Pov: Zara“Zara, I’m doing this for your own good. The Chengs are not bad. Although the son is not mentally stable, they have a lot of money. You’ll be leading an easy life ahead. They won’t be able to control you.”I snort. “Mrs. Hana Wilson, if it’s that good, why don’t you marry Lora to the Chengs.”Lora is another step-sister of mine who is a producer. She is elder than Linda. “It’s because they don’t like Lora, they liked you.” My stepmother has a very reasonable tone.“I’m not interested in anybody’s money neither am I interested in some arranged marriage. I’ve already told someone to retrieve my belongings from the house. I’m never coming back.”“You want to cut ties with us? Fine! Go ahead. But what about the money we put in to raise you? Now that you’ve grown wings, you don’t care about anything.”I was dumbfounded. “Alright, putting aside the fact that I worked for you all like a housemaid, for which I should get a lot of money by the way, you gave me a place to live. So I’l
Kayden must have heard the commotion and he came in pulling me out of the water ignoring everything. As if I grasped onto a straw that can save my life, I wind my arms around his neck. My body stuck to him considerably drenching his clothes.He carries me out and places me on the bed. He pats my face. “What happened to you? Wake up!”I gasp for air. Still a little hazy but I recovering gradually. Kayden is standing before me, his brows deeply furrowed and his gaze full of worry. My heart thumped for no reason when I see him.“I’m alright. I just feel a little dizzy.” I hold my cheek in my hands.“What were you doing?” Kayden asks in a confused tone.“I don’t know. I think I stayed in the bath for too long. A lot has been going on in my mind. I felt a little dizzy but I didn’t expect the sense of vertigo when I got up…”Suddenly Kayden picks up the blanket and covers me with it and that’s when I realize I am naked. He saw me naked!Kayden is looking elsewhere and I clutch the blanket wi
My drama soon began filming and I go to the filming sight.As I am putting on my costume I hear the cast coming in one by one. It started getting crowded. The moment Kai enters all girls turn to look at him like lovestruck fools.After I finish getting ready, I head to the waiting area and sit there till my scene is not announced. The costume is a little heavy and it also has a cape-like thing that spreads on the floor.In order to carry this dress without getting it messed up, I lift it up in my hands but I step on something at that same moment.I only realize when someone called out, “Whoa! You stepped on Freya’s dress!”I turn around and see Freya lifting her dress. She looks at me and smiles. “It’s alright.”“I’m so sorry, Ma’am.” I apologize profusely. Way to offend people on my first day. What the hell is wrong with me?“You are the rookie who’s playing Estelle right?”“Yes ma’am,” I reply immediately.Freya seems to have a good temper. “Not bad. Do well. All the best.”“Thank
“I won’t be able to sleep on the floor like this… can we ask someone to bring another set of…”“Are you trying to tell them clearly that we sleep on separate beds?”“Then what do we do now…”Kayden frowns and throws his jacket on the bed. “I don’t care what you do I’m going to sleep.”I look at him with my jaw dropping down. Just now he said he will sleep on the floor. What is this?“No, I want to sleep on the bed too. You were the one who insisted on staying here.” I jump on the bed, burrowing myself in the blanket. I know this guy has OCD with the way he behaves, he needs everything very clean.A mischievous idea enters my head. “See this whole bed is now covered by my smell and bacteria. How will you sleep here now?”He narrows his eyes as I lick my fingers and wipe them on the blanket.“What the hell are you doing?!”I lift my head. “What? Don’t you know how animals claim their territory? They spread their smell everywhere. That’s what I’m doing!”The veins on Kayden’s forehead po
Pov: KaydenWe leave the Marshall Residence. I was really surprised, at how smoothly things went. I can tell everyone likes her very much, be it my mother or grandfather.But again, they’ll like anybody as long as she’s not Monica. They are also of the thought that Monica might hinder my way ahead and she’s not as simple as she looks.But I’ve been with her since I can remember. There’s no way anybody knows her as well as I do.Suddenly Zara yells, “Good Lord!”I glance sideways to see her shocked looking at the title and property deeds she got as our wedding present.She was reluctant to accept it maybe because she didn’t feel worthy of it but I explained that she deserves it as the daughter-in-law of the Marshalls.While smiling, she looked at the two packets repeatedly. “It looks like there are some benefits to tolerating your bad temper.”I look at her. “Money-grubber.”And on top of that, she’s the first daughter-in-law of the generation. There’s much more to come in the future.
I wake up immediately as I sense some moments around me. I am anyway a light sleeper. My eyes instantly searched Zara. “What happened?” I look at her with slight anxiousness. “Is there anything wrong with you?”Zara shakes her head, “No, I just pulled on my wound slightly.”I stand up quickly hearing this and lift the blanket to check her wound. It is still tightly bandaged and probably would not lead to complications.I let out a sigh of relief and frown at her. “Be more careful. Don’t move too much.”Last night, she mumbled time and again, and her groaning made me feel uneasy because I couldn’t do anything to take her pain away. She’s lying here because of me.I could only hold her hand and stay beside her. Around dawn, I couldn’t keep my eyes open.Henry saw this and wanted me to sleep in the adjacent room but each time I moved, Zara would groan in pain.Thus, I dismissed Henry with a gesture of my hand and stay there looking after her the entire time.Fortunately, the doctor said
She is dressed in a striped hospital gown and I recall her soft flawless skin. I felt uneasy realizing that it could be marred by such a large scar, all because of me.“…Is it because you feel guilty?”“Shut up.” I snap. But I indeed feel guilty.Ignoring me, she continues, “If you feel guilty, you should treat me a little better. It’s good enough if you don’t throw me out for no good reason.”I freeze. I recall the day before when I leave her out. My anger was triggered only because of her.For as long as I can remember, there had been no woman like her who is audacious enough to speak to me like this.But now, as I look at her, I merely say, “Okay.”She raises her head in surprise. I didn’t say anything further. I sort out the prescribed medicines that the doctor has given and pour a glass of water for her.Seemingly, she does not feel that terrible now, and slowly the night falls. Zara felt a little dazed and on the verge of falling asleep. She narrows her eyes at me, “What are you
After half an hour's drive, I reach Monica’s house.I walk in to see her lying on the bed with half of her body exposed. She looked ill but she has makeup on her face. I blank out when she hums softly. “Kay, if you didn’t come, you wouldn’t have been able to see me anymore.”I walk over to her. “How did you fall ill? You were completely fine until yesterday.”“I don’t know. I only know that I cried the whole night and I couldn’t eat anything. I called the doctor over, but she didn’t know what was wrong. I thought I was dying.”How is she about to die? Zara was the one who almost died! It made me angry at how lightly she is using the words such as dying. “Monica, I didn’t go to your birthday party because something urgent cropped up on my end. It was a life-and-death situation. I had no time to spare on other matters which includes this very instance of you suddenly calling for me to come. I really shouldn’t have come at all.”How can she be so thoughtless?My words were probably harsh
POV KaydenAfter we got back to Chicago, I went to Yohan for a routine checkup. Knowing him, I was half-expecting him to make some snide remark. Sure enough, he had a smug look on his face as I sat down.“Mr. Marshall, I think you could consider taking that drug more often,” he smirked. “You seem rather… energetic.”I shot him a look, not bothering to respond. He must have seen Zara and me together recently because he didn’t let up.“Don’t be so serious, Mr. Marshall. A joke here and there won’t scare a girl away.”“Any other tests you need to do?” I asked flatly.“Fine, fine,” he sighed, getting a needle ready. Then, out of nowhere, he started again. “You know, Miss Wilson’s personality is actually quite complementary to yours. She’s carefree, while Miss Jensen was always a bit uptight. You two are like… concave and convex pieces, fitting together perfectly.”I caught the mischievous look in his eyes immediately. He was speaking in double entendres, and his implication was obvious. F
When I walked into the room that morning, I could immediately tell how awkward Zara felt. She sat there, her face bright red, her body still a little disheveled from the night before. I knew she was thinking about everything that had happened, probably trying to reconcile her usual reserved self with the bold actions she’d taken for my sake.I approached her, trying to check on her arm. She winced a bit when I touched it, and that’s when I realized just how much I had pushed her the night before. I was in no state to think clearly back then, consumed by the effects of the drug, and she had gone through all of it with me, without complaint."Does it hurt that much?" I asked, frowning as guilt gnawed at me.She waved it off, pretending it wasn’t a big deal, but I could see how sore she was. “I must have used too much strength…” she muttered.I couldn’t help but feel responsible for what I had put her through. "I’m sorry..." I told her, feeling the weight of what I had done sink in.She
POV KaydenI stood by the window, my body burning with an unbearable heat, the cold winter night outside in stark contrast to the fire inside me. The reflection on the glass showed a man drenched in sweat, his skin flushed, muscles tense. I couldn't calm myself. The drug was wreaking havoc on me, pushing me to my limits, testing my control.I heard Zara approach from behind, her steps light but determined. Her voice cut through the haze, "Really, let me help you. It’s been a few hours already, and you’re still not well..."I clenched my fists. The last thing I wanted was for her to see me like this, to be caught in this mess created by someone else’s malicious intent. But there she was, stubborn as always. I couldn’t bear to have her close, and yet I couldn’t push her away."Who needs you to help? Didn’t you understand when I told you to get lost?" I shouted, hoping to scare her off. Maybe if I could make her leave, I could deal with this myself.But Zara never backed down. "No, I’m n
POV ZaraI was sound asleep when my phone suddenly rang. I groggily reached for it, only to hear an unexpected voice on the other end.“Zara.”It was Monica.I immediately sat up in bed, confused and still half-asleep. “Miss Jensen?” I asked, my voice puzzled. What could she possibly want at this hour?She didn’t waste any time. Her tone was sharp and condescending, as if she had been waiting for this moment. “What are you doing?” she snapped.I blinked and tried to stay calm. “I was sleeping,” I replied honestly, still unsure what this was about.“Very well. I guess you’re tactful enough to know your place and not try to disturb Kayden and me,” she said with a smugness that made my skin crawl.I was tired of this back and forth with her. I decided to just lay it out. “I’ll be direct. I respect whatever is going on between you two, and I won’t interfere. You’ve just never believed me,” I said, keeping my tone as even as possible, even though my heart was already beginning to race. I d
I arrived at the restaurant where Monica had already made herself comfortable. She had dressed up for the occasion, her eyes gleaming with something I couldn’t quite place, and I was immediately on edge. This was supposed to be a simple dinner, but from the way she was looking at me, I could tell she had something else on her mind."Kayden, you’re here," she smiled, motioning for me to sit. "I waited so long for you. Come and try this house drink. I specially asked them to bring it from the cellar. It’s a premium red wine."I sat down, already feeling uneasy. Something about her excitement seemed off, but I couldn’t place it. She kept staring at me, and I couldn’t figure out why. I glanced at the wine she poured and shook my head slightly."It’s better not to drink too much wine. It’s not good for your body," I said, trying to deflect.Suddenly, her eyes welled up, and tears started falling. I was caught off guard. Had I said something wrong? Her emotions had been so fragile lately, a
I was in the middle of reading a document when Zara suddenly popped up with a bright idea.“Kayden, let’s go to the indoor ski park.”I looked up from my work, slightly amused. "No," I said, shaking my head."Why not?" She always got this look when I denied her one of her spontaneous plans.I chuckled and said, “It’s meaningless to put on so many clothes. If we’re doing something active, we might as well go to the pool. It’s more... pleasing to the eyes.”She immediately grabbed a pillow and tossed it at me. "Perv."I couldn’t help but laugh at her reaction. But she didn’t give up. She never did.“Come on, let’s go try it out, Kayden.... Honey, I’ve never been to a ski park before.”That word, “Honey,” always had a strange effect on me. It was like she knew the exact button to push.I sighed, feeling a bit helpless. She knew exactly how to get her way. I reached out and rubbed her head. "Fine. Let’s go."Her face lit up immediately. “Heh heh. Thanks, Honey. You’re is the best!”I trie
POV KaydenI asked Henry to check with the hospital staff and doctors about Monica’s recovery which he said was going fine and she would get discharged in two days.Later that week I had a call from the Los Angeles Branch of Marshall Industries that needed some attention personally. I informed Zara and coincidently she too had a shoot to attend there.We both took the Marshalls private jet and she called her manager. They both set off for her scheduled shoot and I went to my own work. Los Angeles branch was doing well on its own, and it’s been like that for most of our branches. They managing directors don’t bother me unless there’s actually an issue that needs my attention, hence I make it so that I check these things personally.As I was just finishing my meeting and ready to head back in the afternoon, I got a call from Yvette. I quickly picked it up, knowing Yvette will never call me unless it has anything to do with Zara.“Hello.”“Mr. Marshall, Zara got into a small accident on
POV ZaraWhen we stepped into the Marshall residence, the chill in the air didn’t seem to matter. Kayden’s mother immediately fussed over me as usual, saying, “You’re wearing too few layers, Zara! Quick, bring an overcoat for the Young Madam.”I barely had time to protest before they wrapped me in another layer. Honestly, I was fine, but Kayden’s Mother’s warmth and concern made me feel like I was being pampered beyond belief. This was the Marshall family way—especially when it came to their daughter-in-law.As we moved further inside, I noticed the President's bodyguards stationed outside. That could only mean one thing: Kenneth was home. It was strange to see him here, since he's usually so busy with running the country. But it was New Year’s Eve, and even the President has to celebrate with family sometimes.Kenneth approached us, as poised as ever, and greeted me with his usual reserved but polite demeanor. “Zara, good to see you again.” It felt a little formal, but then again, he
This realization put me in a surprisingly good mood. If I had known earlier that she was jealous, I wouldn’t have been so anxious during those days. She was angry not because she didn’t care but because she did.And here I was, almost spoiling her too much. She was practically running circles around me. I chuckled to myself. If anyone saw how I was with her, they wouldn’t believe it. Zara had no idea just how much I was holding back, letting her get away with things that would’ve driven anyone else mad.I sat there, watching her hum to herself, clearly lost in her own thoughts. She reclined in her seat, and I couldn’t help but notice how content she looked now. But then, her expression shifted suddenly, and she pressed her hand to her stomach.I frowned and leaned forward. “Why? Does your stomach still hurt?”She nodded, wincing slightly. “It still hurts a little. It’s alright. It’s probably because I was too nervous this time. Usually, it only hurts for a day.”“Next time, take note