ANGELIQUE SLOAN’S POV
My brain has been quite fuzzy since I heard the news report. I didn’t need to wait for my name to be mentioned by the reporter. Merely the details about the murder case were enough for me to determine that I was the one being described.“There must be some sort of mistake here, Angelique. Who knows? You might not be the one they’re talking about. There’s no definite specification anyway,” Greyson said in such a casual manner, which made me irritated.“How are you acting so damn calm, Greyson? There’s a fifty-fifty chance that I’d be haunted the next second that I step out of this place,” I complained, raising my voice to let him sense that I wasn’t in the mood for jokes.Greyson heaved out a sigh as he cupped my cheeks. “Have you already forgotten what I told you?” he asked while the edge of his lips slightly curled. “I told you before that I wouldn’t carelessly let anything slip byANGELIQUE SLOAN’S POV After a few years, my life has been unbelievably silent. I was expecting that there would be a lot of people who would be after my life, or even just my simple presence. But there was no one chasing me around. Everything and everyone is too peaceful. It was as if someone out there was protecting me from being harmed. As much as I don’t want to assume, there’s only one person that I can think of who could possibly do it—Greyson. Before I left him back then, I still heard how much he was apologizing for how things ended up. Greyson mentioned that he really wasn’t the one I should be mad at, saying that he was completely innocent of what I’m blaming him for. I should reconsider and think thoroughly about the people that I’ve recently encountered, which instantly made me remember my mother and Gwynneth.
ANGELIQUE SLOAN’S POV Considering how there’s a lot of passersby around, I convinced the stranger who approached me to talk this out through a meal. I wasn’t planning on spending anything until I found a job, but I had to do so unless I wanted people to notice me. I took a sip from my iced caramel macchiato as I crossed my legs, leaning my back behind. “So, what do you want from me?” I asked, as if I were the one who had the upper hand. “You’re one amusing woman,” the man commented as he showed me a playful smirk. “What are you capable of doing other than pretending that you’re strong?” He used his lips to point out my trembling hands, which were holding onto my cup. I placed both of my hands on my lap and then faked a cough. “I’m confident that I can do anything and everything, as long as there’s money involved,” I answered him with all honesty. The man snapped his fingers. “That’s a
ANGELIQUE SLOAN’S POVI wasn’t so sure if what I was seeing was real, so I had to repetitively scrub my eyes. “Are you joking with me again, Austin?” I asked, refusing to believe where we were standing.Austin shook his head as he removed his arms from being wrapped around my shoulders. “I’m serious, Angelique. I’m the owner of this company, and you’re going to be my secretary,” he said, which somehow made me feel uneasy.“S-secretary?” I stuttered, recalling the numerous bad memories that I experienced from being Greyson’s secretary and his personal seductress. “Are there any other options?”Austin gave me a confused look. “Why are you so hesitant to become my secretary?”I breathed out a loud sigh of frustration. “I’ve been there and done that; there’s nothing good that came out of becoming one,” I answered without mentioning Greyson and whatever he asked me to do.“It’s not like your experience would be the same with me,” Austin mumbled, sounding like he was dismayed. “Are you turn
ANGELIQUE SLOAN’S POVIt took me quite a while before I was able to process what Austin was trying to say. I stared at him blankly, still waiting for him to properly explain what he wanted to say. However, I was the one who broke the silence, seeing that he doesn’t have any intention to speak.“What do you mean, Austin? I’m going to have my first interview here? It’s not like you’re already a hundred percent sure that I’ll apply to become your secretary,” I voiced out my concern and curiosity.Instead of giving me a direct answer, Austin walked behind me, placing both of his hands above my shoulders, then pushed me towards the room that he pointed to after he swiftly opened the door for me. The inside was completely a mess.Consecutively blinking, I started to have an idea about what he wanted me to do. “I’m pretty sure this is nowhere near a real interview, Austin. You’re just going to ask me to clean this room up and make it tidier, aren’t you?” I heaved out a sigh of frustration, w
ANGELIQUE SLOAN’S POVI thought that Austin would be leaving me alone, but I was mistaken. He followed me from the very second that I stepped out of that room, chasing me all the way inside the elevator before the doors closed. Austin had one of his hands gripped on my wrist, while he used his vacant one to pin me to the corner, locking all of my possible escape routes.“Did you think that you could escape me, Angelique?” Austin’s deadly glare was sending shivers down my spine.My entire breathing turned heavier each second, and it felt like my sweat had gone colder. This was the first time that I have ever felt fear from someone other than my parents.“I-I’m sorry,” I stuttered, trying my best not to break down, but my tears failed me.A hot stream of my consecutive tears rolled down my cheeks, causing me to silently sob as my shoulders trembled. I covered my face with my vacant hand that he wasn’t gripping on.“H-hey, are you alright?” Austin’s voice turned softer out of the blue, a
ANGELIQUE SLOAN’S POVI could sense how serious Austin was with the words he declared to Greyson. His hands were tightly pressing on my wrist, refusing to let me go. However, I have no intention of letting Austin do as he pleases, especially not in front of someone I have known for years.“Can you let go of me now, Austin? I don’t know what you’re planning, but I don’t like what’s running through your mind,” I coldly said, placing my palm above the back of his hand. “I could’ve let this slide further if you were at least my ex-boyfriend or someone I had feelings for... But seriously, you’re just a stranger to my eyes, Austin,” I added to make him realize his selfishness.“You heard my woman speak.” Greyson stepped in between us, aggressively pushing Austin’s shoulder to make him forcibly let go of me. “I don’t know who you are, but you’re thick-headed as fuck, dude. Go find your own wife or at least a girlfriend and mind your own business. Whatever’s happening between the two of us wi
ANGELIQUE SLOAN’S POVThe four of us sat on the floor of the living room. Greyson was beside me while his parents were in front of us. It was quite a mystery to me how they addressed him as my husband, but I think he already told them about it. But still, I tried to pinch some of Greyson’s skin on his back, causing him to look at me with such a ferocious gaze.“What?” Greyson muttered under his breath, so I merely rolled my eyes as a response, showing that I wasn’t happy about all this. “Just bear with it for a little longer, Angelique. They just need to tell you something important,” he briefly explained.Seeing that I have no other choice, I sighed, then glanced at his parents, who were waiting for me to do so. “U-uh. So, what is it that you were meaning to tell me?” I asked out of pure curiosity.Greyson’s mother stared at her husband, gesturing to him to be the one to speak. “We want to apologize for all the years that we’ve been rude to you, Angelique. We didn’t know that you’re
ANGELIQUE SLOAN’S POVIt hasn’t been long since Greg and Gabriela went out of the house. There’s a high possibility that the two of them would hear what Greyson and I would discuss, so I was quite hesitant to give him a response.“You know what? Forget it. I shouldn’t have expected that you weren’t going to betray me for the rest of your life,” Greyson said, shrugging off his question from a few minutes ago. “You better think twice about what you’re planning, Angelique. You wouldn’t want to mess around with me.”I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. “I don’t know what’s making you this confident, Greyson. You’re no longer holding a chain on me. Everyone around the world already knows about the crime that I’ve done to my parents, so there’s nothing else left for you to blackmail me with,” I furiously muttered, trying my best to keep my voice down as I don’t want his parents to hear us.Greyson clicked his tongue, supposing that I'd hit the bullseye. “Even so, I’m still your husband!”I
ANGELIQUE SLOAN’S POVMy eyes remained at the center of the front page. Greyson pulled over, giving me time to react to what I discovered. “What is the meaning of this, Lian, Greyson? If this is some kind of prank, I’d rather you stop it now before I get furious,” I said in between my heavy breathings.“Don’t overreact, Angelique. It’s not like this is the first time that you’ve gotten yourself involved with crimes,” Lian mumbled, insulting me right in front of Greyson. “Besides, you’re not the one who’s going to do whatever’s written in those papers. I just showed them to you so you wouldn’t doubt your husband’s words,” she added.Greyson invited the two of us to go out for a while and get some fresh air, noticing that the tension between Lian and me began to worsen. He opened the door for me but not for Lian, which made me slightly grin. Fortunately, there was a stall open nearby with no customers, so we were freely allowed to stay inside. Lian and I watched Greyson from the corner
ANGELIQUE SLOAN’S POVNow that I think about it, Lian was also the person who brought me closer to my mother once more. She was also the reason why I got to encounter Gwynneth and realized Greyson's relationship with her. There’s something about Lian that’s making me convinced that she might have an underlying connection with either Gabriela or Greg... or maybe Greyson himself.“Where did you hear about Lian?” Gabriela asked; her voice seemed a bit shaky, or maybe it was just my imagination. “Don’t tell me that Greyson also got her involved in his nightclub?” she added.I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know. I saw her in front of the elevator and felt that she was somehow familiar. When I thought deeply, I remembered her name,” I lied, maintaining a straight face so she wouldn’t sense that I was bluffing. “Is she an employee here?”Gabriela avoided having eye contact with me, and it took her a couple of seconds before she gave me a response. “She’s not yet one of our employees. I hea
ANGELIQUE SLOAN’S POVThe two of us utilized the elevator to head up to Gabriela’s office. The other employees were all staring at Greyson, which somehow made me feel uncomfortable. However, Greyson suddenly placed his hand on my shoulder. “Can you please give space for her in the corner? We’re heading up to the 19th floor,” he said at the same time that they stepped away. “And stop giving me those sticky gazes; it’s disrespectful to my wife,” he added.After a few minutes, the elevator doors opened as the bell rang, signaling that we were already at our destination. My expectations were completely different. I thought that there would be luxurious people waiting in the hallway, but there was no one. The path was empty, and only the two of us were creating sounds of our footsteps.“Why are you still calling me your wife, Greyson? Didn’t we already agree to discontinue the act of being married couples?” I questioned him as we stopped in front of the third door we passed by.Greyson shr
ANGELIQUE SLOAN’S POVGreyson made me sleep on his bed last night while he covered himself on the floor, refusing to initiate any kind of conversation with me. I bet that he’s been mentally exhausted all day long, and no one else is to blame other than myself. There’s still an hour left before the afternoon, and Gabriela already called us for lunch. She definitely has something to discuss with us, seeing that she didn’t bother to invite Greg.“Were you able to sleep well with someone you don’t love, Angelique?” Gabriela asked with a hint of sarcasm as she was serving our dishes on the dining table. “I prepared some beef Wellington; I heard it’s one of your favorites.”I genuinely smiled at Gabriela. I took a spoonful of the beef and couldn’t help but praise her for how savory it tasted. “If only I knew that my mother-in-law was going to be this great of a cook, I would’ve loved your son with all I’ve got. I wouldn’t care if he ends up tearing my heart into pieces,” I jokingly commente
ANGELIQUE SLOAN’S POVI didn’t know what to do with Greg, so I decided to go with Greyson instead. I was behind him, and the both of us were glaring at his father. I held both of Greyson’s wrists behind his back so that he wouldn’t be able to fight back, as if he were handcuffed.“Don’t do anything rash, Greyson. You wouldn’t be able to face the consequences either way,” I said, trying to convince him not to ignite his father’s furiosity any more than that. “If it wasn’t for your father, you wouldn’t even be here in this world,” I added.Greyson hissed at me as he resisted my grip, pushing me away from him. I was about to fall on my knees, but fortunately, Gabriela was there to catch me. “Don’t try to act like you’re any better, Angelique. I know that you can’t wait to see me lying on the ground, surrounded with my own blood,” he coldly replied with a stern gaze.As I shook my head, I caught a glimpse of how Greg was on his way to slash the shard of glass on Greyson’s head, so I hasti
ANGELIQUE SLOAN’S POVAt that point, I knew that there was no more room for lies. The undeniable frustration that’s shown in Greyson’s face made his veins pop out from his forehead. There’s no right for me to complain about anything. “I can’t believe you, Angelique. Were you actually the one who’s pulling the strings, thinking that I was the one in control?” Greyson asked, accusing me of being a manipulative woman.I laughed, trying to set the atmosphere back to normal. “You were just that easy to play with, Greyson. It’s been years since we’ve been apart, and you really thought that I’d simply let you do as you please with me?”Greyson shook his head with a smirk on his face, removing his hold on my chin. “I knew it. I told you before, didn’t I? That there was something different about you, despite knowing that you’re still Angelique,” he murmured.I can’t understand myself anymore. If only I could be honest and tell him that, maybe he could actually help me think straight.We were s
ANGELIQUE SLOAN’S POVIt hasn’t been long since Greg and Gabriela went out of the house. There’s a high possibility that the two of them would hear what Greyson and I would discuss, so I was quite hesitant to give him a response.“You know what? Forget it. I shouldn’t have expected that you weren’t going to betray me for the rest of your life,” Greyson said, shrugging off his question from a few minutes ago. “You better think twice about what you’re planning, Angelique. You wouldn’t want to mess around with me.”I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. “I don’t know what’s making you this confident, Greyson. You’re no longer holding a chain on me. Everyone around the world already knows about the crime that I’ve done to my parents, so there’s nothing else left for you to blackmail me with,” I furiously muttered, trying my best to keep my voice down as I don’t want his parents to hear us.Greyson clicked his tongue, supposing that I'd hit the bullseye. “Even so, I’m still your husband!”I
ANGELIQUE SLOAN’S POVThe four of us sat on the floor of the living room. Greyson was beside me while his parents were in front of us. It was quite a mystery to me how they addressed him as my husband, but I think he already told them about it. But still, I tried to pinch some of Greyson’s skin on his back, causing him to look at me with such a ferocious gaze.“What?” Greyson muttered under his breath, so I merely rolled my eyes as a response, showing that I wasn’t happy about all this. “Just bear with it for a little longer, Angelique. They just need to tell you something important,” he briefly explained.Seeing that I have no other choice, I sighed, then glanced at his parents, who were waiting for me to do so. “U-uh. So, what is it that you were meaning to tell me?” I asked out of pure curiosity.Greyson’s mother stared at her husband, gesturing to him to be the one to speak. “We want to apologize for all the years that we’ve been rude to you, Angelique. We didn’t know that you’re
ANGELIQUE SLOAN’S POVI could sense how serious Austin was with the words he declared to Greyson. His hands were tightly pressing on my wrist, refusing to let me go. However, I have no intention of letting Austin do as he pleases, especially not in front of someone I have known for years.“Can you let go of me now, Austin? I don’t know what you’re planning, but I don’t like what’s running through your mind,” I coldly said, placing my palm above the back of his hand. “I could’ve let this slide further if you were at least my ex-boyfriend or someone I had feelings for... But seriously, you’re just a stranger to my eyes, Austin,” I added to make him realize his selfishness.“You heard my woman speak.” Greyson stepped in between us, aggressively pushing Austin’s shoulder to make him forcibly let go of me. “I don’t know who you are, but you’re thick-headed as fuck, dude. Go find your own wife or at least a girlfriend and mind your own business. Whatever’s happening between the two of us wi