As an average couple, it should be six days to the wedding—they should have completed 90% of the progress, but Oriaga and Amanda were the most different pair of people. There was no wedding progress whatsoever. Oriaga stayed busy at work while Amanda daydreamed like the undead at home.There was no venue rental, the most romantic pre-wedding photos, food catering, wedding dress fittings, or buying rings together. Some things were so impossible for both of them that it was as if nothing had ever happened. Oriaga was so easy to say they would get married in seven days but had no preparation other than to destroy Amanda mentally."Did you ask the staff to send a gift for the Russian model, Joana?" Oriaga spoke as he strode down the lobby of his office, then entered the elevator with Joana."I did, sir. But, actually ...." She seemed to hesitate."What's wrong?""Why did you leave dinner even before starting it? I mean, speaking from a woman's point of view. Moreover, Miss Elia must have
Zayn checked on Amanda quite often through the rearview mirror above his head, and the man was worried because his boss's wife-to-be was getting quieter than the last time they had interacted. At the same time, her mother smiled cheerfully and invited Zayn to discuss many things. One of which was where Oriaga's property was located.Pamela was very interested in anyone's wealth, especially her future son-in-law. During the trip to Nieuwmarkt en Lastage, Pamela did not stop talking, and she liked the situation without caring that her youngest daughter was silent like a dummy.At first, Zayn had thought that only Pamela would go with him, but on the way out of the house, the woman took Amanda by the hand and explained that she couldn't leave her daughter at home. She was afraid Amanda would do something terrible or even run away.Now, Zayn understood. Because Amanda's gaze was so flat, like the expression of a ghostly apparition in a horror movie, making the situation in the car uncomfo
"I take you to be my wife, Amanda Claire Griscouv, to have and to keep each other from now until forever. In times of trouble and joy, in times of plenty and want, in times of health and sickness, to love and cherish each other until death do us part...." After Oriaga said his wedding vows, Amanda repeated the same sentence while saying the man's full name in front of the priest and witnesses.They put rings on each other's fingers, and the priest performed the wedding blessing and prayers before Oriaga's veil opened.The man smiled at Amanda. His legal wife was indeed excellent, even since they were still close friends in the past. Oriaga had consistently recognized it, and tonight, Oriaga found Amanda no longer an old friend but his wife.The woman was silent as Oriaga's hands touched the side of her face. Amanda couldn't decipher whether Oriaga's smile was sincere or just an act like the man always showed in front of her parents. Oriaga even bought a car as a gift for Mateo Griscou
Nothing happened after seven days of her marriage to CEO Gregorious. Amanda lived an everyday life in the mansion, contacting her family occasionally. She almost found it strange that after the blessing at the church, Oriaga had not seen her again until this moment. The man had merely ordered Zayn to see Amanda's condition.The striking difference was that the woman did not interact with Nadine and her parents. They only missed each other by phone or video call. The distance between the Nieuwmarkt en Lastage area and the mansion was even more significant than between the family's new home and the mansion."Amanda, I'm working in a new office next week. I wasn't interested initially, but noticing the change in my mother's attitude toward Oriaga—made me realize something else. Our mother loves money so much that I have to pursue it." Nadine was so excited when she said they had a video call around nine in the evening."Really? Good, you can earn more money." Amanda sat next to the large
This morning, Amanda woke up naked. She was still sitting dreamily on the bed with the blanket wrapped around her nude body. Last night, Oriaga forced the woman after successfully grabbing the cell phone. Even Amanda's screams did not make Oriaga retreat. Perhaps the servants outside the room had questions after hearing a cry from the main room."When did that bastard leave?" Amanda muttered, her lengthy hair a mess.She got downstairs without taking off the blanket. She walked to the large window and drew the curtains to let in the sunlight freely, and she watched the yard from the side of the window.It was empty, and no one's car was there, meaning Oriaga had left the mansion-at what time?Knock-knock-knock!"Come in," Amanda said without feeling uncomfortable, even though she only covered her body with a blanket. After all, most of the mansion's residents were maids, while the gatekeeper and Zayn were always outside the mansion.A maid entered. She was almost surprised and recoile
This afternoon was the first time Amanda stepped into the mansion's backyard, and she smiled as she was amazed to see many daisies planted in almost every corner of the three-meter high parapet surrounding the mansion.Daisies of various colors, low apple trees, and towering avocado trees, but a lot of fruit hanging there and other trees to cool the atmosphere.There was a park bench near the avocado, almost attached to the wall behind it, but Amanda still had to walk a few meters to reach the area because the courtyard was so large.Sunlight overpowered the center of the courtyard, burning anyone who lingered beneath it, so Amanda escaped and sat on the park bench with no one around.The woman snorted. "Nadine should be here. She'd be thrilled to be able to enjoy a setting we rarely see, but I can't bring myself to call her."It had been four days since Oriaga had visited the mansion, and Amanda was glad not to see the man, but she wanted her cell phone back, so she kept asking the s
"What happened to her, huh? Can't you guys take care of a woman? You got my wife hurt?"Amanda was surprised to hear someone's anger, but she could tell it belonged to Oriaga. The woman got up from the chair in the corner of the reading room as she put down a thick novel. She even forgot to fold the edge of the paper to mark the last page of her reading, as there was no paper border.The reading room or mini library in the mansion was located on the second floor, and Amanda did not close the door so that she could hear the angry voice quite clearly.The mansion was quiet even though several servants lived in it, so it was easy for Amanda to find peace while reading a novel."Oriaga's back at the mansion?" Amanda murmured. She was limping without the help of crutches. The wounds on her pair of knees had been wrapped in bandages and band-aids by the maid this afternoon.Amanda stood behind the railing of the second-floor divider. She found all the servants of the mansion, as well as Zay
The short hand on the clock was almost eleven, and Amanda had opened her eyelids half an hour ago. Now, she could not fall asleep, so the woman chose to stay in bed daydreaming.Amanda wasn't alone. Oriaga was asleep next to her. After their long kiss ended, Oriaga stepped aside and closed his eyes, and he quite emphasized his tiredness after today's work. Amanda managed to make the man feel calmer before sleeping comfortably.It was hushed, only the ticking of the clock.The woman tilted her body to the left to face Oriaga, and she silently watched her husband. They always had plenty of time to protect each other from a close distance without obstructions.However, looking at Oriaga secretly was something Amanda was doing. If their relationship had been delicate from the beginning, something like this would have been very natural, but what happened made the situation awkward. Amanda didn't want to show any feelings for the man even though Oriaga was her legal husband.One of Amanda's
"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."