Aunt Rosemary almost screamed in surprise at Amanda's appearance near midnight on the main floor, plus the woman's appearance must have made others think that they saw a ghostly apparition in the mansion.With a long white dress, messy loose hair, and a pale face without a touch of makeup, anyone can scream if they meet Amanda in this position. Fortunately, Aunt Rosemary was okay. She intended to go to her room—which was joined by another maid's room to rest, but Amanda's appearance made the woman's intention fail."Oh my, Miss Amanda. What are you looking for so late at night like this to come down to the main floor? I thought you were asleep," Aunt Rosemary said, swallowing hard as she took in Amanda's disturbed state."I'm hungry." The woman spoke softly so Aunt Rosemary didn't hear her."How is it, Miss? Can you repeat that?""I'm hungry." She had been crying all day, as evidenced by her sad face and swollen eyes, all because Oriaga's words had hurt so much. Amanda's voice became
Since his pair of feet stepped on Melbourne soil, Oriaga's feelings became so anxious. He didn't know the problem, but worry followed the man like a shadow that stuck. At the same time, he had to constantly look confident in front of everyone, showing his best image.Fortunately, Oriaga could master the anxiety so that it would not float away and be seen by everyone. He remained calm from joining the big event in a magnificent building until it was over. Joana didn't notice anything that happened to Oriaga.The event, which lasted for almost four hours, closed sweetly when one of the world's famous soloists performed on the grand stage, making his voice shake the entire building, but Oriaga decided to leave. He felt his head was getting dizzy and wanted to rest immediately.Many photographers' cameras had taken pictures of him when he appeared on the red carpet, making him more charming and authoritative. They managed to get close-ups of Oriaga from various sides.Now, when he came ou
He doesn't know if he should feel lucky or unlucky right now because after ending a business meeting with her boss, Joana received a call from Elena. The little girl wanted some of the latest collection from Sanri*, which happened to have a significant discount on purchases this month, making her mother blink in confusion.Elena loved dolls from the Sanri* brand, and she had many in her room as Joana managed to collect every time she went to another country."Yes, I'll buy it for you.""Thank you very much, mom. I'm waiting for you at home."Joana grunted after ending the call, but she still looked happy to hear her daughter's voice."What's wrong?" asked Oriaga as he descended the stairs to their pickup across the street, finding Joana at the end of the steps."Eum, Elena just called me, sir.""So?""She wanted something, and I saw a discount promotion from the city's largest shopping mall online. I didn't know that she wanted another collection.""Ah. You'd better look for those thi
"Sir, you finally came to your senses."Upon opening his eyelids, Oriaga found Joana crying beside him, probably crying for so long because Joana's eyes were red."God is perfect for saving you." She pressed a button beside the bed that allowed patients to call the doctors and nurses at the hospital in case of an emergency or need for something while alone."Joana." Oriaga took a deep breath. He tried to move freely, but his joints still hurt, and an IV needle stuck in the back of his right hand. "I'm in the hospital?""That's right, sir. The driver and a staff member from the Japanese restaurant drove you here, and they answered my call on your cell phone." She could not shake off her anxiety."Stop crying, Joana. I've realized I'm not dead.""I'm afraid the worst has happened to you, sir. That woman was crazy." She wiped away the tears with a few tissues.A doctor and nurse entered the room, and they checked Oriaga's condition."Thankfully, you came to your senses. The effect of the
Amanda did not go to the main room after arguing with her husband, the woman chose to enter the library and close the door, even though Amanda always opened the door if she was in that place, it seemed that Oriaga's appearance in the mansion was an exception.Although night came, Amanda remained in the library, when the servant approached and said that dinner was ready, the woman refused. Even though yesterday Amanda began to be willing to consume food again, Oriaga's influence was deadly."She didn't come down with you, huh?" asked Oriaga when the maid returned to face him after meeting Amanda, the man sitting behind the dining table.The maid shook her head. "No, sir. Miss Amanda turned him down. Should I—""Leave it alone, you can continue with your business.""Yes, sir."Oriaga tried not to care even though he had to enjoy his dinner, when that was done, he entered the glass elevator to the third floor, approaching the main room.Oriaga knew his wife was still in the library, but h
Ten years ago.His head shattered. The Gamma had died after fighting the Alpha of another pack, while the brown-furred wolf had just appeared. He was too late, and his brother was gone.The gray-haired wolf changed into his human form. Some parts of his body had claw wounds and blood. He remained silent as the brown-haired wolf became human and wept for the Gamma named Rudolf, who was lying on the ground.His death was tragic, but one must lose, and Romeo succeeded in eliminating him.Esther screamed in anger. He couldn't accept his brother's death; the man intended to attack Romeo, but the sound of the wolf's roar in the distance stopped him. This place was not Esther's territory, and he still had to take Rudolf's body from there."You bastard!" Esther screeched. "I'll never forget this day and vow to take revenge on you! It would help if you remembered this well: life for life. You've killed my brother. You've lost someone too. If it's not tomorrow, you should still be careful, you
Nadine dropped her phone on the floor after finding an article from a major media outlet reporting that Oriaga had been harassed by a Russian model while visiting Melbourne.Pamela and Mateo were confused by Nadine's behavior, as they didn't know anything about their son-in-law."Oh my God! How is that possible?" Nadine bent down to pick up her phone, she double-checked the article—expecting a name mistake, but when she read the whole story through, there was no mistake, and they even wrote Oriaga's long name on it, explaining that she was visiting Melbourne to attend an annual event."Mom, Dad. Have you seen it?" Nadine looked at them as she swallowed, it had been a long time since she knew her sister's news, but to suddenly find a trending news headline like this, left the woman completely shocked."Found out about what?" asked Mateo, they were enjoying breakfast this morning with calmness, but it seemed that it would soon leave and be replaced by anxiety."I hope you respond calmly
While Oriaga was busy dealing with his problems, Amanda was calm because she didn't know anything, the woman sat on a park bench in the backyard, she again used her hands to draw, but no longer something of everything around her, but made a design of a dress that was quite thought-provoking.Autumn made the leaves leave their stalks, making the tree lonely because it had to feel lost again every time fall came.Amanda could still occupy a park bench in the morning or evening, but she dared not do so during the day because the sunlight was hardly friendly to anyone.Once in a while, Amanda could accept the positives of being isolated from the outside world like this, she began to get used to it as well as not hearing bad news or seeing unpleasant situations out there even though her mind was quite turbulent and rebelled to escape immediately."Is this picture perfect?" Amanda muttered, she managed to come up with a colorless dress design after two hours of sitting there. "I'll keep it,
"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."