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?"
Amanda had intended to sleep before she noticed the car driven by Zayn entering the mansion's courtyard. Still, the horn alerted Amanda, so she watched from the balcony.She rarely opened the window, but tonight Amanda did, standing on the balcony railing as she watched her husband get out of the car after Zayn opened the door. Several tote bags were something Zayn had to carry as Oriaga walked into the mansion, laptop bag in tow.Amanda had no intention of leaving the room or locking the door like before, and she chose to sit on the bed while hugging her knees. Oriaga's appearance tonight did not surprise her. She seemed to have resigned herself to the situation."Whether he's there or not won't get me out of this prison," Amanda muttered. She began to hear someone's footsteps, the tapping of loafers as they met the floor, getting closer to the main room, then the door knob moved to reveal her husband there."You're not asleep yet, huh?" Oriaga smiled wryly, and he walked over."None
On the surface of the dining table were a large number of ready-to-eat menus. Amanda stood silently beside the dining table when she saw all that. Her husband was already sitting there without eating anything but focusing on his laptop screen."Why are you just sitting there? You can't sit down, huh?" Oriaga scolded."I know you can afford anything, even if it means acquiring ten Michelin-certified five-star restaurants, but that doesn't mean you can bring this much food just for one human, Oriaga." His wife was frustrated, although when experiencing severe hunger, she was sure she would not be able to finish that much food."Hey. I bought some because I didn't know what you wanted and what your tastes are at the moment. I had no idea. Stop blaming." Oriaga defended herself. "You should appreciate Zayn for standing in line while buying at some places. Can you understand that?"Amanda rolled her eyes. She pulled out a chair roughly before sitting there, arguing in front that food was n
The atmosphere in the office this morning was different and quite strange. If other people said hello, it would be expected, but unfortunately, after saying hello—they were talking about Oriaga behind his back, something that rarely happened in Gregorious' office.The man didn't respond, and he thought it might be the scent of his new perfume, or let's call it the perfume he had stolen from his wife last night. Oriaga picked it up from the dressing table and put the glass object in his pocket before leaving the mansion.He was sure Amanda was confused about not finding her perfume this morning. While the man had said nothing about 'borrowing' or 'asking for' it, could one call this situation theft?"Joana, do I look strange today?" asked Oriaga when he found Joana sitting behind her cubicle while the man had stopped."Strange, sir?" Joana was puzzled. She moved to take in her boss's appearance. "I think everything is fine.""Really? Or is it the scent of my perfume?"The woman only re
"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."