IT WAS, indeed true that there were people who would come into your life and destroy your happiness when you least expected it. Michelle was trying her best not to blow her shit and lose her mind.
Sitting on the couch across from where she was seated were Selene Steinfied and her goddaughter Ashley, who was throwing her a deadly glare. Michelle could not figure out the reason why these two women came into the house all of a sudden. However, one thing was for sure: she was clearly in trouble...
As Priscilla stood up next to the couch where her unpleasant guests were sitting, she couldn't help but take a brief glimpse at her. Although Michelle was wary of jumping to conclusions and blaming anyone, she had a strong feeling that the housekeeper was responsible for their arrival.
On the other couch was Megan, who was looking at all of them confusedly but remained silent.
"You look tense," Ashley said, folding her arms against her chest. "Aren’t you happy
"DO YOU think you can scare me away, Michelle?" Selene laughed as she shook her head.Michelle stopped breathing at the sound of Selene’s laugh. She couldn’t stop clenching her jaw while she glared at Ethan’s mother, who seemingly had a lot of aces in her hands. Her gut twisted, thinking that no good could really be seen from these rich people who only treated commoners like her as rats in their well-built society."I am not getting any younger to play and scare people, Selene." Michelle cocked her head and shot her a glare. "You can try me. I’d love to tell Ethan how you offered me money to divorce him. Let’s see how he will react."Selene’s lips formed a thin line, while Ashley scowled at her. She looked like she was ready to attack Michelle, if not for her threatening words."What the hell are you doing? You’re being rude to Aunt Selene—""You can shut up, Ashley." Michelle interrupted her. "I am n
THE NEXT day, she was struggling to stay at home after what happened last night. Thinking that Priscilla initiated the visit of her mother-in-law and Ashley, who caused another fiasco, Michelle could hardly look at the housekeeper without getting angry.Sighing, she recalled the insulting words she received from Selene Steinfield and how she bribed her for money to divorce and stay away from Ethan. Michelle could not seem to understand why the woman had some anger raging inside her head. She doubted that Selene would ever accept her during the three-year contract she signed with Ethan.For most of her life, she received many insults from people who didn’t really know her. She got used to it, and learned how to handle it the best way she could. However, the insults hit differently now that they came from her in-laws. Even though her marriage was far from being real, a small part of her was disappointed. She hoped they would become her second family, but she realiz
HOURS PASSED. Needless to say, Michelle enjoyed Jacob’s company so much that she lost track of time. Before she even realized it, the antique long clock that towered over most of the people in the cafe chimed when its hands struck twelve and three, indicating that it was already three o’clock in the afternoon.She wasn’t able to read even the half of the book she borrowed, as Jacob Steinfield was totally a storyteller himself. In a short period of time, Michelle had learned a lot about him. He was a man who loved art more than any other sport in the world, a total bookworm of nonfiction, and could be considered a philanthropist because of how he saw the world."You know what’s funny? The owner invited me, but I haven’t seen him yet here," Jacob said, and then his eyes surveyed the cafe.Glancing at him, Michelle smiled and followed his gaze. "I think he’s probably busy since it is Sunday.""You’re right." Jacob ch
JACOB chuckled at her question, and she could hear the bitterness in that. He shook his head and gave her a thin smile. No one of them said any word after that until they both settled on the couch and had some tea."You’re not on good terms with Ethan, are you?" she carefully asked.Jacob took a slow sip of his red tea, and glanced at Michelle."He thinks I’m his nemesis." He comfortably leaned back on the couch."That answers the tension I felt between the two of you during the family dinner."He then nodded. "Brother issues, yeah...""Ethan may be quite different, but, I hope you two will get along eventually." Michelle let out a sigh. "My husband is a good person, Jacob."That thought didn’t sit right with her, but something within her felt that she had to say that to his older brother. She offered Jacob a thin smile, and then sipped on her tea in the hopes that he understood what she meant.Jacob left as s
SHE TOOK several deep breaths to calm her mind.Michelle was already used to her dad asking for money whenever they saw each other. It actually became her father’s irritating routine, like she was some kind of an ATM machine where he could withdraw money whenever he felt like doing so. However, this time, she was all too aware that what he asked her was beyond what she was capable of giving.It wasn’t easy to fund a business, and she was still trying to pick herself up after getting bankrupt by paying her father’s debt. Now, he appeared out of nowhere, and asked for more. It was as if running a casino for a business was something that could be done in one snap of her fingers.And she swore to God, she’d never even try to drag Ethan into her father’s illegal pursuits for success. All she knew was that it would only cause trouble. In addition, she wasn’t that brazen to ask her husband to support her father.Michelle dragg
"ANY problems you encountered while I was gone?"Ethan posed the question to his wife as a way to begin a normal conversation. He wanted her to chat with him and share things with him the way a normal partner would in the morning, trading inquiries and such."Nothing happened," she simply replied and swallowed a spoonful of bacon and eggs.His lips curled as he locked his gaze on Michelle. He'd love to figure out what's going on in her head right now if he could only read her mind. Ethan could hardly focus when he looked at his wife, who seemed to have extra time to dress up in an oozing way—wearing makeup and a head-turning office dress.He was merely too shy to admit that he had assumed this was her way of welcoming him after his business trip. But, who was he kidding, though? He knew Michelle would never act in that manner, though the idea made his palm twitch and the ticklish desire traveled down to his groin, making him need her in the morning.
SHE WIPED her sweaty palms against the side of her skirt. For some reason, she was so nervous, thinking that she had done something wrong in her work. She was trying to recall whether she had submitted an unfinished report or forgot to add something to it that might have caused her husband to be so mad. But for Pete’s sake, she was all too aware that she had double-checked every report she made prior to submitting it.Walking into his office, Michelle felt the coldness of the place. Ethan gave her an intimidating stare, which doubled the nervousness she was feeling at the time."What’s happening?" she asked carefully. Her voice was almost like a whisper.His expression darkened. Inhaling sharply, he tossed the tablet on the table and motioned for her to read the article on its screen. She swallowed the lump in her throat, walked up to his desk, and took the tablet.Shit, she cursed in her mind.Her eyes widened upon reading the exact desc
ETHAN was ignoring her on their way to his parents’ house. Michelle was silent the whole time, as she felt like she was in deep shit at the time. She took a quick glance at him, and from the corner of his eye, she saw his cold expression.She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling so guilty about what happened. She then focused on her other side, where she could see the streets they passed by. Along with the guilt was the anxiety that made her lose her mind. They were visiting his parents, and she had a hunch that they would talk about the issue she was in.By the time they arrived at his parents’ place, Ethan still hadn’t spoken any words. He was making her feel as if she was totally invincible. That made her emotions well up more."Ethan..." she called for him the moment they got out of the car.Ethan did not even give her a stare. He only stopped and fixed his coat."Ethan, I’m—""Save it," he said in his deep tone