VOTE... ADD THIS BOOK TO YOUR LIBRARY.... Xoxo, Precious Crown 👑
Ethan's POV“Speak,” I said into the phone as the call connected. It was the home line, and I knew it could only be Angela. She's the only one who calls on that phone."Sir, your wife just brought in a new face into the house.”I frowned, looking at the screen once more to confirm whether I was really talking to the right person, and I was indeed talking to Angela.“And how's that your problem?" I asked.I heard her gulp on the other end of the call as though she was shocked at that response.“I just thought you would-’’ I interrupted her."Whatever happens with her isn't meant to be your business. Don't call me for something as trivial as this ever again.” Then I hung up.I've never talked to Angela that way before because I see her as a family member; she was practically there all through the time I grew up.I ran my hand through my hair in frustration. A lot of things are going wrong currently, and every time I think I'm this close to the solution, it gets even worse.The door to m
Annelise's POV“Damn! Now this is what we call a mansion! It's so beautiful!” Esther kept gushing over the house the moment we got in.A smile came up on my face. She kept looking around the room, almost forgetting that I was even there with her."Esther," I called her.She didn't even act like she heard me at all; she just kept looking around the room like she was in an art gallery.“Esther!” I yelled her name this time, making her look at me in fright.She walked over to me with her hand crossed over her chest."What is it?” She asked me."Can I have your attention now, dear friend?” I asked, raising up an eyebrow in a questioning stance.“Oh, sure. But I'm going to break your head if you don't allow me to check these out to my satisfaction,” she said, glaring at me in a manner that made her look kind of scary, but that can't work on me now.I just sighed and sat down on the couch as she checked everything to her satisfaction.Angela came in while Esther was still checking out thing
Annelise's POV I was woken up by the sound of a door opening; it was so loud that I jumped up on the really comfortable and soft surface I was sleeping on.“Who's that?" I questioned. I was the only one always sleeping in this room, how come someone just came in without knocking? Could it be my father?At the thought of it being my father, I sat upright on the bed, eager to hear what he has to say. It could be about my mother, who knows?It was when lights flickered on in the room that I remembered my current situation, and my husband was the one standing before me.He only glanced at me once and he entered the closet. He came out with a number of clothes.“Good evening." I greeted before he could leave the room.It's really evening? I looked out the window to see that it was evening and the blinds were still open.He nodded stiffly and left the room. As if on cue, a knock sounded on the door almost immediately after he left the room.I muttered a 'come in' and the door was pushed op
Annelise's POV"It would be our first official outing together."I was gobsmacked at what he said; it sounded so foreign to even hear him say that.The hard look on his face reminded me that he was only doing this for business purposes and nothing more.“Okay, but I don't have any other clothes to wear other than this one,” I said.I still can't find anything wrong with the dress I was wearing.He looked me up and down again with a lazy look on his face. “Just wait here, I should be able to find something," he said with a clenched jaw.I sat down far from where he stood up from, playing with my phone till he came down with something black in his hand.“Here," I heard him say.I collected the piece of clothing from him to see a dress that looked really expensive; it looked like it would be just my size, just a little bit shorter.“How did you have a female cloth-" He cut me off before I could finish the question.“Can you just put on the f*cking clothes without asking me questions?” he
Annelise's POVI took the dress from her with a smirk on my face, a confident one at that. Upon entering the dressing room, I heaved a sigh, calming down my racing heart.If this is how the life of a billionaire's wife would look like, I'm not cut out for this. I can't keep facing things like this and be expected to keep quiet just because, as a billionaire's wife, I can't just reply to people.“I'm doing this for my mother," I reminded myself.I took off the dress I had on and put on this one. It was kind of hard zipping it up, but I managed anyway.I stepped out of the dressing room without looking at myself in the mirror. It's not like I was going to buy it anyways.Before I even closed the door behind me, I wanted to just go back in when I saw Ethan standing directly by the door.“We'll take this, and every other female clothes in here," he ordered the attendant after just sparing me a glance.“Okay, sir,” she grinned and walked away."What are you doing? Every female clothes here
Annelise's POV“I have a deal for you, daughter-in-law."That voice sounded so much like none other than Amanda, Ethan's grandmother."Who is on the line, please?" I asked, even though I had an inkling of who it was.“Who else do you think it is? It's Amanda, your only mother-in-law,” she said, confirming my thought.I sighed for the umpteenth time today. “What can I do for you?" I asked on the phone.“I have a deal I'm sure you'd like," she said.“Go on."“It's not something that can be said on the phone. Wouldn't you love to hear it in person?” she asked.It was as though my patience just snapped in two; I suddenly got impatient. I gritted my teeth in anger and frustration."I don't care what your proposal is. I honestly don't feel like even listening to it,” I spat.I didn't wait to hear her reply; I just ended the call. I've seriously had enough of people today, and it's not even evening yet!I went to the bathroom and had a really long shower; it looked like just what I needed. W
Annelise's POV"Do you mind explaining more about that?" It was Ethan. He moves so much like a cat that you wouldn't know when he's behind you or walking.“Uh, actually. I was trying to say she has the right to do anything here as she wishes," Angela looked so uncomfortable.Ethan looked confused for a while, “You said?" He asked.I was also confused as to what he was saying; he looked like he had no idea what Angela was talking about.On having a closer look at him, I realized that he was on a call; he had an earpod on his ears. A whiff of air escaped my throat at the realization.He walked away from us, took a bottle of water, and walked out of the kitchen without sparing another glance at us.Angela heaved a sigh of relief as he left. I left her there after making a cup of cereal for myself. She seemed to respect herself and didn't say anything after that.~The clothes arrived the next morning instead of that same day as discussed; I was bathing when I heard a knock on the bathroo
Annelise's POVI jolted awake after that terrible dream to a door being banged. Startled, I sat up straight on the bed, thinking something had happened.The room was dark, and I couldn't see anything, but I could perceive the familiar musky scent of my husband. I almost didn't even move on the bed.The lights suddenly flickered on, and his face came into view. He looked furious, the death glare on his face towards me made me feel like hiding under the bed.“What did she tell you?" was the first thing he asked me.My mouth went dry; his tone was so icy. “I don't understand you," I asked, my voice shaking.“What did my grandmother say to you?" he asked with the same tone.“Nothing," I mumbled, though that wasn't entirely a lie.The glare on his face hardened. “Trust me, you don't want to see me angry. It's better if you just talk now.” The threat in his voice didn't go unnoticed by me.“She said she had a deal for me," I muttered.His jaw clenched; that dark look on his face turned even
Chapter One Hundred and Seventy-Five: AnneliseOne Month LaterMy life had finally returned to how it was in the beginning before everything started, but now it felt more peaceful. I remembered the discussion I had with my mom when I asked about my real father, and she finally told me the truth.My biological dad had passed away, and she had remarried to avoid bringing disgrace to her family. She hadn’t told me because she thought everything was fine. I sat on the kitchen counter, enjoying kiwi and peanut butter. I hummed excitedly, swinging my legs gently. It was the most delicious thing I’d eaten.“Want some?” I offered Ethan, who looked at it with disgust.“No, I’m good.” Suddenly, tears welled up in my eyes. Ethan’s widened in panic.“I was just kidding. Of course, I want to eat it, but I’m worried it’s not enough for you,” he said hastily.I narrowed my eyes at him. “Are you sure? Or do you just not want any?”“Of course, I’m sure,” he replied, his face breaking into an uncharac
Ethan's POV Lucas had called me urgently this morning, informing me to be at the company. He didn’t elaborate much, and I was left wondering what was happening.I stood in the elevator, which was taking me to the top floor. I don’t know why, but I felt something was about to change. The soft chime of the elevator door sounded, and as it stopped, the door slid open. I stepped out and walked down the hallway into the conference room.Opening the door, I was greeted by the eyes of the board of directors, including Amanda’s. What was she doing here? I saw Lucas come forward to meet me.“What is happening?” I gritted out.“I don’t know either. Madam Amanda called me this morning, telling me we should be present at this sudden conference meeting she had called.” I nodded at him and walked to the front where an empty seat, clearly meant for me, awaited. I sat down.“Most of us know why we are all here, and we have all heard about the scandal. Now, I want to transfer all my shares to Ethan,
Annelise's POV I caressed my bulging stomach gently, with love shining in my eyes. Suddenly, I felt a soft kick against my belly and giggled at the sensation. I could feel my baby's feet pressed against me.Pulling up my top, I exposed my stomach and smiled at the tiny feet. "Naughty baby," I scolded gently. I heard chuckling behind me and turned to see Ethan staring at me with love and admiration in his eyes. I blushed at the sight—it was overwhelming.“Why are you chuckling?” I asked.“It’s beautiful seeing you scold our little one with such love,” he answered, sitting beside me. His gaze shifted to my stomach.He placed his large, cold hand on my belly. As if recognizing it was his father’s touch, our baby kicked hard, causing me to flinch. I shot Ethan a glare. He chuckled sheepishly before sighing. I sensed immediately that something was wrong.“What’s wrong?” I asked, taking his hand in mine.“Amanda has been calling me. I haven’t picked up because honestly, I have nothing to s
Annelise's POV “What are you saying, Annelise?” Ethan asked me.“I'm saying that it was the sex we had that night that made me pregnant. I was confused at first because I didn't remember what really happened that night.”“You're saying that the sex that night led to this pregnancy?” he asked, with a shocked expression on his face.“Yes, Ethan,” I replied, assessing his face to gauge his reaction. He had been happy before at the idea of us having a baby, even though he initially thought it might not be his.The confused look on his face quickly turned into happiness, which was contagious, and I smiled brightly too.He hugged me tightly and showered my face with kisses.“Thank you so much for this beautiful gift, Annelise,” he said."You're welcome. Now give me my food; I'm famished,” I commanded him with a strict look on my face.“Right away, your majesty,” he said as he opened up the plate himself. He started feeding me, and I happily ate the food.I finished everything on the plate
Annelise's POV I jumped on Ethan the moment I saw him at the entrance. His arms were waiting for me already, though my big stomach didn't let me hug him as much as I wanted to.“I missed you so much. When did you get back? Why didn't you tell me that you were coming?” I bombarded him with questions as tears streamed down my face out of happiness."I don't have my phone, remember?” He chuckled close to my ear."Yes, but still,” I trailed off, hugging him even more. I had to break the hug when someone cleared their throat behind us—it was Lucas and Rex.“Welcome back, man,” Lucas said as he patted Ethan on the back.“Thanks, and I appreciate you for helping out with everything,” Ethan replied, and they did that weird men hug.“You don't even know if I helped her out with it or not,” Lucas chuckled.“I know you'd always turn up for things like this. I don't need to hear it before I do; you're a real one,” Ethan said to Lucas."You're always welcome,” Ethan replied, and Rex greeted him t
Annelise's POV It's Monday now, and I have everything I need for revealing the truth ready. I was assisted by both Lucas and Esther, and I just want the DMZ meeting to be over so I'll have Ethan back.It's time for the event to start, and I didn't bother to disguise to enter the building even though paparazzi were outside in abundance.It's just a plus that I decided to come with both Max and Lucas, and since they're both registered in the company, they were allowed to go through the backdoor.It's afternoon at the moment, and I have anxiety churning in my stomach. I kept reminding myself that I was doing this for Ethan, and I didn't need to think about the crowd that I'd face.“I'll be there with you in that conference room so you'll have a familiar face with you. You don't need to be scared of anyone; just do your thing and let the media do the rest,” Lucas said before we got out of the car.“Thank you so much for everything you've done, Lucas. I really appreciate you, and I'm sure
Ethan's POV Annelise and I woke up to news about me flying around. It's the same thing that Ken has been using to threaten me before. It was the cuss word from my mouth that woke up Annelise.Though it's still afternoon, we both slept off hours after coming back from the hospital as we didn't sleep overnight normally.She sat up on the bed almost immediately after I cussed out loud, with her eyes still partly closed. She used her hand to wipe her eyes as though she was trying to wipe the sleep away.“What happened?" she asked as her eyes came clear.“Uh, it's… nothing. You can go back to sleep. I'm going to take care of it now.” I rushed out of bed, and she rushed behind me too.“Ethan, did anything happen with anyone? That didn't look like nothing back there at all,” she said behind me, successfully following me into the bathroom.I sighed out loud. "It's Ken. He released the news about me hitting someone, and it's everywhere on the internet now," I rushed out the words to her.“He
Ken's POV I've been reeling with joy since I was announced as the new highest shareholder of the company, automatically making me the owner of some sort.I honestly expected more from Ethan in terms of competition for the contract and all, but he seemed to be focused on another thing other than anything concerning the company these days, and that worked in my mercy.It could be because he's now separated from his wife, but I didn't care. All that matters now is that I'm way higher than him in rank, and he's below me.I've been trying all my life to achieve that, but he always manages to be one step ahead of me each time I try to surpass him.He was married to someone I like, and he's known by more businessmen and people as the one with the brains for business, while I'm the trophy grandson.I wonder how he feels right now with his most prized possession not with him anymore; he's probably about to commit suicide.A cruel smile came up on my face at the last thing I thought; dying is
Annelise's POV I was able to get to the hospital in no time, signed the final documents for the transfer, and it was all processed quickly.It wasn't that stressful because my father had already signed me on as one of her guardians, so it wasn't hard for me to arrange her move to another facility.All that's left is the actual moving, which is scheduled for tomorrow. I was told it couldn't be done today as all the paperwork needs to go through the final stages to reach the desired hospital.When I was done at the hospital and had spent some time with my mother, I went to the car dealership as I had told Ethan. I've been keeping him updated on everything that's been happening.He was replying to the messages up until the last one I sent, which I took as him ignoring it because of the argument we had about it last night.I went there and made inquiries on some of the budget-friendly cars they had. I ended up with a nice car that had some great features and was within my price range.Th