This luxurious mansion in the northern corner of the city is one of the best mansions with a view of nature that is a feast for the eyes. Standing on the edge of a cliff and looking out at the blue ocean or walking along the coastline, waiting for the sun to set in the evening, is the highlight.
Oriaga Niel has owned the three-story mansion for the past three years, but she rarely visits the estate in the north if she doesn't need peace.
After an hour and a half of Oriaga driving his car alone without a personal driver or bodyguard, he had called someone. He ordered them to delete the CCTV footage of the area around the elevator and basement at the time the man had mentioned.
Oriaga did not want to look like a 'perpetrator' if Amanda had lost the effects of her hangover. Oriaga realized that his current actions could cause problems that disrupted his business.
While the woman didn't say much, Amanda was trapped by a problematic situation. She had intended to call her family, but Oriaga's hand quickly snatched Amanda's cell phone before throwing it on the back seat.
"You crazy man!"
"You just realized that?" Oriaga was getting more and more arrogant. He felt in charge of everything that was happening now.
The guards immediately opened the main gate after hearing the sound of car horns from a distance. The mansion was far from the highway, so the guards always easily guessed who could come to this place besides the workers.
"Welcome to the mansion, Mr. Oriaga." The stocky man in his gray uniform briefly bowed as Oriaga slowed down the car and opened the left mirror.
"Thank you."
"You brought someone?"
Oriaga stared at Amanda momentarily, the woman leaning her head against the side of the glass without a care in the world.
"Yes, my beloved."
"Ah. Okay."
The car drove faster down the 500-meter-long single road to the mansion's spacious courtyard.
As the car stopped in the courtyard, another guard appeared and ran to open the car door.
"Welcome to the mansion, Mr. Oriaga."
"Yes. Thank you very much." The man went out, turned, and opened the right side door before carrying Amanda's limp body.
The guard was surprised to see a strange woman there, but he tried to act normal in front of his employer as he smiled warmly.
Without interacting again, Oriaga walked towards the main door, greeted by several female servants who took care of the mansion. Their expressions were almost the same: shocked and silent.
"He has never brought a woman to this place."
"Really? So, this is the first time?"
"Yeah. Quite a shock, but whatever, get back to work."
Some servers had talked about Oriaga after the man had walked a short distance to a glass elevator. They could see how gently Oriaga treated his woman in front of many people.
There were many rooms in the mansion, and Oriaga was free to occupy all of them, including the primary suite, the most spacious and luxurious room among the others.
The man carried Amanda into the main room, laying her weak body down as she regained consciousness.
"You. What are you doing?" Amanda's hands clutched Oriaga's maroon shirt when she almost stood up. While her body was lying on the spacious bed, a strange scent caught Amanda's attention, and she looked around. She was surprised to realize she was somewhere else. "Where, where am I? What are you doing!"
Although weak, the woman still showed an annoyed expression, and Oriaga stuck to her position, bent over with Amanda underneath her.
Oriaga smiled, then grinned.
"You're still asking questions? Are you pretending to be stupid or something, huh?"
"Oriaga."
"Amanda Claire Griscouv, you will like this situation. As a bitch, you should understand." She pulled Amanda's grip loose, then pressed the woman's hands beside her head while Oriaga moved up on all fours on top of Amanda's body.
"I'm not a bitch."
"Really?" Oriaga smiled dismissively. "You've admitted it."
"Let go of me, let me go. There was never any problem between us all those years ago; you even just left, and then it's like this? What did I do wrong?"
"It's strange that a lady of the Griscouv Family doesn't understand the resentment I've harbored all these years."
"We have problems, so just get on with your life, Oriaga. Let me go home."
"Moving on? I'm doing it, you know. But I must admit that it's hard to forget the hurt and grow up with me. You wouldn't understand."
"What, if it's all about your disappointment, let's talk about it nicely, not like this."
Oriaga snorted. She brought her lips close to Amanda's ear, letting the sigh of the man's breath become something terrifying when it touched Amanda's neck and ear.
"Okay. Let's talk nicely afterward because right now, I want to play with a bitch, a slut who was once my best friend. Should give a big tip after the game, right?"
"Oriaga."
The man looked at her, their faces very close. He saw Amanda's eyeballs start to glaze over. She was crying silently, in absolute fear.
"Please, let go, me."
Oriaga's expression became sad; he watched Amanda's crying face, caressing her face as if pitying the woman. However, the following situation made the woman glare when Oriaga got her lips, kissing Amanda passionately without pause.
It all happened so fast that Oriaga had time to lift his body to take off his suit and shirt before kissing Amanda again.
No matter how the woman felt, Oriaga just wanted to do it, acting as he pleased as if to dissolve all the long pent-up anger.
Amanda couldn't stop crying, and it hurt inside and out when others continued to hurt her as she begged them to stop.
"Please stop, don't hurt me." Amanda continued to plead as her lips were freed from Oriaga's kiss. However, there was no consideration to stop. Oriaga went further and further, taking off everything, their clothes, even if it meant tearing Amanda's dress.
On some parts of Oriaga's back, there are scratches from Amanda's nails, but it doesn't change the situation because Oriaga is enjoying it too much. She is pretty absorbed despite being a form of torture for Amanda.
Until one harsh and forceful thrust, Oriaga watched Amanda almost die. The woman took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds as she stared at Oriaga vengefully while enduring the pain.
In situations like this, the effects of alcohol disappear entirely. Amanda should have sipped more if she knew Oriaga's madness was coming.
"Do you want to kill me?" Amanda asked, along with the pain that kept hitting her. She whimpered and moaned. The woman's life seemed to be almost taken away. "You have no compassion for me?"
"Why are you lying?" Oriaga realized something. "I've already done it, so let what's happening now flow to the end."
"Bastard."
"The bastard who controls you."
Amanda screamed as much as she could, but Oriaga smiled and caressed her face.
"Scream until you run out of strength because your voice won't leave this room. Try to do it, Amanda."
"YOU'RE SUCH AN ASSHOLE, ORIAGA!!!"
Amanda's consciousness was lost after screaming. The woman no longer made a sound and provoked panic in Oriaga's face.
***
"You kidnapped someone, sir?" Zayn had never been one to limit his words, and he had been Oriaga's confidant for a long time. The man came to the mansion at midnight after taking care of the CCTV at the hotel, as Oriaga had ordered earlier.Oriaga thought for a moment, then shook his head. He wanted to deny it. "I don't think so, but you have other duties.""Tell me."Oriaga threw away the cigarette butt and stepped on it, and they were standing in the courtyard of the mansion or right next to the man's car. He held out a car key to Zayn."What do you mean?""Bring that woman's car here. I don't know where she parked it. You can do it yourself, or if you find it difficult, then take Dean with you."Zayn nodded, and he accepted the car keys. "You cleared the name, and I had seen the CCTV footage, so I asked about kidnapping.""I've known her for a long time.""Ah, alright. I'm leaving now, sir." Zayn hurriedly entered his vehicle before leaving the place, while Oriaga chose to sit on t
"Ah, so the family business went downhill seven years ago. A karma that is hard to avoid." Oriaga smiled wryly, and he sat on the sofa and raised a pair of legs on the table, a laptop on his lap.He had ordered someone to look up the details of Amanda Claire Griscouv, a brunette with bluish irises in her eyes.Oriaga was still in Paris after attending a Fashion Week as the CEO of the fashion and jewelry brand 'Gregorious,' a brand Oriaga co-owned with her grandmother that went global four years ago, competing with other big brands."She wanted to be a clothing designer but instead worked as a secretary in a medium-sized company. Can't her parents afford to pay for their daughter's education to become a designer?" Oriaga chuckled. She was busy, assuming.Amanda was no stranger to Oriaga's life, and they had been close friends while studying at the same university in London. However, Amanda's family's attitude towards Oriaga was quite painful. The man received too many insults and press
"Thank you for accepting me as a guest at your place. Sorry for disturbing your rest, Mr. Oriaga." Elia left after observing Oriaga for a while. The man was silent primarily and turned his attention to the laptop screen.Oriaga felt grateful for having a laptop beside him, and he was tired of responding to the model for discussing something less attractive."No problem, my time is tight." Oriaga escorted Elia to the main door."Ah, yes. I have a contract with a fashion magazine in Amsterdam. It would be great to visit there, and you can accept an invitation to dinner with me.""Really? When are you coming to Amsterdam?""In two months." Elia smiled. She walked out after Oriaga opened the door. "I'll go now." She looked at the left side and found someone installing a camera at the end of the hallway, then looked back at Oriaga. "Eum, I wanted to say goodbye beforehand.""What does that mean?"Suddenly, Elia pulled Oriaga's hand and hugged him. The camera managed to get a picture of the
"Amanda. I heard from Samantha that you tried to sell your car on a trading site. Is that true?" Jeff suddenly appeared in front of Amanda's desk, surprising the woman. She blinked before erasing the tension in her."It is.""Why do you want to sell it?" Jeff was curious.Amanda was still working; she had several reports to complete to the CEO, and Jeff's appearance at this hour was disturbing.However, of course, Amanda couldn't do anything more. She was dealing with the company's owner, so even though Jeff acted out of line, Amanda tried to keep her attitude.The woman got up and looked around. Everyone was busy behind their cubicles, while Jeff seemed to disregard the situation. The CEO's office was right across from Amanda's cubicle."Because I want to sell it." She sat back down with a flat expression."You need money?""Everyone needs money. Am I wrong?" Amanda was starting to get fed up with Jeff's questions."No, I mean, you need it because of an emergency?""We can talk about
"How about it, Amanda? Would you allow me to buy your car?" Jeff was still curious and kept pressing Amanda, and he came back to her after his work was done.Amanda was silent as she looked down, exhaling as she glanced at the car beside her. It was still a handy vehicle, but Amanda's family's economic hardship was getting increasingly urgent, so giving up something when she had earned it with her sweat—would be pretty tricky."How?" Jeff asked again.Amanda looked at him. "I'll think about it some more, Jeff. Maybe tomorrow I'll give you a decision. Now I have to go home.""Alright, I'm waiting for your answer."The woman nodded, and she quickly disappeared behind the car door. She had time to wave before driving the car from the office basement.***Oriaga had just arrived home after visiting one of the 'Gregorious' boutiques in the corner of the city to check on the progress of the launch of several new dresses since last month. He always wanted to be the first to see the progress
"Did you manage to sell your car, Amanda?" Pamela looked towards the courtyard, and she still found her youngest daughter's car there. "What is it?"Amanda smiled wryly. She had hoped that when she got home from work, her mother would greet her and ask how the day was going, but she got a question that made her take a deep breath every time she was at home—Amanda's patience was always being played with."I'm still using it, Mom." She passed Pamela in the doorway and went to the kitchen, cold water being something Amanda wanted to consume. The summer weather tickled her throat."So, when are you going to sell it? Nadine gave the debt collector one week." Pamela followed her daughter into the kitchen."Soon, Mom. In less than a week, my car will be sold. Stay calm.""Are you sure?" She doubted it.Amanda nodded. "I'll change my clothes first before cooking dinner.""Do it."After changing her clothes, Amanda tied her hair up high and put on her apron. The tiredness after work was no big
In the end, Amanda agreed to Jeff's request to buy her car after discussing it with Nadine last night, more precisely when her sister came home around ten o'clock, and Amanda had not been able to fall asleep then. As a result, they exchanged ideas and decided to sell it to Jeff.This morning, Jeff went to Amanda's house as she had requested in the chat her had sent him last night, and he found out that the reason Amanda was selling her car was that she had to pay off the house payment that had been delayed for a long time."I'll add the money," Jeff said as he punched in a few digits more than Amanda's price on his cell phone, sending the money through his account."No, Jeff. Don't do that. Just keep buying at the price we agreed on." Amanda felt awkward. If only Pamela hadn't interfered with the situation this morning, Jeff wouldn't have known anything about her problem.Amanda felt very guilty. She should have asked Jeff to meet her outside. She even forgot that her mother had wante
Amanda got through her first day commuting to work without her car, and all was well. She didn't arrive late despite using the public bus. Amanda just needed to take into account the early departure time of the bus every morning.The woman sat behind her cubicle as she occasionally looked at the door of the CEO's room. She kept wondering why Mr. Wendell and the men were in the CEO's room for more than an hour. If they were having an important meeting, why not just stay in the boardroom?"I seem to be overthinking," Amanda muttered.She was surprised and quickly got up when the door to the CEO's room opened, and Mr. Wendell and the men came out.Mr. Wendell stopped to say something that made Amanda gulp when she heard it."I don't care, Eddie. Sign the transfer documents as soon as possible because if you don't, I can't guarantee that your family will be okay. Didn't I give in to you for too long, huh!"CEO Eddie was still inside, so Amanda could not see him. Mr. Wendell left, and CEO
"Immediately prepare the data of all office employees with contracts that are about to expire at the end of this year, Joana. The data should be ready by the time I get to the office, probably in an hour due to the situation outside. Thank you." Oriaga put his phone back after ending the call.The three were in the car, still halfway to the mansion. As Zayn was driving was deliberately slowed down to keep up with the clearing of the surrounding snow piles.Zayn deliberately set the music to make the atmosphere in the car less quiet because since the pair of humans sat in the passenger seat, they were united in silence as if there was a cold war."Sir. Do we have to return home after taking Miss Amanda to the mansion?" Zayn asked as he glanced at the overhead mirrors, confirming the situation behind him."No, no. It's too time-consuming. I have a few changes of clothes in the office.""Alright.""Do you want to buy anything before arriving at the mansion?"The question had not been rea
"What were you guys talking about that you only came back to this room near midnight? You seem to have a lot of energy."Amanda snorted as she stared irritably at the gray-shirted man on the bed. She thought Oriaga had fallen asleep since leaving the living room about two hours earlier, while Amanda had joined her family to relieve her longing."Although I have little energy, I will try to make the most of my time when it comes to my family." Amanda sat on the edge of the bed, her back to her husband."Yes, of course, you can only see them when I give you the chance."Amanda made no sound. She lay in the space beside Oriaga as she pulled up the blanket. She didn't want to face the man, so she tilted her body to the right."You're going to ignore me?""You ignore me a lot, Oriaga. Don't overdo it.""Exaggerate? I very rarely even lie beside you.""It's not my fault, you did it. I've always been lying in the mansion's bed at your convenience while you chose to sleep elsewhere.""You're
Amanda was all smiles from the moment she stepped back into her parents' home, receiving a warm welcome, and it was fortunate that Nadine had returned to work as soon as she could after receiving word from Mateo that her sister would be visiting.If there had been no such news, Nadine would most likely have approached Rudolf at his coffee shop to help her lover."Mom, I have a gift for you," Oriaga said as he took something out of his coat pocket before removing it: a blue jewelry box with the 'Gregorious' emblem on the top. He placed it on the table right in front of Pamela.About five people sat on the sofa by the lit fireplace, the atmosphere becoming quite warm as the light in the sky dimmed."What is this, Oriaga?" Pamela grabbed the object and opened it, and she was quite surprised to find a bracelet with several pearls around it, very pretty and luxurious. "Oh my! This must be expensive.""Is it the latest collection from your brand?" asked Nadine.Oriaga shook his head. "No, i
"I want to go back to work.""Work?" Pamela was surprised to hear her husband's wish. "Why go back to work? Don't we have enough to live for?""Yes. I know." The man grunted as he leaned back on the sofa—they were sitting by the dying fireplace. "Your son-in-law did guarantee our lives, even paid all the debts, but don't you think if one-day Oriaga announces his marriage to everyone, they will ask, 'Who is that man married to? What is her family background?' do you know what I mean, Pamela?"The wife paused, then snorted as she understood the meaning of Mateo's words. "It seems like this could cause a bit of trouble.""Right, aside from the judgment of others, I also want to protect my daughter from anyone's evil words. Although I'm sure Oriaga is taking good care of her, there's still a bit of guilt when I remember why Amanda had to get married."Mateo thought back to the past. If it weren't for the massive debt, he probably wouldn't have accepted Pamela's decision for Amanda to marr
"You know a guy named Jeff pretty well, huh?"Amanda didn't budge, as her husband was visiting the mansion in the middle of the night for the winter. In other people's homes, they choose to rest or watch thrilling romance movies, but at the mansion, a man named Oriaga Niel Thompson is trying to harass his wife.Amanda is already asleep and is forced to wake up due to Oriaga's relentless harassment, causing her to almost punch him in the face.Now, Amanda had to stand facing Oriaga in the library, and the opening question was enough to make Amanda understand the annoying situation."Why not answer it, Amanda?"The woman exhaled harshly, folding her arms across her chest. "I'm sure you already know the answer, so why ask, huh?""I have the right to say anything.""How ridiculous. You woke me up to ask about Jeff, huh?""Again, I have the right to say anything. After all, this is my house. I also have the right to disturb anyone, including you.""I hate to hear such strange rules.""Seco
Oriaga had examined some of the latest jewelry designs submitted by the three Gregorious jewelry designers. Still, the man had not shown any satisfaction with the images on the table, either because he had not found the best or was influenced by something else.It was a good thing he was alone in the CEO's office, so he wasn't asked to comment on the designs because Oriaga didn't have a definitive answer yet, his mind like a ship adrift in the middle of the ocean. Thanks to Amanda's words this morning, he was not eager to work.He collected all the design papers and intended to put them in a drawer. He could review the designs tomorrow or the day after before commenting on their flaws or satisfaction. Still, after pulling out the drawer and finding Amanda's cell phone, Oriaga's attention was distracted.He put the design paperback on the table and took out Amanda's cell phone, which had been stored there for months. He immediately connected the object to a powerbank. When the cell pho
Amanda exhaled harshly when she looked in the mirror before the sink and found several kiss marks around her chest and neck. The man was being quite brutal, more than usual, making Amanda feel tortured even though it wasn't violent.She quickly took off her entire towel kimono before soaking in the bathtub filled with soothing, warm water. At least this room was the best reason for Amanda to secure herself. If Oriaga woke up, the man would immediately repeat their hot activities like a hyper while his wife had given up.It was now close to midnight, and Amanda ventured into the bath as the snow piled up more and more outside."That man should go home. I don't want him to stay here, and all my joints are aching from the pressure of Oriaga. What's gotten into him like that, huh?" She complained even if she said it in front of Oriaga, he wouldn't care; he was just obsessed with Amanda's body.She hadn't realized that someone had woken up and searched for her while feeling the bed's surfa
Amanda's feelings became anxious after Oriaga ended their video call. Although his expression was flat when he spotted it, intonation was enough to emphasize that the man was angry, even though Amanda had not shown the final part of the lingerie that she had cut out carelessly.Amanda swallowed; from the beginning, she realized that she had challenged Oriaga, but when the man answered her challenge—it caused a different kind of anxiety, and Amanda didn't like the way she felt.She lowered the lingerie box from the top of the closet, double-checked, put the item back, then double-checked. She kept doing this because the confusion, as the saying goes, 'rice has become porridge,' fit Amanda's anxiety perfectly.Time passed, and it became dark. All the lights in the mansion were bright, including Amanda's room, but she still couldn't shake off the anxiety. She sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the lingerie box on the surface of the dressing table."What else am I supposed to do with
The man wasn't lying, and he sent many things to the mansion the day after visiting his wife. Many boxes piled up in the main room, making Amanda angry at her husband's behavior.What looked like a variety of gifts from many people, and damn those items were from luxury brands. Amanda regretted she should have insisted that Oriaga buy something ordinary so that she could wear it without thinking about the price."Miss. Should we move all these boxes to your room?" asked one maid among the other two; they witnessed Amanda getting frustrated."I don't know." The woman sat down on the sofa, supporting her chin with her hands as she stared at the pile of multicolored boxes. "Why would he buy this much stuff, huh? It's too much, and he could have used the money to donate to an orphanage or something.""But, Miss. Isn't Mr. Oriaga a regular donor at an orphanage?" A servant interjected as Amanda spoke to herself."Really? Where is it?""I'm sorry, Miss. But, we don't know enough about it."