“What?!” I yelled as I bolted upright on the bed.My eyes snapped open before I started looking around. The room was dark but that wasn’t what really mattered at that moment. Memories of the dinner that I had with Bradon last night, the deal that we made, and the passionate way he ravished my body all came flooding back.Why did I think that it was all just a dream?The answer to the question was really quite obvious. Since everything seemed so unreal and unimaginable even in my wildest dreams, my brain must have somehow brushed it off as nothing but exactly that while I was sleeping.“Bradon…” I murmured while I tried to sort out my disoriented thoughts.While trying my best to ignore the ache in my lower abdomen and between my legs, I swung my legs off the bed and headed directly for the closet. I had no idea what time it was or how I ended up on the bed, but I knew that I needed to talk to Bradon before he left for work because if I missed him then I wasn’t sure when I would see hi
His beautiful hand stopped midair as he shot me a glare that felt like it could kill. I wanted to burst out laughing but the sound of one of the bodyguards standing at the side of the room letting out a chuckle beat me to it. Bradon’s face visibly darkened along with his mood before he narrowed his eyes at me. The quite disturbed and astonished look on his face made me bite down on my lower lip as I smirked at him mischievously.“Don’t call me that,” he hissed through clenched teeth.“But I called you by your name earlier but you didn’t respond…so…” I replied like it wasn’t my fault.What’s the worst that can happen?Since I’m supposed to be Diana and also his newly wedded wife, he can’t possibly kill me. For the sake of our families and the economy of this country, I am very much needed alive and well.“What do you want?” he asked coldly.I stared at him for a few seconds in silence before letting out a sigh. Wasn’t he supposed to tell me what he wanted from me instead of the other
“Sure,” he replied.“What?” I exclaimed without hiding my shock at the sudden change in his decision.“We did make a deal. You can go outside as you please. I’ll let everyone in the mansion know about this change in rule,” he declared decisively.“Really?” I asked because I just couldn’t quite believe it.We did make a deal that I would be able to go outside but now that it was really happening, I was still taken by surprise. At least, I was right in thinking that Bradon was a man of his word.“Yes, but under one condition,” he said as if making sure that I still remembered the deal that we made.“You’ll accompany me at all times,” I finished off his thought begrudgingly.Bradon nodded his head firmly once to affirm that I had gotten it correct. I let out a sigh when I tried to picture us hanging out together. Somehow, I found it quite difficult to imagine us spending time and going out and about together. I could already imagine how we would fight and how the dynamic between us would
I just couldn’t believe that the casino that I had heard of but never seen and never thought that I would get to visit would be right in front of me right now. Although most people in upper society knew about it, not everyone was allowed to come to a place like this.Of course, my father was one of the selected few who had access to places like these. How else could he have gambled the fortune of our family away?For normal people in the country, this wasn’t supposed to exist. People were not supposed to know about it and even if they did, they had to pretend that they did not possess such knowledge. Of course, the common people were banned by law from entertaining themselves at such a place.“I guess Diana isn’t supposed to be in a place like this…” I said with widened eyes as I turned my head around to take in all that was in front of me.“You’re not supposed to be here either,” he pointed out.“You’re right…” I replied while thinking that I should be working late into the night at
“Excuse me, please make way for the lady,” Bradon said from close to me.His authoritative tone caught the attention of the men around us immediately. There was a slight nervousness and tension in the air before the crowd parted to let me through.“Thank you, gentlemen,” Bradon said before showing them what I would consider a very cold smile.“Thank you…” I whispered.With a firm nudge of Bradon’s hand against the small of my back, I took a few steps forward until I was standing right at the side of the large table.“This is a roulette…” Bradon replied before going on to explain the rule of the game to me in a short and concise summary.“Wow…” I murmured as I watched the dealer spin the wheel.I felt like a child mesmerized by a new toy that I had just discovered. Even though I’ve seen a roulette wheel spinning before in some movies that I’ve watched, it just felt so different to see the real thing. I could feel the excitement of everyone gathered around the table heighten as the deal
Since he seemed to be so against the idea, I wondered if he was actually terrible at it. It would be quite uncool for the owner of the casino to suck at gambling. The thought brought a small smirk to my lips, and I found it hard to hold in my giggles.“Jake,” Bradon suddenly called a man’s name.“Yes, Boss...” the dealer at the table responded immediately.“Entertain the lady,” he instructed casually.Entertain me? How?“We’re taking a break right now, gentlemen. Thank you very much. We will resume in 15 minutes. In the meantime, please enjoy some refreshments over there,” Jake said as he began shuffling a deck of cards in his hands.“Watch. He’s not half bad,” Bradon said to me.“What is he going to show me?” I asked as my eyes focused on the smooth movements of Jake’s hands as he continued shuffling a deck of cards.“Some adorable card tricks,” Bradon replied.As if to signal that the show had started, Jake began shuffling the cards faster and faster. I watched as if captivated by t
With the mask that I had on, I doubted that anyone could recognize me unless they happened to know either Diana or me very well.“Are you tired?” he asked.“No way. I’m going over there to play,” I replied with clear determination.After being locked up in the mansion for such a long time, there was no way that I would return without having my fill of fun first. On top of that, I haven’t won a single game since entering the casino. Perhaps it was because I hadn’t found a game that I was good at or a game that I could simply win by using my luck. Regardless, I made a silent oath to myself that I would not call it a day until I won at something.“Ok…” Bradon murmured without any excitement.Regardless of his attitude, he still stuck by my side as I walked toward another zone in the casino where another game was being played.…“Seriously, how can I possibly lose at every single game?” I asked in complete disbelief before I covered my cheeks with my hands.“You have no skills, and your l
Does he mean that I need to settle this amount before I can leave?Is he crazy?!“Wait…are you telling me that I lost 28 million dollars today?” I asked without bothering to conceal my utter shock.“Yes, My Lady. I have the breakdown here if you would like to check,” Sean said with confidence before smiling at me again.“What is going on?” I turned to demand for an answer from Bradon.Bradon had a very passive look on his face as if this was supposed to be expected and normal. I glared at him so hard that I thought that my eyes would pop out of their sockets.“What did you expect? How are you supposed to gamble if you don’t have any money?” Bradon asked as if it was supposed to be obvious.“Even so! Where does this ridiculous amount of 28 million dollars even come from?” I demanded to know.“What color chips did you use to bet with, My Lady, if I may ask?” the manager asked with a gentle smile.“Chip? Hmm…a rectangular bronze one…about the side of a playing card…” I replied as I recal
"You should go to bed," Bradon told me the moment that we stepped into the mansion. I knew that his suggestion was spot on because sleep was exactly what I needed to deal with what was to come. The media and everyone had undoubtedly gone wild as they both communicated and speculated on what was the truth and what were twisted lies from all the events that happened in the past that I shared with my sister.I switched off my phone when it wouldn't stop vibrating, without bothering to read the caller ID on the screen. I could already guess who would be calling me and also exactly what they had to say."It feels like my head is ready to explode," I confessed before smiling weakly at Bradon."Which is precisely why you should stop thinking or caring about anyone else and just get some shut-eye," Bradon said as he peeled away the mobile phone that I held in my hand. I let him do so without putting up any resistance because all I wanted to do was crawl into bed and hide under the sheets wit
"My name is Diana, which can only mean that the Diana standing over there is, in fact, my twin sister, Dahlia. In fact, for the past months, I wasn't present, and the Diana that you knew had always been my sister acting out in my place," Diana explained as if it was something to be proud of.The crowd went wild, but I decided to focus my attention on the two figures that seemed so intent on ruining my life along with my sister’s. Our father had officially become our enemy, and at that moment, he looked like he might have started to regret pushing both of us over the edge. Mr. Malton, who, after all this time, clearly never regretted his actions and never realized that he should have been man enough to take responsibility. I was certain that even now, he was willing to destroy our reputation and our future—all for the sake of the money undoubtedly promised to him by our father. Desperate times truly call for desperate measures; that applied to our father but also to us as well.I could
I found myself praying silently that Desmond could bring everything under control, but my prayers probably fell on deafened ears. Instead of Desmond stepping up to the podium, it was my sister who approached it instead."What is she doing?" I asked in a shaky whisper as I felt myself breaking into a cold sweat. It felt like my eyes were about to pop out of their sockets as I continued staring in bewilderment and disbelief at my sister, who stood with a beautiful smile behind the podium, the microphone very close to her lips. I turned to stare at Desmond and managed to lock gazes with him. I could tell that he was staring right back at me, and the way he nodded his head reassuringly was supposed to bring me some relief and keep me at ease, but it only made me even more nervous.I could tell that everyone in the crowd was staring daggers at my sister, even from where I was standing. It wasn't surprising, considering that everyone thought Diana was me. It felt like tight knots had formed
Back to the present"Homewrecker! Homewrecker! Homewrecker!"The violent chanting continued and began seeping into my consciousness, dragging me back to the present. Disaster seemed to be staring me right in the face."Leya..." Bradon whispered my name right beside my ear.His presence close to me reminded me that, unlike that day back then, I wasn't alone. I had Bradon by my side, and, on top of that, everyone was here with me: Desmond and my sister. I suddenly felt a surge of confidence that made me believe that there could be a way out, one that would save us all from this dire situation my father had plotted against us.I had to admit that after leaving the country, I hadn't spared much thought for what would unfold after my departure. I never took care to follow up on any news-not that they would be made public-related to Mr. Malton's wife and child. I had no idea what happened to him or his family after that incident. My parents completely cut me off, and there was frankly no on
"What have you done? Have you completely lost your mind?" my father yelled at me immediately when our family was gathered in private. His face was completely red with anger as his voice echoed in the room. My mother looked like she was on the verge of tears, and I could tell that she was more worried about our family rather than her own daughter. "News of your ridiculous and scandalous behavior is now all over the place!" my father continued yelling. As if to drive his message home, his mobile phone began ringing non-stop. One glance at the name displayed on the screen drove my father to the brink before he switched off the phone and threw it onto the floor. My mother let out a scream at my father's sudden violent outburst before sinking down onto the sofa as if she had lost all strength in her body.I took the opportunity to slowly take a seat, and Diana was by my side in an instant. I knew that the best way to brave out this storm was to keep quiet and not let his words get to me.
Not having the experience of being a criminal before, I wasn't quite sure how one was supposed to be treated, but the experiences that I went through might have indeed been close. I thought that I was used to disappointing my parents and the people around me. I thought that I was used to seeing the look of disappointment and disapproval in their eyes before it became a look of resentment and then complete apathy and lack of care. I thought that I could deal with everything without getting my emotions involved because, after all, I was supposed to be used to this kind of treatment, and that was why I was caught utterly off guard by how quickly things escalated.Thinking back on it, my memories were quite blurry. Either it was simply too much for me to take in at the time for my brain to form any clear memories, or it was simply too shocking and too harsh for me to take. Either way, everything seemed to fly by me and over my head.Although every single teacher and the principal tried to
Just thinking that the fool right in front of me dared to say he was in love with my sister, while he couldn't even tell the two of us apart, made my blood boil. It took a lot of effort to repress the urge to reach out and strangle his neck right then and there. I reminded myself that I had a part to play and quite an audience to impress."No... this can't be..." Mr. Malton whispered hoarsely from a distance, stepping even further away from me. I stood up from the table, grabbed his arm, and pulled him back to my side as I glared up into his face."It's actually quite simple to fool you. All I had to do was dress up in my sister's clothes whenever I met you and talk a little more sweetly..." I said, letting out a hysterical laugh. I could still feel everyone's eyes on us as the attention in the room escalated even more than before.Mr. Malton was speechless as he tried to pull his arm away from my grip, but I wasn't about to let him get away so easily."Well, now I guess the secret is
I had no idea how Diana managed to keep the girls silent up until that point so that the news wouldn't spread; however, I knew that it wouldn't be too long before everyone in school knew about this illicit affair. We would be extremely lucky if this news did not spread beyond the school walls. Despite the gravity of the situation, Mr. Malton was already ready to make his retreat."What if they don't believe us? I feel so scared. I don't want to be alone, and I don't want you to leave me," I said pleadingly just to see his reaction."You know that I would never do that. It would just be temporary until everything blows over. I promise that I will never leave you. How could I possibly leave you? I love you so much," he declared his love for me boldly.The more dramatic things became, the more I felt that his act of adoration was completely fake. No matter how many times he claimed to be in love with my sister, it seemed like he couldn't even tell us apart. I wondered what kind of face h
"Leya, you need to help me find a way out of this. Diana simply cannot make this kind of mistake," my sister told me slowly and clearly as she stared directly into my eyes."You're right. You can't afford to make these kinds of mistakes," I agreed solemnly."No one else must find out about this. We have to do something before word gets out because word is definitely going to get out,," my sister stated calmly, and I could tell that she had returned to her calm and collected self."Can't we tell them that they simply misunderstood and that it's not true?" I asked, daring to harbor a little bit of hope."They probably won't believe what we tell them, but they might believe what we show them," Diana replied, and I could tell her mind was made up.Without using any more words, it seemed like an understanding had formed between us, and once again, it felt like it was us against the entire world....**The Next Day**As I pushed open the back door to the building that was supposed to be off