Linda arrived home from school to a brewing storm. Her mother, Susan, and elder sister, Lily seemed to be arguing about something.“Mom, I’m not going. I have a boyfriend, so I’m not ready to go on any blind date with any old man,” Lily was fuming so hard, but Linda’s steps were so light she wasn’t noticed.“You don’t know for a fact whether he is young or old. Your father is out of the city for a business trip, and he said it’s a business partner.”Lily was even more upset. She and Linda looked alike, but their characters were totally different. While Linda was shy and timid, her elder sister, Lily, was outgoing and wild.“All his business partners are old bearded men. I love Randy, and I’m not going on any blind date. Why don’t you let Linda go? She’s ninetee
Linda thought her mind was playing tricks on her, or he was speaking to somebody else. This wasn’t a compliment she would receive on a normal day, so this seemed like an extraordinary day for her.Maybe Oliver was speaking to somebody else, but it was just the two of them in the room. With her head still lowered, she murmured, “you are handsome.”She was surprised to have said those words as she had never said that to anyone before. Whatever gave her the courage to say those words must have been due to the positive energy she released when he complimented her.Oliver smiled and realized she was the shy type, determined to get her out of her comfort zone. If he were to marry a woman like her, she would need to come out of her shell, as she would have to accompany him to various meetings.Aside from his busy schedules, he would
A pout settled on Linda’s lips as she rose from the table to sit on the bed with a small plate of strawberries. As her lips parted to welcome a piece of strawberry, she mused,“But I rather feel relaxed.” There was no trace of shyness in her voice, but she recalled something and said to him, “My driver is still waiting at the car park.”Oliver dazedly recovered, as if from a trance. The woman’s behavior had aroused something inside of him. Something erotic, as he never felt that way even with the sexiest women his best friend, Andrew, set him up with before.“Is that so?” Oliver asked before adding, “I will take care of it.” He walked to the balcony and dialed a number.Nathan, who was eagerly waiting for news, quickly answered the phone. Hearing from Oliver could only mean good news; if not, the agreement was for Oliver not to call him.&ldquo
“You are the first woman to catch my eyes. Will you be upset if I kiss you?”Oliver’s face was so close to hers. Linda, feeling slightly tipsy, tiptoed and kissed him on the lips, confirming her approval. Her mind was hazy, but the scent of the man before her was alluring, and so was his voice.Aside from that, he was also very handsome. Maybe she was dreaming, but before waking up, she wanted to experience the things she never experienced in her life before.Being both their first kiss, it started off slow before turning passionate, as they were interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell.Oliver regretted ordering food as he reluctantly pulled away. “I will be right back.”He went to get the door as two waiters wheeled food on a trolley into the presidential suite. Linda was wowed by the different delicacies.As the waiters finished setting up, they moved the wi
Oliver already had his plans and wanted to surprise her, but since she asked, he said honestly,“Then we get married. But we don’t have to wait until you are pregnant to get married.”“You want to marry me?” Linda held his gaze this time. She knew he was telling the truth, and the burning desire hidden inside his words aroused her sensuality. His arms were already wrapped around her tiny waist, but he had no intention to proceed without her permission.“This is not the right time to propose as I don’t have a ring, but yes, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I don’t want to separate from you,” he said seriously. All his life, he planned that the first woman he dates must be his wife.He didn’t expect to find one on a blind date but since it so happened, there was no point denying it. Linda felt butterflies in her stomach. Thinking that love at f
“Who is Nolan?” Oliver asked, feeling suddenly strange. He couldn’t bear the thought of any man having his woman’s attention. Linda smiled and responded,“He’s my best friend, Gwen’s brother. Why don’t you answer the phone and put it on speaker?” She asked him. It was official that she was in a relationship and she was just following her mother's example, never hiding anything from her father.Oliver didn’t refuse the offer, feeling suddenly threatened. Never had he felt this way about any woman, so his protective instincts were on high alert to protect the only woman who made him feel this way.This was the first time he had fallen in love with a woman and he was suddenly like a ravening wolf, ready to devour anyone who came close to her.“Nolan, what’s up?” Linda asked as soon as the call connected, but instead of a male voice, it was
Relationships were different for everyone. Some people got married after dating for a long time, some after a short time. Others through arranged marriages.But with someone like Oliver, who had never been in a relationship before, he agreed with Nathan that the moment you meet that one woman who captivates your heart and takes your breath away, you seal it with a ring.It didn’t matter that they hadn't known each other for long, as they had a lifetime ahead to get to know each other. When he left her at the beauty parlor, he went to get the ring and gifts for her parents as he wanted it to be a surprise.Linda was shocked, and so were her parents. No one expected her to even have a boyfriend, let alone be getting engaged. Linda froze. From what she knew without experience, couples should spend time getting to know each other through dating.
The next day, Linda left the house earlier for school, planning to avoid any scrutinizing gazes of her peers.Arriving there, jaws dropped as those who were never nice to her suddenly wanted to be her friend.Gwen ran in her direction with an astonished look on her face. "Linda, what is this? You better start talking."Everything Linda wore from head to toe was designer brands, and even without putting on any makeup like always, the magic done to her blonde hair made her stand out.The transformation was too wild, and if not for Linda’s innocent smile, Gwen would have thought it was Lily.“We have a class, let’s talk after,” Linda said shyly. It was not her fault that the maids discarded all her old clothes, so she was forced to make do with the new ones.This was not her style, but for Oliver, she was willing to do anything to make him as happy as he made her.
“You must be so dumb to think you are entitled to anything. Those vows I exchanged with you were not from my heart, and the name on the marriage certificate was Linda, not Lily. From how I see it, you were just a stand-in bride,” Oliver said heartlessly.Tears rolled down Lily’s cheeks. Indeed, her brain was not smart enough to think in that direction.“But it’s my picture. You are just lying and will never find Linda.”“I already did,” Oliver said with a smile. “How did I know your real name then? Did you think about that?” Oliver asked with a menacing glare. Lily was heartbroken.“But I wanted you.”Now Randy was getting upset and chipped in. “It was just for the money.”“Shut up, Randy. It's your fault. How could you lose track of her?” She asked bitterly. Oliver shook his head.If no
Earlier, Lily received a call from Randy. “Lily, I need to see you urgently.”“What is the matter? Where is Linda?” She asked, wondering why Randy was still calling her. Shouldn't he have slept with her sister like she told him already?“Lily, I can’t talk on the phone,” Randy said seriously, “I’m coming to see you.”“What about Linda? Who will give her the next dosage? Besides, Oliver’s security men would not let you inside the house,” Lily asked and said worriedly, afraid that her sister would regain her memory when she hadn’t made any headway with Oliver.“I’m coming,” Randy said and ended the call. Lily was so disturbed and could not sleep until the security informed her.“Are you expecting any Ruby?”Lily was confused for a moment before it occurred to her what was happening,
“Doesn’t this look familiar, Linda?” Oliver asked, but Linda was feeling strange and confused as she stood at the door, looking at the man in the suit.She could not understand the reason for the romantic setup when her manager had said that the man in this room wanted to see her.“I’m Chloe,” she corrected, not understanding why he kept addressing her as Linda. Perhaps he was mistaking her for somebody else.Oliver rose from the bed, walking to her as he held her by the hand, leading her to the table. It was the same setup as their first time, as he hoped it would remind her of something.The touch of his hand on hers caused a strange fire to spark inside of her, making her wonder who exactly he was.“Who are your parents?” Oliver asked as he pulled the chair for her. Linda pressed her hand against her forehead, feeling dizzy all of a sudden.&
The day before, Linda woke up in a strange room with a man sitting beside her. “Where am I?” she asked, confused as she couldn't recall anything.The man smiled. “You are in your room. You weren't feeling well, so I came to check on you.”“Who are you?” she asked. The man smiled.“You don’t remember me? I’m your boyfriend,” he said. Linda frowned imperceptibly. Though she couldn't remember a thing, she felt no attraction to the man.“What’s your name?”“Seriously? Randy. Come on, you have to go to work,” he said. Linda was at a loss.“Work? Where?”“You work as a waiter at the hotel. I already took permission for you, so don’t be late.”Linda felt a pang of a headache coming on as she tried to remember something but everything seemed blurry to her.
Gwen hoped it was another surprise for her best friend and would do it even without Oliver’s help with her brother."With what? Did she not like the honeymoon surprise? You wouldn’t be here if she did," Gwen said worriedly, forgetting her own troubles.She was hoping that this night would be the best for Linda but due to the news about her brother, she wasn’t thinking straight.Oliver was more convinced that she did not know but decided to test her, just in case."The woman I married isn’t your best friend, true or false?"Gwen gasped, shock lacing her voice. "Honestly, I’m confused."For all she knew. Linda was the one she prepared for the wedding but then, was that the reason for Oliver’s strange behavior?She never met
Earlier that night, the middle-aged couple were startled by a knock on their door around midnight.It was Linda and Lily’s father, Stephen Ross, who went to answer the door, annoyed that his sleep was disrupted.Upon seeing their eldest daughter, he furrowed his brow, still groggy from sleep. “Lily, why aren’t you sleeping?” he asked, sounding annoyed.Everyone was eager to rest before the big day, and the unexpected visit was unwelcome.However, Lily was determined to carry out her plan.“Dad, Linda is unconscious, and she won’t wake up for another twenty-four hours. Even then, she won’t remember anything,” Lily revealed, feigning concern, but her father sensed something was amiss.This news was troubling, and he was not prepared fo
The night of the wedding.“Linda, every girl must have a bridal shower,” Lily suggested, but Linda was not interested, knowing how much of a beast Oliver was in bed.She would rather have her beauty rest and save enough energy for their honeymoon.“No. I’m not in the mood,” she politely rejected the idea.She didn’t have friends, so even if she wanted to have a bridal shower, it would just be with pretentious people trying to worm their way into her life because her status changed for the better.Unfortunately for her, Lily was not willing to give up on getting her to have that bridal shower.All her plans had failed so far, and if this also failed, then she would lose her chances of having Oliver like she wanted.As such, she thought of a way of making Linda more comfortable. Gwen was supposed to come very early in the morning because the weddin
“Did you forget that we have to hang out after work?” Andrew let down his guard for the sake of Linda and asked, disappointment lacing his tone.There was so much he wanted to discuss with Oliver but also had to come to terms with the fact that things were slowly beginning to change.Oliver was unregretful as he explained, “Sorry. My woman comes first. You should go spend time with your woman too.”Andrew looked gloomy at the mention of his woman but did not respond. It would have been easier to explain if Linda wasn’t there, but since she was, he had to wait for another day, which he could not see happening.In two weeks, Oliver was going to get married and would go for a week honeymoon.Surely, all his free time would belong to his wife after that, so Andrew did not have a part in the life of his best friend anymore.They were both very busy, and Friday nights
Linda was slightly uncomfortable with the change in his demeanor but knew one thing for sure. “You are my fiancé.”This man proposed to her unexpectedly, also making a public declaration of how much he loved her over the phone to her peers, in spite of his status in the corporate world.Her response removed all the worry he felt when he pulled over, as a smile replaced the frown from before.He then thought of another way to send the message he wanted to give her across.“And I also like to enjoy the fruit of my labor. I dreamed of that special day ever since I met you and with all the people invited, everything has to be top-notch.”Linda, as much as she felt like he was spending too much, understood the silent message that there were levels of life that prevented the likes of Oliver to come down to her level of expenditure.All she had to do was climb his high