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,
When Nadine was able to visit Gregorious' office after getting permission from her boss, she had to swallow hard, her hopes of meeting Oriaga had to be dashed because an office staff informed everyone in the office yard that Oriaga did not come to the office today, and they could not confirm when Oriaga would return.Not only Nadine was very disappointed, but also the reporters in the courtyard, they waited for Oriaga's appearance since morning until the sun was getting hotter, unfortunately, the new staff informed them that Oriaga was not in the office, making their wait nonsense.Nadine sat down on the sidewalk, and she felt her whole body become weak, the effort to reach this place was quite difficult, she almost didn't get permission, but when she received a waiver—her efforts were in vain."He's not even in his office, where should I go to find Oriaga, huh? What can I say to Mom and Dad, they must have high hopes for me." Nadine complained, she had never felt this disappointed, e
"Sir, I want to tell—" Zayn paused, he turned to Joana, then back to Oriaga, deliberately giving a clue that he only wanted to talk one-on-one with his boss."Tell you what?" Oriaga asked.However, Zayn remained silent but cleared his throat."Ah. Joana, you can come out for a moment, I want to talk to Zayn alone," Oriaga ordered.Joana frowned when she looked at Zayn, but she tried to understand and moved out of Oriaga's study in the house.After the door was completely closed, Zayn continued."Excuse me, sir. I wanted to inform you that Miss Nadine is outside.""Nadine?" Oriaga was taken aback. "You mean Nadine Griscouv?"The assistant nodded. "Yes, she's here, she was hoping to meet you. She's confused about how to get in because the bodyguards are tight outside, she said her parents are worried about your abuse case."Oriaga chuckled, suddenly his head felt dizzy, he even remembered that he had another family, Amanda's family. They must have found out about it from the trending ne
"Be careful on the road, thank you for meeting me and giving me some of your time, Oriaga," Nadine said as she escorted her brother-in-law out of the coffee shop with Rudolf, for almost an hour they discussed the matter involving Oriaga.The man nodded. "Yes, thank you too for trusting me, say hello to Mom and Dad, sorry I haven't been able to visit them yet, but I promise I'll make time to visit soon.""Yes. Bye."Oriaga entered the car, Zayn had pressed the horn before driving the car away from the area, now Oriaga could breathe without pressure after parting with Nadine. The man was almost crazy for having to explain so carefully to his sister-in-law about Elia Pinot."Everything okay, sir?" asked Zayn."Yes. Fortunately, it's fine even though I'm quite stressed, that woman is good at talking and finding loopholes to corner." He snorted. "But, I'm still safe." It was as if Oriaga was swimming on the high seas and being chased by a ferocious shark, but he managed to escape."Thank g
"Zayn!" especiallyAmanda exclaimed while showing a big smile at Zayn's appearance at the mansion this morning, he was not alone, but with Oriaga.Zayn's body suddenly stiffened, he became tense and confused at the same time in response to Amanda's cheerful greeting, even though his boss's wife had never done anything like this, so Zayn's reflection when he saw her was silent, he was like receiving an electric shock."Zayn. You're finally here," Amanda said, her steps stopping right in front of her husband's assistant."Yes, Miss. Do you need anything?" asked Zayn even though he started to get goosebumps when he glanced at Oriaga and found his boss's expression, Oriaga frowned while looking at Amanda without blinking, perhaps he was also confused in response to Amanda's behavior toward Zayn was very different."Yes. I've been waiting for you for days." She smiled kindly, something Oriaga had never gotten, but Amanda showed it to the other man, making Oriaga's hands clench into fists.
During the trip to Nieuwmarkt en Lastage, the pair of humans in the passenger seats were silent after finding the best deal despite the arguments. Oriaga had deliberately given his wife a second chance to meet the Griscouv family, the man wanted to take care of this small matter before departing for Moscow tomorrow, he felt that the situation would not be simple.Oriaga forced himself to relent, he was afraid that Nadine would come back to him without hesitation, either to Gregorious' office or even his house like yesterday. He saw a lot of courage in Nadine, she had said that she would take her parents to visit Oriaga's house if he didn't go to Nieuwmarkt en Lastage soon.Oriaga was quite impressed, Nadine was good at finding loopholes to pressure him, so the man was disturbed because he always imagined Nadine's threats.This morning Oriaga woke up with a great desire to take Amanda to visit his parents' house after almost three months of marriage.Amanda was about to explode when sh
"Where are you right now? Why didn't I see you at the boss's house?" Dean asked over the phone.Zayn stared at the Griscouvs' mansion, he was still sitting in the car when Amanda and Oriaga were at the Griscouvs' house. "I'll give you 100$ if you can guess, Dean.""You're trying to make fun of me, huh? You must be in Gregorious' office."Zayn smiled wryly. "Of course not, I can even send you the location right now if you have any doubts.""Then where is it, huh? Give me that 100$.""I'm in front of Miss Amanda's parents' house.""Bastard! Is that true? Don't hallucinate, Zayn. You must be alone because I'm not sure the boss will—""The boss is with me." Zayn grinned even more, happy to discuss all the absurdities about Oriaga with Dean. "You still don't believe me?""Wait a minute. Is Miss Amanda there too?""Of course, they had their first visit after getting married three months ago. Isn't it very romantic? Give me your 100$, Dean.""Hey! I didn't ask you to bet, brat.""But, you'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."