" Would you marry me and make it all go away? " Asher asked, baring his soul with his words." W-what do you mean? " She asked, gulping uncomfortably." I mean exactly what you heard. Marry me and make it all go away, Ms. Emma. Would you marry me? " He asked again." I told you. I got my memories back. We've been through this before…" " That's besides the point. You wanted to know why I'm lounging around while my life's work burns to the ground? This is it." He explained curtly." I'm sorry but that's hardly an explanation." She said, picking up a glass of water." I am under serious pressure to marry a lady from the Steele's household. In other words, to regain full leadership and supreme power over my empire, you need to be by my side, as my wife." Asher spoke like it wasn't a big deal. His tone was similar to one speaking about the weather meanwhile Emma felt like a fish out of water.In fact, she choked on her water upon hearing Asher's words. Being the perfect gentleman, Asher
Before the crack of dawn, Asher left the house with a bandaged palm. He drove his SUV out of the house, headed to a park he frequented as a child. After spending some time at the park, thinking and doing nothing in particular, he got up, hopped in his car and headed to work. Contrary to popular belief that he'd stay hidden until the ruckus on air and his failure dissipated, when he got to the office grounds, controversy ensued.As usual, people greeted him as he walked past, a few of them happy to see him while others sneered and leered as soon as he was past them. Due to his public failure, people who usually kissed his feet weren't eager to do so anymore and spent their time analyzing the possible reasons why he'd shamelessly shown up.Asher was undeterred and continued with his business. He had no plan whatsoever but his spirit willed him to bury himself into work despite having less than forty eight hours to turn the tides around.In the short while he'd been out of seat, a lot o
Emma didn't know how to feel about the latest development. She had in a twinkle if eye, gone from looking for a way to begin a new life to getting her room upgraded for her comfortability. Her life seemed straight out from a TV drama. She couldn't bring herself to understand the methods of thinking Mr. Braxton applied. Did he have a kink for being disrespected? Because, that was the only way what she did would result in such outstanding and blissful repercussions.Was it all a joke? Was it an elaborate plan to bring down her walls and strike when she least expected it? Emma was having a hard time digesting the entire happenings of the day.As sat in her new and improved queen sized bed, inside her new and decorated room, she wondered just what she did to deserve such treatments. At first she'd been very skeptical and flat out unwilling to eat or step foot into the room but after hours of mindlessly browsing through the entire house, she was tired and didn't feel like relaxing in the
Emma felt her heart twist in gut wrenching pain. The scene from before remained uncomfortably etched in her mind. How could it not? Somehow, she'd managed to see the most painful aspect of her life, playing out in HD before her eyes.They didn't have an atom of shame. Emma was far beyond angry. She felt pissed, angry, frustrated and vengeful. Not only did they disrespect her but the betraying duo also disrespected her piece. They tarnished the beautiful piece she created with all her heart.She did it for him? Talia did it for him?! The audacity he had to utter such insolence.Talia was busy making her life miserable while she slaved for months in order to get that piece ready for the big night. A night that exposed the one she loved the most in the world to be a cheating prick!To top it all off, cheating with the one person that made it her life's job to frustrate and make life unbearable for her. The painful thing wasn't their reunion but the fact that her work had been snatched ou
“ I’m sorry to startle you. I would love to speak with Mr. Braxton if you don’t mind.” She spoke flawlessly, her eyes were fixated on Asher.Mrs. Adams has zero ideas of what was going on. She hadn’t felt so out of words in so long. “ Mr. Braxton is a little bit out of sorts now, Ms. Steele. If you could give him a moment-”“ I will see you in my study, Emma,” Asher spoke, cutting off Mrs. Adams.Emma hadn’t expected to be given such attention, at least not immediately. She suddenly felt a wave of fear brush through her. Maybe not necessarily fear, but cold feet. She immediately resorted Ms. Adams, who shared a look that said, “ well, here’s your chance!”Before she moved, she noticed Asher was well over the staircase and headed down the hallways. He didn’t even bother to look back. Or check if she was following. “ Go! ” Mrs. Adams urged in a silent tone, making her bolt for it in return. It was now or never.Asher took long strides to his study, half expecting to see Emma beside him
Asher stared at Emma while she shifted uncomfortably on her seat opposite him. He had gotten hold of the information she vehemently tried to hide from him. From her disposition, he figured she was aware of his little discovery about her.He didn’t want to dwell on the matter and immediately decided to move forward with the conversation.“ I believe you have some conditions for me? “ He asked, surprising her.“ Y-you want to h-hear my c-conditions? ““ What? Suddenly don’t have any conditions? “ Asher’s tone was sarcastic.“ Of course, I do. Just wondering why your nosy self isn’t any more interested in knowing my business. Do you trust me now? “ She replied with sass, unaware of where such boldness was coming from.“ Let’s just say I don’t need to be spoon-fed. You don’t want me in your business. You seem to be all about control, probably more than myself.”Emma felt confused.Asher continued, “ Listen. I am in no way trying to force something out of you. Especially when you so clearl
Emma was in the middle of her room dressed in a beige fitted gown. Mrs. Adams, accompanied by some maidens, attacked her voluminous hair from every angle.“ I think it's better laid down.” One of the maids said.“ No. Then her beautiful cheekbones wouldn’t be prominent. Let's throw it up, a messy bun?” The other suggested.“ I think it's best to seek the opinion of the one who gets to rock the hairstyle, don’t you think?” The ever-regal Mrs. Adams opined, effectively shutting them up. “ What do you think darling? It's your show after all.” She added, seeking input from Emma who was now seated on a stool facing a vanity mirror.Emma wasn’t too keen on having her hair down. Due to the formality of the meeting she was headed to, she didn’t feel like having anything be a bother or a form of discomfort to her.“ A bun will do.” She said politely.“ You heard the queen, get to work, we have a few minutes tops.”With that, they immediately got to work and in two minutes a flawless bun was pro
The room was silent, deathly silent while Emma waited for him to speak. She couldn’t imagine the clause that made him appear so frightening. “ If by any chance, you betray me, Emma Steele, I promise to make your life a living hell,” Asher said, staring at the pale woman seated before him.Emma didn’t know what to make of the information she’d been given. “ You mean, all that was for this?” She asked in bewilderment. “ You are a drama king, Mr. Braxton.” She remarked with a smile, hoping to clear the air. “ That I am, and more. Tell me, Emma, do you agree to my conditions? Are you ready for this?” He asked with an odd smile.“ Yes. Unless you have more hidden agendas, I believe we are good to go. Where do I sign?” Emma picked up a black pen situated on the table, ready to get it all over with.“ At the last page.”That was it. Emma signed the papers and switched copies with Asher who also signed his name on the paper. At the end of the action, they stared at each other, one looking f
For the first time ever, Emma was outside her room. Led through a dark staircase, she tried and failed to get a feel or look on anything but the floors. They got to the dining room and a long king sized table stood in front of her. " Finally! Come sit." Kaden said from the head of the table, " We can't have you missing breakfast."Emma jittered towards him. The doctor attended to the bruises that formed through her body earlier this morning but she still felt pain at every turn. Her biggest concern remained on the health of the child that grew within her- a topic that posed a taboo when she brought it up to the doctor." Oh don't be afraid, I'm in a good mood this morning! Sit, we have a whole day ahead of us." Kaden spoke like he didn't abuse her the day before, one would think his memories from the day before were washed and a demon possessed him to do the evils he did.Emma sat down with her head bowed, the maids immediately got to serving breakfast. In no time, their plates were
Inside a dimly lit room, a sea of heads and computers depicting the various streets and spots of the city covered the entire room with little space for easy access. Jason noticed Asher come in and headed with information garnered since their last meeting. " Any news?" Asher spoke first, eyes fixated on the organized chaos before him.Jason stood beside him, " A lot. We have to talk, privately." He led the way to a little room by the corner.Asher entered and took a seat behind the motherboard. " What do you have for me?" " We narrowed our focus on Kaden," He started, but immediately felt Asher's disapproval, but continued anyways." After his reveal, we decided it was best to uncover things about this man, and we weren't wrong."" Get to the point."" Kaden somehow managed to have contact with Rebecca, Cole, Emma and her Step-Mother." Asher's eyes widened, " not just that, but he met these people at the same period of time. Coincidence?"By now, Jason had his full attention, " Do we
Jason followed the trail of the car that took Emma into the outskirts of the city. He slowed to a stop where he found the vehicle used to perpetuate the act seated on the highway- clean of everything that pointed at the situation at hand. It took a moment before he realized that he led a wild goose chase- one that seemed intentional on the part of the people who left a brand new vehicle opened and waiting for his arrival. “ Shit!” He kicked the tire, hard enough the car skipped a beat from its impact. Jason headed back to his car feeling played. Before starting up the car, he texted Asher, reported the situation and angrily informed of his immediate return. On the other hand, Asher sat in his home office, a place he hadn’t left for the longest time, corroded with thoughts that kept his eyes opened and in search of answers. Unknown to Jason, while he made his way back, his movements were monitored. The moment he went back to the city, Kaden received feedback of his unfruitful searc
Emma gripped the steering wheel like her life depended on it. And it actually did. If there was one thing capable of killing her, it was the thought of her designs burning to ashes, months of hard work vanishing into thin air. She needed to save her work, and fast! Her phone rang non-stop, every single call received a text behind, all of which she knew came from her husband. Her very worried husband. A screeching sound filled the air and it took a moment before Emma realized that her tires were giving out. “ Oh shit!” She cussed, forcing the car to a halt and stepping out. Her tires were ruptured, all four of them. How she didn’t notice it from before was a mystery. Impatient, Emma looked around in search of something. Anything that would get her out of the situation. The hairs on her body stood and she felt a presence loom over her. A rising dread course through her veins but before she could turn around, the sting of a needle pierced her throat. The more she felt its liquid cont
“ What do you mean?” Asher asked Jason over the phone.“ Her body was discovered in the early hours of the day. Investigations on the cause of death is ongoing.” He informed, “ You need to lay low for the meantime, both of you. At least until we uncover the details behind her death.” Asher felt distraught, “ What is the state of events? Any leads on her killer?” “ I’m afraid not, whoever did it, did a clean job. Dumped her into the river with a body cleaned of trails.” He answered, sighing afterwards. Emma walked into the room, and straightaway, noticed the atmosphere. “ What’s going on?” She mouthed.“ I’ll call you in a minute.” Asher ended the call with a huff, her eyes narrowed in concern.“ Who was that?” “ Jason.” “ And?”“ Rebecca is dead.” He declared without missing a beat.“ Oh my goodness! What happened?” She asked, face aghast. “ Murdered. I don’t have the details yet but I will soon. For the meantime, stay home. I don’t want you moving an inch out of this house, unt
“ Surprise!” Chara and a couple others yelled when the door opened. “ What in the world?” Emma tried to stabilize her breathing.“ I’m sorry we startled you.” Chara said and a chorus of agreement followed, “ This is your party, Emma. Don’t be shy!” She urged her into the living room. Emma took in the lounge party in awe, slow music played in the background and there was a light chatter in the air. “ Excuse me everyone,” the public address system caught the attention of the people, “ Can we raise our glasses to toast our beloved Emma Braxton, the strongest woman I know.” She remarked and the intimate congregation clinked glasses and cheered.Asher, watching the event from his home office, joined the party, raising a glass to the one person he figured didn’t want to see him at the moment. After thorough checks of the footage, he discovered he didn’t sleep with Rebecca. He was out of it and even defenseless to her motives but something made her retrace her steps and take some pictures
“ Hey! It's not what it looks like..” Asher caught her arm, but she struggled.“ Let me go! This is a fake marriage so you don’t have to explain, this isn’t real.” Her words cut deeper than expected and he let go, burned.“ Oh really? This is what it's about, huh?” His tone turned cold, “ You still aren’t allowed to parade yourself in a disgraceful manner, Emma.” He lashed with blazing eyes, “ Don’t think I don’t know of your shenanigans!”Emma recoiled, a sore taste in her mouth, “ I got blackmailed with those pictures from my past. I will clean up my mess.” Asher watched his wife leave the house, unable to speak. He threw her scandal in her face and felt like a dog about it. What sort of husband wouldn’t know their wife was getting threats? His anger fizzled and all that remained were regrets.Jason appeared in his line of sight, wearing a calm demeanor, no doubt he heard their little scuffle and ached to use the infamous line- ‘I told you so.’Meanwhile, Emma spoke into her phone w
Asher returned to a house void of his wife. He marched into his room, dialing her number to no avail. He muttered some curses under his breath and immediately made way out of the house. On his way out, he bumped into Rebecca. “ Asher.. what’s going on?” Her tone doused with concern, “ Are you alright?” “ Goodnight.”He made to leave but her hand held him back, “ I’m sorry. Just..please don’t walk away.” His eyes narrowed on his arm and she immediately let go, “ I promise I mean no harm.”Asher didn’t speak, but his countenance didn’t seem like he wanted to kill her anymore.“ We can have some wine,” She suggested, “ Catch up on old times.” Without waiting for a reply, she immediately headed to the cellar, wining her waist as she went. A few minutes later, she returned holding a bottle of expensive wine and two glass cups. She handed over its filled content with a smile, “ Tell me, what is this I hear about your company expanding into Africa?”“ Just another business move.” He shrug
Mrs. Steele stepped down the stairs with a smug look on her face. It was finally time to meet with her long, lost and awaited step-daughter. Their eyes connected and a triumphal smile ushered its way through her face. “ Trouble in paradise?” She corked an eyebrow and took a seat. Emma held a permanent scowl,“ I see you haven’t changed.” Emma remarked curtly, her tone took her by surprise.“ I see you’ve grown teeth.” Mrs Steele raised her hand and a glass of water was brought to her, “ What do we owe to this...unscheduled visit?”“ Don’t act dumb. Take responsibility for what you did.”“ I think you are mistaken." She circled the tip of her cup, “ This is my house and I will not be disrespected. If you are here to do so, I suggest you leave.”“ Take the pictures down!” Mrs. Steele let out a short laugh, “ Leave us.” It didn’t take a soothsayer for the employees around to scramble away, giving the women some much needed privacy. Mrs. Steele got up on her feet;“ I’ll forgive you be