"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
Amanda was daydreaming behind the dining table. She had been sitting there for half an hour and hadn't touched her breakfast even though several menus were on the table.While still holding her cell phone, the woman would call Nadine or her mother, making video calls while enjoying breakfast in their respective places. Amanda felt like she had company because she always sat behind the dining table alone every day.It had been almost a month since her marriage to Oriaga, but not once had they sat down together in the dining room to eat something. Ironic. Amanda should call it that."Look at Miss Amanda. Even though she is married to Mr. Oriaga, it is quite obvious that they have no happiness." A servant again engaged her friend in gossip while in the back hallway, from the surrounding windows—they could see Amanda, who was still daydreaming without movement.Another maid snorted; anyone would feel sorry for Amanda, although she could ask Oriaga for anything, but it didn't seem to be th
Nadine grumbled, sitting in the corner of her boyfriend's coffee shop after work. Even though the distance between her new office and Rudolf's coffee shop was even further, Nadine still visited, even on weekends. Especially since Amanda was no longer at home, Nadine felt so lost she ran away to find other activities even though her parents' relationship was back in harmony.Rudolf finished delivering another customer's order. He made something for Nadine, then moved over to her carrying a tray and flashing his warm smile, effectively reducing Nadine's fatigue after work."How are you today?" The first question Rudolf always said when he met Nadine. He rubbed the top of her head after placing the tray with the 'Caffe late' and a piece of cheesecake then sat down next to Nadine.The woman smiled. "Thank you for the welcome and the kiss. As for work, it's all very well under control, but other things—" She snorted again. "Not at all. I miss my sister.""She still hasn't heard from you?"