Rye wondered why Uzza called her, but to her shock, Uzza was eating plum fruits in a round red hat. Uzza only wanted to share plum fruits with her.Rye could only smile and eat together with her. They did grow these fruits on Sciocidad, but this was her first time eating the ones grown in the outer world.“How are they?” Uzza asked.“They are not bad,” Rye said. “But the ones we grow back at home are like juicy little apples.”“Yeah, everything we can find here is like a degraded version,” Uzza sighed. “Even the people are…” she could hear Selena talking with someone on mobile and was talking about Jacob and his drug-related issue. “You’ve lived outside for many months, so what did you understand?”“Mm? Well, at our home, we only need to grow trees and plants to live,” Rye opined, “but in this world… people need at least one of the four things.”“What are those four things?” Uzza curiously asked.“Money, looks, intelligence, or education,” Rye said. “If you don’t have at least one of
If it was anyone else that had asked for his hand for a dance, Benjamin wouldn’t even have thought about it. But the one asking now was Rye, the woman he had spent the most time with up to this point in his life.“Haven’t you two danced together already when you were young?” Uzza said, trying to break the ice between them. “Why are you thinking so much now, Benjamin? Just grab her hand and craft a step or two. Trust me, first love is the best. There’s no better feeling than dancing with your first love.”“I don’t just want to stop at being just his first love,” Rye said without hesitation. “I want to be his last love also.” She smiled through her eyes and reached out for Benjamin’s hand and grabbed it. “If you are not going to hold my hand, I will hold yours.”Benjamin pursed his lips. “R-Rye…”Before he could say another word, Rye put her finger on his mouth. “Shh, don’t act like I’m asking you to sleep with me. It’s just a dance. Don’t make a big deal over it.”After she removed her
“I’ve also just checked an e-copy of your marriage certificate. It turns out that the name there isn’t yours. It’s called Benyamin Wilde. So, in this present messed-up timeline, you were never Rebecca’s husband. Not even for a second. You didn’t even get married yet, so…” she brought her lips closer to his cheek. “Wouldn’t it be totally fine if we kiss each other right here and now?” Rye’s words skipped Benjamin’s heartbeat. He turned his head away to his left.Rye didn’t like that, but she didn’t get upset about it as she was just teasing him.“I know I’m being a little rude, this is reality, Benny,” Rye added. “You never married anyone in this reality yet. So, why don’t you just let things go and head back home?”“I would still like to live in this villa,” Benjamin replied softly.“Benjamin, you are like thunder,” Uzza intervened. “Rye is like lightning. If you get together, your kids are going to be like thunderbolts. How was my poetry?”“Very mediocre,” Rye commented frankly whil
In the later afternoon, the aroma of cappuccino filled the room, and one could see the rainbow through the glass wall, as it was mildly raining outside. The winds were crashing into the trees and disrupted the leaves and made a mess out of them, but it was a beautiful sight to watch for both Jane and Rebecca who were sitting in the comfort of their room.Jane was in a good mood because the song she was playing on her mobile, and the atmosphere outside only added to it.“I think it was in a setting like this… I used to have a big crush on my neighbor,” Jane said. “He would come out in the rain and break the logs wearing a tank top. I used to drool at him. Sometimes I would wear a camisole and go out, hoping he’d see me the same, but he considered me just as a little girl, I think.”“How old were you back then?” Rebecca couldn’t help but ask. “Don’t tell me you were underage.”“Haha,” Jane’s mouth curved into a smile, but she didn’t reveal her age. “The weirdest thing is that I don’t ev
Uzza was reading a newspaper in the bathroom. She saw a company named Breeka, which sold many skincare products from sunscreens to baby powders.“How is such a company making nearly a hundred billion in revenue?” she wondered. “Something is suspicious.”She put the newspaper aside, then grabbed her mobile and researched about the company and found out some disturbing truth.“So, they mix ingredients like Benzene in their skincare products, which cause blood cancer, and one of the affiliated companies treats leukemia and earns billions every year. That’s not strange at all. These people are money-hungry vampires. Why can’t the people see through this? Then again, I know the answer. They are too busy with their own lives. They don’t have time to look around, and they’re paying the price for it by paying for products that are harmful to them. It’s not just the skincare products, but most companies that have ties to the pharma industry have been doing this for a very long time.“We’ll hav
Later that night.Jane ended up sleeping in Rebecca's room, on her bed, and Rebecca was not at all used to someone sleeping in her room. On top of that, Jane had the habit of putting one leg or hand on top of another person. All this didn’t let Rebecca get any sleep.At around twelve in the night, Rebecca came out to the balcony. It was pretty cold, with the wind blowing roughly. “Mm?” She noticed someone in the garden. It was a Red-haired woman whose hair was whipping about in the air. She looked like a standing lioness of sorts. Even though Rebecca couldn’t see the face, she could tell it was Rye. “What is she doing alone at this hour?”Rye, who was talking with a man in a black cloak, also noticed Rebecca’s presence. “You should leave.”In the blink of an eye, the man turned into a blur and disappeared. In that darkness of the night, Rebecca couldn’t even see that man.Rye then turned around and looked straight toward Rebecca and waved her hand, showing a big smile.Rebecca waved h
There was absolute silence for the next three to five seconds. It was as if a silence bomb had been dropped on Rebecca’s head, and she just didn’t know how to react. She wasn’t even sure if she heard it correctly.Did he just say I Love You to her?Does that make any sense?What was he even thinking?Was he drunk?Or was he trying to date another girl right now?All these thoughts rushed in her mind, making her feel crazy.“I love you, too,” Just then, Rye’s voice reached Rebecca’s ears. Suddenly, Rebecca’s expression changed after seeing Rye in the garden.So, Benjamin said ‘I love you’ to Rye and not her? She felt like slapping herself on the back of the head for thinking Benjamin was proposing to her. She felt so stupid right now.At that same time, Rye was looking at Benjamin, and he was also looking back at her, exchanging mental messages.“I covered your ass just now,” Rye said, “and said I love you, too, even though I knew you didn’t direct that I love you toward me. You owe me
Despite how strong Rye might seem on the surface, her heart was still soft in the matters of love. She wasn’t sure if she could keep doing this for long when Benjamin was not willing to love her again.Ever since coming to this Sterling villa, she was filling herself with all the strength she could every single morning not from sunlight but by the hope of the love she once experienced, but now that she was feeling deprived of that same love, she kept trying every she could.Of course, she could easily harm the Sterling family for what they did to Benjamin, but that wouldn’t be to Benjamin’s liking. Destroying wasn’t the right choice. But if love wasn’t working, how else was she supposed to approach this problem and arrive at a solution?Rye felt very restricted in the things she could do because she felt tied by the very same love which kept her in the hunt for Benjamin to this day. She wanted to get him to her side no matter what, but how? How could she do it in a way that would chan
The next morning.Rebecca came out of her room fast and reached the dorms just to check on Benyamin. She found him brushing his teeth with his finger. And he was using salt.“Don’t you have a brush and toothpaste?” Rebecca quickly asked. “You should have asked me then.”“No, I’m fine with this,” Benyamin replied. “The smell of the chemicals in the toothpaste just makes me feel nauseous, so I’m fine with just this sea salt.”“But… will salt be enough?”“It’s enough,” Benyamin gave a thumbs-up. “In fact, I’m worried about you because you’re using that chemical-ridden toothpaste which dullens your brain.”“If they dullen the brain, then why would they promote toothpastes so much on television?”“They will promote everything that will make them money while keeping the people sick, so that they will not be able to think clearly and would rather depend on the government to think for themselves,” Benyamin smiled.“That’s not funny,” Rebecca hissed. “I have to go and brush my teeth. And I’m f
Later that night.Benjamin was out in the garden, sitting under a tree, doing nothing as hours went by.“He’s been like that since dinner,” Rye was watching him from the first floor’s window. “It’s not good.”“What can I say?” Uzza was feeling heavy-hearted. “It feels like the story of Abel and Cain altogether, though in a different way. The brothers that represent the duality of current man. The devil sure knows how to mock us and make us angry. I’m certain now. It’s his plan. He put the sworn brothers against each other.”“But how did he get Shadow?” Rye frowned. “I don’t sense any demonic energy in him.”“Considering Shadow’s abilities, it’s easy for him to hide the demonic energy,” Uzza opined. “He’s a perfect place for demons to hide, though I don’t know how they got hold of him. He must have been caught by surprise. I just hope that this won’t lead to something disastrous.” She was looking at Benjamin. “The longer this goes, the more likely that someone among those is going to b
Veronica brought Akash with her to dinner. Almost everybody was present at the dinner table after a very long time.New tables were arranged because there were more people now.Veronica could see that Akash was not taking his eyes off Benyamin. “Why are you staring at him nonstop?” she asked in a low voice.“He’s tall, handsome, and so fair. Even his hands are so shiny. How’s that possible for a man?” Akash sounded quite envious. “Men are not supposed to look so good-looking, right?”“Mm…” Veronica looked at Benyamin and felt the same. “He does look like a million bucks, but he doesn’t seem to have much muscle on his body. What’s the point of being tall when you don’t have enough muscle? You only look like you have inadequate genes.”“Not every man can be built heavy like the men in your family.”“Haha, you’re right,” Veronica was proud of her brothers and dad because they were tall and big and good-looking. Their jaws alone would melt the gazes of many women, after all.Rye and Benjam
Benyamin couldn’t go upstairs with Rebecca because he refused to tell Selena what he was doing all these days.Selena wouldn’t have allowed him to go past her unless he gave her proof, so he settled with staying in the dorms for the time being.Rebecca dressed up very nicely and attended dinner. Because Benyamin wasn’t present, she was about to visit the dorms, but Selena told her to sit at the table.Selena sent Delle to go and bring Benyamin, saying sarcastically that he might otherwise get lost.Rebecca sat down and waited patiently. (Why didn’t he just tell her what happened? Things would have been easier if he told her everything. What does he have to hide?)Meanwhile, at the dorms.Benjamin and Rye were both present in the same hall as Shadow. Rye was silent, and Benjamin was doing the talking.“What is your relationship with Rebecca?” he asked Shadow.“Obviously, I’m her husband,” Shadow replied. “Don’t you know that already?”Benjamin frowned. “Stop joking.”“I’m not joking. W
Benyamin gave a bouquet to Rebecca, and she gladly accepted it.Rebecca brought Benyamin into the villa while holding his hand, and her eyes were still wet with tears of happiness.Selena, who just happened to be coming downstairs with her handbag, planning to go out to make an important deal, saw Benyamin. The bag in her hand dropped. “Y-You… Why did you come back?”“Mom, is that the question you ask your son-in-law?” Rebecca’s voice was sharp.“He’s been gone for weeks!” Selena’s gaze also turned sharper. “And don’t you remember what he’s done? He sold the villa away to Uzza. Did you already forget that he cheated on all of us? Let go of his hand now! He must have heard of my recent rise and came here to use us! A bastard like him should never even be let close! Kick him out. Now!”Rebecca, however, tightened her grip. “No. If you want him to leave, I’ll leave, too.”Selena’s heart skipped a beat. “What? Have you lost your mind? Just what do you see in this trash that you are willin
Selena had been busy talking with many businessmen from all across the country. The people from the film industry also came to the Sterling villa with bouquets and gifts.Some gifted her luxury cars, while some others wanted her to act in their films, so they were showing their call sheets and asking for her movie dates.They were willing to pay her as much as twenty to fifty million dollars per movie.Selena, however, didn’t reckless sign on every movie she got. Out of the dozens of stories that came to her, she only picked two so far.And she was quite happy with her current situation.To show her gratitude to Uzza, she came to her and gave a key to Uzza who was in the kitchen with Delle.“What’s this?” Uzza asked.“One of the movie producers gifted a private jet as advance payment for agreeing to do his movie,” Selena replied.Delle’s eyes enlarged very much. “A-A private jet? How much does that cost, ma’am?”“32 million dollars,” Selena casually replied. “This is just the start. I’
“How did you feel when you first saw Veronica? Tell me the truth,” Uzza was questioning Akash while he was watering the plants in the backyard.“Obviously…” Akash was about to say something, but his husband-radar sensed his wife coming up from behind, so he said, “when I met her on our first date, I became pregnant.”Uzza spit out the corn kernels in her mouth out of shock. “What?”“Pregnant with love, I mean,” Akash added.“Why are you exaggerating?” Veronica pulled Akash’s ear. “When we first met, I smelled his hands first. They didn’t smell like curry, so he passed my first test. And then, we talked about other things.”Akash shook his head and giggled helplessly.Seeing Akash blushing, Uzza could see that he was in love with Veronica more so than Veronica was in love with him.Veronica then climbed on Akash’s back and hugged him from behind.“What are you doing?” Akash complained. “Can’t you see that I’m working?”“Work while carrying me. As a man, you should be able to do this muc
Kathy wanted to visit the mansion of the president to meet the president’s son, but she couldn’t go alone, so she took Amber with her. Samuel welcomed them, but Amber didn’t like the atmosphere and told Amber she’d go back. Kathy didn’t force her cousin and let her leave.Kathy then explored the mansion with Samuel, which shocked the maids as Samuel hadn’t done such a thing before. What if Samuel’s daughters and wife were to see what he was doing now? What if Andrew were to see?Andrew, on the other hand, was very busy. He worked with some media companies and celebrities and had them leak news on trafficking of women and children. He also had some sexual scandals released to divert some of the attention.The public thought that it was the work of the media companies at first, but as the news channels began to give credit to Andrew Sehla the president, everyone wondered if Andrew was behind this.As if living up to the people’s expectations, Andrew made some politicians and celebrities
As Veronica handled Akash roughly, punishing him for his farts, he yelled at her and told her to do the exercise herself to understand how tough it was, but then Veronica did five sit-ups and made them look so easy. She didn’t have any abs, but her abdomen looked very beautiful because of the skin folds and the type of dress she was wearing.“See? It’s so easy,” Veronica hissed at him. “Now, do just like how I did. Don’t inhale while getting up. That’s why you’re farting like a pig. Breathing is everything. Without that you won’t be able to execute any exercise with control.”“O-Okay,” Akash helped her get up. When he saw Rebecca and Benjamin at the door, he was so embarrassed he went to the other end of the gym.“You have come far, Veronica,” Rebecca was proud of her sister. She used to teach her little sister all the time, and now it felt nice to see her teach Akash how to do different exercises.“Haha,” Veronica laughed like a gorilla and looked at Benjamin, “do you want to learn f