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20: Proud Husband
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2025-01-26 23:35:53
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Sunshine and The Beast   21: Must Be The Fever
AltheaThe first trial would be held next week.So far, the progress was good on my side. I couldnât explain how exactly, but Matthias found out the writers of those ugly liesâas he called themâwere paid by the owner of Cleoraque, Martha Anastasia, that one brand that claimed my product was only a copycat. âMartha is one of Davosâs nieces,â Matthias informed me. âYou know what that means.âEven if I didnât really like the idea, he was right. I wasnât sure of what method my father used to get to business. From what Iâve seen, he chose to invest in something rather than creating another product on his own. Erbeauty havenât released any new products in years. It was only an updated formula or packaging, or special editions. It didnât matter anyway. My father still got his money running with his investment.The launch of my Art Palette was a good sign for the company, and also a warning for my rivals. I never wanted to have one, but business was a cruel world. When Matthias said it like
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-01-27Sunshine and The Beast   22: His Grandmother (I)
AltheaI didnât know much about marriage. So, I might not be a suitable person to comment on this, but I knew we were skipping steps a lot. Like âĶ A LOT. You would take your spouse or partner to meet your family before you marry them. While Matthias took me to his family once, this was my first time to meet his grandmother. Iâve met his uncles, aunts, cousins, niece, and so on. The meeting didnât go long, so I wasnât thinking about it too much. There was no important or meaningful conversation going. But this time, it was different. Despite Matthias kept telling me it wouldnât be much, I could feel it was different for him. We did not meet in some grand luxurious hotel or fancy restaurant, nor in our penthouse, but in Osman Coxâold house. We stayed there for two days to clean up and prepare the whole house. This was also my first time to visit.âIt will be easier for her to be in here rather than ours.â He once told me that. Matthias reasoned it was because of the lift, stairs, a
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-01-28Sunshine and The Beast   6B: Before The Deal
(This was before chapter 7, I forgot to add this, so I upload this to minimize plot hole. Sorry for the inconvenience.)-AltheaIt was only two oâclock in the evening, and I already missed my bed.Not because I wanted to sleep that bad, but because I needed it. I barely had any sleep for a few days. I went to my new office yesterday. I havenât met anyone face to face, but I had a few Zoom meetings about business in the morning until evening, and I got to catch up to learn anything I didnât understand, which was basically everything. In my free time, I had to do my social activityâat least that's how Josh called it. It was a softer version of âlooking for a husband, call if interestedâ.No one asked me if I was interested in this or not. Free answer: I totally did not.I thought by being rich, one would feel sufficient enough to be alone. Once you got money, what more would you want?Then I knew the answer. Of course, more money. Enough was nothing but a concept, an illusion created
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-01-28Sunshine and The Beast   23: His Grandmother (II)
Ilya might be the nicest and funniest person in the Cox family.Despite only knowing her for a short period of time, I felt like it was safe to assume so. She had this laidback personality that I havenât seen in any other Coxes. When I met Matthiasâs family, they looked at me as if they questioned my existence and why I was in front of them. I was like a threat rather than a family member.Here with Ilya, I felt more humane. Like she saw me as a person, a girl that married his favorite grandson. There were no questionable stares of suspicious gaze directed to me, even if I realized she did look at me several times when we ate.Ilya used the time to catch up with whatever happened to usâour wedding, honeymoon, and current life. She asked about the businessâMatthiasâs and mineâbut that was all. There was no discussion about inheritance, investment percentage, stock and share. It was all about simple questions filled with genuine care.âIâm still sad that I couldnât attend your wedding.
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-01-29Sunshine and The Beast   24: Take Me To Dinner
AltheaThe presence of Ilya Cox didnât make my daily routine hard in any particular way, but something sure did change. She was going to stay in New York for ten days, so Matthias and I stayed with her. We agreed to do our work from home, and we used Osman Coxâ previous home office. We did what we usually did before, but it seemed Ilya had different ideas in mind.âI know you two have these big responsibilities for your business, but itâs okay to take a break and enjoy your time together, you know? The work can wait.âI thought she wanted us three to go somewhere, but it turned out she wanted us to have dinner. Only the two of us. That was why Matthias took me to a western restaurant in CooperstownâIlyaâs recommendation, she said we could find one of the best steakhouses in New York thereâto dine together. I wasnât sure if this could be called a date, since none of us planned this. But we did go either way with Matthiasâs Ford. He only wore a simple navy blue shirt, and I matched hi
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-01-30Sunshine and The Beast   25: Ruined Dinner
AltheaEveryone knew who Matthias Cox was. It wasnât a new thing for me to hear someone greet him all of a sudden, let it be men or women. This was definitely not my first rodeo. When we were out together on our date before the wedding, people greeted us on our way. Some media outlets openly approached us and asked for photos.But this was different. There was no camera, recorder, or any devices. It was only a woman with red plump lipstick, perfect manicure, and big boobs that came to our table. âYou remember me, right?â When I heard it the second time, I felt like something was off. I knew I wasnât that experienced with people and their personality, but even so I could feel when something was fake. Rather than sweet, I found it annoying. If I was Matthias, I would make the same expression too.Well, maybe not exactly that. I didnât like it, but hearing it wouldnât make me stiff and turned into a stone all of a sudden.âThere is no way you will forget me,â she said once again, this
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-01-31Sunshine and The Beast   26: Distraction
MatthiasAfter all these years, she appeared.Five years have already passed, but she hadnât not changed much. She was still the same Sloane Floyd I knew back then. Still with that bold look, flirtatious smile, and touchy as ever. She was definitely still with the same mindset too: she thought I was still in her grasp. Meeting her tonight wasnât on my wishlist, or any other time. She was like a thorn in my body, so small that I didnât notice, but when she appeared, I remembered the scars she caused. It was still there, burnt, and it needed to be calmed down. I wanted to take my mind from something Iâve thrown away years ago. I needed some distraction.And Althea happened to be with me.Since the start, she had stolen my attention. I didnât think much of Sloane. She was not the reason why I took Althea with me. It was Althea herself. She took my sole focus with the way she looked at me and Sloane, to the way she stood up and said, âHe is mine.âShe said it as if she wanted to claim
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-02-01Sunshine and The Beast   27: One Night, One Mistake
AltheaToo many things happened out of the plan tonight.It was supposed to be a simple dinner, that was all. There was no making out in the parking lot, getting horny in the car, and went back to our penthouse rather than going back to Ilya.I didnât expect all of these, yet it did. Did I regret it? I wasnât really sure. I didnât want to think about that either. Or to be exact, I couldnât. My mind was occupied with whatever Matthias did to me. There was no time to think. The moment we arrived and went into our penthouse, Matthias slammed me against the wall, fusing his lips into mine once again. He took no time to dominate me, and all I could do was to succumb to his control.The things we did in the car were hot, but it wasnât worth mentioning compared to what we were currently doing. This time, his hands were all over me, exploring every inch he hadnât touched before. My face, my neck, my shoulder, my boobs, even my hips. He slipped his right hand inside my blouse, while the othe
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-02-02
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Sunshine and The Beast   87: Protecting You in My Way
AltheaThings were changing. A lot.Althea Lewis from the past didnât like uncertain and quick changes. Well, that was me. It took time to get used to anything, so to had a drastic change all of a sudden was draining.I meant, it took me months to finally be able to get a grasp of my new world, this business thing. And I couldnât even say that Iâd masteredt it.God knew I was far from it.Yet somehow, I didnât mind the change that happened between Matthias and I. I liked it even, if I could put it that way.It felt like he was an entire different person, yet remained the same. The same Matthias Cox, but better. He brought a kind of stillness that didnât demand anything from me, which was something I didnât expect from him. At least me from months ago wouldnât.He was calm where I was tense. He knew what to do, precise, where I was scattered and needed a lot of guidance. I didnât need to explain my silences to himâhe simply understood them. Vice versa, I didnât feel the urge to ask abo
Sunshine and The Beast   86: My Wife
MatthiasTristan Kennedy.One name that I didn't really care about before. One name that had lived quietly in the shadows all this time, like a ghost behind a curtain. Everyone knew who Charles Kennedy was. He wasthe filthy rich misogynist who had crazy ideas that almost tanked his own empire.Almost. Underlined that word. Because his company was also one of a kind, an evidence of miracle, some would said.Some said that Charles came to his senses before the fall, miraculously managing to steer the wheel before he succumbed to illness. Others said it was a blessing from God for bad people. The latter sounded like nonsense, if you asked me. That kind of poetic ending sounded dramatic, too clean. I never liked those versions of the story. If God was real, He didnât run a business portfolio. And companies like K Company didnât just bounce back from near-collapse on sheer luck.Someone had pulled the strings. And if they could do that, then they were either a genius, or a psycho. The line
Sunshine and The Beast   85: The Boy from The Past
MatthiasEven though people say the crime scene will be the strongest evidence, the reality is often not the case. There would be times where you found nothing but the wind, no trace of a scent.However, again, I didn't have many options.The police station was not helpful, the orphanage that Cyan visitedâI didn't have time to go because of the many meetings and the money-crazy people who could only sue instead of thinking and workingâdidn't give much information, so my option was Staten Junior High.I had gone to Marcus before to ask about Reiley, but I went back to school to ask something else; to see things from a different perspective. Some things was worth it to be checked twice. At least, I hope this one did.I had never thought I would come here once again, and some of the teachers sure shared the same thought, but they welcomed me nevertheless.âMr. Cox, come in,â said Mrs. Josephine, the new vice head principal. She smiled so brightly, probably because I just told her a few d
Sunshine and The Beast   84: We Missed You
AltheaIt was weird remembering how before I felt like I canât get used to this world, and a few months later I felt empty because I wasnât sitting on my working desk.It was strange; how quickly the walls of my office started to feel like home again. The smell of brewed coffee lingering in the air, the faint hum of the overhead lights, the rustling sound of papers and keyboards and footsteps just outside the glass doors.It had only been a few weeks since I last stepped into this space, but it felt longer. Too long. I used to complain about deadlines and office noise, but now that I was here againâĶ I missed it. All of it. Even the chaos.I walked into my office slowly, fingers grazing the edge of my desk like I was reacquainting myself with something lost. It was clean, perfectly arranged. Just the way I left it.âGod, finally.âI turned around and found Rebecca, my assistant, standing at the doorway, arms crossed, a wide grin on her face. She looked the same, stylish as always, sharp
Sunshine and The Beast   83: Is This Okay?
AltheaâIs everything okay, Matt?âThe question slipped out before I could stop myself. I tried to make it sound casualânonchalant, evenâbut my voice betrayed me with just the faintest edge of concern.Matthias stood across the room, near the wide living room window, one hand loosely holding his phone while the other hung at his side. The morning light softened the angles of his face, casting a golden glow across the lines of his jaw, but it didnât do much to hide the tension in his shoulders.He didnât answer immediately. He just stared down at the screen like he was reading something important. Or pretending to.âMatt?â I called him once again.Finally, he exhaled and looked over his shoulder. âYeah. Everythingâs under control.âIt was the kind of answer you gave to stop more questions. The kind meant to reassure without actually offering anything real. I set my coffee cup down on the table a little too loudly.âThatâs not really what I asked,â I said, more pointedly this time.Matt
Sunshine and The Beast   82: The Connection
MatthiasI made sure Althea was asleep before I slipped out of the bed.Sheâd curled into my side like she always did lately, breathing deep, her fingers unconsciously gripping the fabric of my shirt even in sleep. Maybe I couldâve stayed. Maybe I wanted to. It had become a quiet habitâsharing the night, the bed, her warmth. I didnât know when it started to feel natural, but it had. And I didnât mind it.But not tonight.Tonight, there was something I needed to do. Something Iâd been pushing off for too long.The doctor had said she needed rest, and I wanted her to have itâwanted her to be safe, even if it meant doing the darker parts of this alone. So I moved carefully, slipping from the bed and tugging the covers back over her shoulder before leaving the room and closing the door with a soft click.The apartment was dim, quiet. I padded through the living room barefoot, the only sound the low hum of the city outside the window. I adjusted the headphones, waiting for the familiar chi
Sunshine and The Beast   81: Let Me Take Care of You
AltheaThe more you deal with money, the more screwed it becomes.Lesson learned, but the class wasnât over yet.If anything, it was just the start of a syllabus I never asked for.I woke up to the scent of something warm drifting from the kitchenâeggs, garlic, maybe a touch of rosemary. It was soft, comforting, something I hadnât realized I missed until it filled the space around me. My feet padded across the floor, and I followed the smell like it was pulling me with invisible threads.And there he was.Matthias stood by the stove, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, spatula in one hand, coffee mug in the other. A faint stream of morning light spilled in through the windows, casting a golden hue across his face. He lookedâĶ peaceful. Out of place, almost, in the soft domesticity of my kitchen.He glanced up when he noticed me. âMorning.âI blinked, definitely not expecting a greet for him. âAre youâĶ cooking?âHe turned back to the stove like it was no big deal. âWhat does it look like?â
Sunshine and The Beast   80: Something is Off
Althea"Are you sure youâll be fine here alone?"I wasnât sure why Matthias even asked.I paused, glancing up at him as I sat at my desk, fingers loosely curled around my mug. His question seemed casual enough, but there was something from the way he asked it. A weight behind his words. A hesitance that didnât belong to the Matthias I knew.Still, I nodded. "Iâll basically be here for the whole day. Whatâs the worst thing that could possibly happen?"Matthias didnât answer immediately.His gaze lingered on me, sharp and unreadable. Like he was debating something in his head. Then, after a beat, he exhaled and nodded."Alright," he said. "Call me if you need anything."I waved him off. "Iâll be fine."He didnât seem convinced, but he didnât push the issue further. Instead, he gave one last glance around the apartment, as if memorizing every detail, before finally stepping out. The door clicked shut behind him, and just like that, I was alone.For a moment, I simply sat there, staring a
Sunshine and The Beast   79: Soon-to-be a Daddy
MatthiasI wouldnât ever be a father.That was what I thought before.I never knew what a good father wasânever had one since the start. He just existed, distant and cold, a figure in my life rather than a presence. A name rather than a man I could turn to. A concept rather than a reality.He was a man who built walls instead of bridges. A man whose presence could fill a room, not with warmth, but with the kind of silence that made you wish you werenât there at all. He wasnât cruelânot in an obvious way. He simply didnât care enough to be.I wasnât the type to wallow in self-pity. I had better things to do than dwell on something I couldnât change. But I was self-aware enough to understand what that meant.I knew what it was like to grow up looking at someone who was supposed to teach you what it meant to be a man and instead learning what it meant to be alone.The thought that I had no real exampleâno blueprint, no guiding handâled me to one simple conclusion: I would never be a fath
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